General Discussion (Model Railroader)

Good Evening Diners!

Just got back from getting the flu jab. The queue wasn't very long but it still took 11/2 hours by the time we got out. There was a form to fill in, the Triage but I guess it wasn't bad. It was for the H1N1 and they also had the seasonal flu shots if you wanted so I thought, why not as it only added 5 minutes to the process.

Jim, I did see the Doc about my finger tendon and he said all I could do was watch not to strain it further and that it would likely take a couple of months to heal. I did take my wife's ergonomic mouse to work today and found it much better. It is like a pistol grip and although for a right hand it worked ok for my  left. I use it left handed at work, as I am left handed, but at home I use a right handed mouse as that was what the CEO uses.

John, great photos of those CN vandy tenders! It looks like they are behind 6060 which for those of you who may not know, is a CN Mountain that is still operational and is run in Alberta. I find the vandy tenders that CN sometimes used to be very attractive. I wanted to put one on my BMan light mountain but the one B Man has is too long to be passed off as a CN unit.

That decoder I put into a Mehano Hudson actually works! I also put a sound decoder in the tender. Although it is just a cheapee MRC Sounder I think it works and sounds fine for $28. I now have a PK2 S3 on the bench and it looks like a simple plug in job. TCS makes a special harness for this loco which helps a lot. That will just leave a PK2 0-8-0 that needs a decoder and it will be a sound one just as soon as I decide which one. I know Tsunami is best but I balk at the $100+ price tag. I have a Digitrax with soundbug in my 0-6-0. The motor control is great but the sound really isn't any better than the Sounder.

Yes Duke, I have noticed the loco hauling those reefers at the top of the page. Some sort of northern isn't it but it seems to be short a couple of wheels on the pilot truck. Maybe it is a modified mike. What do you think?

Hope everyone has a good day tomorrow,

CN Charlie

Evenin' folks!

Zoe just a cup of decafe to let me unwind a bit!  I'll be at the back booth listening to Duke .

Got home a while ago from the monthly meeting of the Rochester Chapter of the National Railroad Hysterical Historical Society.  Very long, dark, dreary drive both ways.  Absolutely black outside tonight with drizzle, fog, and rain.  We were treated to a slide show of British Railways including some of there gorgeous steam.  Worth the long drive.

Just got done putting out the trash and recycling for tomorrow's pick up.  Time to crawl off to bed I guess.  Have a good one and prayers for all in need.

73

Evening all. Chloe, I'll take a RBF, thanks.

Just got home from the 1st hockey practice a while ago. It's a lot different now that we're Varsity. But it's still just as fun.

I'm tired, so Ima go ta sleep. Catchyalater.

WHAT???!!! Dad gum it, I missed the pizza buffet again. Oh well, one of these days I'll get in on it. How about a piece of Apple Bread and a glass of milk.

Things went fairly well today for me. I'm sorry you couldn't say the same Ulrich.

Attaboy- Good . Rarely if ever do I mean things the way they sound if it doesn't sound right. I'm told I have a dry sense of humor and unless you‘re face to face with me some people take it the wrong way. I'm working on that now that I spend time typing at people. Brenda says things don't "sound" the same typed as when I speak. I think they do but then again I hear voices anyway.

Sawyer- Not to long ago I ran for about an hour every other day. (Thank you federal tax payers for paying me while I did that). Now I'm lucky to run across the room without having to rest.

Jim- Wouldn't it be great if we could build a layout, and had the room, around all the neat structures there are instead of the other way around. And Nooooo. As a matter of fact I had no firewater that night I'm sure. Not specifically do I remember, but it was before supper and mainly because I was driving. Therefore..... No hooch. Actually I was looking for Tunks and for some reason couldn't find it that night (found it the next night) and stumbled on the Lonestar. Which like I said turned out to be closed. Lunch, by the way, was a disappointing visit to Popeyes Chicken. No Crawfish. I assumed I would be in for a delicious crawfish poorboy and some gumbo but I was wrong. Probably, after thinking about it, they would have zero sales from the corporate frozen stuff compared to what was available elsewhere in the state known for that little piece of bait.

Prayers for those in need.

CN  Naw,all the wheels are there and if you look close you can see it is the 765

  Yeah this retirement thing is kinda rough but it sure is FUN!!!!! 

