Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Destination Travel Times by Trolley "In-Maine" & To "Out-of-State"

Starting in 1863, Monument Square was the hub for the
Portland Railroad Company's far-reaching public
transportation system.  Image circa 1910 Print courtesy-PWM

A resource for educators 
Maine Historical Society has created companion lesson plans inspired by Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride - These State-standard-based lesson plans are for classroom use in grades 6, 7, and 8. The lesson plans and companion vocabulary and reading activities are available as free downloads through the Seashore Trolley Museum's website at www.trolleymuseum.org/eleganttide or Click Here.

The eight Social Studies/ELA units were also uploaded to the Maine Memory Network and are available with other statewide lesson plans K-12. 


The audiobook is now available Click HERE to go to the Audible page. The eBook is available Here

This blog post was created specifically to support the new lesson plan titled:

* "Clang, Clang, Clang, Went the Trolley..."

Objectives:

* Students will practice the skills involved in researching and analyzing primary sources.

* Students will be able to identify different modes of transportation historically used in Maine and why the use of the trolley system was innovative and efficient.

* Students will be able to identify different types of trolley cars and how they were used historically in Maine.

     This post is to provide supplemental information, images, and descriptions; of trolley destinations, distances between those points, both within Maine and some that are points outside of Maine; and the travel time between a variety of those destinations served by Trolleys.

Procedures #3 & #4 in part, consider various modes of transportation used in Maine in the past and consider those modes and the time it might take to travel between various destinations within Maine and also to travel from Maine to various destinations outside of Maine.
Procedure #5: in part, students research electric railways in Maine and how the trolley may have been a useful tool for travel. In addition, the distances traveled by trolley and the amount of time to travel between the destinations.
Procedure #8: This post will be useful for filling out the "Trolley Car Note Catcher" using other historical records that provide useful information on types of cars.

Here we go...
Here are links to posts on all the electric railways that operated in Maine
Click Here: History of the Portland Railroad - 1860-1941
Click Here: Calais Street Railway - 1894-1929
Click Here: Aroostook Valley Railroad - 1909-1946
Click Here: Fryeburg Horse Railroad (never electrified) - 1887-1913
Click Here: Norway & Paris Street Railway - 1894-1918
Click Here: Skowhegan & Norrigewock Railway - 1894-1903
Click Here: Benton & Fairfield Railway 1898-1928
Click Here: Somerset Traction Company - 1895-1928
Click Here: Fairfield & Shawmy Railway 1903-1927
Click Here: Waterville, Fairfield & Oakland Railway 1887-1937
Click Here: Trolleys to Augusta, Maine - 1889-1932
Click Here: Rockland, South Thomaston & St. George Railway - 1902-1918
Click Here: Biddeford & Saco Railroad - 1888-1939
Click Here: Mousam River Railroad - 1892-1899
Click Here: Sanford & Cape Porpoise Railway 1899-1904
Click Here: Portsmouth, Kittery & York Street Railway 1897-1903
Click Here: Bangor Street Railway - 1889-1905
Click Here: Bangor Railway & Electric Company - 1905-1925
Click Here: Bangor, Orono & Old Town Railway - 1895-1905
Click Here: Bangor, Hampden & Winterport Railway - 1896-1905
Click Here: Penobscot Central Railway - 1898-1906
Click Here: Bangor Hydroelectric Company - 1925-1945
Click Here: Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath Street Railway - 1989-1907
Click Here: Lewiston, Augusta & Waterville Street Railway - 1907 - 1919
Click Here: Androscoggin & Kennebec Railway 1919-1941
Click Here: Portland & Brunswick Street Railway - 1902-1911
Click Here: Auburn & Turner Railroad - 1905-1928
Click Here: Auburn, Mechanic Falls & Norway Street Railway - 1902-1907
Click Here: Portsmouth, Dove & York Street Railway - 1903-1906
Click Here: Atlantic Shore Line Railway  - 1900-1910
Click Here: Atlantic Shore Railway - 1911 - 1923
Click Here: York Utilities - 1923-1949
Click Here: Beginning of a Classic Interurban - July 2, 1914 - The Portland, Gray & Lewiston Railroad
Click Here: The End of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban June 29, 1933
Click Here: 57 Million Passengers Carried on Electric Railways in Maine 1915!
Click Here: Ninty Communities in Maine had Electric Railway Service!

