Roster of Surviving Maine 2' Locomotives

[Ed Lecuyer]

[Updated 12/27/2020]
I thought it might be helpful to the newer members of our hobby to give a brief rundown of what locomotives were whose and where they are now. Corrections from our more knowledgeable members are welcome.


SD Warren #1
While technically not a true Maine two footer, #1 operated at the SD Warren Paper mill in Westbrook, ME. (Just outside of Portland.) SD Warren had a decent network of two foot gauge track in its plant, as well as a few locomotives. After the plant abandoned the 2' railway locomotive #1 was sold for use at an amusement park. The park decided to gut the locomotive, and install a gasoline powered engine. The locomotive was eventually sold to Boothbay Railway Village, where it is on display (under cover) with a number of Maine narrow gauge cars.
See: http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=1709

SD Warren #2
Like it's sister #1, #2 also operated at the SD Warren Paper mill in Westbrook, shared a similar fate, being sold to the amusement park, gutted, and eventually sold to Boothbay Railway Village. Following years of display at the entrance to BRV (incorporated into a sign at the entrance) it has been restored (August 2018) to operational restoration, complete with a new cab and boiler.
See: http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=1710

Monson #3
This loco operated at the Monson Railroad in Monson, ME. The Monson was the last of the two-footers to be scrapped. By some twist of fate, the 2 locomotives (#3 and #4) were not scrapped along with the rest of the line, instead they were shipped to New York state for storage or scrap. Ellis D. Atwood (the founder of Edaville railroad) learned of the two locomotives, purchased them, and ran them at Edaville. After Edaville's equipment was sold to the Maine Narrow Gauge Museum in Portland, #3 has become their ambassador. You could find it steaming on the Portland waterfront, or on one of its visits to the WW&F, Monson, or Bedford and Billerica. (The latter two having short stretches of demonstration track.) #3 has also been leased to the Sandy River railroad, however that relationship stalled in 2018. Monson #3 is usually stored serviceable at the WW&F in Alna, when not in use on the Portland waterfront.
See: http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=572

Monson #4
Basically the same story as #3, except that it is out of service, in need of a new boiler. It is on display at the WW&F in Alna.
See: http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=566

B&H #7
Following its career at the Bridgton and Harrison (or Bridgton and Saco River,) #7 was sold to Ellis D. Atwood for his Edaville Railroad. After some delay for reasons not clear to this writer, the locomotive eventually joined the collection at Maine Narrow Gauge in Portland. This locomotive is loved by many as their favorite of the surviving two-footers. It recently emerged from a complete rebuild and can be found operating at Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad and Museum in Portland or in storage/display at the WW&F in Alna.
See: http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=576
See: http://www.mngrr.org/engine7.html

B&H #8
Like #7, it went from the B&H to Edaville to Maine Narrow Gauge. It requires work to be brought into FRA compliance before it can be run again. It is also the largest surviving Maine two-foot locomotive, and as such, not particularly economical to operate under normal conditions. It is currently on display at the WW&F in Alna.
http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=577

WW&F #9
The most storied locomotive of all of the Maine two footers. I'm not going to retype all of its history. It is well documented at the following links:
http://wordpress.wwfry.org/?page_id=182
http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=3870
One interesting fact is that this was the last 2 footer to have its original boiler. (All of the Edaville locos were reboilered - with the original boilers scrapped.) This is why the WW&F museum has preserved #9's original boiler, to be incorporated into a future display about the locomotive. Operational restoration of #9 was completed in December 2016; it can be found operating at the WW&F Railway Museum.

Honorable Mentions go to:
WW&F #10
Originally a 30" locomotive, WW&F #10 began its life at a Louisiana sugar plantation. Edaville purchased it, regauged it to 24", gave it the number 5, and used it at the Pleasure Island Amusement Park in Wakefield, MA. When Pleasure Island closed, it returned to Edaville and remained in storage. Eventually it was purchased by the WW&F and given the #10, since #9 was the last locomotive on the historic WW&F roster. Taken out of service in January 2017, it awaits a new boiler (under construction.)
See: http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=574

WW&F #11
To be designed and built by the volunteers of the WW&F railroad upon the completion of #9's overhaul. It is to be a replica of the original railroad's #7. A few small parts have already been constructed, including wheel centers for the leading truck, the headlight, and the bell. The boiler is also being fabricated in conjunction with the new boiler for WW&F #10.
build11.wwfry.org

Sandy River #4
While not a steamer (some would call it a "steam outline,") its construction in the 1970s marked an important milestone in the two-foot preservation movement in Maine.

