Saturday, February 25, 2006

In the Quake's Aftermath

In the previous posting we learned of the "shake, rattle and rolling" that went on around North Dover. You'll recall that I climbed a hill on the outskirts of town to capture an image of train D5, "The North Turn" when the ground started shaking. Well, the following day I got a call from Stan and Jim asking about that particular railfan spot, so we decided to check the site out again. This time I chose to climb a tall tree overlooking the Salmon River where I, again, captured the North Turn as it worked North Dover. Lucky for me this train is a five-day a week job!

My image (above) shows the 1223 about to cross the Salmon River on the outskirts of town. The white building in the background is the local legion hall that was erected on pilings over the shoreline of the river. Nestled in my perch with my legs straddling the crotch of a tree limb, I was kinda nervous in case another tremor might hit. I do admit the lengths we railfans go to for an image is pretty extreme at times! Stan and Jim went ahead of the train and Stan managed to take this shot of the same train after crossing the river.

Jim surprised me, tellin me that he managed to lens a couple of the red butterdish milk cars that had evaded me the day before. Boy was I ever excited! We agreed to swap some images after our film was developed at the lab! There's just something about the uniqueness of these red cars that attracts us railfans.



After a while the three of us were pretty hungry and decided to head into town for lunch. We knew of a good parking spot beside the team track where we could stroll across the tracks from the platform and head to a favourite restaurant.

"Hey, isn't that Peter Cunningham's truck over by the team track!" Jim shouted. It sure was. We found Peter and he joined us for some noontime food and drink.

Of course, the story is fictitious, but the quake was real...and I tell you...some of the operators visiting my home that night were shaken out of their boots, for sure!

That's Jim and Stan in the picture to the left...all tuckered out after a great day of railfanning in New England! Indeed, the crew lounge is a comfortable place where many ideas are shared. In fact, a large chunk of Jim's "Esquimalt and Nanaimo" layout was brainstormed and designed here in my crew lounge with the valuable input of the "Fellows of the Friday Night Fraternity!"

Thanks to Peter for bringing his nicely weathered truck to grace the layout for the session. It looks fabulous, Peter! Thanks to both Peter and Mike M. for donating their red milk cars for the evening as well.

The final image of the posting shows Stan, Dave and Peter at the duckunder entrance to the layout room. (I hope Peter is paying attention to his train as I see he has the throttle in his hands!)

Dave is a valued member of the Friday Night Group having been born and raised near Boston. He offers valuable insight for we "Canadian" New England modellers when needed! Hey Dave, isn't it wonderful how we can "beam" you straight into a session whenever we want! (grin)

Cheers, Mike H.

North Dover Struck By Earthquake

The Friday Night Crew were thirty minutes into last evening's operating session when a large boom was heard (and felt) as the entire house shook. Indeed, North Dover was struck by an earthquake. Operators Mike Mueller and Bill Meek were startled to see all buildings sway and cars pushed off the road in the brief duration the tremor was felt.

In reality, the entire Ottawa region was struck by a quake of magnitude 4.5 on the Richter Scale. The eerie aspect of this story is the fact that the previous week's train operations at Tommy Hood's layout felt a "fictitious" earthquake...which was written about in the previous posting! Last night's tremor was no fraud...it was the real thing! In fact, some of the operators' wives called my home to see if we heard and felt the earth move as they did from their homes!

Being a school teacher in the throes of report cards, my railfanning on this day is limited and I am able to capture three trains, the North Turn, a Maine Central hotshot and a B&M passenger train hauling milk to market. I was standing precariously on a hillside outside North Dover snapping shots of train D5, "The North Turn" when I felt some movement below my feet. Little did I know that the minor rumblings would be an advanced warning of a larger magnitude tremor that would hit town in short order.

From my elevated position I am able to capture the North Turn departing town. (1st image) It has finished its exchange in North Dover and is spotted departing yard limits at Boundary Road in an outbound direction.

My railfan buddies, Stan and Jim, later met up with the turn as it crossed Stanley Bridge spanning the Salmon River. The train is departing New Hampshire and entering Maine with its consist seen above the curved stone arches of this magnificent bridge. (2nd image)

Shortly the train reaches the interlocking with the Maine Central where Jim managed to obtain a photograph of the tail end of a lengthy MEC mainline train. The Maine Central is the inferior railroad here and typically it has to await the arrival of any B&M traffic. Why it was granted permission to cross the diamond ahead of the superior B&M local is a mystery...but nothing surprises we railfans!

