Fun in the Mud

My grandson brought over his 1/12 scale mud racer and my driveway was the perfect place to try it out!

Quick video watch it here:


So how can we get the slot cars or the radio control cars integrated with the Mall ?

My Apologizes

I just discovered these and I am not sure what they are.  They look like comments made by readers of the Blog that somehow got held in "awaiting moderation" ?  I did not intend to ever do that.  I just stumbled across them as I was looking at some maintenance menus.  Sorry, I will post them now.  John

Comments from Dick Cosgrove on his also getting a Bachmann

US Mail Rail Car.  Thanks Dick, 

Comments from Tiny on Garden Railway Magazine.

Comments from Jake Brewer on his Mall Video which I did see.  Thank you Jake

Here it is again  Click here:

And comments from Jim Alberty who made a new video which I had not seen before; Thank you Jim!

Please click here to see it:

Spent a lot of time filming this year's setup and had a lot fun. Link to the final video - with an original score - is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz4xi1aph80&feature=youtu.be Hope you enjoy it. Can't wait to see what you come up with next year regards, Jim Alberty on Train Videos from 2013 Jim Alberty on 1/9/14 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjyCTJFrVIY That is the link to the YouTube video of the mall today. feel free to post this on the blog. Sorry the quality isn't the best I used software on an ipad to post it from my phone. I will post higher quality videos that are full screen when I get my computer. Jake on Maine Mall Day-6 Jake on 11/16/13 yes, I will get those videos up asap Jake on Maine Mall Day-6 Jake on 11/16/13 missed those two tiny on Garden Railway Magazine tiny on 11/3/13 Mine came today & it's great. Got the US Mail one. It's a really good deal. on Greed - a good motivator Richard Cosgrove on 10/28/13

How Kids play with trains

I remember doing this exact thing with my kids when they were very young.  I loved it too!  Aurora and Tyco slot cars and an HO crossing track.  I laughed as I listened to these boys enjoy the close calls as they really had fun playing "Will it make it or not?"    Click here to watch video

PIKO America

Here is a link to PIKO America Web Site.   You can find information on everything PIKO produces.  Costs, Descriptions, Pictures.  Take a look Click here:

   

6 Reasons to choose G scale

I don't need that many reasons but just in case you ever feel that you need to justify your love of G scale you can refer to this article I recently found.  Click here to read: 
 

Take a trip around the "Big Green"

It might also be called the 'Big G" but either way it is available to see this weekend at the NHGRS Milford Train Show.  Good food, lots of displays, excellent conversation but no vendors.   If you have never seen the NH layout it is very impressive.  It takes over 4 minutes to make a loop and fills a gymnasium size area.   Here is a video of "Big Green" taken from the the Milford Show a few years ago. 

See it live this weekend at the 13th Annual Milford Train Show.  Hrs: 9-4 Saturday and Sunday at the Milford High School,  100 west Street, Milford NH.  Hosted by the Lions Club and NHGRS.  Adults $5, Children $2,  ($12 max per family)

 Click here to watch:  

Oh Boy, oh boy, oh boy!

Just as happy as the dog waiting for his beggin strip, I was anxious to hear about what Carl was able to bring back from the ECLSTS for the Club!    Here are some pictures of similar items:  They include a LGB
 2-6-0 Mogul Steam engine, A brand new Trolley car which Bachmann just released this month and a train set by Aristocraft named after the Rogers engine which includes a freight car, tank car and caboose.  Plus we have another new engine not show which also came from Bachmann.   Thank you Carl you did very well. That was a good trip, and we all look forward to seeing them in action at the Mall this year!.

Click to enlarge view:

Going up!

  Chicago commuter train crashes and tries going UP an Escalator!
"The train actually climbed over the last stop, jumped up on the sidewalk and then went up the stairs and escalator," Santiago said.   Read the story here:
 

if you recognize the man on the left, ECLSTS says HI.

York? Yowser!

