SeeYou190If I ever get back to California I am definitely going to ride it.
Don't tell anyone, but I was born in Fort Bragg--lived in Medicino until I was 4. I grew up on stories of the Skunk Train. But I neither saw it or rode.
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
SpaceMouseWell, I did survive so next month I'll be heading to Willits/Fort Bragg, CA to ride the Skunk Train.
I just looked up the Skunk Train. If I ever get back to California I am definitely going to ride it. The pictures I saw were beautiful.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Tom It's a ride I will always remember.
I've heard that from eveyone--including non-foamers.
TZAll I can think is how far you've come since the Hogwarts for your son.
The engine from that train broke right away, but I didnj't keep all the parts. I think today, it would have been fixable. The train itself was a delight to kids during our club open houses.
TZ My wife did not make it.
I'm sorry to hear that.
SpaceMouseDid a little work in the staging area. This is what it looks like now.
On another note, a good outcome of my bout with my Cancer...
Tomorrow, I need to add ties to 5 turnouts using my jig that you guys haven't seen yet.
That's a great ride. I rode it a few years ago, just as a side trip while on a vacation. From what little information I could find that day, I wasn't expecting too much. But after the first few minutes of riding out of town, there we were in the open car, deep inside the giant redwood forest, with a pina colada in hand from the bar at the end of the car. It's a ride I will always remember. And, congratulations on the surviving thing!
-Tom
Did a little work in the staging area. This is what it looks like now.
I originally set it up as 4 staging tracks 2" on center, but scenery concerns made me reduce the spacing to 1 7/8".
I then layed out the turnouts and track for a looksee.
I figure to have about a month on the staging yard, seeing how I have to fully landscape it and run cables under the roadbed so I can use my lever-type turnout switches. I have to run the LED lighting as well.
On another note, a good outcome of my bout with my Cancer is my wife asked me what was on my Bucket List. She figured if I had something to live for, I might survive. Well, I did survive so next month I'll be heading to Willits/Fort Bragg, CA to ride the Skunk Train. Coincidently, Rock Ridge is the freelance name of the combined towns of Willits and Fort Bragg including the surrounding Redwoods.
So I'm off on a photo/research expedition into the area. Hopefully, I'll get some good panorama shots to either create a backdrop, or paint one using reference photos.
I plan on taking lots of refernce photos, as well as consuming the local Red Tail Ale.
Tommorow, I need to add ties to 5 turnouts using my jig that you guys haven't seen yet.
PruittChip, since sitting down may not be real comfortable for awhile, we'll be looking for LOTS of layout progress in the coming days!
Unfortunately, I have very low energy due to the chemo, so walking around isn't in the cards quite yet.
Guy My favorite Spacemouse post was the "all Hail John Allen" thread that Chip started. Like many of his threads, it took on a life of its own...
One of my faves as well. It's been a long time since I've posted a "Model Railroading as an Art Form" topic. With new technologies such as 3d printing, I think we will be seeing a whole new level of the art form.
After 11 days of thinking about it, I finally made some progress on the layout--sort of. My current project is the staging yard, which by popular demand--from my wife--will be a fully sceniced and lighted tunnel.
The current step is to cut ties for the Fast Tracks turnouts--because I'm way too frugal to buy the laser cut tie thingies for $4 a piece. I didn't get that far because my Micro Lux saw started vibrating like it lost all its bearings at once. Luckily I got enough ties cut to do the staging yard.
I made a jig to expedite things and I hope to get some pics and expanation how the jig was built shortly.
Chip,
Very sorry to hear about all of the health problems. Nice to see that you are back to doing some model railroading. At least for awhile when you say something is a PITA you will mean it...LOL..
For those of you who are more recent members to this forum. Chip was a very active poster in the early 2000's. My favorite Spacemouse post was the "all Hail John Allen" thread that Chip started. Like many of his threads, it took on a life of its own...
Hope you recover from the latest soon (that goes for all of us with health issues)
Guy
see stuff at: the Willoughby Line Site
Oooo! Seems like everyone is having fun with health these days!
In August I went through a parathyroidectomy that turned into a partial thyroidectomy. A couple weeks later I was told the removed part of the thyroid had a spot of pappilary cancer. Still trying to figure out what to do next.
Fortunately my atrial fibrillation has been quiet for some time now.
Sucks getting old, doesn't it?
Chip, since sitting down may not be real comfortable for awhile, we'll be looking for LOTS of layout progress in the coming days!
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
Geez, Chip... It's tough when things pile on. I expect you won't be having much fun for a few days until you can pass something solid without screaming.
Still, it's good to know you're still struggling and moving forward. I just went through The Week From Hell with a truly nasty episode of atrial fibrillation. I had three good years, but now something has set off my heart and it thumps and bumps pretty much constantly. They've upped my metoproplol to twice the previous dose for 30 days, and it seems to be somewhat better. Nine hours in the ER last Friday, waiting for the team to deal with a large number of overdoses (it was Friday, remember?) before I got an electrical cardioversion....which didn't work.
Please do keep on posting, even if it is a drain. You have interested friends here, and we can visit with you virtually.
Well, I had brain surtgery today and got my hemorrhoids banded. Last hurdle before laying trackwork in staging.
SpaceMouse SeeYou190 I have come to accept that I will be dropping, throwing, crushing some things from time to time, and just do my best That's what I'm hoping, thanks Kevin.
SeeYou190 I have come to accept that I will be dropping, throwing, crushing some things from time to time, and just do my best
That's what I'm hoping, thanks Kevin.
