Wiscasset, Waterville, and Farmington Railway # 9 update

b. barry · **Posted:** Tue Oct 13, 2015 11:36 am

WW&F number 9's tank and cab were installed during the fall 2015 work weekend. After the cab was bolted down the locomotive was rolled out for pictures and moved into the machine shop for final assembly and paint.

The onlookers

Number 10 was spotted behind 9 for some smoke effects.

Number 10's smokebox peeking out behind Number 9's.

Jason peeling back the protective plastic to expose the boiler jacket for the crowd.

Number 10 for comparison.

Being moved over to bay 4 for finish work and paint.

Richard Glueck · **Posted:** Tue Oct 13, 2015 1:28 pm

I stopped in to return some materials to WW&F, a loan to New England Steam Corp., and saw not only #9, but several dedicated crews of men and women, erecting the new car barn, forging metal, running trains and cooking. What is striking about this railroad is the dedication to A0 getting things historically correct, or as close as possible, and B) the number of volunteers who come out to build, celebrate, and carry out plans.
Stunning.

crij · **Joined:** Sun Aug 22, 2004 12:15 am **Posts:** 585

Just to double check, is #9 Alice Ramsdale's engine, from Thompson Ct (was kept in a barn in NE Ct)?

Thanks,
Rich C.

philip.marshall · **Posted:** Tue Oct 13, 2015 3:56 pm

crij wrote:

Just to double check, is #9 Alice Ramsdale's engine, from Thompson Ct (was kept in a barn in NE Ct)?

Thanks,
Rich C.

You are correct. This is Alice Ramsdell's engine that spent 60 years in a barn in Connecticut: WW&F No. 9 = SR&RL No. 6.

trolleyira · **Joined:** Fri Jul 22, 2005 11:22 pm **Posts:** 219

To: crij.
Yes, one in the same.
Note: It was also Sandy River #5 just to confuse the issue

G. W. Laepple · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 5:10 pm **Posts:** 1182

And even more confusion: this same locomotive was Kennebec Central No. 4 before becoming WW&F No. 9..

p51 · **Posted:** Thu Oct 15, 2015 7:17 pm

philip.marshall wrote:

crij wrote:

Just to double check, is #9 Alice Ramsdale's engine, from Thompson Ct (was kept in a barn in NE Ct)?

Thanks,
Rich C.

You are correct. This is Alice Ramsdell's engine that spent 60 years in a barn in Connecticut: WW&F No. 9 = SR&RL No. 6.

Cool, I'd always wondered whatever happened to it after reading that article in Trains magazine in the 80s by the guy who shoved it out of the shed to put in new rails underneath...

Tom Davidson · **Joined:** Sun Dec 29, 2013 6:07 pm **Posts:** 203

What's the history of number 10?

Tom

scottychaos · **Posted:** Thu Oct 15, 2015 10:08 pm

Tom Davidson wrote:

What's the history of number 10?

Tom

WW&F #10 - built by Vulcan in 1904 for Underwood, Short & Reeves, of Bellview Plantation, Louisiana.
built new to 30" gauge
then to Sterling Sugars in Franklin, LA
then to Elray Kocke Service, Inc, of Westfield Plantation, Paincourtville, LA
Then to Edaville in 1960, where it was rebuilt and re-gauged to 24" gauge.
then sold to the WW&F in Alna, Maine in 1999, and given the number WW&F #10.
Number 10, arriving on the WW&F in 1999, is the first loco to arrive on a Maine 2-foot railroad since B&SR #8 of 1924.
And is only the second Maine 2-foot steam loco not built new as a Maine 2-footer loco.
(the other being James Wyman / Old Star.)

Scot

philip.marshall · **Posted:** Fri Oct 16, 2015 12:10 am

scottychaos wrote:

And is only the second Maine 2-foot steam loco not built new as a Maine 2-footer loco.
(the other being James Wyman / Old Star.)

That's an interesting point I had not considered before.

Somewhat off-topic, but the original tender tank that once belonged to the James Wyman/"Old Star" (SRRR 2nd No. 3/SR&RL No. 16) still exists. It was dug out of the fill at the south end of the Phillips yard a few years ago and is now in the collection of the SR&RL group in Phillips.

Les Beckman · **Joined:** Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm **Posts:** 6482

I believe that "Old Star" (SR&RL #16) was originally built for a logging railroad down south. Not sure why she was never delivered there. I also seem to recall that she was supposed to go to the W&Q (WW&F) but ended up on the Sandy River instead. I think she got her name because she had a star on her number plate instead of a number, but I don't ever recall seeing a photo which showed this feature. Do any exist?

Les

scottychaos · **Posted:** Fri Oct 16, 2015 11:34 am

Les Beckman wrote:

I believe that "Old Star" (SR&RL #16) was originally built for a logging railroad down south. Not sure why she was never delivered there. I also seem to recall that she was supposed to go to the W&Q (WW&F) but ended up on the Sandy River instead. I think she got her name because she had a star on her number plate instead of a number, but I don't ever recall seeing a photo which showed this feature. Do any exist?

Les

There is one in a book..someone scanned it:

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Trainma ... r.jpg.html

Scot

Les Beckman · **Joined:** Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm **Posts:** 6482

Thanks Scot.

Les

Tom Davidson · **Joined:** Sun Dec 29, 2013 6:07 pm **Posts:** 203

Thanks, scot. No. 10 looks like a nice little engine. I hadn't known about her.

Tom

Jennie K · **Joined:** Fri Feb 13, 2015 2:48 pm **Posts:** 198

In case there are some that don't know about the Baldwin "star" number plates, they were applied to locomotives that weren't assigned a road number at the time of order. Former Cedar Point & Lake Erie Forney "Maud L" had a star number plate. When it became Disneyland RR #5 the plate was preserved, and I as understand is on display in the Disneyland enginehouse.