Terry Norton lightened Pennsylvania by several hundred pounds this weekend, as he brought back home to Maine several boxloads of Aristo-Craft trains from the York Large-Scale Train Show.  Carl Churchill, Mac McLaughlin, and Scott Gould went along just to see Sue Norton's reaction when Terry got home.  They also bought a few toys for themselves, as well as a nifty engine for next season's MGRS Mall display.   Word has it that Dennis Farrell also unburdened Pennsylvania, bringing home a new LGB Amtrak train.

If you've never made the trip to York, it's definitely worth a spot on your bucket list.  One very large exhibition hall is filled with only large-scale trains.  None of that pesky HO stuff you have to wade through at other shows.  No boxes full of rusting three-rail track.  Just trains big enough for those of us whose hands are full of thumbs. 

Just take a look.

Pictures from Boston Flower Show

 A friend of mine who knows I like trains recently visited the Boston Flower Show and took these pictures.
 Thank you Tom!  It must have been a great show.  And now - Spring IS Here!

From Eric ~ Trains at Owl Head this Weekend

John--

I will be at the Owls head Transportation museum this weekend (Saturday and Sunday) with the "Brigadoon Light Railway" track and trains for some live steam action.  Several other live steamers will also be there to share the track.  You and the Garden Railway Society group are all welcome.  If you have a battery, clockwork or live steam train you would like to run on my loop you would be most welcome.  There will also be an HO scale modular layout by the Great Falls folks.  there is a lot of other interesting stuff to see as well.

Here is a link to the museum's Model Expo event  http://owlshead.org/events/detail/model-festival

I enclose a photo of the last appearance of the railway at The WW&F back in December.

Thanks Eric,  Will pass this along for all to see.  Hope you have a great event!  John

Model Rectifier Corp ~ Your the Best!

I have two of these MRC POWER G Transformers and I love them.  Strong, sturdy and reliable!  I often run 4 motors (2 USA diesel engines) on the same track plus lots of track powered signals at the same time.   No problems for years.

But, I can mess up anything and one day last week I turned it on and nothing happened.  It was sitting on my workbench and I had been using it for testing.

I contacted MRC and the repair department was very helpful.  I wanted to send it back for them to repair.   I figured I had finally burnt it out and I was willing to pay to have it fixed if it wasn't to much.
They said they would guarantee to repair it and send it back to me for $55 dollars.  I thought that was pretty darn good because they cost over two hundred dollars.   BUT, before I do that: Try this first.   They told me how to take it apart and find a fuse inside.  It was very easy to do, but I would not have opened it up on my own.  I went to ACE Hardware and got the fuse, it worked like a charm.   THANK YOU MRC.  You guys were terrific!   Highly Recommended.  Add Honest and Responsive to your list of attributes!

Oh Boy!

http://www.eclsts.com/

The big show is about to start. Very early Thursday morning Carl, Terry, Mac and Scott headed out to the ECLSTS.  Good luck guys, have a safe and good trip.  Bring us back some presents!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Seniors Travel Irish Rail for Free

On St. Patrick's Day, Tourism Ireland launched a brand new rail offer called the Golden Trekker program. This new opportunity allows senior visitors to Ireland to travel across the country by rail for free.

MGRS Spring Luncheon Meeting

 I had fun, I hope everyone that went enjoyed themselves!  The food was good, the desserts were a real treat and I loved the soft serve ice cream cone at the break!

Well done guys, it was a very good meeting.  We had the nice function room reserved just for us. I did not count the people but the room was completely full.  For a large group eating together, the buffet is the way to do it.  It works out very well that way.




 We had a nice business meeting.  We are in a good financial position.  A delegation of four (Carl, Terry, Mac and Scott) are headed to the ECLSTS  with an appropriation of a thousand dollars to spend for the Club on operating equipment for the Mall display.   Carl announced the appreciation that the Mall has for us and the fact that they consider MGRS a permanent partner and integral part of the Malls Holiday Season.  So we are definitely going back but we may have to relocate to the Garden Court.  (Known to the old timers as where the "Big Clock" used to be).

