Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
Morning all!
It's still cold, but not nearly enough for snow.
Ken: So many interesting ideas... I'm going to keep the ready-mix plant, it gives my gravel plant a purpose. I wonder if anyone makes a covered hopper unloading area... I have no idea how I'd make that.
Jeff: Looks like your having fun with that 2-10-2. I hope BLI can finally kick their UP TTT-6 into production so I can try and get one online for cheap.
See ya all later.Mark
Good Afternoon All,
Never got over 24F yeaterday but I got the plow truck fixed to fight another day at the museum. We had the company Christmas party last night - almost 30 people - we may be getting too big for our britches. More snow and sleet throughout the night but after 57 years without we got a snow blower and it cut right through it.
Getting the rest of my chores done then it's off to the shop to finish a radiator and start on a couple of battery boxes for other projects.
Here's the remains of the Yosemite Valley Railroad at ElPortal. The loco is from the Hetch Hetchy logging railroad as apparently the only surviving YVR power is languishing in a Merced junkyard.
All for now - keep up the good work PC those are some nicely composed shots - J.R.
Hoople wrote:Jeff: Looks like your having fun with that 2-10-2. I hope BLI can finally kick their UP TTT-6 into production so I can try and get one online for cheap.
inch53 wrote:
Thanks for the Christmas candy, Inch. I will be right over.
JR, I have been enjoying your Yosemite photos. I have climbed there, but ElPortal I had not heard of.
This morning, I planted trees on the layout. Larry has a good creative eye, so we usually do it together. I would take photos, but it would look funny with all the sticks propping the trees up.
Later, Sue
PS. I guess it is my turn to buy. Lunch is on me.
Anything is possible if you do not know what you are talking about.
Afternoon, Diners! I brought in a large pot of beef stew that ought to be just about right for taking some of the chill off today.
Janie, I'll have a bowl of it, some cheese, and a good slice of bread, with a hot cocoa and a glass of milk, please. Thanks, Sue!
PC, that ice layer partway down your 'snow sandwich' is the stuff that might take a bit to get melted. Got the ice melt/salt stuff for your walks and driveway when you do have to get out?
Jeff - I sent you an email (not through the forum, though), so let me know if you get it. 28?! Does anyone there in Louisiana actually sell thermometers that go that low? That's hard to believe - and I'm not sending any snow your way. Hey, I like seeing snow up here (so long as the hot cocoa holds out and the heat works).
Ken, I'm sure you're glad the power came back on. That is a long time without the power (especially when you get up at 3 a.m. to tend the stove). Get a good nap in, and hope your power stays on for a long, long while(!)...
Inch, you're making my mouth water, just looking at those delicious delights that Deb made! DO thank her (and her helper(s)) for us, please!
Jerry, sounds like you do have better-than-average neighbors, if the ramp 'mysteriously' gets cleared off. And I'd say that working on the bridge of the turntable does count as MRR'ing, yup!
JR, thanks for posting the YVRR pics - that Shay is in suprisingly good (external) condition for its age. Shame they couldn't use that for tourist runs up to the park, but might not be as easy to find mechanics who still remember how to fix and tune up a Shay. I hadn't realized (due to lack of pics I've seen of YVRR engines) they used Shays. I knew about the log car pulleys on the steepest branch of the YVRR (from some John Allen layout designs loosely based on the YVRR).
Cold breezes outside today, but our roads are quite driveable. My broom and some scraping (which went pretty quickly) cleared the windows and windshield very well. Right now, looks like some of the stuff is melting out there - as of about 20 minutes ago, it was 33 F and sunny outside.
Think I'll get back to my stew and some of Deb's candy that Mike brought in. Janie, could I please have a couple of peanut brittle pieces and a couple of those - are those brownies with powdered sugar sprinkled on them, Inch? (the ones on the lower left) But those chocolatey-looking ones in the middle look pretty tasty, too...Mmm let me have one of those, please, just to sample.
Back to the eating now. Prayers for continuing healing for those with these nasty cold-things, for Sallie and for PC's wife and any others laid up sick for now who I've missed (my apologies). How's everyone's shopping coming along? Anyone else (beside me) who hasn't started yet? (No, I wasn't kidding...short list, and everyone on my list this year wants cash or gift certificate)
Blessings, and stay warm 'n' dry,
Jim in 'balmy' Cape Girardeau
JimRCGMO wrote:Jeff - I sent you an email (not through the forum, though), so let me know if you get it. 28?! Does anyone there in Louisiana actually sell thermometers that go that low? That's hard to believe - and I'm not sending any snow your way. Hey, I like seeing snow up here (so long as the hot cocoa holds out and the heat works).
