View source for St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad

{{refimprove|date = November 2021}}
{{Short description|Railroad in northern New England}}
{{Infobox rail
 | railroad_name=St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad
 | logo_filename=File:StL and A logo - Copy.png
 | logo_size=
 | marks=SLR
 | image             = SLR 803 at Sherbrooke, Quebec, March 2010.jpg
 | image_size        = 255px
 | image_caption     = A St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad train in [[Sherbrooke, Quebec]]
 | locale=western [[Maine]], northern [[New Hampshire]], northeastern [[Vermont]]
 | start_year= 1853
 | gauge = {{track gauge|ussg|allk=on}}
 | old_gauge={{track gauge|5ft6in|lk=on}} [[Indian gauge|broad gauge]] until about 1873
 | hq_city= [[Auburn, Maine|Auburn]], [[Maine]]
 | website         = https://www.gwrr.com/slr/
|system_map={{maplink-road|from=St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad.map}}|map_caption=Maximum extent of the SLQ}}
{{Infobox rail
 | railroad_name=St-Laurent et Atlantique Railroad
 | logo_filename=File:St-Laurent et Atlantique Railroad logo.png
 | logo_size=
 | marks=SLQ
 | image             = 
 | image_size        = 
 | image_caption     = 
 | locale=South [[Quebec]]
 | gauge = {{track gauge|ussg|allk=on}}
 | old_gauge={{track gauge|5ft6in|lk=on}} [[Indian gauge|broad gauge]] until about 1873
 | hq_city=[[Richmond, Quebec|Richmond]], [[Quebec]] 
 | website         = https://www.gwrr.com/slq/|
| map              = {{Grand Trunk Railway}}
| map_name         = Map
| map_state        = collapsed
}}

The '''St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad''' {{reporting mark|SLR}}, known as '''St-Laurent et Atlantique Quebec''' {{reporting mark|SLQ}} in [[Canada]], is a [[short-line railway]] operating between [[Portland, Maine]], on the [[Atlantic Ocean]], and [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]], on the [[St. Lawrence River]]. It crosses the [[Canada–United States border|Canada–US border]] at [[Norton, Vermont]], and [[Stanhope, Quebec]], and is owned by short-line operator [[Genesee & Wyoming]].

The line was built by the Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad in the U.S. and the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railway in Canada, meeting at [[Island Pond, Vermont]], south of the international border. Major communities served include Portland and [[Lewiston, Maine|Lewiston]] in Maine; [[Berlin, New Hampshire]]; Island Pond, Vermont; and [[Sherbrooke]] and Montreal in Quebec.

==History==
[[File:John Alfred Poor engraving 1860.png|thumb|upright|alt=Black print by engraving on white paper of the bust of a middle-aged white man with hair parted on the side and bunching up kind of like Princess Leia around his ears with a mildly stern countenance and the smallest jowls. He is wearing a standard suit jacket over a white shirt and a simple bow tie around the collar. There is nothing in the background but the white of the paper.|Founder [[John A. Poor]]]]
The line was proposed as a connection between Portland and [[Sherbrooke]], [[Quebec]], in 1844 by Portland entrepreneur [[John A. Poor]]. Portland was desperate to connect its [[ice-free port]] with Montreal, and Maine was at risk of being eclipsed by a similar proposal running from nearby [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]]. Writer, critic, and Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad investor, [[John Neal]] wrote of the necessity "to drive Boston out of the business and secure [a] monopoly."<ref>{{cite book | last = Isham | first = Matthew | editor1-last = Slap | editor1-first = Andrew L. | editor2-last = Thomas | editor2-first = Michael | chapter = A Press That Speaks Its Opinions Frankly and Openly and Fearlessly | page = 210n19 | title = The Distracted and Anarchical People: New Answers for Old Questions about the Civil War-Era North | publisher = Fordham University Press | location = New York, New York | year = 2013 | isbn = 9780823245680}}</ref> Montreal saw an advantage in linking with the smaller port at Portland, and Poor's idea became a reality.

=== Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad ===
[[File:Atlantic & St. Lawrence Railroad Locomotive.jpg|[[Portland Company]] locomotive ''Coos'' c. 1856|thumb]]
The Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad was chartered in [[Maine]] on February 10, 1845; [[New Hampshire]] on July 30, 1847; and [[Vermont]] on October 27, 1848, to build a continuous line from [[Portland, Maine|Portland]] northwest into northeastern Vermont.  [[William Pitt Preble]] was the railroad's first president. The line was originally built to the [[5_ft_6_in_gauge_railway#United_States|Portland gauge]] of {{track gauge|5ft6in}}. Construction started in Portland on July 4, 1846. The first section, from Portland to [[Yarmouth, Maine|Yarmouth]], opened July 20, 1848. Further extensions up the [[Royal River]] to Danville (now [[Auburn, Maine|Auburn]]) opened in October 1848 and to [[Mechanic Falls, Maine|Mechanic Falls]] in February 1849. Construction then proceeded up the [[Little Androscoggin River]] to [[Oxford, Maine|Oxford]] in September 1849 and [[Paris, Maine|Paris]] in March 1850. Construction was then completed down the [[Alder River]] to the [[Androscoggin River]] at [[Bethel, Maine|Bethel]] in March 1851.<ref name="holt">{{cite book |author=Holt, Jeff |title=The Grand Trunk in New England |publisher=Railfare |year=1985 |isbn=0-919130-43-7}}</ref> Simultaneous construction of Portland gauge connecting railways occurred from Danville and Mechanic Falls. Sections into and within [[New Hampshire]] opened to [[Gorham, New Hampshire|Gorham]] on July 23, 1851, and [[Northumberland, New Hampshire|Northumberland]] July 12, 1852, and the full distance to [[Island Pond, Vermont]], on January 29, 1853.

Construction began with three locomotives built in Britain, but John Poor had organized the [[Portland Company]] with locomotive erecting shops adjacent to the railroad yard and wharves at Portland. Approximately half of the early Portland Company production was 25 Portland-gauge locomotives built for the Atlantic & St. Lawrence.  These [[4-4-0]] locomotives weighing 20 to 25 tons were augmented by locomotives built elsewhere when the road was completed to Montreal.<ref name="holt"/>

The St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railway was chartered to build the part of the line in [[Quebec]], and on August 4, 1851, agreed to meet the Atlantic and St. Lawrence at Island Pond. Regular operations began April 4, 1853 between [[Montreal]] ([[Saint-Lambert, Quebec|Saint-Lambert]]) and Portland.

===Grand Trunk Railway===
Four months later, on August 5, 1853, the [[Grand Trunk Railway]] leased the two companies, giving the [[Toronto]]-Montreal line an extension east to Portland. A branch was also built from [[Richmond, Quebec]], northeast to [[Lévis, Quebec|Point Levi]], across the [[St. Lawrence River]] from [[Quebec City]]. Grand Trunk enlarged their waterfront facilities at Portland by purchasing land from [[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow]].<ref name="holt"/> The increased traffic from Portland and Point Levi to Montreal placed significant demands on the small [[train ferry]] service across the St. Lawrence at Montreal, and this was replaced by the [[Victoria Bridge (Montreal)|Victoria Bridge]] by 1860.

The locomotives burned wood exclusively until the cost of seasoned firewood increased during the winter of 1871–72 to make other fuels competitive. [[Peat]] from Quebec was used briefly before [[coal]] became the standard. Coal was used exclusively between Portland and Gorham by 1879, but use of wood continued for a few more years north of Gorham.<ref name="holt"/>

Interchange with [[standard gauge]] railroads became a problem during the 1860s. Grand Trunk equipped approximately 1,000 freight cars with experimental "sliding-wheels" in 1863 at company shops in [[Sarnia, Ontario]], and [[Pointe-Saint-Charles]] in Montreal. Gauge could be adjusted by removing and inserting axle pins on special tapered-gauge track segments at interchange points. Safety problems were reported despite high maintenance costs. All lines west of Montreal were converted to standard gauge on October 3 and 4, 1873. Grand Trunk purchased 200 standard gauge locomotives (including 62 from [[Portland Company]]) and converted 135 old locomotives. Ten thousand standard gauge [[bogie]]s were purchased for conversion of freight cars. The railway from Portland to Montreal was standard-gauged in September 1874.<ref name="holt"/>

