09-30-2010, 02:20 AM
They say confession is good for the soul...
Mine must need some help as I feel suddenly compelled to "spill the revealing beans."
Some years ago, intrigued by examples of what I had seen of the results of its use, I started dropping end-of-the-day spare change into a Kosher Dill Pickle jar, building a fund to purchase a Noch Gras-Master. Having tried the "gluing individual bristles severed from a natural bristle floor scrub brush" to form clumps of wild grass, I had decided that life was too short to spend that much time on such a small but prolific detail on my layout. The pickle jar gave way to a baby food jar and a "secure" envelope containing paper money. It took a while ... the Noch device is not inexpensive, as anyone who has been in the hobby long enough to remember the first time they saw a Durango Press Handcar Kit will attest.
Well, at some point last fall, it was my good fortune to be email a link to the most enjoyable, supportive, and information laden model railroad forum on the internet due to a question asked of a modeler on the Model Railroader Forums (thanks, ever so much, doctorwayne) and began the long process of absorbing the wealth of "insider" modeling techniques that can be found in volumes here. As I think back, I have a vague recollection of seeing a "how-to" on building a homemade version of the Noch device, but with my history with electricity (there's a picture of me in the electrical dictionary under the words "Short Circuit") i passed it by as a dangerous, undesirably shocking experience not necessary in my lifetime and continued to drop end-of-the-day change into the baby food jar and subsequently exchange it for paper in the envelope.
One day, in the Walthers "Flyer," I noticed that the Noch Gras-Master was on sale at what amounted to 1970-something price and I ordered it. I was so pleased with myself that the diligence of saving and combing through listings of sale items to find this "deal."
O.K. ... here it comes.... and admitting to a gross error in judgment is not easy for me, especially when it involves the expenditure of money poorly spent! But, after taking the time to actually read Gary's accounting of construction the "GERN GrassBlaster" (along with an actual reading of doctorwayne’s original construction tutorial, and the success Gary has had in its use, especially his recent creative research in developing "clumps," I hereby confess to the error of my ways, admitting that had I had more confidence in first, the relative sanity of you guys to not suggest the building of a life-ending scenery generation device and second, my own innate ability to carefully follow directions with more than a little regard for personal safety, I would have more than enough available funds at this moment to purchase enough ties, rail and spikes to lay all the trackage planned for the branch line terminus of Weissport on my Lehigh Susquehanna & Western and possibly be actually installing clumps of tall grass here and there throughout the yard area instead of watching , with great interest, the results of the work of Gary and Steve and Reinhard, et.al.!
I questioned my own abilities and spent way more money than I should have! There ... I said it ...
I feel better now ... poorer, but better ... somehow relieved that I have gotten that dark, embarrassing secret off my chest!
EDIT: Geez ... Sorry, Steve ... I didn't mean to ramble on like that at the end of your incredible tutorial ... it moved me ... but I should have moved before starting to pound on the keyboard ... I apologize! ... maybe I can have this post removed to it's own "Confessions" thread!
Mine must need some help as I feel suddenly compelled to "spill the revealing beans."
Some years ago, intrigued by examples of what I had seen of the results of its use, I started dropping end-of-the-day spare change into a Kosher Dill Pickle jar, building a fund to purchase a Noch Gras-Master. Having tried the "gluing individual bristles severed from a natural bristle floor scrub brush" to form clumps of wild grass, I had decided that life was too short to spend that much time on such a small but prolific detail on my layout. The pickle jar gave way to a baby food jar and a "secure" envelope containing paper money. It took a while ... the Noch device is not inexpensive, as anyone who has been in the hobby long enough to remember the first time they saw a Durango Press Handcar Kit will attest.
Well, at some point last fall, it was my good fortune to be email a link to the most enjoyable, supportive, and information laden model railroad forum on the internet due to a question asked of a modeler on the Model Railroader Forums (thanks, ever so much, doctorwayne) and began the long process of absorbing the wealth of "insider" modeling techniques that can be found in volumes here. As I think back, I have a vague recollection of seeing a "how-to" on building a homemade version of the Noch device, but with my history with electricity (there's a picture of me in the electrical dictionary under the words "Short Circuit") i passed it by as a dangerous, undesirably shocking experience not necessary in my lifetime and continued to drop end-of-the-day change into the baby food jar and subsequently exchange it for paper in the envelope.
One day, in the Walthers "Flyer," I noticed that the Noch Gras-Master was on sale at what amounted to 1970-something price and I ordered it. I was so pleased with myself that the diligence of saving and combing through listings of sale items to find this "deal."
O.K. ... here it comes.... and admitting to a gross error in judgment is not easy for me, especially when it involves the expenditure of money poorly spent! But, after taking the time to actually read Gary's accounting of construction the "GERN GrassBlaster" (along with an actual reading of doctorwayne’s original construction tutorial, and the success Gary has had in its use, especially his recent creative research in developing "clumps," I hereby confess to the error of my ways, admitting that had I had more confidence in first, the relative sanity of you guys to not suggest the building of a life-ending scenery generation device and second, my own innate ability to carefully follow directions with more than a little regard for personal safety, I would have more than enough available funds at this moment to purchase enough ties, rail and spikes to lay all the trackage planned for the branch line terminus of Weissport on my Lehigh Susquehanna & Western and possibly be actually installing clumps of tall grass here and there throughout the yard area instead of watching , with great interest, the results of the work of Gary and Steve and Reinhard, et.al.!
I questioned my own abilities and spent way more money than I should have! There ... I said it ...
I feel better now ... poorer, but better ... somehow relieved that I have gotten that dark, embarrassing secret off my chest!
EDIT: Geez ... Sorry, Steve ... I didn't mean to ramble on like that at the end of your incredible tutorial ... it moved me ... but I should have moved before starting to pound on the keyboard ... I apologize! ... maybe I can have this post removed to it's own "Confessions" thread!
biL
Lehigh Susquehanna & Western
"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." ~~Abraham Lincoln
Lehigh Susquehanna & Western
"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." ~~Abraham Lincoln