, "

the magazine of the Maine Better Transportation Association, featured the Maine Eastern Railroad in the August/September cover story entitled, "Rail Revival."

"Maine Trails , "

the magazine of the Maine Better Transportation Association, featured the Maine Eastern Railroad in the August/September cover story entitled, "Rail Revival."

Written by Douglas Rooks, the four-page article pointed to the success that Maine Eastern is having with its popular excursion train.  The seasonal passenger service is an adjunct to the year-round freight operation that they have been running since starting up a few years ago.

According to the article, Maine Eastern has continued and expanded its package deals with restaurants and tour boat operators, as well as creating tie-ins to events and attractions in Rockland, Wiscasset, Bath and Brunswick.

The article notes that the passenger excursions are in effect a holding operation for what the railroad hopes will be much greater passenger volumes in the future. 

The director of the Maine DOT Office of Passenger Transportation, Ron Roy, is quoted in the story as saying that rail is expensive to restore and maintain, but there's no doubt that it attracts a lot of interest.

Roy added that for Maine Eastern Railroad, it's worked well, noting that their service is excellent.

Maine Eastern is a subsidiary of Morristown & Erie (M&E) Railway of New Jersey, an old operator that has carved out a niche during the contemporary era of revitalization by carrying both freight and passengers. 

M&E's business equation also has included a good dose of rail romance.  The railroad uses rebuilt locomotives and fully restored vintage passenger coaches, a formula that has proven to be a hit in Maine.

The success has not come without a lot of effort.  Through a combination of marketing and cross promotion through packaging with other businesses, not to mention the dedication of a crack team of professional railroaders, Maine Eastern has seen its passenger numbers grow significantly.

The company is also working closely with other organizations like the American Bus Association to enhance the Maine experience for group tour operators and their passengers.

Maine Eastern's vice president and director of passenger operations Gordon Page said that there's a lot of good people in Maine who make the railroad tick. 

According to Page, the crew is top notch.  "From the track gang and mechanics, to the engineers and conductors, to our car cleaners," he said, "The best are right here."

Page said that from the time a passenger makes a reservation to the time they disembark for their ride back home, the experience is second to none.  He was quick to praise the behind the scenes folks who make the train run on time, and always with customer satisfaction and safety as a guiding principle.

The article also shed light on the effort to restore rail service to the Calais Branch in Hancock County.  Organizers there have formed the Downeast Rail Heritage Preservation Trust in the hopes that one day passengers will be able to ride the rails again using Ellsworth as a starting point.  To read the entire article, visit www.mbtaonline.org .