Canadian model railroad community mourns passing of WMRC past president Morgan Turney

Morgan Turney, seen at the WMRC's 60th anniversary celebration in 2015, passed away on February 6.

Former WMRC president and published of Canadian Railway Modeller Morgan Turney passed away on Thursday, February 6.

Morgan was a club member for 27 years, and served a varied array of positions.  He served for two terms as president, from 1995 to 1996 and from 2005 to 2007. He was the club’s program director from 2009 to 2016, the annual contest chair from 2007 to 2016, ran the monthly model display from 2013 to 2016 and the 50/50 draw from 2013 to 2016.

Morgan was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario. He worked for Maple Leaf Mills as a grocery store representative, and was transferred to Winnipeg in 1987. After Maple Leaf Mils closed, he decided to create a model railroading magazine for Canadians. 

He published the first issue of Canadian Railway Modeller in May of 1990 using the money he received from his severance pay as collateral after he sold 600 subscriptions at the Toronto Train Show. At the magazine’s peak, he had over 3,800 subscriptions. The magazine ran for 27 years. The last issue was published in 2017.

Morgan’s publishing company, titled North Kildonan Publications, also published Canadian railway themed Christmas cards, collector cards, the Canadian Railway Heritage Guide, art prints, lapel pins, HO scale Canadian Railway Modeller boxcars and Railfan Canada, a prototype magazine that ran for 12 issues. 

Morgan’s contributions to the hobby left an indelible mark not only on the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club, but on the entire Canadian model railroading community. He was an enthusiastic and tireless promoter of the club and of the hobby.

 

A Winnipeg model railroader has been named a member of the Order of Canada

John Longhurst has been named a member of the Order of Canada in December. He is one of 88 Canadians who've received the honour in 2024. He joins more than 8,000 Canadians who have received the country's highest civilian honour.

John, who has been the faith page columnist for the Winnipeg Free Press since 2023 and is also a religion reporter for Canadian Affairs,  won the award for his contributions to the country's religious and spiritual media, his efforts to promote positive interdenominational relations, to reduce hate and to help readers see the humanity in every person. 

But John has always been very well known for his outstanding contributions to the hobby and to Winnipeg's model railroading community. John was the associate editor of Canadian Railway Modeller magazine for many years. He was an active member of the WMRC member, where he served as the club's publicity director. He has a model railroad blog, titled the CP Rail Manitoba and Minnesota Subdivision, which has had over one million viewers. 

In 1998, John and his brother-in-law, the late Ken Epp, founded the Great Canadian Train Show, which became Manitoba's largest train show, and ran until 2012. He was the convention director for the 2005 Canadian Association of Railway Modellers annual national convention, titled Golden Rails, which was the only the second time the city had hosted a national model railroad convention. 

 

Winnipeg Model Railroad Club mourns passing of George Myer

Long time former WMRC member George Myer passed away on Monday, May 6, 2019. He was 82 years old. George has been a subject of controversy for several months that made national headlines as he had to wait for four months for a biopsy which finally delivered a diagnosis of lung cancer.

George will be remembered by the model railroad community for his extraordinary modelling skills on his O gauge layout, the CPR Central Northern Subdivision. George’s layout was featured in the May 2011 issue of Canadian Railway Modeller and was a featured on the layout hop of the TLR’s 2010 Steam on the Prairies  convention.

A memorial service will be held Monday, May 13, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. at Neil Bardal Funeral Centre, 3030 Notre Dame Avenue in Winnipeg. Below are links featuring articles about George.

https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/winnipeg-man-who-waited-months-for-cancer-diagnosis-dies-1.4416762
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/george-myer-biopsy-cancer-1.4994485
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-lung-cancer-biopsy-delay-1.4969844
https://winnipegsun.com/news/news-news/family-finally-gets-biopsy-for-elderly-father-hoping-its-not-too-late
https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/daughter-anxious-about-fathers-wait-for-critical-biopsy-in-winnipeg-hospital

 This image of George's O gauge layout, the CPR Central Northern Subdivision, was taken in 2010 during the TLR's Steam on the Prairies convention.

Master Model Railroader Stafford Swain has passed away

Stafford Swain is seen to the right of Frank Gerry and Paul Ullrich at his home in Winnipeg in 2010 during the TLR regional convention. This was the last public display of his layout, which was taken down shortly after the convention.

