Enough is enough

This doesn't have a damn thing to do with trains, so if you want to know about how I do x,y, or z, it will have to wait. This is far more important than what we do with our choo choos in the basement. I'm going to get on my soapbox and talk about a damn travesty that is happening every day, and hardly anyone knows about it, unless you run in the same circles that I do.

Warning: if my choice of language during this post offends your sensibilities, cry about it. I'm going to use language that I know from years of experience, works at getting the attention of young men who hunt other men for a living.

Only 0.45% of Americans serve in the military, and of that figure, less than 1% see combat.  That ridiculously small percentage of men and women are shooting themselves in the face at an alarming rate, and they fucking need to stop it. STOP IT. 3 and a half.  3 and a half Soldiers I knew killed themselves. I say a half, because one of my Soldiers tried to suck start his sidearm, and his battle buddy found him on their kitchen floor and saved his life. The latest one was today, and I'm pissed off.

I sound pretty crass, don't I? There is a reason for that...

For those of you who don't know anyone in the military, it sounds cliché, but you really have no fucking clue about what it is like to volunteer to watch the people you love literally get blown up around you. Spare me the "war is bad" and political diatribes about illegal wars and all of the other talking points.  It is what it is. That is what we said, how we coped, and how we learned to accept that in far flung shitholes, people are really, really, fucked up. "Everything in Iraq is fucked up.", was the first thing that I heard that made any sense my first week there. I took that to heart, and I learned that what I was going to experience, was going to be fucked up, no matter what. 

The VA system is just as fucked up as Iraq is, and is of no real help, so it is up to friends and relatives, wives, husbands, brothers, sisters moms and dads to be the first line of defense in combating suicide. This doesn't just go for vets. "I'm not a professional" doesn't fucking apply when it comes to someone who you know. For fucks sake, have them email ME, and I'll talk to them. I don't give a shit!  I had to get between another one of my Soldiers, his 1911, and 3 cops with tasers and M4s at the ready...pointing at MY back to stop him from making a permanent mistake. The point is, that I am here, and I will talk to you if you need it.

"spreading awareness" of Veteran Suicide is a bullshit concept, just like all "awareness" campaigns. Veterans know damn well that their buddies are killing themselves, and the media sensationalization of the phenomena makes the rest of us look like psychopaths that you don't want your kids knocking on our doors on Halloween.

There are resources out there. There are people who understand, and are willing to talk. http://www.veteranscrisisline.net/ is just one of the many places vets can go to talk to someone, but you, dear reader, if you know a vet, you need to keep your eye on them to make sure they are good to go, because they volunteered to do the same for you, whether or not you even realize it.

Coming home was even more fucked up than going to war.  I've adjusted. Many of my brothers have not.

Go build something awesome.

Graphic Designers:

Graphic Designers: I have a need for some of your work. Although I know how to use photoshop and illustrator, I don't have the time to sit down and work on branding. 

I'm in need of some logos and headers that can be used on my kits, the Facebook page, and the blog. 

If you are interested, email me at marshcreekrr@yahoo.com 

1000 page views

WOOOHOOO!!!!

So, apparently you all think I am interesting enough that when I logged in this morning, The Marsh Creek Railroad had 1000 page views.

Thank You!

I guess that means I have to keep writing and taking pictures....

Hobbytown USA Annual Model Contest

What does Bruce Lee have to do with trains?  Everything.  More of that in a minute...

Yesterday my Mill Pond diorama won it's class (dioramas) at our local Hobbytown USA. I am pretty happy about that. I got a nice plaque, for the low price of three dollars (entrance fee).  More importantly, I got to see an old friend, and I got a chance to see models that ran the spectrum of very good, to very, very, bad.  Before you get a bad taste in your mouth for me "gloating", hear me out.  Even those really crappy models were on display, and I didn't see any of YOU there.  The people who had the balls to come out and compete are all winners, because they took time out of their day to at least show up, with glue runs, finger prints, and duct tape shadowboxes in tow, to share their hobby with others.

 As Model Railroaders, we kind of hang out with the other weirdos like us.  My friend today said: "ever notice that model builders are strange?"  Well, of course I had noticed, look at the two of us here!  We tend to be basement, garage, or attic dwellers, total geeks. Getting out to a contest or show to socialize with the other socially retarded folks is good for you, and competition is healthy. It also gives you ideas, and a chance to get to know other people who share your interests. 

What did I gain from looking at bad models? I got some inspiration to maybe try other genres of modeling. There were good ideas, just maybe not executed the best way.  Unfortunately, I couldn't really hang out and talk with all of the modelers, because I would have liked to give some of those guys some tips or ideas, and maybe I could have gotten some tips on my own modeling, and maybe those guys could have pointed out things that I could have done better that I missed.

