The Seashore Electric Railway got its start in 1939 when a dozen men brought an open summer trolley car from nearby Saco. Now it owns 45 cars from 23 railway systems in 14 states and England. These cars represent the entire development of street and interurban railway transportation from the horse car to the dawn of streamlining. They include a former horse car dating back to the 1870\u27s, an all-aluminum interurban car capable of speeds up to 85 miles per hour, the last passenger trolley and the last electric locomotive to operate in the state of Maine, a double-deck tram car from England, a car carrying the famous destination sign Desire, a car peculiar to Los Angeles -- but known to movie-goers the world over and a sequence of a dozen cars from Boston.https://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/books_pubs/1115/thumbnail.jp

Seashore Electric Railway

English

Bangor Community: Digital Commons@bpl

Bangor Public LibraryBangor Community: Digital Commons@bplBooks and Publications Special Collections1958Seashore Electric Railway PampletsSeashore Electric RailwayFollow this and additional works at: https://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/books_pubsThis Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Special Collections at Bangor Community: Digital Commons@bpl. It has been accepted forinclusion in Books and Publications by an authorized administrator of Bangor Community: Digital Commons@bpl. For more information, pleasecontact ccoombs@bpl.lib.me.us.Recommended CitationSeashore Electric Railway, "Seashore Electric Railway Pamplets" (1958). Books and Publications. 111.https://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/books_pubs/111Seashore Electric Railway Maine's International Mil eum of Operating Trolley Cars ' , I he New E11 gland Elccu ic; Railway I listorical So cicty is Lhc world's o ldest and largest organization dc-\ Oled excl usi , e l} Lo the preservation of railway equip-rn enl. Si nce the socie ty's Seashore E lectric Railway opened in Kennebunkport , Ma ine, in 1939 with a single siree tcar, more tha n fi fty cars have been obtained from a ll O\Cr the United States as we ll as from Canada and (,rea t Hrita in . Ma ny were gi fts from transit com pani cs and municipa lities; others were purchased for scrap value by interested individuals who donated 1 hc111 to the socie ty. With the exception of one lost in a fire, C\ ery ca r ever obta ined by the society for ex-h ibi t is sti ll o n the p roperty in as good or better condi tion tha n when rece ived, and many ha\e been extenshe-ly restored . T oge ther with the operating railroad be-ing built on the socie ty's property, these cars comprise an histo ri ca l e lect r ic ra ilway, representing the variou' builde rs periods and systems of the fabulous traction e ra . Further to guarantee the permanent preservation of ir repl acea ble equ ipmen t, all cars, as well as the real es ta te in the m ain shop and storage area, arc free o f 111 o rtgages o r encu mbrances of any kind. ;\fost of the work of building the museum trackage /\ lri/J to yestervear on one o f Seashore's cars recaptures voulh f•>r ,,/,/timers 1111 11 bnngs vvtmgsters a new thrrll .,. and facilities and of gathering, ·restoring, and main-taining the cars has been done by society members who have volunteered their services on weekends and dur-ing vacations. While some have come only in quest of exercise and recreation, many, particularly the younger participants, have found their experience at Seashore extremely educational as well. It has been our exper-ience that teen-agers who devote their excess energy and ingenuity to some challenging and worthwhile activity such as this are less apt to behave in a socially unacceptable fashion than those without creative di versions. The principal financial support has also come in small contributions from society members, most of whom are people with ordinary incomes and financial standing The annual regular membership dues of only two dol-lars a year barely pay for the publications members receive, but they .ire kept at this level because the directors wish that no interested person be excluded from participation