Looks like a good start,

Looks like a good start, Kriegwulfe.

Displaced Residents

I also have an extra family staying with me who were displaced by hurricane Harvey when their entire house, and automobiles, and most possessions were destroyed by the flooding. A single mother with her two sons, the youngest, five years old, is big time into trains, and does not yet realize how much of my collection is stored in the attic or on my workbench in the master bedroom. This is the child whom I gave a sort of G scale battery powered Christmas train for his 5th birthday, that his mother states was hopefully among the items saved from flooding by being high up on a closet shelf.

Now while the child is temporarily living here, I intend to find the HO scale Thomas the tank engine I have somewhere in the attic, and set up a temporary oval of track with the built in roadbed for him to run it, and when their house is repaired, if he wants to keep the Thomas models, I will send them home with him, perhaps mounted on a card table or something similar. 

At the worst of the flooding and power outages, we had over twenty extra friends, and family members, along with total strangers temporarily staying with us, all of whom have returned to their undamaged homes. I personally have not had much time to do any work on my own models due to the rebuilding efforts, and extra work at my job because of the storm recovery. My construction of a large, hurricane resistant home with four feet of elevation above the ground, paid off with only minimal water intrusion damage from the wind driven rain, but no other real damage, and no loss of automobiles due to careful placement on higher ground, jacked up on stands, and the sports car parked at a fellow model railroader and friend's home twenty five miles away and with much higher ground.

Moe line

You know the story about the farmer who complained to his priest about not having enough room in his house for his family, wife, and 4 or 5 kids? Priest told him to bring in the horse, and each time he complained another animal was added. The cow, chickens, sheep, pig, ducks, dog. Eventually he told the priest that he had no more room for anything and then the priest started having him remove them one at a time. Afterwards he discovered just how much room he had.

Anyway it is always nice to be able to help ones neighbors no matter who they are. One of the bennies of having a larger house or at least be able to squeeze up some to fit more in. It would be nice if zoning commissions could learn from folks like you who don't take things for granted.

Jack

Little Hands

The little hands here are making the recovery effort a lot easier or seem that way. I am thankful the systematic destruction was not worse than it was. The hurricane did its best and in the end it has  made our family and friends stronger.

I am in trouble however. I was looking at track plans online and the little hands saw one with a child included, and suddenly that plan became the " ONE " that they want to build/hlp/run. The plan is the Model Railroader 59th Street plan. They don't care what kind of grades or how many switches are needed or just how long it would take to build..thats the one they want. With a quote " Its OUR size "... I guess the saying of " Its not the destination that matter, only the journey " fits pretty well. Looks like I will have to root out a lot more track and switches for the " new " project.

Moe, glad to hear things are trying to get back to normal. I just got back from the Victoria/Port Lavaca area and I am still amazed. Next Thursday we have another trip planned with the gooseneck trailer loaded again with food and supplies. They showing of local support for the victims is crazy awesome. I can only hope other fine folks affected by other storms no matter their location are safe and sound and receiving the support they need.

59th Street

Looks like a plan that could keep a couple people very busy running it. 

To reference another thread active right now, I don't think that I would overweight the rolling stock for that layout - a 5% grade is going to be a workout for your locomotives as is. 

Jeff

For those that do not know about the 59th Street layout, here is a place you can go take a look:

Well the " plan " is to look to making it in N Scale. I think the grades as so touch because of the continuous run that overhangs the yard. Reproducing the plan in N scale looks to have a footprint of about 6 feet by 5 feet give ot take. I have ( for now ) and 8' X 8' space so a little leeway is available and that looks to reduce the ruling grade. I haven't even thought of adjusting any rolling stock weights..I may need to embrace the idea of learning how to make hand laid turnouts..but hey..what doesn't kill me only makes me stronger..