Sunday, August 28, 2011

Posten 210 - My first lasercut kit 2

After a far too long break, finally finished Joswood's Posten 210and provisionally placed it in its final position on the corner of the layout above the freight yard. Adjacent to it will be a small schrebergarten with several garden sheds.Will be good to get this corner done.


Saturday, August 27, 2011

Bundesbahn Allerlei

With my brother and his kids here this past week I knew that they would want to see and play with the trains. That gave me the extra push I needed to clean the track and dust the cobwebs off of the layout... Even on the switching puzzle. Also swapped out the standard Roco decoders on several engines for LokPilot 4s and what a difference that made in AC analog mode...



With some of my book projects winding down it will be fun to spend more time modeling, weathering, and running the trains. Also will need to take the modules out of storage and prep them modules for Central NY Railfair in November. Maybe I'll even finish my puzzle makeover project.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Railfanning in Maine

Maine Scenes

Red's Eats in Wiscasset - Legendary for its lobster rolls
Typical Maine lobster shack...
Pemaquid Lighthouse
A tiny House
A bridge to nowhere - Rt 1 in Wiscasset
Waiting for the 9am to Brunswick at Wiscasset on the Maine Eastern Railroad
Maine Eastern FL9 number 488


Boothbay Railway Village, Boothbay, Maine
See also my report on the steamcourse I took in 2003, returning in 2004 to fire for two days. Both experiences were on #6.


Freeport (Maine) Station

Henschel (#6) Stettin

 









Highspeed Rail
Highspeed Rail and the Percival House





Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Currywurst, in Syracuse?

Anyone who is a regular visitor to my webpages will likely have noticed my affinity for the industrial haze of Germany's Ruhrgebiet, in particular the ubiquitous kiosks that are everywhere serving up news, sweets, other essentials, but most importantly things like currywurst mit pommes (fries) and mayo. Anyhow, before I digress too far while going for my haircut today I noticed a trailer with Walking Taco on the top and Currywurst below. I knew I just had to stop and try one, nevermind the pouring rain.  Ordered in German, the owner didn't skip a beat and it was delicious. No pommes (fries) and mayo though. :-( Will definitely be back, either there in Manlius next to Sno Top or at their other location in Paradise Market. The trailer is definitely the more authentic venue...

Walking Taco's Currywurst truck in Manlius, NY, next to Sno Top in the parking lot.
Eine glückliche Kundin!
The currywurst is said to originate in one of three places, the Ruhr, Hamburg, or Berlin. Franz Rogmans Walking Taco's is modeled on the Berlin variety  and served with a good roll even though he grew up next to the Ruhr. It is even namesake to a fair movie based on the novelle by Uwe Timm. Most famous of all is Herbert Grönemeyer's song of the same title. For those non-German speakers, the New York Times had a good article.

Our first batch with curryketchup made from scratch. Yes that's mayo on those fries!


Other links:

Anyway, I love this kind of food and ambiance, and have modeled at least one such kiosk on my layout in the form of Bochum's Bergbau-Grill (original and model below). Those that want their own should visit the page just linked to.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Beautiful Day in Finse


A beautiful day in Finse, Norway with lots of people milling about and mountain bikers coming and going...