Model Forum / General / Railroads / April 2008

The Model Railroader Magazine webpage has a section listing permanent
displays and coming events, which you can search by state.  The listings are
at http://www.trains.com/trc/community/rrattractions/
Perhaps this will help find some displays.

An outstanding layout in New England is the New England, Berkshire & Western
RR of the Rensselaer Model Railroad Society which is a student organization
at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY.  It is highly recommended
if you can include it in your trip.  Information is available at their very
complete web site at http://railroad.union.rpi.edu/article.php?article=53 
Please note that you must email them in advance to make a reservation for
the mini-open house they offer before the members only Wednesday operating
sessions.

Have a good visit.   Geezer

   Unfortunately, the "exhibitions" (IOW, train shows) here in New England
are in the winter.  From September to April, there's at least one show per
month in Eastern Massachusetts alone.  However, there are no shows that I
know of between April and September.  The largest train show in the country
(over 4 acres of display space), and certainly one of the largest in the
world, is in Springfield, MA in late January/early February.  The rest of
them vary from the tiny (20 tables) to the large (200 tables), with most in
the 100 table range.
   OTOH, there are several museums/tourist lines in the area that are open
during the warmer weather...

In Connecticut, you have:
The Danbury Railroad Museum http://www.danbury.org/drm/ (static displays,
restored station)
The Rail Musuem of New England http://www.rmne.org (tourist train, restored
station, static displays)
The Connecticut Railroad Museum http://www.cteastrrmuseum.org/ (static
displays, rebuilt roundhouse)
The Shore Line Trolley Museum http://www.bera.org/ (trolley rides, static
displays)
The Connecticut Trolley Museum http://www.ceraweb.org./ (trolley rides,
static displays)
The Valley Railroad http://www.essexsteamtrain.com/ (operating steam locos
on tourist train, static displays)

In Massachusetts, you have:
The Old Colony & Fall River Railroad Museum
http://www.ocandfrrailroadmuseum.com/ (static displays, across street from
WWII battleship U.S.S. Massachusetts museum http://www.battleshipcove.org/).
Edaville http://edaville.com/ (operating 2-foot gauge...more for kids these
days).
Cape Cod Central http://www.capetrain.com/ (top notch dinner train, scenic
train, restored station)
Lowell National Historic Park
http://www.railwaypreservation.com/vintagetrolley/lowell.htm (trolley ride)

In Rhode Island, you have:
The Old Colony & Newport http://www.ocnrr.com/ (tourist train)
The Newport Dinner Train http://www.newportdinnertrain.com/ (first rate
dinner train)

In New Hampshire, you have:
The Mt. Washington Cog Railroad http://www.thecog.com/ (steam train climbing
mountain)
The Conway Scenic Railroad http://www.conwayscenic.com/ (steam or diesel
tourist train, restored station, static displays)

In Maine, you have:
Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad http://www.mngrr.org/ (2-foot gauge tourist
train, static displays)
The Maine Eastern Railroad http://www.maineeasternrailroad.com/ (excursion
train, restored station)
The Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Railroad http://www.srrl-rr.org/ (2-foot
gauge tourist train)
The Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway http://www.wwfry.org/ 
(2-foot gauge tourist train, static displays, restored stations)

In Vermont, you have:
The Green Mountain Railroad http://www.rails-vt.com/ (mulitple tourist
lines, restored stations)

   As for model railroad clubs, start with these links from the NMRA:
http://www.nmra.org/directory/clubs/clubs-AE.html
http://www.nmra.org/directory/clubs/clubs-FM.html
http://www.nmra.org/directory/clubs/clubs-NR.html
http://www.nmra.org/directory/clubs/clubs-SZ.html

   My club, the South Shore Model Railway Club, is in Hingham, MA
(www.ssmrc.org).  We're open free to the public on every Monday and Thursday
night between 7:00 PM and 11:00 PM (except the first non-holiday Monday of
each month...that's our business meeting).  Trains won't be running too
often before 10pm as it's a work in progress.  We're about 1/3rd built out
of an eventual 6300 sq. ft. HO layout.  You might want to call first so we
know when to listen for the door bell (in a 10,000 sq. ft. building, it's
not easy).
   The other clubs I recommend is the (HO) North Shore Model Railroad Club
in Wakefield, MA (www.nsmrc.org), the (HO) Tech Model Railroad Club of MIT
(http://tmrc.mit.edu/), the multi-gauge Waushakum Live Steamers
(http://www.steamingpriest.com/wls/), and the (multi gauge) Bay State Model
Railroad Museum (http://www.bsmrm.org/).

   Hope this all helps...

Paul A. Cutler III
*************
Weather Or No Go New Haven
*************

On 4/20/2008 3:10 AM Ed Callaghan spake thus:

I notice that nobody's mentioned George Sellios' Franklin & South
Manchester, which I believe is in or near Boston. It's still open for
visiting, isn't it?

Ed Callaghan <callaghan@paston.co.uk> wrote:

If you get out to western Mass there is the Pioneer Valley Live Steamers.  
Someone is usually there on Sundays.  Website: www.pvls.org

There is the Shulburne Falls Trolley Museum, www.sftm.org  They have a
small layout in the visitors center, but it doesn't run, just shows their
future plans.  The fun at the museum is riding the trolley and/or pumping
the pump car.  It's a small museum, but the people are friendly and
enthusiastic.  

--  
Bill Kaiser
wkaiser@mtholyoke.edu

There are three ways to do a job: good, cheap, and quick.
You can have any two.
A good, cheap job won't be quick.
A good, quick job won't be cheap.
A cheap, quick job won't be good.

Ed,
too bad that you've just missed "Tour de Chooch". This is a weekend of
visiting nice layouts in private homes.  It is a semi-public event.

Contact me off list ( p e t e s k i 7 AT g m a i l D O T c o m ) and
maybe soomething can be arranged for a visitor from across the pond.

There also are few Model RR clubs in the Boston area.
http://www.nsmrc.org/visit.html  http://www.nsmrc.org/directions.html
http://www.bsmrm.org/
http://www.finescaleminiatures.com/about.html
Also try http://www.masshome.com/railroads.html#Models (lots of broken
links though)

Peteski