Living the dream.
Hello everyone, and welcome to a new weekend!
This week my share is something really boring, and barely model train related at all.
In fact, I already shared this picture earlier in the week in the Diner thread.
This is a door:
Why am I sharing a picture of a door? Well, this is the door that leads to the 11 by 22 train room where STRATTON AND GILLETTE layout #6 will be built. This is a major milestone for me. I finally have made it to a point in the house project where the model railroad is starting to really look like it will be happening.
Sorry for nothing colorful or inspiring, but I am very excited about this door.
I am looking forward to seeing everyone's photographs this weekend. This thread can always be counted on to be the best of the week.
-Kevin
Well, then, that's the most exiting door Ive seen in a good long time! Can't wait to see what happens on the other side of it.
I've been so busy in 1/1 life I have nothing to show this week. At least not yet.
Wait!
Edited in: I retired just over a year ago from my own business. But from 1978 to 1992 I worked for Safeway Stores Inc. Just today, I filed for what pension I qualify for from them. A decent help to the monthly budget.
So I thought I'd take and share this picture. Here's an Athearn tractor/trailer that is reminiscent of how they looked when I started there. Wow, 44 years ago!
Dan
Thanks for starting WPF, Kevin.
In the beginning -- 'The Door'. I like it.
Dan. I spent nearly all my life in and around road transport. Good to see the tractor and trailer.
Not much from me. I just ran trains.
Class 47 47299 'Ariadne' waiting at the signal for clearance to go on its next turn of duty.
IMG_2008 by David Harrison, on Flickr
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Good morning from cold, windy and snowy Northeast Ohio! Received about 15" of the white stuff over the past two days, worked from home yesterday as the office was closed.
Kevin, thanks for starting us out, I like your optimism, hopefully when my second retirement comes in a couple of months I will be starting my layout.
Dan, I have been building a number of trailers in the last few months, but one thing I added that Athearn forgets on its trailers is MUD FLAPS!
David, great picture, but I still do not like the aestitics of European diesels, I like the form follows function of North American diesels.
Nothing new this week, what with work and the bowling tournament last weekend I did not get a lot done. But I have a couple of new acquisitions, they will be going to the club for a run next weekend. Below are a pair of new Bowser RS-3's!
So with these units I will show their replacements, Rapido RS-11's running on the Strongsville Club Layout.
Thanks for looking!
Rick Jesionowkski
Rule 1: This is my railroad.
Rule 2: I make the rules.
Rule 3: Illuminating discussion of prototype history, equipment and operating practices is always welcome, but in the event of visitor-perceived anacronisms, detail descrepancies or operating errors, consult RULE 1!
Hello all. A big win this week. After multiple attempts to get this engine going, I finally succeeded. I think it's quite rare: An MDC 0-6-0 in HOn3. Never saw another one on Ebay over that last 10 years. It was in a sorry state when I got it: the cab was broken, the motor was prehistoric (a Lindsay, which was probably ahead of its time...), there were binds in the pistons, and the wheels were off-gauge (!). Took me several attempts to figure out and fix all of these things. I remotored it and added DCC. Now she runs "OK", a bit wobbly, but acceptable at low speeds. I suspect that the track for real short line narrow gauge operations was wobbly too .
Now I need to decide whether I should remove the molded-on details and repaint... or sit on that for a while. There is a bit of a lineup at the paint shop!
Simon
IMG_20220130_190916 on Flickr
Kevin, The door strikes me as a bit narrow, but I planned to take my layout out in pieces if I had to, so installed a 36" door. The wall of my office also can come down, if need be. Realistically, won't happen, but it's nice to know that whoever scraps things will have an easier job of it.
Dan, I spent 23 years with Supervalu, a good company run into the ground by poor management sometime after they fired our second-lowest cost per mile transportation dept in favor of "contractors" and I went back to school. I always admired Safeway's impressive distribution center in Denver when I was through there on vacation. Nice rig, but yeah, you're going to get pulled over because someone let that rig go before getting flaps back on it.
David,
That's some big power there. What exactly is the wheel arrangement? It superficially reminds me of one of those Baldwin Centipedes.
