Morning, all. And, a fine morning it is here in Masschusetts. Too bad I have to be at work. But, I did get some bicycling in yesterday, the first ride of the year. My back stiffened up afterwards, but it may have been from all that ballasting work. Almost half-done with the yard now!
tomikawaTT wrote: Like what you've done with the Heartbeak Hotel - but I have a question about the young lady in the room upstairs. Is she a blonde with a Heart Breaker tattoo on the north slope of her southern exposure?
No, I think she's more of a redhead. She did spend a bit of time sitting on my workbench in the altogether, while I turned her outfit into something more Frederick's of Hollywood, but I didn't notice any tattoos at all. Of course, that sort of thing was far less common back in the 60's than it is today.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Good evening, folks. Mr B, I'll take you up on that Strumpet.
Like what you've done with the Heartbeak Hotel - but I have a question about the young lady in the room upstairs. Is she a blonde with a Heart Breaker tattoo on the north slope of her southern exposure? (You can PM the answer.)
In my earlier comments I forgot to mention my wife's obsession - golf! No complaint on my part. It makes her a LOT more understanding about modeling expenses.
I liked the comment over in Chip's MMR thread, from the teen who didn't want to spend a couple of years qualifying for the necessary NMRA certificates. I guess that comes with the territory when you've only been shaving for a couple of years. You have to be alive for more than a couple of decades before you can develop the long view.
Two races today, NASCAR and Indy. Fun, for someone who drives a vehicle (94 Toyota X-cab) that can barely maintain the Freeway speed limit.
Thanks for the brew. See ya later,
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Mr. B .......... Thanks much. I'll try some. WOW........ it's great.......... Hey, they should serve it in the Silver Fountain (See WPF)....... I'll order some cases, please.
Also, Mr. B. I really enjoy those downtown scnes you post. The yare as realistic as can possibly be.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Hi, everyone. Garry, might I introduce you to a Strumpet Summer Ale? Brewed at the Strumpet Brewery on my Moose Bay Railroad layout. Anyone who wants one, they're on me. Don't be shy, because when this keg behind the bar is gone, that's it. (Well, nobody ever re-orders Strumpet, right, Joe?)
I spent a pretty happy weekend with yard work. Other than replacing a washer on the hose nozzle, none of this was done outside. Instead, my yard work was all on the rail yard, and I even surprised myself at how much got done. After removing all the trackwork, I flattened the whole yard area, painted it and added turf. Then I replaced the track and I've even got it about half ballasted. And, at the same time, the Big Guy upstairs watered my lawn!
For those who don't frequent Trainboard, here's the final shot of the Elvis saga, complete with the Heartbreak Hotel, a Hound Dog, and some Blue Suede Shoes:
Hello everybody. I've not hear in while, but I'm thirsty. Any suggestions?
Uh oh..tomikawaTT..... SWMBO should give a hoot about the G scale stuff. It would make a great his and her hobby.
Cheers.
MisterBeasley wrote: tomikawaTT wrote: She Who Must Be Obeyed wants to make sure that the flow doesn't damage her garden Sounds like SWMBO needs a hobby. Wouldn't the garden look better with a trestle running through it?
tomikawaTT wrote: She Who Must Be Obeyed wants to make sure that the flow doesn't damage her garden
Sounds like SWMBO needs a hobby. Wouldn't the garden look better with a trestle running through it?
She has a hobby. Actually, she has two, fine-thread lacemaking and gardening. As for a garden railroad, I actually have a basketful of G-gauge stuff (courtesy of my garage-sale-addicted sister.) When I suggested putting it to use, her immediate reaction was, "Not in MY back yard!"
And we thought only the prototype had to put up with NIMBYs!
Evening, folks. Sam Adams for me, Joe, and slide the beer nuts this way...
Well, I started surveying for the next run of benchwork, across the garage's roll-up door. First thing I have to do is clean up the Augean stable that's developed there (and the River Styx, aka Las Vegas Wash, is dry - with no rain in the forecast.)
Then, like a bolt from the blue, I got hit with a beauty of a honeydew project. When it rains around here it pours, and the weep holes in my retaining wall resemble miniature culverts. She Who Must Be Obeyed wants to make sure that the flow doesn't damage her garden - so guess who gets to dig and concrete-line a diversion structure.
