Maine Trains in O Gauge

Hiram O

Wow! great numbers of Maine trains in operation! Cool layout too!

So many Maine 3 railers club cars in that train on the lower level.

On second level That E-8 has a fully MEC roster. Awesome sight!

Really like the bluebird GEEPs and the minuteman loads. Rumbling through.

great! You must have a lot of fun operating such a collection.

thanks for sending these photos.

Dave did a nice replica of the Crawford Notch station, starting with an MTH structure and a lot of improvising:

CPF3   yeah nice Crawford station. This is the first structure I have seen of his.  Agreed  Dave does good work. Nice piece for your layout.

It's on his!   I should be so lucky!

Some B&M 18” cars by lionel. I believe these are Hollingsworth cars passed on to the B&M from the Reading. Anyone know what the interior colors of this car would be? Looking to add interior detail/passengers.

CPF3

Dave’s. MEC snow blower really is beautiful. Colors are perfect!

Does it rotate operationally?

bisquitag97

i believe if you were to look up a MEC historical society you might find that information perhaps leading to photos. Nice full size passenger cars.

There are a number of forum members here on this thread that might be in the know. Many live and have been raised here in Maine. I am not of the cultural fabric here as I am what affectionately is known as “from away” !  I am fortunate to know and live with those who have a rich New England railroad remembrance.  I missed out on all of that colorful past. Someone may  identify the interior of the passenger cars.
best of luck.

Dave’s MEC snow blower really is beautiful. Colors are perfect!

Does it rotate operationally?

Yes!  It started as a Lionel 8459 rotary which was a remake of the postwar #58.  Basically the #58 had an extension of the armature out the top of the motor, with a pulley on it.  A belt goes to the rotary housing and drives the blade assembly.  Works pretty well.

engine facility Photos I have located are currently two circa 1980 ish? 40 years ago! Yikes!  
Roster includes two postwar frankensteinian F3’s mostly put together by parts found at shows. One Postwar former 2338 beat to ****  GP 7, one Postwar parts engine formerly 623 switcher, two MPC GP7’s and an airbrush, floquil paint, MEC decals and some imagination! There were (photos not found) couple of cabooses same colors as locos. All were later sold. What is left from that era is the kitbashed flat in photos. I sold all the locos when I moved to Thomaston from NYC. I believe I sold them at Augusta armory show  and NETCA in Massachusetts Long time ago.

Boston and Maine boxcar waits to be unloaded on the team track.

An interesting aside from the primitive customization or debauchery of Lionel before any of that happening, my young understanding supporting wife Susan, patiently listened to my quest to find old Lionel shells for repainting. So being she worked in Manhattan she made a trip to Madison Hardware in search for old shells. She was cordially greeted by the two proprietors Lou and Carl. Who asked so what can we do for you young lady? So Susan says she is looking for old F unit shells like worn out Santa Fe shells or others. Karl asks her what are they for? Susan reply’s oh, my husband is going to repaint them for the Maine central colors! What happens next is total silence and that stare! (Twilight zone theme play here)...throat clearing,  he says young lady, there is nothing like that here but thanks for dropping by. So Susan says something to to effect you have newer ones for sale then? If I can remember he said that the shells would cost in excess of $100 to $150 how many did she want. She smiled and said, thank you sir. And headed for the front door.

Back in early 80’s I started going to many shows there were ample weekly shows in the tristate area. There were more than enough shells and parts in the under the table box variety to assemble the first locos. I bet Lou and Carl never forgot my wife’s visit!

One has to be cautious of using the very earliest Lionel F3 shells  (1948) as they were made of styrene plastic and capable of losing form. Not to mention paint did not stick as well  (lots of 2333 NYCs have flaking paint).

Early MPC F3 shells were good quality and apparently dirt cheap.  Trainland in NY sold repaints in postwar road names for $29 @, in the 80s. If you assume they made some money  (of course),  and the painter got paid , then the raw shells must have been little.  They did lack the air vents in front and portholes but still a good starting point.  (it is easy to spot bogus "post war" F3s which are lacking those front air vents).

