How do you determine the next project?

Asked no one....ever. But I am going to answer it anyway. It's my blog!
There are several triggers that can happen - I find something at a train show or hobby shop that fits an idea, I have a number of car kits or structures waiting to be built, or I get an idea from someone else in a magazine or one of the Facebook groups. Usually, I just have a pile growing on the desk and I decided its time to clear the desk. Here's what the desk looked like last weekend.

My work desk is usually cluttered.

In the photo, you can see I am adding pins to some figures for mounting on the layout and I recently added a light inside the Irwin Tower and am adding the wood trim on the outside. What you don't see is the other projects around the cutting board.

• Isaly's roof needing repairs
• 6 freight cars needing tune up (plus 4 more on the RIP track)
• fence for the barnyard
• additional parts for the barn
• additional parts for 4 structures
• jib crane for Irwin Yard
• 3 pick up kits needed paint and assembly
• papers and notes on waybill and car card (WB&CC) operations
• N scale building for the corning next to East McKeesport
• 6 terminal strips I pre-wired for structure lighting
• collection of scene details that need paint and some assembly - milk cartons, skids, sacks, and figures 

And these are just the ACTIVE projects! Almost all of the structures need additional details, interiors, and lights (some need replaced since they are cardboard mockups). Ballast needs touched up in areas, backgrounds need painted (as soon as Bruce is available!). There are trees to plant and the corner scene with hills and a stream are patiently waiting.

So....sometimes its easy to come to the train room and do a little work on a project. Sometimes, it can be daunting. I must be making progress, though, since my brother-in-law, Pat was over recently and walked through the train room saying, "Are you done building this now?"