Pictures from Bill & Robin

 Bill and Robin said they had a great time and we all thank them!  It was great to see them and they also took some very nice photos to share.

LEMAX

I was looking to find things that might be interesting on the Mall layout.  I was thinking of Fairs and Carnivals that were fun as a child  and was thinking about a Ferris Wheel.  I did come across these rides I remembered as a kid.  TILT-a-WHEEL      BOAT-Swing      MERRY- go-Round  (Use Back Arrow to return).
This would go with our Ice Skating Pond    ICE-skaters    Here is the summer version with  Swan boats (no sound)    SWAN-Boats
For the more sophisticated viewer  at Christmas time  NUTCRACKER    LEMAX has lots to look at here is their Home Web Site, more Carnival rides

South Side - East Side

 

Click on Images to enlarge

Live Update from the Mall

Sent from his iPhone.  Pantographs up, Lights on!

Thanks Dick, your train looks Great!

Friday 12-7-12 at the Mall

 Today we had some very nice husband and wife teams that came to the Maine Mall to talk to people and to run the many trains on the display.

Meri and Dick took care of the morning schedule. By the way, Thank you Dick for that heartfelt speech to the veterans.



And Robin & Bill who drove all the way up from Massachusetts took over to run everything on the PM shift.   Bill had his camera going and he brought up lots of different trains to run.  Plus they will be returning Saturday morning!

Thank you to both couples, you are great representatives of MGRS!  We hope you all had a great time and enjoyed the experience.

Here is a Christmas Greeting Bill & Robin brought up on disk for MGRS - Click to view.

I guess I've been told.......

While at the Mall today, I saw a young man of about 5 years old visibly upset and talking to his father about the Thomas train.  Well, the father came over to me and said that a "major problem" existed with the way we had the Thomas train cars positioned in the consist.  We had the Clarabel car located ahead of Annie.  Wow, what a blunder!!!  So, I pleaded ignnorance, stopped the train and repositioned the cars "correctly".  Take note all you Thomas train operators!!!   Annie comes before Clarabel.  We've been told......

Say Hello to Paul and Walter

Friday 10-1pm and 6-7 tonight plus Saturday morning 9-12pm is the last chance to see the Westbrook Festival of  Trees this year.  The pictures below show part of the display plus some of the miniature items on display next door to the train room.  Of course there are lots of decorated trees to see.   Located off the Westbrook bypass in the Spring Street -  Church Street block.  Please click here for pictures:

Hot off the press.

From Tiny,  A member of NHGRS (Larry Mosher) sent this to those interested in buying his G scale.

From: lawrence mosher [mailto:lvmosher@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2012 9:33 PM
To: Barbara Scalise Kessler
Subject: Selling the RR

Hi Barb,

Please pass the word.

Three years ago I tore up the RR and sold it all off. A year after that I started to rebuild it. Two years later (today) I've decide to chuck it all in. I have fun with it but it was more fun building it than having it. If you live around here or know someone who does and want to come and get stuff for a price of course let them know.

I'm fine by the way ( thanks for asking  ) This just doesn't do it for me anymore. I'll keep something to run at a friends place near by. Got some good deals....come on down 
email or call ( east coast 7am to 7pm 978-502-1116) lvmosher@gmail.com

Pictures from Wed 12-5

 I just missed Carl, Mac and Dennis who had a busy day fixing things but I was lucky enough to catch Dave, James and Jim entertaining the crowds and having a good time!


Here is Jim cleaning some 'snow' off the gears of his "Shay" 

Westbrook Festival of Trees Train Layout

  Paul Corbett has been displaying a compact, yet full of action, train display at the Westbrook Festival of Trees in Westbrook, Maine for about 9 years. 

  The Festival located at the Westbrook Warren Congregational Church in Westbrook, Maine is in its 12^th year, running from December 1 through December 8, 2012.  It is a charitable event that has become a Westbrook institution serving as a fundraiser for local charities.  It also serves an opportunity for the community to come together.  In addition to quite a number of decorated trees,

 the Festival features crafts, ornate model buildings,

and, of course, Paul’s layout.

 

 

  The layout is well adorned with hand crafted models including a junk yard, a village commercial center, a cider mill, skating pond, and a train station. 

 

 

 The locos and cars are faithfully painted in the livery of the Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad of northern Maine.  The sign may qualify for the "Whacky Signs" feature of The Iron Horse.

 

  The Festival is well attended.  Paul related that there are over 700 visitors each year.  This morning (12/5/2012), the event was visited by over 100 elementary school students from the Westbrook Congin Public School.  

 

 

It is always gratifying to see the look on the youngsters’ faces when they first encounter the trains.  Their young but keen minds ask intelligent and interesting questions that Paul patiently answers.

