Main Street, Waterville. All jammed with passengers for the fairgrounds,
typical of the pre-automobile travel to special events. From: Waterville,
Fairfield & Oakland Railway Company by O. R. Cummings, book
January 1, 1965.
57,422,739 total passengers were carried on the 520 miles of electric railway tracks in Maine in 1915!
Revenues generated from passenger, freight, and express services in 1915 totaled more than $3,000,000. That is equivalent to $100 million today (2026).
To see the full page of passenger counts for the major electric railways in Maine for 1915, you can go online to page 55 (the back cover) of the 1955 publication, Toonervilles of Maine, The Pine Tree State, at the Bangor Public Library here.
Later in the 19th century and early in the 20th, public transportation was incredibly important to Maine's economic and social development.
The passenger counts below might seem crazy to us today. Seriously.....Crazy!
This map is of the Bangor-Old Town Division -
Bangor Street Railway by Charles D. Heseltine -
Dated January-December 1974.
Bangor's population of about 20,000 was the first in Maine to have an electric railway service. The first trial trip took place in the very early hours of April 29, 1889. Two closed cars provided the first public passenger trips on May 21, 1889. On this original 3-mile section of track, from May 21, 1889, through September 30, 1889, four closed cars and four open cars carried 215,547 passengers. During a single day of the State Fair in September that fall, 8,200 passengers were transported on these trolley cars!
What was the total population of Maine in 1915? The 1910 census says 742,371. The 1920 census says 797,423. So, 1915 was somewhere in between.
I'm deep in researching materials involving electric streetcars, trolleys, and interurbans in Maine. The information will be used in part for a large grant application to advance the restoration of the 1912 Narcissus that operated on the Portland-Lewiston Interurban from 1914 to 1933. I'm compelled to dig deep into the broader impact of electric railways on Maine's economic growth. And its implications on Maine's societal development. This blog post shares some of the early findings. It may take more than one blog post to disseminate the info :)
The vast majority of the materials I will share have come from several books released by Seashore Trolley Museum's long-time historian, O. R. Cummings. Also, books by Charles D. Heseltine and Clark T. Irwin, Jr.
Please consider making a donation to the Narcissus Project. Funds are still needed to complete the restoration of the National Register of Historic Places member, Narcissus. Scroll to the end of this post to find all donation options. All donations are currently matched, dollar-for-dollar, as part of a $40,000 matching grant challenge, thanks to the generous offer from the 20th Century Electric Railway Foundation! Thank You :)
This map is the Bangor-Charleston Division. In total, Bangor
expanded the service over the years to have about 57 miles of
service trackage. Passengers carried in 1915: 6,571,038.
In 1921 - 7,835,046. From: Bangor Street Railway by
Charles D. Heseltine - book dated January - December 1974
As OR's intro, September 1, 1955, book, "Toonervilles of Maine: The Pine Tree State." "Maine is well known among New England's electric railway enthusiasts for its four major traction systems - the Atlantic Shore Line Railway, the Portland Railroad, the Lewiston, Augusta and Waterville Street Railway, and the Bangor Railway and Electric Company - and for its famous Portland-Lewiston Interurban as well! - but not so well known is the fact that the Pine Tree State had several small trolley lines, none over 15 miles in length, which were either contiguous to the larger systems or operated by themselves."
In the late 1880s/90s, when the fledgling electric companies in Maine were starting up, each sought markets for the electricity. Residential homes were not their market of choice. Initially, the usual market sequence was contracts to provide electricity to a town/city for electric lights on the main street(s), then electric railway companies (for obvious reasons :), then industrial factories, and then later the residential market. Electricity for use by the residential market didn't expand until about 1910, after the cost of electricity had dropped to 2.5 cents per kilowatt-hour. Text from: The Light from the River: Central Maine Power's First Century of Service by Clark T. Irwin, Jr, dated 1999.
Farms' access to electricity took even longer - in the mid-1930s, 8,400 (17%) of Maine's 53,000 farms had electricity.
The National average was 6%. From: The Light From the River by C.T. Irwin, Jr. 1999
It was expensive to acquire the land, build the power plants and dams, and place poles and string wires for the new electric companies. Having long-term contracts and receiving funding advancements were important to the fledgling electric companies. When a new street railway signed a 30-year contract with a funding advance to the Massalonskee Electric Company, a power plant was completed in 1907 and began generating the power for the Waterville, Augusta, and Lewiston Railway in 1908. The railway provided $30,000 a year in electric revenue - nearly half of Massalonskee Electric Company's total revenues. Successes were leveraged, and successes continued to mount. The electric company had 4,500 customers in 1909. In January 1910, the Massalonskee Electric Company changed its name to Central Maine Power. In 1919, CMP had 21,361 customers.
