Model Railroad Season Down South

[jbrock27]

Wintertime daylight hours, Brock, wintertime. That's the only time it matters.

Tell that to a farmer, Mud Bug

Ahh, now, didn't see where you were strictly taking about Dec 21st Rich.  In that case, of course, your statement about latitude holds true.  I'd no more compare daylight here on 12/21 to daylight at Key West on 12/21, duh

I like to sleep when it's dark too and it has never been light at 10:00 PM here.  Where is it light at 10:00 PM that you are referring to?

Whooooooh.......... Man ...... Jousting with Brock is wearing me out.  Gotta go lay down

Wow, you get tuckered out easy.  You have Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue or something?  Or does it have something to do with your state having the 4th highest obesity rate at 34.9% ?(right behind MS at 35.5% (Balrog where you at?))  While my state, is the polar opposite.  So much for sittin 'round the AC all day escaping from the paradise of tropical heat 10 months out of the year.  Guess there is not enough exercise in packing up and running from Hurricane to Hurricane .

[James in FL]

10.25 Yesterday, another 4.3 so far today (still raining).
Supposed to rain all night, figure another 6-8in.
No big deal, if you live out of the flood plain.
A little bit of wind as the bands pass. 45-65 mph.
Some flooding in the low areas of the county.
Everybody still has power. Except for a few in low lying areas of Tampa (Hillsborough County) couple of 2 -3 thousand.
Maybe a class 1 late tonight when it makes landfall way up north, around Tallahassee way.
Nothing here really, maybe slower drainage during high tide.
More wind than rain.

[Trainman203]

Yes James I've been watching that storm very closely.  The sensationalist seeking media always overblows these events.  There's always reporters in raincoats leaning into the wind screaming into a mic about how bad it is, when many times it really just ain't much.

We are just outside Pensacola on the Alabama side and last night we could see the outmost concentric feeder band cloud patterns in the sky. 

There's another turkey bubbling up in the Atlantic. 

[James in FL]

Got about 19 in of rain in the last 3 days.

There's another turkey bubbling up in the Atlantic.

Yeppers, keeping an eye on Invest 92L

https://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/

[Trainman203]

The disturbances off of the African coast are now trending up in to the Atlantic instead of coming here, a yearly pattern.  The daily highs are getting lower now.  Dry air has moved in.  There's talk of a "cold front" coming soon.

Model Railroad Season Down South is almost over. It will soon be time for outdoor activities. 

[Jerrys HO]

The disturbances off of the African coast are now trending up in to the Atlantic instead of coming here, a yearly pattern.

I wonder if Brock will get some exercise finally 

Model Railroad Season Down South is almost over. It will soon be time for outdoor activities.

AW man and all I needed was 5 more pounds to hit 190. I guess I would still be considered in the 34.9% obesity rate right Brock?

I work on my layout mostly in the evenings in my a/c and heat controlled garage. I love to spend the outdoors with my son no matter what the weather is like.

[jbrock27]

I wonder if Brock will get some exercise finally 

Don't worry about me, I get exercise, no matter what time of year it is my friend.

I needed was 5 more pounds to hit 190. I guess I would still be considered in the 34.9% obesity rate right Brock?

I don't know Jerry. At 5' 8", you would have to ask your doctor if you are or not.

I had thought about asking TM if his proclamation about MR Season being over down there, meant we would be getting a break from hearing from him and then thought better of it.  Instead, I will ask you that question. 

[Desertdweller]

When I lived in the South (Mississippi)  model railroad season was a year-round thing.  Here in western Nebraska, it is mostly a cold-weather activity, although I buy equipment year-around.  The reason is not so much the summer heat, but the fact that warm weather brings so many outdoor activities that compete for time.

My model railroad has a rather narrow focus, which restrains my tendency to buy anything that appeals to me.  It features mostly passenger operations on a major western hub terminal (Denver) in the 1960's.  Three major railroads (CB&Q/C&S; D&RGW; UP) and two minor players (RI; MP).  No BN, no AMTRAK.  Milwaukee Road equipment in passenger pool operations with UP.   Both standard and streamlined passenger cars.

