Traveling scenes

I took advantage of my travels to scope out some train related locations - sneaking them in around the edges of a family trip. I really don' want to subject my wife to train events and visits - she's really not into them. She'll put up with things, but gets bored by them easily.

I put a call out to the Model Rail Radio community to see if anyone was in the immediate area, but things started getting a bit..."messy". I didn't want to get other people involved in potential drama. We had a rather packed trip planned anyway - there wasn't a lot of wiggle room for additional journeys.

I have not even been able to catch many local trains this trip. I can usually see a few with the girls or on walks, but my timing has been completely off this trip and I've missed a bunch. I'm not sweating it, however. No need to create stress over seeing trains.

There have been some train related jaunts.


Cabin John Park Train
http://www.montgomeryparks.org/facilities/regional_parks/cabinjohn/

This was a fun little "fake" steam train in Cabin John Park. A little diesel engine dressed up to look like a steam train. We still had a nice time on it...until my wife got stung in the FOREHEAD by a BEE! :::sigh:::: Again...on a train related jaunt. hehehehe See why she doesn't like trains? heheheh

I's a sweet little ride and there's a MASSIVE play area a mere stroll away, so it's an ideal spot for a little family trip. It even has a dog park.

Gaithersburg Community Museum
http://www.gaithersburgmd.gov/about-gaithersburg/city-facilities/gaithersburg-community-museum

Need a coffee and a little train time? (Very little) :)  Stop by the Gaithersburg Community Museum. It's a cute little scene with a coffee shop in the same area. RIGHT next to the tracks, so there are rail fan opportunities as well!

And, there are some fun trains and the like out front.

Other items:

Silo Ivy
This is down the street and I thought it might be of interest for someone. Sorry I didn't get more images - I can if people are interested if people get back to me in the next few days. :) It's an old silo that had a bunch of ivy growing on it. It seemed like a good prototype to add some interest to a bare silo. 

Boxcar Building
In the same area, they have this crazy item. Box cars stacked up and used for storage on a small building. It's super interesting and I thought that it might make a great addition to a layout. It's a while little building. I might even tackle it for my layout just to add some additional interest. Fun stuff. 

Engine House Hobbies visit - http://enginehousehobbies.net/
( Previous post - http://n-rail.blogspot.com/2014/11/engine-house-hobbies-gaithersburg-md.html )

I stopped in to see my buddy Ken at Engine House Hobbies - my once a year visit. He's a great guy and Engine House is amazing for O scale folks. Some good train deals, details, buildings.... He really seems to cover a good range of O. He also has a good selection of HO items as well. I model N, so there's not a lot for me, but I did pick up some trees and drooled over the O scale trains. I always love seeing them up close on his wall while I dream of an O scale garden layout. :::sigh:::  I'd love that. If I ever come into a money pile somewhere.....

The other cool thing about the place is the fact that the tracks run right behind the building. So, while I was browsing and chatting, a HUGE CSX train roared by with two or three engines pulling a huge line of car carriers. I got to stand in the lovely AC and stare right out the window at it.

If you're in the area, stop in and say hi to Ken for me! :)

Cheers!
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