Inn at the Village Rescheduled to Friday, July 11

The Inn at the Village will now visit the Overlook Garden Railway on Friday, July 11. This is a change from July 8th.

New Jersy Hi-Railers at Silk City Station

This layout is 185' long by 30' wide. It is featured in the July Train Collectors Quarterly. Pictures can be seen NJ Hi-Railers at Silk City Station Photos

The photos are grouped into slide shows which you can click on to view that group of photos.

This layout is in a 3rd floor room 250' long by 50' wide with unobstructed views. It combines their original layout run at the Dover Train show with others purchased over the years.

Celebrating America's 239th Birthday on Saturday, July 4th 2015

In keeping with a blog tradition, this post is about celebrating 239th America's birthday.

We always have patriotic music. So here, courtesy of Virginia Jackson, is a rare video of Elvis singing "America".

Elvis Singing America

There is also a long set of patriotic songs on Youtube

Patriotic Song Set on Youtube


Maine has a LOT of 4th of July celebrations. You can find them at

4th of July events in Maine

On the same page is a searchable list of the 85 fireworks displays in in Maine
If you erase the City name with the Backspace key and change the  County to ALL, all of them will be displayed at once

Maine Fireworks Displays

July Model Train Shows and Events

6    Gorham House visits the Overlook Garden 
Railway, 82 Carll Road,  Buxton, 11 am start

 8    Inn at the Village  visits the Overlook Garden 
Railway, 82 Carll Road, Buxton, 11 am start 

14-18  Worldwide Circus Summit, Eastern States Exposition, 
1305 Memorial Ave (Route 147), West Springfield, MA 01089. This event involves
 the entire circus    community,  including our circus modellers. For details please                               visit http://worldwidecircusummit2015.com/

17-19  Day Out with Thomas -Celebration Tour 2015 Part 1, Conway Scenic 
Railroad, 38  Norcross Circle, North Conway, NH 03860. Ride with Thomas, 
meet Sir Topham Hatt, welcome Percy, and much more. Please visit 
conwayscenic.com. For tickets visit  www.ticketweb.com/dowt or 
call 866-468-7630

19-25 Lionel Collectors Club of America (LCCA) 45th National Convention, 
Doubletree North Shore Hotel, 45 Ferncroft Rd, Danvers, MA 01923. 
For details please  visit 
http://www.lionelcollectors.org/annual-conventions/

24-26 20th Annual Eliot Antique Tractor and Engine Show, Maine Antique 
Power Association, Raitt Homestead Farm, Eliot, ME for details please visit http://maineantiquepower.org

24-26  Day Out with Thomas -Celebration Tour 2015 Part 2, Conway Scenic
 Railroad, 38  Norcross Circle, North Conway, NH 03860. Ride with Thomas, 
meet Sir Topham Hatt,  welcome Percy, and much more. Please visit 
conwayscenic.com. For tickets visit  www.ticketweb.com/dowt or 

call 866-468-7630

25  10am, MGRS Annual Meeting, Auction & Open House, 
Carl & Pat  Churchill's Overlook Garden Railway,  
82 Carll Rd, Buxton, ME ----------------O--

Monarch House Visit Changed from 6/23 to 6/25

The Monarch House visit to the Overlook Garden Railway has changed from Tuesday 6/23 to Thursday 6/25. Please plan accordingly.

Model Train Shows and Events for the rest of June

14-20        National Railway Historical Society 2015 Convention, Rutland, VT. 

The convention will feature seven days of rare train rides, one-of-a-kind photo opportunities and historic tours, followed by a public rail excursion on Father's Day, June 21. Tickets no longer can be purchased online but will be sold on site at the Holiday Inn in Rutland, starting on June 12. Our Help Desk will be open to sell tickets before and after every event. The Holiday Inn is located at 467 Route 7 South, Rutland, VT 05701. For information please visit http://nrcsd.nrhs.com/2015_Convention,  http://www.nrhs.com, send email to  info@nrhs.com or call (215) 557-6606.

