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Portland-Lewiston Interurban No. 14
NARCISSUS
by Laconia Car Company, Laconia, NH
· National – National Register # 1980111480000262
By: O. R. Cummings -
Maine’s finest and fastest electric railway, the Portland-Lewiston Interurban, commenced regular operation on Thursday, July 2, 1914, its 29.8 miles of main track extending almost due north from a connection with the Cumberland County Power & Light Company-leased Portland Railroad Company in Portland through West Falmouth, West Cumberland, Gray and the town of New Gloucester to Auburn and a connection with the Mechanic Falls line of the Lewiston, Augusta & Waterville Street Railway. Trackage rights over the PRR and the LA&W permitted the operation of through cars between Monument Square, Portland, and Union Square, Lewiston, 34.37 miles, and the initial two-hour headway soon was replaced by hourly service, which was maintained until the line was abandoned. The connections in Portland and Auburn were known as Deering Junction and Fairview Junction, respectively, and from register stations at both points, conductors called the dispatcher in Lewiston for orders.
Six passenger cars on hand for the opening day consisted of six 36-foot double-truck coach smokers – Nos. 10, 12, 14, and 16, built by the Laconia (NH) Car Company, and Nos. 18 and 20, outshopped by the Wason Manufacturing Company of Springfield, Mass. The Laconia order was placed on April 24, 1912. The car bodies arrived in Portland in January 1913. Placed in storage in a temporary wood-frame carhouse until the late spring of 1914, when they were towed to Lewiston to be equipped with trucks, motors, controllers, air-brake systems, and otherwise made ready for operation.
Interurban promoter W. Scott Libbey’s desired that each car have a distinct personality and not be identified just by a number; all six were named after flowers.
No. 10 was the Arbutus; No. 12, the Gladiolus; No. 14, the Narcissus; No. 16, the
Clematis; No. 18, the Azalea; and No. 20, the Magnolia. A seventh coach-smoker, No. 22, acquired from Wason in 1920, became Maine.
Each of the original cars was 46 feet long overall. And 8 ft. ¾ in. wide with steamcoach roofs and straight vertically sheathed sides. There were seven arch windows – six double sashes and one single sash – on each side, the sashes being arranged to lift.
The arches above the sashes and the windows in the roof clerestory were glazed with ornamental leaded glass. The exterior livery was Pullman green with gray roofs, dark red doors and trim, and gold leaf numbers and lettering.
The main passenger compartment in each car was 30 feet long and contained twenty 19 in. by 31in. reversible transverse seats and two 18 in. by 32 in. Longitudinal seats upholstered in green plush and accommodating 44 passengers. The six-foot smoking section had two 18-inch-wide leather-covered longitudinal seats for eight riders. According to the Electric Railway Journal of Sept. 25, 1915, the center aisle, in the main compartment, was 24 inches wide. The smoking section was 4 feet 10 inches wide. The two areas are separated by a bulkhead having a central sliding door with ribbed glass panels. The interior finish was mahogany with engraved ebony and holly decorations, and interlocking rubber tiling was used on the floors.
Quoting from the Journal:
“The vestibules are each 4ft. 6 in. long and 3 ft. 4in. wide. Provided with two sets of Pullman-type steps with trapdoors on the floor, three steps provided in each case. The steps are each 10 in wide. The bottom step is 22 in. above the rail. Each of the risers is 10 in high. In front of each vestibule is a small door with a latch. It can be operated from the outside only to facilitate operating the cars in trains.
“Heiwado reversible seats are used, and the cars are fitted with baggage racks. The end of each seat is provided with a leather ticket holder, eight holders also being attached to the inside sheathing, with four more in the smoking compartment.
“The car lighting is accomplished by two 60-watt lamps in each vestibule above the steps, three lamps of this size in the smoking compartment, and sixteen in the main compartment. The last-named was installed in three parallel rows.”
The trucks under the Laconia cars were Baldwin 79-25A type with a wheelbase of 6 ft. 7 in., while each of the Wason cars rode on Brill 27MCB-2X trucks. (Both types of trucks with 36 in. wheels, standard MCB flange and tread with 3.5 in.) Each car was powered by four Westinghouse 304 (90 hp). Inside, hung motors geared for a maximum speed of 59 miles an hour at 600 volts. Other equipment included Westinghouse HL automatic control systems with 15-B master controllers. Westinghouse air brakes, auxiliary hand brakes, Consolidated electric heaters, air whistles, Van Dorn couplers, and Crouse-Hinds luminous arc headlights of the portable type. Initially, the cars had steel-bar pilots on one end. Similar pilots were soon installed on the other end.
