Opening day was imminent when this photo of Northampton
Station was taken in the spring of 1901. The Maine
connection to the station is the architect, Alexander Wadsworth
Longfellow. The Wadsworth family roots are well rooted
in Portland, Maine. Alexander's uncle Henry, a well-known
writer/poet. F. Cheney Collection
This blog post is to commemorate the arrival of the 1901 Boston Elevated Railway, Northampton Station, to Seashore Trolley Museum in 1990. The incredible story of its acquisition and transportation to
the Museum's campus from Boston is a true odyssey. An epic saga.
This post contains edited text and images from the special, twenty-eight-page, October 1990 EXTRA issue, of Seashore Trolley Museum's newsletter, Dispatch. Written by James Schantz. Credits for additional images are so noted.
Northampton Comes to Maine
It started the way so many Seashore acquisition projects do - anxiety over the impending destruction of a trolley-era artifact. This time, as the Roxbury Division of the Main Line Elevated, known in recent years as the MBTA Orange Line, was creaking through its final months in late 1986, the prospect of the magnificent copper-clad stations disappearing distressed Seashore Members.
For years this concern had been mitigated as there circulated reports of reuse plans for these stations - Dover was to be made into a restaurant, perhaps with several cars permanently in the station as at the Nollendorferplatz station flea market in Berlin; much of the massive Dudly terminal was to be reborn as a light rail and bus terminal, and Northampton station was to be removed and incorporated in the Dudly project. Yet as the final days of the elevated approached, it seemed these projects were doomed as well.
Dover Station - Boston Magazine via Ashley Swanson
Dudley Street Terminal - May 20, 1902
Northampton Station - east side - May 3, 1901
Of particular concern to Seashore members was Northampton Station. It was the last of the "standard" stations designed by Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow. On the original elevated system, like Dudley on the south with Sullivan Square on the north via the Tremont Street Subway and the Atlantic Avenue Elevated, all of the stations, ten in total, except the terminals were of this identical design. These stations were among the most elegantly built on any elevated in America. Yet by the 1980s, all except Northampton had been rebuilt or demolished.
Glistening copper and carefully crafted details are in evidence
as Northampton Station nears completion in February 1901.
F. Cheney Collection
Adding to Northampton's allure, the station was especially pleasant to use, in spite of the deterioration of the immediate neighborhood. the views from the platforms were unique. The vista north on Washington Street showed the "split track" section of the elevated elegantly constructed from latticework "Howe Trusses", framed by the Victorian brick row houses lining Washington Street and the towers of Boston's skyline in the background. The passenger platforms straddled the busy thoroughfare of Massachusetts Avenue, with Chester Park on one side, and Boston City Hospital on the other. This location made Northampton perhaps the most visible of Boston's El stations, seen by thousands of motorists daily as they clogged Boston's busiest crosstown street.
Looking north along the mainline from under the end of
the copper-clad canopy of Northampton Station
Still looking north from the platform underneath the canopy.
The exit stairwell to the street with the "Orange
Line" sign displaying an arrow on the left leading patrons to
board for Forrest Hills via Dudley and an arrow on the right
for patrons to board Oak Grove via Washington & State.
The elaborate support system for the canopy is on display.
Northampton Station entrance as seen from the exit stairway.
March 28, 1961 - Boston City Archives
The west side of Northampton Station as seen from
the El tracks February 19, 1901 - Boston City Archives
Northampton Station - looking northeast from Washington
Street - Library of Congress
Northampton Station - looking northeast - Library of Congress
Northampton Station September 1985 - Henry Petermann Photo
In addition to the concern over the potential passing of these stations was the Museum's obligation to preserve the elevated for future generations. For many people, few features of a transit system better captured the energy and spirit of the early twentieth-century city as the highly visible streetcars and elevateds. With, by far, the biggest collection of rapid transit cars, Seashore has a special mission to interpret the essence of these systems for future generations - a daunting task in rural Maine, especially as it is rather difficult to move and reerect an elevated structure!
An interior view is believed to be opening day likely at the
sister station, Dover. Note balloons atop the collector's booth.
P. Kochs Collection
The Elevated in America
But the historical role of Els was clear. Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago all featured elevated lines over busy downtown streets, as did Paris, Berlin,, and Hamburg in Europe. Smaller streetcar elevateds existed in Kansas City, Baltimore, Sioux City, and Boston. The sights and sounds of the el were unique - the rattling and hissing of trains, the crowds hurrying up and down the station stairways, and the patterns of sunlight created on city streets below. All would be difficult to interpret for future generations through photographs alone. In Chicago, the downtown section is known to this day as the Loop, derived from the circle of elevated lines encompassing the 35-block core area. In Boston, the Elevated took such importance that the company organized to build the first line was named the Boston Elevated Railway Company, a name that adorned all Boston public transit vehicles for nearly half a century.
Here is a Note that accompanies the description of the Northampton Station in the Library of Congress:
Notes:
- Significance: Elevated structure is the last remaining portion of a formerly extensive elevated rapid transit system built at the turn of the century [20th - ed] in Boston. This portion of the Orange Line elevated is historically significant as Boston's first elevated line., built during a period of worldwide interest and experimentation with elevated railways; and is the product of Boston's last privately owned transit company, the Boston Elevated Railway Company. Architecturally, it is significant for the quality of its original station architecture, which was designed by the prominent local architect, Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow. Later alterations were carried out under consultation with other leading Boston architects, such as Robert Swain Peabody and Edmund Wheelwright. In general, it represented the most advanced transportation planning of its day and is a good case study, on a small scale, of rapid transit at the turn of the century.
- Survey number: HAER MA-14
- Building/structure dates: 1901 Initial Construction
- Building dates: 1909 Subsequent Work
- Building/structure dates: 1948 Subsequent Work
- Building/structure dates: 1987 Demolished [Actually not demolished - removed/relocated to Seashore Trolley Museum, Kennebunkport, Maine - ed]
Northampton Station nearing completion January 21, 1901
But history was not on the side of the elevateds. Modern civilization came to view them as a blighting influence. In the 1950s they disappeared from Manhattan and downtown Philadelphia. In Brooklyn, several lines were abandoned and dismantled. In Chicago, one line was replaced by a median strip rapid transit line in a new expressway, and other routes were abandoned. And in Boston, they disappeared completely, the Atlantic Avenue branch in 1938, the Charlestown line in 1975, and the Roxbury Division in 1987.
Recognizing these trends the Museum moved to preserve Tower C from Charlestown elevated in 1975. Once sitting astride the three-way junction at North Washington and Causeway Streets near North Station, the Tower controlled track alignment on the busy lines. Perched a few hundred feet from the harbor edge, Tower C was lowered to a trailer, driven to the center of the nearby bridge then craned onto a barge for its trip up the coast. On a Kennebunkport pier {Arundel Wharf-ed], its roof was separated to enable both halves to pass under utility wires, and the Tower was reassembled at Seashore, as the largest complete elevated artifact in a museum.
In its original location at Keany Square, curve Boston
looking south toward Tower C Photo circa 1960
Courtesy of Sharon Cummins via Boston City Archives.
Though Tower C was a very valuable artifact, it still would not provide passengers with a way of directly experiencing the atmosphere of the elevated. Thus the Museum's interest in the fate of Washington Street elevated heightened.
The End Comes in Boston
When the last train operated over the line in the early morning hours of May 1, 1987, the future of the station remained unclear. Later that year word came from the MBTA that reuse plans for Dover and Northampton Stations had fallen through and Seashore trustee George Sanborn picked up indications that the T would welcome requests from Seashore for either of the stations. Dover, as a side platform station, and as a rebuild away from the standard design, was both less practical for preservation and less historically significant. If a station were to be preserved, Northampton was a clear choice. At the time, museum crews were in the midst of the massive track removal project at the Forest Hills terminal of the line. Our late founder and President, Ted Santarelli, who was directing the Forrest Hills project, was an early and vocal supporter of acquiring Northampton, and so Seashore's efforts swung to life.
Nearly 90 years later, a train heads north from
Northampton Station on the last day of service, April 30, 1987.
JDS Collection
Surprisingly, as early discussions about the acquisition were being held at Seashore, the MBTA did an about-face. In September of 1988, they withdrew their offer of the stations, saying that legal and preservation restrictions required another formal round of solicitations of interest. In October 1988, the MBTA circulated a half-inch-thick Request-for-Reuse proposal for Northampton and for the covered stairways from Dover, specifying that neither could remain in situ. In the end, no bid was submitted for the Dover stairs, but three arrived for Northampton.
These views under the elevated show the split track construction used in the South
End. On the last day (right), fencing had been installed ready to close off the entrance.
JDS Collection
One bidder proposed to place the station headhouse on the broad sidewalk in front of the Cyclorama/National Theater complex in Boston's South End. It would be transformed into a children's theater. Another group proposed to rebuild the station as a reception center in a planned Roxbury historical park near Dudley Station.
In the summer of 1988, Northampton Station's platform and
canopy met their end. Unknown to us, the MBTA's plans
for re-use of the canopies had fallen through. JDS Coll.
For nearly a year Northampton Station sat isolated as the last
piece of the elevated in the South end, while demolition
continued elsewhere. The sign on the gate covering the entrance
advises prospective travelers the station is closed. B. Clarke Coll.
Seashore proposed relocating the station to Maine, to reuse as a high-platform station for Seashore's growing fleet of rapid transit cars, to bring the era of the elevated to future generations, and potentially as a means to provide handicap access to our demonstration ride. The T's first round called for a written submission with a tight deadline but with the promise of a quick decision. Rushing to meet the deadline, George and Jim (Schantz) compiled the material and had a complete package in by the November 21, 1988 deadline. To our surprise, on December 29, the review committee reported it was unable to decide on the submission, and called for in-person presentations.
Rust-covered rails prove the photographer was not in danger
taking this shot, snapped during a Seashore inspection of the
situation nearly a year after abandonment. JDS Collection
To present Seahsore's case, Jim Schantz and George Sanborn prepared a slideshow, with key images provided by Bradley Clarke, Danny Cohen, and Bill Pollman. In addition to describing Seashore's preservation and interpretation efforts, a major theme of the presentation was the importance of Northampton not meeting the same fate as Thompson Station. Thompson, another of the ten standard stations, was lowered from the structure in Charlestown in early 1976 to be rebuilt as part of Warren Tavern - only to be torched by persons unknown on Patriot's Day 1976. Many Seashore members recall returning from Maine that night to view the sad sight of the smoldering ruins. We emphasized the need to prevent a recurrence of this scene with Northampton.
Thompson Square Station - building the canopy over
the entrance - August 19, 1901
On January 11, 1989, George and Jim arrived at the MBTA Board Room to present Seashore's case. Convened to review the request was a group made up of T Construction and Legal executives and representatives from the Massachusetts Historical Commission. Our presentation was the third of three, and we left feeling a strong case had been made.
This feeling was confirmed when on February 22, 1989, we received a letter from the MBTA General Manager, James O'Leary notifying us that the MBTA Board of Directors had accepted our bid. Now planning in earnest could begin.
Planning the Move
The normal procedure would call for completing feasibility and cost estimates for the Northampton move before the formal bid submission but as so often happens, the schedule established by the T did not give us this luxury. so the two steps went simultaneously. Naturally, we turned to the rigger, a Seashore member, who had so ably handled the Tower C move in 1975. He enlisted the help of a house mover friend of his and discussions began with the MBTA and the demolition contractor, Kimmins Industrial Service Corporation. Though the Station was larger than Tower C, its weight estimated at 22 tons by the T and Kimmins, seemed to indicate movement would not be too much more difficult. Our team promised a prompt cost estimate so that fundraising could begin in earnest. Unfortunately, despite repeated prompting and detailed meetings with the T and contractors, our friends never provided the estimates. Then the T demanded a final meeting to cement a schedule and legal arrangements.
Bradley, George, and Jim attended and requested more time to complete the estimate. Another meeting was scheduled for a week later, and a final request went for the estimates. Still, nothing and time prevented bringing in another contractor, so we assembled Seashore's experienced street car movers who felt that a two-piece move, roof, and body separate, would not prove infeasible given the low weight, in spite of the 26-foot overall width. Thus armed, Bradley, George, and Jim made the final commitment to the T shortly before the station was to be removed from the structure. The MBTA's contract with Kimmins called for them to move the station to a location specified by the T within a five-mile radius of its original location. Original plans had called for taking it to the Arborway. We preferred a location north of the city to make the move easier, but as crossing downtown would be so difficult, we finally settled on the security of the Albany Street bus garage near the Southeast Expressway in the South End. Kimmins would move it this far, from there to the north, which would be Seashore's responsibility.
Shortly after, our first membership appeal was prepared by Bradley, Jack Coyle, and Jim, and sent with a midsummer mailing.
From Washington Street to Albany Garage
The next step in the process, unfortunately, would prove to be extremely difficult, as it required considerable dealings with the contractor, Kimmins. The elevated demolition was running a year late. Was way over budget, and, not surprisingly, stories were rampant of strained relations with the demolition contractor. Our experience soon bore them out.
Initially, both Kimmins and the T had promised to give two weeks notice before moving the station to Albany Street, giving us ample time to arrange for the trucking, to Maine, of the steel being removed at Washington Street. A chance phone call by Jim on Monday, June 5, to double-check plans brought the response, "Oh we're starting on it today." A panic trip to the site found crews with torches starting on the stairway. Fortunately, they agreed to dismantle it with reassembly in mind and to use their cranes to load the steel for us, but thereafter their schedules and plans became inflexible. The actual move to Albany Street would take place on Wednesday. A rushed call to Maine arranged for Fred Perry to drive the anticipated two loads of steel to Maine. Bill O'Brien and Paul Kochs volunteered to help monitor the site, essentially to try to ensure that what we wanted was preserved.
