Winter is Coming. Are you ready?

If you are a Game of Thrones fan like I am, you know that in the series opener and threaded throughout much of the show's run is this underlying theme: “Winter is Coming.” It seems fitting to recall these words at this time of the year. December is a transition month for us in Memphis, as daytime temperatures in the 50s, 60s and even 70s give way to the 40s and 30s. Today I can proclaim without a doubt that Winter is Near! There is no snow yet – fortunately or unfortunately we do not get much of that—but our cool and dry sunny days have been replaced with much colder cloudy and wet days. Train Season is Coming.
 
My plan for this train season is to get back to work on my personal layout. It has been nearly a year since I have done anything more than move around the clutter that has accumulated on top. Indeed, my layout is in an unfortunate state, and the room in which it sits is not much better off. I need to put these long, dark winter nights to good use and get some things done.

It is time to finish inventorying my collection and storing the boxes away - in more boxes. It is time to clean the clutter and make my layout into a workspace in which I want to spend time, not one I try to avoid. It is time to stop thinking so much about what to do next on my layout and just do it. What is the old saying? "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step?" It is time to restart my journey with that single step and finish what I started.

The entrance to my railroad shows some of the clutter that needs to be cleared this winter. I can barely make it back to the layout area.

What is your plan for this train season? Do you plan to show off a holiday-themed layout? Will you work on your regular layout, if you have one? What special projects will your train club undertake this winter? What next step will you take now that train season is upon us? Let us know by commenting on this post.