MGRS Train Set Raffle at the Mall on December 23rd

The club will be raffling off an LGB Starter Set today at the Mall.  Tickets will be handed out starting when the display opens this morning. The winner will be drawn today at 3pm, and people with tickets must be present to win.

Holiday Train Display Move Out Begins at 9am on Thursday, December 26th

At 9am on Thursday, December 26th we will be packing up and moving the Holiday Train Display out of the Mall.  Dave Blue will be bringing the club trailer.  Please help us wrap up out 10th event and take home anything you brought in to help us look good!

And please mark your calendars for our next event, which is running trains for Strive Rocks at the Cross Arena in Portland on Saturday, March 28, 2020.

Garden Railway Layout at L.L. Bean in Freeport

The layout of Freeport in the 1920s is back in the Children's Department on the second floor at 95 Main Street in Freeport through December 31.  Information about the trains and the rest of the Northern Lights Celebration can be found at  the Northern Lights Web Page

This display includes both G scale trains on the lower level and O scale trains on an upper level

There is a nice model of the L.L. Bean Factory Store from the 1920s along with an operating carousel, downtown area, farm and skating rink.

Carousel and Original Factory Store

Skating  Rink

Farm with L.L. Bean O27 Boxcar on Trestle behind it

Sidings and Water Tank

In addition to a model of Freeport Station, there is a poster about how it was moved north and became part of the Boothbay Railway Village.

Freeport Station Model

Poster Part 1

Poster Part 2

And some video of the layout

Trains at Freeport Station

Operating Carousel

1920s Gas Station

Maine Train Lines at Westbrook Festival of Trees 2019

The Festival of Trees took place from December 7-14 and Maine Train Lines ran daily for the visitors of all ages.  The decor this year was the old west of 1880s with a small town in Colorado and an Indian Village. We had over 800 visitors including all the kindergarten classes in Westbrook. Thanks to Peter Richards, Doug Johnson, Dennis & Agnes Farrell, Paul Corbett and Sam Carr for helping with this event.

Main Street In Durango, Colorado

Tepees in the Village

Wells Fargo Bank Robbery with old time photographer

Chief overlooking the Village

Locomotive leaving the Water Tank

Chicken Dance Sound Car rolling through the Old West

MGRS 10th Annual Holiday Train Display

Our 10th Annual Holiday Train Display has now been operating since November 16th and will close next week on December 24th at 5pm.  Here is some of the fun we have been having.

Amtrak rolls by the Mountain

Deven replacing bad curved track

Hopefully Tice is only getting a warning

Photo with permission of the owner

Container Stack Train
Chevrolet Parking for Conway Station

And some videos....

Stack Train and European Freight

Christmas Factory Tour

2019 Holiday Train Display Schedule and Staffing

The MGRS schedule now matches Santa’s hours. Here is a recap

From 11/15 to 12/13 (closed on 11/28)

Noon-8pm Monday-Saturday with shifts from 12pm-4pm and 4pm-8pm

Noon-6pm  on Sunday with one shift

From 12/14 to 12/21

From 9am-9pm Monday-Saturday with shifts from 9am-3pm and 3pm-9pm

12/22 Sunday from 10am-7pm with one shift

12/23 Monday from 9am-9pm with shifts from 9am-3pm and 3pm-9pm

12/24 Tuesday Xmas Eve 9am-5pm with one shift

You can sign up to run trains at the Mall by

• Clicking on the SIGNUP button on the Blog and filling out the form
• Signing up on the paper schedule at the layout
• Calling Sam at 865-4467

You can see the schedule by clicking on the SIGNUP button on the blog.

2019 Holiday Train Display Tables, Painting, Track and Wiring

The Mall already had the tables in place when setup started this week. Dave Blue and Tice Leonard unloaded the entire contents of the club trailer and placed it on shelves in the storage area.

Step 1: Terry Norton and Ben Braithwaite gave the table tops a coat of white paint.

Step 2: Ben Braithwaite, Dennis Farrell, Brennan Long, Scott Gould, and  Tice Leonard installed the track.Tice Leonard built the two tables for the controllers.

Step 3:  On Saturday, 10/26 a crew came in to help Terry get the wiring installed. The crew included Terry Norton, Ben Braithwaite, Tice Leonard, David Blue, and Peter Richards along with Hunter & Scott Weeks.

This picture shows the U-shaped layout with the circus loop at the front and the lower Thomas platform on the right. At the back you can see the loops formed by the inner and outer main lines. The Mountain is out of sight on the left.

Here is the mountain with the retail area in the background.

This view is from the back of room looking toward the door. When the covering panels are removed, entry will be through a 12' roll up door where you see the exit sign. The glass wall to the right will be uncovered so vistors can look in, and there will be a back-and-forth trolley running inside the window.

This is the coloring wall to the right of the layout and the door into the storage area

This is our storage area. There is a second area behind this for the retail stock. And it even has a rest room.........

This is the view out the door to where Santa will be located.

2019 Holiday Train Display Plans

2019 will mark our tenth annual Holiday Train Display at the Maine Mall. It will run from November 16 through December 24th with the exception of Thanksgiving Day.

This year Santa will be back in the lobby outside the JCPenney store.  The Holiday Train Display will be in a store space entered from the lobby

We will share the space with the retailer who was at the entrance to Winter Wonderland last year.

The layout is a U-shape with areas for Thomas & Percy, the Circus, Town and Mountain. There will be seven trains running

Westbrook Festival of Trees and Maine Train Lines from December 7-14, 2019

The annual Westbrook Festival of Trees will take place from December 7-14 at the Westbrook-Warren Congregational Church, 810 Main Street, Westbrook, Maine.

Details about viewing the decorated trees and visiting the Maine Train Lines model train exhibit can be found at the Festival Web Site.