Out plans for the station in Maine called for reassembling the truss and bent sections next to and under the station, to be able to create the image of the elevated and to allow the use of the entry stairs under the headhouse. Our request to Kimmins was that they remove the truss sections as a unit, one from each side, making unit tractor-trailer loads, and enabling relatively easy reassembly. However, their plans differed, leaving us with many scraps to piece back together.
Demolition crews with torches ensured Seashore
would have more pieces than desired to put
back together. JDS Collection
Thursday arrived and Seashore's crew started to gather at the site to witness the final disassembly and lowering, only to find that Kimmins had postponed the move as the crane failed the night before. We intercepted Fred Perry at Capital Leasing in Everett where he was about to pick up the tractor and trailer, so, at least the rental cost was avoided. The next day we repeated the scene, arriving before 7 a.m. A 75-ton crane was already on site awaiting assembly in our opinion did not have enough boom to reach over the station. Kimmins continued their cutting, in ways that were most expeditious for them, but not for reassembly. A complete signal was on a platform along the southbound track. Ignoring our request for careful lowering they dropped it to the street, smashing the case to pieces. Next came the truss to which the signal had been attached. Again they wanted to drop it, not lower it. We asked them to push the crumpled signal platform out of the way before they dropped it. They refused, so the truss slammed on top, acquiring a severe bend that awaits straightening to this day [1990-ed].
Finally, by late afternoon, all was in readiness. The crane was in position, and the cables from the hook to the spreader bar and from the spreader bar to the corners of the bents were all in place. Kimmins' crew made the final four horizontal cuts to separate the station from the columns. Then as the TV cameras rolled, the crane took a strain. Nothing budged. The torches were brought back for a bit more cutting. Another try and still nothing. Finally, the crane gave everything it had - and the spreader bar bent like a paper clip! Our crews had suspected that the cable bar spacing on the spreader was wrong and now the proof was on TV tape.
Notice the spreader bar in this view is nice and straight.
In the next image, the bar is bent.
The results of erroneous weight estimates and
improper rigging was difficult to hide as
Kimmins' efforts were followed closely by
a crowd of onlookers and several TV crews.
B. Clarke Collection
Great concerns developed as the T managers were afraid that the station, cut from the columns but still sitting on them, would fall to the street. Initially, they talked of lifting without the spreader bar - the cables would have sliced straight through the copper eaves ruining the station. Finally, Brian Payne of the building movers intervened and offered to lower the station in the time-tested method of his trade - cribbing and hydraulic jacks, the approach which should have been adopted from the outset. An agreement was reached and the Payne crews started. Before the crane was dismissed, we asked Kimmins to load our steel as they had promised. Fred Perry had been standing by with a tractor and two trailers since morning, Kimmins refused, claiming the crane was then on overtime. Both trailers could have been filled in 30 minutes, but instead, we were left with extra expenses and with no clear way to load the steel.
Earlier the crane had been more
successful lifting up the stair canopy onto
Seashore's waiting trailer. JDS Collection
As Fred left to park the trailers, Payne built four cribbing piles and placed a 15-ton jack on each - a total of 60 tons lifting capacity for the, supposedly, 22-ton station. Their pumps strained mightily, but nothing moved. Next, they erected two more piles - a total of 90 tons lifting capacity. The station rose fractionally, then settled back. Finally, they added two more cribs and brought 120 tons of capacity to bear. The station moved up easily, and the pump gauges read 97 tons! So much for Kimmins' 22-ton estimate.
Working late into the night, Payne Building Movers used
eight hydraulic jacks on cribbing piles to start lowering the
station. JDS Collection
More cutting.
By the following morning, the dollies were
waiting under the station and the stairway
landing/gate assembly awaited transport to Maine.
B. Clarke Collection
As the lowering continued, cribbing flew from the hands
of Payne's crew. P. Calcatera Collection
By late Thursday night, the station had come several feet down when the crew called it a night. Another attempt to move through the streets could not be made until the following Monday, so the site was secured and left with a 24-hour T police detail.
The station is halfway down. B. Clarke Collection
On Monday, June 12, the jacking resumed, and by early evening the station was being lowered into place on two, eight-wheel, steerable dollies at the rear, and a large capacity 10-wheel tractor at the front. The huge girder "bent" sections at each end fit perfectly into the dolly and tractor carrying pieces, negating the need for house-moving beams under the load.
Finally down, moving preparations began. B. Clarke Coll.
A fair-sized crowd gathered awaiting the move including a good contingent from Seashore. Present were Bradley Clarke, Danny Cohen, Amy Coburn, Jack Coyle, Chuck Griffith, Paul Kocks, George Sanborn, Tom Santarelli, Jeffrey Sisson, and Jim Schantz. About 9 p.m., the Payne tractor came to life, and with police escorts, fore and aft began its journey down Washington Street. Several times cars had to be towed and steel guard rails from the safety islands were cut off - slowing progress. Next to the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, where the station would turn right toward Albany Street, the eaves exactly coincided with the height of double-bracket arm street lights. A mobile boom lift from the station site was driven up, the lights were spun one-sixth of a rotation on their hexagonal poles, and the station moved through (the lights remain in this awkward position to this date[1990-ed], mute testimony to Northampton's passing). By about 1 a.m. it was at the Albany Street parking lot, where Payne jacked it onto cribbing piles, then headed home.
En Route in late evening along Washington Street.
B. Clarke Collection
As the rig turned right at the Cathedral of the Holy
Cross, street lights hung at roof level. Crews would
soon rotate them out of the way. B. Clarke Coll.
By 1:00 a.m. on June 13, 1989,
Northampton Station was in place at Albany Street yard.
It was home for the next six months. B. Clarke Coll.
A view of Washington Street (looking south) was
suddenly quite different. Northampton Station was sited just
where the approaching cars await the stoplight.
B. Calcatera Collection
The sight of the station, looming over 35 feet in the air with the bents and trusses still in place, moving down a city street, was one never to be forgotten. The massive size of this project was driven home clearly!
The route Northampton traveled from
Mass Ave. to the parking lot on the
corner of Randolph & Albany Streets.
A day or two later, we completed moving the steel left behind on Washington Street. We paid the craning costs as Kimmins refused the use of their equipment. Kimmins insisted on accompanying our trucks empty and full to the weigh scales, to determine the tonnage exactly. The result of all of this was that steel originally believed to have been in the donation, instead, would cost Seashore around $3,000. Bill Pollman and Jim cleaned up the site after Fred drove the trucks away, there was a sense of relief that this phase of the project had ended.
100 Tons, 95 Miles
Now came our turn to plan the remaining 95 miles of the move. Our rigger/house mover pair still failed to deliver, so we decided that we needed a new source of help. The nearly five-fold increase in weight estimate made it clear that this move would not lend itself to handling with volunteer crews. Thus we promptly contacted Payne Building Movers, whose very professional efforts had saved the day on Washington Street.
Brian Payne, the firm's President, was most cooperative and very interested in doing the move, essentially at cost, which would be a tremendous saving for Seashore. He assigned his planner, Ken Johnson, to research the route and means of the move. Over the coming months, we found that in Brian and Ken, and the rest of the Payne firm, the Museum had gained some first-class friends. Dealing with such skilled and friendly people would turn out to be a very pleasant and educational process.
The Payne staff felt very strongly that we should explore every possible way of moving the station intact, to avoid if at all possible, the damage and effort that would come from cutting it into sections. The next two to three months were spent exploring this option in detail.
The first conclusion was that a land move to Maine would be much too complex to contemplate. For sure, the roof would have to come off, but even so, overweight permits and complex routes would be needed through every town and municipality in the three-state path to Seashore. Thus, our efforts quickly swung to the approach used for Tower C: a land move to the waterfront in Boston, ocean transport to Maine, and land transport the final few miles to the Museum. Thus exploration began in all three phases of this plan move: through Boston to the waterfront, from Boston to Maine by water, and from the Maine coast to the Museum.
In Boston, the lack of overhead utility wires would prove to be beneficial. The station headhouse is 24 feet tall, 28 if loaded on dollies, and about 35 feet, if loaded with the bent and truss steel still in place. The legal minimum height for utility wires, if wires were there, would be 18 feet. What would offset the benefit of no overhead wires, is the maze of bridges, elevated highways, and traffic signals. More importantly, the migration of Boston away from the maritime economy would be the biggest hurdle. The once-bustling downtown Boston waterfront is now virtually all condominiums, offices, and restaurants. Boston's working piers are today [1989-ed] in South Boston, Charlestown, or East Boston. Extensive route surveys would prove that all three of these areas would be unreachable for Northampton - South Boston, due to rickety bridges across the Fort Point Channel, plus low railroad overpasses further south; Charlestown due to weight restriction and restrictive overhead structure on the North Washinton Street bridge; and East Boston due to the harbor itself.
The feasibility of the move would hang on the availability of one of three potential loading points along the Boson waterfront: a parking lot next to the Northern Avenue Bridge, a parking lot on Sargent's Wharf on Commercial Street, and the Coast Guard Station further along Commercial Street. These were the only places where the station could actually approach a vessel in the water. The Northern Avenue location was quickly ruled out as the parking lot surface was on rather unsteady-appearing pilings and it turned out this was the site of a well-publicized incident in which a police horse fell through the pavement. Needless to say, a 90-ton elevated station would not do well there!
This left us with the Coast Guard station and Sargent's Wharf. The latter location seemed preferable as using it would not disrupt the Coast Guard's operations; it would only displace some parkers. Plus, huge granite blocks formed the edge of the wharf and clearly would support whatever weight was put on them. George contacted the owners of Fritz-Inn Parking, who operated the lot. They were very helpful and readily offered to make it available. For quite some time it appeared that this problem was solved. Only later would it become apparent that we would need the permission, not only of Fitz-Inn but of the wharf's owner, the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA).
When George approached the BRA, matters became more complicated. Their engineering department had major concerns about the ability of the wharf to support the station's weight. It was filled land, and they felt concerned that a heavy load would sink in. As the BRA was on the verge of turning the land over to developers (for yet more condos or offices) they wanted no disruption.
This concern made painfully clear to us, one of the major misconceptions that movers of heavy loads have to face - the issue of total weight versus axle loadings. A normal tractor-trailer rig may carry up to 40 tons. Thus, when it is proposed to move a station that weighs 100 tons (or 70 if the steel were removed) red lights go off in the minds of the officials responsible for roads, bridges, and piers. The real issue, however, is not the total weight but rather how much weight per square inch of rubber, or in aggregate, how much weight per axle (with 4 tires) is placed on the surface. The way a mover, such as Payne, rigs a structure, is to ensure there is enough rubber under it to keep the axle, or tire loadings, the same as an ordinary, 40-tone tractor-trailer. Further, a 40-tone tractor-trailer truck hitting a pothole at 25 miles-per-hour, places far less stress on the structure than a much heavier load inching along slowly.
These points are often difficult to explain. So, it was with the BRA. Repeated discussions with them over a two-month period, by both Seashore and Payne representatives, would not result in them budging an inch. The best pier on the Boston waterfront would be off-limits to Northampton.
The backup location was the Coast Guard station. The Coast Guard officers proved very willing to help, but their engineers refused to consider any load over 30 tons!
These matters would have rested, had not Ken Johnson of Payne suggested that we load on Eastern Avenue, which was really a part of Sargent's Wharf, running from Commercial Street perpendicularly to the water's edge, but which did not infringe on the BRA/Fritz Inn parking lot. As it was a public street, the BRA finally agreed not to object, and ultimately the problem with Eastern Avenue was a gently sloping bank at the water's edge, which would make loading onto a vessel very difficult. Nonetheless, the last major obstacle to be removed was when the use of Eastern Avenue was approved. When its use was agreed to in November, nearly four months after planning had started, we finally had a viable plan.
Meanwhile, many other route issues were being researched; to reach Commercial Street from Albany Street, the Station would have to pass through Boston's South End, cross a bridge over the Massachusetts Turnpike Extension, then go through the Theater District and Chinatown to South Station, from which it would follow Atlantic Avenue and Commercial Street to Eastern Avenue. Solid, adequately wide streets were available throughout. The only issue appeared to be securing permission to cross a bridge over the Mass. Turnpike and arrange for brackets-arm traffic signals to be moved.
At Payne's suggestion, Jim contacted Boston Edison, who had recent experience moving a 200-ton transformer through Boston. The Edison representatives proved very helpful and pointed us to the right people to contact in the City of Boston. The key person for the city was Dick Loring of the City Traffic Department. He proved to be extremely helpful and extremely knowledgeable, as his office regularly handles the many odd requests that can come to a major city, from shooting the Spencer for Hire TV series to oversize moves. As well, he would perform the very valuable service of coordinating the various city agencies and departments that would be involved.
The city requirements essentially amounted to the following: The move would take place in the early morning hours of a Sunday, which are the lightest traffic hours of the week. We would post Eastern Avenue with No Parking signs beginning 48 hours before the move. Seashore would bear the cost of crews to move traffic signals, crews to operate tow trucks, and a Boston Police detail to escort the move.
All of this seemed quite straightforward. Such would not be the case with the Turnpike Bridge. The route agreed upon by the various parties would have us cross the Turnpike on Harrison Avenue, the same place where Atlantic Elevated crossed what was then the Boston & Albany Railroad right-of-way a half-century earlier. Ken Johnson contacted the Turnpike Authority in Weston, who expressed great concern. They felt a complete engineering survey of the bridge would be needed, done by an outside firm, at $10,000 to $15,000! Over the ensuing several months, Ken and Jim had further discussions with them. Finally, Brian Payne provided drawings showing the tire pattern and axle loadings, the Turnpike Authority agreed that the survey would not be needed and issued a permit. Their only requirements were that no other vehicles be on the bridge when the station crossed, that a State Police detail must be on hand to stop traffic on the Pike for the critical few moments during the move, that extra insurance must be arranged, and that utilities whose lines used the bridge must be notified of the move.
