Penobscot and Kennebec Railroad

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Penobscot and Kennebec Railroad

Overview
Locale	central Maine
Dates of operation	1845–1862
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Previous gauge	converted from 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) by 1871

The Penobscot and Kennebec Railroad (P&K) is a historic U.S. railroad which operated in Maine.

The Penobscot and Kennebec Railroad Co. received a charter on April 5, 1845, and built a line between Bangor, Maine and Waterville, Maine. At Waterville the P&K connected with the Androscoggin and Kennebec Railroad (A&K). At North Maine Junction, the A&K connected with the Bangor and Piscataquis Railroad.

In 1845 the year that the P&K was chartered, a law was enacted permitting both the P&K and A&K to consolidate under a new name. The legislation was not acceptable to both companies, thus the A&K was chartered in 1847. The P&K and A&K did not merge until after the contentious section of the previous merger legislation was repealed on September 9, 1862. The following month on October 28, 1862, the A&K and P&K merged to form the Maine Central Railroad.