The 2014 Manitoba Mega Train Show was a Mega success!

Wow! What a weekend! What a party! We had an estimated 2400 visitors to this year's Manitoba Mega Train Show held at the CanLan Ice Sports Centre! That is up from the record crowds of 2,000 we had last year. We had hot, sunny weather on Saturday, and cold, rainy weather on Sunday, but that didn't stop everyone from coming!

We had 64 vendors, two G gauge layouts, two HO layouts, two O gauge layouts, two N gauge layouts, the ever popular Lego layout, a balloon sculptor, a face painter, and the Mega Train itself, giving unlimited rides to everyone!

A big thanks to everyone who came! Next year's show promises to be even bigger and better than this one! The Winnipeg Model Railroad Club wishes to thanks all of the members who volunteered for set-up, take down, admissions and everything else that needed to be done!

Watch Manitoba Mega Train organizer Maurice Dorge on CTV Morning Live

The Manitoba Mega Train Show is getting all sorts of great publicity this year! Last week Maurice Dorge was featured on a Manitoba Moments segment on CTV Morning Live. The clip showcased his compact garden railway, and why no dogs are allowed at Mega Train! You can see the segment by clicking  http://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/ctv-morning-live/manitoba-moments.

Each copy of the Monday edition of the Winnipeg Free Press, has a post-it note on the cover about the Manitoba Mega Train Show. With a press run of 75,000 that's bound to get the word out!

Be sure to get up early on Friday Morning because there will be a segment about Mega Train on City TV's Breakfast Television!

Last year Mega Train had over 2,000 visitors, and this year we're expecting even more! The Winnipeg Model Railroad Club is partnered with Mega Train. It is a major source of revenue for the club, and a good portion of our take for this event goes to our charity of choice, St. Amant.

Volunteers are still needed for Mega Train! If you have some time to spare, help is always needed for set-up, take-down, and admissions. Set-up won't start until Friday noon this year, and take-down will start at 5:00 PM on Sunday. The more folks we have helping out, the faster it'll go! You can volunteer by clicking here.

The Manitoba Mega Train Show is being held at the CanLan Ice Sports Complex (formerly known as the Highlander) at 1871 Ellice Avenue. Hours are from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on both Saturday, September 27 and Sunday, September 28. General Admission is $5.00. Children ages 3-12 get in for $3.00. Kids two and under get in for free! A family pass is available for $15 for the day.

The 17,000 square feet of fun includes the No. 1 Northern's Free-Mo modular layout, which is the largest modular layout in the province and is a full 95 feet long this year! There will also be the spectacular Lego train display, the ever popular Lionel layout with all of the giraffe cars, a face painter, a balloon artist, 60 vendor tables and the Mega-Train itself! Admission gives you free unlimited rides on the 7.5" scale Mega Train!

Volunteers needed for the Manitoba Mega train Show this coming weekend

   This is the Big Kahuna. The biggest train show in the province. 2,000 people came to last year's show, and even more are expected this year! Yes, it's Manitoba Mega Train Show time again, and the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club will be out there in full force. We are partnered with this event. It's our major source of revenue, and the source for funding our charity of choice,  St. Amant.

   This is a big show, and volunteers are needed for set up on Friday, take down on Sunday, manning the admissions tables and the WMRC table as well. Set up starts at 12:00 noon on Friday, when the 7.5" scale Mega Train will be set up.  It's the biggest sectional track layout you'll ever have a chance to set up, and it's a lot of fun to put together!  Volunteers are also needed to set up the tables for the displayers and the vendors. Please note that vendors and displayers will not be allowed to set up until 2:30 on Friday, after the Mega Train is set up.

   Volunteers are needed for the admissions tables and the WMRC table. Volunteers are especially needed on Sunday evening for the take-down of the display and the vendors tables and of the Mega train. Take down starts at 5:00, and the more volunteers we have, the faster it will go!