I did manage to start erecting the steel framing for the new panel. Wonder when I'll be able to get back to it.
Before you all think that this is nothing but a litany of complaints - WRONG! I am very glad that I can still do all the things I mentioned, both physically and financially.
Well, tomorrow will get here whether or not I'm ready. Good night, folks.
Good evening. No yard work of any kind today. I spent the better part of the day belaying at a climbing competition. There are some kids in our area who are really talented. The oldest climber was in their mid-20's. Usually there is a wider age range, but not this time.
Glad to share a cold one with you guys this evening.
Well, exercise for the locos tomorrow.
Sue
Anything is possible if you do not know what you are talking about.
Now that's the kind of "yard work" I could get into Mr. Beasley! Good for you, that you got to spend athe day working on the railroad.
I on the other hand, worked outside during the day-light hours and only retreated to the Trainroom this evening for about two hours. I did however, finish up the caboose project and now have three more on the CCRY roster.
Even though I now have the garden planted I most likely won't have much or any time to get back to the Trainroom this coming week. Rae has her Reif Spring Dance Show and we will have company (not the dance company...that I know of anyway) in and out all week and weekend. It'll be great fun....But I know up front that there will be NO train time (other than layout tours and running a train of two) to speak of.
Yay, it's the weekend. I'll have a beer after a day of yard work.
Normally, spending a Saturday doing yard work isn't exactly my cup of tea, but today it was on my railroad yard. I started yesterday, with both the ladies out on the town with their lady friends. I built the yard a long time ago, putting down roadbed under each track. Since then, I've learned that an elevated roadbed isn't really right for a yard, and I've been wondering about what to do. I finally decided to fill the gaps with Durhams Water Putty, since it flows easily and hardens quickly, and I have a bunch in the basement. Turns out, it worked pretty well. So, now I've got a reasonably flat, but not perfectly flat, yard, and the roadbed is still in place to support the tracks. I never glued the track down, since the paper clips held it into to the foam base just fine. That made it easy to remove the track and paint the roadbed to more closely match the ground around it.
Tomorrow, if I don't get dragooned into the other kind of yard work, I'll put down the track for good. While the glue hardens up, I'll fill the spaces with some fine brown turf in a couple of different shades, and then it will be all done but the ballasting.
Good evening, Joe. I will have an Irish Coffee, please. If anyone else shows up, I will buy this round.
I am back for the weekend, so I will check in more often.
'Evening, all. Joe, I'll take up Mr B's kind offer. I'll lift a glass to ANYTHING that gets out of Low Earth Orbit.
Sue, I have (not so) fond memories of laying in firewood from my days in Tennessee. It was either that or buy Nashville Electric on the (large) installment plan.
Well, the Sumo Tournament ended as expected, and now that young Bulgarian is going to have to add a room to his home to house the stash of trophies, framed certificates, ceremonial arrows, banners... Come back in two months to see if he can repeat the performance - and get promoted to Yokozuna. If he does, he will.
(Listening to the Bulgarian Ambassador recite a rote-memorized speech in Japanese was a smile-starter. Kotooshu himself speaks fluent Nihon-go, the result of being fully immersed in the Sumo culture for about six years now.)
Now, after watching 1100 miles of major-caliber auto racing, I'm finally ready to grab a soldering tool in my hot little hand and get back at wiring. Of course, the grand plan to work on the Nonomura panel and watch the races at the same time was a thundering flop. Tomorrow will be better (I hope!)
Getting photos on the Forum is up against a temporory stall ("You want to buy WHAT???") Negotiations are continuing, but are likely to be protracted.
Garry, I like your river name! Mine, the Tomikawa, won't need water any time soon. The benchwork that will support it hasn't been built yet.
I'm off to bed - four hours earlier than last night. See ya later.
Joe, I am going to grab this bar stool, and sit with Garry and MrB. Not bad for a Sunday evening.
MrB, The Red Planet, cool. We spend time looking at the stars when the sky is clear. We have a telescope and a giant pair of binoculars. There will be no stars tonight.
Garry, Share the caboose when you are done.
