The Portland-Lewiston Interurban ended electric railway service, eighty-five years ago on June 28, 1933. J. Henri Vallee purchased the body of the Narcissus, minus all the mechanical and electrical components, in the late '30s for use as the family summer camp in Sabattus, Maine. The Narcissus arrived at the Seashore Trolley Museum on October 31, 1969. Forty-nine years later, we are making major progress in the restoration of this historic Maine transportation icon. This blog post shares information on the single most challenging phase of the restoration to date, the replacement of the southern yellow pine side sills and the channel steel beams that the side sills are encased in.
Click Here to see the post and video Removing Right Side Sill
The flat back of the channel faces the outer
floor sill. The replacement steel channel has been
ordered. It will arrive pre-primed. A magnetic
drill will be used to drill the holes required for
the bolts to attach the "new" vintage sill to the
channel, and then both (sill & channel) to the
floor sill beam. PWM
The left sill is seen here on its side with its top facing towards
the camera. The top of the sill is where the mortises are
cut to receive the tenons from the vertical wall studs. PWM
There are a few areas of the subflooring of the passenger
compartment that will require repairs. PWM
There are many vertical studs, with tenons,
that will require repairs. PWM
The hollow-chisel mortiser cutter is receiving
maintenance before being used to drill
the mortise holes required in the replacement
side sills of Narcissus. PWM
A Hollow-chisel mortise cutter is a vintage piece
of equipment in the restoration shop. PWM
Once the mortise cutter maintenance is completed,
it will be positioned for use with a roller
system. The roller system will need to be
capable of safely handling the "new" vintage
thirty-seven-foot sills during the process of
drilling the new mortise holes. PWM
The left side sill may be cut into segments that will then each
be reworked to replace/repair beams in other sections of
the undercarriage. A view of the passenger step opening
on the left side, number 2 end vestibule. PWM
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:
Millie Thayer is a headstrong farmer's daughter who chases her dreams in a way you would expect a little girl nicknamed "Spitfire" would run 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
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
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.
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
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 each month. 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: 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 :)
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
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
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
Seen in this image of Congress Street are Portland Railroad trolley tracks that pass left of the Victory Monument and continue on towards Munjoy Hill and the Eastern Promenade, as well as access to the route to Falmouth, Yarmouth, and up along the coast. Middle Street veers off to the right of the monument with Federal Street branching off Middle to the left. The Middle Street route would lead to South Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Saco, and Old Orchard Beach. Preble Street connects with Monument Square seen on the left in this image. The Preble Street route would lead to Deering, Westbrook, Gorham, South Windham, and to a connection to Lewiston that would lead to many more Maine communities.
A reprinted map, circa 1910, "Trolleying through the Heart of Maine"
Distributed by the Portland Railroad and the Lewiston, Augusta, &
Waterville Street Railway. Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum
First in a series of posts looking back at Maine's electric (and horsecar) railway history in celebration of Maine's upcoming Bicentennial in 2020. Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine is the home to thirteen surviving Maine trolley cars (dating back to 1900) and also seven Maine buses from Portland, Lewiston, and Saco, dating back to as early as 1936.
This post is a companion to the slide presentation program done by Phil Morse as a guest speaker at the 470 Railroad Clubin Portland, Maine on the history of the Portland Railroad Company. The presentation began at 7 p.m. on October 17, 2018, at 75 State Street, Portland, Maine.
Photo and research resources used in this blog post are courtesy of Seashore Trolley Museum's Library; specifically from the O. R. Cummings Collection and Phil Morse (PWM), and O. R. Cummings books, "Portland Railroad" Part 1, 1957, and Part 2, 1959, the Osher Maps Library at the Smith Center for Cartographic Education at University of Southern Maine Portland Campus, 314 Forest Avenue, Portland, ME 04101, and then from the Penobscot Maritime Museum; specifically from the Eastern Collection, which has more than 47 thousand images available to view online!!! From Eric Morris (spring 2007), "From Horse Power to Horsepower" (PDF) Access. No. 30. US Trans. Center.pg-2-9). Douglas I. Hodgkin, "Lewiston Politics in the Gilded Age 1863-1900). 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. With that in mind, from 1914 until 1933, the Narcissus, as a PLI interurban, operated in and out of Monument Square to pick up and discharge passengers. 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. 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. This is the first in that series and will take a more comprehensive look at the Portland Railroad Company.
Other Maine Electric Railways that may interest you -
3.15.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - York Utilities Company 1923-1949
3.14.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Atlantic Shore Railway 1911-1923
3.11.2020-Maine Bicentennial Series - Portsmouth, Dover & York St Rwy 1903-1906
3.9.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Auburn, Mechanic Falls & NorwayStRwy1902-3
3.7.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Portland & Brunswick Electric Railway 1902-1911
3.7.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Androscoggin & Kennebec Railway Co. 1919-1941
3.7.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Lewiston, Augusta & Waterville St Rwy 1907-1919
3.6.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath St Rwy 1898-1907
3.4.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Bangor Hydro-Electric Company 1925-1945
3.4.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Penobscot Central Railway 1898-1906
3.3.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Bangor. Hampden & Winterport Rwy 1896-1905
3.2.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Bangor, Orono & Old Town Railway 1895-1905
3.2.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Bangor Railway & Electric Company 1905-1925
3.1.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Bangor Street Railway 1889-1905
2.23.2020 -Maine Bicentennial Series - Portsmouth, Kittery & York St. Rwy 1897-1903
2.22.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Sanford & Cape Porpoise Railway 1899-1904
2.21.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Mousam River Railroad 1892-1899
1.31.2019 - Maine Bicentennial Series - The Norway and Paris Street Railway 1894-1918
1.27.2019 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Aroostook Valley Railroad 1909-1946
10.17.2018 - Maine Bicentennial - Portland Railroad History 1860-1941
Early in the 1900s, the electric railways serving the three largest population centers in Maine; Portland, Lewiston, and Bangor, had attracted the attention of New York and Philadelphia's financial interests. In some cases, these out-of-state interests were syndicates. In some cases, individuals within these syndicates or the individual syndicate would acquire shares in a railway company in Maine with plans to take control of the particular railway. Ultimately, many of the electric railways in Maine, were at one time or another, controlled by these various syndicates. The three city-centered systems succumbed to the syndicates with first Bangor, followed by Lewiston, and then finally Portland, on February 1, 1912. Through A. B. Leach & Company of New York, E. W. Clark & Company of Philadelphia, and J. and W. Seligman & Company of New York (brokerage houses), were in control of the Lewiston, Augusta & Waterville, the Bangor Railway & Electric Company, and the Portland Railroad.
