Personal journal (editorial or commentary)
Napanee Viaduct Landscaping Starts
Finally I have gotten a start on the centerpiece of the layout -- the Napanee viaduct and river valley/waterfalls. Been interesting, originally I was going to use commercial piers and so forth, bought a few and did a temporary setup. After starring at it for months and months decided I really didn't like it. Problem was that comparing pictures of the prototype with mine made it obvious that at the least the stonework was way out of scale.
MTM: Michael Paul Smith | Common Ground
I recognize that I am nobody. My art is created to suit me, my hobby, life. In fact one of the most, ridiculous things I ever heard was, you need to take a break from the Hobby. A hobby is often the only legal self-medicating procedure this world has. And I partake with fervor, so does my new friend.
Well I ask Michael Paul Smith to have a chat about what drives his hobby. And what do you know, we found Common Ground.
You can view more of Michaels work here at http://www.visitelginpark.com/
Searching for the Grail
I'm sure we can all relate to a temporary descent into madness prompted by a search for a long-coveted item. Whether it's a one-of-a-kind locomotive, or a rare craftsman structure or resin freight car kit, my guess is that most of us have beaten the bushes of eBay and searched through the musty back rooms of hobby shops during our search for the Prize.
Why I love being a manufacturer
Darren and I at True Line Trains get our fair share of (deserved) flak (flack? how do Canadians spell it Darren?). We're really just a couple of guys who really love what we do, even if we're not that good at it.
Michael & Mrs. Rose visit the Richlawn Railroad!
It's always a pleasure to get together with our good friends the Roses! Yesterday they visited us at our home to enjoy a ham that I smoked along with mashed potatoes, gravy, peas, and chocolate cake with butter cream icing. We forgot to take a picture of the ham as it came out of the smoker for some reason (grin); however, it looked and tasted wonderful. As usual I had non-alcholic beer (German, of course!) on hand which you see in Michael's hand.
Caboose (Hobbies) grand re-opening
Pleased to report back on the grand reopening of Caboose Hobbies, now known as simply Caboose.
For any of you who are familiar with the old location, the new location DEFINITELY has solved the parking issue! The building also feels much more well laid out and better lit than the old location. Plus, two easy to find bathrooms compared to just the one in the old location.
Feb 18 - Siskiyou Line 1 grand finale
Siskiyou Line 1 had its LAST operating session. Here's a few highlights from the session.
The photos follow ...
BN Snow Dozer Scratch build
About 4 years ago I started my first major scratch building rolling stock project. Four years later, I'm still not done, but I'm making faster progress than before. A little background in the model, and the prototype to follow in the next post to keep this one on the short side. I have been in large scale 1/29 scale, G Guage for some 15 plus years, but I never really got serious about the scratchbuilding rolling stock (I have a huge scratch built feed mill I'm working on too; 7'x 6'x 4') until this project.
What Does It Mean To Be Active In The Hobby?
Does this story sound familiar?
A child is exposed to model trains. Maybe his or her grandfathers had some old Lionel and HO equipment or there were local displays which could be viewed at the holidays. At some point, he or she received some of their own locomotives, track, and accessories and may have even built a small layout. The train bug bit in some regard as it does for a lot of people.
Scenery Levels - Improving the enjoyment of my Richlawn Railroad
I've recently been thinking about not only what I want to do on my layout, but more about how I want to do it and as a result I've started to enjoy my layout more by switching the way that I do things on my pike. Up until these past few months I've always worked a scenery area until I'm mostly satisfied. Notice that I said that "mostly" - that's because I'll never be completely satisfied! I would work continuously on a small area spending months (years?) before moving on.
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