OLD ORCHARD BEACH — Today, there are few remnants of the former dummy railroad, which provided daily rail service in the summers from 1880-1923 from downtown Old Orchard Beach to the pier at Camp Ellis.

A new photography exhibit at the Harmon Museum, however, gives visitors a glimpse back in time to when the rail service ran.

“How many kids know there was a railroad that ran from Old Orchard Beach to Saco?” said Saco train buff Foster Leavitt, who donated the display. Leavitt also makes model train displays and has donated several to the museum.

Many of the photos in the exhibit are reproductions of pictures from the museum or pictures given to Leavitt by his uncle. One photo is a reproduction of a picture of the rail line in Ferry Beach, which Leavitt’s son found at Saco Transfer Station in the 1970s.

“They were all hidden away where no one would see them,” said Leavitt.

The photos show images of the trains that provided service 3.24 miles down the coast line, and the train stations they stopped at along the way.

Leavitt pointed to a picture of the Camp Ellis train station, which was razed in 1960. He said he remembers going to a big band concert at the former dummy rail station and in 1949, when he was 19 years old, sitting on a bench there with his then girlfriend.

The dummy line got its name because the original train on the line ran on a small engine, which was quiet compared to larger engines. According to “Images of America: The Old Orchard” by Jeff Scully, the name was a reference to the term commonly used for the deaf.

The photo exhibit will be on permanent display in the Harmon Museum’s transportation room, said Old Orchard Beach Historical Society Treasurer Priscilla Gallant.

“This is really nice to have in the museum,” she said.

For more information on the Harmon museum, go to www.harmonmuseum.org or call 934-9319.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.