Neal,
We have a Cargil salt mine here in Cleveland, and just down the road in Fairport we have a Morton Salt mine. I had the oppertunity to take of tour of the Morton salt mine, 2000 feet straight down and over 3 miles out under lake Erie. It was very impressive. Morton dosen't really use the RR any more but it's alive and kicking at the Cargil mine in Cleveland. Every so often you see a Cargil covered hopper on the sidings there, since they have "salt only" cars for the salt mines. If I have the space I would like to model the Morton Salt mine at Fairport. The above ground operation is rather simple and straight foward and I doubt it would take much room to model.
The trackage for the Fairport & Lake Erie RR is for sale if anybody is so inclined to start a 1:1 scale layout, LOL.
Lee
BM1 Lee Soule USCG (ret) L.S.&W Railroad Serving the Lower Great Lakes
That'd be interesting, though it'd be kind of a pain finding the necessary "stuff" to make it run.. I mean, yuo can't just go into the LHS and pick up a 1:1 loco (or cars for that matter)....
... On that note though, I wonder if I can get my uncle to take me on a tour of his yard... (OK, it's the Railroad's yard, but he's one of the important types there....)
-Dan
Builder of Bowser steam! Railimages Site
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
This is what the weather is looking like for this week in Leesville.
Tonight Low: 38 Partly cloudy. Not as cool. Lows in the upper 30s. Light and variable winds. Wednesday High: 65 Partly cloudy. Highs in the mid 60s. Light and variable winds.
Wednesday Night Low: 42 Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 40s. Light and variable winds becoming north 10 to 15 mph after midnight. Thursday High: 58 Partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 50s. North winds 10 to 15 mph.
Thursday Night Low: 28 Partly cloudy in the evening then clearing. Colder. Lows in the upper 20s. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph.
Friday and Friday Night Low: 32 High: 55 Mostly clear. Highs in the mid 50s. Lows in the lower 30s. Saturday High: 60 Partly cloudy. Highs around 60.
NeO6874 wrote:That'd be interesting, though it'd be kind of a pain finding the necessary "stuff" to make it run.. I mean, yuo can't just go into the LHS and pick up a 1:1 loco (or cars for that matter).... ... On that note though, I wonder if I can get my uncle to take me on a tour of his yard... (OK, it's the Railroad's yard, but he's one of the important types there....)
Well if you go to Caboose Hobbies in Denver ,They do have a 1:1 locomotive in their shop.A little rail critter.(less than 10t range)
Dan,
What railroad does he work for? I like stopping in at the yard on the west bank of the river in Cleveland across from the steel mill. It's an old B&O yard and most of the old signals still work. Plus they run the robot locomotives there for switching cars. The steel mill is interesting to, had to do a few investigations down there. You see those hot metal cars actually in use. Night time is real interesting seeing the glowing steel plate's cruse by on flat cars. Have you been to the old Collingwood yard yet? Still standing is a 500+ ton coaling tower. I would enjoy visiting the MRR Club, but I have a date in court with my ex-wife that day, maybe January?
If you need custom decals for your layout just ask, I've been learning how to run my ALPS printer and things are starting to come together. I learned you have to print the decals in layers to get them to show up well on dark colored rolling stock. You have to print the first layer in white, then whatever color you want after that.
Jeff,
I'm not moving to LA anytime soon, too cold down there I'll just stay on the north side of Ohio for now, LOL.
Evening Gang: I just thought I'd stop in for a quick one. I ordered the Grant Line windows from Walthers today. There is no way to get windows from Walthers that are in there kits. They have to canabalize good kits to replace parts for damaged kits.
Well I'm going to head for bed.
Good Night All
A STRONG CLIPPER TYPE STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES WEDNESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL PASS ACROSS LAKE ERIE WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. BEHIND THE COLD FRONT...SOME OF THE COLDEST AIR OF THIS EARLY WINTER SEASON WILL PASS ACROSS LAKE ERIE IN NORTHWEST FLOW THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL CAUSE WIDESPREAD LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE SNOWBELT OF NORTHEAST OHIO AND NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. ALTHOUGH THE EXACT SNOW AMOUNTS ARE UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME...THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR A SIGNIFICANT LAKE EFFECT SNOW EVENT THURSDAY INTO THURSDAY NIGHT. AT THIS TIME...THE HEAVIEST SNOW IS EXPECTED IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE PRIMARY SNOWBELT EAST OF CLEVELAND THROUGH EXTREME NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT UNDER THE HEAVIEST SNOW BANDS...A FEW PLACES MAY SEE A FOOT OR MORE OF LAKE EFFECT SNOW THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT.
