Maine Bicentennial Series - Mousam River Railroad - 1892-1899

The opening day, of the new electric railway, was a warm

spring or summer day for the Mousam River Railroad.

In this image are, No. 2 and an open trailer at the end of the line in

Springvale. The trailer was probably purchased second-hand

from the Portland Railroad. O. R. Cummings Collection

     Here is the newest release in the Maine Bicentennial series of electric railways in Maine. This blog post features the Mousam River Railroad summary/images from the book, "Atlantic Shore Line Railway" by O. R. Cummings, presented as Transportation Volume 4 by the Connecticut Electric Railway and the National Railway Historical Society-Connecticut Chapter - June 1950 Re-issued January 1957. And text/images are also taken from an O. R. Cummings book, "Atlantic Shore Trolleys", Bulletin No. 2, New England Electric Historical Society, January 1, 1966. Additional text is also taken from an insert O. R. Cummings wrote in "The Atlantic Shore Line Railway and Successors" - Historical Summary-1900-1949. Images will be credited accordingly.

To see the online version of the 1957 book, Atlantic Shore Line Railway at Bangor Public Library here 

• 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

Mousam River Railroad No. 2, seen here in front of the

Sanford Hotel on Main Street in Sanford in 1893, in its

original configuration with open vestibules on each end.

No. 2 was built in 1892 by the Briggs Carriage

Company of Amesbury, MA. In 1898, the ends

would be enclosed to shelter the motorman from the

rather harsh weather conditions he would operate in during

various seasons. O. R. Cummings Collection

Mousam River Railroad

York County's second street railway, the Mousam River Railroad (MRRR) was chartered by a special act of the Maine Legislature on March 12, 1889. The formal organization of the company followed on July 12, 1892, with the Goodall brothers of Sanford, owners of large interests in the mills there, as chief promotors. Construction of the 2.94-mile route started during the latter part of the year. Freight operation between the Springvale depot of the Portland & Rochester Railroad interchange and Sanford commenced on February 28, 1893. Passenger service from Washington Street at Post Office Square (Central Square) to Main Street Sanford, at the Hotel Sanford, and then along River Street to Springvale, began a month later, on April 1st. The opening of the extension to Springvale Villiage was May 27.

Map by Charles D. Heseltine of the

MRRR. From the 2015 book,

"The Illustrated Atlas of Maine's

Street & Electric Railways 1863-1946

     Since the MRRR was intended to be primarily a freight carrier, passenger service over the line initially was of little importance. Schedules were arranged to correspond with the time of train arrivals and departures at the Springvale depot and, as a result, cars ran at infrequent and irregular intervals. The U. S. Mail was handled on most of these trips and the baggage trailers towed by Nos. 2 & 4 usually were filled with the trunks, suitcases, and sample cases of the passengers - many of whom were "drummers" making their rounds (in the 19th century, door-to-door salesmen were called "drummers").

Mousam River Railroad No. 4 with a U. S. Mail trailer

in tow. O. R. Cummings Collection

     Both passenger and freight trains were dispatched through the use of a private telephone system installed in 1893 and the road appears to have had an excellent safety record. There is a report of only one accident of any consequence between 1893 and 1899. There were no serious injuries.

Carhouse of the Mousam River Railroad on River Street,

Sanford with Car No.4 passing by with the baggage trailer

No. 8 in tow. MRRR trailer No. 8, is seen below

at Seashore Trolley Museum.

O. R. Cummings Collection

     The MRRR's carhouse was located near Mill Square in Sanford and the power station, a hydroelectric plant, was situated on the bank of the Mousam River, midway between Sanford and Springvale. The MRRR was one of the first street railways in the country to provide a hydroelectric plant to generate its power. For power equipment, there was one 150-hp Humphrey waterwheel, connected to a 200-hp, 550-volt Westinghouse multi-polar generator, with a Corliss 70-hp steam engine and another Westinghouse multi-polar generator for use as an auxiliary in times of low water.

Mousam River Railroad trailer No. 8 was built by the

Portland Company, Portland, Maine, during 1893.

It was acquired by the Seashore Trolley Museum in 1947

and has been listed in the National Register of Historic

Places since 1980. PWM Postcard Collection

     In the period from February 28 to December 15, 1893, the MRRR handled more than 11,700 tons of freight and express, and for the eight months from May 30, 1893, to January 31, 1894, a total of 111,725 passengers were carried, averaging 85 car-miles per day.

In a later photo, either No. 2 or No. 4 is at the end of the line

at Springvale. Note the oil headlight hanging on the dasher.

O. R. Cummings Collection

     The MRRR was one of the few street railways in the country to have one fare for weekdays and another for the weekends. The through rate between the Sanford Hotel and Springvale Village from Monday morning through Saturday noon was 10 cents. On Saturday afternoons and evenings, Sundays and holidays, only a five-cent fare was charged for the trip to encourage patronage by mill workers and their families.

     Shortly after the construction of the new Sanford and Cape Porpoise Railway (S&CPRWy) was completed, with both the S&PRWy and the Mousam River Railroad under common ownership, The MRRR was leased to the S&CPRWy on August 15, 1899. Both companies began operating as a single system - the Sanford and Cape Porpoise Railway.

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

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.

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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.

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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