I have tried to keep everything on the layout to be period-correct.  I have found automobiles to be the easiest way to date the era of a model railroad.  Rather than try to build an exact replica of the locale, I try to make recognizable scenes using available structures.  I have found Walthers Cornerstone structure kits useful.  My Denver Union Station is a combination of their Union Station (actually a model of Omaha's CB&Q station) with annexes kitbashed from two Heljan brick country stations.  Walther's backshop is a near duplicate of D&RGW's Burnham Shop backshop (and includes decals for Burnham Shops).

My model railroading has kicked into gear for the season. I have a good collection of books about prototype operations there that has helped me immensely in creating trains and a sequence operation that mirrors actual operations in the mid-1960's.

Les

[Trainman203]

Wintertime is the tolerable outdoors  time here. Daytime highs of 50 or 60 with bright blue sky and sun, really hard to stay inside with the layout.  

[Trainman203]

Well now, James, that @&$$!!@@!! thing is going to loop around and hit Fla. again.  It just might in get in the Gulf and hit us too.  How are you managing  through it?

It makes me chortle when people complain about snowstorms.  When the snow melts you still have your house and your stuff.  After a hurricane, you just might not have nuttin'....... Like me 11 years ago.

Oh... People up north know about tropical cyclones too ..... Remember "Sandy"?  Wasn't even a hurricane anymore and look what it did.

[James in FL]

Hi Tm203,
Thanks for your concern. We are well thank you.
Hope you are too.
Matthew tore up the East coast pretty bad, 6 confirmed deaths, 1 million without power.
From Melbourne (Satellite Beach) area up though Cocoa, Cape Canaveral (Kennedy space center), Daytona, St. Augustine, and Jacksonville, they all caught hell from beach erosion, falling trees and heavy wind and rain. Winds at 100+.
Lots of power outages even to Orlando from downed trees.
Over here on the west coast we just had two days of overcast skies and 4.5 inches of rain.
Nothing really, but the breeze was nice after a long hot summer.

I see where it is predicted to loop around and hit us again.
Not unlike Gordon? In '94 we could get hit twice. I seem to remember another that looped around since then.
As I mentioned, we are as prepared as possible with a generator and fuel and provisions for about two weeks.
All that don't mean nuttin' if my roof lifts, or a palm falls on my house.
If it gets into the Gulf (warm water) we may be in trouble, big trouble.

Getting back to modeling season...
From October till about April, I could attend a train show within 100 miles of my house every weekend.
I used to visit a dozen or more during that time.
Nowadays, I have most everything I need or want, but I still like to go when I can, especially the bigger shows in Tampa and Orlando.
Heck, I like to attend even if I buy nothing.  
When it gets below about 50° it's nice to be inside with either Hot Chocolate or a toddy of Peppermint Schnapps at the work bench.
I'm looking forward to it.
Be Stay safe.

[Trainman203]

Well the hurricane didn't come here.

The days are getting cooler.  No more highs in the 90s.  Model Railroad Season Down South 2016 is over with.

[Jerrys HO]

Well the hurricane didn't come here.

The days are getting cooler.  No more highs in the 90s.  Model Railroad Season Down South 2016 is over with.

Over? never. I try to do a little bit here and there year round. Mostly in the evenings. I can see being snowed in and needing something to do but the weather down here allows year round activity. Example.... what do you do when it rains, or all your friends are away on vacation?  Best of all is WHEN IT RAINS!

[James in FL]

Over? never. I try to do a little bit here and there year round. Mostly in the evenings. I can see being snowed in and needing something to do but the weather down here allows year round activity.

I agree @ Jerrys HO and @ Desertdweller ,
It's a year round hobby, as opposed to a seasonal hobby, for me too.
It rains every day from July through September.
We average 48 inches per year, not counting tropical storms or Hurricanes.
The show season is kicking off, looking forward to it.
Inverness on 10/29
Pinellas Park on 11/06
Port Richey on 11/19

We have only two seasons here.
Hot and dry (Winter)
Hot and wet (Summer)

[Trainman203]

Both James and Jerry have it right.  The best model railroad day down here is a RAINY one.