Mike - The "Eclectic" Modeller!

In this first part of a two-part post, we examine the eclectic nature of a model railroader near and dear to our hearts, Mike Mueller aka the Mueller Man!

Mike's large and ever-present windmill is a welcome beacon for the Friday Night Boys who try to locate his home in the rural area just south of the airport runways. While we certainly encounter no difficulties in finding Mike's place...I'd love to be a fly on the cabin wall of an incoming Airbus 380 on its final approach to Ottawa Airport!

While the focus of Mike's railroad is the area in and around Claremont and its junction with the B&M, Mike is thrilled to see friend's equipment grace his layout. This past Friday was no different as Rick Craig brought out this beautiful CN passenger train which will run on his CV layout currently in the planning phase.

No, you would not likely see the Green Mountain at the junction, but Mike doesn't mind. He loves this locomotive and so it will reside here for a while giving Mike the railroad pleasure he wants. Man, you''ve gotta love that attitude and enthusiasm! PS: Mike just e-mailed me indicating that the Claremont and Concord would lease the 405 when all its power would be tucked away in the shops for repair!

Well...it's bright...it's colourful...and, most of all...it's B&M...so Mikey's gotta have it. Hmmm...although it is out of my era, maybe I should follow in the Mueller Man's footsteps and pick one of these puppies up as well!

Well, I think I'd put my foot down here! After all...enough's enough! Mike...you wouldn't...you couldn't...you shouldn't...you did! Run a diesel locomotive in Guilford colours...hmmm, I wonder what Trevor and Marty would say!

No Mike..it won't fit on your two-foot rails in behind. Well, it looks like a locomotive...so Mikey's gotta have it! Well done Mike, I know Wally would be proud!

Geez, just when we thought we'd seen it all! Sure Mike...try and get that thing on the HO rails below! Indeed, the Mueller Man is a genius...he can fabricate anything out of anything and the copper on this little puppy came from the Parliament Buildings here in Ottawa after a restoration! Go figure!

Meanwhile...back in the layout room Bill is admiring the scenery along Mike's two-foot branch. That covered bridge and church look fabulous Mike!

Rick and Peter are all smiles! You couldn't help but be like this when you visit Mike's amazing layout! The trains run beautifully and Mike sets up enough orders beforehand to keep all visitors suitably entertained!

Marty, Mike hauled this train out especially for you! Did I say "eclectic" modeller? Indeed, the Mueller Man is...for who else would ship ice by flatcar...pure pond ice from shippers in Somerville!

Final note: Wally has an article in the February Issue of Trains magazine about the New York & Ogdensburg RR based on the trip he and Mike took earlier into northern New York. Mike tells us that locals affectionately call the line the "Not Your O Guage" RR. Apparently a "jackhammer" figures prominently in the story. Mike had the issue in the crew lounge last evening. Great job Wally!

Editor's Note: Follow part two from the evening in the post immediately following this one!

Mike's Claremont and Concord RR.

In part two of our posting we learned that this past Friday evening, the lads of the Friday Night Group visited Mike Mueller's fabulous Claremont and Concord layout. Mike has shown us over the years his unique views of model railroading and this past Friday was no different! Let's examine his beautiful layout and warm crew lounge.

This waterfront scene is enough to take ones breath away. Mike has incorported many high end kits and wonderful scratchbuilt structures that certainly help bring the scen alive!

Lower town is a blast to switch using the Claremont and Concord 44-tonners...and Mike has a large number of these beasts in his stable. A short runaround allows for a couple of cars to be worked at a time. The diminutive 44-tonner can haul only a couple up the steep grade and back to the junction. Peter Cunningham's fabulous backdrop painted can be appreciated in this photo.

The town of Abbott is a new area on Mike's expanding layout. His superb modelling skills are evident in the above photograph.
Gus's "Genral" Store is named in honour of Gus, the cat. This scratchbuild is loaded with interior detailing. We especially like the hanging planter on the deck out front!
Chris, Peter and Jim enjoy the camaraderie of the boys as they sit in the crew lounge. The shelf layout above is Mike's latest expansion into Claremont.
Don, Bill and Rick enjoy each other's comapny as they sit below the gigantic print of Streetcar 696, the project Mike, Barry and the streetcar boys are heading up. The restoration is a labour of love for the lads!
Here we see Mike, the man himself holding court with Don and Bill. Mike is never short on stories which are always entertaining to say the least!

Sandi's treats certainly warm the hearts (and tummies) of the boys! Hey Mike...why don't you deliver them in an oversized gondola!
And...if you're a bad boy and don't follow train orders as laid out by the Mueller Man, then you are relegated to spending time in the B&HR (Bridgeton and Harrison) boxcar. Hmmm...I wonder which Friday Nighter resides there this evening!

