Holiday express indoor ride-in train opens December 5

Maurice and Susan Dorge, the folks who brought you the Manitoba Mega Train Show, have come up with a special holiday treat. They're setting up their Mega-Train in the old Safeway store at 3059 Ness Avenue (at the corner of Sturgeon and Ness) for the month of December.  Their store, Vector Garden Trains, will be moving there too.  They open on Dec 5.  Come and do something special with your family for the holiday season! Take a ride on the Mega-Train in a Winter Wonderland! There will be lots of trees and lights to see, and it's warm!

The hours are weekdays from 4pm to 9pm, Saturdays from 9am to 9pm, and Sundays from 10am to 6pm. The train will be operating on Christmas eve until 6pm. It will be closed on Christmas day, but it will re-open on Boxing Day at noon. Ticket price is $5.00 with a dollar going to charity, or $4.00 with a tin for the bin.

For more information, check out their website at:
http://www.vectorgardentrains.ca/holiday-express-ride-on-train/
or go to their Facebook page at: 
https://www.facebook.com/HolidayExpressWinnipeg/

The CP holiday train is coming to town!

It's that time of the year again! The CP holiday train will be rolling into Winnipeg on Friday, December 4, arriving at Molson Street between Panet Road and Munroe Avenue at 9:00 PM. Showtime is from 9:15 to 9:45, and the featured performers this year are Devin Cuddy and Kelly Prescott.

Kelly Prescott is no stranger to Holiday Train. She has taken part in numerous U.S. tours and was featured on many of the past Holiday Train CD's, including the gold record release in 2005. In 2013 she shared the stage with Sheryl Crow and Take Six on the Holiday Train 15th anniversary show in Minnesota.​​​ Devin Cuddy is the son of one of Canada's most beloved singer/songwriters, Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy, country rock has been the soundtrack to Devin's entire life.
 
The train will also make stops at Portage la Prairie on December 5 opposite the Centennial Arena on 390-1st St. NW at 1:15 PM. It then arrives at Minnedosa at 5:00 PM west of the station on the north side of the yard, 30 2nd Ave, NW. It makes its last stop in Manitoba at Shoal Lake by the gravel lot adjacent to grain elevator on North Railway Avenue at 8:15 PM. 

Selkirk Model Railroad Association holds train show on Saturday, November 28

A huge Milwaukee Road passenger train pulled by two "Little Joes" roll down the Selkirk Model Railroad Association's O gauge layout.

Not a football fan? Tired of shopping on black Friday weekend? Don't care for the Santa Claus parade? Then come to Selkirk for the Selkirk Model Railroad Association's train show this Saturday!
You'll see lots of rail action with three operating layouts in O, HO and N gauge! The hours are from 10am to 4pm, and you can find them at 217 Clandeboye Avenue in Selkirk. Admission charge for adults is $4.00. Ages 12-16, $3.00. Free admission for everyone under 12!

Winnipeg's model railroad and rail fan community mourns passing of David Harris

We are saddened to announce the passing of one of the founding members of the Winnipeg Railway Museum, David Harris, who passed away on Nov. 20.

"Dave was one of the first railroad-types I met when I moved here in 1987." Said Morgan Turney, WMRC Program Director. "I remember going up to his apartment where he had the Winnipeg Railway Museum stuffed into a spare room! His dream was to find a place to display what was then a fair amount of stuff he had collected, and to rescue The Countess of Dufferin out of the Weston Shops! His dream was fulfilled when Via Rail  gave the museum some space on tracks one and two."

There will be a celebration of his life and works on the main floor of the south tower of Armadale Hollows at 1750 Pembina Highway on Friday, November 27, from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. Coffee and tea will be provided. If you plan to attend, contact Dave McDowell at 204-489-6512 or email him at: clio1@mymts.net

Brent Tingey wins the monthly prize at Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's November model display

Long time WMRC member Brent Tingey was awarded the monthly prize at the club's model display at their November meeting for his model of a CN 36' wooden stock car. Brent has won many awards for his model and for his rail fan photography. He has also won the President's Shield for his volunteer work for the club. 
 
