Top screenshot from the 470 RR Club Facebook page - Bottom photo - O. R Cummings Coll. STM
Photos - STM
Photos - STM
Photos - PWM
Photos - STM
Click Here: for the Special Christmas Prelude Event on Thursday - December 5 - 9:30-4
at the new Maine Central Model Railroad Building - HO Scale - 3,000 feet
$3 admission - try your hand at operating - docent-guided tours - an interactive scavenger hunt and if weather permits, roasting marshmallows outside
Click Here: for the Special Christmas Prelude Event on Thursday - December 12 - 9:30-4
Photos - STM
Click Here: for the Christmas Prelude Trolley Rides Friday-Sunday, December 6-8 - 9:30-5:30
Click Here: for the Christmas Prelude Trolley Rides Friday-Sunday, December 13-15 - 9:30-5:30
Top left screenshot from Great Documentaries YouTube page
Top right photos of the front and back cover of the DVD of PWM
Click Here: to go to the YouTube documentary or click on the video below
Photos - PWM
The "Electric Road" lived up to the expectations set in 1910 :)
October 26, 1910, page 10, Lewiston Evening Journal article
on the construction of the Portland, Gray, and Lewiston
Railroad. Shortly after the opening of the high-speed
electric railroad in July 1914, the name was changed to
the Portland-Lewiston Interurban Railroad. The caption
beneath the photo reads Hon. W. Scott Libbey, his son,
Harold, and Samuel Ferguson, grading on Gray Meadow.
(This page 10, with the date of Wednesday, October 26, 1910,
is actually located between pages 9 and 11 of the Thursday,
October 27, 1910, online edition of Lewiston Evening Journal).
The heart of the Lewiston railway system was Hulett Square. At the intersection
of Main and Lisbon Streets (left), in Lewiston. A Waterville-bound car
is shown turning into Lisbon Street, while a car from Bath stands in front of the
waiting room. Currently, J. Dostie Jewelers occupies the street-level space of
the building on the left, formally known as the "Journal" building. PWM postcard
The screenshot on the left is from the DigitalMaine.com online collection of the
"Men of the Hour" publication. Highlighting many Maine individuals
recognized as important to the State. A postcard of PWM and a screenshot
of a page from the Scrapbook of PLI Reunions in the O.R. Cummings Coll. at STM
Click Here: Winfield Scott Libbey 1851-1914 from Biographical Section - History of Maine
A selfie by PWM and a photo by Tim Gurczak, Collections Photographer at NEDCC
Click Here: to see the whole process of conserving the 1910 PG&LRR ROW surveyors' map
Click Here: to see the report and photos of comparisons of the 1910 surveyors' map to today
Photos of books in the Coll. of PWM
A photo from the 2015 NEERHS book,
The Illustrated Atlas of Maine's Street & Electric Railways 1863-1946 by
O. R. Cummings and Charles D. Heseltine. A photo of a page in the Charles D. Heseltine
Coll. at Maine Historical Society.
The PLI Employees Reunion Scrapbook was made by Charles Heseltine with
help from former PLI employee, Oscar Atkins. Charles worked with the PLI
Reunion Committee and was thanked accordingly. Heseltine gave the
Scrapbook to his friend and electric railway history colleague, O. R. Cummings.
O. R. Cummings is the well-known and prolific publisher of dozens of books
on the histories of various electric railway companies. O. R. passed the
Scrapbook on to Seashore Trolley Museum's Library.
The contents (88 pages) of Scrapbook, including more than 200 photos,
were conserved and photographed in 2022 by the
Northeast Document Conservation Center in Andover, MA
Click Here: to see the post on Scrapbook (2016) and the hope for raising nearly $20,000 to conserve it
Photos below from the PLI Reunion Scrapbook - Charles Heseltine and Robert Melcher both Contributed
Click Here: for the post on Robert Melcher and being an ERA member (Electric Railroaders Association) and a member of the 470 Railroad Club
Click Here: for the post on Charles Heseltine and Robert Melcher establishing the Portland (Maine) Division of the the Electric Railroaders Association beginning in 1937
One of the many newspaper clippings was taped into the PLI Reunion Scrapbook.
The hand-written description next to the clipping reads; Lewiston Journal, July 2, 1909.
All photos inside the PLI Reunion Scrapbook. O. R. Cummings Coll. STM
A photo from the PLI Reunion Scrapbook. O. R. Cummings Coll. STM
Photos from the O. R. Cummings Coll. STM
Photos from the O. R. Cummings Coll. STM
Photos from the O. R. Cummings Coll. STM
Left: Photo in the Lewiston Evening Journal, May 18, 1914. Center:
Photo from O. R. Cummings Coll. STM. Right: The actual opening day of
service to the public received a short announcement on page 12 (back page)
of the Lewiston Evening Journal's July 2, 1914 issue.
The peak year would be 1920 when the PLI carried 531,440 passengers.
Click Here: to read the death of W. S. Libbey and newspaper articles about his life
The map is from the 2015 NEERHS book,
The Illustrated Atlas of Maine's Street & Electric Railways 1863-1946.
