AHM 12000 Extended Vision Caboose #12137 red "Safety Slogan"...

...sans couplers, stack and railings, from last summer's Delaware barn box lot.



Interesting to note that they simply left off the horn/hook couplers on the Talgo trucks and tucked the unused mechanisms under the car...

Pocher/AHM HO scale 4-4-0 American "Genoa"...

When I was growing up as a kid, one of these circled the Christmas tree. The thing that stood out was the turned brass fittings, something they later replaced with plastic castings. Even the flag holders on the pilot are able to hold .015" wire staffs, something I'll put on when I can find flags. This one was a recent gift from a friend, who knew I had been wanting to find one of these for awhile.

Jeremiah 5:21-31

(21) Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:

(22) Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?

(23) But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.

(24) Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.

(25) Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.

(26) For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men.

(27) As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich.

(28) They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.

(29) Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

(30) A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;

(31) The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

Life-Like Proto 1000 HO scale Santa Fe F3A...

...in their almost as good blue and yellow scheme---a very distant "almost as good"--- Nothing quite compares to the classic "War bonnet" paint...except maybe Beano's two tone blue with gold pinstripes. Note the see-thru effect of the side grills and the flush mount windows, kudos to them for such an effort on upper low end equipment. It is also a fine and quiet runner. Yet another occupant of last weekend's flea market box lot...

Malibu N scale Micron City Dept. of Corrections bus...

...well...almost N scale. My primary MOS when I was in the reserves was POW/Corrections security. Thankfully, as RTO, I saw little floor duty.

We sponsor a prisoner I've known now for over 20 years. He's an "uncle" to my kids and it's been a joy to watch him grow in Christ over the years. Because the prison system he is in does not provide basics like underwear, shoes and toiletries and he does not have any family, we've been trusted by God to take care of his needs over the years with what He blesses us with.

We normally send him pictures that the kids have drawn for him. This time around, I put a picture together for him from my model work---"Uncle Bud goes for a bus ride". You can almost hear Axle Foley belting out "Roxanne" in the background...



When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Here, there or in the air, buddy, it won't be long now.

Life-Like HO scale Patriotic set...

...a four car set put out by Life-Like during the show of patriotism that swept the nation shortly after the events of 9/11.

There are so many things I could say about this set. No references to the events or victims are present anywhere on the cars...they could easily pass for a cheesy Bicentennial set from 30 years ago. The two reefers weren't even given brake wheels. Fans of Sean Hannity should like the "Let Freedom Ring" car, other than that, the only pluses I have found are that I paid less than twenty five cents a car, they're in mint condition and the doors on the box cars open.









"Well then, why did you buy them?"

I appreciate anything that makes Tyco look like high end workmanship...

Wednesday's Word, Psalms 8...

An awesome spectacle for me at lunch time...



To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of David. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

Life-Like P1K HO scale Santa Fe caboose #999666...

Another fantasy paint as the car is a Reading design that never made the Santa Fe railroad roster. Another piece found in a flea market box lot this past weekend.

Model Power HO scale MKT Alco C430...

...a fantasy paint job as none were ever owned by the Missouri, Kansas and Texas railroad. Only sixteen were ever built in real life, emphasizing an annoying ability on the part of model makers to pick an obscure prototype and run with it, even when others have already done it. This one was found in a flea market box lot this past weekend.

Deuteronomy 4:4-9

But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day. Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons...

Johnny Lightning Partridge Family bus...

...it's alive...IT'S ALIVE!!!



This staring really hard thing might actually work...I couldn't get it to run at all before. Now I just stare really hard at them for three or four months with vile, threatening thoughts going through my mind and ...viola...they run like nothing ever happened...

"Normal?" by Samantha McLeod...

...for those of you who, like me, have an autistic child. Written and illustrated by a young girl about her autistic little brother, this work is outstanding. Lulu's is to be commended for their service too.

My layout/storage area...

...I've never showed these pictures on the blog before. They detail the construction of my layout storage area. It's done in 3/4" red oak plywood, birch and poplar and took about 30 hours to build. The layout is on 3' full extension slides, the storage drawer is on 2' slides.

