Love this Display

    I took the day off today, just resting at home and I began thinking about what I liked best about this years train display.  I think my favorite thing was the way the snow blanket got painted to look like rocks!  Next was the fact that we did not touch the snow blanket,  the Mall installed it all.  That was great for us!  Now if they walk by and see some hanging down, they will feel free to fix it.  It was good because we could concentrate on building and wiring, then the Mall covered it all up.  They did a fantastic job, cutting and fitting around our track and trestles!  Next I loved Dick Rubin's trees.  They look great on the layout.  I also love Ralph's roadbed! It is perfect on the elevated lines.  The real ballast Carl brought in was a lot of work but it is great on the main line.  Looks good as well as holds sensors and wires in place and makes the layout look permanent not just a quick project.  I love the big "C" Items, "Christmas Tree and Circus". Fantastic job by Scott, Art and Norm. Perfect, I can really relate to the Lionel layout and love to see it! Plus they are close to the people to see and the Interactive buttons by Mike are a  very big hit!  That includes Terry's Crossing Signals.  Kids love to push buttons! Ralph's bridges, trestles, buttresses are super solid and look great.  I also like the raised platforms that allow us to reach the track and I think I like the tunnels as long as nothing get stuck in side.   I really love all Carl's buildings and the lights that have been added. His Church, a replica of the real one in Buxton is one of my favorites. I love the little dioramas all around the layout.  That is what the people look for. (I even like the way the little flag blows in the breeze).  I could go on, there are many more items that you could be named:  bigger layout, wider curves, station stops, more sounds, new lighting, and our own entrance way. Bigger and better trains and engines!   Oh yes, there are two more big items to mention.  The way the kids love Thomas and his friends and all the joy and excitement they bring to the display. And one last item, the best of all.  The support that MGRS members are providing by coming out in droves to help.  It is fantastic to see so many good hearted individuals volunteering to take part in this years display.  Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, we are very lucky and we do have a lot to be grateful for.

Tiny, John, Ben, Jim, Art, Paul, Dave, Carl, Mac, Scott and I bet there were more

 Members were in and out all day long and for at least 5 hours of extra time today as the Mall display is turning out to be hard to resist!   That is great and we love to see the enthusiasm of many members.  Today we ran lots of combinations of trains and Ben worked diligently to clean up several engines and cars.  One was a Lionel his dad had and he got it running great!  The big screen TV arrived.  Keith installed it and it works very well.  It has two feeds and we can select between them using a regular remote control,  Video-1 is a fixed overhead camera and Video-2 is the on board train cam that transmits a signal back to a receiver which is picking up some added interference but still gives you exciting views of what our trains see as they travel the layout.  There is a large selection of pictures and video to see today:  Please click here:   

11-21 Monday Monday

The TV was delayed until tomorrow, but that did not dampen the enthusiasm for any of the on-lookers or for Hunk & Dave who operated the trains today.  They reported a little problem with one train this morning but David said "it was fun to get everything going".   Nothing serious, I guess during yesterdays maintenance on the circus train we got a little oil on the track.   Oh Yes, they just fixed the fence around the Lionel layout so that now we can walk all the way down to the end of the display.  That's very good!   As I left Paul was coming in to relieve until 6 when Rich Young is coming in for a couple more hours.  This is all extra by the way.  Above and beyond what we are scheduled, so thanks to the guys that are volunteering extra time.  I hope you are enjoying it and I know the people appreciate it!!
Is is great to see all the smiles and delight on peoples faces.
To see more please click here:  

Sunday 11-20-11

 

   
    It was a very happy Sunday at the Mall.  Walter was first in at about 10:30am and soon had the trains running.  Carl and Mac were right after him and Terry who arrived on time was last one there.  The crowd was just right, Our signs were bright and colorful and there were plenty of kids to press the buttons!  Carls big engine (I forgot her designation) was proudly pulling the B&O cars, and she sounded great also.   The Santa shack was smoking and in another area Santa was stuck in a chimney!
Terry brought in lots of goodies like his Lionel Hand Car and a box full of other items.  There were lots of people taking pictures. I know we are all over Facebook! Carl said tomorrow the big screen TV will arrive.  He plans to set up a camera on board an engine and televise the action back to the big screen!  That will be fun to watch and the kids may even see themselves on TV.   Here are some more pictures and video clips to watch:  Click here:

Saturday - Joe & Rich run the Show

 Rich Young and Joe Connolly teamed up to start off the weekend in style.  Rich brought in a beautiful looking blue paint scheme Boston & Maine diesel.  Joe was taking care of James the red engine on the circus loop.  Carl & Mac stopped by to see if anyone needed anything.  Carl pointed out our new MGRS signs at the Mall.  We have one on each of the big columns in Center Court on either side of the display.  (See slideshow)  Also , is a picture of the Santa Workshop diarama Santa Claus presented us with.  Plus look at pictures of anxious viewers to see the Lionel display up close. (I think Carl is going to ask to have the fence extended).  Lastly note the terrific coverage the Mall has given us on their outdoor Marquee.   To view all of this please click here:

Also, Thank you to Jim Jenkens who will be coming in at 3pm to continue on with the show to 8pm.  I am sure Carl & Mac will be with him.  Hope everyone has a super weekend!  Enjoy the show.

"A Really Splendid Engine"

James, as any fan of Thomas the Tank Engine knows, fancies himself as a really splendid engine. He often gets himself in trouble pulling loads he shouldn't pull. He's not as big as Gordon, after all, even though he's a Hughes Class 28 superheated 2-6-0. But this time James has got it right. This afternoon he came to the rescue at the Mall. Thanks to the work of Norm Waycott and Carl Churchill, James is now pulling a handsome circus train. And he's doing it where kids in line for Santa can push a button to see him go.

Extra Effort

Well I guess they Like it!   I am referring to all the extra effort that the members are putting in to the Train Show,  We only have to stay to 3pm as far as the official schedule goes on weekdays before Thanksgiving.  But yesterday Carl and Mac came back and ran trains until 8 o'clock.  Andy also stayed late and today Benjamin, Art and Scott all came in to join Carl and Mac.  Dick Rubin is about as far away as you can get in the Netherlands and he checks the Blog every day as do many of us to keep in touch with the train show.  This whole display has been a success because of extra effort and cooperation of many, many people!  Well deserved Thank You to All! Great start, lets keep it going!

Thursday 11-17

 A big Thank you to Norm, Andy, Art and Jim who had everything running real sweet today at the Mall.  It was a nice peaceful day, not a lot of people and parking was good, just the way I enjoy it the best.  Of course the Circus theme was strong today as all those great circus sounds were heard as the train went by.  I can honestly say,  I have not seen anything on display that brings so many smiles to peoples faces as does our train display.  Well done MGRS!  Oh yes, Mike Tarbox and friends were by to visit and had lots of fun playing with the interactive button.  Everything looked good and ran fine, no trouble on the tracks.  I did get a few pictures (need to do better) to view please click here: Thanks!

Thomas Tanks (pictures from Scott)

Thanks Scott,  For the pictures from yesterday when you and Ben where running trains.  I love the way the Lionel display was decorated.  It looks great, just like Christmas morning!   It should bring back a lot of memories.

Picture of Ben saving Thomas!  You said the Club engine derailed twice, but it did not fall off.  Good work Ben for saving Thomas.  I wonder what happened to cause that?

Also, great picture in the middle with all the trains going by.  James looked very good on the main line.  

Busy Tuesday

Click image for larger view

  The Mall was not to busy, in fact it was very pleasant as it was easier to carry on a conversation with people.  But we did have a lot of interesting visitors and many members that stopped by today.   The Hartmann's from Bartlet NH stopped by and took the tour as well as at least a dozen members over the course of the day that either visited, signed up or worked on the display: These were  Mike, Art, Scott, Carl, Mac, Jim H, Dick C, Tiny, John, Hunk, Grace, David B, and Santa himself who donated a nice G scale boxcar diorama of Santa's Workshop to the Club and he is getting another for the Veterans Home!  Thank you Santa, you are the Very Best!

  Tiny and Dick did the operating as Jim and I gabbed with the onlookers. Hunk and I were testing out my Lionel version of Thomas on the Circus loop and we had lot's of fun showing people that as well as the Christmas tree which Scott did a great job on decorating.  It was a very good day.  We have all ready made good friends with several 'regular' visitors and our goal of entertaining kids and adults is definitely being achieved. In fact it is fun just to be there and hang a round for a while. There were lots of trains running also.  As it turns out I only took pictures and videos of some of them, Please click here to take a look:

Monday - Nov 14

   Today Edwin Amerman an MGRS member brought in a contribution in memory of his wife Linda who was also a member and loved G scale model trains and buildings.  She passed away earlier this year and her husband wants the Society to make good use of these items in her memory.  Carl thought we might contribute some buildings to the Veterans who Jeanne had just told him she thought that they would like to have "some buildings" to go with the train set we gave them last year.  However Ed's gifts end up being used we appreciate what  Ed has done and we thank him very much and also extend him our condolences.    

