The Gateway Western - a panoramic view

   WMRC member Ian Plett took this panoramic view of the Gateway Western with his iphone last week. There is no doubt that this layout is going to become every model railroader's dream! It's hard to believe that  just a little over a year ago the Gateway Western was nothing but a pile of lumber on top of a flat bed truck and a collection of dreams. This shows what a dedicated staff of volunteers can do when they put their hearts and minds into completing something!

   But as you can see, the Gateway is still under construction, and volunteers are still welcome to help finish the job. It's a great way to gain all sorts of experience in skills such as carpentry, wiring, track laying and landscaping. No experience is necessary! All you need is a desire to help out and learn!

    The crew meets every Tuesday evening at 7:00 PM at the Winnipeg Railway Museum, located at the second level of the Via Rail station at 123 Main Street.

NMRA No. 1 Northern Division Free-Mo group displays at WMRC open house

Neil Carlton runs a freight train on the No. 1 Northern Division's Free-Mo modular group layout at the WMRC's open house. Photo by Paul Ullrich

   The NMRA's No. 1 Northern Division's Free-Mo modular group displayed once again at the WMRC's annual open house. The layout was a bit smaller than last year's, mostly because there were so many other displays, and only so much space to go around! Still, there was enough room to have some really long trains do some really long runs.

    The two loops the group constructed were funded by a grant from the NMRA's Thousand lakes Region (TLR). The No. 1 Northern Division thanks the TLR for their generosity in helping complete this project.

A BN freight rolls down the straightaway, heading for the next loop which will bring it back. Photo by Suzanne Lemon.

Dr. Who comes to the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club

   The WMRC was delighted to have Matt Smith (the 11th Doctor Who) as a guest at our last meeting. Matt is an avid model railroader, and he's also Suzanne Lemon's second cousin twice removed on her mother's side! Once Suzanne told him that we were going to have a track ballasting clinic the meeting, he jumped in his Tardis and came right over.

    "Ballasting track is cool!" said Smith. "Even cooler than fezzes!"

    Before he left, he presented everyone at the meeting with a complimentary fez. Morgan's been wearing his every day!

    In case you're wondering about the veracity of this event, check today's date.