Elliott's Trackside Diner VII: Best View Of The Rails In Town!

[jeffrey-wimberly]

LSWrr

Trainman, what type/make locomotive are you rebuilding?

 

I believe he has two 4-6-2's from AHM and Rivarossi. I think there's a 2-8-0 also.

Trainman: One major point is too make sure the motor brushes are isolated from the frame. The motor can't have any contact with the frame.

[ewl01]

Barry, Rob (your definitely right about the mid west flooding, sorry), You read my thoughts.  It's the attitude of "they're used to taking care of themselves" ie: the "rural" thing.  Granted I live on the east coast in one of the most heavily populated areas of the country, but it doesn't wash with me.  So much for helping America "change".

I better get off my soap box before I get in trouble again.

Eric

The Steel Curtain has a few rust spots but they're winning....so far. By 3..

[howmus]

 Evenin' folks!

Zoe, I'll have some extra hot Buffalo Wings and a tall glass of lemonade.  Ever notice that Buffalo have very small wings for the size of them?  

I got a path through the back yard plowed out so I can get to the wood pile.  Most of the snow (ice) has melted off the roof today which is a good thing.  Ice dams aren't really good for the roof........  Made a few more line poles for the layout and painted some telltales this afternoon.  Photos next week for WPF.

I have the Recorder hooked up to the Mackie Onyx Mixer and hooked up to the G5 Mac.  I should be downloading the pieces from yesterday's concert into the computer but I think it can wait 'til  tomorrow.

Hope you are all having fun watching the big game!  Is Buffalo in it this year?  Didn't think so...... 

[LSWrr]

Rob, now my girlfriend has the train bug, fortunately for me it’s the same scale. I gave her Valentine’s Day stuff a little early: WS IKE’s ice cream truck, a package of dairy cows and the Dee in the wind figure from Branchline trains.  She loved them and inspected the layout and gave me orders where they needed to be placed.  Now I need to figure out how to make the dairy cows movable, according to her the cows CANNOT remain in the same area of the pasture!

Trainman, what type/make locomotive are you rebuilding?

Lee

[blownout cylinder]

  Good evening --Chloe; I'll have a bowl of buffalo wings--good thing the supplier knew what was up and got it ahead of time, eh wot?--and a large coke please

Change? Did someone mention change? Only when 'snivel servents' allow it------I'm getting a little snarky after seeing what occured over where Garry is

Mark(Dune)--FRAPS---where does one get this? It looks neat---

Rob--Can only explain it as another case of--oh, but they're rural. Why should we bother? Grumble Grouch---

I'll shut my trap before I get into trouble ----- Crawl back into train room---

[Cederstrand]

TO GO, please & thanks. Gotta run down and do the barn rounds before The Game.

Everyone always talks about New Orleans. What about the flooding that happened in Iowa? Why was there no 24/7 media coverage or outcry from the Hollywood crowd about that catastrophy? My two bits.

Catch up with ya'll later. Rob

[gear-jammer]

Good afternoon, All.  I didn't even get the computer turned on yesterday.  Larry is replacing the kitchen sink and faucets.  What a chore.  I am the grunt.

der,  Love your shoreline.

Sue

[MadSinger]

I'm only going to say that I don't see 'change' either.  I've always been skeptical though.  I hope they get at it eventually.  (Okay, I'm done)

Anyway, GO CARDS!!!!!!!!!!  I'll be watching the game while working on the layout maybe.  I have to multitask while watching football, or watching any TV for that matter.

MadSinger

EDIT: Looks like I've got TOP honors, so eat up!

[ewl01]

Heartland Division CB&Q

FEMA is a "no show:"according to an official at a county near here. I was told that FEMA sent 25 men to cut trees but neglected to send chain saws with them as far as I can tell FEMA has done absolutley nothing at all.

I know we're not suppose to talk politics...... I don't see the 'change'.  Katrina was bad... this is inexcusable..  it's in the news...  I'll keep the rest of my comments to myself for now.