I understand that Rick Craig and Don Leger make up the crew on "The Turn" this day.

I return to my car to chase the North Turn and I finally catch it at the northern terminus of the line. (On my layout, the staging tracks at the duckunder serve as both northern (Rigby Yard) and southern (Lowell Jct.) classification areas. Here we spot the 1223 sidling up beside a big brother, FT 4217.

A passenger train is spotted in care of a large contingent of milk traffic. I am thrilled to capture this shot of a Hood milk car and two Borden's cars. Unfortunately my blasted camera ran out of film just as two rather unique rail cars passed by...yes, two red "butterdish" milk cars hidden in amidst a bevy of milk carrying cousins. Hopefully I will be able to capture these cars sometime in the near future.
Sixteen visitors arrived for train ops...a larger group than the typical dozen who attend. For those who don't know my basement setup, the crew lounge is at least three times larger than the actual layout allowing my home to support a greater crowd. Typically four operators run the layout at any given time with the odd occasion of six operators when the Conley Lumber and Coal engine comes to life. The other operators await their call in the spacious and comfortable crew lounge I've created thanks to inspiration from my wife, Lisa...and the handiwork of my good buddy, Mike Mueller. VHS and DVD movies play continuously throughout the evening and the Friday Night fellas bring plenty of books and new magazines to share.

Operations last for two hours from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM followed by food and drink until near midnight. (Friday night means most fellas don't have to set alarms the next morning for work.) Following trains ops we typically watch more videos or we settle in for terrific slide presentations from members of the group.

Look closely at the first image and you'll spot the layout room off in the distance and a bunch of the boys immersed in railroad conversations or checking out books and magazines.

This just in! The true cause of the tremor officially has been determined. Apparently Mr. Leger (kneeling) was grumbling to Pope Howard (standing) that his own layout was not receiving the press coverage that the Pope's was...so the Pope's anger was sparked. (Pope Howard's layout appeared in MR recently and was selected to be one of the few layouts chosen for a Kalmbach Trainplayer game.)

In begging forgiveness, Mr. Leger was shaken to the soul by the Pope's tremulous response. As the Pope admonished Archbishop Leger, the ground shook...and the vibrations were felt as far away as the CN mainline to the south of the Ottawa region as evidenced in the attached photograph!

Lesson here...never covet thy neighbour's layout!


Indeed, model railroading is fun when you get to share your layout with a bunch of great friends!
Cheers, Mike

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Tom-Foolery on Tom Hood's Layout!

All in the Friday Night Group agree with the byline that has appeared on the cover of Model Railroader Magazine over the years..."Model Railroading is Fun!" And our good friend, Tommy Hood, sincerely buys into this notion as well!

During our latest train running session on Tom's magnificent Canadian Northern RR, a minor tremor of an earthquake hit the region surrounding Ottawa.

Railfans up and down the Canadian Northern line encountered difficulties taking clear pictures with all the shaking and rattling going on! Unbeknownst to most, the tremor caused a "service interruption" near the major terminus of the rail line. The Canadian Northern's company photographers, Lyon and Hamer made it quickly to the scene of the devastation in time to snap some pictures before a work train arrived to clear the mess. Except for some minor damage to equipment, we are happy to note no fatalities were reported. (Hmmm...is there a reason Stanley and his co-horts should appear in this picture?)


The Canadian Northern line was out of commission only for a short time due to the diligent work ethic of company employees. Trains were running in no time at all and railfans resumed their perches trackside up and down the line.

That's Mr. Hobbs we see to the left...Bob to us. When he's not complaining about something, he wears that devilish grin that tells us there is something he knows that we don't! Bob is like the "Mike Nesmith" of our group. Do you recall the guitarist in the rock group "The Monkees" who was never seen without his hat? Keep smiling, Bob!

Diesels are not a nasty word on Tom's layout as you will spot a few along the line...although steam reigns supreme. Thanks to Chris Lyon for this fantastic trackside shot of this pair rounding the curve in the shadow of "Brokeback Mountain". There's a story here. The aisleway narrows at this juncture of the railway and the operators rub elbows (and perhaps other body parts) as they navigate their trains across the wonderful terrain.
(Yes, the mountain was coined this name last evening as a result of the visit by the Friday Nighters!)

Freight cars from a variety of Tom's favourite roads line the tracks in the major classification yard on the Canadian Northern. This busy scene is located below Tom's garage. Operators certainly have their hands full at this location as trains are constantly on the go to and from the terminus.

