Never get involved in a land war in Asia

and never agree to transcribe 20 hours of meetings from an Australian business meeting.

That's what I've been doing for the last 4 days...utter nightmare. Could NOT understand their accents. Making it worse were the bad audio levels and the fact that a lot of the people preesnt insisted on talking over each other from all around the room except in front of the microphone... I will never transcribe ANYTHING every again.

Anyway, so sorry to be MIA from my blogs.

Life in miniature draws hundreds to model train, doll house show at Augusta armory

From Morning Sentinel: Life in miniature draws hundreds to model train, doll house show at Augusta armory
AUGUSTA -- Stephen Burns remembers admiring trains when passing over three railroad crossings on trips to Rockland from Friendship as a child, but he's not sure why he fell in love with model railroads.

click image to enlarge

Connor Ruttenberg, 2 1/2, of Turner, pushes the buttion to unload logs from a model train with some help from Joanne Burns, of Friendship, at the Maine 3-Railers display on Saturday, during the Whitefield Lions Club Model Railroad & Doll House Show at the Augusta armory.

Staff photo by Joe Phelan

click image to enlarge

Judy DeGrandpre, of Freeport, looks at porcelain figures made by Elaine Perkins, of Our Dolls in Concord Township, on Saturday, during the Whitefield Lions Club Model Railroad & Doll House Show at the Augusta armory. DeGrandpre said that she had many of figurines made by Perkins.

Staff photo by Joe Phelan

Select images available for purchase in the
Maine Today Photo Store

"I don't know what it is," said Burns, 73. "I'm not fascinated in the least bit by video games or slot cars. I've always been fascinated by trains, and I probably will be as long as I last."
Whatever the reason, he wasn't alone in his passion at the annual Whitefield Lions Club Model Railroad and Doll House Show held Saturday at the Augusta State Armory.
Event organizer Steve Laundrie said 700 to 800 people usually attend the event each year, which is the club's second-largest fundraiser, behind its Windsor Fair activities.
Burns sat in a chair with the model railroad track in front of him. His wife, Joanne, sat to the side of the track, helping children control a miniature log loader.
Stephen Burns pressed a small lever, propelling the steam engine toward the log loader. Rail cars on one side of the loader flung the miniature logs into the loader's feeder before the press of a button lifted them to the other side.
Then the loader flung the wooden dowels into the rail cars on the opposite track.
Burns noted that one of the railroad cars supplying the log loader was a Christmas gift in 1947. He had gotten his first set a few years earlier at the age of 4.
He said he's not sure what makes model railroads such a popular hobby.
"All I can say is I'm still fascinated by it," Burns said.
The Friendship couple are members of the Maine 3-Railers, a model railroad club that meets monthly in Richmond.
Paul Lodge, secretary of the Great Falls Model Railroad Club, in Auburn, said he thinks model railroads are popular because there is a lot of creativity involved in designing the track and scenery.
Also, model railroads allow people to control something, unlike much else in life, Lodge said.
Jerry Johnston, of Minot, said he has been using model trains since the early 1980s and joined Great Falls Model Railroad Club in 1997.
"That's what really put me in deep," he said. "I've been head over heels since then."
Johnston said he has around 100 model train engines and 700 square feet of track layout at his house.
The club is an educational foundation that promotes model railroading as a hobby and the appreciation of real railroads through adult education classes, railroad safety presentation, club gatherings and special events.
Great Falls Model Railroad Club and the Maine 3-Railers both take part in the Model Railroad Celebration, held every December at the Maine State Museum.
The clubs each had large model railroads set up at the show that were running throughout the day, as well as some smaller tracks. Vendors also sold model railroad components and dollhouse supplies.
Model railroads may be a popular hobby, but it's not a cheap one.
Johnston said decent train engines cost $50 to $70, and cars cost around $15. Some vendors had engines priced at more than $100.
Laundrie, who has been organizing the event for seven years, said he doesn't have any model railroads.
"I admire these people," he said. "I'm afraid if I did get into it, I'd wind up in the poor house."
Laundrie said he did notice more people leaving with purchases Saturday compared to past years.
The Burnses said they have a similar, but larger, model railroad set up at home, and they take the 16-foot-long track to the various shows.
Stephen Burns said they go to several shows throughout the year with the club.
"I kind of dread the night before," he said. "I'm happy enough when I get here. You see an awful lot of kids smiling, quite a few adults."

Model Railroad Show takes tracks to the mall

Another annual event - mark it on your calendar for next year.

From KVal.com:  Model Railroad Show takes tracks to the mall

EUGENE, Ore. -- All aboard for the 34th Model Railroad show in the Valley River Center!
Many of the train aficionados that visited the show on Saturday said that their love of model trains stemmed from having one as a kid.
“When I was about 5 years old - back in 1955 - I got my first Lionel train set that my dad turned into this huge train table,” said Frank Sharpy, scoping out the intricate railways that filled the Valley River’s plaza. “Nowhere near this exotic … but ever since I have loved my trains."
Sharpy said he took his grandson to the show not once, but twice this weekend; per his grandson’s request.
"His eyes are glowing, he says ‘Pick me up, show me more trains!’,” Sharply said. “As I said, we came twice and he will probably want to come back tomorrow."
The exhibit features models of historic locomotives and even a model of the Hogwarts Express from the Harry Potter series.
The people behind the exhibits said that they love having the opportunity to work with other enthusiasts, building the models from scratch and working on electronics.
 “I personally love working with he small stuff. I love taking a box of garbage and making it look like the stuff that is running over here,” said Fred Miranda, a member of the Willamette Cascade Model Railroad Club, a group that has been together since the 1970’s.
The show isn’t all about model trains. Operation Lifesaver has a booth devoted to educating kids and adults about railroad safety.
“Realize these things can't stop on a dime and they are heavy … even semis and logging trucks don't survive against them,” said Miranda.
The Model Railroad show was put together by clubs around the Pacific northwest and is scheduled to keep on rolling through Sunday.

 

Generations come together at annual model railroad show

From KSBY.com:  Generations come together at annual model railroad show

Okay, weekend is over...but mark this down as it is an annual event.

A local train depot was opening up its doors this weekend, and no tickets were needed.
The 6th annual Model Railroad Days was held at the Oceano Depot.
The free event featured operating model trains on display and unique artifacts in the depot.
Organizers say the intent of the event is to share the history of trains and love of modeling, while also bringing generations together.
Michael Mickens, San Luis Obispo Model Railroad Association secretary, says, "A lot of people love it 'cause it's generational. We get a lot of grandparents bringing their grandkids in. A lot of grandparents want to give their trains to their grandchildren and pass it on."
Mickens also says people can bring in their model trains and find out how much, if anything, they are worth.
The event is a fundraiser for the San Luis Obispo Model Railroad Association and the Oceano Depot Association.

 

OMG!

Never realized I hadn't posted in over 2 weeks!

Sorry, folks

Things have just gotten away from me the last week and a half...posting should be back on schedule starting this weekend.

WI: Model Railroad Show coming to Stevens Point Jan. 19-20

From Portage County Gazette:  Model Railroad Show coming to Stevens Point Jan. 19-20

The 16th Annual Model Railroad Show and Sale will be held Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 19 and 20, at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Convention Center, 1001 Amber Ave., Stevens Point. It will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20.
This year’s show will feature Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends from Chugginton Station for younger railroaders and the latest in radio- and computer-controlled trains running on any one of a dozen portable layouts in sizes as big as 22-feet-by-52-feet for older people.
One layout will feature almost four scale miles of track, more than 2,000 trees and more than 250 miniature people and animals, including a monkey.
The show was originally held at CenterPoint MarketPlace and then the Ramada Hotel Convention Center, before moving to the 16,000-square-foot Holiday Inn in order to accommodate all the trains and layouts featured in it.
In addition to all the layout activity, vendors and hobbyists will be available to answer questions, and the show will bring exhibitors and vendors from throughout Wisconsin and surrounding states to network and help fulfill modeler’s needs for equipment and supplies.
“The purpose of the show is to allow the public to see what model railroading is all about,” said Phil Gjevre, show manager and a member of the Central Wisconsin Model Railroaders (CWMR), which sponsors the show. “In many respects the railroads are unique works of art and become a lifetime hobby for many individuals. I’ve been doing it for 64 years.”
Attendance has grown every year as more people learn of the show and the hobby gets more popular thanks to the support of other model railroad clubs in the surrounding area. “Our goal is to make the show become the premier after-Christmas and early New Year event that people look forward to each year,” said Gjevre.
CWMR member Larry Misiewicz agreed. “If a person enjoys trains, it creates the opportunity to create something from memory or from real life in miniature,” he said. “Some people just enjoy running trains. Others research their favorite railroad and try to create part of it in miniature, and others take pride in building their pike in detail, right down to putting utility meters on their buildings.”
“You get hooked on it when you are young and it grows on you. It is considered by some as the ‘world’s greatest hobby,’” said Gjevre.
CWMR members encourage people to come out and see the unique designs different clubs will have on display.
The show also draws former modelers who have been away from modeling for a while back into the hobby. “Model railroading is not just a guy thing,” said Gjevre. “It provides fun and relaxation to young and old, guy or gal who enjoy it. And, you are never too old to have another childhood!”
CWMR was founded as a nonprofit educational organization in 1987 for individuals with interest in model railroading to come together and share their hobby. Part of the proceeds from the show and sale go to support local nonprofit organizations, including the Portage County Historical Society and the Boys & Girls Club. CWMR worked in conjunction with the Historical Society to restore the Bancroft Depot, where the club currently holds its meetings. There are currently about 20 members ranging in age from 20 to mid-70 years old.
Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for children ages 11 to 16. Children 10 and younger are free. Families with multiple children will pay no more than $10 in admissions.
Vendors and clubs interested in participating should contact Phil Gjevre at 715-341-8228 or ten.retrahc@ervejg.enaj.lihp.

