Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway Museum

Clayton & Cindy Putnam

July 30, 2022 - Travel “ back in time” abroad an old Rail Road steam train, in Alna, Maine! It’s a very narrow 2 foot wide track that holds a coal burning REAL train engine, pulling several train cars & caboose. You park your car at the WWF station, then buy your $25 RR ticket to board the Wiscasset, Waterville, and Farmington train! My wife and I joined several friends on this adventure. While waiting to board the train, explore the machine shop, yard, and station (which includes gift shop). This WWF RR organization offers several adventures during the year. Train rides through the Sheepscot Valley include: Train ride to Sealyon Farm Photographer’s trip to Trout Brook Pumpkin Pickin Fall trips Ice Cream Express Blueberry Express Christmas Train trip Concerts in the woods * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * On this specific day, we boarded the train at 5 pm, sat in the open car, with no windows. We packed our dinner ( chef salads) & folding chairs for the 20 minute train ride north. As we chugged along at slow speed, we enjoyed the countryside views. Not a big fan of the coal smoke blowing toward the back of the train cars. . . very powerful and at times nauseous smell of burning sulfur. We arrived at a small Alna RR station. Folks disembarked, and walked over to a large pavilion with rows of wooden benches. The train ride included a concert by Folk guitarist Pete Kilpatrick! 😃👍🏼 Wonderful evening listening to 90 minutes of Pete’s songs, as 60 to 70 people ate their “ packed food items”! The train chugged off, somewhere to turn around! Pete’s an “easy going” musician who shared stories of his life & music. . . 2nd time my wife & I enjoyed his music. Afterwards, Pete offered some of his musical CDs for sale. Then the Conductor shouted, “ All aboard”! We thanked Pete for the concert and headed to our train. We arrived back at the WWF Station about 7:30 pm . A very nice trip * The folks who “play their role” are all volunteers! One of the train engineers was a Math teacher! So cool to see folks dress their parts, and help this WWF Railroad organization bring this train experience to LIFE ! * I rate this a 4.3 in terms of the learning & enjoyment of “ living Rail Road history” with one negative. . . I wish the engine was NOT COAL burning ! Extremely unhealthy to breathe this smoke, nor is it healthy to dig this up ( mining coal). As a former History teacher, I do appreciate authenticity! But, we don’t need to go that far with this HEALTH RISK! ( suggest a cleaner engine that can blow clean smoke, that technology shouldn’t be too difficult) Note: WWF Railroad has a website for more information! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Fun Railroad Slang Terms * Zombie - Use an old locomotive train frame Tin Can - Tanker car that can hold liquid Clown Wagon - Caboose of a train Bake a Cake - Building steam in the Engine Goat - Refers to train yard engines Blue Flag - Working/repairing a train car Ash Cat - The fireman or woman on a train Eighth Notch - Highest throttle, for speed Highball - Signal to go at top speed Hog Head - Train’s Engineer

Ellie C.

My husband and I along with our best friends took the Lavender picking with dinner by sunset trip and it was best time we ever had! The people were friendly and the train was authentic. It was like stepping back to another time.....the clang of the bell, the shrill whistle as we came to a crossing, and the rocking and rolling along the track smacks of nostalgia. We rebooked to go on one of the pumpkin picking rides this fall and we just can't wait!

Jennifer Gold

This place is insanely cool! We rode the train with our busy toddler and grandparents - all had a fabulous time. The ride was super fun, beautiful, and really interesting history. Staff were really nice and great with little kids. Looking forward to our next visit!

Alan Sadler

Great experience! It's terrific to see have a long term effort by dedicated volunteers pays off. Fun day on the train.