A few stories ...

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

Last month a fellow came to ride the train but missed the noon run by about 10 minutes.  He came over to look at the railcar while I was oiling the turntable and asked about the history of the Model T.  A conversation started and he told me that he grew up in Coopers Mills and that his family had lived there a long time.  I asked him if anyone in his family ever rode the WW&F and said "well, my father grew up in the 1950's and his father (my grandfather) used to ride the train to Wiscasset in the 1930's".  I asked if he knew any stories about the narrow gauge from his grandfather and he replied "only one".  He told me that when he was a kid his grandfather told him that he went to Albion one time to visit his cousin.  He said that when he got on the train to return, the cousin asked him to go to Wiscasset any buy some blueberries.  He replied "but they're not in season".  The cousin replied "by the time you get there …. they will be".   

   

[Dana Deering]

Jill and Richard were great folks.  She was really into it.  The cake was delicious!

I hope the WW&F never loses that friendliness for which we're known.  I especially try to treat the kids the way I wish I had been treated when I stood trackside when I was their age.  It makes a big difference and you never know how many future volunteers we're inspiring.

I got a nice letter from a member in California whose granddaughter is, at age 12, a dedicated volunteer at a RR museum out there and one reason was the WW&F experience (including a cab ride ) she had three years before.  You just never know what a difference you make.

[Joe Fox]

Dana, you and Jason gave me my first cab ride. Now look where we are.

[Ed Lecuyer]

Someday the robots will rule us all...

This morning, while I was typing an email to my employer regarding a chronic issue we are having with our network servers, my phone did something it has never done before. "Auto complete" of words and suggestions are nothing new when typing on a touchscreen, but I had never seen a complete phrase suggested.

In order to complete the sentence:
We should also have a

my phone suggested the phrase:
fireless cooker Jason.

Besides being very funny (especially considering a fireless cooker would not solve my server issues, nor our motive power issues at Sheepscot) it is a tad creepy that the phone came up with that suggestion - as I don't think I have ever suggested a fireless cooker to anyone for any reason.

Hmm... I wonder what happened to the Plymouth Cordage locomotives...

[James Patten]

Saturday Bill Reidy was conductor of the work train, traveling from ToM to the end of track down the hill, shuttling workers and explorers to the see the tree clearing efforts.  Bill wanted to get an early jump on his travel home to beat the storm, so Jason asked me to conduct the rest of the day, which consisted of a single trip down and back, then back to Sheepscot.

On this trip down and back was a couple who, it turned out, moved to Alna in November and lived on the house on 218 where West Alna Road junctions.  Their house looks over the roadbed, and they were wondering if/when we would be crossing the road and running below their house.  I told them not for a while.  So while their house was less than a half mile away from the cutting site they had driven to Sheepscot and taken the train.  The couple had brought clippers and a hand saw, but the cutting was done and the fires were being consolidated in preparation of leaving.

They may be back.  The husband seemed real interested.

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

Some of our museum regulars are also members of the Alna Volunteer Fire Department including Roger who serves as Assistant Chief and Start who is a Captain. The AVFD does safety inspections on it's apparatus each month, usually conducted by an officer.  Everything is checked from air packs to windshield wiper blades, making sure that the piece is ready for calls.

Last week Capt. Start had some firefighters checking the one ton trucks, filling out the inspection report sheets and this conversation took place:

FF - "Ok Capt. Truck 1 is all set".

Capt. - "That's good, let me see the inspection sheet".

FF - Here ya go.

Capt. - Reviews the notations and says "good job but why is there a reference to the railroad on this report?"

FF - "Huh, what do you mean?"

Capt. - Hands the clipboard back and says "Look at the 12th line".

FF- Double checks, "That's right"

Capt. - "But you wrote WWF".

FF - "Right, Capt.  The truck needs windshield washer fluid".

Capt.- "Oh .... Ok, thanks".


Proof once again that narrow gauge railroading is not a hobby, it's a way of life.

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

The Struggle Is Real -

A couple of weeks ago, some WW&F members rode a Mass Bay RRE excursion train out of White River Jct., Vermont. There was a fellow named Rob on the train who saw our WW&F shirts and asked how the railroad was doing.  After a few minutes the conversation turned to steam power and Rob said that he has worked on steam locomotives at a western railroad.  He offered this story: 

It seems that he had spent a day working in the smokebox of an engine and time got away from him.  Realizing the hour, Rob rushed out to his truck and headed towards where he was to meet some friends.  When a rest stop came into view he decided to stop and clean up a bit.  The facility was new and had the automatic water faucets. When Rob tried washing his hands, the water wouldn't come on.  His hands were so black that the sensor didn't see him.  He had a white button on his sleeve so he kept waving it around until the water flowed.  Once he got it going he was able to remove most of the soot.  Rob said that afterwards he cleaned up at the shop. 