The Portland Railroad
The History of the Portland Railroad is a long and complicated journey ranging from the time of the Civil War years until the early years of World War Two - 1860-1941. Over those years, the Portland Railroad owned more than 300 passenger railway vehicles (horsecar & Electric), most being manufactured by the J. G. Brill Company of Philadelphia, PA, or one of its subsidiaries, Wason Manufacturing, Springfield, MA, and Stephenson & Son, Troy, NY.
In Maine in 1915, ninety communities 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 million in 2018) in revenues with a net of a little more than a quarter-million (more than $6 million in 2018). (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.
Horsecars
A horsecar travels along Congress Street as it enters what was
City Hall Market before the building was razed in 1888.
What we know as the Victory Monument in
Monument Square was in place by 1891.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_098
March 19, 1860 - Portland & Forest Avenue Railroad Company was chartered by an act of the Maine legislature. Authority to construct, maintain, and operate a horse railroad in the city of Portland and the town of Westbrook was granted. The company was capitalized at $100,000 and was authorized to issue mortgage bonds in an equal amount. It would be three years later, on March 26, 1863, when the Portland City Council granted a 25-year franchise to the company and approved its proposed locations.
Grand Trunk Railroad depot on India Street in Portland, ME
Postcard postmarked July 29, 1909 - PWM
The proposed route in Portland started at the Grand Trunk Railroad depot on India Street, continued up India Street to Middle Street, through Middle Street to Monument Square and the head of Preble Street, down Preble Street to Portland Street, through Portland and Parris Streets to Kennebec Street and along Kennebec Street to Forest Avenue (then Green Street) and Deering's Bridge at the Westbrook town line. All single track with turnouts as necessary.
In yellow, the proposed route in Portland starting
at Grand Trunk Railroad depot on India Street to
Westbrook town line at about Woodford's Corner.
Map from, O. R. Cummings publication,
"Portland Railroad" Part 1, 1957.
From Congress and Preble Streets, a double-track was to extend along Congress Street to High Street and single track down High Street to Spring, through Spring to Clark, over Clark Street to Pine Street, through Pine to Congress Street, and along Congress Street back to High Street (Clark & Pine Streets section - no evidence could be found of this track ever being built).
The balance of the initial proposed route in
Portland included Congress Street to High and
Springs Streets, along through Clark and Pine
Streets and back to Congress to High Streets.
Map from, O. R. Cummings publication,
"Portland Railroad" Part 1, 1957.
The Westbrook portion of the proposed line began at the Deering bridge near Woodford's Corner, extending along Forest Avenue to Pleasant Avenue. Through Pleasant Avenue to what is now Stevens Avenue. Along Stevens Avenue and to a point at or near Evergreen Cemetery. This portion of Westbrook would become the town of Deering in 1871 and later the city of Deering was annexed to Portland early in 1899.
The town of Westbrook's portion extended from
Woodward's Corner to Evergreen Cemetery.
Map from, O. R. Cummings publication,
"Portland Railroad" Part 1, 1957.
All the terms of the franchise were accepted by the Portland & Forest Avenue Railroad Company on the 24th of April, 1863; including the provision that the franchise prohibited the company from removing snow and ice, if the depth exceeded six inches, without first obtaining permission from the municipal authority. If permission was refused, the company might use sleighs or mount its cars on runners to maintain service until tracks were clear.
Service began later in 1863 from the Grand Trunk Railroad Depot to Monument Square and onto Clark Street.
Seen here in red, the 1.37 miles of horsecar
service track opened later in 1863.
Map from, O. R. Cummings publication,
"Portland Railroad" Part 1, 1957.
Early Portland horsecar on Congress Square turns towards
Longfellow Square circa 1864.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_064
Service in Westbrook was extended beyond the initial Evergreen Cemetery proposal site to
Morrill's Corner. In addition, the Congress Street line had a single-track extension to
Longfellow Square and a single-track extension along Congress Street to Atlantic Street on Munjoy Hill.
In 1865, an amendment to the charter was enacted by the state legislature, and, among other things, it shortened the name of the corporation to the Portland Railroad Company (PRR). The PRR was authorized to extend its lines into the neighboring town of Cape Elizabeth (part of which is now South Portland) but with a two-year time frame placed on the extensions. An increase in the company's capital stock from $100K to $300K was authorized to operate steam dummy engines on its routes as long as there was consent from the municipalities. The line extensions into CE and the purchase of any dummy engines never took place as far as is known.
1865 PRR horsecar system included three
lines: 6.75 miles of track
* Spring Street - Grand Trunk Railroad - Red
* Longfellow Square - Munjoy Hill - Green
* Monument Square - Morrill's Corner - Yellow
Map from, O. R. Cummings publication,
"Portland Railroad" Part 1, 1957.
Spring Street line horsecar turns onto Middle Street
circa 1870
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_102
Horsecar traveling on Congress Street towards Munjoy Hill
circa 1880
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_038
Horsecar coming out of Preble Street to Congress Street.
The PRR waiting room was on the corner (right) circa 1875
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_097
There is little information on the PRR from 1865 until 1882, but there is evidence that it was prosperous. Additional equipment was purchased from time to time and by 1874 the company owned 26 cars and 82 horses. There were challenges to the operations during the winter months and the company was forced to use sleigh barges and mount its cars on runners. Snow-fighting equipment wasn't acquired until the 1880s. There were other challenging factors to consider as well. I was not able to locate specific data related to the PRR and the issues of public health concerning its horses, however, based on other communities that had horsecar service, Portland's public areas were most certainly impacted.
Spring Street carhouse and stable circa 1877
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_33_045
Spring Street carhouse and stable circa 1892
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_33_044
Issues with horses in other horsecar communities - the average horse, pulled cars twelve miles per day for four or five hours each day. They needed housing, feeding, grooming, and medical assistance, day in and day out. Each horse produces a lot of manure, on average 15 to 30 pounds per day. The company was responsible for cleanup and storage. The average street car horse had a life expectancy of two years. Horses were expensive for the company to maintain.
The next expansion of the PRR line took place in 1882 with the extension from the Grand Trunk Railroad depot down India Street to the wharves along Commercial Street and up Pearl Street to connect with the track on Middle Street, forming a loop. (1882 was the first full year of horsecar service in Lewiston, 5.75 miles of track - More than 37K trips. More than 90K miles traveled. Just under a Quarter million passengers carried)
Another line was built in 1882 and was from Morrill's Corner along Ocean Street (now Ocean Avenue) to Lunt's Corner on Washington Avenue. This line was built by the Ocean Street Railroad. It was not profitable and the PRR took it over in May 1885.
1882 had horsecar lines extending services within
the greater Portland area to include Commercial
Street on the waterfront and Ocean Avenue.