 

Posting resumes Sunday

I know I've been saying this periodically but this will be the last time I say it...I'm visiting relatives and although they have Wi fi I don't have a private room to work.
I'll be home Thursaday and will get back into the swing of things then.

Model trains stay on track with digital technology

From BlueRidgeNow: 

Ian Pugliese's thumb moved up and down his iPod as he watched a train move around the tracks at the Historic Train Depot in Hendersonville. The depot's intricate displays were abuzz with activity during the Apple Valley Model Railroad Club's post-Christmas Open House Wednesday.

The 16-year-old wasn't texting or surfing the Internet, however. He was using the app Wi Throttle to control the train.

The phone app is just one of many ways technology is changing the hobby of building and running model railroads. The Apple Valley Model Railroad Club, which has been in existence for more than two decades, has seen a shift from analog to radio control, and now to digital.

The model trains of old were entirely analog. The user controlled the track, not the train. Analog, while still popular among the purists, didn't allow for as much functionality. Only one train could run on the tracks at a time and there weren't as many functional bells and whistles.

After a brief move to radio control technology, digital technology began popping up in the late 1990s. There was resistance at first, club member John Van Valen said, because it was expensive. But times have changed and digital technology prices have dropped.

Now model train hobbyists are turning to Digital Command Control boards, which are computer-based and reliant on digital technology. Instead of analog controls, model railroad enthusiasts have controls that operate on a wireless signal. They can follow their train as it winds and weaves its way through intricate layout designs.

At the Hendersonville depot, the tracks and displays are replicas of tracks across Western North Carolina, including Asheville and Saluda. The Asheville Division, the newest division at the depot, is entirely computer-based. Not far away, the Thomas the Train track for kids is still analog.

Digital provides capabilities that weren't affordable 10 years ago. Multiple trains can be on one set of tracks at any given time. Train operators can blow a horn, sound a whistle or screech brakes with a digital device.

“This is not simple like it used to be,” Van Valen said.

For his personal sets, the 84-year-old still runs analog. With the club's move to digital, however, Van Valen has had to start using engines that can run on both types of tracks. The primary benefits, he said, are the ability to run more trains on one set of tracks, smoother speed control, and better overall control.

The shift from analog to digital has been slow, club member Bob Barnes said. In fact, some in the modeling community haven't made the switch at all.

“Many of them are tending to stick to the analog,” he said.

That doesn't mean they are anti-technology.

“It's all they know,” Van Valen said about analog.

For club Vice President Ken O'Brien, the best part of the technology reaches well beyond the tracks themselves.

“It's an outstanding modification to the hobby,” he said. “The tech side of it is a big deal. The youngsters need to keep seeing that.”

He said model trains haven't been as popular with younger generations, but the new technology could lead a resurgence in the club and other clubs' ability to reach children and keep the hobby thriving.

Those sentiments are shared by Pugliese. The Hendersonville High student is one five teenage members of the club, and technology plays a big part in the hobby he's loved for the last four years.

“I'm just interested in technology,” he said, adding that it opened some club members' eyes when he showed how he could control the tracks with his iPod.

It's not just club members who have noticed the technology, Pugliese said.

“People are amazed to see technology so advanced in here,” he said about visitors to the depot.

Club member Al Smith agreed that technology is what's going to introduce the love of model railroads to future generations.

“For those over 50, it's a nostalgic attraction,” he said. “For the crowd that's 20 years and older, they're attracted to the model. It's about the creation. For those 20 years and younger, it's a combination of those things, but the catalyst of it all is technology.”

 

WA: Expert specializes in model train layouts for small rooms

From HeraldNet:  Expertspecializes in model train layouts for small rooms

 EVERETT -- Mike Scheerens has been a model train enthusiast his entire life.

When he was about 10 years old, he watched his father, James, build tracks for HO-scale trains, one of the largest models available. When his father tried a smaller model called N-scale, Scheerens remembers the size was better suited for him.

"He tried fiddling with the N-scale and he couldn't do it because it was too small," said Scheerens, 47. "He threw it away and I took it out of the garbage later and fixed it. I got it working."

That fascination with model trains hasn't disappeared. Scheerens earlier this month published a book, "Apartment Model Trains: Two Examples," to share what he's learned about building model train layouts in small apartments. It's also a way to preserve the ideas he originally posted to a website.

Scheerens in December 1999 started building a model train layout that would loop throughout his roughly 500-square-foot, one bedroom Everett apartment. He attached the railway to wooden planks and positioned them under cabinets in his kitchen, around a stacked washer and dryer, and eventually around his bedroom.

He designed paper mountains and painted broken foam pieces with beads on it to look like seawall or rock. His basic construction tools were a 25-foot tape measure, a 45-degree triangle, pencils, a handsaw, Elmer's wood glue and a cordless screwdriver fitted with drill bits.

