Maine’s Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum seeks to raise $120,000 to complete the construction of a brand new 2-foot gauge passenger car modeled after one built for the original railroad in 1894. 

Construction of coach 9 began in 2017 with a $100,000 donation from one of the WW&F’s benefactors. Since that time, WW&F volunteers have completed the superstructure of the car and finished interior details, including the walls, trim, roof, ceilings, and windows. That original donation has now been exhausted, and the WW&F is working to raise enough money to complete the car. Among the items that need to be finished on the car are the platforms and couplings, as well as additional interior details. 

The new coach 9 is based on one constructed by Jackson & Sharp in 1894 for the WW&F predecessor, Wiscasset & Quebec. Once this new car is completed, the museum’s original W&Q coach, car 3, will go into the restoration shop for a rebuild. That effort will be supported by tooling and patterns produced for the new coach. Eventually, when coaches 3 and 9 are both in service, the railroad will have an authentic WW&F passenger train from the late 19th and early 20th century. For more information and to donate, visit wwfry.org/coach9. —Justin Franz