Ontario Narrow Gauge Show 2027

The date is now set for the 2027 show. It was a nice one this year and is well worth coming out if in the area...George Dutka

Playing with Narrow Gauge Photos and AI

I asked AI to add smoke to the engine some clouds and a fall New England backdrop. It changed the number to a larger number and the lettering on the engine and caboose. I think it looks nice even though and not at all like a model photo.

I recently found out there was a AI attachment to my photo files that I can do a limited amount of work using AI before I have to pay a fee. Here is the view that I used and how it turned out. It changed the lettering and numbering which I could not change before the fees kicked in. Oh and this view was taken on my White River Division HO scale layout...George Dutka

This is the photo I began with taken on my HO scale layout a number of years ago (2013).

I asked AI to tone down the fall scene. An early fall view.

Milk Cans in Maine

A few milk can photos taken in Maine have turned up on Milk Train Journal. The photos are credited to Robert Wallace and the Albion Historical Society Inc. Not sure if anyone makes there type of milk cars but sure could use a few on my On30" modules...George Dutka

WW&F - Milk Traffic

 

I found this interesting today you might want to check it out on Facebook "The Milk Train Journal". The beginning of the article reads below...George Dutka

'Wiscasset Waterville & Farmington Railway Dairy Operations – Turner Centre Dairying Association' (Part One)

By Robert Wallace and the Albion Historical Society, Inc.

During the life of the WW&F narrow gauge railroad, one of the most consistent freight categories was the transport of cream and milk. From 15 pick up points along the line milk was hauled to the Turner Centre Dairy factory located in Wiscasset. This endeavor used dedicated dairy cars (reefers) that ran on both the morning and afternoon trains between Albion and Wiscasset.

Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. & Museum

I saved these photos and the comments below of a Facebook post awhile back that I though I would share with you. It is very good...George Dutka

Check out these stunning historic photos from the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway (today's Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway Museum).

Photographer and early railfan Hugh G. Boutell visited Wiscasset, Maine on August 17, 1925 and captured photos of the activities at the WW&F - including these views of their #7 engine putting together a 9-car mixed train at Wiscasset and awaiting departure northbound.

A close inspection reveals numerous interesting details, the station building at Wiscasset, and attempts by Mr. Boutell to get that "perfect" consist shot - notably by venturing down to the salt flats at Wiscasset and placing himself on the trestle in front of the engine!

These "slice of life" photos from over 100 years ago show a Maine narrow gauge railroad still in its heyday, long before abandonment and subsequent revival efforts.

We are proud to continue the tradition of Maine narrow gauge railroading with our friends from WW&F and other preservationist groups throughout the state!

*Photos by Hugh G. Boutell, part of the Allan Socea Collection, shared in "Two Feet to Tidewater: The Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway" by Robert C. Jones and David L. Register.

B&H No. 8

This postcard was a handout at the last narrow gauge show I attended. It is B&H no. 8 in 1940 taken by Ellis Spears.

 

Feed Storage Structure - A Second Look

There is a bit of a stoop added with a ladder at the doorway. A bill box is added which is a HO scale detail. The loose piping is an Otter Valley offering as pipe loads for bulkhead flats but work well in O scale too.

Here are a couple of close up looks at the finished feed storage structure...George Dutka.  

The box on the sacks is a O scale FOS offering that one folds up and applies a label. So ground foam and weeds are also glued to the lower areas.