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Morning everyone - Had my third cup of coffee and now I'm awake enough to get the rest of my day in gear. I've been working on a custom built-in entertainment bar for a client and it's turned into quite a long drawn out job, as they keep changing the specs, the hardware (have had to cancel and reorder the bar footrails three times thus far, and I'm surprised that the vendor still wants my order), the final finish, etc. At least they are now leaving me alone while I work on it . . . They're nice folks and that makes doing some special things for them most worthwhile. The good news is that it's just about done, and since I'm waiting for the granite countertop to arrive, and they're going to be out of town while I put the finishing touches on it, I can do something else with my time for the next week - like some model RRing for a welcome change of pace. Have been dealing with some med. issues - had a tumor removed from my forehead last week and hope to have the bipopsy results later today, Had my 'every other year' physical a couple of days ago, and have been referred to some specialists to hopefully and finally determine what's causing the recurring swelling and pain in my right leg, as the emer. room doc last July couldn't even find the right (vs left) leg to examine without me identifying it ! Reading thru some of the posts over the past several days - here's some info that may/may not be helpful: re: code 70/83/100 - suggest that one visit some actual 1:1 RR sites - esp. industrial trackage, yards, as well as mainline tracks and take some pics that include tracks from a siding next to some mainline tracks and note that there is quite a contrast in rail height and bulk between lightly traveled and heavily traveled trackage. It reallyn shows up in photos. Same thing for tie spacing and the condition of the ties. On the Georgia Northeastern RR (ex L&N 'Hook & Eye line' that runs through this area and the subject of my new model RR, most of their track is old, beyond very well worn, and of a fairly small profile, esp when contrasted w/ the CSX mainline thru Marietta where it interchanges. . .What one should striive for is illustrating the differances between the various code rail and that can be emphacized and even exaggeated with contrasts in the coarseness and color of ballast, how neatly and 'heavily' it is profiled, and whether there is discoloration between the rails on the roadbed, the rustiness of the rails, the absence of weeds and other debris and clutter on the ballast, and so on. I believe that one can run code 100 in hidden areas and in staging yards for reliability and a means of using up inexpensive or previouisly acquired track components - even above the table switch machines (on out of sight trackage) where that would provide easier access for maintainence, and then run code 83 on all heavily traveled tracks, and code 70 on industrial sidings and lightly traveled spurs. Code 55 may be too t'tiny' for most except for enhancing a foreground scene that is more of a static display. At least that's what I'm going to do. . . Re: HO model RR gas electrics - I have both a Walthers gas electric (newer tooled plastic one - not the ancient crafts style kit from yrs ago) and it scales out at approx 60' long. I also have Bachmann/Spectrum's much longer one that is close to 85' long, and very similar to their Spectrum hw pass. cars in apperarance and construction. Both are nicely detailed and feature full interiors. The Walthers car runs a bit smoother than the Spectrum, but in all fairness, they both have only been test run for a few laps around Tom's layout. If the exact dimensions are needed, I'll dig them out of the pile and measure them. Also, I tested a Proto 1K Budd RDC on Tom's layout and it ran silky smooth right out of the box. (sort of a more modern 'gas electric' in concept). All three can be had from Trainworld for less than $25. each - all three bargains in my opinion. Or you can find them occasionally on eBay for usually a lot more! Go figure. Jim - Walthers MOW stuff is ex-Train Miniature tooling, and consists of mostly generic cars - modified box and flat cars, a boom car, a black smith car, a small 25ton crane (still avail individually), and so on. They mimic almost exactly ex Silver Streak wood construction cars, and all can be personalized to suit a free-lanced RR but I'm not sure about prototypical accuracy for any specific RRs. Tichy Trains (ex Gould) make some excellent MOW stuff - a 80 Ton crane that is exquisite, w/ an equally impressive boom car, a 'wheel' flat car, and some other MOW flat cars. Athearn is offering some MOW pass. equipment but they are merely rebadged and ancient tooling of their generic shorty hw pass. equipment. They are useful, however, as many RRs had retired hw equipment - esp head end stuff, pressed into MOW duty. There are numerous hd cranes and boomcars marketed by the likes of Athearn, Bachmann, old Rivarossi and Roco stuff, etc. All could benefit from personalized upgrading. . .MDC 30' flats, sand and gravel hoppers, and 40' gons would be fine in MOW service, as well as their excellent 'old time' box cars (even their arch bar trucks are okay, since they were not interchanged w/ other RRs). Also, Walthers has offered a Jordan Spreader - a neat item, as well as their no longer offered Russel winged wedge snow plow, and also a neat early steam era Leslie Rotary plow and tender. MDC has offered 3'n1 kits of all sorts of potential MOW equipment that are also suitable for short line and industrial applications - steel framed log cars, various flats, work box cars, wood chip (ore cars), old timey tank cars, gondolas, and conversions into snow plows, jordan spreaders, and even a goofy looking std. gauge 'galloping goose' type of railcar. They made a 3'n1 kit for a typical west coast style of 'fire fighting train' - a generic interpretation, but very appropiate for any RR where brush and forest fires were a threat. Also, they currently offer a 40' ballast style of hopper, and it is an accurate prototype that a number of the larger RRs owned or own. A number of yrs ago I saw a fascinating piece of MOW equipment at the RR museum in Balboa Park (San Diego) that perhaps originated as an MDC Pullman Palace wood sided 'combine', and it had a shortened car body on a full length - 85' - frame with removable gondola like side boards, and all kinds of MOW junk - chains, block & tackle, wheels, tools, and related clutter. I want to replicate a version of that - it was too cool. And do not forget items like speeders and pump type hand cars - bjdukert - re: crappy HD and Loews lumber - I have a growing pile of HD's junk 2X4s in my garage awaiting til it's enough of a load to warrant hauling back to them for a refund/exchange as I only want to go thru the unpleasantries of explaining to a clerk that one can not use twisty and warped lumber that may have looked okay in the pile in the store until one hauled it home, and it then went about its drying our process in one's shop, garage or basement. The problem is that the drying out process is often rushed at the mills, and depending on locale, the local species of lumber that is harvested is more often than not, from new growth and small trees that would have only been candiates for a pulpwood load to a paper mill some years past. A couple of tips that work for me (at least w/ Southern Yellow Pine) - buy longer boards like 10 or 12 foot, rather than the just less than 8 ft studs. And consider buying 2X6s and ripping them in two (or even three) if you do not need 2X4 dimensioned lumber. The 2X6s are typically of much higher quality of lumber than the more common 2X4s - at least in my area. I always allow Southern Yellow Pine a chance to season in my shop before using it, for it sometimes has a mind of its own and turns into junk within a month or so. That stuff gets hauled back to HD. Someday - if enough folks took the time to return ugly lumber - they may put some better QC into their lumber purchasing. Phil - regarding RR sites in Georgia - there's the SouthEastern RR museum in Duluth just minutes north of Atlanta (visit TrainMasters model RR shop across the street while there). There are lots of interesting pcs of rolling stock at the museum - incl. many pass, cars, numerous MOW pcs incl. a crane, a Heisler, a GE 44 tonner, an E8 in SR green & white, a beautifully restored Pacific, and cabooses (cabeese?). There's also the Southern Civil War Museum in Kennesaw right next to the wonderful folks at Kennesaw Hobbies that Tom mentioned a couple of pages back. Eat in the little coffee shop adjacent to Kenessaw Hobbies - good food and a real sweat waitress. The museum, affilaited w/ the Smithsonian, has a recreation of the Glover Machine Works - the last steam engine builder in the South - that only closed its doors a couple of decades ago. The actual and beautifully restored General (from the Civil War loco chase fame, and starred in the movie about it) is on display. The other Civil War steamer from the same chase is located at the Cyclorama in Atlanta as part of a very famous civil war exhibit. The train watching spot that Tom mentioned in Kenessaw is along the route that the General ran, and a good spot to train watch. Also, the tracks in and around Marietta's town square are terrific, for a train rushes by a beautifully restored depot open to the public. It's on the same line very heavily trafficked line that the Kenessaw location is on. . .Here you can sit and drink coffee, have a brewski or two, or eat - and watch the trains at the same time. Another good train watching vantage point is on a hill overlooking the same tracks in the Civil War Cemetary also in Marietta - Here one is elevated and has a clear and unobstructed view of passing trains. Dalton, GA - near the TN/GA border is great, for the CSX and the NS cross over each other's rails and it is heavily traveled, and the old depot - slowly being resurrected - is a great vantage point to trainwatch, as well as a roadway bridge right over the spot where the tracks crossover. There's a large outlet mall nearby on I75 for shopping if you need to justify the trip there. And you won't be far from Cahtanooga, the NMRA headquarters, a running short trolley line, the restored Union Staion (now a Holiday Inn w/ old Pullmans for rooms, the Tenn. Central scenic RR (think that's the name), etc, If you like old depots - check out these just north of Atlanta - in Woodstock, Holly Springs, Tate (unrestored and still in use next to the GNRR shops and old stored equipment), and BlueRidge - home of the BlueRidge Scenic Rwy - worth a visit most definitely. Check out this site: www.PeachStateRails.com for many ideas in and around this area. Best be out of here as I need to run to the Docs again. Have a great day. BILL
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