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| The image that inspired a search. Portable magneto phone - Railroad Telephone Image from the Maine Historical Society Object #2004.090.0622 |
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| Image from the Maine Historical Society Object #2004.090.0622 |
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| Image from the Maine Historical Society Object #2004.090.0622 |
Thank you to Seashore Trolley Museum member/volunteer, Glen Snow, for initially sending me the live link to the Maine Historical Society's Portland-Lewiston Interurban collection page (the link is below). One of the interesting objects in that collection is this Railroad Telephone. It looks like it is in terrific condition.
These phones were placed in a register station for the conductor/motorman to use to contact the dispatcher in Lewiston for orders. Along the PLI there were two register stations; one at Deering Junction in Portland at the start of the private right-of-way of the PLI, and one at the Fairview Junction in Auburn, at the end of the PLI right-of-way.
Each of the cars was also equipped with these portable phones.
These phones were placed in a register station for the conductor/motorman to use to contact the dispatcher in Lewiston for orders. Along the PLI there were two register stations; one at Deering Junction in Portland at the start of the private right-of-way of the PLI, and one at the Fairview Junction in Auburn, at the end of the PLI right-of-way.
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The phone in each of the register stations and perhaps inside each of the substations may have been a crank phone similar to this one that was used many years in Town House Restoration shop at Seashore Trolley Museum. PWM photo |
Each of the cars was also equipped with these portable phones.
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| Undated newspaper clipping detailing the use of these portable emergency telephones in use at the Portland-Lewiston Interurban. Image from the PLI Employees Scrapbook in the O. R. Cummings Collection |
Here are excerpts of phone use, and descriptions of phone use from Portland to Lewiston on the Arbutus during the summer of 1921, from O. R. Cummings's 1967 book, Maine's Fast Electric Railroad speaking to the use of the telephones:
pg. 41
"When necessary, train crews were given orders at the substations, the operators of which displayed flags to notify the conductors to call the dispatcher. These operators also noted the time of train arrivals and departures and forwarded the information to the dispatcher for entry on the train sheet. For emergencies, each car was equipped with a Western Electric portable telephone set and a jointed contact rod so conductors could tap the telephone wire running alongside the track and call the dispatcher."
pg. 63
"The Arbutus is brought to an easy stop alongside a wooden platform and the register station. L'Heureux (the conductor) unlocks the door of the telephone booth and steps inside to call the dispatcher for orders. We see him writing on a pad of order forms and then, through the open window, we hear him repeat slowly the instructions, "Meet Extra 40 Westbound at Forest Lake and Extra 34 Westbound at Danville." After a brief pause, the conductor hangs up the phone, writes on the pad again, and tears off two sheets, the original order and a carbon copy. "Joe Happy" then fills out a clearance card in duplicate, registers the train, and leaves the booth, closing and locking the door. Boarding the car, he gives the now familiar two bells signal and strides forward to give Mitchell (the motorman) his copies of the order and clearance card."
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| PLI electric locomotive No. 90 at Deering Junction. Deering Junction served as the Register Station, Cattle run, and Freight Platform. Photo from the O. R. Cummings Collection |
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| Train Orders and Clearance Card forms from the PLI. Image from O. R. Cummings's 1967 book, Maine's Fast Electric Railroad |
pg. 65
"As we continue on, we go by Interurban Heights, Arsenault Park, and Hazelhurst and at 10:30, right on the dot, we're at Fairview. "Joe Happy" enters the phone booth to register off the line and once he is aboard the car again, the Arbutus takes the switch and enters the trackage of the Androscoggin & Kennebec Railway's Mechanic Falls line."