Two photos from the PLI Reunion Scrapbook at STM. The image of the sign
and the carhouse photo are from the O. R. Cummings Coll STM
Click Here: Substations and Terminals of the PLI
The map is from the 2015 NEERHS book,
The Illustrated Atlas of Maine's Street & Electric Railways 1863-1946.
The center photo from the O. R. Cummings Col. STM.
Upper right: from the PLI Reunion Scrapbook at STM.
Lower right: Photo PWM 2017
The map is from the 2015 NEERHS book,
The Illustrated Atlas of Maine's Street & Electric Railways 1863-1946.
The upper center photo from the O. R. Cummings Col. STM.
Lower center: screenshot from the State of Maine online Lidar map.
Upper right: from the PLI Reunion Scrapbook at STM.
Lower right: Photo T. Blake 2020
The map is from the 2015 NEERHS book,
The Illustrated Atlas of Maine's Street & Electric Railways 1863-1946.
Upper right: from the PLI Reunion Scrapbook at STM.
Lower center: screenshot from the State of Maine online Lidar map.
Lower right: Photo T. Blake 2020
The map is from the 2015 NEERHS book,
The Illustrated Atlas of Maine's Street & Electric Railways 1863-1946.
Photo from the O. R. Cummings Col. STM.
The map and both photos are from the O. R. Cummings Col. STM.
The map and all three photos are from the O. R. Cummings Coll. STM.
Click Here: for the post on the Beginning of the Classic Interurban - July 2, 1914
Photo from the Gray Historical Society. The newspaper clipping:
Lewiston Evening Journal, August 19, 1914, page 5, "Of Local Interest."
Book cover photo by PWM
Left: O. R. Cummings Coll. STM. Right - PWM
Click Here: to see the post on the Morrison Hill Waiting Station
Click Here: to see the post on personal journals, newspaper clippings, and PLI Reunion notes.
All three photos: O. R. Cummings Coll. STM. Center screenshot:
State of Maine online Lidar map
Upper left Newspaper: STM Coll. Top right: O. R. Cummings Coll. STM.
Lower left Newspaper clipping: Lewiston Daily Sun - Page 13- April 9, 1934.
Upper right photo: O. R. Cummings Coll. STM
Lower Right: The PLI No. 22, Maine, as Brochu Diner in 1940 at
237-A Park Street, Lewiston. Next door to the Brochu Grocer at
239-A Park Street. Photo by David Gudas
Click Here: for the post, the End of the Classic Interurban - June 28, 1933
Click Here: for the post, What Happened to the Interurbans of the PLI after 1933?
Photos on left: O.R.Cummings Coll. STM - Right: PWM
Upper left: The Narcissus with "Sabattus Lake Diner" on the letterboard
on a lot at Sabattus Lake. Notations on the negative date
photo 1941. Photo by John Coughlin in the Kevin Farrell
Collection at Seashore Trolley Museum. Upper right: screenshot from O. R.
Cummings Coll. at Northeast Historic Films. Lower left: D. Henry Vallee
and his son, Dan Vallee inside the Narcissus - June 1965 - Vallee Photo
Upper left: Vallee photo - Narcissus on the STM Highway Monster trailer in
front of the new Vallee home on 10/31/1969. Lower left: Narcissus arrives at STM -
Photo by John Coughlin in the Kevin Farrell Collection 10/31/1969
at Seashore Trolley Museum. On right: interior of the Narcissus - STM Coll.
Upper right screenshot of "Cell" phone from the Arbutus in the Gertrude Libbey
Anthony Collection at Maine Historical Society. Lower right: newspaper
clipping of one of the PLI "Cell" phones taped into the PLI Reunion Scrapbook - STM.
All other photos by PWM
Center and lower right photos by E. Eaton. Other photos by PWM
All photos by PWM
All photos by PWM
All photos by PWM
Upper left: advertisement. Both center photos by E. Eaton. The other photos - PWM.
Upper left: Tom Hughes photo 1995. All other photos by Ernie Eaton
All photos by PWM
Lower left: screenshot from the video by Ernie Eaton. Other photos - PWM
Click Here: to open the post "Testing the Westinghouse Multi-Unit System for the Narcissus"
The three photos - PWM. All #-D CAD screenshots were generated by Ernie Eaton.
Click Here: to see the post on the High School Intern from Portland and his work using Solidwork 3-D CAD for the Narcissus.
Upper left photo: O. R. Cummings Coll. STM. All 3-D CAD images
generated by Ernie Eaton
Lower right photo - PWM. All other photos by Ernie Eaton
Lower right photo - PWM. All other photos by Ernie Eaton
All Ernie Eaton photos
Upper left photo: PWM. 3-D CAD image generated by Ernie Eaton.
Other photos by Ernie Eaton
All 3-D CAD images generated by Ernie Eaton
All 3-D CAD images generated by Ernie Eaton
Click Here: to see the post, Virtual Tour 3-D CAD of the Narcissus
Lower right photo - PWM. All 3-D CAD images generated by Ernie Eaton
Photos of Millie book cover, bookmarks, and brochures - all PWM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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
