Well, it's that time of year again, when I look back and assess the state of my hobby. This year, perhaps more than the last two, has been a year of change punctuated with highs and lows. It began with some scenic work on the Pine Branch Park railroad and continued work on the Milk & Mail passenger train, but quickly ebbed. (See the labels in the sidebar for more on these and other topics). In May my family and I learned that my Mom was coming to live with us; glad news yet filled with the promise of new opportunities. By that time I was well into building the diorama I would enter into the Walthers National Model Railroad Build Off 2022. I began blogging about that after I learned I didn't even place or make the top five. That was a major disappointment, but despite that the work itself was four months of joyful creativity. I may enter in 2023...we'll see.
While we did find a new home and have moved into it, we're still settling in, finding places for things, culling and reorganizing, etc. Initially I had high hopes for turning the detached garage into a comfortable model train space. I soon realized that wouldn't happen without significant investment of time and money. With a son about to go off to college next year, that's not likely to happen anytime soon. So, the focus shifted to how I might bring the existing railroad into the house. Turns out there IS space if you're willing to accept the limitations and find a way to model within them. This means no long trains sweeping around broad curves at high speed, however, I can focus on building smooth-running steam engines, a broad variety of rolling stock and highly detailed scenes.
A few personal notes. Somewhere during the move this summer I managed to develop an inguinal hernia. I'm not taking the surgical route unless it becomes absolutely necessary. This means 2023 is the year I get in shape, no excuses. On the 29th we said goodbye to a dear family friend, our dog of 11 years, Maggie. She will be missed. While my Mom is nearly settled into her "apartment" in our house, there are still a few big items to deal with. Half of this house was built in 1936 and half in 1992 and some maintenance was deferred longer than it should've been by previous owners. Hopefully by this time next year I can report all is up to snuff and in good working order - both in my home and my body!
I still maintain that blogging is useful for archiving bigger ideas. That is, Facebook and Instagram are great for sharing a quick idea with a short shelf life, but good luck finding that tidbit in a sea of chatter. Someone recently commented to me that my blog is a "thinking model railroader's blog". I hope it continues to be thoughtful and maybe even thought-provoking in a positive way.
If you have been, thanks for reading, and I look forward to sharing more model railroading with you in the upcoming year.
Galen