Hi Crew,
Hope you all are well this Christmas season.
I haven't been here in a while. Wanted to inquire if anyone knows that status of our friend Elliot (Big Boy 4005).
It's been a long time since I've last seen a post from him and I pray that he is doing well.
Peace.
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
JimRCGMO wrote: PC, that ice layer partway down your 'snow sandwich' is the stuff that might take a bit to get melted. Got the ice melt/salt stuff for your walks and driveway when you do have to get out?
Shoot! I haven't even opened the front door today except when the neighbor kid rang the bell. I've got my turkey in the oven, the laundry washing, and a fresh pot of Carmel Truffle flavored coffee. I'm just fine right here where I'm at!
Balmy Jim- Thanks for your wish of continued power! The section of the power grid that I live in still has wire from the early 50's so sometimes its a crap shoot during a sunny breezy day if the lights stay on or off. That 7 or so hours does appear to be a world record repair after consulting a neighbor or 2.
hoople-2 simple options for unloading a covered hopper. 1- have it unseen in a building if space permits OR 2- build what appears to be a trench between the rails and install some scale-sized grates every few scale feet for the length of your longest hopper. The area on each side of the rails would need to appear to be concrete and have a conveyor protruding from ground level and heading towards a building or your aggregate storage piles. Sounds more complicated than I think it would be to model.
I'll have one of those Jim sized coffees, please & thank you.
***Ken, hope you power stays on. I'll be keeping a fire going in our cabin the next couple nights to keep the pipes from freezing, even though we don't live in it any longer.
***Jeffrey, nice to see some steam on your layout.
***JR, excellent photos of the old logging loco. Wish Atlas would produce a model of that in N scale.
Low tonight will be 24 degrees, so off now to finish wrapping some pipes and get the fire going in the cabin. Also need to throw some more hay out. The critters really go through it when the temps drop.
Healing thoughts to those in need. Rob
Hi Guys and gals,
Chloe, when you get a minute, I would like a cinnamon and raisin Bagel with strawberry cream cheese, and Hot chocolate to flush. Thanks much...
Good to see you have all survived the lashing of the "WinterGods". And just so you know, It was still snowing up here until about an hour ago. Maybe CN Charlie will step up to the plate and let us know if this system has reached him yet, 363 miles east of us in Winnipeg {Winterpeg} and on the way to you fine folks in the Mid-West US.
JR> you and all the rest of the crew, have to get ahold of that Red Green video where he makes a 4X4 out of two K-cars by cutting them in half and using the two front sections. The two back sections he puts together as a garden shed. It is a real hoot.
Inch> I hope you know a good tailor, as you will have to have all your clothes let out after filling up on all those Christmas goodies your lovely wife is producing there.
Jerry. I too was just blessed by a young man from next door, he had cleaned my driveway of the snow while I was at Church this morning. There is hope for todays youth even though we sometimes have trouble seeing it. I feel in my heart that the old physics theory must apply in everything. That being to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. I will believe that is the PLAN anyway. As all the trouble and threats arise around the world and at home there seems to be an increase in neighbourlyness (spell check) and brotherly love as well.
Ken & Paul> and any others, I really feel for you when there is a power outage. Today we are so reliant on electricity that the cows can't even give their milk without it. During that big ice storm of nine years ago in Ontario, Quebec and the north-eastern states, I was busy hauling generators down there so the farmers could keep there operations running. But still alot of them had to throw out gallons of milk as they couldn't maintain the right temp. for it. What a shame, and then there was the poultry farmers and the stories just go on and on. Many tradegies at those times.
I have to go back to church here in a while as it is our Christmas Cantata this evening and I am one of the narrators. These are some of the great things about this season. and I love it.
Just recieved two bulkhead Flatcars, with pipe loads, in the mail. It is unusual for them to deliver on Sunday. However I guess they have so much to get out that they have put on other shifts. These are in my Favorite road, WP of course and two different road numbers. Bought off E-bay from a seller in Wisconsin. In our LHS. they would have been $29.95 a piece and I got the pair of them including postage for $40.00. They are brand new as well. Sweet !!!!!!!!!!!
My wife is giving me heck for having that Bagel, Chloe, as she now wants me to have some supper before I go back to the Church.
Stay Smiling crew it could be alot worse. Especially if you were to wake up in the morning and find that you are under the grass.. Will check in later.
Johnboy out............
James:1 Verse:5
The "Wobbly" will be late, it has to wait.
from Saskatchewan, in the Great White North..