We are very saddened to report that long time WMRC member and legendary model railroader Stafford Swain passed away on April 11. He was 73 years old.

Stafford was a Master Model Railroader (MMR #98),  former President of the WMRC, and past Chairman of the 1983 NMRA National convention held in Winnipeg. At the time, the 1983 convention was the most profitable in the history of the NMRA.

He's had over 80 articles published in magazines such as Model Railroader, Mainline Modeller and Railroad Model Craftsman.

Stafford had a huge impact on bringing down the cost of model railroading to all Canadians by working to eliminate the Federal Duty levied on imported model railroad supplies. Until Stafford won his argument with the Customs Canada, there was a 20% duty levied on all imported model railroad supplies.

Stafford was a loyal CN fan and a devoted member and co-founder of the Canadian National Railways Historical Association (formerly CN Lines SIG). Stafford did just about everything for the organization, including stuffing envelopes on a regular basis at Nick Andrusiak's place whenever another issue of CN Lines was fresh from the printers and ready to ship.

 A glowing tribute to Stafford and his many accomplishments has been published in Canadian Railway Modeller, Train 17, Track 3. You can also read about Stafford at WMRC member John Longhurst's Manitoba and Minnesota Subdivision blog at http://cprailmmsub.blogspot.com/

John Longhurst makes his first million

Congratulations to long time WMRC member John Longhurst for making his first million! No, he didn't win the 649 or Powerball. His popular model railroading blog, The Manitoba and Minnesota Subdivision, has reached one million views!

John has been a club member for over 20 years. He was the Associate Editor for Canadian Railway Modeller for many years, and he was also the WMRC's publicity director. In 1997, he and his brother-in-law the late Ken Epp took over the responsibilities of running the Winnipeg Railway Fair from Morgan Turney and Peter Lacey. In 1998, they moved the location to the Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute and renamed it the Great Canadian Train Show, which ran until 2012.

John organized the 2005 Golden Rails convention in Winnipeg for the Canadian Association of Railway Modellers.  Kudos to John for reaching this remarkable milepost! Check out his blog at: http://cprailmmsub.blogspot.ca/

Winnipeg Model Railroad Club mourns passing of long time member Carl Gay

It is with a great deal of sadness to report that Carl Gay, a former long standing member of the WMRC, has passed away. Many would remember Carl from when he worked at Elmwood Hobby Works part time. Carl had been hospitalized for some time, and he died in hospital in his sleep.

"I remember Carl from when he worked at the downtown post office and I'd see him each time I took the latest issue of Canadian Railway Modeller to the post office to mail." Stated Morgan Turney.
"Carl was very gracious to me and shared his huge steam locomotive photo collection with the magazine on many, many occasions. His favourite railfanning spot was  CPR's Whittier yard. I spoke with Carl only a couple of weeks ago regarding the G5s coming back to Winnipeg. I will miss him."


"He loved this hobby and got me into it very early on." Said Carl's son, Andrew Renaud.  "We shared it up to the end.  He enjoyed assisting people in their efforts whether with pictures or knowledge. I told him 'Your block has been arranged... you've got a green board... highball!' Thank you to those of you who were part of dads life."

"I have fond memories of him singing Gilbert & Sullivan tunes while he shopped at the Golden Spike!" Said Ian Lisakowski.

"I remember him on stage at Pantages doing G & S (with the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Winnipeg)!" reported Zenon Lisakowski.


The family as requested that no calls of condolence be made. A private family ceremony has been arranged.

Exclusive photos of the locomotives being delivered to the Prairie Dog Central

Our intrepid photojournalist Morgan Turney took these photos of the former CPR G5 class 4-6-2 locomotives and their tenders yesterday. They were photographed at an undisclosed location in Winnipeg.

Morgan got a heads-up that they were behind a 10-foot fence,  so he dug out an 8-foot ladder, chucked it into his pick-up and off he went!  These engines are on their way to the Vintage Locomotive Society (also known as the Prairie Dog Central). These images, and several others, will be published in a forthcoming issue of Canadian Railway Modeller, but publisher Morgan Turney is giving us an exclusive to post a few of them here first!

We have been following the progress of these two engines since the news broke that they were returning to Canada. The locomotives spent over 40 years in Covington, Virginia as part of the late Jack Showalter's Virginia Central Tourist Railroad. Showalter, a tourist railroad operator and dedicated steam preservationist, died in November 2014.

 The engines have been stored on the Shenandoah Valley Railroad in Staunton, Virginia for over 15 years. The Prairie Dog Central has not purchased these locomotives. They were purchased by an Albertan, but will be stored at the PDC's shops off Inkster Boulevard. The 1238 was built in Montreal in 1946. The 1286 was built in Kingston Locomotive Works in 1948. Future operating plans for these two engines are under review by the Vintage Locomotive Society.

Morgan Turney dazzles Klinic Karnival attendants with his tree modelling skills

   Morgan Turney, WMRC Program Director and organizer of our annual Klinic Karnival, also found the time to run his own clinic on how to model trees out of weeds and ordinary garden cuttings. Watching him employ his impressive skills are Bob Shawcross, our head librarian, and long time WMRC member Brent Tingey.

    Morgan is not only a talented and highly skilled modeller. He's served as president of the WMRC many times and has been our program director for several years. He's also has been the organizer of our annual spring open house. He is also the publisher of Canada's foremost model railroad magazine, Canadian Railway Modeller, now celebrating its 25th year of publication! There's nothing Morgan can't do when he puts his mind to it!

   Except when it comes to putting ketchup on a hot dog (he has some very strong opinions about that).

    All kidding aside, if there's anyone who has been proven absolutely indispensable to the club, it's Morgan! Thanks for all of your help throughout the years!

Stafford Swain's layout featured in cover story of Canadian Railway modeller

   Our most popular posts on this blog has been about Stafford Swain, a truly legendary model railroader and long time WMRC member.  The two posts about Stafford have consistently been in the top ten views, and the post title Stafford Swain - a true master model railroader, has been #1 in views for some time now, garnering almost 400 hits.
 
   Stafford's layout was dismantled shortly after it's last public showing in 2010 for the TLR's Steam on the Prairies convention in Winnipeg. A glowing tribute to Stafford and his many accomplishments was published in Canadian railway Modeller, Train 17, Track 3. With permission of the publisher, our own Morgan Turney, we are presenting the cover of this issue.

    We still have several other views of Stafford's famous layout, which we will be posting very soon.

WMRC member Paul Ullrich has another article published in Classic Toy trains

   Paul Ullrich, long time WMRC member and blog editor, has had his second article published in Kalmbach's Classic Toy Trains Magazine this year. Both articles have appeared in their "Tips, tools and techniques" column in the back page of the magazine. His second article has been published in the July 2014 issue. Paul also has had a third article accepted, which will run later this year.

    Paul is not the only WMRC member that has been making their names in the news. Earlier this year, member Dennis Rietze had an article published in Canadian Railway Modeller (published by our own Morgan Turney) about his very unique and well crafted layout in a crawl space. The article has been published in its entirety on this blog. You can view his article by clicking here.



 

Layout in a crawl space - Part 2

  This is the second part of Dennis Rietze's article about his model railroad, the Silver Springs Railway and transportation Company, which was written for Canadian Railway Modeller magazine. Reprinted with the permission of the publisher. 

 Another aspect of DCC is the option available through a stationary decoder which will allow the remote control of turnouts. With limitations in moving around in the layout room, the remote control option is a big bonus. At present I am still in the connection and wiring stage and once they are all installed, throwing switches will be done from the throttle.

  The layout scenes are that of basic flat prairie due to the low ceiling, with yards and industries for switching. Most all of the structures are Walthers kits along with others that I have kitbashed to my liking.

As I proceeded with construction and operating trains I discovered that there needed to be more double track sections to allow for better operation and interest; I therefore added extra sidings and plan on adding more as needed. The track is code 100 Atlas with Peco switches.

  The most recent work on the layout was the completion of the backdrops. After looking at different methods and ready made products, I chose to use backdrops from SceniKing. The company produces backdrops in a variety of scenes which match up with each other and can form a continuous scene with no duplication. One can choose the scenes that suit an era, too. Each backdrop is 16 x 72 inches and they piece together nicely. It takes two

people to install the backdrops and my wife kindly helped me hang the nine sections I needed to complete the backdrop. I am extremely pleased with the effect of the product – the layout has come alive with the use of this type of backdrop product.

