So I decided no matter what or how much work work I have to do or whatever else excuses there might be that this afternoon before dark I would run a train with my son on this beautiful Colorado fall day, and sure enough we got 'er done. I know my movie making skills suck and this is nothing to write home about, but it sure was rewarding and enjoyable and all the things railroading is supposed to be (for me anyway!) ! The track ballasting is the handiwork of my youngest son and daughter, and the couplers on the freight and tankers are owing to the incomparable skills of Kevin S (rendered in trade for the background I painted for him–because I also ain’t too good at installing couplers).
Ahhh so you do like PA’ins
Your kids did a great job, train ran nice and steady.
Nothing wrong with trading skills.
I’m glad you got out and found your Priorities!(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)
Yer bud,
Nice train! That sure is a bunch of hoppers tankers [have another beer Jon] and that track is smooth as glass. Nice job!
Nice layout. I had my annual open house Halloween afternoon and night. I understand your first sentence about the work getting it ready for a run. I work all summer for the open house each year. Some years are rained out the day of, but the last two year have been a good run for the trick-or-treaters. Look forward to next year. Your kids did a good job at ballasting the track!
Thanks guys…it felt good to get something running again.
The PA is part of an Alco PA-1/PB-1 set that was actually my first, the very first, locomotive I bought. I fell in love with it in the yellow and silver Union Pacific livery down at Caboose Hobbies, $475 plus tax, and then I went and bought this set from Ridge Road Station for $395 plus $15 shipping. And you wonder why brick and mortar shops are going out of business. The onboard power is set up so the PA can be run alone or in a multi-unit configuration with the PB. This locomotive set was also my first attempt at weathering. Oh boy. The ballast is shards of crusher fine granite that naturally fit together, like a real railroad, and it turns out they withstand the leaf blower, which is a good thing.
On a side note, I pulled the PA out of storage, where it had been for several months, and threw it on the track and ran it…the battery pack hadn’t lost its charge during all those months, linked right up to the control deal and ran like a charm just like that. That has been my experience with the batteries, anyway, that they just go for what seems like forever.
John, I think I see Kadee #1 couplers on the tank cars which are Aristocraft or USAT or both? What kind(s) of metal wheels are those? Nice looking tanks. And what kind of track?