The RMS Skunk Works & Palmer Divide Raceway are RELOCATING!
Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 5:21 pmI'm a very fortunate man. There are many reasons I feel that way, but I'll address one: I get to play with small cars. This has allowed me to learn new skills in model building, make incredible friends all over the world, and thanks to the affection of one woman - I've had a place to play for the past 17 years.
Why do I bring this up? Because the RMS Skunk Works and Palmer Divide Raceway are about to be relocated!
I've always been very sad to hear about guys that have had to give up their hobby due to a move and not having enough room to continue in it. I'm extremely thankful that the Fetching Mrs. Reinecke recognized years ago that having a room she could lock me in was beneficial for our marriage ;)
In 1997 we built a nice rancher that had a fourth bedroom where I was able to build my HO layout. I began scenery work for the first time and really learned a bunch. I even ran in one of the first ORS racing series online. Very cool stuff!
Moving in 2002 to our present home, I decided I'd put my HO setup in the new "dungeon". It was a far cry from the nicely finished room it used to be in, and the HO cars were impossible to see at speed at a distance of 20 feet. So, I did what was logical at the time - I switched to 1:32!
I built the first 1:32nd scale version of the Palmer Divide Raceway (PDR) and had a complete blast. The scenery wasn't bad for my first "real" attempt and I fell in love with Trans-Am racing. That led to the birth of RMS Resins and a great hobby business that I really love.
Finally after 7 years of toiling in the same dark basement, I finished my dream man-cave and as a result, the PDR was replaced with a new, routed PDR track. My RMS work area improved dramatically too and I've spent several great years in this fantastic space.
Let me get back to the Fetching Mrs. Reinecke for a moment: she has always understood how much it meant to me to be able to spend some time playing in order to bleed off stress from a really horrific former work environment. She has never complained and has always been supportive. She has always been my partner and helped paint the basement, lay the carpet, hang the wood trim, box large resin orders - you name it.
When I switched jobs last year, my entire stress level changed for the good, but with it came a 120 mile daily commute. I've never minded it, but we decided this year to put the house on the market in order to shorten that drive and allow her and our daughter to have some other job opportunities in a slightly larger community. With that goal, we decided to move north to Castle Rock and shave my commute almost in half. One concern was finding the "right" house that would meet our needs and those of my hobby. A basement was always a requirement and she never wavered from that.
Well, I am happy to report that we sold our current house in less than three weeks and found THE House. As soon as I walked into the basement I was blown away. Not only is it a great finished space, but there is enough room for not only my current PDR track (with a small modification), but an oval as well. To be sure, the PDR will need some rebuilding and I'm not sure I can save all of the completed scenery, but it will all work out. An oval will have to come later, but all in good time.
Where the clouds parted and the Angels began singing the Hallelujah Chorus though was when I walked into the basement shop. Let me say that again: When I walked into the basement shop. I have no idea what the previous owner's hobby was, but it is set up for me to begin casting again almost immediately. I don't even have to setup benches. I was positive that it would take months to get things back up and going for RMS - and now that is not the case.
So, I'm thrilled that I've got a supportive wife and a great new place to play. We move on April 25th.
More to come!!!
Why do I bring this up? Because the RMS Skunk Works and Palmer Divide Raceway are about to be relocated!
I've always been very sad to hear about guys that have had to give up their hobby due to a move and not having enough room to continue in it. I'm extremely thankful that the Fetching Mrs. Reinecke recognized years ago that having a room she could lock me in was beneficial for our marriage ;)
In 1997 we built a nice rancher that had a fourth bedroom where I was able to build my HO layout. I began scenery work for the first time and really learned a bunch. I even ran in one of the first ORS racing series online. Very cool stuff!
Moving in 2002 to our present home, I decided I'd put my HO setup in the new "dungeon". It was a far cry from the nicely finished room it used to be in, and the HO cars were impossible to see at speed at a distance of 20 feet. So, I did what was logical at the time - I switched to 1:32!
I built the first 1:32nd scale version of the Palmer Divide Raceway (PDR) and had a complete blast. The scenery wasn't bad for my first "real" attempt and I fell in love with Trans-Am racing. That led to the birth of RMS Resins and a great hobby business that I really love.
Finally after 7 years of toiling in the same dark basement, I finished my dream man-cave and as a result, the PDR was replaced with a new, routed PDR track. My RMS work area improved dramatically too and I've spent several great years in this fantastic space.
Let me get back to the Fetching Mrs. Reinecke for a moment: she has always understood how much it meant to me to be able to spend some time playing in order to bleed off stress from a really horrific former work environment. She has never complained and has always been supportive. She has always been my partner and helped paint the basement, lay the carpet, hang the wood trim, box large resin orders - you name it.
When I switched jobs last year, my entire stress level changed for the good, but with it came a 120 mile daily commute. I've never minded it, but we decided this year to put the house on the market in order to shorten that drive and allow her and our daughter to have some other job opportunities in a slightly larger community. With that goal, we decided to move north to Castle Rock and shave my commute almost in half. One concern was finding the "right" house that would meet our needs and those of my hobby. A basement was always a requirement and she never wavered from that.
Well, I am happy to report that we sold our current house in less than three weeks and found THE House. As soon as I walked into the basement I was blown away. Not only is it a great finished space, but there is enough room for not only my current PDR track (with a small modification), but an oval as well. To be sure, the PDR will need some rebuilding and I'm not sure I can save all of the completed scenery, but it will all work out. An oval will have to come later, but all in good time.
Where the clouds parted and the Angels began singing the Hallelujah Chorus though was when I walked into the basement shop. Let me say that again: When I walked into the basement shop. I have no idea what the previous owner's hobby was, but it is set up for me to begin casting again almost immediately. I don't even have to setup benches. I was positive that it would take months to get things back up and going for RMS - and now that is not the case.
So, I'm thrilled that I've got a supportive wife and a great new place to play. We move on April 25th.
More to come!!!