Sandy River Railroad.
Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Railroad.

Yard and shop facilities in Phillips, Maine.
 

I'm trying to put together a timeline for the Phillips yard..
listing the different Engine houses, Roundhouses and Turntables (and the two stations) that existed there
at different times.

I plan to eventually build an O-scale model of the first roundhouse at Phillips,
the wooden 5-stall roundhouse, and i'm trying to trackdown its timeline.
(I also plan to build the turntable and depot)

I was going to type this all out in a thread on the yahoo groups..but I will put it into webpage form instead,
because its much easier for me to edit this way, and it will look a lot neater than basic text in a thread..
which will make it all easier to follow and understand.. so here is the page..

Most of the timeline data below comes from two books:
"Two feet between the Rails" volumes I and II. by Robert Jones, 1979.
"The Maine Scenic Route" by H. Temple Crittenden,  1966.

These books are fairly old now, and I suspect some of the timeline data is now known 
to be incorrect..so im asking for help from the "2-footer community" to please help me fill this in
with correct dates and data!   thanks! 

I am posting this timeline on two internet discussion forums:
the Maine 2-foot Quarterly forum.
and the Maine On2 forum.
 
 

A History of Phillips Yard:

1879 - June 5 -              Construction begins on the SRRR at Farmington and moves north toward Phillips.

1879 - Autumn -            Work begins on the Phillips yard, as the mainline creeps north from Farmington.

1879 - November 20 -  First trains arrive in Phillips! marking the completion of the SRRR.
                                          The SRRR's two locomotives, the "Dawn" and the "Echo" arrive in Phillips for the
                                          first time. These were the B&B "Aerial" and "Puck", built for the B&B by Hinkley
                                          only two years before.

1879 - December -        First Phillips yard structures built: 
 and into 1880.              Rectangular enginehouse (not a roundhouse) (photo page 41, Jones Vol 1.)
                                         ( this is enginehouse #1)
                                         First turntable built.
                                         First depot built, the large "covered depot" with the track running through it.
                                          also a repair shop, 56x20 feet, with one track able to hold two locomotives,
                                          a blacksmith shop,
                                          and a 84x20' woodshed.
 

1891 - August -  2nd turntable built at Phillips..this is the wood turntable visable in the photo at the top
                              of the page..(I have never seen a photo of the first turntable.)
                              This turntable existed 1891 - 1921. (assuming the dates are correct, they might not be,
                              and assuming in not missing any! which is also possible.)
 

1897 - June 19 -  Enginehouse fire! Locomotives 4 and 5 damaged. (page 204, Jones Vol 1.)
                             "engine house almost totally destroyed"  (photo page 198, Jones Vol 1.)

1897 - August -  "A new SRRR enginehouse, (enginehouse #2), and machine shop was started at Phillips
                                in August (1897) to replace the burned-out structure. It was completed in early November and
                                contained  five stalls and pits, one for each engine on the road and one extra" (page 208, Jones Vol 1.)

                            This is the 1897 wood 5-stall roundhouse in the photo at the top of this page, 
                               and the one i'm planning to model. This roundhouse only existed six years, 1897-1903.

1900 - spring -    Second depot built at Phillips, (this is the depot that still exists today.) The new depot
                               replaced the original "covered depot" from 1879, which existed for 20 years.
                               The new Phillips depot was originally shorter, 18 x 24 feet, similar to the Strong depot, 
                               it was later elongated to its current configuration.
 
 

This Phillips yard arrangement, circa 1900, is shown in the photo at the top of this page.
2nd turntable, 2nd enginehouse,  2nd depot.
 
 
 

1903 - June 7  -  Enginehouse #2, the 5-stall wood roundhouse, burns in a fire. (photo page 298, Jones Vol 1.)
                             Three locomotives were in the roundhouse at the time of the fire "Two belonging to the SRRR
                              and one to the F&M"  "By the time the fire was extinguished, only the brick walls were standing.
                             An addition was being built on the rear of the roundhouse at the time of the fire" (page 303, Jones Vol 1.)

                            (question..If this was a wooden roundhouse..what brick walls were left standing?
                              Or do the brick walls refer to the addition being built on the rear of the roundhouse?)
 