    On some other items, who can identify that distinguished looking visitor with Mac?  (Yes, he is a member). 

    Scott could not resist the temptation to run his Marx train today.  It was very cool looking! I only saw the engine but it looked like the "Bullet Train".

   Thanks to Carl, Mac and David who kept everything operating well today and also thank you ahead of time to Rich Young who will be in this evening on a special PM shift to run his trains.   View larger pictures

Playing with Trains

 Join Eric Schade as he enjoys a nice Fall Saturday playing with trains.  Very well done, thanks for sharing your adventures with us.  Please click here to watch video.

First Weekend Wraps up Nicely

Hard to believe, one weekend gone already!  First a big Thank You to Art Handman, Mike Tarbox and Preston Chadwick for handling the first Sunday of the 2011 Train Show in great style!  Mike an experienced Circus Division man and Preston a new member teamed up together with Art and his Lionel experience make up a great team.  It should be noted 3 people is a perfect number of people to work on the display.  All members are encouraged to invite a friend or another member to join them.  Today Mike brought in his own circus train to run the lower trestle line which handled the circus wagons nicely.  The crowd was very good.  I have some video of a little girl just jumping up an down having a ball pressing the Rudolph Interactive Sign!  Same with the Lionel.  Everything was nice and quiet today (no bands playing) and many people were complementing the display.

To view more pictures and videos from today: Please click here and select 'Slideshow'.

Today was MGRS Opening Day at the Maine Mall

Santa Claus arrived at 10am and the 2011 MGRS Train Exhibit officially began!  Thanks to Barry and Ralph who helped kick off the event, run trains and entertain the crowd!  The kids and adults were back in force and very glad to see us.  Terry's crossing gate and Mikes signs to operate the trains worked very well.  The layout looked great.  Carl and Mac were there to help and will be there until 8pm tonight.  James also helped a lot and will have more pictures of his own to add.  For now please click here to see some pictures and video clips of what it looked like.  I heard the Portland Press Herald was there too.

Happy Veterans Day !

 

MGRS salutes all Veterans.

We are proud of you and what you have done!

The photo above is from one year go when the Maine Veterans of Scarborough visited us at the Maine Mall.  We are happy to announce that the Veterans will return again this Christmas Season to visit us and Santa Claus.  Today is a special day to remember our veterans.  We  join in honoring them and all of the other men and women who have served this Country. Please accept a sincere Thank You, from the Maine Garden Railway Society and all its members.

Thurs 11-10-11

   It has been a lot of work.  But, the results are worth it.  Together MGRS and the Maine Mall have produced an excellent looking model train display.

  If you click here:  then select 'SLIDESHOW'  you can see all the items that have blended together to make this an outstanding exhibit.

Ralph & Dick in the News

 

 

Samantha Stephens photo Trains pull up to the station.

By Samantha Stephens

yorkweekly@seacoastonline.com

November 09, 2011 2:00 AM

 

Bridging the generation gap with brightly colored "Thomas and Friends" model trains, Ralph Luby has been busier than Santa's elves while finishing a Christmas display for the Maine Mall.

Luby, a York resident, along with two of his friends and fellow model train enthusiasts, Dick Rubin, of York, and Dick Serreyn, of Michigan, created a six-train course.

"There will be the three Thomas trains, a Lionel train, a Circus train, and a big freight train with probably 25 cars," Luby said.

Rubin explained that the trains will run around the rotunda at the mall and offer children a mystical world to explore as they wait to see Santa.

"They have a live Santa Claus and he sits in the display. When they have all of these kids waiting to see Santa, they're not crying because they're happy watching the trains," Rubin said.

Capitalizing on Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends, Luby said younger generations are becoming interested in model trains through the popular cartoon and children's book character.

But for Luby, who has been interested in model trains since childhood, he most enjoys building.

