The Seashore Trolley Museum, tucked in the woods away from the hustle and bustle of Kennebunkport village, was marking its 75th anniversary in 2014 by showcasing its extensive collection of electric trolley cars during a series of special events.
A “Founders Day” celebration on July 5 will feature a narrated trolley parade and, more significantly, the return of the “Golden Chariot” Montreal observation car to the museum’s operating collection.
My Friend Patricia Erikson asked me to help her the story of the restauration of the Narcissus for the Portland Magazine.
Founded in 1939 and spanning a 330 acre-campus straddling the Kennebunkport town line, the Seashore Trolley Museum has grown into the largest electric railway museum in the world. Its comprehensive collection of vintage public transportation vehicles includes electric streetcars, buses, omnibuses, trackless trolleys and subway cars; one of these electric railroad coaches “the Narcissus” – once a high-speed, engineering marvel – bears the patina of having transported Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. between Lewiston and Portland on August 18, 1914.
Less than a month after the Portland-Lewiston Interurban line (PLI) opened to acclaim as Maine’s fastest and finest electric railway, Teddy stepped up to the glossy green coach, climbed through an elegantly arched doorway, and took one of the plush, green seats, most likely avoiding the smoking compartment where his traveling companions puffed on cigars.
The place is a photographic heaven and wonder. Patricia wrote a great article about collaborating with Photographers from that experience.
Judge from yourself !
Copyright images Alban – Esprit Voyageur 2014, Portland Maine.
Links : Portland Magazine article & Portland Press Herald