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

We're now at friends house not far away. So i have to be short.

Shelley and I have had a bit of an adventure in past few days. We have been "roughing it".

We were stranded at home Tuesday due to ice on road. By next morning trees on road completely blocked the road, too.

Electric power stopped altogether at about 3:00 am Wednesday. Soon after we lost regular phone line, cell phone service and water.

 

No power at our house since 3 AM Wednesday. We can see the broken pole and lines on ground from our road. House phone returned last night Cell phone service restored earlier yesterday . Water is now running but we are instructed to boil it before drinking. We can drive to town but all stores and gas stations are closed.

Weather is very nice today and we are warming up. Hopefully power will come back.

Electric company has depleted inventory of poles and transformers.

Volunteer firemen have rescued people from remote houses to save lives. Not always successful, however.

It's much worse in counties just north of us.

FEMA is a "no show:"according to an official at a county near here. I was told that FEMA sent 25 men to cut trees but neglected to send chain saws with them as far as I can tell FEMA has done absolutley nothing at all.

 

I'll read your recent posts when I can. Hopefully soon.

[Trainman Sam]

Good afternoon all!!!

Chloe, can I have a BIG burger, medium well, with fries and a coke please?

Thanks Jeff and Lee for your help with the question on converting an old steamer to DCC.  I have to open them up and look at the "guts" to see if I can perform surgery on the old timers!!!  I'll keep you guys posted on the outcome!

Go Pittsburgh!!!

See you later everyone!!!

Sam

[ewl01]

unca roggie

I finally broke open the Walthers box, completely unsure of what I'd ordered...most of it seemed like something I'd ask for, alright.  But there are five items, being "RTR" rolling stock they had on sale.  You don't even get to install the trucks or couplers, or even a roofwalk.  Feels like "CHEATING" somehow

I know exactly what you mean.  While I was up at my remote LHS, I commented on the RTR-kit thing.  I grew up building model cars and trucks, even a lot those are snap-together kits.  When I started doing the MRR thing I was delighted to build even the BB Athearn kits.  The owner said that even his 'old' customers were now accepting the RTR.  Like you said, it takes the fun and the "I built it" pride from the hobby.  But, then again, like you said, there is always a little more that we can do to make that car "ours"

Eric

[unca roggie]

Boy, are the streets quiet TODAY...guess everyone is seated on their couches, beer stash and pile of junkfood at hand. 

On the west coast, its probably to watch the PRE-PRE-PRE game coverage. 

Hate to rub it in to those of you who have their teeth chattering, but we just came in from a bike ride, sweating, as its a sunny 80 in Palm Springs this morning, headed higher.  Its POOL TIME for me. 

Thanks to John W. for the cool "emoticon" of opening up a package (I did a "save as" as I'm sure it will be appropriate to use for someone else in the future)...and to Lee for the website link...I made it a "fave" so I can hit it later and really look around in there. 

I finally broke open the Walthers box, completely unsure of what I'd ordered...most of it seemed like something I'd ask for, alright.  But there are five items, being "RTR" rolling stock they had on sale.  You don't even get to install the trucks or couplers, or even a roofwalk.  Feels like "CHEATING" somehow. 

I hate to think the next generation will not experience the satisfaction of assembling a complicated kit, making it feel a LITTLE more like it was scratchbuilt...or, with the instructions written by someone whose mother tongue is Swahili, at least getting an outcome you can consider "kitbashed."  (whether intended or not.) 

At least I can weather the absolute crap out of them, so they seem more like "mine."

[ewl01]

Back home... Chloe, could I get, oh, lets see.... a grilled cheese with bacon and some Iced tea?

Ryan, I'm a bit behind but I hope your dad makes the right choice.  Mine had a chance with his pancreatic cancer but he didn't want to follow the rehab process.  He's been away from home since October, and is now in hospice.  Instead of builing up his strength and getting chemo, and a chance, he's now untreatable and waiting for the inevitable...

