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Wiscasset, Waterville &Farmington

Railway MuseumRebuilding Maine History

SHEEPSCOT STATION, PO BOX 242, ALNA, ME 04535-0242

July / August 2020

Visit us at: http://www.wwfry.org; join a discussion at http://forum.wwfry.org. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.

Sheepscot Dispatch

Our Plans to Reopen to the Public, SafelyDespite all that is happening around the country and the

world we are trying to keep a positive outlook here at the WW&F. In my last column, I expressed optimism that we would soon be past the COVID-19 pandemic. That optimism proved to be a bit Pollyannaish. The disease has proven to be very tough and pervasive. Because Maine has escaped the huge outbreaks elsewhere in the country, our local volunteers have been able to continue to work singly or in small groups

while wearing our official WW&F Railway Museum masks (more about them later).

We still plan to open for the Annual Picnic on August 8th. We hope to be able to offer the usual cookout food (hamburgers, hotdogs, soda, etc.) but service will reflect extra precautions both in preparation and in service. You can expect social distancing and the wearing of facemasks to be required throughout the campus. SeaLyon Farm has asked to set up

Spreading ballast on the Mountain. We had hoped to complete this work during our Spring Work Weekend, but COVID-19 scuttled those plans. To make up for lost time, local Museum volunteers have been busy Saturdays the last two months spreading ballast, unloading anywhere from two to six cars a day. Stewart Rhine caught this June 14th view of volunteers unloading B&SR flatcar No 34 on the straightaway south of Trout Brook bridge, just north of location 11 and the curve.

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In the last Newsletter we put out the call for donations and other actions for financial assistance during the COVID-19 shutdown. A big THANK YOU to all who responded! You may recall that we needed $20,000 to “keep the lights on”. I’m pleased to report that we received $18,000 in donations that were marked for “COVID-19 Relief,” and another nearly $10,000 in unrestricted donations in the same time period—a total of $28,000! In addition, I’ve been told that we have well over 100 members that have requested that their Newsletter be sent via email. Others wanted to help out and still receive their Newsletter in print, so they donated funds to help with printing and mailing. Last, but not least, our gift shop has been very busy with mail orders, sending

Our Lights Stayed On, Thanks to All who Responded!

a farm stand at Top of the Mountain offering homegrown vegetables and farm products for sale to all. In addition to the usual train rides, we are expecting to offer antique auto rides from Sheepscot Station.

In response to the need to avoid the effects of the pandemic, we will be cleaning the trains after each trip as well as frequently wiping down all surfaces the public may touch. Unfortunately, there will be some areas closed off to the public as it is impossible to frequently clean everywhere around the campus.

In addition, our operating days and hours will be different this season. Our intent is to offer a higher value experience on fewer (alternate) weekends. This is for a number of reasons. First, we cannot be sure of full crews every weekend due to travel restrictions. Second, frankly, we can use every other weekend to complete projects and necessary maintenance work. Third, we are experimenting to see if our guests prefer this approach. Steve Piwowarski, Ed Lecuyer, Jason Lamontagne and others have been working hard to ensure that we offer a unique experience to our visitors. One part of this will be a new ticketing service. For 2020, all ticket sales will be online at wwfry.org to help with social distancing.

Now about those WW&F Railway facemasks. Cindy Rhine came up with the great idea back in May to have custom printed facemasks as a fundraiser. They started selling as soon as they arrived. Not only do they show you care about others but they are fashionable and show your pride in our Museum. They are $15.00 plus postage via giftshop.wwfry.org or you can buy them in person in August at our newly refurbished gift shop.

Our gift shop will soon have two additional new items for sale: Our 2021 WW&F Railway calendar; and the new book A History of Maine Railroads by Major Bill Kenny, USAF (Ret.). Our calendar features exquisite photos of your favorite railroad from the camera of our own Stephen Hussar. Of particular interest to our Museum is chapter 3 of Bill Kenny’s new book. The chapter is titled “History of the Maine Two Footer.” Our Museum will be hosting Bill for a talk and book signing at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 22nd, 2020 at Alna Center. During his stint with the USAF Bill oversaw Air Force short lines in Maine and Alaska as a logistics war planner. I would love to have him make a return visit sometime to talk about moving battle tanks and other heavy equipment to the Middle East by way of Europe by ship, truck and railroad. Imagine if the

WW&F Railway ever transshipped military equipment on its way to the Allied front in World War I.

