Focus

I think I've mentioned before that I have a tendency to jump from project-to-project. I make progress ... don't get me wrong ... but sometimes I wonder if I would make more progress if I had a list and stuck to it. Of course, my day jump is listing To Dos and crossing each one off (some of my coworkers might argue that!) so maybe not having a plan is therapeutic.

Anyway, here is a perfect example. Friday night and I have some ideas of what I want to do. Jack has been helping with Herminie Hill and offered to help ballast track so I ordered some ballast today from First Place Hobbies for our next work/operating session. I have a mental image for how I want to other side of the bridge to look with Vic's Bait & Tackle "in the shadows" so I applied some plaster gauze over the pink insulation land forms I glued down earlier this week. Let it dry overnight and I can start adding some simple scenic materials - brown paint, dirt, grass, brush, etc. I have a kerosene pump and propane tank that will look great next to the building. All I need now is the row boat leaning against the building and maybe a car with a fishing rod leaning against it.

Almost makes me wish I was working that project in Orange County, CA again. The one that was 1 mile from the great little hobby shop that had all the detail parts!

Since I had the plaster gauze and bowl of warm water, I fixed a section where there was a gap between the ground and the fascia. Again some paint, dirt, and grass and that will look pretty good. (Side note: Why do I always finish the scenery at the end of the layout while the back is still flat and ugly?) I was not ready to call it a night on the railroad yet, so I built a small factory to continue the buildings against the backdrop in the west staging yard. This is important to me because it's the first part of the railroad a visitor sees and walks past. I only need about 3 or 4 more buildings and a little scenery work before and under the Rt 30 highway overpass and this section will look "finished".

Still don't feel like quitting so I wrote this  blog. Had to move 2 half built boxcars to work on the building so maybe I'll see if I can finish those.

Sometimes, no plan works best.