Aroostook Valley Railroad
A defunct Maine short-line railroad that connected Presque Isle, Washburn, New Sweden, and Caribou and primarily served the region's potato and industrial economy.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Aroostook Valley Railroad, commonly identified by the reporting mark AVR, was a short-line railroad in northern Maine that operated from the early twentieth century until 1996. Its principal route linked Presque Isle with nearby communities including Washburn, New Sweden, and Caribou. The railroad was created in the context of Aroostook County's timber, agricultural, and emerging industrial economy, where dependable rail transportation was needed to move logs, farm supplies, processed food products, fuel, and passengers. Arthur R. Gould, who had acquired a sawmill in Presque Isle in 1889, helped initiate the railroad project. As local timber resources became harder to obtain, Gould investigated ways to bring logs to his mill from the Aroostook River area. He also saw a connection between railway development and the region's water-power resources. The railroad was founded in 1902, received operating approval from the Maine Railroad Commission on July 1 of that year, and obtained approval for its route survey in 1903. Construction took several years. The line's safety certificate was approved on June 20, 1910, and the railroad officially opened on July 1, 1910, with 10.8 miles of track between Presque Isle and Washburn. The network expanded in stages. An additional 11.3 miles reached New Sweden in 1911, and a further extension of 7.13 miles reached Caribou in 1912. During its early decades, the AVR was notable for electric operation, using maroon interurban-style cars with gray roofs and a 1,200-volt direct-current system. Freight was more important financially than passenger service. Potatoes were the dominant traffic source, with an average of about 5,000 carloads in a typical year. Other agricultural and industrial commodities included hay, fertilizer, grain, flour, starch, logs, lumber, heating oil, coal, road salt, and farm machinery. The railroad interchanged traffic with the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad at Washburn and with Canadian Pacific at Washburn Junction. Passenger traffic weakened during the 1920s and 1930s. Passenger service to New Sweden ended in the late 1930s, and all passenger service ended on August 7, 1945. World War II temporarily altered the traffic mix. Presque Isle's airport became a military installation used in the movement of aircraft to Europe, and the AVR constructed a 2.5-mile branch to carry fuel and equipment. Military shipments could reach eight to ten carloads per day, while a highway bus was used for passengers so that passenger schedules would not interfere with urgent freight movements. Canadian Pacific acquired a controlling interest in 1932 by purchasing Gould's share. The railroad ended electric operations in July 1945 and adopted diesel switching locomotives, including General Electric 44-ton switchers. Its principal potato business declined in the 1970s because of the extension of Interstate 95 toward Houlton, poor harvests, and service problems affecting rail shipments to southern New England. Canadian Pacific sold the AVR in 1980 to an investment group that sought the regulatory benefits associated with operating a home railroad for leased boxcars. The line north of Washburn was abandoned in 1983. A flood in April 1987 destroyed two Canadian Pacific bridges and severed the AVR's connection with its interchange partner at Washburn Junction. Traffic fell below 1,000 cars on the remaining approximately ten miles of track in 1989, and the railroad ultimately ceased operations in 1996.