Boothbay Railway Village
They have 6 two-foot locomotives - but were originally from overseas. Because they have been part of the two-foot scene in Maine for so long, it is only fair to include them as part of our family.
http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=618
http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=619
http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=620
http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=621

[Wayne Laepple]

Thanks for gathering and propagating this information, Ed. It is indeed a concise guide to the surviving two-footers and will undoubtedly be useful to folks who browse this site, especially if they take the time to look for this thread and read it.

[Matthew Gustafson]

Thanks Ed for the Info on all of the suriveing engines history! The engines history is very important to prevent scraping steam engines which we all hate! Down with the scrap heap up goes the steam engine!

[Phil Raynes]

Thanks, Ed, I also appreciate this concise history!  Perhaps it could be a "sticky" post at the top, so those of us with a limited knowledge of the Maine two-footers would find it when first surfing this site?
Phil

[Ed Lecuyer]

As you so wish, it is now a sticky!

[Scot Lawrence]

Great list!
thanks! 

since you didnt specify "Roster of Surviving Maine 2' steam Locomotives"
how about the other internal combustion locos?

The largest diesels are the three 23-ton GE's.
Built by GE for Whitin Machine works in 1949, built new as 2-footers.

No. 1
1949 - built as Whitin number ?
1967 - To Edaville No. 1
1993 - To Maine Narrow Gauge RR No. 1
2008 - Still MNGRR No.1 in Portland

No. 2
1949 - built as Whitin number ?
196? - (exact year unknown by me..late 60's or early 70's) to Edaville Number 2.
2008 - Is still Edaville No. 2


No. 3
1949 - built as Whitin number ?
197? - to "Steam Village Railroad" in Gilford, NH, in the 1970's.
197? - to "Koppers", a railroad tie manufacturer, in the 1970's.
1980 - Moved to Edaville, but was damaged by a low bridge while in transit to Edaville by truck.
1990's - moved to Portland, as a parts source.
2008 - still in Portland as a parts source.

(we know one of the three was Whitin number 5, but we dont know which of the three was number 5,
or what numbers the other two had while at Whitin.)

More detail here:

http://gold.mylargescale.com/Scottychaos/MNGRR_diesel1.html


and there are more, smaller gas mechanical engines at most of the museums.
Does anyone have a Maine 2-foot "critter list"?

thanks,
Scot

[Matthew Gustafson]

Hey Ed why dont you also put up a post on surving 2 foot gauge rolling stock! It would also be very helpfull for others too!

[Ed Lecuyer]

A rolling stock roster would be beyond the basic knowledge of this author. The basis of one could be compiled, however, by combing the following web pages:
http://www.srrl-rr.org/roster.htm
http://www.srrl-rr.org/away.htm
http://www.railwayvillage.org/roster.html
http://www.wwfry.org/aboutus/museumequipment.html

The biggest hole is that Maine Narrow Gauge doesn't seem to have a published roster of their equipment.

There are also a couple of oddball items:
- Edaville still has (I think) a combine from the SR&RL (which is listed on the "Away" page of the SR&RL site.)
- The group restoring the Albion station on the WW&F is rebuilding a flanger from some of the original hardware off a WW&F flanger.
- Beaver Brook Farm had a SR&RL boxcar. Again it is listed on the SR&RL "Away" page, but may have been sold and/or moved.

Others may have further ideas/corrections.

[Bill Reidy]

Some details on the Whitin Machine Works diesels that went to Edaville:

Whitin #	Edaville #	Date Built	GE c/n
1	1	8/1949	30491
4	2	8/1949	30490
3	3	5/1950	30580

All were/are 28-ton units.

The Whitin Machine Work's 2-foot gauge railroad was electrified until 1949, when the GE diesel units were built to replace the electric locomotives.  Prior to the closing of Edaville in the early 1990s, one of the Whitin 2-foot gauge electric locomotives was on display at Edaville.

