QUOTE: earlydiesels Posted: 01 Jul 2005, 19:21:06 Hello everyone. I'll take one of those cold, bottomless, draughts again, please. Thanks for the kind words about volunteering, Tom. I just love trains and realized several years ago that I could continue to be one of those railfans that sit around and look at pix or I could go out and help preserve what's left and hopefully get younger people involved in preservation. One of our biggest challenges at all the groups we belong to is attracting and keeping new blood. At the Midland, we have a Boy Scout program that benefits all involved and has given us several good members over the years, but we still have a tremendous need for younger folks. The wife and I are some of the youngest members on the rr. I would think that a railfan who is really interested in rrs would jump at the chance to help operate a real, live full size railroad-especially with a large metro area so close. I sure did-and we live 228 miles away! After helping out at the Midland for 8 years, I have realized lots of railfans just worship the equipment. Yeah, some of it is nice and I am glad it's been preserved, but the rolling stock has to be viewed as part of a much larger picture. It's also cold and lifeless without humans around. Many people of all ages have never ridden a train of any kind and these are the people who enjoy themselves the most and also could care less about what kind of equipment we have so long as it is comfortable. This segment of our patrons also pays most of our bills. This is not meant to be a diatribe against railfans. All of us are railfans and wouldn’t be doing any of this if we did not enjoy it. Most of us watch trains when we get a chance and some of us do special trips to look at different trains. Good Grief! I don't know where that came from and I need another beer! Gunns, people like you are the backbone of the preservation movement. I am just into operations and don't have much mechanical background. I don't even change the oil in our trucks anymore. Chris, good to hear from you again. Hang in there! Tomorrow we will be at the rr so will be back Monday. Is OUR PLACE open on the 4th, Tom? Russ, if you aren't busy you should visit the Midland Saturday or Sunday and say hello. I am marked up for relief(switch) engineer both days but just got an IM that our passing siding might be back in service tomorrow so I may be floating where ever I'm needed.
QUOTE: siberianmo Posted: 01 Jul 2005, 20:04:36 Hi earlydiesels-Dan and everyone! Friday night at the bar and the steaks 'n fries are ready for eatin' ........ beer is cold, the gals are workin ..... Juke is blarin' out some tunes and the pool tables are waitn' - What more could you ask for [?] Whatillyahave [?] Check out the beginning of Thursday's SUMMARY - good things happenin' here on the 4th! I know exactly where you're coming from .... and I agree with your assessment of preservationists and those who give a hoot about making sure that this country's loco's and rolling stock isn't confined to just pictures and film. Those who possess the skills to bring alive the E8's - steam loco's - F7's - heavyweights - cabooses - PA's - trolleys, et al - deserve one helluva pat on the back for what they do. It doesn't end there, though. Some are equally gifted in ensuring that the operations go off without a hitch - that the interiors look and feel the way they once did - that the total experience of yesterday's railroads can be recreated, even for a small segment of time! So you , and your wife, are in that category Dan, appreciated and needed as well! Enjoy the weekend! Tom
QUOTE: Gunns Posted: 01 Jul 2005, 23:41:29 Hi all, coffee, and a sandwich. Well I ruined my first pattern for the builder’s plate, not a great loss though, the materials were not up to the job of being carved to form. Plywood is too coarse grained to stand up to the carving, but I learned a lot and got a good feel for the layout. Next attempt will be with masonite and will have seperatly made letters glued on to the plate, then the masonite pattern will be glued to plywood to make up the thickness I need. Tomorrow is work day again, and a report will be forth coming. first rounds went well with nothing much to report at work, a slow night is a good night in my job<g>. later, Gunns
