Androscoggin and Kennebec Rail-Road Company

Androscoggin and Kennebec Rail-Road Company chartered in 1845 to build line from Danville Junction to Waterville; in 1862 consolidated with other lines to form Maine Central Railroad.

Androscoggin and Kennebec Railroad chartered 1845 to build line from Danville Junction to Waterville, Me.; eventually in 1862 consolidated with other lines to form Maine Central Railroad Co.

Androscoggin and Kennebec Rail-Road Company chartered in 1845; leased to Penobscot and Kennebec Railroad in 1856 and merged with Maine Centrail Railroad in 1862.

The Androscoggin and Kennebec Rail-Road Company was chartered in 1845 and organized in 1847. It had 13 directors, with Timothy Boutelle serving as the first president and Edwin Noyes as treasurer. The stock in the company was owned almost entirely by people from Maine; earnings were always disappointing and the stock never paid a dividend. The line was planned to run from near Lewiston, Maine to Waterville, and was to be built in three sections, all to be completed by July, 1849. It was to intersect with the Atlantic & St. Lawrence, running from Portland to Montreal, at Danville Junction. The estimated cost of the line was set at $1,000,000, but final costs were close to $2,000,000. The section from Danville Junction to Lewiston opened in December, 1848; that to Winthrop in July, 1849; and the final section to Waterville in December, 1849, for a total of 55 miles of track. The Androscoggin & Kennebec also ran a stage line between Augusta and Belgrade to connect with the train line. The company chose to install a broad gauge track, which led to difficulties in connecting to other narrow gauge railroads being built at the same time, especially the Penobscot and Kennebec Railroad running to Bangor. This railroad, planned to run from the Kennebec River to Bangor, had been chartered in the same year as the Androscoggin & Kennebec. The railroad opened to Bangor in 1855 and in 1856 was leased to the Androscoggin & Kennebec, which operated it until 1862. In 1862 the directors of the Androscoggin & Kennebec and the Penobscot and Kennebec agreed to consolidate under the name of Maine Central Railroad Company.