Crew at Lowell Junction Blocks Traffic for Boston and Maine Outbound Manifest Freight MP3

Blocking Traffic In Staging

Boston and Maine RS2 #1503 is located at Lowell Junction at the duckunder entrance to the railroad room. 

 It is tasked with the job of blocking the cars for train MP3 that will be set out in North Dover later in the day

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Here are the switching orders for blocking Train MP3 at Lowell Junction on my layout.

Three cars must be located and blocked in the train after the fourth car.  We see that it's May 27, 1958, the day of my birth and we notice that Train MP3 will be travelling outbound.  It will have left Mechanicville, NY in the morning and arrive Portland, ME late in the afternoon with some stops en route.

They follow their orders in the yard and locate the cars required.

Building a model railroad in a room 11x13 means a host of compromises must be established,

The limitations of the room size require the main to be used as a yard lead.  No problem, though, as dispatch has indicated no trains arriving for some while, so the main effectively becomes part of the yard tracks for switching.

The three cars have been assembled on the siding destined for North Dover..

A Maine Central 40 boxcar.

An SBLK chemical car.  SBLK were the markings for a road a friend of mine modeled and operated here in Ottawa many years ago.

A B&M 40 foot boxcar rounds out the work here.

With the train now made up, the power for MP3 is brought to the yard.

Passing the tower that controls yard and mainline movements.

This trio of F-units back onto their train.

They await clearance out of the yard.

MP3's designation indicates that the train began its day in Mechanicville, NY and will end its run in Portland, Me.

Thanks for visiting my B&M/MEC layout!

All the best, Mike Hamer, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

A Clipper Vessel Adds to the Scene Along the Salmon River

New Clipper Vessel

I haven't updated the blog in awhile, so here goes. 

 Here is a picture of a Clipper vessel I built a couple of years ago (from Model Tech Studios) and placed on the layout along the Salmon River near the legion hall. The model took some forty or so hours to complete.  It's a really nice addition to this waterfront scene and many visitors comment on the interesting look of this vessel with all its intricate rigging.

Here's a closer view of the area.  The Salmon River acts as a border between the state of Maine (to the left foreground) and the state of New Hampshire (to the right where the legion hall is located.  The structure was a scratchbuilt affair.  I really like the look of buildings that jut out over water along hillsides.

Thanks so much for checking in!

Mike Hamer, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Boy Scout Troupe Visits the Layout

Local Boy Scout Troupe Pays a Visit

A musician friend of mine is a Boy Scout leader and he asked me if I could host his troupe.  There's no better way to promote the hobby than to have a group of youngsters visit to run the trains in my book!

It's always fun to host visitors to my model railroad, and recently a group of local scouts and cubs wanted to come by. These young lads are very enthusiastic to learn about model trains. I enjoyed a fun visit. 

The boys enjoyed viewing the layout, and each lad was given the opportunity to run a train into North Dover, blow the horn at the crossings and use the bell in the yard. They also switched out a local industry as they teamed up to be part of the North Dover engine crew.

One lad found interest in the smaller of locomotives, the 44-tonner. He was impressed that such a little engine could pull a cut of cars...indeed it is the "little engine that could"!

Another lad was given the throttle as a crewman on the Maine Central. We see his train arriving Boundary Road on the outskirts of North Dover.

A couple of the Scouts crewed the North Dover switcher, Alco 1170. Here we see them heading into the siding at Haney Fuels to lift a tank car.

A great time was had by all as evidenced in this picture with many smiling faces!

Scenes From an Ops Session

Views from an Ops Session

The following pics were snapped during a recent operating session.

This shot was taken during a recent ops session.  A crew is working the yard at the duckunder portion of the layout.  The RS2 is blocking traffic in a long cut of cars and when the work is finished, the FT  pair trio-ed with a Boston and Maine F2 will be hostled on to the train for its run into North Dover and beyond.

The units are now on the train and the whistle has blown.  Shortly she'll be on her way.  This is the view from the entrance to the room.  These are the staging tracks that surround the layout.

A lower angled view at the same location.  Because these were staging tracks, I originally was not going to scenic them.  However, when I refurbished my crew lounge, I chose to do so as this area is what you see when you look over to the layout room from the lounge.

Here is an interesting shot taken from one of the corner access areas in the layout room.  You can see the train progressing on the ouside staging track.  Note how the staging surrounds the layout!

The train has exited the tunnel under the main street of town and will soon arrive the station platform in North Dover.  Oops, I'll have to adjust the front coupler on the diesel locomotive!  Yikes!

An aerial shot of the same location.  This scene is reminiscent of a similar one located in Bellow's Falls, Vermont.

Great to have you pay a visit!

Mike Hamer, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

The Duckunder Section of My Layout

The Duckunder

This image above shows the staging area on the crew lounge side of the duckunder area of my Boston and Maine layout.  

This image above shows the staging area on the crew lounge side of the duckunder area of my Boston and Maine layout.  The two tracks to the right can be used to stage two trains or they can be used as a small yard to make up trains.  This allows a crew to have more work rather than simply take a staged train out on its mission.  The interlocking tower is an American Model Builders craftsman kit.