Friday Nighters Celebrate 10 Years!

Seventeen gentlemen descended upon Mike's place to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Friday Night Group, and of course, the 10th birthday of his Boston and Maine model railroad! As the message on the cake indicates, we are a train loving group with aims to steam ahead forward for another ten years!

The boot scene certainly doesn't indicate that the group will be getting "the boot" anytime in the near future! This is the scene that greets the eyes of operators when they visit each member's home for train ops in particular during our Canadian winter! Now, John, don't forget to take the proper pair with you when you go!



Mike was deeply touched when Rob presented him with this beautiful work of art. Rob, a valued operator and friend, is also a very talented artist...having taken all the pictures in this mosaic over the course of the past couple of years of train operating sessions!

We are also very fortunate to have a resident "Brit" in our midst...Peter Cunningham, who is a superb painter. Peter owns two model railroads, one of the British ilk and a Boston and Maine layout depicting the Peterboro Branch in steam days. This card, a present to Mike, is a print of one of his many train paintings. Yes, it depicts a Boston and Maine steam train!

Chris surprised Mike with a birthday gift for the layout, three gondola loads for Mike's empty gons. Chris fabricated them out of Hydrocal using a mold he had created. He painted them using his army paints and the metal look superbly realistic! Those gons are no longer empties, Chris.

Chris is all smiles as he chums around with the lads in the crew lounge. We see Howard and Mike in the distance by the workbench with the layout room just in view.

Pope Howard (standing) is hearing confession! It appears Mike has many railroading sins to atone for! "That'll be three Hail Mary's, two Our Father's and six B&M,s Hamer!" order the Pope.

The crew lounge is a happy place and thank God for Mike Mueller and his ingenuity in creating such a haven for the railroaders. From left to right we see Don, Andrew, Joel, Bob and John. Hey John, thanks so much for the bottle of wine!

It seems Mike doesn't want to take any credit for the crew lounge changes as he's hidden his mug in a magazine! From left to right we spot Mike, Rick, Stan, Dave, Jim and Peter. One thing is for sure. There's never a quiet moment in this room!

Okay, okay...just sit still for a moment while I snap this shot for the blog! Rob enjoys grabbing shots of Mike taking shots! What's he eating away on in his mouth?

Well, we did run trains on the evening and a good time was had by all. I'll share four shots of the Conway Branch local. The diesel, a lovely BL2 (oxymoron) has overnighted on the team track along with its buggy. Once the North Dover crew has assembled its traffic for the day, the crew will board the train and be off. Last night, the crew had four cars enroute to North Conway. This morning I recreated the scene with two so you can see the entire train.

The crew has its orders and has departed the station at North Dover. The train is spotted rounding the curve in the yard. That's part of the Phillips Furniture complex to the left in behind the train. You can spot the local crew aboard their Alco on the south siding to the right.

After passing under the Howard Street overpass, the train is spotted out by Mitchell Creek near the Conley Lumber and Coal property. The water certainly does not appear to be drinkable here!

For our final shot, we see the outbound local traversing the New England River Bridge and about to enter Haney Cut. Then it's off to staging and the cycle repeats with many, many more trains!

Because my posting showcased more of the "social nature" of the group, I will provide a listing of some of the trains run during the session last evening.

Extra 1223 "Coal Job" exchanging empties for loads at Conley Lumber and Coal

Train DI-3 The "Conway Branch Job" known as the Dover to Intervale local.

Extra 1170 The "First Rochester" takes freight to industries (offline) on the outskirts of North Dover

Train #11 The "Kennebec" which is a B&M/MEC passenger train with milk on the headend.

Train D11/12 The "North Turn" which works the line between Rigby Yard and Dover.

Train MP3 B&M outbound manifest freight from Mechanicville, NY to Portland, ME. in care of FT pairing #4217.

Train N2 The "Newsboy" B&M inbound manifest freight from Rigby to Worcester in care of a pair of "Bluebirds"

MEC 390 The "Oilcan" a Maine Central interchange train returning tanker empties from the interior of Maine.

Extra 1231 The "Mill Run" exchanging loaded lumber cars for empties at Conley Lumber and Coal

Train #17 The "Bar Harbour" with a short station stop in North Dover

MEC 391 Short manifest Maine Central train which stops on North Dover to interchange traffic.

This is but a sampling of the offerings of freight action along my version of the Boston and Maine and Maine Central! Have a great week everyone and here's to another ten years with the Friday Night Gang!

