You Are Invited to Our Garden Railroad Open House

[toddalin]

As an August treat, Linda and I would like to invite all LHF members and their guests to night and day runs of the Tortoise and Lizard Bash Garden Railroad.
Open houses will be held on Saturday, August 25 between 4:00 pm and 8:00 pm, and on Sunday August 26 between 12:00 pm and 4:00 pm.

We are located in the hills of unincorporated Orange County, CA above Tustin/Santa Ana/Orange. E-mail me for directions.

Tortoise and Lizard Bash Rail Road
This garden scale, front yard layout is quite innovative and incorporates features not seen on other garden railroad displays. The landscape covers about 1,200 square feet with over 600 feet of track and six bridges, including a 14-foot long trestle. Twenty-one turnouts allow multiple trains to navigate the landscapes simultaneously.

The layout was built in a volcanic area that was thought to be inactive. However, recent eruptions have been noted at two of the craters in one area. These craters spew “lava” into upper, then lower lakes through two waterfalls. All vegetation in the miniature garden is real and to scale. The entire layout is detailed with structures, over 300 people and animals, cars, motorcycles, etc. all at a scale of ½” per foot.
Trains can run fully automated, or “hands on” with as many as four simultaneous engineers, all in contact by wireless control. The automation system is of our own concept, design, and construction and allows seven trains to run simultaneously, pausing and waiting for each other as necessary. Fully automated signals accompany these train movements. And best of all, 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. The locals may take a train to Lizard Lake to engage in some fishing, or to Chameleon Caverns Mineral Springs to take in the hot tubs and ever-changing, multi-colored mist that waifs out of the cavern. All buildings and major structures (three dozen) have lighting for night operations. Additionally, the volcanoes and caverns put on their best displays after dark.

http://www.ocregister.com/newsimages/life/2007/01/20railway1.jpg
http://www.largescaleonline.com/eimages/lsolpics/Team_Member_Pics/toddalin/TLBWORK.jpg
http://www.largescaleonline.com/eimages/lsolpics/Team_Member_Pics/toddalin/volcano_glow.jpg
http://www.largescaleonline.com/eimages/lsolpics/Team_Member_Pics/toddalin/town3.jpg
http://www.largescaleonline.com/eimages/lsolpics/Team_Member_Pics/toddalin/trestle2.jpg
http://www.largescaleonline.com/eimages/lsolpics/Team_Member_Pics/toddalin/mr3.jpg
http://www.largescaleonline.com/eimages/lsolpics/Team_Member_Pics/toddalin/centernorth.jpg
The OC Home Magazine has a write-up at the link.

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/life/homegarden/abox/article_1548744.php

[opimax]

Nice pictures!!! Reminded me of my father's HO trains in my youth. A wonderful offer!! Wrong coast :(


I hope everyone takes advantage and has a great time :applaud::applaud:


Mark

[Robh3606]

Thanks for the invite. If I was on the West Coast I would be comming. Great layout!

Rob:)

[Titanium Dome]

Some of my kids and my grandson will be in town then. He's 10. Could I bring him?

[kingjames]

that is so cool looking.

[toddalin]

Some of my kids and my grandson will be in town then. He's 10. Could I bring him?


Thanks guys. Of course, everyone is welcome. We only ask that children are behaved and can keep their hands to themselves. ;)

[Storm]

I so wish I was in CA -- I would LOVE to stop by.

My boyfriend and I are thinking of taking a trip to Disneyland soon. May we possibly stop by for a visit?

Thanks.

-Storm

;)

[toddalin]

I so wish I was in CA -- I would LOVE to stop by.

My boyfriend and I are thinking of taking a trip to Disneyland soon. May we possibly stop by for a visit?

Thanks.

-Storm

;)


Of course you can. The buildings remain out until October. We are also doing open house on Aug 11 if that works for you. BTW, we are about 15 miles SE of Dizzyland.

Todd

[toddalin]

Just a reminder (and a bump).

:D

[JohnK]

Thank you for inviting us to see your outdoor trains. It is a fantastic layout & everyone enjoyed it!

[toddalin]

Thank you for inviting us to see your outdoor trains. It is a fantastic layout & everyone enjoyed it!

Thanks for coming, we're glad you enjoyed it.

We had over 100 people on Saturday and another 125-150 on Sunday. We also had some rain on Sunday (the one day of the year it rains ;)) but the trains run in the rain with no problem (except some wheel slip on the grades). On Sunday, ther were about 35 Corvettes lining the street from two clubs. So the show was both in and out of the yard. :applaud:

[toddalin]

Night Falls on the T&LBRR

For those who were not able to attend our open house the other day, included at the link are pics of the layout as evening falls.

Enjoy

http://mylargescale.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=48260

[edgewound]

Todd,

That layout is amazing....AMAZING!!!

I'd love to be able to see it in person sometime when schedules don't conflict.

Your setup looks like it rivals the LA County Fair outdoor train.

Very cool.

[toddalin]

Todd,

That layout is amazing....AMAZING!!!

I'd love to be able to see it in person sometime when schedules don't conflict.

Your setup looks like it rivals the LA County Fair outdoor train.

Very cool.

Not for size (LA County is 30,000 sq ft and ours is 1,200 sq ft), but certainly for quality.

And for electronic innovation..., fergetaboutit, we've got them beat in spades. ;)

[toddalin]

Linda has been very busy learning web design and has now set up a preliminary web site for our Tortoise & Lizard Bash Garden Railroad. For those who are interested, the temporary site (until a permanent one can be established under our own account) can be found at the link.

http://michelleswebkids.com.p12.hostingprod.com/linda.html (http://michelleswebkids.com.p12.hostingprod.com/linda.html)

[Hoerninger]

Thank you for sharing!
Good to look at and fine for playing with trains. :)
____________
Peter

[toddalin]

As many here know, one of my two other passions is garden railroading.

We are pleased to announce that our garden railroad the Tortoise and Lizard Bash (or T&LBRR) occupies 8 pages of the National Model Railroad Association's magazine Scale Rails. We are especially pleased and honored to have garnered the magazine's coveted cover shot. :bouncy:

For those who don't know model railroading, we run what is called "large-scale" at approximately 1:24 (or 1/2" to the foot). This represents a very small percentage of the hobby and it is almost unheard of for NMRA to feature a large-scale railroad let alone put one on the cover of the magazine. ;)

http://michelleswebkids.com/12.CRW_9365.jpg

http://michelleswebkids.com/08.CRW_9371.jpg

http://michelleswebkids.com/03.CRW_9347.jpg

[invstbiker]

Congrats Todd, someday I'll get out there to see it...:applaud:

[boputnam]

Dood - for that crowd, yours should be the centerfold, too! :p

That "dig" of the Stegosaurus is really cool - never seen that! Some sort of Jurassic Garden Railroad Park! ;)

[louped garouv]

now all it needs is some 1:24 scale big honking JBLs for the outdoor festival....

you could take some sansui lens horns, a 3" speaker, some balsa wood....


:D


seriously though, a really nice job on that railroad set up

[duaneage]

I've wanted to do that for a while but no place to set anything up. When I was a child I saw a setup in PA that was incredible. An entire basement that a man spent years building. It was wonderful.

I visited Roadside America (http://www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com/bigmap/outoftown/pennsylvania/berkscounty/shartlesville/roadsideamerica/index.htm)in Shartlesville PA, they have a huge setup that must be seen.

[toddalin]

Picture is worth 1,000 words. ;)
http://www.largescaleonline.com/eimages/lsolpics/Team_Member_Pics/toddalin/Cover_Shot_200_dpi_Reduced.jpg

[John]

:applaud::applaud::applaud:

[hjames]

Congratulations - you deserve it - a gorgeous layout (wish I was closer!)

Also - apparently we can write the magazine and buy copies (via snailmail)

http://www.nmra.org/membership/publications/scalerails.html

[toddalin]

Linda just finished putting a new web site together for our garden railroad. If you have a moment (and the inclination) you may want to take a look. :blink:

http://tortoiseandlizardbash.com

[timc]

Thats an incredible piece of work!


I always wanted something like that when i was a kid......Maybe something for when i retire..........



-Tim

[Ducatista47]

Very nice web site and a really, really nice layout. I was wondering if the Stegosaurus dig was a tip of the hat to John Allen's Gorre & Daphetid, which of course had a "work Stegosaurus" among its highlights.

Clark

[toddalin]

Very nice web site and a really, really nice layout. I was wondering if the Stegosaurus dig was a tip of the hat to John Allen's Gorre & Daphetid, which of course had a "work Stegosaurus" among its highlights.

Clark

No, not a tribute, just something I came up with. I didn't know John Allen also had one.

http://tortoiseandlizardbash.com/trainphotos/12.CRW_9365.jpg

[Ducatista47]

Your presentation is much cooler than the Dino in John Allen's layout. He had a stegosaurus on a train platform; he explained that it was not out of place as it was hitched to a cart, Railway Express I think, so it was a "Work Stegosaurus."

