Good Morning All,
Still hazy, hot and humid and no rain for the past week. High in the 80's/90's again.
Happy Birthday Ulrich! Good to see you in the shop. That strudel looks mighty tasty.
You've missed your cue Lee- not Christmas trees, it was supposed to be: "Bring me a shrubbery!" Your progress is awesome!
Jeff - nice job on the backdrop. I look forward to seeing all these improvements tied together.
Tar wagons: I seem to remember most of the old setups using an old heating oil tank shaped enclosure turned on its' side with a burner underneath and a spigot to pour the tar into buckets to take to the roof? Am I imaginning things again? Should be do able with some detail parts and an old axel, no?
Still up to my neck in it with the house and shop. We got another 2 week extension on the temporary (rental) housing as we still don't have enough done to get the inspector out for the C.O. walkthrough and time is running out with 4 more race weekends on the trot starting this Friday. Everything seems to land at once.
Well, gotta run - too much to do again today but I did want to stop by to say hi. CUL, J.R.
Breakfast is on me lads, order up and put it on the tab please Zoe.
Good morning. Just got off of work, and about to hit the sack!!
Jeff....Good looking backdrop.
Ulrich......Happy b-day .
I will be back in later.
"Rust, whats not to love?"
Ulrich: Happy Birthday!
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, Breakfast burrito please. Eds OJ and a cup of coffee. Thank you.
Two days in a row with nothing planned. Imagine that. I may try the fade again today and a bit more work on the layout. That's my plan anyway. I see where there are some pages to go since I last checked in so I'll start the post in word and when my coffee gets here I'll read and post at the same time.
Robby- About the outside track. I see. Sounds good to me, I guess that is the way your track is now so you know you like it. Anywho, I'm just glad you get to expand. Oh and IT SURE IS NICE YOU WANTED TO MAKE SURE SOMEONE COULD GET IN THE BATHROOM. (I think I said it loud enough for your wife to hear. You'll thank me later). Ah, just watched the video. Perfectly clear. I guess I never noticed the upper level before.
Jeff- WOW!!!!! What a difference! That's the Busch ones right? They look good Great! I need to find some with relatively flat ground, slight rolling is fine (or what we in the Mid-West call "hilly") but no conifer trees. At least not enough to notice. That's my problem, most backdrops I have seen are either mountainous, have pine trees or are desert.
Nittany- Same with my AHM I'm fiddling with. Been soaking in 180 proof and is laughing. Too much longer and I do have brake fluid.
Bama- I agree with the Mickey D's Angus burger. They are actually quit good. I had one last night. The dog gets a plain McDouble. I figure eat ‘em while you can because they will quit making them, or the new will wear off and either the employees will treat them like any other food item there and destroy it or the company will destroy it after it does well and they decide to do a few things that "no one will notice" to cut costs.
Rob- Sounds like John has the answer! And I don't think you could get much less expensive than that!.
Lee- Boy the diner is all abuzz with that picture of the lady in the blue outfit. You sure about posting pictures of the swimmers? What? A lady in white? (groan as biting finger) White jumpsuit.... Farrah (grin). I thought the lady was praising the ice cream guy for showing up because the kids have been pestering her all morning, "finally! You're here!"
ULRICH!!!- HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! I hope this year turns around for you! Thanks for the Strudel, it looks delicious!
Nik- I think I've said this before but I'll say it again... Monty Python and the Holy Grail is one of my all time favorite movies. "That Rabbit's Dynamite!"
Have a Great Day!!
Todd
Central Illinoyz
In order to keep my position as Master and Supreme Ruler of the House, I don't argue with my wife.
I'm a small town boy. A product of two people from even smaller towns. I don’t talk on topic….. I just talk.
good morning all.
Ulrich:
Rob: Batteries were charged by 4:00am., so here's the missing photo! Busy morning, don't know when I'll get to the frame, but reading the other posts tells me a couple of propane tanks (I've some tubing put by that came in a pair of shoes some years ago), and dual axels. I don't have HO vehicles, but I think a pencil is about 24" diameter in HO, so I could maybe get 4 wheels out of that. Just need to turn the edges a mite, and incurve towards the hub. We'll see.
