I don’t know what is it about Fall. Makes me want to go back to modeling, even though it isn’t cold and wet yet ...
This past week, I have been adding about 25 feet of mainline, a three-track station and two industry yards At two ends of the station. Track is laid, feeders added and installed 7 tortoises.
Today is wiring ... 6 sections from the BDL-168 to the new area. Plus two DS-64s for the tortoises. Wonder if I can finish this today. I may have a DS-64 laying around somewhere.
The smell of solder is in the air!
NP
Sounds interesting and will keep you busy.
Pictures will be appreciated by all.
Happy Rail Roading
Bob
Don't Ever Give Up
Fall for me has become model assembly time. Winter is almost here and I will be able to airbrush in the garage again. For six months of the year it is too hot and humid.
.
For those six months I have been planning and applying decals.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
For me fall is the begining of the treasure hunts at Train Shows.
As for modeling,I model 365 days a year.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
NP01 I don’t know what is it about Fall. Makes me want to go back to modeling, even though it isn’t cold and wet yet ...
So, model railroading season is upon us. The smell of cut plywood is in the air !
Rich
Alton Junction
NP01even though it isn’t cold
For me cold is just a theory.
That is except for the annual business trip to Indianapolis every year in February. I don't know how anyone can live like that.
About 7 years ago we had an extended duration of "cold" weather when the low was in the 50s for over two weeks. My wife and I took a 10 day trip to South America, where it was Summer. It was a "bargain" vacation package where we spent the entire time in a resort in the middle of a desert. It was less than $100.00 per day because it was the off season. There were only a handful of other people there. Easily the best vacation ever. I don't remember ever being more relaxed.
SeeYou190 For me cold is just a theory.. That is except for the annual business trip to Indianapolis every year in February. I don't know how anyone can live like that. About 7 years ago we had an extended duration of "cold" weather when the low was in the 50s for over two weeks.
For me cold is just a theory..
About 7 years ago we had an extended duration of "cold" weather when the low was in the 50s for over two weeks.
I spent my first post-retirement winter in Fort Myers, Florida. When the temps dropped below 70, the golf courses were deserted. Up here in the Chicago area, so long as the temperature remains at least 40, we play.
Here in southern California we get cold if the temperature drops below 75. The temperature at the start of the 1st game of the World Series was 103. Anyway fall is the beginning of model railroad season for me too. It's too hot to build bench work or anything else outside during the summer. I build models or paint them while watching football games. I also do spring cleaning of my railroad this time of year so that it looks it's best during Christmas vacation.
Here we go, the people with "nice" weather get to raz the people with sucky weather. Lets see, I've lived in Indiana, Texas, Southern Califorinia, Northern Califorina, central NY and now live in northern Virginia; also I've spent a fair amount of time in Florida ranging from March to August.
Weatherwise:
Southern California probably has everywhere else beat from my own experiences, very mild winters (sweater now and then) and hot dry summers - but cons basment? Not so much. Cost of living high, cost of fuel high, imagine traffic is fun.
Northern California - (Sacramento area) almost as good as southern California but in my 14 years there I saw snow only twice in Davis and it melted same day. Of course if you wanted to ski you only had to drive a couple hours up into the Sierra's and head home after the lifts closed around 4:30. Basements, rare. Not sure about economy and traffic there as been a long time since I've lived there.
While I was going to college in Bloomington Indiana, I made frequent visits to Chicago where my sister lived for many years. Winter of 1983 was wicked. High temperature was -10 and low was -25 with wind child factor -83. My VW Rabbit wouldn't start unless I heated up the engine with a heat blower. When you were outside snot froze in your nose! Basements - common but outside, no thanks! Indiana had cold winters almost as wicked and summer so humid you could cut the air with a knife. I had a garage layout there but the temp and humdity swings played havoc with my track. Indiana isn't really high on my favorite places. Job market so so, traffic not too bad. Nice falls.
I lived in Houston Texas a couple years - summers low 70, high 90 like clockwork and humid. Basments? Heck, even 1st floors were flood prone as we saw with the recent hurricane. After seeing that recently, I can't ever see moving back there. When I left, the job market was bad - not sure about now but I imagine the hurricane had a negative effect.
Florida, yeah, mild winters and hot humid summers. Perfect for snow birds to escape the wicked and long northeast winters of central NY where I lived. Basements, rare I would imagine. Hurricanes a yearly threat. No thanks. Lots of retired folks of course and zoning makes much of it look like a giant strip mall.
I ended up in northern Virginia since 2009 and weatherwise, not so bad compared to many places I've lived - best times of year are fall and spring. Ocassional snow storms but winters relatively mild, summers often hot and semi humid but not as bad as the midwest where you can cut the air with a knife. Basements, very common here. Con's: Cost of living near Washington is very high and commuter traffic among the worst in the country. Get up very early and work 10 hour days minimizes it and leaves an extra day each week for hobby or chores.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
So I live in Northern California ... Palo Alto, to be exact. Half-way between San Francisco and San Jose. Winters are a bit colder and wetter than SoCal, but nature is closer and cities are compact So I like it.
There are few basements here, but fortunately our house (103 years old) has one. I have put it to good use ... we also have our washer/dryer, water heater, HVAC and network hub and a gaming PC here so a true utility room + man cave.
I need to find a hosting site for photos, photobuc seems to have kicked the bucket or nearly so.
When I came home from Vietnam it was July. We landed at Ft Lewis in Washington state at ~ 4 AM. It was 70 degrees and I thought I was going freeze to death. It's all in what you get used to.
But, cold weather is here and it's time to get some serious work done on the layout.
It doesn't seem to get as cool here in southern Ontario as it did in the past, but I always enjoyed this temperature chart:
Canadian Temperature Conversion Chart
50 Fahrenheit (10 C)
Melbourners try to turn on the heat.
Canadians plant gardens.
40 Fahrenheit (4.4 C)
Californians shiver uncontrollably
Canadians Sunbathe.
35 Fahrenheit (1.6 C)
Italian Cars won't start
Canadians drive with the windows down
32 Fahrenheit (0 C)
Distilled water freezes
Canadians play hockey.
0 Fahrenheit (-17.9 C)
New York City landlords finally turn on the heat.
Canadians have the last cookout of the season.
-40 Fahrenheit (-40 C)
Hollywood disintegrates.
Canadians go ice fishing.
-60 Fahrenheit (-51 C)
Mt. St. Helen's freezes.
Canadian Girl Guides still selling cookies door-to-door.
-100 Fahrenheit (-73 C)
Santa Claus abandons the North Pole
Canadians pull down their earflaps.
-173 Fahrenheit (-114 C)
Ethyl alcohol freezes.
Canadians get frustrated when they can't thaw the keg.
-459.4 Fahrenheit (-273 C)
Absolute zero; all atomic motion stops.
Canadians start saying "cold, eh? "
-500 Fahrenheit (-295 C)
Hell freezes over.
The Leafs win the Cup and Canadians start getting
ready for next winter.
You see Canada only has two seasons, winter and next winter
Wayne
Hey, Wayne, I noticed from your chart that it never gets warmer than 50 Fahrenheit in Canada.
richhotrain Hey, Wayne, I noticed from your chart that it never gets warmer than 50 Fahrenheit in Canada. Rich
Rich, it often feels like it doesn't. While temperatures over-all are supposedly warmer than they've been in the past, I can't recall a day in the last decade-or-so that it's even hit 90°F, and I'm pretty close to as far south as one can get in Canada.
doctorwayne It doesn't seem to get as cool here in southern Ontario as it did in the past, but I always enjoyed this temperature chart: Canadian Temperature Conversion Chart 50 Fahrenheit (10 C) Melbourners try to turn on the heat. Canadians plant gardens. 40 Fahrenheit (4.4 C) Californians shiver uncontrollably Canadians Sunbathe. 35 Fahrenheit (1.6 C) Italian Cars won't start Canadians drive with the windows down 32 Fahrenheit (0 C) Distilled water freezes Canadians play hockey. 0 Fahrenheit (-17.9 C) New York City landlords finally turn on the heat. Canadians have the last cookout of the season. -40 Fahrenheit (-40 C) Hollywood disintegrates. Canadians go ice fishing. -60 Fahrenheit (-51 C) Mt. St. Helen's freezes. Canadian Girl Guides still selling cookies door-to-door. -100 Fahrenheit (-73 C) Santa Claus abandons the North Pole Canadians pull down their earflaps. -173 Fahrenheit (-114 C) Ethyl alcohol freezes. Canadians get frustrated when they can't thaw the keg. -459.4 Fahrenheit (-273 C) Absolute zero; all atomic motion stops. Canadians start saying "cold, eh? " -500 Fahrenheit (-295 C) Hell freezes over. The Leafs win the Cup and Canadians start getting ready for next winter. You see Canada only has two seasons, winter and next winter Wayne
Wayne. That's some hilarious stuff. I really got a kick out of it.
I grew up on a resort by the Canadian border 30 miles south of International Falls ( Frostbite Falls) in the Voyagers National Park wilderness. I do remember 60 below actual, with a 90 below wind chill. After that point it really doesn't matter what the thermometer says. Cold is Cold.
I understand you have some great tasting Canadian walleye up there "A". I always heard the further north you go the sweeter taste of the fish. The rumor may be a finlander thing. Who knows could be true.
I'll mail you some dry ice for shipping. You return mail me some fresh Canadian Walleye midwinter that you catch in your shanty. You may not need the dry ice in the 90 below zero you catch the walleye in, I'm sure it will keep.
Regards
Track Fiddler
PS. Just wrap it in foil, I'm sure that'll be fine.
Wayne,
That is a rip off of the temperature chart from Scotland. Looks like the some Canadian stole it - I've only ever seen it from Scotland until that immitation version.
Scotland has Canada totally beat! Remember, they wear kilts and don't need no stinking Bob and Doug Mckenzie ear muffs - those lightweights!
BTW, don't ask a Scot what is under that kilt,
This thread has gone off the rails (pun intended).
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com