Summer morning in Lakeville, Carleton County

The long shadows show that it is still early on this June 1965 morning in Lakeville.  The Alco S-4 switcher is spotting freight cars that were transferred from the Avondale yard during the overnight shift, while early risers wait on the platform for No. 14, the Capital City Commuter.  Soon they will be reading the morning paper while enjoying a hearty breakfast in the dining car as they make their way across Carleton and northern York counties on their way to Fredericton (click photo to enlarge). 

First Train from Lakeville

Although not even an “official” train, the Carleton Railway ran a special Saturday passenger consist today from the new station in Lakeville to test the newly laid track and provide a complimentary train ride for residents of the growing Carleton County community.  In addition to the coaches, lounge cars, and dining car, the Carleton Railway’s “Island Park” executive car was tagged on the back of the train so management could inspect the new line.  The new station platform concrete is barely dry and the large industries along the east side of the tracks have just begun receiving supplies.  The new Lakeville Industrial District is located just west of Avondale (on the upper level, directly above Northampton in the old furnace room).  With the track-laying, ballasting, and wiring now complete and basic ground cover installed, many additional details remain to be added but railway operations can now begin. 

 (Tap the photo below to enlarge)

Operationally, the addition of the new community will affect the railway in at least three ways:
1)  It effectively adds a tenth west-end staging track.  Each day, the Capital City Commuter passenger train will originate from the main station track in Lakeville and return there at the end of each day.  That will free up a staging track in West Avondale.      
2)  With several industries and spots for more than 20 freight cars, this industrial switching area will provide additional destinations for a large number of freight cars.  
3)  Although I do not anticipate active switching in Lakeville during the regular three-hour operating sessions, the yard will be switched by the Avondale switch crew during the shorter "night shift" sessions that happen between full operating sessions.  
I am also considering the possibility of having a small passenger train (probably Budd RDCs) bring workers from South Newbridge and intermediate points to Lakeville each morning with a return trip each evening.  

Railway Update

As our Saint John club prepares to host the May 2016 MFMR /NER convention, I am working on several upgrades and expansions so that everything is ready.  In the photo above, progress is slowly being made on the new industrial area in Lakeville (located on the upper level in the former furnace room -- above Northampton).  In addition to the two tenement buildings located just across the tracks, there are four large industrial buildings. There will be lots of switching in Lakeville.

In South Newbridge, the furniture factory has been upgraded.  A kiln has been added along with a receiving area for lumber to be delivered to the factory.  The big furnace will require occasional tank car loads of bunker C oil. 

April Op Session

Thanks to the great crew that showed up to run the Carleton Railway this evening!  Special commendation goes to Brett and George who worked in the Avondale yard for the first time and did a great job.  Very few potatoes are being shipped at this time of year so the trains were a little shorter and the yards not as busy as they are during harvest season.  The new staging tracks make it easier for me to remove surplus rolling stock from the layout to simulate the seasonal ebb and flow of railway traffic.  In the above photo, westbound Extra 2010 is arriving in the Avondale yard from Waterville just as the Carleton-York Peddler way freight is about to depart for its slow journey to Millville.  

PEI Visitors

A crew from PEI visited the railway in late February and did an excellent job of moving freight and passengers across the line.  I thoroughly enjoyed their visit.  Taylor Main has posted a number of great photos from their trip to Saint John (including some shots of Lou McIntyre's "Hampton & St. Martins Railway").  The link to Taylor's blog is here:

PEI visitors in Saint John -- February 2015

Thanks for visiting, guys!

Cloverdale Subdivision soon to open

CLOVERDALE SUBDIVISION

The Carleton Railway's new Cloverdale subdivision will soon begin providing efficient rail service between Millville and Maplewood.  Although Maplewood represents a very rural area in northern York County, it will provide a steady source of forest product traffic for the railway as well as additional farm shipments.  With the anticipated opening of the line, other industries are expressing interest in the area.  The subdivision will be ready in time for the next operating session on Saturday, February 21 (and for the session for guests from PEI on February 28).

LANE'S CREEK

Also new is the community of Lane's Creek, Carleton County, located along highway 103 between Wakefield and Pembroke on the Avondale Subdivision.  The major industry in the community is the F.W. Boyer Tannery (which in the real world existed a few miles up river in Victoria Corner).  

NEW EMPLOYEE TIMETABLE
Employee Time Table No. 8 has been printed and is now in effect on the railway.  Crew members would of course be wise to study it before operating sessions, making note of changes.  Complimentary copies will be available at the next SJSMR open house at the Lancaster Mall on February 14.

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.