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• Boothbay Railway Village

Boothbay Railway Village - A unique re-creation of a historic New England town including a working narrow gauge coal-fire steam train

They say that you can never go back in time, but it’s hard to believe this when you visit the Boothbay Railway Village. This 10-acre re-created historic New England town (first seen by its village green) is known for its working narrow gauge coal-fire steam train, twelve historic buildings, stunning gardens, old-fashioned shops, and one of the finest displays of antique vehicles in New England. With more than 60 vintage cars on display, including a 1916 Model T Speedster, a 1940 Cadillac convertible limo, and a 1962 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II, the village has a unique retrospective look back at the evolution of automobiles..

The Village Green transports people back through history. With its museum, historical buildings, lecture series in the 1847 Town Hall, and other events, people get to see part of our past first-hand. When people view the many historically significant structures filled with artifacts and displays of rural Maine from 1850 through the mid 1900's, people are reminded of life before the digital age we know today. The village has thirteen buildings from Maine railroads including two stations, several car houses and a very unique octagonal crossing shanty once located in Portland, Maine.

The museum has over three-quarters of a mile of two-foot gauge railroad track. For a true authentic experience of railroad history, this venue has three steam locomotives available for service along with vintage and replications of Maine narrow gauge rolling stock. Visitors can ride through the village and experience an authentic station lobby of one of our two historic Maine railroad stations. There is an extensive photographic and artifact-based exhibit of the Maine two-foot gauge railroading history. In addition to re-creating Maine's narrow gauge historical steam trains, the museum offers rural village exhibits in a variety of historic buildings.

During the 1950s-1960s, Maine saw the introduction of both steam and diesel locomotives. To reflect this time, Boothbay Railway Village has a model railroad exhibit under construction. The current HO scale layout has been under construction since the fall of 2006 and will take several more years to complete. The exhibit is housed in a replica of the Maine Central freight station that is located in Bowdoin, ME.

The Boothbay Railway Village is less than an hour's drive from Rockland, so will work well as a partial or full day trip depending on the other sights you want to see in the area. Whether you are interested in riding on the steam train, visiting the village toy shop, viewing the collection of horse-drawn firefighting equipment at the historic firehouse exhibit, or spending the day relaxing at the scenic duck pond and gardens, there is something for everyone in this unique spot to enjoy.