It's "go" time to start operating the layout. Then why am I having these second thoughts? Since 1979 I've been flying helicopters for America's Army. That's pretty much my whole adult life. My flying continues at age 60, although as an evil contractor. Most of these flying years has been in attack/gunship versions. Army flying is old hat stuff for me.

One of the things I'm coming to like about using TOMA to build a home layout is the "finish it as you go" concept.

TOMA (The "One Module" Approach) looks at building a home layout using sectional/modular techniques to build your home layout a bit at a time. Another TOMA concept is to build each of the modules to completion as you go.

Read the rest of the story in the next post, below ...

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Episode 82: Mike's gone from child laborer at a hobby shop to the guy who keeps everybody happy at the Naperville RPM meet. But it’s not in Naperville anymore it’s now moved across the street to Lisle, Illinois and it’s official name is Railroad Prototype Modelers Conference Chicagoland.

Base scenery is starting to be installed, and placed a train on the bridge to see what it looks like.

At the south end of the Delaware River Extension in Wilmington is the car float apron at Pigeon Point.  The P&R/RDG floated cars across the Delaware River to chemical plants in Carney's Point and Thompson's Point in New Jersey.  To simulate this I have a fold down shelf to hold the car float when it is docked.  I have been putting this off for some time trying to figure out how to build it.  Finally came up with a plan.  The float was made from .040 plastic sheet and will hold six 36 ft cars or eight 30 ft cars.  Construction of the float apron and

Im FINALLY looking at doing my first sound install, yes i'm a procrastinator. What im planning on doing is using a Loksound decoder in a Athearn RTR SD40. I'm also planning on adding LED to it and somebodies current keeper.  The few units that I currently have are ether factory or done by custom installs. 

Now for the questions,

1. Ive seem some guys use what i'm going to call a motherboard that you plug in a decoder to, is there a benefit to this?

2. Loksound Select vs V4.0?

I figured I would do a personal journal, as I have a lot to say... and show.

A "show and say", is what I'm tellin' here... (or is that a "show and tell"?)

As Murray River Bridge is a sectional layout, with each board being 5' 10" long and the bridge is 16' 8" I had to design a way of making sections of the bridge removable, yet being able to reliably maintain both an electrical contact and position of the track, I think I have cracked it using banana plugs and sockets.