Good morning, all. Coffee for me, Joe, and a bagel with cream cheese. Thanks.
Mike, is the Cat dealer in HO or N? Are you still working both sides of the fence?
I'm still in small, completeable projects mode, and even then, I'm not completing much. I've never done water, so I did a few "test pours" to try out techniques. I tried different things, and realized that I still need to try some more before I do this for real. I had already put down a small 2-inch wide pond on my layout, just painted styrene, so I put some Envirotex on that, too, while I had the stuff out. That one came out pretty well, and I finished it up last night with some flocking and a couple of more trees.
The Heartbreak Hotel is close to done. It just needs more details, including The King. I put lights inside, besides the Miller Engineering sign, and found it looked pretty empty. So, I made up a "floor" for the third story by downloading wood planking and overlaying that with a downloaded picture of a Persian carpet. A bit of furniture and a figure or two, and that room should look pretty good.
Still playing with the trolley sounds, too. Davidmbedard has been giving me advice on some of this stuff over on the DCC forum. I'm going to want to re-code some of the sound files to boost the volume and activate a few more buttons, so there's a learning curve on how to do this. Sure glad I've got the forums to come to for advice. Thanks, Dave.
Kind of breezy here in Massachusetts, with temperatures in the low 50's today. Mothers' Day was beautiful, though. Kind of reminded me of our first Mothers' Day, when our daughter Annie was christened. Sunny, warm and with everything suddenly in bloom, it was one for the ages.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Good evening, Joe. I will take one of your dark beers on tap, thanks.
Mike, I saw your Cat dealership on WPF. Looks like you are working fast and furiously.
JR, I see the passenger sets on special in the Walthers sale catalogs from time to time. I bought one hoping to stretch it into a couple of cars. Your woodshed activities sound like ours. We burned two years worth of wood this winter trying to reduce the electric bill. Larry fell enough trees to keep us in wood for quite some time. The goal is to cut and split all of it and chip the branches by fall.
Well, time for bed.
Sue
Anything is possible if you do not know what you are talking about.
It's time for a cold one Joe...and set the place up for a round on me.
We have had some good weather the past few days and I am busy with out-door chores. I'm now doing actual landscaping, planting a few shrubs, working in the garden a bit and also working on filling my wood-shed for next year! And with that, the weather forecast is for a freeze again tonight...So I had better start a fire and bring in some additional fire wood, before heading off to work this evening!!
I had mentioned that my passenger car project is on hold for lack of passengers...I did order some seated passengers, so I hope to finish that up real soon. But with that project on hold and the painting bug still biting....I started on three new cabooses for the CCRY. I now have them painted and ready for some lettering.
I also am doing some more landscaping / detailing at Toivo Kallio's homestead, planting a few more trees, building a garage, painting up a car and tractor, and putting down another layer of "turf". Raeanne's friend Rachelle was out in the Trainroom on Sat. night and asked if I was going to finish the layout before I died.....I said "most likely not...but I'm having fun!"
Enough said about that!!!
Morning all. Joe, I'll have the classic, Bacon and eggs this morning, with coffee. Thanks.
Rain, Heavy rain this morning, electricity out for a while then on and off for a while, looks like it might be going to clear out for a while.
Got my order from Walthers yesterday so I have been working on my Cat dealership. I have got the buildings mostly together, except for the windows and doors and the sort, I am in the process of painting them, then do the details. The shop building is made up from 2 of the Pikestuff 60' X 70' warehouses. I put in overhead doors along each side and one in each end. The shop ended up being 70' X 120'. Then I am building an Office/Parts building from another smaller Pikestuff building. The Cat Dealership will be called ''ALLISON CAT", named after my great niece, you might remember her pic I posted last summer with a wrench for a teething toy.
The Cat dealership will take up quite a bit of real estate, somewhere around the 2 1/2' X 3 1/2' range, I don't know the exact figures yet, but it will make an interesting busisness on the layout with new Cats comming and going on the rails behind the shop.