Our Kingdon for a Ship
Concurrent with the detailed planning in Boston, the other phases of the move were being explored. The most critical issue was to find a source of ocean transport at an affordable cost. Tower C had been moved on a barge, hauled by a tug. The barge had come from Perini Construction in Boston, and the tug from another firm.
George began the quest for Northampton with the same companies. Perini's public relations representatives said they now were out of the marine business. The tug operator was also unable to help.
George worked the yellow pages checking all barge listings. Finally, J. F. Cashman offered to donate the use of a barge, if we could arrange insurance to cover the barge and any liability arising from the move. Jim then checked through Seashore's insurance agent in Kennebunk, Steve Jacobson, on our behalf, spent considerable time on what he described as a very interesting research project. Unfortunately, despite his best efforts, he could not persuade any firm to provide us the temporary coverage. Thus ended the Cashman possibility.
Conversations with Boston Fuel and others similarly proved unpromising.
At the time, it was also uncertain how the station would be placed on the barge. Tower C had been lowered by cranes. For Northampton, a similar maneuver would be much more difficult, as the nearly 100-ton weight would require among the heaviest cranes available in Boston. This led to another line of inquiry. Many Seashore members had noticed a huge, barge-mounted crane, that had been docked next to the Mystic-Tobin Bridge in Boston for quite some time. This crane could clearly load Northampton without any issues with the weight.
George checked into the crane's availability and soon was speaking with its owner in Norfolk, Virginia. It turned out that the crane, known as the Chesapeake 1000, was the largest ocean-going crane on the east coast. It had a 1000-ton lifting capacity. It was in Boston to unload some very large Swedish power-generating equipment for a Central Massachusetts utility company. The owner seemed willing to donate the use of the crane, so it appeared another problem was solved.
However, as Payne examined the proposed move, they concluded that the way to load the station would be to drive it straight onto the barge. They would use the crane mats or steel beams to form a ramp from the pier to the vessel, then would simply drive the rig on board. Tractor, station, dollies, and all would make the trip to Maine by sea, then reverse the operation once there - a far simpler operation than using cranes.
Meanwhile, as George was running out of barge operators to contact, Ken Johnson of Payne, told us of a gentleman by the name of Frank Ganter. Once contacted, George found him most willing to help us out, essentially offering to provide transport at a reasonable cost. Further, as it turned out from conversations between Jim and Frank, he had a vessel that could move the station on board, without a barge. Before long, we met with Frank at Albany Street, showing him the station and discussing the move in detail. George drove Ken and Frank to Maine to show them the Museum, and to review various pier options identified in earlier research by Ken, Donald Curry, and Jim.
Frank's vessel, the R.J. Munzer, was an ex-offshore oil rig supply boat, about 18 years old. It had worked the trade from the Gulf Coast of Louisiana to oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico until it was replaced by larger ships some years ago. It had a high superstructure at the front, several built-in gantry cranes, and a large flat deck to the rear. It also had a large crawler crane on board, similar to the one acquired recently by Seashor [1989-ed], but bigger. The crane was used to aid in the ship's primary mission in life, offshore salvage of sunken ships, a task that takes Frank and his vessel around the world. Loading an elevated station onto this deck would be a new experience for Frank, but one that he could easily carry out.
Once we had reached an agreement with Frank, this particularly critical part of the move appeared to be solved.
The Down East Solution
The third major front to be explored was the logistics of the move once the station arrived in Maine - which harbor to use, what route would be feasible, and how to clear any obstacles.
Initial research into port locations done at various times by Fred Perry, Donald Curry, and Jim identified three potential locations: Biddeford Pool, Kennebunkport, and Wells Harbor. Tower C had come into Kennebunkport, but the pier used to unload it now featured a restaurant [Arundel Wharf-ed]. Other locations further down the Kennebunk River toward the ocean merited consideration, but narrow, winding roads through the Port were a concern. Similarly, Biddeford Pool featured very constricted roads and height clearances at the pier. Wells Harbor had a simple, straight road leading to Route 1, but suffered from a narrow boat ramp, and possibly a shallow channel leading to the ocean.
Upon reviewing the options, Frank Ganter chose the Kennebunkport breakwater in front of the Colony Hotel as the best site. It featured a solid granite wall, adequate water depth, and a flat area where vehicles could easily maneuver.
The proposed unloading area for Northampton Station
at the Colony Beach breakwater on the Kennebunkport side
of the Kennebunk River. Google Earth screenshot
Once the Kennebunkport breakwater location was chosen, the biggest issue was immediately apparent to anyone familiar with the area - overhead utility wires. They crossed every road leading to the Museum from the unloading area, all conforming to the statutory minimum height of 18 feet. Clearly, one of three things must happen: the wires would have to come down, the roof would have to come off the station, or the station would have to go over the wires. All three options were explored in detail.
Ken Johnson of Payne researched the roads around the Port and selected a route. The station would come from the pier along Ocean Avenue to Green Street (a few blocks east of Dock Square), turn right onto Green Street to Route 9, then turn left and travel to the junction of Route 9 and Log Cabin Road, which it would then follow to the Museum. Ken carefully photographed and documented the route, counting and listing every wire. In the 5.5-mile distance, there were telephone, electric, and cable TV "house drops" connecting a single house to roadside poles, there were "hard-wire" cables that contained many wires supplying a whole neighborhood, and there were road crossings where the supply lines move from one side of the road to the other.
Each of these types of wire would require different handling. House drops normally can be disconnected and reconnected quickly by utility crews preceding and following the move, with only minor service disruptions to the house in question. The expense of this would not be so great. Road crossings often were also not a problem. If the cable configuration would allow, the wire could simply be unhooked from several poles, dropped to the ground, the wires protected with planks then the load driven over the planks. What is problematic, is when "hard-wire" cables require disconnecting. The utility will not want to interrupt service to so many customers, so their approach would be to splice a new section of cable that could go over or under the move, without ever disconnecting service. With hundreds of slices per cable, the labor cost for hard-wire moves could be astronomical.
Ken's survey showed that between Kennebunkport and the Seashore Trolley Museum, there were 105 hard-wire cables, 272 residential drops, and 30 guy-wires. Graphic evidence of the development of the Kennebunkport area.
Clearly, if the wires were to come down, we would need contributed services from the utilities. Thus Donald and George approached NYNEX and Central Maine Power to request their assistance, a process that would almost immediately be interrupted by the NYNEX strike. Some time elapsed, but the answers came in - equally distressing in each case. Neither would contribute to the removal service, and the charges to do the moves would be approximately $20,000 from Central Maine Power and $51,000 from NYNEX. Payne uncovered an obscure Maine statute that essentially said a town government could decide the allocation of charges for such wire moves, and thus could, if it wanted, dictate that the utility absorb the total, but we judged pursuing this option could lead to bitter feelings on all sides. Reluctantly, we had to conclude that moving the wires was no longer an option.
One seemingly far-out option, though, did merit at least exploration. We had all seen newsreel footage now and again of military helicopters lifting battle tanks. Though battle tanks may not be as heavy as an elevated station, the thought of flying Northampton the approximately three miles from the boat anchored off Goose Rocks Beach to the property had a certain appeal to it. George once again swung into action checking military leads through both Seashore members and other acquaintances. Over several months, conflicting stories of the feasibility of such a move filtered back. Finally, one particularly well-connected source checked through to experts in the Pentagon, and the word came back that helicopters with adequate capacity simply did not exist.
Finally, the reality was clear. The station could move through Boston intact, could move by the ocean to Kennebunkport intact, but to travel the last five miles of the trek, the roof would have to come off.
Though this was not particularly an appealing conclusion, at least we had the means to examine closely the feasibility of roof removal. Old friend Frank Cheney had in his extensive photo collection, detailed shots made by the Boston Elevated when Northampton was built. About 10 very clear shots showed the construction techniques and the placement of both steel and wood structural members. Frank loaned us the photos and Richard LaHart copied them. Additionally, the MBTA's files of architectural drawings have amazing depth. Paul White and Jeffrey Sisson were able to delve into the T archives and come up with a one-inch-thick stack of drawings showing almost every conceivable detail (Yes - even the rivet patterns on the trusses) of Northampton's construction and modifications through the years. If we had to cut, at least we knew what we would be cutting.
Detailed construction photos such as this one, combined with
complete architectural drawings would ease the process of
planning the move and separating the roof.
F. Cheney Collection
Tower C's roof was cut in a matter of hours by simply running a reciprocating blade "Sawzall" electric saw through the window posts. The saw cut the copper sheathing and the wood framing with equal ease. It objected only to the lead sash weights. Northampton promised to be somewhat more challenging as an angle-iron frame lay beneath the wood, much as in the construction of a steel streetcar. This, it was thought, would necessitate supplementing the Sawzall with an abrasive wheel, but still a thin, largely invisible cut should be possible.
The Move Begins
By early November, after five months of preparation, the plan for the move was finally in place. We picked Sunday, December 3 [1989-ed] as a target for the trip from Albany Street to the boat loading location at Eastern Avenue. Though it would have been ideal to wait for warmer spring weather, two factors argued against a delay. First, the MBTA was anxious to have space at Albany Street freed up. The station was occupying what was normally employee parking, and tensions were rising over the inconvenience. Second, even though Albany Street is well secured, we felt the station was living on borrowed time. The copper sheathing is very attractive to thieves. Dover Station lost large patches of copper before it was demolished. Tower F, a near duplicate of Tower C, while in storage at the T's Bartlett Street garage in Roxbury, and, had lost most of the copper from its first floor to vandals. And finally, Dudley Station, still in place and still heavily used as a bus station, had amazingly lost large sections of its copper roof to thieves who were operating in broad daylight. We were thankful that Northampton had withstood a summer and fall intact, and did not want to chance a winter and spring as well.
Thus, final preparations now accelerated to a torrid pace. Ken Johnson and Jim began the many-step process of obtaining permits from the City of Boston and the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority. To keep the load height down, a crew was assembled to cut the steel trusses and bents away from the station headhouse. The steel would have to be moved separately over the road, as normal tractor-trailer loads.
On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Payne's crew arrived to put house-moving beams under the station and jack the weight off of the steel so it could be removed. As Payne worked, Seashore's crew swung into action. Chuck Griffith, Jeffrey Sisson, and Jim manned the torches, which had been brought down by Peter Folger a day or two before. Bill O'Brien had brought more tools, and Paul Castiglione functioned as the fireman. Meanwhile, Jack Murphy and George Sanborn worked inside the station making preparations for the eventual roof removal, using some tools brought by Danny a few days earlier. George and Bill made a trip to Everett for more oxygen and acetylene. By the end of the day, Payne was through and the cutting had made major progress. On Sunday, Jeff, George, Bill, and Jim continued the cutting. On the following Monday and Tuesday, Chuck completed the cutting, working in the late afternoon twilight. The next day, Bill returned to pick up the torches and tanks for return to the supplier and to Maine.
At Albany Street, after Seashore crews had cut the truss
sections away, Payne threaded moving beams under the station.
JDS Collection
On Thursday and Friday, the Payne crews returned to lower the station onto the tractor-dolly combination. Despite bitterly cold weather, and the absence of Brian Payne (whose wife, Sandy, was giving birth to their latest child) the crews jacked the station down into place, one crib at a time. On Saturday, Chuck, George, Amy Colburn, and Jack Coyle continued work inside the station, removing most of the upper sash, where the roof would be cut, and removing several latter-day closets and partitions that would not be needed during its restoration. That would interfere with cutting the roof if they remained in place. Many reusable pieces of finished plywood and hundreds of feet of conduit were salvaged.
Meanwhile, a final review of the route uncovered a previously unnoticed twisted pair of wires connecting two older street lights on the opposite side of the block of East Berkeley Street. A quick call to longtime Museum friend, David Rooney in the city lighting department, revealed that the lights in question belonged to Boston Edison, and he told us who to call. Edison was quite interested in our project, with the result that the wires, that were scheduled to come down soon anyway, were gone within two days - at no charge.
Ken and Jim attended final meetings with Dick Loring at City Hall. Also brought in, was the Boston Police Department's main special detail coordinator, Sergeant Mike Crossen. He could not have been more helpful in making the arrangements for the police detail. Dick and Mike decided the move should start at 4:00 a.m. Sunday morning [December 3, 1989] - late enough so that stragglers would be home from the bars, and early enough that there was plenty of time before afternoon traffic would pick up. Dick Loring directed Ken and Jim to the Signal Department headquarters in South Boston to obtain temporary "Tow Zone" signs for placement on Eastern Avenue. Over several days, Jack Coyle, George, and Jim posted these signs and put flyers on car windows imploring people not to park on the street on Saturday night.
Unfortunately, nature appeared not to be cooperating as a major storm was predicted for Saturday night. Brian Payne said he would arrive regardless. His trucks had snow plows and he felt the load would be heavy enough to prevent skidding. We agreed to a meeting time of 1:00 a.m. Sunday morning at Albany Street to begin the move.
As Saturday night approached, fortunately, the storm fizzled in Boston. Only a thin coating of slush appeared. At 1:00, Ken and Chuck were the first at Albany Street as Jim came to unlock the gate. We all waited with car heaters running. It turned out the snow had come to the north, so the rest of Payne's crew was delayed in their trip from Hampton (NH). At 2:30 they arrived. They started their tractor, rigged the steering apparatus for the dollies, and performed the final tie-down. By 4:30, Mike Crossen and the police detail had arrived, the city crews were out moving traffic signals, and all was in readiness. Museum members; Danny Cohen George, Amy, Jeffrey, and Jack were on the scene.
