End of an Era?
The hobby store I used to work for part-time changed owners last month. They closed down two of the other stores and consolidated into the main store. Most of the people I knew there are gone, and they've reduced their model train inventory to a ridiculously small selection. Online retail basically did them in. This makes me sad. I really like going to the local shop to peruse their inventory so I can actually see and examine the merchandise rather than relying on some idealistic sample displayed on a webpage that bears little or no resemblance to what I really want.
Some people left of their own accord and others were "let go", which really makes me sad. Sometimes hard decisions have to be carried out to keep a business running, but it still is difficult to see people who had been loyal employees for decades turned out.
Noisy Fu
Keichii is a noisy boy. When either my sweetie or I go to bed, K-1 insists on hopping up on the bed and telling us about his day or demanding attention at the top of his lungs. If I happen to come to bed and my sweetie is asleep, this can be a problem. In fairness, Ignatius and Josie are both attention-mongers at bedtime, too, but they are much quieter and more demonstrative. BUNT! PET ME!
K-1 is also trying to change the pecking order, and has been harassing both Ælfgifu and Josie--trying to take their established comfy spots or chase them around. He'll find out the hard way that the girls won't put up with his shenanigans.
Overindulgence
The temptation of the LEGO store on the way home from DragonCon was overwhelming. Ealdthryth has been dropping not-so-subtle hints she wants to build, too. My sweetie has expensive taste in LEGO sets. That is OK, because I do, too. I've been very restrained all year, but darn those licensing agreements between LEGO and Hollywood....
Rescue
I rescued another vintage locomotive and have upgraded it. The tiny switcher is an old Penn Line model. I installed a decoder in it and it appears to be working. A little noisy, but the gearing seems to keep it running nice and slow. I stripped some of the paint off of it and repainted it with Testors, but I need a do-over. It is bright yellow, and the humidity made the paint runny so it did not coat evenly. I need to manufacture new grab irons for the locomotice, and if I were more comfortable with metalwork, I'd drill out the headlamps and insert actual lights for it. There is very little clearance, so I think I will postpone attempting that upgrade.
Ideally, I should drill out some windows for it--if we assume the "front" is where the hood is. The motor is very visible, so inserting some tinted windows might be appropriate. I am debating the merits of grinding off the handrails and installing brass wire ones or leaving it as is. Considering the previous owner already left obvious file marks on the coupler areas, I think I won't be destroying any further value. This little guy would be great in an industrial area with light switching duties, so it will be making an appearance on the portable layout and maybe do some work during operations night down in the industrial areas that have some VERY tight clearances.
Some people left of their own accord and others were "let go", which really makes me sad. Sometimes hard decisions have to be carried out to keep a business running, but it still is difficult to see people who had been loyal employees for decades turned out.
Noisy Fu
Keichii is a noisy boy. When either my sweetie or I go to bed, K-1 insists on hopping up on the bed and telling us about his day or demanding attention at the top of his lungs. If I happen to come to bed and my sweetie is asleep, this can be a problem. In fairness, Ignatius and Josie are both attention-mongers at bedtime, too, but they are much quieter and more demonstrative. BUNT! PET ME!
K-1 is also trying to change the pecking order, and has been harassing both Ælfgifu and Josie--trying to take their established comfy spots or chase them around. He'll find out the hard way that the girls won't put up with his shenanigans.
Overindulgence
The temptation of the LEGO store on the way home from DragonCon was overwhelming. Ealdthryth has been dropping not-so-subtle hints she wants to build, too. My sweetie has expensive taste in LEGO sets. That is OK, because I do, too. I've been very restrained all year, but darn those licensing agreements between LEGO and Hollywood....
Rescue
I rescued another vintage locomotive and have upgraded it. The tiny switcher is an old Penn Line model. I installed a decoder in it and it appears to be working. A little noisy, but the gearing seems to keep it running nice and slow. I stripped some of the paint off of it and repainted it with Testors, but I need a do-over. It is bright yellow, and the humidity made the paint runny so it did not coat evenly. I need to manufacture new grab irons for the locomotice, and if I were more comfortable with metalwork, I'd drill out the headlamps and insert actual lights for it. There is very little clearance, so I think I will postpone attempting that upgrade.
Ideally, I should drill out some windows for it--if we assume the "front" is where the hood is. The motor is very visible, so inserting some tinted windows might be appropriate. I am debating the merits of grinding off the handrails and installing brass wire ones or leaving it as is. Considering the previous owner already left obvious file marks on the coupler areas, I think I won't be destroying any further value. This little guy would be great in an industrial area with light switching duties, so it will be making an appearance on the portable layout and maybe do some work during operations night down in the industrial areas that have some VERY tight clearances.