howmusI’m glad my dyslexia is mild enough that I can still dear. 73
Won that's funny!
Top of the page again. It's pretty late -- how about a glass of wine for everyone before we all head to our roomettes?
York1 John
PM RailfanIf you really wanna get scarce, lets see who can pull a McKeen motor car pic outta their pocketses
Hi Douglas,
I don't know if you have seen these before. I built a McKeen Motor Car from a Funaro and Camerlingo kit a few years ago:
Parts of the kit had to be reproduced because it was not powered. In fact, I don't think that the supplied trucks could even be made operable.
I built the front truck, pilot and most of the under rigging from scratch:
The interior is detailed and lit:
It is powered by a NWSL powered truck in the rear. It is DCC but there is no sound because I couldn't find a suitable sound file at the time. I didn't get the roof colour right because the salmon colour didn't show up in the pictures I was using.
I have an F&C matching trailer kit somewhere in my stash of unbuilt kits. It will be a project for another day.
Darth Santa Fe is working on one as well and, in his usual creative way, is building a powered front truck from scratch.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
hon30critterI have an F&C matching trailer kit somewhere
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Still read now that's funny
Seriously! It's been an ongoing battle my whole life and I'm no longer ashamed of it.
I had to start knocking off work at 3 p.m. about 20 years ago. Always after 4 p.m. I would cut a board one inch too short.
I never understood that as I was an excellent Craftsman. There was no shame in my game but flukes. And if I could not understand it, nobody else did either.
I'm not ashamed anymore to admit there's something wrong with me. Always has been since birth but I deal with it.
But I know I am the type of person that would give the shirt off my back to anyone that needs it
TF
Track fiddlerSeriously! It's been an ongoing battle my whole life and I'm no longer ashamed of it.
TF, I'm glad you were able to deal with it. I had students who learned to deal with it and succeed -- others struggled continually. One of the biggest issues was diagnosis.
I spent today working on the tile for the frieze around the lanai. The tile outliet here in town had barely enough tile for the project. I think I have only four extra pieces. I will need to be careful with all the cuts because I do not know if I can get more easily.
My tile guy told me for this project that PL-500 Landscaping Adhesive was the right stuff to use. It will work on damp surfaces, so I can cut the tile on the wet saw and glue it in place without needing to wait for it to dry.
I got about 2/3 of the tile up today. The little wedge spacers I bought are working pefrectly.
I am thinking about using a wall tile similar to this beige pattern on the lanai wall. I was originally thinking faux brick would be good, but now I do not think it will go well with the art-deco border tiles I used.
My hibiscus shrub out front is blooming like crazy. After a few days in the 80s, and it thinks it is spring time!
All I can say about that is:
The World Is A Beautiful Place.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Thanks John
I barely got done with the one before I started on the other one.
Judy made really big chocolate chip cookies tonight
I like to eat those things when they're still hot and I did
And I took some dough when she wasn't looking
Hello again Railfans!
Top of the evening to ya! Hope everyone is warm in their cozy spot for the evening. I just polished off 2nd breakfast (or was it first lunch??). Low and behold....
Ed) I had no doubts id see a McKeen under your user name tout-suite (and no, that isnt your username, thats french ). Great shots plus i checked out the link. They did a masterful job in restoring that ole gal! The details!!! I had no idea the McKeens were that ornate. Pullmans yes, but not McKeens. Not exactly alot of them around to see. Mostly black and white pics which dont lend well to the decor shot.
Ill have to think of something a tad harder next time! Something almost as rare, say maybe a Detroit TR5 or the like.
One more thing, the shot of 'Dallas'..... !
Critter Dave) WOW! Excellent job on that F&C. Unfortunately I never bought one of those. Prolly not easy to find now i suspect. Ive been giving some thought as to making a McKeen (#17) a 3D project. I only need one.
Man you did a really good job on yours. Im really impressed with the cow catcher. Id would love to hear about your manufacturing process for that part! Unrelated, yet related, I have been toying around with making 'cow catchers' for steamers as i have a great need.
Everyone knows the Rivarossi 2-8-4's are NKP models with strap-rail cow catchers. The PM had boiler-tube types. Ive got almost a dozen of these that need new catchers. Making this part is a gotta-do project one day. Fortunately, model makers finally realized this and stated adding the correct pilots to PM models. Finally!
Back to the McKeen, the PM had only one. Only a lucky strike from the MR'ing Gods would bring one my way, til then i will prolly have to scratchbuild one. Hope i do as good as you did.
Even the trucks. Kinda figured id sneak in an Athearn truck drive behind custom truck sideframes. Gave the trucks on Eds link above a good going over. They dont look that easy to do. I would definately like to hear more about this topic from you and Darth.
BTW, the color (and rest of the details) look great to me! Id like to see your model first hand. Give it the old fish eye!
