Narcissus 1912 Renovation Project: April 2018

Monday, April 30, 2018

Student Volunteers From Thornton Academy Making A Difference at Seashore Trolley Museum

Thornton Academy Residential Life International

students volunteer at the Seashore Trolley Museum

with the Museum's volunteer track crew to

replace railroad ties in the spring of 2016.

Videography and editing by An Ho, class of 2018.

Student An Ho is from Vietnam.

Thornton Academy is located in Saco, Maine. The private school celebrated its bicentennial anniversary in 2011, which also happens to be the first year that many of its international students started volunteering at the Seashore Trolley Museum. Thornton Academy began its Residential Life Program with the 2009/10 school year. That year there was one coed dormitory with about forty-four students. In addition, several international students lived with local families in the greater Saco area. The Residential Life Program at Thornton Academy has grown over the past nine years to now include a little more than 200 students from about thirty different countries living in five dormitories along with the homestay option.

Since the fall of 2011, TA Residential Life student volunteers have contributed thousands of hours to helping the Seashore Trolley Museum in a variety of ways. These photos are just a glimpse of the many, many tasks these students have participated in at the Museum, or on behalf of the Museum over the years. The number of students who volunteer and the volunteer hours they contribute have made a significant contribution to grant applications showing clear evidence of community support for the Museum's mission.

A BIG THANK YOU to all the Thornton Academy students who have contributed their time in helping Seashore Trolley Museum over these past nine years! You have all been AWESOME!

Photography and video. The opening video is an example

of utilizing the TA students' volunteering to complete

a classroom project for an audio-visual class. The above photo

is an example of a student helping the Museum document

a meeting assessing artifacts for use in the restoration

of a historic electric railway vehicle listed on

National Register of Historic Places, the 1912 Portland-

Lewiston Interurban, No. 14, Narcissus.

Image courtesy Liyi "Tom" Liu class 2014

Sanding a sign PWM

Replacing old railroad ties with

cobblestones PWM

Cobblestones are heavy PWM

The improvements made are the first of many

to be made to the area in the coming months.

PWM

Changing out old signs from the visitor

gallery in the

Donald G. Curry Town House Restoration Shop.

PWM

Installing new professional exhibit panels

along the visitor gallery walkway in the

Donald G. Curry Town House Restoration

Shop. PWM

Teamwork is a wonderful thing. PWM

Over the years, hundreds of parts have been

sandblasted by international student volunteers

from the Residential Life Program at

Thornton Academy. PWM

Working together to achieve a goal is very rewarding.

PWM

Inventory of materials and then properly wrapping

and preparing them for storage is important. PWM

Students who live in the dorms are used to taking out

the trash, so, this was not a new experience :) PWM

Replacing old railroad ties is an ongoing project at the

Museum. I think 500 needed replacing in 2018. PWM

There are usually ten or twelve opportunities a year

to help with community outreach or in-house Museum events.

PWM

Engaging with guests is an important part of volunteering

during outreach events. PWM

Cutting brush back is also an

annual task at the Museum. PWM

The Pumpkin Patch Trolley event is always in need of

many volunteers. Generally, fourteen TA student volunteers

help out during each of the four days. Spending at least

seven hours each day, the volunteer hours add up quickly.

PWM

All volunteers bring a pumpkin home at the end of

each day of the event. PWM

Of course, trolley rides and learning about trolleys are part of

the volunteer package. PWM

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

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

Saturday, April 21, 2018

Narcissus Restoration Update 4-20-2018

March 22, 2018
Tony Castro, a gold leaf specialist, points
to gold leaf from the final center ceiling panel
from the no. 2 end of the Narcissus during his
inspection. Narcissus restoration team member
Ernie Eaton is on the right. Donald Curry with
a camera in hand is standing in the background.
PWM

Amy Cole Ives, President at Sutherland

Conservation & Consulting in Augusta, ME

using a high-tech tool to inspect the gold

leaf fleur-de-lis in the corner of the ceiling

panel. PWM

A test sample of the dark Pullman green

will be the exterior color of the Narcissus.

This sample was created from the results of the

test samples tested by Amy Cole Ives

at Sutherland Conservation & Consulting.

The dark primer was followed by the color coat.

During their operating years on the PLI, the

interurbans were sometimes called the "black"

cars. The color is definitely shiny.