Tom runs the company CDS Lettering Ltd. which makes dry transfers for the hobby industry. Many a model railroader is indebted to Tom and his partner, Al Craig for their fabulous product.

The grin on Mike's face is a given. Model railroading is fun when you get the opportunity to run a layout like Tom's Canadian Northern. Mike likes to get the chance to run trains when he isn't behind the camera. This fast freight has rounded the bend and will be passing by the marshland area, a landmark location on the layout.

No, Mike...that's not a B&M locomotive!




Chris Lyon and Mike Hamer managed to charter a helicopter from Northern Helicopter Services where they followed the Canadian Northern line for quite a distance.

"The perspective is thrilling" stated Lyon as he leaned out over the helicopter's skids to shoot a bunch of aerial images.

Chris captured a great shot of this freight train rumbling through a rock cut as it rounds a bend in an outward bound direction. One thing is certain. The territory is rugged and it must have caused considerable hardships and financial grief to put a line through such spectacular scenery.




Operating a layout of this magnitude requires quite the posee of stable mates andTom's Canadian Northern is in good hands as we see here. That's Stanley managing the yard turnouts very capably with Bob, Barry and Jim looking on. That looks to be a 24 stall engine house, Tom. Quite the engineering feat! To the left we see a couple of tracks that make up the passenger yard.




Where's Bruce? Has anyone seen Bruce? Oh...there he is...way down there! Hey, he appears almost HO scale at that distance!

Indeed, this image gives you a good indication of the size of Tom's layout. This is but a fractional piece of the entire pike. That's "Brokeback Mountain" to the left. Behind it (out of sight) is a gorgeous trestle. The town tracks to the right provide trains with the opportunity to meet.

Yes, Tom's layout is already an "operational" layout. Last evening, we dispatched "on the road" and many meets and passes were organized. In fact, we used three of the town's tracks at this location to set up a rare "triple meet".

And...a focussed group we are! Here, a bunch of the fellas are active with their trains as Tom (in the backgroud) oversees the operations. That's Peter to the left, Barry (arms folded), Tom and Bill on the right. Man, those Canadian Northern steamers sure are handsome, Tom.

Thanks for a great evening!
Cheers, Mike H.


Tommy Hood's Canadian Northern - A Railfan's Dream

Tommy Hood certainly is a busy man! When he's not running his successful business CDS Lettering Ltd. he can be found in the basement of his sprawling bungalow running his trains! Who could ask for a better life?!

The Friday Night Group paid a visit to Tommy's home to help him put the layout through the rigours of a train running session. Let it be known now...Tommy's passion for the hobby is focussed on running trains and not necessarily "operating" the layout in the terms of the "train ops" that the Friday Night boys conduct in their basements. As Tommy says, "Some day I'll set up for operations...but I love what I'm doing here for the time being!"

Nothing can be farther from the truth. It is a true pleasure seeing the joy on Tommy's face as he makes up a train in his sprawling yard...a train consisting mainly of boxcars lettered from the dry transfers his company produces. Tommy is proud to hand the train to one of the Friday Nighters and he is most content to sit back and observe it as it rolls through the countryside...and, yes, there are many countless gorgeous scenes along the right of way.



This layout is a railfan's delight. Trains in care of beautiful Canadian Northern locomotives pass numerous industrial areas, a northern swamp that is the envy of us all (Tommy credits Carl Swail here), through rugged mountainous terrain, across lengthy trestles and into little "out of the way" locations where a meet or a pass can take place. A couple of larger yards are encountered along the route as the train meanders the countryside. A one way excursion on the layout typically takes well over a half an hour, depending on any meets (or railfan run-by's) encountered by the crew.



I didn't ask Tommy the dimensions of his layout, but I would approximate it at being at least 60'x30'. One section, but a mere fraction of the layout, holds the major hub at line's end where the classification yard, engine servicing facilities and city are located. This area alone is much larger than most layouts around. Tommy asked the builders of his house to pour a foundation under the garage...yes, under the garage so he could make his layout bigger. I would love to have seen the expression on the contractor's face when that request was made!

What's this about no operations, Tom? We operated the layout and 14 fellas had a ball bringing the Canadian Northern to life! It's amazing how 14 gentlemen can get lost in this basement...the layout seems to "eat us all up"! Except for those pesky photographers (grin) you never sensed a crowd in any of the aisleways at all. Indeed, some of the fellows enjoyed operating the main yard and engine facility while others enjoyed setting up imprompto meets and passes out on the high iron.