The whole arrangement had to come down in 2007 when Scheerens, who works at Boeing, moved into a two-bedroom apartment. He dreamed up a layout supported on the tops of bookshelves and plastic storage containers. The layout wasn't completed in 2011 when Scheerens moved again into his approximately 900-square-foot home. He started in September to build another layout where his black Lionel locomotive can now pull several cars along part of his living room wall. He's planning to expand the route throughout his home.

"It's kind of like an art," he said.

Scheerens said he's found most of what he needs to build his layouts at local hobby and hardware shops.

One store which supplies Scheerens and others who build model train layouts is Broadway Hobbies in Everett. The store hosts a train club so people can share their layout ideas and problem-solving tips. The club's discussions often include ways to build layout in small spaces, said Lou DeBenny, the store owner.

His store also sells magazines and books that can help create layouts, DeBenny added. Still, the most common problem he's heard when it comes to building happens when the designing and buildings is supposedly complete.

"The beauty is that the second they say they're done, they want to do something different," he said.

 

Christmas model railroad display a lesson in history of 1940s- era

From Republican-Herald:  Christmas model railroad display a lesson in history of 1940s- era

The Christmas trains are running on time in the Hazleton area, and the conductor is calling, "All aboard!"
The trains are owned and operated by members of the Anthracite Model Railroad Club, which is hosting its annual holiday open house at the club headquarters, 1057 Hanover Court, Hazle Township, weekends through Jan. 6.
The trains are HO model rail cars that travel continuously past detailed replicas of 1940s-era Greater Hazleton over more than 1,000 feet of hand-laid track.
Visitors who enter the clubhouse step into a magical, miniature world of villages along rivers and railways covering hundreds of miles of terrain, all depicted in meticulous detail and contained within a building that formerly housed a bakery.
The first community visitors see is Jim Thorpe as it appeared about 75 years ago, with the twin mansions owned by coal and railroad moguls Asa and Harry Packer. The mansions are perched on a hillside overlooking the Jersey Central Train Station and other landmark buildings in old Mauch Chunk.
Chugging into the tiny, but authentically re-created town, is one of eight model locomotives that move through the communities, rail yards and colliery patch towns that lie along the pike.
Each home along the track, along with the mountains, bridges, creeks and rivers along the railway were hand-built by members of the club. Each of the hundreds of tiny people, pets and livestock that populate the scenery were hand-painted.
"It's a labor of love, really," said Joe Deluca, railroad club secretary.
Model railroading is an old-fashioned hobby, but it hasn't been forgotten by modern technology. Some of today's HO trains have programmable on-board computers that keep them traveling on their pre-determined course. Others can generate sound effects that mimic authentic rail sounds.
Club members also used modern technology to create a working drive-in movie theater with a mini DVD player embedded into the scenery and painted to resemble an old-fashioned outdoor screen. The drive-in is showing classic Christmas movies this time of year.
The trains travel past Cedar, Wyoming, Laurel and Church streets, and by businesses such as Caputo's Ice Plant, the Markle Bank and Trust building, Price's Dairy, Deisroth's and the Blue Comet Diner, as working railroad crossing gates lower across the roadways when the train-crossing lights begin flashing.
Some say model trains and Christmas have a historical connection because the first regularly scheduled passenger train in the U.S. began in 1830 on Christmas Day. Others say the tradition of trains at Christmas dates to the 1940s when railroads helped bring thousands of American servicemen home for the holidays.
Regardless of how the tradition began, the sight of a model train circling a Christmas tree, or traveling eight at a time around a miniature pike at the Anthracite Model Railroad Club, is a delight to children and a source of sweet memories for adults

 

Model trains bring back Christmas memories

From Courier-Post: Model trains bring back Christmas memories

When Rich Drobil was a little boy in the 1950s, Santa Claus labored through the night to set up a Christmas tree amid a working model train set on a large platform in his living room.
The joy he felt at the sight never left the Glassboro resident.
“I couldn’t wait for those sounds and the smell of smoke from the Lionel steam engine running around the tree each year,” recalled Drobil, now a 61-year-old model train enthusiast who works for Camden County College’s information technology department.
“It wasn’t until years later that I discovered that the layout platform lived behind all the shelving of my father’s workbench in the basement til Christmas Eve,” he added. “After I was in bed, my mother and father would drag it up from the cellar and spend the entire evening placing the houses, wiring the tracks, testing everything, (and) then putting up the tree with lights, tinsel and the other hanging decorations.”
For many children of a certain generation, Christmas and trains go together like a pair of rails. Though the tradition faded for a time, it has seen a resurgence in recent years as technology has improved and as grandparents introduce their childhood hobby to a new set of fans.
Beloved children’s classics like The Polar Express, the Harry Potter series and Thomas the Tank Engine have also revived interest in trains, said Conrad Daniel, owner of the Toy Train Emporium in Cherry Hill. The store is packed floor to ceiling with trains and their accessories, both new and old.
“There’s something about trains and Christmas,” said Daniel, who has been in business for 16 years. “It may have something to do with the fact that, back in the day, trains were a little pricey. It was something you got for Christmas.”
Indeed, model train makers like Lionel offer holiday-themed trains and accessories — there’s even a blue-and-white Hanukkah train.
But the association between model trains and the holidays may stretch back even further to the 18th century, said Drobil, a member of the Strasburg Model Railroad Club of South Jersey. Back then, homes would feature a miniature village under their Christmas trees.