Good morning. Coffee and some breakfast casserole please and could you pour some sausage gravy over that. Thank you . THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LINCOLN HAS ISSUED A DENSE FOG ADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CST THIS MORNING. VISIBILITIES IN MANY AREAS WAS LESS THAN A QUARTER OF A MILE IN DENSE FOG. IN SOME AREAS...SURFACE TEMPERATURES HAVE BEEN AT OR JUST BELOW FREEZING EARLY THIS MORNING. MOISTURE AND FROST DEPOSITED ON ROADWAYS...ESPECIALLY BRIDGE DECKS AND OVERPASSES COULD BE QUITE SLIPPERY FOR A TIME THIS MORNING. IF POSSIBLE PLEASE CONSIDER TAKING A TRAIN. YOU MAY LIKE IT. LOCATIONS ALONG RIVER VALLEYS AND IN LOW LYING AREAS WERE EXPERIENCING THE WORST VISIBILITIES THIS MORNING. ... Well, that explains it. But, it looks like no rain! Sunny with a high of 53. Wow! I thought I was a sleepyhead this morn.

Might just work out to be a train day. I certainly hope so.

Let's see gotta go to the grocery store, unload the truck, take note on the temperature and how I feel at the time, then decide whether I'll clean the tractor or just get the pressure washer ready for winter. A wise man once said (and I quote) "Never do now, what you can put off for later. Lest you end up like a dead fly. Laying around with nothing to do."

Have a Great Day!!!

Lee- Looks like your social life has increased since your retirement . Well, at least from the first job.

Good Morning All,

   Rainy and mid 30's  this morning and more coming over the weekend. Train show in sorta nearby Cheshire this weekend so a friend and I will go. Not much else going on beyond doing the museum stuff and with no hobby area yet it'll be difficult for a while longer. I am still toying with the idea of using one of my new book shelves for a switching shelf layout but need to see how much room is left after the books are up. The shelves are in the den and the choices will be 7 or 10 feet x 1 foot. Sounds suspiciously like Nearly iNvisible gage to me.

Attaboy - attaboy ! ROFdom here you come. I all seriousness hopeyour last day of scheduled w..k goes well. Once you actually retire I hear you'll be on the clock 24/7.

Jeff - you seem to have turned the diner into a patchwork convention. I do love seeing the UP's patched but look out for their legal brigade. You may get trouble from "defacing" their intellectual rights

So let me get this straight. It's foggy enough that you can't see the patch ice that's formed on the roads and you are actually thinking of driving on it when you don't really have to? The other half of the old saw is "Never put off til tomorrow what you can put off to the day after tomorrow".

On the subject of roundabouts, i like them. We' had two on SR80 (still there) when I lived on the shoreline. Instant skidpad ! I don't favor monuments in the middle though as sometimes you need to straightline the entry when enthusiasm overcomes caution. As a cure for a stop light on every intersection they are a great time saver. You can have the suicide lanes though, Around here they'd just double as a passing lane.

Gotta get back to it, hope Ulrich has a better time at reeducation class today. Not good to get wound up every day. I'd opt for asking to telecommute and then announce that you don't have a cable connection yet. In other words - try to work the same magic you did at the rehab facility.    CUL, J.R.

GMTRacing:

Jeff - you seem to have turned the diner into a patchwork convention. I do love seeing the UP's patched but look out for their legal brigade. You may get trouble from "defacing" their intellectual rights

Good morning. It's 51 and cloudy. The high will be near 60 and rain is likely.

Never did get around to giving those two structures the mortar line treatment. I've just been too tired. Maybe I'll get them done. The Home Health nurse will be coming by today to change my dressings and do the usual checkup. Other than that it seems like it will be an uneventful day.

 Good morning.  Nice/sunny/some what warm day today.  We also might see some "snow" on thanskgiving.   Just don't know yet.  You know how the weather likes to change.

 Not much planned today.  Just sit around, and maybe do something to the layout.  

 Hope everybody has a good day.

Good MidMorning

Woke up to 2 hour bus delays because of that ol' fog. We got those 30% chance of showers mixed in with sunny periods---and it is currently 30%ing on us--current temperature is 5C going to a high of 11C

Gotta do a few things today to get ready for those weekend class seminar thingees--my layout is just starting to look like I can say that there is something working out---tried out some new turnouts I made up and aside from doing a bit of filing some points down it seems to work OK---

Chloe, I'll just have a coffee and a teabiscuit please---oh--cheddar will do ----I'll be at the RC for now

GMTRacing:

you are actually thinking of driving on it when you don't really have to?