Kevin) I like that pattern yall chose for the upper fringe and the tile. The place is really starting to look shweet! You keep that up and your gonna be a lil too posh for us yocal rednecks.
TF) Grab a plate - Ill be darned! You hold the plates, im taking the hole dad-gum dish! I could make a meal outta that. If i didnt get a heart attack first. Kinda makes that stuff i just had..... well...... just plain ole stuff like. Got any more of them nanner-wafer dessert cups?
In General) Ya know, if the Diner was a McKeen, we could go anywhere the tracks led us. For long trips we could use a trailer car (for the wives and Lion).
Clear Ahead!
Douglas
Good evening folks!
Got my Federal tax return filed a few minutes ago and I'm glad to be done with that. I've been using computer programs to file taxes for 23 years now I remember doing it in the 1990s with a dial-up modem and Compuserve!
I have several hibiscus flowers here, Kevin. Not quite ready to bloom just yet. I call 'em High Biscuits. They are huge, beautiful flowers.
We're done in Mexico City and headed north in a run for the border — Hello Taco Bell — for a little variety we'll take the easterly route toward Monterrey and cross the Rio Grande into Laredo, Texas then on into Dallas.
Mexico_NdeM by Edmund, on Flickr
I caught a narrow gauge steam loco local while snooping around the Toluca neighborhood
NdeM_NG_270-a by Edmund, on Flickr
NdeM_NG_270-b by Edmund, on Flickr
Coal smoke & Tequila, yum! Pass the lime and salt
NdeM_NG_904-c by Edmund, on Flickr
I heard the Doughboys call Toot Sweet when they wanted to "Hurry-up" during The Great War.
To me it means, Chitty Chitty — Bang Bang!
Siesta time ...
Cheers, Ed
PM RailfanIm really impressed with the cow catcher. Id would love to hear about your manufacturing process for that part! Unrelated, yet related, I have been toying around with making 'cow catchers' for steamers as i have a great need.
Thanks for the comments on the McKeen car.
The cow catcher was more tedious than difficult to make. I used brass angle stock for the basic frame and phosphor bronze wire for the pipes, plus a bit of brass sheet for reinforcement and detailing. I drilled the brass angles at the appropriate spacing for the rods and then fitted each rod on a trial by error basis. The rods were installed so that the bent ends protruded to the outside of the angle stock. Then I simply ground the ends off enough that they ended up looking like rivets. I soldered the main angle stock frame together but I used CA to mount the rods. I figured that trying to keep everything lined up would have been extremely difficult if I had tried to solder the rods.
I'm not quite sure which type of pilots you want, i.e. strap or boiler pipe. I think that making the pilots out of strap stock could be a bit more challenging. You can't drill a rectangular hole in the angle stock to receive the straps. My initial thoughts suggest two possible approaches:
One would be to cut the straps longer than their installed lengths and then grind the ends to form a round, rivet sized rod that could be bent, then fitted into holes drilled in the angle stock and then filed down to the correct size. That would give you a reasonably durable assembly.
The other approach would be to just install fake bolt/rivet heads in the angle stock and then glue the straps to the inside. That approach would be easier but much more fragile. The first pilot will likely take hours to complete, but subsequent models will be much quicker.
As for the front truck, I was extremely disappointed with the resin side frames that came with the kit. They were poorly detailed and quite flimsy, and I couldn't see how they could be made into a reliable mechanism. The scratchbuilt truck is made out of a couple of different thicknesses of sheet stock and some shallow 'C' channel. Here is an exploded view. Not all the parts are shown:
It took a couple of attempts to get things 'right' as it were. I had accurate schematics of the truck but the design of the model came straight out of my head. The suspension actually works! The side frames can move independant of each other, and there is power pickup on all wheels. The engine pivots with the truck too just like the original.
Feel free to ask more questions.
Douglas: Thank you for the kind words on my frieze tile. I hope to have this completed tomorrow and then move onto trim work in the guest bedroom now that the paint has had a few days to dry.
Ed: I love that yellow NDeM caboose! That is beautiful.
Our hibiscus shrubs bloom year-round, but right now mine must have 50 buds on it. Not sure what brought all that on. After I paint the house I will replant the hibiscus I had on the North side.
Dave: That truck is remarkable. You did some world-class fabrication with that project.
SeeYou190Dave: That truck is remarkable. You did some world-class fabrication with that project.
Thanks Kevin. I surprised myself a bit. It actually turned out better than I had thought possible.
By the way, your lanai is coming along quite nicely. I love the tile!
SeeYou190Ed: I love that yellow NDeM caboose! That is beautiful.
I'll bet you say that to all the center-cupola cabooses, Kevin
Good morning all. A frosty morning that is forecast to snow later (when the temperature rises).
Tea and toast with lemon curd is on the table.
Dave. Love the F&C.
