Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Maine Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway Museum
AO Edited

Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway Museum

Preserving the memory of the narrow railroads that once crisscrossed the state of Maine.

Alna, Maine

Added By
justinfranz
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Replica of the Sheepscot Station   Caseyjonz / Public Domain
Locomotive #10   Gwernol / CC BY-SA 3.0
Flatcar no. 118, built in 1912   Caseyjonz / Public Domain
WW&F circa 1905   Public Domain
WW&F Water Tank   Caseyjonz / Public Domain
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

More than a century ago, a tiny system of narrow gauge railroads crisscrossed the woods of Maine with just 24 inches between the rails—considerably smaller than the “standard” gauge of four feet, eight-and-a-half inches. The 24-inch gauge railroads got their start in England and were popular in mines and other industrial settings. But no one embraced them quite like Maine.

Among the five narrow gauge railroads was the Wiscasset & Quebec, established in the 1890s with grand plans to connect the coastal community of Wiscasset with Canada. Those plans quickly came crashing down and it was renamed the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington (although even after that it never made it to Waterville or Farmington). Instead, the line ended about 43 miles inland in Kennebec County. The railroad served the agricultural communities of the Sheepscot Valley until better roads and the Great Depression did it in. The railroad closed in 1933 and it was ripped up soon after.

But one person was not content to let the memory of the narrow gauge through the Sheepscot Valley be forgotten. In the late 1980s, a local by the name of Harry Percival started rebuilding the track that once ran past his property in Alna, Maine. Soon others joined him and now three decades later a near-perfect replica of the original railroad has been created on about three miles of track, including stations, a locomotive shop, a water tower, and more. The museum owns two steam locomotives (including one of the original ones that was on the line when it shut down in 1933) and is building a third.

Related Tags

History Engineering Museums Railroads Trains

Know Before You Go

The museum is open every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission to the museum is free but train rides start at $5 and advanced reservations are recommended. The railroad also hosts special events throughout the year, such as special dinner trains in the summer and rides to a local farm in the fall where people can pick out their own pumpkin from a local patch.

Community Contributors

Added By

justinfranz

Edited By

Michelle Cassidy

  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

June 28, 2022

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway Museum
97 Cross Rd
Alna, Maine, 04535
United States
44.060761, -69.623173
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Kenneth E. Stoddard Shell Museum

Boothbay, Maine

miles away

Thompson Ice House Harvesting Museum

South Bristol, Maine

miles away

Guardians of the Seeds Trolls

Boothbay, Maine

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Maine

Maine

United States

Places 129
Stories 22

Nearby Places

Kenneth E. Stoddard Shell Museum

Boothbay, Maine

miles away

Thompson Ice House Harvesting Museum

South Bristol, Maine

miles away

Guardians of the Seeds Trolls

Boothbay, Maine

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Maine

Maine

United States

Places 129
Stories 22

Related Places

  • Interior of the historic roundhouse.

    Baltimore, Maryland

    The B&O Railroad Museum

    At the birthplace of American railroading, a world-class collection of historic trains.

    Sponsored by Visit Maryland
  •  Visitors to the Oklahoma Railway Museum can explore—and ride—century-old vessels restored by local train buffs.

    Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

    Oklahoma Railway Museum

    A crew of die-hard train buffs spent decades turning a defunct stretch of railway in Oklahoma City into a museum now home to over 50 antique and restored trains.

  • Preserved section of old viaduct.

    Llanelli, Wales

    Loughor Viaduct

    A section of a historic wooden trestle viaduct is preserved next to the railway line it once carried.

  • The roundhouse at Greenfield Village.

    Dearborn, Michigan

    The Roundhouse at Greenfield Village

    One of the few working locomotive roundhouses in the United States.

  • Tunnel 33, now collapsed.

    Winter Park, Colorado

    Rifle Sight Notch

    This old train trestle and collapsed tunnel once allowed the railroad to negotiate the steep slopes of the Colorado Rockies.

  • Tunnel entrance seen from the ground.

    Bramhope, England

    Bramhope Tunnel North Portal

    This Gothic castle-like portal is a testament to the amazing craftsmanship of the navvies who built the railway tunnel.

  • Çamlik Railway Museum.

    Selçuk, Turkey

    Çamlik Railway Museum

    This beautiful train graveyard is one of the largest collections of steam locomotives in the Mediterranean and Europe.

  • ‘The Queen’ replica on display.

    Windsor, England

    'The Queen' Locomotive

    A replica of the steam engine that hauled Queen Victoria's Royal Train is on display at Windsor.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.