Good Morning All,
I'll have a coffee and a toasted/buttered corn muffin please. We're in for another hot one here with a chance of afternoon showers. Lots of fun with airlines this week and last. My youngest went out to Arkansas to visit a friend and spent two days getting there being stuck in Chicago at O'Hare overnight and now the return flight looks to be the same zoo. He has to fly out of Tulsa through O'Hare again so we've been monitoring departures the last couple of days and the flight gets perpetually delayed or cancelled. Should have taken the train, no?
Got the stuff for Laguna Seca done and ready to load save for a set of tires to mount and the last few spares to sort through.
Jeff - that was a lucky miss for you though you do seem well prepared for a direct hit you'd just as soon not have one, right? Where is the fenced in building you shot? That's a great weathering job to duplicate.
I'm not sure I'm ready for a Conrail 2 6 0, but the little moguls are the bees knees on local lines. There were many of them in daily use out here right through the end of steam on commuter runs and the secondary runs of freight on the twisty narrow tracks acquired from the areas early rail lines.If I modeled a lot of steam I'd definitely do the older less developed routes.
Well, gotta run - lots to do yet and it'll get hot right quick today. CUL, J.R.
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
Good Morning from Tipton IN !
Bill Tidler Jr.
Near a cornfield in Indiana...
Train 284 wrote:[ The track plan I will be using is actually on page 49 in the August 2008 Model Railroader. I liked this idea, especially getting away from the traditional 4x8 and cutting it up into something different. And it allows for 24" radius curves. However, I think I will have a little extra room in my space in the garage, so I may expand the mainline run a bit, and probably put in a small engine shed.
The track plan I will be using is actually on page 49 in the August 2008 Model Railroader. I liked this idea, especially getting away from the traditional 4x8 and cutting it up into something different. And it allows for 24" radius curves. However, I think I will have a little extra room in my space in the garage, so I may expand the mainline run a bit, and probably put in a small engine shed.
An SP M-class (2-6-0) Mogul would be ideal for a steam locomotive on such a layout. My second choice would be an SP C-class (2-8-0) Consolidation. Better yet, both.
Mark
Train 284 wrote:[ Railroad is going to be set in northern California loosly following the history of the Sacramento Valley and Eastern Railroad (which was an actual 15 mile standard gauge shortline that interchnaged with SP, now under Shasta Lake however)..... Era for this will be around 1954, just a couple years before SP started phasing out steam locomotives, because I have a few nice SP steamers I would like to run.
Railroad is going to be set in northern California loosly following the history of the Sacramento Valley and Eastern Railroad (which was an actual 15 mile standard gauge shortline that interchnaged with SP, now under Shasta Lake however)..... Era for this will be around 1954, just a couple years before SP started phasing out steam locomotives, because I have a few nice SP steamers I would like to run.
By 1954, the SP was nearing completion of phasing out steam locomotives and what was left was centered around the San Francisco Bay Area. Steam was gone from operations about 1956, about a year or two before planned because of a recession.
Sawyer Berry
Clemson University c/o 2018
Building a protolanced industrial park layout
JimRCGMO wrote:Matt (Train284), to the Diner (have you been here before and I missed it?). Will look forward to seeing your pics. Post some info (trackplan?) of what you're looking to build for your layout, please. We're a nosy friendly bunch in here. Are you modeling a particular RR (SP, perhaps?), time period, etc.? And have a cup of your favorite beverage on me. Just ask our twin (virtual) servers, Zoe and Chloe, or their weekend helpers (let's see, there's Flo, Janie, and another one whose name escape my memory for now...) for your choice(s).
Matt (Train284), to the Diner (have you been here before and I missed it?). Will look forward to seeing your pics. Post some info (trackplan?) of what you're looking to build for your layout, please. We're a nosy friendly bunch in here. Are you modeling a particular RR (SP, perhaps?), time period, etc.? And have a cup of your favorite beverage on me. Just ask our twin (virtual) servers, Zoe and Chloe, or their weekend helpers (let's see, there's Flo, Janie, and another one whose name escape my memory for now...) for your choice(s).
Hi Jim,
Thanks, I think I will take a chocolate shake if you don't mind.
Ya I stop in here occasionally to post. It's been awhile.
Railroad is going to be set in northern California loosly following the history of the Sacramento Valley and Eastern Railroad (which was an actual 15 mile standard gauge shortline that interchnaged with SP, now under Shasta Lake however). In my version, the line connects many of the small towns here in this part of northern california. As with most shortlines, freight is keeping it alive, but there is some local passenger traffic. The SV and E interchnages with Southern Pacific at Redding where a small yard (to partly act as staging) and a small portion of the SP mainline are planned. Era for this will be around 1954, just a couple years before SP started phasing out steam locomotives, because I have a few nice SP steamers I would like to run.
I think that covers it. More questions, just ask!
Good late evening gents, the month of July ened here with 6.60" of rain, 3.7" above normal.....we have a lush green sub-tropical look this year for late July, quite abnormal.
LEE: Yes, you are correct in saying that it is the AMPS that kill, in fact, 0.1 amps AC is enough to kill. However, it still requires a voltage level high enough to "push" the current ( amperage) through the resistance of the body. AC current kills at much lower current AND voltage. For instance, you can place one finger on your car battery + post and the other finer of your other hand on the - post and you will not receive a shock. The voltage is 12V dc and the current that a new battery can deliver can be over 900 amps. Another way to think of it is, if I have a 6" diameter fire hose hooked to a pump, but the pressure is very low, such that the water barely comes out of the hose, it will never knock me over. Now try standing there when the pump is at 120 PSI!! Voltage is the PUSH, Amperage is the FLOW. You need BOTH to be electricuted.
MORGAN: Jeff has answered your question directed to me. If you still are having trouble, please continue the discussion, that is how we all learn.
JEFF: I should have known better, people should take a lesson from what you have done to protect your home and your equipment...you are among the few.
PC: Ahhh, that explaines it, I thought those siding rails looked used.
Time for bed,
Hello Folks: Just dropped by while the bread machine finishes baking my loaf. Then I'm off to bed. Fergie, too bad about the jammed car window. We got caught on Bull Beach at Taylor Head Park yesterday (by "we", I mean the grandsons and I) in a downpour. That's a long climb back to the change rooms and the car when you have Rosie-the-"I dont do quick anymore"-dog with you! Kris was gadding about in New Glasgow Frenchie shopping and missed all the fun! There was what looked like a Coast Guard ship in by Sober Island today. Long low stern section with an outsize looking crane on it...any ideas what that could have been?
No mmr in ages...grrr, there's just too much else getting in the way. Can you retire from retiremnt to get some time to play?
Goodnight all, and God Bless. Prayers for all in need of healing, comfort and peace. Since my Bookmark marker was at page 137, I don't know who those may be right now.
"There are always alternatives, Captain" - Spock.
JimRCGMO wrote: PC, ........Oh, do you just talk about eschatology with your wife when one of you is having trouble getting to sleep?
PC, ........Oh, do you just talk about eschatology with your wife when one of you is having trouble getting to sleep?
No, I'm teaching a class on it right now, so it comes up from time to time.
JimRCGMO wrote:Jeff, that arrangement with your rusted out baggage car looks pretty good - of course, that looks like it's on a passing siding, right? Maybe you can squeeze in an additional siding somewhere to do a scene like that. Oh, I'm afraid our rain has moved east, so for the time being I can't redirect any rain to your direction. Good thing you didn't poke your nose out the door or window when that storm was going on! That was something, all right, and I'd bet you have your trailer wired that way because of a past experience like that, correct?
Jeff, that arrangement with your rusted out baggage car looks pretty good - of course, that looks like it's on a passing siding, right? Maybe you can squeeze in an additional siding somewhere to do a scene like that. Oh, I'm afraid our rain has moved east, so for the time being I can't redirect any rain to your direction. Good thing you didn't poke your nose out the door or window when that storm was going on! That was something, all right, and I'd bet you have your trailer wired that way because of a past experience like that, correct?
Evening, Diners - Chloe, could I have a cup of decaf,
and some of those strawberries and ice cream, please?
Thanks!
Garry, your gas prices are better than ours - it just dropped back to $3.639 here today (the cash place, super unleaded - they've had just the S-UNL for maybe a month). I won't mind if the price drops some more, either. Hope you get everybody to the right places, with all that's going on with your various family members. So far, I'm keeping up on who's going where - it's not quite like "Who's on First?" (yet)...
Tom, how are you and your cats doing in the Land of Rock and Roll, Smoke and Fire? It sounds like the injections work, from the guy whose cat has been coming for 3 years. Of course, Spooky and Lowell might eat you out of house and home with all their fancy food and all (especially once Spooky gets a taste for Lowell's mix ).
