An 80-mile-an-hour, luxury trolley between Portland and Lewiston?

Yes, and picture Teddy Roosevelt waving from the window.

LEWISTON – A century ago — before a person could hop in his or her car and drive from Portland to Lewiston on an interstate highway in about a half-hour — the Portland Lewiston Interurban offered high-speed, luxury transportation between Maine’s largest two cities.

Now the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport is making an effort to preserve a piece of that history, and museum leaders are banking on a familiar presidential name to help.

The Seashore Trolley Museum will host “Teddy Roosevelt Days: Celebrating the Naturalist and the Narcissus” from Friday, July 31, to Sunday, Aug. 2. The weekend-long event will serve as a fundraiser to support restoration of the Narcissus – a luxury interurban trolley car that, at least once, transported popular president and outdoor enthusiast Theodore Roosevelt to Lewiston.

“The Lewiston-Auburn area is a really important area for this car,” said Phil Morse, a Seashore Trolley Museum volunteer and unpaid project manager for the Narcissus Renovation Project, who began working on the project in 1999.

“The Portland Lewiston Interurban was really a special thing for people who lived along the line and worked for it. Simply put, the fully restored, operating Narcissus will truly be a stunning representative of what was proudly referred to regionally as ‘the finest electric railroad in all New England,’” Morse said.

Roosevelt had many ties with the state of Maine (see related story), riding the Portland Lewiston Interurban electric trolley line twice: once in 1914, when it is documented that he rode the line in the luxury car Narcissus, and once again in 1916, when he came to Lewiston to attend a large political rally. The name of the car he rode in that second time is uncertain.

The Portland Lewiston Interurban (PLI) trolley line provided service between the two cities from 1914 to 1933, traveling between Monument Square in Portland and Union Square in Lewiston, which was the junction of Lisbon and Main streets. When the railway was decommissioned, the six trolley cars that served the line — all named after flowers — each met their various fates. Some were completely scrapped, and at least two were repurposed.

The same Narcissus that Teddy Roosevelt once rode in what he dubbed a “bully ride” may have become a diner for a short time, according to Morse. Narcissus eventually settled along the shore of Sabattus Lake, where it served for more than three decades as a camp for Mr. J. Henry Vallee, according to Seashore Trolley Museum history.

In 1969, the museum acquired the Narcissus in exchange for building Vallee a new camp. With much fanfare, the weary Narcissus, looking far removed from the shiny, red-trimmed, green trolley of its glory days, traveled on a flatbed through the streets of Lewiston — close to its original trolley route — south to Kennebunkport, where it has sat for more than 45 years at the museum waiting for restoration.

The gold-leaf lettering may have been worn and faded at the time, but as the trolley Narcissus wound through the streets of Lewiston and Auburn, past curious onlookers and excited PLI fans, it was adorned with banners noting its history and celebrating its anticipated future.

“It was just a body, all of the pieces were scrapped,” explained Morse, who, 30 years later, made it his personal goal to see the Narcissus restored someday.

That someday is getting closer; Morse has set a goal for completing the major restoration project by 2019, 100 years after the death of arguably the Narcissus’s most famous rider – Teddy Roosevelt.

For the past several years, Morse and volunteers have been engaged in the vital steps leading up to restoration: securing parts from all over the world, researching the trolley’s history and financing the operation, primarily by applying for grants.

It became apparent last year, however, that relying on grants alone would likely be too little, too late. So Morse began to explore other avenues for funding his mission, and that’s when he decided to capitalize on the Theodore Roosevelt connection to organize, in conjunction with several partner organizations, Teddy Roosevelt Days.

Earlier this year, workers at the Seashore Trolley Museum finally pulled Narcissus into their restoration garage to begin the process of reverse engineering and then rebuilding the trolley. As it sits there now, just beginning its new four- to five-year journey, Narcissus is just a shadow of what it once was and what Morse and all of the volunteers and staff who work on it know it will be again.

Fortunately, part of the gutted trolley body still included the arched, leaded stained-glass windows framed in exquisite Santo Domingo mahogany. Despite their dilapidated condition and missing pieces, enough of the original material remained for artisans and historic preservationists to recreate the ornate windows.

In fact, each window had 51 pieces of glass, according to Morse, and both of the original glass companies that provided glass for the windows are still in business. Even more incredible is that the companies were able to find panes of glass in their stocks that matched the original batches, enabling the windows to be restored to near exact original condition.

Once the mahogany frames are restored, workers will replace the rebuilt windows in what will likely be the first significant visual sign that a transformation is taking place.

“It’s sort of like buying an old farmhouse,” said Morse. “You don’t really know until you start taking it apart what you will find.”