Rigged and ready to go in late November 1989. Note the
cut truss sections to either side. JDS Collection
At just after 4:30 we proceeded out the Albany Street gate, heading, against traffic, north up Albany. At East Berkely we turned left without incident, passing a surprised-looking all-night gas station crew. At Harrison, we turned right heading for the Mass. Turnpike. Here the first obstacle appeared. Illegally parked cars in front of the Boston Herald had to be moved. Herald workers could only locate several owners among the press staff on duty, so the tow trucks accompanying us moved the others to the far side of the median island.
We next approached the Mass. Turnpike bridge. Below on the Pike, State Police cruisers and flashing arrow trucks waited. We had the Boston Police radio the State Police to stop traffic. We blocked the rest of our procession from the bridge as the Turnpike Authority permit mandated. Northampton passed over without so much as a creak from the bridge structure. Once the station was completely over the bridge, the State Police were signaled to re-open the Turnpike. As we turned left onto Marginal Road the next obstacle arose. Two traffic signals were too close even though one had already been swung partially away. It turns out that though the signal bracket arms are held by only two bolts, and swing easily, often the cable is too short to allow a wider swing. Two Signal Department bucket trucks arrived, and within half an hour, we were underway again.
The journey along Marginal Road next to the Pike, then right onto Shawmut and Tremont, right onto Stuart and Kneeland proceeded smoothly, delayed only by several stops for signal moves.
As dawn broke on December 10, the rig turned left from
Kneeland onto Atlantic Avenue. JDS Collection
Atlantic Avenue - shaft section B looking east
June 23, 1908
The historical significance of the routing was not lost on Seashore's observers. The last of Boston's standard elevated stations were moving through the city following within a block or two at all times the route of the Atlantic Avenue El. It passed within one block of Dover and Beach Stations, then, it would pass directly the site of South Station, Rowes Wharf, and State Street, winding within a short distance of Battery Station - all of which had shared the identical design!
1912 map that shows the station locations
Northampton Station passed close by during its trek
from Mass Ave. to Eastern Avenue.
Dover Station - December 29, 1947
Beach Station - February 18, 1909
At South Station, where an identical El station once stood.
JDS Collection
South Station - looking north, showing tower J
and shuttle track - September 14, 1939
Passing the site of the sister station, Rowes Wharf, Northampton
swerves to dodge a traffic signal. JDS Collection
Rowes Wharf Station - Circa 1901
State Street Station - west side - August 8, 1901
Battery Station and Platform - December 17, 1908
By 6:00 a.m. dawn was breaking as we approached South Station. Progress was swift along Atlantic Avenue with growing daylight enabling good photos. Traffic signals had been swung at Rowes Wharf and the Walk-to-the-Sea. In some places, it was necessary to jog to the other side of the median strip to dodge signals, with police holding back the oncoming traffic. Several lights near Waterfront Park had to be swung away and at one point, we brushed carefully past an enormous tree. By 7:45, Northampton Station had arrived on Commercial Street at the entrance to Eastern Avenue.
The 3.6 mile trek of Northampton Station
from Mass Ave. to Eastern Avenue and
the loading area. PWM
The tow trucks set to moving the dozen or so autos that had ignored the many "Tow Zone" signs. The cars were placed in the Fitz Inn parking lot to minimize inconvenience for their drivers. Meanwhile, Jim spent 20 minutes feezing at a sidewalk payphone trying to find someone in New England Telephone to remove a low phone wire crossing Eastern Avenue. There had been two wires, and NYNEX had promised to remove them. Only one had been removed. When all was ready for the station to move and no NYNEX truck had arrived, Jeffrey and Jim used a ladder to climb the poles. Happily, the wire could be unhooked easily and dropped to the street. The station drove over it and the wire was raised again, without phone service to the parking lot tollbooth ever being interrupted.
After months of planning, the first major step was completed - the station was at the waterfront!
Facing the water, the station would spend 10 days
here until the loading could be completed
JDS Collection
A Rough Loading
Now our thoughts turned to two things: loading the station onto the ship and getting some sleep. Surprisingly, Frant Ganter soon arrived, by land, and explained that though the morning weather was very calm, heavy winds were forecast for the afternoon. Unfortunately, calm winds were a prerequisite for loading. In heavy wind conditions, the superstructure of Frank's vessel would act as a sail, making it very difficult to hold the ship steady. The loading would have to await calmer winds in the coming days.
The development was a major surprise and disappointment. We were now left unexpectedly with the station resting in a public street for several days. We had no choice but to arrange for 24-hour security to guard against copper thieves and to protect Pyne's trucks. Paul Castiglione filled in for several hours, fielding many questions from surprised passers-by until the first personnel arrived to begin the security shift. Media interest was also growing - a Boston Herald photographer had followed us most of the way, and a photo of Northampton Station, with the Customs House Tower in the background, appeared in the next morning's edition (George asked for a copy of the photo, but the photographer would not yield one without his $650 freelance fee!). An Associated Press photographer also called, anxious for a shot of the station crossing the harbor, with the Boston skyline in the background.
Frank Ganter also asked for a load of sand to fill some uneven spots in the seawall. On Monday, George, with the aid of Peter Wilson, arranged for a T Commuter Rail dump truck to deliver a load of sand. Another fine example of the T's assistance with our efforts.
For the next three days, we anxiously watched the weather, checking with Frank each morning at 7:00 a.m. Finally, on Wednesday, December 6, the forecast was promising, with a high tide arriving just before dusk, at 5:00p.m. Once Frank gave the signal, Jim contacted Payne, many Seashore members, and T officials. At noon, the first of our crew - George, Bill O'Brien, and Jim - arrived and began spreading the sand.
Seashore volunteers and Payne crew members shovel
sand to smooth the site of the loading ramp. P Calcatera Coll.
Northampton Station sits at the end of Eastern Avenue
and awaits the R. J. Munzer. JDS Collection
The loading would be very time-critical. The bank at the end of Eastern Avenue sloped gently into the water. Frank's boat would have to back in, meaning its propellers and rudders would hit bottom at any time other than high tide. His closest approach would be 30 feet. To bridge the gap, Payne brought a truckload of 40-foot-long. 12-inch wide, flange steel beams. Eighteen of them laid next to each other and would form the ramp over which the station would drive. The height of the seawall and deck of the ship at high tide would be almost the same, so the grade would be minor. But the whole operation - the boat arriving and tying up to be in position, placing the steel, loading, removing the steel, and steaming away would all have to take place within a two-hour window, one hour on either side of high tide!
Payne's preparations began immediately. Several stones on top of the seawall were swung away by the large boom truck, which then began unloading the steel from their tractor-trailer rig. Our eyes turned constantly to the water for the approaching boat, due at 2:45. But time passed, and no boat! Finally, just as we were about to give up, the Munzer came screaming into sight. The boat backed into position, helped by a small boat pushing on the Munzer's side. Lines were run from the Munzer to several of Payne's trucks to secure it. As this was no longer a working pier, there were no permanent fixtures to which a boat could tie, so the trucks would serve as "deadmen". Almost exactly at high tide, the first beam was swung into position. Frank proclaimed that we had at most an hour to get on board!
While awaiting the Munzer's arrival, Paybe stacked the steel for
the ramp close to the loading point. P. Calcatera Collection
T R. J. Munzer steamed into sight, coming from its pier
in East Boston. P. Calcatera Collection
Seashore members, George, Jim, Paul Kochs, Jeffrey, Chuck Griffith, Tom Santarelli, Danny Cohen, Michael Carroll, Jack Coyle, Bill O'Brien, and Amy Colburn were on hand, with cameras straining to catch the action in the encroaching darkness.
Setting the steel beams to make the ramp to the Munzer.
JDS Collection
Frank anxiously took soundings from the rear deck of the Munzer as the steel went into place. The water was already dropping. In just under an hour, the beams were all in place, but the water was dropping quickly. An approach ramp of wooden blocks leading to the beams was laid hastily and then Brian Payne gave the signal for the move to start. The tractor climbed the steel without a problem, but when the dolly wheels hit the ramp, it stopped - the clutch was slipping and began smoking furiously. The rig would not move forward no matter how often the driver tried. Quickly, the winch cable on the front of the tractor was deployed and attached to the crawler crane on the deck of the Munzer, but time did not allow for rigging a multiple-part block. The winch and crane both pulled, and the rig started to move, but then in a mighty snap, the cable parted.
We were way past Frank's sailing deadline. His soundings showed the Munzer was already bottoming out. Frank said he had no choice but to leave in a hurry, so, Payne started to back the rig off the boat. As he backed up, one of the rear dollies started to jackknife - the dollies are designed to go forward only. As the tractor was halfway off the steel beams, the dolly locked, and no amount of pushing would advance the rig. It would be necessary to jack the station to then straighten the dolly and time did not now permit that. As the front wheels were still on the steel ramp, the tractor could be impaled from below when the steel beams fell from the deck of the ship. So Payne hurriedly raised the cab with the outrigger hydraulic lifts just behind the doors. Frank Ganter chained the beams which were under the cab to the ship. Then Frank gunned his powerful seagoing engines. Tremendous turbulence came up. For over ten seconds, the water churned, the help boat pulled with all its might, and Frank's anchor chain winch strained seaward - but the vessel did not move, it was hard on the harbor's bottom. Frank slowed the engines, then gunned them again, and this time the R. J. Munzer eased seaward. With a resounding splash, the steel beams crashed into the harbor, but at least the ship was free, and, fortunately, undamaged. Frank's crew freed the chained beams and they dropped to the harbor bottom. We all stood by in disappointment and shock as Payne's crews started retrieving half-submerged beams with their boom truck.
What led to the failure? Essentially two elements of bad luck. As the Munzer was pulling out from its Meridian Street dock in the afternoon, a transmission O-ring failed. Over an hour was lost replacing it, so hightide was too close when they arrived. Second, Payne's tractor had just had a new clutch installed, and clearly, the garage had not adjusted the clutch properly - the clutch should never have slipped. It should have pulled until it stalled the engine. Additionally, the time crunch prevented laying an adequately long approach ramp to the beams - the tires had too high a step to mount the beams. Another 15 minutes of time would have been enough for alternate approaches, but the tide, as the saying goes, waits for no man - or elevated station.
Meanwhile, driving rain had started. Frank steamed back to East Boston. Jim drove over to East Boston to meet him and discuss the next steps. All were disappointed but agreed another attempt would be made soon, preferably with an early morning tide in the coming days.
Some of the steel beams still rested in the harbor, so they would have to be retrieved before Frank could approach again. Two days later, some of Frank's crew and Payne's crew met during a noontime tide to pull them out. Frank brought diving gear, in case the beams were deeper, requiring a diver to assist in the retrieval. Fortunately, at low tide they were above the waterline, so chains could easily be attached without divers assistance. Within two hours, they were all safely out, as was the errant 20-foot piling that had floated to the scene. The only hindrance was the sub-zero windchill, through which the crew struggled.
We again were forced to call in a security detail, although we now restricted the coverage to evenings. Again, we watched the weather daily. The weekend passed without favorable conditions. Finally, late on Sunday, Frank determined the Monday morning tide and winds would be favorable for our second attempt to load the station onto the Munzer.
Brian Payne and his crew set out from New Hampshire shortly after midnight on Monday, December 11, to enable plenty of time to prepare for the 8:15 high tide. By the time Jim arrived at 6 a.m., Payne's crew had jacked the rig clear of the site. They also repaired the snapped winch cable. Most importantly, they adjusted the tractor clutch and tested it thoroughly. In spite of the profuse smoke, it issued the prior time, there was plenty of meat left on the clutch plate.
We waited in our vehicles with the heaters running as dawn broke on a crystal-clear day. About 6:30 a crane from Harnum, of Wilmington, had arrived. Payne had ordered the crane to begin setting the steel for the ramp. The crane quickly began the process of stacking the beams into position. The high tide was almost one and a half feet higher than the day of our prior attempt.
Seashore's representation was thinned as this was a work Monday. Jim was joined by George and Cecilia Clapp, and Amy Coburn. Peter Calcatera, our prime contact at the T was also there, as he had been throughout the moves, to observe, and provide friendly encouragement.
This time, the preparations proceeded like clockwork. By 7:15, the boat was tied up in position. The Harnum crane swiftly and smoothly swung the 18 beams into position. A fresh load of 2 by 4s brought by Payne ensured a long and gentle approach ramp. As the tide was much higher, the beams were now angled noticeably up, so the 70-ton rig would have to do some climbing. Well before high tide, all was in readiness.
The tractor moaned to life, and with cameras clicking, the rig mounted the ramp. This time, its progress was smooth and sure. Amazingly, with the full weight suspended over the 30-foot gap, the steel beams deflected no more than 2 or 3 inches. In a matter of moments, the tractor was nose to nose with the crawler crane on the boat deck and the back of Northampton Station was safely on the boat but hanging just over the rear edge. It was still 15 minutes to high tide and the loading was complete. Interestingly, though the rig had proceeded without hesitation and was now at rest, a wisp of smoke emanated from the tractor's clutch and the issue of smoke continued for at least 20 minutes - testimony to the force required to carry the station aboard.
With the ramp in place, the tractor starts to move.
P. Calcatera Collection
The beams hardly bend as the over 80-ton load spans
30 feet of water. P. Calcatera Collection
Success! Northampton Station is safely on board.
P. Calcatera Collection
The remaining preparations followed a routine manner. Payne built cribs behind the dollies to stabilize the load. Ganter's crew chained the rig down. The crane swung the steel beams back onto Payne's tractor-trailer. The Munzer's ballast pumps came to life to trim the rearward list of the vessel. Within 15 minutes, it was level again. Cecilia stayed on board to enjoy the cross-harbor ride to Frank's pier and was treated to a scrambled egg breakfast in the galley. By 8:45, all was in readiness, and Frank's crew cast off - in a far more relaxed mode than the last time they departed the scene. As the Munzer steamed from sight, Payne's crew swung the granite blocks, which protected the water's edge, back into position, and prepared to leave.
