Weekend Photos - November 2025

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Editing an article that honestly is providing the most convincing argument against Ops by trying to do the exact opposite. Had to jam a spoon in my ear to make the pain stop.

Ops as in model railroading ops?

Exactly. Wretched & horrid. Should have just read another library book instead.......

[sarge]

Being the custodian of the platform that is home for an ops group, I'd be interested in hearing about this.

Probably best by email/off-line if this hasn't published yet.

[webenda]

I once observed the HO club's operations in Balboa Park, San Diego. They had a major train wreck that night due to a malfunction with their headphone and microphone system. Sarge's One Night at the Railroad Club... was interesting. I would like to read your article, Rufus. Is it for OST?

[webenda]

Yes, model train club OPS can be interesting.

I once observed the HO club's operations in Balboa Park, San Diego. They had a major train wreck that night due to a malfunction with their headphone and microphone system. Just like a real railroad, failure of one part of the operation can result in disaster.

Sarge's One Night at the Railroad Club... was interesting. I would like to read your article, Rufus. Is it for OST?

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Is it for OST?

OST is dead. Dead, and dead again.

It's one that has crossed my desk for an NMRA publication. 9 pages of celebrated --> look at me, I'm oh so clever, and here's how I do everything -- to the point that anyone reading it would run away screaming like a 9 year old girl.

My other editor position ends in 25 days. Watching the calendar & clock? Damn right I am! Might miss the money but little else; new management are spineless jellyfish.

[sarge]

These people, as typified by the Ops SIG crowd, for some reason have never figured out the truism that:

1) ops is a group effort, not individual glorification. It ain't all about you.

2)
a) A group is attracted and retained when ops is crafted to be enjoyable, not a day's work in miniature, and

b) A group is retained as long as there is variety rather than slavish repetition.

The most important concept (and difficult to pull off) therefore is striking the balance described in 2a and putting the effort into 2b, all after having accepted 1. If you can't wrap your head around the above, don't bother with operations. You'll be wondering why no-one wants to bask in the chilling glow of your perceived magnificence more than once.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

1) ops is a group effort, not individual glorification. It ain't all about you.

2)
a) A group is attracted and retained when ops is crafted to be enjoyable, not a day's work in miniature, and

b) A group is retained as long as there is variety rather than slavish repetition.

That as stated would/should all seem obvious, This article glories in its complexity and pain.

Enough of this nonsense; the weather is holding; time for painting and staining.

Let's see some photos!!!

[robert.]

I like that sarge enjoyable. Fun not like a timed work day for csx. I see so many take the enjoyment out of antique motorcycles. You have the wrong this or that. 3/4 of them stress over something so small. That they never finish a bike. 25 percent slap a bitsa bike together and ride with friends

[webenda]

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Ok, so what are we looking at there. A game of tag or follow the leader?

[robert.]

Ho train running on 2 of the 3 rails

[sarge]

Ok, so what are we looking at there. A game of tag or follow the leader?

Looks like a sense of fun to me!

[healey36]

I like the cut of that little tank engine...looks like something The Old Man might have built from one of those HO Mantua kits from the 1950s.

A bit of progress on the tunnel/tree-stand project. Cut and mounted 99% of the contour/partitions, making a few decisions along the way:



Maybe four or five additional partitions to cut and glue in, then we'll start adding some "webbing" to try to smooth things out a bit prior to papering.

Dropped the larger of the three buildings as there just wasn't enough space. No worries, we'll make a stand-alone out of it.

Tested one more time for clearances; everything still looks good.

[webenda]

Tag. The O gauge engine caught up with the HO gauge engine and knocked it over on the track, causing a short circuit, which is why the O gauge engine's cab light went out at the end of the video.

That tree tunnel is getting more interesting.

[webenda]

I like the cut of that little tank engine...looks like something The Old Man might have built from one of those HO Mantua kits from the 1950s.

I think that is exactly what it is. Whoever put it together put the crosshead guides in the wrong spot and soldered them to the guide beam.