The Coffee Shop (a place to chat) Est. 2004

[tomwatkins]

Good Mornin' Everybody,
It's a beautiful day in the mountains, and it's going to be a wonderful day. Today is Louise's birthday so there is a lot of celebrating planned. Shawna is going to go to the restaurant she works at and make her a birthday pie. It's an apple, caramel and walnut pie. Oh my! They are absolutely wonderful. We'll grill steaks and have baked potatos and salad. We probably use the grill more than we use the stove, at least for cooking meat.

Bob, the decoder install is proceeding, but slowly. Right now it's a secondary project. My main RR project is finishing up painting ties. I've got about 6' of passing siding and 3 industry spurs left to do and that task will be finished. At that point the trackwork will be finished, dialed in and done! On to scenery and other things. What I've gotten done on the F3's so far is to depower the B unit and start milling out the space for the speaker above the fuel tank area. I like using the oval speakers from Loy's Toys. The sound is superb, but they require a lot of work to get them into a diesel. There's usually plenty of room for them in a steam loco tender but not so in a diesel. Since the B is depowered I also need to lighten it considerably. The frame weighs 11.6 oz. stock and so far I've gotten it down to 8.5 oz. I think I can get another 2 oz. out of it. I'll use the standard Soundtraxx drop in decoder which replaces the circuit board in the A unit and run the speaker wires back throught a mini connector to the B unit. I'll also run power pick up forward from the B unit to the decoder. I've used this set up on Stewart FT's and P2K GP7's and it works well. As with most things, there are lots of different ways to do it.

Ed, I know what you mean about retirement and time. I don't know how I found time to get in the car and go to work. I think this is what they call "An active retirement". It sure is fun.

Well folks, It's time to go and get started. Louise has gone to have breakfast with her sister this morning , so I'm going to paint a few more RR ties.

Have a great day everybody,
Tom

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Fergmiester


If I'm not mistaken I've been on a "Point" class CG Cutter and from what I can remember they carry 50mm guns. And yes your right short term memory seems to go second and what goes first Well lets just say I can't remember.

The U.S. military, along with the rest of NATO, doesn't use 50mm guns. The Point class USCG cutters have a 40mm gun. BTW, the 40mm gun was designed by the Swedish company Bofors before WW2.

[fec153]

yncs- isn't that the weapon we had mounted on our half-tracks?
Phil

[Fergmiester]

QUOTE: Originally posted by YNCS

QUOTE: Originally posted by Fergmiester


If I'm not mistaken I've been on a "Point" class CG Cutter and from what I can remember they carry 50mm guns. And yes your right short term memory seems to go second and what goes first Well lets just say I can't remember.

The U.S. military, along with the rest of NATO, doesn't use 50mm guns. The Point class USCG cutters have a 40mm gun. BTW, the 40mm gun was designed by the Swedish company Bofors before WW2.

I didn't know that! Thanks for the correction. It was 96 when I was aboard the Cutter. I just assumed it was a 50 mm as this has been the gun the Department of Fisheries and Ocenas used for Fisheries patrol before the merger with Coast Guard formerly under Transport Canada.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by fec153

yncs- isn't that the weapon we had mounted on our half-tracks?
Phil

Half tracks could carry a variety of items from just people to some nice sized guns.

Anyone remember one of my favorite shows as a small kid call Rat Patrol. [:)]
Two American Jeeps with 50 cals would always harrass the Germans out in the desert. The Germans from time to time (on the show) sometimes had half tracks.

The 40mms were also used on the famous PT Boats. [8D] But the PT Boats could be outfitted for a variety of weapons. According to the PT109 movie it had a 37mm antitank gun mounted on it, in addition to the 40mm.

The Germans also had small boats like PT boats only you don't hear much about them. I think the Russians also had a PT like boat, but again you don't hear much about them either.