Payne's crew quickly swings the steel beams back onto the
trailer so the ship can be put to sea. P. Calcatera Collection
A lobster boat passes the stern of the
R. J. Munzer as it pulls away from Eastern
Avenue and heads back to its berth in
East Boston. P. Calcatera Collection.
An unusual sight in Boston Harbor.
P. Calcatera Collection
The Northampton Station was
transported on the R. J. Menzer
from Boston to its pier in
East Boston. JDS Collection
The Boston phase of the move was now drawing to a close. What remained was to prepare the Munzer for its ocean voyage, and to wait for calm weather, Then to travel north to deliver Northampton. That afternoon, Payne's crews hoarded the Munzer in East Boston, jacked the dollies, and swung them 180 degrees under the station. That way, they would be ready to steer the unloading in Maine. Ganter's crew firmly cabled the load to the ship, as ocean swells could provide tremendous forces to dislodge the cargo.
A Site at the Museum
Equally important as the details of the move, was having a place ready for the station when it arrived at Seashore. To this end, in early fall, volunteer crews began clearing the wooded site behind the Visitor Center. The chain saws, manual saws, and scythes were manned on various weekends by Amy Colburn, Peter Folger, Chris Perry, George Sanborn, Tom Santarelli, Jeff Sisson, and Jim Schantz, with chain saws loaned by Donald Curry and Don Gawthrop.
An entrance road would be needed to cross the drainage ditch along the back parking lot. Donald ordered some concrete culvert pipe, that was set in place by Fred Perry and Chuck Griffith, who also used the Huff front-end loader to pull stumps and grade the site, including removing a large pile of topsoil left from the Visitor Center construction.
Chuck Griffith at the controls of the D-4, preparing the
unloading site at the Museum for Northampton Station.
JDS Collection
Fortunately, a Boston architect who is active in model railroading, and well-known to Bill O'Brien and George Sanborn, offered to help with the project. Schuyler Larrabee, principal of Larrabee Associates in Harvard Square soon became a Seashore member and an extremely helpful member of the project. He secured the volunteer services of several other professionals whose services would also be needed: a track engineer, a structural engineer, and a soil testing firm. Though long-time Seashore member Charlie Pitts, a licensed structural engineer, helped in initial discussions with Jeffrey Sisson about foundation design, his tight personal schedule precluded a more active role, so Schuyler's team of volunteers would save the day.
Seashore's expert member surveyor, Charlie Rappaport, volunteered to survey the site. Aided by George and Jim, he did the surveying regardless of the freezing November weather. He turned his readings over to Ralph Mezzeo, the track engineer of T. K. Dyer and Associates, who among other things has much of the track layout of the Orange Line to their credit. Ralph's expertise would be essential to the tricky layout of the switches, curves, and grades that would approach the station, and which would ultimately determine its precise location. We asked Ralph for a rough sketch that could accompany the Planning Board filling. We were amazed and gratified to receive an extremely professional, detailed diagram. It was breathtaking to behold.
The architectural firm of Larrabee and Associates prepared
this plan of the proposal for Northampton Station.
The foundation design - the amount and dimensions of the concrete that would hold up the station - would be a critical ingredient in site preparations. For the structural engineer to calculate this, the exact soil conditions would be needed. Schuyler arranged for Haley and Aldrich to have a representative from their Portland office do the test for free. So, one chilly morning in December, Brian Hilliard of Haley and Aldrich met with Donald Curry at the site and directed the digging of the test pits using a backhoe from Bob Brown. A detailed analysis was available the following day, indicating the land could support 1500 pounds per square foot, a factor that would guide the engineer in designing the foundation. The complete analysis was done as a contribution.
As well, we would require permission to use the Colony Beach breakwater and to move the station through Kennebunkport. Donald investigated the procedure and found that the deciding body would be the Board of Selectmen. He thoroughly briefed the town office on our plans, but he would need to be present at a meeting to describe our case. The meeting was scheduled for Thursday, November 30. As Donald could not make it that night, Jim made the journey from Boston to attend. We feared some town questioning about our disruption of town operations during the move. To our pleasant surprise, we found instead tremendous enthusiasm. The Board was extremely supportive and asked to be kept posted on specific times so they could watch the move (take place). One Board member said, "This will be the most exciting thing around here in a long time." That, coming from a town that regularly hosts the President. Reporters were present from both the Portland and York County papers, and they pressed for details of this story, one they both found very interesting. The next edition of both papers carried articles, and soon the Museum office was fielding regular calls from people who were anxious to see the station's arrival. One woman reported regularly scanning the waterfront horizon with her binoculars to catch a glimpse of Northampton Station passing by.
The Journey North
To make the trip north from Boston, about a three-day window with calm seas would be needed. To have calm seas for three or four days would require following each passing storm. This is a tall order in a bitterly cold and frequently snowy December. As luck would have it, Christmas and New Year's would pass without favorable conditions arriving.
Though the delayed arrival in Maine would make little difference to anyone other than the increasing number of reporters and other interested parties anxious to see the move, the delay did cause problems for Payne. The possibility of an extended delay had never been raised in the move's planning, so there had been no thought given to their tractor being trapped on the Munzer. As the weeks dragged on, this put a crimp in Payne's operations, so a plan to free the tractor was derived. Payne's crews worked on the Munzer to swap the dollies and the fifth-wheel plate, effectively turning the load around. Thus, when the boat arrived in Maine a tractor could back onto the boat, hook onto the load, and drive it off. With the tractor on the boat thus freed, Frank sailed to a neighboring pier during the third week of January, where a large crane lifted the tractor off, putting Payne back in business.
Northampton Station spent the winter and spring on board
the R. J. Munzer at Frank Ganter's pier in East Boston.
JDS Collection
As the weeks passed, the remaining steel at Albany Street became a problem. The large pieces of elevated truss remained where they had been left on the day of the move in December. Payne's storm-delayed arrival on the morning of the move had thwarted plans to stack the steel out of the way - there simply was not enough time. Subsequently, we had hoped to time the truck transport of these pieces with the presence of cranes in Maine which would be used to reassemble the roof. But by February, it was clear an alternate plan was needed. Thus with the help of Joe Corliss, who picked up the tractor and two trailers at Capitol Leasing, Fred Perry to do the rigging with Jim to help out, and with a crane from Shaughnessy, the move was made one weekend morning. Parked cars and snow banks made Joe's task of backing the trailers in place a daunting one, but both trailers were quickly loaded and then shuttled to Maine by Fred.
Once there, Red Line crane 0551 unloaded the trusses along the Highwood lead, a temporary site for the winter only. In the spring, Chuck Griffith, Jeffrey Sisson, and Jim moved the trusses to an area near Northampton's ultimate site beyond the Visitor Center. A rather unlikely means of transporting the trusses were used. The dolly used in recent streetcar moves was spotted next to the steel pieces, that were then hoisted aboard using the Red Line crane. The Hough front-end loader then balanced the load by means of its bucket and powered the move, making for one of the oddest-looking procedures ever seen on the property. At the destination, the Lorain crawler crane, expertly piloted by Chuck, unloaded the pieces easily.
Meanwhile, the spring wore on with no clear signs as to when the station might put to sea. The frequent small storms that marked the winter and early spring kept the ocean surface rougher than Frank Ganter wanted. Compounding the challenge of finding a preferable stretch of days for the delivery was the fact that tides are only high enough for the unloading in Kennebunkport, once every two weeks. In addition, just as calmer weather became more likely, Payne Building Movers became fully occupied with a very daunting project of moving a 600-ton estate mansion in Connecticut, limiting their availability. Shortly before July 4 (1990), there was one false start. Ganter reported that seas looked favorable, and Payne was able to find a break in their job - but then we found that President Bush would be in Kennebunkport for the holiday, providing less than ideal conditions for blocking both the river channel and the Colony Beach.
After this, we heard nothing until the afternoon of Monday, July 16, when at 2:30, Jim was shocked to receive a call at his office from Ganter stating that he was planning to sail that night, no matter what! He had been preparing for a week - but somehow had not gotten around to calling us. He would sail from Boston after midnight, arrive off Kennebunkport by morning, then plan to unload at high tide - 7:27, Tuesday morning. The phone lines were hot with activity after this. Jim, fortunately, was able to track down Brian Payne at a job site in Brunswick, Maine. Brian reluctantly agreed he would have his crew available the next day for an early evening unloading, in spite of the tight deadline facing them in Brunswick. Donald Curry scrambled to reach town officials to notify them, by late afternoon connecting only harbormaster Dave Emmons and Police Chief John Prescott. Prescott clearly would have preferred an off-season move, but agreed to help. A mid-evening check at Frank's pier in East Boston verified that the R. J. Munzer was in fact underway and the final confirmation was given to Payne.
Tuesday morning, preparations began in earnest at Seashore. Chuck Griffith, thankfully, was in Maine on a week's vacation, prepared the D-4 bulldozer to clear the top of the seawall of barrier stones and to be used as a "deadman" to which the boat could be tied. Fred Perry arranged with contractor Bob Brown to rent a 10-wheel dump truck, filled with gravel, to serve as another deadman. Donald busily called media representatives to spread the word. At 9:30, Jim reached Ganter via the cellular phone onboard the Munzer; Frank reported that they had left the anchorage in Boston at 3:30 a.m. and were now steaming in placid seas off Cape Ann - expecting to reach Kennebunkport by early afternoon.
Then came the surprise - a conference call from the Kennebunkport Town Offices with Chairman of the Board of Selectmen Joe Finn, Town Manager Jane Duncan, and Chief Prescott. Donald and Jim participated from the Seashore end. The town officials were, to say the least, quite concerned with the prospect of the unloading and move occurring at the height of the tourist season - valuable beach parking spaces would be hindered, etc. When the town had approved the unloading the prior December, they never anticipated it would occur in high season (nor had we!). The Town Fathers advocated sending the boat back to Boston until fall! Donald and Jim explained the reasons for the delays and that we, too, were caught without notice. As we were not paying full price for the move, we were at the mercy of our contractors for completing the project. Sending the station back could easily increase the price by $20,000 to $50,000.
Several more phone conversations ensued inconclusively, after which, in the early afternoon, Donald and Jim decided to go to the Town Office to pursue the issue in person. Once there, they had very cordial discussions with the Town Manager and chairman, but could not come to an agreement. Underway was a phone poll of the five-man Board. At the time, it stood 2 to 1 against us. Over the next two hours, the final two selectmen, who were traveling out of town, called in, and Donald and Jim participated in the speaker-phone conversations. After the first requested extra insurance indemnification and consultations with the Coast Guard and Corps of Engineers, he voted with us - the vote now was tied 2 to 2. As urgent calls went to insurance agents and the military, the final member called in. He heard the arguments from Jane Duncan and Joe Finn, then voted with the Chairman - against us, meaning we lost by 3-2. Though the issue appeared dead, Jim followed with a last-minute appeal to reconsider, recounting the history of the move, Seashore's importance to the community, and citing the extreme hardship the Museum could suffer, plus the professionalism of Payne Building Movers - who had never filed a liability claim during their 15 years of operation. The Selectman considered...then switched his vote! The unloading could now proceed. The Town's conditions were extra insurance, a 24-hour guard of the station, and that it be gone by the following Monday.
As a greatly relieved Seashore crew proceeded to the beach, armed with temporary barricades loaned by the Fire Department, the Munzer, with Northampton aboard was clearly in view, lay at anchor, 3 miles off the beach, drawing curious gazes from onlookers from along both the Colony and Gooch's beaches. Payne's crew was there and had used their small crane to fish numerous 2-foot boulders from the bottom where the boat would back in. Chuck soon arrived with the bulldozer to move the boulders from the top of the seawall. Bob Brown's dump truck was in position. The unloading area was cordoned off for safety as a crowd gathered. Other Seashore members present were: Art bristol, Dawn Worster, Cecilia Clapp, Fred Perry, Cris Perry, Peter Paras, Peter Folger, Roger Somers, and Henry Dickinson. The small help-boat that accompanied the Munzer from Boston ferried some of Payne's crew, with hydraulic jacks and a power pack, out to the boat to prepare for lifting the station from the blocking.
Onlookers watch the Munzer approach the Kennebunk River
channel to Kennebunkport. JDS Collection
Around 6:30, the Munzer steamed toward shore. The number of onlookers grew and media representatives were busily interviewing both Seashore and Payne crews. Lines were tossed ashore and attached to the dump truck. The Munzer faced in toward the harbor, guided by the strong tidal current. The help boat connected to the bow to pull the larger vessel around to right angles, but its efforts would be futile against the powerful tide until the slack period at high tide. Crew members on the Munzer used torches to cut the 14 sturdy welded braces from the deck to the station that was in place to guard against the station shifting during rough seas en route from Boston. As high tide approached, a crew of Seashore volunteers and Payne crew members struggled in pulling lines to help guide the back of the Munzer into the proper position - but the hull was caught on a ledge-outcropping near the corner of the seawall. Ganter pumped ballast (seawater) out of the aft tanks and into the forward ones to raise the rear of the boat - a step that had to be delayed as long as possible as maneuvering the vessel became very difficult once the props and rudder lifted near the surface. As the high tide came at 7:27, the Munzer was not quite at right angles to the seawall and the cutting of braces on deck was not quite complete.
