mainegardenrailwaysociety2023

Here are pictures of our layout at Strive Rocks courtesy of Art Shean. Junior Engineer helping Ben run the trains MGRS Banner MGRS Train Layout at STRIVE ROCKS! 2018 The following  picture and article are courtesy of WGME TV. Fun and Games in the Arena PORTLAND (WGME) - A family-friendly festival attracted hundreds of families on Saturday all in the name of raising money for a good cause. Organizers say the STRIVE Rocks 2018 Festival provides families a safe space to enjoy music, play games, and spend time with their kids. The festival raises money for STRIVE, a program that helps people with intellectual disabilities. The festival was split into a daytime and nighttime event. The daytime event geared toward families features inflatables like a Velcro wall, a petting zoo and arcade games. The overnight event geared towards teens and young adults will include live bands, photo booths and all-you-can-eat food. Organizers say they hope the money raised will help people with learning d...

Here are some trains that don't run in the garden.... You can see the video (after you wait through the ad) at Model Train Show at Augusta Elks It was all for the annual train show sponsored by the Maine 3-Railers. All aboard....destination? Augusta, Maine for the annual train show sponsored by the Maine 3-Railers.A group with not just a hobby but a love for model trains. "It's really neat to show off to people because a lot of people like it, and the kids come up to and say, "wow look at the train!,” said Maine 3-Railers member, Jackson Small. The model railroad club is noted for its operating displays, demonstrations, and of course, interacting with others mesmerized by the fast track "Here to greet the people and talk with the people, and talk about trains, model trains,” explained President, Dana Sullivan."We have a layout for kids to run some stuff and then we have a whole bunch of our cars that we've designed over the years that are on display, and...

MGRS held its Spring Meeting on Sunday, March 18th starting with lunch at the Hometown Buffet in South Portland. 38 members, spouses and friends attended.  And club membership has increased by ten since the July Annual meeting. STRIVE ROCKS! Our next event is a train display for Strive Rocks at the Cross Insurance Center in Portland. It runs from 10am-5pm on Saturday, 3/24 with setup starting at 7am. MILL FIELD FESTIVAL Our next public event is our 3rd visit to the Mill Field Festival in North Berwick on August 25th in North Berwick. For the kids there will be "drive a train" tickets so they can run the throttle. ANNUAL SUMMER OUTING - JULY 14th The Annual Summer Outing will take place on the second Saturday after July 4th, which is July 14th. Pat and Carl Churchill have again offered the Overlook Garden Railway for the club to hold this event. A volunteer committee solicits help from other members for the event. Frank Howard and Joanne Tarbox will repeat last year's phon...

We have some very exciting news! The Hannaford Supermarket located at 21 Hannaford Drive in Buxton has chosen MGRS as a beneficiary of the Hannaford Helps Reusable Bag Program! This means for the entire month of April every time either of the Community Bags are purchased  at the Buxton Hannaford we receive $1! This is truly a great opportunity for us, and an easy way for you to show your support for MGRS Please go to the store, find the reusable bag rack and buy a few bags! And remember to spread the word – the more bags purchased, the bigger donation to MGRS For more information about the Hannaford Helps Reusable Bag Program, visit hannaford.bags4mycause.com.

The videos of all eight Holiday Train Displays are now available on a single DVD. Members can pick up their copy at the Spring Meeting on March 24th or at the Annual Outing this summer The videos are courtesy of Jim Alberty and John Jackson. They will be shown at our events and used to help recruit new members.

The article "Rails in New England" by  MGRS member Nancy Norris is in the April 2018 issue of Garden Railways. It includes layouts by MGRS Members and friends, including Winnegance and Quebec Railroad by Eric Shade Dave and Jenny Miller's rural New Hampshire railway Scott Gould's Aberdaron, Pwhheli and Cricceith Railway Terry and Sue Norton's Groton and Charleston  Railroad Paul and Brenda Smith's Bagley Mountain Ra ilroad, showing how to keep evergreens alive through the winter Ralph Luby's elevated garden railway using PVC pipe John Middleton at Seashore Trolley Museum Nancy met John by chance when she visited the Trolley Museum. John also helps Stan and Deb Ames with their operating sessions. That railway will be featured in the next issue of Garden Railways.

On Monday February 5th a crew of MGRS members packed and loaded our equipment into the trailer for upcoming events. It includes engines, rolling stock, track and electronics. Shopping for trains at the Mall..... The tables and mountain built by the Mall are still in place. One of the options for the 2018 Holiday Train display is to move the tables out where the giant chess and checkers were in 2017. This is a larger space and may allow our display to be wider. Some equipment and props used only at the Mall is being stored in one of the storage areas we used during the 2017 event Parking on the Sidewalk Members who helped included John Middleton, David Blue, Terry Norton, Andy Hendrickson, Ben Braithwaite, Scott Gould, Doug Johnson, Peter Richards, Art Shean, and Sam Carr. There is a nice video of a family visit to the Winter Wonderland. It starts is writing an letter to Santa and goes on to the trains (of course)... Here is the link to the video Winter Wonderland at the Maine Mall 2017