A reminder—if you have someone in mind to nominate for the WW&F Legacy Honoree Program as outlined in the last issue of the Newsletter, please make sure to submit your nomination by August 15th, 2020 to honorees@wwfry.org or by U.S. Mail to WW&F Railway Museum, 2020 Legacy Honorees, P.O. Box 242, Alna, ME 04535-0242.

I am sure none of you needs a reminder after the cancelled 2020 Spring Work Weekend, but the 2020 Fall Work Weekend is quickly approaching. As I write this, none of us knows what pandemic-enforced constraints will be in place in October but we are optimistic that there will be an opportunity for us all to gather. While the Museum is closed to the public until August 7th, we are using the time to do the ballasting we had planned for the spring. There will still be lining, lifting and tamping to do as well as building the siding at Route 218. Obviously, we will be following Governor Mills’ and the Maine CDC’s guidelines so make sure to check our Facebook page and our forum (forum.wwfry.org) as the weekend draws closer.

While our Museum has been closed, Jason Lamontagne and a small group have been working on a major revamp of the WW&F Railway Rulebook. The first training session using the new Rulebook will be held on August 1st, 2020. Jason writes about the changes elsewhere in this issue.

I want to thank all of you who responded to our request for donations to supplement our 2020 operations budget in the last Newsletter. Our treasurer, James Patten, is sleeping much better these days thanks to your generosity. Mike Fox and Bill Reidy are also happy that many of you requested that your copy of the Newsletter arrive only by email. It helps with the Newsletter budget by reducing printing and particularly postage costs.

Last month Jason Lamontagne wrote regarding the possible sale of WW&F Railway locomotive No. 10 to a sister museum in Maine. We appreciate all the comments and opinions we received. However, at this time, it does not appear that such a sale will take place. We will proceed to continue rebuilding No. 10’s boiler as beforehand.

I hope you continue to stay safe and wear your (WW&F) facemask. Remember, it is not for your sake but for others around you. We are all in this together and together we will get through this. See you in Sheepscot, hopefully soon!

Dave Buczkowski

out books, masks, and kerosene railroad lanterns. These have all been instrumental in paying the insurance bills, the utilities, and allocating money to equipment repairs that are ongoing. We haven’t needed to touch any of our loan money. Speaking of loans, the SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan finally came through, two months after applying.

We hope that conditions are such that we’ll be able to open for the Annual Picnic in August. We’ll be running trains on a truncated schedule for the remainder of the season, running every other weekend. Thus, we hope that we don’t need to call upon our loyal members for additional help this year.

James Patten

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Building a reconstruction of WW&F locomotive No. 7 has been a long-time dream, almost as long as the WW&F Railway Museum has existed, and finally, in 2020, we are ready to take on this complex project. With the completion of the Mountain Extension, the need for a second, larger locomotive prioritizes the building of No. 11.

It will be a copy of the original WW&F No. 7, a 1907 Baldwin 2-4-4 Forney. During the enforced closure of our Museum due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a team of members under the leadership of Jason Lamontagne has been making drawings and three-dimensional images of the myriad parts that will comprise the locomotive. Gordon Cook, Rick Sisson, Alan Downey and Harold Downey, all of whom have engineering backgrounds, make up the team, along with help from Eric Schade.

This group has been meeting via Zoom weekly to review work progress, discuss minor modifications and compare notes as the engineering phase of the project moves forward.

It’s estimated that the entire project will take five years to complete, depending of course upon funding and volunteer labor. The hope is that volunteers in our shop will make weekly progress to machine parts and assemble various components into major subassemblies that will ultimately become the locomotive.