 

New posting schedule

Now that I've got this new full-time job, I'll be posting in this blog twice a week - on Monday's and Wednesdays.

So the next post for this blog will be on Monday.

Thanks for your patience.

Posts resume this Wednesday

I'm a freelance writer and I am way behind on a job I have to do, so I won't be posting here until Wednesday..

Thanks for your patience!

Community Corner: Small trains are fast fun for High Sierra Model Railroad Club

From ChicoER:  Community Corner: Small trains are fast fun for High Sierra Model Railroad Club

CHICO — "Old toy trains, little toy tracks. Little boy toys, comin' from a sack," theses opening lines from Roger Miller's 1965 Christmas carol "Old Toy Trains," capture the long romance between boys, model trains and Christmas.
"My daughter asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I told her I wanted a model train set. I never had one as a boy," recalled Joe Clark.
"And, sure enough, on Christmas she gave me a big box with everything in it. I set it up in the garage," he said.
That was in the mid-1990s. Little did Clark know then his daughter's gift would lead him to become a serious model train hobbyist. Eventually, he would found High Sierra Model Railroad Club, the only model train club between Sacramento and Redding.

"It was my son-in-law who suggested I start a model train club. I thought it wasn't a bad idea so I made fliers and put them up in hobby shops in town and Paradise," Clark said. "Our first meeting was in March of 1999 and 12 people showed up."
Clark's son-in-law, Larry Trimboli, offered the unfinished loft in the warehouse of his business, Sierra Log Homes in south Chico. Though the shape of the loft was an awkward "L" — measuring 10 feet wide with each leg of the L being 40 feet long — Clark was grateful to have a space. He named the club "High Sierra"
in honor of Trimboli's company. After seeing the barren loft with its unfinished ceiling and patched floor, most of the new members "went away never to be seen again," he said.
"Those of us who stayed had a vision of what could be done with the space, though, so we went to work," said Clark.
Members decided to install a complete train control system, a Digitrax DCC. It allows multiple trains to be run simultaneously and handles all the layout control and operation as well as lights and sounds on the trains.
The loft, which has been remodeled, now holds more than 300,000 feet of mainline track plus turnouts and switches. The mainline runs through small towns, countryside and mountains, for the most part duplicating Western Pacific Railroad's Feather River Route through the Sierra during the 1950s.
Club member Ray Hauling is a retired Southern Pacific "railroad man" who worked as switchman, brakeman, yard master and conductor during his long career with the company. He created most of the three-dimensional mountains, hills, valleys, farms and orchards through which the High Sierra model trains run.
"I like to work with my hands and I was looking for something to do," Hauling explained.
"Art classes were too expensive so when I found the club, I thought what the heck, I'll check it out. I love it. I can't wait for our meetings each week. It's a great group of guys," he said.
The High Sierra layout also includes tunnels, a U-shaped curve and a water tower where the steam engines can "fill up." The club has 20 locomotives "on the bench" ready to go, most are equipped for sound.
Bill Delgardo, an early member who likes building models, used a set of Southern Pacific Rail Road plans for a 50,000 gallon main-line water tower as the blueprint for the High Sierra water tower. Scaling the plans down to size, Delgardo made a special jig for his saw and cut the "timbers" for the model tower from old barn redwood.
"It's 8 inches tall and looks just like an old water tower. I painted it so that even the part that holds water looks like water is wicking through it. Boy that was fun and oh man it is cool," said Delgardo.
These days there are eight members who meet each week on Tuesday and Thursday evenings to run the model trains, add to or reconfigure the layout and take in each other's company. Several others have moved or passed away.
"It's a neat hobby, the world's greatest hobby," said Delgardo. "It's not horrifically expensive and it gets us guys together and keeps us out of bars chasing women. I like to encourage people to come see what we have and then to come back again.
"It's like watching a great movie: You watch it again to see what you've missed the first time. There are a lot of little details in our layout that make it remarkable," said Delgardo.
———
The High Sierra Model Railroad Club a membership organization for model train hobbyists.
Location: 3650 Morrow Lane
Meetings: weekly, Tue. And Thurs. 6:30pm ­ 10:00pm, open to visitors
More information: www.highsierramrrc.webs.com or 342-4305
Membership Cost: $100 one-time initiation fee; $25 a month 

 

Charleston: Where to find model trains and little snowy villages this season

From the Charleston City Paper: Charleston: Where to find model trains and little snowy villages this season 

Some Christmas traditions make more sense than others. Santa Claus gets cookies, kids sing Christmas carols, and we chop down fir trees and put them inside our homes (ok, that one's a bit weird). But model trains — where did they come from? Once the holidays arrive they show up everywhere, from public spaces to store windows, and in people’s homes circling the Christmas tree.

While no one knows for sure why model trains have become such an iconic Christmas symbol, Mary Lehr, Curator of the Best Friend of Charleston Railway Museum, shared one theory with us that has roots in a little-known Charleston icon. The Best Friend of Charleston was the name of the first train ever built completely in the United States and was also the first steam locomotive in the U.S. to establish regularly scheduled passenger service. The inaugural voyage of the Best Friend occurred in 1830, on Christmas Day, which is how model trains came to be associated with Christmas in America. “You have to understand that the Best Friend of Charleston was like the rocket ship of its day. When witnesses saw the Best Friend for the first time on that Christmas morning, it was like nothing they had ever seen,” explains Lehr. The amazement which that first locomotive voyage inspired may be why trains have come to symbolize the wonder and magic of the holidays, not just for Charlestonians, but for American everywhere.
Though Charleston isn't exactly overflowing with holiday model train setups, there are a couple of places around town where you can find them.

One of the most famous model train displays in town is located in the lobby of the Charleston Place Hotel which first began operating their O Gauge model trains in 2001. Last year, Lou Nappi, the mastermind behind the Charleston Place’s train set up, added a mini-camera to the train, so that viewers could take a virtual trip on the train. To see what new surprises have been added this year, head to the lobby of the Charleston Place between 9 a.m and 10 p.m from now until New Year's.

Want more trains? Check out the The Best Friends of Charleston Rail Museum. Though the life-size replica of the original Best Friend train is out on loan to another museum, you can still see displays of artifacts, videos, and other model trains. The museum is free and located in the Citadel Mall on Sam Rittenberg Road. It's open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from  5 to 9 p.m and Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m.
Starting this Friday, Dec. 7, you can see paintings of trains by the official artist of the Lionel Train Corporation, Angela Trotta Thomas, at COCO VIVO Fine Art. There will also be a model train chugging its way through a snowy village.

And if just seeing trains isn't enough for you, head to the James Island County Park Holiday Festival of Lights to take a ride on the Festival Express. This 54-passenger trains travels throughout the festival, taking visitors through displays of more than 2 million Christmas lights. Find more information about the Festival Express on the Charleston County Parks and Recreation department website.Where to find model trains and little snowy villages this season

Iowa: 90-Foot Model Railroad Layout Makes Big Dream Come True

From The Gazette:  90-Foot Model Railroad Layout Makes Big Dream Come True

A 13-foot tall mountain in the background overlooks one section of the new 40-by-90 foot Lionel model train layout at Dumont Museum south of Sigourney. Photo was taken Friday, Nov. 30, 2012. (Dave Rasdal/The Gazette-KCRG)

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SIGOURNEY — I should have brought binoculars. That’s the only way to see from one end of Lyle Dumont’s new model railroad to the other. It’s 90 feet long, nearly a third of a football field.
“This IS the crazy man’s project,” laughs Lyle, 72. “I’m not done yet. This is something I always wanted to do so I decided to do it.”
Yes, it’s a Lionel model railroad that’s 40 feet wide, meaning it covers 3,600 square feet — about the area of three houses — at Dumont Museum three miles south of Sigourney on Highway 149 just west on 255th Street.

Lyle Dumont and his wife, Helen, share a laugh as they look over the new 40-by-90 foot Lionel model train layout at their Dumont Museum south of Sigourney. Photo was taken Friday, Nov. 30, 2012. (Dave Rasdal/The Gazette-KCRG)

Six years ago, when I stopped here for the first time, Lyle had satisfied his childhood dream of owning a model railroad by building a 25-by-30 foot layout in the front room. It includes a six-foot tall mountain and plenty of cars, buildings and scenery to match.
This new layout, started in 2008, features a 13-foot tall mountain. Trains circle it on two levels. In all, if the track was laid end-to-end, it would stretch more than a mile.
“Yep,” Lyle grins. “A mile. That’s what it is and I’ve laid every piece of it myself.”
But, this is about more than model trains. This is about creating a fantasy world. Lyle is good at that.
His museum began with life-size Oliver tractors, farm equipment, Roy Rogers memorabilia and an extensive doll collection by his wife, Helen. The entire thing is housed under 30,000 square feet of roof after another recent addition.
The first layout, begun a decade ago, used that day’s technology, from the wireless remote controls for the trains to animated displays (a fully-operational amusement park) to a scale-model drive-in theater showing DVD movies.

Smoke pours from a building as firefighters fight a blaze in one scene included in the new 40-by-90 foot Lionel model train layout at Dumont Museum south of Sigourney. Photo was taken Friday, Nov. 30, 2012. (Dave Rasdal/The Gazette-KCRG)

This one goes well beyond that. Lyle can run 30 trains at once. Bridges elevated above your head connect one side to another. Mount Rushmore is incorporated in the mountain. Check out the spinning wind generators, shushing line of snowmobilers, operating tramway.
Yes, a woman mows her lawn while nearby ostriches turn their heads. Over yonder, lifelike flames lick the inside of a two-story building while smoke rolls out above the flashing lights of the firetrucks.
“Every new thing that comes out, he has to have it,” says Helen. “He keeps Lionel and MTH (Mike’s Train House in North Carolina) in business.”
At the annual Christmas open house, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, you can see the front room layout free. For $5, you can tour the entire museum.
Next on Lyle’s agenda is a pair of operating roller coasters, each six feet long and two feet wide.
“It’s just fun to see what you can do,” Lyle says. “And when you get done, it all works. How about that?”

 

PA: Holiday trains are rolling through Franklin County neighborhoods

From Public Opinion.com:  Holiday trains are rolling through Franklin County neighborhoods

All aboard!
Franklin County has three indoor model railroad layouts, now open for holiday viewing.
Cumberland Valley Model Railroad Club headquarters
CHAMBERSBURG - Cumberland Valley Model Railroad Club, 440 Nelson St., has more than 3,700 pieces of rolling stock, including 1,207 on the tracks and 2,500 on display.
Layouts are in scales of G , Standard, O, O27, On3, HO, TT, N, Z and T. There's also an operating Lego layout and Jurassic Park.
The latest additions to the club's Thomas layout are the cars Donald and Douglas. The layout also includes Lady, James, Gordon, Percy and Emily.
A complete overhead oval will be in operation.
The club's name comes from the Cumberland Valley Railroad, headquartered in Chambersburg and in operation from 1836 to 1919.
Open house: noon to 5 p.m. on the following dates: Dec. 9, 16, 23 and 30 and Jan. 5 and 12. Children younger than 18 must be accompanied and supervised by an adult.
Mall display: A Christmas display at Chambersburg Mall, 3055 Black Gap Road, Chambersburg, was built by a club member and is on display through December.
Details: 263-6447, 264-3081
Website: http://www.cvmrrc.com
Magic Train World
GREENCASTLE - Magic Train World, a model train layout at 594 Shannon Drive North, is open for the winter season.
The room holds a 500-square-foot layout complete with scenery, four loops of S-scale and O-scale trains, sound effects, operating accessories, and many educational wall displays.
this year are flashing signs, more engines with sound effects, and custom-painted "Piedmont and Western" trains.It also features a unique "Thomas in Dinosaur Land" floor-level layout. Admission is by donation.
Hours: Magic Train World will be open 1 to 4 p.m. (except for snow days) on the following dates: Dec. 8, 22, 23, 2; Jan. 6, 13, 20 and 27; and Feb. 2 and 9.
Website: http://www.magictrainworld.blogspot.com for photos, directions and weather updates.

Waynesboro Model Railroad Club
ZULLINGER - Waynesboro Model Railroad Club, home of Wayne Castle Central and located in an old grain milling building along Waynecastle Road, has converted its HO layout to digital command control, which assigns each locomotive a specific code and allows each one to move or stop by digital command.
New HO and N-scale table layouts, complete with trains, have been built and will be raffled off, along with an O-scale train set. The club offers "scenic tours" and non-stop action along four layouts in four scales.
Open house: 1-5 p.m. on the following dates (unless a major snowstorm): Dec. 8, 15, 29 and 30; Jan. 5, 6, 12, 19 and 20.
Details: 762-9579
Website: http://waynesborotrainclub.blogspot.com

 

Model-train scenes bring joy to Livingston Manor

From Record Online:  Model-train scenes bring joy to Livingston Manor

LIVINGSTON MANOR — On a mammoth construction of tables inside Catskill Art Society's huge ground-floor window, sat a replica of the building that once was.

North Branch resident Marc Switko and his 10-year-old daughter Emma found it as they stood over a mammoth table-top replica of Livingston Manor and its structures, part of the hamlet's "Trains on Main" showcase of model trains.

There was a replica of Main Street Farm, which sits just across the street from the society. There was the Robin Hood Diner and the Livingston Manor School District building.

"And I saw the Hoos building," Emma Switko said. "I went to the Lazy Beagle all the time."

Eleven days after the Nov. 20 fire that destroyed the landmark Hoos building and four local businesses, Livingston Manor buzzed with a day full of holiday activities.

There has been mourning for the business owners and the loss of four Main Street businesses. There also are fundraisers and calls to spend holiday cash in Livingston Manor as a show of support.

"It was a beautiful outpouring of love," said Morgan Outdoors owner Lisa Lyons said. "Quite a few angels talked up having people come here to shop."

