AAAR

That means Alexandria After Action Report. My earlier post from the site was only part of the story. There's more-more people, more product, more excitement. Here goes.

Shortly after hitting "Publish" for the first post, we were joined at the Great ATS (Alexandria Train Show) by Bryant and Mike. They had the chance to admire Ian's work and  some of Jer's locomotive modeling. While this was going on, the 8106 was in the loco hospital intensive care ward.

After extensive work by specialists, the 60M was determined eligible for release and the proud owner soon found a DCC layout for a test run. When locomotives run they should move. The fact that this one wouldn't alerted Jer to a problem. He immediately started taking things apart, assisted by the expert guidance of a number of noted HO Scale mechanics. This photo shows the intensity he devoted to the repair of a detached driveshaft.

In the meantime, Mike was less concerned about the fate of the 8106 than with an approaching Soo Line F unit. I was almost certain I heard him call out "It's the red one!" but he claims that never happened. 

Mike and Bryant wandered the hall in search of N scale treasures. I don't think they found too many, in contrast to the HO crowd (me) who went home feeling like I had hit the jackpot.

In fact, my first-ever case lot purchase of freight cars had me feeling a bit like Christopher Muller as multiple trips were needed to carry all the loot to the car. In addition to these reefers I was able to procure a bundle of 10 sticks of Atlas Code 83 flextrack for only $20, along with three #6 turnouts to match for $4 each. 

I parted with one of the reefers, as Ian needed it to provide traffic for a planned layout expansion. That doesn't mean I'm worried about the beer getting warm, there should still be plenty of space. Here are today's additions to the freight car fleet, including a lonely Atlas Kaolin tanker. 

 Once again, this was a fun show. Got to spend time with good friends, chat with others who enjoy the hobby, and spend more than I should have. A great day of railroading.

LIVE from Alexandria!

Greetings from the Alex train show! Ian is showing his small layout, featuring the Hamon Deltak plant where massive industrial things are manufactured. In order to obtain the raw material and ship the finished products, rail service is a necessity. And with rails running by the plant, you might catch other trains once in a while as well. Hey-here's a DMVW SD45 running light engine by the plant, far from home rails.

And then a rock train cruised by in the other direction. This one had the famous pair of 8106 and 8142 on the point. Triclops rule, they say. 

Those units are some fantastic modeling by Jer.

In the mean time, Ian operates the layout during the show, giving attendees including kids a thrill. Everyone likes the layout, but when a train rolls in from off-scene, the youngsters eyes just light up.

A finished product comes out of the plant. This is a HUGE heat exchanger destined for points west.

Finally, a shot of the bandit that has been handling the work at the plant.

Congrats to both you modelers. I'm having a great time.  Lots of good deals on HO scale equipment as well.