Fergie, hope you get that window fixed soon so you can get it rolled back up. I trust the car's in a carport or garage now, so you don't get soggy britches next time you need to go anywhere. How's your new loco coming along? And how's the redo of the MESS(tm)'s curves coming along? Or will you have to widen the foundation walls to do that?
JR, hope things go well in your meeting with everyone tomorrow. Let us know how things wind up.
PC, great sunset - and I enjoyed the shots of the CSX picking up the work train. Wonder if the work crew stopped off at a local establishment and forgot to go put away their stuff at the end of the day? Oh, do you just talk about eschatology with your wife when one of you is having trouble getting to sleep?
Mike, I liked your story about the Senator (sooooo true-to-life...). How long until schools start back up in your area?
Packers#1 - ROTFL, love that what-if color scheme! Are you sure that wasn't from the John Allen estate or such? That'd almost be worth buying just to have for running at train club shows... Thanks a bunch for posting that one!
Paul, hope you get some relief in your weather - either rain or at least cooler. Yeah, I'd count reading MR issues. I do that some, also.
I got in my 'Mountain to Desert' book (Pelle Søeberg's) today, and though it's not like some other Kalmbach layout books (not structured in the usual benchwork - trackplan - wiring - scenery - structure arrangement), it has a lot of useful stuff in it. For example, he shows how he put together Walthers' chain link fence kits to look more realistic than the usual stock assembly. He also lists all the brands and stuff that he used, in the back of the book. I ordered it off Kalmbach's site (at retail), but it's worth the $20, I'd say. Of course, I like his stuff anyway (even if he models more modern than I do).
Tom, you don't mean to tell me that you would have a lowly 0-4-0 sitting next to one of your articulateds, do you? Talk about dwarfing one of those 0-4-0's...
Back to my strawberries for now, and then I'll be heading back home. Next payday when I can get broadband going at my apt. again cannot come too quickly for me. I have found a couple more WiFi places in the past couple of weeks since telling AT&T where to put their stuff, though.
Prayers for those ailing and a little rain for those needing that in their areas.
Blessings,
Jim in Cape Girardeau
Packers--
Believe it or not, Champ decals put out a complete set of steam loco decals for CONRAIL way back when, and someone actually did a Mantua Mikado in them. It was a hoot.
And AHM did that little 0-4-0 in Conrail, SP Daylight, and a couple of other schemes--I think one was Chessie. They sold them in department stores, and from what I understand, they disappeared off of the shelves as soon as they were stocked. This was back in the days of Woolworths, Weinstock's and Woolco. You could go AHM shopping and never darken the doors of a hobby shop, LOL!
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
Packers1 wrote: I'm guessing this is a "what if" scheme. (I found it on ebay) These aren't my photos.
I'm guessing this is a "what if" scheme. (I found it on ebay) These aren't my photos.
Yep, but it's a cute as a button little steamer to have around. I have one in Daylight. It;s an AHM, but mine ran pretty good righ up until the motor through out an inch long spark at it;s death throes. I want to get that Conrail one.
-Morgan
Hi Gang: It's been a couple of days since I've been in. It's hard to get on the puter with everyone using it. My computer has become the familys and I'm on the outside. Oh Well. the kids went to Six Flags today so I got to slip in and get some time. Opps, they just got back. My SIL just stuck his head in. I guess he wanted to use the thing also.
We're still in the 100s here. We did have a short shower yesterday that just barely wet the dust. We do need rain. Fortunately there haven't been fires like a couple of years ago. Calif is really getting hit with them.
I need to go down and finish rolling up the hose from the pump. The water is all pumped out of the pit. Nothing but slop left. I need to clean up the equipment. I'll take everything down to the creek and pump some water onto the hay fields. That will clean the mud out of the lines and pump.
Jeff I like the setting for the baggage car.
Not much else going on and no MRRing unless you count reading the latest MR.
Well I'm going to get at it. See you all later if I can get in.
markpierce wrote: twhite wrote:[ The fire in the Feather River Canyon is right along the UP mainline, but so far no news of interrupted freight traffic. At least UP can utilize the quicker (steeper) Donner Pass route for everything but their double-stack trains if the Canyon is closed to rail traffic. I presume UP sent its water/pumper tanker cars to the scene in the form of a fire train. Any news about them?Mark
twhite wrote:[ The fire in the Feather River Canyon is right along the UP mainline, but so far no news of interrupted freight traffic. At least UP can utilize the quicker (steeper) Donner Pass route for everything but their double-stack trains if the Canyon is closed to rail traffic.
