FARMINGTON – The 2009 collectible mug, depicting a piece of Farmington’s history is now available. This is the second mug in a series of five showcasing C.R. (Bob) Tyler’s artwork. This year’s picture is a from the watercolor titled, “A Contrast Between Standard Gauge and Narrow Gauge Trains in Farmington Station circa 1918.” Standard gauge rails approx. 4 foot, 9 inches apart and the narrow gauge rails only 2 feet apart.
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The watercolor shows Maine Central Rail Road engine No. 284 and the Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes narrow gauge engine No.17 at the Farmington depot which was located on Front Street in Farmington. The depot was moved back from the road to its present location in the 1990s and houses small businesses and offices. In the background, the former F.L. Butler Restaurant can be seen, now the site of Western Maine Financial Services.
The Maine Central RR arrived in West Farmington in 1859 and crossed the Sandy River in 1870. A narrow gauge rail system was bought from Billerica, Mass., and installed between the Farmington depot and Phillips in 1879. By 1900, Maine had the most extensive two-foot (narrow gauge) system in the country, the foundation of that system was the Sandy River Railroad. Over 100 miles of track was home to 10 engines, over 300 freight cars, six coaches and 2 postal baggage cars.
The railroad brought goods north as well as tourists for the famed fishing in the Rangeley Lakes area. Rail branches from the Dead River, Bigelow, Mt. Abram and Strong brought lumber and wood products south. Farmington became the hub of rail commerce, transporting goods in to help feed the growing tourism and lumbering businesses. The rails transported farm products such as eggs, cattle, apples and corn to distant markets in Boston. One newspaper article states that there was “an average of 5,000 full car (standard) loads a month which required 32 men and a switching engine to handle this business at Farmington.”
The growing number of automobiles brought the Sandy River Rail Road to its end in 1935. The Maine Central’s last passenger car left Farmington in April 1957. Freight service continues until 1974.
C.R. Tyler was a well known artist with Knowlton McLeary printers for 35 years. He combined his love of history and art by creating many paintings of Farmington history. The Farmington Historical Society appreciates Tyler’s daughter, Tori and his grandson for their support in providing the artwork for these mugs.
Mugs can be obtained at Sugarwood Gallery, Calico Patch. They are $14.95 and include a card with a description of the picture as well as a short biography of C.R. Tyler. FMI please call Taffy Davis 207-778-4275 or btdavis@beeline-online.net.
