Topics

1

US Two Footers / Stumbled upon this on YouTube

« on: January 06, 2025, 07:25:33 PM »

A prompt came up on my screen for the YouTube channel "American Giants".
The story began under the title of "Finding a giant Santa statue under a collapsed barn".
Film footage showed a fiberglass Santa and a tender from what looked like Cog Railway locomotive No.8.
I wondered if a salvage job had been done where items from a New Hampshire transportation museum had been rescued.

As it was a short film, I decided to watch and in the process ruled out my suspicions. What the video showed, was a site in northern Vermont geared towards refurbishing enormous fiberglass Santa's, Paul Bunyans and the like. Additionally, there happens to be a small two foot gage railroad on the property. A steam locomotive is shown  (possibly a Henschel), some home built cars and a gas-mech'l Plymouth engine.

I had been watching a video about the initial restoration of a well thrashed '32 Ford  five window, when the prompt came in.

Maybe a forum reader can supply details of the Vermont two-footer?

2

Museum Discussion / Narrow gage depots with tower features

« on: October 29, 2024, 12:45:29 AM »

Three of the Maine two foot gage railroads had terminals or depots directly waterside. These buildings had towers with windows facing to the water. Marbles station on the Phillips & Rangeley had a two story tower with 3 windows per floor, as did the Randolph terminal on the Kennebec Central line.

Studying the Ed Bond photo of the Wiscasset Wharf depot, no windows are visible as the photographer was shooting the landward side of that building. I've not seen a drawing, but imagine a similar window arrangement might have  been incorporated into that structure as well.

So,  some questions for you. Were there windows in the tower of the Wiscasset Wharf depot and were the windows in the three buildings a Victorian design statement, or serving as an aid to navigation?

Also, my assumption is that the tower in Randolph may have been partially screened from view of a ship in the Kennebec, by the coal dock. Perhaps the tower was elevated slightly above the dock?

Did the towers in Wiscasset and Randolph ever display lights as a beacon for shipping?

3

Museum Discussion / How did you hear of the W.W. & F. Ry. Museum?

« on: September 25, 2024, 10:08:30 AM »

Earlier today, I was browsing an old thread in the forum, "Harry Percival dedicated event" which is now in the "Archives Section".

I wondered about how the museum's earliest members heard of what was beginning on the Crossroad at Sheepscot.

In a membership roll of Charter Members, Alice Ramsdell is listed as Charter Member no. 1. I imagine that membership was given in honorarium.

Charter Member no. 2 is Edgar Meade and I noticed that Peter Barney had the no. 5 spot among the Charter members.

My own membership came from attending the Two Foot Meet held in Whitman, Massachusetts in Nov. of 1992.
Ellis E. Walker represented the museum at that show and he signed me up and gave me a couple of the then Sheepscot Valley Railroaders newsletters.

Almost immediately, I began to correspond with Chan Morse and many years later found out from him, that he used to run small classified ads in railnews publications, promoting the museum.

Chan's own membership dates from April of 1990, when he began as a "member", later going on to a life member.

In those early days, was Harry running print ads? Now, I collect relevant magazine articles, advertisements, etc. I've never seen an ad from the 1988 - 1990 period, promoting the museum. How did the word get out?

Back in those days, there were many folks writing letters. Could word of the project at Sheepscot been passed from one fan to another...word of mouth? Did the officials of the reconstituted Wiscasset & Quebec Railroad Co. have a table or two at various rail shows, with their early newsletters?

I'm just curious how the memberships first came in and if you've read this far, how did your own membership take place?

4

Museum Discussion / Sheepscot Station platform shelter

« on: September 03, 2024, 06:20:45 PM »

After reading the September 1, 2024 Annual Fund Drive Appeal letter, I pondered some on the following words within the second paragraph. "Work on the station platform has been completed although some sort of shelter remains to be decided upon and funded."

Having always admired the W.W. & F. Ry. station in Wiscasset, I wondered if such a platform roofline would work for the Sheepscot platform. I admired the simplicity of the original design as shown in many photos within the "Narrow Gauge in the Sheepscot Valley" series of books.

While browsing those fine publications, an even simpler roofed platform design is shown on page 36 of Vol. 2. Such a small passenger shelter might work when weather is less than ideal, and be of a size as not to dominate the overall platform. If nothing else, fun to contemplate. If you do not have that book, the photo is of a structure that stood north of the Whitefield station and (according to the authors) "to serve the dairy farms located in the area."

5

General Discussion / Keith Pratt

« on: July 22, 2024, 09:20:10 PM »

From an old photocopy of a page within the May, 1938 Railroad Magazine.
An illustration of a church and bell tower in Bloomfield, Prince Edward Island. The caption of the illustration reads, "Engine bell from number 18 of the abandoned Sandy River line of Maine now hangs in Campellton United Church."