Below are Some Distances and fares - 

Costs and Travel Time in:
Lewiston, Maine to Portland, Maine

The heart of the Lewiston, Augusta & Waterville Street Railway system
was Hulett Square, at the intersection of Main and Lisbon Streets in
Lewiston. A Waterville-bound car is shown turning into
Lisbon Street (left), while a car from Bath stands in front of the
waiting room. Currently, J. Dostie Jewelers occupy the street-level
space of the building on the left, formally known as the "Journal" building.
PWM postcard

From O. R. Cummings' "Maine's Fastest Electric Railroad" 
     Trolley service between Portland and the Twin Cities of Lewiston and Auburn had its beginnings on August 8, 1902, when the Portland & Brunswick Street Railway, incorporated the previous year, opened its 15.4-mile line from the college town of Brunswick southerly through Freeport and South Freeport to Yarmouth. At Brunswick, the Portland & Brunswick had a physical connection with the Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath Street Railway, constructed in 1898, and at Yarmouth, the Portland & Brunswick tracks dead-ended just a few feet from the rails of the Portland Railroad Company's Yarmouth Division, that was built in 1898 as the Portland & Yarmouth Electric Railway.

                                                 Cover photo of O. R. Cummings' 1966 publication

     The roundabout route between the Forest City (Portland) and Lewiston created by the opening of the Portland & Brunswick was 42 miles long, with a running time of more than three hours, and with two changes of trolley cars - one change at Yarmouth and one at Brunswick - initially being necessary. The service was frequent, however, and the combined fares of the three railways involved in the Portland-Lewiston trip were only 65 cents. (There would be a time between 1906 and 1919 that there was a joint operation between railways that eliminated one change of cars at Yarmouth).

A trolley on the Portland line to Yarmouth, Maine, where riders could then
board a trolley to Brunswick, change to a third trolley, and then be
on the way to Lewiston. PWM postcard

     Of course, there were steam railroad lines between Portland and Lewiston - the Maine Central Railroad and the Grand Trunk Railway - but there were few trains on either line on weekdays and even poorer service on Sundays. 


The "Merrymeeting" at the Tacoma Inn near Lewiston
The "Merrymeeting" was a double-truck (two sets of wheels & motors)
parlor car built by the Briggs Carriage Company of Amesbury, MA, for
the Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath Street Railway, at a cost of $7,000.
Photo courtesy of Seashore Trolley Museum's Library. Text from
O. R. Cummings 1959 publication, "Trolley Parlor Cars of New England"

     The traveler between Lewiston and Portland with that round-a-bout route and three-hour travel time at the cost of $.065 between the two cities was provided an optional 90-minute travel time (35 miles) once the high-speed, luxury electric coach cars of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban began service in 1914. The cost was $0.75 cents for a one-way ticket between the two major cities.

The Portland-Lewiston Interurban (PLI) provided "express"
service with limited stops during an approximately
90-minute, one-way trip, between the two major cities. The
cost in the early years was $0.75 one-way. The PLI provided
a "local" service beginning in 1915, with many more stops.

1914 schedule of stops and fares (costs).

1921 schedule of local and express service.

The one-way was increased to $1.00
The Androscoggin Electric Company was the owner of the
Portland-Lewiston Interurban. In 1921, Central Maine
Power (CMP) purchased the Androscoggin Electric Company.

Below is a short video with the oral history audio of Clyde Walker Pierce, Jr. talking about trolleys early in the 20th century and how he would race the high-speed Portland-Lewiston Interubans with his car in the early 1930s.