Guess I better go for now, I need to run to town and pick up some black paint. It is good to be back to modeling again, Have a good day. Mike
Good morning...Good to see a few old faces!
I've been working long and late, but did get to the Trainroom for a bit one day last week. I'm still working on the pass. cars, but they are on hold for additional passengers for now. Guess I need to place an order with Walthers.
Chuck, sorry to hear that you and the Mrs. are feeling poorly! If you are sounding froggy, coughing and totally punky....Sounds like the same flu that hit us here!
Gotta' run. I have a list a mile long...And that's just the outdoor chores / projects for today!
I will have a coffee for the road, Joe. And a good morning to all.
MrB, You sound like me with your back log of kits. I have a handfull of laser-cut kits. They are really fun. I put them together and Larry paints them. So many of our projects we do together. It is nice to have a critique as you work. I would jump on some of Walthers' background buildings, but the have all been out of stock lately. I started the coaling tower when I was sick early in April and I can't get back to it.
Your hockey outings sound like my rock gym evenings. Good exercise and a fun time.
Chuck, Hope you and your wife get past the crud. The one out here in Washington is hanging on longer than usual.
'Evening, Sue. Think I'll take you up on a Corona before I settle down to some serious drinking.
Howdy, Mister Beasley. Caught your cautionary tale about the sticking turnout toggle. Happily, that's a problem that the hot probe system eliminates completely - hard to make a hot probe stick! (I really liked the one laddy who strongly urged using pushbuttons instead of toggles - as if pushbuttons don't stick.)
Just got back from putting my daughter and grandson on a plane - thank God! I love my daughter dearly and my grandson is cute, but they brought their pet virus with them, and the four-year-old is totally undisciplined. Trying to get him to cooperate with ANYTHING was an exercise in herding cats, and you can figure how far that flew in an old-line Japanese/military household. I think the only thing that saved his life was that my wife has been too sick to kill him.
Guess I'll go off into a corner and not quite die. My wife isn't the only sick one. I sound like Jeremiah Bullfrog and feel like freshly ground hamburger. Maybe, if I feel better tomorrow, I'll get some work done on the railroad for the first time in two weeks...
Good night, all.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Hey, thanks, Sue. I'll take you up on that. Whatever is coming out of the tap for me. I've already had a few cans down at the hockey rink. I brought salsa, cheese and corn chips for our post-game Cinco de Mayo festivities. (Normally it's potato chips or pretzels.) Since I don't pay for ice time (I'm a goalie) I figure I can bring a few snacks for the guys who are paying $30 a night to shoot hockey pucks at me. Yeah, high fuel prices again, driving up the cost of operating a rink.
Not much to report. I Dul-Coted and "weathered" my garage mechanics, but they're not on the layout yet. I also did some aging on a pair of beer reefers. They were just too new looking, one bright white and the other yellow.
I was looking at the "ice" thread and thinking about my own Walthers Ice House kit, which has been sitting in the box gathering dust for close to a year now. Along with the Parkview Terrace and the Weimer's Mill kits, I've got a backlog. Maybe I'll start one this weekend.
Joe, I think that I will sit on this bar stool for a while to see if anyone stops by. I think that a Margarita would be fitting for the post Cinco de Mayo party.
MrB & JR, I think that I will try alcohol, too.
Larry did some work on his trestle this weekend. I was going to take some pictures, but didn't get to it. Some days I just drag. One more work day and my week is over. On Thursday, I am taking a friend in for carpel tunnel surgery. She had the other wrist done 20 years ago so she should do fine.
No one has been too active here, so I will buy this round, Joe. Maybe it will stir up some activity.
I'll have a Strumpet IPA, since we're discussing alcohol, and bring out some nachos for the gang. Thanks.
