Coming Up on 1 Million Views

It's in the home stretch now; earlier this week the blog passed 990,000 views. By early to mid-January, it should hit the 1 million mark.

One million! I never would have believed it when I started the blog back in 2009. I created it just for me, as an outlet for my interest in writing and a bit of photography. 

If nobody visited, no problem; I would still have fun.

I started by writing about my layout, but along the way I branched out into the prototype and various other train-related things.

One of the most satisfying has been the Great Canadian Layouts series. I've enjoyed highlighting some of the great modelling of Canadian railways being done by people across Canada and around the world.

The deaths of several modelling friends got me thinking about death and model railroading, leading to another interesting series of posts titled Death and the Model Railroader. I don't know of anyone else writing on that topic!

I also enjoyed writing about photography, and the philosophy behind it; about tips and tricks and, of course, about the Manitoba & Minnesota Sub. itself.

And it's been great to follow along with the start and success of Rapido Trains, and to see all the great new Canadian products come out from other manufacturers.

It was also a pleasure to be associated with Canadian Railway Modeller, and to witness its positive impact on the hobby in Canada.

How long will I keep up with the blog? Good question. The fact it has gone on this long is already unusual; the majority of blogs die after a few months when people tire of writing for them.

I'll keep doing it as long as it's still fun. The nice thing about the blog is that there are no deadlines, no expectations, no rules to keep. It's sort of like a layout, in that regard.

Anyway, I'll keep watching the counter until that magic number rolls around. Thanks to all who helped the blog reach it.

Photo above: VIA's The Canadian somewhere in northern Ontario in 1981. My wife and I rode this train home to Winnipeg from Toronto following our after-wedding in my home town of St. Catharines. 

Club Night at the WMRC

Morgan Turney demonstrates making trees.

How many model railroad clubs are still running today?

What with so many service clubs, churches and other groups seeing declining membership, plus the challenge of finding or keeping space for a layout, I wonder how model railroad clubs are doing.

The Winnipeg Model Railroad Club (WMRC) is soldiering on. Now in its 60th year, the Club continues to meet monthly.

Aaron Woloshyn shows how to make wood hydro poles.

Unlike many other clubs, the WMRC doesn't have a layout. Never has, in fact. (Which is why, some long-timers joke, the Club has managed to stay together for so long--fewer fights!)

Monthly meetings often feature a presentation or two about the prototype or some aspect of the hobby, plus a time for socializing over coffee and a 50-50 draw.

Like many other organizations, the WMRC has seen its membership decline. That's no knock on the leadership; it's just the way things are today. And with the Internet, there's no need to go to meetings regularly to get answers to pressing hobby-related questions.

Ian Plett shows how to install decoders.

Even the library, which once was one of the most important selling points for Club membership, isn't as compelling as it once was. If you want to know how to do DCC wiring or lay track, just Google it.

But there's still something about hanging out with real human beings and having a conversation. And that is what the WMRC continues to offer.

Ron Einarson shows how to
 model with wood.

I must confess that, after over 20 years of dedicated participation, my own attendance has slacked off of late. But I went to the most recent meeting and took these photos. It was the annual Klinic Karnival, where members demonstrate hobby techniques.

So here's to the the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club, and to all the other clubs that are still going. May you have many more years of meetings and success.

Frederik and Gerrit Braun, owners and creators of
Hamburg's Miniatur Wunderland, model WMRC 60th
anniversary T-shirts.

Update From Bowser about the SD40-2, Red Barn, M636 & RS-3

I got the following message from Lee English of Bowser today about the new SD40-2s (and other units).

"The SD40-2s have shipped to us. They should arrive in Montoursville about 1-15-2016."

"I do not have any other news on the SD40-2F yet. It is still in the works but going slowly."

"On the M636, we are running the plastic parts now. We have most done and with the body and deck to go. I just bought another Roboshot injection molding machine so I can keep up with production."

"The RS-3 is coming along slowly. I have the chassis, trucks and a couple of fuel tanks about 90% done. The PGE, CP chop nose and the phase 3 are well along on the body. 

"I have changed my mind and will make the tooling for the RS-3 here in PA.This allows the mold to use a lot of inserts instead of making new sides for every variation."

"I am looking at the SD30 eco too. I am looking for a real one to measure. I will also will need a lot of original photos."

