Playing with real narrow gauge trains looks like a lot of fun!(But it has to be hard work too!)
The Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Ry. in it's modern form is a great gem for railfans as well as the whole state. Based in Alna Center, Maine, they've been expanding to rebuild as much of the original "Two-Footer" as possible. The museum's originator bought the remaining assets of the defunct line after it had been scrapped and that included quite a few miles of roadbed plus some other odds and ends. The official website used to be more informative so I'd guess that their techie has left or is changing things around.
Wow have we been missing out! Our last visit was at the beginning of this century sometime. This visit was 8 to 10 years later (July 17th 2010). Considering the relative distance, that's way too long. You could see the end of the line from the yard back then. Now it's a tad over 2 miles out. The ride is a lot of fun.
The train the DT&I fan and I rode was two cars, one "open" and one enclosed, plus steamer #10. They start with the loco ru
nning in reverse on the head end of the train. Once they get to the Alna Center depot, about a mile down the line, they run around the train and push it the remaining mile or so to the end of the line. The conductor was very informative while the train stopped and everyone was having fun. It was a hot day so the breeze of movement was welcome. The return run to "Sheepscott" was non-stop, with the loco running forward on the head end.
The final shot is a caboose which the original line intended to build but never did. The plans were intact and it was finally built by the volunteer shop forces. Pretty useful design for the times, and will probably come in handy when riders are plentiful.
Thankfully, there is plenty of information out there about this operation and the original line. Most of that is thanks to the volunteer organization that runs things. They show up at train shows all over New England, and beyond, to spread the word. I never lost sight of this operation and its expansion, but I didn't visit the property either. That shall not be repeated.
BC
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