Open car No. 31 of the Biddeford and Saco Railroad Co.
is seen making the curve from Alfred Street, to enter
Elm Street, at Five Points, in Biddeford, ME on June 18, 1939.
The passengers were all riding Car 31 during a fan trip organized
by young men who would become known as the founders of
what is now known as the Seashore Trolley Museum in
Kennebunkport, Maine. It was during this trip that
the decision was made to save Car 31 from being scrapped.
Image from the O R Cummings Collection at
Seashore Trolley Museum
Eighty-five years ago, on July 5, 1939, open car No. 31, of the Biddeford and Saco Railroad, was saved from being scrapped. On July 15, 19139, Car 31 was transported to what is now the main entrance to the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport. This activity was the start of what is now the Seashore Trolley Museum.
There will be many special events at the Seashore Trolley Museum during this 85th Anniversary season.
Click Here: The Seashore Trolley Museum's website home page
This blog post is going to focus some attention on Car 31 and the Biddeford and Saco Railroad during the year that Car 31 arrived in the Biddeford-Saco area, 124 years ago today, June 6, 1900.
From September 1900, until July 5, 1939, open trolley car No. 31 carried passengers from Five Points in Biddeford, along the eight miles of track, to the railroad crossing on Old Orchard Street in Old Orchard Beach. Car 31 was one of the many electric railway passenger cars operating for the Biddeford and Saco Railroad Company, carrying the many millions of passengers that utilized the public transportation railway system in the first half of the twentieth century (1,871,154 passengers in 1921).
Car 31 has the unique distinction of being the first trolley car (anywhere in the world) to be saved by a group of individuals to start a trolley museum. Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, ME, was founded in 1939 with the acquisition of Car 31. Car 31 is recognized as the "Mother Car" of all trolley museums worldwide. Car 31 is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is also a member of Save America's Treasures.
Click Here: Ted Santarelli tells the story of how Car 31 was saved. Santarelli was one of the young men who saved Car 31 in 1939, and in doing so, became one of the founders of the Seashore Trolley Museum.
Click Here: Car 31 Returned Home to Biddeford, Saco, and OOB in 1999 - 60th Anniversary Home Tour
1900 was an important year for the Biddeford and Saco Railroad. Below are a series of newspaper clippings tracking the changes through the year.
Biddeford Daily Journal January 29, 1900
Biddeford Daily Journal February 26, 1900
This article mentions various ways the company was investing in improvements in the Biddeford & Saco Railroad during 1900. These improvements were part of a master plan enacted by the new management of the company. The major stock was now controlled by members of the Board that managed the Portland Railroad.
Lewiston evening Sun February 26, 1900
Lewiston Daily Sun February 28, 1900
Lewiston Evening Sun March 12, 1900
This is Biddeford and Saco Railroad open car No. 19 c1900
1892 was the year No. 19 was built and began operating in the
Biddeford, Saco, and Old Orchard Beach area. The new
management of the Biddeford and Saco Railroad was looking
to have larger trolley cars to carry more passengers than each
of the existing cars.
Image from the O R Cummings Collection at
Seashore Trolley Museum 2009_2_15_022
Closed car No. 10 on Main Street c1905. No 10 was operating
for the Biddeford and Saco Railroad beginning in 1899. No. 10
continued in the operating fleet until the end of the trolley service
midway through 1939. No. 10 was also one of the three trolley cars
that the founding members of the Seashore Trolley Museum used
during the June 18, 1939, fan trip.
Image from the O R Cummings Collection at
Seashore Trolley Museum 2009-2_14_098
Four new open cars were ordered, including No. 31.
Kennebec Journal March 14, 1900
The new management of the Biddeford & Saco wasted no time in bringing the line up to the physical standards of the Portland Railroad system. As related in the article, new rails were laid between Saco and Old Orchard Beach, and new modern cars were purchased. Additional equipment was installed in the power station and a 1.86-mile extension was built in Biddeford.
The extension, beginning at the original terminus of the road at King's Corner, continued along Elm Street to Five Points, so-called, and ran over Alfred Street to its intersection with Main Street. There was a turnout on Alfred Street, near Five Points. This loop was inspected by the Railroad Commission in September, and at about the same time double iron was laid on Main Street, Biddeford, from City Square to the corner of Jefferson Street.
Biddeford Daily Journal March 16, 1900
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Ibid - Cont. March 16, 1900
Portland Daily Press March 20, 1900
Biddeford Daily March 29, 1900
Lewiston Evening Sun May 7, 1900
Biddeford Daily May 11, 1900
Lewiston Evening Journal May 17, 1900
Portland Daily Press May 24, 1900
Car 31 arrives in Maine with three other open cars on June 6, 1900
Biddeford Daily June 7, 1900
Elm Street to Five Point Extension completed
Biddeford Daily Journal September 5, 1900
Evening Express October 11, 1900
Portland Railroad seeks to extend service from South Portland, through Scarborough to Main Street Saco.
Portland Daily December 4, 1900
Biddeford Daily Journal December 20, 1900
With the extension completed, the terminus at King's Corner was replaced by a new terminus at Main and Alfred Streets. Cars would operate up Alfred Street to Five Points, down Elm Street to Main Street, then through to Main Street in Saco and onto Laurel Hill Cemetary or onto Old Orchard Beach via Old Orchard Road to Halfway, then Saco Avenue, to Union Avenue, Washington Avenue, and back to Saco Avenue, next, turn down Old Orchard Street to the end of the line before the railroad crossing.
Service at the time was half-hourly in the fall, winter, and spring to Old Orchard Beach with fifteen-minute local service in Biddeford and Saco. Five cars were in operation with three running to OOB and two providing local service in Biddeford and Saco. Factory and shop extras were operated year-round.
The old wooden Biddeford-Saco bridge was replaced with a steel span in 1900 and 1901, with the Biddeford & Saco Railroad contributing its share of the cost.
As of June 30, 1902, the Biddeford & Saco operated 7.611 route miles and .535 mil of sidings and turnouts for a total of 8.146 track miles.
Click Here: Short History of the Biddeford and Saco Railroad Company
Car 31 at Seashore Trolley Museum c 2019
Image courtesy of Dan Vardaro
We continue the restoration work on the Narcissus, the only surviving interurban coach of the PLI. Please consider making a donation to the Narcissus Project to help the restoration work continue to completion.
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 100 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
Androscoggin Historical Society, Lewiston
Eliot Historical Society, Eliot
Gray Historical Society, Gray
Kennebec Historical Society, Augusta
Letterpress Books, Portland
Maine Historical Society Store, Portland
Morph Gallery & Emporium, Kennebunk
New Gloucester Historical Society, New Gloucester
Print: A Bookstore, Portland
Roosevelt Campobello International Park, Welshpool, NB, Canada
Seashore Trolley Museum, Kennebunkport
Sherman's Maine Coast Book Shops, All Locations
Thompson's Orchard, New Gloucester
Winthrop Maine Historical Society, Winthrop
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 run 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 a one-time donation or you
may choose to have a specific amount charged to your card
automatically each month. Please contact the Museum bookkeeper, Jill, via email at finance@trolleymuseum.org or by phone, at 207-967-2712 ext. 5.
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: 816 Narcissus, then continue filling in the required information.
Click Here for PayPal - to make an online donation: you can email: finance@NEERHS.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, Jill, via email at finance@trolleymuseum.org or by phone, at 207-967-2712 ext. 5,
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 - 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, majestic stained glass windows.
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.
Photo by Patricia Pierce Erikson
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
Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine.
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