News & Reviews News Wire Photo gallery of a weekend on Maine’s two-foot gauge steam railroads NEWSWIRE

Photo gallery of a weekend on Maine’s two-foot gauge steam railroads NEWSWIRE

By Brian Solomon | January 20, 2020

| Last updated on November 3, 2020

'Grand reunion' of five surviving narrow gauge Forney-type locomotives: 0-4-4t and 2-4-4t

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Brian Solomon
Two-foot gauge steam locomotives are the stars in Sheepscot, Maine, in January 2020, for a reunion of steam locomotives on the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum in Maine.

On the weekend of January 18 and 19, 2020, the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum in conjunction with the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company & Museum of Portland, and the Maine Locomotive & Machine Works of Alna sponsored a sensational steam locomotive gathering. This represented the best opportunity to witness examples of the Forney type at work in many years.

Five of the surviving Maine two-foot gauge steam locomotives were gathered at WW&F’s Sheepscot shops and three of these were under steam. Working engines were resident 0-4-4T number 9 lettered for the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington (built by the Portland Locomotive Works in 1891, and leased to the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum by Dale King), and visitors from the Portland museum: former Monson Railroad 0-4-4T number 3, and Bridgton & Saco River 2-4-4T number 7.

On my visit, Saturday, January 18th, WW&F operated three trains north from Sheepscot via Alna to Top of Mountain where it staged a variety of photographic opportunities. Freezing conditions and clear skies made for some stunning conditions for visiting photographers.

WW&F plans to repeat The Grand Reunion event on the weekend of February 8-9, 2020.

More information is available online.

6 thoughts on “Photo gallery of a weekend on Maine’s two-foot gauge steam railroads NEWSWIRE

  1. It was our pleasure to host Trains’ Brian Solomon for our Grand Reunion! Come again!
    (Ed, Asst. Trainmaster, WW&F.)

  2. It was a great weekend with great people, and truly represented what Maine railroading might have been like 100 years ago. It was also nice to meet you, Brian.

  3. I was in attendance and it was an outstanding day! To ride again in SR&RL Combine #14 was very special. It had been inside the Museum in Portland for the prior 25 years. I had punched tickets in it at Edaville in the early 1970’s. Plus to see #3, #7, & #9 under steam and #4 & #8, on display, all in the same place was very nice.

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