Elliott's Trackside Diner XXIII: Moving on...

[LSWrr]

Rob glad your feeling better.

[Cederstrand]

A plain sweet potato, please.

Had the 24 hour virus thing my wfie had last week with uncontrollable shivers. Fever broke last night. Only took sips of water for 36 hours. It dropped me down to 12.6% body fat. Glad that is over. I can eat again.

Obviously nothing new to report on the MRR'ing front. This week should be an improvement.

Hope everyone is doing well. 

Rob 

[LSWrr]

Thanks Ulrich.

Jeff, 3 foot reach.  Have you seen those steps for campers? It’s one step with four legs, I have one in my layout room and I highly recommend it to extend your reach.  If you have a friend handy with a welder and some angle iron laying around it’s a good afternoon project to build one.

Love the mounument BTW.

[Cox 47]

howdy all...Its cloudy and 32 here...I'll have a windy city dawg,drag it thru the garden.onion rings and a RBF please...thank You...Not much going on the I&S rails...gonna take my lunch and slip over in the corner...You all have a good one...Jerry

[TMarsh]

Good Morning. Happy MLK Day. Sorry no card. Boy is it noon already!? Wow. Ok double Cheeseburger and some cheese fries, no make that Jalapeno Poppers. Cream cheese kind please and a Dr Pepper Thank you.

Der- Yeah, that's what I meant, Copy and paste, I just say Cut because...., well....., I don't know why.

I think I'll head to the basement before something raises it's ugly head before I have to work at 4.

Have a Great Day!!!

[Anonymous]

 Good Afternoon,

an uneventful day at the GULAG - glad to be home. It is "warm" outside, + 2 C, and foggy. Really a dull day!

Chloe, as the guys are not playing with the catapult any longer, may I have a slice of that cream cheese pie and a coffee to go with it? Thank you.

My mom is on the way to recovery, but we know, that a few things will have to change in my parent´s household. It will be a tough one to persuade them to accept help in their daily chores. I am not worried as long as my mother is still in  the hospital, but once she´s out ...

I feel a little dull - no rest yet in sight. I urgently need to recharge my batteries

Lee - nice home page! 

Jeff - no need to put up a tombstone for me - yet

Chris - it would be my pleasure to draft up some ideas for you - keeps me out of trouble, you know !

[Robby P.]

 Good morning.  Its kinda nasty" outside.  Foggy, and rainy.  I rather have it that way than SNOW!!!

 I will probably work on the layout later.  The wife is off today, and  she will have the "soaps" on later.  Other than that, maybe do some work clothes.

 Hope everybody has a good day!!

[jeffrey-wimberly]

 Good morning. It's 35 and clear. The high will be in the upper 60's and it should be partly cloudy.

I actually got some of the junk cleared off the layout yesterday and I did some work on a few container loads. There's still more junk to be sorted however. Oh well, I don't have anything better to do today, yet. The foot isn't bothering me so much now since some bone slivers worked their way out last week. With three bones missing balance issues can become somewhat of a problem and my balance was somewhat precarious to start with. Today I intend to do some light work on the layout, mainly get the rest of the junk cleared and put some details back in place. There's also a road that need to be taken up but I'll have to do that slowly as it's on the far side of the extension where the extension meets the original benchwork. That means I'll be reaching across a three foot distance so I'll have to be careful not to damage anything in between while keeping my weight on my good foot. It should prove to be interesting to say the least.

[GMTRacing]

Good Morning All,

    36F and dismal outside this morning. Rain and s*ow showers predicted for today and tomorrow but at least the temps moderated a bit. I'll have a coffee and a blueberry donut please - yes - to go, please. Making more suspension repair pieces for the F-1 Theodore today so we can send them out for coating. After that I have a couple of rewiriing jobs and the Cooper Monaco to continue on. Catch y'all later, J.R.

[blownout cylinder]

Good Morning

We are currently sitting at -5C in the fog. Just another dull day for us with the high at 0C. There are warnings of black ice out here and some roads are kinda dodgy but oh well I'm not having to run 'roun' doin' stuff today

Gonna actually get some train time today---for once ---- I'm checking out some wiring as I appear to have some dead spots on a reverse loop. Loop works OK but----?

