Welcome back to not only the gateway to the weekend but also to 2024! Hard to believe 2023 is about to be over. What a year. Let's talk about what we have planned for this weekend and maybe our 2024 model Railroad goals. Friday: Probably a full day, but I'm excited because where I work, Athearn, is releasing a model of my hometown locomotive. Ever since I was in grade school, I wanted a model of New England Southern GP18 #503. Now it will be a reality. We'll announce all the other new items this morning around 9:00am central and Rock Island, Conrail, Southern and N&W fans will not be disappointed. Saturday: Ang and I agreed that since we have been running since Thanksgiving, that this will be a weekend of rest and relaxation. I plan to sleep in and enjoy my coffee while watching a list of YouTube videos on a neat switching layout. One good byproduct of last weekend's gift wrapping is my workshop is clean and ready for some model railroading. I would like to work on the N scale layout in some capacity, whether it be the fascia or installing the last three servo turnouts. Later, my N scale buddy and the wives are going to celebrate New Years by going to one of our favorite Japanese restaurants. Sunday: As Hermans Hermits said, "Second verse, same as the first." Sleep in, coffee, video series on switching layouts to get inspired and motivated. Some time will also be set aside to take down and put away Christmas decorations as well. The wife and I have decided we have way too many Christmas decorations so we will sit down and make piles to donate, keep and give to the kids. We have a big change coming up we hope by spring and want to be prepared with our items packed and ready and not move items that will ultimately be thrown away or given away. I doubt we will stay up past 10:00pm so ushering the new year will take place when we are asleep. NEW YEARS DAY: A new day and a new year. I will repeat the sleep in and coffee theme and will probably take down all the outdoor Christmas decorations. We typically spend the first of the new year cleaning and organizing. I like looking at the first day of the new year as a clean sheet of paper. Full of potential. Any time left over will likely be used on the N scale layout. 2024 Model Railroad Plans: I have a lot I want to get done this year. I've been working on a YouTube channel, mainly to document my N scale layout and I want to pursue that a bit more. I plan to invest both time and money into this during the months of January and February. The beginning of the year I plan to work on the N scale switching layout and hope to have trains running soon. By March I'll be working on two FreeMo modules that will become my HO switching layout in my office and will serve as the new backdrop for Train Tuesday as well as be a part of our FreeMo meets we have in the spring and fall. After April, I plan to work on the NTrak module I built two years ago and put a lot of effort into building some structures and populating the module, so it is ready for Galesburg RR Days in June. June through September will likely see me take a break as family vacation, car shows, motorcycle trips and other outdoor activities will take up most of my attention. By October, I hope to be working on the N scale layout again right up until Thanksgiving. There are plenty of other things in there, but for me the three top model railroad goals are: Continued work on the N scale switching layout. Complete two FreeMo HO modules/home switching layout. NTrak module completion of scenery and structures. So how about you? What is your model railroading plans for this long weekend? Let us know. Then let us know what your long-term goals for 2024 are. We'll assemble again on Tuesday, January 2nd, 2024, to see how we did and where we are going. Until then, have a great weekend, be safe and... HAPPY NEW YEAR! & High Greens!
Weekend: *Almost* Nothing got done over the past week with family here. Priority: All Days Recover from a week of bad high fat / high salt / high calorie eating. Long walks, sunshine, diet and sleep. Low Stress Friday: Try to paint stratification layers on 'Monster Mountain' Saturday: Re-design industrial area and yard lead to see if I can live sans-run-a-round track for now. Saturday / Sunday figure out wiring for 2 train operation now that I know the turnouts are not power routing. Edit: The next 12 Months Slowly / gradually Add structures Add People / animals Create removable 'Mystrium Mine' to sit across the 'main' in the SE Corner. This will force a point to point operation. Mine will be removable when guest are viewing. Paint backdrops.