During the week preceding the change, each section foreman made sure all ties on his section were properly [[adze]]d and clear of gravel. Spikes were laid out beside each tie, and some sidings were re-gauged before the main line. Two eight-man squads were assigned to each five-mile section. They slept by the track with their tools on the night of September 25, 1874. Work began at Portland when the last Portland gauge train from Island Pond arrived at 2:00 am September 26, and the main line was ready for standard gauge trains by 9:00 am the same day. The change resulted in nearly complete replacement of locomotives on the New England line, since most of the Portland gauge locomotives were sold or scrapped. Five new "Burnside" [[2-6-0]] locomotives from [[Rhode Island Locomotive Works]] had arrived in Portland from Boston to resume service.<ref name="holt"/>

The GTR line to Portland was built during the boom period for New England [[textile mill]]s, and various mill towns in northern New England soon saw an influx of [[French Canadian]] workers who quickly found work in the region.

[[Grain elevator]]s were constructed at Portland to facilitate storage and loading of Canadian [[wheat]] for export. The first elevator was built on Galt Wharf in 1863. The elevator with capacity for 150,000 bushels burned in 1873, and was replaced with a larger elevator in 1875. Portland Elevator Company built an elevator with capacity of one million bushels in 1897, and New England Elevator Company built the largest elevator on the Atlantic coast at the time, with capacity of 1.5 million bushels, in 1901.<ref name="holt"/>

By 1881, all wooden bridges had been replaced by iron and stone structures, and steel rail had replaced early iron rail. Fourteen steamship lines were serving the Grand Trunk wharves at Portland by 1896 with connections to [[Bristol]], [[London]], [[Liverpool]], [[Glasgow]], and [[Antwerp]]. Fifty steamships visited Portland that winter, and as many as seven could load simultaneously from the Grand Trunk wharves. More powerful [[2-6-0]] mogul locomotives increased freight train length from 16 to 30 cars.<ref name="holt"/>

Passenger train service included the ''Seaside and White Mountains Special'' (later called the ''[[International Limited (GT train)|International Limited]]'') from [[Chicago]] to Portland, equipped with plush [[silk]] and [[mahogany]]-finished [[Pullman (car or coach)|Pullman]], dining, sleeping, parlor, and observation cars including a library and a barber shop.<ref name="holt"/> By 1946 this required a change of train in Montreal, taking #16 from Montreal to Portland (and #17 the reverse trip). As late as summer, 1963, the Canadian National/Grand Trunk operated this route as a weekends only train, equipped with coffee shop car in addition to coach, for the route from Montreal to Portland.<ref>Canadian National Railway timetable, April 1963, Table 28</ref>

===Canadian National Railways Berlin subdivision===
The GTR's bankruptcy in the early 1920s saw it nationalized by the Canadian federal government, which merged it into the nascent [[Canadian National Railways]] (CNR). Unfortunately for Portland, the CNR also included various other rail lines to ice-free Canadian ports in the [[Maritimes]], notably [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]], and their now ex-GTR mainline to Montreal soon became a secondary mainline under CNR as traffic dropped significantly. Within a decade, annual export tonnage leaving Portland declined to 21,000 tons, from an average of 600,000 tons during the early 1920s.<ref name="holt"/>

[[Canadian National class S 2-8-2]]s pulled through freight trains between Portland and Island Pond, while class O [[USRA 0-6-0]]s worked those yards and [[Canadian National class N-4 2-8-0|class N-4 2-8-0s]] pulled local wayfreights within the United States. Passenger trains were usually pulled by locomotives working out of Montreal. [[Canadian National class E-7 2-6-0]] #713 worked the Lewiston branch, and was preserved at the [[Canadian Railway Museum]] when 16 class GR-17 [[EMD GP9]] diesel locomotives replaced steam power in 1957. Five of the GP9s were equipped with [[Steam generator (railroad)|steam generators]] for passenger service, while the other eleven had [[dynamic brake]]s for freight service.<ref name="holt"/> 

[[Paper mill]]s remained a major source of traffic. Annual car loadings in 1973 were 12,758 for [[Berlin, New Hampshire|Berlin]], 5,794 for [[Groveton, New Hampshire|Groveton]], and 1,161 for [[Mechanic Falls, Maine|Mechanic Falls]]; but the [[Boston and Maine Railroad]] carried some of the traffic for the New Hampshire mills.<ref name="transportation">{{cite book| title=Rail Service in the Midwest and Northeast Region |author=United States Department of Transportation |publisher=United States Government Printing Office |year=1974 }}</ref> Dressed meat from Chicago to Maine continued to use the shorter Canadian routing as long as railway [[Refrigerator car|reefers]] remained competitive with highway trucking.