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| Fairview Station on June 30, 1933 - two days after the closing of the PLI line. I'm surprised someone hadn't removed the horseshoe, from the upper left side of the station, to keep as a souvenir. Photo from the O. R. Cummings Collection |
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| From O. R. Cummings 1967 book, Maine's Fast Electric Railroad |
Maine Historical Society description of the above telephone:
"An early portable telephone, manufactured by the Western Electric Company of Chicago, Illinois and commonly used for communicating with interurban trolleys and trains during the early decades of the twentieth century. The telephone is contained in a wooden box with a leather handle at the top, cast-metal corners and feet (one of these has been replaced with a hexagonal pipe fitting), and the remnants of a black-and-gold "Western Electric" manufacturer's painted label at the front/ Two flat steel hanging irons are attached to the top rear of the box. A hinged compartment at the front of the box contains a nickel-plated handset with a bakelite earpiece. A small bakelite push-to-talk button is located on the side of the handset; stamped into the grip is the notation "Pat in USA Aug 18, 1903". The earpiece housing is stamped "Western Electric Company 131 W70", and the microphone housing is stamped "Western Electric Company, pat in USA Aug 18 03" and "285W". A cloth-covered cable connects the handset to a modern plastic-covered four-wire cable with an alligator-clip terminal on the other side of the box. A metal housing supports the handset cradle and houses the gongs, clapper, and actuator coils of the telephone's ringer.
A steel crank with a bakelite knob located to one side of the wooden box powers an internal five-bar magneto. Also wired into the system and held by a bakelite plate are two Eveready No. 6 "Long Life Railroad and Industrial Cell" dry-cell batteries with paper labels manufactured by the Union Carbide Corporation. Painted on the center bar of the magneto is a black-and-gold "Western Electric" label."
The "Search Terms" text box of the Maine Historical Society listing of the telephone includes one term: Central Maine Power Company.
The Central Maine Power Company acquired the capital stock of the Androscoggin Electric Company on April 1, 1920, and thus, became the owner of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban as well. CMP was the owner of the PLI when the operations came to an end in 1933. If you are interested in seeing other PLI objects that were donated to the Maine Historical Society by CMP and by Gertrude Libbey Anthony (daughter of the builder of the PLI, W. S. Libbey), here is the link to the page with the objects. Objects include; a PLI employee badge, wooden insulator, Timetable, a bell/gong from the Arbutus, Platform Gong from the Arbutus, Simplex Electric Range, Simplex Range Kettle, Photographs, Simplex Range Saucepan, Street Railway Lamp (bulb), Lanterns, Hanger brackets from the Arbutus, and a Trolley Wheel from the Arbutus. To go to the MHS online page: Click HERE
After looking at the objects in the MHS, PLI/Arbutus collection, I shared the images of the telephone with Trolley Museum shop staff and volunteers that have worked on the Narcissus. We are always interested and generally surprised when objects of the PLI that are a hundred years old or so, seemingly "appear" for us to admire.
Well, early last week, Ernie Eaton, a Trolley Museum shop staff member, sent me an email with a live link to an object on eBay. The link was to a Railroad telephone made by the American Electric Company. Visually, looked very much like the Western Electric telephone that MHS has. In looking the American Electric phone over, eBay had a series of images of other objects of a similar topic. There, low and behold, was an image of a Western Electric Company Telephone with a pat. date of August 18, 1903! Needless to say, it was a "Buy Now" decision :)
This phone will be a great addition to the Narcissus project story. The phone will travel with us as part of an exhibit at various speaking engagements Donald Curry and I have scheduled this summer. It will also be a regular participant in any displays or exhibits we may have set up as we attend various community gatherings in the coming months/years. I am so happy to have our new "cell" phone :)
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We are still in need of funds for creating the interpretation programs that will tell this fascinating 100+-year-old story of the Narcissus. For information on donation options, scroll down this post and find the one that best fits your position. Fund 816 to help with the restoration and Fund 817 (PLI Education-Interpretation programs ) should be noted when making a donation.
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Click Here for the post that has the short virtual 3-D video of the digital model of the Narcissus, with components added to the file from earlier this year (the gold leaf file had not been added yet).
Restoration work continues on the Narcissus. The Narcissus is more than 110 years old now and has so many incredible stories to share. The restoration of this majestic icon of Maine's electric railway history is but one of those incredible stories.
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.
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
Seashore Trolley Museum Promo Video
The paperback edition of Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride can be purchased online through the Seashore Trolley Museum's store website. Books purchased through the Museum's website directly benefit the Museum and the Narcissus project.
