Not a sound on Friday, July 30th. Everything was ready.
An unprecedented event occurred on the Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway on July 31st – August 1st. All, as in ALL of the remaining two-foot gauge locomotives in Maine were gathered together. Five in total, three in steam, for a photographer’s dream.
The following history was written by the WW&F Railway Museum and is used with permission.
The Historic WW&F Railway.
The Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway was one of fine common carrier two-foot gauge railway systems that served Maine during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The first two-footer was the Sandy River, opened in western Maine in 1879. The Wiscasset and Quebec (predecessor to the WW&F) was the last two-footer started, opening in 1895 between Wiscasset and Albion, Maine.
The original goal of the W&Q was to open a rail route between the deep-water port of Wiscasset and [the Canadian province of] Quebec. This ambitious goal was abandoned, however, when the Maine Central effectively blocked the W&Q from crossing its rail line in Burnham.
During the first decade of the 1900s, the W&Q was reorganized as the Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington, and its expansion plans turned northwestward toward Farmington and a connection with the Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes two-foot system.
The WW&F rails, however, only reached as far as Winslow, failing to cross the Kennebec River into Waterville en route to Farmington. The resulting fifty-eight-mile system, extending from Wiscasset to Albion and Winslow, would be the WW&F at its greatest size.
In the ‘teens, competition from a new trolley line would take a significant amount of freight and passenger traffic from the Winslow branch. By 1915, the branch had been abandoned. The remaining WW&F would survive until the early 1930s. On June 15, 1933, the morning train down from Albion jumped the tracks just north of the Whitefield iron bridge. Rather than re-rail the train and continue operations, the owner chose to shut down the impoverished railroad, ending commercial operations.
Which five locomotives were on the property? Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington #6, Monson #s 3 and 4 and Bridgton & Saco River #s 7 and 8.
I always arrive a day or two early to catch any last minute preparations and maybe a few running repairs. Didn’t happen, everyone was ahead of schedule, the yard was quiet!
Locomotives sat silent awaiting a fire in their hearts.
One of the rarest among rare items is a two-foot, three-way stub switch. It has a flag on top to show its alignment.
The first day consisted of two separate journeys. In the morning, we rode behind Bridgton & Saco River #7, a 2-4-4 Forney, down the mountain to Trout Brook Bridge. Behind the locomotive was SOCONY tank car #14, B&SR box cars #54 and 51 and coach #6, Mount Pleasant!
Something always needs doing on a steam locomotive. Even a small loco needs several attendants. She’s actually WW&F #9 but masquerading as Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes #6 for the day.
Meanwhile, B&SR #7 backs away from the loco shed to find her train.
Our first run-by was in a field ankle deep in water. I knelt. What a mistake!
When #7 backed for her run-by, trees surrounding the right of way show how very small she is.
Alna is a favorite place for photos. It has everything, a small station building, a dirt road, one of the early RR Crossing signs, an open field and a wall of trees. Our train pulls into the station. A delivery man waits to pick up LCL cargo.
Trout Brook Bridge is a special story in itself. It began life in 1918 as a Boston & Maine bridge over Moose Creek, near Gorham, New Hampshire. It was partially destroyed by arson, saved by a society, restored at Case Western University and donated to the railroad. It was quite some move over highways, byways and flat car. It’s boxed-in girders make it look like the train travels between two walls.
Out train is downhill from Trout Creek Bridge. The Conductor, dressed for 100-something years ago, walks back to learn exactly where we want the train parked.
It’s a stiff climb uphill from the bridge to aptly named Top of the Mountain. For the moment, it’s the end of the line for the WW&F. Work is underway to the end at Highway 218. Turntable construction progresses while volunteer work crews lay amazing lengths of track on weekends.
Crossing one of several freshets on the way back to Sheepscot to prepare for the afternoon’s shooting
In the afternoon, The Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes RR “Rangeley Express” met a Monson RR slate train at Alna. The Express consisted of SR&RL parlor car Rangeley, F&M (Franklin & Megantic) coach #2 and SR&RL combine #14. It met Monson locomotive #6, flat car #126 and coach #8.