Map from, O. R. Cummings publication,
"Portland Railroad" Part 1, 1957.
Lucky horse car No. 13 on the Ocean Street line circa 1882
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_31_035
In 1886, Maine Central Railroad built Union Station along the corner of Congress and St. John Streets. Portland Railroad extended tracks from Longfellow Square to Railroad Square (Union Station) and along St. John Street.
Horsecar at Union Station - still under construction
circa 1887
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_004
Postcard of Union Station
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_029
West End Hotel in the background at Union Square.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_030
Horsecar No. 54 at the train shed of Union Station
circa 1888 - a section of the shed is in use at
Thompson's Point for ice skating & concerts.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_003
1887 - Spring Street tracks were extended from Clark Street along Spring Street and through Neal, Carroll, Vaughn, and Bramhall Streets to connect with the Congress Street line at Bramhall Square. A new carhouse was built at St. John Street.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_30_005
About 1888, maybe 1889, the Congress Street tracks from Railroad Square (Union Station) were extended to Bradley's Corner (midway between Libbytown and Rosemont).
1890 - The Congress Street tracks at Atlantic Street on Munjoy Hill were extended through Wilson and Beckett Streets to Fort Allen Park on the Eastern Promenade. A large brick carhouse and stable building were built at the corner of Beckett and Wilson Streets. Tracks were extended along Pearl Street, connecting the Congress and Middle Streets lines. As of June 30, 1890, the PRR operated on a total of 14.90 miles of single track miles, with 50 horsecars (open & closed), and 225 horses.
On St. John Street at Union Station Square and will travel
to Munjoy Hill and Fort Allen Park on the Eastern
Promenade. circa 1890
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_006
At Fort Allen at the Eastern Promenade circa 1890.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_35_021
Large Bennett Street carhouse built on Munjoy Hill 1890.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_30_002
Bennett Street Carhouse
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_30_004
1891 - The Congress Street track from Bradley's Corner between Libbytown and Rosemont was extended to Stroudwater and opened on August 3.
Map from, O. R. Cummings publication,
"Portland Railroad" Part 1, 1957.
Stroudwater circa 1891 ( the building on the far left has
been repurposed and is now Stroudwater Village Church
and Community Center.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_31_043
1891 PRR Horsecar System included five
lines: 15.7 miles of track
* Union Station - Fort Allen Park - Green
* Spring Street - Grand Trunk Railroad - Red
* Monument Square - Morrill's Corner - Yellow
* Woodfords' Corner - Lunt's Corner - Blue
* Monument Square - Stroudwater - Pink
Map from, O. R. Cummingspublication,
"Portland Railroad" Part 1, 1957
Stroudwater circa 1892
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_31_044
Electrification
The Deering line was the first to be electrified. However, beginning the process of electrifying the Portland Railroad system expanded the electrification to encompass the complete system was a bit of a drawn-out process over a few years.
Bangor Street Railway was the first to electrify trolley car operations in the state. April 29, 1889. Electric trolley cars commenced operations in Queen City. Even the seven-mile route between Augusta and Gardiner was electrified before the PRR Company decided to give it a go.
Authorized by the State Legislature early in 1889, a year elapsed before the PRR Company voted to take steps towards electrification. Another year elapsed before the hesitant company decided to electrify one line as an experiment. The municipalities of Portland and Westbrook granted permission to erect overhead wires. In April of 1891, poles were being erected at the Deering end of the line, and construction of a power station commenced at Morrill's Corner. There was a change made in the track route. There were multiple steam railroad grade crossings at Parris and Kennebec Streets. These could be bypassed by extending the PRR tracks on Portland Street to Forest Street (which was Green Street), and down Forest to the original line at the corner of Kennebec. Trial trips were made between Morrill's Corner and Woodfords starting on June 19, 1891. On June 25th, the first electric trolley car ran from Morrill's Corner to Monument Square. Regular service began on July 2.
Rolling stock for the Deering line included six electrified closed horsecars, two 10-bench open cars, and two twenty-five-foot closed cars (one equipped with 6-wheel Robinson Radial Trucks). All were converted to operating electrically or originally built at the Portland Railroad Shop. Open horsecars were used as trailers in the summer months.
No. 70 was one of the two original open cars for the Deering
line. In 1891 the Portland Railroad built this car in their shop.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_31_041
1891 also brought challenges from a new opponent to the PRR for supplying electric trolley service to Westbrook; the Portland & Westbrook Street Railway. Ultimately, the PRR won out and plans were made to construct the 4.6-mile route. Six new trolley cars - four, 12-bench, double-truck open cars, and two 25-foot double-truck closed cars were built for the new extension. Regular service between Portland and Westbrook commenced on June 30, 1892, on an every-fifteen minutes schedule and a 15-cent fare.
double-truck open trolley cars were built in 1892 in PRR's
own Bennett Street carhouse shop on Munjoy Hill for use
specifically in Westbrook. Seen here is No. 77, one of the
four open cars were built in 1892.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_36_040
A small wooden carhouse was built on Main Street in Westbrook, however, most of the trolley cars that operated on the route were kept in the Bennett Street carhouse on Munjoy Hill. Electrification of the tracks from Monument Square to Munjoy Hill wouldn't take place for three more years. This meant that the electric trolleys that were kept in the Bennett Street carhouse, for use on the Westbrook line, would be towed by horses to and from the carhouse to Monument Square each day.
For three years, before the electrification of the Munjoy Hill
area, horses were used to tow electric trolley cars each day
for use on the Westbrook line from the Bennett
Street carhouse to Monument Square.
O. R. Cummings publication,
"Portland Railroad" Part 1, 1957.
1892 - End of June, the PRR utilized a total of 20.54 miles of single-track. Rolling stock included; sixty-four passenger cars and four gravel cars. Of the passenger cars, sixteen were electric. PRR still owned 225 horses. Further electrification of the PRR lines would not take place until 1895 and would not be completed until 1896.
12-bench Open No 77 was built in 1892 in the Portland
Railroad shops for the Westbrook line. Seen here with a
former open horsecar as a trailer circa 1892.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_36_055
1894 - New construction included an extension from Lunt's Corner down Washington Avenue to the East Deering post office (.65 miles) and various other upgrades or turnouts added to other sections of the city line.