The images in this posting demonstrate but a small clip from the action last evening. They are indicative of the beautiful scenery evident throughout the entire layout. Closer examination of the photos will show the detail and handiwork evident across all areas of this massive layout.

The odd diesel locomotive pairing was spotted trackside in care of a train hauling a consist of stock cars. The green and gold of the CN colour scheme is certainly one of the finest applications in the North American rail network.

That's the edge of a rather large swampland area we see trackside in the image to the left. This is one of the key railfanning locations along the route.

Tommy has a number of on-line industries that are already in place whenever he chooses to focus in greater detail on operations. A number of his crewmates have made structures for him and Tommy always makes sure that they are given credit for their work and accomplishments on his layout.

Tommy's industries are varied. This will enable him to run a variety of rolling stock across the pike. In fact, a number of the images in this posting display a coal drag handled by one of his many Canadian Northern locomotives.

As mentioned earlier, Tommy loves his boxcars. His company, CDS Transfers, has helped thousands of modellers worldwide recreate the boxcar of their choosing. Tommy's yard is full of examples of his company's lettering jobs on these freightcars of the past!

As we all know, a railroad is never complete. Tommy is working hard with some of his crew to complete the city scene illustrated here. This large section (a fraction of the entire layout) is situated below his garage!

Tommy apologizes for what he considers a lack of operations on his layout, stating, "With a little planning, the online industries will someday be brought to life and I will truly operate the layout." Well, in our books, the members of the Friday Night Group truly operated one of the finest layouts around...Tommy Hood's Canadian Northern!

Cheers, Mike H.

Saturday, February 11, 2006

Howard's Ontabec Central Layout Immortalized!

Who says small layouts aren't meant for bigger crowds! Last evening Howard's small switching layout managed to keep an entire group of Friday nighters occupied...and well satisfied with a fine session of train operations. As we all know, Howard is a crafty lad. Does he plan for hours spending tons of time making up train ops sheets before his fellow Friday Night operators arrive? Certainly not! He's made that job a vital role for one of the two crews that work simultaneously in his small apartment sized layout room.

Indeed, two crews are assigned the job of ensuring the Ontabec Central remains a vital cog in the railroad map of central Canada, in particular Ontario and Quebec. The task facing the "town crew" is that of spotting and lifting traffic to and from the many industries in town. They may also be called upon occasionally to assist the OC's mainline train with its exchange upon arrival in town.

The mainline train is made up in staging. Here is where Howard has freed himself of all planning prior to a session. It is the role of the mainline train crew to review the cars located at industries (in town) by checking Howard's logbook. They then decide which cars they will use in the staging yard to make up their train. It is their duty to determine which industries specific cars will be spotted to and which lifts the town crew will procure from those industries.


Of course, these instructions always refer to the next cycle of operations...and Howard's layout has shown that in any given evening, three or four cycles can be completed. The cycle is continuous and when Howard turns out the lights after all the lads have departed, he sleeps well in the knowledge that the first cycle of events has already been drafted for his next session! Why didn't I think of that when I designed my layout? Of course, this is one of the benefits for those who build smaller model railroads!
Oh, yes...as for Howie being immortalized...this was discovered over the Internet. Howard's Ontabec Central was one of a select few layouts chosen to be incorporated in Kalmbach's latest train simulation game called TrainPlayer. His layout is in the esteemed company of John Olsen, Malcolm Furlow and Tony Koester, to name a few. You can see the description of the software and check out Howie's trackplan and how it can be incorporated in the gaming software at the following website http://www.trainplayer.com.


Yes, a great big dose congratulations goes Howie's way on behalf of all the Friday Nighters!
Cheers, Mike




Tuesday, February 07, 2006

FNG Visits Bill Scobie's Fabulous Sn3 Layout

Our friend Bill Sn3 Scobie is not only a master model builder...he is a master "empire" builder. And, what an empire he has in his sprawling basement in Aylmer, Quebec.

The five pictures included in this report are but a few examples of the wonders you see when you enter Bill's basement. The lengthy trestles seen in two images are both exemplary pieces of engineering and the close-up of one of Bill's locomotives gives testimony to his magnificent modelling abilities.


One must take note of Bill's rolling stock...all prime examples of a craftsman's dexterity. Bill often makes these fantastic creations at a table set up during Railfair where the public can learn more about the great things that can be done in this hobby. He is certainly a tremendous ambassador on behalf of us all!