  Hats off to Paul (and Walt Fossett who assisted him) for entertaining and educating the Festival visitors and providing great visibility and publicity for our Society.  Paul looks forward to a successful week and forward to next year’s display.

Inspection Day ~ We looked Good

   Carl and the crew looked sharp today as they prepared for the GGP Inspection Team.  Everyone seemed very pleased as the group toured Center Court and tried out  every Interactive display we had!  They seemed all smiles, but to tell the truth so does everybody else that stops to enjoy the trains.  The MEC train was freshly loaded with a car stacked full of Christmas trees and the Amtrak was right on schedule.  Everything ran well, plus we had a good audience of interested onlookers. 

Merry Christmas from Seashore Trolly Museum

Click on images to enlarge. photos by Dick Rubin.

Schedule for Paul Corbett Festival of Trees

Click here for more Information on Festival of Trees

Located in Westbrook Congregational Church, Maine St Westbrook
Map to Parking out back.   Entrance off of Westbrook Bypass.

Dec 1, 2012 ~ Maine Mall

Ben and Jake did all the work and Dick and John did all the talking.   Yes, a perfect match, we all did exactly what we enjoy the most.   I guess that's the way it should be.  Dick said he likes Saturdays the best because you get more people,  and we got a lot. The boys tried out many combinations of trains.  One man used to work for the Canadian Pacific and heard we had one running.  He was disappointed when it was not running when he got there, but Jake found it and put it back on.  The man ran and found his wife to borrow her camera and had a ball taking pictures.   Way to go!  Please take a look at pictures and clips from today  ~ Click here: 

On a cold Friday morning, about a dozen veterans from the Maine Veterans’ Home in Scarborough, Maine came to The Maine Mall to visit the Maine Garden Railway Society’s train layout and be honored.  About a dozen Society members were also present to honor the veterans.  Dick Cosgrove, Society Vice President, welcomed the veterans and thanked them for their service to our country.  It was a double celebratory event in that Jeannine Lessard, the Home’s Recreation Director, is leaving her position as of this date.  Jeannine has been escorting the veterans to Carl and Pat Churchill’s house and garden railway for many years.  She will be missed.  Carl presented to her a token of the Society’s appreciation of her association with the Society and the fine work she has done at the Veterans’ Home.

The Society also presented the veterans with several model train gifts to enhance the layout at their facility which the Society helped to set up and maintain.

A highlight of the event was a musical concert by Don Campbell accompanied by his wife Tonya Shevenell.  Don sang a medley of patriotic and holiday songs honoring the veterans’ service to our country.  He also distributed a CD of his music to the veterans.

The Mall staff, Stefanie Millette – Events Coordinator, and Craig Gorris, Mall Manager, was on hand to provide gifts and refreshments for the veterans.  Many thanks go to them for their fine efforts in making this event so successful.
After enjoying some hot chocolate and donut holes, the group posed for a picture before departing the Mall.



More on the Veterans visit

What a great Day!   The celebration for the Maine Veterans went very well.  Lots of MGRS members were on hand.  Stefanie did a terrific job organizing chairs, hot chocolate, donut holes, cup cakes etc.  Carl had all the presents wrapped and gifts ready.  Don Campbell, Maine's famous singer/songwriter was ready to do a special show for the Veterans.   Everything came off as planned as VP Dick Cosgrove made a very nice welcome speech and Carl presented Jeannine with a special gift as well as lots of nice presents for the Veterans!  A whole train with a beautiful PICO engine! 

  The Veterans had a great time and they were tapping their feet and hands to the beat of the music  as we enjoyed snacks and a good start to a very Merry Christmas!

Please click here to see more pictures and video clips of the fun. 

Thanks to all for a great visit!

Pictures from Art 11-29

Thank you Art, I am trying something a little different to see if viewers on the Blog can see this Album without being asked to "sign in".  Hopefully that will work. If you have a problem please let me know,
thank you John
To view,please click here:

Remember the Veterans visit Tomorrow morning

 Thursday, I stopped by late today and Art, Norm, Jim, Carl, Mac and James were there and even Santa brought someone over to see Thomas.  Everything was running well.  I caught up with Mac and did get a MGRS cap.  ($20)  they are embroidered and available in black and khaki.
 
I think Art has pictures from earlier today.  The only ones I took where of John and Hunk who team up for the afternoon shift.

 Here is John with his favorite Moxie car as well as two others that he brought in which are also favorites.  Hunk was making a bridge repair when I left and said he was scheduled to come back tomorrow afternoon as well. Which does remind me:  The Maine Veterans will be in tomorrow morning to visit the display.   MGRS plans to honor them as well as Jeannine who will be completing her last day tomorrow.  Please try to come by if you can.  We have gifts to present and also there will be special music as singer/songwriter Don Campbell will be performing.