Four days after the fire, about 100 people attended the opening of the society's members show. Executive Director Ann Manby partly attributed the larger-than-normal turnout to a desire by some to support the hamlet in the wake of the fire.

Elaborate model-train scenes created by board President Charlie Irace and Manor resident Charlie Sanborn greeted visitors to the society, Morgan Outdoors, Flour Power Bakery and the local library as part of "Trains for Main."

Catskill Art Society also opened the doors to its annual members' show and set up a crafts bazaar in one of its gallery spaces. There was also caroling, and the Plunk Shop held an event featuring clown-themed art.

"It's brought a lot of joy to this area and the people that come and see it every year," Manby said.

Irace has spent five years creating the Manor replica, adding and refining buildings each year. He decided to keep the Hoos building in this year's display, despite concerns by others.

"I just thought it had to be in to help heal things," Irace said.

Like his daughter, Marc Switko was transported by Irace's display of his native Livingston Manor. He remembered when the Catskill Arts Society building housed a movie theater, when Madison on Main was a pharmacy and Morgan Outdoors was a grocery.

He also remembered eating cheeseburgers at the carryout that once shared the Hoos building with the Hoos bakery.

"I hope something happens with that space," he said.

 

Escapes: Model train exhibit at Napa Valley Museum

From Sacramento Bee:  Escapes: Model train exhibit at Napa Valley Museum

Put on your conductor's hat and head to the Napa Valley Museum. There you will find a first-rate exhibit of HO gauge trains and model railroad layouts from Coastal Valley Lines, paired with a collection of railroad memorabilia.
The exhibit occupies 1,500 square feet, in which model trains climb steep grades, shunt freight cars and take side trips onto branch lines. Trains stop at a variety of stations and industries along their routes.
"HO gauge is the most popular railroad scale, so named because it is half of the size of O gauge, the scale of the once very popular Lionel train sets," said a museum spokesman.
The small-scale model trains have their roots in the 1930s, when "Depression-era budgets had modelers searching for a way to operate model trains in tight quarters," said the spokesman. "Today about 74 percent of modelers are in HO."
The Napa Valley Museum is at 55 Presidents Circle, Yountville; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. The model train exhibit runs through Dec. 16.
Admission is $5 for adults, $2.50 for children 15 and younger. Free admission for everyone Dec. 8. For more information: (707) 944-0500, www.napavalleymuseum.org.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/12/02/5019764/escapes-model-train-exhibit-at.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/12/02/5019764/escapes-model-train-exhibit-at.html#storylink=cpy

 

Wilkes-Barre, PA: Hudson Model Railroad Club’s 2,000-square-foot set-up open again for public view.

From Wilkes-Barre Time Leader:  Hudson Model Railroad Club’s 2,000-square-foot set-up open again for public view.

PLAINS TWP. -- On Sunday, the Hudson Model Railroad Club celebrated its 30th year showcasing its 2,000-square-foot, handmade railroad display with more than 150 locomotives and 2,000 rail cars riding four miles of track.
“We’ve become a local holiday tradition,” said club president Jim Cerulli.
He said the30 members of the club range in age from 16 to more than 80 and all share a “love for trains that can’t be learned.”
They have been meeting once a week to upgrade, maintain, expand and otherwise improve their display all as a “passion for trains,” he added.
“These aren’t just toys. They are exact scale replicas of the real thing. Everything you see in real life you will see here,” he said. Members even will paint graffiti on their cars and exhaust stains on the engines to highlight realism, he said.
Along with the trains, the display includes a model steel mill, harbor and city complete with more than 200 buildings and 500 miniature cars serving the miniature population of more than 750 residents.
A computerized control system allows members to use handheld devices to control the engines, which each have their own computer chip in them, Cerulli said.
“They’re like sophisticated television remotes,” he joked.
More than 200 visitors came by to see the display on Sunday. Every year the club is open from the first weekend after Thanksgiving to the first weekend after New Year’s Day, he said.
Along the walls are photos of local trains along with graphics that define the various types of trains and what type of cargo they could be carrying, Cerulli said.
“We want to teach as well as display. That’s what it’s all about,” he said.
Most of the rolling stock is owned by the club members including several “custom built” pieces not available on the open market, he said.
The club owns the display and the “circus train” Cerulli calls a real crowd pleaser.
“We built a full-length circus train like the types that used to run in the 1970s,” he said.
Another line that gets a lot of attention from the children is the “Caterpillar equipment train,” which offers a line-up of various forms of heavy equipment being transported by rail, he said.
Bill Wightman, a club fan and regular visitor to the display for the last 20 years, said he can’t help but notice the amazing progress and improvements in the layout. What he likes most though is the large variety in the display.
“They have a little bit of everything,” he said.
Cerulli said the club plans to continue into the future allowing train enthusiasts to view the display for free. However, he admits donations from the visitors are very much appreciated and needed to maintain the club’s display.
“It’s a constant work in progress,” he said.