2015

Current work
Summer work:
No large projects are scheduled for the summer as there are usually other things using a lot of my time. However, that doesn't mean that I am leaving the trains alone.
I added a curved turnout to the track between Santa Margarita and San Luis Obispo in order to extend the siding in SLO to be long enough to hold most trains so I can use it as a passing siding.
Finished the bridge that replaced the bridge that got broken on the upper level.

Built two new houses for Santa Margarita, got them and another house from the old layout put in and added some scenery.
Spring Work:
This spring I have been working on three photo worthy projects; adding a backdrop picture behind Santa Margarita, taking an old SOHO Coffee Shop car and adding an interior to it and painting it in Daylight colors and putting down some static flocking grass to make the hills look more realistic.
First the backdrop. I took some pictures around Santa Margarita this spring, turned them into a panorama and then had them printed on a large sheet of self adhesive vinyl. Here are a couple of shots showing the back drop in place.

Second, the static grass.

And the Coffee Shop Car. I needed a Coffee Shop car in my Starlight train. I had plastic models for the other cars in the train but couldn't find a plastic model of the Coffee Shop car so I bought an old (1980s) brass Coffee Shop car that was made by SOHO. For some reason back in those days brass cars came unpainted and with no interiors. So, add an interior and paint.

The basic car with it's underframe and wheels removed.

The start of the interior. The Coffee Shop car had a kitchen and pantry to the left where the small windows are, then some tables and finally a few lounge chairs.