Model Railroads

I figure that it's time to talk about my favorite hobby, model railroading! I've discussed a number of topics and have yet to blog this. So, here we go, All Aboard Qball Rail! *chuckle* Sounds corny, huh? Oh well.

Ever since I was a child, I've loved trains. Even had an O-scale set that my father nailed to a piece of plywood that would slide under my bed. You remember, the one with 3 rails, that smoked and you could even toot the horn! In fact, Lionel may still sell that very model today. How many of you had or still have this set? Though it was so long ago, I still have fond memories of that.

As a kid, I was so into trains, that whenever we would approach a crossing, I'd scream, "Train tracks! I wanna get out and touch the train tracks!" Sometimes my folks would oblige me, other times not. I think it gave me that connection to something I loved so much. Perhaps I was a rail-worker in a previous life, no?

As the years went by, I became involved in other things and did not have another set. I've never lost that interest though. Riding trains, seeing other's layouts, etc always thrilled me to no end. I could sit and watch a model train go round and round the track all day if given the chance. Until recently, when my son and I decided to build our own layout together. A picture of it is down the right side of the blog page and a link to my site which chronicles our progress is in my Links section. Check it out after reading this. It's a small layout but something we both take pride in.

Primarily, we use the steamers, in my opinion the only real locomotives. Though many would disagree, diesel and electric just don't cut it. All of the important parts are covered up! Modern rail does not allow for the thrill of seeing the wheels turning, the siderod riding back and forth and the steam billowing out of the stack. I guess pollution is so great we can't really do that on a large scale anymore. Though I think the diesels emit more particles than burning wood or coal.

Aside from reading, this provides a real escape from harsh reality. My attentions are taken from the techno crap of today to this. Not just the historical aspect, but also the change in pace. When we work on the layout, it's not the same as our regular routine. Maybe it charges the other side of my brain? LOL!

Anyway, that's my blog about model railroading. Hopefully you understand a little more about my nickname, Qball Rail. ;) Don't forget to visit our site, listed to the right of this page.

Out Of The Frying Pan and Into the Fire!

Not to be redundant, I thought this noteworthy. Check out the High!

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Yes, It DOES Get This Hot In Vegas!

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Dry heat my ASS!

My Moods Today

Just one of those days!

A "Typical" Day

My typical day starts at around 3:30 or 4 am. By most people's standards, that is early. I enjoy getting up at that hour, though. What's really great is I don't have to rely on an alarm clock anymore. Well, most of the time, anyway. But I have a quiet house to myself while the rest of the family sleeps.

So, I start my day with a little meditation, breakfast and green tea. Actually, I really enjoy Tazo Zen, a blend of green teas from various parts of the world, specifically Asia. Without my tea and meditation, my day is completely off. As a passionate person, it helps me to balance and center myself. Otherwise, I can be a real pain in someone's ass. Not to mention stress out. Over the years, I've been able to calm my spirit, though admittedly I have a long way to go yet. Circumstances have made me who I am today, just as yours make you who you are as well. Anyway, back to my typical day. Though, typical really is not an accurate description as my days are quite atypical!

I owe, I owe, so off to work I go... (If I had a sound-byte, it would be sung to the tune of the Dwarf's song) My work day starts anywhere between 5:30 and 6 am unless a trouble call comes in sooner. Those early-am issues can last all day, so I pray my phone does not ring during the night. As the "go-to" guy for IT, invariably, I am nailed by someone with a question that usually starts out something like, "Are you aware..." or, "Did you know..." and ending with an issue that I could not have had any inkling and normally is something quite, well, trivial. *chuckle* But, since IT, in my book, is customer-oriented, I need to respond with due urgency. So begins my day!

If I am fortunate, I can settle in first and perhaps enjoy a second cup of tea while catching up on e-mail from the evening before and address any network issues. Then the server tapes are changed, condition of backup is logged and tapes are locked up in the fire safe to await rotation off-site. And depending on the day of week, I have the dubious pleasure of attending the Production or Safety meetings. Those necessary evils complete, I then inspect the Production Floor. This can take anywhere from 30-90 mins depending on whether or not I have to train scan techs or address any issues. Prior to my staff arriving, normally a short meeting with the Financial Manager takes place where we discuss anything requiring money, of course.

Bored yet? ;)

Once my staff arrives, we usually try to have a short, informal meeting then go about our day. Trouble tickets and other issues are delegated and any concerns are addressed. "Fires" are dealt with and we all play "crowd control" by responding to some frantic calls accordingly. We always have projects that need to be worked on. One of our big projects is migration from a Novell environment to Windows, or Active Directory. And server work if necessary is performed... usually Just about everything is documented, quite a change from before I arrived. There had been none to really speak of, not even a procedural manual. So, sometimes, even the manual is updated.

Depending upon need, I provide proposals for equipment and negotiate for best possible solution financially and technically. Also make suggestions accordingly. This can be time consuming as vendor contact is necessary for obtaining quotes. In many instances, selling unit managers as well as the FM on proposals is necessary. Part of this includes "educating the customer." Explaining technical in layman's terms is pretty much a fine-art. It's not always easy proving to a non-technical person why something that may appear to be working properly will need replacement or repair soon. So, maintaining a good relationship with upper management is imparative. This, unfortunately, takes me away from the technical aspect of my job, which is why I need a competent staff. This, too, is part of my daily activities.

My day typically ends between 4 & 5 pm. Most of the time, though, getting out of the building is basically a battle!

Truthfully, there is no such thing as a typical day in my job. For that matter, every hour is unpredictable. Probably one of the least favorable aspects of my job is meeting with vendors and meetings. On the other hand, the most favorable aspect is the technical end. I enjoy the success that I've achieved here, the difference and improvements I've been able to make in my time there.