Here residing on my desk is my cat Ignatius (1980?)  but in  his attempt to nap there questionable comfortable space includes my Weaver RS3, my first attempt at MEC like livery attempts .To the right were two of the undecorated old style Atlas cabooses I decorated with MEC decals, heralds and such to match the Lionel *******ized Locos!

Kind of fuzzy but here is a photo of my first O scale two rail MEC F unit. By mid 80’s I had acquired this (actually an A-A unit) that originally was All Nation with Open frame  double motors and a remarkable drive mechanism!   The photo was taken on the roof of the apartment building we lived in in Woodhaven NY. The roof was my painting station for many Model Railroad adventures. That is forest park in front of the building behind loco. Non windy days were best for painting up on the roof! The building is still there, the engine(s) sold immediately at one of the O scale meets at the Marlboro High school.

now I have the new Atlas MTH two rail DCS/DCC/DC/AC loco that is a computer of sorts. The former (pictured)  All Nation was so easy to use!

CPF3, I found all I needed from surplus box diving in the eighties. It was fun putting parts together, painting and decaling finishing etc.. Then running them! My F3’s all had vents and portholes etc.

Mike, I looked high I looked low and could not fin my Franks roundhouse Green MEC.

but the photo of it I took back in the day is here! Lol. It sits on that narrow switching apartment layout!  I may have a photo of that layout too!

This Maine Central Train topic and related are becoming more fun by the post!

Great thread! Who knew there was so much variety in Maine color schemes and equipment? (Well, everybody but me) Makes the Pennsy look absolutely dull by comparison.

I have a couple of Lionel 3662 milk cars that are re-done in Maine Central schemes.

There are tons of not-rare, medium grade Postwar Lionel items that can have new life repainted.

2400 series passenger cars, for example.

Wow, beautiful equipment....so colorful.  I don’t know if tin is allowed in this discussion, but all I have to offer is a prewar Flying Yankee, which of course was a joint MEC/Boston and Maine endeavor.

@Leroof posted:

This Maine Central Train topic and related are becoming more fun by the post!

I'm glad you're enjoying it. Your posts have made it interesting.

MELGAR

Sooner or later something goes wrong; the work train is ready! The 44 tonner is a fun loco, a Maine 3 Railers special run.

@Leroof posted:

An interesting aside from the primitive customization or debauchery of Lionel before any of that happening, my young understanding supporting wife Susan, patiently listened to my quest to find old Lionel shells for repainting. So being she worked in Manhattan she made a trip to Madison Hardware in search for old shells. She was cordially greeted by the two proprietors Lou and Carl. Who asked so what can we do for you young lady? So Susan says she is looking for old F unit shells like worn out Santa Fe shells or others. Karl asks her what are they for? Susan reply’s oh, my husband is going to repaint them for the Maine central colors! What happens next is total silence and that stare! (Twilight zone theme play here)...throat clearing,  he says young lady, there is nothing like that here but thanks for dropping by. So Susan says something to to effect you have newer ones for sale then? If I can remember he said that the shells would cost in excess of $100 to $150 how many did she want. She smiled and said, thank you sir. And headed for the front door.

As Bugs Bunny says, "Eh...what a buncha maroons!"

Inspired by this thread I placed a bid in the MTH auction for a B&M RS-3. Regrettably it went above my price/pain threshold.

Great pix and stories tho.

The guy in front in the Madison pic looks like the old man in the movie Up!

CPF3, nice! my kind of milk car improvement program. lol

Fendermain. showroom quality stage for the your flying Yankee! awesome!

Hiram O. I recently asked Peter from your group about aquiring that 44 tonner. all  gone. unless you know of one or someone selling one. It was a club offerring MTH did. btw, your work train is amazing!

RSJB18 yes, he did look just like the guy in UP haha.

Melgar, you started it! lol!!

Heavy into the MEC and the new layout that is being built will be a MEC theme. Here are some pics of motive power and rolling stock. The 44t is a Yoder 3R, and the RS-11 is a Lionel redecorated unit. The wood chip hoppers are Weaver. The GP7 are Atlas and the one unit is being converted to a "chop nose"

Looks good Al. Hope all is well. Say hi to Stephanie.