Many people are fascinated with rails, and even more so are fascinated with history. Morse hopes to tap into the emotional connection people have to rail and history to spur the Narcissus project forward.

“I visualize rails and physical components that are part and parcel of what rails are, connecting us to some of our personal sensory experiences. Perhaps a toy train set as a child, a family member that worked for a railway company or an experience of traveling on a railway vehicle. The vehicles that operate on rails, any size and any of the various modes of power, seem to evoke very strong emotional sensations that quickly recall a time and place in one’s life, an immediate impulse of nostalgia,” said Morse.

In the upcoming year, the goal is to complete the exterior phase of the Narcissus’s restoration.

“It’s an ambitious goal,” Morse admitted.

Still, it can be done, provided the funds are available. Right now, Morse said the museum has approximately $70,000 in the account designated for the Narcissus. The budget for restoring the exterior alone is $120,000. The three-day Teddy Roosevelt Days will be a major push toward filling that financial gap and beyond.

“Our goal is to not only raise what we need for (this first phase), but to keep the ball rolling to continue onto the interior (work),” said Morse.

In addition to raising money for the project, Morse is always looking for historical connections and memorabilia related to the Narcissus. The Portland Lewiston Interurban was so popular during its day that he feels certain people in the region the PLI serviced may have photos or ticket stubs or other items in their possession, and may not even realize it.

“How different are your plans if you are looking at it taking more than three hours to travel to your destination and you need to change vehicles two times during that trip, compared to staying on one vehicle and the destination is reached in one hour? Today, that is significant. One hundred years ago that was incredible,” said Morse of the innovation and convenience the PLI brought to the region all those years ago. “It had to be a spectacular ride. Think about that, back in 1914, to see this thing racing by at 80 mph.”

For Morse, restoring the trolley has become something more than a hobby. He maintains a blog on the Narcissus and searches daily for information related to the project.

“For me, it’s all an emotional sensation. Working on the vehicles in the restoration shop, researching the vehicles’ operating roots (which includes their routes) and learning about the people that were patrons, that operated the vehicles for the patrons, the social impact these . . . objects had in their communities,” he said.

“I still hear stories today of how someone’s grandparents first met and courted on the trolleys. The personal stories involving the role these beautiful . . . public transportation objects had strikes an emotional chord for me and many others when they have the opportunity to experience riding one of the restored beauties,” he said.

Morse’s biggest hope is that museum visitors will eventually have an opportunity to board the Narcissus, stepping back in time to sit on its plush green seats and experience what riders between Portland and Lewiston experienced nearly 100 years ago.

“What an honorable, proud tribute that would be to the communities the interurban proudly served early in the 20th century,” he said.

Teddy Roosevelt’s trips to Maine

The Seashore Trolley Museum is on the hunt for evidence, artifacts, pictures and personal stories of Theodore Roosevelt and his visits to Maine, which were numerous. They are specifically looking for:

* In 1872, as a 14-year-old, Roosevelt attended summer camp at Moosehead Lake.

* In 1878-79, as a 19-20-year-old, he was with guides out of Island Falls.

* During his presidency, he visited Maine in 1902.

* On Aug. 18, 1914, he was campaigning between Lewiston and Portland on the Portland-Lewiston Interurban’s Narcissus.

* On Aug. 31, 1916, he was campaigning between Portland and Lewiston on the Portland-Lewiston Interurban railway. The name of the car he rode in is uncertain.

The difference between a trolley and a train?

Two of the biggest distinctions involve fuel and contents.

* Early trolleys (coming after horse-drawn trolleys) ran on electricity. In fact, many of them were owned by the electric companies. Trains ran on other types of fuel.

* And trolleys were primarily used for passenger transportation, not freight, though some were used to carry light freight.

From Monument Square to Lewiston’s Union Square:

The history of the Narcissus

Taken directly from the Seashore Trolley Museum’s website.  http://www.trolleymuseum.org/collection/narcissus.php

Maine’s finest and fastest electric railway, the Portland-Lewiston Interurban, commenced regular operation on Thursday, July 2, 1914, its 29.8 miles of main track extending almost due north from a connection with the Cumberland County Power & Light Company-leased Portland Railroad Company in Portland through West Falmouth, West Cumberland, Gray and the town of New Gloucester to Auburn and a connection with the Mechanic Falls line of the Lewiston, Augusta & Waterville Street Railway. The cars operated between Monument Square, Portland and Union Square, Lewiston (which was located at the junction of Lisbon and Main streets), 34.37 miles, and the initial two-hour headway soon was replaced by hourly service which was maintained until the line was abandoned. The connections in Portland and Auburn were known as Deering Junction and Fairview Junction, respectively and from register stations at both points conductors called the dispatcher in Lewiston for orders.

