rivers and lakes. Heading north, take Rte.1A to the historic village of Winterport.
While there, stop at the Winterport Winery and sample their handcrafted fruit
wines. Stroll along the quaint village streets nestled along the river. Further along
Rte. 1A, you'll find Frankfort. With its direct water access and public boat ramp, the
town has great boating and fishing opportunities. Mount Waldo offers hiking, blue-
berry picking, and an old granite quarry to explore. Access is on Mount Waldo Road.
also play a round of golf or set out on a hike from Brooks Esker to Halfmoon Pond.
To the east of Brooks, you'll find Monroe. Northern Pond Natural Area, "the jewel
of Monroe," is the town's premier nature and recreation site. The 160-acre facility,
off Dahlia Farm Road, offers summer and winter fishing, a canoe launch, hiking
trails, a bog walk, and settings for nature observation and picnics. Trail maps are
available at the town office. Follow Rte. 141 back to Belfast and you'll pass Swan Lake
State Park. Let the kids out of the car for a swim, picnic, and romp on the playground.
Unity. Unity is home to Unity College,
one of America's premier environmen-
tal colleges. The local CommUnity
Trail System offers scenic hikes/bikes
throughout Unity and the Unity Col-
lege campus. The Unity Barn Raisers,
a community organization, rallies to
provide support for boating and sailing
classes, community meals, weatheriza-
tion programs, and a community bike
shop. Visit the Unity farmers market to
sample some of the local fare.
fast for the
Belfast & Moosehead
Lake Railway Offers
Tour Train Service 2011
The Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railway
(B&ML) will offer regular weekend excur-
sion train service in Belfast once again.
and sights of trains have been missing
for the last few years. For some time
things looked a little bleak for Belfast's
proud rail history. All that has changed
this season!
will originate and return to Upper Bridge
Station (UBS). The station is located just
a little over a mile from the downtown
crossing in Belfast on High Street with a
convenient parking lot on the right and
the scenic waterfront in the background.
Station at 11:00AM and at 2:00PM on
both Saturday and Sunday most week-
ends through the summer and into the
fall season.
and harbor and cover approximately 7
miles of track as it heads back into town
following the river and into the woods
over three high scenic bridges. Very
few railroads follow along a harbor and
river as this unique railroad does. And
for added fun for the whole family Pizza
Trains will be a part of some of the rides.
(please refer to the Schedule).
conspired to prevent efforts to gain
any local railroad momentum. In fact
it took three separate efforts to get the
railroad started in the 19th century and
Junction 33.07 miles from downtown
Belfast. The line opened just 18 months
after the first transcontinental railroad
opened across the United States in 1869.
Soon after it became part of the Maine
Central Railroad system and remained a
part of that railroad until 1926. Once it
left the Maine Central it was owned by
the City of Belfast which purchased it to
ensure that rail service would continue
for residents and visitors.
slowly declined to the point that passen-
ger service ended completely in 1960. In
the 1970's into the 80's there was a brief
boom period when Belfast was known as
the `fryer capital `due to the great number
of chickens residing in two huge poultry
processing plants in town. As that period
wound down due to economic forces
and changes in that industry, tour trains
began to fill the gap.
come together to ensure a long healthy
future for Belfast's railway.
formed to preserve and maintain the
Station in Brooks Maine and to extend
as much of the B&ML as possible. Those
founders soon raised funds to purchase
needed railway equipment. They ob-
tained a lease with the State of Maine
to operate on the 30 miles of track (BPS
operates the B&ML). They started tour
train operations out of Brooks in 2009.
In late 2009 the BPS also picked up a
lease to operate trains within the three
miles of track in Belfast.
Mountain Land Trust came together
to purchase all the rail line within the
City. During the 2010 season some spe-
cial train rides were offered in Belfast.
The plan in the future is to have trails
and railroad operations within Belfast
side by side.
being formed. Members of the public
should not walk along the railway until
the plans are officially approved.
a maine downtown network community