Brian Payne, who had gone to the Munzer on a small boat,
makes his way back to shore while the Munzer was tied up
about 20 feet off the breakwater wall. JDS Collection
The station was rigged so that the fifth-wheel pin extended beyond the stern of the vessel by about two feet, with the two 8-tire dollies under the other end. The plan was to have the boat perpendicular to the seawall, spanning about three-quarters of the channel, with the stern resting against the wall. At high tide, the deck would be almost level with the wall. The short gap would be bridged by eight streel plates brought by Payne - each about eight feet long, two feet wide, and over one inch thick. The tractor would back to the edge of the seawall, and engage the fifth wheel as the station was raised free of the blocking by Payne's hydraulic jacks. The remaining supports would be cut free, and the station would be driven off, with the rear dollies crossing the heavy steel plates. All of this would have to be accomplished within less than one hour around high tide! Delays beyond that would put the rudder and screws of the Munzer on the bottom, just as had happened in the ill-fated first loading attempt in Boston.
Ganter's crew cut one of the welded 14 supports from
the station to the deck of the Munzer that had been
secured as a hedge against heavy weather shifting the
station. JDS Collection
As luck would have it, by the time the boat was nearly at right angles, the water level in the harbor was already dropping and the fifth-wheel pin was clearly too low to engage the tractor. All efforts to bring the Merzer square resisted the might of the now receding tide. As the rudder hit bottom, Captain Ganter had no choice but to head back to sea. The lines were cast off with a hurried agreement to try again the next evening. Another high tide would arrive in the early morning, but would likely be lower than the evening tide.
The R. J. Munzer with Northampton Station almost in
position at the breakwater wall during the unloading
attempt the first night. This photo by Journal Tribune
photographer, Tom Wallace, appeared on page 1 of July
18, 1990.
Disappointment settled over the workers and the several hundred onlookers as the Munzer headed to an anchorage about a mile out, pursued by a news helicopter from Channel 13 in Portland. Reports the next morning from those who saw the 11:00 p.m. news said that the story was introduced by the announcer saying, "You've all heard of trying to catch a train but have you ever tried to catch a train station..." over the images of Northampton heading back to sea.
After the unsuccessful attempt the first night, the R. J. Munzer
makes its way back offshore to anchor for the night.
This photo by Journal Tribune photographer,
Tom Wallace, appeared on page 1 on July 18, 1990.
As in Boston, it appeared that two tries would be needed to accomplish the feat - one to learn from and one to execute the unloading of the station successfully. The Munzer's hasty departure hadn't allowed time for discussion about the precise time for the unloading attempt the next evening. As a result, the Seashore crew scramble to try to find a tide chart - checking nearby Chick's Marina before finding a detailed one in a local tourist newspaper. The chart confirmed that the 8:13 morning tide would be 8.3 feet, but that the evening tide at 8:30 would be 10.0 feet, several inches higher than the tide that just passed. As events wound down on the beach, faint flashes on the horizon confirmed that Ganter's crew was welding several supports back in place as protection against the station shifting on deck in the event heavy seas arrived.
Wednesday morning, Donald prepared a one-page description of the project to be available for distribution to the crowd and rounded up several car description easels that would display further historical information plus solicitations for donations deposited in the streetcar farebox that would be set up at the beach. He also re-notified all the media about the new plan and set about organizing volunteers for the 24-hour watch duty at the station. Cecelia Clapp generously volunteered to spend nights at the station, around her evening work schedule, and Henry Dickinson volunteered for most day shifts. Both would contribute many hours of very valuable help.
Meanwhile, Jim attempted to contact Ganter on board the ship to confirm arrangements for the evening. However, Ganter's Boston area code cellular phone would not respond. Peter Folger and Jim tried the alternate of reaching him by radio, via the transmitter at Chick's Marina. Also, no reply. They briefly investigated hiring a boat to take them out until they were scared off by the several hundred dollars per hour rental charges! Finally, Ganter phoned the Museum, and the schedule was confirmed. He planned to come in on the small boat at low tide to move more stones and requested 150 feet of cable to rig to a block and tackle that could, if necessary, pull the station back further off the boat to reach the tractor's fifth-wheel. Fortunately, Chuck had a supply of cable on hand, and quickly a section was cut and made ready.
Chuck and Jim delivered the cable to the beach, where Ganter's crew was tackling the two to three-foot rocks exposed by the low tide, using two ways: smaller rocks were rolled into deeper water and larger ones were hoisted to the top of the wall using the small crane on Payne's tractor. Before long, an area as wide as the stern of the Munzer was cleared, meaning its rudder and propellors would have much more room to maneuver during the second try.
Back at the Museum, attention turned to gathering tools and equipment for cutting the roof off. That process would begin the next morning following the successful unloading. Made ready was scaffolding and ladders for cutting on the inside, electric reciprocating saws, or "Sawzalls", two of which were owned by the Museum and two that were rented by Donald, a large selection of saw blades, extension cords, and Fred Perry's gasoline-powered welder, to serve as a source of electricity for the saws.
By late afternoon, the crew assembled at the Colony Beach, again cordoning off a large enough area for Payne's equipment. Chuck manned the bulldozer clearing the stones retrieved from the bottom, then smoothed the entire area. Bob Brown again delivered a loaded 10-wheeler to serve as a deadman. We planned to use one of Payne's trucks as the second deadman, to keep the dozer free in case extra traction was needed to pull the station off the deck of the Munzer. Shortly after 6:00, the R. J. Munzer headed back in from the anchorage for the second attempt at unloading the station. On hand from Seashore were: Chuck, Donald, Cecelia, Art Bristol, Peter Folger, Peter Paras, Henry Dickinson, Dawn and Cliff Worster, Rodney Gagne, and Roger Somers, again serving as a cameraman. With all of the extra preparations, Seashore's crew felt confident of success. A crowd of interested on-lookers gathered again, this time somewhat larger as press reports and word-of-mouth had spread the story. Dawn "worked" the crowd, distributing fact sheets and Seashore flyers to all.
Ganter navigated the Munzer next to the seawall and the first line was run to Brown's truck. Great care was taken to position the back of the vessel in the newly cleared area and to hold it while waiting for the tide to reach its peak. Ganter's crew used torches to cut the braces welded back in place the night before, and the ballast pumps were hard at work emptying the rear tanks and filling the forward ones. The small boat was rigged to pull the Munzer around. Payne's crews double-checked the hydraulic jacks that would lift the front of the station off its cribs and redied the portable gasoline hydraulic pump to power them. Reporters from the three local papers again interviewed crew members and onlookers alike. For the second straight night, the strong on-shore sea breeze died off about an hour before unloading time - for which all were thankful, as otherwise holding the Munzer steady would have been much harder.
Around 8:15, with darkness approaching, and high tide only 15 minutes away, the tidal flow had weakened to the point that the bow of the Munzer shifted around. As the high tide came, it swung quickly. The lines to both trucks were carefully adjusted to tighten the vessel with each move. Finally, it swung to the perpendicular point and the crews moved into high gear. The tractor was backed into position and it was clear that the fifth wheel would fit under neatly, as the station was lifted by the hydraulic jacks. Payne's other large truck was positioned 60 feet in front of the tractor so its winch could help pull the load, and Seashore's bulldozer idled nearby just in case. The tractor, with its back wheels at the edge of the seawall lined up with the pin, but it would not quite latch in - missing by about 6 inches. At this point, if the tractor were to back up, it would only push the Munzer away from the wall, so the tractor's winch was hooked to the station to pull them together. As the winch could just as easily pull the tractor back off of the wall, the winch from the second truck was hooked to the front of the tractor. With both winches straining, the station inched shoreward, and that satisfying click-sound was heard as the fifth-wheel plate locked firmly in place.
Northampton Station was now attached to something landbound for the first time in 8 months! Time was now especially critical. It was already 15 minutes past high tide and the help-boat had to switch to the other side of the bow to pull it inwards against the now receding tide. The crews - Ganter's, Payne's, Seashore's - now all rushed the final preparations. Chocks were pulled from under the dollies, the remaining chains holding the building were released, and the hydraulic jacks lowered. Watching the jacks come down was an interesting sight, as they descended, the stern of the Munzer rose out of the water - half of the weight of the station was being transferred to the tractor! Working now in near-complete darkness, the crews cleared all blocking from the deck to give the dollies room. Next came the arduous job of positioning the eight-foot by two-foot steel plates that would serve as the ramp for the wheels to bridge the short gap from the Munzer to the seawall. One of Payne's crew and Jim struggled with the seaward side, racing to place blocking underneath and to haul and position the mighty plates under the station.
Brian Payne and another member of his crew worked on the upstream side, where it turned out the spacing was extremely critical. The force of the now receding tide had pulled the bow slightly wider than planned - and too long to be bridged by the plates! Brian raced to lodge blocking in the narrow exposed edge of the next lower row of stones on the seawall. The plates would just barely bridge this gap, with a painfully small amount holding them on. As the plates were now a foot lower than the top surface, all hands turned to lay wood blocks atop the steel plank surface to carry the wheels to the wall. The few minutes this took seemed an eternity as the tide was flowing and the boat noticeably lowering. Finally, with the ramp in place, but looking precarious, Brian gave the signal, and the tractor, helped by the winch from the second truck, edged forward. As the dollies approached the ramps, the rig stopped to allow the final alignment of the ramps. Then as the crowd looked on with intense anticipation - unaware of the condition of the upstream ramp - Brian ordered the rig forward at full power. With a mighty crunching of the wood blocking, the 80-ton rig edged forward and up the ramp. The engines gunned a bit more and it climbed the final few feet, rocking sharply side-to-side as it rolled onto terra firma. A loud cheer rose from the hundreds of onlookers, masking the sound of the blocking and steel plates splashing into the harbor - the ramp had lasted, but just long enough. Northampton was again on dry land.
As time was short, the crews raced to clear the ramps and prepare the boat for its return to the sea. A pickup containing two drums of oil, for the return journey to East Boston, backed in and its load was transferred quickly. As the time came to release the final line, Ganter's crew advised all to clear a path so that the man holding the line could run along the wall and toss it back aboard. The reason for this was soon obvious, as was the awesome power of the tides. As soon as the line was released the Munzer moved with astonishing speed seaward - without even turning its screws. In less than a minute, it was clear of the breakwater and headed back to the open sea. Never was the skillful maneuvering needed to make this unloading so evident as when the force of this tide was so clearly demonstrated!
On land, the crews struggled to regain their breath from what had been a tense finish to an otherwise textbook second try at unloading the station. Soon all remaining crew members joined in securing the station exactly where it rested, with the intent to move it to its storage position against the back wall in the morning. Cecelia prepared for the first night of many nights spent in the station, standing guard duty.
The next morning the crew reassembled on the beach, fresh from a full night's sleep. Payne's crews quickly turned both the tractor and the dollies at a sharp left angle, and maneuvered the station close to the seawall, so as to minimize the loss of parking spaces. Next, they jacked the station level and blocked it, then left with their equipment, heading back to the job in Brunswick that had been interrupted by the surprise move. The only disappointing note was that they would be unable to come back in time to meet the town's original deadline of a Monday removal - in fact, the most realistic date was a week later.
The morning after. Northampton Station is safely on
Colony Beach. The next step would be to cut the roof from the
building. JDS Collection
Making the Roof Mobile
Seashore's crew then set about the arduous task of cutting the roof away from the 20 by 40-foot building. Fred Perry's welder was the source of electricity as Donald and Chuck started the first cuts, working from staging inside the station. Soon, Peter Folger and Jim were also working, removing the upper windows, disassembling many pieces of electrical conduit added in the station's later life, and demolishing the large plywood soffit over the entrance. The Sawzalls, with their 12-inch blades, moved effortlessly through the white oak, spruce, and copper that made up most of the wall. However, the very ruggedly-designed station had a substantial frame made of 3" by 3" by 3/8-inch steel angle, riveted together. The original contract drawings (from 1900) obtained from the MBTA by Paul White and Jeff Sisson, plus the photos of the station showed very clearly where the steel lay, so there were no surprises. The saws, equipped with metal blades moved much more slowly through the steel, but, as expected, the blades were trapped as the weight of the roof collapsed the cuts.
Peter Folger removes an upper sash so the cut may be made
halfway up the window frame. JDS Collection
Donald Curry and Chuck Griffith use Sawzalls to cut along
the drawn line, while Jerry Ross removes conduit. JDS Coll.
To circumvent this problem, two, cut-to-measure lengths of four-inch steel pipe were brought from the Museum, along with hydraulic jacks and tie plates, to transfer the load. By placing the jack on the station floor, with the pipe reaching to the ceiling beams under the steel roof trusses, then jacking, the cuts could be stretched wide enough to free the blades and finish the cuts.
By Thursday evening, a good start had been made, but much more remained. That evening, Jim returned to Boston and as he drove across the Mystic Bridge, he turned to look to see if the Munzer had reached its berth by the Meridian Street Bridge, some 22 hours after completing the unloading of the station in Maine. However, the pier remained empty, then as he looked back across the harbor, he was amazed to see a familiar shape, the Munzer and its help boat were steaming in, approaching home, at exactly that moment!
Friday, a crew of Paul Kochs, Donald, Chuck, and Peter Folger continued the cutting - a draining job, especially in the middle of a blazing July heatwave. But the location couldn't have been better - a wonderful sea breeze kept all comfortable, even as those back at Seashore sweltered. On Saturday, the largest crew to help with the project assembled as Donald, Chuck, and Jim were joined by Amy and David MacKiernan, Jerry Ross, Dan Cohen, Brian Austin, George Sanborn, Peter Paras, and Roger Tobin. Art Bristol helped out Henry Dickinson and Cecelia by taking several watch shifts and helped the crew by bringing coffee and donuts in the morning, and lunch at noon, all courtesy of the Trolley Dog stand, much to the pleasure of all. There was an incongruity to a Seashore project, replete with power tools, hammering, lifting, etc., all taking place with pleasure boats passing on one side and a steady stream of curious visitors in beachwear coming to look on the other.
