OAKFIELD, Maine — Up until this past spring, Marvin Collier’s life seemed to be going smoothly. Along with loving and supportive family and friends, he also enjoyed his job as a conductor-engineer at the Maine Northern Railway in Oakfield.
In May, however, something came along that stopped the 55-year-old in his tracks: cancer.
With the assistance of those same friends and family and his company, the Oakfield resident is getting his future back on the rails.
Collier, who has worked for the railroad for 21 years, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, his wife, Cindy Collier, said Saturday.
Kim Holmes, the train master for Maine Northern Railways, said Friday that after company officials learned of Collier’s diagnosis, they immediately jumped into action.
“We started selling tickets for a passenger rail car ride, first in-house and then on social media,” she said. “We offered one ride starting in the morning [on Saturday, July 16] that headed northbound and an afternoon southbound ride. All of the money will help him in his battle against non-Hodgkin lymphoma.”
Maine Northern Railway is owned by J.D. Irving Co, and its rails are used primarily to transport its goods, according to information provided by the company in a 2014 interview. Irving operates 549 miles of track in Maine and New Brunswick that are split among Eastern Maine Railway, New Brunswick Southern Railway and Maine Northern Railway.
Holmes said the special northbound passenger train ran Saturday from Oakfield to approximately Stockholm and back, while the southbound train traveled the same day roughly to Sherman and back.
Holmes said the tickets were especially popular with railroad retirees, and tickets were selling “really well” before the event.
Art Collier, a cousin to Marvin, said Tuesday that nearly 400 tickets for the ride were sold and many other people made donations to the cause. Northern Maine Railway opted not to divulge how much money was raised by the benefit.
“Maine Northern Railway folks put the entire event together for Marvin’s benefit,” Art Collier said. “They planned the entire event and asked us if we could assist with ticket sales, which we were very happy to do. The results were amazing. Ticket sales for both rides were in great demand. The morning ride consisting of 200 seats was sold out. The afternoon ride was short of sold out by only 10 to 12 seats.”
Cindy Collier said Saturday her husband is “aggressively” fighting the cancer of the lymphatic system, which affects the immune system but is treatable. He is undergoing chemotherapy every 21 days and must undergo six total treatments.
“Seeing so many people here today is just overwhelming, there is no other way to put it,” she said while holding back tears. “Seeing the company respond in such a way shows just how much he is valued to them. We really appreciate it more than words can say.”
An equally emotional Marvin Collier agreed.
“I am honored and grateful for what everyone has done for me,” he said. “This company is top-notch, and the people that I work with are wonderful. I just can’t say enough good things about them. Not only are they with you in the good times, they are there to support you through the bad times as well.”
Hunter Nicholson, 7, of Houlton, enjoyed the northbound ride with his family. He said he “loved the noise” the train made as it moved along the tracks.
Becky Thomas of Caribou was one of the participants who drove all the way to Oakfield from Caribou to take part in the northbound ride. She said Saturday that she and her boyfriend, Ralph Cameron, a railroad engineer and a friend of Marvin Collier, “really loved” it.
“We had a seat in the last car back, and it was just wonderful,” she said. “It was so nice to just kind of shut off the cellphone and enjoy the company around you for a while.”