new design train model

   This image, taken by our good friend Steve Boyko for his blog, "Confessions of a Train Geek" shows the GWWD RS-23 switching tank cars outside their yard on Dawson Road in the rain. The switcher was built in 1960 by MLW and purchased by the GWWD in 1985 from Devco.

    January's WMRC meeting features a special presentation about the Greater Winnipeg Water District Railway given by Mark Perry. The GWWD is a unique short line owned by the City Of Winnipeg. It is a 167 kilometer long line that runs from St. Boniface to Shoal Lake, which is the source of Winnipeg's water supply. It was built 100 years ago to assist in the construction of the aqueduct running from Shoal Lake to Winnipeg.

     The railway has been the subject of a book by our good friend Peter Lacey of the Winnipeg Railway Museum. An article in Trains magazine was written about the railway by former WMRC member Jeff Keddy for their March 2013 issue.

    Many of our members will fondly remember passenger service on the line, and the many excursion trains that ran on the weekends until 1982. They ran a special excursion train of the very last time in 1983 for the attendants of Railway Jamboree '83, the 1983 NMRA national convention that was held in Winnipeg.

     The meeting is on Friday, January 9 at 7:30 at the Charleswood Legion at 6003 Roblin Boulevard.
Guests are always welcome!

    Long time WMRC member John Longhurst has had his very first article published in the August 2014 issue of Model Railroader. John, who as been a member since the 90's, is well known in the model railroading community as the former Associate Editor for Canadian Railway Modeller, published by our own Morgan Turney.

    John has also had his byline twice in Railroad Model Craftsman, and has been a frequent contributor to the WMRC's official publication, The Lantern, and the Canadian Association of Railway Modeller's publication, The Canadian. He also has an excellent blog, titled the CP Rail Manitoba and Minnesota Subdivision. The blog is named after his own world class model railroad, but it covers a wide range of topics concerning model railroading and rail fanning in general.

    John's article is about his use of tree bark as a cheap and effective way of making realistic rock faces, which is his own unique discovery and has been used in many layout across Winnipeg since he introduced it.

     "When I was a kid, I read both Model Railroader and Railroad Model Craftsman." Said John, "I told myself: One day I want to make a model railroad good enough to be in those magazines. My dream has been fulfilled!"

    John has always been an active volunteer for the WMRC. He will always be remembered for bringing the WMRC's Great Canadian train Show over to the Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute (along with former WMRC member Ken Epp, who also happens to be John's brother-in-law) and serving as Convention Director for CARM's 2005 convention in Winnipeg, which had the largest attendance of any model railroad convention in the city since the 1983 NMRA national convention, Railway Jamboree '83.

    Besides his editing gig for CMR, John also writes a regular faith column for the Winnipeg Free Press. He also holds down a full time job as Director of Communications and Marketing for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. Where does he find the time?

    As an extra bonus, John's article is even listed on the cover! MR bought the article from John four years ago, which comes close to, but doesn't beat the seven years WMRC Blog Editor Paul Ullrich had to wait for his own article to appear in the September 2013 issue of Trains. Please keep in mind that when submitting to these publications that they have a substantial backlog of articles to publish, and that these wait times are not all that unusual.

     WMRC members have been published all over the place recently. Along with John, Dennis Rietze has had an article about his model railroad published in Canadian Railway Modeller, and WMRC Blog Editor Paul Ullrich has had two articles published in Kalmbach's Classic Toy Trains.

     Congratulations, John! Keep up the good work!

   

   WMRC blog editor Paul Ullrich caught this rare scene of two vintage CP SD-40s being towed by an AC4400 by the level crossing by the former CP rail station in Portage La Prairie. 

    We have one of the best rail fanning spots in North America just an hour's drive from Winnipeg in Portage la Prairie. But don't take our word for it - Trains magazine said so several years back! It's one of the few places where the CP and the CN mainlines travel parallel to each other only a few yards apart.

     There are several good places to rail fan here. The obvious choice is either at the CP or the CN stations. Many prefer the CN station, as CN runs far more trains during the day than CP (which prefers to runs most of their trains at night). Another favoured spot is the foundation of the old grain elevator by the CP tracks just west of the Tupper Street overpass, which is accessible by a service road that runs in between the CP and CN rail lines. But just a few blocks further west is the diamond, where the main lines interesect. If you're looking for a a spot to view both main lines, can't get any closer than that!

    Please be advised that both CN and CP frown upon anyone crossing their tracks at any place other than at a level crossing, so for safety's sake don't test fate by doing otherwise, even if it means missing out on a good shot.

   This moody shot of a CN freight passing the station was taken on the same day as the sunny shot of the three CP diesels! We had a lot of weather that day!

    This astute observer points to the locomotive in the middle of  this mile long freight train.

The number one rule about rail fanning is that you have to be very particular about the company you keep!

   WMRC blog editor Paul Ullrich has had an article published in the March 2014 issue of Classic Toy Trains. The article is featured in their "Tips, Tools and Techniques" column, and it takes up the entire page. It includes three photos that Paul took. Paul's article is about using brass door hinges and inexpensive magnets from Radio Shack to weigh down O gauge locomotives.

   This is the third time Paul has had an article published in a Kalmbach publication in the past nine months. he has also had another piece published in the "Tips, Tools and techniques" column in the July 2012 issue of Classic Toy trains, and had a story published in the September 2013 issue of Trains magazine, titled "Upper berth Blues".