The Tiny Towns in Maine That Exist Only Because of Railroads

A long long time ago, in the 1800s picture Maine as a booming railroad state.

Moving things like potatoes, fish, timber, granite, ice, and of course, people. Steam trains couldn’t just run without stopping so they had to stop regularly for water, coal, changing crews and loading stuff. The question is, where were they able to stop?

Town’s were created. Little towns. Little, railroad towns. 

So many of our towns in Maine started this way.

When they popped up just to serve the railroad. In Maine, some places existed for a single purpose which gave trains somewhere to stop.  

Tiny Railroad Towns in Maine

Some  of these towns were Deblois, Oakfield, Derby, Waltham or Hersey, made for the purpose of serving the railroad system. Those towns stayed small along the old rail lines.

But other towns like Brownville Junction were completely constructed for the railroad system.

According to The Town of Brownville,

The Junction was formed as a result of the railroads. The only entrance into the Junction is under the Railroad bridge by the Pleasant River. 

And unlike other towns, to this day Brownville is still showing there railroad roots and have grown with the times and catering to new industries like logging and tourism.

These railroad towns were constructed around depots, junctions, and most often miles and miles away from anything else. The workers would live close by and the railroad always came first. It was like the hub of the town.  

But why isn't Maine the booming railroad hub it was before? Well, after WWII railroad traffic decreased, faded, and then ultimately disappeared altogether. Some people stayed, most left those tiny towns.

Read More: Seek & Find: Can You Identify These Landmarks in Lewiston, Maine? 

This is also why when you are driving through a railroad town, it’ll feel linear and narrow.  

Today, the influence of railroad towns is still easy to spot. There was a time when the sound of a train was part of everyday life. Back then, Maine built towns for one simple reason: trains needed somewhere to stop.