Where did you all go. I feel so lonesome. Not. Well, I do but that has more to do with friends I left behind in Big Bear Country. I still stay in touch but it's not the same. We used to get together at least three times a week at Carl's Jr. We avoided the weekends talk about a zoo. The manager there liked having us there. During the week the afternoons left the restaurant empty. By being parked in the parking lot the place at least looked like it was open. He used to say as long as you buy something your always welcome. Toward, the last he would bring out some freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Talk about good. The group was breaking up as I prepared to leave. Health issues, slowed some of us down. We didn't want to face it but we were getting old. Others left Big Bear, they were tired of the threat of forest fires. They were tired of the traffic gridlock during the winter. Some left to rejoin with family elsewhere. Jobs, the best jobs are off the mountain. Anyway, a true miss. I stay in touch with them via e-mails and by phone. I wonder how Covid 19 would have affected us? Guessing we would have ignored it at first until we started seeing it hit Big Bear. Here in Idaho Country I have to give most of my neighbors and friends a high five, for acting quickly to self isolate and wear a mask. Keeping their hands washed and off their face. We minimized the damage. Until recently. We are all getting weary and lax. Not the time to do so. Our health scientist are on target. It takes 12 to 14 months to get a handle on a new virus. They are actually ahead of schedule. Thanks to Covid (The Chinese Disease) this has slowed me down at getting out and getting to meet and greet. To get to know other Train Enthusiast. Here on TB we can communicate and stay in touch, banter about without infecting each other. Humm, laughter is infectious. Red bag it. Hospital and Mortuary humor, that is. Got some work done on the layout. Not much. I had to straighten one leg. Looked like the leaning layout. I need to find my wire, flex track and move things about before I can start working on replacing flex track. Where oh where did I put it? I must have timed things just right. I got the legs cut, L girders cut and all put together before the weather turned cold and wet. Well, time to get my daily chores done. I'll be back to visit more later. Thanks for tuning in, the likes, the fun. Keep the laughs coming. Unless you don't want to.
Our kids are all grown...married..and spread to the winds. We have had some friends retire and decided they didnt want to live here anymore and POOf they are gone. Our fate lies in our landlords decisions next fall. Not wanting to be blindsided and have to make last minute decsions...we have discussed our future at length. We love it here and that would be our first choice. I hate moving. We have a few semi-solid options in mind. Time will tell. Now...get some trains running....I'm bored.
I'm working on it. I'm working on it. Or not. I need to move things around in my extra bedroom now serving as a storage room. I'm slow at getting motivated to get in there and move things around.
Yup, you've been missed. Funny thing about that discussion is that me and pancakes don't get along. Diabetes being the biggest factor. Still they sure looked good.
LOL, I'm a waffles guy. After reading all that, I may make that and some scrambled eggs for dinner So all well after straightening up that leaning layout leg?
<===Prefers waffles too. My wife doesn’t understand, she says just because they are made out of the same batter, they are the same thing... No they are not, waffles are better!
I agree Waffles are not the same as pancakes. Not at all. I can get away with eating both but I buy frozen waffles because it's convenient. Sugar free syrup, sugar free preserves or jellies and an after taste that tends to hang in there with me. For longer then I care for. We return you to our regularly scheduled program, layout restoration. Had a flash of what I hope is intelligence. I will need to relocate some tracks. I'm going to have to replace some of the track so, if I pull four tracks away from the base of the layout I'll have room to drop scenery in between the first level and the 2nd deck. Oh the work I cause for myself. After looking at the track work through a camera lens I see some glitches. Hopefully these will get fixed the second time out. Best part, I'll be doing what I enjoy. In the picture below it is track C2 I want to move. If this helps you to see it. I want to move it toward the bottom of the picture. That also means the other tracks will get moved. This will give me an open area to put a rock canyon type wall. There's a piece of early particle board which was part of a shipping casket. Say what, what did he say? It was a shipping casket. We couldn't resell it but no one said we couldn't recluse it, oh boy, uhh...err reuse it. Would that qualify? You know as re-cycling it? It's a long story but worked for me well, for almost 25+ years. It's starting to decompose so it's time to replace it. You can barely see it on the bottom left corner of the picture. Under a cardboard tray. So, if I have to remove it and the track, now is a good time to expand that section and move the rest of the track. You can also see how I glued down my track. Everything but the switches. N Scale Atlas Flex track will snake and get squirrely in extreme heat. No, I don't want Atlas to change that. I buy it because of it's flexibility. From the school of hard knocks and lessons learned. I learned to glue it down years ago. There's your tip of the day. So where's my chisel? Bored yet?
Only you would think of that. Well played. In time I will have a deadline. A place my older Bachmann equipment can sit so I can point to ... oh it don't matter. Deadline, railroad lingo for locomotives waiting on a specific track, for the torch or to be scraped. For example the track leading into your S-crap yard.
There are two section not yet in the house. The top to the elongated section and the Mini-City (for lack of a better name). Here is a picture of what the Mini-City looked like shortly after I installed it in the Train Shed, Big Bear Lake, Ca. This is the work of Greg McGinnis. He did some amazing work with "Realty" as he would describe it. "A railroad needs Realty," Greg McGinnis. Looks like, which is typical of Southern California, someone ripped off the back wheels of the Greyhound Bus. Are the axles missing as well? And, no one saw it!!! They won't be going anywhere fast. Right about now the passengers are thinking let's take the train. The Chief is in and headed E. Bound. The trolley line is interesting and at one time he had Cate-nary, overhead wires. Until small hands, wanting to play with the cars. Well, I don't think I need to explain that. First photo is mine and the second photo is courtesy of Johnny. Most of these have either been scratch-built or kit-bashed. Turned out well and I want to touch them up and get them back out on the layout. I have new street lights, the power poles will disappear into the allies. Are there allies? If not there will be. The goal will be to add some more Realty to this scene. Today, besides watching College Football, if there is any. I will be doing some demolition with the damaged track. Not looking forward to it. Thanks again for tuning in.
SP-Wolf and of course everyone else tuned in here. Did you by chance catch the Southern Pacific units I posted here? The only problem is the light package. They don't look right without it. Harrumph ! I went back and looked and you did. My bad. But that still doesn't change the light package. Aiiyiiyii !!
Rick, the "Realty" looks good. I have an odd feeling it will look even better once you get it back on the layout and tune it up Oh, and those missing wheels? Did that bus make a stop in Compton?
For sure that could happen in Compton. Hawhawhaw. No they made it as far east as the look alike Santa Fe Train Station, San Bernardino, Ca. Anything could happen in that neighborhood.
Rick, my wife said “that looks just like a street in Tijuana Mexico” so I assume that is a compliment.