1895 - Electrification of the remaining city lines began in April. About ten miles of track were upgraded to a 90-lb girder rail to handle the heavier electric trolley cars. Elsewhere, 56 pound "T" rail was laid. Ties were set on two-foot, six-inch centers, the track was ballasted with clean, sharp gravel and paved with granite blocks. A new steam plant was built on Forest Avenue near the foot of Kennebec Street. An extension was constructed from Fort Allen Park through Morning Street to Congress Street and down Congress to connect with the track at Atlantic Street, forming a loop. The Stroudwater line had some adjustments made before electrification as well. Rails were laid westerly on St. John Street from Railroad Square to Portland Street (Park Avenue), under the Maine Central Railroad's overhead bridge, and along Portland Street to the connection of the existing line at Portland and Congress Streets.
The layout of the power plant is on the corner of Forest Avenue
and Marginal Way.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_30_074
Inside the "new" steam power plant on Forest Avenue
near the foot of Kennebec Street.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_30_073
October 16th, 1895, at 8:29 p.m., Car 105, a single-truck closed trolley car, left Beckett Street carhouse, down Congress Street to the head of Exchange Street, returning to the carhouse visa Morning Street and Fort Allen Park. A few minutes later, Car 108, also a single-truck closed trolley car, pulled out of the carhouse and traveled to Union Station, then on to Stroudwater, back through the Spring Street line and Grand Trunk Station loop before returning to Munjoy Hill.
PRR No. 103 (sister car to No. 105 & 108) was built in 1895
by J. G. Brill Company, Philadelphia, PA. Motormen would
operate in vestibules open to all elements and temperatures
for another ten years.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_35_019
PRR No. 104 (sister car to No. 105 & 108) was built in 1895
by J. G. Brill Company, Philadelphia, PA. Vestibules were not
enclosed until 1905. Here at Fort Allen Park.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_38_024
Regular operation of trolley cars over the Congress Street and Stroudwater lines commenced on October 24, 1895, after the City Council approved the schedules. Routes as of December 31, 1895, included; Congress Street, Stroudwater, Spring Street-Grand Trunk Station, Deering, Ocean Avenue, and Westbrook lines. The electrification of the Ocean Avenue line did not happen until April 1896, following its extension from the East Deering post office along Washington Avenue to the northerly end of Tukey's bridge over Back Cove.
No. 113 was the first PRR trolley that came with a vestibule.
It was built in 1895 by the Wason Company, Springfield, MA
seen here at Stroudwater circa 1895.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_31_045
Built 1895 by the J. G. Brill Company, Philadelphia, PA,
No. 65 is seen here on St. John Street across from
Union Station circa 1897. Sadly, No. 65
was lost in the fire of the St. John Street carhouse in 1901.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_011
No. 114 on Ocean Street line circa 1900, was built in 1895 by
J. G. Brill, Philadelphia, PA.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_30_067
Total trackage, December 31, 1895, was 21.67 miles (single track).
For many years the trolley cars were painted different colors according to the line (or later the division) on which they were operated. The company name was on the lower side panel (closed) & sill (open).
* Light green - Union Station-Munjoy Hill
* Blue with gold striping - Spring Street-Grand Trunk Station
* Red - Union Station - Grand Truck Station
* Red (different shade) - Stroudwater (and later South Portland)
* Yellow - Deering (later Yarmouth, also yellow and then changed to green)
* Brown (later dark green) - Westbrook (same as Saco Div. later)
About 1920, the company settled on one paint scheme for all divisions. Red body with white and blue trimming and gold leaf numerals. Roofs gray. The company name was omitted when standard colors were applied.
Color image of No. 198 on Commercial Street
in the PRR color scheme started in the 1920s.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_35_077
Parlor Car - Bramhall - arrives in 1896 The double-truck parlor car trolley, "Bramhall", was built in 1896 by the J. G. Brill Company, Philadelphia, PA, and is said to have been given free to the Portland Railroad in appreciation for past and anticipated future business. As seen below, it was primarily for use by PRR officials, but it was available for charter by special parties - at an extra rate, of course. It was a handsome one, painted in shiny black with gold leaf trim and lettering, and had ornamental iron grillwork on the ends. The interior was fitted with 20 wicker chairs with plush seats, tasseled curtains at the windows, and two cupboards (for spirits) at each end. In 1916, it was rebuilt as an experimental pre-payment car and became No. 500. It was scrapped in the 1920s.
The parlor car, Bramhall, at Fort Allen shortly after arriving
in Portland in 1896.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_38_034
The parlor car, Bramhall.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_38_033
The interior of the parlor car, Bramhall.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_49_003
Major Expansion Started in 1896 One of the first major projects that the PRR embarked upon following the electrification of the entire system was the creation of an amusement park, Riverton Park. Developed on the banks of the Presumpscot River in Deering, tracks were laid from Morrill's Corner along Forest Avenue to Riverton. The formal opening of the park was on June 27, 1896. To handle the increase in riders, a double track was laid on Stevens Avenue from Pleasant Avenue to Morrill's Corner, and on Pleasant Avenue, and on part of Forest Avenue, from Woodfords to the Portland city line.
Riverton Park
Riverton Park was a photographer's paradise. An abundance of natural beauty along the Presumpscot River. On any given summer or early fall day, thousands of visitors would take advantage of numerous outdoor activities; canoeing, outdoor theater, bandstand entertainment, zoo, and of course the trolley ride to and from the resort.
The casino as seen here in the background through
the pedestrian entrance had a large dining room and dancehall,
card rooms, and spacious porches for relaxing and viewing the
landscape. Photographers of the Eastern Company took many
photographs and from the glass negatives many popular
colorized postcards of the park were made.
See the example below
Courtesy Penobscot Marine Museum LB2007.1.111567
A colorized postcard most likely created from the above photo
Riverton Park opened on June 27, 1896. Regular Portland
Railroad cars left Monument Square for Riverton Park
every 15 minutes starting at 8:30 a.m. and generally, one
or more extra cars were required to handle the rush.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_31_072
The PRR trolley cars would enter the park and stop in front
of the casino to let passengers disembark and then load
passengers for their return trips to any number of different
locations throughout southern Maine.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_31_088
One of the very early electric trolleys from Westbrook
has arrived and discharged its passengers at Riverton Park.
Bridal shower parties, card parties, and other private groups
could hire a trolley car to transport their group. The bandstand
in this image was one of the many attractions at the park.
Image from Seashore Trolley Museum Library 2015 book,
The Illustrated Atlas of Maine's Street & Electric
Railways 1863-1946
Another busy day at Riverton Park. Open trolley cars like
the ones in this image could each carry 75 passengers.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_31_103
The boathouse and dock area of Riverton Park.
Courtesy Penobscot Marine Museum LB2007.1.111572
Canoeing along the Presumpscot was a favorite pastime
for many of the visitors to Riverton Park.
Courtesy Penobscot Marine Museum LB2007.1.111566
Riverton Park's outdoor rustic theater could seat 2,500 guests.
