Bangor Daily News

Truck Driver very Lucky in Hampden Maine train accident.
See Pictures and Video here:

Wardwell Outing

 Carl was settled in on the "Command Couch" and was talking to Walter over the  hand held radio who was running the trains.  "How many cars is the B&O pulling?  What is running on Track 4?" Walter handled everything like the perfect Dispatcher.

A family of four from Standish stopped by and asked lots of good questions.  Luckily, Tiny was close by and had lots of good answers for them.

The Wardwell group arrived in 3 car loads and they had a very good time.  We had nine MGRS members to help and Mac, Scott, Mike and Ernie all took turns with the golf carts.  The ladies all seemed to enjoy themselves and rewarded us all with sandwiches, cookies, watermelon, chips and drinks!

The close up picture is Tiny's new PIKO engine.  His is Canadian National 7470 a real nice  looking engine.
    Also thanks to  Dennis, Paul and John.  We all had a chance to look in and say hi to Carl and Pat.  They both looked good but are probably tired and will be glad to get a little rest.  I am sure they feel good to be back home.  So far there are only two outings coming up.  One next Thursday and the last on Monday Sept 16th with a group that Pat works with.

Carl is on the way home.

  About 2:00pm today the phone rang, I recognized Carl's cell number and said Hello, where you calling from? The voice answered ""From Beyond".  It was Carl, he still had his voice and his sense of humor!  They were just crossing over the NH line.  He did say the doctor said the operation went well.  But he was told he could not drive the tractor for 3 months.  The reception was bad so he had to hang up.  So, that is just a little bit of news but it is good news.

Update on Carl

Many members are aware but perhaps not all that Carl is scheduled to under go a planned operation this morning at the Lahey Hospital in Mass, to correct a problem in his urinary tract.  They are recognized as the best in the country for urology treatment and he is planning to only stay there tonight.  Pat is preparing to drive him home tomorrow!

For those of you interested in how he is doing you can stop over Thursday as the outing for Wardwell will be held as scheduled!  Pat will probably give us an update as Carl will be resting inside.

In fact he expects four other people to stop by and look around the garden railroad!  These are simply people who have talked to him on the phone and expressed an interest to see the layout.

So for any MGRS members who would like to help operate trains, golf carts or just be available to answer some questions about what we do, please plan to stop over and help out.  Thank you ahead of time from Carl and Pat.

MGRS ~ Board of Directors

The following Changes will be made to the Maine Garden Railway Society Board of Directors.

MGRS member Kathy Young has served faithfully as the Society's Treasurer since 2009.  She and her husband Lou also a member will be relocating to Northern Maine.  We thank them for their service and participation as excellent members and terrific people.  We wish them the very best in their new pursuits and thank them for many years of dedicated service.

MGRS Director Dennis Farrell  will assume the Office of MGRS Treasurer.   Dennis was recently elected to the Board of Directors and  brings lots of experience to the position as well as being a very big model train enthusiast and is very active in MGRS events.  He recently led the Annual Outing Committee for 2013.

MGRS longtime member Denneth Lee has accepted the position of Director.  Denneth sometimes called "Tiny" has been one of the most active and dependable members participating in all of MGRS activities.  He is also one of the most knowledgeable railroad members that we have.

~

  We are very fortunate to have such talented and dedicated members as Kathy, Dennis and Denneth.  Thank you very much for what you have done and for the new responsibilities you will be assuming.  We thank you and wish you all great success.

Maine Garden Railway Society trip to Boston on Amtrak Downeaster No 692 and 695.

 

What a beautiful day and what a great trip!

Please enjoy the Slide show which shows only a small part of what we did.  As a group of 20 members we enjoyed a fantastic day to travel to Boston and back.  We enjoyed the ride in both directions as we glided along nicely and enjoyed the comfortable ride on the Downeaster.  The slide show shows MGRS members and Amtrak Host John Middleton who also led a very interesting visit to the Museum of Science and I-Max Train movie. Also shown is Portland Rigby Yard, Amtrak trains, The Cafe car which is very nice! A side trip to USS Constitution, Faneul Hall, The Hard Rock Cafe and North Station.  It was very well enjoyed and thank you to everyone for a great day!

