Passenger Trains > Campobello Island

The new Roosevelt documentary on PBS mentions Campobello Island a lot. During FDR's time, how would one get there by train?

There were through trains as far as Ellsworth (ferry to Bar Harbor) but was there passenger train service beyond that?

symph1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The new Roosevelt documentary on PBS mentions
> Campobello Island a lot. During FDR's time, how
> would one get there by train?
>
> There were through trains as far as Ellsworth
> (ferry to Bar Harbor) but was there passenger
> train service beyond that?

There was passenger service on the Maine Central to Eastport, right across the strait from Campobello. If you watch "Sunrise at Campobello", you will see Ralph Bellamy boarding the train there, having to hide his polio for the first time. That movie was shot on site.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/18/14 12:30 by Ptolemy.

We've been watching the series--and of course I especially note the train scenes. I think Mr. Burns' crew did take a few liberties, using footage of locomotives that hadn't been built yet for scenes from the early 1900s, and a very brief clip from the 1906 "Cable Car down Market St." movie of downtown San Francisco. But you have to give them major credit for all the research and gathering of archival films and photos from many sources. I would guess that some of the movies of FDR at Warm Springs were only seen on a "need to know" basis until now.

Ptolemy Wrote:
>
> There was passenger service on the Maine Central
> to Eastport, right across the strait from
> Campobello.

Thanks, Ptolemy. Was that a thru service from NY/Washington, or a local from, I guess, Portland?

symph1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ptolemy Wrote:
> >
> > There was passenger service on the Maine
> Central
> > to Eastport, right across the strait from
> > Campobello.
>
> Thanks, Ptolemy. Was that a thru service from
> NY/Washington, or a local from, I guess, Portland?

All I can find is a local from Bangor, but my only MCRR timetables are much later.

At one point during newsreel footage of FDR speaking from an observation car platform the narrator referred to it as a "caboose".

John Webb
Trinidad, CA

Ptolemy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> symph1 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Ptolemy Wrote:
> > >
> > > There was passenger service on the Maine
> > Central
> > > to Eastport, right across the strait from
> > > Campobello.
> >
> > Thanks, Ptolemy. Was that a thru service from
> > NY/Washington, or a local from, I guess,
> Portland?
>
> All I can find is a local from Bangor, but my only
> MCRR timetables are much later.

I took a look at the June 1941 Official Guide, and it shows seasonal sleeper service from Boston to Vanceboro (on a different branch of the Eastport line, but relatively nearby). Two trains daily into Eastport.

Malkin's Night Trains, about the Pullmans, notes that the Maine Central hauled a huge number of private cars and extra trains from Philadelphia and New York connections to Bar Harbor, Rockland, and other coastal points. Generally via Worcester MA. The servants went up first to open the house, prune and plant the gardens, stock the kitchen and wine cellar, etc. The chauffeurs drove the cars up (is that right? they weren't shipped?).

The Pennsy originated a number of trains from Philadelphia to Maine points (generally PRR-NYNH&H-B&M-MEC), while New Haven originated some of its own. Boston appeared to be the source of Maine's sleeper and parlor car interchange in those days

I know this isn't much help, but was't there a book published 4-5 years ago, The President Travels By Train or something to that effect, that had some coverage of Roosevelt's moves?