Circa 1920 - just to the right of the track is now the
end of the parking lot on the north end of Cole Farms
Restaurant in Gray on Route 202/100.
Scrapbook in the Collection of the Library at
The Portland Lewiston Interurban (PLI) operations served the communities between Lewiston, Maine, and Portland, Maine, through Auburn, Danville, New Gloucester, Gray, West Cumberland, and West Falmouth, ended eighty-five years ago. Since 1933, the thirty miles of the PLI right-of-way (row) from Fairview Junction in Auburn to Deering Junction in Portland has been slipping away to the inevitable. Mother Nature and Progress. Yes, several vestiges remain in the communities between Auburn and West Falmouth, former brick substations have been repurposed in Danville, Gray, and West Falmouth, and there are sections of the row that are clearly visible if one knows what to look for and where, but make no mistake, as time passes, those vestiges are seen more for what they are now and not for what they were.
July 15, 2018 - the same overpass. PWM
Starting with the years of its construction, 1910 through 1914, continuing during its nineteen years of service carrying more than seven million passengers, and ending in 1933, the Portland-Lewiston Interurban changed the communities it served. There is a story to tell, a story that is more than statistics; like passenger and mileage count, electrical output, tonnage carried by the freight service, or specifications of the vehicles that operated on the line. The PLI changed the lives of the people who lived in the communities served by the PLI. People who owned property the row passed through, people who were passengers, and the people who worked for the "The Finest and Fastest Electric Railroad in All of New England."
September 7, 2017 - the same overpass. PWM
Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine is restoring the Narcissus. The Narcissus is the only surviving high-speed luxury interurban coach from the PLI. The Narcissus has been at Seashore Trolley Museum since 1969 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Theodore Roosevelt was a passenger on the Narcissus, from Lewiston to Portland, on August 18, 1914. The Narcissus literally traveled on the remnants of the tracks that are pictured here in this bridge in Gray in this blog post.
November 15, 2017 - PWM
The Narcissus restoration is expected to be completed in 2021. The funding for the restoration has been secured. Please scroll down this post to find the list of donors for the restoration portion of the project. The list contains the historical societies served by the PLI and members of those communities. Noteworthy, and deserving of particular attention is the 20th Century Electric Railway Foundation in California and its principals, Arthur Jones and Joseph Brogan for previous matching grants since 2014 and a major gift that secured the funding to complete the restoration portion of the Narcissus Project.
The restored Narcissus will be the PLI time machine. At Seashore Trolley Museum, passengers will be able to enter the Narcissus, sit on the plush Mohair seats, and take in the incredible luxury of the interior; its ceiling panels with gold leaf fleur-de-lis in each corner connected by ribbons of gold leaf. The forty ornamental leaded stained glass windows above the passenger windows induce awe for passengers engulfed by an interior of mahogany walls with an inlay of Holly-Ebony-Holly decorations. And be a passenger on this majestic icon of Maine's famous Portland-Lewiston Interurban as it travels along the Museum's heritage railway. Think of it. Take it in.
November 15, 2017 - PWM
But.....we need to do more. The Narcissus has a story to tell. A story that needs to be told. A story that deserves to be told. For the people who built the PLI. For the people that had the line built through their farmlands. For the People who worked for the PLI. The millions of people who traveled for so many different reasons are on this line. For all those people whose lives and communities were changed by the PLI. The Narcissus can be the champion for the PLI. The Narcissus alone has the pedigree to be the common thread that connects all storylines inherent to the PLI.
November 15, 2017 - PWM
The interpretation portion of the Narcissus project includes the research, development, creation, and implementation of a comprehensive plan to tell the story of the Narcissus. This interpretation plan may include educational programming, exhibit and display offerings, as well as outreach programs in a variety of formats, including on-site, off-site, social media, and online curriculum. Funding for this portion of the Narcissus project is now essential and the focus of our fundraising efforts.
We are very interested in hearing from you if you have artifacts, ephemera, family stories of the PLI, photographs, etc. We are still researching, collecting oral histories, and looking to find pieces that help us tell the whole story. Email Phil Morse, Narcissus project manager: p.morse31@gmail.com
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. Scroll down this post to see options for making a donation today :)
November 15, 2017 - PWM
November 15, 2017 - This section has been removed as
of July 2018 - PWM
November 15, 2017 - This section has been removed as
of July 2018 - PWM
November 15, 2017
This section is gone in 2018
PWM
From the parking lot on the north end of Cole Farms
Restaurant. November 15, 2017 - PWM
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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!
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
