Hi, all... I have been reading but not posting these long months. So sorry to hear, Jim, of your health complications. You are a living legacy and are of the generation that got a lot of us mid-50's (age) "boomers" into the more advanced aspects of the hobby and still kept it fun! Sean-good luck with the replacement surgery. Henry-I know you had a bad spell a while back-are you all up to speed yet? Train-wise I thinnned out a lot of my "heritage fleet" of diecast oldies (motive power wise) but kept a Penn Line Whitcomb, an older Bowser K-4 and the re-powered Varney NW2....went DCC (NCE) with the "scale' fleet and have the L-girders up for a 6x11 around-the-wall shelf layout in my den/train room. Family life (a wonderful but independent 14 yr ld daughter) and my wife's recent grad school loans keep me pretty train-free, but I love them dearly and it's worth it! And the real railroad that keeps me gainfully employed is a roller coaster ride, as the senior frt agent for the only shareholder-owned regional in New England. (we're the company that bought Rail America a while back)But I enjoy the companionship of you all electronically through good times and bad, and wish you all a wonderul Christmas , and if any of you (like myself) also do Chanukah, happy last day of same!!!!! Here's to keepin' 'em rolling, highballing right along through 2013. Good railroad and clear blocks all the way!
Mitch, up in the North Woods of Maine