We have met the enemy, and he is us............ (Pogo)
Sue and Jim - the YVRR used 4-4-0's, 2-6-0's and one 2-8-0. The Yosemite Lumber Company used Shays. El Portal was the northern terminus of the railroad and exists today as a couple of buildings and the rolling stock and water tower you see in the pictures. The Shay pictured was used by the Hetch Hetchy Lumber Company on the other side of the valley. When the railroad closed in the 1940's, all the track was torn up and the right of way is probably all converted to blacktop by now. The National Park Service occupies the site and is playing with a museum covering the operations. They brought the Shay down to El Portal. I think both the Yosemite and Hetch Hetchy logging roads dragged their locomotives up the inclines to the forests using donkey engines with the Yosemite side including a 76% grade at the top.
The Sugar Pine Scenic Railway has a pair of either Shays or Heislers and the CASS has a few as well in West Virginia. Both Jack Burgess and Hank Johnston have written books about the railroads of Yosemite though I've only read Johnstons' so far.
Johnboy - my personal favorite is the Robin Reliant space shuttle from Top Gear J.R.
Actually this mornings power outage brings back memories of a few years back. I think around 02 or 03, dec 24, about noon time it started snowing sorta heavy. The heavy wet stuff. By 3pm the lights went out. Spent christmas eve until dec 28 or 29 cooking off the wood/coal stove and the grill outside. Finally the power comes back on.....finally we could stop heating snow on the wood stove for the quick baths........finally I could sleep more than 2 hours and not need to worry about keeping the fire going.
For christmas dinner that year we had ham steaks on the grill, stove top stuffing, green beans, corn and alot of other fine foods heated on that lil ole wood stove.
Evening.
Dumb birdies hurt the cowboys... My principal will eat it up.
Ken: Well, pits, pits, and more pits. I was going to do that for the sand and gravel. I guess the cement will do the same.
Jeff: A TTT-6 is Union Pacific's 2-10-2. Two-Ten-Two, TTT, 6 for the 6th version. UP wasn't creative with names then I guess... TTT, FEF... etc.
See all ya guys later.
Mark
OK, Janie, we can't have the Diner getting moved to a siding further back, so I'm back in. Could I please have a cup of eggnog (even if I get the TOP - knowing what a bunch of chowhounds these folks can be... )?
Thanks! And [whew!] I didn't hit TOP. Not payday yet, and hadn't brought an apron with me.
An interesting new thread out in the forums - guy whose father turned 70 and the poster is trying to get Dad interested again in MRR'ing. The poster/son noticed that the Dad has some train equipment from years ago, and is asking for suggestions on how to "re-infect" him with the MRR'ing 'bug'.
I've been working on a GC Laser truck bed kit (for the CMW R-190 flatbed trucks). I'm having trouble getting the support cross-joists to fit the jig they provide to help with assembly. That, and trying to decide which glue I want to use, since I want to paint it afterward (with Floquil, since that's what I have for now). So I decided to take a break for now and stop in at the Diner.
Well, I'll sit and work on my eggnog a while and see who else comes by.
Jim in Cape Girardeau
Hey guys. Thanks for the Cake.
I forgot to menchion one important thing about my BL2. It's truly an antique. when I opened it up that was the first time it had been opened scence it was put into the box at the manufacture's factory. and it was the only HO loco that had knuckle couplers at the railroad measum my nana and papa got it at. plus it so happend to be a BAR loco. IMAGINE THAT!!! A BAR loco in Australia!!!
Good Evening Coffee Clubbers,
Another beautiful day down here in Paradise. A "cold" wave blew in today and the temperature never got above 24º, C that is. At least the a/c is off for today.
Got the lights up outside, so that's some little progress. Still need to complete the tree, but most of what's left is in Fran's domain.
Due to "stuff" we didn't plan on, we haven't been out to the orange grove in a week. Hope we can get out tomorrow, if only to restock on fruit. Coffee Shop patrons don't have to worry as the regular crew keeps on with the harvest and shipment even when we're not around. At least they're supposed to do so.
Inch - the candy looks good. I see you have help in the cookie decorating department!
Antonio - Long time no see. No, we haven't heard from Elliott. Last news wasn't that good. I suspect he's too occupied fighting the disease to have time to log in. Of course, I'm not here all the time but I suspect we would have heard if he had posted anywhere.
