I warned you in the beginning of April that I might not get much done and well, I was right. Although not something I was hoping to be right about. I have been out of town a lot for work and when I’m home it’s been all about catch up.

First a confession. About mid March you may have noticed that there was something of a work slow down. Before that I was marching right along with laying track, getting it wired up and running a train back and forth across what was down. Then there was a switch to working on buildings. Confession time. My wife and I were out and about on a lazy Sunday with nothing much to do. Being kind of bored we decided to hit the “Parade of Homes” here in the Twin Cities. For those unfamiliar with a Parade, it happens spring and fall when all the builders showcase their latest and greatest.

Now we weren’t looking for a new home, but rather what’s new and hoping to pick up an idea or two for what improvements we could make at home.

Long about the third model we walked into we were both floored. (no that’s wasn’t meant as a pun). The house was perfect. We had talked over the last couple of years what our “Golden Years” were going to look like. One of the things we have talked about was what happens if navigating stairs became an issue (we both have Parents/ grandparents/family members where this was/is an issue) and thought that having a house where all the main living is on one level would keep us in the house longer.

Anyways, you would have thought that they knew that my wife was  coming. Not only was the house everything we had talked about in regards to main floor living (yes it has a basement) and then some, it was also painted and staged (you know, all the “stuff” they decorate with that makes it look lived in) with all the things my wife would do. She had mentally moved in before we left the model. After about three weeks of picking out all the things one picks out for a new home we decided that at this time to just stay put where we are right now. We love our present home, but this still could happen but not in the near future.

That’s why the “work slowdown”. I didn’t want to be working on something that I was going to tear down. And once we decided to stay put, the travel for work started.

Anyways it has made me think about what I’m doing downstairs. Going forward I have to plan on being able to disassemble the layout (because believe me, she hasn’t let this one go. Again, know your audience).  This won’t stop me from moving forward, I just have to have an eye on moving it.

About the new space. It’s approximately the same square footage, but without all the things I had to work around in the present space – ei. support posts, utility room, store room and stairs. Dimensionally it’s the same, but I actually pick up space.

Back to reality. Tonight I finally had about an hour to play with and started working on the track work in Brandon. I spent most of that hour rounding up all my tools and supplies for track work as they had been scattered because of various other projects. I hope to have a post on actual progress very soon.

Till then, Happy Railroading and thanks for sticking around…

We had planned on stopping at Kalmbach Publishing on our way home as Waukesha is outside of Milwaukee on the way to Minneapolis. I thought it was farther than it was and it could have been a day trip. I would have preferred to have called ahead, but was unsure when we would get there. I’m sure they would have liked a call, but the guys at Walther’s had said that you didn’t really need to.

We walked in and over to the receptionist, who asked if she could help us. Trying to sound intelligent and knowledgeable, I just kind of babbled. It took just a second and my wife stepped forward and told the receptionist that I was a model railroader and was wondering if we could possibly have a tour. She looked at me and smiled at my wife, said sure and called upstairs.

About 5 minutes later Associate Editor Eric White came downstairs. We exchanged the usual pleasantries, where were we from, what scale and road and such. Then hi smiled and said lets get started.

Again like Walther’s and their employees, everyone at Model Railroader were exceptional. Even though you are interrupting their work day, they all take time to stop and talk.

First stop was their history case. A couple of things that caught my eye.

Then a swing around the Editorial offices, where the only one in his office was Steven Otte. The senior editors were all in a meeting. Then as you swing around you come to the area where the magazine and page layouts are taken care of. After that was a large hallway where all the older project layouts that Model Railroader still has are parked.

Then it into the Magazine’s workshop. This is where they build the layouts that you watch on the webcam. Eric even offered me 15 seconds of fame by asking if I wanted to step out in front of the camera so I could go live on the web. Sorry, I declined. However, Cody Grivno was in the shop working at getting an engine cleaned.

Although he kept working on his project he stepped around and we had a very nice chat. Turns out he’s from northern Minnesota and would come down to the cities to hit the local hobby shops. Again, it amazes me that they are so willing to take the time to talk and make you feel at home.

