CSS 08

Well it's November 19th today and Brigitte and I are back at work. Last week we were in the Boston area for some sight seeing and the Craftsman Structure Show. This is my second time attending this show and did I ever have a great time. It started off with a tour of my favourite model railroad, the Franklin and South Manchester Railroad. I have seen articles and videos on this railroad but seeing it person ranks right up there with one of the greatest days in my life. I was in awe at the way this railway looked. The detail is incredible. I can only hope to achieve this kind of detail on my own railway. This was on Wednesday morning, heading to Mansfield Mass. afterward for the train show. I attended clinics on building crafstman kits, weathering, making rocks, making streams and water areas, and painting plasic figures.

I also did some shopping for a few kits that I have wanted for a while. Well I purchased these and some.... now the bills are coming in and I don't care for the US exchange rate this year. I spent a little too much money this year. Oh well, I have alot of work to do and alot of cold weather coming this winter.

My layout is about to be changed a bit. I set up the benchwork so that I could see the trains go by at almost eye level. After seeing the F & SM Railroad in person, I think I might lower it a bit. So, over my days off at Christmas this year, I will take apart my benchwork and lower it a bit. I would also like to start incorporating my built kits into my railroad. I am looking forward to staring some scenery as well. The clincians at CSS 08 made it look so easy. Well that's it for now.... oh yes..... a big thanks goes out to my wonderful wife for surprising me with tickets to see the New England Patriots play football against the New York Jets. The Pats lost but it was a really great night. BYE..........................

A Hot Summer's Night

Well the hot weather is here for a while. When the weather get's hot, I don't do too much on my railroad. I spent the latter part of spring working on a kit of a bikini car wash. It has turned out very well. I will have to place it on a diorama , do some moderate scenery for a photo op, and take some pictures of it. Hopefully I can do this, this weekend and do another post to my blog.

These past few weekends I have had to work some over time. That means that I have a substantial overtime cheque coming to me. I'm thinking of purchasing a Digitrax system from Lark Spur Line. I might have to treat myself and purchase an engine with sound as well. For those of you who don't know what a Digitrax system is, here is a quick definition of it. In the old days of model railroading a person would have to seperate his railroad into blocks. These blocks there for could be controlled by an operator. Because, if you didn't seperate your layout into blocks of isolated electrical power, when you turned on the power pack, all of the engines would start moving as you throttled up. Now with DCC ( Digital Command Control ) you have small receivers in the engines and these receive a signal from the operator. For example.... an engine sitting in the yard has a number of 4422 on the side of it. The operator dials in 4422 and now he has control of this engine and no other engine will move until another operator dials up a different engine. This sytem makes for excellent operating. I have waited along time for this part of my railroad and I think now is the time to make this happen.

My benchwork in the layout room is coming together as well. I am about to start the 2 x 4 foot modules that will be connected to the permanent benchwork. These modules will be moveable and will hold my craftsman kits as well. This part of my railroad will be where the operating will take place. This area will be where the operator will drop and pick up cars from industries. I will be uploading some pictures in the near future of my benchwork.

Progress on the Rock Bunker

I have been busy working on the Rock Bunker. The stair cases are in as well as the railings. I have also attached the rock chutes at the back of the kit. The platforms and canopies are in as well. Next steps are to build the chute casting that brings the rocks up to the upper deck. As well I will have to start thinking about a base for this kit. I am thinking it will have two levels as the bunker should be a bit higher than the trucks that will back under the chutes. I would also like to use a retaining wall that I purchased from N.E. Brownstone at the Craftsman Structure show in November 2007 - Boston Mass. This wall is a casting and is a really nice quality casting. Next stop should be a base for the structure. Next stop....the base.

Craftsman Kit building

I haven't done much on my railroad in the past few weeks as I am building a Fine Scale Miniatures kit. I purchased this kit a few weeks ago from a hobby shop in Merrickville, Ontario, called Lark Spur Line. This kit was produced in 1977, I think. I found it on the shelf and was being sold on consignment. It is a great stick on stick build. Lots of wood pieces to be glued together. I built the base first and then moved up to the wood bunker up top. Next came the conveyor platform way up at the top of this massive Rock Bunker. When I need a break from working on this kit, I shall venture back into the railroad room and start working on some scenery around the mountain area. I was able to acquire some rigid pink styrofoam from a construction site on the weekend. No I didn't steal it, it is a bunch of scrap pieces that were headed for the garbage bin.

Happy New Year....

Well, I have begun construction of my model railroad.I have about 1/3 of my benchwork completed. I have started to lay some track and make sure the trains run freely on the track before proceeding any further. I am using 2x3 inch wood for this section as I need alot of support for the hydrocal rock castings that will run along the track. The supports that support the plywood are 1x4 inch pine. I have also put 1/8 inch masonite at the rear of my benchwork for a backdrop. I will prime this backdrop with a white primer and then attempt to paint some hills and trees. I did not get good marks in grade eight art class, so this could be a little frustrating. I put a valance panel near the ceiling to conceal the lights. Later on I will cover this valance with some masonite and then paint it a nice pullman green color, as well as the fascia along the benchwork.