"Non Canadian project: The Alco C415 is 95% designed. It will go to tooling soon."

2015 Canadian Pacific Holiday Train

For the 17th year, the CPR Holiday Trains are making their way across Canada and the U.S. northeast and mid-west.

The trains started their journey in late November. The Canadian train ends its run Dec. 19 in B.C. The American train also ends its run in Canada, in Alberta on Dec. 18.

Along the way, both brightly-lit trains feature free concerts and accept donations for local food banks.

A great video of this train was made by Dave Hansen when the train was in the Hamilton, Ont. area on Dec. 1. Click here to view it.

Click here to view the schedule, and for more information.

Gloves are Off in CP's Battle for Norfolk Southern

From Canadian Press.

Canadian Pacific Railway has dropped the gloves in its battle to acquire Norfolk Southern after the U.S. railway immediately rejected a revised takeover offer.

The Calgary-based company enlisted the help of activist U.S. investor Bill Ackman to challenge the qualifications of Norfolk Southern CEO James Squires and opened the door to launching a hostile bid if the board of the Virginia company continues to oppose negotiations.

"We are going to work and do everything at our disposal to get this to the shareholders and get a resolution to it," Canadian Pacific chief executive Hunter Harrison said Tuesday during a conference call. "If that calls for a proxy, so be it."

Read more at CTV News.

President's Choice Train Sets Re-Visited

It's always interesting to check the stats for this blog to see what posts are of interest to readers. For the past month, one of the most popular posts has been the one from 2012 about President's Choice train sets.

For those of you who don't know about them, the President's Choice train sets were the brainchild of Boris Polakow, Vice President of Canadian Sales Development for Loblaws (owner of Real Canadian Superstore). 

In 1992, he decided it was time for a quality, affordable train set for kids for Christmas. His colleagues at Loblaws weren’t so sure, but Polakow proved them wrong. 

That first run of 10,000 President’s Choice/PC Express train sets sold out within days of being released before Christmas. It started a tradition that lasted until 2006.

Maybe all the recent interest in the sets is because it is Christmas; maybe people are looking for these classic train sets for kids, or maybe for themselves since the sets are now collectibles.

Whatever the reason, if you are interested in these unique Canadian train sets, click here to read more. 

Rejected: Update on Canadian Pacific, Norfolk Southern Proposed Merger

Norfolk Southern has rejected Canadian Pacific’s $28-billion takeover offer, saying that it is “grossly inadequate, creates substantial regulatory risks and uncertainties that are highly unlikely to be overcome, and is not in the best interest of the company and its shareholders."

The notice of rejection went on to say that “we believe that Canadian Pacific’s short-term, cut-to-the-bone strategy could cause Norfolk Southern to lose substantial revenues from our service-sensitive customer base,” and will “risks harm to vital transportation infrastructure and the communities we serve.”

Harrison replied that CP would now need to increase its offer to win Norfolk Southern’s consent. 

Of course, this is probably all negotiating bluster: Never accept the first offer, and all that. We'll see how it plays out.

Click here for my Q & A on the proposed merger.

Photo from the Travis DeWitz collection.

Open House for Our Home & Miniature Land

Our Home & Miniature Land, the new interactive model railroad exhibit in Mississauga, Ontario, held its open house in October.

The brainchild of Jean-Louis Brenninkmeijer, the exhibit will showcase Canada from coast-to-coast.

When completed in 2017 (Canada’s 150th anniversary), it will feature 20 exhibits, tied together by HO scale railway tracks.

Right now, the builders are working on the Ontario sections (Toronto and Hamilton). This includes a scale replica of the CN Tower that is three metres (nine feet) high, an exact model of the Rogers Centre (where the Blue Jays play), Toronto’s Union Station, the Air Canada Centre (where the Leafs play), and the Toronto downtown.

The goal of Our Home & Miniature Land is to help visitors explore, experience and learn about Canadian life, geography, history and industry.

A few facts and figures:

* 370 square metres (4,000 square feet) of floor space

* 1,460 metres (4,790 feet) of track

* 385 turnouts

* 3 helixes

* 30,000 hours of labour to date

* 10,000 individual figures for ACC and Rogers Centre

Read my previous post about Our Home and Miniature Land. And thanks to Model Railroad Info Guy for some of the photos.