I didn't get anything rail-related this year. Oh Well!... However I was just browsing a "foamer video" website. Methinks I will buy some DVDs! CT
Christmas Eve brought a new variable speed Dremel. Already used it last night to rework a WS forklift (sloppily glued up all crooked at the factory). Wonderful gadget, that variable speed Dremel. Today, Christmas at the inlaws brought a $50 bill for a few Peco turnouts. The brother-in-law discovered you can't just find those things laying around in the local hobby shop. Best hobby gift? Knowing my hobby is respected by family as artful modeling and not simply 'playing with toys'.
my christmas was actually surprising.........based on what my gf and i got Rail related: nothing....got out of it this year but decided to get back into HO scale with a trainset i saw at toys r us a few weeks ago Non rail related: 2007 Hess truck with motorcycles clothes a gift card for family video ( new video store near us) a nintendo game cube with need for speed underground and sonic heroes and the ultimate gift....a brand new dell inspiron laptop computer (gf and i still can't believe we got one) and i'm hoping i'm not to late to get a 2007 hallmark christmas ornament (gonna be sad if i do)
Train related: I received a set of HO Locomotive rollers from Micro-Mark so I'll have a test bed. Non train related: An HP Laptop computer bundled with a 7.2 mp camera, and an all in one printer/scanner/copier. :thumbs_up:
For the past few years, my wife and I have foregone gifts in lieu of donations to our favorite local charities. They need the money more than we need the gifts.
There isn't anything for me under the tree this year, but tomorrow morning I will get to treasure the look on my daughter's face as she revels in the fact that Santa came to Dad's house too! Things come and go, the happiness and goodwill that we share with others will live on long after the wrappings are discarded.
This is a good thing. I have noticed since our kids have left home, gone to college and are now getting out, we have been slowly giving more to charities. This past year we started donating to the Jim Valvano "V FOUNDATION" cancer research fund. We have also given to boxer rescue leagues. We have owned a couple of boxers the last 15 years. Our last boxer was a rescue and we are suckers for that cause.
My wife completely surprised me this year by giving me a new Rivarossi Allegheny, several DVD's on steam, and a new N&W coffee mug . All in all, I am totally shocked... she has never gone out a limb and attempted to get me anything train related short of some books and the occasional DVD. I hope all of you had a great Christmas this year!
Here's something tangentially related to trains. My grandparents gave my wife and I a brand new dresser, something we had both been looking at out at the local Ikea. The train part of this is that I am now "free" to buy something really cool train related since I no longer have to save up discretionary funds for that dresser that my wife kept wanting us to get. Woohoo!
Atlas Frieght Cars One 17,360 gal tankcar one Two bay CNW hopper, (since we currently live in Chicago.) One Three bay Watkins Salt Hopper, (fitting since my wife uses Salt on everything! ) and one paid for reservation of a Kato GS4 Daylight....
Surprise to me: Monday before Christmas received 2 new Walthers/LL Heritage 0-8-0's I had preordered from Brooklyn Locomotive Works. NEW STEAM! Let's see how they run and add details. Received over $200 in gift certificates for the local hobby shops in town. 1) Support your local hobby shop 2) Relatives learned long ago that Mark is VERY easy to buy for. Here comes 2008, N-Scale Convention here in LOUISVILLE(registration is OPEN!), new models arriving daily, and where did 2007 go?
An end table and coffee table set, a fleece jacket from Sports Illustrated, and a redeemable certificate for an electric piano of my choice. Chuck
Mostly camping stuff (inflatable sleeping pad, new stove, headlamp, and assorted clothes), but also a double-slip switch and a decoder for my SD70 It sure is great finally being able to run it with my other locos!
jwaldo did you get one of the new thermarest toughskin pads? Santa brought me a new airbrush (or so one of his helpers told me--some gifts won't be opened until family gets here this weekend), and a gift card to the hobby shop. Everything else was non-train related.
No, just a regular Trail Lite version... Also (don't know how THIS one got left out!) I got a new compressor for my airbrush
An Athearn P42 Amtrak Genesis with a Walthers Baggage coach Superliner car. I also opened up an SW9 Canadian Pacific Loco that i bought at a train show a couple of weeks back. It was good to see it again. Taking the prize is something that I don't like the best out of all the railroad gear I got, but rather the thing I least expected. An airbrush! Too bad it came with pink, red, light blue, green, silver, and purple paint!
A Badger #200 air brush set. Dremel 300. And some money, which will go towards some covered hoppers, and some DCC equipment. CAS