The potatoes have been planted!

(click on photo to enlarge)

The big potato field in Rosedale has now been completed. It is more than five feet wide (that's 435+ scale feet), and has about 120 rows (each of which required an average of about 10 minutes to install). I also scratchbuilt a small potato house along the edge of the field, added a tool shed, and then included a couple of small cabins to house the "potato pickers" that make the rounds in the fall. The accommodations include all of the conveniences--a hand pump for water, and an outhouse.

I attended the national NMRA convention in Hartford earlier this month, and enjoyed visiting many layouts. I also operated on three layouts--the "Operations Road Show" modular layout at the convention, Al Oneto's "Port Sebago and Southern" in Fairfield, Connecticut, and the North Shore Club in Wakefield, MA.

I have been trying to make sure the Carleton Railway is ready for both operating sessions and the layout tour during the MFMR/NER convention in May 2010: http://www.tracksandtides2010.org/

New Rosedale-Wakefield Community Centre

A crew from Myshrall Bros. is busy grading the property after a Quonset hut was moved into position on the old foundation of the Rosedale train station, which was recently moved a few hundred feet farther down the line. The building will soon be a new community centre for the rural communities of Rosedale and Wakefield.

The used Quonset hut structure fits almost perfectly on the former site of the train station in Rosedale. The structure used to serve as a car wash in downtown Woodstock, and was recently moved to Rosedale to be used by the community. Beloved local politican Hyram Myshrall is being credited with bringing negotiations with the railway to a successful conclusion.

It has been a long time since my last post--life has been exceedingly busy. Hopefully I will be able to provide more frequent updates in the months ahead. I recently returned from a shopping trip in the U.S., so some changes are ahead as new buildings and other details are added to the layout. I also purchased a fifth H24-66 Trainmaster locomotive with sound. Of course, the Carleton Railway's Monticello yard will be travelling to Summerside next week to be part of the SJSMR's modular setup at the Maritime Convention. I look forward to seeing fellow modellers there, and I will be leading a clinic about operations.

Rosedale work continues

I've continued to work in Rosedale; in the right foreground, I have planted several rows of potatoes along the edge of the layout. On the right, in the background, you can see where the Rosedale station has ben relocated--I have added a fairly lengthy station platform. And on the left, I have scratchbuilt an additional potato house--that makes five along the siding in Rosedale, along with the Irving bulk plant.

Rosedale upgrade

A new house in Rosedale provides a hint that there are people living in the community. I put together a "Branchline" house kit and added it to the front of the layout, along with a new "private crossing" that provides road access to the Irving Bulk plant and the string of potato houses.

More Moncton photos

Here are a couple more photos of the Moncton operating crew on Saturday, December 13. Below, Milne is operating the Carleton-York peddler as it crosses the Rosedale Road between Waterville and Rosedale. Milne was especially adept at the prototypical use of the locomotive's horn at the highway crossings. In the photo below, while yardmaster Mike finishes making up the "Newbridge Turn", Jim waits to take the train out of the Avondale yard.

Thanks guys for an enjoyable day.

Moncton Operators, Northampton Train

Although operating sessions have been rare lately, a group of five Monctonians operated a busy schedule over the Carleton Railway on Saturday, December 13. One of the highlights of the day was the arrival of #24 (the Northampton mixed train) at the end of the day. The unexpectedly long train, with engineer Milne and brakeman Murray, brought five loads of logs to Patterson's mill, a tank car for the Esso bulk plant, a hopper load of ballast to be used by the track gang, and several empty freight cars for loading at the local industries. At the end of the train was the rejuvenated heavyweight coach Muniac filled with workers for the mill. The above photo shows RSD-15s 2416 and 2417 at the front of the Northampton mixed train as it pulled into the bustling community. Although the yard tracks resemble a switching puzzle, the crew ably spotted the various freight cars at local industries in short order.

Above, John works as yardmaster in South Newbridge. As always, South Newbridge was a very busy spot with a lot of cars to deliver to local industries.

Murray is the engineer on today's Fast Freight West. In the above photo, he is switching cars in the Millville Yard before departing toward Avondale. This was Murray's first visit to the Carleton Railway.

Although there have been few operating sessions this fall, the Carleton Railway has been a busy place: I have been troubleshooting some of the track trouble spots, working to improve the reliability of the freight car fleet, adding more scenic details, and making changes to the timetable. I still have a few projects to complete, so regularly scheduled operating sessions won't begin again until March 2009 (celebrating the third anniversary of operations on the layout).

Parade Marks Opening of Overpass

The past weekend marked two major milestones for the Carleton Railway. The Carleton Railway took part for the first time in the Saint John club's annual show. Four modules depicting the Carleton Railway's Monticello, Maine freight yard and interchange with the BAR were part of the club's modular layout. An Alco S4 was busy all day switching cars in the yard, while an Alco C424 took its turn on the main line. Even a trio of the railway's vintage Geeps--the only GMD units ever owned by the Carleton Railway--were brought out of retirement for use on the Aroostook subdivision. Then on Saturday evening, at a special operating session manned by an enthusiastic crew from Nova Scotia, the first train operated across the newly completed Northampton subdivision. The train travelled under the "Hiram T. Myshrall Overpass" just after the parade that officially opened the community-saving structure. In the photo below, obtained from the News-Advertiser's ace reporter Freda Mulheron, local politician and community hero Hyram Myshrall waves to the grateful residents of Pembroke as he sits in the first car to cross the new bridge at the front of a giant parade in his honour (click on photo to enlarge).