A popular phrase used in business these days is "current state," which refers to where the organization, or a particular process or practice in that organization, is now: the situation as it currently stands. Defining the current state is usually step one in considering where the organization wants to get to.
In the case of my modeling and my model railroad, this is my current state:
My work area is well set up for my purposes, consisting of an old stamped steel topped wooden table with self-healing cutting mat and cardboard on top, a swivel arm lamp, soft jaw swivel vice, foam cradle and sheets for model work without damaging paint or details, and flat tile pieces for cutting and glue puddling surfaces.
The small drawers hold small detail parts like grab irons, ladders, rivets/nbw, brake wheels, couplers and screws, while the larger plastic drawers primarily hold tools, small clamps and jigs. The ceramic mugs are convenient holders for frequently used tools. Adhesives and the like are readily at hand.
Yes, I am a tool guy. Jack Burgess has written extensively in Model Railroad Hobbyist and elsewhere of his appreciation for good tools and a plentiful variety of them, and I am an eager disciple of that philosophy. The two blue handled Xuron specialty pliers sitting on the bench are recent purchases. Future posts will indulge my interest in useful specialty tools of high quality, while rationalizing that tendency by demonstrating how it has improved my modeling.
Two in-progress models are on the bench; a Proto 2000 tank car nearing completion in a foam cradle, and an Intermountain Milwaukee (MILW) 40 foot box car. I tend to work in bursts, completing a step or two on a model, then working on another while glue dries or creative energies are replenished.
Not shown are additional detail parts stored in small plastic totes under the workbench, and a variety of styrene and wire in the desk drawer, along with measuring and drafting tools that come in handy.
The layout, on the other hand, is not as "developed" as the modeling workbench, as shown above. The sheet of 2" blue foam was purchased some time ago, but has languished on the opposite side of the room from my workbench with no progress to speak of. This will be the surface of the shelf layout, to be supported by future benchwork, possibly Ikea shelving. Various other "supplies" and rolling stock (kits and RTR) are stored in boxes. The plastic wrapped dark green material is fibrous furnace filter mats for evergreen trees, while another box holds scenic materials such as ground foam and some readymade trees and brush.
The goal is to work on the first shelf module during the rest of this year, even if it becomes a "practice" layout that gets reworked later. I've procrastinated this step long enough.
I'm itching to put those completed models and sound equipped DCC locomotives on a track so I can advance the throttle and move a train, even if just a few feet.
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