The proposed sale of No. 10 will not take place at this time, so construction of the boilers for No. 10 and No. 11 simultaneously is the first priority. This plan offers economies of scale by doing several processes common to both boilers at the same time. While this does represent a delay to No. 10’s return to service, it recognizes the change in our priorities with regard to motive power. Building both boilers together honors No. 10 and our continued commitment to it while also acknowledging the on-going need for No. 11.

While the boiler work on No. 10 and No. 11 is underway, a number of components will be manufactured by outside

Getting Started on WW&F Locomotive No. 11

Our Revised Rulebook and Rules Class August 1st

contractors. As this is being written, the main frame sections and two pallets of smaller components of No. 11 are being completed and shipped to Sheepscot by Precision Grinding, Inc. of Birmingham, Alabama.

In the meantime, Jason and Alan are developing a Request

The WW&F Railway Board of Directors has approved a major revision of our Rules and Standards for Operations, or more simply, our Rulebook. The revision includes requirements for train crew training and certification, which had previously been a separate document. It is our sincere desire that the new book be a thorough teaching tool for all those new to our railway and a reference for our stalwart, existing crew.

As it always has, crew certification requires a routinely administered address of basic skills. Previously this was an annual open format discussion of about an hour in length, at which attendance was required. Two to three sessions were offered each year so all crew members had a reasonable chance to attend.

The new Rulebook revises this approach so as to be more consistent with railroad industry practice as guided by federal regulation. Specifically, this involves a longer program which addresses operating protocols in greater detail, followed by a test. While the program will be day-long (approximately 9

a.m. to 5 p.m.), attendance and written testing will be required of every crew member only every 3 years. The session will be offered annually.

The revised Rules and Standards for Operations will go in effect Saturday, August 1st, 2020, 12:00 a.m. On the same day, we will offer our first rules class. We will meet at 9:00 a.m. in the Sheepscot car barn extension. The program calls for 3 hours of classroom review of Rulebook topics, a lunch break, followed by 3 hours of operating procedure demonstrations, and concluding with a 1 hour written testing period.

COVID-19 statement: We will endeavor to make a video of this session available to crew members who cannot attend due to COVID-19 interstate travel restrictions. At this time, we are not sure if this will be live videoconference or recorded. Testing will be via an online testing resource.

We encourage any and all of our current and prospective operating crew members to attend on August 1st, 2020. Those unable to do so will still have the 2021 and 2022 sessions available. Jason Lamontagne

Main frame section of No. 11, as seen after Blanchard grinding at Precision Grinding, Inc. in Birmingham, Alabama.

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The WW&F Newsletter (ISSN 1547-9293) is published bi-monthly by the WW&F Railway Museum. Editor: Bill Reidy. Publishers: Allan & Ellen Fisher, Gail Buczkowski, Chelsea Mansfield. Printed (1200 copies) by Lincoln County Publishing. Please send correspondence to Newsletter c/o WW&F Railway Museum, PO Box 242, Alna, ME 04535-0242 or newsletter@wwfry.org.

for Quotations to several large foundries for estimates to manufacture the cylinder half-saddle sections for No. 11. These complex castings are by far the largest, heaviest and most expensive components of No. 11. Due to the potential difficulties in patterning, casting and machining these, the consensus was to seek outside expertise in the manufacturing process.

In addition to the work described above, the engineering group is developing a list of steel stock to be purchased shortly. Even though some of this material may not be needed until the third or fourth year of the project, the current, extremely low price of manufactured steel shapes offers substantial savings to the project. All the parts will be stored in a dedicated container until needed in the sequential assembly process.

The project is estimated to cost $250,000, spread over the five years. (That does not include the cost of the boiler, which was covered by the 21 Campaign.) At present, a number of donations and two fund-raisers have accumulated about $33,000, and a new effort is underway to raise another $17,000 by the end of 2020 to provide the first year’s $50,000 budget amount. That fund-raiser can be accessed at build11.org, or donations can be mailed directly to WW&F Railway Museum, Build 11, P.O. Box 242, Alna, ME 04535-0242. Just be sure to designate the donation for No. 11.

There will be regular progress reports in the Newsletter as well as monthly reports on the WW&F’s Facebook page, forum (forum.wwfry.org) and website (wwfry.org).

