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Follow my progress with the Richlawn RR and my art.

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July 17, 2021  Well, the Richlawn Railroad is no more.  Our house has been sold and the railroad removed.  We have moved into an assisted living facility apartment that is 276 square feet so no room for a layout.  I continue to battle brain cancer and care for my wife. The good news is no more cooking, laundry, and cleaning as these are provided for us.

As far as my painting goes I might be switching to colored pencil sketches as I can’t do oil painting as solvents aren’t allowed.  Maybe acrylic?  Pencil sketching is easier with easy start up and less mess or cleanup.  Please continue to pray for us!  God bless!

Februrary 6, 2021  – Where have I been?  Well, I’ve been fighting cancer.  On Nov 4th, 2020 they removed a brain tumor that was 2-1/2″ x 1-1/2″.  It seems that I have Glioblastoma Level 4 which is a terminal cancer with only 1 out of 4 people living a year after discovery and only 1 out of 25 living 5 years or more.  I went through 6 weeks of chemo and radiation therapy and am now doing a cycles of 5 days of chemo and 23 days off along with wearing a devise called an Optune that bombards the cancer with radio frequencies to disrupt cancel cell division and growth.  We have a strong Christian faith and are at peace with this and “have gotten are affairs in order”.  Many people are praying for us and we can use your prayers.  All of my time now is spent “getting ready” for what is to come.

March 4th, 2020 – Here’s my most recent painting based on Wilson Bickford’s “Evening Choir Practice”.  You can see it HERE.

September 14, 2019 –  Where in the heck have I been?  Well, my wife of 38 years had a stroke December 2018 and I’m busy being her primary caregiver!  She is recovering the ability to walk and move her left arm but we have a long way to go.  I hope to get back into railroading and painting in the near future.

October 17, 2018 – Transformers anyone?  I added an outdoor transformer storage area for the Fluke Transformer structure.  You can see the project HERE.

September 28, 2018 – I made a time lapse video on the process of painting my Italian painting based on artist Kevin Hill’s work.  You can access the page HERE.

September 23, 2018 – It’s not new, but may new to some that have never seen the blog on did on building a structure kit for a friend of mine when I was between layouts.  It’s a lengthy read, so get comfortable, grab a drink, and enjoy!  You can access the page HERE.

September 12, 2018 – Have you always wanted to be a Master Model Railroader (MMR) under the National Model Railroader Association (NMRA) but can’t cut the mustard or don’t want to invest the considerable effort?  No problem!  You can now be a Master Railroad Modeler (MRM) under the National Railroader Model Association (NRMA) by downloading and blank certificate, filling it out, and awarding it to yourself!  I’m a MRM myself (No. 123).  To access the page to download the certificate click HERE.

September 1, 2018 – Changes are coming to the Richlawn Railroad site!  I left Facebook and deleted my content so I need a new place to share my painting and other stuff.  I’ll be keeping all of the railroad stuff, but I’ll be dividing the site into model railroad stuff and other stuff.  Why did I leave Facebook?  Well, I don’t agree with some of their policies including censorship and their beliefs.

April 25, 2018 – The right side of the mountain tunnel gets a rework.  You can see the process and results HERE.

February 1, 2018 – I’ve modified the vehicle tunnel that goes through the mountain by Hoovertown and created a lengthy post on the process.  You can see it HERE.

October 1, 2017 – VERY SLOW progress on the Fluke Transformer building, but I did add some soil and weeds around the structure.  You can see it HERE.

July 7, 2017 – I’m working on a new structure which will be the Fluke Transformer Company.  You can see it HERE.

April 2, 2017 – Covering up that ugly blue foam!  Check out my quick and easy method to cover up a lot of blue foam in a short time.  You can see it HERE.

October 31, 2016 – It’s been a while!  I’ve been working on my salvage yard and making SLOW progress.  You can check it out HERE.

May 31st, 2016 – Don’t want to look at a bunch of postings, but want to see the progress of the layout from the very beginning?  Check out my progress video that shows from the start to March 2016.  You can see the video HERE.

May 5th, 2016 – I created a little stop-action video of the Misti Mountain build.  You can see it HERE.

March 31, 2016 – Boy, it’s been a long time since I updated this site – sorry.  For the latest on Misti Mountain click HERE.

November 11, 2015 – Added a downloadable PDF on the LED Light Conversion.  Click HERE to access it.

