On the milk run. Having gathered all possible speed on the the flats below, the WW&F Morning Mixed makes its southbound charge up the grade known as "The Ladder" toward Alna Center. The presence of a Turner Centre Dairy Reefer at the head end of the consist is a give-away that this train is also the line's milk run.
In the early part of the 20th century, dairy farms in Maine's Sheepscot Valley relied heavily upon the 2 ft. gauge rail system to bring time and temperature-sensitive products to and from processing plants and rail connections to the south. The Turner Creamery, located on the waterfront in downtown Wiscasset, would have been the destination for this particular train, after pausing at numerous little flag-stops along the line, many located within just a mile or two of each other, to ensure that the farmers and residents could reach the rail line in even poorest weather.
This re-creation was performed by the volunteers of the Wiscasset Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum. In the cab window, Fireman "Smokey Joe" Fox takes a break from the coal scoop, as the train is just a few hundred yards from its next stop.