History
The Aroostook Valley Railroad developed from Arthur R. Gould's efforts to support a sawmill and secure access to timber resources around Presque Isle, Maine. Gould had purchased a Presque Isle sawmill in 1889. As nearby log supplies diminished, he considered the Aroostook River region a source of additional timber and recognized that transportation infrastructure could be paired with local hydroelectric potential. The railroad was founded in 1902, and the Maine Railroad Commission approved its operation on July 1 of that year. A route survey was approved in 1903, but construction was not completed until 1910. The line received its safety certificate on June 20, 1910, and opened officially on July 1. The original railroad extended 10.8 miles from Presque Isle to Washburn. It expanded by 11.3 miles to New Sweden in 1911 and by another 7.13 miles to Caribou in 1912. Gould considered extending the system northward to Lac-Frontière, Quebec, in order to reach additional timber and power resources, but the proposal was abandoned after the World Wars. The AVR's early identity was closely associated with electric railway operation. It used maroon interurban cars with gray roofs and a 1,200-volt DC power system. Freight formed the economic foundation of the railroad. Potatoes accounted for the largest share of traffic, averaging approximately 5,000 carloads in a typical year. The line also handled hay, fertilizer, grain, flour, starch, logs, lumber, heating oil, coal, road salt, and farm machinery. Freight interchange was available with the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad at Washburn and Canadian Pacific at Washburn Junction near Presque Isle. In its early years the railroad earned about twice as much from freight as from passengers, while passenger demand declined during the interwar period. Passenger service to New Sweden ended in the late 1930s. The Second World War produced a temporary increase in strategic traffic. Presque Isle's airport became a military base associated with ferrying aircraft to Europe. The AVR built a 2.5-mile branch to move fuel and equipment to the airfield. Military movements could reach eight or ten carloads per day. To prevent passenger schedules from conflicting with expedited military freight, the railroad used a highway bus for passenger movements. Passenger service ended entirely on August 7, 1945. Canadian Pacific acquired control in 1932 through the purchase of Gould's share. In July 1945, shortly before passenger service ended, the AVR discontinued electrification and purchased two General Electric 44-ton switchers, numbered 10 and 11. A third switcher, number 12, was added in 1949. In later years the railroad's equipment included a caboose, maintenance-of-way flatcar 101, and converted steeplecab snowplow 53. Canadian Pacific locomotive 6500, an MLW S-3, was tested briefly in 1978 as a possible replacement for the aging switchers, but its weight was excessive for the railroad's 70-pound rail. The railroad's traditional potato business deteriorated during the 1970s. The extension of Interstate 95 toward Houlton provided stronger truck competition, poor crops reduced shipments, and Penn Central's unreliable handling of potatoes weakened rail distribution to southern New England. Canadian Pacific sold the railroad in 1980 to an investment group that wanted a home railroad for leased boxcars and associated regulatory advantages. The line north of Washburn was abandoned in 1983. A flood in April 1987 destroyed two Canadian Pacific bridges, removing the AVR's interchange connection at Washburn Junction. The remaining approximately ten miles of track handled fewer than 1,000 cars in 1989. After further decline, the Aroostook Valley Railroad ceased operations in 1996.
- 1996
Operations end
[1]The Aroostook Valley Railroad ceased operations after prolonged traffic decline.
- 1987
Flood severs Canadian Pacific connection
[1]A flood destroyed two Canadian Pacific bridges and ended the railroad's interchange connection at Washburn Junction.
- 1983
Northern line abandonment
[1]The route north of Washburn was abandoned.
- 1980
Sale by Canadian Pacific
[1]Canadian Pacific sold the railroad to an investment group.
- 1945
Transition from electric to diesel operation
[1]Electric operation ended in July, followed by the end of passenger service on August 7.
- 1932
Canadian Pacific gains control
[1]Canadian Pacific purchased Gould's share and acquired a controlling interest.
- 1912
Extension to Caribou
[1]The railroad reached Caribou after a further 7.13-mile extension.
- 1911
Extension to New Sweden
[1]An additional 11.3 miles of track extended the line's terminus to New Sweden.
- 1910
Official opening
[1]The railroad opened on July 1 with 10.8 miles between Presque Isle and Washburn.
- 1902
Railroad founded and approved for operation
[1]The Aroostook Valley Railroad was founded, and the Maine Railroad Commission granted operating approval on July 1.
Products and positioning
A regional short-line railroad focused on serving Aroostook County's agricultural, timber, industrial, and military logistics needs.
Freight transportation
Agricultural freight service
Agricultural traffic was the railroad's principal commercial business. Potatoes represented the dominant commodity, with an average of approximately 5,000 carloads in a typical year. The railroad also moved hay, fertilizer, grain, flour, and starch, linking farms and processors in Aroostook County with interchange railroads serving wider markets.