Snowball fight at my place!
SilverSpike wrote: Philip, we need to see daily photo updates of your progress! Remember, progress reports are taken very seriously here, especially when you burn the midnight oil! K
Philip, we need to see daily photo updates of your progress! Remember, progress reports are taken very seriously here, especially when you burn the midnight oil! K
Yeah, yeah,...I hear ya!
Here's your fix! I don't know why the pics came out so yellow.
This is walking into the room. The "flying" section is right in front of you and behind it is an isle way to walk into and be surrounded by the railroad.
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/pcarrell/Autumns%20Ridge/7Thirdday112-5-06.jpg
Here's a view of stepping into the room and turning towards the walkway to the layout. You're standing next to the guitars now.
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/pcarrell/Autumns%20Ridge/8Thirdday212-5-06.jpg
And tucked in the corner will be the 22"r doubletrack helix.
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/pcarrell/Autumns%20Ridge/9Thirdday312-5-06.jpg
There's still some benchwork to do, but the lions share is done. Once I finish this up it's time to start putting in risers and subroadbed.
Feel better now?
Lee I don't know. It was (might still be) the Chicago Short Line. I think it was a subsidary RR of LTV, though with its closing and buyout by some other company, I'm not sure if the name stuck.... or if that line is still in use...
sorry to hear that you won't be making it to the meeting, perhaps in Jan then.
John Kent: to the CS. Do you model, or are you a railfan / history buff? (or both) Hope you find out what you need. This is, as has been pointed out, a friendly place to chat, and get all kinds of interesting pointers and tips. Food’s virtually as good as it gets too!
Dick:
get to your LHS before we do get socked, and stock up for those long Winter days and nights ahead.
Paul:
There is no way to get windows from Walthers that are in there kits. They have to canabalize good kits to replace parts for damaged kits.
Well, it’s been along day, so I’m off to bed earlier tonight than last.
all, and God Bless. Prayers for all in need of healing, comfort, and peace.
"There are always alternatives, Captain" - Spock.
der5997 wrote: PC: Very interesting benchwork.
Not pretty, but it's solid!
Are those drywall (sheet rock) screws you are using?
When they're free you don't gripe! They sure are!
What's the darker coloured wood?
Theres poplar, pine, a bit of oak, and the two large uprights holding up the flying section are a 2x4 and a 2x6 of pressure treated wood I had left over from a tree house project. Really solid stuff!
How many turns on tha thelix (or what grade?)
Total grade is 1.8%, 7 turns for 18 inches height, 2.4 " between decks, total length 1007.5" figured with a turn radius of 21.3". I'm going to go a bit bigger and go with 22 inch radius and I'm using a very thin roadbed thats supported well. I may have to rethink all of this, but that's half the fun, right?
Today's Weather for: Leesville, LA 71446 12/6/2006 Live Conditions 6:09 AMFort Polk airfield Wind Chill: 37°FHumidity: 72%Dew Point: 31°F So Far TodayHigh: 43°FLow: 39°FRain: N/A"Rain Rate: N/A"/hGust: 5mph S
High: 64 °FLow: 38 °F
Today High: 60 Becoming mostly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of showers late in the afternoon. Highs near 60. Light and variable winds.
Tonight Low: 48 Mostly cloudy. Lows in the upper 40s. Light and variable winds becoming north around 10 mph after midnight.
Today
I'll have bacon and eggs this morning.
Good morning all,
The outlook for today and tomorrow was going to be warm enough to melt the snow we have on the ground, well they changed their minds and we are looking at High's in the upper 20's and up to 24" of snow by Friday. I have to blame it on Dan since in an earlier page he wished for favorable driving conditions to go home for the holidays. No matter I enjoy the snow. I want to be a weatherman: it's the only job were you can be wrong 90% of the time and not get fired!
Good morning ! from Indiana.
12-06-06
Bill Tidler Jr.
Near a cornfield in Indiana...
