An Open House Invitation..., Of Sorts

[toddalin]

Saturday, May 20, noon – 5:00 p.m.

Tortoise and Lizard Bash Railroad (T&LB RR)
e-mail for Street Address
Santa Ana, CA 92705
T.G. Page 800, H6


Todd and Linda Brody are pleased to invite all Heritage members and their guests to the T&LB Railroad. This garden scale, front yard layout is quite innovative and incorporates features not seen on other garden railroad displays. The landscape covers over 1,200 square feet with over 550 feet of track and six bridges, including a 14-foot long trestle. The layout is built around two ancient volcanic areas that were thought to be inactive; however; recent eruptions have been noted at two of the craters in one area. The volcanoes spew “lava” into upper, then lower, lakes through two waterfalls. All vegetation in the miniature garden is real and to scale. Bring your wives and girl friends! The entire layout is detailed with structures, over 300 people and animals, cars, motorcycles, etc. all at a scale of ½” per foot. Todd has been very busy installing new automation and five trains now run simultaneously, pausing and waiting for each other as necessary. Don't miss Todd's own-design, fully automated signal and operations system. No more unexpected “corn field meets” at the crossing point!
The major urban area is Tortoise Town and all structures are named for their reptilian counterparts. When sheriff “Chuck Walla” isn’t getting a soda at Dragon Lizard Drugs, he may be getting a haircut at Cooter’s Clip Joint or calling on Ms. Lizzie at Collard Lizard Clothiers. “The Lounge Lizards” jazz band is featured entertainment in the town circle. Brody's B&B (Booze and Babes) includes a "red light" district and is next to the Bear Whiz Beer Brewery and the hot air balloon launch facilities. Two farm/ranches operate in the area as well as a feed and grain facility for the chickens, cows, sheep, and horses. An active gold mine is continually conducting blasting - day and night. All buildings and major structures (three dozen) have lighting for night operations.
Be sure to bring your guests. Hope to see you here.

Todd & Linda Brody

[Hoerninger]

Todd and Linda,

thank you for invitation. Although we are unknown I would have liked to come. You have a great layout.
My children offer me a steam engine in good condition (gauge 45 mm might fit?) - but only eight days, the Rocky Mountains and first of all the Atlantic ...
__________
Regards
Peter

[toddalin]

Todd and Linda,

thank you for invitation. Although we are unknown I would have liked to come. You have a great layout.
My children offer me a steam engine in good condition (gauge 45 mm might fit?) - but only eight days, the Rocky Mountains and first of all the Atlantic ...

__________
Regards
Peter

Yes, we also run 45 mm gauge (and even have some LGB). Bring your trains by anytime.

[hjames]

What fun! That looks fantastic! I wish we had plans for a west coast trip about then - but its not in the cards. Have a great time and thanks for the invitation! And - I'd love to see more pictures - it really looks like an amazing system.

-= )-(eather =-

Saturday, May 20, noon – 5:00 p.m.

Tortoise and Lizard Bash Railroad (T&LB RR)
e-mail for Street Address
Santa Ana, CA 92705
T.G. Page 800, H6


Todd and Linda Brody are pleased to invite all Heritage members and their guests to the T&LB Railroad.

[boputnam]

An active gold mine is continually conducting blasting - day and night.

Great invite, thanks, but I'll be on a site-visit to a full sized one in the Russian Far East...

[Robh3606]

Wow that's a nice layout. Must have taken you years to get it where it is now.

Rob

[Ken Pachkowsky]

I have always thought this would be an interesting hobby. They have an excellent working system at "The Living Desert" in Palm Desert, California.

Back in the 70's I had a neighbour who built miniature ride able steam locomotives. He was an interesting fellow with a fantastic machine shop in his basement. We became friends when he knocked on my door and asked why his living room mirror was rattling on the wall.

These guys are crazier than us. I can't believe you get away with 2 rather expensive hobby's! Your wife must be a Gem!

