#Summerville Depot 2015

Summerville Depot

The family has a great time at the Summerville Depot in Summerville, Georgia as it is located in Northwest Georgia.  We met a lot of new friends and more importantly 'Rail fans.

TVRM has a train ride from Chattanooga, TN to Summerville Ga. on a steam train.  This year in October of 2015 it was Southern 4501 pulling twelve rail cars mainly passengers cars.

When the train gets to Summerville Georgia, they disconnect the train and put her on the active "turntable" It's where the train can load up on the track and be turned around and return to Chattanooga pointed in the opposite direction that she came down.

One of the model train club setup a HO layout in the depot. The Chattanooga Modelers model train club. It was nice to meet and greet them as we talked model railroading and shared different experiences.

I guess what I am saying is that there was good friends and fellowship and "FOOD !!"

I could not help but notice that once again we see a youth movement with Model trains. Many thinks it's for the older men and retirees, but no so today. Here you see my son and several young men very interested and very active in  model railroading.

Our family started with model railroading and we also got into rail fanning which is the photography part of the family hobby.

Thanks Travis Gordon for the invite as we had a great time!!

TVRM Rail Fest 2015

Hello again rail fans,

We were able to attend the TVRM rail fest September 2015 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.  We had a great time with our family hobby.  Our eyes were on the old steam engine Southern 4501.

 

It would a good day of rail fanning and riding a steam train.

 



Here you see 4501 at Hickory valley road, heading to Cleveland Tennessee.

 

Here 4501 is on the wye at Cleveland Tennessee. A beautiful day for a photo shot.

Here's a photo shot form the South Ocoee street bridge.

Like I said it's a family Hobby.

 

Two cities and one train

Hello again Rail Fans,

It was a tale of two cities and one train.  We were up in Chattanooga Sunday finishing up Rail Fest and rail fanning on a Sunday afternoon.  That morning we were waiting for the Steam train 4501 to come by for some photo shots and then this train come by and stop at Hickory Valley road.

Some rail cars had actually come off and he was waiting for them to be re-attached and this was in Chattanooga.  Well, Steam train Southern 4501 finally came by and we took our pictures.

Well, we went about our business, as we chased him to Cleveland Tennessee.  We then prceeded back to Georgia and thought we would stop at Dalton Depot, at the split, and we happen to hear the whistle blow of a diesel train. As we never turn down another chance for a photo shot for any train.  Well, NS2621came by and my son immediately said. "Dad that's the  train we saw stopped in Chattanooga !!.

I proceeded to check the storage in my digital camera and indeed it was the seem train that was stopped in Chattanooga, NS2621 So we were able to see the seem train on the day in two cities. And we were not intelligently trying to chase it either.

A great family moment in rail fanning.

NGM at May 2015 event

Our Train club, North Georgia Modurail, has a train event at the Buford Presbyterian  Church gym in Buford Georgia, in May. Usually it's a half basketball court size. This first picture shows our new  yard and First and Second mainline.

Here's another view of the yard, as it is empty at this time but will fill up quickly as club members / operators come and run their trains for the day. If you look closely, you can see Model train 4501 with it's green paint, reflecting that era / time when it was green.

Here, the Green Southern 4501 races around back side of the layout with auxiliary tender, coal car, box car and a couple of passenger cars.  The original Southern 4501 is presently black and active at TVRM in Chattanooga. Wait, I may have a picture.

I really enjoy the train bridge scene which is part of the ride there at the museum. You will go through a local neighbor, cross a bridge, go through a tunnel and see it spin or turn around on the turntable. A great family trip to Chattanooga at Tennessee Valley Railroad museum.  (just saying)

But back to our club layout, there's lots of fun as club members labor together to keep the layout up and running.  At this event, the layout will remain up for a week, really Saturday to Saturday with tear down on Sunday at 3:00pm. Come join us next year 2016.

Even the ladies are part of the club making club badges, supplying promotional information and clowning around.

North Georgia Modurail model train club May 2015.

NW 611 home trip

Greetings Rail Fans,

The last weekend in May 2015, NW 611 made it's trip home to Roanoke VA. The family made the trip too and here are some photos.

 



We drove up from Atlanta Friday afternoon.  And my son wanting to run by the museum after we checked in the hotel, even before supper  ( but that shows the excitement of my son).

 

And to our surprise, there she was sitting on the track getting ready for her home trip to Roanoke.

It was like a free / private photo session.  And a crowd of people gather with us too.

Here, I was able to get 611 with the historic sign of the Spencer shops from long ago.

She puffed some steam as she slowly went down the track to her setup position for the next day trip.

Young Caleb was excited and I was too.  Our model HO train came alive to us.

Well, Mom did too, something for the whole family.  We brought Caleb's first HO model 611 for his Christmas present in 2006.  He literally worn it out and quit working, now it's on display in our living mantel.

Here 611 is coming under the bridge in Bedford VA,

Here we are a couple of miles down the track as she is just leaving the yard.  I glad you cannot here the Helicopter.  Which   you probably can on my video as I had a video camera on a tripod.  I wanted train sounds not, well you know. . . .

#Rail fanning at Spencer NC

The family and I went by the Transportation Museum in Spencer NC last February 2015.  It was a very cold day with snow on the ground, which made some great pictures .  They happen to have a local steam engine active and giving rides to passengers.

The steam and smoke along with the snow, as I said,  made some great train pictures.

Here the little streamer was backing out with his passengers for ride into their yard.

Here's a great shot of the snow and red brick building.  One of our Train clubs saw this picture and said it looks like a picture from the 1950s, but it was made in 2015.

This shot had a  modern van in the background, but I love the smoke from the train here.

Another shot in the depot as the little steamer prepares to load up and head out.

Just another good day of rail fanning with the boy on a cold snowy day in Spencer NC.