Sketch of the layout

I am often asked if I have a track plan that I can show people.  I do not--but if someone with the skill to draw a detailed track plan volunteers, I would be very grateful!  I have sketched a very basic plan to give a sense of the two levels of the layout--each grid line represents 12 inches (click on the sketches to enlarge them).

Lumber by Rail!

Patterson's Mill Begins Shipping By Rail

(click on photo to enlarge)

With flatcar loads of logs arriving at the mill almost daily, Patterson's Sawmill in Northampton has long been a major customer of the Carleton Railway, but the mill owners had become accustomed to shipping their finished products by truck.  That is about to change. The flatcars that previously left the mill empty are now likely to be loaded with lumber destined for markets in the eastern US and Canada.  The Carleton Railway's marketing department convinced the mill owners that rail is a reliable and cost-efficient mode for delivering their products to market.  In the photo above, three carloads of wrapped lumber await their departure on the next "Northampton Local."    

An Unusual Extra

Railfans were pleasantly surprised this week to see a very short passenger train stop briefly at the Avondale station on the way to the Carleton Railway's car shops in Nortondale, York County.  The eastbound extra train consisted of Alco C-420 #2010 pulling a pair of shiny dome cars that had recently been purchased in Tatamagouche.  Once the cars have been re-lettered for the Carleton Railway and upgraded to the railway's exacting standards for quality service, the cars should enter regular service by fall (click on the photo to enlarge it).  

It is a busy day in the Avondale yard.  Those covered hoppers on track 5 are part of the westbound Newbridge Turn that has just arrived from South Newbridge, and the caboose that is almost out of sight on track 6 is at the rear of the Aroostook Local leaving for Monticello, Maine.

MFMR 2013 Convention

I just returned from a wonderful weekend at the annual convention of the Maritime Federation of Model Railroaders.  It was an exceptional convention.  Steve O'Brien, George Sabean, and I took a 16-module display to represent our local Saint John club (SJSMR) and, as usual, the Carleton Railway's six "Monticello, Maine" modules were part of the public show on Saturday at the Recreation Centre in Tatamagouche.  With some much appreciated help from Mitchell, we kept the trains running all day and talked to a lot of interested people (click on the photos to enlarge them):  

Alco switcher 1023 kept very busy in the Monticello yard as train after train passed by on the double-track mainline.  Lots of people took copies of the latest railway timetable.  

The public show was well attended and featured a large number of layouts and several dealers.  The photo below is a mid-morning view of the crowd in the arena.  The show was busy all morning and afternoon.

The high point of the convention for me was the tour of Dave Gunn's railway.  The scratch-built structures were incredible--some complete with detailed interiors and lighting.  The large industrial buildings were very impressive.  I have included a few shots of some of the highlights of the layout (the photos were from my cell phone; I wish I had taken my digital camera to get some better close-ups of the fine detail):

 The above photo shows the fruit and vegetable terminal.  Below is a huge furniture manufacturing complex.

 The Sherwin-Williams plant takes up most of one wall of the layout room.

 There are switch levers inside the lighted interlocking tower below.

It was a great convention!  Sincere appreciation is expressed to those who did such a fine job of organizing everything and welcoming us so well.

Signal Project

New Signal Bridge in Avondale

About a year ago I made the decision to begin the process of adding operational signals to the Carleton Railway.  Progress has been slow (life has been busy!).  The signal masts are now in place, along with some relay cabinets, and I have been reading up on JMRI--I also attended several clinics on signalling at last year's NMRA national convention.  A major problem was at the east end of the Avondale yard.  The two vertical signal masts that had been positioned could not be seen well from the aisle and really didn't seem to "look" right.  

This evening I installed an NJ International two-track signal bridge.  I still have to add the signal heads and the wiring, but it looks much better and the signals will be more visible from the aisle.  Here are a couple of views of the new signal bridge (click on the photos to enlarge them):

You can see in the photos that the vertical signals just don't look right here.

I am obviously not going to have the signal system up and running for a while, but I am hoping that with help from other club members I will make some progress in the months ahead.

Another Great Operating Session

Tonight was the Carleton Railway's last operating session until fall, and a great turnout of 13 enthusiastic crew members made for a busy and productive evening.  All trains completed their runs and a lot of freight was delivered.  There were a few minor incidents--two carloads of beef cattle were mistakenly left on a yard track in Waterville, but the Newbridge Turn crew (Bob B. and George) spotted them at the BQM packing plant later in the day.  A load of cull potatoes was missed at Rosedale, but its market value is pretty low anyway. Management will make a thorough check to see how careful the crew was in making sure that each carload got to its intended destination.  

Bruce was back at the big Avondale yard as yardmaster, with Bob B working as Assistant yardmaster.  They were a great team (click on the photos to enlarge them).  

In the photo below, the potatoes are off to a good start.  Peter was hard at work as South Newbridge yardmaster, while Doug guided the eastbound Capital City Commuter (passenger train) into the station.  Mike was part of a three-man crew on the Valley Local tonight--thanks to Willy and Matthew for their help.

Ian jumped in with both feet during his first visit to the Carleton Railway, serving as the crew for Extra 2010 (which serves as the Waterville yard switcher).  Here he switches the BQM packing plant while Barry guides the Fast Freight East through town.

At about noon (railway time) the yard at South Newbridge was full--lots of freight is transferred here between the two branchlines and the Avondale Subdivision.  By the end of the evening, the yard was nearly empty thanks to the efficiency of the crew.

During a quiet moment, the president of a rival railway took time to spy--er--observe the industries in Grafton that are served by the Carleton Railway.

Thanks so much to everyone who has been able to participate in the operating sessions this past year.  You are the people who make it all worthwhile.  I look forward to another enjoyable year of operations beginning in September.

Keeping Busy

I have not accomplished a lot in the basement since the last operating session, but the photos show that I have still been active.  The photo below shows the six "Monticello, Maine" modules being prepared for the next MFMR convention.  Some wiring problems which have lingered since the DC to DCC conversion have now been solved thanks to help from Bob K. and from Lou.  New details are being added along with more signs to identify the buildings.  Thanks to the SJSMR club, it is great to have a place where we can work on the modules.   

Last weekend was a very enjoyable trip to Summerside, PEI to operate on two great model railroads, thanks to our hosts Derwin and Scott.  Our SJ crew enjoyed a full day of op sessions and lots of good PEI hospitality.

I love the nicely weathered locos and the variety of cabooses and snow plows on Derwin's layout.

Scott has some very interesting structures and scenes that make operations a lot of fun.

The Carleton Railway's next operating session is scheduled for Friday evening, May 17.