I realize thats cause were all cooped up inside with Old Man Winter blowing that white frosty stuff outside and our garden RR’s are buried under 6 feet of snow so we cant work on them , or it seams even talk about them.[:(]
(its actually 65 and clear here in LA but thats besides the point)
[banghead][banghead][banghead]
So in a desperate attempt to get things going around here. Describe what you do during the “off season” to keep interested.[:p]
Do you detail, weather, or customize your trains in preperation for spring?[8D]
Do you build new structures? if so what?[;)]
Do you kitbash or scratchbuild, if so what are you working on now?[:I]
Do you sketch out the next phase of your empire?[|)]
Do you stock up on construction material to be prepared for spring?[^]
Do you get out into the cold and “just do it!” [8D]
Do you have a snow plow and winter operating sessions?[:p]
OR
Do sit on the sofa eating DingDongs while staring blankley at your trains sitting on the shelf waiting for the spring thaw?[:o)]
I personally try to do alot of the “workshop” type projects when its raining too much to or too cold to be outside in the garage. Current projects incude, kitbashing a new tender for a Bachman 0-4-0 and modifying a Centerville structure with a porch and corrigated aluminum roofing. Also a few other projects on a “work at leasure” timeframe.[:D]
So speak up its winter, we cant all run our trains but we can talk about what we are doing? right?[8D]
Funny you ask this, My wife said JUST last night," Don’t you have a building or switch to build? Get out of my hair go to the shop". I told her my mind has been blank on projects, I usually go through Walthers HO cat and look for structures and trackside ideas. Man , my brain is just COLD.
This time of year is when I do my outside things to the layout before the heat of the summer moves in.
Opposite of the snow birds, I hibernate in the summer.
Bud[8D][:D]
vsmith,
Winter time is building time. That or I will tear a loco completely apart for a repaint and detail job. Currently I have an Aristo 0-4-0 and tender in pieces. Started out as a Napa train and is now wearing LD&C Mountainview RR colours. That is two tone green. Just needs decalling and reassembly. That is if I can remember how it all goes back together! Oh well, just part of the fun. Anybody ever find a nice brass bell for these? Don’t like the plastic one. Also working on my basement layout. Not running yet but I’m in no hurry. Want it to look nice. Later eh…Brian.
Accucraft sells a great brass bell and Trackside Details sells a really good brass kit.
I have started to turn my attention to the scenery on my indoor layout. I hate scenery, it helped do in my earlier HOn30 layouts but I’m muleheaded determined to get it done this time, that and continuing the cut levers on my cars. As you say, no hurry, nothing but time, want to do it right.
I have a much different problem, I have no snow, no cold days, nothing to keep me indoors; I live within a days drive of the tropic of capricorn. What can you do in summer when its 32 deg C nearly every day? well I run my trains and get into the pool and watch them go round. I may also do a bit of the stuff you guys do in winter as well such as workshop activities.
Winter is the time to do outdoor work as the daytime temperature drops to about 20 deg C and the night temperature to about 10 C so you have plenty of energy as you have been able to get a good nights sleep.
Right now I am planning works for next winter which will be about 70 m track in a double flopped dogsbone roughly. I have hopes of constructing this new area layout after the local Glasshouse Mountains with a few mountains I can get made locally out of ferro cement. I will have a tunnel, a major bridge several overpasses and tracks going around the side of the mountains.
My big problem is connectiong up this new area (area 3), with the one around my pool (area 2) problem is i have the pumphouse for the pool in between. Going over or under it is not practicle, in front of it is, but has a few drawbacks .
After months of self argument and soulsearching I have decided to go behind it . The space between the pumpouse and the backfence only 135 mm (about 5 1/2") and thats not enough also there is a big post in the middle.
We had a visit from my stepson who is a qualified civil engineer and this is how we overcame these tough problmes, incidentally the problem is made mucgh worse as we have a very classy area directly behind our place which has been “Streetscaped”, a new word for me.
The fence has been lapped and capped and has two horizontal members near the bottom 200 mm (about 8") apart, not quite enough room vertically and 50 mm wide. So we built the road bed up to about 25 mm below the bottom horizontal memeber thgis hgave us just over 200 clearance on one side and th
NO, NO, get out there and run 'em!!! I’m a 325 lb Gandy Dancer when I put the track maintenance hat on and in another topic " someone mentioned the loco stops at a point and a little push gets it going… yeah, I have that in the summer and at 10 deg. F!)
look at the alligator jumpers I have to keep em going… ENJOY… I manage with 3 loco’s, 4 is best only my G motive power has been thinnnnned out… had 19 at one point in time, easy to get caught up in a hobby.
http:\homepage.mac.com\mapakubasko
Hi guys and gals,
Mr. Smith you are not far off with that 6’ of snow thing, we just had 14" of the cold white stuff dumped on us. If the wind picks up more snow will drift off the garage roof and land on the layout, GOOD GRIEF when will this end!
I like to keep a short section of track next to our sidewalk shoveled off so I won’t forget what it looks like.
As for winter projects, I am working on the HONEY-DO list before it gets any longer.
Wow, those trains look real good running in the snow, you look like you need to invest in one of those operating rotary snowplows. I’ve seen video of them in action on an outdoor layout and they really work well…[:D]
OVER THE WINTER I BUILD NEW BUILDINGS AND REPAIR AND REPAINT THE OLD ONES ,AND I CLEAN AND GREASE THE WHEELS OF MY ROLLING STOCK, AND CLEAN THE ENGINE WHEELS. BEN —PA.[:)][:D]
Further to my post of the 9th January great headway has been made with my problem of connecting area 2 up with area 3, pictures to follow. We have actually got the palings off the back fence, attached the post to the pumphouse wall and cut out a great big bit of wood out of the post. Finally got our ballast down and are now forming up the track to connect up the origonal piece of track from out of area 2 and taking it out in the correct place in area 3.
You all can guess what has happened, we have hafd another visit from my wifes son wjho is not only a civil engineer, but he is alsi a strong smart young man and he virtually did it for me! Hooray.
More to come on this,
Ian, Kawana.
PS its nearly winter here so this could be regarded as a winter projetc.
Hi Ian,
Well done to the lad for doing the donkey work. Hope you didn’t get into any trouble over the fence panels coming off overlooking the ‘classy public place’. Thinking about it, you could leave the panels off and replace them with clear perspex so the trains can be seen, that should improve the public area no end!
Cheers,
Kim
[tup]
hi all
Well it’s going down too 2c tonight so the fire is going.
and I just about finished the front of an old time shop something similar to what you would expect to see on a western movie.
It uses slab construction something the OZ people will know about.
When finished will have a corrugated iron roof and veranda so will look early Australian I hope…
The main matierials used are ice cream sticks and 4mm X 2mm ramin I think the wood is called.
regards John