Start up the Christmas music from Andy Williams, Bing Crosby and yeah, the Beach Boys too! It's time once again for a special Christmas edition of Weekend Modeling Plans! Friday: Both the Domestic Goddess and I have the day off in observation of Christmas and since this year I successfully got all the cards out, presents wrapped and house decorated, I get to relax and spend time in the garage. I plan to work on the next design phase of the City Job modules and that is the 1/2-inch x 4-inch x 46.5-inch side pieces or front and back. I only have one sheet of 1/2-inch ply left so I'm tempted to get one more sheet tonight after work as it will be in the high 50's tomorrow and the more, I can kit now, the better my chances of getting a good start in the assembly of the modules before it gets really cold. I'm halfway to gluing all the foot adjusters on the legs and would really, really like to finish sand them this weekend and stain them in the garage. We shall see. CHRISTMAS: Well, no modeling this day. The younger side of the family comes over for Christmas brunch and the tree. My youngest Beagle, Lucy, will assist with all unwrapping of presents. She will be competing with the 2-year-old Granddaughter as she too likes to open everyone's presents. I have my money on Lucy as to who will win! After the kids leave, I plan to have a nice Christmas with just Ang and the dogs. I anticipated this and picked up some of her favorite wine and I will enjoy a few Gin and Tonics or Egg Nog while recovering from the morning madness. Sunday: Or what I like to call, Christmas part 2. We'll head to Angela's hometown to have Christmas with her grandmother and her dad. I'm pretty excited to see how he likes his gifts I got him. Being a fellow Harley Davidson and Ford fan, his gift shopping is by far the most fun. On a personal note, this will be my first Christmas without my mom. Christmas by far was her favorite time of year and some of my best memories are from the many traditions we shared. So far, I have been good and held it all in and I pray I can continue to do so. For all those out there who have lost a loved one this past year and will be missing them at this festive time, my heart goes out to you. Remember their spirit lives on in our thoughts and memories. So, here we are, the end of 2022 is near and a lot of us have a busy weekend meeting friends and family. Enjoy the memories you are about to make, live in the laughter of the little ones as they enjoy the holiday, embrace, love and cherish all that you do this weekend as it is such a special time. We will return on Monday the 27th to see how our holiday went and why not get some great pictures of your Christmas trains to share with us on Monday? Until then, be merry, be safe, stay healthy and above all... MERRY CHRISTMAS!! & High Greens!
Soltice, (12/21/21): Has come and gone but I'm still trying to line up the best angle with my two towers in combination with the now 1yo's birthday. Today: Bright and sunny along with chilly. I have chaild care in the morning so will putter around the layout while watching 'Baby Zilla' who has been bipedal since he was 10 months. This afternoon I'll do up Christmas Greetings on the layout to put on / in my used gondolas and flat cars. Ooops, baby care just started, (mommy / wife) are going trou to get hair done. so more later.
My goals for this weekend is to keep working on scenery on the one deep area of the layout so I can get the upper level benchwork built and in place by New Years. I would also like to install more fascia-mount ground throws on the operable part of the layout. Of course Santa is expected to pay us a visit, so Saturday will be hectic and I won’t be in the layout room that day. (Although I have gathered some intel that indicates I have been a good boy this year ) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Good morning to Y'all and Merry Christmas! Working in and around Christmas festivities - I hope to finish my latest F7 project. Y'all have a great and fun filled Christmas with Family and friends Wolf
Merry Christmas to all! I hope everyone’s Christmas is merry and bright. Since I’ve e been home all week I’ve been trying to get stuff done. How bit slowly. Yesterday I was able to install two out of seven switch machines. I hope to finish that today. No plans on going any where. Christmas Eve I should be able to work on the train room a bit. Christmas nothing will get done however I may be in the train room running some noisy trains. Sunday- yes I will work on more stuff. I need to wrap up some stuff and get be ready for modules next month. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
We'll have family staying with us over Christmas and even with a full house, I think I'll eek out some model railroading, identifying block locations (mine's primarily a DC road) and wiring for turnouts, with the goal to have a clear plan on how I'll route wires under the layout. I also want to finalize my next order of Kato Unitrack. These pieces will lay out my segment of raised track. I find that carefully planned order quantities allow me to better focus on one section at a time, lessen waste and keep within budget.
Get a little extra time away from the office this weekend but plenty of activities to fill the void. Friday: It's become a tradition for my son and I to go Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve morning to get at least one present. We have been doing that together for 12 years now. Usually upon returning home, we have lunch and the wife will send me to the grocery store for any last minute items. After that, I hope to get a couple of free hours to work n the layout. Couple of projects in the works plus there is always a little scenery type stuff to do. One thing that is different this year is normally I will grill some chicken and steaks for Christmas Eve dinner but my grill gave up the ghost recently and the wife got me a new one as an early Christmas present but it is very heavy and I probably won't get any help to assemble and move it into place until Saturday afternoon. Saturday: No modeling. All about Christmas, guest, and the big lunch feast plus hopefully getting the grill set up. Sunday: Rest, recoup and maybe back to some time on the layout. Will be a play it by ear type of day. Now then, let me put on my red shirt and exclaim, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!!!
