Welcome back everyone to that gateway to the weekend. I hope you all had a good week and are looking forward to a productive weekend. Let's get this started. Saturday: It will be a busy day but not for trains unfortunately. Eye doctor, haircut, find a Christmas tree. Angela likes real trees so we have to wait until the middle of December to get a tree. Hopefully all the running around can be done on Saturday so we can stay home Sunday. Sunday: This day will probably be spent working on getting the tree and house decorated. Any time left over will be spent on the two layouts. I picked up something at Costco the other night for the N scale shadow box that I'm really excited about and may install it. Now I just need a #@%^# track plan! I'm also using miniature wooden clothes pins I found at Hobby Lobby to attach my front curtain to the N scale layout. And if, IF, I'm extremely lucky and not worn out from two days of running around and decorating, I may work on the HO layout. We'll see. So how about you? What do you have planned for the weekend? Let us know. We'll assemble again on Monday the 14th to see how we all did. Until then, have a great weekend, be safe, stay healthy and as always... HAPPY HANUKKAH & High Greens!
Not a lot of plans this weekend for trains but I'll be wrapping up a few updates to the code that runs on the IO Boards that I showed on Monday and I need to get outside and clean up the leaves that are all over the place. But the outside plans may get scrapped as we are expecting rain this evening and tomorrow.
I have been dealing with a back issue the past few days and it is feeling like it will continue through the weekend. This may restrict what I do around the house. Since the weather is supposed to be nice I may try to install a new video doorbell. This is a replacement for the one we had. It is the same type just a newer updated model. Of course, the mounting screws do not line up with the old one so I have that issue to contend with. Before I detail my modeling plans, I have to tell what happened last night. I started working on the Con-Cor Tropicana reefer kits. This is the first time I have built a Con-Cor kit in about sixteen or seventeen years, so I don’t remember much about them. I have to say they are annoying. They require a ton of tweaking. Some holes were not predrilled large enough for the screws. Some of the holes on the trucks had to be enlarged. The biggest issue was with the coupler boxes. The box will not take a Kadee #5 due to the metal clip. Luckily, I had some Kadee #148 couplers that do not use the clip. The hole on the lid had to be enlarged so it fit properly. Most egregious was that the kit came with no screws for securing the coupler box lid. Again, I was fortunate that I had just purchased screws to use to secure the coupler clips on my problem Athearn cars. Lastly the weight bar has to be secured to the frame by glue and the frame is flimsy, so it bends. I had to clamp now the weights. It took more time than I anticipated to assemble them. I worked on three and got them to the point where I am waiting for the glue on the weight to dry so I can assemble the frame to the car body and then they will be done. I hope to finish the three reefers today and start on the other two. Once they are all assembled, I will weather them along with the two Athearn reefers I assembled earlier this week. After the reefers are done, I need to decide what is next. There are six Bowser NYO&W coal hoppers that need weathering. I also have several cabooses needing weathering. I also hope to run some trains.
This weekend I have a few more "Christmas Chores" around the house. But should still be able to spend some time working on the layout or models. Like last weekend, will probably be miscellaneous small things that I set up to do that won't matter if I break off to do "Christmas chores" as "assigned" to me. "Chip" away at the HW Myers diorama. Take some buildings on the layout and maybe add some details or finishing work HOPEFULLY, have some time work on a tunnel entrance and install a signal light that will be positioned in front of it. Of course, I'll get in there w/ my coffee early tomorrow morning and go 180 degrees, doing something entirely different. Have a great weekend all.
Doubtful on train time this weekend. There are leaves to rake - so many leaves - and the wife and kids want to go hiking on Sunday. of course we have rain forecast this weekend . . . .
Hi Guys: Lets see -- this weekend.... Well, Im currently off work with a "mystery illness" not covid. they took about a Liter of blood the other day, so far, no answers... sigh, the upshot is im exhausted all the time, so that tends to limit what I can do modeling. However there is good news... Friday -- Working in short spurts this morning, I have gotten 1 leg of the main bus installed, and the first sub bus. IM getting ready now to start soldering track drops and start laying a bit of track, it might not be much, but every little bit is a start. My hope is to be able to run SOMETHING by the end of today Saturday - Weather supposed to be miserable... Hopefully continue to lay track and drop wires, we'll see -- also while I'm watching college football, hopefully working on some pine trees. My caspia finally arrived and I want to get started -- I need LOTS of trees Sunday -- Again miserable weather, so I am hopeful to get more track down and work on more trees etc. Mix into all this -- I have a couple drawings that I am working on as I am learning architectural visualization, and spending time with Mom and Dad (im 52 and live with my parents, yes, I have heard all the jokes LOL) decorating the house, and getting the extra sleep I need -- sounds like a full weekend TIM
All I can say is -- report on Monday. As I have no idea if I can get to some of the projects I have in mind. Time will tell. Y'all have a great weekend, Wolf
Supposed to have three days with good weather in the afternoon. Lots of yard work to be done, but my son has agreed to go with me to get plywood this afternoon. Hope to sneak some time to rip it over the weekend. First step to a layout after a year without waiting to and getting moved to the new downsized house. Don
Well, working backwards, Sunday is a trip to meet my brother half way between my house and his to hand off some things. Doubt my knee will feel up to the stairs after a lot of driving. Saturday, the wife has a lot she wants to do but with rain in the forecast for the weekend, that may change. If it does change, I will tray and get down to work on my new grain elevator building. Friday, supposed to be almost 70 and cloudy this afternoon and the knee is feeling pretty decent today, so if I can knock off an hour or two early from work, I may be able to get some parts painted for the elevator and the tank car loading platform which would increase what I could do Saturday if I get that free time. Wish you all a great weekend!
Continuing work in the same area of the layout as last week building up the terrain in the Palisade Ranch area of the layout. I have some PC board material ordered and if it shows up I many start on setting track on the lift bridge across the doorway. We are also expecting rain here this weekend so not much chance of yard work getting into the way of things. Everyone stay dry and safe, and enjoy your weekend.
Well, last weekend, I noted awaiting some detail parts, which came Monday. (Yay!) This weekend I hope to get busy and modify a caboose (HOn30) with them. Even getting so far as to paint, and be all set for decals, some day when I finally get them made.
My weekend starts Sunday. I am not sure how much I will get done this week. Lots of Christmas preparations to be done still.
Well -- to check off today, I go the first part of things done -- i got some track laid and connected and actually ran the locos back and forth on the first 3 foot section of track -- great to see and hear them -- Hopefully i'll get some more track laid tomorrow - the next segment is a complex bit with 2 switches back to back so I want to be awake and alert while I'm doing the drops etc. You can see the area im working circled in red in this illustration. Im hoping to have some pics to post later tonight as well TIM
"Tweaking". I am the Mayor of Tweaking. Got the Mogul done Tuesday late morning. Did "tweaking" and shakedown Wednesday. The shakedown left me a little shaken so I took it easy until today. Now working on a test tree for the coming foliage. Hopefully I won't be "up a tree" (We will see!). Great stuff listed above. Have fun. Be safe.
Saturday, more spackling and set up the workbench for building the mountains. Sunday, football. Tonight, showed my DC locos some love before going to conversion. Hooked up the old MRC Tech 7 to the layout and ran a swollen COLA (extra dome, coach, and sleeper) with UP A-B-B-A E-units alongside a P42 with 4 Amfleet. Fun watching the COLA lap the Amtrak train. A metaphor for passenger train service in the US then and now, perhaps? Sent from my SM-T837A using Tapatalk