After the lunch and the business meeting, Jeff Jacobs assisted by his wife presented an excellent slide show on the British rail system.  The history and construction of the viaducts and related stories of his recent rail travel adventures in 2013 across Briton was very interesting and very well done.  Thank you Jeff!

Thanks to the many who attended and especially those that drove long distances to get here!
Happy garden railroading!

Thank you Andy

 I forgot to mention it was also "pin day".   Andy brought the Year-4  Mall attendance pins in and Terry passed them out at the luncheon.  Carl has them and I know you can pick yours up at the Annual Extravaganza or sooner if you give him a call.  I showed mine to Gigi when I got home and she thought they looked very nice!

Shout out to Bill & Robin

 Look what I found,  a great picture of two of our favorite "long distance" members from Cape Cod.  We hope all is well with you both and you are looking forward to Spring and the start of a great year of enjoying trains.  For those that do not know, Bill has made great videos of the Mall train display every year since it began.  I remember last  year when he brought in a stack of trains over 6 feet tall to run for the weekend they came up to visit.

Quick Update:  Did not get a chance to talk much, but saw you both at the Spring Luncheon.  You look great and thank you for driving all the way up to Maine to join us.  Go Sox!

Today Sunday March 16th ~ MGRS Spring Luncheon & Meeting.

Note: Outside entrance only.

The date is Sunday March 16, 2014.  The location is the HomeTown Buffet  located off Exit 45 at the Main Mall in South Portland.   And the time is 1:00PM.  MGRS has a private room reserved so be sure you say you our with the "Train Group".   Our price is $13.25 which covers everything including all taxes and gratuities.  You choose exactly what you want from an extensive buffet menu and go back as often as you like.  Also a wide selection of desserts and non-alcoholic beverages.

Plus, we have an interesting meeting and speaker planned.  Jeff Jacobs has spent time in England studying some of the amazing railway structures which dot the British countryside.  Jeff has put together a presentation with emphasis placed on the Viaducts.  The title is "Riding the British rails, Jeff Jacobs 2013 visit to England".
.

 Scott will also have his new PIKO engine on display.  It is also expected that Carl will bring some club vests to the meeting which will be available to purchase.  Plus,  Andy plans to bring the pins of appreciation for last years Maine Mall display.  Please plan to attend.  There will be plenty to discuss including upcoming events.   It is a great way to start off a new year of enjoying a great hobby together.

Click on map
for detail directions.

MGRS Spring Luncheon & Meeting is Today!

  A beautiful day to meet to enjoy a great afternoon together.  If you need maps or more information please click here.   
We will meet at the HomeTown Buffet at 1:pm.  Hope to see you there!

MGR Michigan Garden Railway

 Opened in July 2008 and expanded in 2010, the Castle Farms Garden Railroad is one of the largest model railroad layouts in Michigan. 

Link to their Website: Click Here


Watch a video of the Trains

Here is another one: Click here

Power and Precision

Raw cockpit footage taken during a Blue Angels Air Show.   
  Click here to watch:

I know, I know, but this IS worth watching!

Getting in the Mood

  This is a great picture!  It came off a website  from a man that builds the lighthouses.  They are beautiful but expensive.  Sorry, I lost track of the site's address but the picture put me in the mood to start planning for spring and my own layout.  So far all I have done is buy 5 packets of different colorful flowers seeds.  But just that made me feel good!  I would like lots of bright flowers this year.   I am about to buy some spring bulbs.  They always come up good, and are easy to do.  I wish they last a little longer but they do get you off to a good start.   I have not had much luck planting roots but bulbs seem to do well.  Gigi does a great job on our deck with hanging plants and pots and container plants.  It really is something to look forward to,  here's hoping you are too!

