Sunday, April 19, 2015
Hookset Lions 20th Annual Model Train Show, 4/26, 10am-3pm, Hookset, NH
The Hookset Lions Train Show will take place on April 26 from 10am-3pm at the Hookset Cawley Middle School, Route 27, 89 Whitehall Road (1 mile off Route 30), Hookset, NH 03106. Adults $4, Children 6-12 $1, under 6 free, family maximum $10. For more information call 603-485-3881, 603-627-4662, or email hooksetlionsclub@yahoo.com
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
July 19-25, Lionel Collectors Club of America 45th National Convention, Danvers, MA
The LCCA 45th National Convention will take place from July 19-25 at the Doubletree North Shore Hotel, 50 Ferncroft Rd., Danvers, MA 01923. The Convention includes the LCCA Store, Train Layouts, and a Train Show in the Trading Hall (Fri-Sat).
For more information please visit http://www.lionelcollectors.org/annual-conventions/
For more information please visit http://www.lionelcollectors.org/annual-conventions/
Spring Model Railroad Show 4/25 10am-3pm, Mt. Ararat High School, Topsham, ME
This is one of the larger model railroad shows in Maine, and is sponsored by the Great Falls Model Railroad Club, http://www.greatfallsmodelrrclub.org/
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Remaining cars.
update from John on remaining cars. see previous post for prices and contact info
| LGB | 3150 | Deutch Eisenbahn 1985 | $ 50.00 |
| LGB | 30430 | Grizzly Flatts Sightseeing Car | $ 50.00 |
| LGB | 31440 | Christmas Sightseeing Car | $ 50.00 |
| LGB | 41120 | Christmas Gondola w/ Trees- '96 | $ 50.00 |
| L |
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Tuesday, March 31, 2015
John's cars
John Sharpe's cars are selling fast
| Bachmann | 81180 | Pardee and Curtin Lumber Co. #6 Climax | $ 200.00 |
| Bachmann | 96201 | Hand Car w/ Trailer | $ 50.00 |
| LGB | 3150 | Deutch Eisenbahn 1985 | $ 50.00 |
| LGB | 4067-K 01 | State of Maine boxcar | $ 50.00 |
| LGB | 30430 | Grizzly Flatts Sightseeing Car | $ 50.00 |
| LGB | 31440 | Christmas Sightseeing Car | $ 50.00 |
| LGB | 41120 | Christmas Gondola w/ Trees- '96 | $ 50.00 |
| LGB | 45352 | Coca Cola Boxcar w/ Sound | $ 50.00 |
| LGB | 47400 | Christmas Tank Car | $ 50.00 |
| these two cars added: | |||
| LGB | 34120 | Christmas Barrel Car | $ 50.00 |
| LGB | 45110 | Christmas Closed Gondola | $ 50.00 |
see previous post for address and shipping info
Monday, March 23, 2015
Items for sale
As I mentioned at the meeting, John Sharpe has some items for sale. They are in awesome condition and the price is right.
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| Please send me e-mail if you are interested in buying one of my cars. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| My email is jcsharpe442@yahoo.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I can take PayPal if that is convenient. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I hope you live close enough that we can meet half way to complete a transaction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| otherwise there would be a hefty postage charge. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Dues Information Update
$15 dollars per year for each voting member.
That includes Newsletters and updates on all MGRS Events:
Check made payable to MGRS
Please send to the following address:
MGRS
33 Elden Rd.
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 $15.75. Thank you.
Spring Meeting
The Spring Meeting was held this past Saturday, March 21, at the Maine Mall with a large turnout of MGRS members. As with all important meetings, most agenda items were duly tabled, but it was nonetheless a pleasure to see so many folks celebrating the vernal equinox together, even though the vernal part is still hidden by the snow. Here are a couple of pictures of the crowd. Frank Howard wanted to be certain he was in the room when I took the photos, and he is, although Terry Norton (standing) moved just before I took the picture. Sorry Frank. I'll try to get you in a shot at the Annual Meeting in July.
Terrapin Station Garden Railway at the 2015 Portland Flower Show
Terrapin
Station was seen by over 9,000 visitors at the 2015 Flower Show in Portland,
Maine. It had 21 different species of plants and was part of the floral
competition. Richard Young from the Maine Garden Railway Society has been
bringing trains to the Flower Show for the last four years. For this event he
was offered a larger space at short notice. He chose a typical back yard with a
scenic garden railway. There is a central patio with comfortable furniture and
a Big Green Egg for grilling & cooking. One corner has a working hot tub on
a patio with a small bar. The garden railway wraps around the central patio
through a village, farm and hills. The most frequent train was the Amtrak
Genesis with four passenger cars. It looks like the Amtrak Downeaster, well
known by sight and whistle to children of all ages in Southern Maine.
The 350’ of
track was powered by BridgeWerks Magnum 15-SRM Controller and their UR-15
Remote Control. Motive power is an Amtrak Genesis with Zimo sound card and
rolling stock is four Amfleet coaches. The bridge is a 20’ kit from Carl
Wedekman.