The Lewiston, Augusta, and Waterville Street Railway had
153 miles of service trackage. The Portland Railroad had
more than 80 miles of service trackage. From: Lewiston,
Augusta, Waterville Street Railway by O. R.
Cummings dated September 1, 1963.
The Lewiston, Augusta, and Waterville Street Railway's high point in passenger traffic was during the year ending December 31, 1917, when 15,499,524 riders traveled on the electric railway.
Where in the world did all these passengers come from? Or where were they going? Simply stated, during those early years, the late 1880s/90s and early 20th century, the main mode of transportation was for folks to walk. Yes, a few folks had horses and carriages. But not most people. In Maine, roads were dirt in those days. Muddy in the spring and after it rained. The snow made travel challenging, too. The trolleys were the most dependable means of year-round transportation for the public in the pre-automobile era. People tended to use the electric railways in Maine to go to work, go to town to shop, visit family, and recreate. With most workers working a six-day week, the electric railway companies often extended tracks to a recreation center. A park, perhaps. Some parks had amusement rides that operated on railway electricity. Often, there was a "casino" at the destination. Casinos in those days were for music and dancing, and a restaurant. The beaches of southern Maine and the eastern coastline were major destinations. Inland, parks next to lakes or ponds where picnics and canoeing took place were attractive to the public and summer visitors to Maine. O. R. states that no self-respecting street railway company considered itself complete without a pleasure resort.
Lake Grove Park at Auburn Lake. PWM postcard
Passengers dressed to the "nines" pose at a stop during an excursion on the
popular parlor car "Merrymeeting" of the Lewiston, Augusta & Waterville
Street Railway. O. R. Cummings collection from NEERHS Library
The Portland Railroad system in 1903 had more than 500 employees, owned 217 passenger cars, and carried 13 million passengers between July 1, 1903, and June 30, 1904.
Each open trolley car, "Breezers", carried 60-75 passengers. PWM
Each of these open trolley cars, "Breezers", could carry 75
passengers. How many trolleys are lined up here in total? Amazing.
The casino mentioned is located where the photographer taking
this image would be standing. See the postcard below. PWM
The casino at Riverton Park in Portland, Maine. Riverton Park was
located a few miles outside the downtown area of Portland. PWM
Monument Square in downtown Portland, Maine. PWM
The "Camilla" of the Portland & Brunswick Street Railway at the front of the
Casco Castle Park at South Freeport during the winter of 1903-04. From
the collection of O R Cummings, in his publication, Trolleys to Brunswick, Maine
1896-1937 by O. R. Cummings,1966.
The Berwick, Eliot & Dover Street Railway would become part of the
more than 90 miles of service trackage. Including tracks from South Berwick,
Maine to Dover, New Hampshire, and a railway-owned ferry service from
Kittery, Maine, to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. From: Atlantic Shore Trolleys
by O. R. Cummings dated January 1, 1966
Maine to Dover, New Hampshire, and a railway-owned ferry service from
Kittery, Maine, to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. From: Atlantic Shore Trolleys
by O. R. Cummings dated January 1, 1966
The Atlantic Shore Line Railway's high point in passenger service was July 1, 1907, through June 30, 1908, when 5,881,581 riders traveled from Kittery to the connection at the Biddeford and Saco Railroad. Passengers enjoyed access to the beaches along the York County coastline. The ASL connected with the nearly 8-mile Biddeford & Saco Railroad. In the summer, ASL passengers would transfer onto the B&S for a trip to Old Orchard Beach.
The Biddeford & Saco trolleys stopped at the Railroad crossing.
It was a short walk to the Pier in Old Orchard Beach. PWM
The Pier at Old Orchard Beach had a casino at the end.
At one point, the pier stretched out 1,800 feet into the Atlantic
Ocean. Summer visitors are drawn to the beach and the other
attractions offered there, attributed to the strong ridership
numbers in 1921 when 1,871,154 riders traveled on the
Biddeford & Saco Railroad. PWM
Portland-Lewiston Interurban included about 34 miles of service
trackage. Map from: Maine's Fastest Electric Railroad:
Portland-Lewiston interurban by O. R. Cummings 1956
The seven high-speed, luxury wooden interurbans, along with two additional traditional passenger cars, carried 7,302,000 passengers on the PLI line during the twenty years of operations, 1914-1933. The six original interurbans were named after flowers. The seventh interurban was built in 1920. In honor of Maine's Bicentennial, it was named Maine.
