Of all the mystery and magic that surrounds railroads, the steam locomotive is the object that embodies that magic for most people. A steam locomotive isn't only something that moves the other railroad cars around, it is a living, breathing organism. The chuff of the exhaust, the smell of the coal smoke, the billowing steam from the stack all combine into a magical moment of time. It evokes a better era, when life didn't move as quickly and the world could afford to pause for a moment.
Certainly no railroad museum whose focus is before the 1950s can ignore steam. The WW&F Railway historically had nine engines, numbered 1 through 9. Today, the Museum has two steam engines, one of which, #9, was on the original railroad in 1933, the other of which, #10, was purchased by the Museum in 1999.
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#9, shown here, was built in 1891 by the Portland Company, Portland Maine, for the Sandy River Railroad. It was the 622nd locomotive built by the Portland Company, one of ten two-foot gauge locomotives built by that manufacturer. This locomotive gained four different numbers over its 40+ year operational history: SRRR #5, Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes (SR&RL) #6 in 1908, Kennebec Central (KC) #4 in 1924, and finally WW&F #9 in 1933. More details about this locomotive's life can be found on its history page.
This locomotive was serendipitously saved from the scrapper's torch through the actions of a group of railroad enthusiasts in 1937. It was brought to the farm of Frank Ramsdell in West Thompson, Conn. First Frank, then his daughter Alice, cared for the locomotive until her death in 1994. The locomotive returned to Maine in February of 1995, thanks to the generosity of owner Dale King, inheritor of the Ramsdell estate.
Currently the locomotive is inactive, awaiting the day when she can again ride the rails under a full head of steam. The old engine underwent an ultrasound test on the boiler in 1997. The results indicated that the boiler is unfit for service in its present condition. Rather than make repairs, it was decided to preserve the intregrity of the historical boiler and have a new boiler built.
In September 2000, after several years of negotiations, Mr. King signed a long-term lease agreement with the Museum. This 25 year lease opened the way for complete restoration of this engine. The Museum chose a boilermaker in 2004, Boothbay Railway Museum, who will make the boiler for $65,000 less a $15,000 discount for any volunteer work done on it. The boiler is expected to be delivered before the end of 2006. It's estimated that the complete restoration may be as high as $120,000. Additional details about the restoration may be found on the restoration page.
#9 is the oldest of the remaining Maine Two-Footer engines, and is one of at least two remaining Portland Company locomotives.
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#10 was built in 1904 by Vulcan, in Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania, as a 30" gauge locomotive for Louisiana sugar plantations. At one time named the High Pockets, this engine saw service with at least 3 sugar plantations, including Sterling Sugars, Inc. and Westfield Plantation. This was Westfield's 4th locomotive, and went out of service there in 1958. It was sold to the Edaville Railroad, in South Carver, Mass.
Edaville regauged it to 24", gave it the number 5, and put it in service in the Pleasure Island amusement park in Wakefield, Mass. It returned to Edaville after that park's closure in the late 1960's and was put into storage because of its small size (almost half that of sister engines #3 and #4), being used only as a steam generator for electricity during the oil crises of the 1970s. It was resurrected in 1998 by the group hoping to restart the dormant Edaville attraction, South Carver Rail. SCR put the locomotive up for sale the following year, and after some generous donations by Museum members, the engine arrived at the WW&F.
Following the tradition of railroads everywhere, the locomotive
was quickly relettered and renumbered, given #10 on the WW&F.
However, it did not go into service right away, but first had to
receive its boiler ticket from the state. The first steam-up on the
WW&F took place on December 18, 1999. It saw several weekends of
service in 2000, after which it underwent some boiler repair and
retubing during the winter. It saw infrequent service from 2001-2002,
then underwent an 18-month, frame-up mechanical overhaul in 2003-2004.
Since that time it has seen frequent service during the summer.