A darker side...

There was a time in the late 70's that I remember quite well. The time George Lucas expanded our imaginations and created what would be a series of classic movies called Star Wars. I remember it fondly as a youngster, as I was involved in trains and a big fan of the dark side...

This influence still has its impact on me even today. Now after so many many years they have come together with what will be a December 18th, 2015 release and guest appearances by some original cast members. So it is fitting that I melted the two together in a photo shopped piece I imagined..

There

I don't blog, tweet or Facebook..

I heard it said before..I don't blog, I don't tweet, I don't Facebook, etc...

I would love to say good for you, especially if you are a master carpenter or some type of zen personality inventor that contributes a craft that only few can attain through elite skills. So good for you ! Rather great for you actually!

If you don't then, well, how boring can and must you be? That inability to participate in a cultural format that is now normal is like saying I don't phone, I hate those talky things..communication is here to stay and it is not changing and if you want to stay unaware of how society is changing in it then it is hard to feel sorry for you when you lament the social woes that befall you. I know of lost relationships because of a past generation refusing to accept and communicate the way the next generation needs to be heard. How tragic is that? And yes,I blame the older mature stubborn generation and not the new "gens" as they should be the parents of society. If the younger gen reaches out and the stubborn refuse, then their conviction is more important than the relationship in my point 

of view. 

Yesteryear model railroads

One great thing about photography today is you can age just about anything you want. Add in a photoshop program and a skilled computer artist, you will have an endless variety of interesting sciences to look at. Me? I just take a bunch of iPhone pictures and study them to see how I can make it look more realistic through the eyes of the camera. It allows me to see things statically. I can then dable as I watch my trains meander on their way. It is my therapy in this ridiculous fast pace world. I love to do a lot of things, but have found myself narrowing down the list. Getting older and going through a lot does that to you I guess.  Now that the lenses grow a bit dimmer, I see things way differently than I used to. Wish I knew what I know now at 25 years of age.. Who doesn't?

This blog is a compilation of thoughts and ideas, (mostly model railroad related) but also tied into this individuals soul and thoughts about things) it is a timeline of sorts as well. There are a lot of thought processes going on that one might disagree with and that is ok. I don't even agree with me on some of the things I write either, but it is good to look back on now and then just to see the thoughts at the time..People change, change is good, don't get stuck on what you think or think you know., model railroading is the escape hatch and therapy like I said beforehand.

I don't even care if it gets read. It is for me and a cheap invite to look into my world. Some will connect, many more won't which is par with real life actually.

So how does it all relate?

Scroll to the beginning and see how it all connects if you really want to know. It's not like a book and the pictures are pretty cool to look at even if you skim over the blathering. Perhaps my kids will find it one day after I am long gone and find it amusing as well. I know I would!

The lumber yard above wasn't exactly how I envisioned it, but size and space dictated the way it turned out. ( like real life eh?) it is awesome to me that I finally was able to secure the yard to a mill for real operating procedure on the layout.

My fantasy railroad is based on reality to a certain degree by area, structures and how the NP wanted to connect with WP in real life in Northern Cal..everything else is what I see through my historical fantasy view.

A viral model train video

Posted my personal video of this visit to the train show and it went almost viral in two days... I wish I knew how that happened...,,

https://www.facebook.com/ModelTrainAddicts/videos/1126735364007396/

Blogs are like model trains

Just like the title states-

You either love them or hate them. Well, maybe not hate but have little to no interest because the rest of life is so much more interesting. To the model railroader though, it is a love affair that cannot be explained. Perhaps it's the escape or imaginary teleportation into the fantasy realm. To them it can be like pornography or drugs to another. It is an addiction. One that makes one feel in control of a vast empire. A little bit of "all of the above" for me. Especially the feeling of being in control, or should I say illusion. Most of life things are out of or beyond our control. Model railroading gives me that little hope of actually being in charge. But it's much more than that even. My trigger has to do with losses. All my life I have been put in spots where somehow I lose. Not small losses mind you. From sports to jobs to family and on and on. Some to personal to mention even. One hit after the next. I have my own PTSD to deal with daily regarding loss. It is no joke, it's a real thing.

Model trains is my focused medium. It is my art and passion when I can break away from the real world. The real world sucks you into its endless black hole. It's mind numbing until you die...the final loss.

Anyways, there is no way to make up enough wind to cover the losses so trains hits the gap. I realize that perception is reality and I have to disengage from it to enjoy. But, please for the sake of everyone's safety, allow a person their escape so they can function normal in this unreal real world.