Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum has launched the fundraising campaign “Finish Coach 9 to the Nines” 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 has been given to every aspect of construction with the goal of creating a car that uses and preserves the technology and skills required to recreate a passenger car of a late 1800s vintage.

Construction of Coach 9 began in 2017 with a $100,000 donation from one of WW&F’s generous benefactors. Since that time, WW&F volunteers have completed the superstructure of the car, and have completed interior finishes including the walls, trim, roof, ceilings and windows. With the initial donation now exhausted, we are turning to our faithful supporters to
fund the remaining elements of the coach's construction.

Donations, accepted at wwfry.org/coach9, will support the in-house construction of specialized chandeliers which faithfully recreate those employed in the original 1894 car, creation and installation of Wood’s Patent safety gates for the car ends, construction of Miller Patent platforms and couplings, and creation and installation of hat racks and additional interior hardware. Donations also support work already underway, including lettering and lining in goldleaf, construction and upholstery of seats, construction of Eames vacuum brake equipped trucks, and final varnishing and exterior finishing. These details will faithfully recreate 19th century opulence for today’s passengers to appreciate and enjoy.

Supporters may also appreciate that donations will reach beyond the construction of this new coach. A great deal of the tooling and patterns produced for the coach's construction will also benefit the restoration of existing Wiscasset & Quebec RR Coach 3, which will enter WW&F’s shop for restoration following the new coach entering service. Eventually, the new coach will be joined by restored coach 3 and 1891-vintage locomotive 9 to recreate a typical passenger train on the WW&F, making the museum one of the few heritage railways with a complete operating train from the 19th century.

WW&F Railway Museum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the restoration and reconstruction of narrow gauge railroads and railway equipment which operated in Maine’s Sheepscot Valley and elsewhere within the state. Currently, the WW&F operates 3.5 miles of mainline relaid on original right-of-way and maintains a museum and shop complex adjacent to the Railway’s Sheepscot Station. As such, all donations are tax deductible.