1905 - December - enginehouse #3  is built at Phillips, a 10-stall brick roundhouse.

                               "At Phillips, the new SRRR 10-stall roundhouse was completed in December. (1905)
                                   The walls were of brick, with steel supports. This was a much needed addition to the
                                   roads servicing facilities, and was immidaetely put to maximum use"(page 323, Jones Vol 1.)

1908 - September - Phillips depot is enlarged to its current length.
 

1921 -   The 2nd turntable is replaced by a steel turntable bridge (new, wider pit too? unknown)
              this is turntable #3, which lasted until the end of the railroad.
               the steel bridge was cut down to 45' from a 60' MEC turntable bridge.

1923 -   February 12 - Enginehouse #3 burns, this is the 10-stall brick roundhouse from 1903.
                                        The machine shop attached to the rear of the roundhouse was saved.

                                         Nine locomotives were inside the 10-stall roundhouse when the fire broke
                                         out in the pre-dawn hours: 6, 8, 16, 17, 18, 19,  21, 22, and 23.
                                        16 and 23 were pulled out and only suffered minor damage, the rest suffered
                                         much more damage.

                                          Only four locomotives were not in the Roundhouse that night..
                                          15 was at the Phillips paintshop, 9 and 24 were at Kingfield, and 10 was at Rangeley. 
 

1923 -   Aug-Oct - Enginehouse #4 is built. This is another 10-stall brick roundhouse very similar
                                 to the roundhouse it replaced..there are minor differences in brickwork visable
                                 in photos, also doors and smoke vents are different.

                                 This is the roundhouse that remained in use until the end of the railroad in 1935,
                                 and stood until the 1970's.

1934  - the SR&RL is near the end of it's life, and in very poor financial health in the early years of the
             Great Depression..as a cost-cutting measure, the line is abandoned north of Phillips...
             in August, September and October 1934 rails are removed between Rangeley and Reddington.
             work then stops for the winter.

1935 - spring -  removal of rails continues until all track north of Phillips is gone, and management
                             makes the decision to sell the entire railroad at auction.

1935 - May 18 - The railroad is sold at auction.. it is generally understood that the new owners will probably
                              not wish to operate the line, and that it was probably sold for scrap.
                              The railroad will continue operations until the new owners take possesion on July 1.

1935 - June 30 - Last day of regular operations of the SR&RL, the railroad technically ceases to exist
                               the following day, July 1st. :(

1935 - July 1 & 2 - "clean up" trains operate to bring in all remaining cars to Phillips.

1935 - August - scrapping of locomotives begins in Phillips. Ten locomotives remain at this point.
                             #22 is first, scrapped on her turntable lead, where she spent her last few years.
                             followed by 19 and 16.
                             The remains of 7, 20 and 21 were stored in the "Old stone fort" across the river,
                             they were cut up there. 23 was cut up in 1936.

                              Number 24 almost made it! she was sold to a local railfan for $250 and stored.
                               but after a few years, he realised he couldnt afford to keep her..had nowhere to
                               run her..so she was also sold for scrap..such a shame.

1936 - August - Only two locomotives remain, 9 and 18. both are still operating.
                             18 is used as the primary power for the scrap trains removing the rails, and 9 is
                              kept in reserve. In August 1936 the two locomotives steamed out of Phillips yard
                              for the last time, never to return. Rails were lifted behind them.

1936 - September 16 - Last rails removed from Farmington yard. 18 and 9 dropped their fires, and were
                                          scrapped where they sat.

Only ONE SR&RL locomotive survived! SR&RL No. 6, who left the railroad in 1924 when she was sold to
the Kennebec Central. She then went on to the WW&F, then spent many decades stored in the famous shed
at Alice Ramsdell's farm. Today she survives as WW&F No. 9 and lives at the WW&F museum in Alna,
where she is being restored to operating condition! 
she is the only surviving Portland Forney.
 
 

197?  - remains of the Phillips roundhouse burn.

1976 - Last remnants of the Phillips roundhouse are torn down, after the 197? fire only 5 stalls
             remained standing, with no roof.

2008 - Today, only two structures remain in Phillips yard, the depot and the car shed.
             but across the river, the SR&RL museum is rebuilding some of the line! 
 
