The good news!I get to go home today.

Surgery was three weeks ago.
Hospitalized for one week afterward.

Rehabilitation in a facility 40 miles away was for two weeks.

Today is the day I can return to my model railroad!
Oops....I mean my loving wife and family! Yeah. Thats what I meant to say.

Thank you all for your encouragement and especially your prayers.

I will win this battle.

I will need a t-shirt that says

" I survived 47 years of marriage and cancer!"

Surgery was completed on May 27.
The surgical team was able to save both my knee and hip joint, but I lost femur bone in between the two.

Instead of bone it looks like I have a small block Chevy camshaft in its place.

The tumor was the size and shape of a Nerf football. Seriously. It was incredible.
Beforehand. My skin was so stretched and tight. I could bounce coins off of it.

Im in rehab therapy for a few weeks. Hopefully be returning to home and the workbench soon.

Surgery is upcoming on May27/ The doctor reserved the room for 8 hours, the whole day.
 The cancer of the sarcoma appears to have eroded into the femur of my left thigh. Th doctors plan is to do "One and Done". about a 95% chance the hip femur and knee will be totally bionic by Wednesday evening. His concern is leaving femur that is unknowingly already involved, not showing on the last MRI. Both of us only want ONE operation and recovery. If the surgery is limited to the lower half of the Femur and Knee replacement, that would be a blessing. But we wont know with certainty until the leg is actually opened up, and the sarcoma removed so that closer observation of the upper femur can be assessed.

 Keep me in your prayers. Growing old is not for Sissies.

Dave Buchholz
Rochester Ny

Some may have noticed a lack of posts from me. Im battling cancer. Specifically, I'm battling a massive sarcoma in my left leg. It is swollen and painful to walk, much less get up and down the basement steps. Im doing radiation daily, with surgery upcoming at a future date. Then comes learning how to walk again.

 Please keep me in your prayers.
Dave Buchholz

I've often noticed that barns here in the Northeast, have a ramp up to one side and ground floor entrance on the other. My assumption has been the cows are housed on the ramp side, and the manure hauled away from the lower side. I would suspect the wagon is placed under a hole in the upper floor, and the droppings  shoveled or broomed down the hole to the awaiting wagon for field fertilization

I hate 1:1 projects
I still have the Halloween decorations up

Dave

I quit!

Fantastic details. No trace of glue like all my stuff.

Please don't tell me this is HO scale!

I'm glad you climbed it because I'm to old for that. Great visuals on the components.

Quote from: GaryMc on December 15, 2025, 10:13:45 AMLarry,
Very nice, the shop scene is coming to life with every added detail.

I totally agree. It's coming to life.

You just need a speaker underneath so visitor can hear  a tape recording of the machinist swearing for making that part on the lathe too small!

Dear Jeff.

Scoreboard says it all.
My finger nails are much shorter after the game than beforehand.
Just call me Stumpy.

GO BILLS!

Ive been laid up and slowed down this week with a Swollen leg due to a blood clot. I'm on blood thinners now.

Mike I Understand what you mean now, I never noticed the distinction of wood frame versus brick wall windows before.  I was way off in the type of windows I should use.  Tichy Trains seems to have a good arched masonry window I could use in stead of what I found in my junk boxes

As i gathered more photos of the prototype building, it dawned on me that it went though a few physical structural changes. Two in particular stood out, The number of windows on the side of the building were added to. And the " store front"  seemed to change from Wood to Brick over the years.
Photos below show the distinctions between those mentioned elements

Quote from: Mike the Trainman on December 12, 2025, 04:52:14 PMDave, I have to use my glasses now as with all my modeling.  

Getting old sucks.
But luckily. I'm an optician professionally. Bifocals and reading glasses have allowed me to be a hot rodder, slot car racer and model railroader for 50+ years.

😅