A quick Hello to some new viewers

  Maine Garden Railway Society welcomes some recent viewers to the Blog.  Preston in Portland, Nochole & Pierre in West Gardner, Bud & Marion in Cape Elizabeth, Bob & Flame in Kennebunkport, Alison & Dan in South Portland, Mark in Dexter, Beverly in North Berwick, John & Marjorie in Kennebunkport,  James in Westbrook and Robert & Kathy in Howell, New Jersey.  Welcome Aboard!

Very Interesting!

Scott Gould discovered this and it is fun for us here in Maine to see how they celebrate Garden Railways over in the UK.   Their is a lot to look at, maybe we will pick up some good ideas.  Please click here:

Also there are interesting internet groups:  Take a quick look and enjoy Click here:

Take a look at a member video:  Click here: Scroll down to 'Tuesday Trains'.
It is very good,
Thanks Scott!

How about a nice PIN instead?

I received a new suggestion.  How about a pin instead of a patch?   I guess you can take any design and make up either item, I am not sure.  But anyway I came up with a pin design.  Not to big so it takes up a lot of space.  Something bright and eye catching.  Here are a couple of ideas:

The 7 stars on the pin were meant to represent one star for each week of the display.

MGRS plans day at Seashore Trolly Museum in Kennebunkport, ME. on August 11, 2012

  
Mark down August 11, 2012 on you Calendar.  Maine Garden Railway Society is planning to visit and enjoy all the sights at the famous Seashore Trolly Museum.   Here are some of the things they offer as taken from their web site:

•     Explore the Museum campus, visiting our Bus and Trackless Trolley Collections.
•     Observe the work being performed on various projects in our Town House Restoration Shop.
•     Tour our three exhibit carbarns that contain a sampling of our worldwide Streetcar Collection.
•     Ride an unlimited number of times aboard a variety of authentically restored streetcars.

• Your group can also head to our exhibit History in Motion: Public Transportation Connecting Maine Communities. Take a look at how the Atlantic Shore Line Railway, an electric interurban line, changed the communities it passed through in southern Maine. 
• Take time to look through our Museum Store, which is full of souvenirs, books, and some "hard to find" transportation related items. 
•  Enjoy a trolley ride on an authentically restored streetcar through the Maine countryside. Enjoy a tour through our exhibit mentioned above and hop on board for a 30 minute ride back to yesteryear.
•  Tour of the Grounds - After your streetcar ride on the demonstration railway, one of our docent's will guide your group through our exhibit carbarns which contain samples from our worldwide collection and over to our restoration shop.
   
• MGRS has made reservations for August 11.  We have a Group rate:    Adults $7.50   Children  Age 16 and under $6.00

View Seashore Trolly Museum Web Site:  Click here.

 The Museum hours are 10 to 5.  They do not serve food, but they provide picnic tables which are available if you wish to bring a box lunch.  That sounds like a fun thing to plan on.   If you have questions Dick Rubin  is the event coordinator.  He can be reached at  his email.  rjrubin100@aol.com.  If you plan to go let Dick know so he can keep track of estimated total number, or just leave comment.  Thank you.  We hope everyone goes and we expect it to be a lot of fun.

Time to think about a Patch.

Calling on all the folks out there who are creative.  Please contribute your ideas on a patch for last years Mall Train Display.   I used "Paint" program, but you may have something better.  Anyone who is interested is welcome to come up with a design or perhaps you just have the "idea" but do not want to draw it up.  Let me know, I will be happy to help if I can.
 Last year Andy did a great job working from an image that Scott, Terry and John collaborated on.  This year  I think we have several members that could come up with a good idea.  Please send ANY suggestions to mgrsadmin@gmail.com     

Thank you and here is just one of what I hope will be many suggestions:   We hope we can pick one at the Spring Luncheon.

Update from Eric

The big blizzard has hit!  These two engines really struggled to get through and the wind and snow continue…I think the line may be closed for a while this time!

Snowbound?

  Wow the forecast is for a possible foot of snow!  I guess we will  have to wait and see.  The tracks have been clear (outside) for a long time.  I was thinking maybe winter is all over. I should know better than that.  But, I am lucky because  I can still run trains in my basement.  I love puttering around my cluttered workbench and having the trains available to tinker with.  Today I took a little video.  Nothing special.  I have been adding power pickup to my passenger cars.  Still waiting for LED lights to arrive but if you look close you might see the incandescent bulbs which now light up from track power.
To take a look, please click here:

Trolly Update

   The trolley car is finished. I took the clamps off and the roof stayed in place.  After being told a canvas roof is not right for a Maine Two Footers, I decided to install a metal roof. The color was to be Red Lead primer but is a little off. I remember Red Lead to be more orange.  I plan to run the car as an excursion car.