Freight transportation · 1910
Timber and lumber freight
The railroad was partly conceived to bring logs to Arthur R. Gould's Presque Isle sawmill. Logs and lumber remained among its early freight commodities, reflecting the importance of forest resources in northern Maine.
Military logistics
Military airfield branch service
During World War II, the AVR operated a 2.5-mile branch to Presque Isle's military airfield. The branch handled fuel and equipment shipments, with military traffic reaching as many as eight or ten carloads per day during periods of intense activity.
Passenger rail transportation · 1910
Passenger service
The railroad initially operated passenger trains using electric interurban-style cars. Passenger demand declined through the 1920s and 1930s; service to New Sweden ended in the late 1930s, and all passenger service ended on August 7, 1945.
Brand decisions
1987
Response to flood damage and loss of interchangeOtherBackground
An April flood destroyed two Canadian Pacific bridges that connected the AVR with its interchange partner at Washburn Junction.
Action taken
The railroad continued operating on its disconnected surviving trackage.
Aftermath
Fewer than 1,000 cars were handled on approximately ten miles of track in 1989, and the railroad ceased operations in 1996.
1983
Abandonment of the line north of WashburnStrategyBackground
Declining agricultural rail traffic reduced the commercial justification for maintaining the northern portion of the network.
Action taken
The section north of Washburn was abandoned.
Aftermath
The railroad continued on a reduced network before a 1987 flood severed its Canadian Pacific interchange and operations ended in 1996.
1980
Canadian Pacific sells the railroadM&ABackground
The AVR's principal potato traffic had weakened during the 1970s because of highway competition, poor crops, and problems moving potatoes by rail to southern New England.
Action taken
Canadian Pacific sold the railroad to an investment group seeking the regulatory advantages of a home railroad for leased boxcars.
Aftermath
The line north of Washburn was abandoned in 1983, and the remaining railroad later suffered further traffic and interchange losses.
1945
End of electric operation and adoption of diesel switchersGeneration changeBackground
The railroad's early operating identity was based on 1,200-volt DC electric traction, but changing operating requirements led it to discontinue electrification in July 1945.
Action taken
The AVR purchased General Electric 44-ton switchers numbered 10 and 11, later adding switcher 12 in 1949.
Aftermath
The railroad operated as a diesel-powered freight line for the remainder of its active life.
Recent events
- 1996
Aroostook Valley Railroad ceases operations[1]
Other
After years of declining freight and reduced trackage, the railroad ended operations.
- 1987
Flood destroys Canadian Pacific interchange bridges[1]
Other
An April flood destroyed two Canadian Pacific bridges and cut the railroad's connection with Canadian Pacific at Washburn Junction.
- 1983
Line north of Washburn is abandoned[1]
Other
The section of line north of Washburn was abandoned as the railroad's agricultural freight base weakened.
- 1980
Canadian Pacific sells Aroostook Valley Railroad[1]
M&A
Canadian Pacific sold the railroad to an investment group seeking the regulatory advantages of a home railroad for leased boxcars.
- 1945
Railroad ends electric operation and passenger service[1]
Other
Electric operation ended in July, and passenger service was discontinued on August 7 as the railroad shifted to diesel freight operations.
- 1941
World War II traffic leads to construction of an airfield branch[1]
Other
The railroad built a 2.5-mile branch to serve the military airfield at Presque Isle with fuel and equipment shipments.
- 1932
Canadian Pacific acquires control of the railroad[1]
M&A
Canadian Pacific obtained a controlling interest by purchasing Arthur R. Gould's share in the railroad.
- 1912
Aroostook Valley Railroad reaches New Sweden and Caribou[1]
Other
Extensions completed in 1911 and 1912 expanded the railroad from its original Washburn terminus through New Sweden to Caribou.
- 1910
Aroostook Valley Railroad officially opens between Presque Isle and Washburn[1]
Other
The railroad opened for operation on July 1, 1910, with 10.8 miles of track connecting Presque Isle and Washburn.
Sources3 sources
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