Leo
Leo
The man in the brown suit.
Mar 11, 2017 2 min read

I Laid Down my First Piece of Track A commitment has been made - Written by Sir Chuggalot

When I tell people I totally dig model trains, nobody has ever made fun of me.

I'm sorry, but if a grown-ass man is playing with electric trains, I'd make fun of me! And yet, nobody ever has. I don't know if they are just being polite, but they do seem genuinely interested in what I'm doing.

I've liked trains as far back as I can remember. Fond memories of electric trains zipping on my grandmother's dining room table. Picking train over plane when travelling in Europe. Trains are pretty damn cool.

Here is my confession: I'm building a switching layout. I wanted something small, satisfactory, affordable but most importantly, achievable with the limited amount of time I would dedicate it. There are more important things in my life that require my attention, and I am happy to give it.

I've spent a good part of a year just looking over the track plan. You can also blame laziness, but it allowed playing around with the idea, until I figured out what I wanted to do.

I also did very little things. But I did them everyday. They add up.

Yesterday, I laid down my first piece of track.

It's actually a switch. You know, when one railway line diverges from the other.

The switch has always been down and in that spot. But now it is permanently affixed. It would take considerable effort to remove, and even if successful, it may be damaged beyond repair. I have made a commitment.

I did an okay job, too. The soldering survived, the ground throw seems to work. I'd give it a 7.5 out of 10, to be honest. Maybe an 8: I've never done this before. It's a very small personal achievement. Those add up, too.

Eight more to go.