With the realization that the "Tracks and Tides 2010" MFMR/NER Convention in Saint John is just four months away, I am busily trying to work at several projects that I have determined must be completed before the convention guests arrive to operate and tour the railway.
By far the largest project is a re-configuration of the Millville yard and staging tracks. The three current staging tracks will be used for passenger trains only. I have cut a large hole in the backdrop where the new Millville Union Station will be constructed. It will be a "front-wall only" brick structure of freelance design that will be shared by the CPR and the Carleton Railway. Passenger trains will enter the station enroute to staging. New staging tracks will be added (behind the washer and dryer) for freight trains. I am also hoping to add two additional staging tracks in West Avondale.

There is excitement among the crowd at South Newbridge station as passengers learn that a newly instituted card system will now ensure that first-class trains have sufficient capacity for the passengers at each station who have purchased tickets. Shown below is the conductor's form along with a card listing the number of passengers boarding and disembarking. As the Carleton Railway expands its passenger service, management is initiating a new "car card" system for passenger trains. Designed to put an end to boring passenger runs, crew members will now keep track of train capacity and the number of passengers boarding and disembarking at each station, adding additional coaches as necessary. Card holders have been installed at each of the five passenger stops along the main line (the photo below shows the card holders at Nortondale) in accordance with a recent article in the OPSIG's Dispatcher's Office. Passenger operations on the Carleton Railway will never be the same!

After purchasing an adjacent property earlier in the year, the Carleton Railway's "Nortondale Resort" has begun a major expansion. A new tennis court has been built and is already proving popular with the jet-setters who stay at the exclusive property. There are rumours that additional chalets may soon be added to the property (click on photos to expand). Some guests continue to use the original tennis court (pictured below), although it looks quite shabby compared to the newer court. However, guests claim that the air is different at the older courts, reporting that "something in the air" clears their sinuses as they play.

I've continued to work in Rosedale; in the right foreground, I have planted several rows of potatoes along the edge of the layout. On the right, in the background, you can see where the Rosedale station has ben relocated--I have added a fairly lengthy station platform. And on the left, I have scratchbuilt an additional potato house--that makes five along the siding in Rosedale, along with the Irving bulk plant.

A new house in Rosedale provides a hint that there are people living in the community. I put together a "Branchline" house kit and added it to the front of the layout, along with a new "private crossing" that provides road access to the Irving Bulk plant and the string of potato houses.

Here are a couple more photos of the Moncton operating crew on Saturday, December 13. Below, Milne is operating the Carleton-York peddler as it crosses the Rosedale Road between Waterville and Rosedale. Milne was especially adept at the prototypical use of the locomotive's horn at the highway crossings. In the photo below, while yardmaster Mike finishes making up the "Newbridge Turn", Jim waits to take the train out of the Avondale yard.

Although operating sessions have been rare lately, a group of five Monctonians operated a busy schedule over the Carleton Railway on Saturday, December 13. One of the highlights of the day was the arrival of #24 (the Northampton mixed train) at the end of the day. The unexpectedly long train, with engineer Milne and brakeman Murray, brought five loads of logs to Patterson's mill, a tank car for the Esso bulk plant, a hopper load of ballast to be used by the track gang, and several empty freight cars for loading at the local industries. At the end of the train was the rejuvenated heavyweight coach Muniac filled with workers for the mill. The above photo shows RSD-15s 2416 and 2417 at the front of the Northampton mixed train as it pulled into the bustling community. Although the yard tracks resemble a switching puzzle, the crew ably spotted the various freight cars at local industries in short order.

The past weekend marked two major milestones for the Carleton Railway. The Carleton Railway took part for the first time in the Saint John club's annual show. Four modules depicting the Carleton Railway's Monticello, Maine freight yard and interchange with the BAR were part of the club's modular layout. An Alco S4 was busy all day switching cars in the yard, while an Alco C424 took its turn on the main line. Even a trio of the railway's vintage Geeps--the only GMD units ever owned by the Carleton Railway--were brought out of retirement for use on the Aroostook subdivision. Then on Saturday evening, at a special operating session manned by an enthusiastic crew from Nova Scotia, the first train operated across the newly completed Northampton subdivision. The train travelled under the "Hiram T. Myshrall Overpass" just after the parade officially that officially opened the community-saving structure. In the photo below, obtained from the News-Advertiser's ace reporter Freda Mulheron, local politician and community hero Hyram Myshrall waves to the grateful residents of Pembroke as he sits in the first car to cross the new bridge at the front of a giant parade in his honour (click on photo to enlarge).

Here is a very brief update regarding the Carleton Railway's Monticello, Maine freight yard / BAR interchange modules that I have begun constructing. The first photo shows the wiring crew making sure that everything works well electrically. The overview of the four modules in the lower photo shows the track ballasted and some basic ground cover installed. I still have a week to get the module ready to be part of the SJSMRR modular layout. I hope to add a few more scenic details, and I will also install the backdrops. Obviously I will still have lots of work to do in the coming year to make it look complete for the fall 2009 show, but at least it will be in place and operational for this year's show. The gray ballast represents the Carleton Railway's Aroostook subdivision mainline (the far end toward Avondale, and the near end toward Montreal) and freight yard. The brown ballast represents the BAR, which crosses the Carleton Railway at Monticello, Maine (the far end toward Presque Isle [Blake's yet-to be-completed modules] and the near end toward Houlton).

The first track has been laid for the Carleton Railway's Aroostook Subdivision, which has to this point existed only as staging in the basement furnace room. With help from Bob Kane and Bruce Bosence, all of the track has been laid on the four modules that will represent the interchange betwen the Carleton Railway (double-track mainline at the front) and the BAR (single track mainline at the rear that crosses the CR mainline in the foreground) in Monticello, Maine. The Carleton Railway will provide a yard crew (an S-4) that will be kept busy with industrial switching and interchange trafic. A small yard between the two railways should provide ample space for sorting freight cars and making up trains. The various tracks can be seen more clearly in the view below; the yard lead is at the far end (just inside the double track mainline). The BAR mainline is located so it can connect at the far end with Blake Wooley's BAR modules at Presque Isle (hurry up and get those done, Blake!), and then Blake's modules will connect to Bob Henry's Aroostook Valley Railway at Caribou, which then connects to Bob Kane's Aroostook River Railway at Washburn Jct. All together, the modules will provide an operating Aroostook County layout that will be more than 40 feet long; the two tracks in the foreground can operate independently of the rest of the modules, so at SJSMRR shows the Aroostook County modules can be operated in a prototypical manner without interfering with the trains that are traversing the mainline.
An additional inner track at the southern end is available in case someone wants to entend the operations-oriented modules (anyone want to model Houlton, Maine?).

The SJSMRR Fall Show will be held on November 8 at the Lion's Club (right behind Ken-Val Co-op) in Quispamsis, and the Carleton Railway will be there!

The Northampton Subdivision is now complete--at last. The track crew has completed their work and a test train--2 RSD15s, a few freight cars and a caboose, followed by the heavyweight coach "Muniac", ran from South Newbridge to Northampton and return without incident. The daily Northampton Local may be a "mixed train" with the refurbished coach used to transport farm workers and mill employees to Northampton and to bring shoppers and other travellers to South Newbridge. The photo below shows the branchline heading under the "Hyram Myshrall Overpass" on its way to the community of Northampton. The line to the right will eventualy provide a connection to Grafton. The building in the upper left is in Pembroke.