M3R CLUB NEWSLETTER FOR JULY 2021

NEXT MEETING IS THURSDAY, JULY 8, 7:00PM ON ZOOM. Our guest speaker will be Dick Glueck, President of the New England Steam Corporation. He will be talking about restoring the Maine Central 470 . Watch for the email from Art Shean with the link to join. Updates: President’s Message – Welcome to the return of the Maine 3-Railers newsletter. The pandemic could have sent us into hibernation, but with Zoom technology we were able to pivot from in-person meetings and events to continue to do our regular business and then add more. Zoom allowed us to converse with other train clubs, manufacturer representatives, and other guest speakers. We then quickly expanded our regular monthly club Zoom meetings to the Thursday night "Roundhouse" where any toy train subject or railroads in general could be discussed and where members could show their layouts or collection pieces. Zoom has increased member attendance and participation at our regular monthly meetings, either in person or by watching the recording. Those of you who have not checked it out are missing some useful information and enjoyment in general. Going forward we are gradually returning to running trains, putting the hobby we all enjoy on display. On Wednesday July 7th we will be operating trains at the Sable Lodge Retirement Community in South Portland. Down the track are the Cumberland Fair in September and our own show in October. No doubt other opportunities will arise as well. The 2021 M3R Club car is now available for pre-buy so send in your order form to Peter Hanson. The deadline is August 1st. During this time of change we bid farewell to our former President Dana Sullivan, whose Celebration of Life was held on Saturday June 19th. It was attended by many members of our club. We also said goodbye to long time member Gerry Boulanger. They will be missed. Our club has demonstrated an ability to be active and prosper during the Pandemic when everything shutdown. This speaks to the strength of our members. Gene Thayer Dana Sullivan’s Service of Remembrance – (from Sam Carr) The service for Dana Sullivan was held on June 19th at the Dresden Richmond United Church, which is just a few blocks from the Richmond Firehouse. Pastor Gayle Holden included stories from the family, a ceremony for Dana by the Fire Department, a slide show about Dana’s life set to music, and a closing ceremony by the Masonic Lodge Dana belonged to. After the service everyone had a chance to greet the family. M3R members attending included Conrad Berthiaume, Roy Bischoff, Richard Hamlin, Peter Hanson, Jeff Jacobs, Gene Thayer, Sam Carr, Harry Pierce, Doug Pollock, Ken Thorson, Steve & Joanne Burns, Lloyd Neal, Vic Fuller, and Art Shean.

Media Committee Report – (report by Art Shean) In June, the M3R Media Committee consisting of Conrad Berthiaume, Dana Lindsey, Howie Margolskee, Doug Pollock, and Art Shean submitted recommendations for the revitalization of the Club newsletter to the Executive Board. The Board reviewed and accepted the recommendations for implementation at their June monthly meeting. Based on the newsletter survey results, Club members overwhelmingly found the Club newsletter useful in keeping them informed of Club activities. They believe the content prior to the Covid-19 hiatus was satisfactory but were enthused about adding additional content. The committee recommendations included: 1. Restart the M3R monthly newsletter starting July 1, 2021. 2. At a minimum, the Newsletter must include a calendar of upcoming events and a message from the club president. 3. The newsletter should include a summary report of any Club trips, outings, gatherings, or events that occurred during the previous month. 4. Although there was interest in the following items, the Committee does not recommend including a sick call section, member spotlights, or summaries of Club and committee meetings; Roundhouse sessions; or Club meeting presentations in future newsletters. 5. To keep Club members informed, the following Club officials should provide the Newsletter editor (Mark David) with periodic updates on their activities and occasional tutorials on how to access/input to their area of responsibility: ▪ Club Car Committee Chair ▪ Media Committee Chair ▪ Event Coordinator ▪ Club Webmaster ▪ YouTube Channel Master ▪ Merchandise Sales Manager 6. To enhance interest, members are encouraged to offer the newsletter editor the following types of articles for inclusion in the monthly newsletter: • Industry news • Interest articles • Layout and equipment reviews 7. Members who volunteered to contribute to the Newsletter as part of the Newsletter survey should be tapped for input. 8. Media Committee to provide Club members with a summary of the newsletter survey results. 9. In six months, the Media Committee should assess member acceptance of the resurrected newsletter content and operation to determine if further adjustments are needed.

