Evening all. Just catchin' up a bit...
Thanks, Keith! The benchwork didn't come out too horribly, so that's good. And thanks for the comps on the videos! I was able to get out to Netcong, and I'll have the video up soon. I'll post a link to the video later.
Lee, that's what I was planning on doing- once I get money, cause I literally have absolutely nothing...
Rob, I think any first or second generation Geep would look nice with a U23B, maybe a SD40 or something, but not sure...
I'll be back in later.
My Model Railroad: Tri State RailMy Photos on Flickr: FlickrMy Videos on Youtube: YoutubeMy Photos on RRPA: RR Picture Archives
Roast Chicken with veggies, please.
***Sawyer, enjoyed the pics!
***Flip, hope Deb is OK!?
***Robby, that snow plow pic is cool!
***Keith wrote: [On a personal note, I really had no idea how much money this was going to cost. If my wife Jeanne knew before we started.. well I'd be doing my fiddle yard instead.] Perhaps every married person here would have fiddle yards if their spouses knew such details ahead of time. Helps a LOT if your wife gets into building her own layout.
***Jim, how about some pics of all that club progress?
I ran my new Atlas GE U23B last night and the one other loco it matches perfectly in speed is the big SD90/43MAC. I think that would look a bit odd. What locos would typically be MU'd with a U23B?
Now the Great News: saw the cardiologist today and my heart is ok. Also picked up lab results from new doc to show old doc. With proof in hand, old doc should be more amenable to keep me on the protocol. Hard to question positive results. A very good day.
Cheers! Rob
Good afternoon... having a "casual" afternoon whilst gearing up for the final regular season boys basketball game tonight. Not sure what-all will be involved with the post-season just yet. This is the goofy time of year where the wrestlers have their state tournament later this week (THAT hasn't said anything about sending me...), the girls are in the run-up to their tournament with sectionals/districts/semi-finals; and the boys are starting their post-season as well. "March Madness" starts in mid-February in Iowa.
Tomorrow night is gonna be excrutiating: school board has a work session followed by regular monthly meeting. I'd best attend the work session, they'll be discussing things related directly to their upcoming budget. It'll be a lonnnnnnnnnnnnnng night. Thursday will see me trying to make something worth reading out of it all.
Welp, I found yet another track plan to fiddle/futz with: "Calumet Steel" from January, '99 and included in "102 Realistic Track Plans." It has a large industry THAT can be "Quakered," a small yard THAT can become the Chicago Central and Pacific, some light industrial switching, and an area I could turn into Cargill. This bears some looking at. I see these published plans as "raw material" from which to copy/trace/ignore/add to.
I have to make some new "room templates" though...this one is claiming to be 5/16" = 1'.
ROBBY P: Neat pics!
SAM: Hopefully a one-foot discrepency won't make too big of a difference...then again, refer to LEE's "rules!"
VINCENT: Sounds like you're coming out OK on the freight cars deal. I thought I had an Athearn frame laying around...but I'll be durned if I can find it now. You've got me curious. How were they advertised? I'm just wondering how they could be so...busted up, for lack of a better word. Was this an eBay deal? The fact THAT the guy offered to "buy them back" suggests to me he's looking for someone else to take advantage of. Good luck and what-all do you need for pieces/parts??
Hmmmmm, the raccoon is standing here with it's apron on, and order pad in it's paws. Guess I'd better order something....
Chris
The Cedar cRapids Industrial Branch: Proudly Shipping Yesterday's CrunchBerries Tomorrow!
Afternoon ya'll
I pulled the tank out of my car last night to switch it with the tank from my old 97. It fits, and I decided to use the 97's fuel pump since it would give me more range of control with the fuel pressure regulator I have. Unfortunately, one of the pump's lines was too large for the one on the car. I can't get the 97's lines apart to get the one line I need since it is 2 metal lines that are welded together... I could either cut the line to get the one I need, or take off the existing lines and put in the ones from the 97 (more work, I have to drill and tap a few holes). Don't know if I could buy a fuel line that would fork for that purpose.
Jim, The seller was offering to buy-back the whole group, but I told him I want the cars and would rather get a partial refund. The DRGW autorack was a bit modern for my era, but it needs to be re-painted (at least the bottom part into the earlier ttx scheme).