Rick,
Those PRR RS-3s with those antennas are impressive.
snjroyI suspect that the track for real short line narrow gauge operations was wobbly too Smile. Now I need to decide whether I should remove the molded-on details and repaint... or sit on that for a while. There is a bit of a lineup at the paint shop!
I have some wobbly HOn3 track, but it's a fine line between wobbly and bad. Sometimes I'm not sure which side of that line I'm on.
I'd say go ahead and run that loco. It looks pretty good and the opportunity to run it will help you sort out the remaining hitches.
I did some rearranging at Camp 13, located at one of the highest spots on the Cascade Branch. Before this, it was about as barebones as you can get for a station.
Several portable cottages were brought in to provide housing for the camp boss and, rumor is, a speak-easy that his GF manages.
An overview of the scene.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Thanks for opening this chilly february WPF, Kevin. That door represents your TARDIS, no? Passing through the portal transports you to a time and place far away. Then you have your "Star Wars" virtual bridge on the other side?
I can appreciate your soft-spot for Safeway after having served so many years there. I hope your pension gets you a little train money. Likewise, I have fond memories of the old GE plant I worked in which was closed and leveled not long after I retired in 2016.
I like your shop area scene, David Always some neat details to take in while looking at the scene.
I toyed with picking up a pair of the PRR RS-3s Rick. My roster is already pretty heavy with P-Company locos so I'm holding off for a pair of Nickel Plate and Erie-Lackawanna units.
Glad you found your long-anticipated 0-6-0, Simon. I think you should enjoy the engine as it is and think about replacing the details later.
That gin-pole has some great rigging on it Mike. Very nice scene
Much of my time was spent plowing snow this week that took away from train time a bit and some of what I was working on isn't all that photo-worthy. I'm installing partitions and lighting in one of the office buildings and that process is slow-going.
Out on the layout, however, I'm addressing an area that abuts the city-scene and it has been languishing without any progress for a long time.
Warehouse_elevated by Edmund, on Flickr
The elevated roadway that slopes down to ground level on the right, will eventually become one of the downtown streets so it needs to be completed. I had flimsy Central Valley styrene railings on it and found they were too fragile and prone to breaking.
Warehouse_shanty by Edmund, on Flickr
I decided to continue the RIX 1930s bridge railing on it and I'm awaiting an order from Hobbylinc. Meanwhile I had to move the switch actuator and remove this old Humpyard setup I installed back in 2015:
Humpyard_handthrow by Edmund, on Flickr
Then I fabricated a little beefier column for this corner:
Column_street-1 by Edmund, on Flickr
These changes were a long time coming. I'm glad I'm finally getting around to making progress on this area.
Cheers, Ed
gmpullmanThat gin-pole has some great rigging on it Mike. Very nice scene Yes
Thanks, Ed! It's rather overkill for Colorado, but a lot like some California logging rigs. I liked it so I built it. The secret to maiking it look good was elastic beading line. It's stretch and bounceback make it easy to get good looking rigging without sagging.
So I post a picture of my truck and get called out by two guys for not having mudflaps?
I think they're making a big deal out of Noth.... Uh Oh!
So, I tried to explain to the officer that I was just posing the truck for a picture. It's a work in progress...
"Yeah, I'll say. Where's your mudflaps? On the tractor AND the trailer? You got an electric horn you can honk for me?"
"Wool, no, but the shop is right down there, and all I was... you're pulling me over in a fifty five?"
"I don't even know how you knew I was behind you without any mirrors. Ya musta been craning yer neck around pretty good... ( ) Now listen, yes, this is a back county road and maybe ya weren't going far, but laws are in place. I'm just gonna issue you a fixit for now, but I'll want to see this truck compliant by 3:00 or I'll be issuing a real citation. I'll see you down there on that lot.
"Yes Officer"
"My work is done here"
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Mike Class 47s are 12 wheelers. Six on each end.
512 were built between 1962 and 1968. By 2020 34 are still in operation. Another 33 were rebuilt to become Class 57. 32 Class 47s are preserved.