From 1934<ref>''Montreal Gazette'' 16 June 1934</ref> to 1939 the twice-weekly ''[[Maine Coast Special]]'' from Montreal left the Grand Trunk at Yarmouth Junction to follow the [[Maine Central Railroad]] to Portland's [[Union Station (Portland, Maine)|Union Station]] and then the [[Boston and Maine Railroad]] to the beach communities of [[Old Orchard Beach, Maine|Old Orchard Beach]] and [[Kennebunkport, Maine|Kennebunkport]] during July and August. The CNR class U-1 [[4-8-2]] locomotives pulling as many as 17 car trains around [[Canada Day|Dominion Day]] would be serviced at [[Rigby Yard]] in [[South Portland, Maine|South Portland]] before making the return trip. Daily except Sunday passenger trains 16 and 17 continued to carry a [[railway post office]] between Portland and Island Pond through the 1950s. These trains remained popular with summer vacationers from Montreal, and summer weekend service continued until 1967 after daily train service ended in 1960. Passengers were transported by bus from Portland station to Old Orchard Beach. Portland station was razed in 1966.<ref name="holt"/>

Despite the decline in traffic being handled over the line, its strategic connection to the Atlantic Ocean for Montreal saw other use arise during [[World War II]]. [[Bauxite]] from [[British Guiana]] was shipped via rail from Portland to avoid shipping losses to [[U-boat]]s during the [[Battle of the St. Lawrence]].<ref name="melvin">{{cite book |author=Melvin, George F. |title=Trackside Grand Trunk New England Lines with John Ames |publisher=Morning Sun Books |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-58248-193-7}}</ref> The [[Portland–Montreal Pipe Line]] was built to carry oil from terminals in South Portland to refineries in Montreal; the pipeline followed the GTR route along certain parts and is still in use today. Wharves at Portland were used by the [[United States Navy]] as [[Casco Bay]] became [[destroyer]] base ''Sail'' during the [[Battle of the Atlantic]].<ref>{{cite book| title=History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Volume I: The Battle of the Atlantic 1939-1943 |author=Morison, Samuel Eliot |publisher=Little, Brown and Company |year=1975 |page=68}}</ref> Grand Trunk Piers housed a Navy supply pier and training schools for [[operations room|combat information center]] (CIC), night visual [[lookout]]s, surface and [[aircraft recognition]], search and [[fire-control system|fire control]] [[radar]] operators, [[gunnery spotting]], [[anti-aircraft]] [[machine gun]]s, and [[anti-submarine warfare]] (ASW) attack.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ref/USN-Act/ME.html|title=U.S. Navy Activities World War II by State|publisher=U.S. Naval Historical Center|access-date=2012-03-07}}</ref>

CNR (CN after the 1960s) continued to operate the Portland-Sherbrooke line as its Berlin Subdivision, but traffic continued to decline. By the late 1980s, following [[deregulation]] of the U.S. railroad industry, it became a candidate for divestiture to a shortline operator.

===St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad===
In 1989, the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad was formed to take over operation of the [[Island Pond, Vermont|Island Pond]]-Portland section, and several years later this was extended to the border at [[Norton, Vermont|Norton]]. In 1998, following Canadian deregulation, the short-line operator formed a subsidiary St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad (Quebec) to operate the remaining line from the border at Norton through to [[Sainte-Rosalie, Quebec|Sainte-Rosalie]], where it connects with the CNR main line to Montreal.

====Reactivated passenger service====
In April 2012, the [[Maine Department of Transportation]] put a project out to bid which would "purchase, design, and construct a portion of rail line for future passenger service to [[Lewiston, Maine|Lewiston]] and [[Auburn, Maine|Auburn]]."<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.maine.gov/mdot/contractor-consultant-information/pas/annual.shtml| title=Construction Advertisement Plan| publisher=Maine Department of Transportation| access-date=2 April 2012}}</ref> The potential passenger route would operate on tracks operated by the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad. {{asof|2013}} prospective operators of a night train from Montréal to Boston are attempting to get access to the St. Lawrence and Atlantic right-of-way for a 2014-passenger launch.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bangordailynews.com/2013/09/05/business/portland-auburn-montreal-passenger-rail-possible-within-the-year/|title=Portland-Auburn-Montreal passenger rail possible within the year|website=bangordailynews.com|date=5 September 2013 |access-date=6 April 2018}}</ref>

