Narcissus Restoration Update - Exterior Poplar Frames - Part 1 - 4-22-2016

The license plate on an interior wall in Seashore Trolley Museum

member/volunteer Lary Shaffer's Scarborough Marsh Fine Furniture

woodworking shop.  PWM

     Lary's father was an admirer of Franklin D. Roosevelt and had this license plate on his auto. As luck would have it, recently, Harvard University commissioned Lary to replicate, in detail, several significant pieces of furniture as part of the restoration of FDR's dormitory room at Harvard. Lary is currently restoring/rebuilding exterior poplar window frames for the 1912 Portland-Lewiston, No. 14, Narcissus. Theodore Roosevelt was a passenger on the Narcissus on August 18, 1914. Lary's grandfather was a conductor on the maiden trip between Portland and Boston of the Flying Yankee on April 1, 1935. See more on Lary's and his Railway & Railroad family heritage below. 

Click Here - FDR's Dorm Room Renovation work by Lary

Click Here - FDR Foundation & Adams House at Harvard

     Each of the past two days I had the pleasure of spending some time with Lary Shaffer in his Scarborough Marsh Fine Furniture woodworking shop in Scarborough, Maine. Lary allowed me to take pictures and video of him as he was working on rebuilding, and in some cases restoring, the exterior poplar frames from the Narcissus. The exterior poplar frames hold the ornate leaded stained glass windows and their mahogany sash/frames. Videos below. 

Closeup of the first and second eyebrows. Notice the leaded stained glass sash

being held in place by the arched exterior frames. STM

Lary Shaffer, working to remove the 100+-year-old iron screw

from up inside the exterior frame that holds the large eyebrow sash and stained

glass windows. PWM

     Several video clips were recorded over the two days. Each takes the viewer through the various steps Lary has developed and is implementing in his efforts to rebuild/restore/recreate the various segments that make up these poplar frames. These clips are not shown here necessarily in the order they were taken. So, you may hear a reference here and there to points made earlier, when actually, you may not have seen the referenced footage yet :) There will be more than one blog post to share all the work being done by Lary on the Narcissus exterior poplar frames.

This first clip (below) will give you some background on the

first steps of dealing with the original exterior poplar frame

segments. PWM

A few of the "tails" that Lary refers to in the above video. The tails are

the extensions that run from the top of the exterior poplar frames and

are horizontal with the body of the Narcissus. They each are removed

in the initial dismantling of the frame segments. The tails in this image

are in great shape and will need very little attention as they are

prepared to be reconnected to the restored/repaired frame segments.

PWM

Poplar wood frame segment after having its "tail" removed. PWM

The same poplar frame segment as above. You can see the tiny triangular

piece of vertical sheathing in what was the corner where the tail extended

away from the top of the frame segment. Lary mentions in the video

above and shows where this tiny triangular piece is tucked in tightly in

the corner. PWM

This second clip (below) is of Lary's mid-to-late 1800s lathe

and his use of it for turning wooden "plugs" for the exterior

poplar frames. PWM

     Finding wood materials for the restoration that is as close to those used originally is very important. The Museum is very fortunate to have found a local supplier in southern Maine that has had great success supplying the Museum with period wood for previous restorations like the 1906 electric locomotive, Atlantic Shore Line No. 100. John Rousseau of Rousseau Reclaimed Lumber (formerly Barnstormers) has been able to supply the Town House Restoration Shop with some wonderful vintage Poplar for use by Lary to repair/rebuild the exterior Poplar frames of the Narcissus.

This third clip (below) is of Lary giving some background on
how he became a volunteer working with Seashore Trolley
Museum and the Narcissus.PWM

Click Here - to see Part 2 of the exterior poplar framework

Click Here - to see Part 3 of the exterior poplar framework

Click Here - to see Part 4 of the exterior poplar framework

Click Here to view the post on the leaded stained glass windows

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

Click Here - to see the story of finding the reclaimed lumber for use in Narcissus restoration

Seashore Trolley Museum Member-Volunteer Lary Shaffer

 Seashore Trolley Museum member/volunteer Lary Shaffer, in an earlier

career, is in a BBC publicity, shot at the camera with Niko Tinbergen,

who directed some of the programs. The monster lens was a

Nikkon 800mm was very useful in getting close-ups of shy

animals. Image from LS

Railway and Railroad Roots in Lary's Family

Ernest Moody was Lary's Grandfather and worked for the B & M Railroad

for 55 years. Image from LS

     Lary speaking of his grandfather: "Grandpa's 55 years at the B & M did not seem amazing when I was growing up but I certainly appreciate it now. He worked for two years on the Boston Elevated before he went to the Boston & Maine and that is my tiny streetcar bloodstream. He had sufficient seniority at the B & M so he was the conductor on the first Portland to Boston run of the stainless steel diesel-electric Flying Yankee on 1 April 1935. Here he is (above) and also his logbook for that day. It shows how stoic he was that it was simply recorded as "6000 Motor". I think I would have had to put an exclamation mark or something after that entry. The Yankee must have looked like something from the futuristic space travel among all the steam engines. He notes "5-speed restrictions" in the log. Without those, the Yankee made the trip an hour faster than the current Downeaster. However, the Yankee was nonstop, so I guess that was cheating."

Lary's Woodworking Shop

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

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