Chloe, I'll have a full breakfast plate special with ham and sausage and home fries as well, Oh---and a large Burlington Northern  mug of fresh perked coffee please-----I'll be at the RC this morning---

[LSWrr]

Good morning all,

http://www.lswrailroad.bravehost.com/

I re-built my web site, I still have some work to do adding content, however positive and negitive comments would be appreciated.  I don't know if the new MS-Internet Explorer will read it, however I did use MS software to publish it but as we all know MS is like an octopus that dosen't know where it's hands are these days.  The picture page and the projects page are basicly place holders right now, i hope to fix that soon.

[ns3010]

DerJohn---> Yes, I remember that now. But not worth it at all if you're running long trains, though.

Lee---> Thanks for posting that link!

Well, sorta kinda have no school tomorrow. It's reading day, where you can go for extra help, although it's not an 'official' day of school. I'll be going for Algebra.
And then we have a game at 12:30. I heard this team's not that good, but they're playing us, so I have a feeling it'll be good for them...

Imma gettin tired, so Imma gonna hit it.
Night!

[LSWrr]

UP Long Train 18,000 feet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdIzRFOaTCY&feature=fvw

 

 

 

[GMTRacing]

Good Evening All,

   Long day after all. Plan B entailed the CFO finding a solution that didn't involve swinging a hammer all day (look honey this takes the same size nails and weighs less than half the old one.) She came back from the store with a whole new nailer! God I love that woman. Framing is now nearly half done and this was the part that had to be plumb and true for the walls to hang right. Also was able to incorporate the old doorway where we recorded the kids heights while they were growing up. We saved the frame and door when we gutted the rest of the interior just because we might be able to use it. Probably not your idea of fun Ray, but a good day in my book. Tomorrow I will go on lline and order the trigger seal kit to fix the old unit. Each day doing the job list brings me closer to starting the shelf layout and ultimately starting the new full layout in the shed.

  Chris - not a 60 footer, but you can frequently find used trailers in the 45 to 53 foot range 8 feet wide and convert one of those. If you get an old gooseneck trailer you could keep it registered and the neighbors would never know . There used to be a character here that had a layout built into his motorhome and traveled with it.

Ulrich - I agree with Chris the idea is despicable. No-one has a problem with helping someone such as yourself that needs assistance after fate has turned on them. The issue here and probably where you are as well are those that have made a lifes career out of public assistance often with the willing aid of those who give the assistance. Layabouts I think is the best term I've heard.

Vincent - I will consult with the oracle who does our bodywork hopefully this week and find out what the solution is on the bumper cover. When you do paint it, it will need what they call flex paint so it doesn't just flake off. The flex paint allegedly also w.rks on model locomotive railings. On the car mold look at the Alumlite web sight to see how to cast a shell. The resin is also available in clear for windows though for transport you could be creative and decree that they were using the white plastic sheeting on the windows for shipping a bit earlier than they really did. That would allow you to do a simpler one piece mold and just add wheels and tires.

I did watch some bits of todays' football games. I knew if Favre was on his game they had a good chance - Jets not so much. I think the coach is nuts but his enthusiasm is contagious. I will be interested in how they approach the Colts game next week but that is going to be a tall order. The Saints and Vikings? Another toss up.

   Time to get some shut eye as next week is going to be busy again. Cheers, J.R.

 

[Packer]

evening ya'll

I actually watched the tube for once, and saw "human target". They actually have a nuclear powered train (in california no less) that has exlpoding brakes... I figure that stuff will be on youtube in a few hours... IT's crazzzyyy

Rob and Der, I've been searching and looks like heat is in fact the answer.

[Robby P.]

 Good late evening.  Just a sweet tea to go.

 Didn't do much at all other than watch some football.  I normally work on the layout during the week.  Kinda gives me something to do.

 Der......Thanks for the comments.  I agree that the legs painted black really helped.  I will have to look into "tweaking" the plant.  Maybe look at it tomorrow, and see what I can do.  As far as a WYE......I'm not the best at wiring things on the layout. 

 Vincent......I have a diploma in auto-body, and I wouldn't have any ide on what to do with the bumper.  Maybe you could sand the paint off around the dent, and fiberglass over the dent.  I know they have a lot of plastic stuff now, and I'm sure something will work.  Maybe what Der said might work as well.