It is only a big problem when I visit other people's layouts. I keep my right hand in my pocket, and hold my elbow with my left hand.
I am always concerned I might break something, or throw a drink onto the layout.
I have not attended an operating session in years, afraid of what might happen.
So far at my new job I have just broken one lighting fixture.
Welcome back! I'm glad to hear that your numbers are looking so good!
As you're able, please keep us up-to-date with not only your medical successes, but your layout, too. I loved seeing the progress on your scratchbuilt buildings using wood.
Thanks for checking in!
York1 John
SeeYou190I have come to accept that I will be dropping, throwing, crushing some things from time to time, and just do my best
SpaceMouseWell, I'm back
Welcome back Chip. I am glad you are here.
SpaceMouseThe loss of feeling in my hands--neuropathy--is my major concern in terms of model railroading. I have trouble with things like buttons and zippers and I am dropping things.
I have problems with my right hand/arm that are somewhat similar.
I have come to accept that I will be dropping, throwing, crushing some things from time to time, and just do my best.
Well, I'm back, I think.
I'm now on maintainance chemo--which looks alkmost exactly like the full blown version. The main differnce is they took me off oxaliplatin after my 8th infusion because I was developing neuropathy. I'm getting pretty much everything else that was on my chemo regiment--just now they are calling it maintainance.
The cancer itself appears to be gone. Latest pet scan shows no colon cancer. The mass on my liver's thickness cant be measured and appears as a thickning of the exterior liver membrane. My CEA (cancer marker) is down to 3.1 from 127 in Feb. 2021--5.0 being "normal."
The loss of feeling in my hands--neuropathy--is my major concern in terms of model railroading. I have trouble with things like buttons and zippers and I am dropping things. I'm worried about things that require fine motor skills like say fixing the itty bitty bitts on my Shay, installing decoders and lights, and detail work on, well, everything.
For that reason, I've decided that I might as well just jump back in the deep end, and see if I sink or swim. My first task is installing turnouts on my "hidden" staging.
Tomorrow, I'm scheduled for surgery to fix hemorrhoids and fissures in my anus, so I'll probably start eartly next week. So, my illness cost a year of work on my layout.
I'll keep you posted.
SpaceMouseThey ordered a PET scan later this week--but my oncologist is taking the month of June off, so I won't know the results until he gets back in July.
I haven't been following your thread as I don't usually follow layout builds.
Making a patient wait a month for PET scan results is cruel and unusual punishment. Surely he has someone covering his/her practice or could get off their (the prefered pronoun these days) caboose and check the results and tell theirself. And I say that having an MD behind my name.
And I never took more than 2 weeks off.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
PruittAre they sure the liver spot is/was related to the colon cancer?
They assume it. It's common for colon cancer to metastasize to the liver.
However, the PET scan showed that the spot on my liver has diminished. My CAE test for cancer markers went from 100 in Jan. to 127 when started chemo in March and now is at 16.
[Knock on wood.] Things are looking up[/Knock]
Thanks everyone for your well wishes.
Great news for the most part, Chip!
Are they sure the liver spot is/was related to the colon cancer?
We'll grasp at any hope, Chip, as you would. I think I see enough positive to be hopeful, or enough hope to be positive....weird that it works either way. I wish you several thousands of sunny days ahead.
That's amazing that the colon showed no cancer.
I know nothing about medical issues, but it sounds like the doctor is not too worried if he is not in any hurry.
Hoping and praying for the best.
Terry
Terry in NW Wisconsin
Queenbogey715 is my Youtube channel
Thanks for all the good wishes.
My latest CT scan showed no trace of the colon cancer, although the growth on my liver seems unchanged. The docs seem cautiously optimitistic. They ordered a PET scan later this week--but my oncologist is taking the month of June off, so I won't know the results until he gets back in July.
Chip, Holy Moley! Yeah, self diagnosis can be hazardous, I recall taking that route with a heart attack, lucky for me my wife didn't buy it.
Best Wishes and regards, sincerely, Peter
Hi Chip. Glad to hear you are back on board.
As my daughter says "Only knocked sideways. Never backwards."
As for anyone giving a timeframe. "Twaddle." I was given two weeks -- 74 years ago.
Just live life. People you haven't met yet want information and you are the only one they will listen to.
Looking forward to more instalments of the Rock Ridge Railroad.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
I'll be praying for you. There have been huge advances in treatments the past years, so there's a good reason for hope.
selectorYou probably don't know it, but we lost Randy Rinker to SARS-COVID two months ago
Aw DAMN!
selectorSo, are you still willing to run for Prez?
That just doesn't seem as fun as it used to.
My Oncologist said I had maybe 2 years, but I don't buy it. I'm not reacting to Chemo like they expect. I feel better with each infusion, not worse. Side effects are lessening, not getting worse. As I said before, I'm feeling better than I have been since I started getting sick. I attribute this to eating a healthy diet--my cholesterol, blood suger, protien levels are all the rediculous levels pharmaceutical companies are calling normal.
That said, I had a CT scan and blood test for cancer markers last week and I will hear my results on Weds.
It seems more like a skirmish than a battle so far.
Gosh, you come by here for a few years and suddenly you notice people sharing that they've had a scare....or worse. You probably don't know it, but we lost Randy Rinker to SARS-COVID two months ago. I'd say we won big if we've been able to reclaim you here, Chip.
So, are you still willing to run for Prez?