Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway

The WW&FR depot on July 20, 2014
Overview
Headquarters	Wiscasset, Maine
Reporting mark	WW&FR
Locale	Alna, Maine
Dates of operation	1895–1933 1989–present
Technical
Track gauge	2 ft (610 mm)
Length	3.2 miles (5.1 km)
Other
Website	http://www.wwfry.org

The Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway (WW&FR) is a special kind of train line. It uses a narrow gauge track, which means the rails are closer together than on regular train tracks. This railway first ran as a business from 1895 until 1933. It connected towns in Maine like Wiscasset, Albion, and Winslow.

After being shut down in 1936, a part of the track in Alna has been rebuilt. Today, about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of the line is run by a non-profit group called the Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway Museum. This museum operates the line as a heritage railroad. This means it offers fun passenger train rides and sometimes carries cargo, letting people experience what trains were like long ago!

The Railway's Story

Map of a planned narrow gauge railway that would have connected the WW&F with another line. This plan never happened.

The railway started running on February 20, 1895. Back then, it was called the Wiscasset and Quebec Railroad. Its goal was to reach Quebec, Canada, but it never quite made it!

In 1901, the railway changed its name to the Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway. It built a branch line to Winslow by the Kennebec River. However, it couldn't connect with another narrow gauge line in Farmington. This meant the dream of reaching Quebec didn't come true.

What the Trains Carried

The WW&F trains carried many different things. They moved farm products like potatoes, lumber from forests, and poultry (chickens and other birds). They also carried general freight and passengers. In 1914, a lot of what they carried was lumber (43%) and potatoes or canned corn (16%). They also brought in things like animal feed, grain, manufactured goods, and coal.

Challenges and Closure

By the late 1920s, the railway started having problems. More and more people were using roads and cars, which meant fewer people and goods traveled by train. A businessman named Frank Winter bought the railway. He hoped to use the trains to move coal and lumber between Wiscasset and other towns.

However, on June 15, 1933, a train accident caused operations to stop. Frank Winter's plans never fully happened, and he passed away in 1936. Most of the railway tracks and equipment were taken apart and sold for scrap.

The WW&F Railway Museum Today

Luckily, the story didn't end there! In 1989, a non-profit group started the WW&F Railway Museum. This museum has worked hard to bring the railway back to life. As of 2025, they have rebuilt about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of the old track in Alna.

The museum now runs historic steam and diesel trains, along with other old railway equipment. They also have some pieces of equipment on display for visitors to see. It's a great place to learn about trains and experience a piece of history!

Main Towns Along the Original Line (1895–1933)

The original railway line stretched for many miles, connecting several towns. Here are some of the key places it passed through:

• Wiscasset: This was the starting point, or "Milepost 0." It had a large train yard, a wharf for boats, and connections to bigger, standard gauge trains. There was also a roundhouse for engines, a coal shed, and a car shop.
• Sheepscot: A small station with a spur track.
• Head Tide: Another station with tracks for loading gravel.
• "Iron Bridge": This was a very impressive bridge that carried the trains over the Sheepscot River. It was once part of a larger bridge over the Kennebec River!
• Whitefield: A station with a passing siding, where trains could wait for others to pass.
• North Whitefield: This station had a track for a potato warehouse and a mill.
• Cooper's Mills: A station with a passing siding and another potato warehouse.
• Windsor: A standard station building.
• Weeks Mills: A busy station with a freight house, water tank, and tracks for a potato warehouse and a cannery. This was also where the branch line to Winslow began.
• Palermo: A station with a passing siding and a potato warehouse.
• China: Another station with a potato warehouse.
• Albion: This was a major stop with a station that later had living quarters upstairs. It had many tracks serving a cannery, sawmill, tannery, and potato warehouses. There was also a turntable and enginehouse here.

Train Equipment

The WW&F Railway used different types of locomotives (the engines that pull the trains) and rolling stock (the cars).

Locomotives of the WW&F Railway Museum

The museum today has several locomotives, including steam and diesel engines.

Locomotives details

Number	Image	Type	Class	Builder	Built	Status
4		Railcar	Model T Ford	Leon Weeks	2007–2010	Operational
9		Steam	0-4-4RT	Portland Company	1891	Operational
10		Steam	0-4-4RT	Vulcan Iron Works	1904	Under restoration
11		Steam	2-4-4RT	Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway	2017–present	Under construction
51		Track car	Unknown	Brookville	1947	Operational
52		Diesel	DDT-6 12 ton-switcher	Plymouth Locomotive Works	1962	Operational
53		Diesel	45-ton switcher	General Electric	1941	Stored, out of service

Visiting Locomotives

Other museums and owners sometimes lend their locomotives to the WW&F Railway Museum.

Locomotives details

Number	Image	Type	Class	Builder	Built	Serial Number	Status	Owner	Notes
3		Steam	0-4-4RT	Vulcan Iron Works	1912	2093	Operational	Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum	In service at Edaville
4		Steam	0-4-4RT	Vulcan Iron Works	1918	2780	Dissassembled, awaiting overhaul	Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum
7		Steam	2-4-4RT	Baldwin Locomotive Works	1913	40864	Operational	Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum	In service at Maine Narrow Gauge
8		Steam	2-4-4RT	Baldwin Locomotive Works	1924	57659	Stored, awaiting restoration	Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum
11		Steam	0-4-0	HK Porter	1925	6976	Operational	Maine Locomotive & Machine Works	On loan from Maine Locomotive & Machine Works

Former Locomotives of the Original Railway

The original WW&F Railway used many different steam locomotives over its years of operation. Most of these were scrapped after the railway closed in 1933.

Former locomotives

Number	Image	Type	Class	Builder	Built	Works number	Notes
1		Steam	0-4-4RT	HK Porter	1883	565	Scrapped in 1916
2		Steam	0-4-4RT	Portland Company	1894	626	Scrapped in 1937
3		Steam	0-4-4RT	Portland Company	1894	627	Scrapped in 1937
4		Steam	0-4-4RT	HK Porter	1902	2497	Scrapped in 1937
5		Steam	0-4-4RT	Hinkley Locomotive Works	1882	1564	Scrapped in 1912
6		Steam	2-6-2	Baldwin Locomotive Works	1907	31691	Scrapped in 1937
7		Steam	2-4-4RT	Baldwin Locomotive Works	1907	31692	Scrapped in 1937
8		Steam	0-4-4RT	Portland Company	1892	624	Scrapped in 1937

Rolling Stock (Train Cars)

The railway used many different types of cars. These included flatcars for carrying large items, boxcars for enclosed cargo, and passenger cars for people.

A special coach called 'Taconet' from 1901. It carried passengers, baggage, and mail.

When the railway first started, it had flat cars, box cars, a caboose, and gondolas (open-top cars for coal). It also had a snowplow and a flanger (a tool to clear ice from the rails). Passenger cars included coaches, a baggage car, and a car for mail.

As the railway grew, more cars were added. Some boxcars were even made taller. The Wiscasset car shop also rebuilt many cars. For example, some flatcars became boxcars. Special boxcars were made with hinged doors and insulated walls to carry cream or potatoes, keeping them from freezing in winter.

Flatcar #118, the only original flatcar that still exists today.

See also

• List of heritage railroads in the United States