 Well I will be hitting the hay in a bit.  See everybody in the morning.

[der5997]

Good evening all: Kris made Welsh Cakes  yesterday from a recipe in a book our daughter gave her a couple of years ago. Today it was Rock Cakes  from the same book, using up bits of left-over peel etc. from the Christmas baking.  So, Chloe, since there is a virtually limitless supply, I'll have some of each with my tea. Thanks.  I started this post on page 23, so if there is  an "old news" feel to it, that's why. Finally got around to putting decent trucks and wheels on a "train show special" 74' passenger car. Now it purrs along, although it found one spot on the layout that hasn't bothered anything else up to now....isn't there always something?

Todd:

I do however, type in word and cut and paste if I think it'll be long or is my main post of the day. Better safe than sorry.

  Better safer and maybe less sorry to copy rather than cut and paste? That way you've the entire file to go back to should the inconvenient happen - as it did with me Wednesday night!

RobbyP:

what I thought was a smaller cement company for my hoppers, was a cement plant for the cement trucks.  Well so much for that idea. 

  How about a kitbash/scratch of the part that loads the trucks into one that feeds hoppers?  On your benchwork project, painting the legs black...who would have thunk it would make such an outstanding difference in a totally retiring way! Amazing how the layout itself just seems to "hang" and be the entire focus.   About that new table...I looked at that and thought "there's enough room there for a decent Wye."  Why not? It gives you the facility of a turntable without the prototypical rarity of a return loop. A stationary decoder, BTW handles the polarity issues for you in each of those when you go DCC. 

The plastic spring thing that holds the removable hatch in the back of my printer cracked yesterday (why? I've no idea...plastic fatique?) Result, the print job fouled up, and immediate action was required to be able to continue, or ever print anything again on that machine. mrr supplies to the rescue - a quick application of liquid plastic cement to both sides of the cracked but not severed part, a short wait for it to take hold, and Presto! Back in business.

Keith:  Thanks for the kind words on the towers! They are Lineside Structures Kit # 602 Laser-Cut Basswood. Peel and stick technology, but there are some joints that have to be white-glued. I customized mine a bit to have a "family" look with a tower I already had built.

 I've just realized that one of the cut of passenger cars in my yet-to-be-repainted MT train is this ;if it is of interest, I wonder if we could trade something?

So aside from tearing out carpet.. wet smelly carpet.. I might get a chance to work on the layout.  As I've said before.."Ah the pride of home ownership"

  sounds like my Thursday last week at our daughter's. No heat  in #1 grandson's room turned out to be the washer in the bleed valve had crystallized over the years, and the resultant crud was blocking the pipe. The plumber had a "new" one from his box of spares-from-other-jobs. Fitted it, but didn't ask for anyone to watch it while he went to turn the supply back on. It wasn't a tight fit......

Chris:

( talking to Keith )Throw (OK, spray) some fade/weathering on the older phased stuff... SHAZAM! Compatibility problem...gone.

  Compatibility?   As Sam is too polite to say... "We don't need no stinkin' compatibility!" 

Ulrich:  Good to hear that your mother and father's situation is becoming more manageable . Let's hope she won't have to be in any hospital for long.  Pity about the Salt Lake Route plans - nothing is as cheap as it was, I guess. That stops me from getting what I'd really like for this layout - the cost of new equipment.

I have donated a little to the German Red Cross, as we will have a little surplus this month.

...what goes around comes around Ulrich, you never know...

On the Port of Seward layout, if you were to make the removable car float fit onto the interchange track on the right (there's about 6" to be chopped somewhere to get it allonto the 19' wall - and you could hide the marine look behind a building front maybe) you could have a "system" that rotates traffic..

but I doubt that all the cash being collected actually reaches the people in need. What a world!

...in the case of the Red Cross it goes to buy supplies that they deliver to the point of need. However, I understand your concern when applied to "Foreign Aid" in general.

From forced labor to forced labor camps to - we all know, what happened back then,  are only little steps.

....granted, BUT there is a difference I think, between then and now. The very "political correctness" that makes your life uncomfortable on the one hand, may also work to prevent - because of "human rights issues"- the return to former jackbooted policies on the other.

(by Garry ) Jeff ... that's a nice pix of the boxcars.

...and the depth of field along the side of the black one..

