Six Yrs. On

Six yrs. ago today the Rail Chief starter set arrived. A few days ago I finished the baseboard, & as I already had the track plan I figured I could nail it all down & start testing electric flow & derailments.

There are two phrases one hears often in model railroading. "It's your railroad, do what you want" (Who's going to stop anyone? The NMRA Police?) & "A model railroad is never finished." While the concept for this one is done, it can't get any bigger, & there's little space for more plastic crap from China, it won't actually be finished for some effin' time, as demonstrated by it taking Sunday, Monday, Tues. & part of Wednes. to get the track as intended & functional in relation to buildings & the like. Then I could start painting the track & painting & cutting cork for roadbed. Won't list everything else there is to do, but I have a reefer car & four buildings to build paint & cement together, & one building & two oil loading platforms to buy & assemble. Also, much of the rolling stock needs better wheels & couplers.

One good thing: W/ the changes & adjustments it turns out I have a turnout that works in a spot where I thought I'd need to blow US$30+ on a curved one from England. No idea what sort of tariffs are being idiotically imposed on goods from Britain above the list price.

I will need to buy a couple of turnouts for the Army camp that's going to be in the northwest section, & the nuclear power or poison gas plant needs plenty of work. (Piping & such. And, radiation trefoils or poison gas skulls & crossbones?)