Weekend Photos - December 2023

[healey36]

The John Brown is a great tour, so if the ship's taking visitors this time of year, you should definitely do it.

The garden at the Fire Museum in Towson is great, and it's only a few blocks from Kenilworth, so you could nail them both in an afternoon.

I've been having fun pulling out a few of the tinplate sets to run on the under-the-tree-loop...here's a baby Stephen Girard set rolling into the station a couple days before Christmas:



This is a Lionel 248 that someone repainted in the Girard scheme, matched with a set of refurbished 600-series passenger coaches. All of the work was done by someone other than me, and they did a swell job of it. This set always gets a few double-takes/grins when it gets run on the layout; Lionel should have made one like it.

Have a good Christmas everyone.

[RBH29]

I didn't visit the John W. Brown but did talk to one of the volunteers. He was very informative but said the volunteers had probably gone home for the day. So it's on the list for next year. I did manage to get to the Ellicott City F. D. train garden. They did a really nice job on their train layout. I also went to the B & O Train Station Museum and they had a few modest layouts. The Ellicott City historic area is really cool with a lot of modeling inspiration. I heard about the bad flooding history too. Wow!

Is the Towson Fire Museum in Lutherville? If so, it's closed today so that'll go on next year's list too.

So Healey, your Christmas layout looks great and thanks for all the good information. I wish you a Merry Christmas.

[healey36]

Glad you had a chance to visit a local "garden", RBH. Maybe next year we could meet somewhere and do a whirlwind tour of four or five, lol.

Hope you and everyone else here has a great Christmas and a healthy, productive 2024!

[robert.]

Every year.I say "i'm going to do an n scale layout for Christmas"Christmas comes and i throw some Lionel under the tree. Christmas night i spend some time on youtube looking at n scale layouts and say "next year" Summer would roll by and i see the N trains in Mom's garage when i cut the grass. This year was almost no different. Then on a trip home from Richmond VA. @ 11pm. i saw 2 sheets of pink foam in the middle of I95.Taking my life in my hands i stopped and loaded up the foam board. Bent corners and all.
Whit some dollar store white cloth, fairy lights and out of scale structures. I have a small whimsy layout. I can get about 20 minutes of run time before something runs aground.


sadly this was the year our 10 year old told us " Well i don't need to ruin it for anyone on the internet " but you'll get the point.

[webenda]

Nice layout, Robert. I like those glowing mountains.

Kids realize the truth about Santa around 8 to 10 years old.

Adults?

9 Percent Of Adults Believe In Santa
The Spokesman-Review
https://www.spokesman.com › stories › dec › 9-percent...
Dec 15, 1996 — At least that's the Santa Claus story believed by children - and nearly one in 10 adults, according to a new survey.

Poll: 21-Percent Of Adults Believe In Santa Claus
Effingham Radio
https://www.effinghamradio.com › 2022/12/15 › pol...
Dec 15, 2022 — Washington, DC-(Effingham Radio)- An unusually high number of adults in the U.S. may actually believe in Santa Claus.

Why I Believe Santa Claus Is Real Even If My Kids Don't ...
Life In Pleasantville
https://www.lifeinpleasantville.com › still-believe-san...
Do you believe Santa Claus is real? This adult still believes and shares how her relationship with Santa has evolved over the years.

[healey36]

That turned out really nice, Robert. I still have a few boxes of N-scale stuff, most of which hasn't seen the light of day for at least a couple decades. A year or so ago, I picked up a pile of sectional Kato Unit-Track thinking I could snap some of that stuff together on the dining room table and at least run some things. Now you got me thinking...

On other matters, I'm amazed that the kid's belief in the fat guy lasted for ten years. I can't remember how old I was when I gave up on it, but I'm thinking probably six or seven. Once you get to school, there's always some kid(s) that want to lay down their marker, lol.

[Chris Webster]

Kids realize the truth about Santa around 8 to 10 years old.

"On Christmas night, Santa is in a superposition of quantum states, smeared out all the way round the planet, and each quantum state delivers presents to a single child. This explains why it is so important that children are asleep, because if just one child sees Santa, he immediately collapses into a single state, in accordance with Heisenberg. This would mean that no other children would receive presents that Christmas."

[robert.]

I think Covid helped santa out for a year or two. Not many kids in one place anymore. Groups are smaller. Plus i think she held on for her mother and I. She velieved for us not herself.

[gregj410]

What? There’s no Santa?

[robert.]

Wayne lights are dollar store special $1.25.batteries extra.
Gregg that's ok no Santa. My kid will find out dad is better. Only dad will buy a bow and arrows along with a 15 shot 22 and a drone for Christmas. It was fun while it lasted. This was the least stressful Christmas of all of them. Now the rel stress starts as i make a real run for state rep.

[healey36]

Healey, Tree looks great. Spent some time in Tennessee as bonus of my Telco job. Five weeks in Jackson (home of Casey Jones, I think). Side trip to Memphis, 76 miles west out I70. Later, a couple hit and runs to Nashville (didn't see much of it) and 10 weeks in Johnson City, which would be my pick. Great place for a single guy! Wall to wall women. That was 1974. No idea what it's like now, but I doubt I would know the place. Should have moved down there! Jackson was probably the best weather, but Johnson City won on the fun factor.

Thanks...can't believe it's nearly time to pull it all down.

Never been to Nashville, but Memphis is/was a nice town. It's been about ten years since my last visit and my impression was things had gotten a bit rundown in places, but still lots of good food, good music, and of course they've got Graceland. Never understood why women leave their underwear on the gate, but whatever.

One of those moments in life, the day I came home from my summer job in '77 and The Old Man, who was home early that day for some reason, just looked at me and said "Did you hear that Elvis died?" It stunned me, as I recollect, that and I didn't think he even knew who Presley was.

[gregj410]

Bad day on the pike

[healey36]

Reminds me of the old SNL "Mr. Bill" skits.

Nice looking ballast.

[webenda]

[quote="gregj410"]Bad day on the pike +/quote]
Nice looking track. What can you tell us about it? It looks like the outer rails have been blackened on the sides and base. I agree with Healy, the ballast is fantastic.

[gregj410]

Come on guys the man lost his leg and you want to talk track and ballast

Thank you for the kind words. Ross track. I hit all the nickel silver rails with some flat black then a mix of coarse and fine black cinders from woodland scenics. I try to make it as random as possible.