To those who have been gracious in listening and offering their prayers.... my Mom is back in the hospital again.. we shall see...

I found a NYC bachmann n passenger set sitting behind an HO dash 8 Spectrum at home.  If it still runs, it will get the coupler conversion and some running.  I forgot I still had this stuff at home.  Now all I need is some time to myself. HA, HA, HA!!!!!!

My laptop decided to stop looking for my wireless card and started insisting on a 3G phone for internet access.   Verizon said that happens sometimes.  "Why?"  "Um, we're not really sure, we think it has to do with the fact that most laptops also have wi-fi too, but it's easy to fix." And it is, it just doesn't make sense.  However, I have other things to concern myself with, as long as I can get it to work.

Game?  Oh that game!  In the east here it has lost it's luster.  Our resident Jets fan had reservations in Tampa back in November.  Fortunately his bookie took it as payment.

Eric

[Flashwave]

C&O Fan

Morning all !

Here's a video clip a friend sent me of some 0-5-0 switching

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfbzs6VgkDE

Enjoy

Good Old Armstrong. There was a thread lfoating around a little while ago about that and other creaive switching methods. One involved a Lincoln and a Hopper. Momentum sided with the loaded freight car...

Happy Sunday. is it BLASPHEMY!!!!! if I tell you the only I'm watching the game is for the commercials. If it weren't for my Marketing Class, I'd be whacking at a hunk of wood trying to make tracks.

GO HOMETEAM!!!

[Packers#1]

twhite

Sawyer:  I probably shouldn't say this, because I'm a pretty peaceful kind of guy, but there's nothing like the sound of a good Left Hook right under the jaw of a bully to cure him fairly permanently.  And if you angle your fist a little to the left on the up-swing, you won't even hurt it.  I went through High School, too.  Had a guy that thought I'd never hit him because I was a pianist and didn't want to hurt my hand.  Yah, right!   He never bothered me again after that.  Actually, we became fairly good friends. 

 

True tom.

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY!!!!!!!!

GO CARDINALS!!!! That's my pick, btw. The key factor will be how Arizona's passing game does against Pittsburgh's D.

[Cederstrand]

in a SOUTHERN mug, please & thank you. 

Wow, busy & funny group of Diners. Have really enjoyed many of the posts. Can't wait until the day I have something worth sharing in the train department. Still just a room with two piles of stuff and two new 4'x8' sheets of foam (bringing the total to 3 sheets). Have to start somewhere, right?.

Looks like that Big Storm is going to be more like a 50% chance of rain. Well, that new generator we just bought will still come in handy when the old tree eventually falls and takes out our power pole (or at least the transformer it is leaning directly towards). Besides, if we hadn't bought it, in a couple days we would have seen 6' of snow for sure, right?

Internet is slow for us today. Will be in the corner booth waiting for the Cardinals to turn into Terradactyls and somehow manage to win the Super Bowl.  Oh, when the game begins, if need be I'm prepared to toss out an inlaw to re-claim my favorite chair.

Have a good day all. 

Rob

[Hoople]

 Barry: It's actually not a camera. It's a program called FRAPS that will record any direct-x run program, like games, or even a Vista's computer's desktop. It picks up everything except the microphone in... An older video had choppy bits of different Led Zeppelin songs in it, because I was listening and filming... whoops.

[New Haven I-5]

Good Morning Zoe.

        I'll just have eggs, over hard Zoe.

     

                                                              Luke

[jeffrey-wimberly]

LSWrr

Jeff, I just happen to have an SM card here, and I have no use for it.  Do you have the software to format this card to work in your camera?

The camera will format it automatically. I can also format it under a standard FAT table on my computer.

 

Good morning.

It's 47 and partly cloudy with rain on the way. The high will be in the upper 60's.

Yesterday I received two items in the mail. One is an 8 mb SM memory card I can use for my Olympus camera and the other is the #5 right-hand turnout I ordered from Bachmann last week. It was sent from Midloathian Texas. Up to now I had never heard of the place so I looked it up. Turns out it's about halfway between where I am now and my home town of Troup Texas. I had originally thought to have the two tracks into the engine house side by side but I got to thinking about it (do I hear insurance companies going bankrupt?) and there's enough room in there to have one track angled so I think that's what I'll do. There's a hole in the foam in that area so with a little extra planning I can make a pit under the track. I think that would be a great little project. Only thing is I hav eto wait a few days while I get used to this new med the doc me on. Avodart. It really has a punch the first time you use it.

Today's Weather for:
Sundown, LA  71446-6114      2/1/2009

Wind Chill:  51°F
Humidity:  78%
Dew Point:  47°F

So Far Today
High:  54°F
Low:  40°F
Rain:  0.00"
Rain Rate:  0.00"/h
Gust:  9mph SSE

Today  High: 68    Partly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers in the morning...then mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 60s. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight  Low: 48    Showers likely and isolated thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 40s. East winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60 percent.

[Cox 47]

Good Morning All...Its sunny and 43 here now with snow melting some..The sun sure looks good!...I'll have biscuits and gravey,fried taters and coffee please..thank you...My son and His family just left..They got room ready for hospital bed which is posta be coming monday..Looks like I will have room for about 3 foot 6 inch by 2 foot  addition..I can't see any way to come off old layout so I am thinking another layout....You all have a good one...Jerry

[howmus]

Mornin' everyone!

twhite

Now, if you don't mind my asking: Who's PLAYING? .

 

Tom, is there a concert going on that I haven't heard about?

twhite

PS:  I was kidding, I know who's playing tomorrow--the Yankees and the Dodgers. 

 

I don't don't think it's Basketball.....  Isn't it Hockey or something?  Must be the Browns and the Carpets.   One of my favorite scenes in television was the Mary Tyler Moore show when she mentioned to her boss that she had a cousin who played for Chicago.  He asked what position and she answered 2nd. violin.  He looked at her funny and said.... "Must be a different Chicago."

I slept in this morning and got caught up on some sleep.  I know, I know I skipped Church........

It is currently 35°F here in the Finger Lakes with a predicted high of 41° this afternoon.  I have to dig out the wood pile and move some wood to the back porch today.  I also will be starting the mix for the recording I did yesterday.  Then I expect to spend some time doing some modeling.

Hope everyone has a great day and may your favorite team........ uh........... win something today! 

[blownout cylinder]

    GO STEELERS!!!!!--gotta wake up here--get into the Spirit!!

I'll start the mid morning period with a large cup of raw caffeine please---see whether this will do the trick.

[LSWrr]

Good morning, again.

Someone made a comment about wanting to upgrade an older locomotive to DCC.  I would say watch out for the older open frame motors.  My DCC system has an audible alarm for shorts and overloads.  I ran a 1974 Mantua 2-8-2 around the layout and it overloaded my 8 amp DCC system.  I ran a 1974 Rivarossi 0-4-0 and 2-8-8-2 (can motor) around the layout with no alarms.  I found MANTUA replacement motors for $28.  Unscrew and unsolder the wires on the old motor, drop in and use the original screws to install the new motor then solder the wires in place and you’re done.

I hope this helps.

Lee   

 

[LSWrr]

Good morning all,

I’m about 14 pages and 4 days behind so I’ll try to catch up….

GMT, I hope the CFO’s knee is feeling better.

Jeff, I just happen to have an SM card here, and I have no use for it.  Do you have the software to format this card to work in your camera?

Robby, The streets here in Ohio have been horrible, the snow plow crews don’t even bother to plow until the snow stops falling.  The current excuses are: salt costs too much and we can’t afford to pay overtime to the plow drivers, yet 7-8 people are killed each snow storm due to the road conditions.

Rob, Tell Barbra: HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY! If you can’t find that circus tent let me know Dorothy thinks she could make the canvas part if you’re willing to make the poles and supports.

