Monson Railroad

[2][3] The line was the last commercial carrier in the United States to use such couplers or to run above ground on a 2 ft (610 mm) gauge.

[4] (The 2 ft (610 mm) gauge Chicago Tunnel Company continued underground operation as a common carrier freight subway until 1959.)

The slate underlying what became the town of Monson, Maine had very low ionizable mineral content, and was well suited for manufacture of electric switchboards.

[5][6] Transporting these heavy slate products was difficult in any weather, and became nearly impossible when spring thaw turned the roads to slush and mud.

A car shed for the combination and a two-stall engine house were built near the depot with a passing siding and a turntable.

Monson train crews found it much more convenient to run the locomotive in reverse for six miles than to wrestle it around on the turntables.

Legislative approval was granted, but funding was never available for the extension envisioning conversion to standard gauge railroad all the way to Monson.

The additional traffic encouraged the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad to build a new freight transfer siding at Monson Junction in 1904.

[25] After the ties had been delivered, the lumber company sold the two flat cars to the closest 2 ft (610 mm) gauge railroad at Monson.

[26] The Monson Railroad purchased a couple of hand car trailers which could carry broken slate scraps from the quarries for use as ballast along the line.

[27] The railroad kept the link-and-pin couplers for another quarter century of operations; but the oil headlights were removed when damaged by derailments.

Monson briefly considered a Davenport Locomotive Works 2-6-2 (similar to those being built for United States Army trench railways) before purchasing another Vulcan in 1918.

Infrequent flat car loads of crated slate products moved to Monson Junction until 12 July 1943.