Thank you to everyone that has contributed. We are off to a great start!
The coversation about mud flaps, followed by a staged photo scene, then finished with a Bear-Toon has been A+ entertainment. This was great. Hats off to all involved.
Dan: Happenings on the other side of the door are still a long way off, but at least there is now something absolutely out there on the horizon. Your Safeway trailer sure looks good. It has been 2 years since I retired from a 30 year carreer, and I am just beginning to feel nostalgic about my work there. Maybe some of my former employer's logos will appear on my layout after all.
David: I like your picture of 'Ariande' waiting at the signal.
Rick: Thank you for starting the 'mud flap' incident! I cannot wait to see what you do on your next layout. You sure have enough amazing freight cars by now to make it something really special. Those RS-3s look clean and handsome.
Simon: I have never seen that narrow gauge model of an 0-6-0 before. Great find. What kind of motor did you use for the repower? If it were mine... I would not remove the molded on detail, but add some more detail and piping. I would paint hard shadow-lines behind the molded on appliances and it would be fine engough for my standards.
Mike: The door is 30 inches. It is a pocket door, which gives about 2" more clearance than a hinged door. I was originally goning to try and have all 36" interior doors, but there are three locations where this was impossible, so 30" became the standard. Originally all doors were 24" or 28", and that was terrible. Two closet doors are still 24" where there was just no way to make them wider. Your pictures of camp 13 are wonderful. You do some great modelling. I am very impressed with the rigging on the spar jib (is that the right term?).
Ed: The door sure will be a geteway to someplace long ago and far away. I had to drop the plans for the 'Star War' bridge. It turns out the harmonic vibrations from the trans-planar linear ionization generator were at the same freqency as the mythic 'brown note', and we just can't have that! The new column in the corner looks like it will tote the load quite well. Great improvements.
Bear: The Toon was perfect!
Let's all keep the good stuff and helpful responses coming. I am looking forward to it all.
Kevin, Thanks for the WPF start with a good way to be shown the door. Congrats on your layout milestone. I recall the joy in completing plans and layout space prep work, followed by an enthusiastic 'milestone' start to the benchwork by laying out the 'red-head' locations.
Dan, Like your Safeway semi. Growing up in the S.F. east bay area Safeway was almost synonymous with groceries. A friend's Dad drove forklift at the big Safeway warehouse in Richmond that was down the street from the Blue Chip trading stamps redemption center/warehouse.
Thanks to all the contributors and viewers. Have a safe and happy weekend. Regards, Peter
SeeYou190Mike: ...Your pictures of camp 13 are wonderful. You do some great modelling. I am very impressed with the rigging on the spar jib (is that the right term?).
Kevin, Yeah, those narrow doors must've been annoying!
Yes, that's a spar tree, used in high lead logging, but also a loader because of the big swing arm. I patterned mine after a pic from California, but such rigs were common up and down the West Coast. A good visual reference is here:
https://www.washington.edu/uwired/outreach/cspn/Website/Classroom%20Materials/Curriculum%20Packets/High%20Lead%20Logging/High-Lead%20Logging%20Main.html
Now I'm really not sorry I made a little flap about mudflaps. That was a great interaction!
Thanks for your comments Kevin. I don't know what is the make of the new motor. I have a little box full of can motors of various sizes (lifetime supply?) bought on Ebay. This engine has the bull gear on the last driver, which required a short motor. I had one that was perfect fit...
Shared my WPF pic with my son, knowing my appreciation of classic film noir he sent it back edited in B&W.
Wishing everyone a good Sunday. Regards, Peter
Some Fantasy reefers based on old breweries.
Thank you to everyone that contributed.
Peter: I really liked the photo you shared this week, and I liked it again in Black & White! I am excited to build the new layout.
Mike: The narrow doors were terrible. The doors to the bathrooms were all 24", they are 30" now. That seems huge!
Simon: Thanks for the information about the motor. I have a box of them too!
Pike-62: I really like those refrigerated boxcars. Awesome painting. I am happy you are sharing with the group.
I will see you all next week.