Joe:

Or, you could always go with at million percent grade between the first and fourth levels...

...wasn't there an article or three a while back on a vertical transfer table this chap had rigged up to solve just that situation in his train room? Sort of like a dumb waiter that lifted and lowered whole trains.

BridgeTom:  I'm with you on the Cilantro! Double yuk!

Krump: back! I know it's been a tough while for you, and it's good to see you in again!

Vincent:

I can push it back out from the inside, but it pops right back in. Maybe run some hot water over it or use a hairdryer?

  Sounds like it could do with both at the same time, heat to soften the plastic enough to stay "popped" .

I have testors clear parts cement and window maker that may work, but if a cast could be made clear that'd be great.

...I've tried the Krystal Klear for vehicle windows, and getting the curve in the windshield and rear window is the hard part, since it's a film in a rectangular frame, and tends to want to be flat. Also, I found it was thicker at the edges (no huge surprise, but not like any other windows you've seen!) Good luck with this.

 

JimRCGMO:

Jim in Cape Girardeau

(Can you see Monday from here?...)

 Barry - It will be tomorrow----unless someone moved it on us-----  

LOL

I'm off to see if the twin of that 75' car will run well behind it, or better in front. I find that some cars are tricky like that. Goodnight all, and God Bless. Prayers continuing for all in need of Healing, Comfort, Prosperity and Peace.

 

 

[blownout cylinder]

JimRCGMO

blownout cylinder

So JimRC, you do on-call for an entire weekend--me be doing the weekend seminars----what's a weekend off?

  For me, Barry, my 'weekend' will be Monday and Tuesday.

I just got home from my stint---I'll have tomorrow and Thursday off-----my other job claimed Tuesday and Wednesday

JimRCGMO

Jim in Cape Girardeau

(Can you see Monday from here?...)

It will be tomorrow----unless someone moved it on us----- 

So now the place looks nice and clean here----no cata-------- and no pie mangling either. This is a good thing. I was telling Chloe that if it kept up I was going to see if Vinnie could find a space with rubber walls that we could turn into a diner. That way all we would need was a hose so we could power wash the interior----Everything would be washable then--

As it was, it was busy. Everyone showed up and there all kinds of interesting things being discussed.

Chloe, I'll just have a RBF for now---I'll be over at the RC----seems that someone left a bunch of old MRR/RMC there----

[TMarsh]

Roger the Shrubber.......ROFLMAO! Ray you're a hoot!

[ns3010]

Evening all. Flo, can I please get a RBF?

We lost our game last night, 10-0 (mercy rule, so it ended in the beginning of the 3rd period). We were expecting to lose. So far, we're 0-12, and are last in the state.

Chris, you may want to cover your ears for this next part...
In the game before ours, the ref actually got knocked out... legit. Out cold. Apparently he got caught in the middle of a hit and hit his head on the boards. So they had to finish that game with only one ref... And he was supposed to be our ref, too, so they had to find a replacement for our game. We started about a half hour late, but whatever.

And we had practice at 8 this morning, but it was an hour away! So we had to leave here at 6:30. Which meant getting up at 6. Sure, I get up at 5:45 for school, but just cause it was the weekend, it felt that much worse... I actually came home and just slept...

Well, today I ran the last train on my layout. I have already begun taking it apart, in preparation for the new one. Depending on when we can get the room rearranged, I can begin on benchwork. I already have wood (my dad bought some for something last week, and doesn't need it), so that should be easy.
Anyway, some railfans got out to catch the last train:
Last run on the Watchinson Line

I think I missed, like, 10 pages in here, so IDK if it's even worth catching up...

I'll be at the RC if anyone wants to chat.

[Packers#1]

JimRCGMO

Sawyer, you better remember to pre-hydrate before next rugby game - those cramps are NOT good!

 

That's the plan. Hate cramps; I'm still feeling it in my calves, lol.

Today, got a switch repalced, track glued down, began painting it, and scratchbuilding a tree.

[fec153]

Chris- At least they have the cemetery  close by. Miami Beach doesn't have a cemetery. Have to go across Biscayne Bay to Miami to be buried.   For that matter there isn't a train station or airport either.

Flip

 

[AmanaMedic]

JIM: Sure Pal, pull up a seat, and feel free to bang away...