Kris is making "Let's go to the Harbour" noises,and the car has to go in anyway (Driver's sdie rear brake cylinder, and free up the emergency brake cable to that wheel.)
nik.n: You could well be right, as undoubtedly is Ray on the Flesh wound / Scratch thing. I think the fore-runner of both however may be Walter Mitty.
CULTR
"There are always alternatives, Captain" - Spock.
Mornin' everyone!
I was up bright and early this morning to meet the train downtown.... Finger Lakes Scenic Railway is operating a "Commuter Train" to Canandaigua this morning. I was just there to pick up materials on railroad safety for my my presentation at the camp this Sunday. Of course the lady that told me to meet her there totally forgot about it and had to drive over to the boarding location. Got the materials and was stepping off the train just as two shorts on the whistle blew... (now all this talk about the lady in blue... the one I got the materials from has her way..... beat!) She gave a presentation at our Spring Meet for the Division NMRA. I can tell you she had all the men's full and undivided attention!
Anyway as I was walking back to my car I asked one of the train crew, "Since they have a locomotive on each end, when they come back here would they still use two shorts on the whistle?" He said, "No that would be 3 for backing up." I ask, "But wouldn't you still be going forward since the loco would the one at the other end?" He stopped and thought, then gave me a puzzled look......... I left.
Flo I'll have a big cup of coffee in a FGLK Mug and a hunk of that Birthday Strudel Ulrich brought in earlier.
Oh! HAPPY BIRTHDAY Ulrich and many many more. Hope this year is much better than the last was!
John, you may be right on the origin of the line as John Cleese was known to take lines from most everywhere to use. According to Wikipedia the whole scene stems from this:
the sequence originated in a story told to Cleese when he was attending an English class during his school days. Two Roman wrestlers were engaged in a particularly intense match and had been fighting for such a substantial length of time that the match had degraded to the two combatants doing little more than leaning into one another with their body weight. When one wrestler finally tapped-out and pulled away from his opponent, it was only then that he and the crowd realized the other man was, in fact, dead and had effectively won the match posthumously. The moral of the tale, according to Cleese's teacher, was that, "If you never give up, you can't possibly lose" - a statement that, Cleese reflected, always struck him as being "philosophically unsound".
OK, I have stuff to get done today...... See you all later!
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
TMarshJeff- WOW!!!!! What a difference! That's the Busch ones right? They look good Great! I need to find some with relatively flat ground, slight rolling is fine (or what we in the Mid-West call "hilly") but no conifer trees. At least not enough to notice. That's my problem, most backdrops I have seen are either mountainous, have pine trees or are desert.
Good morning.It's 81 and partly cloudy. The high will be around 90 and there's a chance of rain.My sister told me three days ago that my nephew would be getting the gas needed for the cutting of the grass. So far, no gas. Unless my sister pushes him to get it I'll probably still be waiting for him to get the gas while my Social Security expires. Later today I'll be making up some stencils with which to make clouds on the backdrop. As the project nears completion I'm coming up on the most difficult phase. The actual placement of the background scene. I did a couple of test shots with a small part of it held up by two small pieces of masking tape. It looked really good. I'll be gluing the background scene in place so I'll only have one shot at it.Today's Weather for:Sundown, LA 71446-6114 8/19/2009Heat Index: 89°FHumidity: 89%Dew Point: 77°FSo Far TodayHigh: 81°FLow: 75°FRain: 0.00"Rain Rate: 0.00"/hGust: 7mph SEToday High: 92 with a heat index of 105. A 60 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms is likely. Highs in the lower 90s. South winds around 5 mph.Tonight Low: 75 Partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening. Lows in the mid 70s. South winds around 5 mph.
Good morning...we just had a rain shower and it is 75 but muggy...Its almost dinner time I'll have a Pork burger with long horn cheese,onion rings and a diet coke ..please..Thank you..I made up my mind to scrap my cake pan turntable..just can't get it centered and turning smooth..I am looking for an older Walthers [Heljan] which is same size as cake pan I think..
Ulrich HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
Jeff..Back drop is looking good one...
Jr..Good to hear from you...
You all have a good one...Jerry
Coffee in a large UNION PACIFIC mug, please & thanks.
***Der, you have some real skill for creating stuff like that trailer. You can tell it's going to look great. Not sure I'm that industrious these days. You make it look easier than it probably is.
***Jim, looks like the flatter trailer could be converted into a decent tar trailer. The round tank trailer could be turned into a sprayer for the wife's farm, too. Paint the tank white, the trailer red, and replace the wheels with some shorter, wider versions.
Have a good day all.
Rob
TMarshNittany- Same with my AHM I'm fiddling with. Been soaking in 180 proof and is laughing. Too much longer and I do have brake fluid.
Its funny to me that I'll be at the shop and think "$30 for that big bottle of Chameleon! so much money!" But I think I've spent $15 on alcohol to strip stuff in the last year and half that stuff I gave up on anyhow. I guess it seems like less when its spread out in $1.20s over months. But if that stuff works, well, maybe I should splurge.
On the other hand, powerball's up to $250m. The casino in Pittsburgh is open and I'd like to wish I had the money to have a night there, but I'd rather go with the low risk high reward lottery than the high risk low reward of video poker.
Ten or twelve years ago in high school, we had to do a video project for spanish IV. My group did some key scenes of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I remember doing the Black Knight and the Holy Hand Grenade. I know we did a third and maybe a fourth scene, but I haven't seen in since we showed it in class. Don't even have a copy of it either. That was a lot of work, but I got to play the Black Knight.
NittanyLion I never seem to have any luck stripping paint off of stuff. Whatever BLI uses for black must be much tougher stuff than they used for burgundy.
I never seem to have any luck stripping paint off of stuff. Whatever BLI uses for black must be much tougher stuff than they used for burgundy.
Hello .... It's RBF time.
Ray ... thanks for the videos. LV 211 is a real classic!
JR ... Another delay of 2 weeks, but you are getting closer to returning home. Looking forward to seeing layout pix in the future.
Jeff........ Backdrops are really impressive. One photo looks like the KCS scenery in current Trains mag.
JimCG ... Next time, it would be nice to plan a trip to Chuck's Depot when we could actually meet. Of course, you would be welcome to stop by here, too, as Inch did last year.
Lee .... I like the photos. Now, you really are the RR bridge expert at work and at home.
As I said yesterday, we are scheduled to go to my Mother's 90th Birthday party in Alabama. We plan to leave tomorrow. However, Shelley is getting nasty and worsening symptoms from a spider bite she got yesterday afternoon. We think it was a brown recluse. I'm taking her to the doc this afternoon.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Ulrich........
Thanks Garry
Nittany - it's worth the price, the bottle of gel lasts forever.
BM1 Lee Soule USCG (ret) L.S.&W Railroad Serving the Lower Great Lakes
Good afternoon. Its hot, and a lot of "pop" up storms are around!! I just also noticed the powerball "lottery" is up to $250 million !!!!
Did some more work on the layout, and started on the next boxcar. Here's a few pictures of them both.
Layout:
Next "weathered boxcar" . I would like to keep this one for myself .
Howdy!
Nice work Robby! You work quick on that layout progress!
Still need to catch up from a few days...but here are a few pics on my re-loop project I promised:
Before:
Removing Sections:
Adding Loops over Stairs
Ryan BoudreauxThe Piedmont Division Modeling The Southern Railway, Norfolk & Western & Norfolk Southern in HO during the merger eraCajun Chef Ryan
Yep the almost 40 year old paint on the AHM thumbed its nose at the 91% alcohol, but the brake fluid won. I just wiped it on and watched to see how the plastic reacted and no problems. I still have more to do but I still don't feel comfortable just letting it set it BF. That Chameleon may be what will show up in the supply drawer one of these days if I do to many more repaints.
Gary-I hope it wasn't a Brown Recluse.
