Notes on Designing, Building, and Operating Model Railroads
A hobby adventure
I picked up a drill press stand for my vintage 1970s era Dremel Moto-Tool a couple of months ago. I found one at a decent price on EBay and bought it to do a better job on the bolster holes. I had used the Dremel for this task previously in a free-hand mode, but some holes were drilled at a slight angle introducing a slight lean to completed models. I needed to do better.
A couple of blog posts ago, I shared vintage personal trackplans that were discovered when clearing old files. I had drawn these in the late 1970s during my high school years. Shortly after the post appeared, I found a thin notebook with a few versions of the last layout plan featured on that post. In addition to the trackplans, there were numerous small structure drawings such as the one that leads this post. I had completely forgotten about these details.
I’ve been lax in blog posts for awhile. Summer chores and heat have sapped my hobby energy. This hobby lull has also slowed my work with the Resin Car Works blog. I’m headed to the St Louis RPM this weekend and hope the event recharges my energy. There are a few things on file that I need to wrap up before sharing with you. We’ll see what comes up in the next few weeks.
I visit other blogs to keep my inspiration alive. Please visit the blogs listed in the right column on the main page. The work shared on Gene Deimling’s blog is just amazing.
I’ve been doodling ideas for the next layout project. The garage renovations have not progressed well but layout planning moves forward. I received the latest Layout Design Journal recently and found lots of enjoyment in the issue. This is the publication of the Layout Design Special Interest Group and well worth the membership. Check out their website for details. Issue #61 features three very nice manageable switching layouts with lots of ideas.
That’s it for this post. I’ll snap some photos in St. Louis and share them soon.
It’s amazing how much stuff there is to sort through after moving. I’ve done this before and after each move and I still find forgotten treasure. While cleaning out a file cabinet I found some old trackplans. The plan above was drawn 43 years ago, when I was 14. Holy cow. Please, do not build this railroad. Those track switch angles are freehand.
Westerfield Models is holding a National Train Day Sale through to midnight on Monday, May 21, 2018. There are a few purchase options and codes to save some hobby dollars when you stock up on a few kits. Westerfield honcho Andrew Dahm sent an announcement to his email newsletter list last week. If you have not received the info, or if you have misplaced the newsletter email, I recommend dropping an inquiry to westerfieldmodels@gmail.com for the sale details and codes. You will need the purchase codes to save some cash.
Check over your freight car kit stash and drop a note to Andrew at westerfieldmodels@gmail.com for more details on the National Train Day sale. Then review their website for what you need. It’s always a good time to pick up a few new resin freight car kits.