LVN - Just As Sweet Second Time Around

Seeing as all the other fellows in the group wanted their layouts down for some work, Chris offered to invite the boys back for a second session even though we visited last week. And, what an enjoyable session it was! Hey Chris...there were no shorts this time...zero...zippo! You know what that means? Yes, the culprits from last week must be the lads who did not attend this week! (Big Grin)

Let's kick things off with this shot I will refer to as the "Blue Boy". Indeed the composition and colour coordination seem perfect with the blue BCRail unit passing the Cobalt blue freight doors on the station and handcar shed I had built and painted for Chris. The roof of the bunkhouse is just noticeable in the bottom right of the image. My crewmate, Joel, and I are in command of Grain Train #301 and we are travelling northbound on the outside main as we pass Elspeth station near Alder.

Hot on our heals was Train #501 a mixed freight handled admirably by the ever-gregarious Mr. Hobbs. We spot Bob's train rounding the huge curve near the large Port Mine complex travelling northbound having just passed Elspeth depot. This curve has now been coined "Hamer Bend" or "Hamer Curve" due to the fact it reflects the young lad's warped personality, shall we say! (Another big grin!) Indeed, skipper Bob Hobbs has his "green train" well in control behind that unique looking Burlington Northern center cab diesel.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Lyon Valley territory, the crew aboard coal train BNSF #701 are occupied switching out the huge Starboard Mining compex. After dropping their empties, they will lift the loaded hoppers and return to the Classification Yard.

Those units in the "Executive Scheme" certainly look very handsome performing their work. Chris has managed to install the handrails on one of the units and weather its flanks.

This coal train is a joy to handle and it keeps the operators very busy throughout the entire evening. Your job on this run entails classifying all coal cars using the colour of the hoppers as the criteria...either red or green. You must work both mines, Port and Starboard and swap out power part way through the evening. Chris and Fred handled this job on the night. Yes, that executive scheme is a delight on the eyes! As is that beautifully handcrafted backdrop Chris has painted on the walls. That's the huge open pit mine in behind the diesel locomotives.

We've examined the grain train, the mixed freight and the coal train. There is one other job, the container train. This was not run, but the fifth position is a necessary one and Jim handled it admirably. This job is referred to as the Richmond Yard Assignment. This is the "time saver" Chris has built into the layout and it can get pretty hectic at times. Chris has found that by removing some of the traffic in the yard, the job is now more enjoyable for crews. Jim handled all exchanges at the Printing Company, Lumber Mill, Bakery Track and the Oil Refinery.


His other job here was to set out traffic for the mixed freight and to spot traffic dropped off by this train. Jim did so well, he even had time to run a train at the end of the evening! Judging by the look in Jim's eyes, well...he can tell you how he felt about handling the position!

We're looking down the length of the 27 foot wall and Jim is standing in the aisle between the scenicked portion of the layout (to the right) and Richmond Yard (to the left).


Joel and I completed our work in time to enjoy the bonus of taking the VIA rail train out for a workout around the western territory...and what a joy that was! I'll let the following pictures speak for themselves.

Our passenger consist is rounding "Hamer Bend" on the outside main on its southbound approach to Elspeth Depot. That's the Port Mine complex in the background.

An eager railfan at trackside managed to capture this shot of the unit just before it passed behind the old car shed. I handed the shed to Chris last Friday and it sure looks good nestled into the scene. A little bit of grass and clutter will help complete the overall look!

The VIA sign is indicative of the time period Chris is modelling. It's always nice to experience a meet of two trains.

Indeed, when you model the modern era, your equipment can be very colourful as this boxcar illustrates. Chris is awaiting the arrival of a special weathering pen he has ordered to complete the weathering of the rail.

We close with this fun shot of some of the boys post train ops! Not only are the train sessions lively and entertaining...so are the post ops conversations! Yes, Chris's trains are very colourful...as are the operators who run them! Thanks to Chris for offering to host again on such short notice!

Happy New Year from the LVN!

The Friday Night operations kicked off with a "bang" as the boys descended the basement into the bright 'daylight' of Chris's "Lyon Valley Northern" empire. We hadn't been to Chris's place since May and you wouldn't recognize the layout as it has undergone so much growth. Scenery adorns a 27 foot length along one wall where four scenes meld into each other in a realistic and dramatic fashion. To the left is the open pit coal mine nicknamed the 'Port Coalmine". Rounding a bend, traffic flows into the station scene housing the Alder Models CNoR Third Class Depot I constructed and painted for Chris. The tracks cross a country road where the 'Starboard Coal Facility' is located. Finally, the rails swoop around a sweeping curve past the 13th hole of a golf course!

