Along with assorted toddlers in parents' arms--it was a little crowded. The only damage was a few shrubs displaced along the edges. The past three years we've hosted the Xmas party for the company where my wife works, so many of folk have been following my progress. We ran three trains, mostly unattended, for about three hours without the slightest mishap until the very end--just as Santa was announced. People drifted in and out for most of the evening, but concentrated for the "show" right after dinner. Anyone who wanted to had a chance to run a train--including some of the toddlers. As all were leaving to meet Santa, I couldn't see my train through the people, but heard that all-telling "clunk!" that told me the engines were on their side. I just shut things down for the night. This morning I found the reason--a door had fallen off one of my sliding-door boxcars! That train had run perhaps 50 hours in all--probably a scale 2000 miles or more--before dropping a door. Of course, it dropped it in the most inaccessible part of the layout, on the back side of the second deck turnaround, where the third deck limits my reach. Murphy's Law. . .
Pete, Great to hear that the night went well especially since you and Jeannie have put a great deal of time and effort into the layout. Did you happen to take any pictures of everybody in the room? I'm sure everybody was impressed and you never know maybe a few new modellers in the wings. It is always satisfying when people visit your layout and enjoy the work you have done, i'm sure you feel like I do and take a lot of gratitude from their enjoyment. You and Jeannie should be congratulated for your efforts.
Having been there 50 people would be a "little" crowded to say the least. Glad everything went reasonably well. BTW: Speaking of Christmas and all, I know what Santa's bringing and I'm not telling.
Santa's already been here George. He came in a little white truck with USPS on the side and left me some great silver corrugated stuff. The red/white/green gift wrapping wasn't anything to write home about. Beyond that, anything else that shows up is gravy...
Absolutely! We're all related to Murphy! Overall, it sounds like a great evening! Perhaps there'll be a new model railroader coming forth from the crowd! Boxcab E50
Pete, I think I can guess which brand the door was. When I receive my Stuff travelling across the Atlantic, I normally have to reattach some of the IM sliding doors. No big deal. I think about fixing them in closed position with some rubber cement. Anyone has experiences with that? Have a nice Sunday, Christoph
Hemi- I ain't no engineer. I ain't no physicist. I ain't no architect. BUT I believe it all depends how big is the room and/or how thin are the people.
Christoph, Yep, it was IM, and a custom run. I will have to glue them. Hemi, I'm not sure everyone was in there all at once--it just seemed so. The people at Jeanne's company are typically in the 20s, thin, and just starting families.
There's more room than you might remember, Hemi. There's a good space down by the harbor, and another just inside the door. There's a constriction by the blurb that holds All-Brighton, but that's 40 inches wide. When I clean it up, as I did, you can fit a lot of wall-to-wall people.
GOOD GOING PETE!!! This is the type of things that gets people interested in our hobby. Whether 5, 15, 25 or 50 people, any chance for other people to see our hobby is GOOD. I'll bet at least 1 or 2 people have gone to the local hobby shop, swap meet, etc. because of "that train layout I saw at the Christmas party" We need all the new people in the hobby that we can get, don't ever turn down a chance to showcase your skills. You might introduce a future MASTER MODEL RAILROADER to the hobby!
ROTFLMAO! The company my wife works for has grown up in the past few years. No vodka jello shots this year, nor the 2 AM martinis. No overnight guests (we have four "spare" bedrooms, which have been used in the past--thank God). I didn't have to "lose" anyone's car keys this year, as in the past.