Below is a short Clip recorded on  April 19, 1938,  excursion trip of the Portland (ME) Chapter of the Electric Railroader Association over the various lines of the Androscoggin and Kennebec Railway that ran in the Lewiston & Auburn area. This short clip happens to pass by the Narcissus in Sabattus, Maine when it was a summer camp. The footage is from the O. R. Cummings Collection at Northeast Historic Film (


Procedure #3
How long did it take (and cost) to:

Travel by Trolley car from Portland, Maine to Boston, Massachusetts - and on to New York City, NY.
Reported in the Biddeford Daily Journal Friday Morning, July 28, 1905
"Some Trolley Fares on Trolley Trip to Boston" "From Boston to New York"
The trolley trip from Portland to Boston is outlined by the Journal - it is nearly 120 miles long and takes about 10 hours from Portland. The cost is about $2.20.
Some of the expenses of the trip are as follows:
From: Portland
to Biddeford - 17 miles - 25 cents
to Kennebunk - 10 miles - 15 cents
to York Beach -             - 60 cents
to Portsmouth - 16 miles - 20-cents
to Newburyport - 26 miles - 25 cents
to Dummer Academy - 6 miles - 10 cents
to Ipswich - 6 miles - 10 cents
to Ipswich Junction - 6 miles - 6 cents
to Beverly -          - 15 cents
to Salem -         - 5 cents
to Lynn -          - 10 cents
to Boston -      - 10 cents
Portland to New York a distance of 387 miles, $4.95
Boston to New York is a distance of 256.5 miles, $2.75, total running time is 20.5 hours

Yarmouth (Maine) Division of the Portland Railroad: Mileage
Monument Square to:
Washington Avenue Carbarn    1.25
Veranda Street Siding               2.14
Marine Hospital Siding            2.55
Martin's Point Siding               3.25
Cemetery Siding                      4.60
Foreside                                   5.97
Underwood                              7.08
Spear's Hill                               8.78
Russel's Siding                         9.50
York Siding                             10.36
Moxey's Siding                        11.40
Yarmouth Carbarn                   12.11
Terminus - Yarmouth               12.44

Wages  - 1900
     Electric Railways in Maine employed 941 (up from 1899) with a total payroll of $423,500.
Portland Railroad  - Daily Wage - Motorman $1.60, Machinist $1.82, Other Shop $2.25, Other Employee $1.50 (1900 $1 = $30 2018)

Schedules in 1900 for the Union Station-Munjoy Hill route called for 10-minute headway on the Congress Street run and 12-minutes on the Spring Street-Grand Trunk Station route and a 30-minute service to Stroudwater. Later the headway time on the Union Station-Munjoy Hill route was dropped to six minutes during the greater part of the day and eight minutes the rest of the day. Spring Street went to 10-minutes.

1903 - The Portland Railroad System
     Following the opening of the extension to Saco-Old Orchard Beach, the PRR operated 77.82 miles of route and 93.75 track miles, employed more than 500 persons; including 133 motormen and 133 conductors, and owned a total of 217 passenger trolley cars, while serving the communities of:
     * Portland
     * South Portland
     * Cape Elizabeth
     * Scarborough
     * Saco
     * Old Orchard Beach
     * Westbrook
     * Gorham
      * South Windham
      * Falmouth
      * Cumberland
      * Yarmouth

More than 13 million passengers were carried by the Portland Railroad trolley system during the year ending June 30, 1904, with revenues of $686,000. Net profit of $86,000. Stockholders shared dividends of nearly $60,000.

In 1910, only about 10% of the population had electricity in their homes - Early Electric Power companies’ major revenue was from lighting Main Streets, larger mills/manufacturing, & Electric Railways.