20             Maine Train Day Brunswick 

The Maine 3Railers will at the Brunswick Amtrak Station 16 Station Ave.,Brunswick ME 04011, Hours 10am-1pm . Special fares will be offered that day by the  Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railway, Boothbay Railway Village and Downeast Scenic  Railway. For details contact Maine Operation Lifesaver, http://www.maineol.org/ or https://amtraktraindays.com/events/

20              MaineTrain Day Ellsworth

New England Steam will hold  their "Touch-A-Train" event at the Downeast Scenic Railway in Ellsworth.  Hours 9am to noon.The event will take place  at the Washington Junction Railroad Yard. To get there follow Main street to Washington Junction Road and turn on to Railroad Siding Road near the start of the Downeast Sunrise Trail. "Touch-A-Train" visitors get $2 discount off the train ride ticket.   For details visit  http://www.downeastscenicrail.org/ride/ Maine Operation Lifesaver,   http://www.maineol.org/ or https://amtraktraindays.com/events

20             Maine Train Day Portland

In Portland the Great Falls Model Railroad Club will have their modular display  at the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad,  58 Fore Street, Portland, ME 04101.  Hours are10am-1pm. For details contact http://www.mainenarrowgauge.org, or Maine Operation Lifesaver,  http://www.maineol.org

20-28        Train Collectors Association 61st National  Convention, Doubletree Somerset Hotel 200 Atrium Drive, Somerset, NJ  08873. For detailvisit http://www,tcaconvention.org

23          Monarch Nursing Home visits the Overlook Garden Railway, 82 Carll                      Road, Buxton

23-27       "Cruisin to North Conway"

Big Train Operators  Convention/2015 at the White Mountain Hotel & Resort, North Conway, NH. This is a G-scale club, and its earlier name was th LGB Model Railroad Club. For details please     visit http://www.bigtrainoperator.com

Amtrak Train Set for Sale

This set with a locomotive and three cars is for sale for  $1,400. Please contact Rich Young 

at richyoung2@gmail.com.

Amtrak Genesis Diesel Locomotive LGB #20490

with Zimo Truesound decoder and Visaton speaker

Amtrak Amfleet Coach LGB #32220 Phase Iv, 21004

 Amtrak Amfleet Cafe Car LGB #32224, Phase Iv, 20038

USA Trains Amtrak Baggage Car

Layout Space for the 2015 Holiday Train Display

The 2015 space will be closer to the main aisle of the Mall than it was last year. The overall size is 12' wide by 62' long. Near the main aisle there is a 8' section that is 16' wide.

                                                 

More Events at the Overlook Garden Railway

Here are some newly scheduled visits

July 6, Gorham House

July 8, Inn at the  Village

Aug 17, Gorham House

Narrow Gauge in the West - The restored 2-6-0 steam locomotive Glennbrook will be unveiled on May 25, 2015

The Glennbrook started hauling mine timbers, lumber and cordwood to the
Comstock in 1875. For the rest of the story please see the May/June issue of
Nevada Magazine at
http://nevadamagazine.com/home/inside-the-magazine/history/the-glenbrook/

Reprinting of the Illustrated Atlas of Maine's Street and Electric Railways 1863-1946

Seashore Trolley Museum has reprinted this Atlas

                                 

The Illustrated Atlas of Maine’s Street & Electric Railways covers the early roots of public transit in the state of Maine, including the early horse railroads, electric street railways, and electric interurban lines.

The maps were hand-drawn by Charles D. Heseltine and the plates were annotated by O.R. Cummings.

Both Heseltine and Cummings are notable authors on street and electric railways.

The maps are accompanied by more than 160 images of photographs and postcards from Cummings' research collection, now housed at the Seashore Trolley Museum Library in Kennebunkport, Maine.

To order please visit  http://www.trolleymuseum.org/store/books/The+Illustrated+Altad+of+Maine%27s+Street+%26+Electric+Railways+1863-1946

Trains to Togus VA Hospital

Last month the Maine 3Railers took their mobile layout to the Togus VA Hospital in Augusta. The veterans really liked it and talked to us about their military and railroad experiences.
One of our visitors was a World War II veteran who drove a Sherman tank and remembers riding in the 40 and 8 (40 men or 8 horses) boxcars when he was in Europe. Details can be found at http://www.fortyandeight.org/box-car/

Ken Thorson brought his military train that has cars that represent all the services- Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. 