Morning All:
Der: Walthers doesn't have all that many problems with there kits. It's just that they don't have a stock of parts on hand. If for some reason there is a fault they have to go to another kit to get the part. I asked about making parts available for the scratch builders and the fellow said that because of the large inventory and the costs of storing and all it wouldn't be economically feasable. (sp) I cna understand that. In my job I have a shop full of replacement parts in case something breaks down. I could get by with half the space if I didn't have to stock the parts.
Speaking of the job, it's time to get after it. I'll stop in later.
Good Morning All,
A regular coffee please Zoe. I,m back from vacation and back scraping ice off the windshield as well. Of course last Weds we had snow on the ground in Arizona so I suppose it's following me. I'll try to catch up on news and posts later - hope everyones doing well.
The Grand Canyon trip was great! We flew into Las Vegas so we could drive over Hoover Dam on the way to Williams, Az. We arrived at the Grand Canyon Railway just as the days excursion was arriving though I was disappointed to see they were using an F40PH for motive power and not the FPA's (didn't expect steam off season either). We were up early the next day to see what we could of the yard and equipment and boarded for the Grand Canyon at 10am. We had booked seats in the dome car up and back and I was amazed at the equipment behind that F40. All stainless fluted side cars and all immaculate. Our dome was an ex ATSF '52 Budd and the fittings and appointments put the recent cars of Amtak to shame. It truly reflected a different time. The 64 mile ride up to the canyon was amazing as well with the line steadily climbing and weaving through the countryside. The GCR is a class operation all the way and even the trackage put the lines I've ridden here in the east to shame. Bolted rail on regular wooden ties, but smooth as a babies behind.
We reached the Grand Canyon Depot in just over two hours backing the whole train onto the wye up there and then backing into the station. As with the depot in Williams, the Grand Canyon Depot is restored and an original Sate Fe building dating from 1910. Nothing can prepare you for the Grand Canyon itself. I've driven by it probably 40 times and flown over it as many times, but it is beyond description in size and magnificence. It was bitter cold and windy but the CFO and I spent the three hours there walking one of the rim trails and shooting pictures every three of four paces. The view litterally changes that often. At three we returned to the train and rode back into a spectacular sunset, just a perfect day to ride a train.
The following day we drove into the park and spent athe next two days hiking and driving all up and down the south rim (north rim was closed for the season or we'd have gone there as well) getting up for sunrise shots and staying out til sunset. We tried our mettle on a trail down into the canyon but (I think wisely) turned back after a half mile or so as the terrain is loose gravel on the trails and after her 4 knee surgeries and my back problems we didn't fancy my having to carry the CFO back out if she hurt her knee slippingon loose stone. No matter, the miles of flatter trail at the top of the rim was more than good enough though I think we'd both have preferred to have done this trip twenty years ago when we were both fit enough to scramble up and down mountains with impunity.
By Saturday we had developed itchy feet and we went on tour of some of the other parks in Arizona visiting Sunset Crater, the Painted Desert, and the Petrified Forest the latter something I've wanted todo since I was eight and an aunt and uncle gave me a souvenier from there. I figured there would be a few doxen bits of tree trunk and little else, but again I totally was amazed at the extent of the park and the displays. We walked the loop trails at Blue Mesa and the Jasper and Crystal Forests and we were just blown away by the sights.
On the way out speaking of amazing, we saw train after train on the BNSF main with equipment ranging from the new BNSF colours to old ATSF Warbonnet schemes and some original Burlington green as well. Long freights seemed no more than 5 minutes apart mostly double stacks and TOFC consists wirh a couple of coal trains and one tanker consist thrown in. The road through the Petrified forest runs over the BNSF main so we aere able to shoot a near distance set of sidings as well as the park.
We had decided to go to Phoenix to see the Arizona Rail Museum on Sunday so we headed out that way down route 61 through Salt River Canyon stopping in Globe. Now the map we had just lists 61 as a senic road, but that is a gross understatement. The run through Salt River Canyon with the road twisting and turning back on itself was nothing short of amazing with my wife rejoicing that we were stuck behind a school bus as she often doesn't appreciate my skilled driving demonstrations.