Wayne Laepple

Alna Center PavilionWith culverts repairs completed, Mike Fox

has resumed work on the Alna Center Pavilion. As seen in Mike’s July 3rd photo above, Mike has set the concrete forms for the remainder of the south wall posts.

Car Barn ExtensionThe last remaining item to complete the current Car Barn extension is the

installation of the large doors on the south wall. Brendan Barry has built the doors and is now working on the hinges. Stewart Rhine took the July 2nd photo below showing three of the hinges with an initial coat of primer. The doors will be hung soon.

3-D renderings of components for No. 11. Left: Driver box. Right: Crossheads, crosshead guides and main rods.

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30 Years Ago: The shop bay 1 framing is lifted and leveled August 11th, using two jacks borrowed from the Seashore Trolley Museum. The Albion Historical Society hires Charles Overlock to supervise the restoration of Albion station.

20 Years Ago: The 750 feet of new track north of Sutter’s crossing opens to service during our Annual Picnic August 12-13th. New WW&F steam locomotive No. 10, along with the two Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Model T rail cars (visiting courtesy of Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. & Museum and Owls Head Transportation Museum) are a hit at our Annual Picnic. Our new highway directional signs are installed on Route 218, Sheepscot Road and U.S. Route 1.

10 Years Ago: Our Railway purchases Wiscasset & Quebec coach No. 3 from Maine Narrow Gauge on June 21st. Our Annual Picnic draws over 300 guests. Our new Model T rail car built by Leon Weeks and finished in our shop is displayed during the picnic and enters public service August 29th.

Our Museum, Years Ago...

Our Top of the Mountain Museum-Owned PropertiesOur 2019 Annual Fund Drive letter had an item without

much description to it: “Debt Service on R.O.W. Purchase (Details will be forthcoming).” Dave Buczkowski’s article in the September/October Newsletter revealed a few more details: “a crucial piece of right-of-way just beyond Top of the Mountain (plus roughly 33 acres.)” However, no further identification of the property was made. This article is intended to reveal more details about the property and the plans we have for the area. See the map associated with this article for visual details.

The long rectangle marked “Fossel Purchase” was the property acquired last year. As you can see, the railroad runs through it, but the legal right-of-way was purchased by Les Fossel in the early 1980s when he moved to Alna and purchased the property. Les’ farmhouse (since burned) was where he and Harry first started talking about reviving the WW&F, so there’s a small bit of history associated with it. The property was purchased from Les’ ex-wife Judy. We had a 25-year right-of-way lease with Judy, so this right-of-way is now under our permanent control. We have a 10-year mortgage on the property.

Many readers are, I’m sure, familiar with the property marked “Clark Purchase.” This is the location of Top of the Mountain. This property was acquired in 2014 after a long effort. Top of the Mountain will also be the future location of a shingle mill and a saw mill. This property has 3 years left on a mortgage.

Tucked into the corner between the Clark and Fossel properties is SeaLyon Farm. Don and Marsha Lyons are the proprietors of the farm. We have entered into a partnership with SeaLyon, which proved fruitful late last year for the pumpkin trains, and at the beginning of this year for the winter/ski trains. We’re looking forward to enhancing our partnerships with them.

The Fossel property is a lot of land. Do we need it all? Currently, an access road runs down the northern property line from Route 218 to our roadbed. Most of the land east of the railroad is open and fairly flat. To put this lot in perspective—the entire Sheepscot yards would fit in the lot several times. There’s a lot of potential here: initial map drafts show that we could fit another car barn, garage, and materials

storage area. We could put in a station and run-around track (the station would be to serve the SeaLyon Farm). Even with all that, that uses only a portion of the lot. We intend, at some point, to carve out a 2-acre lot by the road for a house lot. It’s possible we could also partner with Midcoast Conservancy or the SeaLyon Farm on portions of the lot.

