A few weeks back, July 15 to be exact, I held my first operating session since January 23, 2020. Given how long it had been since I've had others operating on the Valley Line, it was intended to be a "shake down" session to see how the railroad has fared over such a long period of inactivity. As such, I should have checked my expectations at the top of the basement stairs. If I had, I probably would have had more fun.

I'll admit it - it's been FAR too long since I've posted here on MRH. Chalk it up to a new position at my job and the usual life stuff . . . But I'm starting to be able to get back into things a bit - starting with getting a ProtoThrottle from the Missus for my anniversary present!

Here's hoping you and yours are having a wonderful holiday season! If you have some time, and would like to experience a little of what it's like to operate a local freight in south central Connecticut in the Autumn of 1948 (or at least get a taste of what it's like to operate on my layout), grab a cup of coffee & settle in for a ride up the Valley Line.

I've decided to try and get the last of the layout "heavy construction" finally done. I'd been wanting to "box in" New London staging since it's the only part of the layout that's in an unfinished part of the basement and subject to dust. And I figured this would be a LOT easier than dismantling staging to finish this corner with studs, sheetrock & dropped ceiling. This photo and the next shows the first stick of "roof & valence support" going up.

I'm discovering that there's nothing quite like the relaxation and pleasant diversion you get from just operating a local freight train. Lots of others got to this party before me, but - driven by the lack of formal op sessions - I've just recently arrived at this realization, having operated the outbound leg of the Airline Local just a few weeks ago.

If not having regular ops sessions is one of the lemons of life lately, then being able to operate your own layout is definitely the lemonade. After all the setup required for one of my typical sessions, it's all over in a bit over 3 hours during one evening. Reminds me of a holiday dinner: the eating only takes a small fraction of the prep and cooking.