Common Street, near City Hall, in Waterville. Standing in
the vestibule is Arthur L. Foster of Augusta. Eight of these
single-end, semi-convertible observation cars were purchased
in 1908 for the Lewiston, Augusta & Waterville St. Rwy.
Originally, these cars only had a controller and brake valve
in the enclosed end. A short time after arriving, however,
a controller and brake valve were installed in the
observation platform end, as seen here in this image.
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_21_175
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library
Here is the newest release in the Maine Bicentennial series of electric railways in Maine. This blog post features the Lewiston, Augusta & Waterville Street Railway (LA&W) summary/images from the book, "Trolleys to Brunswick, Maine 1896-1937" by O. R. Cummings, presented as Transportation Volume 73 by the Connecticut Valley Chapter and the National Railway Historical Society- January-December 1966. Also, there are materials from O. R. Cummings' 1963 publication, "Lewiston, Augusta & Waterville Street Railway. In addition, there are materials from O. R. Cummings and edited by Roger Borrup in O. R. Cummings' book, "Transportation Bulletin No. 76-Trolleys to Augusta, Maine", issued by the Connecticut Valley Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, January-August 1969. All books were acquired by this blogger. Additional photos will be credited accordingly.
The LA&W became the longest system in Maine, with 152.9 miles of route miles with a total of 164.8 total track miles in 1917. With that in mind, the Augusta Division details are in a separate blog post titled: Trolleys To Augusta and cover primarily the trolley lines extending from Augusta, the capital of Maine, to Hallowell, Farmingdale, and Gardiner; to Vassalboro, Winslow, and Waterville; to Manchester and Winthrop, and to the National Soldiers' Home in Togus, as well as a short local line in Augusta itself. The Lewiston Division details are in a separate blog post titled: Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath and cover primarily trolley lines from Lewiston, Auburn, Webster, Lisbon, Lisbon Falls, Topsham, Brunswick, and Bath. There is some overlap of coverage and ownership descriptions in many of the various posts.
A Lewiston-Waterville car on Water Street in Hallowell.
O. R. Cummings Collection
- 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 major 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.
To start, the Lewiston, Augusta & Waterville Street Railway (LA&W) was the name of the new company that was organized in 1907 to consolidate four existing charters of railways that were either already operating railways or were yet to be built railways. Beset by financial difficulties in 1918, it would become reorganized as the Androscoggin & Kennebec Railway in 1919.
The back story:
Control of the Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath Street Railway was sold in 1906 to the group headed by John R. Graham of the Bangor, Railway & Electric Company. The Graham group also acquired control of the Augusta, Winthrop & Gardiner Street Railway Company, connecting the Maine capital with Gardiner, Winthrop, and Togus; and also acquired the unused charters of the Auburn, Mechanic Falls & Norway Street Railway and the Augusta & Waterville Railway Companies, both of which proposed to connect the points named in their corporate titles.
On April 3, 1907, the name of the Auburn, Mechanic Falls & Norway Street Railway was changed to the Lewiston, Augusta & Waterville Street Railway (LA&W); on April 24th the new company absorbed the Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath St. Rwy and the August, Winthrop & Gardiner St. Rwy. The Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath Street Railway became the Lewiston Division and the former Augusta, Winthrop & Gardiner routes became the Augusta Division. Subsequently, in 1910, the Auburn & Turner Railroad was added to LA&W's Lewiston Division, and in 1911, the Brunswick & Yarmouth Street Railway was merged into the LA&W, as was the Portland & Brunswick Street Railway in 1913 to create the Freeport Division.
LA&W Express No. 506 at the Priscilla Rug Company
siding in Turner. O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_10_047
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library
Leander F. Taylor was the first superintendent of the Augusta Division, with others holding that position over the years including Sherman Dunn, Claude C. Cole, Percy E. Weymouth, and George W. Bowie.
Mr. Bowie was a former general superintendent of the Lewiston, Augusta, & Waterville Street Railway, while Mr. Weymouth became superintendent of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban Railroad, and served until its abandonment in 1933.
The first general manager of the LA&W was E. D. Reed, and he served until March 1908, when he was succeeded by Harry B. Ivers. In June 1912, he became general manager of the Cumberland County Power & Light Company (CCP&L), which had acquired the controlling stock of the Portland Railroad Company (PRR) and the Lewiston, Augusta, & Waterville Street Railway Company (LA&W). This led to the two railways being operated under unified management, with headquarters in Portland, and until 1919, also sharing in marketing as seen in the promotional handout below.
A reprinted map, circa 1912, "Trolleying through the Heart of Maine"
Distributed by the Portland Railroad and the Lewiston, Augusta, &
Waterville Street Railway. Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum
Ivers resigned as general manager of the CCP&L and its subsidiaries as of February 14, 1914, and was succeeded by E. T. Munger, former general superintendent of the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad Company of New York. Due to ill health, he relinquished his post in May and his successor was Albert H. Ford, former president of the Birmingham Railway Light and Power Company of Birmingham, Alabama.