Rob- Not that it really matters because you can make it anything you want, it's your world, but the round tank is stainless steel and the flatter tank is fiberglass. That's the one that your water always tasted nasty out of when they got old. And the coffee made with that water, whoa, tasted like it had an old boot in it. Of course like I said that's the prototypes, yours can be any material you choose to say it is. Just in case someone mentions it you can be ready with and answer like " Not this one, it's and oil tank"
Severe T-storms headin this way, time to shut down. Should be here in about 10 ta 15 minutes, I can hear the rumbles already and itsa gettin darker. Inch and Jerry, they may skirt north of you but just in case, keep an eye to the west
Coffee refill, please.
***Todd, my wife isn't that particular. If it looks enough like a tar trailer with black goo spilling out the back and a prison detail in stripes patching cracks in the road while being watched closely by armed gauads, she will be happy with it. And who am I to suggest otherwise with a Soylent Green Plant and a volcano mining operation planned for my (N) layout. Thanks for the info though. Curious, does it require a spoon to consume that boot flavored coffee?
***Robby, nice, fast start there. Look forward to seeing your progress.
twhiteSawyer: Are you a Junior, this year? If so, GET READY!! Our Juniors spend the first semester just walking around with their jaws dropped. I have NO idea why everything in high school is planned out so that Juniors get so clobbered with such intense classes. When you get to college, it's the first TWO years, then when you get to your Junior year, it's a breeze. Never COULD figure that out.
Sawyer: Are you a Junior, this year? If so, GET READY!! Our Juniors spend the first semester just walking around with their jaws dropped. I have NO idea why everything in high school is planned out so that Juniors get so clobbered with such intense classes. When you get to college, it's the first TWO years, then when you get to your Junior year, it's a breeze. Never COULD figure that out.
Tom, I'm a freshman.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ULRICH!!!
day 3 went well.
Sawyer Berry
Clemson University c/o 2018
Building a protolanced industrial park layout
Heartland Division CB&QJeff........ Backdrops are really impressive. One photo looks like the KCS scenery in current Trains mag.
Been a bit busy today in between rain showers. I drew out some cloud shapes on 8 manilla folders then cut them out so I can use the folders as stencils. I've also been spraying down the Busch Hintergrund (Walther's #189-2872) backgrounds with Krylon Matte Finish. I'm doing this for 3 very good reasons. #1, the gloss finish is VERY unrealistic and #2, reflects any camera flash no matter the angle and #3, the Detail Associates add-on scene components are more matte than gloss. Having matte on matte will be much better than having the scenic black eye of matte on gloss. It also appears that I didn't measure right so I'll have to order another 189-2872 when it's in stock again. The have two other background scenes which includes buildings on them but they're way too European for my needs.
Evening all, just about to go and get dinner started for my family, probably going to be Hamburger Helper tonight (don't really feel up to cooking a she-bang of a meal). Did some digging around through my pictures on this computer and found some pictures that I'd completely forgotten about. They aren't exactly MRR or even RR related, but it does at least show my modelling skills. Welp, here they are:
M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank
Dale Earnhardt, Jr #8 Chevrolet
And last, a 1960's Vette
Well off to cook, I'll be back later.
Good Evening, Chloe - pssst! If you happen to have one of those tasty-looking apple strudels left, I'll take one , with a Rio Grande mug of decaf, please. Thanks Chloe (and thanks to your fraü, Ulrich, and a )!
Chris, you sure get a wide variety of assignments from THAT editor, all right. [rant] Lately, I've been thinking there are a LOT of voters of all persuasions out there who wish someone would come up with an antidote for politician overdose on the tube...[/rant] But maybe THAT's just me... Good luck with getting those firefighters to go in together on the fire truck - maybe if they each only chip in some more moderate amount, no one CFO will jump their cases.
Okay, Todd - I AM looking for those backdrops with desert, pine trees, etc. on them, so whose are you talking about? Fill me in, please! Good to hear that in the battle between brake fluid and the paint, the brake fluid got it done!
Ray, it sounds like you have way too much fun messing(Sorry there, Fergie!) with people's minds.
DerJohn - thanks for the photo of your tar trailer project.
Garry, we may want to see what we can do on either timing our trips to Chuck's so they match, or picking a time (close to one of my paydays) when I can swing by Kentucky and see you and your buddies' layouts. Drive careful on your trip, and hopefully the Dr. can get something w**king on that spider bite to heal it up for Shelley.