The fire in the Feather River Canyon is right along the UP mainline, but so far no news of interrupted freight traffic. At least UP can utilize the quicker (steeper) Donner Pass route for everything but their double-stack trains if the Canyon is closed to rail traffic.
I presume UP sent its water/pumper tanker cars to the scene in the form of a fire train. Any news about them?
in a SOUTHERN mug, please & thank you!
***PC, excellent pics.
***Jeffrey, as long as you and your trains are OK, that's what matters most.
Been real busy lately. MIL is in the hospital and will be taken off those incidious morphine type drugs. And this time she will also get an MRI, clostrophobic or not. FIL is staying here with us durning this time. Daughters are pursuing gaurdianship now. My BP is through the roof again, probably as much from insomnia as it is from the chaos. Need to learn to relax and let go more.
Sent in our subscription to MRR mag, so perhaps that will help. Perhaps it's about time for another train fix as well!
Main foundation was poured the other day and looks good. Seems we're in a short rain cycle, so I don't expect them to return right away.
Hope everyone is doing well these days. Not sure when/if I'll get caught up on posts.
Rob
Mentioned earlier: A member of the United States Senate, known for his hot temper and acid tongue, exploded one day in mid-session and began to shout, "Half of this Senate is made up of cowards and corrupt politicians!" All the other Senators demanded that the angry member withdraw his statement, or be removed from the remainder of the session. After a long pause, the angry member acquiesced. "OK," he said, "I withdraw what I said. Half of this Senate is NOT made up of cowards and corrupt politicians!"
I like the imaginary Senator's sense of humor. In that line of work, you'd best have a good one.
GMTRacing wrote: Good Morning All, Tom - doesn't look like you're getting any rain soon. From a purely selfish point of view, has the drought stopped the historic steam railroads running? I'll have a few days in Ca coming up where I can go to Roaring Camp or such and wondered if they are running at all with the high risk of forest fires? Sounds like the fire in Yosemite is right by the Sugar Pine Historic setup as well and the remnants of the Yosemite Valley are all exposed at El Portal. Guess all we can do is pray for rain.
Tom - doesn't look like you're getting any rain soon. From a purely selfish point of view, has the drought stopped the historic steam railroads running? I'll have a few days in Ca coming up where I can go to Roaring Camp or such and wondered if they are running at all with the high risk of forest fires? Sounds like the fire in Yosemite is right by the Sugar Pine Historic setup as well and the remnants of the Yosemite Valley are all exposed at El Portal. Guess all we can do is pray for rain.
GMT:
The fires dont' seem to have affected the Roaring Camp--those locos burn oil and have very good spark arrestors on them. At least I haven't heard of any bans on the railroad from that area.
As to the Sugar Pine Ry near Yosemite--I don't want to cause any panic, because I don't know for sure, but one of the news photos shows an area of burned track and heat-warped rails on the Telegraph fire, and I know that the Sugar Pine tourist line is the only railroad in that vicinity. So I don't know if the fire went through that area or not. I've been trying to find out, but without much success. I'll keep trying.
The fire in the Feather River Canyon is right along the UP mainline, but so far no news of interrupted freight traffic. At least UP can utilize the quicker (steeper) Donner Pass route for everything but their double-stack trains if the Canyon is closed to rail traffic. Actually, UP has been promising to upgrade several of the tunnels on the Donner Pass line for years and push ALL of their traffic over that route, but out here in Northern Cal we're kind of used to the fact that UP talks a lot but doesn't do much about it.
But I'll keep trying for news on the Sugar Pine.
grayfox1119 wrote: PC: .......On the CSX photo, that siding looks like it goes into dead end, yet the rails look used.
PC: .......On the CSX photo, that siding looks like it goes into dead end, yet the rails look used.
The front part of that siding gets used pretty regular as there is a local business there. http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/pcarrell/Prototype%20Train%20Photos/Fortville%20Local/3-4-07-5.jpg The back end is hardly ever used, and thats why it made a good storage track for those gons.
Jeff, I'm using tracing paper (vellum paper) right now and it works well on everything except wood sided cars. I found onion paper at Michael's (a craft store). The vellum paper at Office Max was $10/pad. Then I found the same stuff at the drug store for $2/pad.
Greyfox, correct me if I'm wrong, but the volts won't kill you, but the AMPS will, correct?
My in-laws had the same thing happen when their double wide was hit by lightening. The lightning hit the side of the trailer, went through the walls to the breaker box (peeling the metal siding back as it went) and burned up everything not connected to a surge protector (wide screen TV to the can opener). Jeff is pretty lucky not to have had any problems.
