mainegardenrailwaysociety2023

  The Maine Train Lines G Scale Model Railroad is part of the Westbrook Festival of Trees at the Westbrook-Warren Congregational Church, 810 Main St., Westbrook, ME   04092. The Festival is a display of Christmas Trees provided by Westbrook businesses and decorated by local charities. The trees and trains are open for public viewing on Saturday December 3rd from 8:30am-6:30pm Sunday December 4th from 1-7pm. Saturday December 10 from  9am to 6pm Sunday December 11 from 1-5pm For details please visit  https://www.westbrookfestivaloftrees.com/ The model railroad is sponsored by the Maine Garden Railway Society

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.

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 A nd some video of the layout Trains at Freeport Station Operating Carousel 1920s Gas Station

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

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

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

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 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 setu...

MGRS will make its 4 th appearance at the Mill Field Festival in North Berwick on Saturday August 17. The 34’ long x 16’ wide layout will be on a platform under a tent top. Setup starts at 8am on Friday, August 16. On Saturday trains will run from 10am-4pm with buttons to press and chances for kids to be a train engineer. The festival takes place at 14 Market St, North Berwick, ME 03906. Please stop by for all day trains, fun and food. The Richards Family Trailer with its operating G-Scale Display will again be in the morning parade.  

      The Southern Maine Model Railroad Club first annual show was held at the Congin School in Westbrook on April 6th. A short video clip from Portland's Channel 8 can be seen at Video of SMMRC Show   MGRS  members attending include Norman Waycott, Ernie Tarbox, Doug Johnson, Jim Jenkins, David Blue, Grace Miller, Mike Tarbox, Peter Richards, Preston Chadwick, and Ben Braithwaite. The younger members who helped at STRIVE Rocks also attended, including Hunter, Deven, and Lucas Weeks along with Brendan Long.   It takes a lot of power to cook at Howard Johnson's  (SMMRC HO layout in the Congin School Cafeteria) Fire Department and Street Scene (SMMRC HO layout in the Congin School Cafeteria0 N-Scale from Maine N-Track in the  Congin School Cafeteria Vendors and Model Trains in the Congin School Gym    

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               

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.            

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...