QUOTE: trolleyboy Posted: Today, 01:20:08 Good evening everyone. It was a long and tiring July 1st but we had a great crowd and even better weather at the museum. Tom I think in honour of my country I'll have a couple of draft Mooseheads and a crown chaser. (I'm off tthe clock and brought a seatbelt for the stool) Gunns I'm not a machinist but I would think that your on the right path for the impac gun.I know are guys tend to use manual tools for most work but none of our equipment contains large high pressure boilers.The tools of the trade just don't exist other than museum pieces(which we still use}we've been lucky enough to get tools donated from various sources over the years which were built specifically to work on our type of equipment. Our guys have "built tools" when needed we even gone to B&D and other tool companies and had specific old imperial measure tools made for us $$$ but necessary as none of our cars were built with metric parts. Shop wise I’d say a fully equipped wood and metal shop with lathes, milling machines shears etc. Good air supply compressor for the impact tools and above all the skilled people to operate them. I'm usually the shop gofer as in gofer the tool. Or I'm the grind and clean up guy. Oh well one starts at the bottom while learning. Ted Not good to put the cars in emergency like that most electrics will stand on their nose never good for the riding public. I remember one of our operators who never quite learned how to run a Whitt, we ended up not giving him a ticket as he was just hopeless in training. It is a knack and some people just aren't cut out for it. My father in law remembers training this gut and he let the pressure on the deadman off which instantly dumps the air and puts the car into emergency.(on the Peter Whitt's one must exert downward pressure on the controller while moving the car. This is the deadman kill switch ) Unfortunately 2786 the Whitt in question had the original K37 controller with Westinghouse brakes, so once the air dumps the brake cylinders lock. So the shop guys have to manually release the cylinder on the trucks to free up the brakes.25 minute job. Thankfully our training sessions are all after hours! All the Whitt's have had this feature modernized so one no longer needs to manually free the brakes in an emergency stop situation. Tom Don't tempt me, if you order some Bowsers for the Can Am I will come ( hack saw and trolley wire in hand ) I've never been to St Louis and would someday like to see it. Well gents I'm a tired and heading for the car barn. Talk to you all tomorrow. Rob
QUOTE: trolleyboy Posted: 02 July 2005, 01:25:32 Tom your right I never have been to sea.I did think of joining the RCN but ended up on a differant career path.Mind you ships are an alternate hobby of mine and I did have a one week cruise of Lake Ontario once. But that's way [#offtopic] so let me grab a round. Nite all.
QUOTE: Gunns Posted: 02 July 2005, 02:38:26 More Coffee!!, An Idea just Smote me, and Ya'll are elected to vette it, our tender has 8 wheel buckeye trucks under it, these trucks have 4 points where the side frames are pivoted to a mainframe for equalization <don’t mind the spelling it's late>, we need to bore out the frames to replace the bearings. The commercial machine costs 16000.00 and more than we want to pay even to rent, Sooo, I am thinking of building a parallel from 3 inch angle iron <a top angle welded to two side angles > placing that across the truck frames above the pivot to be bored, strapping it down then strapping a drill press <striped of its table and base> so that the center line if the drills advance is pointed down the center of the pivot point of the truck. We then put a fly cutter in the chuck <adjusted to cut the needed dia.> and punch out our holes to the right size for the new bearings. A tool extender may be needed to make the full depth of cut, but that shouldn't be a problem. Am I missing something? <other than knowing how to spell> Gunns
QUOTE: passengerfan Posted: 02 July 2005, 08:47:14 Morning All time for coffee and another diet Danish. Friend of mine who's larger than me said his doctor told him to lose weight a couple of years ago but he found a heavy doctor and that solved his problem. Just got the format all finally set the way I liked it on the forthcoming book it now stands at 266 pages and hopefully about twenty more should complete it. But I thought twenty would complete it about sixty pages ago. Anyway I am looking forward to the fourth will probably drink a fifth in celebration and feel like you know what on the fifth. Well must get on with the book bye for now But before I go continued improving health to Chris and anyone else who is ailing this AM.
QUOTE: Originally posted by earlydiesels Russ, if you aren't busy you should visit the Midland Saturday or Sunday and say hello. I am marked up for relief(switch) engineer both days but just got an IM that our passing siding might be back in service tomorrow so I may be floating whereever I'm needed.
QUOTE: Originally posted by siberianmo Hey Boris don't let him out .... C'mon back Russell .... Whazzup [?] Just come on in - leave a message - walk out [?] No hello - no brew - no food - no nuttin'! Geesh! Okay, Boris let him go .........[:(] Tom
QUOTE: Originally posted by siberianmo For: Trainnut484 Russell The round's on you and all's forgiven - ring the bell Boris [yeah] I think the point of my Email to you has been missed - check out today's SUMMARY ....... [tup] [swg] Tom
QUOTE: Originally posted by Theodorebear Congratulations[tup] Russell, I always knew you would make the grade. The K.C.S. pic. really moved the adrenalin count up "over the top." [Aside: Isn't that City Hall just to the left of the E.M.D. number board]?
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