   The event takes place at the CanLan SportsPlex at 1871 Ellice Avenue. The hours are from 9:00 to 5:00 on both Saturday, September 27 and Sunday, September 28. If you can spare the time, please click here.

Railway Days at the Winnipeg Railway Museum this weekend

It's another great weekend for Winnipeg rail fans and model railroaders as the Winnipeg Railway Museum kicks off another exciting weekend with their annual Railway Days celebration! The hours are from 10AM to 4PM on both Saturday, September 20 and Sunday, September 21.

The Winnipeg Model Railroad Club will be there in full force, operating the Gateway Western Railway, a spectacular HO model railroad that is housed in its own all weather, four seasons structure inside the museum. The WMRC has partnered with the museum to create this project, and it has to be seen to be believed!

Of course, there as many other marvelous things to see at the museum. The jewel in the crown has to be the famous Countess of Dufferin, the very first locomotive to run in Manitoba, which has been lovingly preserved by the dedicated volunteers of the museum.

The museum is located on the second level at the Via Rail station, located at 123 Main Street. If you enter through the main street entrance, just walk right through the atrium. There will be a sign leading you to the platform upstairs where the museum is located. If you are entering through the back entrance near The Forks,  keep walking through the corridor until you've almost reached the atrium. You can't miss the sign leading to the museum!

It's going to be a big weekend at The Forks, as the Canadian Museum for Human Rights is having their grand opening. Please be advised that parking spaces might be hard to find in the area.

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights has been subject to a lot of controversy. The Manitoba Metis Federation has protested that Ray St. Germain wasn't allowed to sing at their opening ceremonies. But we'd let Ray St. Germain sing at the Winnipeg Railway Museum, or any event held by the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club as many times as he wants to.

As long as he sings a couple of songs about trains, of course!

Winnipeg Model Railroad Club taking orders for their 60th anniversary T-shirt

The WMRC has started taking orders for their 60th anniversary T-shirt. The shirt is powder blue with the 60th anniversary logo, designed by WMRC blog editor Paul Ullrich, printed in the middle. Orders have been taken at the last WMRC meeting, and will continue to be taken at our next meeting on October 10. Please note that the price will be determined on how many T-shirts will be in the order. We don't require anyone to give us any money yet. All we need to know is how many people are interested in purchasing one of these T-shirts, and what size should be ordered.

Steam Whistle Brewing introduces "Last Spike" bottle opener

Steam Whistle Brewing is honouring Canada’s rail heritage with “The Last Spike”-inspired 10th anniversary in-case opener. It will be available in both six and twelve packs of Steam Whistle Pilsner  starting September 15.

“We wanted to do something special for our 10th year adding openers to our cases, so we went back to the brewery’s roots and explored the link to Canada’s rail history,” explained Greg Taylor, Co-founder of Steam Whistle Brewing. “The Last Spike is a symbol of unity and hard work and we cherish those values at Steam Whistle.”

Designed in the shape of a rail spike, the 2014 opener pays homage to “The Last Spike” of the Canadian Pacific Railway, driven at Craigellachie, B.C. on November 7, 1885.

For Steam Whistle, Canada’s rail story has special significance. The Brewery itself is located in the John Street Roundhouse just south of the CN Tower and Union Station. The Roundhouse opened in 1929 as a CP Rail repair facility.

“This is the tenth year we’ve included our retro openers in cases. Folks have shown us so much love and we look forward to rewarding them with this token of our appreciation,” said Cameron Heaps, fellow co-founder of the brewery. “We think we really hit the nail on the head with this one,” he joked.

Steam Whistle packages Premium Pilsner in non-twist bottles because of the superior seal that the bottle cap provides. While this non-twist bottle helps keep Steam Whistle Pilsner fresh, it might add some inconvenience to people who don't own a traditional bottle opener. To answer this need, Steam Whistle launched the free retro opener feature back in 2005 and has continued to release a new design each year. Learn more at: www.steamwhistle.ca/opener.

