Welcome back to the gateway to the weekend, and in this case, the last weekend of April. 2024 is moving fast so get out there and enjoy it. It looks like we had a great previous weekend with some boxcar construction, layout plan fine tuning and even some much-needed travel by way of Amtrak. Let's see what we have going on this weekend. Saturday: For the first time since early March, it is supposed to be in the upper 70's after a cool and rainy Friday. Central Illinois is one of those regions that we often shut off the heaters in the morning, pack them away, then have the AC running by late afternoon. As has been the case for many years, we will likely go from winter to summer this weekend. I don't have any firm plans as of yet, however, once coffee is made and I wander into my workshop I may get inspired to do something. I know yard work is at the top of my list and mowing is part of it. We plan to celebrate Angela's dad's birthday as we did not do that last weekend due to us recovering from that virus. We'll have to see what comes up. Sunday: Is also supposed to be close to 80. I'll start the day with coffee and may wander into the garage for some overdue woodwork. I have a plan now for a small shelf layout in HO that will fit the bare wall behind my workbench. This will also allow me to better organize my plastic bins for model RR supplies once the metal track system is installed. I also have more cleaning and organizing to do in the workshop and spare guest room. Later, I may take the cover off the motorcycle, check the air in the tires and some other safety checks and take it for a short first run of the season. We'll see what the wife is wanting to do as well but no real plans. So, what about you? What do you have on your list for this last weekend of April? Let us know. We'll all assemble again on Monday the 29th to see how we all did. Until then, have a great weekend, stay healthy, be safe and as always... High Greens!
Friday: After work tonight I’m taking my oldest daughter to a Washington Spirit game. Saturday: Pull out some of my Athearn and Kato locomotives and test them to make sure they’re functional in hopes of a trade. Check on the garden and put some nets over the berries if required. Sunday: Refine the track plan a little, take some photos of progress thus far and share them with some friends. Maybe pick up some more materials to eventually build the backdrop. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Finally Friday!!!! Even though the weekdays seem slow and the weekends too fast, overall, this year is flying by. Might duck out an hour early this afternoon if all is quiet. Need to visit the bank on the way home so early would take less time away from the evening. After dinner with the wife, I hope to head down to the workbench and continue some in progress decal work. Saturday should be a decent modeling day. Weather is supposed to be nice here. The plan is to consume vast amounts of coffee while finishing up what I can on decaling work in the morning. Then it will be time to prep projects that are just waiting for some dull coat to seal them up and be called done. Will probably be lunch time by then so will break for that and make a run to the grocery store with the wife. Once back, I'll do some dull coating and maybe get a first coat of paint on a covered hopper car. Not sure if I will have any time after that. The church is having a dinner and auction to help raise money for folks going on summer mission trips so that should make for a good evening. Sunday morning will start again with coffee and not sure what else. This was the last week of regular classes for my son and finals start Monday. Once I get some coffee in me, the wife and I are heading down to his dorm to pick up everything he doesn't need for the last few days. That will make pick up after the last exam a lot easier. Some of his roommates live out of state and we are letting them store some things at our place over the summer so they will also have stuff to load. They will follow us back to the house and help unload. We'll treat them to a late lunch and send them on their way back for finals. If up to it, I'll head back down to the workbench and finish out the projects that get dull coated and see what's next from there. Hope you all have a great weekend!!!!
Good morning everyone, Today we are taking a drive to Lodi, CA to visit a friend. For Saturday and Sunday, there is still plenty of yard / outdoor work to be done. Goals for time in the train room will be to finish installing a decoder on the frame I milled last weekend. Also need to paint the handrails on that one. I am expecting a Miller Engineering animated sign to arrive this weekend and that may inspire me to continue work on the DPM building I was working on last weekend. Also may work on some signals that are not working as they should. So plenty to keep me busy. Have a great weekend whatever you are doing.
Good mornin and Happy Friday to Y'all I will be working on my At&SF NW-2 project - hope to finish her up and put her in service. I have also started working on a pair of AT&SF H16-44's (Baby trainmasters) - should get these two wrapped up and in service as well. I will also get back to work on my T&NO F9M's -- have to cut out for the side louvers. - Then prep for paint - and paint Y'all have a fantastic and very productive weekend, Wolf
I don't have high hopes for this weekend. Friday should be mostly homework, though I have a good head start on it already. After that we need to pick up some groceries for a Bridges Out of Poverty seminar that we are hosting on Saturday, plus order lunch for 20ish people at Old Carolina Barbecue. Any time leftover might allow a trip to my parents' house to pack up more stuff or to sort, organize and find places for the garage full of stuff that's we've already brought home. Saturday, I will be at church all day since the seminar runs 9:00 am to 4:00 pm and I'll need to be there early to set up and stay afterward to clean up. Sunday, is church, and then, hopefully, I'll get a few hours to head out to the Sebring Model Railroad Club.
