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Build 11: November 2025 Update
Our latest Build 11 work session was held on October 10-12 during our Fall Work Weekend. …and thank YOU for giving more than 111% to this project! In 2025, our friends and followers have donated an astounding $139,073 towards Build 11 – 116% of our $120,000 goal (for 2025.) All additional funds are being used…
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Coach 9: Nov 9, 2025 Update
This month we’ll look at the seats that will be installed in coach 9. The museum is currently waiting for the seat backs and cushions to be completed. It’s possible that they might be delivered sometime in November. Stay tuned. The seats began as a series of patterns used for the casting of the parts.…
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Coach 9: Bonus Update!
Work on the interior and exterior continues. Exterior work is mostly on the underside equipment. See photo captions for details. Thanks to your generosity we have unlocked a matching grant of $16,000 furnished by the Narrow Gauge Preservation Foundation. We continue to seek the support of such foundations to help bring this coach to completion…
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Build 11: October 2025 Update
Our latest Build 11 work session was held on September 8-10. Harold Downey, Gordon Cook and Rick Sisson set up our crankpin press to, you guessed it, press crankpins into our driving wheelsets. In the following photo, you can see how the crankpin press extension was specifically designed to fit between the counterweight and wheel.…
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Coach 9: Oct 9, 2025 Update
Last month, we reported on the installation of the windows for coach 9. This required replicating the hardware used to operate the windows, hardware that is no longer commercially available. The new hardware was made by the investment casting, or lost wax, process. Examine the photos for details on this process. We are well underway…
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Coach 9: Truckin’ Along
Father-son team Jerry and Carlos spend every Tuesday working on the new trucks for coach 9, lately assembling and painting parts. This photo shows some of the major components, the springs and truck frames are partially visible at the upper right. Remember, we need a total of $120,000 to Finish Coach 9 to the Nines!…
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Build 11: September 2025 Update
Our latest Build 11 work session was held on August 12-14. Rick Sisson test fit the laser cut components of the wheel press extension fixture. The head of this fixture, designed by Gordon Cook, is sized to fit between the driver and its counterweight so that the wheel press can be used to press the…
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Coach 9: Sept 9, 2025 Update
For this month’s report we’ll look at the installation of the windows in coach 9. Each window has four steel leaf springs, two on each of the shorter sides. These springs hold the windows in place, once they are inserted into the openings in the sides and ends of the coach. You can see the…
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Build 11: Wheely Impressive
On Tuesday, Sept 9, 2025, the Build Locomotive 11 crew pressed in one of the crank pins into the outer counterweight. Thanks for your continued support and interest in the WW&F!The Build 11 Team
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Build 11: August 2025 Update
Our latest Build 11 work session was held on July 15-17. Quentin Bethune brought the eccentrics back from his home shop where he had finished machining the interior surfaces. That’s a lot of steel in Quentin’s truck! On top of this load you can see the fixture Quentin designed and fabricated at home. This fixture…
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Coach 9: August 9, 2025 Update
To the delight and surprise to those in attendance for the 2025 Annual Picnic, Coach 9, resplendent in its completed varnish and gold leaf lettering and trim, was revealed to the public on Aug. 9, 2025. Tours were hosted throughout the day by project manager and Master Carpenter, Eric Schade. Thanks to Christopher Hauf for…
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Coach 9: Informational Booklet
For those who would like a booklet on the project to Finish Coach 9 to the Nines, we have this special PDF available for download. Printed copies of the book are available by visiting the WW&F Railway Museum, or can be mailed to you by special request. To date, only $9561 of the $120,000 needed…
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Coach 9: July 16, 2025: Matching Grant!
We are pleased to announce that the Narrow Gauge Preservation Foundation has selected the project to Finish Coach 9 to the Nines for a $ for $ matching grant! They have pledged $16,000 towards the project. Please, help us unlock this fantastic opportunity which doubles your donation to the cause. Meanwhile, here are some more…
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Coach 9: July 15, 2025: Revealed!
The protective enclosure was removed today, allowing fuller views of the recent varnish work. The exterior coating has now set up well enough that Eric, Ron, Lou and Harold can begin working on the interior hardware. Donations are needed to help cover the cost ($30,000) of the gold leaf work and professional varnish application. To…
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Build 11: July 2025 Update
Our latest Build 11 work session was held during June 10-12. Our main goal was to pour lead into the main driving wheelset counterweights. We needed to add approximately 70 pounds of weight to each counterweight. The counterweights were cast with an interior void designed to capture the additional lead. Quentin Bethune drilled and tapped…
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Coach 9: July 9, 2025 Update
For this month’s report we’ll look at some of the interior details of coach 9, particularly the decorative artwork on the ceiling panels. Research on how it was on the original cars, such as coach 3, revealed that water slide decals were used. This was big business in the 1890s, with catalogs dedicated to the…
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Build 11: Getting the Lead… IN!