(Although the cars were equipped for double-end operation, they were normally run with the smoking compartment forward.)
Each car had two trolley poles with the conventional harps and wheels and carried destination signs of the revolving four-sided wooden-box type lettered PORTLAND, LEWISTON, and SPECIAL, mounted on the vestibule hoods. The signs were illuminated from below by incandescent lamps inside two reflectors. Between the reflectors were receptacles for electrical jumper cables used when cars were operated as trains. Air brake connections were made with flexible hoses. The original couplers were replaced with Westinghouse automatic type, and in 1917, the harps and wheels on the trolley poles were replaced by Miller sliding shoes. New
luminous arc headlights were purchased in 1924, and in 1930, the whistle at the No. 1 end of each car was replaced by a dual air horn. Brass plates with spaces for inserting the names of crew members were installed in the main passenger compartments of Nos. 10-20 in 1927 or 1928, and as automobile traffic in Portland, Auburn, and Lewiston increased. The end-dashers on at least some of the original cars were painted orange with green diamonds to make the interurbans more visible at night. Each car was equipped with a fare register, but the make and type are unknown. And there’s nobody around to ask!
* * *
The Azalea made the first trial trip between Lewiston and Portland on Tuesday, June 16, 1914, and several additional trips were made on subsequent days. Then on Friday, June 26, two of the state Railroad Commissioners, Frank Keizer of Rockland and John A. Jones of Lewiston officially inspected the PLI. The trip was made in the Narcissus, which, in addition to the commissioners, carried about 30 other passengers.
Among those attending the party were Mr. & Mrs. Henry M. Dingley, Mrs. Nelson Dingley, Mr. & Mrs. John A Morrill, Mrs. Annie E. Libbey, Mrs. Gertrude Libbey Anthony, Miss Alla Libbey, Mr. and Mrs. Harold S. Libbey, W. Scott Libbey, Jr., George W. Bowie, general superintendent of the Lewiston, Augusta & Waterville Street Railway, and representatives of the press. Regrettably absent was W. Scott Libbey, PLI promoter, who had died unexpectedly on May 17, 1914.
Numerous stops were made en route so the commissioners could look over bridges, major culverts, cuts and fills, special work, and the like, and upon arrival in Portland, the car was joined by Mayor Oakley C. Curtis. Then the party proceeded to Riverton Park, the Portland Railroad’s pleasure resort beside the Presumpscot River in Deering, where a “splendid” banquet was served in the casino, “under the supervision of Dan Smith, supreme dictator of the inn.”
Then on Tuesday, August 18, the Narcissus carried what was probably the most distinguished passenger in the PLI’s history. Former President Theodore Roosevelt was invited by the interurban management to inspect the new railway while he was campaigning. He rode from Lewiston to Portland and, at brief stops in New Gloucester and Gray. Former POTUS addressed gatherings of townspeople. Upon arrival in the Forest City, “Teddy” voiced his pleasure over the “bully” ride he had enjoyed and gave motorman Charles H. Mitchell and conductor Joseph N L’Heureux, best known as “Joe Happy”, each a tip of $10, a not inconsiderable amount in those days.
* * *
The Narcissus is known to have been involved in two fatal accidents, the first of which occurred on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 1917, when one James E. Flynn, 40, of Auburn, was struck and killed near Marston’s Corner on the outskirts of the city. Flynn, who reportedly had been seen in an intoxicated condition at an earlier hour, was lying on the track and failed to heed the whistle blasts sounded repeatedly by motorman John E. Abbott, who had cut the power and applied the brakes as soon as he spotted the man. The railway was absolved of all blame.
Somewhat more than two months later, on Friday, December 21, No. 14 and a Lewiston, Augusta & Waterville double-truck closed car, No. 280, collided head-on on Minot Avenue, near High Street, in Auburn. Albert W. Beals, an LA&W motorman, and Eugene Roux, a student motorman, were fatally injured in the collision. George Blair, motorman on the Narcissus, shut off the power and applied the brakes when he saw the collision was imminent, and then “joined the birds.”
According to newspaper reports of the crash and the investigation that followed, No. 280, entering Minot Avenue from Court Street on its way to Mechanic Falls, failed to trip a block signal, which would have caused the Narcissus to stop at the corner of Minot Avenue and Washington Street. Blair, believing he had a clear line, was heading toward Court Street when he observed the LA&W trolley approaching at a fast clip about 200 feet away. Witnesses testified that Beals made every effort to stop his car by reversing the motor direction and throwing the air brake handle into the emergency position. Due to the speed at which the car was traveling, his actions were too late. No passenger in either car was injured, but all were shaken by the impact. No. 280 was heavily damaged and had to be towed to the Lewiston carhouse. The Narcissus had minor damage and was able to proceed under its own power.