 
 
 

And thats everything I have so far! LOTS more to add!
I intend to add dates for the Salmon Hole bridge (original wood bridge and 2nd steel bridge)
the trestle work leading into Phillips yard..beginning of the P&R, P&R wood covered bridge north
of the yard.."old stone fort"..end of the railroad, roundhouse demolished 1970's..etc etc etc..
all this info is in books I own..I will add it all later..

Gary Kohler at Maine 2-foot Quarterly is coming out with a new book soon "A Chronological History of the Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Railroad" which I intend to get as soon as its available..which will probably contain more dates for Phillips yard..
 

The main inspiration for making this page about Phillips yard specifically stems from my plans for my future
On2 model railroad and its trackplan. I plan to model Phillips yard approximately as it appeared around 1900,
as seen in the photo above..here it is again:

I love the wood turntable! The 5-stall wood roundhouse..the 3-way stub switch..its all perfect! 
I'm  not really concerned with modeling a specific date though, as it relates to the model railroad as a whole..
For example, I plan to run SR&RL #23 and the railbusses! which didnt exist in 1900..but details like that
don't bother me...im choosing that particular yard "era" because I like how it looks..nothing more.
(and well..I also dont have room for the later 10-stall roundhouse!  so thats a factor too..)
 

Question about that 5-stall wood roundhouse..
According to the dates above, that particular 5-stall wood roundhouse was built in 1897 and burned to the ground in 1903. was then replaced with the 10-stall brick roundhouse in 1905..

I suspect some of the dates above might be wrong..
because there is a drawing for a "1905 five-stall brick roundhouse"!
which obviously confuses me..since it should be a  1905 10-stall brick roundhouse..

I would like to find a drawing, if one exists, for the 5-stall *wood* roundhouse.
there is the drawing for the 5-stall *brick* roundhouse in the "Two Foot Cycolpedia Plan Book."
which I own..but I don't understand which roundhouse this drawing represents.
(could the drawing perhaps be half of the 1905 10-stall roundhouse?..just a guess..)

can anyone shed any light on the correct dates for which roundhouses??
thanks!
 
 
 
 
 
 

Also, I said "1879-Today" because I plan to track the history of the yard area right up to today!
I have only visited Phillips once so far, but I plan to go back.

Here are some photos from my 2005 trip:
 

SR&RL station, Phillips Maine.

Today only two structures remain in Phillips yard from the SR&RL.
The Phillips depot, and the car shop building.
(I think its the car shop..is that correct?)
 
 

I have three photos in my collection of Phillips that I have picked up over the years..
I brought the photos with me and attempted to photograph the same scene as it looks today.
Below is the south end of the yard, looking north. the depot is on the right edge:

Below is a scene from the North end of the yard, looking south:

And below is a view of the depot..
notice that the vintage photo shows the depot in its original, shorter configuration.
It was built to the same design as the Strong station (which was never elongated)
the Phillips depot however was later nearly doubled in length, to make room for
additional needed office and baggage space..its this "expanded" depot that still exists
today:
 
 

I want to go back and explore Phillips more, and add more current photos to this page..
like the turntable/roundhouse area (even though there is nothing much to see today..just an empty lot)
and the bridge abutments..the ROW through town..things like that.
 
 

If anyone has more photos they would be willing to let me use, I would appreciate it!
you will get full credit of course..I would like to include more photos of the earlier and later
engine/round houses particularily..anything related to Phillips yard would be welcome!

thanks!
Scot
 
 
 
 

Related links:

Maine On2 forum on yahoo

Maine 2-Foot Quarterly forum on yahoo

Maine 2-footer forum on yahoo

Maine 2-foot Quarterly magazine.

The Maine On2 FAQ

Build the Phillips water crane!
 
 

Check out the FOUR 2-footer museums in Maine!

Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. & Museum - in Portland

Wiscasset, Waterville, and Farmington Railway - in Alna

Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Railroad - in Phillips.  (north of the yard discussed on this page..today's SR&RL
                                                                               is just across the river, less than a mile away, in the old P&R yard.)

Boothbay Railway Village - in Boothbay
 
 
 
 

Back to my main page.