Ryan, I’ve had two close friends with prostate cancer. One decided to have it completely removed the other tried to save it.  The one that had it completely removed is still around today, the other, well the cancer moved into his bladder and eventually the blood system and he passed away last year.  I hope your father listens to the doctors, follows their instructions and makes the right decision.  In the meantime our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

PC, I hope all is well for you.

Unca Roggie,  http://www.ho-scaletrains.net/   Like you I’ve bought a few things I wanted when I was a kid.  This web site is like a time machine with all the old train catalogs we looked at when we were still kids.  I think you’ll really enjoy this.

[blownout cylinder]

Well, Good Morning people--We are going to 1C! Yes--for the first time since ---oh---a few weeks--more like 5 weeks ago. It will sag back down to -3C then go to -10C overnight. The beginning of the week sounds like we are revisiting the bottom of the bowl again. Won't be seeing any snow until Thursday--so we will see some sun through the week.

Dune(Mark)-I know what you mean about the sound--BTW vid is good. Sound gets picked up really easily on these new cameras--I can remember some older video cams that could not pick up sound at all. And we are talking about cams that had the mics.---I'm going to get nephew look into this.

Chloe---I'll have the full breakfast platter and a coffee please---I'm going to sit by the windows and do some switching watching-----

[fec153]

Good morning! Almond danish and black coffee, please.   If and when you look at the New STEAM loco on U-Tube, also look at the other items on the right. Our cousins know how to build 'em.                            

Cape Jim- Wasn't it you I sent a Monon car to? And a tape? I know I sent out about five. Teffy had his lost in his hurricane. Ryan found his and has it. Der got his and sent it to ???  Inch [Mike] shared his with Jerry. I stopped sending them when someone complained they were too long. Well don't watch the whole thing at one sitting.[DUH]. And when through were supposed to send it to someone else whose address was included and on and on. Hope you guys, and gals enjoyed them.

Belated WELCOME to all the Newes. 

Blessings and Prayers for all.      

Flip               

                                                                                   

[C&O Fan]

Morning all !

Here's a video clip a friend sent me of some 0-5-0 switching

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfbzs6VgkDE

Enjoy

[Robby P.]

Good morning everybody.  Its Super Bowl Sunday!!!  Lets go Steelers!!!!

I didn't do anything yesterday.  I did go by the hobby store and got some items for me to use for next week.  Calling for snow Mon-Tues.  Not the bad storm thats coming, that will miss us South-Western Pa people.

I plan today to watch some pre-game shows, and the big game tonight.

How bad is it here near Pittsburgh?  BAD.  Wal-Mart was packed (malls, most stores), they will have some schools on a 2 hour delay for Monday morning.  That is crazy.    I believe the final score will be Steelers 24 Cards 14.

Well everybody have a good day.  Now I need to catch up.  I am a few pages behind.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Trainman Sam

My question is, if he (my Poppop) passed away in 1990, and these engines were his, are they worth converting to DCC???  Or should I make REALLY REALLY nice displays for them and hold them for sentimental value??  I'd like to think that his response to the latter comment would be " Get those ***** things off that shelf and use them for heaven sakes!"  So if it's possible I'd love to convert, but not waste my time...  I wish I had a section of track in the current house I'm living in to test these bad boys out...  Have to figure something out right!?!

If you plan to convert these to DCC it would be wise to figure out how power they pull. Some of those old locos sucked up power like a vacuum cleaner. I have 4 locomotives that are pretty old. One is a Bachmann GP40 I got in 1977. I had to completely rebuild it. New motor, new truck/wheels, etc, the second is a steamer (Bachmann 0-6-0/pancake drive) that was left to me by a relative. I know for a fact he got it in 1978. The other two are Atlas GP40's that I got from from other forum members. One had the sales receipt still in the box so I know it dates to the 70's. The other goes back to at least the 80's. All of them run and the only one that hasn't been converted to DCC is the steamer. There's simply no place in it to stick a decoder, not even a Z Scale one.