Yesterday got a late start due to rain, but we got in enough running that everyone was satisfied, though the day was hot and humid after the morning rain. Only one car issue (broken coupler) and one switch throw that needs a bit of work. Possibly two cars have tight trucks as they were troublesome on and off, but all in all the railroad was in fine fettle.
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What a total blast! This was the first time Linda and I have done an operating session, so we learned a lot.
Thank you Bruce for being such a great instructor, and thank you Bob and Martha for a wonderful time!
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Here’s Bruce’s logging train on the indoor portion of Al’s beautiful layout.
On Bob’s layout, here’s Bruce and Linda bringing our train to its last stop on the switchlist.
Lot of puzzled-looking train operators. How about adding the names for those of us who don’t get out of the house much?
First pic it looks like Bruce on the left then I am guessing Linda then we have Cliff .
Second pic we have Jon.
Stan’s was amazing. Linda and I were handed a pretty challenging uphill run from one the lowest to the highest point of the layout, picking and setting cars along the way. First time using a car-card system, and once we got the hang of it, all made perfect sense.
Here’s a bit of a layout tour.
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That’s because it’s indeed a puzzle, Pete, haha! It took a long time yesterday, especially with the second switch list.
Left to right: Bruce, Linda and moi.
Left, Al Pomeroy; right, Jon Radder.
There were more folks there, but I’m afraid I don’t have pics showing them.
Jon showing his good side
It was a great weekend of trains and camping. We left Littleton about 10:30 this morning and traffic was not too bad. With one gas stop we arrived home about 2:30 PM.
The crowd at Bob’s was smaller than years past, but still a great bunch of folks. I think Al had more visitors this year than in the past. Stan’s railroad is even bigger. I have to admit that I’m getting a little too old for all the climbing it takes, especially the run between Upper Shed and Hosta where you need to keep climbing over the upper level to reach the switches for the wye. If lunch hadn’t been called when it was, we probably would have “outlawed” before even leaving the shed! But after a great lunch, we managed to get the train up the hill o the new town of Emma.
Folks must enjoy looking at it because that always seems to be the pose that gets posted!
A VERY fun weekend!
I guess we not too old yet!
We got to Bob & Martha’s on Thursday night and got to tour the layout a little bit…
Here we see the sigh the Cliff laser cut for Marconi Macaroni. A neat sign for a neat building.
Martha ended up tearing out a few weeds while we toured…(I would have helped some, but it ALL looked great!)
Then we got to relax with Bob & Marha on their patio just inside the gate…The white wine was just our speed!
Friday morning found us driving up to Al’s place…where Jon was already running a train.
The layout starts here in the garage, then the track goes outside for a bit before it goes inside to the basement.
The outside has this MARVELOUS trestle…
Although it’s NOT the only one!
I also need to mention his contest winning models! (NOT just one, either). They all look SO good!
Next up is the basement and here you really see the excellent modeling done by Al
Check out this barbed wire!
I REALLY enjoyed taking a look at all the models…so much so that I forgot to take pictures of it all…
But here’s a few…
It was a bit over an hour’s drive back to Bob’s where we took another look at HIS layout…
That’s Dead Rooster Gulch in the foreground and in the next shot, it’s Bob (left) and Cliff and Linda down by Marconi Macaroni…
Saturday was the “official” day for running at Bob’s…and run we did! HOT and HUMID, but FUN!
I went out with Cliff Jennings and his wife Linda…attempting to show them how to operate…Linda ended up being the engineer for our first run…which was rather a LONG and Complex run! (you never really know until you run it - gotta love randomness!)
Our train had to be made up in Burke Yard, then off to the next stop where we switchd the freight house (both sides( as well as Goodson’s Batteries)…oh yeah, can’t forget the Interchange!
Maybe I did something right, as Cliff and Linda decided to got with me again! This time, we went from the other end of Burke Yard to Pierce, to Dead Rooster Gulch and then the mine. Good stuff!
Bob, Cliff, Linda…
Sunday found us over at Stan & Deb Ames…running on his HUGE layout.
I noticed a few things new…
THiS wonderful trestle:
And CM Oates Furniture…not really new as it USED to be on the Jackson & Burke…but VERY cool to see in its new home.
I also found some other spots that I had never photographed., such as this one over by Sandbox junction.
And this picture of the MAIN attraction on the RR (OK, just in my mind? 
)
There’s not a LOT of structures on the railway, but the ones that he does have seem just perfect…like this huge watertower
I took a way freight from Zepphyr to Naiobe…which I had never done before…so got to see the new track down by Zepphyr as well as operate on a portion of the layout I had never been on…
A great weekend and many thanks to our hosts and HOSTESSES at the various locations. It’s a LOT of work and I REALLY appreciate it all!
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Excellent photos and commentary, Bruce!
Linda and I left Chelmsford at 8:00 am, and just got back home in MD at 8:00 pm.
We stopped at York for some antiquing, and wanted a drink before the last leg home. The bar that came up was Fenderz, which sounded familiar. But I couldn’t find it, the phone map just kept us driving around the Wyndham where we used to stay for the ECLSTS and Drag n Brag.
Then it dawned on me that it was the bar inside the hotel! So we stopped, had a drink and some crab dip. So now Linda’s officially “been to York.” Sadly, too late for the show, but it was nice to share a future memory and connect it with past ones.
This for Fred: I asked about Donna, the long-time barkeeper there. I was told she was doing fine, but retired 4 years ago.
Thanks again Al, Bob & Martha, and Stan & Deb. Awesome time for both of us.
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Jon
Great observation about all the extra climbing needed to control the furthest switch on the Y. Went out this morning and decided that switch needs the be controlled remotely. Thats now on the short list to accomplish.
Stan
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Several years ago I wouldn’t have even noticed, but between that malfunctioning polarity control on the one switch and lots of derailments where it was hard to reach, we were getting a bit frustrated. BUT - All in all we had a great time and really appreciate your opening the railway to us.
Last time I was in that bar was 2019. Only got one in focus pic…
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I recognize Hollywood and Radder, not sure about the other to usual suspects!
To my right is Gary Buchanan, then Don Watson. The other two may not have been part of our group.
Thank you ! Good pictures and hopefully I can be there one of these days!