Middle Street, Portland, Maine.
Postcard postmarked November 5, 1909, from PWM

Costs and Travel Time in Greater Portland, Maine area: 1910



In Maine, during 1915, there were ninety communities that had electric railway service, operating on about 520 miles of tracks. That year, more than fifty-seven million passengers were carried on those railways in Maine. The Portland Railroad system carried a little more than twenty-four million of those passengers (1916 would be a little more than 25 million). More than 4 million miles traveled in 1915. Grossing more than $1 million ($25.6 million in 2020) in revenues with a net of a little more than a quarter-million (more than $6.4 million in 2020). (PRR statistics from Public Utilities Reports). Clearly, the Portland Railroad in particular, and in general, the electric railways in Maine, were vital to the local economies for many years.

Costs and Travel Time in Greater Portland, Maine area: 1916
1916, one-way rates. From O. R. Cummings
1957 book, Part 1, "Portland Railroad."

1918
Fifteen-minute service was provided two times an hour between Portland and Westbrook via Woodfords (35 mins), and two times an hour via Brighton Avenue. One Brighton avenue car going on to South Windham (one hour) and one from Woodfords going on to Gorham (55 minutes).

Costs and Travel Time in:
Calais Street Railway (St. Stephen, NB)
With the completion of a new (and presently-used) steel bridge at this location in January 1895, tracks were laid across it to give Calais St. Ry and its leased line a total of a little more than 7 miles of track, forming a loop and two stub-ends which taken altogether could give a passenger quite a ride for the 5 cents-4 miles in the United States and 3 in Canada.

In addition to the Calais Street Railway, only three trolley lines ever physically connected the United States and neighboring countries. One of these joined Niagra Falls, NY, with Niagra Falls, Ontario, and nearby points with a scenic belt line till in the early 1930s. The other two connected Laredo, Texas, and Neuvo Laredo, Mexico (abandoned a number of years ago), and joined El Paso, Texas, and Juares, Mexico (still running).

Costs and Travel Time in:
Fryeburg Horse Railroad - 1889-1913 (the last Horse Railroad in Maine)
From Maine Central Railroad station, past the fairgrounds to a resort known as Martha's Grove.
Summer season operation only - only 3 miles - 5-cents - unknown schedule
Wages: 1889:  Only one horsecar - only one horse used at a time - only one driver, no conductor - the driver was paid $25 a year. (It cost more per year to maintain the horse)

Costs and Travel Time in:
Norway and Paris Street Railway (electric) 1895-1918 (the shortest electric railway in ME)
1918 Main & Pleasant Streets, Norway to High Street, South Paris - 2 miles - 5 cents - 15 mins
Wages: 1903: Motormen and Conductors $1.50 per day (10-hour workday, seven days a week. Trackmen $1.25 a day, similar hours with the shopman at $1.75 a day, with similar hours.

Costs and Travel Time in:
Rockland, Thomaston & Camden Street Railay - 1892-1932 
up until 1918: Fare Zones 5 cents each - 6 zones between Camden and Warren
1918: 6 cents for each zone
1919-1924 - 7 cents for each zone
1924-1931 - 10 cents for each zone

Presque Isle to Caribou 1912 - Aroostook Valey Railroad
Four trips daily each way between West Presque Isle and West Caribou -  25 miles  - 1 hour  - $?


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.

   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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
Nonesuch Books and More, South Portland
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!

Theodore Roosevelt on the Narcissus when addressing
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

The Narcissus in the restoration shop in 2022 PWM

   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
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
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
* 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
Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine.

Friday, October 9, 2020

Narcissus Side Sill Work Begins

First, of two, vintage southern yellow pine
timbers to have mortises cut and to be 
prepared to receive its steel channel.

     The above image is of the first, of two, vintage southern yellow pine timbers that were prepared for installation as the side sills to the passenger compartment of the National Register of Historic Places member, No. 14, 1912, Portland-Lewiston Interurban luxury coach, Narcissus. The Narcissus is currently being restored at the Donald G. Curry Town House Restoration Shop at Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine.

     The two vintage timbers that will be used to replace the original side sills were sawn from a single timber that started out as an 11.5" x 13" x 39-foot long beam. The beam was originally installed in a building that housed a brass foundry in Connecticut, circa 1880. You will see in the following images that the quality of this timber is a historic preservation woodworker's dream.