I am recovering this information from a thirty year old memory, so I may have some errors in the recollection. Since Model Railroader does not currently permit the article to be displayed on the "Gory & Defeated" site, I can't get a new look at it. http://www.gdlines.com/

Your display of the excavation is really first class, a great idea done perfectly. Seeing it blows me away.

Clark

[Rolf]

Hi toddalin. When I was some years younger (about 40 years ago) I used to have Marklin electric miniature railroad. Don't know if the name Marklin means anything to you. The models was much smaller than the ones you have.

Because I did not have any space in the house to have it installed permanently at that time, I sold the whole thing.

I have been very curious, but have hesitated to ask, but here it comes:

Your train equipment, is it a "all time of the year" outside? Do they accept rain and snow? I do not know the climate in your area, but here at our place in Norway I guess the whole thing must be stored inside from the autumn to the spring, and that would be a serious problem.

To end: It looks fantastic what you have. What about somebody tries to steal something? How do you protect it from that?

[toddalin]

Clark, thanks for the kind words.

Rolf, the track, signals, and some of the structures stay out year round and get watered twice daily.

Our climate (coastal Southern California) is mild staying between 45-95 degrees year round, but, we get extremely high (60+ mph) Santa Ana winds and most of the structures are stored in my garage between November and April so they don't get ripped to shreds/blown away and have their wiring ripped out (all structures are lit).

The trains, some of the delicate vingette figures, and metal die-cast cars come in at the end of the day (the die-cast cars rust too quickly otherwise).

Many live in colder climates and continually post pics of their trains plowing real snow with both wedge plows and snow blowers.

Vandalism has not been a problem (even though this is in our front yard) because we live in a really good semi-rural neighborhood, and it is very hard to see the railroad from the street (about 100 feet away and 20 feet lower).

[Andyoz]

My 3yo would love to have you as a neighbor!

[hjames]

My 3yo would love to have you as a neighbor!

I have this vision of the model railroad system and a stiff legged 3yo towering over it all ... when giants walked the earth:applaud:

[Hoerninger]

It is always a pleasure to look at your garden-railroad.

Did you ever think about combing two hobbies?
I mean JBL for your garden! There are some fine sounds,
http://www.danleysoundlabs.com/technical%20downloads.html

1. Train starting up
2. Full coal train with helper
and for relaxing from work
3. Harley Davidson.
___________
Peter

[toddalin]

It is always a pleasure to look at your garden-railroad.

Did you ever think about combing two hobbies?
I mean JBL for your garden! There are some fine sounds,
http://www.danleysoundlabs.com/technical%20downloads.html

1. Train starting up
2. Full coal train with helper
and for relaxing from work
3. Harley Davidson.
___________
Peter

Yes we use sounds! I am currently working with a designer who has created a way for the Picaxe microchip to control an MP3 player. This can then be activated in a number of ways, the simplest of which is a magnetic reed switch and a magnet attached to the engines. I am currently downloading sounds, a wealth of which are found on the 'net. Additionally, I'll use a digital recorder to do my own station call-outs/announcements. The controller can deal with as many as 80 sound samples of basicially any duration.

I've been compiling/modifing sounds with the Audacity software.

[toddalin]

Tortoise and Lizard Bash Railroad Open House

Saturday, July 19, 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Santa Ana (Orange County), CA 92705

Todd and Linda Brody are pleased to invite you and your guests to a run of the T&LB garden railroad. This layout incorporates features not seen on other garden railroad displays. The landscape covers over 1,200 square feet with over 600 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 is real and to scale. The entire layout is detailed with structures, over 300 people and animals, cars, motorcycles, etc. all at a scale of ½” per foot.

As many as seven 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! Also new are our ever-changing digital sound effects.

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 (about five dozen) have lighting for night operations.

To best see the myriad of details, the best viewing time begins well before sunset. However, the railroad has extensive specialized lighting using hundreds of bulbs and the two active volcanoes put on their most dramatic displays after the sun goes down. Be sure to bring your guests.

Hope to see you here.
Todd & Linda Brody

The following link will take you to our web site showing the railroad and its history.

http://tortoiseandlizardbash.com (http://tortoiseandlizardbash.com/)

[toddalin]

Tortoise and Lizard Bash Railroad (T&LBRR) OPEN HOUSE


http://tortoiseandlizardbash.com/trainphotos/T&LB%20logo0002.jpg




Saturday, September 20, 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.



Sunday, September 21, Noon to 5:00 p.m.




Santa Ana, CA 92705



E-Mail for Address and Directions


Todd and Linda Brody are pleased to invite you and your guests to the last run for the 2008 season of the T&LB garden railroad. This layout is quite innovative and incorporates features not seen on other garden railroad displays. The landscape covers about 1,200 square feet with over 600 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 is real and to scale. The entire layout is detailed with structures, over 300 people and animals, cars, motorcycles, etc. all at a scale of ½” per foot.

