Two railroad museums on opposite sides of the country are locked in a fierce rivalry over this weekend’s Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. Since the matchup between the Seahawks and Patriots was set almost two weeks ago, Maine’s Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway Museum and Washington’s Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad have been taunting each other on social media.

At times, the online feud has gotten downright nasty, with WW&F threatening to send Mt. Rainier back to “Train-ing camp,” and Mt. Rainier claiming that the narrow gauge WW&F was nothing more than a “toy train.” 

On February 4, after days of trash talk, the railroads agreed to a formal bet: the railroad whose team loses on Sunday will have to display the winning team’s flags on a locomotive for a full day of operation. 

While sources close to both WW&F and Mt. Rainier admit the online battle has gotten heated, railroaders at both museums remain friendly with each other, and it appears the spat has mostly been a good way to promote both railroads ahead of the big game.

—Justin Franz

Editor’s Note and Disclosure: While Associate Editor Justin Franz currently lives in the Northwest and would normally cheer the Seattle Seahawks, he is also a native Mainer, a long-time WW&F Railway Museum member, and a fan of the New England Patriots.