Nine-minute video of Seth Reed talking about
preparations made to one of two of the "new"
vintage side sills for the Narcissus.
Click Here to see the video on YouTube

A similar pattern of tight growth rings on the original
sill (left) and a new vintage timber sill on the right.

  
For the restoration of a historic railway vehicle like the
Narcissus, using vintage reclaimed lumber/timbers does make
a difference. "Farmed" southern yellow pine on the left. 
Compare the number of growth rings per inch to the 
vintage southern yellow pine timber on the right. 

Seth Reed shows how the original sill was used as
a guide for aligning measurements on the new
vintage sill.

Printouts from the Solidworks files of the sills showing
all the various locations of components, mortise, and
measurements.

Prior to being removed from the storage trailer to be relocated
to the woodworking shop, Seth Reed confirms measurements
and placements of the mortise on the first vintage southern
yellow pine side sill for the Narcissus. Ernie Eaton Photo

A short video of Seth Reed explaining the
proposed accommodations of the 37-foot side sill
in the woodworking shop for conducting
the mortise work on the sill.
Click Here to see the video on YouTube

The Museum's workhorse, a Pettibone is seen backing
away in the background, the first of two vintage southern yellow
pine side sill timbers rests safely on stacks of blocks in the
woodworking shop. Ernie Eaton Photo

With the sill in place, now prep work to set up rollers and
equipment prior to making the mortises.
Ernie Eaton Photo

The grain in this timber is beautiful.

Mortise is being drilled in sill timber by Ernie Eaton.
Ernie Eaton Photo

Very clean cuts

The video above is of one of the vintage southern
yellow pine sill beams for the Narcissus being
mortised (video at high speed) by Ernie Eaton.
Click Here to see the video on YouTube

The video above is of one of the vintage southern
yellow pine sill beams for the Narcissus being
mortised (video at normal speed) by Seth Reed.
Seth is cutting a middle window post mortise
(1 1/4" x 2 1/2") using a mortiser that is likely
almost as old as Narcissus. This beam was milled
from a larger beam reclaimed from a brass foundry
building in Connecticut that was constructed
circa 1880.
Click Here to see the video on YouTube

Looking towards the machine shop with mortises done.
Ernie Eaton Photo

Looking towards the north end of the woodworking shop.
Ernie Eaton Photo

Following the mortises being cut, the tapered cut along the
complete length of the top and bottom edge of the
inside-facing side of the sill was made. This will
allow for a tight fit of the steel channel. The steel channel
will be attached and secured to the sill. The set will then be
returned to the storage trailer until the set is needed for
installation to the Narcissus.

 
 The new vintage sill on the left awaits the installation of its steel
channel. On the right, is the original left side sill shortly after removal.
Its steel channel has been separated from the sill.

     Other work on the Narcissus continues as well. Throughout the interior of the passenger and smoking compartments, the craftsmanship and attention to artistic detail are simply brilliant.  An example is the ornate gold leaf fleur-de-lis and striping in the ceiling panels of the Narcissus.

The ornate gold leaf work can be seen in the corners of the ceiling
panels in this image of the PLI, Arbutus.

The ornate gold leaf fleur-de-lis can be seen in a corner of an
original center ceiling panel from the Narcissus.

Gold leaf is seen in this virtual 3-D model of
the interior of the Narcissus. Ernie Eaton Photo

     As components of the Narcissus have their specifications/dimensions, etc. confirmed, the digital files of these components are added to the virtual 3-D files of the Narcissus within the Solidworks program.  The image above shows the addition of the file that includes the ornate gold leaf fleur-de-lis and striping in the ceiling panels of the Narcissus. 

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.

   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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
Nonesuch Books and More, South Portland
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!

Theodore Roosevelt on the Narcissus when addressing
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

The Narcissus in the restoration shop in 2022 PWM

   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
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
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
* 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.
Photo by Patricia Pierce Erikson

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
Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine.