July in Christmas

If you are reading this in the Southern Hemisphere you are likely very well acquainted with the concept of Christmas in July. But to explain it to others - the traditional British/European/American Christmas Dinner is a meal centered around a large piece of freshly roasted meat probably accompanied by hot cooked vegetables gravy and more. Now if the temperature outside is at or above, say 70F/15 C (which it very likely is in the Southern Hemisphere because Christmas occurs at the beginning of summer) then you do not really feel like eating a big heavy hot meal.  But by July, when you are in the midst of winter, then it is fun to have your big hot meal and pretend it is Christmas. Hence Christmas in July.

Here and now, we have just had the solstice and should be experiencing winter weather. But in a turnabout, the past couple or three days have been a very balmy 65 - 70 F and a tee shirt has been required on my walk rather than the coat, hat and gloves of the previous week.

Hence my post title.

Moving right along, it is the season for all sorts of fun experiences and displays. Yesterday we went to see the holiday train layout at a local historic mill site.

 There were a number of excited children there including a cub scout troop. For the time of year it is de rigeur to include something like this LGB Christmas train.

 In the background we can see the full Christmas "special"; two locomotives and seven coaches. On the inner track Percy was busily at work with his three open wagons (we noticed they had put some metal rods in the wagons presumably to stabilize them so they did not derail). There were two Thomas, Annie and Clarabel sets but this one in the foreground did not run at all in the forty minutes or so we were there.

 This locomotive was an unusual one to me - it was a see through F3 diesel. The model train enthusiasts who own this layout were there and I heard the owner of this one mention that he usually runs this one on his back yard (outdoor) layout. It looked in very fine condition.

 I clicked the shutter on this and got three trains in the one shot.

 The F3 was set up pulling coaches in the Baltimore and Ohio livery. Are you noticing the very long necked dinosaur peeking out from under the trestle. They are clearly striving to entertain the children and less concerned with historic accuracy!

 In the rear you can see the full extent of the F3 with two locomotives and four coaches. Percy never tired of hauling his open wagons.

I thought I had taken photographs of the other end of the layout but I guess I did not. In doing a little background reading about this I find that this layout has been here every Christmas season since 1990 and is the most popular exhibit that the Colvin Run Mill has all year long. What a wonderful event provided by a small dedicated group of model train enthusiasts. I do thank them.

By the way, I am not a model train expert so if I have made any mistakes here they are not intentional.

 This was the miller's house. Note the open window; an indication of the unseasonably warmer temperature yesterday.

 The model train layout was located in the barn - the building to the right rear.

The water wheel does work at this mill but they do not have it running all the time.

All in all a great day to be walking about outside in December.