Well... What I hope to do and what I might actually accomplish are likely two different things. I want to paint and decal and HOn30 tank car which has been sitting and waiting. Then start on several hopper cars. Will be continuing my search for a couple of remaining wants from my wish list. Continue scanning my train order collection. And come Monday, we will know how I did. I do not expect to receive the highest grade on my level of success.
Good morning all! Happy Friday to you and yours. Yesterday and this morning I have been tied up on a construction design project in our office. Just now thinking about what I might get done in the train room and/or work shop. We also have both our "young-uns" and their spouses here for dinner tomorrow night so I will definitely be pressed into some "honey-do's" tomorrow in preparation for that. With that said, I will defer to both visiting the train room this afternoon and my AM coffee tomorrow morning as to what I gets done with trains. Will definitely be something. I just have no clue at this moment what that may be. Everyone have a great and peaceful weekend and enjoy the spring!!
Good morning from sunny and cold Northeast Ohio, but it is supposed to warm up. Friday, took my wife to Physical Therapy on her knees along with a review of the progress and we have 4 more weeks of therapy scheduled. Will be working on the 40' Brick Boxcar and start on another kit while the parts dry on the first one. Also start on decaling a 50' boxcar kit that I built and painted last week. Saturday, going to the club to run trains and get ready for the open house of the regional convention in a couple of weeks. Later in the day will be continuing work on the kits and decaling. Sunday. have to do the laundry and keep up the work on the kits and decaling. Here is the work accomplished this week on the 40' Southern Brick Boxcar, measured and cut out a piece of Evergreen plastic for the floor of the car, then applied the frame, brake rigging and Moloco End of Car Cushioning pockets. Rick Jesionowski
Yep. Organization is key. Yep. A backdrop will add a lot. Vast amounts of coffee? Animated sign will be cool. Baby trainmasters. Old Caroline BBQ sounds yum. Hoppers coming out! A clue will manifest itself, I think. Brick boxcar abounds with great details. This week has seen non-modeling activities take first place. Yesterday I laser cut some side and end ladders for a refrigerator car. I had to make the cut file again after deleting the old one. The hull house bay window sections are cut out. Next will be windows. Today is housekeeping so I hope I can wrap that up. All have fun and be well.
A busy train weekend, but probably nothing accomplished at home. Saturday a friend and I will run over to a train show in Livingston MT. It's small, but nice, and the club there will be running trains in the old NP baggage building. When we are done there, we'll make a mad dash back to Bozeman, grab the club van and head to Helena for the big show there on Sunday. MTNTRAK will have a layout there.........we set up Saturday and run all day sunday.
Rain is forecast as the dominant theme for this weekend. That means more time indoors at the workbench. Friday: Need to install the battery I picked up for the Honda. Then some time cleaning up boots and shoes. After that I will tackle the Mikado boiler again. I plan to cut the opening for the frame and drill holes for domes and stacks. Saturday: All this weekend's soccer matches, for us, are Saturday. Those will be the bookends of the day. The forecast will dictate our outdoor exercise schedule. Modeling as time permits. Sunday: Again, with the rain. Plan for modeling is to work out any fit issues with the boiler. I will turn my attention to updated steam and sand dome shapes. Those are needed to get the overall proportions right. What I am finding challenging is getting the boiler shape to look like the prototype, while fitting over the USRA-compatible, and very different, shape of the Kato frame. Pictures on Monday. Stay safe,
This weekend is full of the usual stuff. There are trips to the grocery store, produce store, and PetSmart lined up. We have to return a few items to Amazon. With the hernia still around, I am on limited duty which means no carrying laundry baskets but there is still laundry to be done. We have some bulbs to plant so I will probably see if I can tolerate doing so. I will also be monitoring my blood pressure hoping the new medication helps and I can finally get this hernia taken care of. I plan to run trains. I have a couple of new Chessie System U30C locomotives to test out. I think a grain train is in their future. I may work on the bridge area and possibly tune up some rolling stock of even build rolling stock kit or two.
Some errands to run Saturday morning, maybe wash the car for the first time this year in the afternoon. Nice day to spend outside in the fresh spring air! Sunday's forecast says rain, so a great opportunity to sit down and get something done in the abundance of projects I have waiting in line. In addition to reading the latest issue of Canadian Rail magazine, published by the CRHA six times a year. It's always a great read, lots of things to learn about Canadian railway history. The latest issue has an extensive article on railways in Newfoundland (3'6" gauge!).
My plan is to continue last weeks project. Lay 8 turnouts, add the ten tracks, mount the Cobalt turnout motors, and wire it all up. Once that is done at the workbench I will mount the section back in place and connect staging in the curve. Until the mainline is built through the peninsula staging will mostly only be a display. I hope to populate the tracks and use it as motivation to get to work on the mainline. I will also get a feel for how much more rolling stock I may need.
Well, back from Chicago and it looks like we’ll have some time for modeling projects. I have some custom number board decals coming in and hope to decorate this guy for the W&NW: It started out as a Rock Island model (Athearn Genesis), and was de-heralded for our purposes. Have a great weekend everyone! -Bob T.
