This evening, moving around bookcases and eyeing up the power-tools, it occured to me that I haven't had a Coffee since Wednesday. And then it occured to me that I haven't run any trains since Early November - a month and a half ago. sits in the corner and twitches and shivers I think the only thing for it is, starting tomorrow, get a hot cup of (caffinated) motivation and use my two weeks off work to get "on track", get all my paraphenalia "laid out", "railroad" myself into a corner and stoke my addiction.
UMmmmmm Know what you mean been 4mths since I pulled mine down . Builder broke his foot at his nome and will be another 5mths before he can resume building new Train Room. Slitting wrists is becoming popular if I cant get rid of this PAIN!ahhhhh
Les: I don't know if it's ever so bad as requiring personal disfigurment or dismemberment. While waiting, you could always consider a small "operations" or switching layout... With N they can be made to fit in only a few feet long and <1 deep. Or if all else fails, you didn't really need that dining-room table right? Perfect for a nice simple oval for testing on. Just about need one myself, it may be months before I have benchwork in any state to run trains Oh well, enough typing, I should go mangle some timber and build more benchwork.
August here is Texas is only slightly cooler that Hell's firebrick. Since my layout is in the attic (insulated, closed-in) of our home, and even though it has an AC unit, I take August off. The less money I give to TXU, the better. I can deal with withdrawl by building model downstairs. For me to go even ONE DAY without coffee is akin to being tied on a nest of fire ants- metter of fact, I'd prefer the fire ants over caffiene withdrawl.
I have my oval of snap track on a door that I run trains on between club modular setups. One day I will build my layout in my trainroom. So far it is all workbench, bookshelves full of train books and magazines, my door and boxes full of stuff. Yet, I manage to survive.....barley.
I built a portable test track for my work bench. So while still progressing, (too slowly), finishing the new basement, at least I can fiddle around with locos and cars. Get all the wheelsets gauged, cars weighted, couplers tweaked. I get a good fix seeing photos of what everyone else is doing. And that helps inspire me. Boxcab E50
Don't discount the fun of an assortment of the newfangled modular track systems (Kato Unitrack, Bachmann EZ Track, etc.) for a nice way to get a portable dose of model railroading in, even if you have "no space". Set up a folding table or appropriate the dining room table for the night and set up a switching layout with an interchange track to drop off and receive traffic to and from the "outside world." This sort of setup can even keep your jonesing at bay over the long haul if you collect an assortment of portable scenery to augment the track. We can take a lesson from miniature wargamers, who have become very adept at producing attractive, portable, & modular scenery for their battlegrounds. One ingenious method uses 1' square x 1" thick styrofoam "blocks", each sceniced as its own diorama. The squares can go together in either variable or set configurations to create a complete scene. I've many a time considered pulling out all my old wargaming scenery and just plopping down some plastic-ballast track to run for a weekend when I'm in the mood for something besides my main projects! Do you guys know the wargame terrain I'm talking about? - Doc
I've seen some of the wargame stuff. Pretty neat. Occasionally thought the rolls of green mat would make for a passable "instant field". Just add details (fences, trees, mud, cows). TrainBoard is very inspirational, and offers a great sense of community... Trouble is, it's too engrossing, I'm spending all my time on here reading and not enough on the layout! Oh well, I'm getting there. I've now got my various sub-layout tables in place (posting this from the computer's new home under the penninsular reverse-loop "site") Next, I suppose, is building a layout. Oh, and finding some more coffee.
I've taken your advise .Now got a10x1 ho shelf up & runnin. At least I can now see my chrissy pres of SD70m move . Still gettin over shakes though. Bring on the black char and a bigger mug
Alright, I took my own advice. Using a 120cm X 80cm (4' x 2.6') box from my last layout ('twas three such boxes bolted together), I've built a loop of Atlas Set-track and set the whole thing on top of the framing I plan to use for my "real" layout. As I type this, I'm listening to a GP38 (DC) hauling a cleaning car (bright-boy under boxcar) around.. and around. If the track gets clean enough tonight, I might even upgrade to DCC.