The drive to Phoenix after globe was interesting as well with runs through Phelps Dodge and other huge mining operations often with their own extensive sidings. Descending we kept seeing changes in the terrain and plant life with cacti finally appearing at around 4000 feet. The rail museum was interesting as they had just pulled up roots and moved out of downtown Chandler to a much larger and more suitable site though they are starting absolutely from bare dirt. They already had four sidings in with plans for four more and a set of buildings and we were impressed by the enthusiasm and vision of the people we met there.
We missed the train ride at Verde Canyon by half an hour, but by that point we didn't mind and continued our tour by car going through Jerome and out to Wickenburg again on roads that were convoluted beyond belief. Not too many tracks in that terrain.
Monday we were headed out, but stopped in Scottsdale to see Frank Lloyd Wrights' Talisen complex before getting on the plane. All in all a thoroughly good experience. And now - back to work. CUL, J.R.
Thanks LEE, for the offer. We do our own decals. MoM has an HP inkjet and it does a great job.
This is a photo of what will be the salt mine. This is a Cornerstone elivator that I started kitbashing for the mine. I have the conveyor comming out of a small building and bringing the salt to the main building for processing. There will be a network of pipes and ladders going to the different levels. Of coarse this is all packed up for the move.
Wish everyone a fantastic day.
Well got to get out of here. Got a lot to do yet.
LSWrr wrote:Good morning all, The outlook for today and tomorrow was going to be warm enough to melt the snow we have on the ground, well they changed their minds and we are looking at High's in the upper 20's and up to 24" of snow by Friday. I have to blame it on Dan since in an earlier page he wished for favorable driving conditions to go home for the holidays. No matter I enjoy the snow. I want to be a weatherman: it's the only job were you can be wrong 90% of the time and not get fired!Lee
'Morning
Just 30 miles or so away from you.We got just a dusting of snow.I just want the lake to freeze over!
Snow
We dont want no stinking snow!
Honestly
We are Clevelanders.The butt of alot of jokes.We can handle it.
Dan S.,
You and me both, I'm in the Coast Guard, so the lake freezing over is a good thing for me! Things should slow down at work as soon as the Seaway closes. Things are pretty hectic around here as the freighters try to squeeze in one more trips. Now the WX service claims only 8" of snow by Friday morning.
Morning everyone!
All this talk of cold weather has me shivering! Or maybe it's the fact that it's not exactly swimming weather around here!
Oh, and that snow you guys are worried about over in Ohio, it shouldn't be too bad.
So, everyone have their Christmas shopping done? It's coming fast you know!
Good Morning All....Got some sunshine and its a little warmer 35 here this morning...I'll have biscuits and gravey with coffee please..Thank you...Not much going on in the Pearl Street Apartments today weather has most folks staying in....I have been on Ebay alot was bidding on 4 IC E units all with problems Some one bid them up to 61.00 they wanted them a whole bunch more than I did..Can't figure it out you can buy them new all the time for a little more thn 20.00?
PC...Bench work is looking good..Do you have any idea when the first wheel will turn?I'm with you use what you can get your hands on for bench work your going to cover it up anyway....Keep the pictures coming....
JR....That sounds like a great trip but good to have you back....Like Neal said do you have any pictures you can post?
Neal....That sounds like a neat kit bash a salt mine from a Walthers elevator.....like to see some pictures when your done...I think most of the Walthers buildings make good starts for kit bashes....
Well caregiver just got here and i gota go you all have a good day......Jerry
'morning everyone
dansapo wrote:We are Clevelanders.The butt of alot of jokes.We can handle it.
heh, Cleveland is the most made fun of city in movies... oh well, you get used to it...
I won't mind the snow too much - so long as they can get/keep the roads clean next week...
If you want when I go back to work next week I can take a bunch of pictures of the two salt mines up here, it wouldn't be any problem at all. Also if you go to mapquest.com you can get a good overhead picture of almost any rail facility. You can see the cargil salt mine up here by typing in zip code 44114 and pan west. The cargil salt mine is just over the river near the lake.
gah, looks like lunch is on me...
what say you guys to a buffet?
Cox 47 wrote: PC...Bench work is looking good..Do you have any idea when the first wheel will turn?
PC...Bench work is looking good..Do you have any idea when the first wheel will turn?
It's probably going to be a while! Got lots to do between now and then!
I'm with you use what you can get your hands on for bench work your going to cover it up anyway....Keep the pictures coming....
I'm all about free, as long as it's not junk.