Millville's new Union Station

This is now the scene in Millville after the construction of the new "Union Station." It is exactly the same place that is shown in my January post below. The massive station hides the entrance to three staging tracks for passenger trains. Freight trains now continue through the Millville yard and enter three staging tracks to the left of the photo (the staging tracks represents the CPR Gibson Subdivision). The new passenger staging made a big difference for the two operating sessions during the "Tracks and Tides 2010" MFMR/NER Convention.

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!

Passenger Service Upgrade

New Locomotive Begins Test Runs

In preparation for the introduction of a second daily passenger train, the Carleton Railway has been purchasing new equipment. This newly painted and lettered locomotive was added to the railway's fleet of diesel locomotives during December.





The newest Carleton Railway locomotive, an FP7 complete with QSI sound, pulls a shiny consist of streamline passenger cars as it coasts to a stop alongside the picturesque Nortondale Station. Directly across the tracks from the station is the Carleton Railway's famous "Nortondale European Resort." Railway management authorized the purchase of new equipment in preparation for the introduction of a daily passenger and mail service to Montreal, with the expectation that the new service will do very well in competition with the ICR's Atlantic.

Nortondale Resort Expands, Upgrades Facilities

After purchasing an adjacent property earlier in the year, the Carleton Railway's "Nortondale Resort" has begun a major expansion. A new tennis court has been built and is already proving popular with the jet-setters who stay at the exclusive property. There are rumours that additional chalets may soon be added to the property (click on photos to expand). Some guests continue to use the original tennis court (pictured below), although it looks quite shabby compared to the newer court. However, guests claim that the air is different at the older courts, reporting that "something in the air" clears their sinuses as they play.

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.