Excellent !
Update:
The tower is coming together in fits and starts as time runs down…The crew has attended to some details, and I have used a few minutes here and there to glue, sand, and putter…No pictures, but, yes, we are still in the game!
I may have a case of “iron horse 'flu” - a malady best addressed outside while tinkering on a garden railroad - next week, especially given the looming deadline!
Eric
Either that, or you HAVE to.
Hey, just because we are smart enough to move to warm weather , there is.no reason to hate on us, and make arbitrary rules. We can comeback with a whole MIK must be done working outside in shirts and sandal rule!
Update:
Shock! I’ve a case of “iron horse 'flu!” Prior to commencing “therapy,” I did have to clean the aquariums, but this afternoon is dedicated to curing my condition (in shorts and sandles, no less!) by driving the Mik closer to completion!
Over the last two weeks, as mentioned, the 1:1 crew cut out a few details which I glued on after my shift.
The angled cuts weren’t quite right, so the boys and I took turns trying to sand things to shape. Kid-zilla and I also tried to build up the side walls a bit, as you can see. Nope… Affix roof and seal with caulk, I guess.
Oldest Son led the effort to build the coaling pit, taking time (SHOCK! 
) to stop and ask questions, check the fit, and let glue dry. One wall is left open to let it drain. Mosquitos are a thing here! He covered the interior with layers of concrete patch over successive days, and then he and Kid-zilla used washes to dirty it up.
We will affix this to the base, with the open face hidden by the tower, before we set this whole thing in place.
After tending to the fish this morning, the 1:24 gang and I did some “pre-therapy” by affixing with E6000 and recycled nails the roof to the structure.
I’ve never figure out how to plug the holes in the signboard so, since I had the caulking gun out, I tried that. I / We will paint it black when dry.
Next up lunch and beverage, then I shall begin “therapy” in earnest!
Eric
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Your build is really coming. Are you getting close to completion. How will the young crew feel about pulling an all nighter? 
Update:
@capecodtodd , Todd, it is going to be close! I fat-fingered my tablet, so no photos from today of the build, though there is this rather nice one of my Maui rose…
Yeah, I finally got to RUN some trains today, part of the “therapy,” so I pulled a Mac and a STAINZ to ensure reliability.
Anyway, I got the loading deck hung and set, but not before an epic struggle to pull off some battens to mount the doors going to the coal storage bay. O.S. helped solder some wires that hang from the roof to the deck; unfortunately, they don’t look like they are in tension. I also put wood on the loading deck, so the 1:24 guys can move about safely.
Tomorrow, O.S. is going to hollow an area out to make it look like tracks run into the tower, and we will stain the wood. Sunday, we’ll see if we can detail it out. Yes, and all-nighter might be on the horizon!
Eric
Update:
Kid-zilla is getting some trains going as we wait for the stain to dry, so I thought I’d drop an update.
The 1:24 gang gathered for instructions…
…the Kid-zilla and I took the structure to the Valley of the Nap for a coat of “gunstock” stain:
The result, as of now, looks like this:
O.D. has promised to cut into the wall to make the rails disappear into the building once the stain dries. Tomorrow, we weather this thing, and, with luck, the eggcrate at the “hinge point” won’t break before the “Glamor Shots.” If it does, I am going to take two broken fencing blades (saber blades for a change!), drive them into the wall, and support the deck on those.
There are a lot of things I wanted to do with this build, and, had work (stupid work 
) not gotten in the way, I think we could have driven this a bit further. Regardless, tomorrow, it will be done.
Time for a beverage, to watch some trains, and wait for the stain to dry…
Eric
4 Likes
Looking great Eric and family!!! Looking forward to voting!
1 Like
@Pete_Lassen , Pete, thanks!
On to the update…
O.D. set-to with X-acto knives, the still moist stain be darned!
She took the toy tracks, marked them, and handed them to me to cut to size. They now disappear nicely into the tower.
The result? Streaky stain, loose battens, and rickety deck aside, this is “done.” The 1:24 gang posed for a shot after I cleaned up the lanai.
The light spots in the stain? Misapplication? Glue streaks? Paint thinner? No clue…I’ll call it “character.” I found with our sugar mill that Mother Nature has a way of making this all blend together in short order, anyway.
We have decided to touch up the paint and weather as required tomorrow in situ. Seeing how it looks in place has been a useful guide for us in the past. With the amount of jiggering to get the tracks to all line up, this is for the best, anyway, if we want “Glamor Shots” worth a hoot.
Looking back, I made a real strategic error this year in pushing the crew to a coaling tower. Beyond no practical visions for what a coaling tower is, my two week absence hurt us in some of the trial-and-error portions of this build that we might otherwise have worked out. Even today, O.D. suggested steel guitar strings for the cables, which would have been an improvement over my picture hanging wire. More generally, even as the crew has become increasingly capable, they have become increasingly busy. I acknowledged the first in selecting the project, but I forgot the latter at the same time. A small Euro-style coaling dock would have been a better choice, as it would have relied almost exclusively on previously employed techniques, been more manageable, and been more visually obvious. Still, it’ll look fine once in place, detailed enough in profile to suggest its function and rugged enough in build to allow it to be fun.
One more update tomorrow! Good luck to all still working!
Eric
4 Likes
looks awesome!! the crew, even with the SgtMajor not there to direct, carried on and all should be very proud of the results.
the streaks, weathering , or the Playmobil crew were in a low budget and bought some bad paint, and since when have you seen a bright shiny coal bin? OD, OS YD and KDZ, I hope next year the Mueller gang has at least 3 seperate entries!
Looks to me like glue stains. 
But a great job!
Yep…What I get for attempting these after a week of extended night shifts!
No more excuses! Today, it was all hands on deck (O.D. had some obligations, unfortunately) to bring us over the line.
The 1:24 gang assembled the MOW vehicles to haul away gravel…
…and the 1:1 lads carried our creation to the site…
…where serious excavations commenced!
I am a firm believer that if you are going to be moving stuff around the railroad, you should use the railroad to move the stuff. These HLW Macs are the perfect tool, too, with high power, low details, and lots of fun factor, which makes me really miss HLW…
O.S. and I proceeded to fit the tower into place, ultimately placing it on paving stones to make sure it was level and to ease backfilling the hole.
He also placed his coal receiving pit, but, with the paving stones it did not quite fit under the tower. I hit the paving stones with spray paint. Visual problem solved.
Kid-zilla, meanwhile, used trainloads of rocks to address some MOW issues…
…as Youngest Daughter (Y.D.) joined to finish setting the building in place.
After a quick break…
…it was time to test the clearances on the newly placed coaling tower.
The mill side seemed OK…
…but the hibachi side was too tight!
This necessitated some backhauling of gravel and jostling of building, but it all came out OK.
OK, I staged the 1:1 crewmate for that shot! Still, I am glad for once, I followed Craig’s example and measured something, or we would’ve been in trouble!
Next, Y.D. glued on doorknobs…
…as O.S. cut and installed beams to stop our coal tippers from running off the platform.
Yours truly got out a staple gun and made handles to raise the doors to the coal bins out of the way.
We joined forces to give the whole structure a liberal wash of thinned black latex paint.
And with that, I released the 1:1 crew, let the 1:24 gang lollygag on the trains, and sat back to admire the view.
Pau hana (All finished!)!
Glamor shots to follow!
Eric
2 Likes
A squeaker of a finish - but you made it!
Ran trains for a while today myself, after adjusting the one section at Nocturne Gate yet again. Probably adjust it again tomorrow. (Nocturne Gate is the principle stop on the upper level, built on a 12" wide shelf)
Looks Great, Eric and family for the win!
Looks good but that beer is way to clear looking for a proper beer!
One of the fun things about this scale is using the railroad to move stuff. I always like dumping ballast along the ROW.
Craig,
I'm more concerned about Kidzilla drinking a Coors light with a rooster decoy above his head in the picture.
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Sounds like a wise warning from one having experience with these matters.
Well, at least with the rooster part.
And what a great view, Eric. You and your crew made a fine addition to the RR. Looks like everyone pitched in and got r done!! I like your use of the RR to improve the RR 
Don’t pay any attention to Rooster about the beer. It looks cold and wet and that’s all that matters 
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As always Eric, I’m so impressed with the family-ness of your posts. What a wonderful crew. CINCHOUSE must be pleased!