Well, ski season is over, but it's still in the 40's here in New England. Rain and other unpleasantness, too. But, at least that means that I can't go outside and do stuff that needs to be done to the lawn and driveway, so I can spend some time with the trains.
I got my PR2 to download sound files to the Digitrax SFX0416 in the trolley car. Now, at least it doesn't sound like a steam engine anymore. Overall, though, I'm a bit disappointed. The running sounds of this trolley are pretty loud without any effects, so the motor noises coming from the sound system are pretty much drowned out. Unlike some other decoders, the SFX0416 is not room-filling loud, either, so even at max volume I can't even pick up the motor sounds. Still, the bell and air horn are distinctive, and there are some startup sounds which are a nice addition.
My subways are stalling in the tunnels again, so I guess it's time to clean the tracks. I've been thinking of trying lacquer thinner, but with this weather I really don't want to open up the windows yet. So, I guess I'll use alcohol again this time. Maybe some hot summer day, when I'm working on something else, I'll hit the hardware store for some thinner and then just run the cleaner around while I wire up the Pizza signs or something.
I'll have lunch and a tap Joe.
I'm still plugging away with the Flyer rolling stock and now have the Harriman combine compleated and have started on the interiors of the remaining coaches, dinners and tail cars. I need more passengers though, before I can actually finish them up and assemble.
I also need to spend some time figuring out how to sell on eBay. I finely inventoried all of the "MRR in the Boxes" stuff that I bought. I have found way too much stuff that I will never use on my RR....It's time to thin out.
Sue, as far as which solvent to use in the CMX car: I, as has Mr. B, only used Alcohol. I have used both the 99% Isopropyl and the denatured stuff from the Farm & Fleet. They both seem to work very well (the denatured is much cheaper) and I most likely will continue to use just the alcohol.
Ryan, Brewery tours are really fun! I'll have to do the Coor's tour the next time I get out to CO. I like Killians Red!!
JB, I thought the vacuum idea would not be the way to go!
I forgot to tell you all that we went and toured the Coor's Brewery a couple weeks ago on our trip to Denver and Golden, CO. If you are ever around those parts, do go, the tour is FREE, and you get three FREE glasses of draft beer at the end of the tour. They have about 8 flavors of beer to taste too including Killians Red and Blue Moon.
Ryan BoudreauxThe Piedmont Division Modeling The Southern Railway, Norfolk & Western & Norfolk Southern in HO during the merger eraCajun Chef Ryan
Well...We've got SNOW again! Guess it would be a good morning to hang out at the Barn for breakfast and then go play in the Trainroom.
Ryan, I see a big RED FLAG when it comes to using a vacuum to exhaust a paint booth! Especially with a flammable (solvent base) paint. I don't know that there is a way cheap alternative.
No matter that you put together a word of advice would be to keep the motor out of the air stream.
A good number of years back....I did rely on two large 20" window fans to move plenty of air through a 12 x 14 room. I didn't blow up, but I'm not sure it was the best system either.
Howdy all. Joe, I'll have a Rib Eye, medium well, with mashed potatos and brown gravy, Thanks.
It is warm here in SW Okla today as well, we are supposed to get to the lo 90's for today, might have to find a nice shade tree after while and enjoy a cold brew while relaxing in the hammock. Bring your own hammock and join me, the brew is is in the fridge, help yourself..
I got the rest of the mountain glued together yesterday and started some shaping this morning, man I can work up a sweat doing it. I am starting to realize it ain't that hard. I have got the basic shape on about half of it and I think it is going to be alright. Even now, with a coat of brown ground goop and some greenery it would look good like it is, but I will do some rock carving just the same. My back is a little better the past couple of days but I am still a long way from home. I worked about 10 or 15 minutes this morning and that was all I could stand. I guess a few minutes now and then will get 'er done in time. Good thing I am not in a race. As it is said it is not a race but a journey, Did I quote the saying right?
It is getting to the point in the upstairs trainroom where it will be to hot to do much. I refuse to crank up the AC this early in the year.