Another good ol WWII show was "Combat" with Vic Morrow. Now I am really dating myself. [;)] [:(] [;)] Of course I was very young then. But I remember seeing some of them and always like them.

I love history and get several WWII mags. [;)]

[Hawks05]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Big_Boy_4005

One thing I've noticed about the digital is that it is kind of slow to reset between shots. At least mine is.

Are you still working at the Pizza place?[:D]

i'm still employeed there, just not working a lot. now that baseball is done i'm going to try and work there a little more. maybe twice a week during the day then maybe a night if i can. just to start getting some money coming in.

the camera we have is kind of like that. thats why i kind of got screwed on the pictures i took thursday. it flashes then waits then flashes a few more times, by the time thats done the train is almost out of sight.

i worked on some of those kits i bought and none of them are working for me. i tried putting the ore cars i got together, everything went great until the couplers came. the screws they gave me are to long for the whole. so the cover is spinning around. i tried filing them down last night but that takes forever. i tried to start on one of the boxcar kits i got, it will be pretty easy, just i didn't feel like glueing the doors on last night, i should have so i wouldn't have to do it today.

right now i'm just waiting around to hear that whistle blow so i can hop in the car again and chase a train.

[Anonymous]

After I made my last post George "caught" me on AOL AIM. [;)]

He, I, and two other forum members chatted for a while. [:)]

You are all welcome to join us in aim chats. [:)]

[philnrunt]

Fergie- Don't get me wrong, the Canadians are wonderful people, they have a beautiful country, but they are kinda whacked when it comes to not arming their CG. In police work , being unarmed these days is not a well thought out idea.Or, as we like to say it-when you want to shoot sombody, nothing works like a gun! And before any anti-gun people get on board, remember, we carry guns so you won't have to.
Jim- you are right about the PT using the 40mm, it was the single gun mount, as the recoil from the twin mount was too much for the plywood structure. The as issued big weapon for PTs was the 20mm Oerlikon mounted on the stern. PT capts were always looking for better and harder hitting weapons, as one of their main functions turned out to be "busting barges", Jap transport barges that were a bear to sink . Lt. Kennedy was quoted as saying that is why he "appropriated " the 37mm anti- tank gun. In the Med, PT's ran up against Nazi flak lighters, and these were more than a match for a single PT without additional weaponry. Most of the pix I've seen of PTs with 40's mounted were in the Med.
Now as for Combat!, that was my very favorite show after The Avengers. I still watch it often, I have it on tape, and it holds up very well. I think Morrow was a terribly underused actor, some of his work is pretty good. Just for your information, Rick Jason (Lt Hanley) comitted suicide a few years ago, no one knows why to this day. Also, *** Peabody(Littlejohn) died just before that. As far as I know, the rest of the cast is well and doing fine.
Growing up the son of a Marine, liking a show about the army, well, lets just say when the show was over, we would sing the Marine Hymm just to purify our souls! [;)][:P][;)][:P]

[Noah Hofrichter]

Ed and George, thanks alot for the compliments. I really appreciate these kind of things as it gives me motivation to do more.

Jim, Today, not Monday. Just opened it quick, as the mail just got here, and looked at the big picture fast, and boy is she a bueat! Thanks alot Jim. I got to get off of here soon so I can look throught it all better. Thanks again.

I'm basically watching paint dry on my TC right now, so I came on here while I'm a watin'. I've already got my next project in mind. I'm not going to tell you what is yet (unless you beg a whole lot and won't let up), but this will be a half kitbash half scratchbuild this time, to save me time once school starts.

Noah

[egmurphy]

Afternoon all,

Okay, finally got around to editing and selecting a few photos from the trip, and uploaded the first few to Rail Images, where I keep my rail photos. These are from the Cumbres & Toltec portion of the trip. What I’m posting here are the shots I uploaded to RailImages, which have been reduced in resolution from what I have at home on the computer. The link to my photos there is (I think) www.railimages.com/gallery/EdMurphy.