Russ Purkey set up a WWII military convoy with a Big Boy locomotive, Sherman tanks on flatcars, and hospital cars. More on Sherman and other WWII tanks can be found in a book called "Tanks are Mighty Fine Things" at http://www.imperialclub.com/Yr/1945/46Tanks/Cover.htm

Here the all services train rolls through town and you can the many cars in the consist. One of the veterans told us that the roads between towns were not plowed in the winter because everything came in by rail

The military convoy train passes a small military post on the way to the coast. Quonset huts here are by Lionel.

Maine Train Day on Saturday June 20th - Events and Scenic Railroad Special Fares

Maine Train Day includes the following events and scenic railroad special fares on Saturday, June 20^th.  Rail-related organizations are welcome to join in.  

Schedule of Events

Brunswick – operating layout Maine 3Railers at the Amtrak Station, 10am-1pm

Ellsworth - "Touch A Train" by New England Steam on the Downeast Scenic Railroad, http://www.newenglandsteam.org/home,

Portland – operating layout by the Great Falls Model Railroad Club, at the Maine Narrow Gauge Railway 10am-1pm

Scenic Railroads with special fares for the day are

Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad, City Point Station, Belfast, ME                                       http://belfastandmooseheadlakerail.org

Boothbay Railway Village, Boothbay, ME, http://railwayvillage.org/

Downeast Scenic Railroad, Ellsworth, ME, http://www.downeastscenicrail.org/ride/

Maine Train Day is sponsored by Operation LifeSaver, www.maineol.org. Publicity will begin on June 6^th. The previous National Train Day is now Amtrak Train Days. Events including Maine’s can be found at https://amtraktraindays.com/events/

If your rail-related organization can join in, please contact Fred Hirsch, Maine Operation Lifesaver, Maineol@roadrunner.com, 207-945-6878

Paul Smith's "Make PVC Lumber Abutments" 1-page project in the June 2015 Garden Railways Magazine

Paul has a 1-page project on Page 82 of  the June 2015 Garden Railway Magazine. The title is "Make PVC Lumber Abutments". It explains how to make bridge abutments that look like concrete using "Azek" or "Kleer" plastic trim boards. Here is a picture of the finished product on his outdoor layout.

                   

Train Shows Coming Up in May

On May 17 from 10am-4pm, Hobo Holiday at Great Falls Model Railroad Club, 144 Mill St., Auburn, ME 04210. Dress Like a Hobo. Come and have Fun! Scavenger Hunt, Run Trains, Fish for Prizes, Hobo Stew, Hobo Folklore and Symbols. Admission $4, Under 12 free. www.greatfallsmodelrrclub.org

On May 23rd from 10am-4pm, 4th Annual Bartlett Roundhouse Preservation Society Model Train Show, Bartlett Elementary School, Route 302, Bartlett, NH. Operating model railroads, vendors, raffles and snacks. For more information please contact Show Chairman Peter Davis at 603-759-2173 or via email at granduck@aol.com

Pictures and Video the Mt. Ararat HS Show 4/25/15

Here are pictures and video from this show, sponsored by the Great Falls Model Railroad Club

WCSH Channel 6 had this video on their weekend news show

Model Train Enthusiasts Roll in Topsham

Here is a slide show of the operating displays from Great Falls, Maine 3Railers, the On30 Narrow Gauge Modelers, and MaiNe Ntrak. Click on the slides for  larger view with captions.

Maine Layout Tour Project, September 18-20, 2015

You are invited to offer tours  of your Garden Railway layout during the weekend of September 18-20, 2015.

These tours are being planned by a group including

Boothbay Railway Village
Eastern Maine Model Railroad Club
Great Falls Model Railroad Club
Maine 3 Railers O-Gauge Model Railroad Club
Maine Garden Railway Society
Maine Model Works
Maine Narrow Gauge Club
MaiNe Track
Model Train & Slot Car Shop
Norm's O Scale Trains
Seacoast Division NMRA
Sheepscot Scale Products
Sn2 Crew


The initial layout tour area will likely be in the general territory between Portland, Auburn, Augusta and Boothbay Harbor. The tours will be free and self-guided. They will be limited to members of the co-sponsors and their guests, and not open to the public.. If you want to offer a tour, please contact Jeff Jacobs, atlanticme@comcast.net, or (207) 729-2252

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

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/

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/