MrB, Have fun on the beach, I have a cousin that is an artist and lives in Flordia. He also does signs and said he would print my backgrounds on self stick vinal when I am ready, all I will have to do is remove the paper backing from the vinal and apply them to the backdrop. He said he has some pics of some mountains that were used in some of the John Wayne movies he could use, Should look really good when I get to that point.
Well, This is getting to be a book so I will go and have the steak and then a good 'ol nap.
Take care and mostly have fun. Mike
MrB, Thanks. When Larry gets home, we will experiment with which loco or locos will do the trick. Please enjoy some of that sunshine for us. We are in the 50's. Burrrrrrrr. Maybe we will hit the high 60's this weekend. It is just nice to know that someone has warmth somewhere.
Greetings from Florida! We arrived right on time yesterday. Thank you, Jet Blue. This morning I walked a mile down the beach to a snack shack where they have breakfast sandwiches on big onion bagels, and plenty of coffee. Right now, I'm cooling off inside with a big glass of OJ.
Sue, I use IPA in my track cleaning car. No, not Strumpet India Pale Ale, first choice of dozens of Americans, but rather IsoPropyl Alcohol. It's the only thing I've tried, since I got the car last fall and didn't want to smell the place up in the winter when opening windows wasn't practical. My track's about due for another cleaning, so I think I'll go with lacquer thinner this time around. Oh, and don't believe the part about pulling it around with one engine. Chances are, you'll need a pair, particularly going up hills.
It's good to see someone making progress on their layouts, anyway. Hopefully, I can get some train time after the winter's backlog of home repairs is cleaned up.
Hey, Joe. Do you have any cinnamon rolls to go with my coffee this morning?
I have been running in too many directions lately. Hopefully, I am not as scattered now. Everyone seems to be making great progress on their layouts. Thanks for sharing the photos.
MrB, My CMX track cleaning car arrived. The handout that came with it covered more than necessary and left me somewhat confused. Which solvent do you prefer? It sounds like there are alot of choices. Oh, yeah, thanks for the suggestion. It sure is classy.
Hey, Mike! That's great! Both the news and the blue hills. I'll drink to that!
But, don't go to the bank. Man, those places are in trouble. Bonnie and Clyde are turning over in their graves. Nowadays, bank robbers leave with a pile of IOU's for their trouble. Along with the exploding-paint money, bank tellers are instructed to throw a few defaulted mortgages into the bag they give the crooks.
No, take those checks straight to your LHS and invest in something tangible.
GOOD NEWS
Good morning all. Joe set up the house with whatever everyone wants. As for me I'll have the bacon and fried eggs with coffee this morning.
Good news came in the mail this morning!!! I got my disability checks started again, I got a check in the mail for over 1300 $$. I am a happy Camper Modeler this morning although I still am in pain. I plan on ordering some track and roadbed and a building kit or two in a couple of days.
I have some pics that I will share with you all of my ''blue mountain''. How does it look so far, is this what it is supposed to look like at this stage? Sorry for the dark pics, the lighting is worse than bad, I will fix that.
I am sorry for being out of it for a while, it is hard to get very involved in anything when I haven't had a check in 4 months, but with some luck, I AM BACK.
You all enjoy your breakfast and have a good day, I am off to the bank. Mike
Hey MrBeasley, I need to find a way of making a spray "paint booth" on the cheap. The last time I sprayed some enamel with the Badger spray brush I just about coughed my way out of the train room and gave it about 30 minutes to clear out before returning.
Maybe I'll just start going outside or into the garage and open up the overhead door when I need to spray paint again. (Kinda hard to remove the layout from the train room though) I wonder if I could just get a large cardboard box and attach my shop vac hose to it with the catch bag and exaust going into something else like a baffle or something? Would the shop vac motor catch fire?
Almost quiting time here on the east coast....
Happy Monday, everyone. I'll have some breakfast, too, I think. Bacon 'n' eggs, with an English muffin, and, of course, coffee.