Happy Friday and Happy New Year to Y'all!! My plans - kind of simple - For my SP H12-44: Add air tank stripes. Then start fabricating and adding hand rails - and other details. For my AT&SF H12-44: restart the decaling process. I'll try not to foul this up. As for the new year: I have 6 weeks of work left - I go into the office for the last time on Feb. 15th. From there - ? All is up in the air. So, Y'all have a great, safe and healthy New Year!! God bless, Wolf
Happy last Friday of 2023 everyone!!! Friday is most likely a full day today. Not much chance of bailing early. After work, will pick up the wife and we are heading to Sam's and the grocery to get both regular supplies and some extra items for having guest over on New Year's Eve. Saturday will try and sleep in but probably won't be a able to. Much like Jim, I'll head down to the layout and brew some coffee and see what I might find on You Tube to have on while working on the layout. My big project will be to continue working on the new fascia. Got a first coat of paint on it earlier this week and am pleased so far. Still needs a second coat so hopefully that will happen Saturday morning. After that, I'll un bundle all the track power wires and wires for the switch machines and start rerouting those now that I have a firm idea where they will meet the fascia. There are a lot of papers, documents, and fliers that have accumulated in the train room over the last several months and I may get started on organizing some of that. It's really my Monday plan but a head start might help. Sunday will be a busy day. After the normal morning routine, my fist goal is to make some additions to my work cart that I keep under the layout. Never put a bottom shelf in it and while it's been super handy so far on the current project, I'm seeing the need to get that done and another possible upgrade if I have the materials. We'll see where we are on the fascia and what time left will allow. Then a quick organizing of the room and make sure some trains are ready to roll if our guest want to see the layout. By then it will be time to help the wife start dinner and prep for arrival of guest. Monday's plan is to start will a lot of coffee and get all the loose papers and stuff in the train room more organized. May do a little with the fascia if I make decent progress on Saturday and Sunday. Have one other project I have been putting together for January 1st 2024 and hopefully it will work out nice. We'll see and I'll report on it when we meet back after the weekend. I do know that January is shaping up to be a busy month at work so I'll also be doing my best to relax and enjoy this last 3 day weekend for a while. Haven't really laid out any MRR goals yet for 2024. Something to think about the next couple of days I guess. To all my friends here on TrainBoard, I wish you all a happy, healthy, safe, and very HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
Good morning and New Years greetings. Plans for the weekend are: Friday: Start taking down the Christmas tree as well as doing about 1 1/2hrs of office work. Time permitting, will work some on the Bakers Country Store and gas station. Saturday: Continue taking down decorations on the inside of the house. The goal is by New Years Eve late afternoon, the inside of the house is back to normal. Also plan on taking care of a few things in the layout room. Sunday, New Years Eve: Pick up lobsters in the AM for New Years dinner. My daughter and her husband are coming over to have dinner with us. I'll boil us each a lobster. Will also spend some time in the workshop and layout room. Monday: The plan is to "chill" and focus mostly on modeling tasks. Everyone have a great New Years holiday and weekend. For those traveling out of the house for thissa and thatta New Years Eve, be safe and safe travels. Here's a shot of the Country Store gas station w/ the walls assembled.
Good morning everyone, Today will start out with the wife and I getting vaccinations for RSV. That's something new so we'll see how we feel for the rest of the day. I'll likely try to just take it easy for the rest of the day and maybe get out to the train room for a while. On Saturday morning it's a trip to our nearby Japanese market to pick up items for New Years eve. After that, a buddy and I are going to go see an exhibit of a modular N Scale layout at a history museum. The traditional New Years eve celebration for my wife and I is a dinner which includes long noodles and watching a Japanese New Years eve program on TV. A generous amount of sake being consumed throughout the evening. We are seldom still up by midnight. Projects in the train room include finishing the GHQ crane, and continuing work on the hillside at the eastern end of the layout. I have been making regular updates on these projects on the TB winter layout party thread. I have also started working on the Ntrak club's smaller yard which is in need of the same type of electrical maintenance as the big yard was. So, may you all have a safe, fun, and enjoyable New Year holiday.