Set up a round for the house, Joe. The NASA Phoenix Mars Lander is safely on the ground!
Yeah, part of me is still a Space Cadet. I always was. Long, long time ago, I was participating in a radar experiment where we were actually mapping the surface of the Red Planet. I was the first human being to see the Grand Canyon of Mars. Not too many people know that, because the Viking probes got there a few weeks later and stole our thunder, but somehow it's still nice to know.
gear-jammer wrote: Well, it is 5:00 somewhere. We worked on the closet shelves today, with some some light exercise for the Mallet while we worked out.JB, I bet you let today be the day for rest after laughing girls all night. Survivor?Garry, Can't wait to see your Branchline caboose. What fixing did you water need?Larry heads back to work tonight, so I can work on some chores that we skip when he is home. I will try to check in later.Sue
Well, it is 5:00 somewhere. We worked on the closet shelves today, with some some light exercise for the Mallet while we worked out.
JB, I bet you let today be the day for rest after laughing girls all night. Survivor?
Garry, Can't wait to see your Branchline caboose. What fixing did you water need?
Larry heads back to work tonight, so I can work on some chores that we skip when he is home. I will try to check in later.
I'm refinishing my Mrs. Hippy River using Modge Podge and Acrylic paints. It's a slow process. The caboose looks like this now. I should change the underframe and the trucks to look more like Burlington caboose practices.
Hpwdy everybody...
Mr B's downtown scenes look real especially with the lighting.
Colvinbackshop had the "oppotunity" to host a teen party with 30 of them. WOW! I bet a few beers are welcome today. Sounds like an episode for "Survivor"......
On the layout, I'm completing a branch line caboose, a nd also, I'm "fixing" my "water' under the bridge.
Hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend. We're having ribs at the lake; so stop by.
Cheers!
Good afternoon all...
Sorry I couldn't make it in to take Mr. B up on his offer. I had 30+ kids here for Raeanne's 16th birthday last evening! All REALLY good kids with no BS to have to deal with.
The party went on with a few hanging out until almost 0200 and then seven girls stayed the night...It all went well, but it's nice to have it quite here again this afternoon. Sooo...In celebration of a good party....I'll buy this round.
I still haven't gotten to the Trainroom, other than to check in the Walthers order. The passengers are going to work out just fine in the coaches, but I'm going to have to do some custom fitting in the Dinners and Tail cars, as they "sit" too high.
Other than hosting last evening's party, I'm still working mostly outside! Sue, I too now have a few cord of wood in the shed, but have much yet to do also. We didn't burn more this past season, as you have mentioned, but even though it was a warmer winter...It was longer and we went through just as much!! At least it wasn't propane!
Well...Back to the grind. I've got three carpentry projects going today and hope to finish at least two of them.
Hey, good evening, Joe. I thought that I would stop by for a quick one before heading to bed. Put it on MrB's tab. Sounds like he is providing some unusual varieties.
MrB, The pizza sign looks great. I have enjoyed your journey with neon signs. The beer story cracked me up as well.
Today there was no layout time. We brought in several loads of wood. Now is the time to store next winters firewood. We burned 2 years worth this winter, so I plan on being prepared next year.
MisterBeasley wrote: Sorry for the sequential posts, Joe, but, well, this is the best place for this.A while back, my wife bought me a case of beer. It was a "specialty" case, with 6 different varieties in the same big box. -snip- All these bozos did was put six different labels on six identical bottles.Sorry, Your Honor. I drank the evidence. Yeah, they were all the same, but in all honesty, I've had worse.
Sorry for the sequential posts, Joe, but, well, this is the best place for this.
A while back, my wife bought me a case of beer. It was a "specialty" case, with 6 different varieties in the same big box. -snip- All these bozos did was put six different labels on six identical bottles.
Sorry, Your Honor. I drank the evidence. Yeah, they were all the same, but in all honesty, I've had worse.
Reminds me of the 'false colors' label the Iron City Brewery put on some of their product. The Label? Olde Frothingslosh! (Somehow I doubt that the foam was really on the bottom.)