Kevin. The frieze looks amazing.
Food. All that food made and eaten. Yummy!
Will I spend the best part of the day in the train room?
Thoughts & Peace to All who Require.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
We're on the Missouri Pacific heading to Dallas from Laredo. We'll be stopping in Austin for a crew change:
Austin_mopac by Edmund, on Flickr
Enjoy this quick ride behind steam while we're here in the Great State of Texas:
One of the sweetest whistles I've heard in a while
I'd sure like to see that T&P 610 fired up again
170923_3_palestine by lmyers83, on Flickr
Good morning
Chocolate chip cookies with my coffee for breakfast this morning
I think I'm gonna do the Sunday morning couch potato thing this morning after I drop Judy off at w**k. Maybe later I'll continue the bridge. Couches can be dangerous on a Sunday sometimes though. After a while it's too hard to get up
Apparently quotes are 403 forbidden this morning.
Just for you and the other guys too Douglas per your request
P.S. Thanks for the Texes pics and video Ed. I really liked that whistle too
Track fiddlerApparently quotes are 403 forbidden this morning.
Just checking
Thanks for the Vanilla Wafer Pudding cups!
We grow potatoes here...
That's Pete Hecker standing by the station. He was station master until the station was closed.
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
gmpullman
It looks like Pete Hecker owned a Chevy Chevette Lion. I bought a red one exactly like that for my girlfriend Lavon back in the mid-eighties. It was a stick and she had a heck of a time learning how to operate one. Quite a few parking lots and practice but eventually she got it down. It's a good thing I'm a man of patience Can't you just picture me in the passenger seat coaching her along
Snowmageddon here in Delaware!
That's about half an inch. People here are petrified of snow. I went to the supermarket yesterday and supplies were running out on some items.
I still have potatoes sometimes, but they're high in glycemic index so us diabetics are supposed to avoid them. I tell servers at restaurants that I'm diabetic and they can usually arrange a substitute menu item. Earlier this week they replaced the potatoes with a huge, delicious Caesar salad. It was like being upgraded to first class.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Hi all,
Getting some things built up and painted before the end of the month. I'm hoping to have a load of freight cars ready to go by the time I can rejoin a club. Here's a Sunset brass PRR N5b I just painted recently. It needs decals, windows, and a couple more details but it'll be ready soon enough. Around the trainphone coils on the first picture is a place where a drop of Tru-Color thinner fell onto the roof. I'd already repainted this thing a couple times and decided it's not worth stripping, and repainting. I think there is some orange peel or other roughness in the texture on the sides but I don't think it's bad enough to detract from the model and warrant another repaint. I'm not going for winning a contest here. I used Tru-Color PA Freight Car Brown on the models seen below.
Next, is a Railworks F31a flatcar I've painted and decaled. I'll create a deck and Have a load under construction. I replaced the poorly rolling brass trucks with Red Caboose PRR FD-28 trucks with Code88 wheels and the couplers are by Sergent with the narrow draft gear.
A pair of Funaro and Camerlengo PRR F22 flatcars with Mount Vernon decals, Laserkit decks, Laserkit crankshaft loads, and Kadee FD-28 trucks. I used Kadee trucks to add weight to these super light models. There is 1/8" lead rod on the crankshafts too.
The model trains will be what I do right now outside work and family for now until things I hope ease up later on this year.
Alvie
Evening
Nice-looking Caboose project you got going there Alvie
Got it
Apparently Blue Caboose Custom Paint Great Northern boxcar was in the mailbox yesterday. A one-of-a-kind. The pizza cutters will be replaced with MTL steel wheels.
It's kinda cool but I still treasure Kevin's one-of-a-kind boxcars he made for me much more better
I also stumbled across a rare undecorated wagontop boxcar kit on e-bay. It was HO but I just couldn't resist buying it
You know who wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Ian Flemming of James Bond novel fame.
I love that classic movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang MLC. My Grandmother and Grandpa took me and my brother to the theater to see it when I was a little boy. I remember how scary the candy man guy with the long nose and the jail wagon was Back then you could get away with staying in the theater and our Grandparents were patient with us and let us watch the movie twice.
This is the first year Judy and I are not on our free trip. Laughlin did call with the offer but I'm not getting on a plane with recycled air. A couple of our friends went down there and said it was like a ghost town. That didn't sound too fun to me, I like to see all the happy faces.
The River Taxi lady's pet Mallard was the highlight of the trip. He would jump on the boat at the Frontier everyday and jump off the boat at Harrah's. He might have been lazy and just didn't want to fly down there
Judy and I could not believe the natives that lived down there that would have their jackets on when it was 85 degrees in the morning. I seen a day that was 121°. We stayed inside that day. I guess 85 was cold to them down there
Well, I guess there's always next year
Eveing Diners
Flo, give the gang and I a please and Dirk and Robbie a dog treat.