The first two scenes provide examples of Chris's talents in the scenery department. In the upper shot we see how Chris has masterfully married the backdrop with the foreground scene using the magic of colour and texture to create a look that can go on for miles yet at the same time draw your attention to the modelling in the foreground. I enjoyed making the road crossings for Chris. That VIA sign looks pretty cool as well!

The second photograph demonstrates how building flats can be incorporated into the bigger industry to give the illusion that the facility continues on. I like the different combination of trees Chris utilizes on his layout...both coniferous and deciduous.

Let's examine the movement of trains along the Lyon Valley Northern. We begin in Richmond Yard which Chris designed as a "time saver" but also as an essential area on the layout in relation to train ops. There is a large engine servicing facility here as well as a number of industries which mainline traffic must accomodate. The operator here controls the car movements in and out of the yard and Chris has designed a lengthy yard lead that does not impede the overall flow of traffic along the two mainlines.

Industries in and around the Richmond Yard include a lumber mill, bakery, a fuel storage facility and, of course, the CN servicing area. Bob was the only 'lone' crewmate on the evening and was kept reasonably busy controlling the yard and all its comings and goings.

Four other train crews ran simultaneously all evening long with Bob being the fifth. Stan took Joel under wing where they handled BNSF Coal Train #701, a northbound coal drag. They first acquired their locomotives in the BNSF engine facility and found their cars in the main classification yard. Chris has cleverly 'enlarged' his layout by asking crews to traverse the mainline three times before conducting the real work. While not prototypical, it lengthens the crew's time with the train and allows for interesting meets and passes along the route! The crew then classified their coal trains into orange and green groupings (the colours on the end of the coal cars) in the major classification yard. hey then proceeded to the CN locomotive facility in Richmond for servicing. They swapped locomotives and fired up two BCRail units for the southbound train #702 after which the worked both coal mines on the layout...a very enjoyable job, for sure!

Bill and Rob handled the intermodel container traffic on this night...train #101. The two seemed to really enjoy themselves as there seemed to be a lot of laughter and smiles on their faces throughout the evening! This is one of the easier jobs on the layout as you work in a smaller area usually unimpeded by other traffic. Again, by design, Chris has these trains traverse the layout a minimum of three times before returning and dropping and lifting more containers at the terminal before swapping diesels at the local engine facility before embarking on more work. While not shown in this photograph, their second set of power was of the leased variety and I know the boys enjoyed playing with the working ditchlights!

A skinny image of train #301, a unit grain train. The image shows a portion of that 27 foot wall section.

John and Jim handled train #310 known simply as "The Grain Train". Their power was a mix of CN and BCRail equipment which they boarded at Richmond Yard. From Richmond Yard they proceeded along the inside main and took the switch at BX Tower gaining them entrance to the grain terminal tracks. Traversing the layout they headed north along the inside main eventually reaching the flour mill and grain elevators. After switching these two facilities, it was off on another run around the layout after which further work was required at the grain mill and flour mill elevators. Their's was a busy job seeing as traffic, at times, converges around the location of these mills. You've gotta like the motive power assigned to these trains...real lookers I'd say!

A real fun job on Chris's layout is the mixed freight, train #501. You begin your work in the modelled staging yard where you pick up your van and begin to circumnavigate the layout following your orders to stop and handle traffic along the root. Fred and I began lifting four covered hoppers from the cement plant. From there we switched out the Furniture Factory siding and the lumber yard. The lumber yard is tricky as it is a facing switch off the the trailing switch which forms the furniture siding...so a runaround is necessary. Running around the train implies placing your consist on one of the tracks in the huge classification yard and running your locomotive way over to the other side of the layout room before you are able to run around your train! Clever design, Chris! With further stops at Richmond Yard, we jockeyed duties with Bob in the yard and he gave us a nice assist with our work. Thank you there Bob! After a couple of laps of the layout, it was off to the Railway Express Agency to conduct work as well as lifts from Bob at Richmond required spotting at the cement plant and furniture factory again. A real fun job, for sure. Just remember, Mikey, to throw those switches back to the main! (Don't be the first of the evening to conduct this oversite...as every successive oversite in the evening will be blamed on you! This is the law of the Friday Nighters!)

The reason I asked everybody to bring their golf shoes and clubs was that there is actually a golf course on the layout. If you don't believe me, then check out this photograph taken earlier in the week with my B&M Bluebirds rounding the curve in the tracks nearby the 13th hole! I spent from 9:30 AM until midnight at Chris's place on Tuesday to help out with the scenery, some structures and road crossings. I even had time to complete three resin kits that Chris had given me on Tuesday. He was surprised to see them assembled and painted by Friday's session. Hey, what are holidays and friends for anyway!

Have a great week everyone and we'll see the group next Friday! Cheers, Mike