Tinplate or Hi-rail? Yes!

[Guy64]

"So... what's the career choice, then: Forklift op or train engineer?"

[Guy64]

As S gaugers, one of the issues we've always had to deal with is "gauge trouble". People often confuse S gauge (7/8") with H0 gauge (5/8"). "Oh! Look at this H0 layout..." I suppose it's the two rails of S (instead of the three rails of O gauge) that confuse some, but we often find ourselves uttering the phrase, "No, this is S gauge!"

"S gauge? What's S gauge?"

And so it goes.

Kids, however, have a more direct way of posing the question, especially kids who bring along their own H0 gauge locomotives.

"Wait, this isn't working. This track has two rails like my track at home, so it should work! Why isn't it working?"

"Maybe if I press down harder..."

[Guy64]

Other kids got more specialized training.

"Now this is H0 gauge, that is S gauge."

[Guy64]

Class: Inter-modal 1.01

"Now, see, that is how ya move truck trailers..."

[Guy64]

This guy was doing what I wish I'd had time to do; take eye-level shots of the city. There were many cameras being wielded (not even counting phone cams), and the C+D System was thoroughly "hosed down".

I wonder how his shot turned out...

[Guy64]

Speaking of "eye level" views, this gate op is determined to get a realistic view from the station platform. It's a good thing we glued down those people.

[Guy64]

Happy 4th, everybody!!

We're not sure what was going on in the mind of the visitor at center. He seems to be looking toward Bossy, perhaps disapproving of... something. Bad Bossy technique? Bossy line too long? We can only guess.

Maybe it had to do with the rowdy, disorganized rodeo going on in the foreground.

We didn't have Jim's "High Fly Inn" to occupy the desert, so Di opened the area to a bunch of local "equestrians", some on horses, some on steers, some on motorcycles. I guess they couldn't wait for the 4th of July to whoop it up...

[Guy64]

"Did you see that? It MOVED! That cow MOVED!! Didn't it move? I think it moved."

"Yeah, it moved..."

[Guy64]

While 3 out of 4 kids observe the wrangling of cows, our "serious eye level" gate operator mulls his options with Bossy...

" 'K, should I push the button now, or wait for the train to show up? What if the train doesn't stop in time? There would be a big mess! But if I don't wait, I'll never know what would have happened. Is it worth the risk? Decisions, decisions..."

[Guy64]

Lastly, a couple views of the city, circa May, 2012.

Still lots of work to do here, but there has been one noticeable change; the far building (partially obscured in both of these shots), which is the "C+D Headquarters", located right in the midst of Horse Shoe Corner. The old building was a pair of towers, united at the ground by a "reception floor". It was patterned after the ARCO Towers in central Los Angeles, a building wherein I once worked on a video.

Made from a 1977 Kenner G+P set, the narrow towers proved to be a bit delicate. Added to that, people often mistook the city as a lame depiction of lower Manhattan.

So, the "C+D Towers" were "demolished". The same set was used to make the "new" building, a non-symmetrical high-rise of the same height as the towers, but stronger. Dunno if it evokes any real building or not.

Not a big change in theory, yet it's amazing how the city's "ambiance" has been altered significantly.


And that's it for Fullerton Railroad Days 2012.