Bernhards Random Ramblings BACKUP

After 8 years in this house we decided it is time to finally get rid of the patio set inherited from the previous owners, and get something new. This is the story of how we went from an empty patio to finally having all 5 seats today. Mid-February we were shopping around for patio furniture. It turns out that we wanted a fairly specific look, not metal, and we liked wicker chairs. A visit to Patio World revealed some very nice pieces, at prices that we were not willing to pay. So we took a trip through the local big box stores. Orchard Supply had nothing we liked, nor did Lowes. Home Depot had one patio furniture set on display that fit our criteria, but the standard cushion color was ... boring. They do offer other colors through special order on homedepot.com . We liked the chairs in the store, so we ordered online on February 27. One Spring Haven Patio love seat, 3 lounge chairs, one coffee table. All in brown wicker, and cushion slip covers in "Dragonfruit". The order con...

Afternoon at Shell Beach

I did not expect to find this in our garden shed. I guess the recent rains created just the right conditions to start our own fungus farm.

[ Hallelujah Paper posts ] One building arrangement Rarely do you hear model railroaders exclaim "what do I do with all that space?" Usually, it's the opposite, trying to make the scene you are imagining work with the limited space you have. In the case of Hallelujah Paper at Silicon Valley Lines , today once again I realized how large the space I'm working with is. I placed the paper machine building on the layout, as well as the power plant. What looked like decent-sized buildings on my dining room table that are too big for my home layout just gets gobbled up on the club layout. I'd like to create a somewhat cramped feeling with the older part of the plant, but that requires at least one more kit-bashed building of at least the size of the power plant. At the same time, I also want to feature the digester and associated piping prominently. Another building arrangement The track arrangement and how the mill is connected to the SVL main line make it a bit awkwa...

Herr Moessner is hard at work in his garden Urgent Delivery The ramp is definitely too high. I'll cover the sides with Heki foam walls, which will widen the ramp a bit and cut away the hardboard under ramp, so that it sits at the same level as the track.

I felt like doing something quick and easy tonight, before I go to bed. Dave's beautiful laser cut ramp that didn't quite fit at the planned location at Silicon Valley Lines was cut in half, covered with some cardboard, and temporarily put in place to get an idea what it might look like. Not too bad, but I think it needs to be a little bit wider, and maybe set lower next to the track. Now I get to figure out what's easier. Cut awaythe hardboard that makes up the concrete ground, or lower the ramp.  Hmmm, ...

[ Hallelujah Paper posts ] The bulges relented and are barely visible any more. There is a slight bow in the roof sheet now, but it's manageable. I added the vents and blowers and will arrange the "steam" from the paper making process coming off the building once it's down at the club. On to the next project...

[ Hallelujah Paper posts ] The power station was taped, wrapped, and prepped for spray painting the foundation walls. I think it came out quite nicely. I lightly weathered the outside and installed lights. The lights are not particularly bright, so they might not be that useful after all if the room lights are on. And when the room lights are off, you can see them shining through the walls. Oh well. Either way, the power station is ready to travel down to the club on Friday. The paper making building was only missing its gravel roof. I used full-strength white glue, spread around with a finger and Woodland Fine grey blend ballast for the gravel. Looks great! While the gravel is drying, I weathered the vents and various blowers, that will go on the roof. Here's an example pre- and post-weathering. Then catastrophe struck: When I blew loose gravel off the roof, I noticed that the white glue was holding only a very thin layer of gravel in many places. Very anxious (because of previou...

[ Hallelujah Paper posts ] I stopped by The Train Shop today, ran into a couple well-known local model railroaders, and picked up the interiors kit for the Northern Light & Power kit, which I'm using to represent the paper mill power station . The interiors kit is a bit of a joke: two sprues, the majority of which are taken up by the three panels for the steam boiler. I originally planned to build up something on the inside myself, but saw the box on the shelf and figured, "Why not? Let's try it." Oh well, ... Let's see what we can make with this. The grey plastic pieces first got a light coat of Coach Green mixed with a bit of yellow, which becomes this ubiquitous machine green commonly seen in industrial settings. An application of weathering powders later we have something that looks a bit more interesting. Next I painted one of the sprues silver and arranged the "pipes" around the boiler set. The effect behind the windows of the building is much...

Caltrain 158 at the new station in San Bruno Today was a reminder how painful the commute in my previous job was when I spent 4 hours each day on the train, on the shuttle bus, or waiting for either one commuting between San Jose and South San Francisco. I changed jobs just before Caltrain introduced the Baby Bullet Service, so while I used the Baby Bullets on occasion since, I never got to experience the express service on a regular basis. I left left the office at 3:30pm. The train left at 3:59pm. Arriving home at 5:50pm (via transfer to VTA Light Rail at Tamien). It's time they electrify Caltrain, retire the diesel engines, and get modern passenger train sets with decent acceleration.

Planes taking off from SFO and flying overhead. You can hear, but you can't see them. The roar from I-380 comes through a bit muffled. Carl the Fog is thick and hanging low today.

Beautiful sky this morning   This is not a model railroad, but the Menlo Park station in the morning sun