adn’t run Tuscarora (my microlayout) for some time so I announced I’d be at the clubhouse Saturday and figured I’d run the railroad on my own. That being the case, I got out all the cars I hadn’t fully tested (or struggled with in the past) set up and cleaned it, and got ready for action. Had an extra gondola car (dropped by the midnight eastbound) to spot over at the brewery and two coal hoppers deadheading about, so my session was going to be busy.

The first two “scale” hours were pretty slow. Not only was I having to find this and fix that around the clubhouse (quite a crowd came in) but I was also having my own troubles – a PFE reefer car refused to take switches. Fortunately the head of the rolling stock committee was there so I got to bother him for a new set of wheels (which I paid for, and also gave him my old ones) – and yay! It ran better. So I settled in to run.

That’s when Matthew got curious. He’d heard about it but had never run it. Company is always welcome so I gave him the engine duties and took over the tower and we ran a joint session. About halfway through, we swapped jobs. Took him a bit to get the hang of it (finger on a lever, manipulation table in his other hand) but within a scale hour or so he was running the interlocking like a pro.

But this is what the Tusk does best – just small crews running short sessions to while away a Saturday afternoon.

And I’m happy to report that the new depot (both Easton and Westly combined) worked fine. Very close shave but it still worked. So mission accomplished with a smile.

My only goof was missing the fact that a scrap gon didn’t couple and was left on the trestle. What was at first an elegant move turned into a dodgy runaway to recapture the errant car. But all well and good. Everything’s back and put away.

And unlike some members, I know how to put my toys away.

>>>BUY A BOOK. I’LL LET YOU PLAY WITH MY TRAINS IF YOU DO<<<