Construction
began with placing paving blocks upright in the track pattern shown above. Then
the central and hot tub patios were laid, followed by landscape fabric outside
the patio areas. Twelve cubic yards of mulch were used to fill the layout. Next
the rail bed was ballasted so track could be laid, connected and powered.
Finally, the outside border was done with about a ton of rock. Trees, plants,
and flowers go in the day before opening, once the loading doors are closed and
heat turned on.
The creation
of this display from decision to opening in a single week was made possible by
exhibitors who generously provided materials for Terrapin Station. They include
hardscape from Blue Rock Stone Center, a hot tub and Big Green Egg ceramic
cooker from Mainely Tubs, and trees from O’Donal’s Nursery Garden Center.
Paul Corbett, another member of the Maine Garden Railway Society, provided the
buildings and figures that helped bring the layout to life. Thankfully some of
his buildings were not buried under all the snow here! A time lapse
video of the setup of the 2015 Portland, Maine Flower Show can be seen at http://www.pressherald.com/media/video/time-lapse-setting-portland-flower-show/ Terrapin Station appears in the top
of the overhead camera shots.
Plant List
Tulip
Juniper
Norway Spruce
Dwarf Mountain Pine
Scrub Pine
False Cypress
White Spruce
Juniper
Japanese Spurge
Heather
Succulents
Juniper
White Spruce
Cyclamen
Gerbera
Lobelia
Heuchra
Barren Strawberry
Cypress
Dwarf Alberta Spruce
Annual Meeting and Open House will be on Saturday, July 25
The MGRS,Annual Meeting and Open House will be on Saturday, July 25 at Carl & Pat Churchill's in Buxton. There will be an auction. Please bring something for the potluck lunch.
Friday, March 20, 2015
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Big Train Operators Club Convention in North Conway, June 23-27, 2015
The Big Train Operator's Club will hold its annual convention from June 23-27 in North Conway.
For information please visit http://www.bigtrainoperator.com/2015noconway/index.shtml.
The main activity is visits to scenic railroads. The White Mountain Hotel and Resort is the convention headquarters. BTO is a G-scale club offering membrship, a quarterly magazine, and the annual convention. For details please visit http://www.bigtrainoperator.com/btoc/invite.shtml
For information please visit http://www.bigtrainoperator.com/2015noconway/index.shtml.
The main activity is visits to scenic railroads. The White Mountain Hotel and Resort is the convention headquarters. BTO is a G-scale club offering membrship, a quarterly magazine, and the annual convention. For details please visit http://www.bigtrainoperator.com/btoc/invite.shtml
Riverbend and Southwest Garden Railway in LaBelle, Florida, from Paul & Brenda Smith
March 13, 2015
I visited the Riverbend
RV park near LaBelle, FL a few weeks ago. I had heard that they had a great
garden railway. They have an operating session every Saturday morning, so
Brenda and I are planning to go over there tomorrow morning. I'll take some
photos for you to post on the blog (if you want). In the meantime, the link
below will take you to a web page that shows the layout:
Note: The picture on this page starts a neat video of the entire railway with running trains
and clips taken from the front of of trail
and clips taken from the front of of trail
March 14, 2015
The small club dismantles everything, including the track
at the end of March when they leave the RV park for the season. They have a
couple of storage buildings in which they store everything. The railbed can
become completely submerged in water with heavy summertime rain storms.
Plant Pot Railway Update from Paul Smith
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| Railway with F-7 Locomotive |
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| Railway with Penny for Scale |
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| Top View
March 5, 2015
I just thought I would send a couple updated photos of
the plant pot garden railway and report on how it is operating. The Kato N
scale Unitrak system with nickel silver track is working well. However, with
the humidity and warm temps down here in SW FLorida, I do get a bit of green
mold that forms on the track periodically which affects the conductivity from
the track to the wheels of the locomotives. I found that using a paper towel
moistened with isopropyl alcohol does a nice job of cleaning the track. I just
run it over the length of the track for a couple of laps and then everything
works fine. I also occasionally use a bright boy to clean the rails as I do
with my indoor railway back in Maine.
The tiny plants that I put in the pot have begun to take
off, so I keep them pruned so that they don't interfere with the right of way
of the track, and also to keep them within an appropriate scale for the N scale
train.
I originally bought a Bachmann NW2 locomotive back in
January, but after some continuous running (sometimes several hours at a time),
the gears started sounding funny. I took it back to the local train shop (Metro
Trains and Hobbies here in Fort Myers) and they are having it serviced by their
N scale specialist (I'm not sticking my fat fingers in there!). While I was at
the shop, I found a 5 car set (including an F-7A locomotive in Union Pacific
colors as well as a matching caboose) by Kato. Kato locomotives, from what I
hear and read, are the most reliable and durable of all N scale units. After
some traditional Maine haggling, I came home with the set.