The following is a summary of the M3R Newsletter Survey:

Years as

RESPONSES: MEMBER USEFUL EXPECTATIONS

49 of 81 10+:20 Very-26 Y-43 Useful- Households 6-10:13 19 N-6 Margin- Responding 2-5:15 4 Useless- 0-1:1 0

Newsletter Content (Y-yes, S-sometimes, N-no)

Member Layouts Meetings Roundhouse Interactions Outings Industry Interest Stuff Y-41 Y-37 Y-27 Y-26 Y-44 Y-30 Y-30 Y-38 S-8 S-11 S-18 S-21 S-5 S-18 S-15 S-11 N-0 N-1 N-4 N-2 N-0 N-1 N-4 N-0

Sick New Spotlights Presentations Recognition Call Member President Calendar Y-23 Y-35 Y-33 Y-34 Y-42 Y-42 Y-48 S-24 S-13 S-16 S-11 S-4 S-7 S-1 N-2 N-1 N-0 N-4 N-3 N-0 N-0

M3R Electronic (social) Media Update – (from Tom Hartwell). As you all are aware, we presently have four active outlets or connecting points in social/electronic media spaces: • Club website: (https://maine3railers.org) • Club Facebook page: (https://www.facebook.com/maine3railers) • Club YouTube Channel: (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWXugl3YB8L9yEXhEgFKD_g) This one being the brainchild of club member, Carlton Spring. • Club Instagram page: (https://www.instagram.com/maine3railers/) These connecting points let folks not affiliated with the Maine3Railers know who we are, what we do, and give interested folks an easy way to contact or join us. The website and Facebook pages are also good points for information on the latest club activities, upcoming events etc. All these outlets combine to be information points and archives for members and non-members alike. Generally, the website home page will highlight the most recent club news or activity, for example the 2021 “Lobster” Club Car is showing there now. The other pages detail upcoming events, the status of the latest “club car,” most recent newsletter, photos from recent events, etc. The Facebook page has a similar outreach to both members and non-members. Each of these outlets also have the links for folks that wish to contact the Club in general or the board members. Carlton keeps the YouTube page current with videos. The Instagram page is exactly that – instant, showing recently made photos or short videos. When you are discussing our hobby with other likeminded souls who are not fellow members, point them to our website, Facebook, or Instagram pages. There’s nothing like exposure, the more the better in our case.

Event Reports: Outdoor Swap Meet – (report by Sam Carr) On Sunday, June 13th, the club’s first outdoor swap meet (organized by Peter Hanson) was held at the Front Street parking lot behind Brian Inch’s Model Train Scenes at 227 Water Street in Augusta. Over two dozen M3R members, family members, and guests attended. It was a warm, sunny morning, and a great chance for us to see many of our friends in person for the first time in over a year.

Looking Toward the River All we had to do was drive in, park, and open our trunks and tailgates to get the visiting started. Some members brought tables, and others just opened their vehicles. Dave Kenyon had the best setup with his stock laid out on the floor of his van and a shady seat below the raised tailgate.

Ken Thorson and two potential customers And just like a train show, there were a lot of engines, rolling stock, accessories, track, transformers, photographs, and postcards to see. Thanks to Brian Inch for providing Dunkin Donuts coffee and donuts to keep us fueled up!

During the morning we all had a chance to visit the Model Train Scenes Shop and Store upstairs on Water Street. There are two large wall units with all kinds of engines and rolling stock, an O Scale layout, and a combination workshop and train repair area.

Bob Hubbard and his granddaughter at the front of Model Train Scenes

Layout from the front with Ernie Vannah and Brian Inch checking out the train, with Riley Inch behind them where he repaired trains for members.

Lumber Yard on Layout

Waterfront on Layout

Back on the real waterfront, you can see Gene talking to Richard about the box of “free” track he is holding. And we had a visit from member “Gov” A.D. Gilmour with a question about how to run the MEC 44-ton club engine on Lionel Legacy. Jeff Jacobs was able to help him. Members attending included Richard Ridolfo, Tom Hartwell, Carlton Spring, Jeff Jacobs, Dave Kenyon, Lloyd Neal, Bob Hubbard, Brian Inch, Riley Inch, Gene Thayer, Ken Thorson, John Ash, Peter Hanson, Ernie Vannah, Vern Cassidy, Sam Carr, and “Gov” A.D. Gilmour.

Notes From The Narrow Gauge – By Jan Williams The Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad has survived the Pandemic and is operating a full schedule right here in Portland. We are running six round trip departures seven days a week, leaving from in front of the Gateway ocean-liner terminal. New this year is first class seating, in two beautifully restored antique coaches. We also feature weekend trips such as ice cream trains, beer trains, and wine trains. Beginning July 4 weekend, we bring back steam engines every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We currently power our six car antique trains with Engine 1, a diesel electric locomotive manufactured by General Electric in 1949. This GE 25 tonner was built to run on two-foot gauge rails in an industrial plant; nameplate power is 150hp. Last Winter Engine 1 received a new paint job, and a new Cummins prime mover. Steam power will be back July 4 weekend with Engine 3, an 0-6-0 tank steam loco manufactured in 1913. Engine 3 spent 30 years hauling slate on the Monson Railroad, a six-mile long two-foot gauge road connecting the slate mines of Monson with the Bangor and Piscataquis (later the Bangor and Aroostook). We spent the Winter giving Engine 3 an FRA inspection, along with Engine 7, a steam engine from the Bridgeton and Saco River. Both got a complete overhaul, including new boiler tubes.

