The first railroad company to run tracks through Kennebunk was the Portsmouth, Saco and Portland Line. The company opened a depot in West Kennebunk in August of 1842. It was the only depot in the Kennebunks for 30 years. Competitor, Boston & Maine Railroad Company, leased rights to run their trains on this line until PS&P insisted on renegotiating the 6% B&M lease at a higher rate. Rather than pay the increase, B&M Railroad laid their own tracks through Kennebunk in 1872.

Andrew Walker wrote about it in his diary starting on August 1, 1872. “B&M Railroad Directors have been here today to locate the contemplated new depot for this village.” The location off Summer Street was selected that day.

In September 1872, Shipbuilder NL Thompson who owned a brickyard, contracted to furnish 200,000 bricks for the new depot. The depot foundation was in place by October 7th. The first train of cars loaded with construction materials passed over the Mousam River Bridge on Nov 13th. A roofless frame for the new depot was raised Dec 7th.

The company began to worry about safety on the line between the new depot and Biddeford since all those sleepers were laid on frozen ground. Walker wrote, “When the frost comes out of the ground the railway track will be uneven.”

To make matters worse, on Jan 20, 1873 construction debris fell on the tracks. A gravel train with a boxcar carrying 50 men struck the debris while traveling backwards. The boxcar tipped onto its side throwing the men and a lit stove in one pile. Nearly half of the men were injured, some very seriously. A Great Falls man, was killed.

The depot building was all but completed by mid-February. On Feb 12th, the first extension train ran from Kennebunk to Saco for a fundraising musical concert. 104 passengers ponied up one dollar each for the ride and concert tickets. The first passenger train ran from Boston over the new Kennebunk extension to Portland a month later.

The construction of the Kennebunk Kennebunkport branch of the B&M Railroad to Lower Village and the beaches was still a decade away.