The Race Is On!

With the realization that the "Tracks and Tides 2010" MFMR/NER Convention in Saint John is just four months away, I am busily trying to work at several projects that I have determined must be completed before the convention guests arrive to operate and tour the railway.
By far the largest project is a re-configuration of the Millville yard and staging tracks. The three current staging tracks will be used for passenger trains only. I have cut a large hole in the backdrop where the new Millville Union Station will be constructed. It will be a "front-wall only" brick structure of freelance design that will be shared by the CPR and the Carleton Railway. Passenger trains will enter the station enroute to staging. New staging tracks will be added (behind the washer and dryer) for freight trains. I am also hoping to add two additional staging tracks in West Avondale.

A much smaller change was the re-construction of the old tennis court at the Nortondale resort. Since the completion of the new court last fall, I've been very dissatisfied with the old version. With the old court now looking much better, the resort now boasts two championship-calibre tenis courts for its prestigious hotel guests (note also the game of horseshoes just beyond the tennis court).

I've added fascia and am currently adding scenery and ballast between Nortondale and Clarkville (the last totally unscenicked part of the layout) and I am also working to upgrade the four "Monticello, Maine" modules that will be part of the SJSMR display in May at the public show at the LBR.

Information about the May 20-23 convention is available at http://www.tracksandtides2010.org/

Passenger Service Upgrade--Car Cards

There is excitement among the crowd at South Newbridge station as passengers learn that a newly instituted card system will now ensure that first-class trains have sufficient capacity for the passengers at each station who have purchased tickets. Shown below is the conductor's form along with a card listing the number of passengers boarding and disembarking. As the Carleton Railway expands its passenger service, management is initiating a new "car card" system for passenger trains. Designed to put an end to boring passenger runs, crew members will now keep track of train capacity and the number of passengers boarding and disembarking at each station, adding additional coaches as necessary. Card holders have been installed at each of the five passenger stops along the main line (the photo below shows the card holders at Nortondale) in accordance with a recent article in the OPSIG's Dispatcher's Office. Passenger operations on the Carleton Railway will never be the same!