The museum was founded in 1939 with the purchase of a single streetcar from the Biddeford & Saco Railroad.
The collection includes a rare 1913 streetcar from the Dublin United Tramways Company in Ireland.
The site operates its own private railroad trackage that was once part of a commercial electric interurban system.
The museum preserves the 'L-car' rapid transit vehicles that once operated on the Boston Elevated Railway.
Several restored cars have been used as props in major motion pictures and period television productions.
The museum holds a specialized library and archive dedicated to the history of electric mass transit.
The site encompasses over 300 acres of land, allowing for significant expansion and storage of large transit vehicles.
The Seashore Trolley Museum is the oldest and largest electric railway museum in the world. It houses a vast collection of public transit vehicles, including streetcars, interurbans, rapid transit cars, and trolley buses from cities across the globe. The museum operates a heritage railway on a restored section of the Atlantic Shore Line Railway. Visitors can ride vintage trolleys along a three-mile round trip through the Maine woods. The facility maintains a restoration shop where visitors can observe the preservation of historic transit equipment. The collection contains over 250 vehicles, though not all are on public display at once. It functions as a living history site, documenting the evolution of urban and interurban transportation. The campus includes multiple exhibit barns and an outdoor visitor center.
The restored streetcar boarding platform where you can capture vintage vehicles against the backdrop of the Maine forest.
Bring bug spray if visiting during the summer months, as the wooded railway path can attract insects.
Wear comfortable, closed-toe walking shoes to navigate the large gravel and dirt areas between exhibit barns.
Check the daily trolley ride schedule upon arrival at the visitor center to coordinate your museum tour.
Do not attempt to walk along the active trolley tracks outside of designated boarding areas.
The museum operates on a seasonal schedule, typically opening in spring and closing after the fall season; check for midweek closures during the shoulder season.
Do not touch vehicle paint or controls, and stay behind safety barriers in the restoration shop.