Depending on the light, the color changes from

nearly black to olive green. PWM

All images are the same sample piece. PWM

Shiny. PWM

Olive green. still the same sample

board. PWM

Natural light with snow as the background.

Looks shiny black to me. PWM

Tony inspects the gold leaf fleur-de-lis.

PWM

These ceiling panels were originally painted

a Nile green, then the gold leaf was applied.

When a summer camp, the ceiling panels

were painted white. The gold leaf has worked

its way to the surface over the years. Here you

can see the fleur-de-lis in the corner.

PWM

Another image of the gold leaf fleur-de-lis. The petals seem

to be similar to those of a poppy. There seem to be light

"penciled-like" drawings in places. Tony mentioned this

was common practice to help accentuate a ribbon-like effect.

PWM

Tony is in search of the faded gold leaf lettering on

the exterior letterboard

of the Narcissus. PWM

Tony measured the original "N" in the gold leaf lettering

of the wooden interurban, Narcissus. PWM

Tony was able to see and measure the original "N" and "T"

of the word Interurban as seen here in an image of the

Narcissus. All the exterior letters and numbers were

done with gold leaf. STM Collection

This is one of the original destination roll signs from

the sister PLI coach to Narcissus, No. 10, Arbutus. The sign

is in the PLI collection of the Gray Historical Society.

We hope to gain permission to borrow this sign to use as a

template to make two reproduction signs to be used on

the Narcissus. The lettering will be done in gold leaf on

the Narcissus signs, as was original. The above

Arbutus sign was a gift to the Historical Society

from Gertrude Libbey Anthony, daughter of the builder

of the PLI, W. S. Libbey. PWM

March 21, 2018

Quality mahogany was acquired for use in making the sash for

the large stained glass "eyebrows". One eyebrow is located

above each pair of passenger windows. These boards are

20-inches wide and 19-inch wide and both are 4-quarters

in thickness. PWM

A template was used to outline the half arches.

Each arched sash has a left and right piece

that connects at the top of the arch and each

end connects to the horizontal crosspiece

at the base. PWM

This work took place at Lary Shaffer's Scarborough Marsh

Fine Furniture woodworking shop. Lary is seen here cutting

to separate a section of the board of the outlined pieces. PWM

Lary takes the section and then cuts away the

individual half-arch sections. PWM

Different view. PWM

Once the mahogany pieces are cut they must

sit for several days. The fibers in the wood

have to settle after the cut. PWM

Finished for the day. Original eyebrow with its

ornate leaded stained glass in its mahogany sash

in front of the newly cut halves, with a stack of

jigs behind the pile. Those jigs will be used to

guide each half to make the various cuts for the

contours and grooves to hold the glass.

LS photo

During the 2016 Teddy Roosevelt Days Event, the windows were in

place temporarily during the event so visitors could see

what was ahead for beauty. PWM

April 19, 2018.

About a month after the eyebrow sash

was first cut from the large mahogany boards, the half-arches

need their sides shaved to be flat. Each piece has a

different amount of warp to it that needs to be removed to

have the surface reach where its whole face is flat. If a

particular board is so warped that the side isn't flat until the

board width is too thin to use. Lary uses a caliper to measure

after each pass through the jointer or the planer. PWM

Initially eyeing where the high point is on the board. PWM

Lary passes the board through the jointer to work one side

towards being flat. It may take another pass or two. And the jointer

can be adjusted to take a little less wood or a little more.

PWM

Lary uses the caliper to see how much more wood he has

to remove to make the side flat before the board is too

thin to use. PWM

Once the first side is flat, the board will be passed through

the planer. It pulls the board through on its own. PWM

Lary measures the thickness of the board after passing it

through the planer. PWM

Lary points to where the planer still has not taken

away a section of rough fibers. One side is still not flat and

the calipers measure the board is now too thin to use.

This process will be repeated with each board. PWM

Lary places the three components that make a complete

eyebrow sash on a template of a complete window.

PWM

Examples of the various ornate leaded stained glass in their

mahogany sash. There are a total of forty leaded stained

glass windows in the Narcissus. PWM

The goal for recent grant applications has been for

tasks and materials for completing the interior work in

The Narcissus. These springs are the two styles needed for

the passenger seat backs and bottoms. Finding a source to

make these springs, one type, in particular, was not as easy

as one might think it would be. PWM