Yes, any glorious trestles dot the countryside spanning both canyon and cut. Bill is mulling over the idea of manipulating one or two of his bridges that have stood in place for many a year. Yes, just when you think a scene is complete, your mind plays games with you...and before long you've ripped out months of labour to begin anew! Haven't we all been there?

Indeed, the Friday Night Group was privileged to make a visit to Bill Sn3 Scobie's fabulous Rio Grande Southern RR last evening...and what an evening it was. Bill's mode of operations is developing nicely as the layout stood up to the challenges and rigours of a large operating session. While it takes the better part of 45 minutes to traverse the layout with a passenger train, as Stanley will attest, some of the lads were given the controls of longer freight trains and they had to await meets, conduct "drops and lifts" in various towns along the route and clear the road for passenger trains.

Some of the boys were out on the road for a full two hours or more! When double headers are required to tackle the grade, a second engineer with a second throttle couples onto the lead locomotve and the two crewmen must work in careful tandem as was done on the real railroad! If this is what Colorado narrow gauge is all about...then count me in!





Chris and I brought along our digital cameras (I wish I had brought a tripod...oh well, next time) and we were feverishly searching out photo locations while keeping ahead of the trains...not unlike true railfans. On many layouts you have to turn a corner to find a new photo shoot...not on Bill's. It seems that every foot or so along the route you discover yet another railfan location...that is if you are prepared to climb the rugged mountainous terrain!

Bill, you have a masterpiece here! No other words can describe the layout. It is a brilliant piece of artistry...and a joy to operate. On behalf of the Friday Night Group, I wish to extend our appreciation for allowing the ten of us to visit and run trains in the majestic southwest! ...and thanks for extending an invite for a return visit. I know that the few boys in the group who couldn't make it out for this particular evening were very disappointed, so they'll be excited to hear that we'll be visiting again sometime in the not so far off future.

Please thank David, Doug and Fred for giving up their Friday Night to help welcome us to the Great White North Division of the Rio Grande Southern.

Cheers, Mike

Bill Meek's Ontario L'Orignal Railway

Bill's Ontario L'Orignal Railway, the OLOR, is one of the regular layouts on the roster of the Friday Night Group. Bill has managed to capture the essence of eastern Ontario beautifully on his model railroad depicting an area about an hour's drive east of Ottawa.

The image to the right depicts a baseball game in session at trackside in the Glen. Glen Robertson is a major interchange point on the railroad. What a joy it must be to be a ball fan and a railran in the middle of a beautiful Canadian afternoon!

The IVACO rolling mill in L'Orignal is located a few kilometres to the west of Hawksbury. The OLOR pushes its lengthy consist of bulkhead flats carrying heavy steel billets the distance from Hawksbury to the plant in L'Orignal.

The billets are offloaded and converted into steel coil inside the plant. The finished product is shipped by rail and truck to destinations all over North America.



Bill's farm scene on the layout is quite typical of local farms throughout all of eastern Ontario and he has managed to capture this way of life in a very realistic fashion.

The barn is an Alder model and the farmhouse is a combined kitbash of two lovely resin kits.
Located behind the farmhouse (out of image) is an old-styled television tower antenna donated by fellow FNGer Trevor Marshall.

The inclusion of animals, a tractor and a friendly farmer help round out the scene. Trees were assisted by Mike H. If you look closely you'll spot a dead tree in the forest...a definite must in this region of the country! The images look great and the layout...even better in person!

A synopsis of Bill Meek's OLOR Railroad

The 25 mile Ontario L’Orignal Railway, owned and operated by Railtex from November 1996 to January 2001, is the inspiration for Bill’s model shortline operation. The former CN Vankleek Hill Subdivision serves the communities of Hawkesbury, L’Orignal and Dalkieth. In Vankleek Hill, The crew boards the Portia and Champlain, two GP9’s once owned by the Cartier and later the Goderich-Exeter Railways, for the morning run south to Glen Robertson to exchange their consist with the CN train arriving from Coteau Junction, east of Montreal. At the Glen, they drop off loaded cars of steel wire, roof shingles, plastic packaging, etc., as well as the empty cars they collected the previous day in Hawkesbury. They lift open gondolas of scrap metal, bulk-head flats loaded with 40 foot long steel billets and empty flats destined for Ivaco Rolling Mills in L’Orignal. The six day a week operation is carried out a leisurely pace, traveling at no more than 10 to 15 miles per hour.

