Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

I don't understand Armstrongs book..

5479 views
42 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    November 2002
  • From: US
  • 4,648 posts
I don't understand Armstrongs book..
Posted by jacon12 on Wednesday, May 25, 2005 6:59 PM
I've read it and reread it and I just don't get it!

Ok, so I'll read it again while the glue dries on the foam.
Jarrell
 HO Scale DCC Modeler of 1950, give or take 30 years.
  • Member since
    February 2005
  • From: Los Angeles
  • 1,619 posts
Posted by West Coast S on Wednesday, May 25, 2005 7:13 PM
Hmm.........Whats wrong here? Sorry for the distraction, I just responded to an incident involving a attractive, extremely, upset female that as her anger increased so did the state of her undress until almost nothing remained. Now Back to the subject, have you tried reading it back to front?

Dave[oX)]
SP the way it was in S scale
  • Member since
    June 2003
  • From: Culpeper, Va
  • 8,204 posts
Posted by IRONROOSTER on Wednesday, May 25, 2005 7:23 PM
The book is helpful when you build the layout on page 9 in the April issue.[:)]

Enjoy
Paul
If you're having fun, you're doing it the right way.
  • Member since
    November 2002
  • From: US
  • 4,648 posts
Posted by jacon12 on Wednesday, May 25, 2005 7:46 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by West Coast S

Hmm.........Whats wrong here? Sorry for the distraction, I just responded to an incident involving a attractive, extremely, upset female that as her anger increased so did the state of her undress until almost nothing remained. Now Back to the subject, have you tried reading it back to front?

Dave[oX)]

If you had called me I would have been more than glad to lend a hand[}:)]
Jarrell
 HO Scale DCC Modeler of 1950, give or take 30 years.
  • Member since
    November 2002
  • From: US
  • 4,648 posts
Posted by jacon12 on Wednesday, May 25, 2005 7:48 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by IRONROOSTER

The book is helpful when you build the layout on page 9 in the April issue.[:)]

Enjoy
Paul

April issue April issue, now where is that April issue...
 HO Scale DCC Modeler of 1950, give or take 30 years.
  • Member since
    February 2005
  • From: Los Angeles
  • 1,619 posts
Posted by West Coast S on Wednesday, May 25, 2005 7:59 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by jacon12

QUOTE: Originally posted by West Coast S

Hmm.........Whats wrong here? Sorry for the distraction, I just responded to an incident involving a attractive, extremely, upset female that as her anger increased so did the state of her undress until almost nothing remained. Now Back to the subject, have you tried reading it back to front?

Dave[oX)]

If you had called me I would have been more than glad to lend a hand[}:)]
Jarrell
Sometimes I love my job, other times[censored]

Dave[oX)]
SP the way it was in S scale
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Santa Fe, NM
  • 1,169 posts
Posted by Adelie on Wednesday, May 25, 2005 8:11 PM
I got it. Jarrell, I think I found the problem!!!

From the looks of the picture, I think you got the Southern Hemisphere edition of the book. If you fly down to Australia the book will make sense.

Just tryin' to hepp.

[D)]

- Mark

  • Member since
    November 2002
  • From: US
  • 4,648 posts
Posted by jacon12 on Wednesday, May 25, 2005 9:10 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by Adelie

I got it. Jarrell, I think I found the problem!!!

From the looks of the picture, I think you got the Southern Hemisphere edition of the book. If you fly down to Australia the book will make sense.

Just tryin' to hepp.

[D)]

I appreciate that, Adelie. It looked sorta like Greek to me.
Jarrell
 HO Scale DCC Modeler of 1950, give or take 30 years.
  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Reading, PA
  • 30,002 posts
Posted by rrinker on Wednesday, May 25, 2005 9:18 PM
Ahhhh..it IS Greek. Being the Model Railroad equvalent to Aristotle and Plato and Socrates (minus the hemlock), John Armstrong ALWAYS wrote in Greek, so as to appear more scholarly - especially around the 'snoots' who didn't feel this hobby is 'intellectual' enough.

--Randy

Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Rimrock, Arizona
  • 11,251 posts
Posted by SpaceMouse on Wednesday, May 25, 2005 9:38 PM
I read Armstrong like I used to read Baba Ram Das. Read a page, then think about it the rest of the day.

Chip

Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, May 25, 2005 9:39 PM
Jarrell,

No one understands Armstrongs book...We all just pretend to and then build what we want.......You're the first to actually admit it....

Or.....You got the mac version....it wont run on your software......

Or....I'm waiting for the movie version...

