Making Progress

I wax and wane with my hobbies and model railroading is not exception. Usually the bug bites me again right AFTER all the fall train shows but this year I got an early start. There are 3 shows coming up over the next few weeks and I am starting my shopping list.

In the meantime, I've been spending my time working on scenery. I am not an artist and I always hesitate at this step which is why my layouts always are half complete. I've already ballasted and scenicked the Irwin yard. I am almost done with the East (Greensburg) staging yard and have started to ballast the track in Herminie with the coal spills. I finally installed the concrete retaining walls that support Rt 30 across the tracks on the west end of the layout. I have an idea how I want that hillside to look but not sure if I can get it just right. Of course, the light over the area burned out and I think I have to replace the fixture so I've stopped working there.

Pretty soon it will be time for some masonite for both the backdrop and fascia. I want to get the permanent waybill holders and Digitrax panels mounted, then I can finish the scenery to the front of the fascia.

Bargains

A couple of months ago, I discovered that Hobby Lobby was cutting back on their model railroad stock. I was on a business trip in Michigan and happened to stop in. I found several Woodland Scenics figures and a few JL Innovations details for about 1/2 price. I thought I hit a gold mine.

Turns out it was merely silver! We were out shopping yesterday and stopped at a local Hobby Lobby that's nearby our house but not real convenient. They had marked down the rest of their JL Innovation stock to $1.51 to $1.72 each. Mother lode! I grabbed everything they had, 11 items including some duplicates but I figure every house in the Herminie mining camp will have propane tanks. And I might have to have more than 1 gas station now. I also got some Model Master paints for only $1.18. I cleaned house.