Click Here to go to the Museum Store web page to order online
Click Here to go to the Amazon page to order the ebook or audiobook online
Paperback books are available at these local bookstores in Maine:
Center for Maine Crafts, West Gardiner Service Plaza
The Book Review, Falmouth
The Bookworm, Gorham
Letterpress Books, Portland
Maine Historical Society Store, Portland
Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad, Portland
Morph Gallery & Emporium, Kennebunk
New Gloucester Historical Society, New Gloucester
Nonesuch Books and More, South Portland
Seashore Trolley Museum, Kennebunkport
Sherman's Maine Coast Book Shops, All Locations
Thompson's Orchard, New Gloucester
Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride
by Jean M. Flahive
Illustrations by Amy J. Gagnon
Listen to a 2-minute, 30-second, Retail Audio Sample of the Audiobook
Millie Thayer is a headstrong farmer's daughter who chases her dreams in a way you would expect a little girl nicknamed "Spitfire" would-running full tilt and with her eyes on the stars. Dreaming of leaving the farm life, working in the city, and fighting for women's right to vote, Millie imagines flying away on a magic carpet. One day, that flying carpet shows up in the form of an electric trolley that cuts across her farm. A fortune-teller predicts that Millie's path will cross that of someone famous. Suddenly, she finds herself caught up in events that shake the nation, Maine, and her family. Despairing that her dreams may be shattered, Millie learns, in an unexpected way, that dreams can be shared.
A resource for teachers
Companion curriculum State-standard-based units,
vocabulary, and reading activities for use in grades 3-8
are available online as downloadable resources through
Seashore Trolley Museum's website
www.trolleymuseum.org/elegantride/
Maine Historical Society has created eight companion lesson units in Social Studies and ELA that were inspired by Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride - These State-standard-based lesson plans for use in grades 6, 7, and 8 are easily adapted for use in grades 3-5. Vocabulary and Reading activities for grades 3-8 along with the eight lesson plan units are available free and may be downloaded through Seashore Trolley Museum's website www.trolleymuseum.org/elegantride/
Go to the Teacher Resource Page in the pull-down for more details.
A 60-second intro to Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride by author, Jean Flahive
Click Here to watch the video on YouTube
Award-winning author, Jean M. Flahive
Please Consider a Donation to the Narcissus Project to help us tell the incredible story of the Narcissus through the interpretation portion of the Narcissus Project.
Here is an example of how donations to the Narcissus Project now will help with the interpretation portion of the project. The interpretation programming will include exhibits, displays, and education programming. In 2019, through generous donations to the Narcissus Project, we were able to conserve, replicate, and have high resolutions digital image files made of the original, 1910, 28.5-foot long, surveyor map of the elevation and grade of the 30-mile private right-of-way of the Portland, Gray, and Lewiston Railroad (Portland-Lewiston Interurban) Click Here
Thank You!
the crowd gathered in Gray, Maine on August 18, 1914.
Image courtesy of Gray Historical Society
The Narcissus as the Sabattus Lake Diner in Sabattus, Maine,
circa 1940. Photo by John Coughlin in the Kevin Farrell
Collection at Seashore Trolley Museum
L. Henri Vallee (right) and family members in the
Narcissus, when it was Vallee's summer camp in
Sabattus, Maine circa 1958. Photo courtesy Daniel Vallee
Inside the Donald G. Curry Town House Restoration Shop, the Narcissus is in the midst of major work as we strive to complete its restoration. We are now planning the interpretation portion of the Narcissus Project. Donations to the Narcissus Project may be used in the future to help tell the incredible 100-plus-year-old story of the Narcissus. Your donation to the Narcissus is helping to make the dream of the project's success, a reality.
See below for Donation options -
It starts with YOU
Your Donation Matters
Make a Donation TODAY
Please Help the Narcissus.
Donation Options to Help the Narcissus Project:
The New England Electric Railway Historical Society
is the 501c3 organization that owns and operates the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, ME, and the National Streetcar
Museum in Lowell (MA).
The New England Electric Railway Historical Society registered with the IRS (EIN# 01-0244457) and was incorporated in Maine in 1941.
