Frontenac Society of Model Engineers

Sep 25, 2024

Frontenac Society of Model Engineers (FSME) is well known throughout the area as a result of its contribution to the annual Battersea Pumpkinfest (this year 5 October). The club gives free rides to festival participants on its miniature trains. During Pumpkinfest, the club continuously runs steam, gas and battery electric-powered miniature trains every two minutes for over four hours. The club typically gives free train rides to around 1,500 people during the one-day event.

Not so widely known is that, weather permitting, FSME holds monthly 'Club and Public Run Days' for club members to test and demonstrate their locomotives to the public. These events are held from 11am to 3pm on the third Saturday of each summer month, May to October. At these events, any member of the public is welcome to show up at the club's track behind the ball diamond in Battersea and have a free train ride... or as many train rides as they want. Kids of all ages 0 to 99 and railway enthusiasts of all types are especially welcome! Club members never really know in advance who is going to show up and run their locomotives and trains on these days. Club members and visitors regularly come from as far afield as Ottawa and west of Toronto to see and run their trains on the tracks at Battersea. The FSME track at Battersea is well know in the miniature railway field for providing a challenging 2% grade, a grade considered 'steep' in most prototype and miniature railway circles, especially by those owning steam locomotives. (A grade steeper than 1% is rare anywhere on the prototype railway in Southern Ontario and Western Quebec and is only seen on main and secondary lines climbing the Niagara Escarpment around the Golden Horseshoe).

Frontenac Society of Model Engineers was founded in Kingston over 50 years ago. The club is formed of men and women with an interest in engineering..... and particularly those interested in miniature railway engineering. Some of the club's members build miniature railway locomotives of one sort or another. Others just like to own and run a small locomotive. However, most club members either don't have the time or financial resources to build or operate their own locomotive. As a result, ten years ago the club bought a privately-built 'running chassis' of a gas-powered locomotive to run on its tracks in Battersea. Since then, club members have never looked back and have built a fiberglass body for the locomotive and have improved its control system significantly. With financial support from club members, the local community and South Frontenac Township's Community Grants program, FSME has also built five high capacity passenger cars for its railway. These are hauled by the club's and members' locomotives. The most recent car was built by club members in 2023 to address increased public interest in the club and increased ridership by club members and the public.

Ten years ago FSME made a commitment to relocate from a severely congested site at the Pumphouse Museum in downtown Kingston to a greenfield site adjacent to the community ballpark and playground in Battersea. The site is leased from South Frontenac Township and forms part of Battersea Park. The land consists of roughly equal amounts of a grassed field and woodland which provide great ambiance and feeling of 'going somewhere' when riding trains. Being situated right on the edge of the Canadian Shield, railway passengers have both the fields of Southern Ontario and the rugged north of the Province to travel through on their ride. South Frontenac Township's grounds maintenance contractor consistently does an excellent job maintaining the grass at FSME's 'field' each summer with the more challenging grassy areas being maintained by club members. The grassed area and adjacent woodland are also increasingly used for private recreational purposes such as walking, ball games, kite flying, picnics, etc.; activities that FSME strongly supports and encourages.

Since relocating to Battersea, FSME has built two tracks on which club members and visitors can run their locomotives. One track, built first and significantly extended three years ago is an elevated multigauge track used for running smaller locomotives. The track is fitted with a scissors lift elevator and traverser to help club members transfer their locomotives to and from their vehicles. The track is also fitted with 'steaming bays' where locomotive owners can both position their locomotives away from the main track, do routine maintenance and, for steam locomotives, raise steam and 'make the kettle boil'! As the track is elevated, track gauge is narrow and a good sense of balance is needed to 'ride the rails', for safety reasons FSME typically does not offer train rides to members of the public on this track.

The other track at Battersea is a large loop around the property on the ground giving opportunity for operation of much larger locomotives and passenger cars. Larger locomotives can easily haul three or four passenger cars on this track giving rides to up to two dozen passengers at a time. This track is supported by a full service area adjacent to the main station, Headquarters, (or renamed to Pumpkin Station during Pumpkinfest). The service area includes a turntable for turning and positioning locomotives, raised service tracks and a hydraulic hoist to move large visiting locomotives from owners' trailers onto the club's track. Adjacent to this area is a water tower with an extensive underground pipe network supplying the high quality and filtered demineralized pure water needed to run miniature steam locomotives. The site is served by five faucets supplying water from the tower to strategic locations around the site.

FSME members have always placed a high value on educating the public about railways and particularly about miniature railway engineering. Until COVID hit, the club was always a major attraction at local model railway shows in Kingston and plans to resume participation at these shows in the near future. In the meantime, the club has continued with its public education role at its site in Battersea where outdoor 'hands on' education is possible. Most recently, the club held a special Harry Potter themed event this past Saturday, 21 September, for a large group of Beaver Scouts from the Kingston area. The event featured a morning of talks and hands-on demonstrations of railway practices by FSME members and multiple train rides for all participants. The feedback to FSME members was that everybody had a good time. The adult leaders of the Beavers also conceded that they also learned a lot about engineering and railways from the visit!

For more information on Frontenac Society of Model Engineers, see www.facebook.com/fsmefb or www.FSME.ca. Also find the FSME site in Battersea between Doris Smith Lane and the ball diamond on Google Maps and view the photographs posted there of all the locomotives and trains that FSME runs. Better yet, come out and join one of FSME's regular work (?) sessions on a Thursday morning where club members reportedly do more talking and socializing than working!