In the summer of 1956, the Seashore Electric Railway began passenger operations on weekends over its 1⁄ 4 mile (0.40 km) of track. The first major expansion occurred in late 1955 and early 1956, when the Society purchased land near the Biddeford city line along U.S. Car 31 was moved into a small building so that it could be repaired and restored. In the 1950s, a diesel-powered electric generator was used to allow the cars to move under their own power. Street RailwayĪfter the war, conversion of trolley lines to buses resumed, and created a period of rapid growth for the museum's collection. This also brought about a temporary revival of trolley services in many cities, as rubber and gasoline were rationed for the war effort.Ī 1918-built car of the Eastern Mass. World War II caused the museum to be put on hold, as many members served in the armed forces for the duration. The group of founders formally incorporated in 1941 as the New England Electric Railway Historical Society. The two groups merged, and the Nashua trolley was brought to the Log Cabin Road site. Īt about the same time, another group of rail fans purchased a trolley from the Manchester and Nashua Street Railway. However, it would have to be moved to another location due to local ordinances that prohibited retired trolleys from being used as houses, even though this was not the rail fans' intention.Ī portion of farmland was rented on Log Cabin Road in Kennebunkport, adjacent to the right-of-way for the Atlantic Shore Line Railway's Kennebunk-Biddeford route, and the trolley was moved to it. The railroad was willing to sell them a car (#31, a 12 bench open trolley) for $150. The rail fans decided to find out if they could purchase a trolley to preserve it for posterity. More and more trolley companies were doing this as the technology of buses had developed to the point that they were reliable and economical. The events that led to the formation of the museum started in 1939 when a group of railfans learned that the Biddeford and Saco Railroad were purchasing motor buses to replace its fleet of trolley cars. Santarelli graduated from Harvard University and led the museum until he died in 1987 Cummings, a New England railroad historian, died in 2013. Santarelli de Brasch and Osmond Richard Cummings were two of the founders of the museum, which was initially operated as the Seashore Electric Railway. The Morrison Hill Station at the Seashore Trolley Museum
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