Check or Money Order ***** should be made payable to:
New England Electric Railway Historical Society
In the memo: for a donation to the Interpretation programming
please write: PLI Education Fund 817
For a donation to help with the restoration write: Narcissus Fund 816
Mail to: Seashore Trolley Museum
P. O. Box A
Kennebunkport, ME 04046
Credit Card ***** donations can be one-time donations or you
may choose to have a specific amount charged to your card
automatically on a monthly basis. Please contact the Museum bookkeeper, via email at finance@trolleymuseum.org or by phone, at 207-967-2800 ext. 3.
Online Donations - may be made by using a Credit Card:
Click Here to make an online donation through the Museum's website - When at the Donation page: Fill in donor info, etc., when at "To which fund are you donating? Scroll down to "Other" and type in: 816 Narcissus, then continue filling in the required information.
Click Here for PayPal - to make an online donation: you can use email: finance@trolleymuseum.org and in the message box write:
For "Narcissus Fund 816" - if supporting the restoration
For "PLI Education Fund 817" - if supporting Interpretation programs
Donation of Securities ***** We also accept donations of
securities. You can contact the Museum bookkeeper, via email at finance@trolleymuseum.org or by phone, at 207-967-2800 ext. 3,
for brokerage account information for accepting donated securities.
BONUS ***** If you work for a company/corporation that will
"match" an employee's donation to an approved 501c3 non-profit
educational organization, please be sure to complete the necessary paperwork with your employer so that your donation is matched :)
Questions? ***** Please contact Narcissus project sponsor:
Phil Morse, narcissus@gmail.org or call 207-985-9723 - cell.
Thank You :)
Thank You for our Current Funding Partners
* 20th Century Electric Railway Foundation - 2020/2018 - Major Gift, 2017/2014 Matching Grants
* Renaissance Charitable Foundation (LPCT) by Fiduciary Trust Charitable Giving Fund
* Renaissance Charitable Foundation (LPCT) by Fiduciary Trust Charitable Giving Fund
* Mass Bay RRE - 2018 Railroad Preservation Grant
* Thornton Academy (Saco, ME) - Staff & Alumni - Matching Grant Challenge 2014
* New England Electric Railway Historical Society (Kennebunkport, ME) - Member Donations
* Amherst Railway Society - 2015 Heritage Grant
* National Railway Historical Society - 2016 & 2015 Heritage Preservation Grants
* Enterprise Holding Foundation - 2015 Community Grant
* Theodore Roosevelt Association - Member Donations
* John Libby Family Association and Member Donations
* The Conley Family - In Memory of Scott Libbey 2018/2017/2016/2015
* The W. S. Libbey Family - Awalt, Conley, Graf, Holman, Libbey, McAvoy, McLaughlin, Meldrum, O'Halloran, Salto, - 2018/2017
* The Hughes Family 2017/2016/2010
* New Gloucester Historical Society and Member Donations
* Gray Historical Society and Member Donations
* Gray Public Library Association - Pat Barter Speaker Series
* Scarborough Historical Society - PRR/PLI
* LogMein - Matching Employee Donation
* IBM - Matching Employee/Retiree Donations
* Fidelity Charitable Grant - Matching Employee Donations
* Richard E. Erwin Grant - 2017/2016
The Narcissus, with interior back-lit, stained glass windows is majestic.
Make a donation today to help restore the interior of this Maine gem.
Help Theodore Roosevelt's Maine Ride get back on track! Once restored,
you will be able to ride in luxury on this National Register Treasure at
Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine.
PWM photo
Please Consider Making a Donation to the project of the National Register of Historic Places member, Narcissus. We are currently raising funds to advance the restoration and to tell the incredible story of this Maine gem.
Various News stories during the summer of 2015 about the
Narcissus and its connection to Theodore Roosevelt. TR
was a passenger on the Narcissus on August 18, 1914.
Patricia Pierce Erikson photo
The Narcissus - July 31, 2015. Make a donation today.
Help Theodore Roosevelt's Maine Ride get back on track!
Once restored, you will be able to ride in luxury on this
National Historic Treasure at
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