====Bridge collapse====
A bridge over the [[Saint-François River]] near [[Brompton, Quebec]], collapsed on January 13, 2018. There were no injuries. The preliminary opinion is that the collapse was due to an ice jam and rapid water level rise following an unseasonal day of rain.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latribune.ca/actualites/justice-et-faits-divers/un-pont-ferroviaire-seffondre-a-sherbrooke-2b218889e444b3827c2d623f31c6605a|title=Un pont ferroviaire s'effondre à Sherbrooke|date=13 January 2018|website=latribune.ca|access-date=6 April 2018}}</ref>

==Route==
* Milepost 0: [[Portland, Maine|Portland]] terminal facilities including [[wharf|wharves]], [[grain elevator]]s, [[Portland Company]] shops, and interchange with [[Portland Terminal Company]] until 1984.<ref name="holt"/>[[Image:Grand Trunk Railroad Station, Portland, ME.jpg|thumb|right|Grand Trunk Station at Portland, Maine built in 1903]]
	
* Milepost 1.4: Portland Junction with [[Portland and Rochester Railroad]] from 1871 to 1947<ref>{{cite book| title=The Railroad Laws of Maine | url=https://archive.org/details/railroadlawsmai00webbgoog |author=Webb, Edmund Fuller |publisher=Dresser, McLellan and Company |year=1875 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/railroadlawsmai00webbgoog/page/n520 504]–505}}</ref>
[[File:Back Cove Trestle.jpg|thumb|Back Cove Trestle, Portland]]	
* Milepost 1.5: Back Cove Trestle abandoned following fire damage in 1984<ref name="johnson">{{cite book| title=The Best of Maine Railroads |author=Johnson, Ron |publisher=Portland Litho |year=1985 |pages=12–13 & 115}}</ref>
	
* Milepost 2.4: [[East Deering]] stockyard with resting pens for 2,500 head of export livestock and 15-stall [[Railway roundhouse|roundhouse]] with steam locomotive servicing facilities (station closed 1939)<ref name="holt"/> 
	
* Milepost 4.4: [[Presumpscot River]] bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 5.5: [[Falmouth, Maine|Falmouth]] station razed about 1932<ref name="melvin"/>
	
* Milepost 8.9: [[Cumberland, Maine|Cumberland]]<ref name="holt"/> 
	
* Milepost 11.3: [[Grand Trunk station (Yarmouth)|Yarmouth Station]] built in 1906; closed in 1968<ref name="melvin"/>[[Image:Yarmouth Crossing, Yarmouth, Maine.jpg|thumb|right|A stretch of the railroad passing through [[Yarmouth, Maine]], beside [[Grand Trunk station (Yarmouth)|Yarmouth Station]], looking north]]
[[File:St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad trestle, Yarmouth, Maine.jpg|thumb|Crossing [[Elm Street (Yarmouth, Maine)|East Elm Street]] in Yarmouth immediately south of the trestle]]
	
* Milepost 11.7: [[Royal River]] trestle<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 12.2: [[Yarmouth, Maine|Yarmouth Junction]] with Kennebec and Portland Railroad (later [[Maine Central Railroad]] "lower road") since 1849<ref name="mec">{{cite book| title=Maine Central Railroad Company |author=Peters, Bradley L. |publisher=Maine Central Railroad |year=1976 |page=11}}</ref>
	
* Milepost 15.3: [[North Yarmouth, Maine|Dunn's]]<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 18.4: [[Pownal, Maine|Pownal]] 69-car passing siding (station closed 1953)<ref name="melvin"/>
	
* Milepost 22.7: [[New Gloucester, Maine|New Gloucester]] station burned in 1940<ref name="melvin"/>
	
* Milepost 23.9: Royal River bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 24.3: Royal River bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 24.8: Royal River bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 26.8: Royal River bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 27.6: [[Auburn, Maine|Danville Junction]] with Androscoggin and Kennebec Railroad (later [[Maine Central Railroad]] "back road")<ref name="mec"/>
	