  As my father had worked for the CPR, it made the choice of roads to operate on the layout easy. Initially I ran with Union Pacific and CPR but have changed to CPR as my main road with some SSR&T “clones.” I began with just DCC with no sound on my locomotives but as sound has become more common and the quality of the decoders has improved, I have begun to change more of my locomotives to sound equipped. I favour new locos with Soundtraxx Tsunami Systems decoders.

  Prior to dealing with other aspects of the layout, it is my intention this year to complete the ballasting of all the track. Then I want to proceed with planning and building a staging yard and additional industries that will require sidings and switching opportunities. Future plans on the SSR&T also include the installation of the remaining stationary decoders to permit remote control of turnouts – maneuvering in a crawl space to change turnouts is not quick and easy, even on a wheeled mechanic’s stool! 

  

  Signalling on the layout is not really in the plans at this point but, with my somewhat fascination for the electronics end of operation, I’m sure it will happen once all other aspects of the layout are complete. Yes, the SSR&T is a fun work in progress!

    Using his laptop, Dennis programs a locomotive on his isolated program track.

Layout in a crawl space - The Silver Springs Railway and Transportation Co.

This is the first part of an article written by WMRC member Dennis Rietze for Canadian Railway Modeller. It is reprinted with the permission of the publisher.

My HO scale Silver Springs Railway & Transportation Company has been a work in progress for the past 30 years. Like a lot of us, I’ve gone through several moves to different homes – the layout gets torn down and redone in the next “basement.” But when we moved to our current residence, I neglected to really check out the basement to ensure there was a spot for my layout. Turned out there was a spot alright – the crawl space under the living room and kitchen! The ceiling height at the highest point was 52 inches with areas where the ductwork ran across the room being more like 42 inches. I could work with that!

   My crawl space layout began as a 11 x 22 foot duck under entrance layout. The bench work height would be determined by the ceiling height. I discovered I needed a way of moving around in the crawl space and found some nifty mechanic’s stools on wheels at Canadian Tire which proved to be the solution. In addition, the tray on the bottom of the stool was a good place for tools and supplies to transport around while working. 

  Sitting on the mechanic’s stool dictated the layout height to be 24 inches as that felt like a comfortable level to work from while sitting on the stool. It also allowed my knees to fit under the bench work.

  During the early stages of construction, a problem occurred in entering the layout room. I had designed the layout to be a single track main line which would loop back onto itself forming a long oval shape with a swing bridge at the room entrance. But with the low ceiling and bench work height, I needed to come up with an easier way to enter the room. While reviewing layout plans in some of my books, I came across a track plan which I could modify slightly to give me continuous running capability and eliminate the track crossing the doorway entrance. 

  I expropriated more crawl space which allowed me to modify the existing plan, thus removing the obstruction. The expansion increased the layout size to the 22 x 22 foot size it is today. I decided on which control system I would use to operate the layout before I began construction – this would dictate the way the layout would eventually be wired. At the time, the change from the traditional DC block wiring system was being challenged by the then newer, DCC system. 

   After some consideration, I decided to go with the DCC Digitrax system as my research indicated they were one of the key players in the field of DCC technology at the time. I purchased a used Empire Builder II system as it would allow me to operate a sufficient number of locomotives, keeping me and any other operators busy during operating sessions. To minimize the problem of short circuits shutting down the whole layout, I installed a circuit board which allowed me to divide the layout into four power districts thus keeping a short circuit in one area from shutting down everything.

  To program DCC locomotives, I built a separate program track off to the side in one area of the layout. The track is covered with a piece of scenery when not in use. I use a laptop computer to run the software program, Decoder Pro. I find it a very useful program to perform some of the more difficult functions rather than doing it through a throttle.

  Part two of this article will be posted on this blog on Tuesday, May 6

    Don't stand up too quickly! Dennis' crawl space is only 42" high!

Dennis Rietze's crawl space layout featured in Canadian Railway Modeller

The WMRC's Dennis Rietze's amazing layout in a crawl space is featured in the latest issue of Canadian Railway Modeller. Dennis made a great looking layout, and his sheer inventiveness and ingenuity should be applauded for building it in a space that's only a claustrophobic 42" high! Dennis' layout was also featured in a spot on Breakfast Television last fall, as a promotion for the second annual Manitoba Mega Train Show.