Six passenger cars on hand on the opening day consisted of six 36-foot double truck coach “smokers.” The car bodies arrived in Portland in January 1913, being placed in storage in a temporary wood frame carhouse until the late spring of 1914 when they were towed to Lewiston to be equipped with trucks, motors, controllers and air brake systems and otherwise made ready for operation.

Because of interurban promoter W. Scott Libbey’s desire that each car have a distinct personality and not be identified just by number, all six were named after flowers. No. 10 was the Arbutus; No. 12, the Gladiolus; No. 14, the Narcissus; No. 16, the Clematis; No. 18, the Azalea; and No. 20, the Magnolia. A seventh coach-smoker, No. 22, acquired from Wason in 1920, became the Maine.

Each of the original cars was 46 feet long overall and 8 ft. 3/4 in. wide and had steam coach roofs and straight vertically sheathed sides. There were seven arched windows – six double sashes and one single sash – on each side, the sashes being arranged to lift. The arches above the sashes and the windows in the roof clerestory were glazed with ornamental leaded glass. The exterior livery was Pullman green with gray roofs and dark red doors and trim and gold leaf numbers and lettering.

On Tuesday, August 18, the Narcissus carried what probably was the most distinguished passenger in the Portland-Lewiston Interurban’s history. Ex-President Theodore Roosevelt, while in Boston, set out on a day trip to northern Maine, campaigning for the Progressive Party. He was invited by the interurban management to inspect the still new railway, riding from Lewiston to Portland with brief stops in New Gloucester and Gray. The former chief executive addressed gatherings of townspeople at each stop. Upon arrival in the Forest City, “Teddy” voiced his pleasure over the “bully” ride he had enjoyed and gave motorman Charles H. Mitchell and conductor Joseph N L’Heureux, best known as “Joe Happy,” each a tip of $10, a not inconsiderable amount in those days.

The Narcissus still was active when the Portland-Lewiston Interurban was abandoned on June 28, 1933. Three months later, on September 27, the railway properties, including all rolling stock, had been sold to H. E. Salzburg Inc. of New York City, a railroad salvage concern, and dismantling of the property began shortly thereafter. A number of car bodies were sold to private parties and among them was the Narcissus, which eventually became the summer home of J. Henry Vallee near Sabattus Lake in the present town of Sabattus. Mr. Vallee agreed to part with the Narcissus, if the Museum would have the shell of a replacement cottage constructed; after a major fundraising effort the deal was consummated. The Narcissus arrived at the Museum in June of that year and while some efforts at restoration have been made, completion of the task requires major funding.

Teddy Roosevelt Days: Celebrating the Naturalist and the Narcissus

Where: Seashore Trolley Museum, 195 Log Cabin Road, Kennebunkport

When: Friday, July 31, through Sunday, Aug. 2

Cost: General admission $12 (adults), $10 (seniors), $9.50 (6-16 years), 5 and under free

What: The museum’s usual rides on restored streetcars and tours of car barns will be enriched with family-friendly activities, including:

* Special Teddy Roosevelt-themed scavenger hunt and raffle prizes

* Wildlife demonstrations and trail walks on Kennebunkport Conservation Trust trails

* Silent auction with many unique Teddy Roosevelt-related items, including “The Roosevelts: An Intimate History” poster autographed by Ken Burns

* Light lunch choices available in the visitor center

Special expeditions

Guests can also choose from one of four special expeditions or exclusive events at a cost of $50:

— Friday, July 31, from 3 to 8 p.m.: The Moosehead Lake Expedition*

— Saturday, Aug. 1, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: The Katahdin Lake Expedition

— Saturday, Aug. 1, from 3 to 8 p.m: The Mount Katahdin Expedition*

— Sunday, Aug. 2, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: The Island Falls Expedition

Each expedition includes (over and above access offered by general admission):

— A vintage trolley ride to Riverside Barn

— A walking tour of the Narcissus renovation by Phil Morse, Narcissus Renovation Project manager

— Silent auction, including early edition Roosevelt books

— Raffle of Ken Burns’ autographed poster “The Roosevelts: An Intimate History”

— Presentations and book signings with two authors (varies by day, see programs for details)

— Exclusive ride on vintage Montreal Car #2 (weather permitting)

*Reception at Exhibit Gallery with appetizers and beer or wine

FMI

For additional information about Teddy Roosevelt Days and the Narcissus 1912 Renovation Project, visit Phil Morse’s blog at narcissus1912.blogspot.com or the Seashore Trolley Museum website at www.trolleymuseum.org.