Onward!

 Well, it has been awhile.  Life gets busy at times, with family, work and...stuff.  While I have not been getting many models built, there has been progress on other fronts with my hobby.  These developments have re-energized me to get back to it.

Most importantly, we started construction of our new home, where we will retire, late last year.  I have a few years of work left but we have decided to make the move now, rather than hold on to both houses.  My work has been remote for years so no change there.  What will change is that we are downsizing substantially.  I am fortunate that I will have a dedicated space for a workbench and a small shelf layout, as final arrangements for our living space have developed.  This was a bit uncertain until we were well underway with construction and a serendipitous change was made in the location of the washer and dryer in our laundry room.

In progress photo, no lighting, tile not yet grouted

This is the space, small but can be dedicated to a workbench on the far wall with an "L" shape shelf layout above and on the left side.  It is about 7' x 5' of wall space.  The washer and dryer were originally to go on the wall to the left, below the cabinets but the plumber, in his wisdom, installed the connections on the wall behind me in this photo.  What at first seemed to be a mistake became an opportunity to gain more room for my hobby than we originally planned.  

My shelf may be a bit lower than originally conceived, to allow room under the cabinets, but I think it will be ok.  I was strongly considering a proscenium framed shelf design so will see if I can incorporate the cabinet as the top of my layout frame.  The counter on the right will have the laundry sink at the near end, not yet built out in this photo.  

Finishing work continues on the house, and we expect to move in sometime in July.  I will be moving my workbench and all hobby materials once we are in.  It may make sense to build a new workbench in place in the corner with the layout shelf above.

As typically happens, building a custom home, even a small one, has been an "adventure."  Coordinating subcontractors and working through the questions, crises and compromises has taken up most of my "leisure time" bandwidth this past year.  It is nice to see the end of the tunnel ahead.

Attitude Adjustment

 Life gets busy - between work, family and household responsibilities,  it can be a challenge to carve out time to pursue a hobby.  Even when opportunity presents itself, the motivation needed to move ahead with planning and designing a layout or focus on a modeling project can seem daunting.  My list of projects and accumulation of kits and other materials, at times, seems like another task rather than a relaxing activity.

These feelings around my hobby have an ebb and flow, just as they do in everyday life. When this happens, there are a couple of ways I  tend to respond.  If I know that the focus or motivation just isn't there, sometimes its best to do something else.  Getting outside, whether in the yard, taking a neighborhood walk or out in nature, is a great restorative.

Olympic Mountains from Ocean Shores near Grays Harbor

Being outdoors has always been a part of my life growing up and living in the northwest.  I find that I draw energy and inspiration from spending time outside in nature.  This picture shows the coastal mountains I have hiked in most of my life as well as the beach area on the Washington coast near Grays Harbor, where my model railroad is set.  I am constantly inspired by enjoying this scenery, and often return home with new energy.

On a more day to day level, I've found that there are times where I just need to make a start, focusing on one step in a modeling project or activity.  Music can be a great help in getting my creative energies flowing and getting into the immediacy of what is right in front of me, which allows me to relax and become absorbed in the moment, enjoying the craft of modeling.

Bluetooth Stereo System in Layout Room

Last winter I added a small stereo system with bluetooth to my hobby space, allowing me to play favorite tunes from my iPad with decent range and sound.  My musicial tastes range from '60s and '70s to contemporary rock and folk music, with a smattering of blues, funk and other genres.

My personal "music therapy" has added to my hobby enjoyment, and eased the transition from everyday cares to being absorbed in the task at hand.  Invariably, I find that enjoyable time has passed, progress is made, and my mood is elevated.

Where's This Train Headed?

Here is some background and detail on what my modeling and interests in model railroading are about.  In my first post, I described my model railroad as a proto-freelanced branch of the Great Northern Railroad, set in the Puget Sound area during 1965, with a forest products emphasis.

Specifically, I'm calling it the Olympic Peninsula Branch of the Pacific Coast Railroad (PCRR), which was actually a small branch of the Great Northern in Western Washington after 1951.  The real PCRR was primarily a coal hauling line conceived originally by investors in the Seattle area to carry the coal mined from nearby seams in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains to the port of Seattle for use by steamships.  

There is an excellent book, Pacific Coast - Seattle's Own Railroad, authored by Kurt Armbruster, which tells the story of the origins and history of this small railroad.  The book focuses primarily on the history from 1874 up to the Great Northern purchase in 1951.  Great Northern operated the line until the Burlington Northern merger in 1970.

Book Cover

The book is available for purchase through the Great Northern Railroad Historical Society (GNRHS).  You can follow a link to the GNRHS store page for the book here.  

In my model world, the PCRR operates from Seattle to the Pacific coast on the Olympic Peninsula, and obtains much of its revenue from various forest products industries, including lumber as well as pulp and paper mills. My PCRR pivoted from coal to forest products as the steam era waned and the coal seams were abandoned, expanding it's reach for this rapidly growing revenue source.  Using my modeler's license, the line runs mostly on track that actually once belonged to the Northern Pacific Railroad, extending west from Centralia to Grays Harbor on the coast, as well as north to the naval shipyard at Bremerton, a significant customer.  The Olympic Peninsula is the land mass west of Puget Sound, between Seattle and the Pacific coast, where these locales are found (see map below).

It's important to distinguish between the Pacific Coast Railroad and the Pacific Coast Railway, a completely different and unrelated railroad that operated in California.

When the Great Northern purchased the Pacific Coast Railroad, they soon replaced steam engines with diesels, using primarily GN owned motive power, and also "upgraded" some of the well used PCRR rolling stock, especially the aged gondolas used for hauling coal, with surplus GN cars.  

In my world, the PCRR has more and a wider variety of rolling stock as well as some of their own diesel engines, but GN or other Hill Line motive power and rolling stock are common.  This allows me to plausibly operate Northern Pacific or Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway (SP&S) equipment alongside PCRR.  As the Milwaukee Railroad also operated in this area, there is significant interchange with them as well.

This map shows the trackage, which was originally Northern Pacific, then BNSF, and is currently owned and operated by The Puget Sound & Pacific Railroad Co., part of Genesee and Wyoming Inc. a short line railroad holding company.

credit - By Aaron Schwarz - http://psp.ghrr.org/, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24317853

My layout will focus on a major pulp and paper mill complex in Grays Harbor with local switching and a small yard and team track.  It will be a shelf layout primarily, although I hope to be able to accommodate a loop of track for a bit of continuous running as well.  This is both for my own enjoyment as well as my grandkids, in case we just want to "run trains".  Offline industries will include a plywood mill, lumber mills, creosoting plant, as well as a fish processor and cranberry packing plant.  I mentioned the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, and PSNS will be an important, if more occasional customer providing interesting loads.

This scenario allows me to model and operate a range of rolling stock, from standard 40 foot single or double door boxcars, to flat cars, gondolas and chemical tank cars.  Motive power is primarily switchers and four axle locomotives for short local trains setting out and picking up cars at the mill and other industries.  I plan to model the pulp and paper complex extensively and will discuss this in more depth soon.

Another attraction of my chosen railroads and setting is the opportunity to explore the history of these railroads in the Northwest and to model them accurately as I learn and build my skills.  Future posts will expand on these themes.

Photo by author

This photo is a present day view of the Navy owned track near Bremerton, my local railroad only a mile or so from where I live. I think it captures the spirit of branch line railroading for me, with the tracks leading to adventure and discovery around the bend ahead.