Got an E-mail from a non-posting forumite that really got my engaged. I had suggested that the unused contacts on DPDTs used for Tortoise machines with dual power supplies could be used for panel indicators. Happyfolk wanted me to give him(?) complete circuit design, LED specifications, resistor values, wire sizes??? Luckily for him, he gave me no way to communicate with him. Giving helpful suggestions is one thing. Authoring a text for Basic Electricity 101 is a bit much.
Well, the second of today's NASCAR races just finished. Just time to grab a nap before watching Kotooshu accept the Emperor's Cup at the end of tonight's final-day sumo action. No question that the big Bulgarian is going to get the cup. He has a two-win margin on his closest competitor, which might be closed to one win but can't be reduced to zero.
So, the obvious question - a Bulgarian rikishi about to win a tournament in the most tradition-bound of Japanese sports? Yup. Of course, if he had stayed in Bulgaria he would probably be a prime contender in Olympic-level weightlifting. He has the build - muscles in places where most people don't even have places, and very little excess fat. And he has no problem lifting 150+ kilo opponents and moving them around. The weights on barbells aren't wiggling, squirming and trying to grab the lifter by the belt...
Two more races tomorrow, Indy and the Coca-Cola 600. Then, just maybe, I'll be able to get back to the railroad.
A while back, my wife bought me a case of beer. It was a "specialty" case, with 6 different varieties in the same big box. "Cool," thought I. So, I put a few in the fridge and proceeded to enjoy them. I was careful to avoid the Weizen (wheat) beer, because I really don't like it, thinking that it tastes like something from the dentist's office.)
Anyway, as happens, all good things come to an end. There was nothing left in the case but the Weizens, so I popped one in the fridge. A few hours later, I opened it, and my vague suspicions from comparing the others was confirmed. This beer tasted just like all the others! Not only wasn't it a Weizen, it wasn't any different from the IPA, or the Honey Brown Ale, or any of the others. All these bozos did was put six different labels on six identical bottles.
Good afternoon. Gee, it's half-past Beer Thirty already. I guess I'll start with a Harpoon IPA, and another for anyone else who shows up. Thanks, Joe.
The Pizza signs have been added to Suzanne's House of Beef. These are from Miller Engineering. I think they've been discontinued, but Walthers still has a few in stock. I mounted a pair of them back-to-back so they would be lit from either side.
These take 3 volts DC, and they come with AAA battery holders. For now, I mounted them on the second story of the building, which is not lit up from the inside. The bottom floor is illuminated, with some interior detailing. One of these days, I might run wires down under the base and connect these up to a power supply, but for now I'll see how long the batteries last. The building sits right above the subway station, so it's on a liftoff section. Wiring is a royal pain in the pepperoni, so I can live with this "temporary" solution for a while.
The Hotel sign is in, too, but one of these days I need to make up a video to give you the full effect. I did get that wired down below. It needs a 4.5 volt DC supply, which I didn't have handy, so for now I've got it wired to under-the-table batteries. Since the back side of the sign doesn't show from the normal viewing angle, I scanned the sign itself and printed it on the computer, and then put that up behind it so the letters wouldn't be backwards. I've ordered a Preiser "Vampire" to complete the Heartbreak Hotel scene. "Count Elvis" will be repainted into a facsimile of The King.
Bump.
Hey, Joe, an Irish Coffee sounds good, please. We will see if anyone else shows up this evening. This is a good weekend to not be on the road.
Joe, I thought that I would stop by for a cold one.
Mike, It looks like you are really moving with the scenery. I think that my eyes would cross if I worked in N scale.
Chuck, We had a heat wave this weekend. It hit 90. Records were set all over western Washington. I will bet that you were well above 100 down your way. It is egg frying time on the sidewalk.
MrB, Glad to see that you are working hard with those interiors. It all looks so natural. As much time goes into the planning, as into the construction. Great job.
JB, We are working outside, too. Larry and I finished reinforcing a section of fence in the lower field. With the steers in that field, we can get back to cutting and splitting firewood.
This is a long work week for me so I should head to bed.
Good morning gang. Just a coffee this morning please.
Well...I did predict this scenario a while back! With the poor weather and late Spring (we had snow falling on the Sat. of Mother's Day weekend) I was sure having fun in the Trainroom, but at the same thinking "I'm going to be so far behind when the weather breaks". It's all come true!
