Good morning, all. Dave didn't mention the weather he, Dan and I share, but we've seen thin clouds and mid-30s. Rick, for me this is a week of meetings. Town Budget, Planning Board, Trolley Museum and Flying Yankee.  Remains to be seen what of my own I can get done, but I'm working on plans for the next round of Downtown Newburyport structures.  Karl, I remember Andy Keeney from RR-Line. Is his layout still the same basic project he was working on 15 years ago?

Good morning, Jeff, Dave and later arrivals.  The NH seacoast is sunny but not yet above freezing. Dave, my Bolt has the ability to talk to its masters in Detroit, but I've never given it login info for any wifi it parks near. I can tell enough about its software architecture from just using it that I have no confidence in anyone mucking with it in real time.

Yesterday I got pictures and floor plans for a half-dozen structures in Newburyport. Once I finish the retaining wall project, I have materials for one ready. But I need to make bench room by finishing a couple of earlier starts. My wife's bench is occupied by her clay flower work, but maybe she'll make time for another house.

Visions Government Solutions puts towns and cities assessing data online in 9 states: VT, NH, ME, MA, CT, RI, PA and VA.:

https://www.vgsi.com/taxpayer-info/

Service is on a town-by-town basis; you won't find my house here because our assessing company has its own site.  But if you want the overall dimensions of the Amesbury MA Eastern RR station, select Massachusetts, then Amesbury, enter 32 Elm St. Click on the plan to show it in a separate window, then have your browser save it as an image. All properties appear to have a current picture of one side.

Wow, Dave. I hope you hadn't already started replacing whatever was in the wallet...

Thanks, Tom and Jerry. Dave, Newburyport housing prices had chased almost all my old friends out fifteen years ago, after commuter rail service was restored. Now it's "investors" doing much of the buying and prices are beyond ridiculous. They seem to forget their "investments" only generate a return when they can find tenants or buyers.

Bad news first: I used a generous application of Weldwood contact cement to attach the foam to the hardboard in the post above. Next day, most of the foam was dissolved.

Yesterday I made a test assembly using Walthers Goo.  It didn't attack Market Basket foam, but do make a test on whatever your local grocery uses.  The replacement panels look good today, and this time I remembered to stop down the camera for depth of field:



After lunch I'll fill a couple of gaps, then start carving blocks.

Good morning, Jeff, Jim, Tom, Karl, Dave, Bob and later arrivals. Best wishes for your wife, Jim.  Any ice in the lower Merrimack valley had melted before I got up. It was 39F then, 45F now and I can see much of my lawn. I need another cold spell to prune my orchard, but February has always delivered.

I made some progress last night, finding that Walthers' Goo doesn't dissolve my local grocery store's meat tray foam.  Back up to the attic again after lunch.

Sorry, Jim; I can't undertake a new project till I get some of my half-dozen stalled projects into service.

Good news, Tom, and thanks.

Good progress. I have a half-built Ambroid kit for the same B&M car which came with too short a roof.  I've been thinking of replacing that with current NESL roof stock, but haven't stuck my toe in that water yet.

Good morning, Jeff, Karl, Greg, Jim, Dave and later arrivals. At the other end of NH's salt water coast (all of 25 miles), it's barely freezing with a light icy drizzle, forecast to continue to sunset. But tomorrow's high is expected to be in the 40s. I have several jobs I should get to work on. I'm not sure any of them will be modeling.

Two nice machine shops, Dave and Eric.  The only model I finished in 2025 was my brass PRR "FM" class 40' flatcar.



Construction began on RR-Line almost five years ago, but I re-posted the thread in Scratchbuilding:

PRR 'FM' 40 foot flatcar thread.

Good morning, all. There's been a little sun on the lower Merrimack Valley this morning, but mostly overcast with mid 20s.  Colder tonight and tomorrow. The kid is off the ship and waiting for his plane; after we will him it's Korean BBQ for a mid-afternoon birthday dinner for my wife.

My music digitizing effort is up to 7700 files with cleaned up naming & description, but that left no time for modeling the past few days.  I did do some historic research of the B&M, comparing the two main routes from Concord NH toward Canada. That will show up in the next update to my Unofficial B&M Page.

Looks good, Dave.

I'm free of the Trolley Museum for a couple of months; if there's anything on your to-do list that takes more than 2 hands, let me know.

How do you plan to finish these cars?  Early years?  "State of Good Repair"? or post-1929 circling the drain?

Good morning, Jeff and later arrivals.  I've put a modest breakfast out: oranges, apples, bananas, cereal assortment and some nice muffins from the bakery in town.  Urn is heating up, Track Hammer blend should start perking in a minute or two.

 Last night the NH seacoast got down to 8F, this afternoon is forecast for 35F. My new grandson got home yesterday, nobody in my family except our teenager is traveling anywhere today,  Once I've finished with computers this morning, I'll be trying my hand at carving meat-tray foam a la Ralph DeBlasi.