for financial reasons. /\s the railroad has grown, however, methods of this sort have proved increasingly inadequate for the needs of the institution. Not only has the total load become too great for volunteers, but many specific require-ments have developed which they cannot meet. For example, stale highway permits for moving oversize loads such as a streetcar arc issued only for the day-light hours of weekdays, just when the volunteers are least aYailahle. It has therefore been necessary to en-gage paid help from time to time, and more will be needed in the future . For another thing. streetcars stored outdoors and maintained with hand tools can-not operate or even endure indefinitely. Thus the 'ociet) must constantly seek funds not only to con-tinue operating, hut to make necessary capital im-prmcments as well . The worthwhile character of the undertaking is attested by the fact that the society is classified as a charitable organization under the pro-' isions of Par. I 01 (6) of the Internal Revenue Act, so that any gifts or donations to it may properly he de-ducted from the federal income tax. Each succeeding year has brought an increase in the n11111hrr or ' isitors Lo the museum to inspect and ride the cars. ·1 he prnhlcm of automobile parking alone heca111e •10 great that it was necessary to move the principal 'isitor accommodations to a new and more f:norahle location, away from the shop and storage :11_-~a. 1 lw new 'ite is on U 5. Route I, a main high-Carhouse construction is one of the many types of activity f rom which voulnteer workers gain valuable field experience. way. The socie ty owns four miles of right-o f-way be· tween th e two locations, most of which is on th e old roadbed of the Atlantic Shore lin e Rai lway. As it wa; necessary LO borrow money for this expan sion , and the operating costs arc considerab le, the policy o f relying so le ly on the generosity of 'isito rs has been regretful ly abandoned , and a small charge is made for rides . Ad -mission to the grounds remains free. I he property is open to visitors daily during the principal summer season , and 0 11 weekends the rest of the )car. Persons desiring to visit the museum or ride the cars al times other than those published in the sched ules shou ld 1nake advance arrangcn1 cnls. Anyone interested in membership in th e society or in con1ributing to its work is urged to inquire at 1hc propert y or write the J'rcasurcr, C\\ Enl( land l•: lcc lric l{ail\\ ay Jl is lorica l Soci!' ly, rnc. 21 Caner Rd. Newton ll ighlands 61 , Mass. Nonprofi t Educational Foundation '. SEASHORE ELECTRIC RAILWAY NOW T W 0 LOCATIONS SUMMER SEASON ( July 1 to Labor Day Both Locations . OPEN DAILY 10 TO 6 ., ...__ _________ Out of Season Arundel Shops Only Saturday and Sunday 12 to5 . ,. . ANTIQUE R LLEY IN RESPONSE TO PUBLIC DEMAND The Seashore Electric Railway, World's Oldest a n d Largest Railway Museum, again expands. In 1954 we opened our Museum daily through the summer. In 1955 we built a souvenir shop. In 1956 we had rides in open trolleys every week end, carrying 7000 passengers. Now for the .' 19 57 season we are building a brand new line at a convenient location on U.S. 1. There you can ride an open trolley every day from the 1st of July to Labor Day . Our new location, Seashore Junction, has ample parking space and a larger s ou ven i r sh op . Kennebunkport The Seashore collection now totals sixty cars from England, Canada, and seventeen states of this country, from a former horsecar built in 1879 to an all-aluminum 1931 streamliner. Some of these will be exhibited at Seashore Junction. The rest will be at the old location, Arundel Shops, which will also be open daily this summer. Th is Museum ia owned and operated by the New England Electric Railway Historical Society, a non -profit, edu-cational foundation, incorporated in Maine with its business office at 21 Carver Road, Newton Highlands 61, ~lass. Contributions are tax-deductible. We urgently need your support to build up our collection and enlarge our plant. SEE THE ANTIQUE TROLLEY CARS Seashore ~lectric Railway OPEN DAILY 10-6 JULY 4 TO LABOR DAY SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS 12-5 THE REST OF THE YEAR Owned and operated by the New England Electric Railway Historical Society, Inc., a non-profit , educational foundation founded in 1939, incor-porated in 1941. Business office: 21 Carver Road, Newton High-lands 61, Mass. Former Horse Car Toonervi I le For Summer Sunshine For Winter Snows HISTORY THAT IS ENJOYABLE The Seashore Electric Railway got its start in 1939 when a dozen men brought an open summer trolley car from nearby Saco. Now it owns 45 cars from 23 rail-way systems in 14 states and England. These cars represent the entire develop-ment of street and interurban railway transportation from the horse car to the dawn of streamlining. They include a for-mer horse car dating back to the 1870's, an all-aluminum interurban car capable of speeds up to 85 miles per hour, the lase passenger trolley and the last elec-tric locomotive to operate in the state of Maine, a double-deck tram car from England, a car carrying the famous des-tination sign Desire, a car peculiar co Los Angele$~ but knov.:n . to movie-goers . the ~orl,9 o.v~J -Jn.c(~ sequence of a dozen . . . ~ cars · from:··J?O~to~.: · ' -• Vt>luriteers nave done almost all the work of bringing these cars to Kennebunk-port; painting, repairing and restoring them; building track, stringing wire, setting up a power station; and many other jobs that go toward creating a trolley museum. Here is an exhibit of living history both enjoyable and worth while. Here the youngs ters can see what the trolleys were like and the old timers can recall their youth. NOSTALGIC AND FASCINATING Wrap-Around Windshields Picture Windows Eighty-Five Miles An Hour For Heavy Freight Former Horse Car Toonervi /le For Summer Sunshine For Winter Snows HISTORY THAT IS ENJOYABLE The Seashore Electric Railway got ics stare in 1939 when a dozen men brought an open summer trolley car from nearby Saco. Now it owns 45 cars from 23 rail-way systems in 14 states and England. These cars represent the entire develop-ment of street and interurban railway transportation from the horse car co the dawn of streamlining. They include a for-mer horse car dating back to the 1870's, an all-aluminum interurban car capable of speeds up co 85 miles per hour, the last passenger trolley and the last elec-tric locomotive co operate in the state of Maine, a double-deck cram car from England, a car carrying the famous des-tination sign Desire, a car peculiar to Los A~gele?iJ but known to movie-goers . the ~orl,4 o.v~~ -~n(a sequence of a dozen ..•. cars· from;.eo;co~: · ' -• Vbluriieer~ have done almost all the work of bringing these cars to Kennebunk-port; painting, repairing and restoring them; building crack, stringing wire, setting up a power station; and many other jobs that go coward creating a trolley museum. Here is an exhibit of living history both enjoyable and worth while. Here the youngsters can see what the trolleys were like and the old timers can recall their youth. NOSTALGIC AND FASCINATING Wrap-Around Windshields Picture Windows Eighty-Five Miles An Hour For Heavy Freight DID YOU KNOW? TROLLEY CARS H~AlD FOUR WHEEL BRAKES BEFORE 1890 WRAP-AROUND WINDSHIELDS IN 1906 PICTURE "'\VINDO\VS IN 1907 STRESSED SKIN CONSTRUCTION IN 1910 OUTRACED AN AIRPLANE IN 1930 At one time you could travel by trolley from Waterville, Me., to Lancaster, Pa., or from Little Falls, N. Y. to Waukesha, Wis. Either trip took about a week. In Massachusetts there were 2233 miles of trolley track and only 2109 miles of steam railroads! Trolleys started rn 1888, grew rapidly until 1910, declined from 1924 to 1950, and, are now rare outside large cities. Few industries have grown and disappeared so quickly! MUSEUM OF 1, R 0 L L E Y C A RS English Double-Decker - DISTRIBUTED AS A S ' TO ITS ;.1.EuBERS DY SE ASHOR~ EIEC.RR ~SSN .INC, ..1..lvl. I~r·145 Greenm.ch st. New York 6, N .Y • ELECTRIC RAILWAY KENNEBUNKPORT. ME. ' • '. ••• ~ • ;;·~ ..... '! • ~.. t • ~ ... ~ " : • .... • • . -

Seashore Electric Railway Pamplets

https://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1115&context=books_pubs

Seashore Electric Railway Pamplets

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Bangor Community: Digital Commons@bpl