I haven't been in the Trainroom all last week and it looks as though I won't be for some time to come. The demands of other projects are piling up faster than I thought possible! Out-door projects (firewood, garden, siding the addition....), indoor projects (some finish and trim carpentry) and of course the normal running about and work are NOW top priority.
I did however order seated passengers, coupler conversions (for the Flyer passenger fleet) and a few other odds and ends from Walthers one day last week and expect that to arrive any day now. That MAY demand at least a few hours in the Trainroom one day this week!
Chuck, I too am looking forward to seeing a few pics of the progress you are making.
Well, I'm done with the coffee and I had better get going....I have fifteen bails worth of straw to remove from atop the septic and move to the garden this morning.
Good to see you up and feeling better, Chuck. I'll take advantage of your offer, and then put another round on my tab.
I am so psyched to see pictures of your layout. Yeah, a lot of people post staging pictures, but yours is something special, a real work of engineering prowess, from all I've read. The whole concept of your layout is unique, and I've been eagerly awaiting photos.
I'm still in small-project mode. Here's the latest increment of the Heartbreak Hotel job. It's DPM's First National Bank, but I added a Miller Engineering sign to the front, and some interior lighting. That made the insides look bleak, so the next step was to detail the interior, at least a bit:
No, I didn't mean to "objectify" the young lady by not showing her face. The window shades were in there long ago, and it was only after I put the picture up on the computer screen that I realized I need to trim a quarter inch off the bottom of that shade, and re-take the picture. So, when you see this on photo fun, you can get a glimpse of the pretty little thing waiting for the King.
I found a wood floor pattern first, and then a Persion rug picture which I put over it, and after printing the composite image I pasted it to the floor. I scratch-built a bed out of styrene. Not too comfortable, I suspect, but I've slept on worse.
The figure, incidentally, was not originally clad in Victoria's Secret apparel. She's a Preiser "teenage girl," and I first repainted her dress and the rest in flesh tone, and then used a black acrylic wash to add the nightgown.
Howdy, everybody. Joe, the round's on me.
Well, I now have four digital photos of the netherworld that cover the short-train staging throat, one #5 spring switch and a long curved turnout (including the switch machine and its fishing line linkage.) Now that I've got one toe in the water, I'll have to get the rest of the procedure figured out so you can all see (and hopefully not laugh at) the steel-framed monster in the garage.
My wife and I have finally thrown off the bug that bit us, but I'm still not up to speed. Of course, staying up until 2AM to watch the May Grand Sumo Tournament live from Tokyo probably doesn't help...
Somehow, the threads have gotten a bit confused lately. Gotta love the one about the fire inspector and the foam layout. Then, I thought I was pretty lonesome using mini Christmas lamps for lighting. Turns out a lot of other folks are using them, too. (Of course, you can't beat the price!)
Whoops! Chow call. See ya...
Today is the 20th anniversary of a terrible accident.
A drunk driver drove his truck into a church bus on I-71 near Carrolton, KY killing 27 people.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrollton_bus_collision
I see the signs posted each time I drive to Cincinnati from here. It's between Louisville,KY and Cincinnati, OH.
So, please remind others to stay sober while driving.
Meanwhile, Happy Model Railroading, everybody.
Morning all. Joe. I'll have a bowl of cold cerial this morning with my coffee. Thanks.
The Cat dealer is in HO scale, I seem to toggle between the two. Sometimes I work on HO and sometimes I work in N scale, depending on what I feel like doing.
Lately I have been working on some N scale mountains. I tried using the foam and doing the carving but had no luck at it all so I scrapped that idea. I simply cannot get the cliffs to look right, they always seem to look ''fake''. I am trying using cast rocks to make the cliffs along the tracks and filling the insides with balls of newspaper and doing the hardshell thing. So far I like how it is comming out, What do you think?
I will have to carve out the foam on the tall cliff along the river to get the rock casting to be somewhat flush with the rest of the rocks. I kinda of like the way the tunnel came out, The rocks on the hardshell are just laid in place for now, I will add them perminately when I get around to mixing some ground goop.
Just thought I would share with you what I am doing and hopefully get some of your opinions. Has anything like this ever been done sucessfully?
Take care and have a good day. Mike