North Berwick Mill Field Festival 2017

The Mill Field Festival was held on Saturday, August 19th, and MGRS was back with its second layout.

Setup on Friday, August 18

We set up on Friday. Thanks to Mike McDonald and his crew, our platform and tent top were ready to go when we arrived. So we were able to get everything ready even though there was pouring rain on and off all day. Here is what we had to start with

Layout Platform and Tent Cover with the Olde Woolen Mill in the background

Terry Norton and his friend Courtney Goodwin set up the power cables, transformers, and track connections. Jim Jenkins and Sam Carr set up two main loops on the front section of the platform

Two loops around the Village

Art Shean and Mike McDonald set up the Thomas, Percy and trolley reversing lines on the back section of the platform. Mike was willing to help and learned how to set up track. We started setup around 10am, and by 2pm all the tracks had been tested.

Thomas, Percy and Trolley Lines

There were three lines on the back section of the platform the for the kids. Thomas ran on the outer loop, and Percy had a Figure 8. In between there was a trolley line that ran from a passenger platform to a trolley barn and back.

Festival on Saturday, August 19

By Saturday morning the rain had stopped but it was still cloudy. The sky cleared off later in the morning and we had a bright, sunny, afternoon.

Terry, Art and Sam set out trains and got things running with help from two brothers that Terry and Sue know. They helped place vehicles and buildings to set the scene. 

Zach

Camden

The Festival has two parades, one for vehicles and another after that for Children. Once they finished the crowd started to gather on the Field. There was a Children's Play Area with a number of inflated "bouncy houses and a climbing wall. In addition there was an area with craft booths. Food was provided by the Boy Scouts, the American Legion, and the Fire Department. Aroma Joe's had a coffee trailer across the street in front of the new store they are building. The "Rolling Railroad" was also providing train rides as they did last year.

Rolling Railroad

Dennis Farrell and new friend Jacob the Engineer

Trains passing the North Berwick Station

Freight Yard with trains running left and right

Operating Engineers Terry, Sue, Ben, Dennis & Bill

Norman Waycott and Jim Muthig fixing a derailment

Bill and Robin Goodrich came up to visit all the way from Middleboro, Mass (close to EDAville Railroad and Thomasland!). Carl & Pat Churchill also dropped by from Buxton.

Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Logging Train on the outer main line

Thomas, Percy, & the Trolley

The "show" portion of the Festival ended at 4pm, with food still available and an and open air showing of "The Secret Lives of Pets coming up at dusk.

Thomas Percy and the Trolley

We started teardown at 4pm and finished just before 5:30, thanks to an excellent crew. The helpers included to Jim Muthig, Norman Waycott, Sue Hoffman, Dennis Farrell, Ben Braithwaite, Sam Carr, Art Shean, Sue Norton, Terry Norton and Kyle Richard of North Berwick Parks & Recreation.

Thanks to Art Shean for providing the Thomas area buildings and figure 8 track. Thanks to Terry & Sue Norton for providing the buildings and decoration for the Town & Country area.

And we have been invited back for 2018!

Thanks to Sue Norton for providing some of these photos.

New Vacation Campground in Southern Maine

Terry & Sue  Norton's latest development is a Garden Railway Campground for mobile trailers on their layout in Eliot. It all started with a trip to California and visit to Upland Trains where they found some very nice camping trailers. The web site is http://www.uplandtrains.com

Campground Overview

Trailer Sites in old Quarry near the railroad line

BAR Locomotive rolls by the Clubhouse

Clubhouse and Picnic Area

On the way to the Boat Ramp and Marina

Terry also set up some new businesses to service the
Campground Trade. They were purchased from the
builder who was from Massachusetts.

Woodman's of Essex

This is an excellent model of a well-known seafood place
in Essex, MA. You can see them on the web at http://www.woodmans.com/restaurants/

In addition to dining Terry also brought in a large stable so
the tourists can experience horseback riding from the Old
West right there in Eliot, Maine.

Warner Stables

The real building is also in Essex, MA. The roof on

the left side of barn lifts off, revealing horses in stables

and other details.

Essex Station

The station also has a roof that lifts of to show the ticket
counter and waiting room.

And for those who want a comfortable room instead of
a trailer, they can check in at the Bates Motel
Office.

Bates Motel Office

Norman Bates and Mom Norma wait for guests to arrive

Campground Manager "Pancake"

The Campground is full through Columbus Day because

visitors have been telling their friends about it. The

location is quiet and offers hookups for power, hot &

cold water, and cable TV along with wireless internet.

The Clubhouse offers laundry and vending machines 

along with tourist information.

Layout Visit to the A&J Railroad in Gray

Today we visited the A & J Railroad at the home of Jim and Ann Jenkins in Gray. Jim has been building it since they moved here from Bath about three years ago.

