Rambled south of the border yesterday with me wimminfolk and a couple of grandchildren, me to pick up my latest parcel from Wholesale Trains at the Ogdensburg UPS store, them to Shop (yes, for them it takes a capital S).
Nice clear day, so we wandered from Massena to Canton, scattering money and ending up in the Freight House in O’burg: Thanks for the recommendation, Fred, it is indeed a pleasant place; good food, and fun to watch the big trains trundling around the ceiling loops.
Anyway, to trains: Got a Bachmann S.C. Ruffey private owner wagon and a brake van. Scruffey is a standard Bachmann open that will squeal more or less happily around R1 curves, but the brake van is a bit of an oddity: not bad looking (and easy enough to improve with proper railings, lamp irons, etc.), but a very long rigid wheelbase for a “toy” presumably aimed at the R1 set. It’ll be interesting to see how it runs on tight curves. I’m a bit surprised B’mann didn’t choose a shorter prototype. I’ll know more in a couple of weeks when I take it to the Mont Bleu train show. Right now, all my spare track is out in the shed beyond the snowdrifts and a frozen doorlock, so I have nothing to test it on (and I don’t feel like venturing outdoors – falling snow is more fun to watch when you’re warm and dry indoors :D)