To qualify for the monthly prize, the submitted model must show signs of either some assembly or some weathering. Each entry must include your name and a short write up describing the work that has been accomplished to date. If you are planning to build a model using a 3D printer but only have completed some portion of your 3D CAD drawings, then we would like to see them, but only if the renderings are your own work—no scanned materials! Failure to comply with all of these rules will mean immediate disqualification. Each entrant will submit just one entry. The monthly prize of a voucher in the amount of $15 from a local hobby shop is chosen at random.

Felix Lesiuk wins Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's monthly photo contest

Long time WMRC member Felix Lesiuk has won the club's monthly photo contest. He was awarded a cash prize, and his winning entry was published on the cover of the November issue of The Lantern, the official publication of the WMRC.

The theme for November's competition was "Evidence that Jack Frost was seen working on one of the railways". Despite the unusually warm weather, our members dug into their image files and submitted six entries from previous winters. Felix took this image on February 9th, 2015 at the Norfolk Siding.

Next month's contest theme is "Railway graffiti nightmare", and there sure is enough of that going around to guarantee a good number of entries, cold weather notwithstanding! All submissions are due by December 1st at midnight.  Only the first photo received from each participant will be accepted as an entry, so make it a good one! Others that you choose to submit may be displayed in The Lantern but not  judged.

Please submit all entries to Lantern editor Robert Weaver at weaverflowers@gmail.com

Take a ride on Rail Travel Tour's North Pole Express from Winnipeg

All aboard the NORTH POLE EXPRESS! The Winnipeg Railway Museum and Rail Travel Tours are offering for the first time a fundraising day trip for kids and their parents, grandparents or guardians to enjoy a memorable train journey during the holiday season.

This full day trip scheduled for Sunday, December 13, 2015 will feature a morning tour of the Winnipeg Railway Museum, lunch, and a two hour train trip on a VIA Rail Canada train to Gladstone, Manitoba, which will be transformed into the North Pole!  Thanks to the Gladstone Chamber of Commerce, travellers will visit with Santa Claus, enjoy crafts, games and other experiences before they return by motor coach to Winnipeg later that afternoon.

The tour of the Winnipeg Railway Museum will feature holiday decorations as part of the event. The train trip will feature hot chocolate,  a holiday singalong, a souvenir ticket and other activities on the train while travelling to Gladstone.  Those that take part on the trip will receive a family membership to the Winnipeg Railway Museum so they can visit this great attraction as many times as they want over the next year.

The price of the trip for one child from the ages of 2 -12 is $85 (plus GST) and must be accompanied by a parent, grandparent or guardian. For everyone 13 years of age and up, the cost is $95 each (plus GST).  There is no charge for children two years of age and under who are travelling with a parent and not taking up a seat.  There are only 50 spaces available, and they'll go quick, so book now! For reservations or more details call Rail Travel Tours at 204-897-9551.

More scenes from Hamburg's Miniatur Wunderland

WMRC Vice-President Dave Downie gave a great presentation last night about his recent visit to Hamburg's Miniatur Wunderland, the largest model railroad display in the world. Members and visitors were treated to a jaw dropping display of the most spectacular modelling they've ever seen!

Some of the displays were over 40 feet high, as their crew had modeled scale versions of the Alps (It sure makes you wish that you had a higher ceiling in your basement). Everything was scratch built in painstaking and accurate detail. If you missed Dave's program, we have a few images that he took during his visit. Enjoy!

Hamburg's Miniatur Wunderland featured at Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's November meeting

 Feast your eyes on this image of this magnificent horseshoe curve at Hamburg's Miniatur Wunderland, taken by our own Dave Downie during his visit to Germany this fall. 

For the past few years, WMRC Vice President Dave Downie has made several excellent presentations for the club about his annual trips to Europe. This year, his travels have taken him to the model railroader's Mecca,  Hamburg's Miniatur Wunderland, largest model railroad in the world. Dave's presentation this Friday will take you right there!

You've all heard about it, and you've all seen the various videos posted online. Now's the chance to get to view it from someone who has actually been there! Their HO scale display has over 50,000 feet of track with 930 trains hauling almost 15,000 cars. Wunderland is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Germany and showcases the hobby of model railroading to over a million visitors every year. This is your opportunity to see one of the world's great model railroads and something extra that you will not believe!

