This siding was originally built for the Portland & Cape
Elizabeth Railway in 1898 and was a short distance before
Cape Cottage Park in Cape Elizabeth. Looks like an 800-series
Wason-built trolley on the left siding and a Pre-Payment car
(254?) on the through-track at what is now 635 Shore Road.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_034_100
Photo resources used in this blog post are courtesy of Seashore Trolley Museum's Library; specifically from the O. R. Cummings Collection, Phil Morse (PWM), O. R. Cummings books, "Portland Railroad" Part 1, 1957, and Part 2, 1959. and from the Penobscot Maritime Museum; specifically from the Eastern Collection, which has more than 47 thousand images available to view online!!! I also received assistance with research from staff and volunteers at the South Portland Historical Society at Cushing's Point Museum in South Portland, ME.
Monument Square in Portland, Maine was the hub for all the early horse-drawn and electric railway systems running into and out of Portland. This blog features the high-speed, luxury interurban, No. 14, Narcissus of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban (PLI) that is now being restored at Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine. The Narcissus and nine other Maine vehicles used on electric railways have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1980. Though we are deep into the research of information and materials related to the PLI and the Narcissus for use in creating the interpretation portion of the Narcissus project, it's too hard to resist posting other interesting electric railway tidbits from Maine's transportation history. With that in mind, from 1914 until 1933, the Narcissus, as a PLI interurban, operated into and out of Monument Square to pick up and discharge passengers. As we approach Maine's Bicentennial year (2020), this blog will release posts that relate to many electric railway operations throughout the State of Maine. One of the first in the series will be a more comprehensive look at the Portland Railroad. The 470 Railroad Club in Portland will host a public presentation on the history of the Portland Railroad beginning at 7 p.m. on October 17, 2018, at 75 State Street, Portland, Maine; the entrance to the meeting hall is on Gray Street between Gray & Park Street.
This blog post will be a bit of a teaser for that presentation at the 470 Railroad Club next month and will show a few images of the Portland Railroad trolleys in South Portland. Electric railway service began in South Portland and Cape Elizabeth in 1895 with the Portland and Cape Elizabeth Railway and the Cape Elizabeth Street Railway. Before the year 1895 ended, the two systems consolidated and retained the name of Portland and Cape Elizabeth Railway. The Portland Railroad took control of the Portland and Cape Elizabeth Railway in February of 1899.
Click Here to go to the post: Maine Bicentennial - Portland Railroad - A History of Public Transportation 1860-1941
Click Here to go to the post: Portland Railroad - Westbrook, Gorham & So. Windham Revisited
Click Here to go to the post: Portland Railroad - Forest Avenue to Riverton Park Revisited
Click Here to go to the post: Portland Railroad - Congress Street Revisited: Monument Sq.-Union
Click Here to go to the post: Portland Railroad - Munjoy Hill Revisited
Click Here to go to the post: Portland Railroad: Trolley Through Scarborough, Maine
No. 803 leaving the siding at what is now 635 Shore Road in
Cape Elizabeth. 803 was built in 1922 by the Wason Company
in Springfield, MA., and was part of the final order of new
trolleys (cars 800-805) ever built for the Portland Railroad.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_034_097
Today, the same two homes along with the stone wall are
still in place. 635 Shore Road, Cape Elizabeth, ME -
September 3, 2018 - PWM
The date of this image is unknown, but we do know that this
section of track (and probably the siding) was built in 1898.
635 Shore Road, Cape Elizabeth, ME -
Courtesy Penobscot Marine Museum LB2007.1.112107
635 Shore Road, Cape Elizabeth, ME
September 3, 2018 - PWM
Attractions in Cape Elizabeth were major destinations for passengers via the Portland Railroad trolleys. Opening on June 11, 1898, Cape Cottage Park was a trolley park built by the Portland and Cape Elizabeth Railway. A large casino and a theater were major features of the park that drew thousands of guests and visitors to the area each year.
Postcard of Cape Cottage Casino.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_034_123
Screenshot from Google Maps of the former Cape Cottage
Casino in Cape Elizabeth that has been a private residence
for many, many years.
One of the original 1895 10-bench, single truck, open cars
built by J. M. Jones & Son, Troy, NY, for Portland &
Cape Elizabeth Railway at what is now 519 Cottage Road
in South Portland just before crossing the city/town line
into Cape Elizabeth where the name of the road becomes
Shore Road in Cape Elizabeth. Courtesy Seashore Trolley
Museum Library: O. R. Cummings Collection
2009_2_034_003
519 Cottage Road, South Portland, ME -
September 1, 2018 - PWM
Here is the open trolley car No. 264 again, this time at the
corner of Sawyer and High Streets in South Portland, ME.
Postcard in the collection of PWM
Same corner on August 31, 2018 - PWM
No. 17 in Legion Square, South Portland, Maine. 17 was built
in 1895 for the Portland & Cape Elizabeth Railway by
the J. M. Jones & Son Co. in Troy, NY. Most of the single-
truck open and closed trolleys, like 17 were removed from
service following the end of WW I and then were sold
for scrap/junk in 1921.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_034_019
No. 506 was built in 1908 by the J. G. Brill Co., Philadelphia,
PA, for the New Jersey and PA Traction Railway. 506 was
purchased by the Portland Railroad during WW I years
to help handle the increase in passengers in the Portland
area during WW I. Here 506 is seen in South Portland
at Legion Square with the Masonic building in the
background. Courtesy Seashore Trolley
Museum Library: O. R. Cummings Collection
2009_2_034_018
Screenshot from Google Maps of Legion Square with
the Masonic building in the background.
With help from a visit to the South Portland Historical Society at Cushing's Point Museum, I located the Mount Pleasant Cemetery in South Portland. I purchased some great local history books from the Museum store. I would strongly encourage you to make a visit :)
Jackie at the South Portland Historical Society took a look at this
image and noticed that the fence and the unique structure
in the background looked familiar. She thought
the image might have been taken at the Mount Pleasant
Cemetery. And so it was :) See the images below.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley
Museum Library: O. R. Cummings Collection
2009_2_034_029
The image was taken from about the same point of view, but
during a different season which has greenery blocking some
of the view :)
From about 331 Cottage Road, South Portland, ME
September 1, 2018 - PWM
above at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, South Portland, ME
From Cottage Road, South Portland, ME
September 1, 2018 - PWM
At the corners of Mitchell Road and Cottage
Road in South Portland, ME. Across the street
is the Mount Pleasant Cemetery. This now
repurposed streetlight pole was originally a
trolley line pole (circa 1915) and would have
had a metal arm extending from it to carry the
electricity for the trolley cars to operate. It is
wonderful to see the original ornate cap still
in place on its top and especially exciting to
see the original ornate base covering
which was made by the Portland Company in
Portland, ME.
September 1, 2018 - PWM
The ornate cap on top of the former
PRR trolley line pole in South Portland.
September 1, 2018 -PWM
The ornate cover at the base of the former
PRR trolley line pole in South Portland. The
base was made by the Portland Company.
September 1, 2018 -PWM
No. 615 was built in 1920 by the Wason Company,
Springfield, MA, for the Portland Railroad, and in 1936 was
sold to the Biddeford & Saco Railroad. Here, 615 has just been
loaded on a trailer at Thornton Heights, South Portland, for
the trip to Saco. 615 is the sole surviving electric railway
trolley from the Portland Railroad of the more than 200
passenger trolleys that operated on the line. 615 has been
listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1980.
615 is at Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, ME,
where it awaits funding for its restoration.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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
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