The Front Cover highlights the progress of buses replacing
trolleys in Portland, Maine, and Berlin, NH.
From the Robert Melcher Collection in
Maine Historical Society archives in Portland, ME, at
Brown Research Library.
Front cover of the December 1938-January 1939, Volume l,
Number 9, issue of the Portland (Maine)
Division of the Electric Railroaders Association
(ERA) newsletter, The Maine Electric Transiteer.
is of No. 402. Here is one of the "builders" photos of No. 402 at the
Wason Company plant. No. 402 was one of the ten closed cars purchased
for operation at the Portland Railroad. They were the first cars with
steel underframes. They arrived in 1914. They were also of the
"Pay-As-You-Enter" type with no bulkheads. The floors were
of a low-level ramp type and were concrete instead of wooden.
Eventually, wooden floors were installed in all ten cars.
O. R. Cummings Collection at the Seashore Trolley Museum
2009_2_39_020
This post shares the second issue of the two "new" Maine Electric Transiteer newsletter issues from Robert Melcher's Collection at the Maine Historical Society. I added a few photos and newspaper clippings with references to text in the Transiteer newsletter.
I have made an appointment to look through the Charles D. Heseltine Collection in the archives of the Maine Historical Society...Wednesday, February 19. And also to look through some Electric Railway-related archives of the Central Maine Power Company at the Maine Historical Society...on Wednesday, February 20...I'm really looking forward to those back-to-back days of research!
On Wednesday, February 5, 2025, I spent five hours at the Maine Historical Society's Brown Research
Library, reviewing the items in the Robert Melcher Collection. Five hours wasn't enough time to look through every scrapbook, or all of Robert's files, or to read the plethora of correspondence. Robert created a wonderful collection. Over time, I will be releasing some posts that include some of Robert's materials. To begin, he did have two more Maine Electric Transiteer newsletters that I had not seen yet.
Click Here: for the post on Robert Melcher
Click Here: for the post - March 1938 (The Very First Issue) (MET) Maine Electric Transiteer newsletter
Click Here: for the post on the April 1938 MET 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 Oct/Nov 1938 MET newsletter
Click Here: for the post on the Feb/Mar 1939 MET newsletter
Click Here: for the post with newspaper clippings - Portland Division of the ERA 1937/1938
Click Here: for the post with newspaper clippings - Portland Division of the ERA 1939-1940
On the front cover of the Transiteer newsletter, buses replacing trolleys
is mentioned.
Evening Express - December 9, 1938 - Front Page
Evening Express - 12-9-1938 - Cont. page 8
Editorial Page with comments on the transition to buses throughout
Maine and other states.
Newspaper clipping of Bus Transition throughout
the U. S. in 1938.
Sun Journal - January 4, 1939 - page 19
More references to electric railways in the US. Also, a comment about the Patriots Day Excursion at Lewiston.
More electric railway news from other states. Announcement of
Charles D. Heseltine, resigning from the Transiteer newsletter staff.
Story/Poem - The Next Issue of Transiteer will have the history of the
Biddeford and Saco Railroad
Dates of the History of Electric Railroads of Maine in
November-December - advertisement
The A & K Excursion is explained (later, the date would be changed
to May 30, 1939). OUR MAILBAG talks about three publications
from three different states. More comments on other railways.
The last page is wrapping up earlier stories.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Click Here: For the list of links to Theodore Roosevelt Maine Heritage Trail Posts in Easy Order to View
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 first 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
Middle Reader category for The Eric
Hoffer Book Award. Congratulations to
award-winning Maine author,
Jean M. Flahive
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