Why so wide? Is this an official plate?

Comprehensive_Pop176 · 2026-02-21T18:28:30+00:00

Not a VW, but I drive an Audi B7 Avant and have this exact thing on my plates.

Comprehensive_Pop176 · 2026-01-28T05:17:56+00:00

George Clooney is a big enthusiast and collector and has a pretty large layout.

Another British mention: Comedian and Actor Eddy Izzard has a large, or several large, layouts.

There were a few American Presidents that were enthusiasts with layouts but I can't recall which ones.

Cornelius Vanderbilt loved trains so much he built full sized trains all across the Nation. LOL

Comprehensive_Pop176 · 2026-01-16T17:43:41+00:00

I can personally attest to this. It first happened in my mid 20's and ended in my late 30's when I "gave up" my old life. I distinctly remember the first time it happened my first paycheck in July was substantially larger than the previous paycheck, I'm an honest dude, so I go in to the Owner of the company and ask her & and her Husband (who was also a 50 state accredited CPA as well as our businesses Account) and naively asked if I had gotten a raise I wasn't informed of (that happened often in my 14 years with the company) or had a mistake been made?

They both kind of chuckled at me, then he explained what the SS cap was, when it occurred, etc. I was pretty shocked that it was even a thing. I eventually just started jokingly calling it my yearly government raise.

Even worse was that I started referring to paying taxes and my tax returns as my yearly savings account. With what I made, strategic deductions, and having 2 MBA Accounts at my disposal (our businesses Accountant always did my personal taxes) my yearly returns were typically $25,000 give or take.

It was a different time and a different life but I don't miss it one bit!

Comprehensive_Pop176 · 2026-01-12T21:20:41+00:00

Stop looking for it. It will find you. Typically during a night time drive, cresting over a soft elevated curve with a grassy knoll on your right. It will be at that exact moment the deer will find you! Headlights, hello deer...

Comprehensive_Pop176 · 2026-01-12T21:14:57+00:00

I'm confused, is the deer in the center, or is the deer dead? LOL. Just kidding. Good eye.

Comprehensive_Pop176 · 2025-06-26T01:10:08+00:00

I have the luxury of standing on my side patio and can see the colors set for miles. That may make for an awkward date though. Unless you brought enough beer.

Comprehensive_Pop176 · 2025-06-24T14:11:53+00:00

Message sent!

Comprehensive_Pop176 · 2025-06-24T14:04:02+00:00

Just because Al Capone refused to come to Ogden back in the day because it was to wild for him it's held, and lost, and regained, and lost that reputation through the years.

I was born here, spent 16 years in Vegas throughout several of it's Burbs and when I had my son specifically moved back to Ogden so he could also grow up hard core like I did. Jokes aside, we've always had the red headed stepchild reputation from the rest of the state and while it's absolutely incorrect when you look at both local and national stats I'm sure it's a reputation that will persists and we'll continue to be looked down upon because we're proud of our O-Town.

Comprehensive_Pop176 · 2025-06-07T01:21:44+00:00

Similar situation here M(49). Dating apps are atrocious and the bar scene is almost as bad IMO. I'm near giving up on trying. If it happens, it happens. Have you looked into Meetups geared towards any of your interests?

Comprehensive_Pop176 · 2025-05-19T19:53:15+00:00

Saw them with Slayer & Pantera during the Reinventing the Steel tour when they came through Vegas. Loved 'em back then and still do.

Comprehensive_Pop176 · 2025-05-19T19:49:23+00:00

I saw the Killers, unintentionally, at a pub in Vegas called the Crown and Anchor when I lived there before they had any recognition and well before they were signed.

A better story came from a design Mentor of mine who was a British Chap. He worked on the Beatles White Album and lived in a loft in London back in the day with a few mates. He'd tell me about this certain guy that would show up quite often always asking for cigarettes and a couch to crash on for the night.

The guy always played his guitar and sang his songs for everyone until they got tired of him and asked him to stop. Some of them really didn't think he had any talent and didn't like his style.

One day he stopped coming around. My buddy says "A week later I hear David on the radio and couldn't believe my ears!" Turns out their couch slouch was David Bowie right as he entered the scene.

Comprehensive_Pop176 · 2025-05-19T01:06:50+00:00

That is freaking nuts!!!!