It holds several hundred books and magazines, as well as my N and HO layouts. My beloved has free reign as to what the finish will be---my idea to make it look like a pallet of crates with "Not Fragile" stenciled all over it was shot down fairly quickly. I hope one day to carpet the top in a tight weave commercial grade pile so that I can use unitized track such as Kato or Bachmann EZ Track on top, changing the plan at a whim. The back gives me under layout access for maintenance.

Wednesday's Word...

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.

Plastruct Billboard kit #1013...

...slightly modified with a marque light purchased at a train show...



I did this for my club some time back, it was fairly easy to remove the circuitry from the jewelry it came in. Once out it was simply a matter of sizing up and centering the hole and printing up a sign.

Jeremiah 14:7-14

O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name's sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee. O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night? Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied, as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O LORD, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not. Thus saith the LORD unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the LORD doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins. Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good. When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence. Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place. Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.

...sigh...

...not feelin' much like trains this week...

>>> It is crazy weird to sit down to lunch with your beloved and the kidlets, only to have kinfolk call you up to say howdy---from the front lines half a world away.

>>> It takes the wind out of your socks to find out that said kinfolk's spouse is enjoying some extramarital activity whilst said kinfolk is away at the front lines half a world away.

>>> I plan to use an ice cream scoop to remove the heart of the next wingnut who preaches a milquetoast Gospel within my earshot to this generation.

The word of the LORD came again to me, saying, Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it: Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD. If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts: Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate. Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it: Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves. Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast: Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.

Oh, yeah...I was booted from my pastorate because I wasn't entertaining enough. You think?

The NScale.org custom car...

...is almost here...many thanks Serg, for making it possible...

Wednesday's Word...

I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

NBC's "Supertrain"...

...anybody remember that stinker?


---November 1980 Model Railroader magazine---

It took awhile for AHM to sell this thing back in the early 80s...wonder if that was what helped put them under...

Matthew 21:28-45

But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.

Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.

Herod's Temple in 1:100 scale...

...Geoff Robinson Photography

Wow...

Atlas/Rivarossi N scale SW1500...

Based on drawings of a locomotive that was never built, does that make the model a prototype?



Busy pulling 11 cars up a grade, you wouldn't think that I was trying to all but give this thing away for about 4 months. Bought with the cars in the train for $10 in a junk box lot, I cleaned and lubed it and set in on the track, where upon it buzzed gleefully for about half a lap---then stopped dead. I couldn't get another squeak out of it no matter what I did---pulled it apart 3 times---, it was stone cold dead. So it sat in a corner of my bench to be occasionally glared at really hard for four months.

One day last week I picked it up, put it on the track and off it went---no explanations or reasons---just up and went...and it's been running like a watch for dozens of laps ever since...sigh...

Atlas N scale Cylindrical hopper, old and new...

The blue one on the left is an early 80s issue that sold for about $1.98. The one on the right is their latest offering and retails for about $15.98---free if you hit the door prize at a local shoe like me. With see-thru roof walks, near scale grabs and magnetic knuckle couplers, one now gets what couldn't be had in expensive imported brass models not all that long ago. No wonder the younger modeler's eyes glaze over when I point out my "vintage" stuff..."Oh yeah, that's Br'er Shaygetz...[hushed tone] just smile and nod when he points out his clunky antique stuff...makes him feel important..."

Wednesday's Word...

Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

...and just like that, an era ends...

Just a little note to all our customers,

Bowser has discontinued HO steam loco, turntable, Standard gauge and O gauge replacement wheel production.

We will continued to make our HO diesel locomotives, HO freight car, N freight cars, HO trolleys, Cal Scale, Selley and Cary detail parts

We have plans for many new products but, they do not include any steam locos in any scale.

Steam loco parts are still available but when our supply is exhausted I do not plan to restock.

Thank You for all your interest over the years.

Lee English, President

It's not a right of passage or anything but there's just no element of this hobby to compare the feeling of hammering out a steam locomotive from a box of castings, rivets and screws, then watching it buzz to life like an angry cicada...sigh...

Norscot 1/50 scale #55074 Caterpillar 836G Landfill Compactor...

...found while perusing the local thrift stores this weekend.

Jeremiah 17:5-8

Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.