The slate mines in Monson involved some serious grades to get flatcars loaded with slate out of the quarries. Generally Engine 3 could handle just two fully loaded slate cars at a time. A typical train on the Monson Road included several flat cars and a combination passenger/freight car (the only passenger car they ever owned). The Monson Road is one of the very few railroads to use stub switches exclusively. (Stub switches do not have tapered points; the moving rails are cut perpendicular with blunt ends. Both rails move to align with the desired path through the switch.) These switches are not very reliable and are not suitable for high-speed operation (not a problem on the Monson because top speed was 20 mph). The advantage of a stub switch is the action of the switch tends to sweep snow away from the switch - a big advantage in western Maine! Attached is a picture of Monson Engine 3 with a typical train, painted by Bill Paxton in 1937. The painting is in my collection. Also attached is a picture of one of our two open air tourist cars. These cars first saw service on the Monson, hauling slate. We simply added a roof and bench seating. I look forward to keeping you posted on our adventures at the Narrow Gauge, but why not come on into Portland and ride the Narrow Gauge?

470 Railroad Club Newly Purchased GP9 #72 – Article by Cory Fothergill, forwarded by Alan Small

The 470 Railroad club is proud to announce the purchase of GP9 #72 (Formerly Boston and Maine 1741) from Heber Valley Railroad. The 72 is currently located at the Waterville Maine Shop. The 72 was originally part of a 50-unit order from EMD of GP9s (1700- 1749) for the Boston and Maine. The 1741 (serial number 23239) was built in July of 1957 and served the Boston and Maine for many years in road and yard service all over New England. After GTI (Guilford Transportation Industries) purchased the Boston and Maine in the 1980s, the 1741 was renumbered to the “72” which hasn’t changed to this day. This locomotive is powered by a 567C block engine with a D12 main Generator. Properly maintained this locomotive is capable of producing 1750 HP. At some point in 72’s life, it was rewired to a GP18 standard, however it was not renumbered into the 1800 series like many of the other GP9s were. At this point in time 72 is one of only four remaining B&M GP9s. The Heber Valley Railroad acquired the 52 (formerly B&M 1726) and 77 (formerly B&M 1738) from Pan am along with the 72 back in 2017. The 52 and 77 power tourist trains in Heber City, . The only other surviving B&M GP9 is the 1732 which resides at the Railroad Museum of New England in Connecticut and is undergoing restoration after a mechanical failure. The 72 was last operated sometime in 2017. Its last run was on WA-1 the Waterville switcher. On its daily assignment, 72 was headed to Oakland, Maine, to switch a scrap dealer when it encountered an electrical fire. The #3 traction motor leads started on fire behind the generator due to poor insulation and being soaked in oil. Oakland fire officials promptly extinguished the fire; however at the time Pan Am made the decision to retire the locomotive rather than perform the repairs it needed to operate again. At this time, we are aware that in order for 72 to operate again, the #3 traction motor leads should be replaced, the main generator should have insulated paint reapplied to the AC windings, and we must replace the traction motors that Pan Am had removed prior to selling the locomotive to the Heber Valley Railroad. The stacks have been properly covered and the motor is free of water and easily barred over. With a little care at the North Conway shops there is no reason why we can’t see the 72 operational again in the future.

