Dry Hill Model Railroad Club at the 2012 Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show

Take a look, click here: 
uploaded  to Youtube Jan 29, 2012
This is all HO scale.  Will post more if I find some other scales.
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Train Show Season begins

 

Here is a photo Dick Rubin sent in from his I-phone as he was at the Amherst Show.

A picture of a Bascule Bridge (drawbridge) taken in Springfield.  Very cool,  I like it.  Thanks Dick!

  If you are anxious to start a new year of train shows and do not mind driving to Spingfield, Mass.  there is a show going on this weekend.  I am sure MGRS will be represented and good luck to the guys that make the trip.  Let us know how you like it.  For those interested here is some information:  Click here:

Did you hear the one about?

Click hear

Reminder from Dick Rubin

   Dick Rubin has asked me to remind you that he still has some openings for the visit to Hartmann's Train Store/Museum in Intervail NH, June 2, 2012.  Please contact Dick if you are interested in attending.  Details and contact information are in the last issue of the Iron Horse. Thank you.

"IF" we ever do have a yard.

  That will be up to the B.O.D. to decide.   It all depends on how reliable those large radius switches are.  I don't have any myself.  But, if we ever decide to have sidings, I think the added operational aspect would be fun. And it would be easy to understand.   I show a signal light connected to a toggle switch and a block of insulated track on each siding.   Assume trains travel toward the left on tracks 1 and 2,  And they travel toward the right on tracks 3 and 4.  By throwing the toggle switch so the red light comes on will cut off the current to the block and stop the train as it approaches the red signal.  Otherwise the light will be green and the train will travel straight through.  I think we would want to drill some small holes and put our wires under the platform.  If the switches are manually operated, then we will probably need a "Yard man" and the toggle switches should be out in the yard area, otherwise they can be in the control area. 
  By drawing things out, it helps to see potential problems easier.  For example the insulated block should probably extend all the way to the end of the siding in case we have a long train to park on the siding and we want to move it forward a little after it stops.
 Anyway, it does not cost anything to think about it.   
 

I bet you I can find a train with 23 Engines and NO Cars!

The Super Bowl is coming and guys like to bet on impossible things.  An old line from Maverick was " Son,  some day you will meet a man who will bet you he can make the Jack of Hearts jump out of the deck and squirt cider in your ear"  Don't bet, because you will end up with an ear full of cider.  Click here: 

American Flyer Days

This is a good video, fun to watch.  All about switching and some old accessories that you may remember.
To watch please click here:

Search Box - Something new to try

I added a "search" box in the left hand column,  Try it out and see what you can find. 

Super Bowl Car

Schedule of (some) Major Train Shows

This is from one of the Vendors ~  Scenic Express  Click here:

. More Animated Signs

Union Station Billboard - Denver's historic Union Station first used the iconic "Travel by Train" slogan in 1952. I wonder if Scott remembers this.

Animated Neon Billboard Signs

I LOVE these!   Talk about bringing your model layout to Life!   Check these out.



Here is the Web site;  several pages to look at Click Here


Sure these are for HO and O gauge, but several of them are large enough to be incorporated into a G scale setting.  There is no given size for a sign. These can be mounted in a window or on the side of a building.

Just thoughts

Click image to enlarge

I enjoy thinking about our Mall layout.  So that is all that this is, nothing official.  But what better place than a blog to dream of new ideas?  So here are some thoughts about next year's display..