Restoration of the sole surviving PLI is underway. The Narcissus entered
Seashore Trolley Museum's Town House Restoration Shop on May 20, 2015. Complete restoration of the exterior of the Narcissus is phase one.
Portland-Lewiston Interurban's Narcissus, featured in Promo Material - PWM
The four major electric railway systems above and the PLI may have been Maine's best known in New England; however, the other railway systems throughout Maine were well patronized during the early 20th century. The next Blog Post will delve into those smaller railways.
Click Here for the post: Ninety Communities in Maine with Electric Railway Service!
Click Here for the post: 57 Million Passengers Carried on Electric Railways in Maine in 1915!
Click Here for the post: Maine Bicentennial series - History of the Portland Railroad 1860-1941
Click Here for the post: Maine Bicentennial series - History of the Calais Street Railway 1894-1929
Click Here for the post: Maine Bicentennial series - History of Aroostook Valley Railroad 1909-1946
Click Here for the post: Maine Bicentennial series - Fryeburg Horse Railroad 1887-1913
Click Here for the post: Maine Bicentennial series - The Norway and Paris Street Railway 1894-1918
Click Here for the post: Maine Bicentennial series - Skowhegan & Norridgewock Railway 1894-1903
Click Here for the post: Maine Bicentennial series - Benton and Fairfield Railway 1898-1928
Click Here for the post: Maine Bicentennial series - The Somerset Traction Company 1895-1928
Click Here for the post: Maine Bicentennial series - The Fairfield and Shawmut Railway 1903-1927
Click Here for the post: Maine Bicentennial series - Waterville, Fairfield, & Oakland Rwy 1887-1937
Click Here for the post: Maine Bicentennial series - Trolleys to Augusta, Maine 1889-1932
Click Here for the post: Maine Bicentennial series - Rockland, South Thomaston, & St. George Rwy
Click Here for the post: Maine Bicentennial series - Biddeford and Saco Railroad Co. 1888-1939
Click Here for the post: Maine Bicentennial series - Mousam River Railroad - 1892-1899
Click Here for the post: Maine Bicentennial series - Sanford & Cape Porpoise Railway 1899-1904
Click Here for the post: Maine Bicentennial series - Portsmouth, Kittery & York St Rwy 1897-1903
Click Here for the post: Maine Bicentennial series - Bangor Street Railway 1889-1905
Click Here for the post: Maine Bicentennial series - Bangor Railway & Electric Company 1905-1925
Click Here for the post: Maine Bicentennial series - Bangor, Orono & Old Town Railway 1895-1905
Click Here for the post: Maine Bicentennial series - Bangor, Hampden & Winterport Rwy 1896-1905
Click Here for the post: Maine Bicentennial series - Penobscot Central Railway 1898-1906
Click Here for the post: Maine Bicentennial series - Bangor Hydro-Electric Company 1925-1945
Click Here for the post: Maine Bicentennial series - Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath St Rwy 1898-1907
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We continue the restoration work on the 1912 Narcissus, the only surviving high-speed, luxury interurban coach of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban.
Click Here: Narcissus Restoration-Related Posts
More than a century old, the stately "Elegant Ride," Narcissus, is a gem. This shimmering precious stone of Maine transportation history is brilliantly resplendent as it emanates so many elements of history, including time, places, people, and events that it was coupled to, that when just a smattering of its seemingly innumerable stories are shared, the contents captivate, fascinate, and then generate interest to learn more 🙋. The majestic Narcissus is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Please consider joining the epic journey to complete the Narcissus Project by donating today!
Click Here: Donation Options
The restoration of this majestic icon of Maine's electric railway history is but one in a series of captivating stories containing an abundance of incredible coalition narratives.
Click Here: History-Related Posts - Narcissus and Portland-Lewiston Interurban
The Narcissus is featured in the national Gold Award-winning novel, Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride. The "Elegant Ride" is the Narcissus. Theodore Roosevelt was a passenger on the Narcissus on August 18, 1914, between Lewiston and Portland, Maine, while campaigning for the Progressive Party candidates.
Click Here: Bookstores and Businesses promoting the Narcissus Project
Independent book publisher Phil Morse, holding
Gold Book Award Winner plaque for
Middle Reader category for The Eric
Hoffer Book Award. Congratulations to
award-winning Maine author,
Jean M. Flahive
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