You guys did a great job posting photos of the exciting new stuff that was announced at the NTS in Grand Rapids. Excellent detail photos.  Your photos of the layouts on display covered most of them, although just a taste, not very much detail, few close-ups.  But what gives?  You completely ignored the largest layout there, the very extensive Free-mo set-up!  All those others are closed membership groups.

Life has a way of derailing the best of plans. I thought I had it all... a good job, two great children, and a comfortable life. HA! This past May, one of my best friends (and employer, and future father-in-law) passed away unexpectedly. This left me without a job (his business had to close) and a family in grief.

to all

on aug.10th 2012 i had the privilege to visit the "mariani distributing" plant in phoenix az. this facility is part of my peavine sub layout. i actually modeled the structure before i had the visit, so i had to make a few adjustments & add some other structures.the pics i have attached shows the model & the prototype.

this company receives sugar in liquid & powdered form. after the process, it is shipped out in tanker trucks. they ship between 30 & 35 trucks per day with train movement 6 times per week

It's Monday. It's 1645 hrs. It's not visible. So? 

Couldn't we have had a special issue from the show instead of waiting? A "two for one" month would have been nice. Sorry, I'm just in a grumpy mood having had minor surgery at the VA today and nothing to read while "recuperating."  

BTW, live steam comes to Harrisburg, PA today - NKP 765 Berkshire visits the Enola Yard for a week of NS Employee appreciation rides. There will be a big "to do" next Monday at Altoona as it heads back home to Indiana.

I have more than 80% of the Model completed. The doors and roof are the only major pieces left to complete the rest is small details and interior accessories.

The Base with the 6 inspection pits is complete except for weathering and dirtying up to look like 40 years of soot and grease that settled on the floor from the steam engines.

I've reached a milestone by completing the benchwork for my HO Scale Industrial Switching Shelf Layout. I made a short video.

The Industrial Lead - Benchwork Complete Video

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I was just looking at another blog about BUG problembs and i was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on evicting "guests" in my case spiders, from my buildings and scenery. From what i have been told they are a realitive of the daddy long leggs and although harmless, its a pain dealing with spider webs every day. HELP!!!

Yup, my layout has bugs.  Little tiny bugs.   I live in the North East and my layout is in the basement.   I noticed that my layout has little tiny bugs (smaller than a nat) they don't seem to fly though.  I found them crawling in the static grass and on the ballast.   I try to keep the train room clean, dry, and well ventilated.   I dispose of all cardboard and even paint the bench work (both sides) to keep exposed wood.

Any ideas about getting rid of them?  

Going to model this in HO this Winter - A grand 2x12 shelfer:

http://alaskarail.blogspot.com/2012/08/apu-spur.html

All,

I am looking for a bit of advice. I have a completed structure that I have weathered and put the final coat of dull clear coat on. I was working on it yesterday, adding some "weeds" to the base of the foundation. I decided to use Isopropyl Alcohol to allow the scenery glue to flow easier. This turned out to be a mistake. Now the side of my building has turned white. I have tryed to clean it off with soap and water but there was not improvement.

Does anyone have any advice on how to correct this problem. Can I add another coat of dull?