Hope this comes out okay, I've had a fairly difficult time uploading them today. If not we'll adjust from here.



The line goes from Chama, New Mexico to Antonito, Colorado. The rains runs one way each day (they run two trains on weekends, one each way, no trains on Fridays). We were there on a Tuesday so the train was going Chama to Antonito. Since we were staying in Antonito, we got on the bus at the Antonito depot at 08:15, and it ran us over to Chama where we arrived at about 09:30, with a little time available to walk around and take photos before boarding the train. Those staying in Chama got to sleep late, but then had to take thebus back to Chama from Antonito after the trip.

Here’s me and the wife, Fran, in front of our engine, K-36 class 2-8-2 #487 built by Baldwin in 1925. I’m fascinated by the motion of the counterweights on these outside frame locomotives.



Chama is at 7863 feet above sea level. The line runs up over Cumbres Pass, elevation 10,015, then down to Antonito at 7,888. Total distance is about 64 miles. Here’s a view of the train working it’s way around a curve on the way up.



There are two types of accomodations, coach and a nicer (and pricier) parlor car. There’s also an open air gondola that anyone can spend time in (no seats). We bought the cheap seats and I spent 98% of my time in the gondola anyway. There’s also a concession car that sells snacks and souvenirs. We had 4 coaches, one concession car, one parlor car and one gondola on our trip. It was sold out. They did add two more cars for the following day’s trip, so I guess they do adjust somewhat for expected traffic.

The train makes a lunch stop at Osier, which is about half way (time wise). There’s a big restaurant and the buffet lunch is included in the ticket price. Food was plentiful and pretty good. There was plenty of time to eat.

On the Chama-Antonito run you have steeper grades going up to the summit, but a longer downgrade between the pass and Antonito. Here we are crossing Cascade Trestle, just before getting to Osier. You can tell we’re on the downslope as the engine is obviously not working as hard.



If you go Antonito to Chama you spend more time climbing, but not as steep grades. The last hour of our run was out on the flatland west of Antonito. Lots of people were dozing off by then, but not your reporter. I wanted to savor every last wisp of coal smoke. Here’s the train running out along the flats.



At Antonito I ran into a guy who said he had been part of the crew that built most of the coaches back around 20 years ago. They were custom built on old flatcar frames. It’s not apparent in these photos, but when you look closely at them, and compare them to some of the obviously original coaches they still have around, you van see the difference. The original cars tend to have clerestories and the deep channel beams are under the center of the cars. The newer cars have simple rounded roofs and have deep side beam channels. We watched them switch the train after the run was over. Missed seeing them load coal in the tender (they have a ramp and use a front end loader at Antonito – Chama actually has a coaling tower). But we did catch them taking on water the next morning.



And we delayed starting the next leg of our trip until 10:00 the next morning when the train pulled out of Antonito heading back for Chama so I could get a more classic view. From here we drove to Chama, where we walked around the facilities for quite a while. One of the great things about the C&T is that they let you walk virtually anywhere on the property if you’re a ticket holder.



As you can see, I’m not making a living as a railroad photographer, but these will do nicely for the family, thank you very much. We did get the DVD and the book (Ticket to Toltec) so if I want to see the good stuff, I’ve got it handy. By the way, we stayed virtually next to the depot in Antonito at the Narrow Guage Railroad Inn. It was a decent place, and very convenient.

The Cumbres&Toltec has a group called “Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad”. They’re actually organized and are the group that runs the trains. This is a non-profit organization, by the way, with the right-of-way owned by the states of Colorado and New Mexico. Members of the “Friends” can even come up for work sessions during the summer (at their own expense) and take part in reconstruction/maintenance projects on the line. Their brochure says that they get 350 members who come up and take part, and they apparently have six one week long sessions. Some also serve as docents (guides) on the trips. I’m sorely tempted to think seriously about doing something like that next year. I think their website is www.cumbrestoltec.org.