Update:  Thanks Tiny ~ Here is the website:  http://www.americanlawnlights.com/   He has the Nubble Light, it is beautiful.  To nice to bring into the Mall (my opinion)  You can get a cheap substitute at Christmas Tree but you do get what you pay for.   I bought one last year and I liked the look of it out by the water garden. The solar light came on at night and drove me crazy!  luckily it did stop working in about a week. 

From Paul Smith in Florida

Hi John!

Greetings from Fort Myers Florida! A couple of weeks ago, a friend down here took Brenda and I over to the Shell Point retirement community which is just a couple of miles from our new winter home here at Palmetto Palms. We had lunch there and then he took us to the model railroad layout that they have within the complex. It is in HO scale and the layout is shaped like the State of Florida and features key geographical areas of the State through "selective compression". I wanted to go back and take some pictures to send to you for the blog, but the link below goes to their web site and does a much better job than I could do of capturing the layout. They didn't have any large scale trains, but they did have a small display showing N, HO, S, and O scales.

Paul

http://www.shellpoint.org/trainroom/

Note:  Click on link above and be sure to play the video.
 

Boston Trolley Derails in Tunnel

     

Hey that is not supposed to happen.  Luckily, I do not think there were any serious injuries.  Near Fenway Park in Boston.
Read the story here:

Portland Flower Show photos 2014

Take a look at the display photos direct from their website:

  Click here to view:

Time to make a change

Daylight Savings Time Begins this Weekend.
Turn your clocks ahead one hour on Saturday night ~

Thousands of Trains!

Link to ECLSTS   Click here:       

Coming up at the end of March 5 days after the Spring Meeting. 

Day and Night ~ The Salt Boat

Tiny sent me this, pretty cool.  You know it's winter when boat loads of salt arrive and are unloaded in Portsmouth, Maine.   These came from the Bridge cam website.  http://www.portsmouthwebcam.com/tugboats

Railroad for sale

Thanks to Dennis for finding this.  Always fun to see what a house and railroad costs.  This is the video the sales person  made.  See video below. Click on image to watch.

  Jan 26, 2014

Video Tour of 18055 SW Seiffert Rd Sherwood Oregon If you love trains then this railroad home for sale  with it’s own railroad might just be the perfect dream home for you and  your train collection.

The home at 18055 SW Seiffert Rd in  Sherwood Oregon sits on 19 plus acres and features a miniature railroad  that winds around the property. The home is listed for 3.5 million  dollars which is estimated to be about half the cost of what it would  currently take to build this railroad estate.

Portland Flower Show heading into its 17th year

Very nice article sent in by Richard Young.
Please click here to read:

Flower Show Update from Rich Young

Big weekend getting the Flower Show set up!!

Fellow MGRS member Chris Libby stopped by to check in on the progress.

We ended up laying 2 8" blocks on top of each other, which the track will lay on.  We are only allowed 15 yards of mulch and I think we are getting to the end of our allotment.

The stream is running and the bridges are in place.  I ran one train around the track a few times, much to the amusement of all the other exhibitors.

Opening Night is Wednesday and is open to the general public Thursday through Sunday.

If anyone wants to come and run trains and talk to the public, please send me an email.  richyoung2@gmail.com

I am also looking to see if anyone has a Thomas the Tank train set.  I'd rather not purchase a train I am never going to use.

Today, all of the colorful plants will be placed!  I will be taking more pictures.

Attached are 2 pictures.  

Hope to see you there!!  Think Spring!!

Rich

http://portlandcompany.com/flower/

Jan - Feb Iron Horse Newsletter is available on-line

Thank you Art ~  We do love our Newsletter.  Art wanted to remind us all the up coming Spring Luncheon is just 2 weeks away and that our cost per person for MGRS is actually  $13.25 which does cover all tax and gratuities.  
 

Train Auction

Tiny keeps us up on the auctions events. http://www.jwauctionco.com/toytrain.htm 

Next one is in April, Looks like all O gauge.
 Here is a link to the Photos: Click here