Courtesy Penobscot Marine Museum LB2007.1.111558
1897, 1898, & 1899 brought extensions to Deering, and following the reconstruction of Tukey's Bridge, rail was laid on Washington Avenue from Congress Street to the northerly end of the bridge and from Lunt's corner to connect with the Allen Avenue line. The Brighton line was built and the Stevens Avenue line was extended from Highland Square to Brighton Avenue as well. These lines and extensions brought about new routes; the Ocean Avenue Belt Line (August 1, 1898), the Kite Line (October 7, 1898), North Deering Belt Line (June 10, 1899). June 30, 1899. PRR listed the
total trackage of 34.89 miles.
This version of Tukey's Bridge was built in 1897/98.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_26_056
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)
Acquisitions 1899 -
Portland & Cape Elizabeth Street Railway - 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. The line had a total of 16.43 miles of track.
As finally completed, the Portland & Cape Elizabeth Railway had four routes:
* Portland-Cape Elizabeth via Meetinghouse Hill
* Portland-Cape Cottage via South Portland (Ferry Village)
* Portland-Willard Beach via Broadway
* Portland-Cash's Corner vis Pleasantdale and Ligonia area
Originally built in 1899 by the Laconia Car Company,
Laconia, NH for Westbrook, Windham & Naples Rwy,
No. 1 was used by the PRR to service the CE vis
Meetinghouse Hill route.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_38_002
When the PRR first took over the Portland & CE line they
made some changes to the route to the SP bridge.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_34_002
View of SP from Portland as the trolleys enter
the bridge circa 1900.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_34_005
Masonic Hall in the background, No 17 is in Legion Square in
Knightville, SP heading to Cash Corner via Pleasantdale.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_34_019
At the end of Sawyer Road, entering Front Street in
the Ferry Village section of SP as a parade is forming.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_34_020
PRR freight service was used for Fort Preble armament.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_34_142
Willard Beach - 1896- 1898
The Grand Casino at Willard Beach, South Portland, built by the Portland & Cape Elizabeth Railway opened on June 10, 1896. 10,000 visitors attended opening day, just two weeks before rival Riverton Park opened in Portland. The Grand Casino at Willard Beach burned down in January 1898, under suspicious circumstances. The $35,000 insurance settlement was reinvested in the Cape Cottage Park built in Cape Elizabeth.
The Grand Casino at Willard Beach.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_34_114
No 16 was built in 1895 for the Portland & CE Rwy
and used here for the Willard Beach line.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_34_117
Open car at Willard Beach Casino
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_34_116
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_34_056
Cape Cottage Park - 1898 - 1922
The 1910 brochure, "Trolleying Around Portland Maine:, describes Cape Cottage Park; "In marked contrast to the pastoral beauty of Riverton (Park) is the rugged beauty of Cape Cottage Park, facing the sea whose restless tide constantly breaks into foam on the cliffs which form its center embattlements. Cape Cottage Park ranks as one of the foremost on the Atlantic Coast and excels them all in the grandeur of nature's settings."
Postcard of PWM
Postcard of PWM
Cape Cottage Casino
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_34_002
Cape Cottage theater
Postcard of PWM
The theater at Cape Cottage was very busy.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_34_002
The theater at Cape Cottage Park. Managed by Bartley
McCullum, a local actor, is credited with pioneering summer
stock theater in Maine. The park officially closed in 1922.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_34_124
Map showing the extensive area serviced by the SP Div.
Map from, O. R. Cummings publication,
"Portland Railroad" Part 1, 1957.
The siding at Mount Pleasant Cemetery on Cottage Road.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_34_027
No. 249 was built in 1911 with the destination Pond Cove.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_34_090
The "Million Dollar Bridge" from Portland entered the
SP community of Knightville. The former Snow
Squall Restaurant was the carhouse. The brick power station
is still in place as well. The storage and scrap yard for the
trolleys are seen in the background on the right.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_34_011
On "A" Street and then loop around the back of the carhouse
to the storage tracks.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_34_017
Inside the Knightville power station.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_30_029
No. 274 was the first trolley car to cross the new million
dollar bridge from Portland to SP - 1916
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_34_015
Another photo of No. 274 in Knightville 1916.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_35_006
One of the original 10-bench open cars of the Portland &
Cape Elizabeth Railway was built in 1895-97 by Jones.
Filled to the brim on the million-dollar bridge to SP.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_34_010
At Thornton Heights, Route One, South Portland.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_36_052
Power Station and "former" carhouse.
The carhouse closed in May 1928.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_34_132
Tankers going to Portland.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_34_134
The fifteen-mile Scarborough-Old Orchard Beach extension was approved in 1901. The line was completed and opened in July 1902. Trolley cars had to operate through Knightville (South Portland) and Pleasantdale until 1909 when a more direct route was provided by way of the completely rebuilt Vaughn's Bridge.
14-bench No. 190 waits outside next to the PRR waiting
room in Monument Square for passengers heading to Saco.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_33_003
No. 03 is a "Root" scraper that would be used to clear snow
from the tracks. Originally, No. 03 was an express car
for the Portland & Yarmouth Rwy. It was built in 1897.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_073
Portland Railroad map from Cash Corner (top rt.) through
Scarborough, to Main Street, Saco, and OOB.
Map from the 2015 NEERHS book,
"The Illustrated Atlas of Maine's Street & Electric
Railways 1863-1946."
Bound for Saco, trolley car no. 174 crosses the new Vaughn's bridge
across the Fore River between Danforth Street, Portland, and Main
Street, South Portland shortly after the newly built span was opened
in August 1909. Through-trolleys were operated between Portland
and Saco during the fall, winter, and spring and between Portland
and between Old Orchard Beach in summer and trolleys like No.
174 were run year-round.
From O. R. Cummings Collection
Seashore Trolley Museum
The carhouse and power station at Dunstan Corner in
Scarborough shortly before the turnoff to OOB.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_33_024
Knight's store is seen here on the right near Dunstan Corner
in Scarborough.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_33_014
The 700-foot, S-shaped viaduct carried trolleys on the
OOB branch across the eastern division of the Boston &
Maine Railroad in Scarborough to Portland Avenue,
through Milliken Mills to Old Orchard Street near the pier
on OOB. The high trestle was the only structure of its type
on the Portland system. The trestle was built in 1903 and
it was torn down in 1932 immediately
following the abandonment of the Saco Division.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_33_025
Top of the trestle as the trolley heads towards OOB.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_33_027
The buildings at left disappeared during the great
conflagration of August 15-16, 1907 when 17 hotels, 20
stores and 60 cottages were destroyed. Only three lives were
lost as the flames swept from building to building.