Anyway, that’s a quick overview of the C&T portion of the vacation. Still to come, the Durango & Silveron.

Did I say I enjoyed it???

Hasta luego,

Ed

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by egmurphy

Evening guys

Chris, when you do the oil bunker conversions I'd love to either see some shots or just have you give a brief description of what you did.

Hasta mañana, amigos,

Ed

Ed, pics might be coming sometime in August, abeit if I can't get a oil bunker hatch by then, it will still be unpainted and incomplete. I'm going to my LHS to get wire and styrene next week, and I'll order a wire bending pliers and a few other tools from Micro-Mark right after. Sometime I'll post pics of the entire tender, after I figure out how to wire a backup light into a BLI decoder...[?]

[egmurphy]

Curses, the dreaded 'red x' instead of photos. [:(!] Okay, I could use some advice here. I think I have the [img] codes right, the photo addresses should be right, and I did check to see that the photos were actually there after uploading to RailImages. But after fighting the slow connection, dropped signals, and general problems all day I don't have the strength to figure out what the problem is with the photos. [:(] If any of you can easily spot the error, please let me know so I can correct it.

Chris - You're looking for a commercially made oil bunker hatch?? You must be modeling in Horribly Oversized where you can actually see the details. In N I can get away with just carving something from an old discarded model sprue. By the time it's glued down on the tender deck, and everything painted in black, no one around here (much less me) is going to be able to distingui***he difference!! Bad eyesight has it's advantages. [:D]

Thanks

Ed

[Anonymous]

Look at the three letters below the number [:o)][:P][;)][:O]



Click to enlarge

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by egmurphy

Curses, the dreaded 'red x' instead of photos. [:(!] Okay, I could use some advice here. I think I have the [img] codes right, the photo addresses should be right, and I did check to see that the photos were actually there after uploading to RailImages. But after fighting the slow connection, dropped signals, and general problems all day I don't have the strength to figure out what the problem is with the photos. [:(] If any of you can easily spot the error, please let me know so I can correct it.

Chris - You're looking for a commercially made oil bunker hatch?? You must be modeling in Horribly Oversized where you can actually see the details. In N I can get away with just carving something from an old discarded model sprue. By the time it's glued down on the tender deck, and everything painted in black, no one around here (much less me) is going to be able to distingui***he difference!! Bad eyesight has it's advantages. [:D]

Thanks

Ed

Yep, I model those terribly huge HO trains. Gettin' to the point I can't even get a 40' boxcar thru the front door...[:0][:p] Seriously, that is the biggest advantage of N scale I can think of!

[Anonymous]

Hi! I'm Engineer Bob, on the ole ATSF . . . 1953 vintage. Adding on to the layout. How many others doin' the same?
Speaking of coffe . . . I just quit drinkin' that stuff. You want caffiene, try "Upside-Down 7-Up!" WOW!

[Anonymous]

Hi! I'm Engineer Bob, on the ole ATSF . . . 1953 vintage. Adding on to the layout. How many others doin' the same?
Speaking of coffe . . . I just quit drinkin' that stuff. You want caffiene, try "Upside-Down 7-Up!" WOW!
[e-mail]

[dharmon]

QUOTE: Originally posted by YNCS

QUOTE: Originally posted by Fergmiester


If I'm not mistaken I've been on a "Point" class CG Cutter and from what I can remember they carry 50mm guns. And yes your right short term memory seems to go second and what goes first Well lets just say I can't remember.

The U.S. military, along with the rest of NATO, doesn't use 50mm guns. The Point class USCG cutters have a 40mm gun. BTW, the 40mm gun was designed by the Swedish company Bofors before WW2.

What you probably saw was a 25mm chain gun. The 40mm is just about gone if not already. There are still a few 3" left I think, but not many.

