Forecaster May 15th, 2019 article

[Bill Reidy]

Just ran across this recent article in the Forecaster.

"Frank Winter was a lumber baron who owned sawmills and lumber interests in Palermo. According to the book “The Maine Two-Footers” by Linwood Moody, his grand schemes were brought to a halt by the great Depression and his death in 1936.

"The wreckage of his business was left to rot. The most famous relics were the two schooners, Hesper and Luther Little, which Winter bought to haul lumber south and return with coal. These were abandoned next to the pier in Wiscasset, where they became one of Maine’s most cherished reminders of the past.

"Less well known is little narrow gauge Engine No. 8, which derailed south of Whitefield..."

http://www.theforecaster.net/coastal-history-the-little-engine-that-couldnt/

[Bob Holmes]

I think my attempt to reply to this failed.  So here goes again.

Both Steve and I responded to Zac McDorr to tell him that both the W&Q and the WW&F are still alive and well.  I have not heard back from him.  Steve sent a gracious email inviting him to the railroad for a full-blown tour.  I don't know if he responded to Steve??

If not, I plan to pursue his lack of response to his superiors...

Bob

[Stephen Piwowarski]

Dwight told me that in a subsequent issue of the Forecaster Zac did follow up by mentioning us in relation to the earlier story. Just what he said, I'm sorry to say I don't know since I apparently missed that issue.

That being said, I haven't heard back from Zack re: my email but I would still very much like to invite him for a tour.

Steve

[Allan Fisher]

Frank Winters lived to be over 100 years old, and dead in the mid 1960s. So much for accurate news items.
His lawyer was his estate executor - who in 1988 (?)  sold the W&Q/WW&F rights-of-way property to Harry Percival for $4000 to stop the estate having to pay taxes on those properties.

I got this information from a former Maine Secretary of State who lived in Woolwich when he was 95 years old. He told me many stories about Winters - but said I shouldn't quote him. Example: at age 99 Winters married a women in her late 20s, and gave up his drivers license at age 100 when he was involved in an injury causing auto accident. 

Other stories included how he got the two KC locomotives to Wiscasset by outfoxing a State Policeman, and how he applied for tax free status for his restaurant (I believe in Lewiston) because he saidit was a school for training waitresses.

And many more!

[Mike the Choochoo Nix]

I don't know if I would have wanted to do business with Frank Winters, but it sounds like he would have been an interesting person to know.
Mike Nix

[Dana Deering]

Find a Grave search shows a Frank Winter buried in Oak Grove Cemetery in Bath.  Born June 1862 and died Jan 30, 1965 in Auburn, Maine.  Is that our Frank Winter?

[Graham Buxton]

Likely so.   

Here is the NY Times obit for "our" Frank Winter with the same date of death:

(click the image to see larger)

Image source:
https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1965/02/01/issue.html?action=click&contentCollection=Archives&module=ArticleEndCTA&region=ArchiveBody&pgtype=article
(You may possibly need a NY Times account to see the source page though.)