Trolleys were jammed on the weekend of August 17-18
as thousands flocked to the beach to view the ruins.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_33_037
PRR No. 173, waiting on Main Street, Saco, on the
Biddeford & Saco RR trackage circa 1903, was
destroyed by fire at Oak Hill, Scarborough, January
22, 1915. Trucks and electrical equipment salvaged
were installed on bo. 502, which operated until 1941.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_33_022
One of the 14-bench open cars picking up passengers in
Portland on Congress Street. It will head to OOB.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_33_004
Portland & Yarmouth Electric Railway - Chartered later in 1894, locations were obtained in 1895, but little else happened until 1897. After some lengthy legal issues (Tukey's Bridge and ROW) were resolved, construction was well underway by August. The rebuilding of Tukey's Bridge delayed the opening of the line. Operations for the full line were in place on August 18, 1898 - from Portland to Grand Trunk depot in Yarmouth. Interestingly, the operation was carried out by the building contractor until January 1, 1899, when the Portland Railroad had officially taken control of the Portland & Yarmouth Electric Railway. On June 30, 1900, the line had a total of 14.27 miles of track.
From Oxford Street to Washington Avenue
across Tukey's Bridge and on to Yarmouth.
Map from the 2015 NEERHS book,
"The Illustrated Atlas of Maine's Street
& Electric Railways
1863-1946"
Route - From the beginning, 30-minute headway between Portland and Yarmouth, 15 minutes to Underwood Springs during summer months, afternoons, and evenings. Fall, winter, and fall had 60-minute headway. Cars left Monument Square, Congress to Elm Street, and Oxford Street to Washington Avenue, across Tukey's Bridge to East Deering, Veranda Street, past the Marine Hospital, and over Martin's Point Bridge to Falmouth, Cumberland, and Yarmouth.
In Yarmouth, passengers could then board a Portland and Brunswick Street Railway to continue along the coast or, in Brunswick, could board a trolley car for Lewiston and then on to Augusta and Waterville, etc. Eventually, an agreement was reached between the two lines, and service was provided starting in 1906.
Yarmouth Division 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
Combination car No. 3 of the Portland & Yarmouth Elec.
Rwy. carried passengers and light freight and
was later converted to a box motor express.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_26_016
J. G. Brill Co., Philadelphia, PA built Nos. 4, 5 & 6
10-bench open trolley cars in 1896 for the P & Y Elec. Rwy.
Here No. 5 is in the Underwood Springs Park loop.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_26_038
Built 1899 by J. G. Brill Company, Philadelphia, PA,
No. 25, a 20-ft. semi-convertible, at the original carhouse.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_26_025
Original carhouse and freight shed.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_26_028
The original battery house was used as a temporary carhouse
in 1920 when the original carhouse and freight shed burned
down in 1920.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_26_029
The brick carhouse was built on Washington Avenue in
Portland in 1898 for the Portland & Yarmouth
Electric Railway.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_26_058
What remains as the repurposed Portland & Yarmouth Electric
Railway carhouse at 165 Washington Avenue in Portland.
Image Google Maps 2018
No. 2 single-truck shear snowplow was built for the
P & Y Elec. Rwy in 1898 by the Taunton Co. in NY.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_26_004
No. 1, a four-wheel rotary snowplow built for the P & Y
elec. Rwy in 1899.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_26_005
J. G. Brill Co., Philadelphia, PA built Nos. 32 & 33
14-bench open trolley cars in 1900 for the P & Y Elec. Rwy.
No 228 of the Portland Railroad was originally a 14-bench
open purchased by the Portland & Yarmouth Electric Railway.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_26_032
Underwood Springs Park - 7-18-1899 - 1907
Built upon an underground spring that gushed forth a quarter of a million gallons of healthy water every 24 hours. Day-trippers from Portland could depart Monument Square every 30 minutes, every 15 minutes during peak times. 20 cents for a roundtrip. Every evening between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., an engineer would operate the electric fountain, manipulating its controls to create a shifting rainbow of color in the water.
Built 1897 by the J. G. Brill Company, Philadelphia, PA
for Portland & Yarmouth Electric Railway showing
Underwood destination while sitting at the Yarmouth carhouse.
Gazebo with the famous Underwood Springs Park fountain
seen in the background in front of the casino.
2012 NEERHS book, "The Trolley Parks of Maine."
Casino at Underwood Springs Park (burned down in 1907)
2012 NEERHS book, "The Trolley Parks of Maine."
Westbrook, Windham & Naples Railway - Chartered originally as the Westbrook, Windham & Harrison Railway, in 1897, was authorized to build from Westbrook through the towns of Gorham, Windham, Raymond, Casco, and Otisfield to and into Naples, to extend to Harrison and possibly to North Bridgton. Construction started in September 1898, from Westbrook to Mosher's Corner in South Windham. Operations started in August 1899. The extension to Raymond, Casco, and Naples never happened. The line totaled a little over five miles of track. The Gorham extension (2 miles) was planned but didn't happen until after the PRR took stock control of the Westbrook, Windham & Naples Railway (January 1901). A route from Mosher's Corner to Gorham Village opened in June 1901.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_38_001
No. 3 was one of the two original closed trolley cars
(1899) by the American Car Company in St. Louis, MO for the
Westbrook, Windham & Naples Railway. c 1899
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_36_051
No. 3 clearly had trouble staying on the tracks this day.
c 1899
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_36_052
No. 158 in the snow with destination sign; South Windham
via Brighton Avenue. 158 was built in 1901 by the
J. G. Brill Co., for operation on the Westbrook line of PRR.
A busy day in Gorham, ME as five 14-bench open trolley
cars, each with at least 75 passengers, are in line preparing to
leave Central Square.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_36_058
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 during the year ending June 30, 1904, with revenues of $686,000. Net profit of $86,000. Stockholders shared dividends of nearly $60,000.
Operations were conducted in six divisions, each with its own superintendent, carhouses, cars, and crews:
* St. John Street
* Deering
* Westbrook
* South Portland
* Saco Division
* Yarmouth
The Hub of the system was Monument Square, at the junction of Congress, Preble, Middle, Federal, and Elm Streets in downtown Portland. All trolley cars on all lines, both city and suburban, passed through this point. The company offices and a large waiting room were located on the westerly side of the square between Preble and Elm Streets.