This "going-away" shot with the FT's shows B&M train MP3 (Mechanicville - Portland) traversing the diamond with the Maine Central.  This scene is located right above my duckunder on the layout room side of the duckunder.  The MEC track is a dummy track serving as a scenic element.  The interlocking tower is a plaster craftsman kit.

Nice to have you pay a visit!

All the best, Mike Hamer, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Car Loads Along the B&M

Carloads Along the Boston and Maine

There are many types of rolling stock that carry loads that can be seen by the railfan trackside.

 Above we have an elevated view of the Conley Lumber and Coal facility where a loaded hopper has just arrived and will be unloaded using the conveyer system just in view to the right.

During a train operating session, the Conley crew returns an empty hopper to North Dover where the North Dover crew will provide an "assist" as the two crews exchange the empty for a load. I enjoy watching as two crews work cooperatively to move freight along the system.

Here is an interesting load. Trevor Marshall made this flatcar model with its load of tractors which soon will be offloaded via the team track. A team track is such a valuable industry on any model railroad as a great variety of freight cars can be spotted beside the elevated ramp.

Flatcar loads are always fascinating to me. This Northern Timber Company flat was a gift from my good friend, Jacques Thuot. Jacques' layout has been featured in Model Railroader as well as Great Model Railroads!

Railfans along the Boston and Maine are pleasantly surprised when they spot an unusual car carrying an interesting load nestled in the consist of a long manifest freight and this B&M well bottom flatcar is no exception.

Wonderful to have you pay a visit!

All the best, Mike Hamer, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

School Kids Visit Mr. Hamer's Model Railroad

My Students Pay a Visit With Their Families

At the end of every school year, I invite my students and their families to visit the model railroad.

 I fly the train banner outside the house as a landmark to make it easier for them to locate my house along the street. To say the least, the kids are thrilled to visit their teacher's home with their moms and dads and siblings.

Each student is given the opportunity to run a train around the layout. They learn to bring the train slowly into the station on a slow order and they learn how to blow the horn as a warning of the approaching train and to ring the bell in yard limits as a safety procedure.

I ask each student to bring the train to a stop at specific intervals so that I can instruct them about the different types of rolling stock. The parents take great interest in this as well.

They learn to blow two longs, a short and a long through the road crossings. Moms and dads (and some grandparents as well) are amazed at the level of detail...as many think that when they bring the kids over, they are probably going to see a model railroad on a 4x8 sheet of plywood.

Each child is given the opportunity to board the switcher and perform some rudimentary switching moves at the local industries.

Moms are just as keen as dads and the girls are as thrilled as the boys to run the trains. Each visitor signs the guestbook and I provide a lovely photograph from the layout for each visitor. Here we see two families with the moms. Dads come too, but they aren't as pretty as the moms! (big grin) While each group waits in the crew lounge for their turn in the layout room, I offer many model railroad magazines for them to peruse and there is a railroad DVD on the big television.

Yes, it is as much a thrill for me as it is for my visitors. I strongly encourage anyone with a layout to offer an open house for young people. After all, they are the future of the hobby!

Thank you for following along!

All the best, Mike Hamer, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Centerfold Boy!

I was thrilled to learn that my layout wound be featured in the 2010 version of the NMRA calendar, Canadian edition. 

The image shows Maine Central train #391, The "Oil Can" crossing Boundary Road on its approach to North Dover yard limits. The flare on the locomotive headlight is purely accidental. I took the shot with an ordinary point and shoot camera and the Athearn Genesis F-Unit has such a bright headlight! Yup, I am Mr. Month of May (which happens to be my birthday month). Two good friends, Chris Lyon (Mr. August) and Trevor Marshall (Mr. September) also appear in the calendar. To say the least, this was a big thrill for me as I am just a big kid at heart!

Industries as Friends

On my Boston and Maine layout, I have a number of industries which I have named after friends in our Friday Night Group. Bill Meek is a great friend of mine who lives a few streets over from me here in Ottawa. The industry in the background of this image is named after him. Seeing as Bill works in the business machine industry, Meek Ltd. produces business machines and on my layout its head offices are in North Dover. Note the vines growing on the industrial structures in the foreground.

Scodras Grocers is an industry served by rails in my town of North Dover. It is named after a dear friend, Howard Scodras who sadly passed away in 2008. Howard was an instrumental member of the FNG (Friday Night Group) and his modelling inspired us all. His layout appeared in Model Railroad and its trackplan was in the latest Kalmbach Issue entitled 102 Realistic Track plans. My track plan also appeared here. For crew members to switch out Scodras Grocers, they must use one of the two sidings of the Phillips Furniture Factory as a lead. This makes for interesting switching possibilities.

This scene shows the upper section of North Dover where the main street of town is located. The structure to the left is part of the Wingate Wholesalers complex named after my street here in Ottawa, Wingate Drive. I built the town on a hillside to help create a strong vertical dimension to the scene. The red brick building in the distance houses the local offices of the Boston and Maine in North Dover. My good buddy, Chris Lyon, brought this sign back for me from a train show he attended. You can just pick out the peak of Marshall Creamery to the lower right. This industry is served by rail.


Because I play a Martin guitar, I simply had to have the Martin Guitar Company on my layout even though its actual facility is located in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. It is a lot of fun naming industries and buildings on your layout!

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