Volunteers at the WW&F Railway Museum in Alna, Maine are building a new steam locomotive. Here you see Harold and Quintin pouring molten lead into the hollow counterweights on one of the locomotive’s drive wheels. This process allows a precise ratio to counterbalance the force of the drive rods, which will be attached to the…
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Build 11: June 2025 Update
Our latest Build 11 work session was held during May 14-16. Quentin Bethune picked up the lead truck journals from Noah MacAdam and brought them to our shop. These were beautifully finished. Rick Sisson was tasked with scraping the journal surfaces – a process that begins with bluing the axle bearing surface and positioning the…
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Coach 9: June 9, 2025 Update
In this month’s Finish Coach 9 to the Nines report we’ll take a look at some of the decorative details that have been added to coach 9 during the past couple months. The exterior of the car is having its lettering and striping applied. Tom Fish has been hired by the museum to complete this…
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Coach 9: May 28, 2025 Update
Recent work on Coach 9, being built by the volunteers at the WW&F Railway Museum in Alna, Maine. Thanks for your continued support and interest in the WW&F!The Coach 9 Team
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Build 11: May 2025 Update
Our latest Build 11 work session was held during our Spring Work Weekend, April 24-27. Our friends at Mountain Machine Works have completed quartering of the driver wheelsets; they achieved 90.000 +/- 0.002 degrees. They bored the crankpin seats and machined the crankpins. The wheelsets and crankpins have been moved to our shop and we…
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Coach 9: May 9, 2025 Announcement
WW&F Railway Launches “Finish Coach 9 to the Nines” Campaign which aims to raise $120,000 to complete the construction of its new coach! The new coach 9 is a carefully researched and faithful reconstruction of a car built by Jackson and Sharp in 1894 for the WW&F’s predecessor, the Wiscasset & Quebec Railroad. Painstaking detail…
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Coach 9: May 8, 2025 Update
More gold leaf work this week. Thanks for your continued support and interest in the WW&F!The Coach 9 Team
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Build 11: April 2025 Update
Our latest Build 11 work session was held on March 25-27. Rick Sisson assisted by Bob Longo and Quentin Bethune fabricated the “fire ring” that we will use to heat the driving wheel tires during installation planned for our Spring Work Weekend. Our design is scaled up from the fire ring we built to install…
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Coach 9: April 1, 2025 Update
Today’s work on the new coach… truck construction by Carlos and Jerry Steinke include forgings for springs… lining and lettering with real gold leaf starting with door panels, and proceeding to the car end. Thanks for your continued support and interest in the WW&F!The Coach 9 Team
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Coach 9: March 26, 2025 Update
Master Carpenter Eric Schade reports: “I spent quite a bit of time researching the details of coach 3 at the Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway Museum. In order to fully understand those details I have made a number of models.” “As I am a Garden Railroader, I have built a number of scale models of…
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Coach 9: March 19, 2025 Update
Master Carpenter Eric Schade reports: “I wanted to post some photos of Coach 3 which we are using as a guide for building our new coach (9) at the Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway Museum. The Wiscasset and Quebec Railway had two coaches, a baggage/mail/express combine and a smoking car built for the opening of…
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Build 11: March 2025 Update
Our latest Build 11 work session was held on February 18 – 20. Brendan Barry and Jason Lamontagne picked up driving wheels, axles and counterweights from Mountain Machine Works in Auburn, Maine and transported them to Millinocket Fabrication and Machine on Tuesday where they were joined by Quentin Bethune and Rick Sisson. Preliminary inspection of…
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Build 11: February 2025 Update
The WW&F’s latest Build 11 work session was held on January 14 – 16. We’ve completely assembled the lead truck (less springs) and equalizer components, continued to machine small and large components and are closing in on tramming the shoes and wedges. We finally received the clevises which, along with the threaded rod, connect the…
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Coach 9: Jan 16, 2025 Update
Work continues on windows and interior panels. Thanks for your continued support and interest in the WW&F!The Coach 9 Team
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Build 11: January 2025 Update
We apologize for the delayed “11th of the month” update for you, our most dedicated Build 11 donors. We switched giving platforms to “Zeffy” which required a few extra days of preparation, but will allow us to more effectively conduct fundraising and ticketing, while saving the museum thousands of dollars in processing fees. Thus, your…
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Build 11: 2024 Progress Video
Here’s a video look-back on the progress made on the locomotive during 2024. The crew has been hard at work over the past 12 months and we are inching closer to making a concept into a reality. In 2025 we have ambitious goals. We’ve been challenged to raise $60,000 by an anonymous donor who will…