After some time talking we moved on. Next up, the MR&T. I wasn’t disappointed, however after seeing it in the magazine so many times, it’s not how I imaged it. I can’t explain it, it just falls into place different then I expected.

Below are some shots of areas that I remember as articles.

And then we were done, back down to the lobby where I thanked Eric profusely.

Two side notes:

First, out of curiosity I asked Eric how they decided who would give tours, he sheepishly admitted that everyone else was busy and he was texting his wife. He got picked.

Second, if you think your workbench is cluttered, below is a shot of the editor’s office for “Classic Trains”:

Lastly some shots from the lobby.

I cannot not tell how much I appreciated how welcoming everyone we met were. I would highly recommend a visit to Kalmbach Publishing and Walther’s if you are in the area. They would probably appreciate a call if you know when you can stop by, but they seem happy to accommodate you if you don’t. Kudos to them all.

Next time, what has been accomplished downstairs.

Happy Railroading…

Our second attempt at seeing the Walther’s showroom was far more successful then our first. We got there about 11:00 in the morning and walked on in, check that one off my bucket list.

Upon entering the showroom you are greeted by a large HO layout. It is beautifully done, obviously highlighting Walther’s products. Off to the side is a decent sized N scale layout, again very well done.

Around the perimeter are display cases with finished structures, didn’t ask but I assume that they are probably the ones used for the photos for the Walther’ catalog. One case was more of a history case. It had old casting blanks and pieces cast from them, old office equipment, old kit parts and a collection of William Walther’s (the founder of the company) office and personal items.

The merchandise on the floor isn’t anywhere as extensive as you would think. Pretty much all HO (sorry to all who model other scales) and mainly engines, freight, passenger and structures. All Walther’s products. Of course when you have the whole warehouse behind you, you don’t need a huge display space. They have two workstations with all the catalogs and computers to check stock. Write down what you want, hand it to the guys at the counter and they run out and get it for you.

While I was looking over the shelves, my wife hit the catalogs and computers. She had gotten me a static grass applicator for Christmas, but didn’t understand exactly what it did. I had explained how it worked, so when we hit the showroom, she wanted to get some static grass for it. As we were paying for the order, we got to talking with Chris, the guy who was helping us. When he heard we were from out of town, he asked the magic question. Would you like a tour of the facility?

Absolutely! So with the visitor badges clipped to our coats, we started our tour. Eyeing my camera, Chris let me know that although you can take pictures in the showroom, the camera was forbidden everywhere else in the building.

Having worked in a auto parts warehouse in my younger years, I was very familiar with the operation in the back. The way orders are generated, filled and shipped. Nothing new here. It was still  great to see the workings in back, but Chris being the seasoned tour guide, was able to make it all interesting. He supplied the whys and hows of the way things were done, but more importantly, some history and trivia of the place.

We were shown everything, front offices, employee spaces, overstock spaces, general warehouse and shipping. The only place that you are not allowed is New Product Development. Wasn’t a problem, but later as I thought about it, it would have been cool to see what’s coming. As I said, Chris was great as a guide, but everyone else was really nice and said hi. Obviously I wasn’t the first model railroad nut to be through there. It’s nice that they are all pleasant, even though they are trying to get their work done.

I think it was about 1:30 by the time we left. If you have the chance, it is a great outing.

Next stop – Kalmach Publishing. And I thought Walther’s was cool.

Till next time, Happy Railroading…

So every year, about this time, my wife and I take a little road trip. We like to get away for several days (our anniversary and her birthday) and because we travel so much for work, we prefer to drive someplace rather than fly. There’s the usual places within a couple hours drive of the cities, but we’ve done them so many times that in the last several years we’ve been driving farther to visit places we haven’t been to.

This year we sat down to plan the trip and my wife said that she wanted to go to Milwaukee (no, she had no idea) and while she would plan lodging and meals, points of interest were up to me.

So I climbed onto the computer and started googling points of interest in the Milwaukee area (wait for it…) and as I writing down different things (don’t worry, it will occur to him) it suddenly came to me that two of the biggest attraction for a model railroader were in Milwaukee. Yes, Kalmbach Publishing and Walther’s.

I didn’t come right out and tell my wife that these would be the highlights of the trip for me, but I did manage to casually bring them up as we were talking about various sights to see. It’s knowing your audience folks, she was happy to tag along and excited that I could see them.

We left last Monday morning, with the plan being to drive out and get to the hotel late Monday afternoon, have dinner and a relaxing night. Then start the sightseeing on Tuesday. As she thought about it, my wife wanted to visit Walther’s first thing Tuesday morning. And you wonder why I love this woman. So Tuesday morning, with Siri giving us directions, we headed to Walther’s. Unfortunately I missed the part where they weren’t open on Sunday, Monday OR Tuesday. Yes, I was a little bummed, but the funny part was that my wife was absolutely devastated.

From there we headed off to the Milwaukee Art Museum. This would be the top pick for my wife. Don’t get me wrong, I love museums, it’s just that I prefer the old European masters and not so much the more contemporary art that the museum is known for. First of all the museum itself is beautiful, a piece of contemporary art all by itself.

Yes, those are wings and yes, they open and close. They also “flap” at around noon each day.

Once inside, as I was walking around the Modern section, I did find a couple of pieces that appealed to the railroader in me. First was part of a large wall collage.

The engine was a Raymond Loewy design for the Milwaukee Road. The guy designed just about everything that screams “Americana” from the twentieth century.

Next was a steam locomotive an artist had made. It’ nice to know that the art world can appreciate the beauty of the steam loco.

As I had said earlier, my wife had picked out the hotel. We were staying at the “Iron Horse Hotel” just south of downtown. Not sure how they came up with the name, but it is along side a couple of tracks. And some of the interior décor leaned that way.

It is a great little boutique hotel, and I would recommend it. Their signature burger is probably one of the best I have had. However, if you plan to stay there in the late spring, summer or early fall be fore warned. It’s a block from the Harley-Davidson museum and a mecca for bikers who they happily cater to. Right down to the approximately 4 dozen bike only parking spaces in front of the hotel.

But as I had said there were a couple of tracks right under our window and I was able to do some railfanning right from the room. Mainly transfer runs from one yard to another. You would always know when one was coming by as there was a grade climbing out of the yard and you could hear the engine working to climb it. And no, they didn’t work through the night. The latest I heard was at about 9:00 pm when a heavy freight pulled by a couple of big GE’s would leave the yard.

A couple of things I learned watching them are: modern tank cars have there reporting marks stenciled along the top and crews can be creative. Saw one CP geep with a 24 bottle flat of water on the short hood outside the windows to keep it cool.

I will have I post on Walther’s and Kalmbach in the next day or so, as I have a ton of pictures to go through before I write anything.

Just wanted you to know why I hadn’t gotten anything done downstairs this week.

Till next time, Happy Railroading…

This is an update to my Twin City Model Railroad Museum post from last October. As I had talked about in the post, the Twin City Model Railroad Museum had to vacate it’s space in Bandana Square because of a financial situation with the landlord. At that time they weren’t sure if they had anywhere to go or if they would simply cease to exist after 81 years.

Good News, the museum group has secured a new home and are already planning their move. Their new home is at: 652 Transfer Road in St. Paul, near what was the former Amtrack Station ( Amtrack has moved to the restored St. Paul Union Depot, where the club was originally located). They are already planning their move starting in March, with what they hope will be a grand opening in late spring. Pretty grand plans considering the size of the layout they have to move. And yes, I plan on being there when they open.

When the public heard of their situation, there was an outpouring of support for the club and they were able to raise $70,000 to help in securing the new location and finance the move. If you would like to help (and no, I am not affiliated with the group in anyway), you can check out their web site @ Twin city Model Railroad Museum ( tcmrm.org). I am sure they would appreciate the support.

As I had said, I was sad that I would not be able to share this with my grandson. I am happy that now I will, but I am happier that others will be able to experience a great model railroad and perhaps become involved in the hobby as well.

A Great Day, Happy Railroading…