Uploaded August 2021 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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Maine’s two-foot heritage was once again revived in July 2021 with all five of the surviving Maine narrow gauge common-carrier locomotives were rolled out onto the tracks of the Wiscasset, Waterville, & Farmington Railway. Dynamo Productions' Daniel Day took this opportunity to capture footage for a video that imagines and reimagines scenes from this bygone era.

Part One: Sandy River Meets Monson – This segment takes place in a fictional world where the Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Railroad interchanges with the Monson Railroad but effort was made to make the remainder of the scenes as historically accurate as possible. The 6 leads a Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes passenger consist anchored by the Rangeley, the only two-foot parlor car built in the United States. Meanwhile, Monson #3 hauls a mixed consist mid-train, as was the norm for the six-mile railroad.

Part Two: Bridgton & Saco River Railroad – The legendary railroad is recreated, complete with Steam Locomotive #7. Many features along the WW&F line were found to be reminiscent of landmarks along the old B&SR including the Notch, Hancock Pond, and an abundance of woods and meadows. The authentic B&SR consist included Tank Car No. 14 (built 1903), Boxcar No. 51 (built 1890), Boxcar No. 67 (built 1905), Flatcar No. 34 (built 1880’s), and Passenger Car No. 16, “Mt. Pleasant” (built 1882).

Operating Locomotives Featured:
Bridgton & Saco River 2-4-4T #7 was built in 1913 by Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia for the B&SR. In 1941, #7 was the last locomotive to operate on the B&SR’s successor railroad, the Bridgton and Harrison, along with #8. Number 7 is now owned by Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum.

Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes 0-4-4T #6 was built in 1891 by the Portland Company for the Sandy River Railroad. It later operated on the Kennebec Central and finally the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railroad as #9. This locomotive re-entered service on the revived WW&F in December 2015 and typically wears its WW&F letters and number during regular operation. It is the oldest survivor of the original Maine two-foot gauge engines.

Monson Railroad 0-4-4T #3 was built in 1912 by the Vulcan Iron Works in Wilkes-Barre, PA. The 3 ran at Monson until the railroad’s demise in 1943. The locomotive was recently restored to its historic 1930s-40s appearance with an automobile headlight below a front-mounted bell. Monson trains ran exclusively during daylight hours so the railroad removed the oil lamp and relocated the bell to its place. In the 1930s, the railroad was informed that a headlight was required, so they added a battery-powered automobile headlight below the bell. The locomotive is now owned by MNGRR.

During the event, it was announced that the two inoperable locomotives, Monson #4 and Bridgton & Saco River #8, will soon be restored to operating condition.

The Saturday event featuring locomotives #3, #6, and #7 was hosted by the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum, Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. & Museum, and Maine Locomotive & Machine Works. Sunday’s event featuring #7 was hosted by Daniel Day of Dynamo Productions and Ben Bourrie of Merrimack & Saco Productions. Special thanks go out to the Bridgton & Saco River Railroad Museum, all staff and volunteers who made the weekend possible, as well as all attendees.

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