Trains Luvr

It feels like it’s Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate)…oh wait it is. Well hooray then, let more goodies come pouring (down?). Total of 3 packages came in today and it felt like I worked in Shipping/Receiving dept (it didn’t really). I was looking outside the window every 5 minutes, anxiously waiting for one delivery or another.

I couldn’t fathom the idea of struggling making a dozen Code 100 turnouts by hand without the right jigs, so I ended up buying the appropriate Frog Helper and Stock Aid from Fast Tracks (thanks for being on the ball and shipping on a short notice).

Now I have both Code 100 and Code 70/83 Frog Helper and Stock Aid, as well as a #8 Crossover PointForm for Code 70/83/100. If I decide to go with Code 70 rail for yards and sidings on the decks above I might get #5 and #6 PointForms, to hand-lay those turnouts, too.

I will also be making quite a few curved turnouts in all codes (thanks to the less than adequate width of my aisles) to maximize the use of available space.

The soldering iron was long overdue. I’ve been using this old Solomon SL-30 digital temperature controller iron for many many years. But hell, this thing belongs to the last century. Even this Hakko isn’t anything new, but at least it’s newer than SL-30 and has a better pencil (with a ceramic element). I struggled long enough with lousy temperature recovery on the SL-30. No more.

Another thing that came by mail was an adjustable rolling stool.

It feels very comfortable; extends up pretty high (it’s a stool after all); the wheels don’t feel cheap and appear to be anti-slip. I love it! Thanks Costco.

And, it can slip under the benchwork and out of the way easily. Later on I will get couple of more of these for the layout room and the workshop/benchwork area.

Now I can finally sit when working on the staging deck surface, beside using the creeper when crawling below it.