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Build 11: Swing Motion of Front Truck
Here’s a video quick video illustrating the swing motion action of the front pony truck of Locomotive 11. Thank You for Your Support We appreciate all contributions to the Build 11 project – together we are making what was considered an impossible dream a reality. Please consider helping by contributing on our donations page at www.build11.org.…
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Build 11: December 2024 Update
The WW&F Build 11 volunteers have been as busy as Santa constructing our new steam locomotive! Hark, that’s Harold riveting! Gordon Cook has been making 3-D models of the various components for locomotive 11. Here is a full rendering. Now if Santa could only bring us a big enough 3-D printer, we’d be done with…
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Coach 9: Nov 14, 2024 Update
Interior woodwork continues with sanding / prepping the clerestory ceiling panels and trim. Thanks for your continued support and interest in the WW&F!The Coach 9 Team
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Build 11: November 2024 Update
Our latest Build 11 work session was held October 11 -14 coincident with the WW&F Ry Fall Work Weekend. On Saturday, Joe and Jay Monty manned the torches to heat the transverse equalizer so that we could form the “ears” on each end. Rick Sisson, Bill Steussey, Joseph Gilbert, and Joe and Jay drove our…
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Build 11: October 2024 Update
We’ve been cooking up a brand new steam locomotive! Here we are heating the lead truck equalizer during our Aug 13-15th work session. Gordon Cook, Harold Downey and Rick Sisson again used our flanging machine to form the “ears” at the end of the lead truck equalizer. Harold had prepared the end of the equalizer…
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Build 11: Major Donation Received
Today, we are pleased to announce a major donation towards the completion of WW&F Locomotive 11, a new-build reconstruction of WW&F no. 7, which was scrapped in the 1930s. Two lifetime fans of the Maine two-footers, Gordon Fay and George Bartholomew, have pledged $15,000 to get the Build 11 project on track for completion. This…
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Coach 9: August 17, 2024 Update
The new coach was brought outside yesterday 8/17 for inspection of the finish + cleaning the wood shop. Eric and Ron noted that the car will receive line and lettering work later this year, followed by two coats of gloss varnish. Thanks to our friends at Epifanes Yacht Coatings for donated products and much guidance for interior…
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Build 11: August 2024 Update
Our latest Build 11 work session was held July 9 -11, 2024. Gordon Cook, Harold Downey and Rick Sisson spent a great deal of time preparing the main equalizer pedestals for installation. These components are located on the forward frame and support the main equalizers which pivot about a 2” pin. We then turned our…
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Build 11: July 2024 Video Update
Build 11 team members Gordon and Rick were working on the locomotive today, so instead of a detailed written progress report, see for yourself how the project is progressing! Learn more and contribute at: www.build11.org Thanks for your continued support and interest in the WW&F!The Build 11 Team
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Build 11: June 2024 Update
Here is a somewhat tardy report from the Build 11 work session that was held June 8 -11. Quentin Bethune and Gordon Cook heat shrunk the previously machined sleeves onto the second axle on Saturday. Quentin then machined both sleeves on the axle. Both rear truck axles are now ready to receive wheels. On Sunday…
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Build 11: The Squeeze is ON!
The team building locomotive 11 have been hard at work over the last several days, so a formal work update will be coming soon. Here’s a sneak preview of the accomplishments this month – one of the tender truck wheels being fitted to its axle! Learn more and contribute at: www.build11.org Thanks for your continued…
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Build 11: May 2024 Update
Our last Build 11 work session was held April 25 – 28 during our Spring Work Weekend. Between sessions Harold Downey has continued working on the rear truck frame – the arch bars and journal boxes have been bolted in. We plan to prime all the components before final assembly. Quentin Bethune brought back the…
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Build 11: April 2024 Update
A springtime snowstorm did not slow down our progress this month; an abbreviated Build 11 team was back for our April 3-5 work session. Between sessions Harold Downey continued assembly of the rear truck frame. Gordon Cook spent part of the day Wednesday working on locomotive 9’s injector with Roger Whitney and Jason Lamontagne. Later…
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Build 11: March 2024 Update
The Build 11 team was back for our March 5-7 work session. We had a number of team members working on projects during the March 5-7 work session: Harold Downey and Rick Sisson used our flanger to complete all the bending operations described in the captions. Harold also machined the 180 degree bends to finished dimensions.…
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Build 11: February 2024 Update
