Workin' On The Railroad?

Unfortunately, no.  There has been a complete lack of progress on the layout since the New Year.  Not for lack of interest, it just seems that there's been a lot of other "stuff" to do this year.  I've been busy prepping for a series of trainings that I'm conducting at work.  I have a clinic coming up for the NMRA Twin Cities Division that I've spent some time getting ready for.  I've done a lot of writing for a work-related blog, taken a work-related trip to Colorado.  On top of all that, my wife and I have embarked on a lifestyle change, trying to eat better and be more physically active.  All of this eats into the free time, and sometimes just leaves you drained and wanting to do nothing in the evening.

Anyway...

The railroad still lives, the depot is still under construction, and there IS progress to report on other fronts.  I've had a photo published in Model Railroader, one of my goals for the year.  Less mainstream but equally significant, an article on my scratchbuilt caboose appears in the recently mailed Winter 2012 issue of the Ore Extra published by the Missabe Historical Society.  No less thrilling than getting something into Railroad Model Craftsman or Model Railroader, and it's a step towards my goal of publishing two more articles this year.

The TCD clinic is coming up on February 9th at 7:00pm, stop by the Jackson Street Roundhouse in St. Paul if you're in the neighborhood.  You might learn something about scratcbuilding!  Should be a fun session.

It seems impossible, but the Thousand Lakes Region convention is just around the corner, barely three months away.  I'm planning to enter three models in the modeling contest there, which means I have to write contest documentation for those three models.  So much to do, so little time!

Things will slow down soon and I can get back to working on that depot (said as I sit here looking at a desk piled with papers to sort through or put away).