by gokeefe
Over the past couple of months I have had a number of adventures related to my interest in rail from both a historical and public policy standpoint. Among several delayed reports that I have wanted to write when I was rested and could "do it justice" was of my visit to the Boothbay Railway Village this part summer.
The reason for visiting in this case was for someone quite a bit smaller than me to go see his favorite "useful engine", yes, none other than Thomas the Tank Engine himself. Boothbay Railway Village and the people working for HiT Entertainment did a great job with the visit of Thomas and his friends. While I won't go into much detail regarding that here suffice it to say that overall there was good value for the money and a certain young someone enjoyed himself thoroughly.
Ironically, despite having lived in the area for almost two years at one point and being a fan of the deli at Dave's Citgo when it was open (just across the street) I had certainly been by or close to the Village on any number of different occasions but never taken the time to visit. I also knew at the time that the owner was running the place not just as some kind of tourist trap but out of a genuine interest in historical preservation. This last aspect in particular is very significant to the quality of the museum and its worth as a historical showcase.
Before addressing the railroad related aspects of the Village it is worth acknowledging two very important things. First, there is an incredible collection of old cars at this museum. This exhibit alone is probably worth the price of admission. The cars are housed in a large purpose built steel structure towards the back end of the village. I would guess that there is something close to 20,000 square feet of space in that one building alone which is filled from one corner to another with antique (50 years old or more) cars. Second, for those who may be interested, and this might be even more important to some, the collection of antique fire trucks on hand is even more impressive and doubly so because they are all from Maine Fire Departments. The steam powered 1885 Button Pumper is the only example of a steam powered fire truck (carriage?) that I can ever remember seeing in person (and not in the movies). This one was used in service in Old Town, ME.
For the train ride we rode in what I believe was Combine 11 (ex-Franklin & Megantic, ex- Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes) which was very well preserved.
Whenever riding in historic rolling stock I always try to get a 'sense' of what it must have felt like to ride in that car with other passengers who may or may not have been strangers to me. Perhaps due in part to the relatively high ceiling the close quarters of the seating layout and configuration felt relatively spacious even for someone like me who is probably much taller than the average male was in 1890. The seats all appeared to be original (with reupholstered cushions of course) and the interior hardware and woodwork was in good condition. All of these things require long term maintenance and lots of loving care, especially since much of the car was essentially "hand-made" well over 100 years ago and their overall good and working condition is definitely a tribute to the hardwork of the volunteers and staff at the Village.
As with the WW&F the experience of riding in one of these preserved cars can be quite shocking at least in part due to the fact that so few large pieces from that era have survived. Knowing just how rare the opportunity and experience is makes it all that more interesting. The chance to ride in an intact and fully preserved passenger car from one of the original Maine "two-footers" was once again easily worth the price of admission.
Another "hidden gem" of the Village is a preserved Canadian Pacific railroad station, complete with pot-bellied coal stove, from somewhere along the old International Railway of Maine. I can't find online references to remind me of where the station was located but these would be very rare indeed. I was kind of impressed by the little hand card outside that had a CP number on it as well. Probably not something that records would have on hard but nonetheless interesting if in fact an actual historical artifact.
Obviously much has been made of the fact that Freeport's old train station is located out in front of the Railway Village and acts more or less as its center piece. The day we went there the station was being used for the event ticketing for most of the day. The building was also in very good condition. I was more impressed by what I felt was the likely ex-MEC wig wag signal in operating condition along with the old crossing gate that went along with it. These are not common at all and the only two operating examples that I know of at this point are at the Village and also the Conway Scenic Railroad. To my knowledge there are no other examples of preserved MEC wig wags anywhere else (supposedly these were once common on the B&M as well).
Also on the ground of the village are numerous other preserved historical buildings which had been moved to that area from one place or another, with many of them coming from locations on the peninsula itself. These are impressive enough in their own right but I wouldn't necessarily say, "worth the price of admission to see this alone."
What is, or what eventually will be, worth the price of admission alone is the Model Railroad exhibit located in a building to the rear of the Village. Here the Boothbay Railway Village Model Railroaders have taken painstaking efforts to create a layout and design that will ultimately recreate a State of Maine scene unlike any other. The current layout includes a double track swing bridge, light house and other elements strongly suggestive of the former Grand Trunk and Maine Central facilities in and around Portland, ME. The rolling stock used is highly detailed and includes a trainset of Pullman green heavyweight ex-MEC cars each with their own unique number. I was extremely impressed by not only the quality but the vision for history the the Model Railroaders clearly have in mind.
Overall I found the Boothbay Railway Village to be a great place to spend the day with my own family and it offered numerous historical exhibits that can capture the imagination and recreate the past in ways that could only happen in person. I would strongly recommend visiting the museum to anyone.
Of note, as of the writing of this post the Village has begun the process of restoring to full working operation S.D. Warren Engine #2 which sat for several decades underneath their sign and served as the Village "marquee". This is yet another development at the Village, which also supports the WW&F that makes it not only worthy of discussion here but "worth the visit".