Logo in the front yard

There is a village at the front of the layout. It is served by a trolley line.  The coal car storage yard is behind the village, and the coal mine is at the left.

Layout View from the Front

Here is a picture showing the coal mine tower and loading facility.

Behind them is the wood-covered "tunnel" where Jim stores his rolling stock. Standing behind it are Terry Norton, David Blue, and Sue Norton. A young man named Ben is standing on the right at the transformer control panel. He is David's grandson. Ben got a chance to run the engines, learn how to reverse them, and try out a back and forth line with a Rail Diesel Car (RDC).

Coal Mine Loading Facility and Tower

Coal Storage yard

Jim had some buildings available, so folks went to check them out. These went home with Grace Miller.

Terry & Sue Norton, Grace Miller, Jim Jenkins

We had some rain during the visit.  The garage was a good place to hang out and stay dry. And that is one of Jim's airplanes above Paul's head.

Rachael & Paul Corbett, Grace Miller

Rail Diesel Car and Steam Locomotive with Mixed Train

Freight coming out of the tunnel

Jim Jenkins, Doug Johnson, Terry Norton, & Ben Braithwaite

Here are some videos of trains running on Jim's layout.

Steam Around the Lumber Yard

Climbing Through the Village

Coal Train

RDC and Coal Train

Thanks to Jim Jenkins for hosting this layout visit. And thanks to the members who attended: Paul & Rachel Corbett, Doug Johnson, Terry & Sue Norton, David Blue, Grace Miller, Ben Braithwaite, and Sam Carr

MGRS Train Display Sept 30th at SR&RL RR in Phillips

Art Shean is taking his mobile layout to the model rail and hobby show in Phillips, Maine on September 30^th. It runs from 9am-3pm and is jointly sponsored by the Phillips Area Community Center and the Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Railroad. He will be running G-Scale SR&RL trains. Narrow gauge trains will be running all day, with a special run for vendors after show take down.

Art invites members to help with and visit this event. He can be reached at (207)-373-1608 or via email at agshean@comcast.net. 

Inn at the Village to visit Buxton at 11am on Friday July 28

A group from the Inn at the Village will be visiting the Overlook Garden Railway in Buxton this coming Friday, July 28th, at 11AM.

We need 2 or 3 volunteers to help with this group. Please call Carl at 712-7218 if you can help.

MGRS Annual Outing in Buxton

On Saturday July 15th the club held its Outing, Annual Meeting and Picnic at the Overlook Garden Railway in Buxton. The weather started off cloudy, but cleared off later with only one brief shower.

It all starts at Check-In, where you can pay your dues, get a ballot for the Annual Meeting, a Door Prize Ticket, and Raffles Tickets for the Railroad Quilt and 50/50 Raffle. And everyone received a set of directions to this summer's Layout Visits.

Terry Norton and Scott Gould with the Railroad Quilt

And the new trailer was open to visitors

Terry (with coffee), Ernie, Walter and Hunk

Then folks moved on to coffee and visiting with friends

Jerry & Judy Booth, Doug Johnson & Carl with Hunk and Terry at the tables

There was a combined train and circus display courtesy of Art Shean and Norman Waycott.

Frank Howard, Mary Garland ,  Art & Dahlia Handman, and Philip Lentz

Frank Howard running his Volkswagen Bus

Norman setting up the Sideshow

Lunch was hamburgers, hot dogs, and potluck dishes brought by the members. David Blue was our grill Master  He did spend a summer cooking for a railroad crew. Thanks to Carl & Pat Churchill for installing a new grill during the week before the Outing.

Scott Gould, Grace Miller, Ernie Bay, David Blue, Mike & Julie Curry

David Blue, Ernie Bay, Bill Goodrich, Scott Gould, and Joe Connolly

After lunch (and a little dessert), we moved on the to Annual Meeting. The election results were

President: Carl Churchill

Vice President: Art Handman

Treasurer: Dennis Farrell

Secretary: Terry Norton

Board Members: Ben Braithwaite, Hunk Erskine, Frank Howard, Mac McLaughlin and Norman Waycott.

The club offered thanks to Carl & Pat Churchill for holding the outing again at their home. And to Frank Howard for calling all the members to invite them to the Outing.

Then we moved on to the long-awaited auction. Mary Garland cheerfully issued numbers to each bidder.

Mary Garland, Frank Howard, Mike Curry, Paul Corbett & Jeff Jacobs

The auctioneers were from the slightly famous firm of Braithwaite, Howard and Norton.

Ben calling the bids with Frank & Terry holding the quilt

A relaxed auction crowd

Terry and Ben working the crowd

During the auction Ben discovered that the bidding team of  Walter Fossett and Scott Gould would bid a dollar on almost anything. So he started calling them "Dollar Store". They bid on and won a number of items. Scott also won one of the raffles, and gave the G-scale car he won to be auctioned.

