Mike McGrattan Memorial Train - Photo Thread

[John]

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[John]

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[John]

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[John]

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[Pamela Clapp]

N-Scale Magazine is pleased to feature Mike McGrattan's Memorial Train article series, beginning with the January/February 2017. We are honored to be a part of this special project. We hope you will join us and follow this series of articles. We will share photographs of the train’s travels with readers of N-Scale Magazine.  You are invited to climb aboard for a tour of some amazing N scale layouts, and to join us in honoring an outstanding member of our hobby.
The train will conclude its tour in Mike’s home town of Peterborough, Ontario at which time the train and the book will be presented to the family. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mike and his family. We hope this will bring them some joy during their time of sorrow.

[DeltaBravo]

Thank you Pam.

[MVW]

N-Scale Magazine is pleased to feature Mike McGrattan's Memorial Train article series, beginning with the January/February 2017. We are honored to be a part of this special project. We hope you will join us and follow this series of articles. We will share photographs of the train’s travels with readers of N-Scale Magazine.  You are invited to climb aboard for a tour of some amazing N scale layouts, and to join us in honoring an outstanding member of our hobby.
The train will conclude its tour in Mike’s home town of Peterborough, Ontario at which time the train and the book will be presented to the family. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mike and his family. We hope this will bring them some joy during their time of sorrow.

Brilliant editorial decision. Wonderful on so many levels. That will be a must-have issue (says the guy who's divesting himself of most of his model railroad magazines.) Way to go!

Jim

[peteski]

Brilliant editorial decision. Wonderful on so many levels. That will be a must-have issue (says the guy who's divesting himself of most of his model railroad magazines.) Way to go!

Jim

I believe I read that it will be a running series of articles - not just in a single issue.  A fitting tribute to Mike!

[Dave V]

Will the photos be pulled directly from the thread or do we need to send them to Pam?

EDIT:  Nevermind...  I'll send them along to Tim if requested.

[BCR 570]

I will be contacting participants for full resolution photographs and captions as we proceed with each instalment.

Tim

[wm3798]

There was a great deal of anticipation around the little Canton, Highlandtown and Fells Point depot on Boston Street, as news of the impending arrival in East Baltimore of the Michael McGrattan Memorial Train rippled through the gathering crowd of railfans, model railroaders, and other foamers of every stripe.  The Railwire Express Agency sent its advance team early to make sure the event was well supplied with barbecue and beverages.



The loading dock at the team track was cleared of its usual dunnage to make room for the throng, and an impressive barbecue was set up at the far end, sponsored by The Railwire, and manned by none other than Tom Mann himself.
Shortly, a pick up truck arrived, with a live moose in the bed, driven by a very nervous Sean McDonnell. 
“Well you said you wanted fresh meat, didn’t you?” he shouted at the perplexed chef.

In the distance, the familiar wail of 5-chime Western Maryland air horns could be heard as the train reached the Kresson Street crossing.  We knew it would be a few minutes before this special train would arrive…  A solid train of 85’ passenger cars wasn’t the typical equipment on our little industrial track that snaked through the streets of East Baltimore.  The guys in Engineering and Maintenance of Way had taken measurements, spiked a couple of testy switch points, and otherwise assured us that there would be no problem with clearances.  They insisted on 5 mph slow orders just the same.

To be continued...

Lee

[wm3798]

The interchange with the Maryland and Ohio at Bayview yard is complete, and the Canton, Highlandtown and Fells Point division of the Laurel Valley is ready to greet the Michael McGrattan Memorial Train.



The train, led by WM 55, blows for Kresson Street as it slows to a crawl to negotiate the tight industrial tracks ahead.

More to come...

Lee

[wm3798]

The McGrattan Special arrives, slowing down at Kresson Street as it enters the tight industrial tracks going into town.  Laurel Valley Extra 1801 is bringing a local up from Canton as the crew lets down the air for the slow crawl through the streets of East Baltimore.


The Michael McGrattan carries the markers, and brings a certain panache to a neighborhood steeped in kielbasa and feta cheese...


From the Canton Depot, we looked up Boston Street toward downtown, and watched as the WM F-7 #55, spit polished and gleaming, crept across the overpass that carries our main line in from Bay View yard.  The consist rocked vigorously as it negotiated the points of the National Wholesale siding, followed by the shriek of squealing flanges as it approached the junction.


The Hotel Kapuscinski, named for the famous general in the Revolution who remarkably arrived at Lexington, Bunker Hill, Saratoga AND Trenton a full 48 hours after hostilities ended at each battlefield, and also avoided Valley Forge by offering to survey Fort Lauderdale for General Washington, serves as the headquarters for the visiting remembrance of our fallen colleague.  The red Maple Leaf of the Canadian standard marks the occasion.


The train passes the Hoffman Manufacturing Company, and turns toward lower Canton.



“Did you spread butter on the sides or just Crisco?” engineer Carl inquired of brakeman Bullet Bob (so named because of an incident a couple of years ago where the brakeman waited a little too long to apply his art to an errant car drifting downgrade from the brewery).



“Hell no!” said Bob.  “This damn varnish doesn’t get any more special treatment than the boxcars we usually drag through here!”  With that the train slid through the narrow canyon of bricks between the National Brewing Company and the rest of Canton.  The rocking had subsided somewhat, but car foreman Surkosky earlier had a pot of Canadian Pacific red mixed up just in case there was a close scrape.  We didn’t want to send Mike’s train on to North Carolina as a “scratch and dent” special.



To be continued...

Lee

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Love it.

[Blazeman]

Doesn't look good for that bus.