@Cape Cod Northern posted:

Heavy into the MEC and the new layout that is being built will be a MEC theme. Here are some pics of motive power and rolling stock. The 44t is a Yoder 3R, and the RS-11 is a Lionel redecorated unit. The wood chip hoppers are Weaver. The GP7 are Atlas and the one unit is being converted to a "chop nose"

Very nice collection. I have two Lionel RS-11's, New Haven and D&H. They are beauties. I don't think I could bring myself to repaint either though.

Pierre, I notice a couple of recurring themes in your posts, Twilight Zone, and Up On The Roof.

Glad you saw that Coach Joe. Lol. I have to be more careful! Ha ha ha.

CapeCod Northern, thanks for sharing your fabulous MEC layout!  I recognize a lot of the roster! Holy smokes that layout must keep you busy.

Here's some more from my collection.

Altas Industrial Rail Maine Central flats with removable lumber loads.

Boston and Maine and MPC Chessie  System boxcar that has MEC reporting marks?

RMT Beep shell. (Factory MEC paint)

Le roof,

That layout no longer exists. It was taken down over a year ago to make way for a new layout. It will be a one track main walk around layout. You can see the plan and the beginning work in a thread I have going in the "layout" forum.

Hi Cape Cod Northern, will check out the new plan. I guess you had a lot of boxing to do! Best of luck on your new endeavors in 2021.

Mike, now you are pulling MEC rabbits outta your hat! Lol. In the early 80’s I painted some traditional Lionel flat cars pine green, added MEC decals, and cut a bunch of “logs” courtesy of forest park. They had a lot of weight to them. The only thing I needed were some bulkheads. Kind of like the Atlas industrial rail flats but with real logs! glued on.
MPC Chessie with MEC reporting marks! How cool is that? Error perhaps?
interesting.

Having been born in Biddeford, I too love Maine rolling stock, so thanks for all these pictures. My interests tend to run to the oddball stuff (again, born in Biddeford); here are a few of my custom paints, some awaiting weathering: Maine Central "Dairy Products" milk car, Maine Coast overpaint of D&H hopper (MC operated the Rockland Branch for just 10 years), VB gondola in MMA MOW service (Van Buren Bridge, shortest railroad in Maine?), Turners Island scrap metal gondola (second shortest railroad in Maine?).

Bruce Clouette

P.S. No giant potato car? Mainers will know what I mean.

I've got that same Chessie boxcar with MEC reporting marks, but I believe mine also has a stamped logo of a train collectors' or operators' group as if it was a meet giveaway or souvenir.  So I attributed the MEC reporting mark to that group.  It's boxed up, so I'll have to wait until next week to go dig it up and refresh my memory.

Does anyone have the Weaver MEC 470 Pacific? If so, please post a photo or 2 if you can.

@coach joe posted:

I've got that same Chessie boxcar with MEC reporting marks, but I believe mine also has a stamped logo of a train collectors' or operators' group as if it was a meet giveaway or souvenir.  So I attributed the MEC reporting mark to that group.  It's boxed up, so I'll have to wait until next week to go dig it up and refresh my memory.

They (MPC) also put MEC reporting marks on Chessie System Hi Cube boxcar #9629

@Leroof posted:

Mike, now you are pulling MEC rabbits outta your hat! Lol. In the early 80’s I painted some traditional Lionel flat cars pine green, added MEC decals, and cut a bunch of “logs” courtesy of forest park. They had a lot of weight to them. The only thing I needed were some bulkheads. Kind of like the Atlas industrial rail flats but with real logs! glued on.
MPC Chessie with MEC reporting marks! How cool is that? Error perhaps?
interesting.

Leroof, it just occurred to me what we have in common: when in the mood, we have an exuberance for model trains.

So do many of our other Forum friends.

Happy New Year to all, Arnold

This is my “Maine Train” pulled by Maine Central 2-8-0 steam engine #501 on my 10’-by-5’ layout. Model by Weaver.

MELGAR