Paradise in the Basement

I like things like "spell check" and proper grammar...😁

Mark in Oregon

Arnold, I knew you would show a photograph of one of your ball parks.  My slice of paradise is intended to be a slice of “Almost Heaven, West Virginia” in my basement.  That is why I like the Western Maryland Railway in West Virginia, where we lived at one time.  Though my only scenery is the backdrops, I still was able to make a truncated version of the WM coal drag as I saw in print battling the Blackwater Canyon (Black Fork) grade.

My little paradise is in a spare room on the second floor. It’s not one scene or section. It’s the whole environment and the moment I open this door, a weight literally lifts off my shoulders and I’m transported a million miles away from the office, the world, and all that is in it. I’m literally in that paradise you refer to, Arnold. Seriously, there are times that I just take a break and sit on my stool without even turning on the layout and I feel that I’ve been recharged. It’s that good for me. I totally get what you are saying, Arnold.  Enter here-

Excellent room, Strap Hanger!  I know what you mean, I can just sit on my stool with my railroad all around me and things are better!

Arnold, you nailed it, paradise in the basement, I agree our train rooms are great places of relaxation and simply forget everyday issues. A place of calm, no worries, just a place to unwind, watch our little world that is pandemic free, and running our trains gives us a great bit of satisfaction. Great thread… Happy Railroading Everyone

Almost as good as paradise by the dashboard light, depending on one's point of view.

Mark, I tip my hat to your “Rocky mountain High, West Virginia”, as I wake up in my City that never sleeps, top of the heap! Only a fellow train guy understands that feeling we are talking about. Arnold nailed it by calling it our little Paradise.

Edited to reflect that I would literally kill to have LeapinLarry’s excellent man cave basement pictured above. Unfortunately, no basements in Florida. Thanks for rubbing that in, Larry. LOL!

@Mark Boyce posted:

Arnold, I knew you would show a photograph of one of your ball parks.  My slice of paradise is intended to be a slice of “Almost Heaven, West Virginia” in my basement.  That is why I like the Western Maryland Railway in West Virginia, where we lived at one time.  Though my only scenery is the backdrops, I still was able to make a truncated version of the WM coal drag as I saw in print battling the Blackwater Canyon (Black Fork) grade.

Mark, you are well on your way to creating a masterpiece of a model railroad.

@RoyBoy posted:

Almost as good as paradise by the dashboard light, depending on one's point of view.

RoyBoy, you gave me a great idea. I'm going to play the section of that great song by Meatloaf when Phil Rizutto makes the call, while the train is rounding Yankee Stadium.

Phil was playing shortstop in the 1956 World Series when Don Larson pitched the perfect game:

Its just a corner carved out of our small basement but it beats some of the alternatives. 😁

I need to take some new pictures. This is from about 3 years ago.

Bob

Looking forward to my new layout in the new houses basement, Going home to the motherland,

Pennsylvania!  the state has a few idiots but they are my idiots.  Go Phillies!

Thank you Arnold and Strap Hanger!!

Bob, 14 switches?  That's an awful lot crammed into a small space.

you are so correct it is a slice of heaven /paradise i call mine the train cave,,,,,i hate the phrase man cave,,,,train it is,,,and tonight i was like i'm not doing nothing,,,but plodded down and magic,,,,2 hrs later came up for food !

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

RoyBoy, you gave me a great idea. I'm going to play the section of that great song by Meatloaf when Phil Rizutto makes the call, while the train is rounding Yankee Stadium.

Phil was playing shortstop in the 1956 World Series when Don Larson pitched the perfect game:

Arnold,

Nice thread as always, but wasn't Gil McDougald playing shortstop that day?

@Sean007 posted:

Arnold,

Nice thread as always, but wasn't Gil McDougald playing shortstop that day?

That is very possible, Sean. Gil was another very fine player. I will Google Phil to check when he retired.

Sean, you must be correct. Phil played in very few games in 1956, and did not play in the World series that year.

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

That is very possible, Sean. Gil was another very fine player. I will Google Phil to check when he retired.

Sean, you must be correct. Phil played in very few games in 1956, and did not play in the World series that year.

Thanks Arnold - I thought that I had recalled Scooter talking about the game one time during a Yankees broadcast.

Anyway, right now my little slice of heaven is in one side of my garage!

@coach joe posted:

Bob, 14 switches?  That's an awful lot crammed into a small space.

A lot is a relative term Joe. I've actually got 16 now since I added a manual FT for the engine yard and the third spur in the main yard.

I take pride in the use of "crammed" too.

Pastoral paradise in the basement: