BELFAST – Ron Trottier’s grin told the story.

It was the kind of grin you might expect to see on the face of a man who had just bought a piece of history.

Last Thursday morning, Trottier was standing on a platform near the Belfast waterfront, watching as crews readied a Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad engine and passenger cars for a trip.

The day before, Trottier’s Rail Star Corp. had closed on the purchase of the B&ML, the railroad that runs from Belfast Harbor to Burnham Junction.

Until the early 1990s, it was the only U.S. rail line to be owned by a municipality. It was built by the city of Belfast in the 1870s. A few steps away from bankruptcy by the late 1980s, the B&ML was reborn in the early 1990s as a tourist excursion, drawing thousands to Belfast.

But the Bull Moose, as it is known, had run out of steam in recent years.

Its last owner, the late Bert Clifford, spent untold thousands upgrading the equipment, including importing a steam engine and several passenger cars from Sweden.

Clifford also spent a lot of money improving the railroad’s Unity station. Clifford, a self-made millionaire, was committed to being Unity’s benefactor. His plan, he often said, was to lead with his heart, even when an investment did not necessarily make financial sense.

While focusing on the Unity end of the line may have helped that town, some observers believed the railroad’s best shot at economic viability would come in Belfast, a tourist destination.

After last week’s closing – he would not disclose terms of the sale – Trottier said he understands that thinking and plans to rebuild the railroad as an attraction by capitalizing on Belfast’s developing waterfront.

He already has been contacted by a representative of the development group seeking to buy the former Stinson Seafood plant.

“I expect another resurgence in Belfast,” he said. “There’s a lot of untapped potential on the waterfront.”

By next summer, Trottier expects to have an excursion boat operating from the railroad’s pier in Belfast, offering tourists “rail and sail” options.

That’s no surprise, given that Trottier has operated marinas for 27 years in his hometown, Cape Vincent, N.Y., in the Thousand Islands region of the St. Lawrence Seaway.

“But there’s no railroad,” he said of Cape Vincent.

And Trottier has been passionate about railroads for some time. He is interested in rail history, especially the second half of the 19th century through the early 20th century, the heyday of rail.

Rail Star, for which Trottier serves as vice president, “is basically a family organization,” he said. But he is the principal owner.

The company owns a plant in Watertown, N.Y., that restores steam locomotives and narrow-gauge rail equipment.

Rail Star also purchased the Erie Canal Village in Rome, N.Y., where the famous canal’s operations are re-created for visitors in an 1875 setting. The city of Rome had developed the village, but Trottier’s group hopes to turn it into a profitable venture over the next few years.

He has the same goal for the B&ML.

“The railroad interested me because of its long history,” Trottier said.

While he plans to focus on shorter runs from Belfast, he sees value in the Unity end, particularly for operating the steam engine. And there may be times when longer runs make sense, he said, such as for dinner trips and fall foliage excursions.

“There’s a reason for both ends,” he said. “The fact that the railroad’s 33 miles long makes for an interesting potential.”

At 60, Trottier does not see the railroad as a retirement diversion, but rather as his last career, he said. His first career was as a chemical engineer, followed by his marina developments.

“I certainly love railroads, but the profit motive is there,” he said. He doesn’t expect to see the business become profitable quickly, but believes it is important to grow revenues.

“I want to have stability,” he said, explaining that income is critical to keep up with maintenance, as well as to give his company a return on its investment.

But on Thursday, Trottier was still wearing the grin of a new owner.

“It’s our first time out as Rail Star,” he said, watching as one of the railroad’s diesel engines was turned around on the turntable, ready for its journey into the hinterlands of Waldo County.