"It was presented by Keith Pratt, a railroad fan at Bloomfield Station, P.E.I."

6

General Discussion / Linwood W. Moody

« on: July 13, 2024, 02:17:10 PM »

It is worthy to note today as being the anniversary of the passing (in 1983) of Linwood W. Moody.

7

General Discussion / Norway, Maine Historical Society - June 2024 Newsletter

« on: June 09, 2024, 12:10:37 PM »

On page 5 of the newsletter, an article from the March 8, 1939 edition of the Boston Post. The article titled "Locomotive Brings Heat to Two Shoe Plants After System Breaks Down".

An illustration of a steam locomotive next to a massive factory is captioned, "Locomotive Heats Two Factories" with the description of the photo describing " old 2611, once the pride of the Grand Trunk Railroad in Maine, has been pressed into service to heat shoe factories where 1,100 employees had been put out of work when the heating system went bad".

The article then states, "Norway, Maine, March 7 - A Canadian National Railway locomotive late today began providing heat for the plants of the Norway and B.E. Cole shoe companies after the dual heating system of the plants had been disabled for several days. Failure of the system threw 1,100 employees out of work and threatened to cause cancelation of large orders of spring shipments. Officials of the firms negotiated with the railway and today a large locomotive arrived to meet the emergency. It was run along a spur track to the factories. Employees will go back to work tomorrow morning".

My own thoughts and a question follow, your comments welcome.

First, the Norway Historical Society has a set of Sanborn Insurance maps that show all.of the nearly one mile long "Norway Branch Railroad" trackage and businesses served by this line (which ran off the Grand Trunk main in South Paris).

The maps are fascinating to view.

I read recently that the old rail of the Norway Branch was used when the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company & Museum laid rail along the former Grand Trunk right of way in Portland harbor.

The Norway Historical society has a few snapshot photos of rail being removed in the early 1980's and stacked.

Much of the Norway Branch right of way can be walked. You can begin at a small parking area behind the Norway Police and Fire department garages and hike out towards the connection with the G.T.

While it was not unusual for old locomotives to be used as stationary boilers, my question is how was the locomotive typically plumbed into a heating system? Live steam from the steam dome or hot water from a washout or boiler blow down connection. If anyone suffering through this lengthy mess, would like to add particulars of plumbing, pressure restriction valves or any other information that would illuminate how the mechanical connections might have been made, I'm all ears...

8

General Discussion / Wiscasset Customs House for sale

« on: May 29, 2024, 01:14:20 PM »

The above property at 7 Middle Street, Wiscasset now for sale. Interestingly, the listing includes no mention of the little tool shed on the property. Rather plain looking, it is however a shed built closely along the lines of the present Sheepscot section house. Back in the mid-1990's when the property was being sold, the owner offered the original shed to the W.W. & F. Ry. Museum. All the museum had to do would be to provide a replacement, which we did. Not long after the swap was made, Harry told us that the old shed had once been used as the station at Sheepscot and that his father had owned it for a time. I recall finding a Boston Post newspaper under the floor boards. The paper was dated 1916. One story was that the building originally stood at the point just above the upper Wiscasset yard, at a place called "Bailey's Point" and that it was used to store oils and grease.

9

General Discussion / A You-tube video of the eclipse and an Eastern Maine Ry. freight

« on: April 08, 2024, 05:50:09 PM »

If you'd like to see a video of the eclipse, see the You Tube channel of "Retired in Mattawamkeag Maine" and his title "The most unique solar eclipse video ever". During filming, an Eastern Maine Ry. switch job is seen moving cars near the Penobscot River Bridge. You may also be interested in his other videos that document recent reconstruction of inactive rail in the Winn and Mattawamkeag, Maine area into current very active levels of traffic and on-going construction.

10

General Discussion / Archiving narrow gage magazine articles

« on: February 07, 2024, 07:59:02 PM »

Recently purchased the November, 1931 issue of Railroad Man's Magazine from a dealer on eBay. I wanted the story by Freeman Hubbard, "Sandy River Blues". After receiving the old pulp paper treasure today, I sent the gentleman an e- mail thanking him for his fast service, etc. and after talking a bit, we discovered we are both life members of the W.W. & F. Ry. Museum! How's that for a small world...?

11

General Discussion / Boston & Maine RDC-1 moved to Troy, N.H.

« on: December 02, 2023, 06:52:28 PM »

The Troy, New Hampshire Historical Society has recently taken delivery of a former Boston & Maine RDC-1 Budd diesel railcar. A 44 minute video of loading, moving and delivery may be seen on the "Lost Rail Beds" You-tube channel of Russ and Kaitlin Bonk. Enjoy!