Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company & Museum: Classic Railroading in Portland
In 1984, a fire on the east end of Portland led to the founding of the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company & Museum. Because the fire ruined a bridge that was part of the Canadian National Railroad right-of-way, that railroad ceased operations there and the state of Maine snatched up the property. Since 1993, half of the right-of-way has housed the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company & Museum, which operates a 1.5-mile narrow-gauge railroad on its portion of the old Canadian National right-of-way.
The museum’s train has taken hundreds of visitors on a 3-mile round trip along the 2-foot narrow-gauge track on a 35-minute journey to view the Portland waterfront and the Casco Bay from one of the passenger cars pulled by the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad’s steam- or diesel-powered locomotives. At the museum building itself, there are four railroad cars, along with a few other railway vehicles, along with other exhibits for the interested visitor to peruse.
The railroad yard is open to visitors, with a few important caveats: to look out for passing trains, to never step on the tracks because of how slippery they can become, and to not enter any of the shops or engine houses, or climb on any of the rail equipment without permission of Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad staff.
It’s important to note that the steam locomotives, which have been in operation for 80 years, don’t operate every day that trains run on the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad. The schedule for the steam locomotive is available at the museum's website along with full details about scheduling and times that the gift shop is open.
For those interested in taking a more active role, the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad is always looking for volunteers to help with operations. Those intrigued by the prospect of helping with the museum’s operations should contact the staff via the website, which also has information on how to donate funds in lieu of volunteering time.
Posted on Apr 12, 2011 by Matt Delman
