Fourth Anniversary

What do these have in common:

A college degree

February 29

Olympics

Presidential term

(3.8 x10^13 Km)/c

Yes, it's hard to believe that is has been four years since I started the civil war model railroad project. I better be careful as this layout is going to take longer to build than the civil war lasted. My helpers and I have got a lot done over those years, but there still is a fair amount of work to go. All the little side projects have not helped with layout progress, but they have kept things interesting.

Last year my two main objectives were to
1. finish the layout from Brooke to Falmouth
2. build the road show in time for a debut at the NMRA National Convention in Atlanta.

The first objective is not quite completed. The layout is finished from Falmouth to Potomac Creek, with some detailing needed (is detailing ever finished?). From Potomac Creek to Brooke I have to build three more structures, lots of detailing,  some backdrop painting and then room finishing. The Aquia Landing area has all the benchwork and backdrops, but track has not started.

The second objective is well on the way. The road show should be ready by the deadline.

I will be making some changes to my priorities in 2013 as I shut down some things and start up others. But more on those later. In the meantime, work on the layout will progress with priority to the road show first, then the home layout second.

Some highlights from last year in no particular order:

• Ballasted all the track and drove the last spike in the main room
• Converted the first locomotive to battery power
• Used the static grass machine for the first time
• Had the layout featured in Model Railroad Planning 2012
• Built three new rail gun and armored trains models for display at the B&O Museum
• Received one blog award
• Went on a week long Civil War History train as the on-board historian visiting Chickamauga, New Orleans and Vicksburg for the first time
• Survived a fifth flood in the basement
• Presented five talks on modeling the railroads of the civil war
• Made my first spin cast items
• Survived a Viking invasion, attack of the bald guys, and the New Joisey C&O mafia
• Finished the design and started construction of the road show layout
• Installed the first ever LED strip lights on a road show layout

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• Of the foreign visitors Canada leads the way, ayy!

Thanks for following along. I hope you enjoy the blog as much as I do writing it.