John F

From New Hampshire

I forgot to mention 7/8 scale (See note from Scott on "What is the Difference" post below).
John Foley is one of the biggest advocates of 7/8 scale and we are pleased to show you a creation that John is working on.  Forwarded to us from NHGRS member and MGRS member 'Tiny' Lee.
Thank You, John we love to follow what you are up to:

From J. Foley (NHGRS)

As Norm Abrams said on This Old House program "you never have enough clamps."

I am building the Ferd's bagal Trolley using clamps to hold the pieces in place until the glue dries. The attached photos show the roof and all the clamps.

John F

Surviving Steam Locomotives in the USA

This is an amazing database if you want to do some research.  There is A LOT of information within this link:  http://www.steamlocomotive.com/lists/

How did that Happen?

I have heard the old saying about pulling yourself up by your own boot straps but this is pretty darn clever.   Please click here and enjoy:

In Between the Rails

  Here is a quick one (not recommended for anyone to try). But kind of fun to watch.  Click here to take a safer look: 

What is the Difference?

You will have to forgive me because I may not be stating the question correctly, but I think it was " What is the difference between 2 foot and G scale?  That does not sound quite right but I will try to answer anyway.

There is a club called Maine Narrow Gauge.  They model Maine 2 foot Railroads and I believe the scale is called On30.  Which is O scale trains on HO track.  O scale is 1:48 and HO is 1:87.

G scale I usually think of as 1:24.  But there are several other scales all called G scale.   They range from 1:20.3     1:22.5    1:24    1:29   and   possibly 1:32.   As far as I know the track is all 1.77 inches between the rails or more commonly called 45mm.    (I don't usually think in millimeters).

I just pasted this in from the web.  It is a good breakdown by manufacture.

• Accucraft has five scales - Fn3 is 1:20.3, Gauge 1 is 1:32, their ½" scale is 1:24. They also build 1:29 scale North American models in live steam and electric under the AML brand, as well as British live steam and electric models in 1:19th scale [also called 16mm] and Isle of Man live steam and electric models in 1:20.3 scale - the Isle of Man uses three foot gauge track, the same width as the dominant US Colorado narrow gauge.
• Aristo-Craft is 1:29, “Classic” series is 1:24
• Aster is 1:32, 1:30 for Japanese prototypes and 1:22.5 for European and Japanese narrow gauge.
• Bachmann's "Big Haulers" series is to 1:22.5, while their "Spectrum" Series is to 1:20.3 scale
• Hartland Locomotive Works products are engineered to fit with 1:24 scale Narrow Gauge equipment and 1:29 Standard Gauge equipment.
• LGB is 1:22.5
• Märklin "MAXI" is 1:32
• MTH Rail-King is 1:32
• Piko is 1:27-1:29
• USA Trains “Ultimate” Series is 1:29, “American” Series is 1:24

Standard track in the United States is 4ft 8.5 inches between the rails. (Don't send me the Roman Chariot story)  Narrow Gauge is anything less than that and I believe ranges from 3ft 6inches to 2 ft.

This might be a WAG.  But I think if you model standard gauge equipment on 44mm track that is called Gauge One or Gauge 1.  I found a club in England and Whales  that uses track 1.75 inches between the rails and they call that Gauge 1.    But, I will leave it all open to discussion.

From Scott -   To build a narrow gauge layout in which 45 mm track is intended to represent a span of two feet between the rails, the scale of the trains would be 7/8” inches to the foot.  That’s just short of doll house size.  Looks great in the garden, but there are very few parts available.

Welcome to Bruce & Anne from New Hampshire

MGRS is happy to welcome Bruce Belles as a new member.  He and his wife Anne live in New Hampshire. He was introduced to MGRS by his brother-in-law Mike Silsby.  Bruce grew up in Philadelphia and remembers trains and trolleys there as a child.  Bruce said he has been up to see the Mall Train Show the past two years and he sounds like he has lot of interesting train stories to share.  We look forward to meeting them soon and welcome them to MGRS.

