For this edition of “On The Workbench” I’m not so much covering what’s happening on the workbench as much as what is happening with the workbench.

For Christmas one of my kids got me a bench top paint rack. Anyone who had seen my workbench would know that I needed one as the paint jars were kind of all over the place. I just didn’t realize that they had been down there and had paid attention to the mess.

Anyways the paint rack needed assembly and had ended up in the to-do pile. Bored, I was looking for something to do and figured I would put it together and see how useful it would be. I don’t know where they got it from, who was the manufacturer or even what country it was from. My guess would be Eastern Europe somewhere and the translation to English was horrendous. Luckily there were pictures and the overall kit was pretty simple and straight forward. Some carpenters glue, masking tape and a couple of clamps and it went together rather well. I don’t have any pictures of it going together.

As every modeler will tell you, no matter how big your workbench is you only ever seem to have 1 to 1 1/2 square feet to work on. In my case my workbench is 2′ x 8′, but I still only have 1sf to work on and the paint rack ended drying on the layout benchwork. Which meant if I wanted to get the paint rack on the bench I was going to have to do some cleaning.

The picture below is a bit misleading as I had done a bunch of cleaning before I took the picture.

So I attacked the workbench. I threw out anything that wasn’t needed or was old. A lot of paint went this way.

By the time I got done there wasn’t a whole lot left on top of the bench. Kind of the point I guess.

And the paint rack that started it all.

It’s a nice little paint rack and getting everything else cleaned up because of it was really nice. Now we’ll see if I can keep it that way.

Next time, more little projects that got done.

Till then, Happy Railroading…

I would like to offer an apology or two. First is the length of time since the last time I sat down and updated this site. I would like to say that because of the number of natural disasters that have occurred here in the last month I haven’t been able to write anything. Or because of the zombie apocalypse and all that it entails, I haven’t been able to write. The truth is that yes, the work travel schedule has been something, home 1 week, gone the next and rinse and repeat. I have managed to get quite a bit done downstairs. It’s just that  I get to the end of the day and figure I’ll write the next night. And then I don’t.

Like I said though, I’ve gotten quite a bit done and will start updating real quick.

The second thing I would like to apologize for is the appearance of the site, specifically the sideways photos that have been in several posts.

I didn’t even realize it was happening until a recent trip. I had meant to log in to the backend of the site but ended up signing onto the actual site. Since I was there I figured I would read through the site as you see it. That’s when I came across several photos that were sideways.

This is because I have always viewed the site through the backend or admin side of the site.

I had taken the photos vertically, but as you know the camera records them horizontally. When I download them from the camera, the computer automatically flips them back to vertical. I then move the pictures from my computer to the server hosting the site. Every once and awhile they will show up there back in a horizontal state. I will flip them back to vertical and save them that way. They are then inserted into a post and before I publish I will preview the post (the way you see it) to make sure everything reads and looks well.

Everything was right, including pictures, when I did this. In fact when I saw the problem I logged into the admin side to correct them but there they were in the correct orientation from the admin point of view. I have chatted with WordPress and the web hosting service but they’re not sure why this has happened.

I have replaced the photos that I could with ones I retook horizontally, as pictures still seem to orientate themselves to horizontal no matter what. The few that I can’t retake, I have left until I figure this out and get them right.

I realize there are larger problems in the world then this, but this really bugs the OCD side of me.

Like I said I will have updates real soon on what’s been happening and sorry about how long it’s been since I said hello.

Till later (but not to long), Happy Railroading…

As I’ve had a chance to consistently work on the layout for the last month and half, I’ve come to appreciate of few of my latest acquisitions. Or as I said, a few of my favorite things.

First up is the Dremel Multi Max oscillating tool. I originally bought it because of it’s triangular sanding head. Great for getting into nooks and crannys on woodworking projects. But recently I have started to use the saw blade more and more.

The fact that you don’t have to drill a starter hole for a jig saw and then worry about the depth of cut is such a relief. As long as the hole is at least an inch wide, you are good to go. A recent example would be the holes for the UP5’s.

It was nice to know that I could cut the hole and not worry about the wiring just behind the fascia. As a side note, Jim Kelly had a write up about oscillating tools in the latest (March 2017) issue of Model Railroader Magazine.

My next greastest find is the “Raskog” three tier cart from Ikea (IKEA.com). Great cart, easy to put together and the quality is far better then I expected, even for Ikea. I have two (bought 1 and then ran out and got another). I currently use one for construction equipment and the other for wiring equipment and supplies. Eventually one will become the scenery cart.

I wish I could say that I “discovered” this, but I first heard about it on one of the forums.

Last is rather strange, it is an EYE VAC  floor sweep vacuum cleaner.

I had first run across this at my hair stylist. Seeing it in action, I knew I had to have this for downstairs. Sweep up that which needs to be swept up, get it I’m front of the EYE VAC, the sensor kicks in, the machine turns on for about thirty seconds, boom, the mess is gone. I find myself cleaning up more often simply because it is easy to quickly sweep everything over and make it go away.

So there you have it, three things that are making my life a little easier and more enjoyable. Not saying that you need to get any of these as I don’t know what your hobby budget is, but they should be considered as they make life a little easier.

Till next time, Happy Railroading…

A year ago I wrote that the Twin City Model Railroad Museum had found new space and was raising money in preparation for a move. Over the New Years weekend my wife and I stopped by their new space to see how they were doing.

I’m happy to report that they have successfully completed their move. In fact, they not only have managed to move their old layout and have it up and running, they also have added about a half dozen other smaller layouts for display and for children to interact with.

In addition, they have several display cases showing different scales or a variety of type of trains. Also, they have display boards explaining scale, types of trains and what the plan is for the space.

As far as the space goes, right now it’s one big space with a hodge-podge  of layouts and displays. They did have a floor plan of what the finished plan is, I didn’t get a picture of this, and some conceptual art of the space –

There will be a real railroad feel to the space, with false walls dividing the different areas. Another thing I didn’t take a picture of was an elevated space for the operators of the main O Gauge layout. When finished, it will look like a switch tower.

Here are 3 pictures of what greets you now when you walk in:

Some of the display layouts:

Some of the display layouts were supplied by other local clubs.

They also have a large children’s area with interactive layouts. Some being hands on and some have push and hold buttons to make the trains go and other things to move. And of course as you will see in one picture, if you have small children, you’re going to have to rerail things.

And the afore mentioned display cases / boards –

They still have along ways to go to get where they want to be. The main layout alone, though up and running, has no backdrop and big holes and gaps in the scenery where it was taken apart and put back together. Add to that all the walls and railroady structures they want to add ambiance, and you know they have some work ahead of them.

Having said all that, it’s still worth a stop by if you are in the area. Their new address is:

Twin City Model Railroad Museum, 668 Transfer Road #8, St. Paul MN.

Stay tuned, I will have an update of what I’ve gotten done in the last month very soon. Till then, Happy Railroading…

Happy New Year to you all. And Merry Christmas and Happy Thanksgiving as well, as I seem to have missed them all.

Looking back at my last series of posts (On the workbench) I was pretty confident that I would soon have time to do some major work on the layout. In fact in the first of the series I had said that I had a cut list and timing for getting the major projects going.

Unfortunately that all fell apart. First was work (and no, I won’t apologize for this as I have to keep a roof over the layout), the last quarter was hell with two trips suddenly tucked in between Thanksgiving and Christmas. My wife and I also host Thanksgiving, Christmas and this year New Years for family and friends, 20+ per holiday. And then the thing that totally shot any hope of getting anything done was a simple little thing off from my wife’s “Honey do list”.

She had originally asked if we could repaint the office as the color was left over from when my daughter had the room as her bedroom before moving out. I agreed as the color kind of sucked. The easiest way to tackle this was to move most of the stuff out of the office as we had desks, bookcases and other things tucked against the walls.

As I was laying out the plan to move things out so that I could gain access to the walls to paint them, my wife’s eye kind of glazed over as her mind went to work. Yes, I knew I was in trouble.

She felt that since we were moving most of the furniture out then why not move everything out. That way we could replace the carpet with a nice laminate wood flooring. And since we did that then she had some pictures of built in desks and shelving. If you give a mouse a cookie.

So her desk went down to the sunroom off from the dining room and mine went to the only other area that had any space… the basement. After I tucked a desk into the only open area large enough, which was at the end of the peninsula, getting anything downstairs was impossible.

Oh, and I had to have it complete enough to get things moved back in by Thanksgiving.

Tough schedule, but I felt I was up to the challenge. Everything was moving along well. Repaint ceiling and walls, check. Install floor, slight delay as Home Depot didn’t have enough in stock, but got it in, check. Start construction of built in desks and shelves, well this is where God decided to show he has a sense of humor.

My two least  favorite home projects are plumbing and taping and sanding sheetrock. As I was making pretty good progress on the desk part, a leak developed in the upstairs bathroom which came through the ceiling in the downstairs bathroom. I had to tear out a large part of the ceiling downstairs to gain access to the upstairs. It took me a couple of days to isolate the leak and repair it, which still left me with a large hole downstairs.

My wife decided that the office was more important and that’s was where I concentrated my efforts. I got most everything done in the office (except the cabinet doors) and moved everything back in the night before Thanksgiving. Then, between Thanksgiving and Christmas (and the business trips) I finished the doors and replaced the ceiling downstairs.

So, that’s why absolutely no progress to report, kind of. When buying wood for the office project I also picked up enough to get some stuff done downstairs. Before cleaning up out in the garage I cut a bunch of it up to sizes needed to get projects rolling downstairs.

They are as follows:

1/8 hardboard for the rest of the backdrops on the lower level and for the fascia on the lower level.

Wood for the power switch box ( will explain later)

Plywood for the upper valance supports.

And wood cut to size for the rails and stiles for the cabinet doors.

So I should have some progress to report soon, Till then, here is a picture of the finished office.

Till later, and it shouldn’t be long, Happy New Years to all and Happy Railroading…

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…