Robby - are you sure you didn't post the 'before' photo of your boxcar? That looks a lot cleaner than I'm used to seeing on your w**k. Nice progress on the layout (and don't forget to do something on the bathroom door, especially if she might stop by the basement/train room).
Well, here I am mid-way through my vacation and I got the runny-nose/cold thing going today. Took an antihistamine this morning and also squirted Nasonex for my nose, but I've been running through the paper napkins at the Panera's where I am now. Sniff, sniffle... Apparently the mail carrier tried to deliver one of my (2) orders at w**k today, 'cause when I went to check online, the page said they attempted to deliver a package. Of course (as I suspected) when I went by the post office, the carrier hadn't returned yet. But the clerk at the desk said the package will be there all day tomorrow (at the P.O.), so I'll check tomorrow a.m.
Got my other uncoupling magnet put in place early this afternoon (chiseled out a hole in the cork and then in the plywood under that to get enough depth). I really need to clear away all the... schtuff.. from under and around the layout, because I have decided I need to almost completely re-spike my track, close up any rail gaps, and check the gauge (or at least the basics of the plain track, since I haven't figured out yet what all those doo-dads and cutouts for switches on the NMRA gauge are for.
Ray - Help?! Can you point me to a good manual or tutorial page that actually shows me where the NMRA gauge should go to fit for each of those other doo-dads? The instruction sheet is like some tech manuals, in that it sorta assumes that if they sling the terms at me, I'll know where that is on a turnout, etc.
I'm still avoiding starting drilling pilot holes for the grab irons for a couple of cars (my P2K Frisco gondola, and my Walthers Gold Line caboose). Yes, I really need to practice using my pin vise to get better at it, I know... (That, and I find various other assorted things to interest myself in...)
Got some books put back on the bookcase (and off the DR table/MRR workbench), and vaccuumed some of the carpet also. Not a lot of MRR stuff today. I did find that there's a new LHS, but it's mostly a R/C one. He does have some balsa stripwood and epoxy which could be useful for various projects, and he said he has some Evergreen structural shapes (L's tubes, strips, etc.), but needs more pegboard space put up first (he's only been there a few weeks - pretty small place).
I did get by H-L and picked up an Xacto (smaller) knife and a package of #11 blades, plus a silver Sharpie (was looking in the MR issue about making cars look better). They have their 40-percent-off-one-item coupon going this week.
Hope Ulrich brings that strudel in again by the weekend. I could get used to that apple strudel his wife makes.
I'll be at the window booth, checking out the evening trains. Prayers for comfort, healing and safe trips as needed for those of you Diners and loved ones.
Blessings,
Jim in Cape Girardeau
Did some work on a building today. The blank spot in the one wall is where a one story annex will go once I get another set of roof line whatever they call it Walthers Modulars. I don't like that they only give you two of the little connectors you use to bridge the gap between the long roof sections and only six corners.
My mortar wash actually made the part seams more visible, which is puzzling in the "well now what" way. I also noticed I somehow missed doing my corner pieces! The one short wall is not being modeled. That will go against the edge of the layout and may just receive a piece of cardboard. Eventually the building will double in length and attached to a much larger building. It will receive a floor and I'm planning to figure out some means to make the inside walls flat so that I can detail the interior. Its going to only be 0" from the side and about a foot from the front of the layout. With all those windows, it needs to look like something is in there.
In the real world, the building its based on appears to have been an enclosed coal trestle. There are few (much fewer) windows on the real building and none on the lower level. Its a long-ish narrow building attached to a much larger building that was clearly the power plant for the brewery complex it belongs to. A railcar door and the remains of tracks go inside, so I did some logical leaping. My structure has been repurposed in these modern times to be an indoor corn syrup receiving area. I might finish installing the windows tonight, but I'm going to wait to weather it until I can finish the annex.
Also an overnight dunk in alcohol finished stripping my BLI E8 shell but I seem to have neglected to remove the windows, which mostly melted. I put it back in to melt away what was left of them. At least now I don't have to worry about masking them when I paint it. It was going to be a paint scheme test throwaway shell anyhow, so I'm not going to miss the glass. Or the windshield wipers that also vanished.
