I can't say for certain, but I'm willing to bet that it's been just about the same amount of time since I did any model railroading as well. Between flight training, work, and family, free time has been fairly non-existant. Combine that with the SoCal heat, and I've been unable or unwilling to head into the garage to do "train stuff."
Last night, a rare evening off presented istelf; no outstanding commissions to work on, no studying to do. It was still hot out, so I decided to shelter in the air conditioning and work on a few of my backlogged Marsh Creek Miniatures rolling stock kits.
The Marsh Creek laser-cut kits are an excellent product produced by my friend Rich Brungard. The 20' rolling stock are perfect for micro-layouts and small curves, and have an especially "narrow-gauge" feel to them. They are well-produced and easy to assemble.
As you may or may not be able to tell from the photo, the wood construction of the Gondolas are augmented by 3D-printed parts for the stake pockets. A really great way to produce custom parts for the build.
I have three of these boxcars to build. The finished one, in grey primer, is an example of the quality of the finished result. I find that these are well-detailed, but not to a degree that is overly intricate; you can build one or two in an evening, without having to worry about drilling holes for grab irons, bending wire, et cetera. It's a nice balance between ease of construction and overall detail/effect.
These cars will be a perfect fit for both of my neglected HOn30 layouts. I'm going to order another set of the Gondola kits and build two flatcars as well, to increase my litter to seven cars.
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