As you look at the title of this post, you’re probably thinking of J.D. Salinger’s novella. Or perhaps, if you are of a more classical bent, you’re thinking of Sappho’s fragment #111, which of course I still remember from Greek IV in 12th grade:

Ἴψοι δὴ τὸ μέλαθρον,
   ̓Υμήναον,
ἀέρρετε, τέκτονες ἄνδρες·
   ̓Υμήναον.

Actually, I lied. I don’t really remember the Greek original except for the phrase “τέκτονες ἄνδρες” (carpenters). But I do remember having read the entire fragment.

But I digress. This post is actually about model railroad structures, which neither Sappho nor Salinger was writing about, though the connection isn’t an accident. This post continues our series in which Meredith and I collaborate in building a kit that will end up as a “house under construction,” not a standard completed house. (When I say collaborate, I mean that she builds while I watch.) That means that when it is completed it won’t be complete.

Below is its current state, with the penny shown as usual for scale. We’re almost “done,” but I have to warn you that the remaining pieces include 32 tiny dowels that you can see to the right of the penny. I don’t envy Meredith’s task of placing them with correct alignment in all three dimensions.

Categories: Model Railroading