Skiing is over for the year, barring unusual weather events. We spent our last weekend up there enjoying the warm temperatures and still-abundant snow cover. Sunday River has announced that April 27th will be closing day, although rumors abound that they will extend the season another week or two. We're heading to Florida for a week's vacation, so this past weekend was it for us. It was nice to go out on a true "spring skiing" weekend - two days with temperatures in the 60's, bright blue skies and lots of soft, mushy snow.
Once we get back from the South, I'll get back to the layout. Lots of unfinished projects, and even more unstarted ones. Photo Fun and our own Beer Barn displays have made me a more careful modeller, so everything takes longer. When I get a set of figures, like the WS "Garage Mechanics" that are on sale now at Walthers, I don't rip into the package and stick them down on the layout. Now, their first stop is my "paint booth," part of an old cardboard box, where they get Dul-Coted, to be followed by some powder weathering and more Dul-Cote before they're ready to "make the scene."
It's good to hear that you're all getting in some train time, though. Mike, are you taking progress pictures? And as an experienced HO guy, how is the transition to N?
Howdy all. Colvin, I'll take you up on your free breakfast offer. I'll have the ham and eggs special. Thanks.
Not much going on here train related, I did pick up some WS fine ballast this week and some ground foam. When I am able to do so, I will start the ballasting on the N scale. Really looking forward to doing it LOL. Seriously, I am so looking forward to doing SOMETHING on the RR. I wish my back would get better so I could, bending over the layout will last almost 5 minutes on an average. I can't seem to get much done in 5 min.
I don't mean to cry on your shoulders but I am glad for the forums to get some lessons I will surely need in the future.
I have gotten some of the mountain done, not enough to start carving. I was in Lawton Friday and picked up a couple more foam sheets, I had to cut them into 4 pieces to get them in the car, hopefully soon I can finish the mountain and start the carving and scenery.
I must go and lay down now as the curse of the loritab (SP) is starting to descend upon me. You all have a good day and if you would, come help me with my ballasting. LOL Mike
I see I'm on top this morning....Guess I'll buy breakfast for anybody coming in. I'll have the eggs and hash browns, Joe.
Good thing I pulled a double shift for the synchro meet yesterday!!
Good morning. I'll have a coffee this morning Joe.
I finely have some progress to report, and show, in regard to the CCRY Flyer project! I only have one car actually assembled, the old baggage because it has no interior detailing, but now have all eight painted and six lettered. I even found some air tanks for the Consolidations!
As for the locos, I said I would share some of my reasoning's for them: These two 2-8-0's (#'s 209 and 210) are ex Duluth & Iron Range (pre DM&IR) built by Baldwin in 1909 as K-1 Class Consolidations. In searching through old photos I found that the K-Class had any number of appliances and changes through out the years, but the one that stood out, for me, was the addition of two air tanks atop the boiler. I liked the look, so want to add them.
These two engines were retired in 1956 and 1950, respectively, and in my "what if" story were acquired by the CCRY for power over the Divide. The "Brass Hats" were thinking that keeping steam power on the passenger trains would = rider-ship.
The rolling stock for the Flyer runs the gamete from this 50' truss baggage (behind #210) to 65' smooth siders with most everything in-between.
This Harriman combine is the next closest to being assembled with its interior seating now painted.
It's worth mention that these cars are the old, cheapo ($7.95) MDC, Con-Cor and Athearn kits.....So, no they aren't the $65 plus, high detail cars I see on the market today. They will however get interiors and passengers and they will do...For A LOT less $.
You guys been busy with your layouts...great job on the progress!
I was out of town all last week and still playing catch em ups around the house, spent 2 1/2 hours weed eating, mowing, and blowing the yard after work today, I'm beat now!
I think I'll have a beer and head to the train room..
Later,
Ryan
Hey....Sue, I really like the "pen" scene. Did you hand paint everything there? If so, really nice job!