The fun starts at 7:30 PM on Friday, November 13 at the Charleswood Legion, 6003 Roblin Boulevard. There's plenty of free parking, it's handicap accessible, and guests are always warmly welcomed. In addition to Dave's presentation, we'll have our usual model display, the 50-50 draw, and the canteen will be open! Please enter on the west side of the building.

Winnipeg Model Railroad Club members show off their talents at the NMRA train show in Winnipeg

Long time WMRC member Ron Einarson displayed many of his award winning models at the show.

Many WMRC members were front and centre at the NMRA's annual train show held on Saturday, November 7, at Whyte Ridge Baptist Church in Winnipeg.  Among those displaying and demonstrating were Ron Einarson, Larry Leavens, Paul Ullrich, Robert Weaver, Michael Leader and Ian Plett. WMRC Vice President Dave Downie was also on hand manning the admissions table and greeting all the visitors.  One of the attendees came all the way from Minot, North Dakota to see the show!

WMRC President Larry Leavens held a modelling clinic while running a Z scale train all day.

Michael Leader shows Randy Midzain how to operate a G gauge John Allen timesaver module.

Ian Plett adjusts his camera to take a picture of the No. 1 Northern Free-Mo group's CN freight entering a tunnel. Ian is also the superintendent of the Free-Mo group.   

Paul Ullrich's O gauge giraffe car layout is always a popular attraction with the kiddies! 

Robert Weaver's O scale display was also a popular attraction.

National Model railroad Association holds train show this Saturday

Heads up, everybody! This is the last train show for the year, and it's going to be a great one! Not only will there be several layouts running, but there will be interactive displays! Several clinics conducted by Winnipeg's finest modellers will be held. This is a rare treat, as no other train show in town holds clinics.

You can also test your railroading skills by operating a G scale John Allen Timesaver module, conducted by the NMRA's youngest member, Michael Leader. But don't let his age fool you - he's an expert at running a timesaver module!

There will also be a contest for the younger set. Each participant will receive a paper with multiple choice questions about the displays at the show. The papers will be drawn at the end of the show, and the three youngsters whose papers have been drawn who have the correct answers will receive a gift certificate from a local hobby shop!

The fun starts at 10:00AM at Whyte Ridge Baptist Church, 201 Scurfield Boulevard. Handicap accessible, admission by silver collection. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to St. Amant.

The making of the Hudson Bay Railway

Bart Hasselfield is one of our newer members, and he has a terrific website that he wants to share with us! After reading MRC Blog Editor Paul Ullrich's posts about his recent rail trip to Churchill, he sent us these links from his website, http://www.zambonista.com, about the making of the rail line to Churchill.

Bart also has a very personal connection to the Railway. His grandfather  was Major J.G. MacLachlan, who was the manager of the Hudson Bay Railway from 1943 to 1951. He had served on the railway since 1928 in various roles, including Division Engineer, District Engineer, and Superintendent and District Engineer. Bart has posted excerpts from his grandfather's memoirs and several photographs of the rail line from 1929. Boy, was there a lot of snow that spring! You can see it all by clicking here. 

  MacLachlan is shown above right with CNR President Vaughn and CNR Vice President Devenish.

Kids just love the Gateway Western Railway!

The absolute best thing about running trains on the Gateway Western is watching the kid's reactions! Just look at this youngster in the image -  every model railroader knows how he feels, and all of us remember being that age when we were watching and dreaming about trains! If there was anything that made all of the efforts to build the Gateway (not to mention the building that houses it) is the look on this kid's face!

The Gateway Western Railway is house is a joint effort between the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club and the Winnipeg Railway Museum. The museum is located on the second level of the Via Rail station on 123 Main Street. For a complete schedule of their hours of operation, please click here.  

 Here's another wonderful shot of a youngster watching the trains run on the Gateway, courtesy of our crack photographer, Morgan Turney. Looks like our own Cliff Davidson is in the reflection!

 Here's a great scene of the rail action on the Gateway taken during Railway Days in September.