Thursday, March 17, 2016

Ninety Communities in Maine had Electric Railway Service!

Porcelain advertising piece from a ticket booth of the Portland-Lewiston
Interurban. Electric railways advertising quite often promoted the
"clean and comfortable ride". This image is an original porcelain
advertising piece from the O. R. Cummings collection at

     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 help with the restoration of the 1912 Narcissus that operated on the Portland-Lewiston Interurban from 1914 till 1933. I'm feeling compelled to dig deep for the broader impact of electric railways' influences on Maine's economic growth and its implications on Maine's societal development. This blog post is the second that shares some of the early findings. The first post is titled, 57 Million Passengers Carried on Electric Railways in Maine in 1915!! The third post will speak more about the railways' recreation and commercial destinations and the handful of parlor cars in Maine.

     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, including an online donation link. 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 :)

     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.

     In total, more than 90 cities, towns, and villages in Maine had electric railways servicing their communities. Eleven of Maine's sixteen counties had communities with trolley services. The total trackage of the electric railways in Maine extended nearly 520 miles. To put that in perspective, the length of trackage is about the same distance that one would travel by automobile today when taking U.S. Route One from Kittery, all the way to Fort Kent....527 miles.

Many of the Maine communities served by electric railways were in rural
areas. Dirt roads were the norm outside of the downtown areas of the cities.
Cities like Bangor, Lewiston, and Portland were "hubs" for the railways that
connected people and products to the outer communities. Above, Aroostook
Valley Railroad No. 70. AVR 70 is a combination car, which carries passengers
and light freight/express. AVR 70 is one of thirteen Maine electric railway
vehicles at the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, ME.
Image from postcard PWM

     Here is a list of communities throughout Maine served by electric railways during the era:
Alfred, Arundel, Auburn, Augusta, Bangor, Bath, Benton, Biddeford, Brewer, Brunswick, Calais, Camden, Cape Elizabeth, Cape Porpoise, Caribou, Charleston, Chelsea, Corinth, Crouseville, Cumberland, East Vassalboro, Eliot, Fairfield, Falmouth, Farmingdale, Freeport, Gardiner, Glenburn, Gorham, Gray, Greene, Hampden, Hallowell, Kenduskeag, Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Kittery, Lewiston, Lisbon Falls, Litchfield, Lyman, Madison, Manchester, Mechanic Falls, Minot, New Gloucester, New Sweden, North Vassalboro, Norway, Oakland, Ogunquit, Old Orchard Beach, Old Town, Orono, Owl's Head, Portland, Presque Isle, Rockland, Rockport, Sabattus, Saco, Sanford, Scarborough, Shawmut, Skowhegan, South Berwick, South Monmouth, South Paris, South Portland, South Thomaston, South Windham, Springvale, St. George, Thomaston, Topsham, Turner, Van Buren, Veazie, Wales, Warren, Washburn, Waterville, Webster, Wells, West Gardiner, Westbrook, West Kennebunk, Winslow, Winterport, Winthrop, Woodland, Yarmouth, York, and York Beach. Notes: Calais, ME to St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada - South Berwick, ME to Dover, New Hampshire - Kittery, ME to Portsmouth, New Hampshire via ASL ferry, Fryeburg Horse Railroad was Never Electrified

Maine counties served by Electric Railways included: Androscoggin, Aroostook, Cumberland, Kennebec, Knox, Oxford, Penobscot, Sagadahoc, Somerset, Washington, and York.

A typical image of service outside of the downtown area. 
From postcard PWM

Dirt roads were the norm and difficult for wagons horses and early
automobiles to navigate in muddy conditions as well as in the snow during
the winter months. The electric railways were the most dependable form
of transportation. Image of River Road in Arundel, Maine approaching
Merrill's Farm is on the far left. Image from the collection of
Seashore Trolley Museum

 Electric Railways of Maine - 1915
Click Here for the post: "Electric Railway King" of the Pine Tree State - Amos Fitz Gerald
(Portland, Falmouth, Cumberland, Gray, New Gloucester, Auburn, and Lewiston)

(Presque Isle, Van Buren, Washburn, New Sweden, Caribou, and Woodland)

Atlantic Shore Railway - 90.40 Miles
Biddeford, Kennebunkport (Arundel), Kennebunk, West Kennebunk, (Lyman), Cape Porpoise, Alfred, Sanford, Springvale, Wells, Ogunquit, York, York Beach, Kittery, Eliot, South Berwick, ME and Dover, NH)

Bangor, Brewer, Old Town, Orono, Hampden, Charleston, Winterport, Kenduskeag, Glenburn, and Corinth.

