Topics

16

Museum Discussion / 2016--Quite a year at the WW&F

« on: December 26, 2016, 02:39:03 PM »

So, in this last week of 2016, how about reminiscing a bit about the accomplishments and events at Sheepscot this year?

I'll start off with the latest event, which may not have been a record setter but certainly for me personally was an experience I'll keep with me for a long time: Victorian Christmas in a Maine snow storm, running #9 with a brace of three 2' gauge coaches trailing behind, full of happy folks.
All day, #9 barking, fighting, all the way to Alna Center Station, AKA the North Pole. Wes keeping her hot. Kids scraping through the frost on the windows to see out of the coaches. Drivers slipping and spinning. Train crew making everything work. Smell of pine wreath baking on the smokebox. Santa and Mrs. Santa, toughing it out in the cold to make the kid's smile. The handsome pair of horses (and human!) seemingly oblivious to the snow and cold as they took a wagon full of hardy Mainers around at AC . All our fabulous volunteers making sure everyone is warm, safe and happy.
Thanks, everyone. Looking forward to 2017.

17

General Discussion / For your listening pleasure

« on: May 23, 2016, 12:47:20 PM »

From a favorite artist of mine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCxRYvVN0CA

18

Whimsical Weirdness and Foolery / For your amusement

« on: January 08, 2016, 06:00:56 PM »

https://steampunkopera.wordpress.com/tag/steampunk/

Be sure to keep scrolling down....

19

Work and Events / Sheepscot Turntable - Official Work Thread

« on: January 08, 2016, 03:54:40 PM »

While I was enjoying Start's excellent turntable pictorial on FB, I was fascinated by the picture of the table at Albion, where the left most queen post has evidently been forced away from where it was supposed to be.
The comment was that the Wiscassett turntable had an extra tie rod to prevent this.
That is a bit confusing to me. I would have expected the tension in the rod to force the posts toward the middle, hence the angling of the posts outward to counteract that tendency.
Does anyone know why this might happen? Might it have something to do with the stresses on the table when the engine is run on or off?
More importantly, should we understand that before we get started on the turntable?

20

Whimsical Weirdness and Foolery / 0-2-2-0 Grass Chompers

« on: June 08, 2015, 08:14:57 AM »

From the Trains newswire:

"GENEVA, Switzerland – Beginning last month Swiss Federal Railways, known throughout Europe as “SBB,” hired a herd of sheep to work in its embankment maintenance department. The herd of 80 sheep works 22 hours a day, tasked with eating the grass along the tracks – a first in Switzerland, USA Today reports.
 The sheep have their own website; a Twitter following, #sbbmääh; and a blog, in which the head sheep talks about the herd’s life on the pasture."

AND, we could have nice woolly sweaters!

21

Whimsical Weirdness and Foolery / Maine Attractions

« on: April 07, 2015, 10:18:13 AM »

This picture was taken in a museum in Rome devoted to Italian emmigration. This postcard was supposed to show how prosperous
it was in the USA so that poor Italians would make the journey. Basically this was propaganda from the folks selling boat tickets.

22

Museum Discussion / WW&F RY on Google

« on: July 29, 2014, 09:17:34 AM »

I just saw that the museum is now marked on Google maps.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Wiscasset,+Waterville+and+Farmington+Railway+Museum/@44.05284,-69.5995746,13z/data=!4m5!1m2!2m1!1slodging+damariscotta+maine!3m1!1s0x0:0x99e60ff947391b9f

It would be great if we had a few more pictures and reviews. (Wink, wink, nudge, nudge)

23

Whimsical Weirdness and Foolery / Steam punk Sci Fi

« on: June 16, 2014, 12:38:41 PM »

For the steam/sci fi fans out there, check out the coal fired/steam driven space ships in "Mutant Chronicles", a low budget offering I found late one night on Amazon streaming video. A very curious combination of zombies, stereotypical action film heroes and heroines, mysticism, and Ron Perlman as the spiritual leader saving humankind in the 22nd century.
A teaser: the space ships were hand bombers!