No further accidents or incidents involving the Narcissus are known to have occurred after 1917. The car was still active when the Portland-Lewiston Interurban was abandoned on June 28, 1933. (Two of the Laconia cars, the Arbutus and the Gladiolus, made the very last trips on that sad day.) Three months later, on September 27, the railway properties, including all rolling stock, had been sold to H. E. Salzburg Inc. of New York City, a railroad salvage concern, and the dismantling of the property began shortly thereafter. One complete car, the Arbutus, was conveyed to Mrs. Gertrude L. Anthony, daughter of W. Scott Libbey, as a memorial to her father. Several car bodies were sold to private parties. Among them was the Narcissus, which eventually became the summer home of J. Henry Vallee near Sabattus Lake in the present town of Sabattus.
For reasons not entirely clear today, Mrs. Anthony had the Arbutus dismantled during 1945. World War II years. In 1969, Seashore Trolley Museum initiated efforts to acquire the Narcissus, which was deemed sufficiently sound to warrant restoration. Mr. Vallee agreed to dispose of the body if the Museum would have the shell of a replacement cottage constructed, and after a major fundraising effort, the deal was consummated. The Narcissus arrived at the Museum in October of that year. Funding is needed to complete the restoration.
During the restoration and development of educational materials, we will be on the hunt for evidence, artifacts, pictures, and personal stories of:
Theodore Roosevelt and his visits to Maine. We're specifically looking for info, etc, related to...
- In 1872, as a 13-year-old, he attended summer camp at Moosehead Lake
- In 1878-79, as a 20+-year-old, he was with Maine guides William Sewall and Wilmot Dow in Island Falls
- During his presidency, he visited Maine in the summer of 1902
- On August 18, 1914, he was campaigning between Lewiston and Portland on the Portland-Lewiston's Narcissus (an eight and a half pound lake trout on board)
- On August 31, 1916, he was campaigning between Portland and Lewiston aboard the Portland-Lewiston Interurban railway...he rode one of the interurbans, we don't know which one? (Clematis)
- In July/August 1918, he was in Dark Harbor, ME (Islesboro) with his family, grieving the death of his son Quentin.
Please consider joining the epic journey to complete the Narcissus Project by donating today!
Click Here: Donation Options
W. S. Libbey. The visionary who built what became
known as the "Finest Electric Railroad
in All-New England." O. R. Cummings collection
known as the "Finest Electric Railroad
in All-New England." O. R. Cummings collection
Oscar S Adkins (left) and John I. Cluff, motormen with the
Narcissus at Gray. Oscar Adkins began working at PLI in
1916. John I. Cluff, in October 1918.
This photo with No. 14 Narcissus c 1919 - OR Cummings Coll.
The Lewiston Daily Sun, August 19, 1914,
page 2. The last sentence in the first paragraph
states that Colonel Roosevelt boarded the
Narcissus for Portland on August 18, 1914.
The Narcissus. O. R. Cummings collection.
August 18, 1914 - from the Gray Historical Society
Porcelain sign from PLI Ticket Booth. O.R. Cummings collection
The end of the PLI announcement. Seashore Trolley Museum collection
Narcissus - a summer camp for the Vallee family at
Sabattus Pond near Lewiston in 1969, just before traveling to
Seashore Trolley Museum. O. R. Cummings Photo
Narcissus, shortly after it arrived at the Seashore Trolley Museum
Norm Downs photo
Publicity for the restoration of the Narcissus and its role
in the Teddy Roosevelt Days event weekend was
exemplary in July 2015. Photo by Patricia Pierce Erikson
Narcissus and Randy Leclair are ready for visitors who
were attending the Teddy Roosevelt Days event, weekend, 2015.
were attending the Teddy Roosevelt Days event, weekend, 2015.
Photo by Patricia Pierce Erikson
Narcissus at night, 7-31-2015, with a few stained-glass windows
temporarily installed for visitors to see during Teddy
Roosevelt Days event weekend. Photo by Patricia Pierce Erikson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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
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 captivate, fascinate, then generate 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 donating 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 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
Gold Book Award Winner plaque for
Middle Reader category for The Eric
Hoffer Book Award. Congratulations to
award-winning Maine author,
Jean M. Flahive
