Life’s been more complex since the COVID-19 outbreak and being an essential worker has meant no time off and more work to stay safe. I’ve been quiet I know.
Holidays
It’s been a long few months. And with all that has been going on in the world, I’ve had to do a lot just to cope with it all.
Working in the public transportation sector has been very stressful. With extra cleaning and social distancing and so on I’ve been mentally shot at the end of every day. It’s exhausting to do what I do without getting sick.
All of the drivers, customer service and other staff at work have done our best to stay COVID-19 free despite the time spent in, around and with the public. So far no-one has tested positive which is a testament to the efforts we’ve all taken. In addition, I’ve taken on the role of OH&S rep for our work site adding complexity to the already complex. It is good though to be back in a leadership role and being able to assist others when they need guidance and assistance.
Days off have been about family. They’ve been doing it tough too worrying about me. So a big thanks to my wife and children. They’ve been outstanding and steadfast during the pandemic. I could not have done it without them.
My silence? It’s been me, and not you. Seriously. You do what you have to when times get tough. I’ve not forgotten about you or the mission of Andrew’s Trains though. Speaking of that…
Where to from here?
What seems like a lifetime ago (only several months) I began to change the look and feel of the site. Either moving or changing many elements here. The core of the layout design and similar works remain. They always will. That’s what I’m about. But in thinking on my mission here’s what I feel is the right place to go to next:
- Focusing on getting you to build your first layout (if you’ve not already done so).
- A simple straightforward task-driven format such that over one weekend you can build a simple module (I’m going to focus on a 2′ x 4′ foot standard (or their metric equivalents) and show you how to go from idea to construction, to built and work-ready layout in a weekend.
- That’s right, something nice and simple (like an Inglenook) that you can build on Saturday and Sunday and operate from Monday.
- I’m looking at a multi-part short and focused video series for these using common components (for those of you in countries outside of Australia). These will be a subscriber series with a written version available for free here on Andrew’s Trains.
- Working with others in the same area to share thoughts and ideas.
- I’ve mentioned previously that I’ve loved the work being done here in Australia by Luke Towan over at Boulder Creek Railroad.
- He’s a gifted scenery artiste whose techniques I’ll be using. Scenery is not my strong point Thanks to Luke it doesn’t have to be.
- I’ve got a couple of changes yet to make to the site.
- There will be an update to graphics (thanks to my son’s outstanding design and video skills).
- The other change will be moving the posts from the front of the site to their own dedicated page, and making a static page the entry point to the site. In addition, I’ll be adding an email list option for those interested in joining. All of this to be completed by 28 June before I head back to work.
Takeaways
- More change is coming to Andrew’s Trains. But in a good way.
- The focus is on basic layout building technique, using simple tools to build a layout in a weekend that you can operate from Monday.
- There will be paid and free content. Paid content will be in-depth, and interactive for those needing more help or greater insight.
- Free content will provide the same content but without interactivity and the deep dives into specific areas.
- Posts will be moving to their own blog page and a new front site page will appear with access to an email list for those interested in signing up to new content.
Staying in Contact
Interested in keeping in touch or discussing posts, pages and ideas? You can do that in several ways:
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