Particularly pleasing was the reaction of the onlookers. The Town Fathers had feared a backlash from visitors and residents alike, for the disruption of the seaside tranquility. On the contrary, without exception, all were very supportive and intrigued by the project. Many words of encouragement came from the visitors, as did cash contributions into the farebox, plus a number of new memberships.
This is the view that beachgoers and approaching small watercraft
saw. Not an everyday sight on Colony Beach. The banner
invited all to come to visit Northampton Station at Seashore
Trolley Museum. JDS Collection
Northampton Station profile while resting at the
Colony Beach breakwater. Sharon Cummins photo
By day's end, most of the side and end walls, plus the interior partitions had been cut, principally using the four Sawzalls. A gasoline-powered "chop-saw", with 12-inch abrasive wheels was rented for the larger steel members, but it spewed fumes and was awkward to handle in constricted space. What remained was the complex corner assemblies, where a web of angles made cutting much more challenging. The Town Code enforcement officer had specified that no work takes place on Sundays, so the crew had a well-earned day off. On Monday, Donald, Peter Folger, and Jim finished the job, joined by Dave Gillion, a new shop employee who spent his first day on the job in surroundings he never imagined. Again, Art Bristol kept the crew well fed. Finally, after three and a half days' work, the roof and body were separated. They would remain in this altered state while awaiting the return of the moving crews the following week.
Donald, Art, and Jim paid another visit to Town Hall, explaining the further delay, plus making Town Manager Duncan and others aware of the extremely positive reaction from all of the onlookers. They left with a good mutual understanding of the status and future steps.
What followed was a period of waiting... until Payne's schedule allowed for making the move. As it worked out, the Tuesday a week later, July 31, was the day planned to prepare for the move, which ideally would take place early the following morning. In the meantime, Cecelia, Henry, Art, assisted by Tom Farrell, Tom Bergen, and others, continued guard duty, rain, and shine, 24 hours a day. Throughout the period, a steady stream of beachgoers approached took Seashore flyers, left contributions in the farebox, and expressed interest and support.
Northampton Station basking in the setting
sun while resting at the Colony Beach
breakwater wall along the Kennebunk
River. Photo by Robin Thomas via
Sharon Cummins
Dick Howe struggles through the rigors
of the day shift of the 24-hour
security watch maintained by volunteers.
JDS Collection
One Station, Two Loads
As July 31st approached, the Seashore crew hoped for rain or at least clouds. Removing the roof would require almost the entire beach parking lot, so the worse the weather, the fewer visitors who would be inconvenienced. Unfortunately, the sun prevailed, but luckily only one complaint was heard from a frustrated parker - the only complaint we heard in two weeks. Payne's crews arrived with two tractors, their truck full of blocking, and their hydraulic pumps. As it turned out, two days would be required to do the job - the first to separate the roof, the second to complete rigging both loads on trailers. On Tuesday, the four-member Payne crew was supplemented by Donald, Cecilia, Jerry Ross, and Jim, as Henry and Tom Bergen greeted the crowd.
Two 45-ton cranes arrived from Portland, one from Merrill Marine and the other from Fred I. Merrill. The station was moved away from the wall so one crane could be set up next to the wall, and the other along the beach edge of the parking lot. The beams brought by Payne were threaded through upper windows, and rolled on top of cribs built to the proper height. Next, with considerable sweat and grunting from the eight-man crew, four, eight-foot beams were manually hoisted up into the station, then up to the ceiling atop the long beams, and cribbed against the ceiling beams to lift the roof. Finally, slings were hung from each crane and shackled into custom holes cut in the beams by Brian Payne.
The two cranes prepare to lift the roof. Note
the Colony Hotel is in the background. JDS Collection
Next came the moment of truth - applying strain to see if the cuts were complete. As the cranes pulled, the cut widened a bit, but as had been feared, the front corners did not budge. The welder was fired up to generate electricity for the power tools and Jerry Ross and Jim each attacked a corner with the Sawzalls. Soon Jim found his last spot and the roof jerked several inches upward. But on Jerry's side, the blade passed neatly along the entire seam, but still, the roof wouldn't budge. A little extra pull from the crane was the answer. The roof popped free. The sticking point was visible - a piece of wood-framing cut to fit neatly over a rivethead had held its position, only popping free with the extra persuasion. Our attention turned to the rear end of the station. There, an electrical conduit, a pine frame member, and a copper downspout all required quick final cuts before the roof was completely free.
The final obstacle to raising the roof:
Brian Payne applies a Sawzall to a pipe
missed earlier. JDS Collection
The view from underneath as the body is driven out
from under the roof. JDS Collection
Series of three photos taken by Journal Tribune photographer,
John Metzger. Photos were in the August 1, 1990 issue.
First in the series is "Up."
The second photo in the series, "Away."
The third photo in the series, "Down."
Once the roof was hoisted clear, the tractor came to life and the body of the station was carefully driven out from underneath. The roof was set down on some quickly-built cribs, then the beams were rolled out and as darkness approached, the cranes were finished.
At 5:30 a.m. on moving day, Tom Bergen walks past the two,
ready-to-roll loads on Colony Beach. JDS Collection
Wednesday would find the final preparations, with Jim, Donald, and Peter Paras helping Payne's crew. What needed to be done was to re-rig both the roof and body to their respective trailers. The steering dollies under the body would go under the roof, as it was wider and would need more maneuverability on the road. A pair of single-axle fixed dollies would go under the station. Many hours were spent building cribs, placing a shorter set of beams across the ceiling of the station, threading the long beams under the roof, then tieing them together with the end beam containing the fifth-wheel pin. Under the lower half of the station, the beams were swung in to provide more clearance for the dollies, then the dollies were rolled into place and secured. The total amount of work was daunting and stretched well past normal quitting time. Finally, as darkness approached, the last few bolts, chains, and clamps were put in place, and final measurements were made of the load. The roof, both higher and wider than the body, measured about 16 feet to the peak of the ridge at the front, and 16 feet, six inches at the back. The legal height was 18 feet, the minimum for utility wires. The only question remaining was how high the one remaining finial, the decorative torch at the end of the roof, rose above the ridge.
To find out, Peter Paras scaled the roof and found, to everyone's surprise, that the finial was four feet tall! From the ground, it had always appeared less and we had not checked the dimensions on the drawings. Unquestionably, it would have to come off, but without damaging the fine workmanship that had shaped it. A thorough check of the drawings and exploration inside the station attic proved that no steel extended into the finial - it was simply formed, copper. Peter determined that it was held in with screws and a soldered joint with the ridge cap. Donald and Jim soon joined Peter in his perch on the roof, and by the beam of Peter's flashlight, the three cut the finial free and lowered it down, just as the last daylight disappeared.
The police escort was scheduled for 5:00 a.m. the next morning - only nine hours later. Clearly, a round-trip to New Hampshire was not what the Payne crew needed, so we extended Seashore's hospitality, namely, the bunkhouse. Peter escorted them to the property, and then on to Forefather's for dinner, joining Tom and Jim.
The Journey North
Jim's wake-up call to the bunkhouse at 4:15 came all too soon, but by 5:00, all were up and the beach was coming to life. The police escort arrived as did the somewhat blurry-eyed representatives from Seashore: Tom Bergen, Murray Cott, Art Bristol, Cecelia, Donald, Jim, and Henry Dickinson. But groggiest of all was Brian Payne, whose upset stomach threatened to ruin the day. A hurried search for antacids revealed that no one had any at the beach, but Murray Cott raced home for some and saved the day.
The only preparation work needed before the move started, was to couple the second tractor to the roof, then maneuver the roof around the body to the lead position. But, Murphy's Law prevailed. It turned out that some of the old platform canopy roof-framing blocked the rear wheels of the tractor. Quickly, Payne's crew pulled out one torch and started cutting and Jim did the same using a Seashore torch. Within minutes, the offending steel pieces, not needed for the restoration, were removed, allowing the tractor to back smoothly into position. Meanwhile, Seashore's other crew members carefully combed the beach, picking up any traces of the station's presence, to ensure the area would be safe for beach visitors.
At 6:15, all was ready and the procession headed out to Ocean Avenue. The route would take the station along Ocean Avenue toward Dock Square, around a tight turn onto Green Street (a street to bypass entering the Square). From Green Street it would turn sharply left onto Maine Street, which becomes North Street, then becomes Log Cabin Road leading straight to the Museum. Two police cars would block each stretch of road at the intersections prior to the procession passing through. A third police car would lead the procession.
The turn from the beach to Ocean Avenue, directly in front of the Colony Hotel, would be tight, but had been made somewhat easier when the evening before, Donald and Jim temporarily removed one side of the beach gate and a nearby "No Parking" sign. Fears of a difficult time making the curve were quickly proven unnecessary. First the roof, then the body made it around onto Ocean Avenue with practically no delay.
The very tight turn when leaving Colony Beach. JDS Coll.
Slowly, but steadily, the procession wound past the Colony, then past Mabel's Lobster Claw Restaurant - One of President Bush's favorite restaurants - and one well-known to Seashore's members over the many, many years.
Another page 1 Journal Tribune photo. Kennebunkport
Lobster Company and Mabel's are on the left. Metzger Photo
The procession was a sight definitely out of the ordinary for a Kennebunkport morning. First to come was the police van, followed by Brian Payne on foot directing the man driving the tractor with the roof. Next, was another senior Payne man, walking and giving directions to the driver pulling the station body. Following that was Payne's "Crew Cab", a straight-body truck with their tools and hydraulic jacks, piloted this morning by Pater Paras, as all four Payne men were busy with the load. Behind that was Tom Bergen, driving Fred Perry's pickup with the welder and torch, just in case they would be needed. Bringing up the rear was Henry Dickinson, ever aiming for the best camera angle. The remaining Seashore contingent was either on foot or in a car trying to stay ahead of the convoy.
The back half of the procession led by the body of
the station, followed by Payne's crew-cab
(driven by Peter Paras), Fred Perry's welding truck
driven by Tom Bergen, with the police escort.
D. Curry Collection
Progress was smooth along Ocean Avenue. The road was wide enough for both loads to clear and the wires to pass harmlessly overhead - at least until a heavy-treed section further in. A week before the move, Donald had phoned all three utilities - Central Maine Power, NYNEX, and the local cable TV operator - to advise them of the route and our need for the full 18-foot clearances. All three had assured Donald that they would check the clearances, but it soon became clear that none of them had reacted to the request by taking any action. Hidden by trees were several low phone wires and two were cleanly snapped by the roof before anyone saw them. The lead police car radioed NYNEX repair, and from then on, the wires bore close scrutiny.
The big test would be the right turn onto Green Street, constricted by a low wall, a fire hydrant, trees, and street signs. But it would soon prove to be a test easily passed. Both top and bottom loads made it around with minimal backing and filling. A few street signs were hurridly uprooted to make room, but soon the most critical point was passed. At the top of the small incline on Green Street, tree branches did catch some of the remaining platform roof framing on the lower load and bent it back. Crews pulled it back partway and chained it so it would not catch again. During this brief pause, Payne's crew also had a chance for a hurried sip of coffee - their first of the morning - thoughtfully provided by Murray Cott.
Green Street was just barely wide enough for the station
to squeeze between the trees. Note the temporary No Parking
signs on the right. JDS Collection
At the turn from Green Street onto Maine Street. The first
seriously low cable TV wires were encountered. JDS Coll.
At the end of Green Street, at the left turn onto Maine Street, a cable TV line was clearly too low. Jim set his camera down and scaled the roof to lift the cable and "walk" it along the roof. It just barely cleared. This done, he turned to descend, but from the rooftop vantage point could see a whole series of wires further along that were in the way. He called to Donald to grab the camera and to Art Bristol to drive the car, allowing Jim to stay put for the succession of dealing with low-hanging phone and cable TV drops. The move proceeded slowly and carefully along, passing within a block of the Town Hall. Residents and tourists alike started appearing in growing numbers as it was now about 8:30.
Jim Schantz riding the roof as wire sentry
while on North Street. D. Curry Collection
Some of the wires were so low that they even threatened the second load. Initially, Peter Paras climbed precariously along the top wall lifting wires over the jagged edges. Soon, however, some long two-by-fours were found inside the station, and with one of Payne's crew members on one side and Peter on the other, they were able to use the long 2-by-4s to lift and hold the wires clear as the load drove by.
The gentle right-hand curve as North Street leaves Kennebunkport was no problem and the rigs then faced only a few gentle curves on the mainly arrow-straight four miles to the Museum. Progress was steady, slowing to a crawl only as Jim caught wires and lifted them over the potential catch at the front of the ridge cap. Some were low enough to require hand treatment the length of the ridge cap, where every joint could snap them, and they needed an extra lift as they caught a vent pipe on the rear slope of the roof. Cecelia Clapp was walking behind to shout a warning as a wire threatened problems there.
Highly unlikely surroundings for an elevated station! North
Street passing the Adams' Farm while approaching
Town House Jct.
As the move edged out of town, Dawn Worster arrived with some well-appreciated orange juice, coffee, and donuts - consumed by the crew on the fly. She looked up at Jim on his perch and asked what he would like. His request was for orange juice, but the distance was a little beyond reach. Soon she disappeared, only to reappear an hour later near Town House Junction, with special equipment. Determined to get a drink up high, she had rigged a cup to the telescoping arm used to change her swimming pool filter. With an assist from Brian Payne standing on the beam at the base of the roof, Jim soon received his long-distance delivery, which helped counter the effects of the intensifying sunlight. The Coast Star reporter, following the van, noted the event and included it in her story.
