SACO — A pile of railroad ties, some charred from a May 8 fire, lay on the bank next to the railroad by Wood Avenue in Saco.

Further down, in the middle of the track, was more railroad debris.

Frank Sholes, whose Wood Avenue property abuts railroad property, pointed to dead brush on the other side of the track, which he said was left behind after crews trimmed vegetation along the rail path. Sholes said he feels the vegetation and the debris ”“ noting that the ties are treated with creosote ”“ are a fire hazard.

Sholes said leaves stuck in the railroad ties were the cause on the May fire along the tracks.

“It was just floating through the air,” said Sholes. “They were burning up, just like balls of fire.”

Sholes said he would like to trim the brush on the other side of the fence along the edge of his property, but was told not to do so because it is railroad property.

“I was trying to be a good neighbor,” he said. “They’re not good neighbors.”

Sholes and fellow Wood Avenue resident Jennifer Cantara also complained about trains idling for several hours, causing black soot that can be seen on nearby trees’ leaves.

Cantara said after the majority of her fence burned down in the fire along the railroad, she was “shocked” to see how many railroad ties were right behind it.

“If I did to my neighbors what the train’s been doing to us, I’d end up in Alfred in court,” said Sholes.

According to state law, an area of seven feet outside of the tracks must be kept clean of flammable materials. In an area that has experienced one or more railroad-caused fires in the past five years, this buffer expands to 25 feet.

An investigation into the May 8 fires along the train tracks yielded no violations of Maine law, according to a report from the state Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.

In Old Orchard Beach, Jaynie Flaherty stood near a fallen utility pole Tuesday alongside the railroad tracks near where they intersect with Atlantic Avenue. She said she sees railroad debris as well as pedestrian trash along the railroad tracks. Flaherty said she’s picked up pedestrian trash alongside the railroad and has found, among other items, french fries’ boxes, diapers, bags of dog waste, toys, cups and cigarettes.

“I’m not blaming the railroad for dirty diapers,” she said, “but trash begets trash.”

She said residents and businesses have been able to live in harmony in her section of town.

“This is the only bad neighbor,” she said of the railroad.

Flaherty said a lot of improvements had been made in town in recent years, but the first thing people see when coming into town on the Amtrak Downeaster is the trash along the railroads.

Another bad area, she said, is the railroad tracks near Walnut Street, which beach-goers walk by on their way to the shore from the town parking lot on Milliken Street.

“It’s a mess. It’s terrible,” said Flaherty. “It drives me crazy.”

The railroad is owned by Pan Am Railways, which is responsible for maintaining the tracks. Cynthia Scarano, executive vice president of communications for Pan Am, said the company does periodic cleanups of the railways. She said if complaints warrant it, the company will work in conjunction with municipalities to clean train track areas.

Scarano said there are train inspections twice a week, though they are not necessarily for trash, but if inspectors see a problem, the company addresses it. She said there haven’t been a lot of complaints from Saco-Old Orchard Beach area.

Old Orchard Beach Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Bud Harmon disagrees. The chamber stands next to the platform for the Amtrak Downeaster, and Harmon said he has spoken to railroad officials on at least two occasions and asked them to clean their property, because he is not allowed to trespass there. Harmon said they suggested that he assemble a group of volunteers, and rail officials would send someone to monitor the volunteers as they clean the land abutting the tracks.

Harmon said that railroad officials say trash on the tracks is coming from abutting businesses, and they aren’t responsible for cleaning up that trash.

“If a guest in our community leaves an empty french fry or pizza box on the chamber doorstep, do I expect the owner of Pier Fries to come and remove it? The answer is no. It’s a matter of civic pride and feeling we all have a personal investment in our community,” said Harmon.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or [email protected].