Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Rlwy - 2016

It's been a few years since my last visit to the WW&F, and I'm always amazed at the progress and changes. This has to be one the best volunteer railroad groups that I have encountered. They seem to have great access to time and money. Everytime I have visted, the track has been extended a bit further, more rolling stock has been built or restored, and more buildings have been erected. This latest visit was on 29 May 2016.

There has been a change in locomotive use this year. Diminutive #10's boiler finally ran out of steam and needs to be replaced. Taking her place in train service this season is 0-4-4T #9, built in 1891 by the Portland Co. Here she is getting prepped for her day's activities.

#9 has backed out onto the main and will be pulling forward to couple onto her train in front of the station.

Here we are up at the far end of the line. #9 has uncoupled from the train and is running around on the passing track.

Arriving back at Sheepscot.

Later that day #52, a little 12-ton Plymouth-built locomotive, has taken a run up the line and back.

#4 is a Model T railcar built by Leon Weeks in 2008.

It has its own turntable! Turn a crank and the vehicle lifts up enough so that the wheels clear the rails and it can swung around and set back down facing the opposite direction.

The railroad has a good variety of work equipment. ranging from the small and simple, like this re-gauged Fairmont W-64 Derrick Crane car.....

....to plain utiltarian....

....to this home-built tamper.

New since my last viit in 2009 is a three-stall carbarn, along with tracks that are being extended out beside it to provide more car storage space.

One of the next big projects is the installation of a turntable near the enginehouse. The massive beams for the table have already been delivered.

This is the boiler from little #10. Too many weak spots to be safe to use anymore. A fund-raising effort is underway to get a new boiler constructed.