The Dummy Railroad: A Smart Idea
By Stan Quinlan
I'm about to take you for a ride on the Dummy Railroad, but before we go, I need to share some facts about it with you. Now, you are probably wondering if the Dummy Railroad was some sort of miniature rail line run by Edgar Bergen, Paul Winchell, Jeff Dunham, or the Muppets. So, let's go back in time for a moment and reminisce about the origins of the Dummy Railroad.
The truth is, from 1880 until 1923, the Dummy Railroad was a two-track, standard-gauge(four feet, eight and one-half inches) 3.24 miles-long rail line running from Old Orchard Beach, Maine to Camp Ellis (Saco, Maine), where passengers could make connection with a small ferry to cross the Saco River to Biddeford. (Click here to read full article.)
I'm about to take you for a ride on the Dummy Railroad, but before we go, I need to share some facts about it with you. Now, you are probably wondering if the Dummy Railroad was some sort of miniature rail line run by Edgar Bergen, Paul Winchell, Jeff Dunham, or the Muppets. So, let's go back in time for a moment and reminisce about the origins of the Dummy Railroad.
The truth is, from 1880 until 1923, the Dummy Railroad was a two-track, standard-gauge(four feet, eight and one-half inches) 3.24 miles-long rail line running from Old Orchard Beach, Maine to Camp Ellis (Saco, Maine), where passengers could make connection with a small ferry to cross the Saco River to Biddeford. (Click here to read full article.)
Who was Edward "Ned" Clemmons?
By Stan Quinlan
If you had asked someone about Edward B. "Ned" Clemmens back in the mid-1800's, they could have filled your ears with tales of one of the most interesting characters ever to grace the streets of Old Orchard, as it was known in those days. He was a seer without peer, the first to envision Old Orchard as becoming "one of the most famous watering places in New England, even in the nation." Not only that, he was called "half-hermit, half-epicure." Eventually, he became known as "The Hermit of Old Orchard Beach."
Originally from Philadelphia, PA, where he was born in 1810, Ned had been a stage actor, traveling with the notorious Phineas T. Barnum... (click here to read full article).
If you had asked someone about Edward B. "Ned" Clemmens back in the mid-1800's, they could have filled your ears with tales of one of the most interesting characters ever to grace the streets of Old Orchard, as it was known in those days. He was a seer without peer, the first to envision Old Orchard as becoming "one of the most famous watering places in New England, even in the nation." Not only that, he was called "half-hermit, half-epicure." Eventually, he became known as "The Hermit of Old Orchard Beach."
Originally from Philadelphia, PA, where he was born in 1810, Ned had been a stage actor, traveling with the notorious Phineas T. Barnum... (click here to read full article).