24

Massachusetts' Two Footers / Edaville Christmas 2013

« on: December 30, 2013, 10:21:10 AM »

A short report on my experience at Edaville this season.
We were there on Saturday night, Dec. 27, and it was very crowded, the line for the train was extending back past the amusement park rides. They had 2 trains operating; #21 with the Polar Express and the diesel train for the less fortunate. Both went out full from 4:30 till 8. My understanding is that the PE takes a different route than the PODT (Plain Old Diesel Train), heading for the North Pole and Santa. There was no sign of #11.
We got on the 4:45 PODT and that took about 20 minutes at estimated 5 MPH to go around the loop.  I believe there was 5-6 Edaville cars, two open cars, a genuine coach (?) and a caboose on the train. Many lights, definitely old school. No computer controlled Youtube worthy displays here! We passed an area of lots of dirt moved around just before we got back to the north end of the parking lot, with signs explaining there will be go karts and bumper boats in there. Also what looked like it may be an enginehouse taking shape.
In general the park was tidy and clean, reasonably well taken care of, with enough stuff to keep the under 12 crowd happy for a couple of hours. The former greenhouse now holds a cranberry exhibit and kids play area on the second floor, with a tinplate model train (vintage AF and Lionel), restrooms, and more play space on the first floor. Tacky and useless gift shop, too.
Of interest on the second floor were some nice old tractors and a video playing with a lot of B&H footage of fan trips in the early 40's, as well as an explanation and footage of the beginnings of Edaville. #7, Rangely, and W&Q #3 could be seen rolling around the bogs.
Edaville is unfortunately not a must see destination for two footer railfans anymore, but still hanging in there as a kiddy park.

25

Museum Discussion / WW&F Mention on WBUR Boston Website

« on: May 11, 2012, 09:37:26 AM »

Thanks to Liz Canella who also volunteers for WBUR in Boston, there is now a link to the museum on the station's "Community of Volunteer Groups and Businesses" web page:

http://www.wbur.org/community/groups-businesses

Scroll to the bottom for our link and blurb.

26

Museum Discussion / Thompson Caps Repro

« on: April 21, 2012, 11:41:10 AM »

For those who might be interested I direct your attention to the following link:

http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=33172

27

General Discussion / Ohh, you're gonna love this...

« on: February 07, 2012, 07:47:14 PM »

Enjoy, fellow steam geeks...
http://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/video/1906-Stanley-Steamer-Vanderbilt-Cup-Racer/1381863

28

General Discussion / VERY large model railroad in Germany

« on: December 01, 2011, 08:18:05 PM »

Just in case you haven't seen this yet, this link will take you the Minatur Wunderland Hamburg and hopefully provide the modeller in you with some inspiration:
http://www.miniatur-wunderland.com/

29

Work and Events / Victorian Christmas 2011

« on: November 13, 2011, 09:31:11 AM »

As most of you know, our annual Victorian Christmas day is coming up on Dec. 17th. Santa's helpers are preparing a new and more natural setting for Santa this year, as he has complained in the past that the station at Alna Center is too warm for his northern blood.


Make sure that you save the date!

30

Museum Discussion / Weather Report?

« on: February 02, 2011, 11:10:14 AM »

How's the weathah up theah? How many feet on the ground? (noo, not human feet, depth of snow)
I thought they were saying it would be global WARMING.... 
Here in Central Massachusetts it's beginning to look like the top of Mount Washington. I think that I'm going to build a snow shed from my front door to my garage. 
Trying to drive is a nightmare with all the snow piles, you need a mirror on your hood because by the time you poke your hood out so you can see, you're halfway out in the road. I may even buy snow tires for the first time ever. Even my cats are getting cabin fever, and they don't even go outdoors!
From the radar it looks like Alna is getting dumped on, too, and I bet clearing the line will be pretty interesting in mid-March unless we get a major thaw. We may want to start early on that task if we want to run that March train?
Sure wish we had #9 in service, that extra weight and TE would be handy to have this spring.