Steam Whistle won the 2012 Gold Medal winner at the Canadian Brewing Awards. To learn more about the brewery,  visit www.steamwhistle.ca

Become their fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/SteamWhistle

Twitter http://twitter.com/steamwhistle Instagram http://Instagram.com/steamwhistlebrewing#

This distinguished gentleman enjoys a can of Steam Whistle beer, which was not opened by their new Last Spike promotional bottle opener.

All aboard for the Assiniboine Valley Railway's September open house and WinNtrak's display at The Forks this weekend

We had a great meeting at the Charleswood Legion last night. The place was packed with many existing members, a few visitors, and several old faces that we haven't seen for a while. It was perfect inspiration to get out and do some real railroading this weekend!

You can start by visiting the Assiniboine Valley Railway, who will be having their September open house. Hours are from 11AM to 5PM on Saturday, and from 1AM to 5PM on Sunday. Rides are $2.00 per person, but kids under three can ride for free! See http://assiniboinevalleyrailway.org/blog/ for more details. They're easy to find, at 3001 Roblin Boulevard, just west of Assiniboine Park. Look for the sign by the road!

WinNtrak will be displaying their N gauge modular layout at the Forks Market on this weekend as well. They'll be displaying from 9:00AM to 9:00PM on both days. You can reach their website by clicking here: http://winntrak.com/

A visit to the Palo Verde Southern Railroad featured at Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's September meeting

The program for Friday's meeting features a special treat! Dennis Rietze, a long time member who is also the Superintendent of the NMRA's No. 1 Northern Division, will be presenting a program about his visit to the Palo Verde Southern Railroad in Mesa, Arizona.

This layout has to be seen to believed! It's considered to be one of the largest G scale layouts in the world (if no the largest). It's famous for running 100+ car lengths, it's beautifully landscaped and the engines have full sound! There's nothing like hearing a sound system from the big speaker of a scale G gauge train!

There's lots of videos featuring this amazing layout on You Tube, but if you come to the meeting, you'll get to see in on a big screen instead of on your computer!

We won't be having a formal second program this month, so if any members wish to put something together to show to the club, here is your chance - Free For All Night! Simply put 15 or so train-related or model related photos on a CD/DVD or USB stick and bring them with you and we'll show them. 

We'll also be having our monthly model display, with a draw for a gift certificate from a local hobby shop. Feel free to bring down whatever you've been working on, and you might win! It doesn't have to be completed - but you must include a short write-up describing the work you've done to date. If we get ten or more entries from ten different members, the gift certificate prize will be doubled to thirty dollars!

Of course, the canteen and the library will be open as well.

Don't forget that we have a new meeting place - The Charleswood Legion at 6003 Roblin Boulevard! We meet at 7:30PM in the Tank Room located in the basement of the hall. Please use the entrance on the west side of the building (which is wheelchair accessible). You can't miss the building - it's got a big tank in front of it!

Hope to see you all there! Be sure to bring your membership renewal forms! If you don't have one, we'll supply you with one!

Our new meeting place - The Charleswood Legion, 6003 Roblin Boulevard

You've read about our new location several times in this blog.
It's been posted on the WMRC Facebook page.
There was an article about our new location in the September issue of The Lantern, the official publication of the WMRC, which was sent to all club members.
Our President, Larry Leavens, sent out an email to all past and present members notifying them of our move to our new location at the Charleswood Legion at 6003 Roblin Boulevard.
Just to be sure, we're telling you again:

Don't go to Westworth United Church on Friday night!

Of course, you're welcome to attend their church services on Sundays, but we're not meeting there anymore!
We meet as usual at 7:30PM, this Friday, September 12, 2014. Our meeting will be held in the tank room in the basement. Please use the parking lot on the west side of the building. There is also a parking lot available directly across Roblin on the south side of the street.
The building at 6003 Roblin Boulevard has a big tank in front of it - you can't miss it!
The building is also wheelchair accessible from the west side of the building.
The tank room has a 10' ceiling and no pillars to obstruct your view. It promises to be much warmer in the winter months, and you don't have to take off your shoes in the winter! Imagine that - no more cold, smelly feet at our meetings!
We have full use of a modern kitchen. There's a cloakroom and ample space for our library.

