Garden Railroading: Merry Christmas and Season's Greetings

Merry Christmas and Season's Greetings

As we have done for a number of years, this blog entry is meant for all our members to share Christmas and/or Seasonal Greetings.

I'm a little late in kick-starting these messages this year due to my being a busy little elf with many musical performances to prepare for and to play (a half dozen alone over the last two weeks)...but here we are!

Feel free to send along a greeting my way either in photo form or simply in a printed message and I will include it in this blog entry!

As Maine Central Train #371 arrives the outskirts of North Dover on my MEC/B&M HO scale layout, the snow began falling in the layout room!

I'd better get the Boston and Maine snowplough out of the shed and readied for a busy winter season.

On behalf of Lisa, Karen, Alison & me, we would like to take this time to wish everyone in the greater OVGRS family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Our dear friend, John Soehner sends along this holiday greeting our way.

John's second home is trackside along the rails within driving distance of his home...although he has offered OVAR some pretty amazing presentations of railfanning 'far and wide' throughout North America!

John offers us this message:

May all your ventures this holiday and into the new year be comfortable, safe, warm...and on time!

Indeed John...we know railfans (like the pro you are)...sit eagerly trackside in anticipation...but it sure is nice when the train traffic is 'on sched'! Heh heh!

Thanks so much John for this wonderful image and message!

Our dear OVGRS friend, Marcel, spends his winters with his lovely wife down in Arizona.

He is a big baseball fan and plays on a team down in Sun City.

Thanks Marcel for this great 'warm' message!

He wishes a "Merry Christmas" to all!

Marcel may be sending us some pictures of his club layout in Sun City in a little while!

Father Fred sends along his message in the snowstorm above!

And...Freddie sent along this image taken 'many moons' ago in an establishment that only serves milk and cookies to Santa, but other indulgences to our railroading community!

Thanks, Fred, for the lovely holiday message!

This message came in from our very own John Fedak who is a marvel with the electronics.

Mike, Merry Christmas to you and yours.

And to all our OVGRS family..."Merry Christmas from John"

With a reminder that there is a point where there is too much grease in your motor blocks.

From an RDC I bought off eBay that was not ridden hard but was put away wet and not working.

It had enough grease for another 3 pairs of blocks and dead spots on the motor's commutators. (where the brushes touch)

Works like new now.

Cheers!

Hmmm...John seems to have a visitor beneath his Christmas tree!

John also sent along this wonderful video for us to enjoy!

Thanks John for this most interesting and wonderful message and the great video!

Barry sends this wonderful message our way.

Hi folks,

I may have shared edition 1 of My Christmas anthem, composed while I was in university a few years (quite!) ago, and performed at Bridge Street United Church here in Belleville last Christmas.

A good friend who recorded it then has just completed an edit to add the words to the music. Here it is, for the folks who enjoy that sort of thing.

Copy and paste the link below into your computer's browser to hear the song Barry wrote as sung by his choir.

"The Shepherds Were There" by Barry Birkett

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_5YNCyufVk&list=RDv_5YNCyufVk

Malcolm and Ruth send along this lovely card created by Ruth with the message below from Malcolm.

Mike, here is a Christmas greeting from Ruth and me.

It is a photo of a piece of multimedia artwork that she created.

Merry Christmas to all.

Malcolm

Joan has sent along this text message our way:

Merry Christmas to all and I want to thank you guys for being so helpful over the last year. All the best in the coming year.

Thank you Joan!

One of our newest members, Bill Wieler wishes us a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year as well! Here is his message our way:

Hi Mike: Wishing you, your family and everyone else a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Bill

That's Bill with the ball cap next to me on a warmer day this past summer!

Thanks, Bill

Our dear WDWD friend, Bernie, sent along this lovely image he snapped twenty years ago with the following message:

Hi Mike, I enjoyed your music last Thursday, thanks for the invite.

Find attached, a photo I took on CP at Brighton ON in March 2006.

I had just finished photographing a westbound CN freight when I heard the crossing horn behind me. I had a few seconds to turn and take the photo of this CP eastbound.

The CP/CN tracks are about 120ft apart and I was not confident that the photo would turn out, but it is one of my favourites.

Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Wow...love the sunlight reflecting off the flanks of this westbound train, Bernie! Thanks so much for sharing!

Another of our "Workday Wednesday" faithful, Chris has sent along this great looking image from the Ironwood Road with the following message:

Hi Mike - Best wishes to all of the OVGRS for a blessed Christmas season.

Oops - it looks like we left some equipment out on the layout 😮!

(Just kidding, that's AI-generated snow)

Thanks for sending along this creative image our way, Chris!

Henk sends along this wonderfully informative message our way!

In the Netherlands, every new and renovated train station features what they call a Station Living Room (Huiskamer in Dutch).

It's a cozy and welcoming space where travelers can grab a coffee, snack, book, or newspaper.

There’s also a corner to work and charge your phone.

You can read a paper or magazine and chat with fellow travelers in comfortable chairs.

My image shows the Huiskamer in Ede-Wageningen Station which opened early 2025. It is close to our property near Arnhem.

