Many people’s first introduction to model railroading is with a simple circle or oval on a sheet of plywood. No scenery, no landscaping and maybe not even any buildings or vehicles.

It doesn’t take long, however, to get the urge to start adding accessories to the railroad to make it more realistic. For many people, this become a lifelong endeavor, and can grow to very large proportions.

Every layout is different and everyone has their own favorite accessories, but the following 5 items are some of the most common accessories that add a level of realism and interest to your model railroad.

1. Train Station

This is one of the first buildings most people add to their layout. It gives the railroad a starting and ending point and often serves as the basis for an entire town or city to be built up around it.

2. Lighting

There are many forms of lighting for railroads. There can be background lighting to give a backdrop a degree of realism or street lights to add to the ambiance of a city. These may be strictly for decoration, or they may actually light up at night to give the streets a realistic glow.
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Martial Art Belt Ranks

Where did they come from and what do they mean?

There are many theories why present day martial art schools use belts and sashes as a ranking system and where the concept of using belts came from. We will discuss two philosophies, one that is widely accepted by many practitioners and another that can be considered as a legend, or story that was passed down by your grandfather. Please keep in mind that the belt ranking system has only been around about 120 years. Throughout this article, keep in mind that not all Martial Arts are the same, your school may have a completely different ranking system than discussed here.

One of the most common arguments comes from the founder of modern day Judo, Dr. Jigoro Kano. An educator and sports enthusiast, Dr. Kano used a black belt to represent his dan (highest-ranking) students in his school, the Kodokan. However, he later realized his kyu (lower ranking) students needed an outward tangible object to acknowledge their accomplishments and encourage their efforts. So he implemented the different colors to signify the progress that his kyu made over time.

Eventually, other Japanese martial art styles such as Karate, Aikido, Kendo, etc. incorporated the Judo belt ranking system when Gichin Funakoshi, an Okinawan karate master and considered as the “Father of Modern Karate” demonstrated his martial art style, Shotokan, at the Kodokan.

The other theory, known as “the belt getting dirty” can be considered as a martial arts folklore. When new students started their training they were given the rank of white belt, signifying a birth or beginning. Students were not allowed to wash their belts, therefore the belt would “get dirty” the more they practiced. In time the belt would become black, signifying the amount of time the student spent practicing and typically their level of skill.
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When knives first began to appear as pocket knives, they were developed so that they could virtually fold in half and be able to ride in a secure, hidden location. When the knives were opened, it was usually done with a thumb or another finger, which meant that a person would have to use two hands in order to open up his knife. This is something that worked for many people, but could also be dangerous in the long run.

This is part of why liner lock knives were developed. With the liner lock knife, it is possible to open and close the blade with only one hand in a safe manner. The knife was designed by Michael Walker who took what was at one time called the electrician’s knife, and made some adjustments to it. The electrician’s knife was a knife that had a button which you could press to open and close it. However, it did not lock. Knife maker Walker changed the older style so that it would lock, which meant a safer sturdier blade.

The liner lock knife that can be found in hunting and fishing equipment stores today are commonly referred to as folding knives. When the knife is unfolded, it is held open by a leaf spring or lockbar system. The lockbar presses against the bottom of the blade and does not allow it to close until the lockbar is pressed. Then, it closes by itself. It will stay closed until the lockbar is pressed one more time.

The liner lock knife is useful because it allows you to safely keep your knife closed when you do not want to be using it. It locks the blade closed so that it will not come open by accident. This mechanism creates a way to keep a knife in the house or in a tackle box without worrying about the safety of other people that may be digging in drawers or boxes to retrieve it. The liner lock knife also works to lock the knife open, so that you will not have to worry about the knife falling shut accidentally on unsuspecting fingers or constantly collapsing while you are trying to complete a task. The lockbar on the liner lock knife works in both ways. (more…)

Few things are more important to a golfer than a good golf bag. First off, golf bags come in many styles and a wide variety of colors. You can choose a bag for style, features or pick a color to match your mood.

Some have legs that fold out when they are placed on the ground and stand upright so the golfer doesn’t have to bend down and pick it up. That’s a nice feature in golf bags, especially if the golfer tends to walk the course, as many do. There is plenty of bending to be done when a golfer is trying to remove an obstacle from around his or her ball, or to get the ball out of the cup, so any way to avoid bending over is more than appreciated.

All golf bags have compartments where the golf clubs are to be placed. Each golfer has his or her own way of doing this and putting clubs where he or she wants them. Some golfers, though, are lazy and just stick their clubs in the compartments, grabbing whichever one they want when a particular club is needed. But, some golf bags have tubes to protect the club grips. These are nice to have. With the tubes, a golfer can get his or her clubs out easier. The clubs are never tangled up, and the grips last a lot longer.

Another important factor in choosing a golf bag is the number of pockets it has. Frankly, there’s no such thing as too many pockets in a golf bag. First, one of the pockets will be used to hold the golf bag’s hood. The hood is used to keep the clubs and bag from getting drenched when it rains. Another pocket will be used to keep extra towels (believe it or not, extra towels are important in the summer to keep the sweat off the brow and out of the eyes, along with keeping the hands relatively dry. Then, there is the pocket used for keeping the extra golf tees and possibly the divot tool. Finally, a pocket is needed for the golf balls themselves, and it doesn’t hurt to have a pocket to carry another dozen balls in, just in case.
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