I would like to get my Steel Mill trackage in, locate an HO Blast Furnace... Possible move, depending on the market... Learn decent weathering techniques.
Question of the year, 2007
- Thread starter ezdays
- Start date
Well, I just stumbled across this thread while searching for another...so here's my contribution.
I spent some time recently looking back over the past 5 years or so (as long as I've been married) and thinking about what I got done and when. There was a brief period of time when my wife and I were living with her folks. We didn't have a kid yet and were between jobs so I had plenty of 'spare' time. I was modeling out of a shallow plastic tub with some craft paints, a few tools and kits. That had to have been one of the most productive times in my modeling so far, in just over 20 years of model railroading.
I built a diorama of a kitbashed Life-like general store for a club contest (won first prize)that included a scratchbuilt fence, water tower and freight dock plus a WS Tack Shed and it was all fully scenicked. Also assembled and painted a Downtown Deco Franklin Garment building. Then I assembled a Northeastern wood-kit Combination baggage/passenger car. Also built the fully detailed underframe for an Ulrich Sierra shorty passenger car. Oh yeah, finished a Walthers Interlocking tower kitbash that included creating a brick effect course by course up the smooth, unfinished chimney that comes with the kit, a plank by plank staircase, and small scenicked diorama with some WS mini-scene details. Also a few shake-the-box rolling stock kits.
If I'm even half that productive in 2007, now that we have a 2-year old and I'm working full time, then I'll be thrilled.
But first off this year is getting the hobby space functional. I'm making slow progress here in the garage, but progress none the less. I may not do as much sketching and planning for folks as I begin to work on more of my own stuff. And I am really looking forward to getting my 'new' layout built as well as getting the old layout lit and begin some operating sessions. I have several train videos that folks have given me that I still haven't watched all the way through (or at all!) that I plan to enjoy. I hope to become active with the Chehalis Centralia Ry as a volunteer. Also, I plan on heading out to Tweetsie in NC and doing some video recording and photos since this is likely their last year of operations.
That enough? We'll see.
Galen
I spent some time recently looking back over the past 5 years or so (as long as I've been married) and thinking about what I got done and when. There was a brief period of time when my wife and I were living with her folks. We didn't have a kid yet and were between jobs so I had plenty of 'spare' time. I was modeling out of a shallow plastic tub with some craft paints, a few tools and kits. That had to have been one of the most productive times in my modeling so far, in just over 20 years of model railroading.
I built a diorama of a kitbashed Life-like general store for a club contest (won first prize)that included a scratchbuilt fence, water tower and freight dock plus a WS Tack Shed and it was all fully scenicked. Also assembled and painted a Downtown Deco Franklin Garment building. Then I assembled a Northeastern wood-kit Combination baggage/passenger car. Also built the fully detailed underframe for an Ulrich Sierra shorty passenger car. Oh yeah, finished a Walthers Interlocking tower kitbash that included creating a brick effect course by course up the smooth, unfinished chimney that comes with the kit, a plank by plank staircase, and small scenicked diorama with some WS mini-scene details. Also a few shake-the-box rolling stock kits.
If I'm even half that productive in 2007, now that we have a 2-year old and I'm working full time, then I'll be thrilled.
But first off this year is getting the hobby space functional. I'm making slow progress here in the garage, but progress none the less. I may not do as much sketching and planning for folks as I begin to work on more of my own stuff. And I am really looking forward to getting my 'new' layout built as well as getting the old layout lit and begin some operating sessions. I have several train videos that folks have given me that I still haven't watched all the way through (or at all!) that I plan to enjoy. I hope to become active with the Chehalis Centralia Ry as a volunteer. Also, I plan on heading out to Tweetsie in NC and doing some video recording and photos since this is likely their last year of operations.
That enough? We'll see.
Galen
Fix the scenery on the layout...by adding more weeds/grass, trees and turf where needed, and fix my black swampy-looking lake. Oh yeah...the roads...I've got to fix my downtown roads. Improve each building in some way too. All of this is realistic (as long as I also put up the crown molding I promised for the railroad's CFO and silent partner).
