1900: The Search for Nessie Continues.

[Chops]

https://youtu.be/DYBuxeDRM5A

Been a while since I've posted, been doing some traveling, went to Alaska and rode a fair number of pleasant miles on Amtrak. Tried to find this site and kept getting a "bad link" sort of thing, and, well, here it is. Nice to be back.

I read that avid Loch Ness enthusiast recently congregated upon the Loch and stirred up a great deal of mud and scared the daylights out of a few, slender guppies. That being in mind, a sighting of Big Foot occurred in Colorado just about then. My tribute to these hardy souls!

I relaid Henley and tripled the size of the layout. Whilst Hornby set track is a fine product, I found that my limited bench work skills and large variations in ambient temperature, that this sturdy Bachmann EZ track was a better substitute and nearly foolproof. Speaking of ambient temperature, a month ago I was sitting in my shorts dripping perspiration, and at this moment my fingers are going numb from the cold. The EZ stuff has worked out quite pleasantly for me (more time running trains and less time troubleshooting), but the considerable, and unexpected drawback was that my lovely old Triang and Hornby, with pizza cutter flanges, would bind up in the numerous diamond crossings.

It took a bit of work, but by sawing out the frogs and guard rails in all eight turnouts, the vintage stuff will now pass through. Sometimes I get a kick out of running the old stuff, and then other times I try to wind up with the new proto-real things that run like jeweled watches.

[Walkingthedog]

Welcome back Chops, I wondered where you had been.

[Stese]

Hi Chops,

you may have been hitting links to the .co.uk domain... which is where you'd get the error messages.

Regards,

Steve

[bulleidboy]

Welcome back Chops - must have been great in Alaska - tremendous scenery. BB

[Chops]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psFcjx0ESWE

[Chops]

On a day off added a few more hedges, a few trees. Interesting thing is that it only takes a suggestion of trees to do an adequate job; one does need to plant an entire forest. Added in a little line side fencing and a boundary wall for the colliery. Line side fencing only seems to require a suggestion here and there. Stonehenge looks a bit isolated in that distant corner, think it will get moved to the vacant lot across from the watermill, at the risk of overcrowding the scene.

[Chops]

From the archives. Most Americans tend to associate buffers with European and therefore would not be particularly bemused by this profusion of Spanish and Italian equipage upon a British themed pike. Archeology, paleontology, and a dose of Monty Python combine in this video from the previous incarnation of Henley. The idea behind this little spoof was what if British Rail were to run a TV commercial promoting their services?

https://youtu.be/OCfw66Pt1Hk

[Mountain Goat]

I rreacon Nessie is out there.

[Chops]

Progress, if erratically, being made at Henley. Having fun running some vintage stock this evening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8buVL7DrrSk

[Chops]

Progress, progress, progress.

https://youtu.be/VJBzp3Arp1k