So that I can avoid excessive wear and tear on the
locomotives in the future, I installed a manual timer (from Lowes) on the low
voltage side of the power pack which can run from 1 to 60 minutes depending on
how far the knob on the timer is rotated. It is installed in an outdoor
receptacle box to keep it dry, and I attached it on the exterior wall near our
front door so I can turn the train on for operating/demo by simply walking out
onto our front door step. Once I get the Bachmann locomotive back from the
shop, I'll be able to rotate the locomotives. I'll also bring one of my Atlas GP-7's
back from Maine next fall so I'll then have three to operate.
I'll say one thing: dealing with N scale couplers and
wheel sets, which vary in size and style (axles vary in length from some
manufacturers to others), really makes one appreciate large scale trains!
A friend just sent me some photos of our home in Maine
that he took a couple of days ago. You can see the house and shed under the
snow, but the garden railway and its' plants are well insulated by probably 3
feet of the white stuff!
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Friday, March 6, 2015
REMINDER TO MEMBERS
ANNUAL SPRING MEETING
MARCH 21ST AT 1:00 pm
HOMETOWN BUFFET
MAINE MALL IN SOUTH PORTLAND
MARCH 21ST AT 1:00 pm
HOMETOWN BUFFET
MAINE MALL IN SOUTH PORTLAND
Garden Railway at the Flower Show - worth the trip! - Updated with pictures, admission and parking information
Yesterday I went to help Rich Young with his garden railway and plant display at the Portland Flower Show. Its definitely worth is visit.
The layout is a single track, dog bone pattern about the size of the Mall layout. Paul Corbett provided buildings and vehicles. The train runs around a full-size patio with furniture, a grill, and an working hot tub. The layout is built at the ground level like the "Thomas" area at the Mall, so the kids love it.
Paul and Rachael Corbett were taking pictures, and Richard introduced me to Dennis Smith, Ivan's son, who also has an exhibit at the Flower Show.
The Flower Show is at the Portland Company at 58 Fore Street in Portland. It is open today and Saturday from 10-7 and from 10-5 on Sunday. Details can be found at www.portlandcompany.com/flower, at "Portland-Flower-Show" on Facebook, or by calling 207-775-4403.
Daily admission is $15 per person
Parking at the Portland Company is $25 per day. You can park at
Video Links
Amtrak DownEaster in South Village
Amtrak DownEaster northbound over the bridge
Time Lapse video of Flower Show setup. The high camera shots show the garden railway. You can see it below the "4E" sign.
Press Herald Time Lapse video
The layout is a single track, dog bone pattern about the size of the Mall layout. Paul Corbett provided buildings and vehicles. The train runs around a full-size patio with furniture, a grill, and an working hot tub. The layout is built at the ground level like the "Thomas" area at the Mall, so the kids love it.
Paul and Rachael Corbett were taking pictures, and Richard introduced me to Dennis Smith, Ivan's son, who also has an exhibit at the Flower Show.
The Flower Show is at the Portland Company at 58 Fore Street in Portland. It is open today and Saturday from 10-7 and from 10-5 on Sunday. Details can be found at www.portlandcompany.com/flower, at "Portland-Flower-Show" on Facebook, or by calling 207-775-4403.
Daily admission is $15 per person
Parking at the Portland Company is $25 per day. You can park at
garages along Commercial Street and take the free shuttle bus to and from the Flower Show. Garages and businesses with stops have signs on The Commercial St.
Video Links
Amtrak DownEaster in South Village
Amtrak DownEaster northbound over the bridge
Time Lapse video of Flower Show setup. The high camera shots show the garden railway. You can see it below the "4E" sign.
Press Herald Time Lapse video
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Monday, February 23, 2015
Portland Flower Show
Hello,
Once again, I have signed up tp have a display at the Portland Flower Show, which runs from Wednesday March 4th through the 8th. The PFF will take place at the Portland Company Complex, located on the waterfront in Portland.
http://portlandcompany.com/flower/
I am wondering if any of you would like to come out and run trains, speak with the general public about garden railroading and just be your normal jovial self!!
You are more than welcome to run your own trains. I will be using 10' diameter track from USA Trains, so plan accordingly. Track power will be provided by the Bridgewerks Mag 15 power supplies. I plan on having at least 2 if not 3 separate tracks.
If you are interested in running trains next weekend, shoot me an email richyoung2@gmail.com or you can call me at 207-807-8727
Thanks and see you trackside!
Rich
Once again, I have signed up tp have a display at the Portland Flower Show, which runs from Wednesday March 4th through the 8th. The PFF will take place at the Portland Company Complex, located on the waterfront in Portland.
http://portlandcompany.com/flower/
I am wondering if any of you would like to come out and run trains, speak with the general public about garden railroading and just be your normal jovial self!!
You are more than welcome to run your own trains. I will be using 10' diameter track from USA Trains, so plan accordingly. Track power will be provided by the Bridgewerks Mag 15 power supplies. I plan on having at least 2 if not 3 separate tracks.
If you are interested in running trains next weekend, shoot me an email richyoung2@gmail.com or you can call me at 207-807-8727
Thanks and see you trackside!
Rich
Sunday, February 8, 2015
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