Uh Flo? ya got any aspirin back there?

Hey JIM, with your bone yard by the church dilema, here's an approach they took in Flush, Kansas. With the rectory (Priest house) to the immediate south of the church, and the school on the north side, and with farmland along the east border (back) of the church property...the founders of the parish decided to plant the dearly departed deceased across the road.

Here's a shot of the whole town for your amusement...

Maybe THAT will help...if nothing else, a sunny, peaceful scene of tranquility stands in stark contrast to the gray sky, fog, white snow, white houses, gray roofs, gray trees, gray roads, gray poles outside....

Chris

[fec153]

Cape Jim- My calendar has TWO fridays and NO mondays.                 lol

Flipped

 

[JimRCGMO]

Just a quick BLT to go and a RBF please, Flo - just in case... Thanks!

blownout cylinder

So JimRC, you do on-call for an entire weekend--me be doing the weekend seminars----what's a weekend off?

  For me, Barry, my 'weekend' will be Monday and Tuesday.

Sawyer, you better remember to pre-hydrate before next rugby game - those cramps are NOT good!

Krump? Where'd he go - I missed him!

Jerry - great job on that billboard, and scratchbuilt, too? {tup]

Tom, it'll take some doing, but that little gal should look great once you get her cleaned up.

Ulrich, take care of yourself and Petra there - if it comes to it (to avoid the looney politician), hitchhike your way to England, and maybe the two of you could w**k cook your way across 'the pond' on a tramp steamer...?

For Chris, Ulrich and anyone else wanting a chuckle (or would that be a ):

"...Should I write a letter to my Congressman?
A Congressman has two ends - a sitting and a thinking end;
Since his whole career depends upon his seat,
Why bother, friend?"

  (borrowed from an E.Y. Yarburg poem...)

 

AmanaMedic

So...all in all, is my predicament...

Stubbornness?

A failure to face reality?

Or insanity?

  Yep, but no problem, Chris, since we've all been, are currently, or soon will be in a similar fix...

As for me, this afternoon I got the stuff on the Community Church building I am scratchbuilding (modeled after a craftsman kit I'd seen a ways back, and loosely adapted). Was going to do some of that cutting window openings out, but realized I need more board-and-batten stock for the bell-tower addition on the side. I also got the layout design program fired up and looked at my future layout designs, and found that none of them had much space where I could locate the church (unless I left out the parking area, and the little cemetary to the side like country churches often have - hey, I have the W-S Tombstones, so I need a small cemetary!). Chris, can I come drink my RBF at the corner booth there for a little bit? Thanks.

Prayers for comfort, improving health, and at some point, room/time/funds enough to finish some kind of layout. I think we all could go for that!

 

Blessings,

Jim in Cape Girardeau

(Can you see Monday from here?...)

[AmanaMedic]

*Walks in whistling the "Hamms" song...for some reason....*

Good afternoon everybody, double cheeseburger basket with a Coke if ya please Flo... thankya.

ULRICH: The trouble with your "competent" politician, is THAT he, she, or it is using an all or none solution. We've got people gaming the system over here...you probably do there as well. Yes, something needs to be done about THEM...but not to the sorrow of those who truly NEED some help. Sounds like an idiot to me...but then I'd be pretty hard-pressed to find a politician, of any party, THAT isn't an idiot in my book anymore. A politician's #1 problem: how to get elected. #2 (way down the list) your problems. A politician's #1 problem once elected: how to stay in office. #2 (way down the list) your problems.

Thanks for the offer of your track planning services. Part of me wants to hold-out for the room-filling National Docks Ry (flipped and rotated), which would give me the Quaker Oats complex, "city" yard, CCP yard, Loftus Distributing (lumber), Jerabek Wholesaler (beer), and a Cargill facility. I don't have to build it all next week... but I'd like to have it by the time I retire...which, at current projections will be in about 60 years (when I turn 100).

Then again, I look at THAT shelf layout, which would allow me to replicate the switch jobs working Quaker Oats. I could sell-off a lot of the other stuff I've accumulated to finance it...and maybe have it built in a couple of years. Then again, it would ONLY allow me to replicate the switch jobs working Quaker Oats.

I think THAT would get old fast.

But again...I don't have to have it built by next week either.

