Volume One, No. Two, April 1938 issue of
The Maine Electric Transiteer - the newsletter of the
Portland Division of the Electric Railroaders Association (ERA)
I was seeking clarification on dates for an electric railway fan trip on the A & K (Androscoggin and Kennebec Railway) electric railway system in the Auburn/Lewiston area in the later 1930s.
Within the O.R. Cummings Collection of photos at Seashore Trolley Museum, there are a series of photos that are not dated and have no descriptions. Some are clearly of an ERA (Electric Railroaders Association) railfan trip sponsored by the Portland (ME) Division of the ERA. Some images have Car No. 120 with an ERA banner on its dasher. There are several other images in the series that also seem they be of a railway fan trip, but on a different car (No. 190) that is not sporting a banner.
I reached out to several Seashore members and to the ERA. The ERA admin for the online social site replied to my request promptly and replied there are very few Maine-related archives in the central offices, but that they would conduct a search. I did receive an email from longtime Seashore member, Kevin Farrell, earlier this week stating a "package" was on its way to me with contents that would help clarify the A & K railway fan trip in 1938. On July 28, 2023, I received Kevin's package :)
Thank you, Kevin!
Two, of the several items in the package, are very early issues of a newsletter from the Portland Division of the ERA. I personally had not heard of this publication before; The Maine Electric Transiteer.
In the April 1938 issue, the detailed schedule for the Portland Division of the ERA's railway fan trip on the A & K on April 19, 1938, is included. There also is a short history of the A & K Railway. along with several other electric railway-related topics. A fun read for sure - looking back 85 years ago!
(Over the next couple of years, July 2023 - February 2025, I would be searching for more issues of the Maine Transiteer newsletter. In newspaper archives and in the Maine Historical Society's Robert Melcher Collection, I was able to find great evidence to clarify April 19, 1938, A & K Excursion and what was initially scheduled to be the Patriot's Day, April 19, 1939, A & K Excursion that was postponed to Memorial Day, May 30, 1939)
Francis Monahan did the sketch on the cover of this issue of
the Transiteer newsletter. The sketch is of A & K No. 120, used
for the fan trip of the Portland Division of the Electric Railroaders
Association Excursion on April 19, 1938.
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_10_004
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library
Click Here: for the post - March 1938 (The Very First Issue) (MET) Maine Electric Transiteer Newsletter
Click Here: for the post on the May 1938 MET newsletter
Click Here: for the post on the June 1938 MET newsletter
Click Here: for the post on the July 1938 MET newsletter
Click Here: for the post on the Aug/Sept 1938 MET newsletter
Click Here: for the post on the Dec 1938/Jan 1939 MET newsletter
Click Here: for the post on the Feb/Mar 1939 MET newsletter
Androscoggin & Kennebec Railway (A & K) No. 120
at the entrance to Lake Grove Park in Auburn during
the Portland Division of the Electric Railroaders Assoc. (ERA)
A&K Excursion. Photo from the Robert Melcher Collection in
the Maine Historical Society archives in Portland, ME, at
the Brown Research Library.
The quality of some of these pages for reading the text is challenging...reading some of the text might be difficult. As with some previous issues...I will mention the key topics on each page...enjoy!
This being only the second issue, you may notice the page numbering to be off...the sequence of the pages in this post is in order when opening and turning each page...the pages of this issue are stapled together, so, disregard the page number shown, if one is even on a page.
Updates on various electric railways in New England.
A promotion to attract new subscribers to the Transiteer
newsletter - new subscribers can secure their free copy of:
The "Bramhall"? The "Merrymeeting:? or The Arbutus.
I'm not sure what photos of the parlor cars Charles Heseltine used as the enticement for new subscribers, but, below is a photo of each.
The parlor car, the Bramhall, at Fort Allen shortly after arriving
in Portland in 1896.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_38_034
The "Merrymeeting" at the Tacoma Inn near Lewiston
O. R. Cummings Collection at Seashore Trolley Museum
2009_2_21_027
Portland-Lewiston Interurban luxury coach, No. 10 Arbutus with
Lewiston terminal personnel l-r two unidentified men
Lewiston terminal personnel l-r two unidentified men
then; R G Weeks, master mechanic; Guy W. Mitchell, barn
foreman; H. L. Wright, Mrs. Lucy Card Matthews, E J Chateauvert,
Milan H Spinney, Charles E Kennison, L R Penny. June 29, 1914
Collection of Barney Neuburger from O. R. Cummings
Detailed schedule for the April 19, 1938, A&K Excursion
Story on Portland Railroad. Another segment promoting
new subscribers to the Transiteer newsletter.
Editorial page with comments by the Transiteer members
.jpg)
Updates on the Portland Railroad and a write-up on a
PRR employee retiring after 50 years of service.
Update on the recent ERA meeting and several updates
on information/details of various railways
History of the Androscoggin & Kennebec Railway
History of the Androscoggin & Kennebec Railway continued
History of the Androscoggin & Kennebec Railway continued
and a comment on the Boston El and volunteers at the A & K
Updates on a couple of ME Railways - Topics for the
next issue of the Transiteer newsletter - advertisement
Map of the A & K Railway
This Month in Electric Railway History that took place
over many years
.jpg)
More Transiteer member activities
Poetry - Transiteer info - Advertising
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We continue the restoration work on the 1912, Narcissus, the only surviving high-speed, luxury interurban coach of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban.
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Being more than a century old, the stately, "Elegant Ride," Narcissus, is a gem. This shimmering precious stone of Maine transportation history is brilliantly resplendent as it emanates so many elements of history, including; time, places, people, and events, that it was coupled to, that when just a smattering of its seemingly innumerable stories are shared, the contents captivates, fascinates, then generates, interest to learn more 🙋. The majestic Narcissus is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
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The restoration of this majestic icon of Maine's electric railway history is but one in a series of captivating stories containing an abundance of incredible coalition of narratives.
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The Narcissus is featured in the national Gold Award-winning novel, Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride. The "Elegant Ride" is the Narcissus. Theodore Roosevelt was a passenger on the Narcissus on August 18, 1914, between Lewiston and Portland, Maine, while campaigning for the Progressive Party candidates.
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Independent book publisher, Phil Morse, holding
the Gold Book Award Winner plaque for
the Middle Reader category for The Eric
Hoffer Book Award. Congratulations to
award-winning Maine author,
Jean M. Flahive
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