• It looks like Center Court could allow us to get a little longer.  There is 55 feet between the columns.  So I expanded the layout 8 feet.  I have no idea if that would be permitted but I wanted to move the Thomas loop to the edge of the layout to get it closer to the kids and needed a little more room.   
• I show the main line only crossing under the Lionel area.  If we replaced the legs with 14 inch pieces that would give us the  10.5 inches of clearance we wanted so that we should be able to run what ever we want on the main line loops. 
•  Thomas is shown on the edge of the main deck for better visibility.  If we could build a step-up area about a foot wide, it could be indented along the fence line so people would not trip over it. This would provide the kids a better view.  The drawing shows an 8 foot long step (red).  It also shows a couple of sidings were James and Percy could be parked awaiting their turn.
• Each of the main lines have one siding.  Put together they create a yard area.  This would let us display more trains and have them ready to go when requested.  I show wide radius switches that are positioned within easy reach.  A simple toggle switch for power to the sidings would let us pull in one train for a rest while we start off another one and add a little operational fun to the layout.
• The elevated lines would be built mostly by using the risers from last year and we would still have 3 levels.  To provide access to them, I show an operator area which has a drawbridge entrance way.  That would be a challenge to build as it should probably cut the power off to nearby track when lifted up.  This could provide a neater looking area by allowing us to keep wires out of sight.
• I also cut back one corner to add a little more standing room or even a point for wheel chair access to get a closer view of the layout. 

As I said, this is just to get us thinking.  Please add your own thoughts.  Leave a comment, it is easy to do.  Thanks, John

Added some familiar buildings - size is approximate.

Phil Warren ~ Matchbook Fleet

 
A world famous collection.  Built entirely of match sticks and box material by hand with a razor blades and glue.  A lifetime work.  There are many, many pictures to look at:   To get started please Click here:
TYT

Great Example!

 

   Congratulations to Denneth Lee.  Tiny is probably the most active of all our members in railroad organizations.   He really keeps up with what is happening and the great thing is that he is happy to share his information.  That is what makes him such a great member.   He finds interesting things and lets other people know about it.  Fantastic job and Thank You!  For some of us who do not get out a lot, we really do appreciate it.  

 

Railroad Tips

 

Here is a good web site which Denneth Lee came across.  I posted a link to the "Tips and Trick" Page.   Lots of interesting topics, Please take a look:  Click here to view: 


Note - I just received a report from John Foley about getting a security warning from McAfee on this site.   I will research and let you know.  My guess is the site is safe.  I have contacted the site owner smokey@golddawg.com  and have run a full security scan and detected no problems.  I will take down the link if I here of any issues.  thank you.

Cog Railway

If you click here you can watch a looping video of the new diesel engine going up the Cog Railway on Mt.  Washington.  Click here: 

I have traveled the steam engine that used to go up to the top.  It was great!  If you click here, you can see some interesting photos of a few years ago when they had the ski train!  Pretty Good!

Discussion Thread

  I was in New England Railfan and came across a few comments about our Mall display.  Click here:
At the bottom is a return link where there are lots of other interesting discussion threads.

Football

    I enjoy watching the games.  College  ended last night with University of Alabama as the National Champion.  Now the pros finish up the playoffs which end with the Super Bowl about a month away.  This works out good for me, by the time the train show and football season ends there is only about 60 days left to await Spring's arrival!   See how easy it is! 

  So there really is not that much time left,  A new year means new plans, new ideas, we get to build new stuff! Ahhh, Life is good, Enjoy!

The Golden Spike

Here is a good web site to look at.  You may have seen it before but Tiny revisited it recently and I think it has  been improved.   Take a look, click here:

Speaking of Tiny, here is a pretty cool picture of him and his machine from a few years ago.

New Event Listing for 2012 is available

Just to remind you,  the MGRS 2012 Event Calendar is now available on the left side of the Blog.   Of course most of the dates are not yet filled in, but it is a start. We will list all MGRS events and any other related activities believed of general interest to members.
If you have information on an event or an Open House please contact mgrsadmin@gmail.com

Amherst Train Show

 

   Click here for more Information

To Fast

OK, I think this kind of funny.  Here is a clip that never got posted.  It went in the "Ooops bucket"
Watch it here:

Take the train with me.

I received this from a friend and want to share it.  Please click here!
John

Wow those guys are good!

Carl called me at 10am this morning and said "Everything is picked up"!   That is incredible,  They were like a combination of NASCAR - Navy Seals - Precision Drill Team rolled into one!  How
was that possible?  As the story unfolds and the legend grows, I will yet you know.  Almost as impressive as the B-2 Stealth aircraft I just saw fly over the start of the Rose Bowl Parade!  Happy New Year and a tip of the cap to the MGRS pick up crew!

How about ideas for a 2011 patch?   Here's one.