Maine is known for its narrow gauge railroads, and three of its six listings cover it. Portland’s Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum, the Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad at Phillips and the Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway at Alna all run or preserve narrow-gauge equipment. Oakfield, Ellsworth and Boothbay add depot, scenic railroad and living-history stops.
Each listing below links to a full guide with the history, what to look for and how to reach the operator.
Railroad museums & collections — 2
Boothbay Railway Village Museum
Boothbay Railway Village brings preserved buildings and railway equipment together to evoke a Maine community from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The narrow-gauge railway is part of a wider living-history setting rather than an isolated train ride. That combination helps visitors see how transportation fitted into shops, homes and community life. It is a family-oriented heritage attraction, with the strongest railway experience on dates when historic equipment is operating.
Read the guide →Oakfield Railroad Museum
Oakfield’s railroad museum occupies a former Bangor & Aroostook depot restored for museum use in 1991. The building provides a direct connection with a railway closely tied to northern Maine’s communities and industries. Exhibits preserve the local railway story on a manageable scale, making it a useful stop for visitors interested in stations and regional lines. Its character is seasonal and volunteer-supported.
Read the guide →Operating & preservation collections — 4
Downeast Scenic Railroad — Preservation Collection
The Downeast Scenic Railroad preserves a section of Maine railway history through volunteer-supported train operation. Its excursions use a surviving route and historical equipment to connect visitors with the region’s transport past. This makes it relevant as a living-heritage collection rather than a conventional indoor museum. The current route length, timetable and boarding arrangements should come from the operator’s own visitor information, while any separate workshop or collection tour needs its own confirmation.
Read the guide →Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company and Museum
The Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company and Museum preserves equipment from the state’s distinctive narrow-gauge railway tradition. Its Portland operation gives visitors a chance to connect that history with actual train travel, while the museum’s preservation mission extends beyond the ride itself. These small railways once served communities and industries away from the main lines. The collection is therefore useful for understanding a regional transport system that differed substantially from standard-gauge American railroading.
Read the guide →Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad
At Phillips, the Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes preservation effort recalls the two-foot-gauge railways that once served remote parts of Maine. Its museum and operating collection connect the trains with the economy and communities that relied on them. Volunteers preserve the railway as a working heritage experience, so the site is more than a display of disconnected objects. The operating calendar is limited, making advance checking particularly important for visitors hoping to ride.
Read the guide →Wiscasset Waterville and Farmington Railway Museum
The Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum preserves and interprets Maine’s two-foot-gauge railway heritage through equipment, buildings, archives and operation. Its continuing reconstruction work makes the site a demonstration of how a historic railway can be recovered as a working system. Visitors can explore not just the trains but the practical work of maintaining track and facilities. The railway’s name describes its historical ambitions and route; current visitors should travel to the published Alna station address.
Read the guide →Keep exploring
- All heritage sites — flagship sites and state guides
- Northeast — the trains you can ride in the region
- Railroad museums in Connecticut
- Railroad museums in Delaware
- Railroad museums in District of Columbia
- Railroad museums in Maryland
- Railroad museums in Massachusetts
- Railroad museums in New Hampshire
- Railroad museums in New Jersey
- Railroad museums in New York
- Railroad museums in Pennsylvania
- Railroad museums in Vermont