I like many other's got almost nothing done this last week until last nite where I finished decaling two cars. Friday, took my wife to the Orthopedic Surgeon's office for her pre-surgey information and therapy setup. I then went to work and in the evening it will be bowling. Saturday, hope to make it to the club after missing last week, and then maybe some modeling in the afternoon and evening. I am currently working on an RBL that needs to be painted and a 60' Auto Parts boxcar that I am decaling, had to get another set as I screwed up some of the decals. Sunday, will be doing the laundry and some more modeling including picking the next group of cars to build. Rick Jesionowski
@Jim Wiggin, fine set of goals. Yep. Low stress is good. Those H12-44's are going to look cool. Yep. Time for 2024 goals. I am really liking Baker's Country Store! Long Noodles sounds flavorful. I hate it when I mess up decals! The above pic features the complete passenger train. This is the south bound Gulf Coast Special now boarding at the Murphysboro depot. In the lead is GM&N #33, 4-4-0, followed by Mobile and Ohio Railroad baggage/mail #101, Coaches 502 and 501, diner 705 and sleeper 608. Moving off to the left is GM&O Consolidation 2998. This project was completed the morning of December 26th before I went to my daughter and her family's home in North Alabama. This train relieves a serious problem mentioned previously. Specifically, passengers were tired of sitting in boxcars and sometimes "bindlestiffs" would infiltrate as well. I have about seventeen goals for The Omega Scale Railway in 2024. Some were relisted from 2023. I hope everyone does set goals for the new year. Both hobby and personal. I wish everyone on the forum a Happy and Safe New Year!
I'll be lucky to find any time for the layout this weekend. Today is Lori's last day at work. She's not officially retiring yet, as she will be supervising a year- long project, but she is stepping down from her Senior VP position for part time remote work. There will be a reception this evening, and then tomorrow I'll be hosting a similar event for friends and neighbors here at home. Sunday is of course NY Eve, and we have friends to visit before going out to dinner with another couple in the evening. My best hope for time on the layout is Monday, but first the Christmas decorations have to put up and the tree taken down. All this also hinges on my brother recovering from an undisclosed illness that put him in the hospital 90 miles away earlier this week so that another trip there isn't so urgent. And after all that, we have to start packing for the winter escape in the new southern home next Friday. Happy New Year, everyone.
Track planning!!!!! I didn’t have the chance to take vacation over Christmas so I am taking today and the following week off. Friday-I slept in today and am working on my track plan. I’ve spent some time over the last couple of weeks on it, then lost a file, but it’s for the best. Because every time I stepped away for a moment, I resolved an issue that had been bugging me in the design. Usually on my train commute to/from work. So I’m working on the track plan today and then doing some laundry and dishes as they cycle through the machines. Saturday we may spend with some friends and play board games. Sunday I may do some more track planning during the day and then stay in with the family and do even more board games until the ball drops…or I do. For 2024: 1) Complete benchwork and track for the “Chicago” part of my layout-which will be the following areas: Western Avenue Metra Yard, the industrial area (freelanced area beside the Metra Yard for switching), the Schiller Park Intermodal Yard, and a dense residential/light between the two yards. 2) Mock up structures so I can run trains a bit and see if I want to make changes before I scenic things. 3) Reach Goal-scenic some of the industrial area. Once I’ve got “Chicago” areas at a reasonable level of scenery completion I’ll move on to the next phase which will be northern Illinois suburban/rural scenes to the Wisconsin border and a permanent staging yard. I’ll use Schiller as a temp yard until it’s all completed. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Started repainting a PRR Atlas RS-3 into 1950's Grand Trunk (not Western) green and yellow scheme. Found an interesting tool to "wipe" off road numbers and other lettering - the rough side of a two-sided track-cleaning pad! A discovery made when thinking how to easily and gently rub off existing lettering from the RS-3. I wandered into my train room and it caught my eye. I could use the smoother, light-colored side to smooth and clean off the area worked with the rougher, darker side. Very good results! Once this one is finished, it will be my fifth RS-3 in the fleet. All Atlas with Kato guts. Impressive when run all together.
