an opportunity to purchase the longest freight cars operated by the railroad. The Sandy River Railroad shop at Phillips, Maine was rebuilding 185 older gauge logging railroad flat cars into what became a fleet of 158 -long flat cars of the Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad being purchased by the Maine Central Railroad in 1912. The Maine Central simultaneously contracted with Boyd and Harvey Lumber Company to cut railroad ties in the western Penobscot River drainage of the roadless Maine North Woods. The lumber company built the gauge Carry Pond and Carry Brook Railroad in 1914 over the northwest carry from the eastern end of Seboomook Lake to Northwest Cove at the northern end of Moosehead Lake. Draft animals pulled two 28-foot-long flat cars over the railroad to deliver the ties to Moosehead Lake where they were floated across the lake for loading at Kineo Station on the northern end of the Maine Central Railroad Kineo Branch. After the ties had been delivered, the lumber company sold the two flat cars to the closest gauge railroad at Monson. The Monson Railroad purchased a couple of hand car trailers which could carry broken slate scraps from the quarries for use as ballast along the line. Within a few years, the Monson railroad became the only railroad in Maine with a completely rock-ballasted main line. Arrival of the United States Railroad Administration in 1917 began a series of pointed reminders that Monson Railroad's oil headlights and link-and-pin couplers no longer met federal safety standards. The railroad kept the link-and-pin couplers for another quarter century of operations; but the oil headlights were removed when damaged by derailments. The locomotives thereafter ran without any headlights. Monson briefly considered a Davenport Locomotive Works 2-6-2 (similar to those being built for United States Army trench railways) before purchasing another Vulcan in 1918. Hinkley locomotive #1 was retired when the second Vulcan locomotive was delivered. Elimination of need for a source of spare Hinkley parts encouraged the innovative shop crew to strip old Hinkley #2 of all exterior fittings and attach a snowplow blade. Although the new snowplow was less likely to ride up on snow drifts, it was more likely to derail; so the old wedge plow remained in service. Decline of Service The Monson engine house burned on 3 November 1919. Vulcan locomotives 3 and 4 were damaged, and old Hinkley #1 was considered