A tragic B&M train wreck from history

Bruce  Belles posted this as a comment and I moved it to a posting.  This event happen right across the river from where Bruce lives:  The story follows:


Built in 1913 by the American Locomotive Co. in Schenectady, N.Y., #3666 was just one of many similar engines on the B&M’s roster. This class of power operated primarily in passenger service. Nothing unusual happened to this particular locomotive until Sunday evening September 10, 1939. To continue, we quote from an April 1972 Magazine
Mr. Menut: “Train 2013 left Boston at 1:30 pm behind engine #3666, a local to Portsmouth, N.H. After a short layover at Portsmouth, the #3666 was turned and backed its train of deadhead equipment (now called Train 2021) to North Berwick, ME where the #3666 ran around the train and waited for the arrival of connecting Train 1044, a local passenger train leaving Portland at 6:35 pm for Boston via the Western Route. Passengers from points in Maine destined to Eastern Route points transferred at North Berwick to the waiting train, now numbered Train 2024 in the time-table… a Sunday-only local from North Berwick to Boston.”

Now we quote briefly from a piece in the Portland Press Herald of September 11, 1939:

“As Train 2024 headed for Boston, it passed over the century-old wooden bridge across the Piscataqua River between Kittery, Maine and Portsmouth, N.H. About half way across, the bridge timbers beneath the trestle suddenly gave way and engine #3666, her tender, and the first car of the train plunged into the cold, black 60-foot deep river. As the air brake hoses between the cars parted, the brakes went into emergency, stopping the remaining passenger cars before they could follow the other equipment into the river below. Engineer John Beattie of Somerville and fireman Charles H. Towle of Portland were drowned. There were just 12 passengers on the train, including 3 children and 2 women, plus the conductor, brakeman and a baggagemaster. All were safe in the rear cars and were taken by HANDCARS to the end of the bridge where they transferred to a bus to complete their trip. Fireman Towle’s body was found shortly after the accident, but Beattie’s body would not be found until several days later, far upstream at Dover Point.”


While a new bridge was being constructed along-side the old one, a caisson at the new bridge site had dragged its anchor cables and the cables in turn pulled out several bents of the bridge span so that it was unsupported at the time #3666 ran over it.”

Engine #3666 and the coach were never recovered, and to this day lie in their watery grave at Portsmouth. They have not remained there in peace however, being the subject of several attempts to remove them.

Feb 23rd 1893

On this date in history Rudolf Diesel patented the DIESEL ENGINE.

This is Great! From Doug Johnson

Doug sent me these pictures and I never saw them before.  If you appreciate great detail and excellent photography then Click here and enjoy.  Well worth the look!  Thanks Doug.

 

Oh Boy, the postlady came!

  I get excited like the dog when he hears the can opener running!  The postlady is leaving a small box.  Oh Boy, I know its got to be something good!   I bought a roll of LED lights and an inexpensive soldering iron which hasn't come yet.  But I ordered some electrical pickup passenger car trucks from ana.kramer.   Well the box from Al Kramer was the first to arrive.  Requiring instant gratification I tore open the box and they were just what I hoped for.  With a screw driver and some black tape I had a car lite up faster then you can say "Thank you Scott Gould, why haven't I done this before?"    If you have the battery powered Bachmann style passenger cars, these may be what you want.  All I did was replace the old truck with the new one.  I used my old wheels and coupler and (don't laugh) I attached the wire leads into the battery box with some electric tape for now.  What I wanted to see was how good the pickup worked and I was very happy.   I just used one electric pickup per car, but it has 4 pickup contact points per truck.  Two wheels on each side about 2 inches apart work great!   dirt, gaps, switches, crossings and insulated joiners all work without interruption. And now, NO batteries Required.

  The real learning and fun begins when the LED's arrive and I get into page 7 of the Newsletter.  I hope to learn about capacitors, regulators, resistors and one more that I can't think of right now.  But the LED's should last longer, run cooler, look brighter and take a lot less current, all things that make me want to use them!

In Rememberance

This Locomotive - Typical Pacific Class Passenger Engine was built for the Maine Central Railroad by the American Locomotive Company in 1924 and made its last run June 15, 1954.  It is here preserved as a monument to Steam which powered Maine Central trains for 92 years.

Pretty cool looking engine

 

  This is the Iowa Interstate QJ 2-10-2  cruising along looking and sounding very good.  I am not sure what QJ stands for,  if you know leave a comment.   To watch her go, click here:

Here is the ANSWER to my Question (Thanks Tiny & Mike)