Portland Terminal Company
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Railroad |
| Founded | 1911 |
| Fate | Acquired by Guilford Transportation Industries in 1981 |
| Successor | Part of Guilford Transportation Industries (later CSX Corporation) |
| Headquarters | Portland, Maine , United States |
Area served | Portland, South Portland, Westbrook, Maine |
| Products | Rail transportation and switching services |
| Owner | Guilford Transportation Industries (from 1981) |
| Parent | Maine Central Railroad (subsidiary), later Guilford Transportation Industries |
The Portland Terminal Company (reporting mark PTM) functioned as a terminal railroad responsible for coordinating switching activities on behalf of the Maine Central Railroad (MEC) and Boston & Maine (B&M) within the Maine municipalities of Portland, South Portland, and Westbrook.
History
Control of the Maine Central Railroad shifted to Boston & Maine in 1884. Following the New Haven Railroad's acquisition of B&M in 1907, the Portland Terminal Company was founded in 1911 to unify transportation assets throughout New England. Amid Boston & Maine's financial difficulties in 1914, PTM became a subsidiary under MEC.
PTM held a pivotal position in managing Portland’s winter port operations, particularly facilitating Canadian exports routed through the Grand Trunk Railway destined for European markets. Nevertheless, after Grand Trunk’s nationalization in 1923, shipping activities transitioned toward Maritime ports such as Saint John and Halifax. This change precipitated a steep decline in Portland’s export volumes—from nearly 600,000 short tons annually during the early 1920s down to approximately 21,000 tons throughout the Great Depression.
Following World War II, PTM maintained around 40 miles of mainline and branch tracks, supplemented by 84 miles of yard trackage and an additional 18 miles owned by industrial customers. In 1981, Guilford Transportation Industries acquired PTM, incorporating it into its growing rail system that ultimately became part of CSX Corporation.
Portland is positioned on an Atlantic coastal peninsula bordered by Back Cove to the north and the Fore River estuary to the south, shielded from North Atlantic waves by the islands of Casco Bay. The seaward extension of the Fore River estuary is known as Portland Harbor. South Portland lies along the estuary’s southern bank, whereas Westbrook is located inland and historically relied on the Cumberland and Oxford Canal for mill-related transport.
The Grand Trunk Railway connected Montreal to Portland via a trestle spanning Back Cove; its yards and wharves occupied the northern shore of the Fore River estuary. After its nationalization in 1923, this line became part of Canadian National Railway’s Berlin Subdivision. The Back Cove trestle was destroyed by fire in 1984, terminating direct access to the waterfront; subsequently, in 1989, the Montreal line was sold to a short line operator.
The Maine Central Railroad’s Portland Division entered from Bangor inland of Back Cove, while its Mountain Division originated from St. Johnsbury, Vermont, serving Westbrook until abandonment in 1983. The Boston and Maine Railroad’s Worcester, Nashua and Portland Division approached Westbrook from the west; passenger services ceased in 1932 and freight operations ended by 1934. Freight service continued under Sanford and Eastern Railroad until 1961. Boston and Maine’s Portland Division Eastern Route from Boston reached South Portland but was dismantled in 1945; its Western Route also served South Portland.
Union Station was situated between Rigby Yard and Yard 11 along the Boston-Bangor mainline. Following a 1933 operating agreement between Maine Central and Boston & Maine, it functioned as a hub for their pooled passenger trains. Although Grand Trunk trains operated nearby, they did not utilize Union Station. The station was demolished in 1961.
The Portland Terminal Company managed numerous yards servicing waterfront wharves and industrial sites:
- Yard 1 catered to PTM Wharf 1 on Portland Harbor, featuring a 1000-foot waterfront alongside a 100,000-square-foot warehouse dedicated to handling package cargo from vessels with drafts up to 30 feet.
- Yard 2 managed waterfront wharves located north of the Fore River estuary; after 1947 it became the primary interchange point with Grand Trunk Railway.
- Yard 3 served South Portland’s waterfront facilities including PTM Wharf 4, New England Shipbuilding Corporation, and the terminal for the Portland-Montreal Pipe Line.
- Yard 4 provided team track services and less-than-carload transfer points situated inland relative to Yards 1 and 2.