Hope to see you all there this Friday!

WinNtrak and the Assiniboine Valley Railway displaying September 12, 13 and 14

WinNtrak, seen here at last year's Manitoba Mega Train Show, will be displaying at the Forks next weekend.

Next weekend's model railroad events has gotten better with our good friends at WinNtrak, who will be displaying at the Forks Market on September 12, 13 and 14. Please note that their website was down last week, but it's up and running again. They'll be displaying from 9:00AM to 9:00PM on all three days. You can reach their website by clicking here: http://winntrak.com/

You can round out your model railroading weekend by visiting the Assiniboine Valley Railway, who will be having their monthly open house next weekend. The hours are from 11AM to 5PM on Saturday, and from 1AM to 5PM on Sunday. Rides are two bucks per person, but kids under three can ride for free! Find them here at http://assiniboinevalleyrailway.org/blog/ and remember that this is their new website. Don't go to their old one, which is still up. They're easy to find, at 3001 Roblin Boulevard, just west of Assiniboine Park. Look for the signs!

It's pretty easy to get from The Forks to the AVR. You can even do it by bike, going straight down Wellington Crescent for most of the way!

Assiniboine Valley Railway open house, Winnipeg Railway Museum's Railway Days and the Manitoba Mega Train Show showcased this month

The model railroading season really starts to heat up in September! We start off first with the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's first meeting in our new location at the Charleswood Legion, located at 6003 Roblin Boulevard. The meeting will be held in the tank room in the basement of the hall on September 12, and starts at 7:30. The door on the west side of the building provides the best access. Hope to see you all there! You can't miss the building - it's got a tank in front of it!

The next day the Assiniboine Valley Railway holds its monthly open house on September 13 and also on September 14. The hours are from 11 to 5 on Saturday, and from 1 to 5 on Sunday. Rides are $2 per person. Kids under 3 ride for free!

The weekend after that is the Winnipeg Railway Museum's Railway days! The hours are from 10 to 5 on September 20 and 21. Admission is by donation. The Winnipeg Model Railroad Club will be out there in full force, operating the Gateway Western Railway in its own separate structure within the museum. That itself would be worth the price of admission, but there's so much more to see!

Following that is the Manitoba Mega Train Show on September 27 and 28 at the CanLan Ice Sports Complex on 1871 Ellice Avenue. The WMRC is partnered with this event. We'll have members all over the place setting up the 7.5" scale train, working the admissions desk, displaying and selling all sorts of neat model railroading stuff at the vendor's tables! Admission is $5, Children ages 3-12 $3, and kids 2 and under get in for free! Hours are from 9 to 5 on both days.

They find the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club on Facebook!

The WMRC blog site has passed the 22,000 reader mark, and our Facebook page is also gaining in popularity! It's become the voice of the club! Many people have been messaging us, asking all sorts of questions about the club, our activities, and membership inquiries through Facebook. We also get a lot of inquiries about selling trains, but we don't mind that at all, for that is part of the hobby!

Several groups have found us through Facebook, such as the Sioux Valley Railway Historical Society and Museum, the Endless Mountains Model Railroad Club and York Modelmaking. We've also "liked" the Assiniboine Valley Railway, the Winnipeg Railway Museum, the Prairie Dog Central, Model Railroader magazine, and White River Productions, so you can follow all of their posts on our FB site.

We're striving to make this blog site and our FB site the place to be for all model railroaders and rail fans in Manitoba, and it's not just for our members! Anyone can join Facebook and visit out page at https://www.facebook.com/WinnipegModelRailroadClub.