As many as seven trains 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! Brand new are the digital sounds produced at the station and service areas!

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 (about five dozen) have lighting for night operations. The best viewing time is just before dusk. Be sure to bring your guests.

Hope to see you here.

Todd & Linda Brody

The following link will take you to our web site showing the railroad and its history.
http://tortoiseandlizardbash.com (http://tortoiseandlizardbash.com/)

[Krunchy]

Hi Todd, That is some layout, if I ever make it to the west coast I'll be sure to pay a visit, my kids would absolutely go Ga Ga over your wonderful layout. Must be a lot of fun seeing the "Kids" of all ages with smiles on their faces when they see you handywork.

Thanks for sharing!

This is a small Rail Road museum out in Riverhead LI, I go by it everyday, they have a few locomotives, just a fun place to visit.

[Skywave-Rider]

Looking at your railroad really struck a responsive chord in me.
Wow.
I assume the sounds are great, too.:applaud:

[toddalin]

Hi Todd, That is some layout, if I ever make it to the west coast I'll be sure to pay a visit, my kids would absolutely go Ga Ga over your wonderful layout. Must be a lot of fun seeing the "Kids" of all ages with smiles on their faces when they see you handywork.

Thanks for sharing!

This is a small Rail Road museum out in Riverhead LI, I go by it everyday, they have a few locomotives, just a fun place to visit.


Thanks.

That's a Cool Porter (as opposed to a Cole Porter) there. ;)

[toddalin]

Looking at your railroad really struck a responsive chord in me.
Wow.
I assume the sounds are great, too.:applaud:

Many of the engines have digital sound cards with samplings taken from the actual prototypes.

I'm notorious for ditching the cheap speakers they come with and hollowing out engines/tenders for the inclusion of more massive speakers (and internal enclosures) to enhance bass response as these amps only push 1 watt.

[Skywave-Rider]

Cool, like horn loaded coal carriers. :)
I assumed you might have external conventional speakers, but having the sound come from the thing itself is much better -- and I bet much better than what I remember as a kid.

1 watt is pretty good I think.

Wish I could make the trip.

[toddalin]

I assumed you might have external conventional speakers, but having the sound come from the thing itself is much better -- and I bet much better than what I remember as a kid.

1 watt is pretty good I think.

Wish I could make the trip.


Oh, we have those too! ;)

Our jazz band, The Lounge Lizards, plays in town using a cassette recorder and the lead singer sounds EXACTLY like Aretha Franklin.

http://tortoiseandlizardbash.com/trainphotos/25.CRW_1037.jpg

Also, we just incorporated an MP3 player that is activated by reed switches as the trains pass over. A speaker in the station produces the sounds of a station complete with dogs barking, people, kids, carts getting wheeled, etc.

Other reed switches placed near the coaling facility and water tank produce these sounds as trains automatically stop in for service. They also include the sounds you would expect to hear at such a facility including a steam donkey, bangs, clangs, pneumatic tools, grinders, etc. The speaker for these is in the water tower.

http://www.largescaleonline.com/eimages/lsolpics/Team_Member_Pics/toddalin/mp3_install006.jpg

http://www.largescaleonline.com/eimages/lsolpics/Team_Member_Pics/toddalin/mp3_install002.jpg

Finally, when trains pull in/out, a reed triggers station "call outs" (e.g., train number 2 now departing on track 1, All aboard).

http://www.largescaleonline.com/eimages/lsolpics/Team_Member_Pics/toddalin/mp3_install007.jpg

http://www.largescaleonline.com/eimages/lsolpics/Team_Member_Pics/toddalin/town3.jpg

I download sound bytes off the net and use Audacity to generate my own MP3 files. The player will do 88 separate files and they can be at random, taking the monotony out of it.

Other sounds are also scattered around the railroad. There are sheep, cows, and a working telegragh at one of the stations. ;)

[Skywave-Rider]

Awesome.
That's Sound Design.
One more question, maybe one more.
Are your reed switches triggering control voltages? Or what's happening there? And are the mp3s coming from a standalone player or a computer based one?

The pics are great.

[toddalin]

Awesome.
That's Sound Design.
One more question, maybe one more.
Are your reed switches triggering control voltages? Or what's happening there? And are the mp3s coming from a standalone player or a computer based one?

The pics are great.

The reeds trigger a Picaxe microchip that is programmed to control a commercially available MP3 player that is accessable via the Picaxe microchip. The MP3 player plays sounds off of a flash drive.

