South Side of Town
I
have had the pleasure of knowing Sean for a few years. He is a good friend with a
very pleasant attitude. Early this year, perhaps in February, he invited me to be
his guest at the 125th running of the Kentucky Derby at Louisville, Kentucky. How
was I to refuse? A chance of a lifetime. In Harodsburg, I met his Uncle Bob
and Aunt Arah, two of the nicest people I have ever met. And Arah, what a
cook. Especially her meatloaf. But that is another story. I also had the
pleasure of meeting his cousins, Joe and his wife sherry, and Chris. Hospitality in
Kentucky is second to none.
I
mentioned my layout to Sean one day and he suggested I add a Metro Floors building, where
he works. It was a great idea since I had ample space and needed to fill it.
Especially on the south side since I had added additional width to accommodate the
extension of Ryann Road, which would connect the airport, mini-mall, and the west end to
the fast growing industrial site. So, next time I made a trip into Lancaster, I
parked across from Metro Floors and drew a sketch of the building, including coolers and
trees.
Next, I needed to visit the B & F
Train Shop in Bakersfield. I bought the needed material for the building, but they
couldn't help me with a pair of palm trees. Sean planted two palm trees in front of
the building 12 years ago when he began working there and the site on the layout wouldn't
look right without them. I completed the building, but I needed those palm
trees. Then I decided to visit Palmdale Hobbies. Bill had ordered a few
things for me in the past so I mentioned the palm trees. It was no problem he said,
and searched and found just what I needed. It took a few weeks but I finally got
them. I showed them to Sean next time I saw him, which was the same day I picked up
the trees, and we were both happy. So to Sean and his family, here is your Metro
Floors building.
We'll call this the Jeep Building even though you'll find a bicycle store and an Army Recruiting Station within it. I built it in honor of our son who is into Jeeps, bikes, and served proudly not only in the U.S. Army, but as a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, 313th MI Bn. If you like
jeeps, you'll love Henry's jeep website,
Law enforcement. Why have it in such a peaceful community. Look around, people at the park, riding bikes, watching trains go by, people waiting in line to see "The African Queen," and so on.
Well,
it was a visit to Metro Floors in Lancaster where I stopped to see my friend Sean,
to show him pictures of the building and tell him I had just placed an order for two palm
trees at the hobby shop in Palmdale. At the time he was talking to a customer about
carpet or something or other. The customer was a friend and a police officer.
So the suggestion came up about a police station to be added to the layout. I said I
would since I still had plenty of real estate that needed developing. Then there is
Mary, who works at the Watch and Wager in Lancaster as a security guard and who happens to
be a retired police officer herself. She and Sean decided to have a tailgate party
right there in the parking lot. It was to be a barbeque but Sean forgot the barbeque
grill so they ended up buying a six-foot long sandwich. Next visit to Palmdale
Hobbies I ordered a police station from Bill. It turned out to be too small so I
added a second story.
Driving south on Highway 58, about half a mile from the bridge leading to Tucker Road in Tehachapi, there is a small lake surrounded by trees and foliage on the right hand side. Every time I drive to the new post office, which is now located north of the city across the freeway, I glance at the lake.
The way my layout was turning out, especially when the mountain was complete, and the lumber/millwork plant was in place, it looked more and more like I should add a lake to it. The outline of the lake by the freeway was perfect. The only problem was how to simulate water. by now I had read many articles on model railroading and had spoken to experienced modelers about the subject of water but their responses didn't sink in. I supposed it had something to do with that switch when I retired. for the meaning of that you'll have to click on to "The Watch and Wager." I tried a couple of their recommendations but I just couldn't get the right results on the layout. Finally I undid what I had done and usedd Testors sky blue on the bare plywood. I had used the same paint on the surface of the water tank atop the cannery building with good results. This worked to my satisfaction as the grooves on the plywood create a ripple effect that is noticeable in a good way. Besides, it's a fun layout and I am working to my own specs. No Air Force or NASA here to tell me otherwise.