The Maine Electric Transiteer - April 1938 - Portland Div of Electric Railroaders Assoc

From the Kevin Farrell Collection - The cover of

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. Car No. 120 has an ERA banner on its dasher.

No. 120 was hired for this fan trip of the Portland Division of the

Electric Railroaders Association special outing. Now we know the date of

this trip is April 19, 1938. Thank you, Kevin!

O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_10_004

Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library

    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.

No. 190 in Minot probably on Minot Avenue with the Little

Androscoggin on the right through the brush.

I found in the Feb-Mar 1939 issue (link below) that the ERA

used No. 190 on the April 19, 1939 Fan Trip! Bingo!

O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_10_005

Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library

    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. Late yesterday, 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! 

Click Here to see the May 1938 issue.

Click Here to see the Feb-Mar 1939 issue

    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.

Back cover

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

We continue the restoration work on the 1912, Narcissus, the only surviving high-speed, luxury interurban coach of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban. 

Click Here: Narcissus Restoration-Related Posts

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

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

Click Here: Donation Options

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

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

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

Click Here: Bookstores and Businesses promoting the Narcissus Project

Independent book publisher, Phil Morse, holding

the Gold Book Award Winner plaque for

 the Middle Reader category for The Eric

Hoffer Book Award. Congratulations to

award-winning Maine author,

Jean M. Flahive