ALNA, Maine — The Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum has kicked off a new fundraising campaign to send its reconstruction project to the finish line. The organization of Maine’s 2’ gauge lore has been building an all-new coach since 2017.
Coach No. 9 is a replica of one of two wooden coaches originally built as a three-car train set for the Wiscasset & Quebec Railroad — predecessor to the Wiscasset, Waterville, and Farmington —at the turn of the 20th Century. Nos. 2 and 3 rolled out with interiors filled with chandeliers, plush seats, and ornate hat racks all finished in polished nickel trim. The latter is preserved today at WW&F.
Though based on the designs of the late No. 2, which was eventually scrapped, the number “9” will be applied to the new coach to “honor its new construction, and the railway’s practice of sequential numbering of equipment,” according to the news release on the museum’s website. The new “Finish Coach 9 to the Nines” campaign is looking to raise $120,000 for the coach to be ready for passenger operations at the museum by 2027.
More information and how to contribute can be found on the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum website.
