Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway (WW&F) Discussion

Over many of the upcoming Saturdays, the WW&F will be hosting:
You've Been Workin' on the Railroad

Come join the WW&F Crew for one (or more) open volunteer days. For details and to sign up, please see:
www.wwfry.org/volunteer

Photo Event Announced: 8/31/2021 - Steaming Together: Arrivals and Departures



The Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway Museum, Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. & Museum, and Maine Locomotive & Machine Works are pleased to announce "Steaming Together: Arrivals and Departures" a photo event on July 31st with all 3 operating 2ft steam locomotives pulling authentic trains on the WW&F.

If demand warrants, a second date will be added on Sunday 8/1/2021.

Get your tickets and view the full event details at
https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/wwfr ... low=420374

We also do plan on running all 3 locomotives together at the WW&F Annual Picnic (8/7/2021) for those not interested in an all day photo event.

These will be the last events at WW&F before 7 heads back to Portland for the busy fall and Christmas season.

I don't collect the WW&F but I found this postcard at a show. I liked it, it was inexpensive so I bought it. Anyone know if that bridge is still there?

Anyone know if that bridge is still there?

No, it washed away shortly after the railroad closed in 1933.
The abutments are still there, and reportedly are in good condition.

Is that the Sheepscot River?

Yes.

That's a weird looking bridge!

Not really that weird when you consider the time period that it was built. It was probably transported to the site with horse and wagon and erected entirely by hand. All of the tension members are cable. The compression members could even be wood.

The WW&F's "Iron Bridge" in Whitefield over the Sheepscot River was actually purchased USED from the Maine Central RR. If I recall correctly, it originally was in Farmington. Too light for the growing weights of standard gauge locomotives, it was perfect for the WW&F - and is a great reminder of why a 2ft gauge railroad can be constructed at a quarter of the cost of a standard gauge road.

elecuyer wrote: ↑Tue Apr 27, 2021 9:04 pm

Anyone know if that bridge is still there?

No, it washed away shortly after the railroad closed in 1933.
The abutments are still there, and reportedly are in good condition.

Boy, washed away? In order to wash away the bridge, that river would have to rise 20 feet higher than its level in the photo. Whatever year that was, the spring runoff must have been ferocious!

The horizontals & verticals look stronger than the diagonals. It just looks different than other railroad bridges which usually had I-beams. Guess it was strong enough for what they needed!

Boy, washed away? In order to wash away the bridge, that river would have to rise 20 feet higher than its level in the photo. Whatever year that was, the spring runoff must have been ferocious!

It is often the debris that gets jammed under the bridge and accumulates that takes out the structure.

BandA wrote:That's a weird looking bridge!

It was probably 1870s vintage +/-. Potentially original installation when the railroad was built. Most of what we see today in Maine is early 20th century.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

It was a former Maine Central Railroad bridge that got a second life on the WW&F.

Photo of the bridge site posted today on Facebook by Dave Mason.



In:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3930721013650759