Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway
The Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway (WW & F ) is a former railway company in Maine (United States). It consisted partly under other names of 1854 1940.
- 4.1 References
- 4.2 Literature
- 4.3 External links
History
Prehistory
The Company was incorporated on 15 April 1854 by Henry Ingalls as " Kennebec and Wiscasset Railroad ". Initially he planned to join the existing range of Penobscot and Kennebec Railroad with the coastal town of Wiscasset. After 1871, the Knox and Lincoln Railway had opened the coastline Bath- Rockland, touched the city, he named the company in 1873 " Wiscasset and Moosehead Lake Railroad " to. Another renamed " Wiscasset and Quebec Railroad " was three years later.
Construction and further planning
However, it took again more than 20 years before, in 1894 started the construction. 1895, the entire 70 km long stretch of Wiscasset to Albion was completed. The track width was 2 feet ( 610 mm). The line was initially built further in the direction of Burnham. After the Maine Central Railroad, however, lodged an appeal against a crossing of their paths through the threat of competition, broke one from the further construction and Albion was finally the terminus.
From 29 March 1901, the company operated under the name " Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railroad ," after which were founded in 1890 Waterville and Wiscasset Railroad and founded in 1897, Franklin, Somerset and Kennebec Railroad bought. The Wiscasset Waterville & had, as its name suggests, a distance of Wiscasset Waterville planned, which was opened in 1902 as a branch line from Week 's Mills to Winslow (23,3 km ). In Winslow, the route came across a range of Maine Central Railroad, which led from there to Waterville. The main line of the company was now on the route Wiscasset - Winslow, the section to Albion was downgraded to the branch line.
The Franklin, Somerset & Kennebec planned to connect the existing system of the WW & F with the City of Farmington. Also, this route should begin in Week 's Mills. The construction was done by the Franklin Construction Company and started a bridge over the Kennebec River, which was never completed because the construction company were temporarily run out of funds.
The end of the web
The train had from the beginning very little passenger traffic. On the route Week 's Mills - Winslow he was hired after a few years. The principal agricultural products were transported from the catchment area of the track, and coals of Vassalboro to Winslow.
After the company had to file for bankruptcy on December 14, 1906, they renamed themselves again and was called from 1907 Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway. When the Lewiston, Augusta and Waterville Street Railway built a line through Vasselboro, the WW & F lost the contract to transport coal to the new competition. The branch to Winslow was then unprofitable and shut down in 1915, after which the main line again Wiscasset - Albion said.
After 1931 when a fire in the engine shed, the locomotives were 6 and 7 destroyed and the supervisory authority of the remaining three locomotives certified maximum operating capability of one year, bought Frank Winter, who in 1930 acquired the WW & F, the Kennebec Central Railroad because these decommissioned in 1929 had two locomotives and possessed the requisite track width.
After a derailment on June 15, 1933 south of Whitefield, in which the last operational Lok 8 before a mixed train Albion Wiscasset crashed into the Sheepscot River, then the route Wiscasset - Albion had to be shut down. Lok 9, which had to be two days before taken out of service because they had found a broken frame, was purchased along with a passenger and four freight cars and 400 meters track the Kennebec Central Railroad of railway enthusiasts. The line was dismantled and then the company dissolved in 1940. However, the operating systems remained in the possession of the Winter family.
Rebuilding
In the late 1980s the railway experienced a renaissance. Since the predecessor company of WW & F, the Wiscasset and Quebec Railroad was never officially disbanded, Harry Percival, who had acquired a large part of the operating facilities of the descendants of Frank Winters was able to take over the company. He planned part of the way to rebuild. In 1989, the Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway Museum, Inc. was founded. The section Sheepscot - Alna Center was reopened in 2002 and has since operated as a museum railway.
Rolling stock
A total of nine steam engines were used over the 38 years of operation on the route:
Today's Steam Locomotive No. 10 was never on the original course in use. She had been built for plantation tracks in Louisiana and originally had a track width of 762 millimeters. The locomotive was acquired by the Edaville Railroad in 1999.
In fiscal year 1909/10 the car park of the WW & F consisted of three cars, two mixed cart, mail and baggage car, five company cars, 40 flat freight cars and 41 closed boxcars.
List of Presidents and General Manager
The founder of the railway company, Henry Ingalls, was from 1854 to 1893 and again shortly before his death in 1896 President. It was not until 1893, when preparations began for the actual construction of the railway, a general manager introduced, first in personal union with the president. After the death of Ingalls ' there was not a president for two years, his duties were apparently assumed by the General Manager at this time. From 1929, the two offices were occupied again in personal union.