Enough of the lecture. Here are some photos of my diorama.

So... Bruce Lee?  Did you watch the video? If I told you I am good, you would say that I am gloating. If I told you I am no good, you know I'm lying.  Become like water, and flow.

Go build something awesome.

Devil in the details

I'm now at the point in the diorama build where the nits come out to pick. I placed the logs in the pond, and now I just need to detail the scene a little. Saturday is the contest, and I'm pretty happy with what I have been able to accomplish in just under 3 weeks (to date). 

I still have too many projects, and too little time, for example:

* half a dozen HOn30 freight car kits to assemble

* On30 shay conversion

* On30 Porter rebuild (two of those)

* On30 Davenport detailing

* finish an HOn30 Porter

* finish my Mining micro in On30

* Buzzards Cove HOn30 micro layout

* finish the masters for my flat car kit

And...

This little guy. An HOn30 Forney kit, from Five79. While that is a pretty straight forward build, just like everything I do, I am over-complicating it by adding Radio Control. At least, that is the plan anyway. It's going to require me to get over my electronics mental block. 

I should probably start RC with an easier project, like one of the Porters in On30, and I may still, because I should be able to get this bugger running well  with the addition of a flywheel, and a conductive rear truck. I'm going to head to the Mid Atlantic Narrow Gauge Guild's annual module meet in Kimberton, PA in a few weeks to talk to the RC gurus of On30 to get some help, and maybe go from there.  

I'm not going to let this stuff stop me though, I'll just do what Dad taught me on my way to the Fort Benning School for Wayward Boys: "Just put one foot in front of the other."

Go build something awesome.

Patton said

"A good plan now is better than a perfect plan too late". Okay, so I am paraphrasing a bit, but they are good words to live by. On the 29th of March, the local Hobby Town USA is hosting their spring model contest, and I am entering a Diorama.  I started it March 3rd, so I'm under a bit of a time crunch, and I hadn't planned a diorama to build! 

I could be freaking out that my plan isn't exactly what I wanted it to be, or that I don't have enough time to add in all the details I want. I have had to dump a portion of the diorama (a log dump coincidentally) in order to have enough time to build the background wall (pictured). I didn't even know what I wanted the wall to look like, or what it represents. That would have stopped me a year ago. I can't stress about it now. I am under a time hack, and I have too much else to worry about. 

I think many of us stress too much about making sure everything is perfect in out modeling, and perhaps in our lives. Modelers are detail oriented by nature, and are easily stopped when a detail isn't  exactly as we want them to be. 

Nothing is perfect, so quit kidding yourself.  

Being driven toward perfection is an admirable quality, only if you know when to accept imperfections and move forward, otherwise, you will never accomplish anything, or worse yet, you will never start toward anything. 

Now,

Go build something awesome.

Dead Rail?

Over the last few days, I have been contemplating some pretty deep stuff, like:

Why do we drive on parkways, and park on driveways?
When is it okay to tell a person they have a hanging booger?
What makes an "innie" into an "outie"?

But the biggest question I have is:

Why do I get so frustrated building layouts?

I have the answer: I hate wiring. Hate is a pretty strong word, and I don't just hate wiring, I hate everything electrical.  Loathe it.  It's probably because I don't understand it, and that pisses me off. I could dive into books and websites and teach myself everything about electrical engineering I could ever want to know, but that would take time away from what I love, which is building, detailing, and weathering models. I'm not willing to do that. My modeling time is limited as it is, and I couldn't care any less to waste energy on the flow of electrons, amps, watts, ohms, and volts. 

Enter a few guys on the internet.

"Convert those locos to battery powered RC, and never worry about electrical again!" they said.  No worrying about any of the garbage anymore.

Well, I'm thinking about it, and I'm trying to figure out whether or not I can shoehorn RC gear into HOn30 locomotives, or if I'll have to run cheater cars with them.  The current (and only) HOn30 locomotive on the roster is a Railway Recollections Porter, which will probably not have the room for gear, without a cheat car. (a cheat car is a piece of rolling stock that is permanently connected to the locomotive that hides all the RC gear, It used to be pretty common for N scale guys to run cheaters with small steam locomotives).  I'm waiting on an order from Parkside Dundas to ship of a Five79 2-4-4 Forney that will go over an old Bachmann 0-4-0 mech, that are notoriously bad runners, mostly because of poor electrical connections (sounds like a candidate for RC). The Forney might have enough room in the cab and bunker to house the receiver and batteries. Once I get the kit, I'll be scrutinizing it thoroughly.

In the mean time, my Porters and lone Davenport in On30 would be able to run RC with one of my gondolas set up as an auxiliary tender (cheat car).  From what I can see, it doesn't look like costs would be much different than converting to DCC. 

Never having to clean track? Now that would be Awesome.