The Build 11 team was back for our February 4-6 work session. Harold Downey, Joe Monty and Rick Sisson completed hot bending the lead truck pedestals using our flanging machine. The shorter bends were performed during the January work session. These components will be machined to ready them for assembly. Meanwhile, Harold finished machining the…
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Build 11: January 2024 Update
The Build 11 team, after enjoying a holiday break, was back at it again during our January 2-4 work session. Quentin Bethune completed polishing the first rear truck axle journal bearing surfaces using a tool post grinder generously donated by Noah MacAdam. Meanwhile, Gordon Cook, Rick Sisson and Jason Lamontagne completed installation of the lead…
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Build 11 in 2023: Some Assembly Required
December 2023 Update We have more progress to report during our November 13-15 work session. We accomplished quite a lot during this work session and we’re taking a break in December to enjoy the holidays. But we’ll be back at it in January. Stay tuned for our next update. But first…. WE DID IT!! Our…
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Coach 9: Nov 29, 2023 Update
Today’s project at the railway was to put the color onto the coach. Yesterday, Ron Ginger put the first brush strokes of paint on. Today, Jason from Epifanes Yacht Coatings offered some professional advice to help us get the best possible finish. We got one coat on about 3/4 of the coach. Some was done…
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Build 11 in 2022: Forging Ahead
December 31, 2022: 2022 Goal Exceeded! Thank You. Thank you to our friends, followers, and supporters of the Build 11 Campaign. On January 11, 2022, we set out the most ambitious fundraising goal of the campaign – $70,000. Through your efforts, that goal was exceeded – raising nearly $85,000 (including a $25,000 match from the…
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Coach 9: Dec 1, 2022 Update
Master Carpenter Eric Schade reports: “I went into the shop today to make hardware for the screen frames on the clerestory of the coach. Each set of two clerestory windows has a frame with screen to keep the cinders and bugs out of the coach when the windows are opened. Steel bolts will be screwed…
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Build 11 in 2021: Building Steam
December 2021 Update On Nov. 30 and December 1, a four-man crew including Jason Lamontagne, Gordon Cook, Rick Sisson and new volunteer Eric Snyder completed flanging the throat sheet for No. 10. This work included forming the knuckle by hand, using wooden mallets to form the final curve over a die. The flanging machine was…
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Coach 9: Mar 25, 2021 Video Update
A short video of Master Carpenter Eric Schade working on the end of Coach 9. Thanks for your continued support and interest in the WW&F!The Coach 9 Team
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Build 11 in 2020: 2020 Vision
December 2020 Update There is some great news about the Build No. 11 Project this month. First and foremost, our FundRazr has reached and surpassed its goal of $17,000, thanks many donations from members and friends far and near. Nevertheless, if you want to contribute, you still have about three weeks to do so. We’ll…
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Coach 9: Dec 19, 2020 Update
Reporter ‘Gman’ writes: “We took a visit over to the Wiscasset Waterville and Farmington railroad to get our calendars and take a closer look at the construction of the new railroad coach built on the same Jackson and Sharp blueprints as original surviving coach number 3. The fit and finish in these building stages is…
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Coach 9: Nov 27, 2019 Update
The long timbers for the coach arrived at the railway today. We got them settled into the shop…a tight fit until other projects are finished. Thanks for your continued support and interest in the WW&F!The Coach 9 Team
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Coach 9: 2018 Updates
August 2018 Update Harold Downey reports: “I am adding all the details to the top side mold. I thought this would be easier. But many of the edge pieces have 3-D curvature, and I couldn’t just bend them out of thin pieces. For example, here is one of them. I start with a cube that…
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Coach 9: 2017 Updates
November 2017 Update Harold Downey finished the working drawing and bill of material for the base frame. There are four castings needed for the base frame: And since the design needed to be completed in combination with the center pivot, the corresponding female center casting which mounts on the truck. Nearly all of the patterns…
Latest WW&F News
- Build 11: November 2025 Update
- Coach 9: Nov 9, 2025 Update
- Coach 9: Bonus Update!
- Build 11: October 2025 Update
- Coach 9: Oct 9, 2025 Update
- Coach 9: Truckin’ Along
- Build 11: September 2025 Update
- Coach 9: Sept 9, 2025 Update
- Build 11: Wheely Impressive
- Build 11: August 2025 Update
- Coach 9: August 9, 2025 Update
- Coach 9: Informational Booklet
- Coach 9: July 16, 2025: Matching Grant!
- Coach 9: July 15, 2025: Revealed!
- Build 11: July 2025 Update
- Coach 9: July 9, 2025 Update
- Build 11: Getting the Lead… IN!
- Build 11: June 2025 Update
- Coach 9: June 9, 2025 Update
- Coach 9: May 28, 2025 Update
- Build 11: May 2025 Update
- Coach 9: May 9, 2025 Announcement
- Coach 9: May 8, 2025 Update
- Build 11: April 2025 Update
- Coach 9: April 1, 2025 Update