The water compartments on Forney locos are small, so the engine crew took on water whenever possible. Under proper “supervision” of course!
Pulling into Alna in a timeless tableau.
Conductor and fireman confab while passengers unload and the Monson train appears.
Finally, the Monson train emerged from the forest and pulled into the siding. Um, with a flat car in front of the loco and the passenger car behind? Yes, that’s the way the Monson ran their mixed trains
The Monson train made an arrival run-by without the Sandy River train present. Um, why is one man riding the flat and another hanging out of the passenger car? The WW&F restores everything as closely as possible to the 1890s. That means no air or vacuum brakes on the cars. When the engineer wants to stop, he does one whistle. The men jump into action and screw down the hand brakes just right for a perfect stop. When the train is ready to leave, the engineer whistles twice, and the men unscrew the brakes. Those ancient signals remain in use today. Now you know how and why they came into being.
The Monson train, now passenger only, waits for the Sandy River train to depart.
We re-boarded the Express and proceeded to Top of the Mountain.
Monson #3 had run ahead of us and was making a few switching moves.
Two trains at Top of the Mountain make a fine scene.
Our train would back all the way to Sheepscot except for a brief pause. Outside the Maine Locomotive & Machine Works sat one of the Sandy River’s unusual railbuses. What a sight!
In the last light of day all five locos were posed for a portrait. Then the big announcement: the two locos not in steam would be restored to operation over the next two years. And an even bigger announcement: the WW&F would build a brand-new locomotive, a replica of #7 as the new #11!
What a day. Tomorrow loomed large with promise!
The second day was a reenactment of days on the Bridgton & Saco River RR, starring an all-B&SR train. Behind #7 (built 1913) was SOCONY tank car #14 (built 1903), box car #51 (built 1890), box car #67 (built 1905), flat car #34 (built 1880s), and coach #6, Mount Pleasant (built 1882). The youngest of them all was the locomotive, only 108 years old!
Always a cloud of steam everywhere.
Top of the Mountain is favored as a location, so we started our day here.
We did a little switching to add a car to our consist. When the engine crew takes too long to respond to a hand signal, they find themselves on the receiving end of “The Look!” Woe be unto him …
Not one to waste energy walking, our Conductor brings the head end into a gentle stop at the passenger car.
Maybe the best shot of my trip, the train passes a dark pond in a sea of July green grasses.
Pulling into Alna on our way home. Why was the SOCONY tank car always directly behind the tender? Why there? It was our water supply while out on the road!
A scene so often seen in the backwoods—a local merchant comes to fetch a delivery from the outside world. You know, some far away and exotic place, like Portland!
Almost home, the brakeman stands ready for the stop single whistle to wind down the brakes.
Hot #7 passes her cold #8 sister. Given a couple of years, both will be in steam!
I would say a never to be seen again. Given the pssage of a few years, THREE more locos will be in steam. THAT’LL be the day! Visit the Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway at: www.wwfry.org . Even better, become a member.
I had a chance to ride the ‘Banana Express’ 20 yeas ago – a South African 2 footer, now sadly gone. Good to see a two footer coming back to life!
The amount of “stones” it took to bring this all off is beyond belief. It is not all that surprising considering the kind of stock these folks come from. Their ancestors stood up in places like Lexington, Bunker Hill, and Yorktown, and bought us a nation with their blood. Like their forfathers before them, their is no proper way to thank them.
So enjoyable and satisfying. Just lovely.
Exactly what you said.
I had a chance to ride the ‘Banana Express’ 20 yeas ago – a South African 2 footer, now sadly gone. Good to see a two footer coming back to life!
The amount of “stones” it took to bring this all off is beyond belief. It is not all that surprising considering the kind of stock these folks come from. Their ancestors stood up in places like Lexington, Bunker Hill, and Yorktown, and bought us a nation with their blood. Like their forfathers before them, their is no proper way to thank them.