“We knew there would be water leaking in the museum due to the intense downpours, and suspected possible minor damage along the right-of-way, but we did NOT expect to see roofing torn off two of our railcars!” exclaimed Executive Director, Donnell Carroll. “One of these damaged cars, Combine #12, serves as our sound car – vital to our Polar Express event in three weeks, while historic Coach #19 lost the entire roofing along its 50 foot length.”

The museum’s volunteer restoration crew has been assessing the damage and working extra hours to make repairs in time for the museum’s annual Polar Express holiday fundraiser. The annual event celebrates its 10th season in Portland this year and brings over 13,000 passengers to ride the train between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Volunteers have developed a short term repair to get Combine #12 operational in time for the event. Meanwhile, the museum is working with the Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad to have Car #19 stored under-cover in Phillips until a full repair plan can be developed.

“At this time we are unsure what the final costs might be,” said Carroll. “Combine #12 dates back to the late 1950s and Coach #19 is a historic car from the Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad dating back to 1890. The curvature of the roof line and the overhangs creates a challenge for our volunteer team. I am confident we will find the solutions and get full repairs done.”