Click here to restart Slideshow:

USS Constitution

  I apologize for bragging about this model which I didn't even build but I have always loved the USS Constitution but have never been aboard her until yesterday.  I would recommend the tour as I think we all enjoyed it.  The model is wooden planked and is O gauge scale measuring 55 inches overall.  In the background is a print of the ship under full sale.  Now when I look at it I am reminded of the great train trip we took yesterday.

Coming up this week

On Thursday we had a double outing with Gorham House and the Maine Veterans Home in Scarborough.  That turned out very well!  We probably had 30 people turn out to enjoy lots of trail rides, several trains were in operation and lots of good food was enjoyed by all.

Saturday is our train trip on Amtrak to Boston and back.  Remember to bring your photo-ID and arrive at the Station by 7:30.  We depart Portland on Amtrak train number 692 at 8:00am.
 

Mill Creek Central Railroad

Interesting story about 7.5 in gauge steam railroad by Assoc Press dated today.  5 miles of hand laid track.  Sorry no pictures,  but you can read about it if you Click here:

New Book ~ Some Vernacular Railroad Photographs

Here is a little background story  from the Baltimore Sun on some of the places we are familiar with:  Click here:

Track Plan Guide for Maine Mall

 Hint: Try right clicking on image and select "open in new tab".  On my PC that gives me a choice to see a larger easier to read picture.

  Anyway here is our most accurate guess as to what size curves and straight track lengths we will need for  the basic layout.
Scott will choose which Lionel location he prefers and that does not have to be done until setup day.   The sawmill will go into which ever area becomes available.  Also the Trolley line (not shown) is a "fit in after" line which depends upon space available after all the buildings are in.  If it is possible we would like to weave a trolley around much of the layout and have it automatically reverse and stop at a couple of selected spots.  I have not seen it but I think Carl and maybe Walter have a devise from Split Jaw that will do that!

I did here that the Club has purchased a Green Percy engine to accompany Thomas on his adventure ride through tunnels and under a waterfall as the main lines cross overhead.  All on the new lowered easy to see section for the youngsters to enjoy.  The new waterfall and pond we are working on will be in the Thomas area.  I don't know if we can do it but I think a small fountain just a couple of feet tall in the center of the pond would look and sound very nice.   The spray as it hits the water creates a nice effect.  It kind of beckons you to toss in a coin.  I hope we can pass along a nice contribution to some charity,  who knows?

Nice day to take it easy. . .

  Ah life the way it ought to be. . Sitting around a couple of hours have a good conversation with your friends!
We enjoyed a beautiful morning with Carl and fellow members including Walter, Mike, Scott, Dennis, Dick, Tiny, Art, Ernie, John and Mac who was next door.  We discussed lot's of good things and someone had a map of Boston as we talked about our up coming trip.  By the way I got an email from John Middleton.  He will be our official guide and host on both the Amtrak trains we will be traveling on!  That is excellent, plus as a past volunteer at the Museum of Science he has offered to lead a group to visit it which I believe is within walking distance of North Station.  I hope we have weather as great as it was today.

 By the way, Jeanne did call. There was a little mix up and they (Gorham House) could not make it today. But, they will be doubling up next Thursday with the Maine Veterans for a combination outing at Carl's.  So as it turns out,  no groups this week, two groups next week.  We are happy.  Two groups is not a problem, in fact I think they kind of enjoy it.

  C you there, I hope.

Tomorrow is Thursday (Train Day)

  Jeanne is bringing over the Gorham House residents to Carl's tomorrow for an outing!  I think the forecast is for a good day.   It is always a good day for a picnic with trains.  Hope you can stop by and enjoy both.

