So I sat down to a long project of putting together a box containing five spectrum steam locomotives, each a different make.  It was a wonderful Ebay find, the price was GREAT.  As i try to find screws, I'm discovering some are just out of stock to the point that I can't get anymore.

I was up at Roy's Trains and he has the micro fastener index sitting there and I realize it would be wonderful to have something like that on my bench...and that thought has since evolved into this project!

So, I have not had any time to model this week, or last week, or the week before, or ever since my shop found out I can build stuff.  This quickly turned into "Hey Ben, I need a corner desk" followed by "Hey Ben, I have this stone Chess set..."  I swear, this is the last "For Hire" work I do!!!

While I was heavily involved with this hobby in my younger college years where life is a bit more stable and time is a bit more superfluous than it is now, I discovered vehicle modeling can indeed be a hobby all unto itself.

Sadly, most of these pictures were taken in the Intel PC Pocket camera days...so they're a bit grainy!

So lets blow some dust off the old kilobytes, I know they're all here somewhere!!

My Uncle sent me this link.  $2,000-$3,000...yikes.  Boy, is this an exciting time to be alive!!!

http://www.wired.com/design/2012/09/how-makerbots-replicator2-will-launch-era-of-desktop-manufacturing/all/

So we're all familiar with my stance on the present buttonry and boondoggles already on the market.  They're the epitome of 1989 technology, and even then, the technology was 10-20 years old.  AKA, it's obsolete, the technology is practically an antique.  When I see manufacturers investing money into things like the new DT402R series, I groan.

So I've been thinking about this interface I will need for the "ultimate" Remote Model Railroad Operation

The question may seem idle at first, but then I realize perhaps the average model railroader is not familiar with MMORPGs.

I will not even discuss the most popular MMORPG, WoW, except to say that users pay $15 a month to play.  The game started in 2004 and they had 9.1 million subscribers in April of this year.  Blizzard has done EXTREMELY well with this virtual universe!!!

Revive your Pike -  New Life for an Old Scene

So I had planned to submit this escapade as an article, but as soon as I saw the pictures, I knew it was a no go.  So here I shall post my work on the SASME layout, as the project progresses; I present to you, for your viewing enjoyment, the Turkey Creek Rural Renewal Project.

The original Facebook album for the project:

And so I have realized it would be well to separate the old blog from this new blog...

So let us suppose one had the option to go through door number one or door number two...

Door number one is a rather fun package.  I'd be opting for the 6200 package, though, seeing as how it has the 2000 series mill instead.  This package would allow me to do fun things like convert the Bachmann 2-10-4 frame into a 2-8-4 frame, or tool up new driver beds for my Bowser Challenger[s].  But after these projects, then what?

We've all seen them, we've all used them, and many still use them all around the layout, even after going DCC.  

It's the ubiquitous Brick the power pack we all know but rarely mention as anything more than a bench tester, power for a bus line, or simply a good chuck against the wall!

So just WHAT IS the Bachmann Wallwart?

Benny takes you inside...