Or...You need the hardback edition....

Or.....The foldout is in upside down...

Well these are pretty lame........I'll quit now




  • Member since
    February 2005
  • 210 posts
Posted by tigerstripe on Wednesday, May 25, 2005 9:46 PM
I can tell from your picture, the answer is painfully obvious.

Your not wearing your train shirt. You do have a train shirt, don't you?

Also try skipping all the big words and just look at the pictures.
  • Member since
    February 2005
  • From: Vancouver Island, BC
  • 23,330 posts
Posted by selector on Wednesday, May 25, 2005 10:20 PM
I think you need to take the inverse of the contents, Jarrell. If you multiply them by the reciprocal, or 1/X, you will get the true value of Armstrong's book.

By the way, PLEASE tell me that you aren't holding that revered text in the sinister hand? That could set a whole nuther chain of events into motion and your layout could end up looking like a Leggo project.
  • Member since
    June 2003
  • From: CANADA
  • 2,292 posts
Posted by ereimer on Wednesday, May 25, 2005 10:30 PM
the problem is obviously that the version of the book and the version of the user are not compatible . the book is too new and the user is too old ! [:D]

if you had the same version i have (5th printing , 1973 . still has the $3.50 price tag on the front!) you'd have no problem understanding it
  • Member since
    February 2005
  • From: Vancouver Island, BC
  • 23,330 posts
Posted by selector on Wednesday, May 25, 2005 11:58 PM
Are you saying, ereimer, that Jarrell is a 486 in a Pentium world?
Moderator
  • Member since
    June 2003
  • From: Northeast OH
  • 17,249 posts
Posted by tstage on Thursday, May 26, 2005 12:13 AM
If ereimer says "PDP11", we could have a fight on our hands...

Tom

https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling

Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.

  • Member since
    November 2002
  • From: US
  • 4,648 posts
Posted by jacon12 on Thursday, May 26, 2005 6:41 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by rrinker

Ahhhh..it IS Greek. Being the Model Railroad equvalent to Aristotle and Plato and Socrates (minus the hemlock), John Armstrong ALWAYS wrote in Greek, so as to appear more scholarly - especially around the 'snoots' who didn't feel this hobby is 'intellectual' enough.

--Randy

From now on I'll read it with my tweed sports coat on (leather patches on elbows) and a pipe in my hand.
Jarrell
 HO Scale DCC Modeler of 1950, give or take 30 years.
  • Member since
    November 2002
  • From: US
  • 4,648 posts
Posted by jacon12 on Thursday, May 26, 2005 6:44 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by SpaceMouse

I read Armstrong like I used to read Baba Ram Das. Read a page, then think about it the rest of the day.

Hey! I know Baba Ram Das! That's ol man Das' boy from over around Ludawisi! What a small world!
Jarrell
 HO Scale DCC Modeler of 1950, give or take 30 years.
  • Member since
    November 2002
  • From: US
  • 4,648 posts
Posted by jacon12 on Thursday, May 26, 2005 6:45 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by Trainnut1250

Jarrell,

No one understands Armstrongs book...We all just pretend to and then build what we want.......You're the first to actually admit it....

Or.....You got the mac version....it wont run on your software......

Or....I'm waiting for the movie version...

Or...You need the hardback edition....

Or.....The foldout is in upside down...

Well these are pretty lame........I'll quit now






"We all just pretend to and then build what we want..."
I like that part!
Jarrell
 HO Scale DCC Modeler of 1950, give or take 30 years.
  • Member since
    November 2002
  • From: US
  • 4,648 posts
Posted by jacon12 on Thursday, May 26, 2005 6:46 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by tigerstripe

I can tell from your picture, the answer is painfully obvious.

Your not wearing your train shirt. You do have a train shirt, don't you?

Also try skipping all the big words and just look at the pictures.

Does an engineers cap count?
Jarrell
 HO Scale DCC Modeler of 1950, give or take 30 years.
  • Member since
    November 2002
  • From: US
  • 4,648 posts
Posted by jacon12 on Thursday, May 26, 2005 6:49 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by selector

I think you need to take the inverse of the contents, Jarrell. If you multiply them by the reciprocal, or 1/X, you will get the true value of Armstrong's book.

By the way, PLEASE tell me that you aren't holding that revered text in the sinister hand? That could set a whole nuther chain of events into motion and your layout could end up looking like a Leggo project.