Waterfall progress

Progress is slow but steady.   The Mall has built a "mock up" of the waterfall area so that they can see what it will look like ahead of time. Not shown is Tiny's 7 foot bridge and Carl's 200 gallon water garden pond.  They are both there and ready to be installed.  An opening for the pond needs to be cut into the deck.  Then Tiny's bridge will cross over it as well as a bridge that Barry is building.  The Mall is going to cut the opening and then shore up the risers.  Keith will call Carl when actual water testing can begin. Also the "rocks" and river bank will be decorated with the earthy brown-stone spray paint.  This also lets the Mall test out some new ground cover.  This year they are considering adding various colors of rubber mulch which could turn out to look very good indeed!  They are great partners and they do a lot to make things as easy for us as possible.  This year we  hope to have the stage up and the waterfall and pond in place for the Mall's "Pumpkin Fest" after which the Mall will remove the pumpkins and we can bring in our track and buildings for our setup day!

Interesting web site -

Click here to get started

    I found a dozen pages of different "Railroad Pins" which I enjoyed looking at.  In fact I ended up ordering some.
Click on Categories then Jewelry Accessories and then on Railroad Pins
Lots of other interesting railroad stuff to look at!

21 people confirmed for MGRS round trip to Boston on Saturday Aug 24th.

  The passenger list has been finalized.  Thank you to everyone who sent in their checks to Carl.  He has paid for our group ticket and given our names to Amtrak. (Please see post on 8/6 for list of names).   You need to bring a photo-ID for identification and arrive early (7:30am).  If you are one of three members in our group boarding train No. 692 in Wells, we will likely all be on the last car and have saved you some seats.  We are hoping that MGRS member John Middleton who is also an official Amtrak host will be assigned to the train we will be taking.  That would make the trip even more special for us. So, get ready to go. In just two weeks from today we will be on our Amtrak trip to Boston!

Huntington Common Visit

On a cloudy, humid day, Carl and Pat Churchill hosted Jill, Huntington’s Activity Director, assisted by Barb, a staff aide, and 8 residents of Huntington Common, Kennebunk, Maine. 

 

                                            Barb preparing the bus for exiting guests

 

 

Jill chatting with Mike Curry

(No photos of the residents were taken due to the facility’s requirement for written releases from their families.)   Ten MGRS members were present and participated in operating the Railway and assisting the guests getting around.

 

 

                                                The guys.....

 

                                               Tiny and Mike relaxing

                                               

                                              John displaying the track cleaner

 

Carl, Mac, and Ernie provided golf cart tours of the trails on the property. 

 

                                                Ernie at the wheel

 

The group enjoyed the Garden Railway locale and the running trains.  Guests and MGRS members socialized and enjoyed each other’s company.  Of course the trains ran beautifully and the weather stayed dry all day. 

 

                                            B & O Consist off line as track cleaning takes

                                            place prior to guests arrival

 

 

                                                Carl (really) gets it running again

 

 The guests enjoyed the Garden Railway locale and the running trains.  A nice sandwich lunch was enjoyed by all prior to the guests’ departure.  The group looks forward to return visits.

Outing Today at Carl's

The folks from Huntington Place called Carl a little while ago and they will be arriving between 10:30 and 11 today.  The sun is coming out and the day is looking good.

PIKO Manufacture Suggested Retail Price List

  Please Click here to view

From here you can see pictures of every PIKO product and by using it's product number the MSRP. Products are made in Germany and from what I can see are made to a high standard of quality.  

Update on Amtrak trip to Boston

Who is going so far:  Carl has worked hard on gathering a list of names which include as of now:   Barry and Buckie,  John,  Mac, Jake and his mum, Sarah,  Paul and Rachel,  Tiny,  Terry,  Hunk,  Ernie and Hazel,  Dennis and Agnes,  Scott and Kris,  Mike and Julie and of course Carl and Pat.  A total of 21 members and family members.  3 people are getting on and off at Wells and the rest of us are meeting at the Portland Terminal. which is just off of Exit 5 on Rt 295.

