Label: A little more info
Well, well, it now seems clear that the omscaler is a little
prone to exaggeration if not hyperbole. If you recall last weeks blog, I said
that the shifter parts count was going to wind up between one hundred and fifty
to two hundred parts. What I put together later was a spread sheet showing the
parts and number used on the locomotive. The sheet is in fact date May 8th.
What I got was a part count...drum roll please... of one hundred thirty two! A little lower than that stated previously.
Why do people do this? I believe it is just human nature. Like seeing organic
shapes in clouds. In my case, I think the enormity of this rework of the
shifter began to take a toll on my judgment. The completion of the shifter also
marked a sort of mile post on The Omega Scale Railway. Now, we have a clearer
picture of the future direction. For sanity's sake, I am not going to set any
firm deadlines. This project can be expanded so much that boundaries are
needed. Tentatively, we have plans for a number of modules. The first one
planned is, guess!... MURPHYSBORO, ILLINOIS! Why Murphysboro, Illinois you are
probably wondering? There are a number of reasons. Murphysboro was home to a
major center on the old Mobile and Ohio Railroad. I say was because in 1925 a
tornado, one mile wide, tore up the town including the M&O shops and yard.
Some say the town never really recovered. Also, the railroad crossed the Big
Muddy River just south of town. Big Muddy, you gotta' love the name. Sounds
like a little boy's dream. I remember playing in the mud myself. You can see
the old passenger station still at 17th street and Walnut. What's
left of the old round house is now a label printing company. And the old
Illinois Central station has been re-purposed. Plus, Murphysboro has an apple
festival each year. What could be more Americana? To restate, Murphysboro was
an important railroad center. It had passenger and freight stations, an express
station, a large railroad shop, roundhouse complex, a cold storage and icing
facility as well as numerous businesses that shipped by rail. You can now see
why boundaries are needed. This may actually be enough to keep more than one
person busy. As far as shapes in clouds and things, last winter, on the way to
work, I saw the Man in the Moon smiling at me. until next time, omscaler
