New Web site to look at

One of our younger member (Hansel) sent me this site on my e-mail and would like to share it with the rest of the train members . Steamrailroader.zoomshare.com I've checked it out and it is an interesting site.

Yikes - He's Back!!

The Blue Heron has returned! He marked the end of the season last year also. It's time to save the fish and save the geraniums from the frost once again. He is big! It was really funny how we scared each other. He decided to walk around our house, I guess to see what other treats we might have. I went to the front door to look to see where he was at the exact same time he stepped on our front step and looked in the door! Straight head on he looked like an ostrich We both jumped back in surprise! He flew away and made a strange noise. The fish dove under their rocks in terror after he got the biggest one. Then after finding a frog for desert he moved on continuing his migration.

MGRS Newsletter

I just got the latest IRON HORSE, the MGRS newsletter and as usual it is great! A lot of work goes into it and I know the Membership really does appreciate it. A sincere big thank you to all the people who take pictures, write articles, get ads, and edit, print, publish, deliver. It takes a lot of time, effort, and cost and it is very well done. Thank You! Plus the previous issue is now on the Web Site. I also like that very much. It is great to have all the older versions available on line.
But because this is a blog, I also have two little issues that bug be about our newsletter. In deference to space, I will simply say click here to read more.

Congratulations ~ 10,000 Mark hit Today!

Good job MGRS Members! Some one out there is doing it, more likely it is the collective power and combined effort of all who look, post or chat together to share our hobby and interests. The activity counter or 'hit counter' as it is sometimes called is very close and most likely will reach the 10,000 mark today. Our Web Site, our Blog Site and our Chat Site all combined in this effort and thanks goes to every MGRS member that participates even if you only look 'once in a while' it all helps strengthen our organization by connecting us together a little bit more each time.
"Imagine the Possibilities"

Water Garden Trains

It has been a good year for life in the Water Garden if you are a fish, a frog or a water plant, but not if you are a small train engine. But Labor Day and almost a week of sunshine seem to have changed that as the little engines of Littleville Falls Railroad finally had their day in the sun!

Another G Scale Railroad Club

I thought some of you might be interested to see what this club is doing. They are located in Maryland and they do set up a modular layout once a year, I did not read all the details but they might give us some ideas of do's and dont's. To see their site, Please Click below on the Mason Dixon Large Scale Railroad Society
(note: There are lots of picture albums, remember to right click back arrow, if you get buried).

Hey it's a Blog - You might as well dream.

I think it is so much fun to dream of a layout. I used to do it for hours as a kid. So as I am sitting listing to the ball game, playing at the computer and sketching out all the ideas I think would be good if I could make any layout that I wanted to. I left out the water feature which I love but otherwise these are things that I personally like. So you can dream too, what things do you like? (I know Ray loves trestles and Bridges) It is a Blog, Have a little fun share your ideas. If we ever build a MGRS Layout it would be nice to hear what ideas members have. And even if we don't it still is fun to talk about what we think are features that our 'dream' layout would have.
This is a sketch of a 'Fantasy Layout' that has many of the features I would like in a railroad layout if cost did not matter.. Will it ever become a reality, almost certainly not, but just like a kid it is still fun to draw them! Lets hear from you.
* Double Main Line - to allow for continuous operation of two trains * Elevated Loop that crosses the Main Line to provide for Bridges, Trestles, and Tunnels and provide space for a small work train with a siding area. * Prominent area to display buildings and structures * Separate Yard Operation Area with access to the main lines * Point to point Trolley feature for back and forth operation * A small novelty Short Line for kids * Member Area and a Storage Area * Display Areas for Shanty's, Cabins, Wildlife, Indians, Dioramas, Work Crews etc.

MGRS Considers Building Modular Exhibit

The MGRS has decided to explore the possibility of building a G-Gauge modular exhibit. Carl Churchill has appointed Scott Gould to chair a committee whose initial members include Carl, Scott, Ernie Packard, Mack McLaughlin, and Earl Richards. If you have ideas or experience you would like to share with the committee, please post a comment on the MGRS blog, or contact any committee member.

These pictures show a possible approach, in which tables can be arranged in a variety of ways to fit the available exhibit space. We look forward to hearing your ideas.

Evening on the Vaguely Wiscasset & Quebec

It's a late summer evening on the Vaguely Wiscasset & Quebec. The 6:10 from Machias is arriving at Columbia Falls even later than usual. A couple of disgruntled VW&Q employees were evidently standing on the tracks.

Labor difficulties are nothing new for the VW&Q. Ed quit when Barry wouldn't let him run the train, and now Barry has to stoke the coal and man the throttle.

