Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway facts for kids
Locomotive #10 at Sheepscot station on the restored WW&F
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Alna |
| 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&F) is a special kind of train line. It uses a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge track. This means the tracks are closer together than regular train tracks.
The original WW&F company ran trains for money from 1895 to 1933. It connected towns like Wiscasset, Albion, and Winslow in Maine. The old line was closed in 1936.
Today, a non-profit group called the Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway Museum has rebuilt part of the line. They have about three miles (4.8 km) of track in Alna. This museum runs the railway as a heritage railroad. They offer fun passenger train rides and sometimes carry cargo, just like in the old days!
Contents
History of the WW&F Railway
The railway first started running trains on February 20, 1895. Back then, it was called the Wiscasset and Quebec Railroad. It went as far as Weeks Mills.
In 1901, the company changed its name to the Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway. This happened because they couldn't agree on how to cross another train line. The WW&F then built a branch line from Weeks Mills to the Kennebec River at Winslow. However, they never reached Quebec because they couldn't connect with the Sandy River Railroad in Farmington.
What the Trains Carried
The WW&F trains carried many different things. They moved potatoes, wood, and chickens. They also carried other goods and passengers. In 1914, most of the cargo leaving the railway was wood (43%). Potatoes and canned corn made up 16%. Trains coming in carried animal feed, grain, and other manufactured goods.
Challenges and Closure
In the late 1920s, the railway started to have problems. More and more people were using roads, which meant fewer people and goods traveled by train.
A businessman named Frank Winter bought the railway. He also owned two cargo ships. He planned for the ships to bring coal north from Boston. Then, they would return south with wood. The railway would move coal and wood between Wiscasset and places further inland in Maine.
However, this plan never fully worked out. On June 15, 1933, a train went off the tracks. After this, the railway stopped running. Frank Winter passed away in 1936. Most of the railway tracks were taken apart and sold for scrap. The ships were left abandoned near the train dock in Wiscasset.
The WW&F Railway Museum Today
In 1989, a non-profit group started the WW&F Railway Museum. This museum is still active today! They have worked hard to bring the railway back to life.
The museum has fixed up several old train cars and engines. They have also rebuilt about 3 miles of the old WW&F track in Alna. The museum now runs 2 ft (610 mm) gauge steam and diesel locomotives. They also have other historic train equipment. Some trains are used for rides, and others are on display for visitors to see.
Locomotives of the WW&F
The WW&F Railway has several interesting locomotives. These are the engines that pull the trains.
| Number | Builder | Type | Build date | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Portland Company | Steam | 1891 | Operational | This steam engine was built in 1891 in Portland, Maine. It first ran for the Sandy River Railroad. It worked on several different railways over the years. The WW&F Railway Museum got it in 1995. After 20 years of restoration, it started running again in 2016. It now pulls passenger trains for the museum. |
| 10 | Vulcan Ironworks | Steam | 1904 | Stored out of service | This steam engine was built in 1904 in Pennsylvania. It worked for sugar plantations before being retired in 1958. It then went to the Edaville Railroad. It also ran at Pleasure Island amusement park. The WW&F Railway Museum got it in 1999. It ran for a few years but is now stored for a major repair. |
| 11 | Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway | Steam | 2017–present | Under construction | This is a brand new steam engine being built by the WW&F Railway itself! It will be like their old locomotive #7. Parts like the headlight and bell are already done. Construction is expected to continue in 2020 or later. |
| 51 | Brookville | Track Car | 1947 | Operational | This small vehicle was built in 1947. It first worked for a cranberry farm. Later, it was used at a marine railway. It was given to the WW&F Railway in 1994. It was the museum's first working engine. In 2010, it was reclassified as a track car. |
| 52 | Plymouth | DDT-6 Diesel | 1962 | Operational | This diesel engine was built in 1962 in Pennsylvania. The WW&F Railway got it in late 1996. It was updated with new couplers and running boards. It also has a snow plow for winter use. |
Rolling Stock of the WW&F
"Rolling stock" refers to all the cars that trains pull, like passenger cars and freight cars.
When the railway was first built, it used a 14-ton engine from Porter. It also had many cars built by the Portland Company. These included 28 ft (8.5 m) long flat cars (for carrying goods), box cars (enclosed cars), a caboose (for the crew), and gondolas (open-top cars for coal). They also had a wedge snowplow and a flanger (for clearing snow and ice from the tracks).
The railway also had passenger cars. Jackson and Sharp built four 40 ft (12 m) long passenger cars. These included a baggage and mail car, regular coaches, and a smoking car.
When the railway expanded to Winslow, the Portland Company built 32 more cars. These were 30 ft (9.1 m) long and could carry 12 tons. They included more coal gondolas, flatcars, and boxcars. Some new boxcars were taller than the older ones.
Porter built another engine, a 24-ton Forney locomotive. Jackson & Sharpe built three more passenger cars. These included another coach, a baggage and mail car, and an open car for excursions.
Before World War I, the Portland Company built 32 more cars. These included more boxcars and flatcars.
In 1907, Carson Peck bought three more locomotives. These included engines from Hinkley and Baldwin. The two new Baldwin engines pulled most of the main trains. However, they were damaged in a fire in 1931. To keep the railway running, Frank Winter bought two used engines from another railway.
Car Shop Projects
The railway's own car shop was very busy. They rebuilt many cars over the years. For example, they turned some flatcars into boxcars. They also changed a smoking car into a baggage compartment.
After a smoking car caught fire in 1904, its wheels were used for the caboose. The caboose was then renumbered. An excursion car was changed into a combination mail and smoking car in 1906.
The shop also rebuilt gondolas into flatcars. Some boxcars were rebuilt with special features. For example, some had hinged doors and insulated walls to carry milk cans. Other boxcars had stoves inside to keep potatoes from freezing in winter. Some flatcars were rebuilt into heated, insulated boxcars for potatoes. Other flatcars were turned into express cars with large side doors.
