Monday, December 31, 2018

80th Anniversary Year - Seashore Trolley Museum - A look at the 50s

Cover of the 1954 Annual Report featuring
1914 Dallas Railway & Terminal Co.
No. 454. This car operated every year in
Dallas from 1914 until 1954 and has operated
every year at Seashore Trolley Museum
since 1954. Incredible!

     Ever wonder what the ride was like in 1958 at the Route One Terminal operation? Keep reading and you'll find the embedded link to a short video that includes vintage movie footage from the Terminal.

Click Here for 80th Anniversary Year -Seashore Trolley Museum 1939-1919
Click Here for the post - 80th Anniversary Year - A Look Back at the 60s -Seashore Trolley Museum
Click Here for the post - 80th Anniversary Year -A Look Back at the '70s -Seashore Trolley Museum
Click Here for The Birth of Seashore Trolley Museum Blog Post
Click Here for the 1901 Tower C Boston Elevated Railway to STM 1975 post

The General Manager's 1954 report includes
public operations for visitors for the first time.
It includes that Car 31 was found to be
in excellent mechanical condition even though
it had not operated for fifteen years.

This photo from the 1955 Annual Report shows a portion of
the Museum campus. This photo was taken from the
roof of the restoration shop (Shop 1).

The 1957 Annual Report, features, then
Governor of Maine, Edmund Muskie, in Boston,
inspecting Seashore's newest acquisition, 
1903 No. 105, Cable Grip Cable Car from
Dunedin Cable Co.

1957 also saw the construction of track and overhead at the
new public operations of the Museum at Route 1 on the
Arundel/Biddeford town line. Seashore Junction Terminal
started operating in 1958. This image has the overhead work
being done at the visitor terminal building where guests would
board the cars.

Mid-Fifties visit Seashore Trolley Museum
by the Eaton family. Thank you to Ernie Eaton
for sharing. We would love to have others
share their family movie vids from
the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. 

1958 issue of "Historic Cars of Seashore Trolley Museum".
Here the cover features two Connecticut open cars operating
at the new Terminal operation.

By 1958, the Museum's collection had grown to more than
sixty pieces of railway equipment. Here is an image of the
Terminal operation at Route One.

The 1939 Liverpool Corporation Transport  No.
293 was featured in the 1958 Annual Report
operating at the new Terminal operation, though
the double-decker tram didn't actually arrive at
Seashore until the spring of 1959.

The last electric trolley car to carry public passengers
in Maine was the 1926 York Utilities Co. No. 88.
April 27, 1947, was the final farewell excursion trip.
No. 88 is seen here on the Terminal line in 1958.

Page 1 of 2 lists the collection totaling more than 60 in 1958.

Liberty Bell - 1931 No. 1030
is seen here in an early fifties video during
walk-a-round of Seashore Trolley Museum
from Gerhard Salomom Collection

Page 2 of 2

Cars in the "new" South Boston yard. 1914 No. 454 Dallas,
1925 No. 144 Blackpool, & 1930 No. 621 Montreal &
Southern Counties.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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

80th Anniversary Year - Seashore Trolley Museum 1939-2019

At the end of the line in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, on June
18, 1939, a group of electric railway enthusiasts chartered
open car No. 31 for a fan trip. A few of the riders, during
this fateful excursion, discussed the idea of saving this open
car from being scrapped. That conversation would lead to
 the acquisition of the car which began what would become

Fan trip announcement.
From the collection of Seashore Trolley
Museum.

Stops were made for photo opportunities. This is at the B & M Railroad
overpass on Old Orchard Road. From the collection of Seashore
Trolley Museum

Inside No. 10. The fan trip included riding in No. 10 in the
morning. From the collection of Seashore Trolley Museum.

