It's December 1st 2010 and it's time for a progress report on the Hudson and Hartford.

I had gotten somew information on a new product from Fast Tracks (an advertiser on this site). They're called sweepsticks and are designed to make laying flex track much easier than it has been up to now. These are come in curved and straight section and they will work great. They are basically designed to keep track either straight or with contant radius curves. Now if you evcer used flex track you get to understand that it's awful tough to get them to stay straight without some device to help. These sweep sticks are just the thing as you lay them between the rails and they'll keep the track straight while the glue dries that keeps the flex tarck attached to the road bed. And it doesn't depend on the brand of glue you use since it seems it works with any kind of glue. The N-Scale straight sweeps sticks come in ten inch lengths and you can attach several together to use on 30" lengths of flex track. If you need longer lengths, I would suggest  soddering them together before inserting the sweep sticks. Push pins work nicely for keeping, track down.

In the old days I would sodder a 1" fitter track length (comes in the Atlas fitter track assortment) between two pieces of flex track to avoid any possible allignment problems. However it seems that the curved sweepsticks might just solve that problem but I haven't tested that yet. The curved ones come in different radiuses and like the straight sections can be glued together to make longer curves possible. I do think the system is very good but I'll let you know how it works when I begin laying tracks using them. By the way I bought these directly from Tim Warris and had to wait to get them because he had been away at a show and had ro wait until he got time to make them after he fulfilled a;ll the orders he had gotten for them. The waiting time wasn't that bad but I felt I had to mention it for the benefit of those of us who expect to receive orders within five minutes of making the decision to buy things.  Order fulfillment sometimes takes a few days especially if ylou are in teh US and the place you are ordering from is in Canada as was the case with this order.

Yesterday, I fannly ordered the jigs I needed to put the walls of several Model Power Buildings that are under construction for section of my layout. I've sh.own them before but in case you forgot here are some photos:

This is just a mockup of three of the six buildings that will eventually represent a street corner somewhere in Queens. The buildings come from kits produced by (left to right) Life Like, Model Power and MKodel Power. Exactly where in Queens is still to be decided since it probably won't look like the real location anyway. Here is another photo:

This shows the corner building which houses my middle daughter-in-law's business. She isn't to thrilled with it these days as she no longer works in the establishment that inspired it. If you're wondering what the business is  called, here it is.

Next to it will go an apartment building with a store that house's the store named for my wife's old business. That building is still under construction as I need to put a lobby together for the ground floor since it will be visible from the street. And before you ask may wife's name is not Marty.

This is the kit that the building next to Judy's Boutique is being made from. There are a few nodifications I have made Including the removal of the garage door and drive way that run through the building. i have enlarged the opening by removing the detail stones that outline the opening and will install a large clear window there. and that is why I need to build a lobby with an elevator door in the rear wall. I'll show it when its done which won't be until after I have given final exams, graded then and handed in the final grades for my students so don't to expect to see it before December 15.

This is the view from the rear showing 4 of the buildings and the reason why I had to close the drive way in the Meat Market building. It is a shera drop off an I dont want to accept any liability for tiny drivers who might not know when to stop! By the way that building you see on the left is a Model Power movie theater. I will probably put a Life Like fire station next to it. I promise i won't listen to any complaint's about noise from the theater's patrons whenever the firemen answer to fire alarms.  After all I am bigger than they are and any such calls won't bother me

Above you'll find a photo of the the 4 buildings, vacant lot (at the moment) and 15" ruler showing you the footprint occupied by this grouping of buildings. Please excuse the mess on the surface as the maid hasn't decided to help clean it up yet.

Irv