I see the little kids at train shows over at the Leggo layout. They're havin' ALL the fun! Not a one of them looked stressed out over frogs.
Jarrell
 HO Scale DCC Modeler of 1950, give or take 30 years.
  • Member since
    November 2002
  • From: US
  • 4,648 posts
Posted by jacon12 on Thursday, May 26, 2005 6:52 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by ereimer

the problem is obviously that the version of the book and the version of the user are not compatible . the book is too new and the user is too old ! [:D]

if you had the same version i have (5th printing , 1973 . still has the $3.50 price tag on the front!) you'd have no problem understanding it

Ahhhh... 1973... what a year that was. I don't remember it but it must have been a good one. Wasn't gasoline still less that 40 cents a gallon?
Jarrell
 HO Scale DCC Modeler of 1950, give or take 30 years.
  • Member since
    November 2002
  • From: US
  • 4,648 posts
Posted by jacon12 on Thursday, May 26, 2005 6:55 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by selector

Are you saying, ereimer, that Jarrell is a 486 in a Pentium world?

486? Was that a Chevrolet? I'll have you guys know my first computer was a Windows 95 Pentium Crashevery5minutes!
Jarrell
 HO Scale DCC Modeler of 1950, give or take 30 years.
  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Reading, PA
  • 30,002 posts
Posted by rrinker on Thursday, May 26, 2005 7:26 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by tstage

If ereimer says "PDP11", we could have a fight on our hands...

Tom


You got something against PDP11's? At one of my jobs we had one as part of a machine we got, I fixed it all up and got it to run. Pretty amazing I could support 3 users with the monster 4k of memory. Those big removeable disk platters were cool. The same guy who developed RS/X did VMS and then went to Microsoft to work on NT. I had fun with that system, if I could get a working one I might set one up at home.

--Randy

Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, May 26, 2005 8:32 AM
Totally off subject, but since you guys started talking about old and possibly useless pieces of computing equipment :

I saw where a guy made a raid-5 array out of floppy drives.

If any of you know what a raid 5 array is, you're laughing right now.

If you don't know what a raid 5 array is, firstly you're probably better off not knowing, and secondly lets just say the guy that designed it had way too much time on his hands.
  • Member since
    June 2003
  • From: CANADA
  • 2,292 posts
Posted by ereimer on Thursday, May 26, 2005 10:15 AM
486 ? maybe
PDP-11 naw , nobody is that old
i don't know what gasoline cost back then , first vehicle was a 1976 Honda 550K
motorcycle , got so many miles to the gallon that i never really cared how much it cost
and it was only about a 3 gallon tank anyway
floppy drive raid ? heheh that's good , wish i'd seen it . 5 meg was the 1st hard drive i ever used , cost about $3000 (it wasn't mine!)
  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
  • 21,483 posts
Posted by MisterBeasley on Thursday, May 26, 2005 11:16 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by ereimer

PDP-11 naw , nobody is that old


Old? I remember when the PDP-11 was the new kid on the block. I started coding on IBM 360 mainframes. My first real job was with a Univac 490. The air conditioning bill for it was twice my salary. Coded it in an assembler called "Spurt" on punch cards.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

Moderator
  • Member since
    June 2003
  • From: Northeast OH
  • 17,249 posts
Posted by tstage on Thursday, May 26, 2005 11:44 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by rrinker

QUOTE: Originally posted by tstage

If ereimer says "PDP11", we could have a fight on our hands...

Tom


You got something against PDP11's? At one of my jobs we had one as part of a machine we got, I fixed it all up and got it to run. Pretty amazing I could support 3 users with the monster 4k of memory. Those big removeable disk platters were cool. The same guy who developed RS/X did VMS and then went to Microsoft to work on NT. I had fun with that system, if I could get a working one I might set one up at home.

--Randy


Noooo - I was just recollecting something a bit older than a 486, 386, or 286. The PDP11 is as far back a computer that I actually know the name of. Randy, I'm not sure if you are really interested but I may know where you could get your hands on one...

Tom

https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling

Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Rimrock, Arizona
  • 11,251 posts
Posted by SpaceMouse on Thursday, May 26, 2005 12:48 PM
My first was a Trash 80. The deluxe one with 4K memory and a tape drive. Wrote a bookkeeping program sort of like Quicken back when BASIC was basic and it took 45 seconds to process a check.

Chip

Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.

  • Member since
    January 2004
  • From: Crosby, Texas
  • 3,660 posts
Posted by cwclark on Thursday, May 26, 2005 1:48 PM
maybe someday they'll come out with a version of "Model Railroading for Dummies"...boy!..i sure could use that!...chuck[:D]

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!