Sometime this Fall, a bell will ring, the horn will sound and the saddest train of all will rumble out of Brunswick ending 12 years of seasonal passenger rail service by the Maine Eastern Railroad. It leaves behind a legacy of treasured memories tinged with disappointment over what might have been. Last week, the Maine DOT awarded the contract to operate the former Maine Central Rockland Branch to the Central Maine and Quebec Railway. CM&Q President, John Giles, has made it clear his railroad has no interest in providing passenger service.

Maine Eastern, a subsidiary of New Jersey based Morristown and Erie Railroad Railway, will return all of its passenger equipment, including the railroad’s two former New Haven FL9 engines to New Jersey. According to M&E Marketing and Logistics Manager, Rudy Garbely, “The last day of our 2015 excursion season, October 31, may well be the last day that the general public will ever have the opportunity to ride this line.”

More on that later.

What happened? Why did a railroad which traverses some of New England’s most impressive scenery fail to attract more passengers? There may be no simple answer. Rates are reasonable, its equipment impeccably clean, its coaches quiet and comfortable. Good humor rules even on gloomy days. “Great day for a train ride!” proclaimed one passenger as lashing rain pelted his window. A happy lady from Kansas, who wanted to bring home a culinary souvenir, asked one of the hosts for his fish chowder recipe. “Bake the fish separately,” he advised.

Still, the service foundered and this year public trips were confined to August and October. According to prior statements by the Maine Eastern, passenger traffic peaked at 19,000 in 2008 and has been declining ever since.

Unlike New Hampshire’s Conway Scenic Railroad and other successful tourist lines, the Maine Eastern has for the most part eschewed theme trains and never developed partnerships with organizations like the nearby Owls Head Transportation Museum whose special events draw thousands. Although it took passengers to the Maine Lobster Festival and the Blues Festival in Rockland, most of the time the line simply provided point to point transportation.

Maine Eastern’s slogan “The Journey is the Destination.” may have foretold its demise. The novelty tends to wear off quickly after a two hour train ride. Who wants to do the same thing over and over? What the railroad ignored or failed to grasp was that one trip was enough for most people . To draw them back, the train would have to become a means to an end, rather than an end in itself. That’s why partnerships and special theme trains which give passengers a reason to return are vital. Conway Scenic, for example, hosts more than a dozen theme and event trains every year ranging from a Mother’s Day Special to Holiday Week Excursions in December. The Maine Eastern fielded a couple of such trains every Christmas, the Candy Cane Train and the Jingle Bell Express. Although both were a huge success, the company never applied the concept to its summer service.

Last year’s effort to coordinate with Amtrak was a flop. Maine Eastern chose to jettison the local market in favor of an overly optimistic projection of the number of connecting passengers it would receive from the Downeaster. At the same time, the railroad never expected it would take so long to correct bad track south of Portland. This delayed the Downeaster’s arrival in Brunswick, making it difficult to stick to the schedule and leaving no time for shopping and sightseeing in Rockland. Predictably, this was a non starter for local residents and patronage plummeted.

Two points seem worth making. First, there is evidence of a market for seasonal rail excursion service if it functions as a means to an end rather than point to point transportation. Despite the lack of advertising, some 60-70 people turned out for several of the rail line’s public trips in August.

Second, Mr. Garbely’s claim that Oct. 31 “may well be the last day that the general public will ever have the opportunity to ride this line,” may not be the last word. Aiming to attract tourists and cut down on road traffic, taxpayers spent $30 million to upgrade the line for passenger service. It would be premature to abandon their vision at a time when statewide restaurant and lodging sales are soaring. and turnpike traffic is breaking records.

The line, which traces its roots back to 1836, has solid potential. Like New Hampshire, the Mid Coast swells with tourists each summer and its scenery, arguably, rivals that of the White Mountains. If the Conway Scenic can survive without freight revenue, so can the Rockland Branch. All it needs is an experienced operator willing to work with the community and serve up enough interesting events to give this gem of Maine’s rail network a viable future.

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Arnie Besier lives in Harpswell and served as a volunteer host for Maine Eastern.