I get only Christmas Eve off, but that's it. Otherwise just normal work schedule. No special plans. I've jumped in over my head scanning slides, but do hope to break away for a few moments to the modeling bench. The hours just seem to fly by.....
Yep, been there too. There were times when I wondered if I'd ever be done with scanning. I never regretted not doing it commercially though. Too much risk of losing slides, high cost and uncertain results. Sometimes though, excellent slides didn't scan well. I spoke to an author and he has two scanners of differing brands, finding that sometimes on certain slides, one scans better than the other and vice versa. He's never been able to figure it out.
Another aspect, I have noticed that the processing itself varied, a lot. As the years passed, quality of doing that task went down. By the time I took my last slides, about 1999-ish, some looked as though they'd been souped in sewer water. No wonder a certain company faded away, producing messes such as that for their customers......
Good morning all. It will be a quiet holiday weekend here, just my wife and I with no plans other than that she will make us a great dinner on Christmas eve. I'll be working on the remaining turnouts I need for Carlin, the expansion of my layout that I am currently working on. Everyone have an enjoyable holiday.
First of all, Merry Christmas! Next, I hope all have a fun, safe, happy holiday! Third, I am finishing the boxcar. The brake wheel is going on if I can rig a vertical stanchion. Then stirrup steps. Then, holiday time!
So Ya, I think I got the 'Solstice / Birthday' shadow lined up but not much else. Much better. Frieday: Um, no idea. Saturday: Um, er, nope, still nothin. Sunday: Um, er, let me see, ah, nada, no tengo Mondy? I give up.
You are SO right on that. I think Kodak sold or farmed out its processing to an entity called Kodalux and it was a downhill ride from there. It was also during this period that I began to randomly lose boxes of slides, some mailed and some using a nearby photo store, all through Kodalux. Frustrated with lost slides and terrible processing, I ended up quitting rail photography for several years until digital cameras became better and more affordable.
Yup. Lost boxes. Mine started in 1980, when they lost a 36 exposure of K64, from my next to last chase day of the MILW. Am still beyond unhappy about that one.
Nothing really specific, just continue to work on the C & L and maybe if I get the decoders in the mail, try to install one and a new motor into the Atas U25B's? Scenery mock up, etc...
Good morning and Merry Christmas to each and every one of you. Today, Friday: Wont' be a lot of modeling. Maybe a couple of decals on a flat car I've had going. I've done one side and may start on the other, just to keep it going. I have about an hour of last minute shopping and then wrapping stuff. Later this afternoon we'll head up to Gaston Lake to my sister's home for Christmas Eve dinner. Christmas: Will be with family coming here for the afternoon and then Christmas dinner. I'll be searing a large tenderloin on the smoker and then the Mrs. will finish it in the oven. No modeling other than maybe looking my books, etc. during those rare minutes of down town. Sunday and Monday AM. Will be in the train room doing something. Either cleaning track and/or scenery. Monday afternoon, my son wants to take me to see the new Matrix Resurrections movie. This whole upcoming week, I will be off and my plans are to spend the time taking down the tree and modeling. So it is a looong weekend right through January 4 when I go back to the office for a few days. Peace of mind and health to all.
Not, much going on today, may do some masking if I have time, but we are going to my son's house for Christmas Eve, dinner and opening gifts. Saturday and Sunday, try to finish the masking then apply the second color to a couple of cars and then starting to decal them after the paint dries. Will also continue work on a second Tangent 86' Hi Cube car with end of car cushioning instead of the Hydra Cushion of the first car. Also need to start building another covered hopper or gondola kit. Merry Christmas! Rick Jesionowski
Christmas day we will spend with the family of which there is only my wife, daughter, son, and myself. Both my wife and I are only childern and our families were older when we met. Most of my relatives are spread out over Ohio, Florida, California, and Alaska. While dinner is cooking I might be able to get some modeling in. I have been inventorying my kits and unweathered rolling stock and I hope to continue to do so. I hope everybody has a Merry Christmas.
Arrrgh. I still think of my lost roll shot in the early-80s around Bluefield, WV with N&W power in abundance and another from Waycross, GA shot in 2000, and there were others lost too. An older friend lost a super fine slide of an SAL caboose taken in SAL days when he wanted an enlargement made. When it went missing, the photo processor asked, "Can you shoot it again?" Well no, not hardly.