Alfred Sweeney, formerly associated with the Norfolk & Portsmouth Traction Company of Norfolk, VA, joined the LA&W in 1908, and in the following year was named superintendent of the track.
Two years later, in 1911, he was named assistant to the general manager of the LA&W, and in late 1917, he became assistant general manager of the LA&W and the PRR. Subsequently, in April of 1918, he was named general manager of the LA&W.
Construction Authenticity Pushed
Authority to build a 21-mile line northerly from Augusta to Waterville via East and North Vassalboro and Winslow was sought by the LA&W interests, under the charter of the Augusta & Waterville Railway. On March 22, 1907, more than a month before the consolidation, a petition for approval of locations was filed with the Railroad Commissioners. The required hearing was held at the State House on May 6th and a favorable decision was rendered the same day.
The route was to branch from the Togus line at Cony Corner and generally, follow the present (1969) Route 201 to Bangor Road station in the Riverside area of Augusta. From there the line was to run over private right-of-way for about 7 miles through the woods and open country and along the shore of Webber Pond toward East Vassalboro.
Four Corners, East Vassalboro, Maine circa 1910
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_21_151
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library
From East Vassalboro, the line was to run northerly along present Route 32 through North Vassalboro to Winslow, entering the town via Cushman Road. Curving to the swing north and cross the town bridge over the Sebasticook River, continuing along Bay Street a short distance before coming to a crossing of the MCRR.
To avoid a grade crossing of the railroad, the LA&W purchased a private right-of-way along the side of a clay bank to the east of the MCRR tracks and constructed a 245-foot-long steel viaduct spanning the steam road at a 45-degree angle.
Map from O. R. Cummings 1963 book, "Lewiston,
Augusta, & Waterville Street Railway
No 320 on the trestle over Maine Central
tracks in Winslow.
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_21_161
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library
Constructing the new trolley bridge between Winslow
and Waterville, 1909.
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_21_164
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library
The same legislation that created the LA&W system, authorized the company to build an approximately 20-mile connecting link between Sabattus, on the Lewiston Division, and Gardiner on the former Augusta, Waterville & Gardiner Railroad (AW&G).
(Later a physical connection between the MCRR and the LAW was established near the east end of the private way.)
Several Private Way Sections
Running on its own right-of-way at the southerly side of the road but within the legal limits of the highway, the line was to extend on for slightly more than two miles to a point near the Webster-Wales town line.
There was to enter a private way again, running to the west of the highway for about three-quarters of a mile before crossing the road and continuing through the woods and fields for roughly 2.5 miles to what later became known as Keenan's.
Map from the 2015 NEERHS book,
"The Illustrated Atlas of Maine's Street
& Electric Railways 1863-1946"
Map from O. R. Cummings 1963 book, "Lewiston,
Augusta, & Waterville Street Railway
No. 332 at Day's Corner, South Monmouth, ME. Spur to
Heart of Maine Packing Company on the right.
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_21_031
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library
Tacoma Inn
The Tacoma Inn, on the line between Sabattus and Gardiner, near the intersection of Sand & Woodbury Ponds, was a favorite spot for factory and commercial outings. Only 14 miles from the Lewiston waiting station, there were many charter trips from Lewiston, Auburn, and Gardiner to the Inn. An annual excursion was that of the Healy Asylum, a boys' orphanage in Lewiston. This yearly event was financed by a bequest in the will of W. Scott Libbey, builder of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban, Bates College, and probably Colby College classes and groups held outings and reunions at the inn.
A feature attraction at the Tacoma Inn was the "High Diving White Horses."
The handsome white horses, "King" and "Queen" would jump into the Sand
Pond from a high platform (info provided by
Bachelder's Crossing in Litchfield, Maine.
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_21_039
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library
Map from the 2015 NEERHS book,
"The Illustrated Atlas of Maine's Street
& Electric Railways 1863-1946"
The 70-pound "T"-rail was laid in 30-foot lengths, broken-jointed, with Weber joints and twin-terminal bonds. Ties were of cedar, laid on 2-foot centers in gravel ballast. Double ties were used at joints.
Pressed steel tie plates were used on curves and the track was cross-bonded every 1,000 feet. Grades were light and curved easily. The overhead construction consisted of double-No. 00 trolley wire suspended from side brackets.
New Route Opened in Sections
The first section of the new Augusta-Waterville route opened for travel was the 7-mile stretch between the Sebasticook River bridge in Winslow and the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railroad (WW& F RR) crossing at East Vassalboro on June 27, 1908.
Map from the 2015 NEERHS book,
"The Illustrated Atlas of Maine's Street
& Electric Railways 1863-1946"
Two Years to Complete Connections
It was not until December 15, 1909, that the company was granted a certificate of safety for the 1,100 feet of track from Winslow across the new bridge to the connection with the W&F at the junction of Main and Bridge Streets, Waterville.
