Founded in 1939 to preserve a Boston streetcar, the Seashore Trolley Museum has grown into the world's oldest and largest electric railway museum, with around 250 vehicles in the collection — horse-drawn trams, electric streetcars from across North America, interurban cars, and rapid transit cars. About 50 of these are in operating or near-operating condition.
The museum runs short trolley rides on a restored track through the Maine woods — a genuinely enjoyable experience, especially for children. The restoration barn is open to visitors, where you can watch volunteers working on vehicles in various states of disassembly. The collection spans the full era of electric street railways from the 1870s to the 1950s, with particularly strong holdings in Boston, Montreal, and Philadelphia cars. The museum is about 6 km from Dock Square on Log Cabin Road; allow two to three hours.
story: "The museum's first acquisition was Boston Elevated Railway car 4290, rescued in 1939 by a group of electric railway enthusiasts who drove to Boston, bought it for $25, and drove it north to Maine. The car is still in the collection, now over 100 years old and still operational."