A couple of weeks back, I attended the 30th Anniversary, Annual Picnic, up at the WW&F Museum in Alna, ME. As usual, it featured food, friendship, music, and of course, lots of train ops. This year however, there were some special operations and displayes, owing to the fact that the museum is celebrating it's 30th birthday. Combine that with a plethora of visiting equipment from the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company & Museum, and there was a lot going on.
Two steam engines were in operation on Saturday, including WW&F #9, and Monson Railroad #3. The #9 hauled a 4-car passenger train all day, while the #3 hauled a special mixed consist to commemorate the first steam operations at the museum, back in 1998. Back then, the museum did not have its own steam power, so the folks at the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company & Museum in Portland were kind enough to bring Monson Railroad #3 to Alna, where she ran with Boxcar 309, Flatcar 118 and Caboose 320.....pretty much all of the rolling stock that existed at the time. On Saturday, August 10th, patrons were treated to that very same line-up, running as a second-class passenger train. In addition, as has become a tradition, a special photo excursion was run at 5PM, with an all-WW&F mixed train consisting of #9, Boxcar 309, Flatcar 118 and Coach 3. The weather this day was all over the map, ranging from bright sunshine and very warm conditions, to intermittent thunderstorms and gully-washer downpours. From a photography standpoint, there was just never a dull moment, and barely time to grab lunch.
I've culled through the hundreds of frames I shot that day and created a photo album depicting the operations, the people and the weather. Have a look if you have a couple of minutes!
WW&F 30th Anniversary, Annual Picnic 2019
BTW, folks often ask me: "What's the best time to visit the WW&F?" Well, you can visit us about any weekend during the summer and see steam in operation, but in my opinion, if you want the "full experience", the best times to visit are the two Work Weekends......and Annual Picnic.
/Kevin Madore