* Milepost 29.7: [[Auburn, Maine|Lewiston Junction]] with 5.4-mile branch to [[Lewiston, Maine]] since 1874<ref name="holt"/> (Lewiston station closed 1971)<ref name="melvin"/>
	
* Milepost 32.1: [[Poland, Maine|Empire Road]] passed under [[Portland and Rumford Falls Railway]] from 1893 to 1952 <ref name="mec"/> (station closed 1941)<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 36.2: [[Mechanic Falls, Maine|Mechanic Falls]] junction with [[Buckfield Branch Railroad]], later [[Portland and Rumford Falls Railway]] until 1952<ref name="mec"/> (station razed 1968)<ref name="melvin"/>
	
* Milepost 36.3: [[Little Androscoggin River]] bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 40.9: [[Oxford, Maine|Oxford]] station closed 1965<ref name="melvin"/>
	
* Milepost 46.7: [[Little Androscoggin River]] bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 47.3: [[South Paris, Maine|South Paris]] junction with 1.4-mile branch to [[Norway, Maine]] since 1879 and 3-stall [[Railway roundhouse|roundhouse]] until 1929<ref name="holt"/> (Norway station closed in 1964 and was razed in 1968)<ref name="melvin"/>[[File:Railroad Station, South Paris, ME.jpg|thumb|right|South Paris station built in 1888]]
	
* Milepost 55.6: [[Little Androscoggin River]] bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 55.7: [[West Paris, Maine|Bates]] 65-car passing siding and [[Railway roundhouse|roundhouse]] for 1.1 percent Bacon's Grade helper engine to Bryant Pond. [[Feldspar]] was mined, processed and loaded here for the manufacture of [[porcelain]] from 1925 to 1988.  Station built in 1851, enlarged in 1879, and closed in 1967 was razed in 1968.<ref name="melvin"/>
	
* Milepost 58: [[Little Androscoggin River]] bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 58.9: [[Little Androscoggin River]] bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 61.8: [[Woodstock, Maine|Bryant Pond]] 2-stall [[Railway roundhouse|roundhouse]] until 1923<ref name="holt"/> (station built in 1851 closed in 1958)<ref name="melvin"/>
	
* Milepost 65.3: [[Greenwood, Maine|Locke Mills]]<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 67: [[Alder River]] bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 68.2: [[Alder River]] bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 69.6: Alder River bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 70.1: [[Bethel, Maine|Bethel]] station built in 1865 was enlarged in 1899 and closed and razed in 1968<ref name="melvin"/>
	
* Milepost 74: [[Bethel, Maine|Allen's]]<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 75: [[Pleasant River (Androscoggin River)|Pleasant River]] bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 80.1: [[Gilead, Maine]] junction with [[Wild River (Androscoggin River)|Wild River Railroad]] from 1891 to 1904<ref>{{cite book| title=The Wild River Wilderness |author=Wight, D.B. |publisher=Courier Printing Company |year=1971}}</ref>
	
* Milepost 80.5: [[Wild River (Androscoggin River)|Wild River]] bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 82.6: state line<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 85.9: [[Shelburne, New Hampshire]]<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 87.9: [[Rattle River]] bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 88: Rattle River bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 88.2: Rattle River bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 88.4: east end of [[Androscoggin River]] causeway<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 89.2: west end of Androscoggin River causeway<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 91: [[Peabody River]] trestle<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 91.6: [[Gorham, New Hampshire|Gorham]] 12 stall [[Railway roundhouse|roundhouse]] and [[coaling tower]] until 1956 with shops from 1869 to 1902<ref name="holt"/> Station built in 1907 housed the Gorham Historical Society when railroad occupancy ended.<ref name="melvin"/>[[Image:View from Mt. Madison House, Gorham, NH.jpg|thumb|right|Grand Trunk at Gorham about 1912]]
	
* Milepost 92.8: [[Moose River (New Hampshire)|Moose River]] bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 93.1: [[Moose Brook (New Hampshire)|Moose Brook]] bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 93.3: [[Boston and Maine Railroad]] to [[Berlin, New Hampshire]] crosses overhead on high bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 96: [[Cascade, New Hampshire|Cascade]]<ref name="holt"/>[[Image:Cascade Mill, Gorham, NH.jpg|thumb|right|''Cascade Mill'' about 1920]]
	