“This is the way we started, with one car, with no great thought that we were going to have more cars or that we would develop into a museum of this size."
 Ted Santarelli, October 10, 1987
Interview conducted by Edward Dooks
October 10, 1987

Click Here for the post - "The Birth of Seashore Trolley Museum - An Interview with the Founder".
Click Here for the post - "80th Anniversary Year-Seashore Trolley Museum - A Look Back at the 50s
Click Here for the post - "80th Anniversary Year-Seashore Trolley Museum-A Look Back at the 60s
Click Here for the post - "80th Anniversary Year-Seashore Trolley Museum-A Look Back at the 70s
Click Here for the post - "1901 Tower C Boston Elevated Railway to STM 1975"

Car 31 at the B & S RR carhouse on Beach St. after having its
trucks removed. Next was to  prepare it for the road trip to
North Kennebunkport. From the collection of Seashore Trolley
Museum

Car 31 arrived in North Kennebunkport on  July 15, 1939.
Car 31 is seen here sitting in the field that was part of the
original 10 acres. From the collection of Seashore Trolley
Museum.

A short section of track and ties were laid and the trucks
were placed under the car by November 1939.
From the collection of the Seashore Trolley Museum

Car 31 with a coat of paint for the winter.
From the collection of the Seashore Trolley Museum

1940 would bring No. 38 from Manchester, New Hampshire, and No. 615 from the Portland Railroad (and Biddeford & Saco Railroad). 1941 would bring No. 60 from Manchester, New Hampshire. Then WWll brought a pause to acquisitions. 1946 brought nine pieces of equipment. 

No. 38, served the greater Manchester, NH area and arrived on
the Seashore campus in 1940 and was the 2nd electric railway
vehicle acquired by the early members of the fledgling
railway organization. From the collection of Seashore
Trolley Museum.

38 being jacked up for placement on the flat car in Manchester
1940. Seashore Trolley Museum Collection

No. 38 on the rails - destination Kennebunk, Maine station,
then a trip to the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport.
1940 image from the collection of Seashore Trolley Museum

Loaded at the Kennebunk railroad station siding, 38 traveling
to its new home, Seashore Trolley Museum 1940
Seashore Trolley Museum Collection

No. 38 (center) at Seashore Electric Railway (Seashore
Trolley Museum) 1942.  The third car acquired is seen on the
right, the body-only of No. 615 from the Portland Railroad
and also from the Biddeford & Saco Railroad.
From the collection of Seashore Trolley
Museum

615 was the third, and No 60, also from Manchester, NH,
was 4th. PWM

615, 31, and 38 in 1941. PWM

By 1946, there were thirteen in the collection. PWM

June 1941 Newsletter
PWM Collection PWM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We continue the restoration work on the 1912, Narcissus, the only surviving high-speed, luxury interurban coach of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban. 

Click Here: Narcissus Restoration-Related Posts

Being more than a century old, the stately, "Elegant Ride," Narcissus, is a gem.  This shimmering precious stone of Maine transportation history is brilliantly resplendent as it emanates so many elements of history, including; time, places, people, and events, that it was coupled to, that when just a smattering of its seemingly innumerable stories are shared, the contents captivates, fascinates, then generates, interest to learn more 🙋. The majestic Narcissus is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Please consider joining the epic journey to complete the Narcissus Project by making a donation today!

Click Here: Donation Options

The restoration of this majestic icon of Maine's electric railway history is but one in a series of captivating stories containing an abundance of incredible coalition of narratives.

Click Here: History-Related Posts - Narcissus and Portland-Lewiston Interurban

     The Narcissus is featured in the national Gold Award-winning novel, Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride. The "Elegant Ride" is the Narcissus. Theodore Roosevelt was a passenger on the Narcissus on August 18, 1914, between Lewiston and Portland, Maine, while campaigning for the Progressive Party candidates.

Click Here: Bookstores and Businesses promoting the Narcissus Project

Independent book publisher, Phil Morse, holding
the Gold Book Award Winner plaque for
 the Middle Reader category for The Eric
Hoffer Book Award. Congratulations to
award-winning Maine author,
Jean M. Flahive