My MRR list of things-to-do-in-2007
1.make the Prarie star Elevator
2. make the Prarie Grain mill
3.make an engine shop
4. finish the dang layout
5.learn how to repaint an engine by myself (I want an easy one, so chose a childhood whimops: )
6.fix the F3A (the horn kinda broke off)
7.make another 4X8 table to expand my layout
8.get a DCC thing on my layout
Things that don't have a certain order:
-get my Railroading merit badge (I'm a Boy Scout)
-buy something by my own money MRR related
-get a worktable for model making
-somehow manage to embaras every rulebreaker in my school without getting in trouble (trust me, you'd wanna run them over with a GP40 too )
-blow somethin up sign1 (not really)
-make somethn on my layout animate (i.e. a twirling sign or somethin)
1.make the Prarie star Elevator
2. make the Prarie Grain mill
3.make an engine shop
4. finish the dang layout
5.learn how to repaint an engine by myself (I want an easy one, so chose a childhood whim
ops: )6.fix the F3A (the horn kinda broke off)
7.make another 4X8 table to expand my layout
8.get a DCC thing on my layout
Things that don't have a certain order:
-get my Railroading merit badge (I'm a Boy Scout)
-buy something by my own money MRR related
-get a worktable for model making
-somehow manage to embaras every rulebreaker in my school without getting in trouble (trust me, you'd wanna run them over with a GP40 too
)-blow somethin up
sign1 (not really)-make somethn on my layout animate (i.e. a twirling sign or somethin)
C
Catt
For 2,007 I want to,
(A) get the big layout operational
(B) same thing for the small one.
(C) rework my TTRAK modules
(D) get a credible amount of scenery work done on the 2TRAK layout.
Other plans are to get a handle on the workings of DCC and remember to include what scale I'm asking about when I'm asking DCC questions.
One more item on the agenda is start planning my new HO scale switching layout
[EDIT] only 5 more posts to go.
(A) get the big layout operational
(B) same thing for the small one.
(C) rework my TTRAK modules
(D) get a credible amount of scenery work done on the 2TRAK layout.
Other plans are to get a handle on the workings of DCC and remember to include what scale I'm asking about when I'm asking DCC questions.
One more item on the agenda is start planning my new HO scale switching layout
[EDIT] only 5 more posts to go.
So, let's see. In 2006, I started back into the hobby. I built a 4x8. Tore it down 3 months later. Started my around the room. Stopped when I realized it was just a big non-functional loop. Started on my 3rd trackplan.
For 2007, I am going to build my railroad and actually start running trains. Many people here have made me think about operations. So, this year will be the year of I-am-going-to-build-an-operations-focused-layout-and-lay-the-first-piece-of-track-before-New-Years-of-2008-without-ripping-it-up-after-3-months.
May be a tall order. . . .
For 2007, I am going to build my railroad and actually start running trains. Many people here have made me think about operations. So, this year will be the year of I-am-going-to-build-an-operations-focused-layout-and-lay-the-first-piece-of-track-before-New-Years-of-2008-without-ripping-it-up-after-3-months.
May be a tall order. . . .
In twelve months?
1) Finish the six articles currently on my planner
2) Finish my first book
3) Get both layouts operational
4) Help a friend start his book
Easy enough to get it all done by the end of the summer if I don't add more projects to the agenda. *sigh*
1) Finish the six articles currently on my planner
2) Finish my first book
3) Get both layouts operational
4) Help a friend start his book
Easy enough to get it all done by the end of the summer if I don't add more projects to the agenda. *sigh*
In 2007 I am going to learn as much as I can about the hobby.
Finish resetting both layouts in Bachmann roadbed track and learn how to wire them.
learn how to build real scenery and not just toss buildings around.
Find some local modelers in Western Mass. to help me.
My goal being an open house for the West Springfield show in 08, wife permitting.
John
Finish resetting both layouts in Bachmann roadbed track and learn how to wire them.
learn how to build real scenery and not just toss buildings around.
Find some local modelers in Western Mass. to help me.
My goal being an open house for the West Springfield show in 08, wife permitting.
John
I plan to actually build our first detailed layout (thus far its only been ez track stuff). Feb I plan to finish the benchwork and lay the foam and start drawing out the track plan.
Before the end of the month I hope to finish my roundhouse project and organize and store all of my items.
Who knows where it will lead!
Before the end of the month I hope to finish my roundhouse project and organize and store all of my items.
Who knows where it will lead!
My world
Well Hope tohave this addition complete by Feb/March, have the kitchen and laundry room complete SOI CAN BUILD MY TRAINS, I have a 14x14 room 90% complete but not allowed to do anything with it until the others are complete:cry:
Then its off to the building in MAr and hopefully have trains running no later that Summer 07
Tony
Well Hope tohave this addition complete by Feb/March, have the kitchen and laundry room complete SOI CAN BUILD MY TRAINS, I have a 14x14 room 90% complete but not allowed to do anything with it until the others are complete:cry:
Then its off to the building in MAr and hopefully have trains running no later that Summer 07
Tony
#1 convert a usra light mikado to NKP by scratch building a new boiler to the commercial mechanism.
#2 complete 1 NKP passenger car train...scratch build an 80 series coach and potentiall a pair of 18 roomettes.
#3 complete DSP&P pay car...or another DSP&P passenger car. Pay car under construction.
#4 (may supercede #3) scratch build several DSP&P way cars, NKP 1000 series cabooses, or DSP&P freight cars.
#2 complete 1 NKP passenger car train...scratch build an 80 series coach and potentiall a pair of 18 roomettes.