The player is the grey box in the second pic. The sounds are arranged in eight banks of 10 sounds that are randomly accessable, or 8 banks of one sound that are directly selectable, or any combination thereof.

Note that I use a flash drive to store the sounds. A whole new set of sounds is as quick lifting off the building and plugging in another flash drive.

[toddalin]

Coming up this weekend. :D

[toddalin]

Tortoise and Lizard Bash Railroad (T&LBRR) OPEN HOUSE



Saturday, July 25, 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, July 26, Noon to 5:00 p.m.



Tustin Hills Area, Orange County, CA 92705 (e-mail or PM for Address and Directions)

Todd and Linda Brody are pleased to invite you and your guests to the 2009 season of the T&LB garden railroad. This layout is quite innovative and incorporates features not seen on other garden railroad displays. The landscape covers about 1,200 square feet with over 600 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. The volcanos also result in geothermal activity and the new Chameleon Caverns hot springs area let the towns’ folk “take the waters” for both health and recreational activities.

All vegetation is real and to scale. The entire layout is detailed with structures, over 300 people and animals, cars, motorcycles, etc. all at a scale of ½” per foot.

As many as seven trains run simultaneously, automatically 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! Brand new are the digital sounds produced at the station and service areas. Additionally, workers just finished the gold mine unloading/transfer facility that features the new “sprinkler crane” soon to be featured in Garden Railways Magazine!

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 (about five dozen) have lighting for night operations. The best viewing time is just before dusk. Be sure to bring your guests.

Todd & Linda Brody

The following link will take you to our web site showing the railroad and its history.
http://tortoiseandlizardbash.com (http://tortoiseandlizardbash.com/)

[MikeBrewster77]

Now that is pretty frickin' cool!!! :D

Amazing level of intricate detail - and I thought my little holiday train display was nifty. :o:

How do you protect it from the elements? It looks like it's set up in open air...

Best,
- Mike

[hjames]

How do you protect it from the elements?
It looks like it's set up in open air...

Best,
- Mike

It IS open air, but they are a desert people ... :applaud:

Just kidding, but probably not much snow or rain in their area ...

[MikeBrewster77]

It IS open air, but they are a desert people ... :applaud:


Ahhhh, yes - it's a dry heat ;)

[oznob]

How do you protect it from the elements? It looks like it's set up in open air...

Best,
- Mike[/quote]

http://users.cis.net/sammy/nevrains.htm

Ask Albert Hammond!:p

[toddalin]

I don't protect it. The railroad has been in place since 1997 and is out 24/7/365. The rail is brass and the ties are UV resistant plastic. I have to clean the tops of the rails to run the trains with good continuity after they sit for more than a month as the rail gets watered twice a day and we have very hard water.

The stuctures are either UV resistant plastic or are protected by paint. The structures are stored in the garage from November-March because of the Santa Ana winds.

Everything gets watered twice a day for 10 minutes a shot by the sprinklers and drip systems. We do a lot of maintenance.

The control panel has two 24-pin amphenol connectors and a 120 volt plug and get wheeled in the garage. We use five 16.5 amp transformers to run everything with one just for the lights. Some electronics on the railroad for special effects/sounds are housed in weatherproof boxes.

The trains/engines come in at the end of the day or sometimes stay out overnight under a tarp. Same with the die cast vehicles that would rust out in short order if left outside.

[toddalin]

Coming up this weekend!

[hjames]

I wanna see the bashed lizards!

Actually wish we were closer - sounds like a lot of fun,
but its a long way to come for the open house ...

[toddalin]

I wanna see the bashed lizards!

I saw one the other day!

One of the dates had fallen out of the tree and hit him right on the head. I happened upon him just after the hit when he was still alive (and extremely docile). Blood was oozing from the side of his head and he expired shortly thereafter.

Was not a good day on the railroad. :(

Killer dates:

http://www.largescaleonline.com/eimages/lsolpics/Team_Member_Pics/toddalin/short_signal.jpg

[MikeBrewster77]

Sounds like some I've had in the past ...

Oh wait, you're talking about the fruit - nevermind!

Also wish I could make it - it really does look neat, but travel is a bit prohibitive and I don't have a hard hat anymore. :p

Good luck with the open house!

[badman]

Looking forward to seeing any forumites saturday afternoon. I'll be there with two little blonde girls (6 1/2 and 2 4/5), so say howdy if ya see me!

[badman]

ACK!

You emailed me but never sent the address. Please send ASAP if you see this! My girls are excited but may be disappointed :(

Jeff