ROCKLAND — Twenty-one years had passed since a train pulled up to the waterfront terminus of the Rockland rail line, according to Jay Sawyer, creator of the sculpture "Ridin' the Rails to Rockland." Yet, for a brief few minutes, Sunday afternoon, Nov. 8, 2026, that terminus transformed into a train stop reminiscent of yore, with passengers off-boarding and milling before boarding again. 

The Sandy Beach, aka South End Beach, stop marked a momentous occasion that Sawyer was excited to be a part of, tying together the past, his nearby sculpture made of rail spikes, and the future.

His first creation, “Ridin’ the Rails” used up Sawyer’s lifetime collection of spikes. It wasn’t enough to complete the project. So, he reached out to another local, Gordon Page, explaining Sawyer's Rockland background, his love of the area, and the railroad tracks. Page supplied Sawyer with the final spikes needed, and offered that the sculpture name be amended from simply “Ridin’ the Rails” to “Ridin’ the Rails to Rockland”. 

Excursionists did just that this weekend, filling the train to the comfortable capacity that their nonprofit host, Massachusetts Bay Railroad Enthusiasts, Inc., could accommodate, according MBRRE President David Brown, who wears most of the hats required in making the trips happen. It didn’t take long for Mass Bay RRE to reach that capacity and to start turning more potential passengers away.

Among the lucky passengers, representing all generations, were “mileage collectors:” a small community of people whose goal in life is to travel every mile of railroad track, according to Brown. One of those passengers traveled from Virginia to sit on the Saturday train of this two round weekend.

“This is one [excursion] that appealed to them,” he said. “This is such a lovely train ride, and it’s a lovely area.” 

For the less-loyal adventurers, Brown credited media in the Midcoast region for helping to bring Sunday’s excursion to a successful capacity.

“I think probably half our passengers on today’s trip had probably never heard of our organization before this,” said Brown.

The arrival of the train also drew a number of people, including neighbors, professional photographers, and a couple of Archer's Restaurant employees who spontaneously offered free coffee to everyone. 

Sunday was the second specialty excursion offered that weekend. The excursion package, dubbed “Rockland Rocket,” set forth from Bath and chugged its way to Rockland’s waterfront [many selfies were snapped with Rockland Harbor in the background], just yards further from the once bustling Dragon Cement barge that launched U.S. products a-sail to all regions of the world. A South End neighbor who watched today’s train arrival reminisced about watching engines carrying Dragon shipments pull slightly past the entrance to Dragon’s pipeline, leveling the train with the gate for each freight car, its off-loading, as well as the barge that carried the goods away.

This weekend’s inaugural excursions met with some hiccups. Rain storms dampened planned outdoor stretches and photo breaks. Bathroom facilities were less certain at some stops, bumps occurred in itinerary. Yet, Brown is hopeful for return trips next year.

“We’re really happy to be here,” he said. “We do three or four excursions in various parts of New England a year, and I’ve never had people call me up the day of the trip and try to get a ticket. I felt bad to say no.”

See previous articles:

Excursion train to ride rail into Rockland on two November days

Train freight returns, excursions on horizon as new rail service chugs into Rockland

Last sizeable load of freight leaves Rockland; Days of major railroad traffic comes to an end

The history of Rockland’s train stations

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com