Spring Is Model Railroading Season
Model railroading season has always loosely been targeted as the late fall to early spring months, the thinking behind this is you’re stuck in the house anyway… might as well get to work on those trains. On one hand I completely get this, after all in good weather lots of folks want to spend time outside. I can’t argue this idea, I know I do too.
On the other hand of course is the whole sense of the seasonal renewal thing, the possibility for fresh starts, etc., that spring tends to bring. I’m soundly in this camp. When I have the windows open and the sun streaming in on a warm day, I want to get stuff done; my whole outlook is decidedly more ambitious.
Now today is only March 11, so the official start of spring is still 10 days away, but after last year’s snow-fest here in the northeast… it’s spring to me! As if I needed proof, the first crocuses are popping up here on Long Island. Like some kind of springtime idiot, I felt compelled to go out and take some photos of the season’s first flowers. Of course being well and truly addicted to model trains, of course I had to take a pair of Z scale buildings with me. Yeah, I know.
A pair of GCLaser buildings followed me outside to enjoy the warm weather!
Strange crocus photography aside, I’m already getting jazzed about the coming warm weather and the projects I have lined up in Z. Here at Ztrains we have the continuation of the Waterfront Project. Track planning starts soon. At the same time, there’s the diorama build for the 2012 National Z Scale Convention. What makes this even more exciting is that I’ll be building an operating desktop layout at the same time, using the identical MTL kits, and this has to get done in weeks not months. Nothing like a little springtime ambition!
One more big project is a new Z scale website I’m working on for a client. Can’t say anymore, but it’s going to be both cool and useful.
Personally, I find new projects a little tougher in the winter. It gets dark early, the ground is crunchy from the cold and frankly, I eat too much in the winter and get all bear-like lethargic. Yep, the warm weather with the sun staying out longer always makes me more ambitious. How about you… ready to redefine model railroading season?
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Those buildings look great, John. Did you use joint compound over the wood to get that real concrete look? If so, those are the type of modeling tips that can be shared with the rest of us. Keep up the good work. I look forward to seeing the other projects you are working on.
Take care, Jim in Boston.
Hi Jim,
Thanks! On your question… I used wood filler on the edges to completely hide the edge seams / joints. Once dry, to remove the excess wood filler I sanded the walls flat.
It was kind of by accident that some of the wall material sanded off in the process, yielding what I think is a pretty cool effect.
This technique works really well on the GCLaser building material.
I actually have several more GCLaser kits that I’ll be buildings, playing with more techniques in detail.
John
Ztrains
Hi John
I know you are like a bear who sleeps in the wintertime and wakes up when the sun comes out. Warm weather is definitely your friend so I stay tuned to see a bunch of projects being finished until the next snow arrives :-)
Greetings from Switzerland my Friend!
Jürg
LOL… Yeah, I have got to move to that warm weather climate, I’ll get more work done Jürg!
John
Ztrains