Wiscasset's Railroads 1849 - 2013

Wiscasset's Railroads 1849 - 2013. Wiscasset, Maine. , By rail and by sea Wiscasset could have been a natural transportation hub, but technology's timing was off. The first coastal railroad was chartered in 1849, but none were operational until the standard gauge Knox and Lincoln Railroad Co. began service in 1871. By the time the railroads came, fewer and fewer cargo ships were coming to Wiscasset harbor., The Wiscasset and Quebec narrow gauge railroad opened in 1895 to transport freight to Canada, but the line to Quebec was never built. Reorganized in 1901 as the Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railroad, it carried potatoes, poultry, lumber, feed, grain, woolen goods, coal, passengers and the mail between Wiscasset, Albion and Winslow, ME. At its height, the WW&F Railway had 90 freight cars, 6 passenger cars and 7 engines., The WW&F could not compete with trucks carrying freight over new, improved roads. It closed in 1933. But Engine #9, Coach #3 and Flatcar #118 can still be seen today at the Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway Museum., The Maine Central Railroad purchased the Knox and Lincoln Railroad in 1901 and operated it until 1959, carrying both passengers and cargo. The State of Maine saved it in 1987. Today, it is operated by the Maine Eastern Railroad.