[krump]

philnrunt- I am a Canadian who does not carry a gun [C):-)]. I have friends that want me to go hunting (I'd rather be fishing), but I'd rather shoot my mouth off, than shoot myself in the foot...as I trip in the bush going after the Bruin.
coffee time,
cheers

[Anonymous]

Hey All [:)]


Since I started the "guns and butter" stuff I will add this. [;)] I have a small collection of "shells", they are dummies but actual shell minus the powder. I have a belt of 50cal. There are 50 shells on the belt and every fifth shell is a tracer (red tipped). Just a belt of 50 50cal shells is heavey. Now here is the kicker, each shell from bottom to tip is almost 5 and 1/2 inches long with the "bullet" being 1 and 1/2 inches and about 3/4 of an inch wide. Remember the 50 cal was the standard defense of planes like the B-17s, B-24, B-25.

OK, now for 20mm shells. I have some dummies of them too. [;)] Length 7 1/4 inches long, bullet itself is just over 2 1/2 inches with the width being 1 1/8 inch. My buddy Bill was given a 40mm dummy for his birthday once. I don't have one of them. [:(] All in all (judging from memory) I would say it is at least 18 inches long if not 2 feet, might even be longer. I will ask him and let you all know.

You can check out dummy rounds on EBay. [;)]


Now for a little military history quizz. Dan Harmon, since you and I have talked about this before you cannot answer it. [;)]

But does anyone know the origin of the phrase, "The whole 9 yards" ? [?]

Another good military trivia question is about the "Brass Monkey" and the phrase "Cold enough to freeze the balls off a Brass Monkey". Anyone want to take a guess. I have known the answer to both of these for several years but the brass monkey was just featured on one of the joke sites that someone sends me. I will let everyone take some guesses first, then if no ones can answer these two questions I will let Dan. [;)] [:p]



Well, talk to yall tomorrow, or I guess I should say, later today. [:)]

[Fergmiester]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jhhtrainsplanes

Hey All [:)]

Another good military trivia question is about the "Brass Monkey" and the phrase "Cold enough to freeze the balls off a Brass Monkey". Anyone want to take a guess. I have known the answer to both of these for several years but the brass monkey was just featured on one of the joke sites that someone sends me. I will let everyone take some guesses first, then if no ones can answer these two questions I will let Dan. [;)] [:p]

Depeding on your source a brass monkey was used to stack canon balls on deck and according to some when it got extremely cold the brass would shrink and pop tthe Canon balls out. As some one put it "If canon balls could not be secured properly would you risk the chance of letting them roll around". So whether this is fact or fancy I have yet to get a definative answer One American source says nay. Several Nautical dictionaries say yay.

Anyway it's raining here so as soon as the kids are up and kick me off the computer I'm going to the basement and clean up the MESS, Hopefully I can get some building and wiring in.

As to why the CCG isn't armed up until this point there has never been a need. Our mandate was Search and Rescue, Icebreaking, Aids to Navigation tending, Pollution Response, Science, Hydrography, Fisheries Patrol. Any time there was a need for Fire Power the Mounties were brought onboard and we delivered. Fisheries Officers also carry guns but for the most part have never needed them. However saying this and with the new ISPS and the war on terrorism It wouldn't surprise me if there is a policy change.
Regards.

CCG is a lot like CN. It was formed by bringing a large group of seperate identities under one roof. In our case 48 seperate gov't fleets. This didn't occur until 1962.

Regards
Fergie

[Anonymous]

GOOD MORNING ALL:

I started drinking tea about twenty two years ago and found out that spiced tea taste better then coffee. That's one of the good things about going to Canada - they like tea also, so that makes it easy to find.