#3 complete DSP&P pay car...or another DSP&P passenger car. Pay car under construction.
#4 (may supercede #3) scratch build several DSP&P way cars, NKP 1000 series cabooses, or DSP&P freight cars.
My plans are to come up with a modular type layout that can be set up with ease because my space is limited. I have to use my bedroom so I'll start with 2x4 ends for the curved sections and 2x4 sraight sections with 2 main lines and sidings and a yard. that way I can have more than 4 straight sections to set up at shows and malls when I get done. I may go longer with the straight sections. I model in s gauge so space is small at home. I just got my first acceccory,
the saw mill from RailKing by M.T.H. for 65.00 at the Plano, Texas train show.
the saw mill from RailKing by M.T.H. for 65.00 at the Plano, Texas train show.
I swear I'm going to get active in the hobby again in 2007. In the last 3 or 4 years my wife & I've done a lot of travelling (There we were sitting in a hotel room in Prague watching the 1st day of the Iraq invasion on TV but with no narrative in a language we understood --- wierd) and I did some house remodeling, and I broke a shoulder and messed up the rotator cuff in the other one, and on and on. It just seemed I couldn't do more than armchair model railroading.
I've got to clear the dust and junk out of my railroad room and get back to it.
And I've got to catch up with the Gauge. It doesn't seem that long ago that we counted our members in the hundreds !!!
Bill S
I've got to clear the dust and junk out of my railroad room and get back to it.
And I've got to catch up with the Gauge. It doesn't seem that long ago that we counted our members in the hundreds !!!
Bill S
Thoroughbreed said:Secure land and new home for the family, buy a used 14x60 mobile home (cheaper than a storage building,plus already has electrical, insulated, and finished walls) to house my new layout. Wife and I were discussing the layout earlier, and I said it was going to be 2 levels, she said to make it 3 and put 2 classification yards on itjawdrop . (I think shes been reading my MRR and RMC books when I'm not looking)
We'll be signing contracts for the land/home Monday.
2.13 acres with 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath, 2400 sft. homeballoon6
Most of my train stuff is already boxed up and sitting in the lr right now. 14 boxes total, and I haven't even removed the engines from display or taken the case down. I still have about 45~50 engines sitting out, that I've been working on.
For once in my life, I wont have to worry about rent or a mortgage. It feels good to own my home outright, but at the price I paid (health). Forced to retire at 40 isn't fun, but frees up alot of time for my hobby:thumb: :thumb: :thumb: train97
As soon as I get the money I want to finish my two big bridges. After that finish the trees I started. Add some ground cover vegetation [looks like the moon just now LOL]. Maybe even get started on the buildings. That's about it I think. If I win the lottery I will do more of course
racer25j hello and welcome. May I suggest you read a lot and ask a ton of questions. The people here are very helpful and some of us even know what we are talking about [or we think we do anyhow LOL]
Grab a cuppa and relax and have fun.
racer25j hello and welcome. May I suggest you read a lot and ask a ton of questions. The people here are very helpful and some of us even know what we are talking about [or we think we do anyhow LOL]
Grab a cuppa and relax and have fun.
In 2006 I got the standard gauge part of my layout operational. Now for 2007 my priority objective is laying all of the main line track of the narrow gauge line. And then - finally! - I'm looking forward to start landscaping.
In between (as the mood strikes) there are a lot of cars waiting for Kadee couplers, at least one or two engines should get a DCC decoder, and there are lots of structures to build.
Ron
In between (as the mood strikes) there are a lot of cars waiting for Kadee couplers, at least one or two engines should get a DCC decoder, and there are lots of structures to build.
Ron
Oh MAN!!! I thought you abandoned us and the hobby!!!Bill Stone said:
2 shoulder problems?!?!? Good thing you don't have any more Glad to hear you're getting better, so you can get back to what you enjoy Take care and stop in often
It might take you 'till 2008 to catch up here ~~ See ya around!!
fsm1000 said:racer25j hello and welcome. May I suggest you read a lot and ask a ton of questions. The people here are very helpful and some of us even know what we are talking about [or we think we do anyhow LOL]
Grab a cuppa and relax and have fun.
I have found that out. Thanks for the welcome.
Start the scenery on my mini-layout.
The rails are soldered and painted, I have 3 structures built, I'm just waiting for my N Scale culvert ( I should get it this week ) so I can carve a pond in the pink extruded foam and glue it.
I have everything to finish the scenery: I made paper wads for the hills, casted some rocks and purchased the tan latex paint, plaster cloth, the turf, talus and ballast.
The rails are soldered and painted, I have 3 structures built, I'm just waiting for my N Scale culvert ( I should get it this week ) so I can carve a pond in the pink extruded foam and glue it.
I have everything to finish the scenery: I made paper wads for the hills, casted some rocks and purchased the tan latex paint, plaster cloth, the turf, talus and ballast.