* Milepost 97.9: [[Berlin, New Hampshire|Berlin]] junction with [[Berlin Mills Railway]]<ref name="holt"/>[[Image:GTRailroad.jpg|thumb|right|Berlin station built in 1917]]
	
* Milepost 101: [[Dead River (New Hampshire)|Dead River]] bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 103.3: [[Milan, New Hampshire|Copperville]] station closed 1929<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 103.7: [[Upper Ammonoosuc River]] bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 106.3: Upper Ammonoosuc River bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 108.7: Upper Ammonoosuc River bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 109.4: [[Milan, New Hampshire|West Milan]] junction with Upper Ammonoosuc Railroad from 1893 to 1903 with 37-car siding for [[pulpwood]] loading (station closed 1957)<ref name="melvin"/>
	
* Milepost 110.2: Upper Ammonoosuc River bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 110.5: Upper Ammonoosuc River bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 111.6: [[Stark, New Hampshire|Crystal]]<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 111.7: [[Phillips Brook]] bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 114.3: [[Stark, New Hampshire|Percy]] 76-car passing siding and 13-car [[team track]]<ref name="melvin"/>
	
* Milepost 116.4: [[Stark, New Hampshire|Stark]]<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 117.3: Upper Ammonoosuc River bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 121.8: Upper Ammonoosuc River bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 122.2: [[Groveton, New Hampshire|Groveton]] junction with the [[Boston and Maine Railroad]] Groveton branch and (from 1948 to 1976) the [[Maine Central Railroad]] [[Canaan, Vermont|Beecher Falls]] branch<ref name="mec"/>
	
* Milepost 126.4: [[Stratford, New Hampshire|Mapleton]]<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 129.5: [[Stratford, New Hampshire|Masons]] crossing the [[Maine Central Railroad]] Beecher Falls branch from 1887 until Maine Central negotiated trackage rights from Groveton to [[North Stratford, New Hampshire|North Stratford]] in 1948<ref name="mec"/>
	
* Milepost 134.6: [[Stratford, New Hampshire|North Stratford, New Hampshire]] junction with the [[North Stratford Railroad]] from 1887 to 1989<ref name="mec"/>
	
* Milepost 134.7: [[Connecticut River]] bridge<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 142.3: [[Ferdinand, Vermont|Wenlock, Vermont]] station closed 1925<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 145.3: [[Brighton, Vermont|East Brighton]]<ref name="holt"/>
	
* Milepost 149.5: [[Island Pond, Vermont|Island Pond]] ice harvesting facilities for [[Refrigerator car|reefer]] icing and passenger car air-conditioning until 1959 and division point yard with 20-stall [[Railway roundhouse|roundhouse]] and locomotive servicing facilities until 1966<ref name="holt"/>


==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Railways}}
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20151104155926/http://www.earlpleasants.com/search_1.asp Railroad History Database]}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20020702220545/http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/steamtown/shs2b.htm Steamtown Special History Study - Berlin Mills Railway No. 7]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060917011926/http://www.gwrr.com/default.cfm?action=rail&section=3B6a#sla Genesee & Wyoming - St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061108093233/http://www.sullboat.com/GT.htm The Grand Trunk in New England]
*[http://oldrailhistory.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=52&Itemid=80 Details and map of original railroad as of 1850]

{{s-start}}
{{succession box| before=[[Livonia, Avon and Lakeville Railroad]]| title=[[Short Line Railroad of the Year]]| years=1998| after=[[South Central Florida Express]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Genesee & Wyoming}}
{{Canada railways}}
{{Former Class I}}

{{Maine railroads}}
{{New Hampshire railroads}}
{{Vermont railroads}}
{{Androscoggin River}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Lawrence Atlantic Railroad}}
[[Category:Vermont railroads]]
[[Category:New Hampshire railroads]]
[[Category:Maine railroads]]
[[Category:Quebec railways]]
[[Category:Genesee & Wyoming]]
[[Category:Spin-offs of the Canadian National Railway]]

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[[Category:Railway companies established in 1845]]
[[Category:Railway companies established in 1853]]
[[Category:Defunct Quebec railways]]
[[Category:Defunct Vermont railroads]]
[[Category:Predecessors of the Grand Trunk Railway]]
[[Category:5 ft 6 in gauge railways in Canada]]
[[Category:5 ft 6 in gauge railways in the United States]]