The Maine Train Lines display was started by MGRS member Paul Corbett and continues each year with the support of MGRS members.

Visitors include Westbrook residents, children from the Westbrook elementary schools, civic groups, along with folks from local nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Everyone is welcome

Model Railroad Attraction with 90 G Scale Trains

EnterTRAINment Junction is the world's largest indoor model railroad display located in West Chester Township, Ohio. This 25,000 square foot display consists of over 90 G-scale trains encompassing the early era of American railroading, the middle era, and the modern era. Click on the link below to see it

Train Journeys at Entertainment Junction

Open House at Doug Johnson;s held on September 1th

Doug Johnson held his G Scale Open House this past Saturday, September 14th.  It was cloudy, but the rain held off except for a few light showers.

There was long track set up for the flatcar distance runs. Ernie & Julie Bay brought a pair of custom flatcars to run with figures of the California Raising from the late 1980's. Several flatcars were able to run the full length of the track (and off the end....)

California Raisins

Eggliners were running on Doug's small layout

Train watchers under the pop-up shelter during a shower

Rachel Corbett, Mike McDonald, Terry Norton and Lois McDonald at the pie table

Ernie and Julie Bay comparing notes on the pies

Ernie Bay and great grandson Jayce

Mountain and Waterfall on Doug's large layout

Boats on the dock of the water feature

Jayce & Ernie watching the ""Train in a Tin run its loop on the table.

Doug has expanded his layout to include a new farm and moved the sawmill to a new position near his garage. And there is a new, raised track that runs into the small shed behind his garage where the storage shelves are waiting for the rolling stock.

Terry made sure we saw what he calls his door in side of Doug's garage. It is a small but complete roll-up garage doors with rails and springs to make is easy to get model train equipment into and out of the garage. Terry is already campaigning to have one in Eliot.

Terry's Door at in  Doug's Garage



 Visitors included Jim Jenkins. Paul & Rachel Corbett, Terry & Sue Norton, Ernie & Julie Bay along with their great-grandson Jayce Powers, and Sam Carr along with Lois, Mike & Scott McDonald. Lois was the previous owner of Doug's house and still lives in Gorham. Her son Mike (our newest  member) came up from North Berwick and his brother Mike from Windham. And yes, Mike McDonald does provide the tent and platform we use at the Mill Field Festival.

Doug recently attended the National Garden Railway Convention in Portland Oregon. He found a company there that grows and sells real, miniature trees for your garden railway. They include trees for the area where you live. The web site is https://miniforest.com/

G Scale Wanted - Bangor & Aroostook Caboose

Jim Jenkins is looking for a Bangor & Aroostook Caboose, If you have one to sell, please contact Jim at 207-657-9218

G Scale Running in Gray on Sunday Afternoons

Jim Jenkin invites members to run G Scale Trains any Sunday from 2-6pm.  You can  bring your own trains. You can contact Jim at 207-657-9218. His address is 11 Adler Driver, Gray, ME 04038. Here are pictures of his layout.

 

 

2019 Holiday Train Display Update

Now that the Bon Ton space has been rented, Santa will be back outside of JC Penney.  The Holiday Train Display will probably be in a store outside of the entrance to JC Penney. Stay tuned for more news!

MGRS in the Maine Model Railroad Tour

The 2019 Maine Model Railroad Tour takes place on September 28 and 29.  Terry Norton and Carl Churchill will be participating on Saturday, 9/28.   Eight layouts are open on Saturday and  nine on Sunday. Information about layouts on the tour can be seen at the
 

Maine Model Railroad Tour website

 

 

 

 

MGRS at Mill Field Festival on August 18th

MGRS made its 4th annual visit to the Mill Field Festival in North Berwick on August 18. layout was on a 16'x32' plywood floor under a tent top. Thanks to Mike McDonald (our newest club member) and his crew for getting it ready on Thursday.

Setup started on Friday 8/17 with the arrival of the trailer. We laid the green carpet over the plywood and began setting up tracks. There were two main loops along with a 3rd in "North Berwick Center" and the Thomas & Percy Loops in the far end. Tracks were tested and some buildings put out for final placement on Saturday morning. The setup crew included Terry & Sue Norton, Dennis Farrell, Jim Jenkins, Mike McDonald, Ben Braithwaite and Sam Carr.

On Saturday we started with a good breakfast at the North Berwick Fire Department. Then it was time to lay down roads, place buildings, and make up trains.


Mike Tarbox and Brennan Long laying roads

Making Up Trains

 

The Mill Field Festival Parade took place while final setup was being done on the layout.  Peter Richards brought his Parade Trailer with G Scale Trains running as it rolled along

 



Side View of Parade Trailer



Peter Richards and Parade Trailer

 



 

 

Monster Truck in Parade

Camp Meeting Trailer in Parade

 

 

Once the parade was over it time for fun, food and trains. WE had lots of visitors, and the folding chairs beside the layout had a lot

of use. Terry set up two places for visitors to run trains from transformers, and there were buttons to run Thomas and Percy.

 

 

Layout under the Tent

 

 



Terry with a young Engineer



 

Mike and Brennan during a short break in Engineer Training

 

Law Enforcement Engineer

Sparky the Engineer

 

Pirate Engineer

 

Parrot holding Terry

 

More Pirates making Balloon Animals

 

C3PO signing autographs

 

Five Eggliners running

 

Grizzly Flats Tourist Train

 

We had a large crew for both running trains and moving out. They included Brennan Long, Mike Tarbox, Terry Norton, Sue Norton, Dennis Farrell, Jim Jenkins, and Sam Carr along with Louisa Power (Brennan's Mom) and Laura Power (Brennan's Grandmother)