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, I'm not sure what to do about it all.

Heck, I could also go into the basement which at this point is only good for holding up the house... dump a bunch of time and money into it (waterproofing, studs/drywall, flooring, lighting, etc., etc., etc.) and have a basement-filling empire winding its way through several odd-sized rooms.

Now if I could get ahold of an insulated, heated, air-conditioned shed... where I could have the nine arterial avenues crossing the tracks between the Quaker area and Jerabek's and Loftus, I could have the old Iowa Steel and Iron works....plus the few more blocks to the south passing the former Wilson Foods (Farmstead) plant and RESCAR facility before hitting the Cargill plant.... About an 80 foot long building would do nicely...if 60' = an HO mile...welp, I could get by with a 60' space, I guess.

Why did I ever get into this hobby?????????

The trouble is...I want to model a specific area, in a specific era...and I do NOT have the space, nor resources to really do so. Tony Koester can "LDE" this all he wants...it just don't work here. I've been accumulating cars and locomotives for 22 years with the idea of modeling this specific place...the era keeps shifting from "today" to "yesterday" to "20 years ago." It was really neat...I'd skip-out of class early and take a daily hike around Cedar Lake, check out the CR to Manchester train building in the CCP yard, walk along the CNW North Yard and watch jobs 23 and 24 go to work pulling the TOFC tracks, assembling a drag for Cargill, going to work Quaker. It was literally "see it today, go home and build it." Now I find so much that I never took a picture of ...but SHOULD have.

So...all in all, is my predicament...

Stubbornness?

A failure to face reality?

Or insanity?

ULRICH: Maybe sometime in the near future I'll send you some "givens and druthers," room dimensions, and background info on the area. Of course, I'd expect to compensate you somehow for your time...so will need some time to build-up the coffers a little.

JERRY: Love that billboard! While I can't say I've ever tasted that brew...I sure remember the song and the bear. I did a web search, Miller was selling Hamms as-of a few years ago. Now apparently Miller and Coors have merged. The website shows the current beers. No regular Coors just Coors Lite .

Somebody...take me back to 1987....PLEASE!!!!!

I'm gonna go have a seat in a corner booth...maybe bang my head against the wall lamenting missed opportunities, idiot poly-tick-ians, improbable/impossible layout dreams, the passing of yet another American icon (Hamms Beer), the need for time-travel capabilities...

Chris

 

 

[Packer]

Afternoon ya'll, RBF for me

Now that my car is runnning as it should, I started prepping my car for paint by sanding the "rough" spots and spraying primer over any bar metal (mainly on the rear fenders from hammering them so the rear tires would fit). Tomorrow I'm going to bring the slide hammer and bondo out to get the body smooth. There is a dent on the front bumper cover and I'm not sure how one would get that out since it's a plastic part. I can push it back out from the inside, but it pops right back in. Maybe run some hot water over it or use a hairdryer?

I just now noticed that atlas has 1978 fairmonts in both the sedan and wagon versions. I'd like to fill up a few open or plated-side autoracks with them, but they get kind of pricy. I've though of buying a few unpainted versions of each, then making molds of them so I can cast them in resin. Anyone have one they can dis-assemble so I can see how they go together? Secondly, how would one cast the windshields? I have testors clear parts cement and window maker that may work, but if a cast could be made clear that'd be great.

[Blazzin]

  Jerry ... Jeff .. nice pics both of you~

Jerry are those beer cans in that trashin bin?

[TMarsh]

Morning all. We'll see what TODAY brings.

Have a Great Day!!!

[howmus]

Mornin' ...... er.... Afternoon everyone!  Well it was still morning when I was going to post, but I decided I needed to get my laundry started before....

Zoe, whatcha got good for lunch?  Ok, I'll have the Hot Roast Beef Sandwich and Fries with gravy to go along with a cup of dark roast in a FGLK Mug if you please.  I'll be in the back booth by the stove.

I have about half of the Art and Poetry Certificates done so far.  Waiting on a couple spelling checks on names right now.  I'll have to spend time on the layout waiting for the washer to get done........

Did get to "play" with the "Bridge to Nowhere" for a bit last night and now have ties laid on the structure.  Photos will be updated later today in the WPF. '

J.R.  Hope plan "B" is fun!

Later!

73