1901, the PRR waiting room moved to the corner of Elm
and Congress Streets.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_133
A postcard depicts Monument Square as the hub of
the electric railway systems.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_119
A busy Monument Square
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_187
No 195 was built in 1902 by Brill.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_38_073
The interior of Nos. 194 & 195.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_38_074
No. 196 was also built in 1902 by Wason. No. 196
operated early in its life in the Westbrook Div.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_38_076
The interior of No. 196
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_38_079a
The interior of No. 196
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_38_079
As of 1900, the St John Division consisted of four routes:
* Union Station - Munjoy Hill
* Union Station - Grand Trunk Station
* Spring Street - Grand Trunk Station
* Stroudwater
Schedules in 1900 for the Union Station-Munjoy Hill route, called for a 10-minute headway on the Congress Street run, 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.
Lincoln Park in Portland where the trolleys would travel
along Pearl Street to and from Commercial and Congress
Streets to connect with Grand Trunk station and
Monument Square.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_35_070
The carhouse at Congress Street and St. John Street was destroyed by fire in July 1901. Five cars were lost. Three years later a new larger carhouse and shop setup was built on St. John Street, near what is now D Street. A system of fixed stops marked by white posts was installed on Congress Street and Spring Streets in April 1906 and was gradually extended to other lines. In 1909, a starter was hired as a dispatcher at Monument Square. Previously, it had been necessary for each conductor to step into the waiting room at the square and announce his car before leaving. Open cars were put into service during the winter months. The experiment did not work out.
The large brick carhouse and shops on St. John Street.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_30_040
The large brick carhouse and shops on St. John Street.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_30_037
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.
This postcard is postmarked November 5, 1909, from PWM
Spring Street via Grand Trunk Depot with open car No. 122.
Built 1896 for the PRR by Brill.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_35_074
A reprinted map, circa 1910, "Trolleying through the Heart
of Maine." Distributed by the Portland Railroad and the
Lewiston, Augusta, & Waterville Street Railway. PWM
Various trips and rates are listed in this reprinted map, circa
1910, "Trolleying through the Heart of Maine. Distributed by
the Portland Railroad and the
Lewiston, Augusta, & Waterville Street Railway. PWM
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December 23, 1916, Portland had its first trolley funeral cortege. An electric trolley car was chartered and conveyed the funeral party for Mrs. Ludy D. Augustino from Washington Avenue to Hampshire and Congress streets for services at St. Peter's Church. From there, the group went to Calvary Cemetery for the burial and then rode back to Portland
1916, one-way rates. From O. R. Cummings
1957 book, Part 1, "Portland Railroad."
Prepayment cars were brought into the division in 1914. Fifteen Birney cars were put into service in 1919.
No. 201 on Commercial Street probably from
Stroudwater to Grand Trunk Depot.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library -
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_35_085
Commercial Street was busy with many railway and railroad
vehicles. PRR No. 197 next to No. 107 Portland
Terminal tender No. 826 circa 1938.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library -
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_35_087
No. 502 in front of the Grand Trunk Depot. No. 502 was the
largest and fastest car in the Portland system. Built by the
Wason Manufacturing, Springfield, MA, in 1915, was used
occasionally over the Portland-Lewiston Interurban.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_35_073
The Union Station-Grand Trunk station line was discontinued in about 1926. In 1926, the St. John division took over the Saco/OOB and the Yarmouth routes. South Portland Division was assigned to St. John in 1928. Deering and Westbrook's cars began running from St. John in 1933.
As of 1900, the Deering Division consisted of five routes:
* Morrill's Corner Line
* Riverton Park Line
* Ocean Avenue Belt Line
* Fessenden Park - Deering Highlands Line
* North Deering Belt Line
Deering Carbarn was built in 1897.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_30_011
Behind the original "Deering carbarn" storage shed, where
cars were scrapped.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_30_012
Inside Deering Carbarn
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_30_008
Trolley cars on the Morrill's Corner line operated on 15-minute headway, while those on the Riverton line followed the same route to Morrill's and then continued out Forest Avenue to Riverton Park. 30-minute headway except in the summer, when it was 15 minutes. Ocean Avenue Belt Line ("Little Belt") cars ran in both directions. Also 30-minute headway on the Fessenden Park - Deering Highlands Line ("Kite Belt"). The two "Belt Lines" were basically combined to form a "figure-8" in mid-1910. This really didn't work...so, it went back to separate belts in 1913.
The division's longest route was the North Deering Belt Line, known as the "Big Belt." Trolley cars operated in both directions, from Monument Square, the 9-mile loop took an hour. Cars were kept in Beckett Street Carhouse until the new carhouse was built on Stevens Avenue in 1908.
On the outer edge of the Deering line at Pride's Corner.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_31_006
North Deering - Union Station via Bradleys - Belt Line
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library -
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_31_042
Passengers traveling on trolley cars heading to and returning
from the Westbrook line (South Windham, Gorham, and
Westbrook) to access parts of Portland would travel
along Brighton Avenue to Woodford Street then
to Woodford's Corner. Seen here is the intersection of
Brighton Ave. and Woodford St where
Woodford Street is on the left of the gas station. The trolley
is stopped on Brighton Ave. where Colonial Road
connects.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_31_017
Considerable traffic congestion in Monument Square. Various traffic pattern trials resulted in a workable plan in 1910. Traffic continued to grow and additional plans were implemented over the years, resulting in 1918, the "Little Belt, "Kit Belt", and "Big Belt" routes all being discontinued.
Riverton Park closed in 1922. Abandonment of the Deering Division began on August 17, 1932, ending the North Deering Belt Line. Ocean Avenue Line, October 1932. April 1, 1933, the Deering carhouse was closed. Washington Avenue, 1935. Pleasant Avenue, 1936.
As of 1901, the Westbrook Division consisted of four routes:
* Portland-Westbrook via Brighton Avenue
* Portland-Westbrook via Woodford's
* Portland-South Windham via Brighton Avenue
* Portland-Gorham via Woodfords
Westbrook Carbarn
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library -
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_30_057
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).
During 1918, all Westbrook Division cars were routed through Woodfords. Ridership was very heavy on the line, with extra cars put in service during high volume times during the day. Eight double-truck trailers were purchased in 1918 to help handle the heavy ridership. They were discarded in 1928.
The Gorham and South Windham lines were abandoned early in August 1931 and the carhouse in Westbrook was closed. The Westbrook line ended in 1941.
As of 1916 - the South Portland Division Consisted of six routes:
* Cape Cottage via South Portland
* Cape Cottage via Meeting-House Hill
* South Portland Heights - Pond Cove
* Cash's Corner
* Ligonia area
* East Broadway - Willard Beach
Shortly after taking over the South Portland and Cape Elizabeth Railway, the Portland Railroad made significant changes to improve the routes. Starting in 1901, a double track was laid down High Street, through York and Park Streets to connect with Commercial Street. All SP lines, except Willard Beach, followed the new route. Saco and OOB route was also rerouted through Lincoln Square to Cash's Corner.
