Did You Know About the ‘Ghost Trains’ Found Deep in the Maine Woods?

There's a great story behind how two train locomotives have sat deep in the woods of the Allagash on the shore of Eagle Lake in Northwest Piscataquis, Maine, since 1933. These two locomotives are very hard to get through the thick woods, but if you're willing to brave the hike, you'll see something stuck in time.

Ghost Trains in the Allagash

The two locomotives are located several miles from the nearest main road and are only accessible by a hiking trail or by canoe from the nearby Eagle Lake.

The location has been a popular hiking destination for those who want to see these 100-year-old locomotives sitting deep in the woods. During that time, someone dubbed the locomotives the Ghost Trains, which isn't exactly accurate, but it's stuck.

Why Are These Locomotives Still There?

The Eagle Lake and West Branch Railroad was a forest railway that was built to transfer pulpwood between drainage basins in the North Maine Woods beginning in 1927. Because the railroad operated for only a few years in this extremely remote location, it would be difficult to get the locomotives out. So the locomotives were left abandoned and haven't moved since.

READ MORE: 10 Former Maine Railroad Stations Transformed into Unique Businesses and Homes

You can still find remnants of the rails as you approach. Volunteers took the time to lay new tracks for the locomotives to rest on after the old rails deteriorated.

Is It Worth the Hike?

If you want to see the locomotives in person, you can hike or canoe to the site, but just be aware that the hike is not easy. Luckily, so many people have visited the locomotives that dozens of YouTube videos have been posted that give you a good look back at the history of this abandoned railroad.