Equipment - and where to put it

 With all of these spectacular new models from the manufacturers, we have amazing opportunity to recreate railroading in scale.  In fact, the only real downside to this is the fact that each of our railroads has only so much track, and for most of us, even less storage and staging.  It requires some creative solutions - like a new storage area beneath Euclid Yard!

While I have added cabinet shelving for storage of equipment off the layout (see https://onondagacutoff.blogspot.com/2024/01/making-spaces.html ), the process of building the long-awaited office car special train got me thinking that we need a shelf yard where trains can be stored without having to manually add them to the layout trackage.  

Brackets were added to allow for a new level.  That process is well underway now, with the yard largely assembled as well down on the floor. 

The tracks are glued to plywood, which was assembled and painted up.  This maximizes clearances and won't adversely impact operations based on other projects with track glued directly to a wood surface.  One key is to leave some room for seasonal expansion and contraction of the lumber by ensuring the joints are just hare loose.  

Wiring for track feeders will be next before installation.  And a final challenge will be a long lift-out bridge to connect the yard to S&I track 2 on the Island.  

Good progress!  And having a place to store these new trains will greatly add to the joy of running - some more variety will help with the illusion of the world outside, and we can all enjoy that.  

Weeks passing blink by blink

 You know it is a life full of opportunity when you're handling more than you thought you could, and still have things you haven't started yet.  It really does make me hope I am not making any repeated mistakes, because there's no time to check to see what the results have been.  

This is when the hobby can be most satisfying to me.  Competing priorities and the demands of relationship, work and volunteer responsibilities all comes from the same well of time and energy.  Making the effort to get to the workbench or layout and make a little progress is always one more thing, but it almost always is satisfying and in any case, it is one step closer to something else off the plate.  

For example, somehow we are almost a month past Springfield already.  Between new leadership at work pushing hard on items I control and the ongoing process of husbanding a young family with excited, involved kids time takes on different weights.  Of course a minute is a minute but when doing two things at once, that minute feels different than when we are relaxing.  

'DemClams', however, are a constant - they keep getting bigger.  I love an easy Sunday morning coming down to find all three watching cartoons.  They get along about as well as a family can, which is both a blessing and fun.  It is awesome to be part of raising these kids, and I am grateful to be able to be home as much as I am.  And I am especially grateful to Kristen who fills in the gaps and keeps the wheels on the car as we bump along on this journey.  

Onto the next moment!