Decorah Eagle Cam

Sorry not about trains. But it is America's symbol.
I posted the link because my wife and I enjoyed this a lot last year.  Well, they are back again and the cycle is starting once more.   The first egg was laid less than 48 hrs ago. Save the link below, very interesting:
http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

Here is my layout version:  Just to keep it related to G-scale.

Great Day for a Train Show !

     Wow, if you picked a Saturday in mid February and told me it would be beautiful, I would have said you were dreaming.  But, it was!  The National Guard Armory in Augusta was the place to be.  The parking lot was full and the Lion's Club members looked very happy.  As you entered the main room the first place you saw was Carl with three tables.  Many MGRS members were gathered around.  I had a nice talk with several members, some I had not seen in quite a while.  Lots of trains and items were on display and the spirits of all seemed cheerful.  I am ready for our Spring Meeting and all I have heard is good things about our choice of location this year.  Looking forward to seeing many of you there next month!

Carl said he was doing well and he had in fact also collected some dues an signed up a new member.

Spring is in the Air!

That is what it feels like.  Yesterday, I saw a sap bucket on a tree!   Plus baseball is just around the corner.
Tomorrow there is a train show.   I am getting in the mood for trains.  In  fact I just watched Bill and Robin train video from last year. It was good!   If you want to see it again click on the picture below:

Update from Eric

 Here is an update and a picture from Eric Schade:   I have been working on the boiler for my Modified Ruby coal fired locomotive.  She will be a representation of the SD Warren Paper company engine #2 which is being restored in Boothbay.

Greedy

  My greedy little mind has been churning away, thinking of ways to profit from an opportunity.  I call it free enterprise, but in any case here is the situation.   Lets assume we could (there were 4 available) obtain a brand new unopened, ready to run Thomas G scale train set for $198.98.  Total cost.

• I doubt the Mall would let us do this, but visualize a self service raffle box where there is a stack of little envelopes for people to put in a dollar and write their phone number or email on the envelope and drop in a box.  5 weeks later we open it up and notify the winner to come pick up the prize!

• We probably could have a stack of free handouts, that would direct people to our web site were thay could click on a raffle page and buy tickets on-line.  That would require a lot of work by someone to manage the raffle and it would reduce our net proceeds considerably, but still make a profit.

• If we raffled it off at our Annual Meeting we could probably break even and still have some fun and add a little more excitement to the day!

Lots of possibilities,  Ahhhhh,  greed the  'good old'  motivator. 

Nice Newsletter

JAN - FEB  IRONHORSE is now ONLINE ~ Click on the Current Newsletter Icon on left hand side of Blog to view.  

Thank you Scott and Mike for the very good information on LED's.  You definitely inspired me to try using and learning a lot more about them on my own layout.  Lots of great info!  Thank you.

The "Rest of the Story"  OK, I went on Ebay and bought a string of LED lights (Thank you Scott).

Have not looked at eBay for a long time,  I saw what I think is a good deal for someone who wants a Thomas train set.   Item Number 90068.     Free shipping, Buy Now,  New Bachmann, G-scale, track, train and transformer, under $200. 

   

Remember Valentine's Day

Please do not forget this very special day which is tomorrow!     Hopefully you can do better than a picture of a railroad reefer, but here is one from a couple of years ago.

Lots of things coming up.

I was just updating the 2012 Events Calendar and we are really coming into a busy time of the year for Train Shows over the next couple of months.  I have tried to include links to other clubs and events from our own calender so you can find out a little more information.   We will be updating the Events Calendar all year long as we add Open Houses, Special Events, Meetings and a busy list of MGRS hosted summer outings which are planned. Please make it a habit to click on the red 2012 Event Listing located at the left hand side of the Blog to keep informed.  Thank you.

Sad news

MGRS  member Earl Van Norman of Palermo, Maine was killed in a single car crash on Wednesday February 8 th in Albion Maine.  No other details are available at this time.  He will be sorely missed by those of us who knew him.

 

Bill Monson 

History on the move.

A famous bridge between Portsmouth New Hampshire and Kittery Maine is about to disappear:  News Video click here: 

  

 Reported by: Denneth Lee

Rotary Plow - Heaviest ever built

I was enjoying Eric's snow plowing video and wandered into this one.  It is just a close up view of the Union Pacific Rotary Plow and some commentary.  Click here to watch:

Steam and Snow G-Scale Style

Real snow plowing by Eric Shade.  Lots of fun to watch.   Thank you.  Please click here to view:

Here is another video from Eric.  Click here to watch

Dues Information

We still get an occasional question on annual dues for Maine Garden Railway Society.   Thanks for asking.  Here is what you need to know:

Our dues are kept very low.  

$12 dollars per year for each voting member.

That includes a Nametag,  Newsletters and updates on all MGRS Events:

Check made payable to MGRS
Please send to the following address:
       MGRS
       82 Carll Road
       Buxton, Maine
       04093
    
Dues are due in January of each year.  If you join during the Mall Train Show (Nov - Dec) your dues payment is applied to the following year. 

If you do not use checks:  You can pay on line. Click here to use PayPal.   To cover the cost of PayPal processing please make the amount $12.75.  Thank you.

Kind of cool

 I wondered why I saw daylight when I looked at a New Zealand web railroad cam just now. (Everything I was looking at in the rest of the world was dark right now).   So I Googled 'Map of daylight hours' and guess what they got one.  I guess there is nothing that you cannot find on the web.   By the way, the links to world railroad's that Tiny found (see below) is amazing, it just keeps going and going.


Map to Daylight hours  click here:  http://www.daylightmap.com/index.php

More Train Web Cams

Click here http://www.railserve.com/RailCams/   to get to a master Web Page with links to lots of other train web cam locations.  Some update a picture every so many seconds.  Other are live videos which I like a lot better.  Some are accompanied with sound or dispatcher voices.  They vary.  Thanks to Tiny who found this page and told us about it.

Here is a sample picture of one I liked called the Funnel Cam from Georgia   Click Here

 

Enjoy looking around, maybe you can find one you like. Note: I did not look at the ones all over the world but there are hundreds of potential sites to explore!  

Train Trips

This is already on the Blog but most of us have probably forgotten about it.  It called "Train Trips' and is a collection of blogs about that subject.  Click here to see them:  
They were fun to see again.  Makes me wonder if we will ever take the Downeaster to Boston for the day.   That has been suggested and still sounds like a pretty good idea.

Rochelle Web Cam

 

Sample picture 

Trains magazine has the Web Cam setup at Rochelle, Illinois where there is a famous crossing of two double track main lines.  Denneth Lee has actually visited the spot and reminded me of the Web cam feed.  You do have to be registered to view the pictures.  It is free,  If you would rather you can sign in as MGRSadmin@gmail.com Password Webcam.   No guarantee it will work from your computer with multiple users. 

Note:  The site will recognize you if you have registered with them before. 

Click here to try it out:

The Nebraska Zephyr

OK, I guess I am slow but I don't even remember there was such a thing as the Nebraska Zephyr.  It goes to show how little we really know. (At least some of us.)  To learn more, please click here:

Happy Shadow Day - Only 6 wks left.

Ranking right up there with Festivus,  I offer greetings of Happy Groundhog Day to our members anxiously awaiting Spring and the arrival of track cleaning time.

Here is the video:

Steam Engine Classic Videos

I have seen this before, but still enjoy it.  I love the enthusiasm of the person making the video.
To watch click here: