OpenTube

Abandoned Rail Line to be Restored? MaineDOT's Berlin Sub & Casco Bay Rail - 8/2026

South Coast Rail Videos

19,601 views

There’s a new start up shortline in Maine who wants to operate the inactive MaineDOT Berlin Sub between Danville Junction and East Deering, Maine. Last used in 2015 by the Saint Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad the line is in decent shape as far as unused lines go. The new start up, Casco Bay, sees potential in reactivating this track to serve potential freight customers and they have even purchased a locomotive. Some more information on this company is on their website…“Casco Bay Rail is positioned to develop new shortline railroad opportunities in Maine utilizing MaineDOT and privately owned assets….The MaineDOT Berlin Subdivision is a strategic public transportation asset with the potential to reconnect Maine businesses to the North American rail network, attract new industrial investment, support transload and logistics development, reduce transportation costs and highway congestion, as well as drive sustainable economic growth by transforming underutilized rail infrastructure into a catalyst for jobs, commerce, and resilient supply chains across Southern and Central Maine”. If Casco Bay can’t take over this trackage it could very well be turned into a bike trail. That would be a shame given the current condition of the line today. Despite the overall decent condition, there is an important piece of track missing. The diamond crossing CSX’s line to Brunswick at Yarmouth Junction was removed recently. It could be put back in the future if Casco Bay’s plans go through. In this video we’ll follow the line from Danville Junction to East Deering and take a look at their locomotive now stored in Portland, Maine. We start at Danville Junction. This is as far east as Saint Lawrence & Atlantic runs today as they interchange with CSX here. The Berlin Sub to East Deering branches off a bit south of here.

https://cascobayrail.com/shortline-de...

Berlin Sub
Maine
8/2026

Facebook:
Facebook: mslrailmedia

Comments? Questions?
Just leave a note in the comment section and I'll get back to you.

©2025 South Coast Rail Videos

20 Comments

@davidklauer3422 1 month ago

Thank they didn’t pull up the track like everywhere else in the country

@ZachTraxProductions 1 month ago

They should get another locomotive and fight alongside CSRR for restoring the Mountain Division

@gretchenchadwick8343 1 month ago

My son hopes and prays 🙏 this line will be restored and used again for both freight and passenger trains God willing!

@gaildrumm4082 1 month ago

Good job!

@RailfanRXR 1 month ago

Would love to see rail service return to this line! This was my favorite growing up, would love to see deliveries to Hancock return

@CarlSmith-p2c 1 month ago

Back in the early 1980s, there had been talk of having seasonal passenger service between Portland and Montreal likely over the Grand Trunk via Burlington, VT. This was before the drawbridge had burned next to the old B&M Baked Bean factory. It would still be interesting to see that service now given the presence of Amtrak through to Freeport. The Mountain Division could be used rather than the Grand Trunk routing. It would probably be cheaper than trying to build an interstate between Portland and Burlington, VT, even if I-89 were used to do this.

@GRS504videos 1 month ago

I'm just here with some popcorn, to read all the outrageous, ridiculous and insane super railfan comments.

Though, I can appreciate your videos either way. I'm surprised you haven't started documenting current operating lines like this too, kind of like 7idea productions or Pentrex does. Would be awesome as we hardly have that in this area.

@daviddziomba9664 1 month ago

Looks like it could use some tamping and aligning in spots, and probably brush clearing as well good trackage otherwise.

@TheNorthwestWind 1 month ago

would be super cool!!!!

@SnessAudio 1 month ago

I would love if the portland spinning bridge was reconnected and replaced with a fixed bridge. Then the Maine Narrow Gage scenic rail could cross into east deering, have the track restored and turned into narrow gage and have it go further than before. Of course they would have to wait until the new campus building in East Deering is complete to make it.

@robertwalsh1724 1 month ago

Thanks!

@waxlymolding 1 month ago

Hard to see much happening with this. The diamond was removed last year by CSX and I doubt they want to put it back soon. SLR (which owned the tracks) filed for formal abandonment of the line last April. The State wants to turn it into yet another trail. I wouldn't put much stock in this (but would be thrilled to be wrong).

@marktaylor7260 1 month ago

Yes bring them back

@RonKeizer-e3n1z 4 weeks ago

It will be up to CSXT if they want to do a 2nd interchange here after spending a small fortune digging out Guilford track to here to 35mph freight speed
out of the mud

@kmagnussen1052 1 month ago

Some of that track will need some work. It looked like two snakes slithering down a path.

@edwardmiessner6502 1 month ago

The tracks are in near perfect conditions in a lot of places along the line, in fair-to-good conditions in the rest. There's no reason why the railway cannot be restored, or made a shared-use corridor with a bike trail.

@demiansims728 1 month ago

I wish they’d reactivate the low road along the Kenebec river

@burlingtonfan7492 1 month ago

It’s worth noting that this section of line parallels the old Maine Central, now CSX line to Lewiston from Portland, between North Yarmouth and Danville. I’m not sure if it’d be necessary to restore it to Danville for this reason, it would already connect to the broader network at Yarmouth Junction. Im curious what industries would be served at East Deering tho

@jakethomas2912 1 month ago (edited)

I’m very confused. From what I understand, Casco Bay Rail is a newly formed railroad. They bought a locomotive, and are presumably paying to store it down on Commercial Street. They want to operate on the old SLR line, which is severed from Danville and over CSXT in Yarmouth.

There could be customers, but work would have to be done to any of the spurs, and they have no agreement that, nor any agreement from the MDOT?
Doesn’t seem to be realistic.

I’d love to see it though.