Bill’s model of the OLOR reflects the laid back, country style of prototype. Construction began in 1998 and much of it is now plywood and track. The completed scenery along the track from Glen to Hawkesbury features a tree-lined rail line through rolling hills, fields, farm scene, and the 417 overpass. The layout provides enough track to simulate typical drops and lifts, including the unusual prototype manoeuvre of backing the train from Hawkesbury the 4 ½ miles east into the Ivaco Rolling mill in L’Orignal. The plant, which will be the focal point of the layout, is currently well under construction.


The image to the left shows the Ontario L'Orignal caboose as it appeared after the paint scheme for the railroad was changed from the Cream and Green of the ex-Goderich and Exeter appearance to the Taurus blue scheme.


* Photo by Ian McCord of Ottawa

Ian McCord invites you to visit his website at www.mrfreightcar.com where you can find more of his railroad pictures.

As for Bill's model railroad, I can personally attest that I feel like a real OLOR engineer or brakeman when I operate on this fabulous layout!

Mike H.



Monday, February 06, 2006

Sightings around North Dover


An enthusiastic railfan was spotted with camera in hand snapping a few shots on the outskirts of North Dover! Here are a couple of the images he captured.

We spot Maine Central F3 #672 entering yard limits on its inbound approach to North Dover. The flagman's shanty protects the crossing at Boundary Rd. That's the F.B. Hamer building in the background.


The MEC train has just gained B&M trackage and much of its consist is across the Salmon River in the state of Maine. This train will interchange tanker traffic with the Boston and Maine in North Dover. A big note of gratitude to my good friend Trevor Marshall who donated the crossing shanty to the layout.

Later in the day our intrepid railfan captured this image of North Dover's local crew aboard switcher S1 #1170 as it crosses Stanley Bridge at about three o'clock in the afternoon.

Leaving the state of Maine behind, the crew enters New Hampshire headed for the local sidings of North Dover. This job is a busy one as numerous industries in town must be switched out.
Compounding their work is the heavy amount of mainline traffic seen in North Dover throughout a 24 hour period.


The F.B. Hamer building noticeable in the background manufactures baby strollers. It is renowned throughout New England. (At least in the New England of my basement!)

You can see more pictures and read more stories about Mike's Boston and Maine Railroad by visiting www.bostonandmaine.blogspot.com.
Cheers, Mike

A/V night for FNG

Last night six of us enjoyed a diverse evening of old 16mm footage from the southwest, interesting rail-video of one of our FNG member's layout as well as an assortment of slides from "all over the map". The 16mm film showcased the earlier years of computers and how they were put to use to test the dynamics of hauling a freight train across the country from California to Chicago. The commentary was certainly humorous (for us in 2006) and the film itself was most interesting. Measuring devices were spread along the length of a long unit train and the entire consist became one Sperry Car, if you will...although most computer readings were looking at train dynamics...but some dealt with how trains "tracked" through pre-determined track locations across the continent. Again, all the boys in attendance felt just like the characters in "Station Agent" watching those old style films!
*Photo by Chris R.

The projection screen was then moved over and we were all "blown away" to see Mike's C&C layout on video from the perspective of a 44-ton crewman. Yes, Mike purchased a miniature camera...and we all know just how fabulous his layout is...well, it has been elevated another notch. The views we beheld were from locations on the layout an operator would not typically see..and they were great! Mike also brought out some of the latest Mini-Classics long haul trucks he recently picked up and they are must-haves" for anyone modelling the fifties.
*Photo by David Jones

Mike also brought along stacks of slides depicting the Claremont and Concord with all that beautiful street running...many never before seen shots for us in attendance. Some wonderful Ottawa streetcar images were thrown into the mix and we all had an entertaining time attempting to determine the exact location in Ottawa many of the old slides were from!
*Photo by Chuck Petlick

The rest of the evening was dedicated to the CV. Dave hauled out three or four "casseroles" of slides most depicting the era when the CV had those multi-coloured paint schemes of 5-6 diesel lashups. Central Vermont engines in the black and red scheme, the blue and red scheme, and those in green with yellow stripes hauled traffic across the Alburgh trestle, the Georgia High Bridge, through St. Albans, through Palmer, Mass...Brattleboro, White River Jct and many other places all over the map!
* Photo by William Klapp


We were able to view some modelling as well. David's tabletop diorama depicting the beautiful station at North Conway had never been seen by Rick and Bruce and they certainly appreciated Dave's modelling skills. Dave, the repaint of your station looks "bang on"!



The bridge scene is a shot of the span at Miller's Falls
A great big thank you to Dave for hosting last evening.
Cheers, Mike H.