Mr. Beasley, as usual you have done a bang up job on yet another city scene!
I have been consumed with passenger cars when ever I get out to the Trainroom and have done almost nothing else! I now have all eight cars for the "Flyers" painted and have a goodly start on the lettering. I also plan on adding interiors and a few figures....But that will be a while yet.
Hey, Joe, pour me a hot coffee, please. I am off until Monday and want to get a lot done tomorrow. Maybe my Walthers package will come.
Chuck, Good to hear from you. Yes, it has been colder than usual. I guess Saturday hit 82 though. We were sweating bullets. We had ice on the windsheild Monday. I was hoping that the grass would start growing for the steers. Did the logging model railroading convention happen down your way? I think that we are going to try the National Narrow Gauge Convention in Portland. Shays rule! Most of my photos are of the Shays because we only have the Shay lines with scenery. Did you get hit by the floods in December?
MrB, I thought that herding 3 more strays would be good action. Also I have the cowboy moving one steer down the alley. Looking back, I might have left the one gate to the outside open. I am still trying to get the camera at an angle to show that better. I also need to try photos on an overcast day.
The HOTEL sign is great. And did you put passengers in the trolley? In Kit-bashing the prieser figures, I found that the cutting wire for the pink foam worked well to detach arms. I can't wait until Elvis has entered the building.
Well, it's after 5 somewhere. Hey, it's after 5 here! Think I'll have a Harpoon IPA, in a chilled mug. That does something for the foam. Thanks, Joe.
I had a bit of time this afternoon, and I got the Miller Engineering sign wired up for the Heartbreak Hotel. Here's a look down Lonely Street...
It's still a work in progress. There's no interior lighting yet, and the back is still off the structure. The sign's a bit crooked, because it's not glued in, and I really will want at least a token lobby inside. And then, I need to place Elvis somewhere on the scene, after I transmogrify a Preiser vampire into The King.
The big sign is animated. It comes with a set of 40-something different sequences. I picked one that lights up the H-O-T-E-L letters in order, but the E flickers like it's about to fail. Very cool looking. (No, it's not about to fail. There's a sequence where all the letters are fine, but that's just not the way things go in Moose Bay.
60 some degrees here in Massachusetts today. Ate lunch outside. One more weekend of skiing, then a week in Florida, and then, hopefully, on to spring and summer. Cheers, all!
Hi everyone - yes, skiing again. (Yeah, Joe, coffee, and maybe an onion bagel with cream cheese. Thanks.) We decided to take our chances against an iffy weather forecast, and came up pretty well. Rain/Snow Showers was the weather-dot-com prediction. We had some wet stuff on the way up to Sunday River, but it got better once we got to the mountains. (Yes, the rain in Maine stays mainly on the plain.) Serious fog at the top Saturday morning gave way to clear blue skies and mild temperatures by mid-day. Sunday was colder, and we finished off the day with a bit of snow.
No modelling, though. Came home to a leaking toilet, too, so that may be tonight's crisis, if the quick bolt-tightening I did at 6 this morning doesn't suffice. With luck, though, I'll get to the remaining wiring for the hotel and townhouses. For now, I'll just re-connect the battery pack for the hotel sign, until I get some time to come up with a more permanent solution. No way I'll get the taxes done tonight, so I'll have to file the traditional extensions and finish them up once ski season ends. Two returns this year - Annie made enough as a lifeguard that she'll need a small pile of paperwork, too.
Sue, did the cows get out of the pen, or is this stockyard the "last roundup" on their way to our dinner tables back east? Good-looking model in either case.
And JB, my congratulations to Rae for landing the role of Maria. Perhaps the best musical of all time. But tell her to stay away from those gangs - they're nothing but trouble. If she can't get her mind of that Tony kid, well, maybe you should take her away on vacation for a while. Someplace far away, like maybe Verona in Italy.
Ciao!