The charter of the Wiscasset & Quebec was dated in 1854. However, no gauge had been determined and construction was not begun until 1894, at which point they chose the two-foot gauge, already successful in other parts of Maine. The intention was to ship commerce from Boston and New York to the Province of Quebec.
For the first 20 miles the line followed the Sheepscot River to Cooper’s Mills, going through Alna, Head Tide, and North Whitefield. From Cooper’s Mills, the train went on to Weeks Mills and reached Albion in 1895, a run of 43.5 miles.In 1902, the Weeks Mills-to- Winslow line was completed.
Textiles in North Vassalboro provided freight for the line, and milk, cattle, grain, and general merchandise were also hauled along with passenger service. In 1906, the WW&F was sold to Carson Peck, a department store baron. In 1912 the line was cut back from Winslow to North Vassalboro. The line was sold to local businessmen in 1926 with Sam Sewall as Manager.
Like the other two-footers, the WW&F fell on hard times, and on June 15, 1933, the end came. The train had left Whitefield and was heading to Wiscasset. On a curve approaching the Iron Bridge, the outside rail broke, and the train went down a steep bank into the river. A year later, the wreck was still there, but vandals had stripped the engine. Eventually the remains were scrapped. More information on the WW&F can be found at Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum, as well as the current operating schedule and volunteer projects. There is also an extensive history at Wikipedia.