- Yard 5 functioned primarily as car storage located inland from Yard 8.
- Yard 6 supported petroleum bulk plants positioned in South Portland north of Rigby Yard.
- Yard 7 served distribution warehouses along the southern shore of Back Cove; it formerly acted as Grand Trunk’s interchange until highway construction severed this connection in 1947.
- Yard 8 was associated with PTM Wharf 3 on Portland Harbor featuring a 1500-foot waterfront designed for bulk cargoes from ships drawing up to 30 feet. This yard handled coal shipments using PTM USRA hopper cars and stored china clay destined for paper mills in Westbrook. Wharf 3 ceased operations around 1970; Yard 8 also contained Maine Central’s inaugural piggyback ramp facility.
- Yard 9, known as Fore River Yard on the Mountain Division, was mostly supplanted by an expanded Rigby Yard.
- Yard 10 housed PTM’s Thompson Point shops adjacent to the Mountain Division; these shops constructed various railcars for regional narrow-gauge lines between 1912 and 1917.
- Yard 11 supported grocery distribution warehouses at Deering Junction where Boston & Maine’s WN&P division connected with Maine Central’s Bangor mainline.
- Yard 12 served industries in Westbrook including S.D. Warren Paper Mill; it handled about 7,500 carloads during 1973.
- Rigby Yard (Yard 13), established in South Portland in 1922 at junctions of Boston & Maine lines, evolved into New England’s busiest rail yard north of Boston. It centralized car storage and locomotive servicing for freight operations conducted by both Maine Central and Boston & Maine; Yard 12 became Sanford and Eastern Railroad's interchange point.
Blue Rock Quarry on the Mountain Division between Westbrook and Portland received PTM hopper cars delivered by Bethlehem Steel in 1956 to replace older USRA hoppers used for coal loading. As heating oil reduced coal demand over time, these cars were later converted for ballast service; some were modified for off-line wood-chip loading on Maine Central Railroad routes.
Locomotives
| Number | Manufacturer | Configuration | Year | Factory number | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 702 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 4-6-4 | 1930 | 61371 | Former Maine Central Railroad #702, acquired in 1950 for snow removal purposes; dismantled in 1955 |
| 801–811 | ALCO (Manchester, Brooks, Schenectady) | 0-6-0 | 1900–1906 | 26346–40582 | Originally from Maine Central Railroad and Boston and Maine Railroad fleets; scrapped between 1923 and 1939 |
| 820–829 | ALCO (Manchester, Schenectady) | 0-6-0 | 1909–1913 | 46340–52988 | Units transferred from Boston and Maine Railroad and Maine Central Railroad; disposed of or sold by 1950 |
| 830–835 | ALCO Schenectady | 0-6-0 | 1917–1920 | 57579–62203 | Majority sold to Boston and Maine Railroad in 1951; some dismantled during the 1950s |
| 850 (two units) | Portland Company, Rhode Island Locomotive Works | 4-4-0 | 1885–1887 | 545, 1546 | Formerly part of Maine Central Railroad; scrapped in 1917 and 1928 respectively |
| 851–852 | ALCO Schenectady | 0-8-0 | 1916 | 56566–56567 | Previously Boston and Maine Railroad #600–601; scrapped in 1951 |
| 1001–1004 | ALCO HH600 series | 1936–1938 | 68730–69071 | Removed from service between 1961 and 1973 | |
| 1005–1008 | ALCO S-1 series | 1941–1949 | 69494–77112 | Either scrapped or sold by the early 1980s; notable units transferred to GE and North Stratford Railroad | |
| 1051–1063 | ALCO S-2 and S-4 series | 1941–1950 | 69565–78419 | Phased out or sold off during the early 1980s; several locomotives assigned to Bay Colony, Conway Scenic, Fore River Railroads | |
| 1081 | Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) GP7 | 1950 | 13533 | Operated on Boston commuter routes; renumbered as Maine Central Railroad #581 in 1956 | |
| 1082 | ALCO RS-11 | 1956 | 81917 | Renumbered to Maine Central Railroad #802 in 1956; retired in subsequent decades | |
| 1101 | ALCO S-3 | 1950 | 78393 | Obtained from Greater Portland Public Development Commission in 1958; last locomotive painted in PTM colors, sold in 1988 |