Note that all the right-of-way on the map is now under the direct control of the WW&F or W&Q. The Fossel acquisition was the last bit of active ROW under lease. In the years following completion of the railroad to Route 218, we should see activity to improve our access to the Fossel lot and perhaps move some of our heavy equipment out of Sheepscot to this location. James Patten

In MemoriamWe are saddened to learn of the passing of members and friends

James Auman LM120 4/22/2020 Don Sevigny M1217 5/6/2020 John Ozanich LM530 5/29/2020

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Two Foot Gleanings

An Early Ride on the Sandy RiverThis installment of Two Foot Gleanings comes from the

Phillips Phonograph of November 22nd, 1879, two days after the first public train pulled into Phillips. It is a report of a ride on the railroad taken one week previous, and was possibly written by a reporter of the Kennebec Journal, although neither his name nor the paper are mentioned.

The Sandy River Railroad.AugustA, Nov. 13, 1879

To the Phillips Phonograph:—By invitation of Mr. Tucker, Supt. of M. C. R. R., I went to Farmington, to see, for the first time in my life, a narrow gauge railroad. On arrival at the depot, in company with about twenty gentlemen, most of the officials representing various railroads in and out of the state, we crossed the track of the miniature Sandy River Railroad, where was standing a little twelve or thirteen ton engine, an elegant little machine, shackled to two passenger and one platform car. The train was waiting for the excursion party, and we had no sooner left our train than the familiar words “all aboard” were heard and at once obeyed by all. Looking at the rails, only two feet apart, it really seemed as though our chances were good for being dumped into the first puddle we came to. All aboard, the proud little engine with train attached began to move, and as the speed increased some appeared to be holding on as though fearing the puddle, others amused with the novelty of the thing. The speed of the train, at times, was twenty miles or more per hour.

The cars are thoroughly built and finely finished, with all the modern improvements in style and arrangements for the comfort and convenience of passengers, except in size; but which is ample for thirty or thirty-five full grown passengers. As the train sped along, came the wonder and astonishment of all, that a new road, two foot gauge, hardly surfaced or lined up, should or could run such speed with no more motion, side-slat or swaying of the cars than is found on most of the old fashioned railroads whether new or old. Our little train went on, wending its way through fields, pastures and more or less through woods, till it finally landed us all safe and well in the village of Strong, a distance of eleven miles from Farmington, in about forty minutes. Here the party viewed the village, the long trestle bridge crossing the broad ravine, also the young maidens and elderly ladies who were out in numbers to witness the first excursion train over the new railroad. All seemed pleased and happy.

Our 2020 Reopening EventsWhen we learned our entire 2020 operating season was

going to be turned on its head due to COVID-19, we knew some bold changes were in store. Despite the circumstances, I feel that the changes the Operating Department has made will actually provide a wider variety of experiences than our typical summer operations have.

First, a couple of important details regarding our 2020

public services:1. All tickets will be for sale in advance only via

wwfry.org. If you’re unable to access our website for any reason, please call our Museum at 207-882-4193 and leave a message. I will return your call to book your tickets.

2. We have instituted a COVID-19 safety plan for our guests and volunteers. This plan is available on our website

To many people this two foot gauge railroad seemed a foolish experiment, and that the money it cost would be thrown away, like water spilled upon the ground, never to be gathered up again, although the cost of the road (as I was told) all completed, is only five thousand dollars per mile, not much more than a good turnpike over the same route.

The Sandy [River] Railroad when completed to Phillips, a distance of eighteen miles from Farmington, will be beyond doubt an entire success, as it will accomplish easily all the work that the friends of the road could wish or desire, while the unbelievers in the undertaking will be left to wonder that they should have been so sadly mistaken. Before this reaches the press the engines will be whistling for Phillips, when a general rejoicing will fill the hearts of the people with a hearty welcome of sound.

The people of Northern Franklin [County] cannot at this early day appreciate convenience and advantages to be derived from this “little giant” railroad. In the matter of freight, a single loaded train will transport more than forty of their best horses, and in less than one quarter of the time it can be done by teams. As to the traveling public, much time will be saved, to say nothing of the comfort over staging through mud and storm, or even private conveyance.

I have said that this little railroad must and will be a perfect success, and nothing but bad management can possibly prevent it; but no danger need be apprehended of any lack of care and good management with its present efficient officers. The road is a joy for ever. The Maine Central cannot do otherwise than speak for it a good word as this Sandy River Railroad will be its constant feeder and thereby a mutual benefit to both.

