According to my records, my last operation’s session was back in May of last year. After that, time slipped by as I worked to get the club’s traveling layout up, my book out, and my parents faced some medical issues. Time just moved on.

With twisted guts, I decided to get this thing running again. Time to host. I hate getting ready but generally love the sessions. Getting ready involves cleaning all sorts of track (some of it in difficult-to-reach places), cleaning engines, checking paperwork.

But really, its gone pretty well. My helper Mikado really didn’t want to go – talk about a cold boiler. I just kept the power on him until his little motor shook out the corrosion and coughed its way back to life. And then, while advancing trains out of Watsonville for cleaning, I accidently moved the second freight too far forward, so it coupled into the tail of the first freight deep in hidden trackage (and on a curve). So, of course, when I backed the second one up, I got a momentary hesitation, then the crash-crash-crash sound of six boxcars clotheslining off the layout and onto the floor behind the tool boxes. And I’m standing there making groaning noises, not paying attention to the second freight, still backing into Watsonville and up the passenger train lead where it planted its caboose into the face of the standing passenger with a solid thunk.

Great moments in model railroading.

But the lower and mid decks are cleaned and ready. I just need to take car of San-Luis-Obispo proper and we’re ready to run.

LINK TO PICTURES.