Open House at the Lancaster Mall

Today was our club's first open house in the Lancaster Mall in West Saint John.  We ran a lot of trains and had a great time!  Above, the Aroostook Local passes a potato field and takes its time on a warm summer's morning as it leaves Monticello, Maine on the way to Avondale, NB. (double click the photo to enlarge it).  Two Alco units -- C420 #2010 and C424 #2405 -- provide the power. The Carleton Railway is represented by six modules in the club's modular layout.  The two tracks in the foreground (gray ballast) belong to the Carleton Railway; the third track (brown ballast) is the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad.

Here the west-bound local returns to Monticello.   Downtown Monticello is a bustling place on a late summer afternoon.  

Nothampton Saw Mill Adds Wood Chip Loader

Saw Mill Expansion

In the photo below, a high-sided wood chip hopper car has been spotted at the new wood chip loader beside the Patterson Lumber Mill in Northampton.  The Patterson family was convinced by the railway that there would be a growing market for woodchips, and that the railway would provide the best means for transport.  The loader is a very basic scratch-built structure, connected to the mill by a long overhead pipe that travels across the mill yard.  

FINALLY -- AN OPERATING SESSION!

A crew of eight from Prince Edward Island did an exceptional job of moving freight on the Carleton Railway this afternoon.  In the two photos below, Steve Dickie was the very busy yardmaster in South Newbridge, while Ed Cooke worked with Chris Mears in Avondale yard.  

 Taylor Main runs a freight on the upper level.

The next regular operating session will be on Friday evening, March 21.

Monticello (module) scenes

I am finally posting some recent photos of the Monticello, Maine area that is modelled on my six 4' HO-scale modules.  The photos were taken during the Saint John club's annual show in Quispamsis in early November. The modules depict a fictional junction between the BAR and the Carleton Railway (click on the photos to enlarge them).

Below, the local autobody shop hides its supply of dilapidated cars with an old wooden fence.  The well-maintained tracks in the foreground belong to the Carleton Railway.  The BAR passenger car and the MPG warehouse in the background are on BAR tracks.  The junction is just to the left of the photo.   

You can tell there is a fall chill in the afternoon air as folks head for a warm cup of coffee at the West End Diner.  CPR Trainmaster 8901 is leading westbound Carleton Railway train #21 (The Fast Freight) as it waits to depart the Monticello yard.  The CPR and the Carleton Railway pool motive power and personnel for this priority freight.

The Carleton Railway's busy classification yard in Monticello is designed for the efficient sorting of freight and connects directly with the BAR, allowing for interchange in both directions.

Because of its two railways near the downtown area, the small rural community of Monticello has become an important commercial centre.