The Montreal Maine & Atlantic Railway company
The Montreal Maine & Atlantic Railway company

The Montreal Maine & Atlantic Railway company

The Montreal Maine & Atlantic Railway company

Bankruptcy and other disasters

Eastern Townships (Quebec), Canada

Well, to be honest, the railway Montreal Maine & Atlantic Railway site we visited is not a real urbex site. At least not yet. But between you and me, it should not take long.

A story that everybody hear about

Whether you live in Quebec or not, you've probably heard of this tragedy in Lac-Megantic where a railway convoy of the Montreal Maine & Atlantic Railway (MMA) has literally destroyed the city in an explosion that  killed more than 47 people. Since then, the company faces prosecution, had to be placed itself under the bankruptcy protection law and its poor crisis management has enrages all the country.

In short, the company is in big trouble and, after fired most of its employees, it is unclear how the company will get out of this situation. The many sites owned by the company are now deserted and many of them were vandalized by an angry population that holds the company responsible for the tragedy.

There was therefore no one during our visit in this Saturday afternoon, and even if we found few buildings (which will surely be abandoned in the coming weeks), we rather focused on trains and different rusted structures we could find on the site. I will have the chance to come back for the buildings by the end of summer when the activity of the company will be completely stopped.

This choice was the good one, because several trains could be visited. While some structures had no interest, others against, were very informative. So here is some pictures of this little trip where I will, for sure, be back in the coming weeks.

Related content

The old superstructures plant
Montréal, Quebec (Canada)

More than a century of expertise in the construction of mega steel structure that represents hundreds of projects from coast to coast. The company's story began in 1879 in Toronto, where a group of businessmen sniff a bargain following the...

Spexel, the Beauharnois abandoned plant
Beauharnois, Quebec (Canada)

It's over 92 years of industrial history that ended in 2004 when the Spexel factory was closed down. The story of this plant start in 1912 when is built the paper mill, which took the name of Howard Smith Paper Mill. Over the following years, the...

The old and abandoned Blachford plant
Montréal, Quebec (Canada)

From the outside, there is no indication that the plant is abandoned. No window is doomed and there is no "for sale" sign. Even the structure of the building is still in very good condition. I myself had doubts when I heard about it for the first...

The Belding Corticelli abandoned plant
Coaticook, Quebec (Canada)

It is in 2004 that the old factory Belding Corticelli has been shut down. Since then, it has been abandoned and floors has been waved at the mercy of weather that infiltrate by the roof and windows. Long time ago, there has been manufactured...