Video of 9th Annual Holiday Train Display

Thanks again to Jim Alberty from Apple, here is the video with music from the MGRS 2018 Train Display at the Maine Mall.

Maine Mall 2018 Video

MGRS Trains at Strive Rocks Weekend on March 16

MGRS will be running trains again on Saturday, March 16 at the Cross Arena in Portland for the Strive Rocks Weekend 2019.

Strive is helps people from age 11-24 who have developmental disabilities. Strive Rocks brings hundreds of them together for a weekend of fun and friendship. We are again providing sponsorship for this event.

Please volunteer to help with the trains. We usually run trains from 10am-6pm. The trailer usually arrives at 7am for setup.

Young engineers will be running trains again. Here is the proposed layout with one loop, a trolley reversing line, and two Eggliners.




Proposal Layout for 2019

Young Engineer at Work in 2018

Your Invitation to Join the Maine Garden Railway Society

We are G-Scale model railroad club, and our trains run outdoors in the garden. Our best known activity is the annual Holiday Train Display at the Maine Mall in South Portland. Please join our model railroading fellowship and help provide fun for children of all ages.

 

 

 Members help each other with their layouts, show them to friends, hold open houses, and display them at train shows here in Maine. We also  host visits from retirement homes, veterans homes, and special education groups at our outdoor layouts.

 

Please visit our blog at http://www.mgrsmembers.blogspot.com. You can see pictures, video, newsletters, and a schedule of upcoming events.

 

To join please print, complete and send in the Application with your check

 

To find out more please contact any of these members

·       Peter Richards in Buxton at 207 232-9701

·       Dennis Farrell in Gorham at 207 839-4887

 

 

9th Annual Holiday Train Display Wrap Up

Our 2018 Holiday Train Display ran from Friday November 16th through Chirstmas Eve on Monday, December 24th. Trains were running for 380 hours over 28 days.

 

"Looking through the fence"

 

 

 

 

 

Jim Jenkins on the Throttle

 

 

Candy by Walter Fossett and Ben Thurlow

 

Campground by the Ski Lift

 

Busy at the Sinclair Gas Station

 

PRR Freight rolls through North  Conway Station

Mathiu running trains with Ben

 

 

 

The Richards Family Christmas Train Set

On Sunday 12/16 Alberta and her sons Peter and Paul came to run trains at the Mall. They brought in the Christmas train set that dad Earl purchased some years ago. It has two sets of locomotives and tenders, one red and one green.

Peter and Paul set up the train, and Alberta was the Engineer.

Alberta, Paul, and Peter

 

Peter and the Red Locomotive

 

Steaming Through....

 

Christmas Train and Terry's New Amtrak

 

 

Chirstmas Train Video

 

 

A Visit to Trains at the Mall

Recently we had a visit from Mathiu, a 14 year old boy, and his Mom Mary. Ben invited them into the Control Area and showed Mathiu how to run the trains.

Mary, Mathiu and Ben

 

Ben had the idea of donating a train set to Mathiu. With help from several other members and the Club, the donation was made this past Sunday, December 16. Mathiu came in with his Mom Mary and brothers JP and Antonie

 

 

 

Santa helped with the gift, which was a surprise to Mathiu

 

 

 

 

Antonie, Mary, Scott Gould, JP, Mathiu, Ben Braithwaite and Dennis Farrell

 

 

 



Model Railroad Celebration at the Maine State Museum

The annual Model Railroad Celebration took place at the Maine State Museum on the first weekend in December. The Great Falls Model Railroad Club, Wiscasset, Waterville, and Farmington Narrow Gauge Railway and the Maine 3Railers O Scale Model Railroad Club  had layouts.

Village with Triple Track Bridge

Canadian Pacific Holiday Train with Lionel Camera Car

 

The Lionel Camera Car is a new product this year. The camera is in the back of the car. It transmits pictures to a tablet so they can be seen by visitors to the layout.

 

 

Polar Express Layout

 

 

Holiday Layout

 

 

Video of Brewery Building Operation

 

 

The Real Canadian Pacific Holiday Train

 

 

 

 

 

 






Model Train Village at the L.L. Bean Northern Lights Festival

Boothbay Railway Village is back for the 3rd year with the Model Train Village in the Children's Department on the 2nd floor of the Freeport Store.