Ulrich: Happy Birthday!!!!
Jeff: Those Backdrops are really nice!! Good work----
JimRC: Your comment about the structural pieces reminded me about the point that I need to pick up a slew of that stuff as well----never seem to have enough of it-----dern---
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I had a lot of running around to do today---had a bunch of people to see about the layout I'm helping build for Eric-----we are trying to get everything ready for an operating session in a couple of weeks time----up early this morning to pick up a couple of the local characters and off to the house we go---did not get finished with todays stuff until just now!!
Chloe---I'll have a pulled pork sammich and a piece of that strudel of Ulrich's please---oh yes--an RBF will go just fine----thanks-----
LTR
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/
Evenin' folks!
I got out the 2' x 6' "Timesaver" layout and cleaned up the track. It had been sitting in the damp part of the basement for a couple of years since I used it last. It was definitely a corroded mess (Well not Thee MESS, but still a mess......) With a lot of fine sanding, Laquer Thinner on a Q-tip, and alcohol swabs, it is now back up and running. I also resurrected my old Brass Connie (2-8-0), oiled her up and cleaned all the contacts and wheels. She runs like a charm..... Found the cars that I use with it along with some business card sized car cards and have everything packed for Sunday. If the kids can't figure it out, I'll bet some adults will have a blast switching cars into trains!
So, I'm pretty much ready for the weekend. Saturday I serve a car host for Diesel Days at the R&GV Museum. May be riding in style on one of the Empire State Express cars. I hear that at least one will be being used for the day. Then Sunday it is out to camp for the day. Got a great haul form the FGLK people. Lots of handouts on safety around and on trains, along with stickers and buttons. Should go over well.
JimRCGMORay - Help?! Can you point me to a good manual or tutorial page that actually shows me where the NMRA gauge should go to fit for each of those other doo-dads? The instruction sheet is like some tech manuals, in that it sorta assumes that if they sling the terms at me, I'll know where that is on a turnout, etc.
While the info you need is certainly there at the NMRA website, you would have to know what you were looking for and then wade through pages of technical stuff to confuse you even more......... So probably a good starting place for "what things are called" at least in regards to turnouts would be here. If there is anything else or any specific term that I can help you with, just holler and I'll do my best to confuse you.....
Speaking of Fergie??? What's he been up to lately? Anyone hear anything from him?
Zoe I'll have a cup of decfe, and another piece of that Apple Strudel if you please. What it's gone?!? Jeffrey had how many pieces??? And Barry got the last one?!? Humph...... OK then I'll have a Walnut Sundae then instead!
jeffrey-wimberly Heartland Division CB&QJeff........ Backdrops are really impressive. One photo looks like the KCS scenery in current Trains mag. Really? I'd like to see that. I don't get Trains mag.
Jeff....You can click on "Trains Magazine" and see the cover of Trains with a meet of KCS trains with "Southern Belle" units, and oncoming train is a unit train of new "Southern Belle" grain hoppers. It is a great article about the KCS, and you should get a copy. Perhaps, your LHS can hold a copy for you to pick up on your next visit.
Those of you who were concerned about "the bite". Doc says it is consistant with a brown recluse spider bite but without the spider to inspect can't say that for sure. Shelley has a very large area of infected skin already along with a low fever. Infection looks really nasty. With anti-biotic, she should be able to travel. Two family members at my Mom's 90th B-day party are doctors, and so that is good just in case. She got the bite while gardening at the church, and that's not fair.
Hey,
I'm kinda new to the Elliot's Diner thing, but glad to be here.
I'll have the bratwurst and a coke.
If you can read this... thank a teacher. If you are reading this in english... thank a veteran
When in doubt. grab a hammer.
If it moves and isn't supposed to, get a hammer
If it doesn't move and is supposed to, get a hammer
If it's broken, get a hammer
If it can't be fixed with a hammer... DUCK TAPE!
Best wishes to everyone on the layout and otherwise.
has anyone the saurbraten?