    We will be running Dennis' article from Canadian Railway Modeller in two parts on Sunday, May 4 and Tuesday, May 6, which is being reprinted with the permission of the publisher.  You can still see the Breakfast Television video on You Tube at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMzyXizUqqI

The ultimate John Allen Timesaver contest!

It was a battle royal, a fight to the finish, a no holds barred, winner-take-all royal rumble in the basement of Whyte Ridge Baptist Church! Not since the WWE came to town has there been such a cataclysmic clash! There hasn't been such a brutal dogfight since Richthofen and Brown!

On November 2, 2013, the city's top John Allen Timesaver competitors squared off at the No. 1 Northern Division's third annual train meet. Their goal was to win the coveted gift certificate from a local hobby shop and a semi-valuable trophy. Each contestant had to shunt freight cars from one section of track to another through a maze of switches. The one who could do it in the shortest time won the prize!

First up was mighty Morgan Turney, Publisher of Canadian Railway Modeller and Acting Program Director for the WMRC. He threw in the towel after seven minutes and 50 seconds. Next up was Michael Leader, who finished in just under four minutes! Ian Plett was next, tying Michael's time.
WMRC Blog Editor Paul Ullrich was next, coming from way behind with a score for 12 minutes (and he was the one who designed the configuration for the competition).

Ian and Michael faced off in the finals. Michael picked up speed in the second round, edging out Ian with a new record time of just over three minutes! The semi-coveted trophy and the gift certificate was awarded to Michael by No. 1 Northern Superintendent Dennis Rietze.

 Morgan Turney tests his skill at the John Allen Timesaver module.

 Ian Plett was up next, while Michael Leader timed him using his smart phone.

 Michael Leader is shown here in the final competition as Dennis Rietze and Ian Plett look on.

 No. 1 Northern Superintendent Dennis Rietze presents Michael Leader with the trophy and the gift certificate with Roger Kiendl and Ian Plett. Congratulations, Michael!

  

Stafford Swain: A true Master Model Railroader

Some of you might've noticed that we now have an image from a model railroad on our site's masthead.  We surely needed a visual presence there. After all, this is a blog about the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club!

When it came to selecting an image, the choice was obvious - it had to be from Stafford Swain's layout!
Stafford was a true model railroading pioneer. His layout of the CNR Whiteshell Division was a museum quality creation of the real thing. He started building his layout in 1975, when prototype modelling was a rarity, and scenery techniques were pretty basic.

He's had over 80 articles published in magazines such as Model Railroader, Mainline Modeller and Railroad Model Craftsman. He's MMR #98. He helped found the CN Lines SIG (now the Canadian National Railway Historical Association), was president of the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club and the TLR, and was the Convention Director for the 1983 NMRA national convention held in Winnipeg.

Sadly, his layout is no more. The layout was dismantled shortly after it's last public showing in 2010 for the TLR's Steam on the Prairies convention in Winnipeg. A glowing tribute to Stafford and his many accomplishments has been published in Canadian railway Modeller, Train 17, Track 3. Besides this site, you can also read about Stafford at WMRC member John Longhurst's Manitoba and Minnesota Subdivision blog at http://cprailmmsub.blogspot.com/ 

This site will continue to post further images of Stafford's layout in the future.

Left to right: Former NMRA Canada President Frank Gerry, 2010 TLR Convention Director and WMRC blog editor Paul Ullrich, and Stafford Swain, MMR at the last public showing of his CNR Whiteshell Subdivision layout at the Steam on the Prairies convention in 2010.

More fun at the No. 1 Northern Division's third annual train meet

Morgan Turney, Publisher of Canadian Railway Modeller and Winnipeg Model Railroad Club acting program director put on a great clinic on how to make realistic rock cuts using ceiling tiles at the No. 1 Northern's third annual train meet. Below are some images of Morgan showing how it's done.

For more information about the NMRA's No. 1 Northern Division go to: http://pullrich.wix.com/numberonenorthern

The NMRA's No. 1 Northern Division's third annual train meet

   The NMRA's No. 1 Northern Division held their third annual train meet on Saturday, November 2 at Whyte Ridge Baptist Church in Winnipeg. This year, the group focused on "hands-on" clinics and demonstrations. Winnipeg Model Railroad Club President Larry Leavens showed how to make static grass by using an improvised hand held bug zapper that you could buy at any home improvement store for under ten dollars (genuine static grass makers usually sell for well over ten times that much).

