MILO (AP) – A Maine railroad whose business has long focused on shipping pulp and paper has found a new source of revenue in rebuilding locomotives and rail cars.

Train engines rebuilt by the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway at its Derby rail yard in Milo are now in use by railroads in Panama, Estonia and Poland. The company is also looking to rebuild locomotives for a rapid transit system in the Dallas area.

Officials of MM&A’s parent company, Chicago-based Rail World, say the business of refurbishing locomotives can be lucrative. They say a brand-new locomotive costs up to $3.5 million in Europe, whlie a good secondhand one from Amtrak can cost $130,000.

They say the rebuilding projects are the kind of outside work that can offset some of the weakness in Maine’s economy.