Thanks for the concerned PM's I've received. I AM still alive, just been rather inactive the past couple of years. Lots of things have changed in my personal life and I no longer have a layout, for that matter I actually no longer have any of my equipment or tools. No locos, no decoders, no Digitrax, no P2K tank cars.. however I will be going to the Timonium show this coming weekend to start over again.
It's all sort of a mixed blessing, I did consider switching to N scale since I can get everything I want as far as locos and rolling stock go, but it's also far easier to do sound and DCC with HO so I think I wills tick with HO. I'm not changing roads, either, Readign it will be again - however with a bit of proto-lancing. I realized as I planned the big basement layout that I wouldn;t be happy with operations on double track. Real exciting meets... so I took a tip from some of the histories I've read and my freelance portion will be that the Reading DID aquire control of the LNE post-WWII and I will work towards modeling part of the LNE mixed in with Reading lines. I'm undecided if I ant to make this before or after the LNE dieselized - RS-3's are my favorite loco but RS-2's will do in a pinch. Maybe repainted to Reading Pullman green. I know one place I want to definitely include on any railroad will be the cement plant in Nazareth at 248 and 191 - it's a modern plant now but I rememebr goign past as a kid heading to my grandparent's house and I have a pretty good idea what it looked like with tracks on two levels and a heavy concrete coal and stone dump off the upper track.
Anyway, it will probably be some time off before I can have much of a layout. At present I'm in an apartment and I could possibly do a shelf along one wall in the dining room. Even though the last one, I did all the benchwork in a weekend with just hand tools (and a cordless drill/driver), I will probably go with Sievers or Mianne benchwork this time. Expensive yes, but totally mess-free. I will stick with extruded foam, although I think i will create a base level plus a second layer to allow more cutting away below track level. I'm toying with the idea of using cheap servos and Hans DeLoof's circuit instead of Tortoises, although that cheap servo starts to get expensive when I figure linkage and microswitches. I will still use DCC, Digitrax, with JMRI. I'm thinking about handlaying ALL track - definitely going to do turnouts with FastTracks.
So - who's going to Timonium this weekend?
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Interiors and people figures make such a difference. Especially the people.
I am Randy. It's good to see you are still alive.
See you there!
-Don
Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions
Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!
Randy, it has been too long!! And what a sorry tale...even the T1?!!!!!!! I feel you have had a trial by fire and many dark days....sorry to hear that.
I hope you are back on your feet, or about to jump back up on to them.
-Crandell
gunkhead wrote:That's messed up. Really messed up.
And highly illegal. Get a lawyer and sue their butts!! If you legitimately didn't receive any notice, you WILL win in court...They usually start sending notices about a year before the actual auction date.
Randy long time since we've heard from you. I was just thinking about you tonight and had just been to your old web page to see if you might have updated it. The first post I looked at had your name on it, then I found this one. Good to hear from you again.
Wayne
Hi Randy,
my heart goes out to you. Sorry to hear this horrible tale, I feel for you. Here is wishing you all the best and that you are on your feet again ASAP.
Regards
Frank
"If you need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm."