A couple of winters ago, I was feeling rather glum. I get that way sometimes, probably due in part to seasonal affective disorder (or SAD). Grudgingly, I forced myself out of the house, and drove to Barrie for the train show. Within seconds of entering the show, my mood changed dramatically, and my slump was over.

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While having breakfast in a small hotel in Bavaria years ago, I heard some music playing outside. I saw a small group of people, some playing instruments, all singing. They then came into the hotel and continued their music inside. Later, the desk clerk told me that they were celebrating someones birthday the night before, and they decided to come back to continue the party. After that, I thought that a small group of musicians playing on the street would make a nice addition to a Bavarian-themed layout.

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Train show season is well under way in the Greater Toronto Area. Two shows I try not to miss are the Pine Ridge Railroaders show in Whitby and the Toronto Christmas Train Show. This year, the shows were just a week apart in November.

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I haven't provided many updates on my layout progress lately. Part of that is due to laziness and being too busy with other things. Part of that is because my old camera broke down and couldn't be repaired. But a couple of months ago, I bought a new camera, and so that latter excuse is no longer valid. As for the former excuse, I quit my job and plan to take the Summer off work. (I'll look for a new job in the Fall.)

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I mentioned before that I was in the middle of a major renovation in my basement. One aspect of the improvement is that I plan to move my study from one end of the basement to the recreation room, half of which is already occupied by my train layout. In retrospect, this seems like a pretty obvious arrangement. But before I can make the change, a lot of work has to be done first, such as pulling out four tonnes of stone and concrete (done), ripping out 40 square meters of parquet flooring (done), putting in new windows (done), as well as a new wall and floor.

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The new items flyer from Fleischmann has been released. Ever since I started seriously into model railroading, I've been a fan of Fleischmann models, which make up most of my rolling stock. But as an Era I fan, I'm limited to their annual limited edition series'. Generally, I need to read their Neuheiten flyer and put in my order early in the year.

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