This Week on the Layout

This has been a roller coaster of a week weather wise. Tuesday night was mild and misty as opposed to polar vortex conditions last week. Being the first Tuesday of February, most members expected a meeting but the chief declared there was nothing that needed our attention so the usual running and socializing carried on. Seeing a new 4 axle Scheltema lowboy trailer out in front brought a feeling of security that Bill is still in business. I slipped home mid evening with a recent loco that Don from the east had acquired at the Paris show and checked it on my NCE system. Unfortunately it confirmed his Digitrax finding that the decoder is dead. But he knows the seller so negotiation can ensue. Wednesday, we got dumped on with all day freezing rain which, more or less, closed everything up. Thursday was ice chipping day @ 0C until the temperature rose during the evening to 6C by 1 am. You could hear ice popping off trees in the house. By 8 am yesterday, it was -6C and going lower with wind gusts up to 70 kph blowing snow and closing roads to the northwest. Yet we had 4 members running trains including Peter whose new GP7 is pictured to the left. He  

received word this week from Paris Junction Hobbies that his Alco RS decoder that died is being covered by Atlas's warranty. I have an earlier version of the GP7 without the dynamic brakes along with other Atlas locos which have always been good reliable runners. 

Our latest car added to the layout is pictured to the right assembled from a Stewart Hobbies kit that I think the chief acquired at the recent Paris train show. It has been added to the gravel hopper consist although I think the Western Maryland Railroad was a coal hauling line. 

PS 1 - I talked with Jim Long last night and yesterday's high in Myrtle Beach was 78F; tough to take, he sez. . . .

PS 2 - After spending over 2 hours replacing 3 coupler springs earlier today, you are reminded to couple up GENTLY to prevent the springs from flying out during the crash.