Model Trains at the Moxie Festival

On July 8 we had a chance to run G, O and Z Scale trains at the Moxie Festival in Lisbon Falls.

The main layout was on an 8’wide x 12’ long modular table built by Art Shean. It uses folding sawhorses, 2 x 4’s and plywood sections that lock together. It goes up and down in about 15 minutes. This table held the G and O scale trains.

Modular Table

The other layout was Z Scale by Ron Czaja of the Great Falls Model Railroad Club. He brought an operating “layout in a case”, and displayed a variety of engines, rolling stock, and accessories. Also included were a scale comparison of HO, N, and Z locomotives along with a Maine Rail Group map of railroad routes. Many of the visitors asked about the tiny trains and even tinier accessories.

G Scale from the Maine Garden Railway Society included a freight train loop and a trolley on a reversing line.

Engines: Boston and Maine A-B units with caboose and Santa Fe A-B units from Jim Jenkins along with SRR&RL and another steam locomotive from Art Shean.

Trolley Cars: Bachmann open trolley from Art Shean and LGB from Sam Carr

Rolling Stock with a Beverage Theme:

      Moxie Boxcar (Terry Norton) and Moxie Trailer on a Flat Car (Jim Jenkins)

·       Poland Springs, Coca-Cola, and RC Cola (Sam Carr) and Pepsi-Cola (Terry Norton)

O-Scale from the Maine 3Railers

Engines:

·       Sodor and Diesel from Thomas the Tank Engine

·       Lionel Coca-Cola locomotive – old enough so that there is a “forward/reverse” switch on the engine

·       Lionel “Lionchief Plus” Mikado & Challenger steam engines

·       Polar Express “Lionchief” steam engines.

All except the Coca-Cola locomotive have wireless remote controls for the kids to use. Jeff Jacobs brought the “Lionchief Plus” engines which were just delivered to the club. The “Lionchief Plus” system has a remote control that allows you to operate up to three engines.

Rolling Stock with a Beverage or New England Theme

·       Moxie, Fanta, Tab and Sprite boxcars along with a Coca-Cola caboose.

·       Maine Central, Bangor & Aroostook, Maine Blueberries, and Providence & Worcester boxcars along with a Maine Potatoes gondola.

      Special thanks to Doug Pollock for supporting the patriotic theme with the American Flag and Wreaths Across America display.

Moxie Festival Visitors

The train layout was located inside the MTM Recreation Center on School Street. Vendors were in the field behind the Center, including the Roving Railroad

Roving Railroad - not at the Moxie Festival.....

Visitors began arriving before the official 9 am opening. It was quieter during the Moxie Festival Parade, which runs from about 10 am to Noon.

Just before noon visitors began to pour in.  It was a lot like a weekend day at Cumberland Fair or the Maine Mall. And the Festival has a shuttle bus that brings people from parking at the High School to the downtown area and then to the MTM Center. We knew when each bus arrived!!

The kids had fun running the remote-controlled trains and watching the trolley to go into and come out of the barn. Many of the visitors live in the local area, and wanted the flyers for Great Falls events and Cumberland Fair. Things began to quiet down after 3 pm. At 3:30 a member of the Moxie Festival Committee drew the raffle winners for the Maine 3Railers O-scale  Moxie Boxcar and the Charles Ro G-Scale Moxie Trailer on a Flatcar

The Festival had a concert behind the Center on Saturday evening, and wraps up with a Car Show at the High School on Sunday.

Publicity

We had great support from the Moxie Festival folks both before and during the event.

Here is the entry from their web site.

The train display was also included the tabloid flyer for visitors. It was an advertising supplement in the Lewiston Sun-Journal on Thursday, July 6^th.