Here are some pictured videos of the fun with train. There are two G-Scale trains on the outside of the layout and a raised O-Scale train in the center.  There is also a working carousel, rotating Christmas Tree, and two skating rinks.

L.L Bean Freeport Store 1920s Era Model

 

Model of Freeport Station

 

 

Trains and Operating Carousel

 

 

Around the Village

 

Trains Crossing at Thorndike Station

 

All Three Trains

 

 

The actual Freeport Station can now be seen at the Boothbay Railway Village.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maine Train Lines at the Westbrook Festival of Trees

MGRS provided and staff the Maine Line Trains at the Westbrook Festival of Trees again this year.

The Festival is held at the Westbrook Warren Congregational Church for a week in early December each year. Paul Corbett began providing the Maine Line Trains layout about a dozen years ago, and it continues with the help of MGRS volunteers.

The trains runs during the many activities that happen during the Festival, and all the Kindergarden classes in Westbrook come to

 

visit. This is definitely "fun for children of all ages"



Christmas Tree Stand



Lights Out Video





Village Siding Stop

Passengers at the Station

Snowball Fight

 

 

Behind the Scenes

 

Santa Bear on Skis

 

Moose and Calf near the tracks

 

Thanks to Dennis & Agnes Farrell, Peter Richards,  Paul Schell, Doug Johnson, Paul Corbett and Sam Carr for helping with this event.

 

Paul Schnell also leads the Boy Singers of Maine who performed at the Festival on Saturday evening.

 

Boy  Singers of Maine

 

 

Running Trains at the Mall

 

 

 

We are well into running trains in our 4th week of the Holiday Train Display. Lots of visitors have come to see us, and crowds are sometimes large. The raffle for a Thomas  Christmas set is VERY popular with lots of folks filling out entries for the drawing on December 22nd.

Skating Rink near North Conway Station

31 Circus Elephants mean a lot of Cleanup


Patriot Tool & Die built by Ernie Packard

Canadian Pacific rolls under the John Jackson Drawbridge

 

 

New Food Truck at the Mall

 

Ask Tice Leonard about his patches....

 

"Back to the Future" rides the rails

 

Here is a video of two European Trains

 

LGB Freight and Passenger Trains

 

Used Car lot - vehicles by Terry Norton and building by Ernie Packard

 

 

Thomas & Percy - the Kids Favorite

 

 

Do you see the Fisherman at the Fish Pool?

 

Amtrak passing Packard Lumber Co.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You Are Invited to a Member Social at the Mall on Saturday, December 1st at 5pm

Members and families are invited to join us at the Holiday Train Display on Saturday, December 1st at 5pm.

This is a chance for everyone to visit some old friends and make some new ones.

At 6pm we will head over to the Old Country Buffet to dine together.

And there are some new things to see

New Circus Wagons



Patriot Tool and Die

 

Tank Cars Rolling by the Skating Rink





Packard Lumber Log Delivery

 

Video of G, HO, and N Scale Trains from the Great Falls EXTRAINANZA Event

Here is video by the Lewiston Sun-Journal of the annual EXTRAINAGANZA event for children at the Great Falls Model Railroad Club. Its shows G, HO, and N Scale trains with several cameo appearances by our own John Middleton.

EXTRAINAGANZA Nov 2018

Mall Setup Almost Done - please sign up to help once we open

 

As of this evening the MGRS setup for the Holiday Train Display is nearly complete. All the train lines and buttons for the kids are working. And the buildings have been put in place. On Tuesday afternoon the Mall Staff will begin putting up the fence around the layout and getting the rest of "Winter Wonderland" ready to open on  Friday.

Please sign up to help when the trains are running between November 16 and December 24. They will be running every day except on Thanksgiving when the Mall is closed.

Shifts are 10am-3pm and 3pm to 8pm Monday through Saturday, and 10am-6pm on Sunday.

You can sign up by clicking on the Sign Up button on the Blog.

The first thing you will see is the schedule for the current month - as shown below.

 

Below that is a form for you to sign up for time. Fill in your information and click on the Submit button

 

 

Here are some pictures of the 2018 Layout.

 

Traffic Jam at the Mall Today

Add caption

Thomas and Percy Platform


North Conway Station and Village


Mountain Train

Patriot Tool and Die

 

Village Mall beside main lines and trolley track

 

 

Horse Tent at the Circus

EIMSKIP Containers with Campground Area
behind to be set up

Operator Area with Jackson Drawbridge Up