Saturday, March 17, 2007

Visitors to the B&M

Fun With Friends Operating the Layout

Haven't posted here in quite a while as I've been busy keeping the Friday Night Group weblog updated each week after our train sessions. Check that blog out at www.fridaynightgroup.blogspot.com where you'll see many of the other fine layouts I operate on in the Ottawa region!

Just last evening I had my good buddy (and original Friday Night Group member) Marty Phillips in town for a visit. Fifteen lads descended the basement stairs to run trains and what a fun session we enjoyed. I brought out the Bluebirds from the display case for "old time's sake" and Marty really enjoyed seeing them run!

Here we catch a glimpse of the Bluebirds in care of train N2, "The Newsboy" as it traverses the New England River bridge. The train will enter Marshall Cut and will soon be in range of North Dover.


Bluebirds 1746 and 1701 are spotted exiting the inbound end of Marshall Cut at milepost 39. "The Newsboy" is a train laden with newsprint for Boston. Judging by the murky nature of the water, there'll be no swimming today!


A railfan trackside has spotted the train piercing the rock cut out by the Conley Lumber and Coal spur. The crew will duck under the Howard Street overpass and will meet a Maine Central Train at the interlocking tower.

The Boston and Maine train has superiority here as it crosses the diamond with the Maine Central. The crew aboard MEC train #390 has been holding the interlocking for some time now. The B&M will have siding priviliges in North Dover.

Another aerial shot shows the train crossing the Salmon River on the outskirts of town. Making the crossing, the crew leaves the state of Maine and enters into New Hampshire where they will shortly traverse Boundary Road.

This photograph was taken from the Main Street on the upper level of town in North Dover looking down on the station tracks. Train N2 will drop off a cut of cars to the north siding (at the right) and will lift an assigned block as well. Those tankcars resting on the south siding (to the left) will be exchanged with the Maine Central.


After the Boston and Maine crew depart town, the Maine Central train is granted traffic rights into the station. Here they will exchange some tankcars already in view along the south siding.


Wow! What's wrong with this picture!? Why...it's "Back to the Future" time! Look closely and you'll see what I mean!



Here's an interesting perspective of the train as it slows to a crawl near the station. The cars on the south siding to the left will be lifted by the crew and some others will be dropped.


Looking down the length of the track in North Dover we see the large Phillips Furniture Factory in the distance. I hope you have enjoyed the pics of these two trains...showing but a fraction of all trains run during the session last night.


I'll close with these two pictures taken of a bunch of the lads in the crew lounge. That's Chris looking up at the camera with Joel and Bob sharing the sofa. Fred, Peter and Rick are off in the distance on the other sofa. That's the back of Jim's head sitting on the church pew!


Peter and Fred seem to be enjoying themselves as well. Peter is another B&M modeller in the group and he models the Peterboro Branch of the B&M in steam days with those beautiful 2-6-0 Moguls!

Thanks for checking in!
Mike Hamer, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

12 comments:

Mike McNamara said...

Love to see those Bluebirds out on the mainline! Reminds me that I really need to get my undec GP9s finished, painted and decaled for late-1970's B&M blue. Of course once I do that, someone will announce B&M GP9s!

Glad to hear Marty was able to visit. Let him know that I am awaiting more pictures of his layout.

Mike Mc.
mainecentral.blogspot.com

Mike Sherbak said...

Mike,
Are those McGinnis Bluebirds Proto
2000 models ? The modeling work is outstanding...They look so real !!!

Mike Sherbak

Laurent Siliprandi said...

Hello Mike,
Il y a longtemps que l'on ne c'est pas parlé.
Je vois que malheureusement votre Blog ne bouge pas beaucoup. Vous consacrez trop de temps au Friday Night Group !
Mais trève de plaisanterie, comme vous aviez eu l'amabilité de visiter mon ancien Blog, je vous donne l'adresse de mon nouveau consacré au Genesee & Wyoming à l'époque actuelle. http://gwlayout.blogspot.com/
Et oui dans le même secteur que le Boston and Maine mais à l'époque actuelle.
Alors bonne visite et meilleures salutations.
Laurent S.

Unknown said...

Very nice looking Blog i was reffered here from one of your operating aquintances. Anyways i would love to follow this site in my News blog.

If there was new posts lol Great layout i have a mag i think i seen it in is that true ?

Chris Lyon said...

Hi Mike. I hear you got some new power with sound. Maybe you could show us them idling on by.

custom trains said...

I am a big fan of Post-McGinnis Bluebird GP9's. Nice job on those.

Andy

Chris Lyon said...

Hi Mike. Are you going to post some pictures of your new craftsman structures?

Anonymous said...

Hi Mike: I am living in Miami, I am in the hobby more than 30 years.First N scale, few years changed to HO. I saw your B&M layout in a Model Railroader supplement"Design concepts for your next layout" and it was fantastic. I ordered the Great Model railroads 2004 to see the details. I have a layout, but I would like to built one like yours because my room has the same dimensions. My wife and I are planning to have a vacation in Canada to see the Niagra Falls and I would like to visit your layout. I am a retired engineer and I enjoy this hobby a lot. We had an N scale club few years ago the "AM Express Module Railroad Club" and we won several times the first place in the Great American Train Show in Miami and Ft.Lauderdale.I would like to live over there to enjoy your club activities with your other friends.Congratulations for your support to this hobby. Maybe we will meet some day. Regards,
Ramiro Alvarez
aramiro@bellsouth.net

Mike Hamer said...

Thanks everyone for our positive comments. Ramiro, you are more than welcome to visit my layout whenever you get up to Canada. You can contact me at cw580@ncf.ca anytime. Yes, my layout has proven that you do not need large expanses of area to create, operate and enjoy the many facets of this great hobby. I look forward to hearing about your progress when you begin your model railroad! Keep in touch. Mike

Mike Hamer said...

Hi Ron. Yup, the layout appeared in Model Railroader's Great Model Railroads 2004 and their MRP Planning issue 2001. Feel free to use the blog as a link in your news blog!

Thanks everyone else for your kind words. Mike, the Bluebirds are indeed P2K ones custom painted by a friend, Yvon Rozon.

angelo.5@juno.com said...

I would like to know if the two diesels that you have in the layout are both working

Mike Hamer said...

Yes Angelo, both diesels are powered. I enjoy the variety of paint schemes the Boston and Maine offers!