I usually take US1 rather than I95. It’s a much nicer, more scenic and more relaxing drive. I95 is about 10 minutes faster each way but there’s nothing to see.
We all order so much online, my hobby shop is 30-40 away, so I try and look around for an hour or two, and usually come out broke Mine has everything from Model Trains, Scenery, RC, War Gaming, Slot Cars, Plastic Models, it's an experience for me, and FUN! I usually only go 2-3 times a year. Sometimes mine will match online prices, sometimes Recently they added an outdoor RC track, so I want to see it soon, even though I don't do RC anymore, YET!
Another Amazon delivery, a few more small items coming in the next few days and week, and ordered a hand vacuum for my Static Grass Applicator. These are very cool. May not be correct for my area, but I don't care. At least I have some color now for my layout and diorama Might have to order some more of these?
These just came in today. What am I doing with a cattle trailer ? I am going to make this version of Earnhardt Jr's hauler : This will be my 4th and final NASCAR hauler ! ? Be well !
My Latest Purchase is the new Atlas SD60E in the "Honoring First Responders" paint scheme. I don't really model modern, but since I was able to get a photo with this locomotive at work, I figured I'd add it to my collection.
I miss the days when you would go to the hobby shop and almost always run into people you know there and end up spending more time than you had planned on visiting while you shopped. My local is also about 25 minutes away depending on traffic. I usually take the surface streets on the way there and combine a visit with other stops then take the freeway back. I seldom run into anyone I know these days as I am often the only customer. Hobby shop owner is not the talkative type and is usually on the phone taking a order to be shipped.
Resurrected this thread to post my latest purchase. Even though I vowed to not buy anything, I in fact did. Latest purchase is two Proto GP30's with decoders. They are HO (mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa) but I always liked the GP30's and when two of them appeared on Ebay for very reasonable prices I jumped on them. One is allegedly brand new while the other has had the Athearn axle gear refit (I also ordered the axle gears for the other). Apparently LIfeLike HO diesels have the same problem as Bachmann N Locomotives did. So why did I, a dyed in the wool N scale guy buy HO locomotives? I bought them because in the DARE model RR club to which I belong, as the "token N scale guy", the N scale layout has been taken over by the small kids who have no manners regarding other people's property. Besides, it is analog. The HO layout is far larger and is used by the teenage kids who have expensive locomotives themselves. So, I figure, when I am not repairing a N scale locomotive that some little urchin, who is someone's pride and joy, has attempted to destroy, I can get in some run time. Meanwhile I also bought another Amtrak Superliner coach to fill out my Amtrak train. Of course, it is N scale.
A total of 38 decoders to install on some of my Kato locomotives. Mostly F units and E units this time around.
I have an addiction to UP's large diesels from the 50's to the 70'. I lived in Laramie, WY in the 60's-70's part of the time on 1st street with UP's mainline 25 feet away across the street. I was in what was probably one of the oldest buildings in downtown Laramie and it shook every time a train went by. Had stone walls so thick you couldn't pick up TV inside. I also delivered milk for a while 60 miles north to Medicine Bow on the old highway next to UP's mainline so saw a lot of these locos then. I love the big diesels from that time period. I have too many U50's, some of the older Turbines and made a EMD DD35a and have a EMD DD35B shell that needs to go a chassis (have one). I've also tried to collect any books I can on these locos and think I'm about to the end of doing that. I have a number of books covering those large diesels and over the last 3-4 months I found 'Giants of the West by George R. Cockle' and 'Big Blow... Union Pacific's Super Turbines By Harold Keekly'. They were in the $35 to $45 range and came in good shape and aren't too hard to find. I also found 'Union Pacific's BIG GEs u50 and U50C' with a starting bid of $31.95. I'd had it on an eBay 'saved search' for a long time without seeing one. There was one on Amazon for $120 (still there) but other than that this was the first I'd seen for some time. It had a 7 day bid period and I felt for sure it would be bid up. I kept looking but never started the bidding planning on jumping in with about 5 seconds to go. I win a lot doing that but lose some also to people that have auto bids set for the last second. It also keeps me from bidding higher than I want to go as time runs out before I can bid again. I had an alert set on my phone for an hour before and the bid closed at 1:30 our time in the afternoon about when we stop for lunch and to watch an episode of the current series we are watching. The alarm went off and I forgot to reset it for a few minutes before the bid closed so missed the bid closing. I wasn't too happy with myself but went and looked to see how high it went in the last few seconds. Didn't go anywhere and someone got it for the initial bid of $31.95 (hopefully one of you). Now I really wasn't happy about not bidding. I reset the search watch thinking it might be a year or more before I saw another one at a reasonable price. Well to my surprised about 2 weeks ago I got on the computer in the morning and checked my emails and there was one from eBay with the book. Looked and it was listed at $31.95 with a 'buy it now'. Took me maybe 30 seconds to have that in the cart and pay for it. Got it the other day and it was wrapped in brown paper, bubble wrap over that and two layers of card board over that. Once I worked through all of that ..... .... I found the book in its original sleeve with a piece of addition white card stock protecting it. I took it out and it looks like it was maybe never out of that sleeve. I kind of hate bending the pages back. It is probably the most pristine book I've ever owned. It is getting used though and I'm finding out things and details about U50's and U50C's I never knew. Sumner
Aww, bless them little urchins, every one of 'em! Any chance of laying a third rail, and running HO/HON3, so you can run your N scale trains with the more refined crowd?
Not really. The HO line is modeled after the Montour RR which was a short line that was built to service the local coal mines. Originally owned by the coal company, it came under the control of the PRR and the P&LE after WWII. The RR had about 45 miles of single track mainline and used a dozen SW9's for motive power. The RR ran through the middle of the municipality where the club is located.
Just got back from the LHS, where I picked up a couple of WS built-up sheds, and a WS Electrical Substation, all in N scale. They had ordered the substation for me, plus a couple extra for the store shelves. Last night while working on the layout, I thought of a perfect place for the substation, in a location that really wouldn't support much else, so I'm excited about that. I'll just need a gravel service road, leading off-layout, for it. I also got some WS chain-link fencing for it. The substation comes with a little shed too. The LHS clerk admired the substation as he was ringing up my purchases. He and I agreed that many of these kinds of utility structures are just the ticket for adding more realism to a layout. On the way home, I started thinking about one of those pipeline valves, where the pipeline emerges from underground, goes through a valve, etc., and dives back underground. Something simple that could add interest in a very small space on a layout.
The donations were from model railroad venders and other participants at the show. This event was a blast, I can’t wait for the 2027 event!
Except today was even better. We took the morning off and went to Promontory UT and watched the reenactment of the Golden Spike Ceremony. It was a lot of fun, and I’m glad we went. Here is Jupiter, and me. Here is UP 119 And I brought home some trinkets. I did get the whole ceremony on video, but they asked us not to post it to social media, so that one stays in my computer and not on YouTube. If any of you have not done this before, I highly recommend it, and also go for the 10:00 show so you can see them run Jupiter to the meeting site. If you go to the 1:00 Jupiter will be out and ready already.