Lee
BM1 Lee Soule USCG (ret) L.S.&W Railroad Serving the Lower Great Lakes
grayfox1119 wrote:JEFF: You were lucky you weren't touching any metal skin of the trailer INSIDE when the lightening struck. Also, do you have your electrical equipment like PC and power supply for trains protected by suppression equipment? I use UPS equipment by APC, and that saved some serious damage back in 2004 when we had a GROUND strike near the house. A TV and cordless phone was taken out as well as Modem and Router that were not on the UPS, but the PC's all were OK as the Battery back-up UPS did it's job.
JEFF: You were lucky you weren't touching any metal skin of the trailer INSIDE when the lightening struck. Also, do you have your electrical equipment like PC and power supply for trains protected by suppression equipment? I use UPS equipment by APC, and that saved some serious damage back in 2004 when we had a GROUND strike near the house. A TV and cordless phone was taken out as well as Modem and Router that were not on the UPS, but the PC's all were OK as the Battery back-up UPS did it's job.
Flashwave wrote: grayfox1119 wrote: Many people do not realize that bolts of lightening can have millions of volts of electricity, tremendous Joules of energy, and they can raise the voltage potential above 0 Volts quite high for a distance of 300 feet from the actually strike point. That means that equipment that is supposed to be at Ground potential is suddenly increased hundreds to thousands of volts above 0V ground potential.Later guys,Most people, namely me, have no idea what you just said. Would you mind translating please?
grayfox1119 wrote: Many people do not realize that bolts of lightening can have millions of volts of electricity, tremendous Joules of energy, and they can raise the voltage potential above 0 Volts quite high for a distance of 300 feet from the actually strike point. That means that equipment that is supposed to be at Ground potential is suddenly increased hundreds to thousands of volts above 0V ground potential.Later guys,
Many people do not realize that bolts of lightening can have millions of volts of electricity, tremendous Joules of energy, and they can raise the voltage potential above 0 Volts quite high for a distance of 300 feet from the actually strike point. That means that equipment that is supposed to be at Ground potential is suddenly increased hundreds to thousands of volts above 0V ground potential.
Later guys,
Most people, namely me, have no idea what you just said. Would you mind translating please?
Good afternoon, 3H weather here, just check out my weather data at the site at the bottom of my reply ( Weatherlink). We ahd more rain early this morning, unscheduled, so at 3am I was running around the house closing 5 skylights as it poured. Not as bad a situation as FERGIE however.
FERGIE: I knew it!!! Back to the Arctic you go on the Hudson. That is ONE LARGE CHUNK OF ICE!! So you only have 28 days to get all your garden work done, haul in the produce for winter, and more importantly, go to 30" radii for the Sante Fe.
MIKE: The Senator is only telling the truth, I guess the truth really DOES hurt doesn't it? What a bunch of phonies.
PC: That is one nice photo of sunset. I would enlarge that and hang it on the wall in a picture frame. On the CSX photo, that siding looks like it goes into dead end, yet the rails look used.
jeffrey-wimberly wrote: It appears I had somewhat of a close call yesterday. During the thunderstorm there was a lightning strike close by. At the time I didn't realize how close. I just know that almost everything in the trailer jumped. Looking around in the yard this morning I found a bunch of tree bark laying in a ten foot long line near a pine tree that's about twenty feet from my trailer. Looking up the tree I could see where the lightning bolt had hit it and how far the bolt came down the tree before it jumped to the sheet steel on my roof. From there it was directed right to the ground.
Holy crap, good thing you're all right.
Cox 47 wrote:Jeff sounds like a close call with the lightning..I guess with your training with the fire department I don't have to tell you that was a close call...I liked the ICG 50 foot double door box in your photo..Nice graffitti ...did you do that free hand?
Jeff sounds like a close call with the lightning..I guess with your training with the fire department I don't have to tell you that was a close call...I liked the ICG 50 foot double door box in your photo..Nice graffitti ...did you do that free hand?
Lee: No need to tell me how load a lightning strike is. I've been in my trailer when it was struck directly and had to put things back on the shelves afterwards. I consider it a wonder that I can hear as good as I do.
Jeff, Good thing you were properly grounded. I've been hit 4 times while underway on small Coast Guard boats, right before it hit all my hair stood on end (when I had hair) and I'll tell you what you look around to see if any of your body parts are laying on the deck because it's that loud.