Train Schedule:   The date is Saturday August 24, 2013.  We need to be at the station at 7:30am and remember to bring a photo-ID.   Carl will have given Amtrak our names and paid the round trip fair which will total $525 dollars.  We will depart POR at 8am on train #692 and arrive in BOS at 10:30am.  We will have a layover of 6 hours in Boston,  We will need to return to North Station at 4:30pm.  We will depart BOS at 5pm and arrive back in POR at 7:30pm. on Amtrak Train No. 695.  It is interesting as we leave Portland and go across the bridge,  We go through Rigby Yard and the Scarborough Marsh down the Old Orchard Beach Boulevard route and we are off on our adventure!

What will we do?  I expect on the ride down we will trade cell phone numbers and make plans for where we will meet or go.  I have heard several suggestions such as:  The Aquarium,  The USS Constitution,  Guided tours which include Trolley or  Duck Tour which includes the Charles River.   Faneuil Hall,  The Chocolate Factory, Prudential Tower, Copley Square, Subway rides and even Swan Boats rides.  Train Stations and lots of other things.  Maybe just walk around and look up at the tall buildings.  I left out shopping, museums and lots of places to eat. Other places like Public Gardens, Commenwealth Ave, Newbury St, Churches, Library.  We won't run out of possibilities.  We don't want to miss our return train which is very comfortable and does have a nice Cafe Car.  I am sure we will enjoy recounting our days adventure on the way home and we should get to see a lot of interesting sites and nice station stops.

I am excited;  Can't wait.  Boston here we come!

3-D Animated Signs

 Pretty Cool!  Great for Model Railroads.  Reminds me of the old great looking Billboards we used to see.    Web site  

Show is Sunday Aug 18 behind Calef's Store, Jct of Rt9 and Rt125 in New Hampshire (Tiny)

Barrington Truck Show

Originally posted by Scott one year ago.  This is back again and gets better each year! 

Thanks for suggesting this truck show, Tiny.  I enjoyed every minute until I saw how much a 1954 pickup like the one I sold for $80 is now worth.

Good questions about our trip to Boston ~ Thanks Mike others probably have the same questions

John,

I’m thinking of joining the trip on Amtrak in August but I have several questions. 

First, is this trip for members only or can spouses come also.  And, if so, does the cost remain at $25 or is it different.

Second question, What will we be doing in Boston after arriving?  Is there any specific agenda or is it open time.

Mike

Answer:     Hi Mike !

             Please come and bring your wife!    As a member you can bring as many guests with you as you want.  The Group rate is the same for everyone you bring with you.

  There are lot's of things to do in Boston and people may want to stick together but we will probably end up on different side trips.  There is no requirement to go anyplace, it is strictly based on what you feel like doing.   Swan boats to shopping to site seeing.   We will probably come up with a plan on the way down.  I grew up in Boston as a kid and went to Northeastern there, but that was a long time ago.  My dad used to drive for the MTA so i like the subway which we will have to go on to get anywhere.  I kind of like the ride up to the Prudential Skywalk Observation Tower.  I expect the ride home will be good as we recount our adventures!

Call Carl if you need to 929-3655

Thanks, I hope you decide to go , I think we will really enjoy it.

John

Spring Brook Outing at Carls

Welcome August!  The busiest month of the year at Overlook Garden Railway.  Six groups visit MGRS this month.  Plus we have a train trip to Boston.  Tomorrow a group is visiting and then every Thursday  for the remainder of August.  
I don't think we have any pictures from today but Carl said they had a great time and someone saw a deer out back on one of the trail rides.  Thank you very much to all the good folks that helped make this a great day for our guests.  The outings are good for all, both guests and members have a good time.  Who dosen't enjoy a picnic with trains and friends!