Scott and Walter were using the electric Cushman cart. So here they are at the end of the auction, leaving with all their winnings.
Gigi Jackson donated a pair of railroad suspenders to the auction. They were won by Hunk Erskine, who always wears suspenders.

"Dollar Store" after the auction

At the end of the auction Frank Howard was presented with a special "Frank's" T-Shirt. It is from the Moxie Festival, and 

will help us remember his name. The shirt is from the new Frank's Restaurant in Lisbon Falls. It just opened at old Moxie Store location at the intersection of Routes 196 and 9 in the center of Lisbon Falls.

Scott Gould, Frank Howard

The outing wrapped up around 4 pm. Thanks to the many members who stayed to put away furniture and clean up.

Run Your Trains at the Outing on Saturday

You can run your trains at the Outing on Saturday. There will be an 8' wide x 16' long layout table with two loops to run on..

Greenberg Show Dates in Massachusetts

Future dates for the Greenberg's Great Train and Toy Show in Massachusetts are

Wilmington      Nov 18-19, 2017

Hanover           Jan 6-7, 2018

Wilmington     Mar 17-18, 2018

For details please visit Greenberg 2017-2017 Train and Toy Show Schedule

Model Trains at the Moxie Festival

On July 8 we had a chance to run G, O and Z Scale trains at the Moxie Festival in Lisbon Falls.

The main layout was on an 8’wide x 12’ long modular table built by Art Shean. It uses folding sawhorses, 2 x 4’s and plywood sections that lock together. It goes up and down in about 15 minutes. This table held the G and O scale trains.

Modular Table

The other layout was Z Scale by Ron Czaja of the Great Falls Model Railroad Club. He brought an operating “layout in a case”, and displayed a variety of engines, rolling stock, and accessories. Also included were a scale comparison of HO, N, and Z locomotives along with a Maine Rail Group map of railroad routes. Many of the visitors asked about the tiny trains and even tinier accessories.

G Scale from the Maine Garden Railway Society included a freight train loop and a trolley on a reversing line.

Engines: Boston and Maine A-B units with caboose and Santa Fe A-B units from Jim Jenkins along with SRR&RL and another steam locomotive from Art Shean.

Trolley Cars: Bachmann open trolley from Art Shean and LGB from Sam Carr

Rolling Stock with a Beverage Theme:

      Moxie Boxcar (Terry Norton) and Moxie Trailer on a Flat Car (Jim Jenkins)

·       Poland Springs, Coca-Cola, and RC Cola (Sam Carr) and Pepsi-Cola (Terry Norton)

O-Scale from the Maine 3Railers

Engines:

·       Sodor and Diesel from Thomas the Tank Engine

·       Lionel Coca-Cola locomotive – old enough so that there is a “forward/reverse” switch on the engine

·       Lionel “Lionchief Plus” Mikado & Challenger steam engines

·       Polar Express “Lionchief” steam engines.

All except the Coca-Cola locomotive have wireless remote controls for the kids to use. Jeff Jacobs brought the “Lionchief Plus” engines which were just delivered to the club. The “Lionchief Plus” system has a remote control that allows you to operate up to three engines.

Rolling Stock with a Beverage or New England Theme

·       Moxie, Fanta, Tab and Sprite boxcars along with a Coca-Cola caboose.

·       Maine Central, Bangor & Aroostook, Maine Blueberries, and Providence & Worcester boxcars along with a Maine Potatoes gondola.

      Special thanks to Doug Pollock for supporting the patriotic theme with the American Flag and Wreaths Across America display.

Moxie Festival Visitors

The train layout was located inside the MTM Recreation Center on School Street. Vendors were in the field behind the Center, including the Roving Railroad

Roving Railroad - not at the Moxie Festival.....

Visitors began arriving before the official 9 am opening. It was quieter during the Moxie Festival Parade, which runs from about 10 am to Noon.

Just before noon visitors began to pour in.  It was a lot like a weekend day at Cumberland Fair or the Maine Mall. And the Festival has a shuttle bus that brings people from parking at the High School to the downtown area and then to the MTM Center. We knew when each bus arrived!!

The kids had fun running the remote-controlled trains and watching the trolley to go into and come out of the barn. Many of the visitors live in the local area, and wanted the flyers for Great Falls events and Cumberland Fair. Things began to quiet down after 3 pm. At 3:30 a member of the Moxie Festival Committee drew the raffle winners for the Maine 3Railers O-scale  Moxie Boxcar and the Charles Ro G-Scale Moxie Trailer on a Flatcar

The Festival had a concert behind the Center on Saturday evening, and wraps up with a Car Show at the High School on Sunday.

Publicity

We had great support from the Moxie Festival folks both before and during the event.

Here is the entry from their web site.

The train display was also included the tabloid flyer for visitors. It was an advertising supplement in the Lewiston Sun-Journal on Thursday, July 6^th.