Iron Horse Newsletter - Editor Wanted

Dennis Farrell and Scott Gould are stepping out of their shared role of editing and producing the Club’s Iron Horse Newsletter. So we are looking for a new editor to get news about MGRS and G-Scale to all our members . Any interested members or spouses should contact either Dennis at 839-4887 or Scott at 799-9799 to discuss it. Dennis and Scott are willing to give guidance and support.

The Iron Horse is published four times a year and sent to members via U.S. Mail. The editor finds topics for each newsletter, and helps members prepare their own articles. Information about club activities and other topics of interest is also included. Each issue is made up of eight pages. This includes articles, pictures, and space for the return address and label. The editor prepares the final version of each issue. Issues are  printed and assembled by a copy store. The MGRS Secretary provides a set of mailing labels. The editor puts the mailing labels on the copies and sends them out.

The issues beginning in 2009 can be seen at https://sites.google.com/a/jacksonconnextion.com/www/the-iron-horse

MGRS Spring Meeting on Sunday, March 20th at Noon

All MGRS members and spouses are invited to attend our Annual Spring Meeting on Sunday, March 20th at noon.

It will be held in the Meeting Room of the Old Country Buffet at the Maine Mall. This is the same location as last year.

Mall Train Display Volunteers Meeting on Sunday, January 24th at 1pm

Mall volunteers are invited to discuss the pros and cons of this years layout. We want to ensure we discuss any issues while they are still fresh.

The meeting is scheduled for Sunday, January 24th, at 1 pm. It will be held in the meeting room of the Old Country Buffet at the Maine Mall. 

Please confirm your attendance with Terry Norton via email at BL2GSCALE@GMAIL.COM or by phone to  (207) 748-3009.

Jackson Family Visit to the Mall Train Display

After Christmas the Jackson family visited the Holiday Train Display. John Jackson Jr. and his wife Barbara came from Michigan. Philip Jackson and his sister Kim Alling live here in Maine, Kim brought her three children, Alex, John and Jamie, who are John and Gigi's grandchildren.  

They saw the drawbridge that John built and noticed their Dad's military badge at the center. It came from his service in the U.S. Army Signal Corps.

Other visitors were surprised when we opened the drawbridge to enter or leave the control area. Some of the kids got to raise it to see to see the trains stop, and to feel how easy it was with the balancing counterweights on the cables. The two counterweights are bottles of BBs that hang in tubes below the bridge. Wire rope runs from the counterweights through pulleys in the towers to the moving part of the bridge. Micro-switches under the bridge will stop a train that is near the bridge when it opens.

There were a bunch of questions about the bridge. One of the interesting ones was from a boy who asked if the trains knew which way to go from the duct tape arrows on the drawbridge platform......

(Well, not really, but they do tell the operators which way to point the locomotives when changing trains.)

Denver Rio Grande and Western Passenger Train on the drawbridge

Open Wide......

Rio Grande Freight and PRR Passenger Trains on the drawbridge

New York Central A-B locomotives and ten car Coal Train crossing the  drawbridge

PRR A-A Locomotives and Passenger Train leaving the drawbridge

Holiday Train Display Buildings

Ernie's Really Used Cars

A shave, a haircut and a few games of pool

And he has a gas station on Route 1 in Bath

People and gifts thanks to Paul Corbett

Where are the ATVs?

Police car at the cafe...just a coincidence

Hunk's Garage and Junkyard

Just a cabin by the tracks

Herbal Healer Academy

Feed and Grain Store

Tourist cabins and lodge

Ernie's Diner

And Hunk's Junkyard Dog

Holiday Train Display from 12/20

Here are some pictures from December 20th

PRR Passenger at North Conway Station

Just a hand on the Circus Button

Handcar and Snowplow on the Bridge

Rio Grande passing the Paradise Diner

Terry Norton's Layout Pictures

Terry brought these pictures when he was working at the Mall. They were a great way to show people what can be done outdoors, and got a lot of interest.

Hunk's Service Station and Golf Course

Granite Crossing

Cash Corner Moxie

Downtown Less Ballroom

Farm and Layout

Farm Looking North

Start one....

Mall Move Out Completed on Saturday, January 2

A crew of 15 members came in on Saturday to disassemble track and pack rolling stock. Most buildings and the Circus were taken out the previous day. With a few folks starting at 8, the move out was completed at noon.

MGRS had another excellent holiday season at the Mall. Here are some numbers to think about

Dates: November 13 through January 1

48 days of fun for all ages

86 shifts

40 members worked at the Mall

1,005 hours of member time

11 Trains running

Freight Passing North Conway

New York Central Coal Train, Amtrak and Circus Trains

PRR A-A Diesel Passenger Train

And a couple of videos

NYC Coal Train and Dual Engine Amtrak

Thomas Percy and PRR Passenger Train

Happy New Year to All!