Last year I spent too much time building cars, So this years goals is the same from last year, build structures and fix the ones I have. Not always fun but someone has to do it.
Hi Jack, Our winters are pretty short but our springs are unpredictable. It seemed the late fronts came through every weekend this last spring. We had our annual rainfall the first 3 month of the year. I’m still working on one of my tunnels that I am enlarging to have a small porter and mining cars running in and out above the the main track. This is an On-30 bashed for a G scale man to operate and the track is On-30.
Winter time is making scale lumber and building. I have a large shop and when I like, I lay out my travel track I use for club playdays and special events. Usually lay out 15’ X 30’ with inter loop and siding, switches are hard wired to a home made control box, locos are Airwire and Phoenix sound. What a thrill to see the little kids lay down on the floor and watch the trains go by.
Though I do have a few “projects” that will have to get done over the course of the winter–they’re fodder for columns. (Nothing like a bit of incentive to get things done.) But aside from those two projects, I’ve got a passenger car and box car that sit unfinished on my workbench, and a locomotive kitbash/scratchbuild project that’s awaiting the arrival of suitable drivers that will also be started. And if none of these projects get finished this winter, no big deal. Next winter will arrive soon enough.
Interesting thoughts here. In the part of the world I live in the seasons seem to roll much into each other. The only very noticeable difference between winter and summer is the shorter daylight days. Yes there are hot summer days, and cold winter ones as well, very rainy times and very dry times irrespective of seasons. So all in all it seems that train operating, maintenance and construction work happen to suit the weather.
Having had the railroad operational for almost a year I have needed to do a very small amount of ROW maintenance, I have built a timber truss bridge and have added to my rolling stock. I have built a fewloads for gonds and flat beds and am now looking at the lineside structures. I have left the lineside structures and buildings until now as I was not sure where, due to plant and bush growth, they could be sited.
The head gardener now needs to be tactfully approached regarding the removal, or re-siting, of some plants. [(-D]
Actually I am going to try and un-stall one of three stalled projects don’t know if it will be Cauldron Cottage the Castle or I M Slaks Magical Emporium.
Are you going to do the little red trailer for the CDR railcar??
I probably will build one of the little goods wagons for it to haul, maybe I’ll use it for a second battery source location. Hearing that they were red is a good thing to know. The last time I got it out for a picture it looked like this:
Do be aware that the trailer is a goods van the picture I saw showed it being the same red as on the rail car.
Other goods stock I think was grey looking at your efforts I think I will wait for a kit to come out, that cab looks quite a complex construction job and very nicely done.
I still have not touched the IP Annie?? rail car Kit I have the plan is to make a metal chassis for it and use an IP D Dept closed wagon for a trailer PHEW!! no mice about to spoil the plan.
i have a bit of envy for you guys with established layouts. i am hoping to build mine this fall. i have until the end of feb. before baby number 3 comes around, so time is speeding up. built my trestle template this weekend. next i will scale lumber (cedar 2x6’s). looks like i will be setting up to use flex track, handlaid rail, battery & rc. i specifically wanted to have it going before Christmas so the boys and i can run it in the snow, have a large bay window that they can control from on the inside and ol’ dad can do the running in and out (if necessary). truthfully i probably wont make the deadline considering the larger number of variables in getting a competent layout together ($), i figure that whether i have everything by then or not doesnt matter so much. i will at least be tackling the list so that the progress is made as timely as possible. the dollar challenge is actually entertaining, allows me to do as i was taught (by a family of farmers), find rough raw materials and cobble the product with a high degree of craftsmanship. looking forward to the hobby.