And here are those employees who were on the tracks. "There can't be another railroad on the planet that makes it employees sweep the ballast," mutters Ray to Brenda. Sounds like Ray is giving up dreams of management to become a union man.

Meanwhile, down on at the barn, Farmer Brian and his aging father are tending the livestock. Figuring that food costs will keep on rising, they've switched to plastic pigs and styrene steers. "A bit chewy," says Brian, "but cheap."

And here's Kris, Farmer Brian's mom. Looks like she's going to get some bull.

So ends a summer evening on the Vaguely Wiscasset & Quebec. Hope yours was just as beautiful and a bit more peaceful.

Crew Talk

Next time you get to shovel and I get to be engineer, says Ed to Barry.

After the rain

I hope this is not our only week of summer. The sunshine is wonderful, flowers have come back and trains are running again.

Pictures from Ed and Brenda's Meet online

Hello All,
Finally put 13 pictures of the Ed and Brenda experience online. Check them out by clicking here!
Enjoy!
-Joey

Railfans visit the VW & Q

MGRS members nearly missed seeing the morning freight on the VW&Q as they pondered a map on the hood of John's new Ford. You think they'd know you can't get there from here.



Note: Click on 'Home' below to return to the regular Blog.

Nice Pictures Joey

This is for other bloggers (not Joey) who may not be familiar with the 'high level' link Joey used. If you click on See Joey's Albums, you will see six pictures. Each one is a photo album by itself. Click on the individual album to open it up and see all the rest of the pictures slide show.
He is very creative and I particularly liked the 'unedited album' pictures. Also the Monson Station is very interesting. He has all the specs on that one. It is also sad to see the old stations. I saw a nice one in New Hampshire Fernald Station that a Train Club had taken over.

Newest Member a Blogger!

Yes folks, the newest MGRS member here. Let me introduce myself. My name is Joey Kelley. I have a 50% interest in the Soudabscook and Penobscot Valley Railroad - which is a part O and part G scale portable layout that you have probably seen if you've been to area train shows in the past few years. I joined MGRS because of Ed and Brenda, so you can blame them... :-) I have some pictures from the last two MGRS open houses, and I must admit, I'm impressed. I am a former member of the NHGRS and I've worked with 'Big Green' the modular layout they have, and I am looking forward to helping with MGRS's Modular Layout. Has anyone come up with a railroad name using the MGRS initials? Maple, Greenery, Rosebud and Southern for instance? Just a thought...
A little about my RR history (I won't make this too long) although I'm the youngest member of MGRS (full member anyway) I've had contact with many sizes of trains: Z (Jeff Waring's layout) N (My Dad's) HO (My first layout) S (American Flyer) O (Current: I focus on the Bangor and Aroostook) G (No kidding!) Live steamers on 6.5 inch gauge (Not much exposure) Two foot narrow gauge (Life member at the WW&F) and full size standard gauge. (Worked at the B&ML for a summer, currently trying to start up a museum in Belfast - http://www.cpcrr.com - I also hang out at the Conway Scenic occasionally) I am a full time computer technician and photograph trains and other things on the side. Well - I'll wrap this up - be looking for some Photos posted of the last two open houses on my Picasa web album (John loves this part!)
See Joey's Picture Albums: right here.
Thanks all for the kind welcome to the MGRS!
-Joey

Welcome Joey!

I just heard from our new member Joey Kelley and he said he was interested to join the Blog. So I just sent him an invitation and looking forward to him joining up as a blog author.
I will send out his email address to the people that use the 'Chat' Forum in case he is interested in signing in on Wednesday night You will have him in your contact list.
Once again Welcome Joey to the Blog!

A big Thank You to Ed & Brenda.

My wife was talking all the way home what a good time she had, so that sums it up for me! I agree it was great to get together today at Ed and Brenda's open house. Thank you both again for all the effort you put in to help make it enjoyable for all.

Waterblogged

Sad to say that the Muscongus and Penobscot Railroad in Weld has been brought to a standstill this summer by "Olde Mom Nature". Due to the late snow melt (middle of May), and 38 inches of rain since the beginning of june to this writing (still raining) we have only been able to run trains on two days, July 18 and July 26. Needless to say, the train running season has been a washout so far and garden maintenance has been a fulltime chore . Certainly hope that the later half of August and the autumn see a major shift in the weather patterns or the line may have to be embargoed until next year! Hope you are not all experiencing the amazing amount of water we are. Keep the faith and the trains will run again! One positive sign was that with all this extreme weather, when we did run trains on those two days, all it took was a brief track cleaning and everything operated flawlessly.

Ted

Afternoon Local on the Vaguely Wiscasset & Quebec

This afternoon on the Vaguely Wiscasset & Quebec. The Good Time Garage has a new mechanic with a complexion problem, but fast feet.

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