The reason for visiting in this case was for someone quite a bit smaller than me to go see his favorite "useful engine", yes, none other than Thomas the Tank Engine himself. Boothbay Railway Village and the people working for HiT Entertainment did a great job with the visit of Thomas and his friends. While I won't go into much detail regarding that here suffice it to say that overall there was good value for the money and a certain young someone enjoyed himself thoroughly.
Ironically, despite having lived in the area for almost two years at one point and being a fan of the deli at Dave's Citgo when it was open (just across the street) I had certainly been by or close to the Village on any number of different occasions but never taken the time to visit. I also knew at the time that the owner was running the place not just as some kind of tourist trap but out of a genuine interest in historical preservation. This last aspect in particular is very significant to the quality of the museum and its worth as a historical showcase.
Before addressing the railroad related aspects of the Village it is worth acknowledging two very important things. First, there is an incredible collection of old cars at this museum. This exhibit alone is probably worth the price of admission. The cars are housed in a large purpose built steel structure towards the back end of the village. I would guess that there is something close to 20,000 square feet of space in that one building alone which is filled from one corner to another with antique (50 years old or more) cars. Second, for those who may be interested, and this might be even more important to some, the collection of antique fire trucks on hand is even more impressive and doubly so because they are all from Maine Fire Departments. The steam powered 1885 Button Pumper is the only example of a steam powered fire truck (carriage?) that I can ever remember seeing in person (and not in the movies). This one was used in service in Old Town, ME.
For the train ride we rode in what I believe was Combine 11 (ex-Franklin & Megantic, ex- Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes) which was very well preserved.
Whenever riding in historic rolling stock I always try to get a 'sense' of what it must have felt like to ride in that car with other passengers who may or may not have been strangers to me. Perhaps due in part to the relatively high ceiling the close quarters of the seating layout and configuration felt relatively spacious even for someone like me who is probably much taller than the average male was in 1890. The seats all appeared to be original (with reupholstered cushions of course) and the interior hardware and woodwork was in good condition. All of these things require long term maintenance and lots of loving care, especially since much of the car was essentially "hand-made" well over 100 years ago and their overall good and working condition is definitely a tribute to the hardwork of the volunteers and staff at the Village.
As with the WW&F the experience of riding in one of these preserved cars can be quite shocking at least in part due to the fact that so few large pieces from that era have survived. Knowing just how rare the opportunity and experience is makes it all that more interesting. The chance to ride in an intact and fully preserved passenger car from one of the original Maine "two-footers" was once again easily worth the price of admission.
Another "hidden gem" of the Village is a preserved Canadian Pacific railroad station, complete with pot-bellied coal stove, from somewhere along the old International Railway of Maine. I can't find online references to remind me of where the station was located but these would be very rare indeed. I was kind of impressed by the little hand card outside that had a CP number on it as well. Probably not something that records would have on hard but nonetheless interesting if in fact an actual historical artifact.
Obviously much has been made of the fact that Freeport's old train station is located out in front of the Railway Village and acts more or less as its center piece. The day we went there the station was being used for the event ticketing for most of the day. The building was also in very good condition. I was more impressed by what I felt was the likely ex-MEC wig wag signal in operating condition along with the old crossing gate that went along with it. These are not common at all and the only two operating examples that I know of at this point are at the Village and also the Conway Scenic Railroad. To my knowledge there are no other examples of preserved MEC wig wags anywhere else (supposedly these were once common on the B&M as well).
Also on the ground of the village are numerous other preserved historical buildings which had been moved to that area from one place or another, with many of them coming from locations on the peninsula itself. These are impressive enough in their own right but I wouldn't necessarily say, "worth the price of admission to see this alone."
What is, or what eventually will be, worth the price of admission alone is the Model Railroad exhibit located in a building to the rear of the Village. Here the Boothbay Railway Village Model Railroaders have taken painstaking efforts to create a layout and design that will ultimately recreate a State of Maine scene unlike any other. The current layout includes a double track swing bridge, light house and other elements strongly suggestive of the former Grand Trunk and Maine Central facilities in and around Portland, ME. The rolling stock used is highly detailed and includes a trainset of Pullman green heavyweight ex-MEC cars each with their own unique number. I was extremely impressed by not only the quality but the vision for history the the Model Railroaders clearly have in mind.
Overall I found the Boothbay Railway Village to be a great place to spend the day with my own family and it offered numerous historical exhibits that can capture the imagination and recreate the past in ways that could only happen in person. I would strongly recommend visiting the museum to anyone.
Of note, as of the writing of this post the Village has begun the process of restoring to full working operation S.D. Warren Engine #2 which sat for several decades underneath their sign and served as the Village "marquee". This is yet another development at the Village, which also supports the WW&F that makes it not only worthy of discussion here but "worth the visit".
gokeefe
