O. R. Cummings on the cover of May-June 2013 "Dispatch"
Newsletter of the New England Electric Railway
Historical Society (the NEERHS). The NEERHS is
the 501c3 organization that owns and operates the Seashore Trolley
Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine and the
National Streetcar Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts.
This Narcissus blog has released nearly one hundred posts in the past two years and many of them have utilized information or materials from publications or photos from O. R. Cummings. O. R. passed away early in 2013. Over nearly twenty years, he was always willing to respond to my many requests for details on a particular electric vehicle or railway. He wrote letters of support for grant applications and was very happy to be able to ride on the 1906 electric locomotive, Atlantic Shore Line No. 100, during its ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of its restoration in September 2009. O. R. so wanted to see the Narcissus completely restored to operating condition. I am very grateful to O. R. for his gifts of published works and the vast collection of electric railway materials he donated to the NEERHS Library. Thank you, O. R.
The May-June 2013 issue of the Dispatch included the obituary for O. R. Cummings:
Seashore's Historian Emeritus, Osmund Richard Cummings passed away on Tuesday, January 15, 2013, in Manchester, NH. The son of Orrin E. and Mary (Audley) J. Cummings, he was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts on May 15, 1923, and lived there and in nearby Manchester, NH the greater part of his life.
Known to almost no one as Osmund, too few as "Dick", and to most as simply "O.R.," O.R. Cummings was THE historian of electric railways in New England. O. R. was a longtime Seashore member, serving as Trustee, Chairman of the Board, Historian, and Historian Emeritus.
Seashore published several of O.R.'s books, including Trolleys to York Beach and Atlantic Shore Trolleys, and others from Maine and other parts of northern New England. Like Ira Swett on the West Coast, O. R. was OUR High Priest of Electric Traction and justly proud of the more than 100 books and articles to which he attached his name. These remain his remarkable legacy. O. R.'s best-known works were his five-volume series on the Massachusetts Northeastern Street Railway and a six-volume compendium, Streetcars of Boston.
O. R. was a 1940 graduate of Amesbury High School, attended Bates College for two years, and graduated from the Bentley School of Accounting and Finance, now Bentley College, in 1948.
Cummings served in the U. S. Coast Guard for three years during World War II and in the U. S. Navy for nearly a year during the Korean Conflict.
He worked in the newspaper business for many years, starting with the Newburyport Daily News as a reporter from 1948 to 1956. At this, he joined the newsroom staff of the Manchester Union Leader. He was a copy editor when he retired in January 1987.
O. R. also belonged to the 470 Railroad Club of Portland, Maine; Mass. Bay Division, Railroad Enthusiasts; the Boston & Maine Historical Society, Central Electric Railfans Association; the Shore Line Interurban Historical Society; the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum; the Manchester Historic Association; and the Boston Street Railway Association for which he authored two books and several articles.
Cummings was one of the last of the real "old-timers," who remembered and rode some of the iconic New England trolley systems including Eastern Mass., Boston Elevated, Portland-Lewiston Interurban, and Androscoggin & Kennebec. As such, he could write as an eyewitness, something very few can now claim. His recollection of traction history was legendary and talking with him about his many adventures was an extraordinary experience and a real treat.
A high point of his life came near the end, in November 2012, when he went on an Honor Flight New England-sponsored trip with 24 other veterans to tour the World War II Memorial, the Iwo Jima Monument, the Air Force, and Navy monuments, and other Washington, D. C. sites.
The Society was privileged to have had O. R. as an active member for so many years and we will sorely miss him. His nearest relatives are three first cousins, and to them, we offer our most sincere and deepest condolences.
________________________
Two stalwarts of the Seashore Trolley Museum for decades, Lester H.
Stephenson, Jr. (L) and O. R. Cummings (seated) enjoying a moment in the
Connecticut Car Company No. 1160 in 2009.
PWM photo
Patricia Pierce Erikson (L) with O.R. Cummings during the ribbon-cutting
ceremony of the newly restored, 1906 Atlantic Shore Line electric
locomotive No. 100, at Seashore Trolley Museum in September 2009.
PPE photo
O.R. Cummings being assisted into the cab of ASL-100 before its inaugural
mainline trip during the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the newly restored,
1906 Atlantic Shore Line electric locomotive No. 100.
PPE photo at Seashore Trolley Museum in September 2009
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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
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!
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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
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