The Royce Files

I acquired an assembled version of the Lionel lumber shed structure last year and blogged about it here . It is still ridiculous how much these are going for on the market. Do not get me wrong, it is a good model, but shelling out $20 - $30 dollars for one is extravagant. It just does not have much collectible value. Since it gets attached to the Lionel name some sellers assume it is something akin to precious metal. So it is ideal to find these outside the typical Lionel searches. I would think that if the Lionel name were not attached this would be just another mass produced plastic structure. While at the October Fargo Toy and Train show I found the lumber shed in a modified form. I am not entirely sure what scale the alteration was intended- I am guessing N since most of the other items around it were for N. It certainly is a bit of a scale stretch to plausibly utilize the structure in the smaller scales. The work bench and the storage bin would have to be removed to...

KUMM Studio A (thanks to Cory Funk) I was a DJ on KUMM in Morris, MN for 4 years plus a short summer gig in 2001. It is a college station that was very eclectic back in the day. I did news and hosted the Minnesota music show for number of years. It was a tremendous experience. KUMM definitely camped around the alternative music trend of the early 90s. Still broadcasting alternative music on the prairie now at 700 watts (according to wiki ) on the FM, KUMM also has extended its reach streaming on the internets. It appears they have automated a bit as I have yet to hear a live host on the stream today. Their website seems to be a bit stale. DJ list is current. Looks like preferred communications come via Facebook . Being alternative as we were, a handful of other KUMM DJs and I decided to do a live radio drama based upon a Thanksgiving theme. Pretty alternative for 1994, huh? The details are sketchy, but I wrote up a script which seems to be a riff off the Charlie Brown specials...

Peanuts is a popular comic strip in the states and possibly elsewhere, but I have no idea how well it is translated into other cultures. It is still syndicated in numerous newspapers although new strips have not come out since creator Charles Schulz died back in 2000. I would say most are unfamiliar with the comic strip and that seems like a contradiction of first line of this post. If you has a line up of cartoon characters, I am certain most would be able to identify Snoopy and Charlie Brown but would not be able to articulate their relationship or misadventures. For your reference:  Snoopy is a dog, but a dog with a wild imagination. Often he has imagined himself as a World War I flying ace in combat with the Red Baron. Other times he just acts more human than canine from playing baseball to riding a motorcycle.   Charlie Brown is Snoopy's owner. He is a kind hearted boy who struggles with self confidence despite being called upon to lead. His most famous predicam...

It being National Model Railroad Month , I am going to post some images of my O gauge 3 rail layout. This layout  has been around for 4 years. It has been in this particular format for about 3 years. Previously I just ran trains on floor.  I am modeling a fictional area along the Great Northern Railway in northern Minnesota. A mix of vintage and new equipment make up my collection from many companies. Structures are mostly from Lionel and Bachmann Plasticville. I have a few Post-War Lionel pieces thanks to my father and good finds at shows. I am an operator so I do not buy to keep items on the shelf or in boxes. I have not found time to scenic the layout- but that is mostly because I do not think I have the skills. Plus, I have not come up with a track layout I like. Right now it is just track around the table. See how many items you can recognize in the photos. Small station and saw mill Town area with larger station and yard. Another angle of the s...

I passed through the old Fargo Great Northern yard en route to marathon activities and noticed a blue big nosed diesel with Santa Fe markings intact and a patched number 1885. According to online sources the 1885 is a SD40-2. 2 different SD40-2s It is working in with another SD40-2 in the H3 paint without a long nose. 1788 had been in the Burlington Northern colors up to around 2016 when it got new paint.  Both these engines have seen local service in the Fargo region going back and forth from the Fargo Yard to Dilworth and occasionally out to Jamestown on the former Northern Pacific line. Previously, both saw time around of the Twin Cities area. 

The old watching corner now devoid of activity Nothing but praises for the 2017 edition of Fargo Marathon. There are two items which could be taken as indirectly bad. Once is rather subjective. First, our old marathon viewing area on the corner of 9th St and 8th Ave now fully devoid of spectators. In years past half the block was out on near the curbs watching and cheering. I guess that is what happens as the neighborhood changes. Second, a few blocks north of the spot above a robbery took place in the hours prior to the start of the marathon . High end audio equipment was pilfered from the yard in the early morning of May 20th. The owner traditionally has piped out tunes to runners since the inaugural marathon year. This perhaps the first crime with some relationship to the marathon. I suppose most may ask why the owner had the equipment in his yard overnight. Not sure, but he does has video surveillance. I think the culprits may be on the lam for a while lest their mugs be...

Once of the stunts I think the marathon could pull off would be to have a celebrity run the race. And I don't mean Dom Izzo or Doug Burgum. The closest we get to this in Fargo is celebrity lookalikes as I noted in a post last year in addition to the guy who runs dressed as Superman and that Elvis impersonator just south of the 13th. Also concerning the Governor (aka Doug Burgum), he did run both the 5K and 10K instead of stroll this year. Dom also kept decent pace in 5K. One can always depend on Coach GP being in Fargo for the race. Coach GP Just learned that GP Pearlberg was the voice of the marathon. I knew he had something to do in Fargo besides coach runners. I think a local guy named Guy shared the voice responsibility in the past. Not sure that is still the case although I did see Guy at the Fargo Dome. Anyways, Coach GP does lend his renowned in the running world to our event and has a great story. I need to go to one of his talks in the future.  Speaking of voice...