Wisconsin Railfan wrote: Ryan, Where did you buy those clamps?
Ryan, Where did you buy those clamps?
Morning folks!
I got the corner clamps from The Tool Man (http://web2.airmail.net/toolman/ display at the GATS train show back in January. The other brass clamps I've had for years and got them from Micro Mark (http://www.micromark.com/ ).
Regards,
Ryan
Ryan BoudreauxThe Piedmont Division Modeling The Southern Railway, Norfolk & Western & Norfolk Southern in HO during the merger eraCajun Chef Ryan
Good morning!
Be careful today. Don't be an April fool.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Good Day Folks!
Pitcher of beer for me.
Thanks for the links. I wiil check em' out
I'll have the lunch special and a tap Joe.
I'm just about finished "pimping" those Consolidations....Now to come up with a story for why they are here on the CCRY!!??!! I like to do that as part of a "somewhat" believable scenario for the road.
Mr. Beasley, our skiing is DONE for the season! Too much brown showing through the white these days!
Gotta' run for now...I'll check in latter.
Holy Mackerel, where has everybody been?
(Down at the lake enjoying our one week of spring before the thermometer explodes.)
Once again I'm amazed by the difference between the Model Railroader forums and the other Kalmbach forums. Other forums get a few new threads and a handful of posts in the length of time it takes to push the Beer Barn all the way back to page 6!
Oops, the boss just called me. Gotta go!
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Morning, Joe. I'll have a cup of coffee, and I suppose some eggs and bacon if you twist my arm and put a fork in my fingers. Thanks. And did I already say coffee?
We'd hoped for a weekend of warm spring skiing, but it didn't work out quite that way. It was chilly, mid-30's at the base, and sunshine was a pretty rare commodity. Still, it didn't rain, and the snow was soft. Very foggy at the top both days. I kept expecting to see the Black Pearl coming out of the mist. Aaarggh!
Work on the Hearbreak Hotel has been slow, but it's progressing. I did some measuring and cutting for the wire runs. Of course, the hotel has to be sitting on a liftoff above the subway tracks, so that adds to the complexity. I can't just punch through the foam and run wires. So, right now all of downtown Moose Bay has been taken off while I play with the liftoff and get the wires going to that building. I'm doing some interior lights for a couple of townhouses, too, while I'm at it.
I also posted my "Search for Elvis" in 1:87. I guess the hound dog has fleas, because I think I'm going to have to scratch Mr. Presley.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Good evening. I think I will have an Irish coffee. I have been a little under the weather this last week, but now things are getting back to normal.
I did manage to start on the Walthers coaling tower. This my first plastic kit, and the this probably was not the one to start on. It also looks like our measurements were slightly off. It looks like we may have to change some track. I will also have to reduce the size of my stratch built machine shop. Well, for once I am glad that I procrastinated on that.
I hope everyone else manages to come in this evening.
Sue
Anything is possible if you do not know what you are talking about.
Well...Seems I've been getting here for lunch these past few visits. I'll have the special Joe and a cold tap to wash it all down.
Mr. Beasley, I love hearing about your projects. You always seem to have it planned so well.
OTOH, Sue and I have this morphing thing going on! Sue, at least you don't have to rip up track to make everything fit.
My intention was to spend time in the Trainroom working on the Consolidations and a few passenger cars to go along with them....
But, we have experienced a "weather event" and I have been consumed with plowing and shoveling. Starting on Sat. night and through Mon. morning we got as much as 32" of snow across the Iron Range! We had 26" here and I have just finished shoveling this morning! This also included removal of snow from a roof.
I put steel roofing on two years ago and it does make for some spectacular avalanches...But this go-round with so much so fast, the snow was falling from the main roof to the roof of the solarium and I was WAY concerned with the weight load. So the snow was removed (twice from the roof) and then shoveled away from the house. I now have "snow banks" that are 5' high with trenches cleared between them and the house!
Even for a guy that loves winter and skiing...This has been a bit much for April.
Anyway...I'm out to the Trainroom this afternoon for a while to work on those 2-8-0's and cars for the Mid-Night Flyer before I have to teach this evening.
I thought that I would stop in for a quick one, Joe. Maybe someone else will stop by. We have sure had some decent weather. I should be in the 60's by the weekend.
colvinbackshop wrote:OTOH, Sue and I have this morphing thing going on! Sue, at least you don't have to rip up track to make everything fit.
It looks like we will need to rip one branch line. We figured for the spacing, but not the elevation.
I finally ordered my birthday present. I ordered the CMX track cleaning car.
Sue, please excuse the interruption, but did you receive a pm from me yesterday?
-Crandell
While you're here, Crandall, may I buy you a Strumpet IPA? Brewed exclusively for Model Railroaders in Moose Bay, on my layout. Some say it must be an acquired taste. Others can't figure the stuff out at all.
Just a bit more wiring today. The Miller signs need 4.5 volts DC (for the Hotel sign) and 3 volts DC for the Pizza signs. So, I'm putting together some resistors and a wall wart to power them both. Not thrilling, but productive and necessary. We've got another ski weekend coming up, maybe our last of the season, and at best our next-to-last, so once again the weekend time is not available for this work.
Sue, I've always kind of liked that coaling tower, but it wouldn't work on my layout. Too big for the limited space I've got, and it would be one more thing I'd have to remove when setting the Wayback Machine forward to the diesel era again. Keep us posted with photos, though. It should be fun to watch that develop.
Mr. B, umm...I'm in kinduva hurry...if it's not too hot, and I can have it with three sweeteners and cream, yeah, that would be great. Thanks.
Crandell, You are always welcome here. I have been having trouble accessing the forum. So I am not sure if I am getting E-mail either. I am using another server, but it is only partially connected.
Monday I put the coaling tower away until the weekend. Larry and I have been discussing it and I don't think that we are going to have the chutes functional. It seems that you need at least 3 hands to assemble them.
MrB, Did you notice that I ordered the CMX track cleaning car? Walthers has them on sale. Can't wait to see your Neon signs.
Well, one more day of work. I have some small Aggro trees that I started. They should fill in around the stockyard. I am determined to get out of Larry's way on his trestle progress. (He has been distracted with computer stuff. He just finished building high powered computer for his Mom.)
Sue, I will shortly send you an email. Please let me know, later, if you receive it. I will include my private email address for your convenience.
Well....Just like a broken record...
It's going on lunch time again so; I'll have the special and a tall tap Joe.
Work is progressing on the Consolidations. I actually now have them totally painted and lettered but...
I am now working on building oil bunkers for their tenders (all the CCRY locos are oil fired) and thinking about adding additional torpedo air tanks. That of course, will also mean moving a few things around a bit on the boiler and the domes, but should result in a pretty unique look! I'll do more info and insight on that latter, as I progress.
As always I've got multiple projects going at once. Sue...I have finely started work on the area in front of the SL backshop with some planking going down around the service tracks! I also pulled out the passenger car kits slated for the Mid-Night Flyer and gotten on start on them, so I can have something for those "pimped" Consolidations to pull....Some day!
Mr. Beasley, you mentioned a coaling tower: Pola (#11704) made a nice, small ,branch line size, wooden tower that wouldn't take much space, as its foot print is only about 4" x 4". I don't know that it is still available (actually I have one that I may not use and might part with) but it may be worth looking into if you really wanted to add a small tower. And just a thought; perhaps you could even leave it on the pike when changing areas. It could be weathered / aged to the point of either being "well used" or "abandoned".
Good evening, All. I am going to break from form and have a Pear cider. My cough is hanging on so I won't be doing things that require steady hands. The Aggro trees will be about my speed this weekend.
MrB, Are you planning on those Miller signs for the WPF?
JB, By having multiple projects, we stay busy while waiting for a stage to dry. I find scenery relaxing, while painting figures is somewhat boring.
What is Mike up to?
Later, Sue
I have tried again, Sue. If this doesn't work, please consider sending me your personal email address in your next response so that I can pass on some information. Many thanks.
Hi, everybody. Joe, I'll have an Anchor Steam if you please.
Haven't been in for a while. No real excuse, just a leetle bit busy doing all those "Spring things," as pointed out by The Boss.
Tom and Crandall have been getting swamped by our (un)favorite trolls, and both are suffering from extreme frustration. I feel their pain, and applaud their efforts on our parts.
Mister B, a coaling station wouldn't be all that anachronistic in the '60s. SP had one still standing into the '80s at Tucson, AZ - which was a bit of a wonder, since I had thought that the Sunset Route was oil-burner country.
Sue, if you want boring, try modifying the minisockets of Christmas Tree lights so they can be solidly soldered to stiff supports. (They come with twisted wires that are about as rigid as overcooked spaghetti) I use those little 2.5V bulbs for everything from panel indicators to spot illuminators over critical points in the Netherworld. In fact, one 6.3V circuit does both - the one (of 5 or 6, indicating route selection) on the panel in series with three hanging over the turnouts in the staging yard. Why waste power with a resistor when you can light three more lamps - at 60% of their normal voltage to extend their lives.
Better stop there, before lvanhen comes in to exile me to the Electronics forum!
Oh-oh. Just got another 'Honey-do" call. See you later.