Information source:  "Electric Locomotives of the Whitin Machine Works" by Charles A. Brown, NHRHTA Shoreliner magazine, Vol. 12 Issue 4 1981.

- Bill

P.S.  After writing the above, I followed Scot's link to his web page on the Whitin 2-foot diesels and saw at least two discrepancies:

1.  Scot has a photo of one of the Whitin diesels as #5, so the roster from the Shoreliner article is clearly wrong; and
2.  Scot states the locomotives each have a weight of 23 tons, not 28 as listed in the Shoreliner article.

So I don't know if the Shoreliner information above helps to clear up or just cloudies the situation!

[Matthew Gustafson]

What about the 2 foot railcars?

[Scot Lawrence]

Some details on the Whitin Machine Works diesels that went to Edaville:

Whitin #	Edaville #	Date Built	GE c/n
1	1	8/1949	30491
4	2	8/1949	30490
3	3	5/1950	30580

All were/are 28-ton units.

The Whitin Machine Work's 2-foot gauge railroad was electrified until 1949, when the GE diesel units were built to replace the electric locomotives.  Prior to the closing of Edaville in the early 1990s, one of the Whitin 2-foot gauge electric locomotives was on display at Edaville.

Information source:  "Electric Locomotives of the Whitin Machine Works" by Charles A. Brown, NHRHTA Shoreliner magazine, Vol. 12 Issue 4 1981.

- Bill

P.S.  After writing the above, I followed Scot's link to his web page on the Whitin 2-foot diesels and saw at least two discrepancies:

1.  Scot has a photo of one of the Whitin diesels as #5, so the roster from the Shoreliner article is clearly wrong; and
2.  Scot states the locomotives each have a weight of 23 tons, not 28 as listed in the Shoreliner article.

So I don't know if the Shoreliner information above helps to clear up or just cloudies the situation!

Thansk Bill!
its very possible we are *both* right!

its clear there were three units at Whitin..and they became the three Edaville units, today known as "1, 2 and 3"..
yes, I have a photo of one them wearing the number 5 while at Whitin,
and Bill has data showing they had numbers 1, 4, and 3 while at Whitin..
but considering they worked at Whitin for 18 years, its very possible some wore different numbers while there..

I would suspect Bills numbers (Whitin 1, 4 and 3) were the LAST whitin numbers..just before being sold.
which would be the numbers Edaville had in their records perhaps.

and then perhaps the photo showing one of the units wearing number 5 is much earlier..

but we still dont have anything definitive..its still just guesswork.

Scot

[Mike Fox]

Wow. I guess I haven't seen #5 in a while. That salt air is really taking it's toll. Too bad that could not have been repaired before all that salt took over.

[Ted Miles]

Folks,

In reference to the roster items posted here. Here is something that threw me a curve.

The two S.D. Warren paper mill locomotives were built with Baldwin Construction Numbers: #1
was C/N 14283 in April 1895  and #2 was C/N 14522 in November 1895.

However if you look at them today the plate numbers on them are 10187 and 10188. These are replacement boilers from 1923.

The Amusement Park that converted them to gasoline operation was Robert Deitch's Kiddie Zoo at Fairlawn, New Jersey. I have not been able to trace the year that they went to the Boothbay Railway Village. I have asked they and they can not tell me.

As I mentioned above; they are short on lettering the two standard gauge cabooses are 563 and 663.

And I should add that the riveted saddle tank on the restored #2 is the only one I have ever heard about. A great piece of work!   

Ted Miles

[Bruce Wilson]

Although not a Maine 2-foot steam locomotive, another engine that you all may wish to include in a data base, would be the former Edaville no. 6. This is a small Henschel that was (in the early 1960's) rostered on the Edaville steam locomotive list. I believe that the engine is currently at Beaver Brook Museum in New Hampshire.

[Dale Reynolds]

as a modeler of the ww&f museum in 2010 in 7/8 scale, i ran across the accucraft 'forney' live steam model. it has a good reputation for quality, running, and value among my friends who operate them. as expected it is small for 7/8 scale at a driver diameter of 1.4" while it should be right at 2" in 7/8 scale. but this is not terrible to me as a readily available stand-in. a new cab is an easy proect. but i cannot find a drawing of our beloved #10, and was hoping someone here knows of one. thanks, dale reynolds, pendleton sc