Robby, nice N&W shot.
Vincent
Wants: 1. high-quality, sound equipped, SD40-2s, C636s, C30-7s, and F-units in BN. As for ones that don't cost an arm and a leg, that's out of the question....
2. An end to the limited-production and other crap that makes models harder to get and more expensive.
Jim......The ice rink was about 10 minutes away from my house. I've been to it a few times, but really never went to the side where the rink was.
"Rust, whats not to love?"
Joe, if you can afford to buy your track and roadbed in bulk go to standard hobby supply website. Its 50% cheaper than the LHS.
BM1 Lee Soule USCG (ret) L.S.&W Railroad Serving the Lower Great Lakes
Afternoon all...Its cloudy and 23 here...I'll have a bowl of chili and diet coke please...Thank you...Got my LL doodle bug doing some laps trying to smooth it out...work on turntable this morning..You all have a good one...Jerry
Good Morning, Zoe, almost lunchtime, eh? How's the new furrry 'help' w**king out? OUCH! Hey, I was just kidding, there is NO way that any possum or raccoon could replace you gals, no sirree!
AmanaMedicWell lookey here...the raccoon is bringing me a refill on my Coke! Uh, how exactly should I tip him/her...it?
Well lookey here...the raccoon is bringing me a refill on my Coke!
Uh, how exactly should I tip him/her...it?
Aztec, for your body to kick that crud out on its keister (quick as possible!). Todd, my only complaint on that vac so far (haven't used it a lot yet) is that the cord is way too short. I figure I'll get some basic extension cord and leave it permanently attached to the shorty from the vac. If the benchw**k on your layout is different from the plan (website or print form), you can adjust it (the plan or the framing, depending on which is simpler to do), right? And OHMIGOSH! I missed sending you your President's/Lincoln's/Valentine's day card (or cards, if you preferred specific holiday cards for each)! Can you ever forgive me, man? Ah, good to hear that the differences on the plans aren't very much so far (and hope they stay real close to each other).
Barry, Todd might've forgotten about all that, until you mentioned the 'c' word. (Shhhh......)
Oh, Robby - saw about that (Ice rink?) building in Pennsy where part of the roof came down. We had some kinda like that a year or two ago, but the roofs are smaller around here, so it never made national news. Keep at it with your structure you're building - I KNOW you will get it the way you want. Nice photos - loved the sn*wplow one!
Bama, got your email, and one back atcha!
Jeff, that's a couple of ol' rusty wheels, all right!
Garry, any pics of your caboose w**k? I had a cinnamon roll this morning in honor of Fat Tuesday. (Yeah, that's it, sure...) Did you get much sn*w out of that last storm that came through?
Flip - I think between(/among?) everybody in here, Deb's covered as we speak with Let us know about her recovery and how things went.
Uh, Sam - you realize that when your plan goes into the MR trackplan database, there will be - how shall we put this? - 'slight modifications of dimensions'... Hey, glad to hear you're moving in the right direction on the planning stage there. I can just about hear the wheels a'whirrin' in your head.
Ray, sorry to hear that some of those were too 'modern' for your needs, but hope you find a few usable ones.
Joe - great to see you (and several others) making headway on your benchw**k and layouts in general.
Yesterday I got some printer cartirdges (cha-CHING!) and was trying to find those cardboard boxes you fold together to store magazines in. Sheesh! Staples had 'em at $6 and change for TWO (TWO? Yeah, TWO #$%*^& cardboard boxes). Of course, they (plus Target, K-Mart and WallyWorld also) did have either the plastic mag holders or the metal kind as well - at about $6 each for the sturdier ones. I'm trying to think of somewhere else locally to check for them, since if I ordered them in, the shipping might run as much or more than the storage flats would. Problem is, with all the MR's and RMC's I have (mostly MR's), I will need about 16-17 of the things.
At train club last night, we were looking over where things are on the layout - the town is mostly in place, the guy doing a farm near one corner turn has it mostly figured out, and our guy building the paper plant (he actually w**ks for the local Proctor & Gamble plant, so he has an edge on making it look right) has it 95 percent done. So we decided to put the fascia in around most of the layout so we can then go to scenicking things. There is one corner of the layout where we decided to put a wye leading into our back staging yards, and the wall on that side has been having some problems with leakage - the city's wonderful crews - in putting in new picturesque brickw**k for a more scenic downtown (on the 'front' side of the building - managed to mess(tm - sorry, Fergie) up the drainage, and we had to have a dehumidifier and fans for a while to get out the dampness in the carpet. So until the landlord and the city get things figured where it ain't gonna leak anymore, that part of the layout is on hold.