Hi everyone. Happy Friday morning. Still one or two more ski weekends coming up. We're headed up north again in a few hours, hoping that the forecast rain doesn't show up. Maybe Sunday will be better, with "snow showers" on tap from weather dot com. Sure, Joe, coffee would be fine. Thanks.
I think a coaling tower will have to wait for the extension on the layout in a few years. There's just no space at all down by the turntable anymore, and I even had to put the water tower some distance away even though it's only got a 4x4 inch footprint. Besides, I've still got 4 or 5 significant structure kits sitting downstairs awaiting assembly, so I don't need another one quite yet.
JB, we attended a middle-school musical last night. They did "Seussical," a show based on Dr. Seuss books. A bit silly, and mixing-and-matching of stories and characters, but the show accomodated 105 on-stage performers (I counted the cast on the program) plus a couple of dozen backstage types. That's about a quarter of the total student body. I recognized a number of the kids from our club's swim team. In particular, one of the leads was Natalie, who has been singing the National Anthem at our swim meets since she was about 7. (Yeah, she nails it. One of those "sports intimidation" things. Kind of throws you when you look over and realize that the girl on the blocks next to you just hit "O'er the land of the free," and now she's about to beat you in freestyle by 2 body lengths.)
Slow progress on the Heartbreak Hotel. Not much time for modelling, mostly, but I ran into a snag in providing power. I had assumed that since this was an electronic thing that it would be a high-impedance input, so I could just use a couple of 1K resistors to split the 9-volt supply down to the 4.5 volts it wants. Wrong. Looks like this thing is only 25 ohms going in, so I'll need to re-think my circuit a bit. I have been taking pictures as I build this, so I'll think about a photo essay on the project. To do it justice, though, I'll need a video to get the animated sign to show up right.
I apolgize to everyone for doing this, but I can't communicate with Sue any other way. Sue, I received your email that you sent using the email function this morning. However, I can't seem to respond to you. Please check that your profile settings, near the bottom of the page, has "receive emails" checked in the tiny circle. Otherwise, if you would include your private email in your next reply to me (I am getting them), I can circumvent any other problems you may be having.
Again, I regret taking up this space, folks.
selector wrote: Again, I regret taking up this space, folks.-Crandell
No problem at all. Your heart is in the right place, and your engines are on the right track.
Good morning:
Crandell: No Need to apologize...It's great that we can use the forum when we need. And, nice to have you stop in too.
I'm now searching for air tanks for the 2-8-0's. I don't have anything in the scrap / spare parts box and I haven't found anything that would work in the Detailing Parts at Walthers either. So...It looks like I may just make some.
I got a start on the passenger cars (washing everything down) last evening after work and I plan on firing up the air brush to get the first color on ALL eight of them today.
Mr. Beasley, it's interesting that you mention a school musical (that one does sound like a real fun one to see), as that is what is mostly consuming Rae's life these days.
She auditioned for the H.S. Spring Musical (West Side Story) and landed the lead! Rehearsals have been "full tilt" for the past month and she will now be dying her hair black and singing and dancing Maria in two weeks!
Well, I'd better get out to the Paintshop....
I am still around. Joe, coffee and thanks.
Not doing much on the RR the past few weeks, been having to go to OKC to the DR. about 2 weeks and it really wears me out, all that driving and sleeping in strange beds and trying to keep up with everyone. I do have another Dr. appt. in OKC on Wednesday, They are going to try an ESI, some form of injection. I am thinking it is just going to "cover it up" not heal me. I will have to go gack in a couple of weeks for another injection, and maybe a 3rd, really looking forward to that LOL.
I did get a couple of pieces of 1/2'' foam board and got them glued in together, not to the table yet. I still need a couple more sheets to finish the base then I can try my hand at carving. This is a new experence for me but after watching a turtorial, I think I can handle it, wish me luck.
I still roam around on the forums a lot but do not post much, I cannot type very well and especially while I am taking the Loritabs. (SP) You all take care and I will talk with you later. Mike
Hey, Joe. I will have an Irish Coffee. Have you seen any of my friends this evening?
JB, Glad to hear that you are working hard. You make the rest of us feel like we are loafing.
It is good to know that you are at least lurking around, Mike. Hope you get to feeling better.
MrB should be back from skiing soon, so we will get to hear about his latest project.
Here is a stockyard update.
GOOD EVE.
My I please have some mud with choc. and two creams. Thank You
* *********Hi Sue. Just a lot of paper on the floor.. No new designs yet. I don't know about your weather up there but down here it has been cold and windy.. Am trying to put decoders in 50 ton "T" boiler Shays and I can't do it sooo sent all three out to shop to have it done...
chuck
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!
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!
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.
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.
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,