   WMRC acting program director and Canadian Railway Modeller publisher Morgan Turney demonstrated how to make realistic rock faces with ceiling tile. No. 1 Northern superintendent Dennis Rietze conducted a clinic on DCC. A workshop on how to ballast a track was conducted, with a prize of a gift certificate from a local hobby shop for who did the best job.

   Members could also compete for a hobby shop gift certificate using a John Allen Style "time-saver" module to see who could shunt freight cars to their assigned destination the fastest. The winner was the No.1 Northern's youngest member, 10 year old Michael leader, who beat most of our veteran members by a very wide margin!

    Below is the first in a series of photos taken at this event. Others will be published in future posts.

    

 Larry Leavens shows Ian Plett how to transform an inexpensive bug zapper into a static grass maker.

Larry Leavens shows Morgan Turney how to rewire the bug zapper.

Michael Leader tries his hand with Larry's DIY static grass maker.

The Fall of Marquette

This article first appeared in the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's official publication, The Lantern.  In order to attract a broader audience, this website will occasionally post selected articles and images originally published in The Lantern.

By Morgan Turney

   There was a time - during the early 1930s - when the three prairie provinces boasted about 5,750 wooden grain elevators. Every hamlet, village, town and city had at least one grain elevator located on 'Railway Street'. A town's prosperity was measured by the number of grain elevators it had. As the years have gone by these icons of prairie life have been torn down, one at a time. Few are saved: in Manitoba, the only elevators that are safe are the five which have been preserved at Inglis.

   I caught wind that the Paterson elevator at Marquette was undergoing demolition. Railfan friend, Felix Lesiuk, had been out railfanning the Carberry subdivision between Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie on Monday, September 2nd and stopping at Marquette, noticed that the grain annex, metal holding bins and the elevator office were all torn down and the backhoe on site had broken through the centre of the elevator and pulled down most of its interior. That was an obvious clue that likely the following day would see the elevator collapse.

   I arrived at the site around 9:40 the next day and found the backhoe chewing away at the base of the elevator. I asked one of the workers nearby when he thought the structure would collapse. He looked at his watch, glanced up and looked at the backhoe's progress, then looked at his watch again and said, "Oh, in about 8 minutes." And 8 minutes later, down she came!

   I don't need to tell you how sad it is to see these structures disappearing. It's even sadder when you witness one falling. As Felix said after I showed him my photos, "The village of Marquette is now boring."

Morgan Turney is a longtime member of the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club. He has served in various positions in the club, including three terms as President. he is currently the acting program director for the club. Morgan is the publisher of two magazines, Canadian Railway Modeller and Railfan Canada. 

The Manitoba Mega Train Show was a resounding success!

What a party! 1,700 people showed up at the CanLan Ice Sports Centre to see the show! And what a show it was! There were layouts of virtually every popular scale, from N to G and the 7 1/2" gauge Mega Train that went around the whole show! There was also face painting, balloon animals, and lots of vendors offering lots of deep discounted bargains!

It was very gratifying to see so many young families and children attending the show, and loving every minute of it. It was not uncommon for many families to spend several hours at the show (mostly at their kid's insistence). Everywhere you looked, you saw a happy kid with a painted face holding a Railfan Canada trading card!

There were modular layouts from WinNtrak and the NMRA #1 Northern Division's Free-Mo Group.
Commercial vendors included Warehouse Hobbies, Toad Hall Toys, Spare Time Hobbies, Vector Garden Trains, and representatives from Canadian Railway Modeller and Railfan Canada Magazines.

The Winnipeg Model Railroad Club would like to thank all of its many volunteers for helping out during set up, take down, working at the admissions desk and displaying at the Manitoba Mega Train Show. 

Follow any Amtrak train!

Here's a great time waster! (No, it's not reading this blog) Morgan Turney, our acting program editor (a.k.a. the hardest working man in show business) just sent me this link, which he got from out President, Larry Leavens. It's called  TRACK A TRAIN, and you can use it to track any Amtrak train in the continent (sadly, it doesn't work for Via rail). Check it out, and have fun!

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