The whistle screams, hissing pearly white smoke at a family of four who are strolling along the village green.

“You see that family we're looking at now? There's something here that almost everybody in that group can get excited about,” said Margaret Hoffman, the newly hired assistant director at the Boothbay Railway Village.

The unmistakable whistle of the steam engine has greeted families at the gates of the Boothbay region for 49 years, but while the charm of the quaint historical village remains timeless, a new wave of change is sweeping through Boothbay's narrow gauge railroad.

“I find this stuff pretty fascinating,” Hoffman said. “I've always driven past here and thought this place has amazing potential.”

Hoffman, who recently worked in the Maine Office of Tourism in Augusta, was hired in June as the assistant director. She is now working alongside executive director Bob Ryan, who has managed the Railway Village for nearly 30 years.

With Hoffman joining the staff full time, she said she looks to expand the educational programming, extend membership benefits, and market the Railway Village in innovative ways, while building a better philanthropic base.

“Anybody who cares about Boothbay and the history of the region should get excited about it,” she said.

Next summer Hoffman intends to roll out a weekly series of traditional artisans to demonstrate their craft as weavers, quilters and blacksmiths. She also plans to host the Dirigo Vintage Base Ball Club that will put on a game in the village green dressed in authentic uniforms from 1860.

Founded in 1964 as the brainchild of George McEvoy, the Boothbay Railway Village sits on 10 acres that includes the iconic railway station, a historical New England village, and a museum that houses over 50 vintage cars (including a limousine that once belonged to Thomas Edison's wife).

“It's that incredible transformable time which changed the family dynamic of what people were doing in these villages between 1850 and 1950, and that really demonstrates what our mission is all about,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman watched as the family of four walked over to the duck pond.

“The husband might be excited about the car collection, the kids obviously look like they are just happy running around in the grass, most kids love the steam engine, and the moms love the 1927 General Electric refrigerator that's in the Harrington House set up like a 1940s kitchen,” Hoffman said.

Currently visitors guide themselves through the Railway Village, which offers an exploratory way of learning, Hoffman said, but plans are also in the works to organize guided tours with motor coaches and scheduled groups to bring more people through the gates.

While the magic of the Railway Village may transport visitors back to rural New England life, Hoffman said embracing change will help discover the unique voice of the village.