Our Maine Street's Aroostook Issue 10 : Fall 2011 | Page 27

Just over one hundred years ago,
on June 20, 1910, the AVRR began
service. During the first week,
17,292 passengers were carried, easily
the population of the area. Officially
the line opened July 1st. With the
Independence Day festivities rolled
into the line opening activities, it was
a grand time in The Valley.
1913, the AVRR decided it
In
needed two new passenger cars
with
baggage
compartments.
Accordingly, it ordered two such cars
from the Wason Manufacturing Co.,
Springfield, MA. Later that year,
Nos. 70 and 71 arrived in Presque
Isle. They provided the four daily
round trips between West Caribou
and West Presque Isle. There were
shuttle trips between Sweden and
Carson. While the level of service was
not up to Portland frequency, it was
enough for the sparsely populated
river valley.
The two new cars were 53 feet long,
eight-feet, eight-inches wide and were
powered by 1,200 volts DC. Most
U.S. interurbans and streetcar line
FALL 2011

27