I refuse to commit to a model railroad progress plan as there is so much football to watch. That said with the college portal and star players not playing it almost makes the bowl games boring and mute. They ruined it!
Friday: By the time I am writing this Friday is almost done. We had a full day of work which was not supposed to be since it was the last day of work before a holiday. However due to the flooding of the project site yesterday there was a large amount of clean up to do. I did get the last of the window frames in the Ashmore Hotel kit installed. Saturday: Need to run to the pharmacy. Hopefully my wife’s mounjaro will finally be in stock. With any luck they will be able to do something about the improper prescribing of the medication for weight loss so that it is available for the diabetics how need it. We also need visit the grocery store and get the supplies for New Years Day dinner. There is laundry and some house cleaning. Continue working on the Ashmore Hotel kit. Sunday: Take it easy. Do any last-minute running. Laundry. Last until midnight and then be asleep a half hour later. Ashmore Hotel and perhaps run some trains. Monday: Watch some of the Parades including the Philadelphia Mummers Parade in particular the Fancy Brigades. Laundry. Ashmore Hotel and train running. 2024 RR Plans Build a couple more buildings for the downtown area. Construct roads in the downtown area. Ballast track and install scenery. Weather some cars. Inventory my passenger cars. Install more DCC decoders. Clear extra stuff off the layout. Run Trains.
I agree. The damage NCAA is doing to themselves is stunning. Sickening. But, after their demise we'll have more hobby time!
Hoping to catch a couple of specific football games. Otherwise, I picked up some art paints, thinking of star ting some scenery work. And continuing to letter my HOn30 log car project. And who knows what else.....?
Hey All, Yes, late to the party this weekend. I have a pile of cars to weather and finish up decaling. Over the past few days, been "modernizing" some of the recent releases from Home Shops to remove the ACI placards and give updated stenciling. This weekend, we'll try to get some more weathering in and maybe start a new diorama for posing structure models and other projects. We'll see... Up today, finishing up this Neosho Valley Lines car for Stafford County Flour Mills. A little light weathering, some air lines and cut levers for the Athearn RTR base model, repainted from a CNW car. I added several detail decals to the set provided by Brad Bourbina (NVL superintendant). Happy New Year All! -Bob T.
Yes, I too am late to the show but I agree with BcE50 in the feelings towards NCAA rulings that have ruined the college sports world, IMHO ! Who was the brainiac that dreamed up the transfer portal, and why should players be able to opt out of a bowl game because they want to be whole for the NFL draft. Pure BS and now the NCAA is talking about paying college athletes, more BS. Off of soap box and on to the thread topic: I posted a project several months ago but I am not sure if I posted the final result, so here it is: Now for 2024 I shall continue with this project : Just to prove that I do finish projects here is an image of all of my N scale trucks that I have completed over 3-4 year span : Thanks for looking, Have a sane, safe, happy celebration for New years ! carl PS: Wolf, congratulations for your upcoming retirement in February, you will wonder how you are going to have time to do all the "honey do's."
View attachment 277912 Your modern equipment modeling is just as excellent as your vintage equipment. I often wondered why most of the photo scenes you photograph contain few buildings, but I'm sure it makes it easier to interchange the 20's/30's and present day. Great modeling.
Thanks @mrhedley , very much appreciated. Many of the photos are on dioramas with scenery, and maybe a place for a structure or two. I am working on a 1980s layout build, including a new outbuilding, but will be several months before we will have some modern structures. Happy New Year! -Bob T.
Consider that LSU took it to the last 38 seconds, and both Washington and Michigan upset their opponents, I'd say yesterday's bowl slate turned out just fine. The alleged death of the NCAA Division 1 football programs is about as certain as the alleged death of our hobby.
