Whoa! Where did the year go? The turkey is gone and the Advent candles lit, and, with those signs at hand, the lanai reverts from workshop to living space as we prepare the house for Advent and the Christmas season! It also means that I have a moment to take stock of what we’ve accomplished on our little railroad. I have been doing this for half a decade now, and it really has been a good way to keep this project “on track” by considering what can be done, what should be tried, and what needs to remain in the realm of aspirations.
To begin with, CINCHOUSE’s mandate, “It cannot be just YOUR hobby!” remained and will remain a core principle in 2026, and I will continue to operationalize her mandate in the form of “All may, but none must, participate.” These guidelines have resulted in the profitable return of countless memories, the only real profit I need, and I suspect they will lead to more even as we prepare to send Oldest Daughter to college next fall (cue “Sunrise, Sunset” from “Fiddler on the Roof”). There will be time for my projects later; for now, to the degree people want to participate, the focus will remain on our projects.
Given that, my lessons learned and refined for Triple O - 2025 Plans & Objectives remain the same, with one exception, I will move “Enjoy the Moment” to first priority. These broad lessons stand as follows…
- Enjoy the Moment. O.D.'s departure in the fall makes this all the more true!
- I have all the railroad I can handle. Keeping things in repair, improving things, helping Kid-zilla, trying little side projects, etc. still keep me busy enough!
- The lanai remains full. Projects of all sorts come and go from the lanai, consuming materiel as they do. Whether railroad projects or not is not really as important to me as seeing the kids creating, doing, problem solving, etc.
- I don’t like being inside. Still true. I still cannot bring myself to learn CAD or putter with the CRICUT when a tropical afternoon, a spark of creativity, and previously unmolested crafsticks call to me. I know that this limits to some degree what I can accomplish, but the tradeoff in terms of end-of-day views when it is too dark to work but light enough to see our railroad is worth it!
- Buildings don’t like being outside. Yep. Still true. 2025 rebuild projects addressed that, and the 2026 projects will continue to address it. All future builds will need to be portable so that they can remain on the lanai between running sessions.
The 2025 Score Card & 2026 Project List.
- The MIK - Finished! Three competing projects rolled off the line:
Eric’s 2025 Mik - Ke Ka’aahi o Luna Nana / Inspection Locomotive ;
O.D. & O.S. Mueller 2025 Mik - Steampunk Loco;
and Y.D. & Kid-zilla 2025 Mik - Rocket Carrier
This was really fun to see how everyone interpreted “railroad” through the optics of their interests! This is the only project where I insist on all-hands participation. There is always the MIK, and it has already been a subject of conversation.
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Haluku’ilio Switch Towers - Deferred from 2025. These are damaged but functional. They fell victim to higher priority projects
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Mama’s Baker No Ka Oi - Finished! Refurbishing Mama’s Bakery No Ka Oi proved more challenging than I thought, and I was only partially successful in retaining its original artwork. Still, it is now portable, and thus it will hopefully survive in its present shape for years to come. The debris serves on in Kid-zilla’s trash load.
Other than the MIK, it was also one of the only projects that involved the girls. Bonus points! -
Pu’uomao Yard Office and Observation Tower - Deferred since 2023 / started in 2025. The Triple O Salvage Project - Pu’uoma’o Yard Office and Observation Tower - Modeling - Large Scale Central proved pretty daunting, and it required lots of starts and stops as I tried to preserve the character of a project hacked together by two children, a toddler, an infant, and their totally clueless father while addressing lessons learned, employing new skills, and improving functionality.
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The “Thomases" - Deferred since 2023 / Partially addressed in 2025 . Kid-zilla and I weighted in one of our LGB m2075 (battery) repowered with STAINZ chassis, but it still tends to slip its gears. The other has never quite worked, and one still awaits disposition. We decided to leave Christmas Thomas as a Christmas loco until we can improve drive train reliability.
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More flat cars - Deferred since 2023. This was another project that fell to the wayside as we built rockets, puttered with higher priority projects, and puzzled over Kid-zilla’s B’mann restoration project ( Kid-zilla vs. Bachmann…A Story of Dad Learning to Let Go)…
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…his ongoing diesel build (AM-Critter….Kid-zilla goes freelance)…
…and general maintenance.
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Secret Project - Deferred since 2023. Another casualty of higher priority projects, Kid-zilla and I plan to attack this in 2026. It will represent a portion of Oahu railroading we’ve ignored to date.
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Restore Remaining Buildings - New in 2026! To really see what you need to do, you need a trackside view, so Kid-zilla grabbed the camera and assembled a work train and inspection crew last weekend:
First, they documented the busted platforms, missing ladders, and dog-removed signal arms of those switch towers.
Then it was on to the 2021 Mik Challenge – Hale Ipukukui o Haluku’ilio, where constant exposure had rotted metal and wood alike.
The rot makes this Priority #1…after the MIK!
The train proceeded to Pu’uoma’o…
…where O.D.'s granary waits mournfully for completion after four years and even an attempt to sneak it the Mik 2024 – Hui Laulima Mahi ‘Ai na M&K. We plan to take this on in 2026. Kid-zilla also wants to refurbish the switchtower in the foreground to better fit the exacting standards of 1:24-ish PLAYMOBIL scale.
The gang also inspected the coaling tower (Mik 2022 - Hale o Waihona Lanahu) and found warped walls, busted cables, missing timbers, etc.
This project is priority #2 behind the lighthouse.
Because motive power projects are fun, the crew also dragged the busted and the derelict from the Track of Perpetual Puttering for evaluation.
'I’iwi slips its gears. All attempts to weight the loco better, wedge the motor into place, etc. have failed. The little field loco, which had been a delight on our plantation loop, awaits shipment to North America for repair.
Next up are a pair of chassis, one LGB from a 2017D that came in a box-o-bits from @PeterT and the other a remnant of a LGB m2075 (battery) project.
The 2017D chassis appears in good shape; Kid-zilla and I only need a good excuse to do something with it. The other thing may become part of the “secret project.” Shhhhh…
The next track held the other projects in waiting, including an interesting tram, also from Pete’s box-o-bits, mounted on a B’mann 2-4-2 chassis.
Naturally, it has an authentically B’mann split drive gear, so we can practice repairing that as well as kitbashing!
Immediately behind the tram is Komaka Iki, our first attempt to repower a m2075 (battery). The motor has always slipped its gears, so we stripped the motor for another repair. I am beginning to like USA Trains motor blocks, so I might try a powered tender or combo battery carrier / powered “gondola.” If it is successful, we can use that trick for the next m2075 (battery) in the line.
Oh, that wreck’s chassis? Maybe also a donor part to the “secret project!” Shhhh…
Finally, a shattered B’mann 10-wheeler from @John_Bouck awaits Kid-zilla’s attention and the matte black and blue-grey of the Triple O!
Lots to do, and probable overreach, but let’s go back to Lesson Learned #1 “Enjoy the Moment.” We will flex to meet need, interests, and parts, and allow the moment to dictate the project, like last weekend’s airstrip.
Whatever we take on to continue the story of the Triple O, whether as family or as individuals, it will always be safety first…
…and fun always!
Thanks for giving me the time to reflect, ruminate, and plan!
On Behalf of the Triple O Crew, both 1:1 and 1:24-ish,
Eric