The Raspberry Branch ISL (MEC in Quebec)

[sailormatlac]

Hello all,

A newbie here, from Maine --- I chanced to come across this site this morning while looking for info. regarding the Maine Central's old line to Cookshire and Lime Ridge.

I've been a member of the Railroad.Net forums for quite a few years. The Upper Coos RR / Hereford Rwy. ("Raspberry") branch of the MEC has been an occasional topic of e-conversation. I have a question regarding the MEC trestle across the Eaton River near Cookshire. I saw a photo of it several years ago; it was an impressive structure. Can one drive or walk to where it was located (which, I gather, was a short distance north of the village)? Are the abutments still standing? When was the bridge removed? I assume it was some time in the '60s or '70s.

Hi! Sorry if my reply is late. I recently walked down the old MEC mainline in Cookshire earlier in May. Nothing, except abutments and piles exist of this trestle. I never saw the aforementionned picture myself but according to testimonies, it was impressive. I have no definite date, but it probably disappeared in the late 60s, very early 70s. A man we met there was in his mid-forties and said he never saw the trestle himself when he was a kid. It probably disspeared before or when they cut the Sawyerville branch in 1974. The trestle was located North from the village and you can see clearly its footprint on Google Earth.

A small steel plate bridge still exist over a small river in Cookshire, but the wooden deck is totally rotten. Except the road bed, nothing remains in the village itself. Only the ex-CPR (MMA) main line is still use nowadays. The MEC trackage is now a quad trail and most land was sold back to private owners along the line as someone there told us.

If you can find the PDF copy of P.R. Hastings and S.S. Worthen article "Cultivating the Raspberry Branch", from Canadian Rail, No. 261, June 275, you'll get some answers to your questions about the line.

A few pictures taken in May this year:

The trestle was located behing the water tank in the background. At this place, MEC mainline curved to the right to cross the Eaton river there. MEC line also crossed the CPR mainline depicted at the end of the feed mill.





This is the only remaining original MEC bridge in Cookshire. Maybe 15-20 ft span at best, but the elevation is over 30
feet... Very deep brook.



Matt