Would love to come and see it in action but alas no can do.

Ken

[toddalin]

I have always thought this would be an interesting hobby. They have an excellent working system at "The Living Desert" in Palm Desert, California.

Back in the 70's I had a neighbour who built miniature ride able steam locomotives. He was an interesting fellow with a fantastic machine shop in his basement. We became friends when he knocked on my door and asked why his living room mirror was rattling on the wall.

These guys are crazier than us. I can't believe you get away with 2 rather expensive hobby's! Your wife must be a Gem!

Would love to come and see it in action but alas no can do.

Ken

Rob, actually it took me and unheard of 6 months to put in 90% of the trackwork and build the control panel (a month just for the control panel). But then, I also built my environmental consulting business business at the same time. (I do air quality and noise studies for Environmental Impact Reports).

The vegetation, most structures, the lakes and volcanos came later. The link takes you you early construction years and you can see what I accomplished in just 6 months.

http://www.trainweb.org/girr/todds_site/

Ken, I'm well familiar with the Living Desert and many of those people are friends in a couple of the train clubs we belong to. They are always tring to get me to come out and help, but it's over 125 miles each way and they only work during cool hours.

As for two expensive hobbies and wife being a gem..., our third hobby is the most expensive. We now have two, but have had as many as five Corvettes at once. When we were competitivly bracket racing, my wife held her class at the Phoenix Corvette event 5 years in a row, top woman 2 or 3 times, and top of the hill once (top man vs top woman). She also took overall competetor for five events (best overall score for autocross, funkana, drags, rally, concourse car show) at the national event some years back.

[Robh3606]

That's a lot of work. My father had an HO set-up that took up one half the attic. When I was a kid I had N gage that took up half my room. Always enjoyed doing modelling. Have not done any in years though. You do your weathering on your engines?? Very nice! I used to build lots on scale planes as well. I really liked WW 2 german fighters like the ME-109. You could do all kinds of camoflage on them depending on the theater they were in. Lots of fun and challenging to get the Camo right. You use an airbrush on the weathering???

Rob

[Mr. Widget]

Nicely done Todd...

I hope to one day have the time to build a bit of the Western Pacific myself... so far custom painting a locomotive or two and a few cars is all that I've managed to accomplish.


Widget

[Ducatista47]

Wonderful layout! I'm stuck in the Midwest without travel time or funds, darn.

I have always liked the American type loco. When I was a kid, there was still an original one running (Full scale - an Old West engine!). Since the parent railroad owner has undoubtedly gone south, I wonder where it is.

I did get to see the UP Challenger running at Findlay Junction, the thrill of a lifetime. Not my images.

Clark

[invstbiker]

Todd, Good luck on your "show" Sorry we can't be there, heading back to the hills for the summer....Good Luck

Steve

[toddalin]

That's a lot of work. My father had an HO set-up that took up one half the attic. When I was a kid I had N gage that took up half my room. Always enjoyed doing modelling. Have not done any in years though. You do your weathering on your engines?? Very nice! I used to build lots on scale planes as well. I really liked WW 2 german fighters like the ME-109. You could do all kinds of camoflage on them depending on the theater they were in. Lots of fun and challenging to get the Camo right. You use an airbrush on the weathering???

Rob

Thanks for the kind words guys.

Yes, I weather all of my equipment before it runs. I use a Badger 150 airbrush and a small compressor. The four basic colors include roof brown, rust, weathered black, and grimy black. Dust, mud, and grime are often added too. I also paint much of the rolling stock if it has the wrong road name or color.

When we run standard gauge equipment, we run SP. When we run narrow gauge, we run SSouth Pacific Coast, undecorated, or our own road name.

[edgewound]

Todd,

That sounds like great fun....you've got the best toys, for sure. Just too much going on at this time of year, with kids in school, sports and approching the end of the school year Thanks for the invite.