But that paper plant does look good (and the town) - I'll need to go over to the clubhouse and snap some pics this week to post in here.
Well, I forgot to order my lunch, Zoe, so how about a BLT, order of cheesey fries and a RBF, please? (Uh, actually, I would prefer that YOU brought it to me when it's ready) Thanks, and I'll be at the RC in the meantime.
Blessings and prayers,
Jim in Cape Girardeau
Joe! Good show~ Now document everything. lol.. from start to finish. Btw.. I still enjoy your vids. I know you'll do a fine job. Keep us posted.
Keith
Morning all. Chloe, I'll take some hot chocolate and coffee roll, thanks.
I FINALLY started on my layout!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Got the frame of the layout built yesterday, and I'm gonna attach legs today. I don't have enough plywood or any foam, so that'll have to wait. And I don't have track, or money to buy it, so that'll have to wait a while...Photos up later today
We lost last night, 3-1. The entire team seemed "off," but I think that I didn't do too bad.We play them again on Friday.
Well, i gotta get back to my history paper, so I'll catch ya guys later.
Sam, ...~ one of the 3.. or all of the above.
1. You must have a very understanding wife.
2. You must have a very thick wallet and deep pockets.
3. You have most of the items and really dont' need to buy much.
4. All of the above.
On a personal note, I really had no idea how much money this was going to cost. If my wife Jeanne knew before we started.. well I'd be doing my fiddle yard instead.
LSWrrYour plan looks great, did you think about running a shelf behind the washer and dryer?
Firstly, thank you! Secondly, YES YES YES YES YES! I plan on having the track that disappears from view (Marked "A" on Ulrichs plan [AGAIN THANK YOU FRIEND]) continue under the layout past New Hope and run along the "steps wall" around the back and connect back with the staging yard that will connect to Warminster Station. This is becoming an obsession, just ask my wife/CFO... Lol
Sam
May He bless you, guide you, and keep you safe on your journey through life!
I Model the New Hope & Ivyland RR (Bucks County, PA)
Sam, I’m going to say it again: Rule #1 to layout planning and construction is there is never enough roomRule#2 Plan Alpha as drawn is good up until first contact with the bench work.Rule#3 Your curves can never be too large in diameter. Your plan looks great, did you think about running a shelf behind the washer and dryer?
OH DRAT! I just realized, the room is only 18ft deep, and the plan shows 19ft deep, although I don't think it should make THAT big a difference. I have enough clearance to make it 3ft aisle instead of a 4ft aisle! Whew...
My basement is 22ft wide by 40ft deep, the steps start at 18ft from the front wall (that is taking into account the wall that will be built to "finish the room"). The only obstructions that I have are the water heater, cloths washer and dryer (those are along the wall where Warminster Station is, but near the back of the basement), then along the back wall is the HVAC unit (unfortunately they put it in the middle of the wall, not closer to the washer dryer like I asked... and the only thing along the steps side wall of the basement is my cats litter boxes and the sump pump! So I pretty much have free reign over the basement, just have to figure out a way to make it fit!
I'll try to get a scale drawing of the basement done this week... then I will really know my boundaries!
Hey Keith,
Here's the layout:
EDIT: HO Scale, my drawing is scaled to one square = 1 foot. 24" minimum radius, #6 turnouts for mains (and for the maintenance facility in New Hope), #4 for freight sidings
and the one that Ulrich did for me, using RTS Atlas Code 83:
As mentioned in my previous post, I would like to add a yard/maintenance facility. If you look, in New Hope, the two track spur going into the building is the prototypes maintenance building, where they service all of their equipment. I want to add a freight yard closer to the industrial "epicenter" of the prototype. Thanks for the idea of using it for "Liners" too! This now comlicates the available space issue... DRAT, and I thought I was doing so well! Lol Just when you think you have things well in hand, the Axeman that is Reality drops his blade and brings you crashing back to earth!