As of 1907, Cape Cottage trolley cars via Ferry Village had a 20-minute headway. Meeting-House Hill, Ligonia, and Cash Corner routes were 30 minutes, and South Portland Heights and Willard Beach were one hour.
Willard Beach Line had the first pay-as-you-enter car (No. 132) assigned on December 14, 1916. The first one-man trolley car on the Portland Railroad system operated between Bradley's Corner and Pond Cove on August 28, 1918. This was a wartime measure and was discontinued after the 1918 Armistice.
The Willard Beach line was abandoned in 1918, though trolley cars did stop at the entrance of Willard Street. The Cape Cottage via Ferry Village route was discontinued in 1918. A new run was established. Little by little rail was removed. Meantime, the Freight switching service to the shipyards at Ferry Village was established in 1917. Spur tracks to Fort Preble switched in the industrial plants and oil storage yards in Ferry Village. Tank cars of fuel oil were taken to the new power plant on the old dry dock site.
Cape Cottage Theater and the casino closed in 1921. The Knightville carhouse closed in 1928. Rail service ended in South Portland in the summer of 1940.
1903 Saco Division had two routes:
* Portland to Saco
* Portland to Old Orchard Beach
During the summer months, service to OOB was provided by passengers changing cars at Dunstan Corner in Scarborough. 30-minute headway, although on Sundays and Holidays, 15 minutes was common, and trips often ran in sections of two or three cars to handle heavy ridership. Winter service did 60 minutes to OOB and 30 minutes to Saco.
Three 14-bench open cars approach Monument Square
from Saco/Old Orchard Beach. these three open trolleys
were built in 1902 by the J. G. Brill Company,
Philadelphia, PA for the Saco Division.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_35_066
A new bridge over the Fore River, the Vaughan's Bridge, opened in 1909. For many years, these routes were two of the most profitable routes for the PRR.
High Tides flooded the Scarborough marshes and winter storms sometimes caused the suspension of service. One winter the rotary plow from the Portland & Yarmouth line was clearing snow through Pleasantdale and its stream of snow broke two-thirds of all the glass in a large greenhouse. In general, big eight-wheel plows were used to clear the line.
From 1915 - 1927, this division did a fairly heavy freight service. PRR built a freight house on Alfred Street in Biddeford and a switch connected to the Atlantic Shore Railway with the Biddeford & Saco Railroad at Birch and Alfred Streets. 1917, the PRR and the ASL combined to provide service between Portland and Sanford - 43 miles. Two round trips a day.
Abandonment was proposed in 1928. 1929 found sharply reduced trips. Only ten trips a day on an hourly headway. Early in 1932, state highway Route 1 was to be widened. That proved to be the end. April 16, 1932, was the end of service from Dunstan Corner and several days later, Thornton Heights in SP was the end of the line. Buses of the Boston & Maine Transportation Company took over the route immediately.
Yarmouth Division
Service to Brunswick ended in 1919. Service between Portland and Yarmouth was on a 60-minute headway in 1921. Yarmouth carhouse, substation, freight shed, and two cars were lost to a fire in 1920. The old battery house was converted to a carhouse until the new brick carhouse was built.
The end of the Yarmouth Division came in June 1933. Maine Central Transportation buses began operating between Portland and Brunswick. Trolleys continued to the Marine Hospital until 1939.
Passing the Marine Hospital.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_35_066
Tidbits
The 1920s - Difficult times for the PRR - Bad winter storms 1920/21 & 1922/23.
One-man operations were extended to all lines to reduce costs. Service reductions as well.
A subway for Portland was proposed seriously by Police Chief Irving S. Watts in 1923. Chief proposed it operate from Portland Street to Monument Square and would greatly reduce traffic congestion in the downtown area.
By 1926 the Portland Railroad was down to four Divisions:
* St. John Street
* South Portland
* Deering
* Westbrook
The 1930s - The abandonment of the Gorham-South Windham, Saco-Old Orchard Beach, and Yarmouth lines in 1931, reduced the Portland Railroad to a city traction system with few suburban branches.
In August 1935, trackage was abandoned on Washington Avenue.
In September 1936, all service through Pleasant Avenue ended.
By January 1937, the PRR was down to 37 miles of operating track, all services from the St. John Street carhouse, with the Deering carhouse used for storage and serving as headquarters for the line and track department.
Portland Coach Company buses first arrived in 1932 to service Ocean Avenue. In the following years, more streets were serviced. The Portland Railroad started substituting buses for trolley cars in 1938.
Yellow buses arrived and operators were trained and started servicing more of the PRR lines in April 1939. September 1939 buses took over Stroudwater and some of the South Portland/Cape Elizabeth lines.
An original ticket - unused - circa 1920 - PWM
Advertisement on the back of the ticket - PWM
The 1940s - The remaining SP/CE lines switched to buses in June 1940. Christmas Eve 1940 saw the final trolley car operate on the Union Station-Munjoy Hill line.
Only four lines remained in January 1941. Westbrook line motorized in April. The Brighton Avenue line followed a week later, and on May 4, 1941, buses took over the Riverton and the North Deering routes.
The Deering carhouse was where the remaining rail vehicles were scrapped.
Cars were burned before salvaging the metal for scrap.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_38_010
In the end, only one Portland Railroad trolley body was
sold and not scrapped, No. 238. Built by Brill in 1900, for the
P&YRwy, a semi-convertible with cross seats, was sold
to Portland Glass in 1941 for use as a workmen's shanty
and was scrapped shortly after WWll.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_38_110
One surviving Portland Railroad trolley -
No. 615 was built for the PRR in 1920 by the Wason Manufacturing Company, Springfield, MA. In 1936, it was sold to the Biddeford & Saco Railroad and operated in the Biddeford, Saco, and Old Orchard Beach area until 1939. The body of 615 survived being scrapped when the buses
took over by becoming the track department's shanty while overhead wires and other track-related work were being done. A Seashore Trolley Museum member bought 615 when the work was complete. 615 came to the Museum in 1941.
At Thornton Heights (Route One), South Portland,
No. 615 being loaded for delivery to Saco - 1936
615 is awaiting the funding to be restored.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection
Portland and other Maine City Buses:
Seashore Trolley Museum is a Mass Transit Museum and has about 70 busses and trackless trolleys too!
Three Maine buses
Photo courtesy Tom Santarelli
1950 Portland bus Monument Square and SP
A Matt Cosgro photo
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
Millie Thayer is a headstrong farmer's daughter who chases her dreams in a way you would expect a little girl nicknamed "Spitfire" would run 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
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
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.
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
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 each month. 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: 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 :)
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
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
The Narcissus as the Sabattus Lake Diner in Sabattus, Maine,