TOM:
When you were talking about painting ties, are you handlaying track? I've done my fair share of that. This layout (the fourth) is being done with code 83 flex-track and it sure is a piece of cake. This is the first layout that I haven't had at least a little bit of tru-scale milled roadbed of course, it isn't done yet. I laid the main yard yesterday, all six tracks. Now I'm ready to move on to the loco service area and can't make my mind up about the turntable. I had purchased the 90' table by Walthers but it wont swing anything bigger then my 2-8-4's. I think I'm going to put it on the branch line. I called Custom Railroad Models last thursday and they faxed me a set of instructions for their 135' table and I'm thinking that I just might get one. I built a diamond scale turntable once and I don't want to go through that again.

JIM:
When you are as old a dirt there are lots of things that trigger memories. My future wife, her mother and dad, and I used to watch the rat patrol on TV when I couldn't afford to take her out. After I read your post she and I got a good laugh about the TV watching - THANKS.

Ya'll have a blessed day and rememberSANTA FE ALL THE WAY

Bob

[Fergmiester]

On my second Cup

I just finished posting new pictures on Webshots of my ltest constructions, including the Turntable.

[Anonymous]

Morning Fergie:

I just looked at the pictures of your turntable and bridge, is it a kit? How are you going to drive it, the motor didn't ring a bell. It looks like you did a good job of building it.

I was serious aboput trading decals when that project gets to the top of your "to do" list.

Have a blessed day and remember SANTA FE ALL THE WAY

Bob

[Anonymous]

I sure am wordy today, maybe after church I'll slow dow. This afternoon is "go play with new yard time"

ED:
what is your eBay name I think that I've bought some things from you, because I remember looking at that picture of you and your wife standing in front of your 1:1 narrow guage model.

KRUMP:
I lve in TEXAS and don't use nor own a gun. I've had people (especially New Yorkers) tell me that they don't want to live were people wear a gun on thrie hip. A lot of people still think that, as Texans, we all have a $35,000.00 bull scratching his rump on an oil well guy wire in the middle of an 500,000 acre ranch. Tain't so. Granted, my house sits on 1 1/2 acres but then we refurbished an 80 year old two story house. It was the only way we could afford this big of a house. The project took 7 1/2 years.

ENGINEER BOB:[#welcome]
I see that you worked for a good line. I use SANTA FE engines for my fictional "ALMOST NOTHING". I'm really upset with Broadway Limited right now, I bought a 4-8-4 (loco #3762) and it was so nice that I had to go buy another one. I like them just as well as my brass locos. I don't think that I'm going to repaint and redecal them.

Have a blessed day and remember SANTA FE ALL THE WAY

Bob

[tomwatkins]

Good Mornin' Everybody,
It's a lazy Sunday morning in the mountains and it's going to be a wonderful day. The Birthday Celebration yesterday was super. We had a superb dinner and truly surprised Louise with her birthday presents. Later today we have to get out and plant them. The "Red Dragon" japanese maple will go out on the far side of the yard in an area which will become our asian garden. The hostas will go on the edhe of the yard above the pond and waterfalls. Gardens are like model railroads in one important way - they are never finished, always works in progress.

Ed, the pictures are great. Thank you Lupo for the asisst. That's a serious plow on the front of 487. They are beautiful pictures of what had to be a great trip. I'm envious.

Teffy, No I'm not handlaying track. I use Atlas code 83 flex and Walthers code 83 turnouts. I spray the rails with Floquil mixes, varying from greyish brown to rust. I've got 3 mixes that I use on the rails. The ties I brush paint, also using Floquil mixes using roof brown as a starting point. The variations are subtle but noticable when you look at a length of track. They simulate the normal variations in rail color and tie color due to age. It takes time but it only has to be done once.

Noah, we've all looking forward to seeing the completed transfer cab. It's looking good so far. What are you going to do next?

Phil, as a former Marine, I think singing the Marine Corps Hymn after watching an Army show makes perfect sense. I still catch myself telling Chesty Puller goodnight from time to time. Old habits die hard.

It's time to go for now. There is lots to do today, including painting a few more RR ties.
Have a great day everybody,
Tom

[egmurphy]

Morning guys,

Just a quick check-in. Thanks Lupo for the help on the photos. Thought I had it figured out.

