Androscoggin and Kennebec Railroad
The Androscoggin and Kennebec Railroad (A&K) is a historic U.S. railroad which operated in Maine.
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | central Maine |
| Dates of operation | 1847–1862 |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Previous gauge | converted from 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) by 1871 |
The Androscoggin and Kennebec Railroad Co. received a charter on March 28, 1847, and by January 1850 had built a line between Waterville, Maine, and Danville, Maine (now Auburn). At Waterville, the A&K connected with the Penobscot and Kennebec Railroad (P&K). At Danville, the A&K connected with the Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad, which opened in 1853 and was subsequently sold to Grand Trunk Railway.
In 1846, the year that the P&K was chartered, a law was enacted permitting both the P&K and A&K to consolidate under a new name. The legislation was not acceptable to both companies, thus the A&K was chartered in 1847. The P&K and A&K did not merge until after the contentious section of the previous merger legislation was repealed on September 9, 1862. The following month on October 28, 1862, the A&K and P&K merged to form the Maine Central Railroad.