WAIT! I think I have it! If I do as I metioned, moving the left portion of the railroad down the wall, that leaves the majority of the peninsula open. Now, If I stretch the peninsula so that it now also reaches around under the stairs (since I will be finishing that portion of the basement as well) that SHOULD (there is the nasty word) get me a long enough straight section to have both freight AND "Liners" maintained there!
THANK YOU Keith!!!
Well I better get my butt in gear, or else I will be late for w*rk...
Mornin' everyone!
Chloe I'll have the "Shrove Tuesday" Special. Buttermilk Pancakes, Sausage, Apple Sauce, and lots of Dark Roast Coffee in a R&GV Mug. Oh, and leave the maple syrup on the counter here....... I'll be at the Rivet Counter for a bit.
26°F outside and sn*wing lightly. We have about an inch so far. They are saying we could maybe get another 2" or so today. Might actually have to fire up the machine sitting on my deck and play outside for a bit today.
Brought in some photos to share. http://rwrightrr.com/ Ron Wright, a Rochester, NY native who joined the railroad as soon as he graduated college and worked up through Conrail until about 1980 when he took a furlough to go work for the new "Metropolitan Division" that would become Metro-North. He recently retired from the railroad and is now enjoying Yankees baseball and digitizing his extensive collection of railroad negatives! Ron is a big steam fan and has traveled all over the globe to find prime specimens. Enjoy!
I have to do some grocery shopping this morning before the roads get slippery (right now the copious amounts of salt dumped on them is w*rking well. So I guess I will finish the pancakes and get moving!
Later!
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Ah Sam, you and I have the same desires. I too wish to have a passenger station.. busy, with lots of liners going in and out.
I just wanted to add my two cents worth. I am not an expert.. in fact .. just the opposite. But concerning some type of yard for liners, I came up with certain wants and .. needs. The very fact of identifying my wants and needs .. have brought me to design .. the staging area.. I have now~. I have re-done my staging area at least 4-5 times. It doesn't bother me either, in fact I feel better. Ok.. forgive me as I think out loud.
Assuming a lot of things.
1. You want to keep the main clear. Correct. So you have a pull off to some sort of Arrival/Departure.
2. When doing so, that A/D.. should have almost direct access to the yard lead.. and the yard.
3. One of my little changes.. the choice of pulling off the main.. and go directly to the yard lead.
In other words, when you pull off the main, you have a choice of going into the A/D or pulling straight onto the yard lead.
4. I wish to add alot of cars, in reality I would guess .. (as Der John said so also.. in so many words) in reality most trains/lines at best could handle about 5 liners tops. And, one way to cheat.. as I would put it.. would be to have a very long yard lead to accomplish this.
5. Length of turnouts.. streamliners. From my understanding.. and as I believe Der John was stressing was to make every bit of effort to use longer 'turnouts' to cut down on possible de-railments.
6. Keep in mind when using liners, they might have a tendancy to de-rail.. so re-railers are a must.
Yesterday I went out and bought 1 'curved re-railer' 8 US dollars.. a bit expensive.. but the only hobby store that had it.
So anyways Sam, could you give me a brief "Reader's Digest" version of your layout.. I think / I remember it being rather large.. but can't remember if its "N" scale. Glad to see ya here Sam.
Blazzin aka Keith
Good morning! Chloe, may I please have a coffee, two small bagels, and some philadelphia creamcheese? Thanks.
Sir MadogSam - I am glad you could finally open the plan. It was fun drawing it & took less time than I thought. Am I right that you intend to run passenger trains? I´d add some spurs serving local industries, to justify that local freight train.
Yes, I'll be running passenger trains. The trackplan as it is now only has the prototype sidings. I was planning on adding at least three to four more, hopefully one would actually turn into a yard/maintenance facility. I have to figure out where to put said industries and yard, but this should be an interesting endeavor, to say the least! I'm considering the idea of pushing Warminster Station towards the back of the basement, just sliding it along the wall (seeing as I have another 20 ft to work with). Doing so would allow me to move everything up to Ivyland Station onto the straight potrion of the benchwork. In turn, this would allow my the necessary room for a few more industries, OR a small yard/maintenance facility. As mentioned before, this is as of yet to be determined. So, as soon as I can get 3rd Planit back up and running, I will be making the adjustments.