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

Kindness -

A family from Maryland visited Sheepscot this week. While touring they noted that they have been following the railroad's progress on Facebook.  They stayed for about 45 minutes, completing the tour in the gift shop where they received back issues of the newsletter.  One of the sons noted how much he liked the Two-Footers and how he could "stay all day".  When asked how the family first heard of the museum the mother replied "Our cousin rode the train back in the Spring. When she returned to Massachusetts she realized her medical ID bracelet was missing.  She called the museum and the gift shop person said she would look for it. It was found in the train car and mailed back to her free of charge.  She told us about it and we decided to visit the WW&F on our vacation."   

[Brian Whitney]

Is that the bracelet that we just found last week? I'm happy to see that it got back to the owner.

[Ed Lecuyer]

No, that was a different bracelet. The one found in the Caboose on 8/28 is in-transit to its owner (it belonged to one of the members of the 1pm caboose charter of that day.)

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

At least 3 times this year lost items have been found and mailed back to people that live in other states or distant parts of Maine.  This is another example of the way we take care of people who visit the WW&F and I thought our members would like to hear about it.   

[Benjamin Richards]

Story #145 - "Bee"

Last Sunday a visitor came to ride the WW&F 87 years after her last trip.  Blanche "Bee" Plumstead-King came to ride the 3 o'clock train with 6 of her family members.  Bee, born in 1924, grew up in Wiscasset.  She told us of her one trip on the WW&F to visit her uncle in Palermo in the Summer of 1930.  She didn't recall much about the ride other than the smell of fresh cut hay as the train traveled through farm fields.  We interviewed Bee as she rode the train up to ToM and she noted that she started riding the Maine Central on a regular basis when she went to school at the Lincoln Academy in Newcastle.  She told us that the fare for a round trip in the mid 1930's was 15 cents.  After the ride she said that she enjoyed the trip and we asked to take photos of her.  She posed on the platform holding her ticket which she noted "it's the first WW&F ticket I've bought since my father purchased the last one in 1930".

The photo of Bee and her ticket is posted on the museum's Facebook page.

https://www.wiscassetnewspaper.com/article/blanche-king/151580

[Ed Deere]

I felt a bit like Peter Parks yesterday as I climbed up into the cab of old Engine Number Seven. You ask who is Peter Parks. Well Peter Parks is a fictional children’s story book character who stumbles upon a narrow gauge train by the lakes. The Forgotten Little Train is a Whitman Publishing Company with a copyright MCMLI (1951). I still have my copy from being a train loving kid. The book is loosely base on Mr. Attwood coming to Bridgton Maine and out bidding the junk men of the day. My copy is very well worn because the story just pulled on my heart strings. And I guess it still does. Who does not just love a good ending train story?

So yesterday was like being with an old childhood friend. I remember my Dad taking me over to Number 7, at Edaville, and showing me the old girl. But that day I think we rode behind Number 3 from Monson. I was disappointed that day about not meeting Peter and riding behind Number 7 but, the day is still very vivid in my mind with great memories.

My wife and I had a great time talking with our friend Bob who arrange my cab ride. Plus we enjoyed the gift shop with Cindy & Joan.  To the kitchen we went to find Nancy whom we shared a trip and escorted a group of folks to the forgotten trains of the Allagash (Eagle Lake and West Branch RR). Stuart and I chatted about trains and his old trucks. And what can you say about Brice and Dan. These two young men are a real treasure. Jason was so busy we really did not get to talk with him. However, we did speak and was glad to see him. Bill our engineer gave me the ride of a life time. Really enjoyed coming up the mountain from Trout Brook. Old Engine Number 7 did well with Bill and our fire man (sorry, cannot remember the name) making the grade with an extra load. From the cab I could see the smoke, steam and cinders skim low over head as the little engine labored up the long grade. My wife was cover with cinders from riding in the open car. But, she loving trains as much as I…. was still carrying a smile all the way home.

Thank you all for a wonderful day.

[Ed Lecuyer]

Scared!

Today we hosted a "Halloween" photoshoot for a local professional photographer and her model. By advance permission, they took photos in the railyard when no trains were running (and no children present who might get frightened by a sinister looking clown.) During the session, the model became interested in the mag phone in Sheepscot station. JB immediately explained how it works and that she could try it if she liked - so she cranked the crank....

Her already white face turned a shade whiter and shrieked: "SOMEONE ANSWERED!!"

(It turns out Steve P. and Johnny weren't expecting a call while they were enjoying a picnic lunch at Alna Center, either.)

[John McNamara]

I love it!