Nope! Putin' it off 'til later.

  "Coffee Please~"

   Der John, Thank you for the nice reply.  It was pure food for thought.  I'm going to take this one at a time here.. sentence by sentence.  After all,  it did cause me to go through a pile of boxes. ... looking .. and low and behold..more tract crossovers.  Ok.. here we go.

Keith: I'm re-moddeling my freight yard re-placing Peco sharps with Peco Mediums.  John, I believe these are 'Mediums'  They measure... a hair under 5 inches.  I am aware of a smaller version... and the longer ones are a bit .. well too long.  Seems in this particular 'Brain Teaser'  I have only so much space for a turnout,  croissover .. and those 'X' cross-overs.. i.e. ... each one takes up precious space.  They are almost as magic wishes.  But I must admit.. just laying out the pieces .. has been fun.. and as I put it.. a Brain Teaser. ok.

  That's because I can't get my 50" and longer cars to track in reverse as whole cuts of cars through the sharp turnouts.d   If your equipment is going to be passenger, then I'd re-think the sharp Pecos. However, in their defense, I have to say that a series of two crossovers made from Peco Sharps, to access the secondary passenger terminal in my passenger yard, takes the 80' cars in both directions without complaint.  My friend... there are so many ideas swimming through my head.  The only thing I can say is.. well.. "I'd like that.. and tthat .. and this.. and.. "    Just like a kid in a Candy Shop.  All I can say.. is..

 1. I'd like the ability for the trains to run both ways.  But at the same time.. I would like for them to be able to race up the mountain in the same direction.. and pull long lengths of cars.  

2.  I want a continuous tract,  that is,  if left alone.. this 'run' can and will be a long one.  Ok.. here we go..  if Main #1 is left un- touched.. I am thinking it could then go on up to a higher level.. which then returns back down... then if left un-touched.. it switches over to  Main # 2 completing that cycle.. and perhaps switching back to Main # 1.   To me,  that is the fun of running trains.  Although a working train / frieght yard is ideal and sought after.  By the way .. don't worry about the electrical side of this.. I am a retired  old x ray tech.. that was taught real electrical classes.. and could still draw out a 'seft-rectified generator'  .. 3 phrase 12 pulse .. the works.  But this whole project should be a fun one and a brain teaser.  

  Perhaps it's the overall number of cars / cut that is the difference. I run short (4 cars max) through that set of turnouts.   Once again, after layiing out some track and turnouts,  I soon realized the magic wishes I have.. very few and .. what ever I do come up with.. a mirror image of these turnouts and crossovers is almost a must on the other side.  Also, I did post a pic of this particular level as being one of my longest and it measured Loco and tender plus 5 passenger cars.  But that was then... I have realized.. when you pull off the main.. all your cars have to clear the 'hot' main.  Just adding a turnout on each side.. takes up what.. at least 2 passenger cars.. maybe 3.. lol.  Maybe I can run a Zephyr line.. that has a minimum of 3 and a max of 4.. lol.  And also,  the station has to be in the middle of all this as well ... so you can clear the Hot track on both sides.  Yes.. my head is swimming right now.. just as yours.. as you read this. 

Your thought of getting the actual turnouts and trying the configurations out "on site" gets a HUGE from me.   Its the only way for me.. I gotta see it with my own eyes. It has even gotten Jeanne involved.. and thats important.  She looks at it.. and then gives her input.. I must admit.. she has been a great help.  The family that runs trains together ...  stays together..  and this will be a whole family of running trains.  But thanks John,  you've given me so much help here.. I only wish I had photos of what I've got.. but I can't find the batter charger to the camera.. and its driving me crazy.  Oh well I do have 3 models to finish today. 

 It's what I'm  doing, even after CapeJim's helpful computer assisted drawings of my basic plan.  You mean .. we have an expert here?  Wow.. whoa.. well maybe he replied to this particular.. dilemma.. lol.. nah.. I won't bother the guy.  Besides.. its kinda fun watching us stumble through all this.  More to come.. but Thanks John.. I really do appreciate it.

Keith

Coffee TO GO, please.

Have farm chores to do today. If I don't run out of steam, perhaps there will be some train room time this evening. 

Have a good day all.

Rob