In the minds of some persons, I find, there is much apprehension as to keeping the track clear of snow for winter running; but I cannot possibly see any more difficulty from such cause than happens to other roads. The relative width of the track to be cleared of snow is so much less that the engines will perform the work with as much facility as larger ones on a broader gauge. As to the comparative cost of operating the little road, it cannot be over one-third the sum of the other roads of ordinary or common gauge and construction. A short time, however, will settle the whole question. H.

The capital H at the end of this article is not a typo. It apparently is the initial of the name of the reporter.

Jeff Schumaker

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To join the W.W.&F. Ry. Museum or to send a contribution (tax deductible) please use the form below.

Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway MuseumSheepscot Station, PO Box 242, Alna, Maine 04535-0242

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WW&F Railway Museum August & September 2020 August 1 Rules Review Class September 5 Ice Cream Eggspress/August 7 Mile Post 8 Special Evening Picnic Special/Twilight TrainAugust 8 Annual Picnic/MP 8 Special September 19 Ice Cream Eggspress/August 22 Ice Cream Eggspress/ Evening Picnic Special/Starlight Train Evening Picnic Special/Sunset Train September 26 Pumpkin Pickin’ Trains

wwfry.org. Please review it before visiting.Our Railway’s public reopening starts Friday, August 7th

with a special evening fundraising trip to Milepost 8 (just south of Trout Brook bridge) and will include a stop at Alna Center for light refreshments and a photo run-by including freight cars and vintage vehicles. This same excursion will be repeated the following evening, August 8th. These trains will be the first public operations down “the Mountain” since 1933.

Our Annual Picnic will be held on Saturday, August 8th, and will celebrate the opening of the “Maine Narrow Gauge Collection” exhibit in partnership with Portland’s Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company and Museum in the expanded exhibition section of the car barn. Two locomotives will be in steam and running throughout the day. It promises to be a great day to celebrate Maine Two-foot preservation.

For the remainder of the summer season we have reduced our number of operating days to every other Saturday only. However, we are doing some really neat things, so come check it out. On August 22nd, September 5th and September 19th, we will be offering the following:• 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.: Handcar Hops—an opportunity for 2-

4 guests to take a handcar out for a mainline journey with a WW&F brakeman.

• 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.: What do you get when you combine Ice Cream and Eggs? Frozen Custard? No—The Ice Cream

Eggspress! We’ll have locally-made, award-winning Round Top Ice Cream on hand, along with an egg hunt for children who missed out on our usual Easter Eggspress trains this year.

• 5 p.m.: Evening Picnic Specials—Order a box picnic dinner and picnic blanket along with your ticket (or bring your own) and enjoy a lovely early evening dinner at Alna Center Station. These events are BYOB.

• 7 p.m.: Campfire Trains—These trains will stop at Alna Center and/or Top of the Mountain. Each train will have a special theme:August 22nd—Sunset Train: Enjoy Sunset around the

campfire at Alna Center with a talk and book signing by retired USAF Major Bill Kenny, author of the new book A History of Maine Railroads.

September 5th—Twilight Train with Jud Caswell.September 19th—Starlight Train: Bring your binoculars

to enjoy the stargazing at isolated Top of the Mountain, or simply enjoy a late summer’s evening listening to the sound of a steam locomotive working through the darkness on a true ‘night train’ lit only by lamplight.

A new schedule will begin on Saturday September 26th for Pumpkin Pickin’ Trains to SeaLyon Farm which will continue on Saturdays in October.

See you on the Sheepscot Valley Narrow Gauge!Steve Piwowarski

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Wiscasset, Waterville & FarmingtonRailway MuseumSheepscot StationPO Box 242Alna, ME 04535-0242

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Maine Locomotive & Machine Works has been busy in June moving portions of Maine Narrow Gauge’s collection to Alna. On June 22nd, B&SR boxcar No. 52 was unloaded via our ramp track in Sheepscot, joining B&SR plow No. 2 and B&SR boxcar No. 57. Photo courtesy of Maine Locomotive & Machine Works