Jack Burgess is certainly an expert on the YVRR. He has his own model railroad that seems to be very prototype faithful. Here's a link to his website, which has lots of info on the YVRR. If you scroll down to the "Model Railroad Tour" tab, you get to see some photos of his layout.
http://www.yosemitevalleyrr.com/
Colby - I'm glad you explained how they got that loco. I was trying to figure out how they went to Australia and came back with a BAR loco.
Okay, have to run and watch the NY Giants.
Hasta mañana,
Ed
Good stormy evening Diners: Just a quick drop in, and time perhaps to grab a bowl of CapeJim's beef stew.
I forget who was asking what happened to this year. Maybe I've got a security camera pic of that assault.
Antonio. I've just gone back into the old Coffee Shop, dusted off a stool and wrote a note to Elliot. Don't know if we'll get a reply, but I'll put it here if I do.
Happy to report progress on the "cover the blue desert" project. There lots yet to be done in terms of finishing detail. But the desert now is beaten back to the upper level yard and the city streets. Also, track ballasting over much of the layout will be a necessary priority in the new Year. Here's shots from Friday and Saturday.
The ground cover crosses the river.
A food distribution facility gets some parking roughed in. An access road to the area behind a grain handling plant. This was too wide, and I cut it about in half! That was a chore as the thing has four sets of drain culverts. Here's the thin version.
...and the paved parking for the distribution centre. ...a long shot of the whole newly sceniced area.
The upper level will be more paint and ballast than sawdust and glue type ground covers, so may go quite quickly, starting with track painting of the entire yard. Hope I can mask the walls OK.
Bedtime, I think. all and God Bless. Prayers for healing for Mrs PC, and all in need of healing, comfort and peace.
"There are always alternatives, Captain" - Spock.
Hoople, i really hate seeing a well meaning cowboy getting pooped on by a bird.
Anyway, wasn't really thinking about my last post concerning hopper unloading in your situation. Wanted to make sure I could post before the power went out the door again (which it did about 5:50pm or so) Sorry! For hopper unloading of cement I'd suggest something like the following idea-from your silo (yes, it would look good with one or more) run a scale 6" diameter pipe to a scale 10'x10' building which sits between the silo and the target hopper parking spot. This building can serve as the means of removing the cement from the hopper by a scale 6" diameter vaccum hose and blow it up to the silo.
gotta go..........lights are flickering again!
-Morgan
Hello everyone ......
Colby ... I like the BL2.
JR ......... Thanks for sharing photos of the shay and the caboose. nice!
Der ..... I'm glad to see the progress on your layout!
Philip .... I know you are busy taking care of Mrs. PC, your kids, and your home. I'll be thinking and praying for Mrs. PC's surgery Tuesday.
Sue's planting trees. Great to hear that.
Any more progress reports? It's about time for another one of those superintendant inspection trips. You need to show your progress.
I built a Kibri building. It's supposed to be a brewery, but I have a large brewery complex already. Therefore, this building will serve as something else. The Kibri kit went together very nicely. One thought is to be a bakery to make scrumptious goodies and be a destination for flour from my flour mill. I have other ideas too.
I wonder if any of our good Canadian friends could send some real Canadian bacon to the diner. There's already plenty of toast, but Canadian bacon would be nice. Tim Hortons coffee, too, of course.
Happy Model Railroading.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Evening Gang:
Hoople: I've seen a couple of operations here that receive sand and gravel in gondolas. The use a hydraulic excavator mounted on a high platform that has crawler tracks at the bottom of the legs. It straddles the siding and moves down the train unloading in to trucks along side. Another way is to have a ramp at the end of the siding for the track excavator to crawl up and onto the car. It then moves to the first car and starts digging the load out of the car and putting it into a truck along side. It continues back along the cut of cars until it back off at the end. Just a thought. Rob: Someone is making a shay in iNvisable scale. I saw a couple at the last train show and they ran very well. Side crank shafts and drive shafts turned and they looked good.
Colby that BL-2 really looks good. I like the paint job and the detail is really good. It is funny that they found it in New Zealand.
Cloe I'll have a couple of Usinger brats with sauerkraut
Well I guess I'll head for bed. Oh, we did get the part D taken care of. Now we just have to get the paper work here for the supplemental Medicare insurance and I can relax, That is until the first bills arrive.
Good Night All
Howdy y'all!
Sounds like many of you are having fun in the beautiful weather just like we are here in Oklahoma. It did get above freezing today, so most of the ice and snow from yesterday melted. I finally got grandma hooked back to the power grid today, she's been on generator since Monday, so Dad and I have been making two trips a day down to her house (it's about a forty minute drive one way) to fill the generator with gas and change the oil every 48 hours. They got her back on this afternoon though, so I pulled the plug on the gen. and put the meter back in.
