Sometimes, Facebook proves itself relatively useful. At least as far as getting unexpected answers to questions that may have been on your mind, but can't even begin to figure out. For instance, what ever happened to the Captain Nick's rail car after the restaurant was torn down?

Really, if you grew up in the Bangor area in the last few decades, you probably ate in this rail car. It's local nostalgia all the way. Dare I say Bangor landmark, even? When we went when I was a kid, it was a no-brainer. Who wants to eat in a regular restaurant booth, when you can sit in a railroad car and eat?!

You may remember an article in the Bangor Daily News a couple of years ago, that Michael Thornton of Thornton Construction Company, the company that was hired to tear down Captain Nick's, took the rail car with him, as opposed to having it dismantled. His original intention was to put the car on Edging and Drift Island in the river up in the Old Town/Milford area. There was some approval to do so, but it never came to fruition.

Fast forward a bit, and thanks to a post on the You Knew You Grew Up In Bangor Facebook page, I saw that the old car had been relocated to the Thornton Family Campground in Orrignton. So I hopped in the trusty rig, and zipped over there, and was greeted by Ann Thornton, Michael's wife.

She was describing how it was in a bit of a state of disarray, because they had just hosted the Wicked Muddy Mainer at the Thornton Family Campground, and had actually been using the car in it's original capacity as a food service area.

Photo: J Stew
Photo: J Stew
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When not being utilized in this fashion, she said some of the younger folks of the campground had gotten together to make an area they could kind of call their own. So it's currently used as a rec area/library for all the kids at the campground. When I got there, Ann was just getting it put back together, but there was already a handful of books and games, etc.

Photo: J Stew
Photo: J Stew
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Maybe you've found yourself driving out Union Street, looking at the big gaping hole that was once home to one of the busiest eateries in Bangor. Well, now you can sleep a tiny bit better knowing that there are some folks out there who like to see some things live on in a different way. So I thank the Thornton's for keeping at least one memory from my childhood in these parts, alive and well.

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