Reclaimed Lumber Used in Narcissus Restoration

Stacked in the yard at Rousseau Reclaimed in South Portland, Maine.

A few of these beams are poplar wood "sleeper" logs from a "bank" barn in

Akron, Pennsylvania. This "reclaimed" poplar will be milled to make 13.5"

wide by 10 feet longboards for the exterior of the Narcissus. Then the

painted poplar vertical, tongue, and groove sheathing will be

attached to these boards as the exterior finish. Some of this poplar above

will also be milled for the tongue and groove roof strips on the vestibules

of the Narcissus. PWM

The Narcissus on May 20, 2015, the first day it entered Seashore Trolley

Museum's Town House Restoration Shop. This image is looking

(from right to left) at the number two end. You can clearly see where

vintage poplar wood will be used to repair/replace the delicate tongue and

groove vestibule roof boards that will be steamed and bent to a steep curve.

You can also see where the 13.5" wide by 10-foot long poplar boards are

on the side. You can see the arched exterior poplar frames

at the tops of the openings for the ornate leaded stained glass arched windows

above the passenger window openings. PWM

How steep is the curve? This is an image of the exposed roof ribs of the

number two end vestibule of the 1912 Narcissus. Each of the original tongue

and groove poplar roof strips was numbered individually, photographed as

a whole, painstakingly removed, next, assessed individually for consideration

for repairs and possible reuse. The vintage poplar being supplied by

Rousseau Reclaimed will be milled with tongue and groove, and to

the proper thickness, and length. PWM

     The Narcissus is one breathtakingly beautiful railway vehicle and as we are working on this phase of the Narcissus project, to fully restore the exterior, we pay special attention to the original wood materials that are the Narcissus and have survived these past one hundred and fourteen years. We find it rewarding to locate vintage woods as materials to use when replacing wood materials that are no longer present or replacing wood that is deemed unusable or unsafe. We are very fortunate to have a local supplier of reclaimed vintage wood that has successfully supplied us in the past with vintage wood for use in restoring historic railway vehicles. John Rousseau, the owner of Rousseau Reclaimed, has had great luck in finding and supplying us with the vintage poplar we are using on the Narcissus. This post interviews John and is the first of two posts that give some depth to the story behind supplying vintage wood for the Narcissus restoration as a bonus, at the end of the 2nd clip he talks about where the vintage red oak and southern yellow pine came from for the restoration of the 1906 wooden electric locomotive, Atlantic Shore Line No. 100 (ASL-100) :)

Click Here to view the first post in the arched poplar frames work series and to see Lary Shaffer's bio.

Click Here to view the second post in the arched poplar frames work series.

Click Here to view the third post in the arched poplar frames work series.

Click Here to view the first post on the mahogany sash and passenger windows work

Click Here to view the post on leaded stained glass work

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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