What's that, Chloe? Oh, my food's up?! Ok, thank you. I'll be at the RC for a little while, reading and eating.
"Coffee please"
As I sit here.. reading.. checking up on past posts... I look at this pic.. and see this guy....
On his knees.. working.. and I say.. "Look at this guy~ .. he looks great.. no problems with the knees or back .. gheesh~"
Oh I could get down like that I guess.. well in summertime anyways.. but I'm not that sure I could get up that easy.
Ok.. back to catch up on some reading.
Todd: I got to the point with some plans that I just photocopied the dang thing directly from the magazines--no mo' surprises then
Prayers out to Flip's wife----
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/
Good Morning. Happy Fat Tuesday. Coffee and a sweet roll please. Batten down the hatches Jeff it's about to get wild to your south.... east.....ish.
Today I must unload the grocery truck, then go to Springfield and order 400 lbs of fish for our first Lenton Fish Fry on the 26th, then pick up some Liquid Nails that I forgot when I was in there last. I will not attach the foam just yet. Still kinda shy about anything permanent at THIS point. But I'll have it when I'm ready.
Barry- Yes it is odd about the index marks. I haven't been on the plans portion of the website since I discovered the problem to se if it is that way on the site, or just when I printed it. I don't see how it could be a printer problem though. I put the two together and the only difference is the measurement grid is off on the printed one. The rest is identical.
I first noticed that the "0 ft" mark was in the middle of the wall and thought that odd, but when I measured from the wall to the end of where I was in real life the measurement was correct. Problem is, some of the tings on the peninsula were measured off the printed out plan so..... I'm hoping that whatever the difference is, won't end up making a difference. So far everything seems to be working out. I will however go back to the magazine or scan it to get a plan.
OK Flip, it's Tuesday. Prayers are being said. I hope all is well.
Aztec- Hope you get to feeling better.
Chris- Yes I've run into some situations where what they say it is, well, it ain't. I measured the supposed scale, checked the grid size, measured some radius-s -s, and the like from the magazine just to be sure based on my past experience with the previous plan. However I assumed, and you know what happens when you assume, the PDF file on the internet was the same as the file they used to print in the mag. As Waylon Jennings said in a song, Wrooooong!
J.R.- I'm with you hoss. They've taken that certain something out of NASCAR. No more "win on Sunday, buy on Monday". The air brushed grilles and headlights are the only thing that even resembles the brand of car. The engines are so altered that just because it has the same, what, cylinder spacing and valve angle(? can't recall) as the production model, that don't make it a Ford or a Chevy or Dodge. And we won't talk about the tranny or the rest of the car. By the way, as an old car fan and especially MoPar, I'd've loved to have seen that Superbird! Now THAT was a car! (super especially since I have a ‘70 Roadrunner myself ) Road course huh? I bet he was beat when that was done.
Best get moving. Big day. Again Flip...
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. Its a light snow right now. The weather people did say it might get to 50 degrees by next week. FINALLY!!!!!!!!!
Well I gotta take a test this morning. Hopefully its a easy one. I will get to see what I remember from high school.
I get emails everyday with some neat pictures. I thought I would share them.
One is a snow plow heading towards "Colman Branch". I believe this was taken yesterday.
Then one N&W from Princeton Dist. in the Elmore yard. This one was taken back in the 70's. So this one is the originals. View of shop area with 1754 and 171 in foreground. 4-20-75. I have more of this area. Some doing some switching. Maybe later I can add more.
Then the last one is a picture of the Hoosac tunnel. These were taken in 1989. East and West portal.
Good morning all,
A few inches of the white stuff down and more on the way. We'll see how it goes today. The drive in was not too bad, mostly just wet roads. Lots to do again and I'd best get to it. CUL, J.R.
It's Fat Tuesday!
I'll have a dozen paczkis, please .......
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Good Morning
And yet another day for our viewing pleasure. With a little dribble of snow---about an inch is expected for today. This usually translates into enough snow to cause some drivers to go all guibbly around here--
NASCAR over the years has gotten so that it is something when someone actually manages get a change or two put through. I liked it more when you actually could tell the FORD from the CHEVY and how we could sit in high school cafeterias and argue the merits of each and there was always someone surprising us with another neat idea. I remember drivers like Cale Yarborough, Richard Petty and all else-----Why is this here?