Merry Christmas and a Happy 2026,

Henk

Thank you Henk for this lovely message to the group!

As for me...it is puzzling that I sometimes steal myself away from the workbench to devote a day or two to a 1000 piece puzzle...but I find doing puzzles the most relaxing thing I do!

And, during the holiday season...what better time to sit at the puzzle table than ever!

This Cobble Hill puzzle is titled "Lumbering Along".

I started it at noon one day and completed it by noon the next!

Thanks to Lisa for this 'early' Christmas gift which I was allowed to open!

"Mother Nature really heats things up down here in Arizona even at Christmas time," Marcel tells us.

The ties are just disintegrating after 8 to 10 years of summers being 110° to 120°F for 3 to 4 months.

This year was replacement year for much of my layout and some of the Club's.

While we had snow falling here in Ottawa all day, the story is quite different on Marcel's property at his winter home in Arizona.

Today was Canadian Pacific day or as Paul Norton calls it "(Chinese Pathetic Railway).

His dad was a CN conductor. LOL

CP by the orange tree and behind the "Saguaro" (pronounced 'Sawaro') Cactus and finally near the lemon tree.

Fruit will be ripe for the picking in about 3 more weeks.

Merry Christmas to all our OVGRS family and their families from Sunny Arizona.

Thanks so much, Marcel, for the update on your fabulous railroad in Arizona!

Marcel is our blog 'Santa Claus'!

He has grown our blog entry more and more with gifts of new images and videos which is much appreciated!

This photo is captioned, "5:00 PM on the club layout."

And this photo is captioned, "8:00 PM" with the Christmas lights now showing!

Life in the front yard of Marcel's Arizona home.

And of course...you have to have a little bit of snow to make a snowman...even in Arizona!

Here is a 5:00 PM short video Marcel captured at the club layout.

And here is an 8:00 PM video shoot!

Thanks, Marcel, for the gift of these pics and videos!

Moe has sent along this wonderful Christmas image and greeting.

Merry Christmas to your family as well, Moe!

Ralph sends along a message our way. In the above image he is spotted on the right beside his (and our) good friend, Sid.

Sid now resides out west in Alberta.

Below is Ralph's message.

Mike and all the wonderful train buffs...a warm and happy Christmas season to all my great friends in Ottawa and especially Father Fred.

Thank you so much for all you do every day to make our Saturday mornings at Fred's a most enjoyable experience.

Bless you all and have a safe and enjoyable holiday.

Ralph Austin

Thanks for the lovely message Ralph!

To all the elves out there, watch out for the big guy in the red suit and be sure to celebrate whether with him or without him.

Merry Christmas to all.

Robin

Thanks for the message Robin!

He has a white beard and a suit of red...could he be???

Naw...he's not big enough to match the big man in the red suit.

Why...he's our very own Gerry!

Below is Gerry's message our way!

Hi all, sorry for getting on the train so late but at least it was stuck in Brockville for 10 hours so I didn't miss it! I coulda walked faster.

That was a joke! Don't hate me!

Anyhoo, Merry Christmas to all and here's to my train making it to Alexandria today!

Hope Santa gets you all the right presents...and some coal in your stocking if you're runnin' steam.

Gerry

Good luck with your train ride to your brother's home Gerry...and Merry Christmas to him and his beautiful partner!

And...speaking of VIA Rail Canada...here is a message I just received in my inbox from a fellow B&M model railroader, Jim, from south of the border.

Jim's model railroad continues to grow and develop into one of the finest in the Northeast!

He models the Cheshire Branch of my favourite RR.

Check it out by copying and pasting the link below into your computer's browser:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUmwYKe-xcmVcYhxvJgd7qwUCbRpQk7dk

Thanks for the wonderful Christmas card Jim!

Len sends along these greetings:

Merry Christmas to all and Happy New Year

Pat Brennan sends us this message.

Merry Christmas fellow large scale friends !

Robin sent this follow-up message:

Back at you all with great wishes for a fine Christmas for everyone.

We are fortunate to live in the best country in the world so let's work to keep it that way and work to make the world a better place.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Robin

Dilip responded to Robin's message from above:

Very well said, Robin! ✨

Wishing you the same—a warm and restful Christmas. Appreciate the reminder to stay grateful and keep putting good energy into the world, in big and small ways.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Dilip

Our friend Tom Legel from Pennsylvania wrote to Barry who forwarded these two images our way.

Tom's message was:

A very merry Christmas and happy new year to you and your family too.

Had to cancel passenger service last week due to inclement weather!

Thanks Tom for sending these 'frozen' images our way!

Barry responded to Tom's message with these words:

Wow! Could you no call on the plows to get service restored?

Amazing pictures!

Barry later wrote regarding his railroad which is in hibernation as is ours here in Ottawa:

Wow! Tome...could you not call on the plows to get service restored?

Then Barry wrote about his railroad hibernating beneath the snow:

...The tracks are bare, the trains are sleeping. Waiting for Springtime to run again.

I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. Running trains with you always fill me with joy, and I can hardly wait to do it again, a little more than four months from now.

All the very best to you and yours,

Barry