Saturday Work Front! My God, Jerry the screw up every pices of paper work he touched Thursday and Friday! Friday the 29th he dated every pices of paper work for Saturday the 30th and closed the store at 6:00 pm and not 7:00 pm like he should have! Then he got Belligerent with me! He came close to being knocked on his caboose, then I remined my self he is a 6 year old 2 years older than me!
Still nasty weather here. While it was 35 degrees F with a wind speed of 20 mph it felt cold. Dirk got a longer car ride today. Took him to the park, walgreens, Dollar Store, Home Depot and Wal Mart Market Places. He only got out of the car at the park but still enjoyed him self.
Later Ken and Dirk say's "Woof, Woof Daddy, take me out please I got to pee Woof".
I hate Rust
Hello Railfans!
Top of the morning to ya! The shiny side is up, but the day is still young yet. Hope everyone is doing A-Okie-Dokie. Its sunny, and no chance of odd behavior from the weather gods so were at full mast HUMBUG today.
Critter Dave) You didnt leave much room to ask anymore questions. That explaination (with pics) was perfect!
I had envisioned doing the pilot by way of resin molding. You made it sound simpler your way. While doable, the resin mold itself was gonna be a complicated one. The way you did it really does seem alot quicker and less hassle. Even if a bit tedius.
As for the trucks it never occured to me to power the rear truck. I figured because of the axle seperation in the lead truck this would be more lending to put in a gearset. I already knew Id probably be making the truck anyways though again, out of molded plastic - not brass.
Im gonna give that more thought because it would be alot easier to make it functional in metal instead of plastic. Since i wont be doing the interior im not too worried about powering the front truck as opposed to rear. And electrical pickup doesnt matter if brass (insulated) or plastic so ok there either way.
Ive kept an eye out for McKeen models, pretty rare. So i suspect ill be following your footsteps soon. Thanks again Dave, ill be hitting you up if i fall short on something.
Prolly might wanna get some dimensions from you. I have a few drawings but i suspect they dont match the McKeen car im modelling. We'll see. Proto-info on it is non existant.
Everyone have a great evening, ill catch up with yall later.
A#1 North!
Post Hog!
We have some prime rib wildebeest for you tonight if you're hungry Lion
One of the better slabs. Possibly a wee bit overcooked for you. Burnt!??? Very flavorful but a little thinner to my liking.
Everyone else feel free to have a slab after Lion has his pick.
The pink meat is on me tonight
I'm still thinking and trying to figure out that duck
Ducks are migratory birds. Perhaps he flew down to Nevada from Minnesota or Canada. That is a long flight!
Maybe he was tired from flying all that way down there and that's why he decided to take it easy and ride the river taxi
And where in the world is my friend Kevin today???
Good evening, diners. We just drove back. The last stretch of about 90 miles was with a strong wind blowing across the Interstate. My arms are tired from holding the wheel against the wind. I wouldn't want to be driving an empty semi.
The last stretch also got me a rock hitting my windshield. I have to go tomorrow to the glass repair shop. If they can get me in quickly enough, they can fix it before it cracks too much.
Kevin, the tile looks great.
Dave, that is nice work on that motor car. I don't think I've ever seen that before. It looks great with the interior lights.
Ed, thanks for stepping up with the diner. I'm impressed you got your taxes done already. I'm starting mine tomorrow. Since retirement, I file early. For many years, I owed money, so I never submitted until April 15. One year in New Orleans, I was in a line at the Post Office at 11:45 p.m., on the 15th.
Lion, at least when we passed Richardton, it looked like pretty nice weather for January. Pete Hecker was in shirt sleeves.
Alvie, your work on that caboose is impressive. It looks great.
MLC, I did not know that Ian Fleming wrote CCBB. It was just on TV last week and my wife watched it again.
TF, it's too bad you're missing your trip. That looks like a great place to vacation. I'm on a plane in a couple of weeks. I'm not too worried -- I've read that the air in the planes is cleaner that in most buildings. At least that's what they're telling us.
Ken, it's great that Dirk goes with you. That's something I can't do with Daisy -- she goes crazy when I get out of the car.
Douglas, the day may be young yet for you, but I'm ready for bed and it's only 8:00 p.m. I've had a long day today, and I've got another long day tomorrow.
Have a good evening in the diner as we click along on the rails. I'm heading for my roomette.
Good evening John
So it was a little Vinder on the highway on the way back eh! Good thing glass has a no deductible
Taxes!!! ???
I hate when taxes are mentioned here!
Those Yahoo's should be filing with us a detailed summary for the year so we can review it and see what they didn't do all year that we all have been paying for.
And then they should cut us a check for what we paid them to do the year before but they didn't!
That's the way things sould be rightfully done in our world but it isn't
Unfortunately "He with the Gold makes the rules"