mainegardenrailwaysociety2023

I know this is not about trains but I felt like posting it.  I started watching it an found it interesting. Eagle Cam http://www.raptorresource.org/falcon_cams/index.html Eagle Story http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-ia-exchange-eggstoha,0,5461544.story Last year I think it was Scott who said we ought to have a live video feed from the Mall of the train display! Who knows what we might come up with?

We had a great time at Owls Head this last weekend. Two tracks and lots of action. click here for a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpSEcmG7Auw

 Living in Maine is a tame version of  'Man vs Wild'  so it is always a joy to make that first run of the year! It is cold out but the sun is shining and I could not resist the urge to try out the track.  Take a quick look:

From NHGRS a video of the 2011 Train Show.  Click here to view: Trailer (1 min)  click here Thank you, thank you very much.

From Denneth Lee:  Here is a clip from the 2011 Milford Train Show.  Thank you!  To view please click here:

"Railroad Fever"  that is this weekend for sure.    The Greenberg Train Show, The ECLSTS and the Owls Head Model Show are all underway!  For those of you like me who don't mind being a little late, here is a video to watch from Railroads across Maine 2009.  I love that first vocal!  To listen please Click here:

Remember To come to Owls Head Transportation museum this Saturday and Sunday! I will bring and run my new engine, plus some other steam engines. Several other live steamers will be there too. The Great Falls Model Railroad club will bring a modular layout. Models of aircraft and cars will be displayed and operated as well! If you want to show off your favorite engine or train car, Please bring it along. If you want to run track power on our track you will need to bring a transformer and a track connection. We will have two loops of track for live steam and battery power plus extra space for static display.

Goodbye winter, hello spring!  The Vernal Equinox 2011, is on Sunday March 20, 2011 at 7:21PM EDT. This marks the first day of spring !  Let the outdoor train season begin!

From the Bangor Daily News  Please click here to see story: from Denneth Lee

I enjoyed seeing the group at the annual meeting in Brunswick last week. Since then, I have done a few more things to my engine including finishing the pilot, adding handrails and taking her for a spring ride! here is another link to the first video you may have seen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb7vfhee020 The second video is a slide show covering making some of the detail parts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uo_vvu-gfQ The third video shows #9 running on my track on Thursday afternoon. I had to clear some snow but the sun did the rest! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY-mEZAzCrI

The Golden Age of Steam Trains.   These are good.  Each part is 10 minutes long. Very well narrated. Part-1 Part-2 Part-3 Part-4 Part-5 Final

Received an email from Doug Johnson.  I thought his railroad was still covered in snow, but he said that he had run his Alpine Line on Sunday!   That is hope for us all!!!!  Yahooooo.  My track is still completely covered except for one little piece.   Doug sent me a video but I could not open it, sorry. I will try again.  Thanks Doug!

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The Owls Head Transportation Museum will have its annual model Weekend on March 26th and 27th. I plan to have a small loop of track for live steamers (or battery powered engines) Please feel free to stop by and bring a model or two and share the high iron! Even if you do not wish to run a train, bring one to show off! here is a link to the show: http://www.ohtm.org/*ModFest_10.html

Question  #1  Is my son  OK? Question #2  Where  is he.  I think I am going to strangle  him. The kid  came out without a scratch but he wasn't so  sure that'd be the same situation after his   Dad sees  this............... Please click here to view:  (From Tiny) 

  Today was a very good meeting.  The buffet was excellent as well as the dessert corner!  It was a good price too ($8.95 I think). Lots of people attended. It was fun to see many of the members again.  It has seemed  like a long time since we were meeting every day at the Mall. Maine is a big State and people traveled from all over to attend.  Bill Goodrich and his wife Robin drove all the way up from Cape Cod area in Mass. and Tiny from NH.  It felt good to recognize so many friendly faces as we enjoyed eating and meeting together.  The highlights of the day came as Scott read a very inspiring message from Dick Rubin. Dick wrote on the "Impact" the Mall display had on MGRS and those who came to see it.   Next, Ralph Luby displayed an array of bridges, trestles and ideas which he has built for the club to use for this years display.  It was very impressive and will really help to create an even better display for this year.  Eric a...

I just came across this picture made at the end of last year's growing season.  I liked it enough to post it again because i want to see some color.  

  I do get to enjoy running trains every day.  I am lucky to have a basement to putter around in.  My messy workbench is my office as I diddle around with new ideas or the same old stuff.  This time of year I am getting anxious to get ready for Spring.  Waiting for all those bulbs I planted to poke through the ground and come up.  For now its enjoy the indoor loop and get ready to open that window up!   Here is a short clip of trains and sounds from this morning.  Click here to view:

I can remember this happened to my G scale engine once, but you don't expect it on the real thing.    I was running my GP38 around the track by itself and was late throwing a switch so it ended up with a set of wheels on each of two tracks and it  continued to run perfect, just looked kind of funny!

Ive made some progress on my WW&F #9. She now runs well so I have painted her and added some details. the cab is birch ply with walnut trim. I machined domes from solid bar stock. I fabricated detail parts including the headlight, bell and Generator. I thought I would bring it to China Rose in Brunswick next week. --Eric

This is Canadian National locomotive number 2699. It is a 212 ton machine powered by a 183 liters 4400 hp V16 4 stroke diesel Shortly before this picture was taken, whilst working under load, 2699 experienced what is known in the trade as a catastrophic uncontained engine failure. The train was passing the town of Independence , La at the time. The next picture shows that one of the 16 cylinder packs that form the engine was ejected through the engine bay body side and thrown clear of the locomotive. In addition to this the piston from that cylinder was thrown free by the force of the failure. It was ejected so violently that it traveled through the air and crashed through the roof of a nearby home where it embedded itself in an interior wall.

I was searching old posts and ran across this one.  I love the sound of the Southern Crescent steam locomotive that Carl had at the Mall.  It is also a great example of the "Doppler effect" you may remember from science class.  I reposted this link to pictures and video from that day at the mall.  Click here and then select Slideshow

"Just playing around"  I admit I was bored and got the idea it would be fun to make a 3 dimensional track plan.  Being cheap, I chose to literally "cut and paste".  I hope it will be of some help when we actually get together to get serious about this years Maine Mall layout.  I used the basic layout from last year but it is possible that the stage area it's self could change.  We all know we want to fix the snow blanket 'problem' but I wanted to show some other ideas also. (wider curves on the elevated line, better bridges and trestles, tunnels, more accessibility and even another level!   No one we met last year knew what G gauge was, but they all remembered Lionel. I thought it would be fun to have an O gauge track on the upper level to compare to.  it wouldalso add 'perspective' to the layout.)    Be sure to bring your thoughts to the Spring meeting and perhaps we can get some discussions started.  see more pictures

Union Pacific  GE ES44AC   On President's Day 2011, a Union Pacific manifest races eastward through new snow in Weber Canyon just west of Strawberry, Utah.

The China Rose Restaurant is the place to be at noon time on Saturday March 12, 2011.  Help Maine Garden Railway Society kick off a new year of activities as we get together for our Spring Luncheon and Meeting. I show approaching from the south on Rt 1, continuing on Pleasant Street and turning right on Rt 24, Main Street.  Follow Rt 24 around the Cathedral Church building and from there it is 1 mile on your right.  Please see map.  Thank you and we hope you plan to attend!   Please click on map to enlarge.