I'm going to go and TRY to achieve the IMPROBABLE by cleaning up my worktable space. I know I know but it really really needs done AT SOME POINT I cannot seem to find a paper plan that I made up for the new Williston Yard hence my cleaning--- And yet another ? mmmm---must be one of those days---
Chloe, I'll just have a REGULAR breakfast bagel and a coffee please. Yeah I know but I have to specify my breakfast size now. Seems a bagel got supersized on me last time. I'll be at the RC for a bit.
Good morning. It's 29 and clear. The high will be around 50 with passing clouds.I got the roof into the DPM structure and sprayed the FMC covered hopper down with Clear Flat, effectively killing the gloss. The Clear Flat fogged up in a few places but on the gray coloring of the hopper it looks good. Today I'll be following my father to a repair shop in town, same one I took my car to to have the brake system fixed. He needs to take his truck in for front end work, the first it's had since 1992. Not bad for an 18 year old Ford F150. He'll need a ride back home so that's why I'm following along. I'll also have a camera with me in case I come across anything worthy of a shot.
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 weekend I installed a new rail inside the turntable pit, painted a few hopper cars, and finished the roundhouse.
Is it safe to come in? No more critters around, like ´coons and ´possums?
Well, Zoe, just a mug of coffee for me, please, I´ll stay here at the RC.
It is a sunny, but cold day today. No more sn*w to come - the weather guessers are predicting warmer weather, starting mid-week. Not much to do in the coming days...
Sam - I am glad you could finally open the plan. It was fun drawing it & took less time than I thought. Am I right that you intend to run passenger trains? I´d add some spurs serving local industries, to justify that local freight train.
Flip - my for your wife´s surgery today.
Have a good day!
Good Evening All,
Sn*wed pretty well for a bit but its stopped for now with some more bands on the way. Stayed up to watch the UConn womens game as they were trying for their 65th consecutive win and they were getting a real challenge from Oklahoma. Ended up winning by 16 points but it was getting really chippy at the end.
Flip - our prayers for you and Deb tomorrow.Hope everything goes well.
I don't really know about Cup racing anymore - with spec cars and sanitized drivers it has lost a lot of its' appeal to me. I still root for some of the characters like Stewart or Dale jr or Montoya but I will keep an open mind as NASCAR tries to loosen the reins a bit. The cars though to me are a joke with all the innovation crushed out of them. I know they are all w.rking real hard for an advantage just like in the old days, but c'mon - a whole test program for different castor settings? The more things are regulated and restricted, the more you spend on nonsense looking for an advantage in minutae. I love it when someone brings one of the cars of the 60's or 70's to a vintage event as it just blows everyone away to see how it was. Like a real stock based car. We watched some poor soul wrestling a Super Bird around the road course at Moroso a few years ago and when I turned around most of the other crew chiefs were right there in the stands with me going Yeah Man! I'll get off the soapbox now - don't care for the heights.
Time to get some shut eye - I'll catch y'all tomorrow. J.R.
Good evening, plate of Barry burgers please 'n thank-you, with a bucket of Ed's OJ and a Coke...no, please don't let the raccoon mix the two...
Welp, I am (again) qualified in VCR...I mean, CPR. I pitty the poor little lady from the ambulance, trying to deliver a course in a professional manner to a bunch of rude, crude firemen...
SAWYER: I agree 100% on the 18 car! "Shrub" is just a P.I.T.A brat. As for Jeff Gordon vs. Kenseth, was THAT the time Gordon looked like he wanted to fight, but kept his helmet on so as to NOT mess up his eyebrows???? Actually, even though he was known as "Matt the Brat" on his home short-tracks, Kenseth has a reputation in Cup for racing clean.
FLIP: Our best wishes to you and Deb...hope all goes well!
TODD: When the lights go back on in Toddland...here's hoping the "index" isn't an issue... and gee, a plan being printed wonky? Nahhhhhhhhhhhhh, NEVER happen. Why, I've got one right here THAT says it's 1/2" = 1', and it sure as possums 'aint friendly ain't!! And nope, it's not from a scaling goof on my part in printing it...it came straight out of the magazine THAT way.
Think I'll have a seat here at the RC next to the possumm, and look (again) through 102 Realistic Track Plans. Can't hurt...might help.