RR 4 Xmas

I think I must've reached that stage in the hobby when I have all the tools and supplies I need & what I need the most is just time. And who can give you THAT for Christmas?

So this year, I didn't get as much railroad-related items as I have in past years. But thanks to siblings and siblings-in-law, I still got some awesome reading & reference material!

My sister-in-law got me a few volumes from MR's "Guide" series - including a much-coveted copy of CJ Riley's "Realistic Layouts." I'd already read skimmed BillS' copy some months back, but wanted my own to mark up. Eventually - one day, I'll be getting to Middletown on the layout and will need to lean pretty heavily on the "Modeling Cities & Towns" book. And while the New Haven wasn't known as a milk hauler - especially during my chosen era of 1948 - I've always found "Milk Trains and Traffic" to be pretty fascinating (I'll admit to being a closet fan of the NYO&W, and the Rutland was my first RR love - & both were well-known milk jockeys).

Moving a bit ahead era-wise - as well as a bit further afield from south central Connecticut - my brother got me a copy of "Trackside Massachusetts: 1950-1070." It won't be directly related to my layout project, but is going to make a fine addition to my collection of books on New England railroading. And I do suspect there'll be plenty of color photos giving me examples I can use for weathering reference. Bonus if there are any photos of the B&M's East Deerfield yard (my first railfanning haunt with my dad back in the early 1980s - lots of great memories).

I'm looking forward to diving in to all three of these books to help with the layout in some form or other. But - alas! - reading also takes up such precious time & so I'll have to get a bit better at carving out some blocks to do just that.

So . . . . what did YOU get for Christmas?