August 5, 2015 – Work continues on Misti Mountain.  I’ve added a photo that shows the mountain with dirt colored paint and a layer of WS Blended ground foam.  You can see the progress HERE.

July 12, 2015 – Work has started on Misti Mountain which will be in the right rear of the layout and along with the curved trestle will be a focal point for the layout.  Follow my progress HERE

February 24th, 2015 – I’m converting my layout room lighting from halogen to LED.  You can follow along the process HERE.

February 22nd, 2015 – I added a video of my doodlebug test run that I shot in January.  You can see it HERE.

December 29, 2014 – The area around the Palmer building needs to be landscaped before I can permanently install the building and add the passenger shelter for the doodlebug track that runs behind the building.  For the latest picture click HERE.

December 8th, 2014 – I’ve added a short video showing the animation of the roll-up door on the Palmer structure.  You can see it HERE.

November 25th, 2014 – I’m working on the Palmer structure in the left front portion of the layout.  It features an electric servo operated overhead door.  You can see it HERE

July 11, 2014 – I’ve just about completed the side and corner hills including the section behind Hoovertown.  To check it out click HERE   and scroll to the bottom of the page.

June 16, 2014 – I’ve added a very short (45 seconds) video of a train lead by F7 #841 past the area where I’ve been working on the hills scenery.  You can see it by clicking HERE.

June 4th, 2014 – Work continues on adding foliage to the hills.  Scroll down to near the bottom of the page to see the latest progress after clicking HERE.

May 1, 2014 – Work has begun on the hills next to the backdrop.  The hills have been formed, the rocks carved, colored, and foliage is beginning.  To see the progress click HERE.

March 13, 2014 – Backdrops finally get installed on the layout!  To see the process click HERE

November 15, 2013 – Add (4) more proto loco pictures (819 – 901) to the “This & That – Proto” page.  To view the pictures click HERE.

November 11, 2013 – I added a short video showing the latest progress on the layout.  Click HERE go to the  video page.

September 24th, 2013 – Coving (Curving) the corners – Sharp angled corners in a layout room detract from photos and live viewing of the layout.  I’m curving the corners of my layout room using Charlie Comstock’s (Model Railroad Hobbyist Magaine) method.  Read about it HERE.

September 8th, 2013 – Benchwork Swing Gate Part 1 – I can’t do a duck under, so I built a swing gate which you can see HERE.

August 20, 2013 – Added new photos to Proto numbers 776 – 811.  Click HERE to go to that page.

August 6, 2013 – Benchwork (some of it) in the layout room! – I thought that this day would never come.  Check it out HERE.

July 27, 2013 – Benchwork Construction Continues – Slowly but surely progress is being made on the benchwork.  Since I work full time and since I’m in Florida I can only work on the layout in the morning, generally between 6am and 8am.  What’s with the reference to Florida?  Because it is so hot here that I have to work in the “cool” (85 degrees) of the morning!  To see the progress click HERE.

July 1, 2013 – Rough Track Plan –  My friend Howard Y. is helping me modify the HOG (Heart of Georgia) plan created by Scott Perry.  You can see it HERE.

June 23, 2013 – Benchwork Begins! – I finally get to start constructing the benchwork.  You can see the progress HERE.

June 22, 2013 – Got the Blues…..Layout Room Painted – I’ve finally got to work on my layout room by painting the sky blue.  Check out the progress HERE

May 6th, 2013 – How to Add a Stream to Your Layout by Rob Spangler added to the “How to’s & Tips” page as a downloadable PDF.  Thanks, Rob for your permission to do this!  Click here to go to that page.

May 3rd, 2013 – Retention Pond with Overflow Pipe – I’ve added a PDF to “How to’s & Tips” showing the construction of my retention pond with overflow pipe on my previous layout.  Click HERE to go to that page.

February 16, 2013 – The new Richlawn Railroad (V2)  Let there be light!  I’ve installed track lighting in my new railroad room which is the first step to starting construction in my 12ft x 10ft layout room.  You can see the results here.

December 6, 2012 – A Wonderful Gift! – Recently my good friend and expert modeler Kevin Klettke sent me a gift.  You can check out the details and pictures Here.

December 1, 2012 – Version two!  Now that I’m in my new Florida home I can start planning my railroad.  Instead of a large basement I now have a 12ft x 10ft room that will service as my office and railroad room.  My good friend and expert modeler Scott Perry is doing the heavy lifting on the track plan.  You can follow along on his blog where he is also documenting the design of his new railroad.  Click Here to go to Scott’s blog.