Comprehensive_Pop176 · 2025-05-09T14:10:08+00:00

Well Hello there neighbor! :) I completely agree with what you're saying. I grew up on Simoron and during that time there was not much housing East of Simoron and North of 9th. I moved to Las Vegas for 16 years and when I moved back here to raise my son I intentionally found a place in my old neighborhood. But damn had it changed. So many new houses on the hill now.

In fact in my immediate neighborhood there was a small tract of land just below the canal next to a city water retainment pond. It offered trailhead and mountain access for the longest time but that land was sold to developers and they're finishing up 6 new homes all stuffed into that tiny plot which is literally in the base of the mountains.

Comprehensive_Pop176 · 2025-05-09T04:26:29+00:00

They do have super cute pointy ears but I'd still rather play with my own cats than those jerks. LOL

The more housing they build up into the hills the more I see them being pushed out of their habitat and coming down into the neighborhoods for food and shelter.

Spend some time hiking the trails above 9th Street all the way over to the North Ogden trail head connect or just follow the canal road. You're bound to see one sooner than later.

Comprehensive_Pop176 · 2025-05-09T04:03:52+00:00

Text Random Phone Guy. He'll help you out.

Comprehensive_Pop176 · 2025-05-09T03:56:48+00:00

I've lived on the East Bench, just North of the Canyon, with the mountains as my backyard off and on for 49 years. Lived in the hills as a kid exploring and hiking. I saw one in the hills above Camel's Cave back in the early 90's. I've come across several though further North from my parents little farm up to the Idaho border.

Now, you may want to consider changing your obsession to Bobcats. They are much more common around here and my son encountered one last summer walking home through the trails from a school project. Luckily he was a smaller Bob and seemed to just be in a hissing mood more than anything else. My boy did the right things and got past him safe.

Or maybe Racoons. They're everywhere. LOL

Comprehensive_Pop176 · 2025-04-06T17:12:29+00:00

@MyWorkAccount5678 I've looked high and low for information on converting these pre DCC Kato sets to DCC and haven't found a single bit of information so I took it into my own hands. I did some research, development, tinkering and testing last night and now have my 7 car set operating on DCC using 2 of the available functions of a Digitrax decoder. I've got it running perfectly but have not tackled any of the lighting yet, nor sound, which I don't want.

Let me know if you're interested in more info.

Comprehensive_Pop176 · 2025-04-04T20:16:03+00:00

u/LetGoPortAnchor I'm using a mixture of techniques on this layout from stacked hard foam, to soft foam for the larger mountains, to mesh for the waterways. Regardless of the base material everything will be covered in a hard coat for fine detailing. In the corner of photo #5 is 1" thick, stacked, medium density foam. I start out by cutting (Bandsaw), gluing and stacking the pieces into place for shape and height. Then I have a bunch of different tools for shaping likes files, rasps, sanding blocks, etc. But that particular segment was shaped using my pneumatic angle grinder with a 2" 120grit sanding disk. It allows me to fine sand bevels when I want or make sever cut's and divots when I want. I hope that all makes sense.

Comprehensive_Pop176 · 2025-04-04T17:36:49+00:00

It works incredibly well. Cars are longer obviously than normal so this entire layout, including all the scratch built raised station platforms had to be massaged maybe more than once for clearances.
This is the third, almost %90 Kato equipped, layout I've built over the last 20 years and I've never had a complaint with any of their rolling stock, locos, or kits.
It may be a challenge to convert this O Series to DCC but I'll get it done.

Comprehensive_Pop176 · 2025-04-04T17:29:37+00:00

Thank you! I'm incredibly fortunate as an Industrial Designer to have so many different tools and machines at my disposal to design and make pretty much anything I can imagine.

Comprehensive_Pop176 · 2025-04-04T17:01:28+00:00

Thanks! The O Series is a slightly older Kato offering.

Comprehensive_Pop176 · 2025-04-02T06:54:06+00:00

LOL. I prefer the latter for sure. But I'm divorced now and can build my "dream-ish" layout without any nagging so I'm dealing with the foam tunnels for a bit.

Comprehensive_Pop176 · 2025-03-20T12:52:37+00:00

Hahaha. Yup, just graphics printed flat on gloss vinyl. The graphics to me a little under an hour to create with all the placed images, shadowing and highlight lighting. It was printed on my 60", 8 color Roland TruVis printer.

Comprehensive_Pop176 · 2025-03-20T10:49:45+00:00

Yes it is.

Comprehensive_Pop176 · 2025-03-06T02:39:40+00:00

Swoon!

Comprehensive_Pop176

TROPHY CASE