We had the 62nd annual town Christmas pageant last night, it was inside the gym at school this year instead of on Main Street because of the weather. It's not quite as neat when it's inside, but it's really easier for all concerned since less stuff has to be moved up to the tree.
Well, that's about all for tonight, see y'all later,
Greg
Sounds like the whole continent is having disagreeable weather, all except for Ed's neck of the woods, but thats the price you pay for living in paradise. And Paul gets to work on plumbing to boot.
On Sat AM, we delivered care packages to some of the less fortunate folks in Redkey, (the town we live in) and of the 18 people assisting, 14 were my in-laws or nephews and nieces. We delivered 3 pickup truck loads of chow, then we loaded the same 3 trucks up with wood for my FIL and MIL, as we were doing that it started to snow, by the time we were finished, we needed 4-High to get around. The snow tapered off around 1300, and after that it was off and on, with freezing rain mixed in. Just more Hoosier weather, actually make's the cornfields look pretty for a few days. Took an hour and a half to de-ice the vehs and shovel paths for the in-laws, but it was pretty while we were doing it.
We are in the final stages of wrapping up the dry wall mudding and sanding in the room addition, and I hope to put a coat of primer on tomorrow....well, today, now. We need to seal the dust as best we can, our nephew is arriving from Hawai'i on Thurs, he has some asthma issues and breathing drywall dust probably isn't the best thing for him. Of course, going from Hickam AFB, 81F and ptly cldy, to Redkey, 20F and 8" of snow might send him into coughing fits anyway. He said he wanted a white C-mas, looks like he's gonna get it.
He's staying until the 5th, then we move our bedroom into the addition and the old bedroom becomes the hobby room. Finally will have enough room to build something, even if it's wrong.
Hope everyone is (pick one) warm/dry/better/better off/ than they were yesterday. Take care all.
Don't have the priviledge of buying too often, so eat, drink, and make merry!
The check is in the mail.
Good morning from northeast Indiana where it has stopped snowing and is a cool 18 degrees. Just finished up a long process of finally laying out my steam engine era service terminal, and combination freight yard. Been playing with different arrangemmenst for almost two months now. Finally settled on a track arrangement derived from Kalmbach books on the subjects.Finally settled on a suitable location for my Walthers 130 foot turntable and associated roundhouse.
Finished my Walthers Cornerstone City Station passenger terminal, and that will get installed soon with passenger station siding off the inside mainline.
Next comes the reversing loop at one end of the layout.Presently my two main lines run around the outside of the tables ( 6 feet wide by 24 feet long.) Nice big radius curves, I have three of my BLI steamers running at this time, my J1, My M1a and one of my T1 duplexes.
Two eggs over easy, raisin toast, 4 slices of bacon and a hot coffee please!Everyone have a good day!
The K4Kid
Working on the Pennsy
OK guys, somethings bothering me and I'm going to comment on it. Don't want to get a war started, but what the hey.
Hurricane33 posted a question about which track with attached roadbed was best to use. He is a new member, and this was his second post. His first also dealt with that same subject.
I was the first to answer him even though 40 other members read his post. It sounded like he needed a bit of feedback. I replied that, while I had not heard alot of bad comments on any particular brand of track, I had heard that Kato made a decent product.
Then two other members commented that all track with roadbed attached was substandard and one mentioned that until that type of track came with spiral easements etc etc.
I, for one, have not lost the memory of what it was like entering this hobby. Even though it was 45 years ago for me, I remember wondering which engine, track or powerpack was better than others, and I spent alot of cash foolishly because there was no MR Forum to ask questions in.
After reading the two other replies, I guess I should have told hurricane33 to get out of this hobby, because he was obviously too ignorant to play trains with those of us who handlay HOn30 O27/N/S and a half double slip switches!
When I was 15, I attended my very first trainshow. I was in awe of a display layout, and asked how they made the huge forest of trees covering a hillside. An older spectator, looking at the same layout, answered "They took cottonballs and mounted them on toothpicks and spray painted them, I thought EVERYBODY knew that!" I went to more shows, but I made sure I didn't ask any more "stupid" questions. And, after 38 years, I remember how ignorant I felt for asking what I thought was a legitimate question.
If this forum can't accomodate all model railroaders, new and old alike, is it any wonder that the hobby suffers for it?
And who left that soapbox at the top of the page?
Sorry guys, didn't mean to get sooooo serious! Have an extra piece of pie on me!
Good Morning from Tipton IN !
Bill Tidler Jr.
Near a cornfield in Indiana...