Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad to host senior excursion Oct. 3

PHILLIPS — In keeping with its efforts to offer more “event-oriented” train rides, the Sandy River Rangeley Lakes Railroad will host a chartered senior train excursion Tuesday, Oct. 3. from Sanders Station, 128 Bridge St.
The passengers will be, for the most part, residents of Riverbend Homes in Guilford.
“We plan a fall foliage trip each year,” said Riverbend Homes assistant facilities manager Marlene Desmond. “In the past, we’ve visited such places as farms and museums, and this year a train ride seemed just the thing to do.”

In all, some 54 passengers will travel by bus from Guilford, arriving at Sanders Station in the morning, ride the train (which will be driven by the steam engine, Monson #3) then be driven to the Phillips Area Community Center on Depot Street to have lunch – an appropriate venue since the current PACC building was, back in the day, the SR&RLRR’s car repair barn. Moreover, the excursionists will also be able to visit the former Phillips train depot, now the home of local American Legion Post 64.
The trip, Desmond said, is sponsored by the town of Guilford, and while most of the passengers will be seniors (62 or older or disabled), there were also a few seats on the bus available to the townspeople “which filled very quickly,” she said.
“We’re all very much looking forward to this,” Desmond said.