Pere Marquette, Mark II

[iis612]

I have opted to pass on photos... My only recent progress has been cleanup, and research.

I think I am going to work without a complete track plan. I know what scenic elements I want, now I just need an idea where to put them. As far as placement of structures, they will have to be worked around the track. If the space doesn't allow it, well, that is what #11's and the dremel are for.

Matt

[iis612]

I know I have been saying that some progress is coming...
There will be major progress in 2011. I have some plans that will go into effect this next month, and photos will come.


Matt

[iis612]

So, I have been working on several structure kits, 1 of which is a coaling tower. I do not have pics at the moment, sorry.
It is a Walther's kit. It is a decent looking model, except the string. I have to get rid of that stuff. I have some scale chain that I am going to use. I think that will look much better.
I am also working on the ash pit and conveyor, it too is a Walther's kit. I am far less impressed with the appearance of this model. I think it will never see my layout, I just don't like it. I will use the pieces parts to bash something else. Come to think of it, I might just bash it to improve it's appearance, and use it. Maybe... It doesn't really match my prototype, so it might become fodder for the salvage yard.

[iis612]

Alright, I got off my tail and did something. I started to place turnouts for McGrew yard. They are being held in place by nothing more than T-pins. I am trying to find the best way to use the space and make a faithful representation.
I apologize for the poor picture quality.

[Kanawha]

What type of foam are you using as a baseboard there?

[iis612]

That is extruded poly foam. It is not the ideal stuff, but for the cost, and the region that I am modeling, it will work out perfectly. The good thing about the poly foam, it can be compressed. That means for small depressions in the topography, I don't have to cut it. The pink or blue stuff is too dense to compress. It is easy to cut and shape, but it is too brittle to compress.

Matt

[iis612]

I had some help from my Chief Engineer today. We were working on a Heljan 98' turntable.


He is a great worker, and he has a fantastic attitude about his work.
He is my 4 year old. He loves working on "Big Trains" with me.

Matt

[iis612]

So... I keep claiming that I am going to get some work done. I wish it were that simple. Both of my kids are autistic (high functioning, but at 4 and 6, they are sometimes difficult to handle.) The oldest is in school, but the school district is giving us grief about getting the youngest into preschool. I am unemployed (again) which should give me more time, but I am now a full time "Mr. Mom". Please don't take this the wrong way, I love my kids and would gladly trade everything to ensure they are happy and healthy.
The only way I can get a shot at getting at my layout (What little there is) is to get up at 0300. I have tried doing that, but when I get up, I can not get a fire lit under my kiester.
Am I complaining? Nope, just venting (and justifying my lack of action).

I would have my son help me, but along with autism, he has sensory problems and something called Dyspraxia, which is difficulty with motor planning and execution. I do let him help me with stuff that requires no fine motor skills, but he is not satisfied with that. I, personally, love it when he helps me, and he gets a kick out of it, but he got CA on his fingers a while back and his Mom does not want him helping anymore. He is very fast, and despite the common thoughts on autism, he is very smart. He is 4 and reads better than his 6 year old sister, and uses my iPhone better than me. He just gets a thought in his head, and will not let it go until he does what he is looking to do. Which is why he grabbed the CA and applied it heavily to a turntable we were building. He was helping.

There is progress to come, I just have to budget my time a bit better.

Matt

[steinjr]

Hi Matt --

Hang in there - it often gets a little easier as the kids get older. And don't push yourself too hard - you need a reasonable amount of sleep to get through the days. If model railroading has to wait a little during the most stressful periods, it will just have to wait a little.

Good luck on your layout!

Smile,
Stein, who also knows both feelings (slow layout progress and autistic kids getting stuck on an idea) a little too well

[Steve]

Matt...I have 3 kids, I would not have gotten anything done hobby-wise when they were that young. So with that said, ANY tiny bit of progress is GREAT!. At this stage of your life, with all you have going on, you should be less concerned about "progress" and allow the hobby to be a welcome diversion, if only for a couple of minutes here and there, during the course of your day or week.

Just a thought.....how about letting the little guy make his own diorama? or you start one and let him help on that instead of turntables and such.

Hang in there...my best wishes and prayers go out to you and your sweet family

[BR60103]

Matt:
A writer I know (slightly) has posted a series of articles on her son's ASD. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://msagara.livejournal.com/">http://msagara.livejournal.com/</a><!-- m -->

[iis612]

I know a good amount of people are going to look at the pic I posted of my son sitting at the table with the Turntable kit and see the knives sitting there. They will also read about the CA incident and wonder why I would leave knives sitting in his reach. The answer is this... I know, the same as the sun is going to rise, that he will NOT touch those knives. He was witness to me cutting myself with them, and has a deathly fear of them.
Thanks to everyone for their words of support. I am nearly 38, and my body is wracked with injuries that there is no real recovery from, so keeping up with my kids is a real labor of love.
BR, I started reading the blog that you posted. I have it bookmarked, and will keep reading it. It is interesting to see how other families are getting through their lives.


Matt

[iis612]

I have been out of action for a while. I was without a computer, and I had a death in the family that had me in NC for a while as well.
I am back, and I will have some updates on the layout after Christmas. It feels great to be back, and I can not wait to show off some progress.


Matt

[Charlie B]

Matt,
I'm sorry to hear you had a death in the family, and computer problems, but it is grand that you are back on board for Christmas....Glad to have you back
Charlie

[Russ Bellinis]

Welcome back, Matt.