Tom - so do you have several different mixes, and use one to paint ties at random, then go back with a slightly different mix and paint other ties at random, etc until you've finished a stretch of track? Can I assume this is just a brush stroke on the top of the tie?

Teffy - sorry, I've been an Ebay buyer but never sold anything there.

Ooops, got to run. DW has the bacon frying and the coffee perking.

Ed

[lupo]

QUOTE: Originally posted by egmurphy

Morning guys,

Just a quick check-in. Thanks Lupo for the help on the photos. Thought I had it figured out.

Ed

though it was time to do something around the shop, have been neglecting the shop-duty somewhat lately,
will be looking forward for the durango-silverton episode!

[Noah Hofrichter]

Ed, nice photos! Those are some good lookin' enignes on those trains, they're really kept up very well. Thanks for sharing the photo's.

Chris, Are you completely scratchbuilding the oild bunker, or are you modifying an existing model?

Tom, I'm still waiting for paint to dry. I've been slowly doing different colors, and I'm almost done painting. Everything was painted in the sections you saw in my last photo, as each part was a different color. After painting is finnished, hopefully tonight, I've got to decal, then dullcoat just on the decalled sections, and then final assembly, followed by dullcoat on the whole model. Then comes the write up for the contest entry, and then
pictures. I really can't wait to finish it.

Well, I just summed up what I got to do, so I got to go do it.

Noah

[Noah Hofrichter]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Engineer Bob

Hi! I'm Engineer Bob, on the ole ATSF . . . 1953 vintage. Adding on to the layout. How many others doin' the same?
Speaking of coffe . . . I just quit drinkin' that stuff. You want caffiene, try "Upside-Down 7-Up!" WOW!

[#welcome] Engineer Bob, feel free to stop in the shop here any time you want, were open 24/7. Me? I 'm not neccesarily really addingon to the layout, just adding to
it. I'm, by no means a professional modeler, but I have a small layout, that's okay, condsidering I'm a 13 year old on a fairly tight budget. That, and alot of the scenery and such was done when I was 9-10-11, so it's not of real good quality.

Noah

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jhhtrainsplanes

But does anyone know the origin of the phrase, "The whole 9 yards" ? [?]

I've heard three different versions of the origin. All seem to be equally believable.

1. Old style cement trucks carried 9 cubic yards of cement. So if you wanted a truckload of cement you wanted "the whole 9 yards."

2. Bolts of cloth are 9 yards long. So if you want a complete bolt then you want "the whole 9 yards."

3. .50 cal machine guns in WW2 fighter aircraft had ammunition belts that were nine yards long, so if you fired off all your ammunition then you had shot off "the whole 9 yards."

As to which one of these, if any, is right, "you pays your money and you takes your chance."

QUOTE: Another good military trivia question is about the "Brass Monkey" and the phrase "Cold enough to freeze the balls off a Brass Monkey".

If this is the old wheeze about iron cannon balls in a brass rack, the rack being called a "monkey" or "brass monkey," let me assure you that it's not even a urban myth. It is what is technically called "silliness."

I have been aboard two warships from the Age of Sail (when ships were made out of wood and men were made out of steel), HMS Victory and USS Constitution. Both of them had cannon ball racks made out of wood, not out of brass. Wood is much cheaper than brass, it's easier to work with, and it is uneffected by temperature. The myth that the brass rack would contract more than the iron cannonballs and "freeze the balls off the brass monkey" is actually true. Of course, the temperature needed would be lower than -100°F (-87°C), and stray cannon balls would be the least of the crew's worries. One last point. Sailors and shipbuilders are not stupid, and if cannon balls jumping out of racks was common, they would have come up with some solution for the problem, like making the racks out of wood. This solution would have happened within a matter of hours after the problem occurred.

Edited because I messed up converting Fahrenheit to Celsius.