Member’s Corner – Each month one of our members will describe his or her interest in model trains and describe his or her collection and layout. This month we feature Walt Voskian. Seventy-Five Years of Train Collecting--Off and On, by Walt Voskian It all began at Christmas in 1946--shortly after the war--when my parents presented me with my first train set: the classic Lionel 1666 steamer and tender along with a gondola, tank car and red caboose. Some of you may remember this set. Anyway, I was hooked then and there. I ran that set hard, but in a testimony to Lionel craftsmanship, it survives in good shape to this day. In fact, it is the first thing that greets visitors to the train room; it is on a shelf by itself and labeled "How It All Began." Gradually, over the next few years I added the usual stuff--a cattle car, a milk car, and coal loader--and even a new smoke puffing steamer--it took those pills-- and more freight cars. But like most guys, I put the trains away as I approached the teen years and discovered girls, cars, and hanging out with the guys. By then my collection amounted to just four boxes. Remember that number! The collection stayed in those four boxes for years. I did not return to trains until much later in life. I was too busy with family, career, and local government. As career and family responsibilities began to ease, I rescued those four boxes and things began to take off from there. I discovered train shows and train stores. Living then in the DC-northern Virginia area, it seemed like there was a train show every other week, although sometimes it meant travelling as far as rural Maryland and southern Pennsylvania. And we had some great train stores then. Along those lines, I developed a fascination with reefer cars and cabooses--especially the smoking kind. (I recently set off the smoke alarm in the train room.) The collection just grew and grew. That was helped by the fact that I had a great place for the layout--the attic of our detached garage where I spent hours and hours--despite the winter cold and summer heat. When I finally retired--for the second time--in 2013, we fulfilled a longtime goal and moved to Maine. But this move meant packing up the collection. Remember those four boxes? Well, I moved over eighty boxes of trains and train stuff to Maine. Here I have a great train room in the attic over the family room-- heated unlike the garage in Virginia. I run five diesel and steam sets. I like Great Northern, Burlington Northern, and BNSF--mostly because of the great colors. The rest of the collection--engines, cabooses and reefers--is displayed on the walls and shelves under the layout. The recent pandemic gave me the opportunity to take an inventory of the collection--400 plus cars at last count. I still collect reefers--mostly Atlas and Kline for the detail-- and cabooses-- mostly Kline and Lionel for the smoke. But the pace of collecting has slowed; I'm just running out of room. Now I mostly look for trackside accessories that do not take up much space. But every once in a while, I see a great reefer or caboose on eBay that I can't resist. I take comfort in what I think Lou Palumbo said recently at one of our meetings: "If you see something you like, buy it and let your heirs worry about what to do with all your train stuff when you are gone." Speaking of that, our family recently expanded with the birth of our first grandson. Here's hoping the little guy likes trains.

If you would like to have your collection, layout, or interests featured in a future newsletter, contact newsletter editor Mark David ([email protected]).

FUTURE EVENTS WHERE MAINE 3-RAILERS WILL BE RUNNING TRAINS:

July 7 Sable Lodge Retirement Community, 74 Running Hill Road, South Portland, ME 04106. Setup 8‐10am, run 10am‐2pm, and move out. (portable)

August 7 Lincoln Home, 22 River Road, Damariscotta, ME 04533. Setup 8-10am, run 10am-3pm, and move out. (portable)

Sep 26 to Maine 3-Railers layout in the Agriculture Building at Cumberland Fair, 197 Oct 2 Blanchard Road, Cumberland ME. 04021. Hours 9am‐9pm daily. Set up at 8am on Sep 25 and move‐out at 8am on Oct 3. (trailer)

Oct 9 Maine 3-Railers Annual Show, Augusta Elks Lodge 397, Civic Center Drive, Augusta, ME 04330. Hours 10am‐3pm on Saturday with setup at 1pm on Friday. (trailer)

M3R Zoom Meeting Schedule for July:

July 1 No Roundhouse Session

July 6 7 PM: M3R Executive Board Meeting

July 8 7PM: M3R Monthly Meeting, Our guest speaker will be Dick Glueck, President of the New England Steam Corporation. He will be talking about restoring the Maine Central 470 steam locomotive.

July 15 7PM: M3R Roundhouse Session, Topic: Last building you added to your layout/collection

July 22 7 PM: M3R Roundhouse Session, Topic: Largest steam engine in your collection

July 29 7 PM: M3R Roundhouse Session, Topic: What type of track do you use and why?

2021 Maine 3-Railers Elected Officers and Appointed Positions

Elected Officers and Executive Board Appointed Positions and Committees

President, 2021-2022 Club Car Committee: Gene Thayer, 207-582-2527 Jeff Jacobs, Chair, 207-729-2252 Cell: 207-582-2319 [email protected] [email protected] Members: Tom Hartwell, Jerry Gotreau, Peter Vice President, 2021-2022 Hanson, Richard Ridolfo Harry Pierce, 207-737-2327 [email protected] Club Car and Merchandise Sales: Peter Hanson, 207-522-4256 Secretary, 2021-2022 21 Norway Drive, Chelsea, ME 04330 Mark David, 207-273-0185 [email protected] Cell: 207-691-4471 [email protected] Events Coordinator: Sam Carr Treasurer, 2021-2022 Rick Hills, 603-673-9262 Event Layout Design: Cell: 603-801-0421 Jeff Jacobs 8 Winding Hollow Road Art Shean Amherst, NH 03031 [email protected] Media Committee: Art Shean, Chair At Large, 2021-2022 Art Shean, 207-373-1608 Members: Conrad Berthiaume, Howard [email protected] Margolskee, Douglas Pollock, Dana Lindsey

At Large: 2021-2022 Webmaster (website, Facebook, Instagram): Sam Carr, 207-865-4467 Tom Hartwell, 207-749-8246 [email protected] [email protected]

Recent Past President: 2021-2022 YouTube Channel: Richard Ridolfo, 603-490-3832 Carleton Spring, 207-646-4413 [email protected] [email protected]

Newsletter Editor: Mark David

The Maine 3-Railers is a recognized 501(c)(3) organization by the IRS. 8 Winding Hollow Road, Amherst, NH 03031