 

"For me, it's the building part of it that's the fun. I never run the trains by myself unless I'm trying to find something wrong," Luby admitted. "The appeal of trains is no matter how many you have, you can run them all on the same track. You can't do that with model airplanes, you can only fly one at the same time. Or model cars, it's the same thing."

Taking his love of building model train tracks and applying it to the festivities of the holiday season, Luby also created a candy train for Halloween that served six-packs of peanut butter crackers to kids.

"This is all about fun," Rubin said. "It's all about candy, fun and local kids."

But Rubin said at the Maine Mall, and other displays, there's an element of teaching incorporated into model train displays.

"We try to show some of Maine life. Farming, a quarry, maybe a timber operation, so (viewers) can better understand what's going on in the state," Rubin said. "It's an involving process."

As for Serreyn, who flew from Michigan to help assist Luby and Rubin, he said he best enjoys the escapism of model train building.

"It's a good pastime. I get to share my layout with a couple of autistic kids who come over and play with them," Serreyn said. "You have a bad day, you go downstairs and play with the trains, and your worries go away."

 

And after a year of planning and a summer hard at work with the model train display, Luby is ready to carry on a tradition he enjoyed experiencing as a child.

"Years ago in Boston, Macy's had a big train display. That was the big thing at Christmas, you all went out to see the trains," Luby said. "A lot of people have trains they only bring out at Christmas. For some reason Christmas and trains mix, don't ask me why."

But whether it's a Halloween display for local York kids or constructing an elaborate six-train track for the Maine Mall, all three agree what constructing model trains is all about.

"It's all built around a smile," they said.

 

A Letter from Nancy Norris

Hello MGRS,

I visited some of your layouts this summer -- had a great time and was inspired! I also shared (the online version with the other board members of another club I'm a director in, the Bay Area Garden Railway Society (www.bagrs.org).

Some of our BAGRS members are jealous that we don't send out as nice a newsletter as MGRS sends out. They don't like digital newsletters. When I showed the directors your newsletter, they assumed that someone subsidizes the cost of publishing The Iron Horse. Not to pry into personal business, could you confirm or deny this assumption? What's your secret in producing such a high quality hardcopy newsletter and sending many copies through the US Mail for only $12 annual dues? 

Thanks and hope to see you all soon, maybe next summer.

Nancy

Nancy Norris

Garden Lines

Wed 11-9

   I talked to Carl today while he was at the Mall. Carl said everything looks great.  The expected visit  was delayed until after Santa arrives.  Scott finished his work on the Lionel Christmas tree and Carl & Mac worked on the control table and power supplies as the Airbrush artist finished her work.  If you thought last years display looked good, then you will think this years display is Fantastic!  No hype necessary, it is the simple truth, FANTASTIC.  And, it will be easy to run. (Just press the "ON" switch on the power strip).  Plus, someone familiar with the layout will be there to answer any questions and make sure you get started OK.

Saturday, at 10am We begin.  Everyone is invited to stop by and take a look. Spend a few minutes or stay as long as you wish.  I think you will like what you see!  

Tues 11-8

Today the professional Mall artist decorated our snow banks.  They look fantastic!  I will post pictures tomorrow. (Sorry, I thought I had taken some).  Mike tested and improved the Interactive signs,  We tested on the Circus loop as Scott was transforming the Mall Christmas tree on the Lionel loop into a 1950's retro style complete with big colored bulbs! We test ran trains and neatened up the Control Center.  The Mall was installing the white 'picket' fence around the edge of the layout as I was leaving.  Tiny brought back in the padding for the floor of the control area which he provided last year.  It makes it very comfortable to stand on.  Mac, Walter, and I played with the lights and wiring as Carl was working with Keith & Kevin to finish up items for tomorrow when the General Growth Properties Executives are stopping by to see the display. Rich Young stopped by and provided us with a transformer which we needed.  Also Rich and a friend  will work an "off schedule" in the evening hours.  If anyone else would also like to setup their own hours, No Problem, just let us know what works best for your convenience. Dennis Farrell stopped by and he signed up for Tuesday evenings which we appreciate.  We are also starting to run more trains, here is short video from earlier today - Click here:  (Notice how well Paul's G scale Flag is blowing in the wind!).  He added lots of People, details and cars yesterday to the layout. We are shaping up and looking very good,  Thanks to lots of good help and support.  Thank you, please keep it rolling strong.