Benton and Fairfield

Biddeford, Saco, and Old Orchard Beach

Calais Street Railway - 7.00 Miles
Calais, ME and St. Stephen, N.B. Canada

Portland, South Portland, Scarborough, Old Orchard Beach, Saco, Westbrook, Gorham, South Windham, Cape Elizabeth, Falmouth, Cumberland, and Yarmouth

Fairfield Village to Shawmut

Fryeburg Horse Railroad (Abandoned 1914) - 3.00 Miles (Never Electrified)
Fryeburg Village to Chautauqua Grounds

Lewiston, Auburn, Augusta, Waterville, Bath, Brunswick, Freeport, Yarmouth, Topsham, Lisbon, Minot, Mechanic Falls, Turner, Greene, Sabattus, Webster, Litchfield, Wales, South Monmouth, Gardiner, West Gardiner, Farmingdale, Hallowell, Manchester, Winthrop, Chelsea (Togus), Vassalboro, East and West Vassalboro, and Winslow

Norway, Paris,  and South Paris

Rockland, St. George, Thomaston, South Thomaston (Crescent Beach-Owls'Head)

Rockland, Rockport, Camden, Thomaston, and Warren

Skowhegan and Norridgewock Railway (Abd. 1904) - 5.75 Miles
Skowhegan and Norridgewock

Somerset Traction Company - 12.20 Miles
Skowhegan and Madison

Waterville, Fairfield, and Oakland Railway - 10.24 Miles
Waterville, Fairfield, and Oakland

Total Street Railway Mileage - 1915 - 518.63
Total Passengers Carried - 1915 - 57,422,739
Total Operating Revenue - 1915 - $3,066,924 (equivalent to about $70 million today)

Togus waiting station at Togus, Maine - Postcard from PWM

Click on the railways that have a hotlink below for more on that particular line
Railways that operated in Maine during the Trolley Era
Bangor, Orono, & Old Town Railway (BSR)
Bangor & Northern Railroad (BSR)
Bangor Railway and Electric Company (BSR)
Fryeburg Horse Railroad - Never Electrified
Mousam River Railroad (S&CP)(ASL)
York Utilities Company (ASL)

One of the interurbans of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban westbound on
the S-curve at Morrison Hill in Cumberland, Maine.
Image from Seashore Trolley Museum collection of O. R. Cummings

These were proposed but never built trolley lines in Maine.
  • Auburn, Durham & Yarmouth Street Railway - 1907
  • Augusta, Oakland & Waterville Street Railway - 1906
  • Augusta & Togus Electric Railroad Company - 1900
  • Belfast Street Railway -1891
  • Biddeford Pool Electric Railroad -1902
  • Cherryfield and Milbridge Electric Railway - 1895
  • Eastern Traction Company - 1903
  • Kineo Street Railway - 1902
  • Lewiston, Winthrop & Augusta Street Railway - 1901
  • Lincoln County Street Railway - 1902
  • Lisbon, Durham & Freeport Street Railway - 1907
  • Maine and New Hampshire Railway - 1902
  • Mount Desert Transit Company - 1906
  • Oxford Central Electric Railroad - 1897
  • Peaks Island Electric Railway - 1900
  • Peaks Island Railroad - 1890
  • Portland & Brunswick Extension Railway - 1907(?)
  • Portland and Northern Railroad Company - 1907
  • Rumford Falls and Bethel Street Railway - 1907
  • Saco River Electric Railroad - 1897
  • York County Central Electric Railroad - 1900
  • York County Electric Railroad - 1899
  • York and Oxford Railway - 1907
  • Zig-Zag Railroad (Peaks Island) - 1891
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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

Being 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 captivates, fascinates, then generates, 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 making a donation 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 of 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
the Gold Book Award Winner plaque for
 the Middle Reader category for The Eric
Hoffer Book Award. Congratulations to
award-winning Maine author,
Jean M. Flahive
Posted by at
Labels: , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)