Some observing the move, including one of the police escorts, expressed wonder at Jim's handling of the many wires, his hands protected only by a pair of welding gloves. The lead sentence of the Journal Tribune that evening was, "Jim Schantz risked his life this morning to help move a building through town." Though it may have appeared dangerous, the six inches of rubber on the truck tires ensured that no current would flow to the ground on a dry day. As well, virtually all of the wires were telephone or cable TV lines, none of which contain a threatening amount of current, and they are well insulated. The occasional house electric drop was potentially a bit riskier, but its own hefty insulation, plus having the tires as insulators, removed any danger. The visual of Jim performing his deed did however add another element of drama to the event.
At Town House Junction, police chief John Prescott, a familiar face to many TV viewers nationally as he is frequently interviewed about security arrangements for President Bush, stood by and watched the progress, expressing satisfaction with how smoothly things had moved through town at the height of tourist season.
Finally, at about 10:30, the loads safely turned into the Museum entrance road, where a crowd of members had gathered to watch the arrival. As it rolled onto Seashore property, Seashore's crew sighed in relief - for the first time in over a year and a half, Northampton Station was no longer in a place where there was urgent pressure to move it. It had arrived home at last!
Home at last. The procession turned into Seashore's
entrance at about 10:30 a.m. D. Curry Collection
The two big rigs were eased past Tower C, the station's companion from the Boston Elevated, and were both parked at the far end of the main parking lot. Exhausted but relieved, all involved made it to the Trolley Dog stand for yet another round of complimentary refreshments. Dawn and Art were true supporters of the project throughout.
An open car was preparing to leave for its public operations trip, so Payne's crew, having finished their coffee, piled on to savor the experience of a ride on a vintage trolley that had also been saved from being scrapped, just as they had helped the Museum save Northampton Station. By 11:30 a.m., the crew departed, with Payne promising to return to assemble the two halves as soon as their schedule would allow.
A Station Reassembled
As it turned out, several weeks would pass before this would be possible, giving plenty of time for several preparatory steps. Aligning and securing the two halves of the station would be a critical task. To help guide the corners, Jim, while the station was still at the beach, had welded some small angles to diagonal frame members at each corner, but this approach could not easily be used on the side walls. Ben Minnich observed the dilemma and proposed an idea - inserting large pegs next to each window frame on the roof section to slip into the lower section. A neat, square channel about 2 by 4 inches ran vertically on both sides of each window, providing the path for such a peg. Ben's suggestion was quickly adopted and Jim, assisted by Donald, made two-foot-long pegs, custom-fit to each window frame. Tapered to a point and held in by a nail, all were driven into position in readiness for reassembly.
On the lower half of the station, small cuts were made in the interior woodwork to expose enough of the steel frame angles to allow them to be welded. The pieces cut out were carefully numbered and saved for later reinsertion. Peter Paras reversed his task from the beach, scaling the roof and re-mounting the copper finial at the peak. Finally, restoration plans called for placing the second copper collector's booth, obtained years ago from Sullivan Square Station, in Northampton, as it was very similar in design to Northampton's original booth. It was decided that the easiest time to put the booth in would be while the roof was out of the way, so a crew consisting of Jeff Sisson, Chuck Griffith, Peter Wilson, and Jim made the move to install the booth. With Peter running the Lorain crane, the booth was loaded onto Peter's short, pickup-hauled trailer, and transported the booth to Northampton. Peter inched the crane between the two halves of the station and quickly the booth was swung inside.
Cecelia Clapp now relocated the farebox and an explanatory sign to the station's temporary storage location and curious visitors continued to visit, though donations tapered off from those received while the station was at Colony Beach.
Finally, the week of September 10, was scheduled for the reassembly. Monday would be used to rig the load with cranes on hand. Tuesday to conduct the actual reassembly. On Monday, a four-man crew from Payne arrived and moved the two station halves further apart, then rigged the beams for lifting. Brian Payne even mastered the controls of Seashore's bulldozer to clear brush and debris that blocked the path of one crane.
At the end of the visitor center parking lot, rigging for
the reassembly of the two halves begins. JDS Collection
Tuesday morning, at 8:30, two cranes arrived and were set up; one, a 25-ton, and one, a 35-ton, both from Seacoast Crane Service of Portsmouth. Photographers from the Biddeford and York County papers started shooting. Jim took advantage of the remaining easy access to the roof to caulk the joints around the finial at the peak. Once Jim descended, with the pegs along the roof coated in grease, Brian Payne gave the signal and effortlessly the two cranes lifted the 30-40-ton load to the proper height. Next, Payne's tractor roared to life and eased the station body into position below the roof.
Northampton is on page 1 in the newspaper again.
John Metzger's photo of Brian Payne directing the driver was
featured September 12 in the Journal Tribune.
Another Journal Tribune shot shows Brian Payne checking
alignment as the roof is slowly lowered.
Once the body was in position, the process of lowering the roof, while aligning it to the station body, began. The platform end of the roof touched down first. Some persuasion was needed, but one by one, the pegs slipped into position. As it turned out, the beam assembly suspending the roof was so high that it would strike the bottom window sills before the roof was all the way down. All hands turned to stack cribs to hold the beams above the sills, so the cranes could release the load. The final eight inches would be lowered by hydraulic jacking later.
The York County Coast Star's, Mary Grace
Long's shot with Seashore members looking on.
As the cranes disengaged and Payne's crew broke for lunch, the cranes undertook the final task - swinging the steel truss sections, stored nearby, into position next to the station's site. As the cranes packed to leave, their crews watched with interest, as Payne started to back the assembled station - with lifting beams still protruding from each side - into the final position. Unfortunately, a slight grade, and somewhat soft ground, made the move challenging. As the tractor's wheels spun, the all-too-familiar essence of a burning clutch wafted near Northampton, for one last time. Payne's other tractor-trailer was backed into position to help. Now both tractors spun! During a pause, Payne's cribbing transporter was spotted in the newly cleared area next to the Visitor Center and a cable from its powerful winch was attached to the station. Then, with all three units straining, Northampton finally made it into position.
Smoke pours from the clutch as the tractor struggles to back
the 80-ton load up a slight grade. JDS Collection
Next, cribs were erected under the station, and the process of jacking the station off the dollies and up to a height that would allow reinstallation of the truss sections began. By the end of the day, the station floor rested about 8 feet above the ground and Northampton began to take the appearance of an elevated station once again. The sight was far more impressive looking than when the two disembodied pieces had rested in the parking lot during the preceding month.
On Thursday, Payne's crew returned and removed the roof lifting beams, then jacked the roof down the remaining eight inches to meet the body. They then lifted the whole station higher so that the floor was over ten feet above the ground and the station could be entered only by a ladder being placed in the interior stairwell. Once again, entering Northampton had the feeling of ascending into the elevated.
Attention next turned to the final line-up of the top and bottom sections. Unfortunately, the rigors of two liftings and five miles of roadway travel had distorted the two sections slightly, so they did not quite line up. As one end of the roof came down, the other end popped up. Fred Perry was summoned and set up his gasoline-powered welder, to weld a corner once aligned in place. Fred and Brian shared the welding duties and by the end of the day on Friday, two corners were secured, and side walls were nearly in alignment.
Payne's formal involvement had come to an end. Over the period of 15 months, they had been with us through all phases of the move and through the many twists of fate that presented new challenges along the way. Their fees were all earned but were a fraction of what would normally be charged for such a complex move. Our thanks go to Brian Payne and his organization! Brian has offered to help, informally, in later phases of the project. A prospect everyone who participated in the project welcomes enthusiastically.
Assembled and in its new home at Seashore Trolley Museum
JDS Collection
30 years later in the fall of 2020 - PWM
Assembled and in its new home at Seashore Trolley Museum
JDS Collection
This last major phase of the project was again recorded in the press. The Journal Tribune on Wednesday, September 12, featured a large photo of the station reassembly on its front page. The weekly Coast Star, on the same day, had a three-photo spread inside. Donald's publicity efforts had borne fruit again.
Seashore Takes Over
On the following weekend, Seashore crews began the process of making the station weather-tight before winter and preparing it to host visitors as soon as possible. Jim turned to the remaining roof/body alignment, welding the four corners securely in place - with considerable assistance from chains, come-a-longs, and chain-binders to persuade the reluctant parts into proper positions. Paul Kochs inspected broken windows in preparation for reglazing them. Lee Duncan began cleaning out the surplus fluorescent fixtures and conduit, salvaging valuable ballasts from the unneeded fixtures. As they worked on a warm early fall Sunday, a steady stream of Museum visitors came to look at the station in amazement. Clearly, there will be strong interest on the part of our visitors in this part of Seashore's collection well into the future. As at Colony Beach in Kennebunkport, the public's reaction has been universally positive.
Plans for the balance of the fall would be to complete this initial reassembly and preliminary restoration efforts, plus accelerate the critical tasks of inside and outside fundraising. A final accounting of the project showed the total cost of the move to be $75,000, a daunting figure by Seashore standards, but a very reasonable sum compared to real-world costs. The MBTA paid a far larger amount to move the station the short distance from Washington Street to the Albany Street garage. Seashore moved the station through downtown Boston, onto a ship, stored it there for seven months, steamed it 85 miles north, unloaded it, separated the roof, moved it through town at the height of tourist season, then reassembled it. Not bad in comparison.
Detailed drawings and plans of the station at Seashore are now [1990-ed]] in preparation and will be published in upcoming issues of the Dispatch. Members who would like to lend their skills to the rebuilding and restoration efforts will be enthusiastically welcomed.
The move of this 100-ton station to Seashore is clearly the most ambitious acquisition ever undertaken by Seashore [1990-ed] and perhaps by any transit museum. Our task for the future is to turn it into one of the most appealing and educational attractions for Seashore's future visitors - a task our organization can clearly carry out by means of traditional Seashore teamwork and dedication.
2020
Even 30 years later, as visitors drive their vehicles onto the Museum campus, Northampton Station's visually imposing presence, with its prominent position in the Museum's parking lot, simply commands visitors' attention. Visitors are compelled to conduct a visual inspection.
Recent work has included cutting back brush around the station, painting the massive steel trusses and bents that support the historic railway station, and in general, making Northampton Station's presence visually appealing.
Though initial plans were developed for the assimilation of the station into the Museum's educational and interpretation programs as an operating exhibit; the financial requirements, paired with the physical logistics of constructing the proposed plans delayed the implementation indefinitely. The Museum does have a restricted Northampton Station fund so that donors may submit contributions to it. Fund #960.
Like any project at the Museum, though not incorporated into the Museum's current 5-year plan, an individual, or group of individuals may choose to work with the Museum's Administration in leading the formation to develop plans to move a project forward. The Northampton Station interpretation project, though considerably larger than most, requiring years to complete, can be successfully completed over time, with leadership, teamwork, dedication, and adequate financial support. It can happen.
To one day, have Northampton Station, an original, 1901 Boston Elevated Railway station, utilized in the Museum's railway operations. How exciting would that opening day be?
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:
Center for Maine Crafts, West Gardiner Service Plaza
The Book Review, Falmouth
The Bookworm, Gorham
Letterpress Books, Portland
Maine Historical Society Store, Portland
Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad, Portland
Morph Gallery & Emporium, Kennebunk
New Gloucester Historical Society, New Gloucester
Nonesuch Books and More, South Portland
Seashore Trolley Museum, Kennebunkport
Sherman's Maine Coast Book Shops, All Locations
Thompson's Orchard, New Gloucester
Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride
by Jean M. Flahive
Illustrations by Amy J. Gagnon
Listen to a 2-minute, 30-second, Retail Audio Sample of the Audiobook
Millie Thayer is a headstrong farmer's daughter who chases her dreams in a way you would expect a little girl nicknamed "Spitfire" would-running 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
Seashore Trolley Museum's website
www.trolleymuseum.org/elegantride/
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
Click Here to watch the video on YouTube
Award-winning author, Jean M. 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!
the crowd gathered in Gray, Maine on August 18, 1914.
Image courtesy of Gray Historical Society
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
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
is the 501c3 organization that owns and operates the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, ME, and the National Streetcar
Museum in Lowell (MA).
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 on a monthly basis. 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 in: 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 :)
Questions? ***** Please contact Narcissus project sponsor:
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
* Renaissance Charitable Foundation (LPCT) by Fiduciary Trust Charitable Giving Fund
* Mass Bay RRE - 2018 Railroad Preservation Grant
* Thornton Academy (Saco, ME) - Staff & Alumni - Matching Grant Challenge 2014
* New England Electric Railway Historical Society (Kennebunkport, ME) - Member Donations
* Amherst Railway Society - 2015 Heritage Grant
* National Railway Historical Society - 2016 & 2015 Heritage Preservation Grants
* Enterprise Holding Foundation - 2015 Community Grant
* Theodore Roosevelt Association - Member Donations
* John Libby Family Association and Member Donations
* The Conley Family - In Memory of Scott Libbey 2018/2017/2016/2015
* The W. S. Libbey Family - Awalt, Conley, Graf, Holman, Libbey, McAvoy, McLaughlin, Meldrum, O'Halloran, Salto, - 2018/2017
* The Hughes Family 2017/2016/2010
* New Gloucester Historical Society and Member Donations
* Gray Historical Society and Member Donations
* Gray Public Library Association - Pat Barter Speaker Series
* Scarborough Historical Society - PRR/PLI
* LogMein - Matching Employee Donation
* IBM - Matching Employee/Retiree Donations
* Fidelity Charitable Grant - Matching Employee Donations
* Richard E. Erwin Grant - 2017/2016
The Narcissus, with interior back-lit, stained glass windows is majestic.
Make a donation today to help restore the interior of this Maine gem.
Help Theodore Roosevelt's Maine Ride get back on track! Once restored,
you will be able to ride in luxury on this National Register Treasure at
Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine.
PWM photo
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.
Patricia Pierce Erikson photo
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
National Historic Treasure at
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