Hard to believe but today marks the halfway point to the end of April. Hope you got your taxes done! After weeks of working, it was nice to relax with my fellow club members and run trains this past weekend. Work started Friday night as we set up our club T-Trak modules. Saturday morning we finished set up. I believe this is the largest set up of T-Trak modules at this show. We had one large outer loop, two inner loops and three branch lines running, so plenty to keep spectators busy. I was able to pick up my Kato Zephyr set as well as some Micro Trains low profile wheels and on Sunday I scored an undec Kato F7 with out steam generators and a single headlight. I have been looking for one of these for three or more years and to pick one up for $49.00 was the highlight of the show! I ran my CB&Q Zephyr set, Chicago Central and the B&M over the weekend. Like any show, the time was spent talking with fellow club members, looking for deals and just having fun running trains. Even driving back and forth to the event afforded me a chance to photograph a former Santa Fe GP20 and an Alco S2. All in all, a busy but fun weekend. So how about you? Did you have any shows that you were a part of? Did you go to any shows? Maybe you stayed home and worked on your layout. What did you accomplish? Let us know, with pictures if you have them. We'll come back again on Friday the 19th and do it all over again. Until then, have a great week and... ​High Greens!
Haven't gotten much done in over a month. Progress forecasted to remain slow as wife has quit work and baby #2 due in next couple weeks. I'll be sole income provider until school starts in August, so we'll be tightening our belts and I'll be grabbing all the OT I can get. Anyhow, I did manage to paint and weather my Walthers Parkview Terrace background kit. All windows and glass installed. May assemble walls together and work on stair well over next couple days.
I did some scenic work on my T-Trak modules and made a Church scene on one of them. Whenever I worked on my layout when I was growing up or building a new one, my Mother always insisted that my layouts had to have a church. So in rememberance of her influence I rescenicked one module with a church scene. Now all I have to do is order a set of wedding figures from Prieser to complete it.
Ski season is over, the taxes are done and I was able to get back into training. I printed up the decals for the flat cars and applied them, and then started the weathering process with Instant Rust on the side stake pockets and brake gear. These are wood-decked flats, and my plan is to add real wood to the tops. I was sure I had a sheet of that, but I can't find it, so there will be another trip to my LHS this week for another. Some years back when I was buying parts for the carfloat scene, I kicked myself for only buying one carfloat, as they were already out of production. Well, Walthers did another run of them, so that and a crew for the barges will be waiting for me at the LHS, too. I was annoyed that the wye and the turnout on the apron, both Tortoise-equipped, still moved with a "snap" when I turned them. I did some cleaning up and added Labelle grease to both throwrods, and to the ties below the point rails, and now both mosey across with a more stately, turtle-like pace.