(The grade crossing of the WW&F RR existed for only eight years, being eliminated in 1916 when the narrow gauge line abandoned and removed its track between Weeks Mills and North Vassalboro, the section between North Vassalboro and Winslow having been abandoned and dismantled four years earlier.)
No. 334 on Main Street in North Vassalboro, Maine.
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_21_152
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library
On the Sabattus-Gardiner link, a certificate of safety for the 1.5 miles of track between Depot Square and New Mills Village was granted on July 13, 1908, and a little more than two months later, on September 15th, a similar certificate was granted for the 19.5 miles between New Mills Village and Sabattus.
Bridge at New Mills, Cobbossee Stream, in Gardiner, Maine.
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_21_043
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library
The "Merrymeeting" parlor car in Sabattus at the siding
numbered 5 in the Sabattus map below.
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_21_022
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library
Map from O. R. Cummings 1963 book, "Lewiston,
Augusta, & Waterville Street Railway
The "Maranacook," after being numbered No. 108, in a later
paint scheme at the corner of Bowdoin and Summer Streets,
Winthrop, Maine. O. R. Cummings Collection
2009_2_21_125-Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library
In the early years after the consolidation, the original lines received rehabilitation and upgrades yearly through 1914, then little appears to have been done in 1915 or 1916. The reduction in investment in maintenance coincides with the beginning of the decline.
From 1907 to 1917, the LA&W was a fairly profitable system. Passenger traffic climbed steadily during the ten years and freight and express also showed a healthy annual increase.
Trolley party "Special' open car No. 63 poses at Maranacook
Landing. - O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_21_117
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library
The "Cobbosseecontee," No. 20 of the AW&G loading
passengers for Winthrop on Western Avenue at State Street,
Augusta. Circa 1903 - O. R. Cummings Collection
2009_2_21_101-Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library
The road's fixed charges were very high due to the large funded debt and other obligations - and operating and maintenance costs were by no means low. 1910-1916 the preferred stock did pay 6 percent, but at no time did any dividends paid to common stockholders.
Data from the 1963 book by O. R. Cummings, "Lewiston,
Augusta, & Waterville Street Railway
The last month in 1917 and the first few in 1918 were a time of trouble for the LA&W. A two-day strike of blue-uniformed men completely paralyzed the system in early December, then came several storms, disrupting service for several days at a time.
Possibly No. 334 abandoned in the snow on the private
right-of-way near Webber Pond in Vassalboro.
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_21_150
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library
Many cars were withdrawn from service due to burned-out motors and power difficulties. The wartime scarcity of parts hampered the company in making repairs.
Due to rising expenses, the LA&W was able to only pay a 1.5-percent dividend on preferred stock in 1918. A fare rate increase was put in place in June that helped matters a little, but it soon became apparent that a sizable deficit was in the offing.
1918 Losses Brough Receivership - Reorganization Decided Upon
With losses approaching $100,000, on December 16, 1918, the line was in receivership. When the financial conditions failed to improve in 1919, the company was reorganized and foreclosed on July 1, 1919. A public auction took place.
The sale was held on September 5, and the assets, properties, and franchises of the LA&W were conveyed to the protective committee for $50, contingent upon acceptance of the outstanding liabilities and debts totaling $3,100,000.
The Augusta Division of the former LA&W became the Kennebec Division of the Androscoggin & Kennebec Railway (A&K), and it eventually was expanded to include the Sabattus-Gardiner trackage in addition to that from Gardiner through Augusta to Waterville; from Augusta to Winthrop, and from Augusta to Togus.
George W. Bowie continued as superintendent of the Kennebec Division, Alfred B. Sweeney being the general manager of the A&K.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We continue the restoration work on the 1912, Narcissus, the only surviving high-speed, luxury interurban coach of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban.
Click Here: Narcissus Restoration-Related Posts
Being more than a century old, the stately, "Elegant Ride," Narcissus, is a gem. This shimmering precious stone of Maine transportation history is brilliantly resplendent as it emanates so many elements of history, including; time, places, people, and events, that it was coupled to, that when just a smattering of its seemingly innumerable stories are shared, the contents captivates, fascinates, then generates, interest to learn more 🙋. The majestic Narcissus is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Please consider joining the epic journey to complete the Narcissus Project by making a donation today!
Click Here: Donation Options
The restoration of this majestic icon of Maine's electric railway history is but one in a series of captivating stories containing an abundance of incredible coalition of narratives.
Click Here: History-Related Posts - Narcissus and Portland-Lewiston Interurban
The Narcissus is featured in the national Gold Award-winning novel, Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride. The "Elegant Ride" is the Narcissus. Theodore Roosevelt was a passenger on the Narcissus on August 18, 1914, between Lewiston and Portland, Maine, while campaigning for the Progressive Party candidates.
Click Here: Bookstores and Businesses promoting the Narcissus Project
Independent book publisher, Phil Morse, holding
the Gold Book Award Winner plaque for
the Middle Reader category for The Eric
Hoffer Book Award. Congratulations to
award-winning Maine author,
Jean M. Flahive
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