Elliot´s Trackside Diner - December 2011

[ChadLRyan]

Hey guys,

WOW! Thanks for the kind words & warm welcome!!!
I really appreciate all of your responses!

Lets have another refill on me!

I had fun this morning taking silly pictures & putting them up in different threads today. Last night (well, really this morning) I made & added a decal to a custom cab I made for the Unstoppable AWVR 1206. In the movie there is a cab top number, I watched it again but never saw that "split second" shot of it... The internet only has had ground shots.. Another windup is that in the beginning of the movie it has std sunshades, then does not, oh there they are, there they are -not!  So since I have sunshades on everything, I decided to leave them off this one, but it bothers me.. Ha hah..
The unit is posted in the "Rivet" thread if anyone want to see it.  My cab sucked itself in a bit, & the interior kit floor is not sized to punch it back out, I'll have to shim it, but that is OK..

I think at first glance, most folks will think it is just another 'Chadley's' IC&E/DM&E unit!! ha hah  The real funny thing is that I had the GE AC4400's in the paint stripper tank before I even saw the movie, & the SD40-2 came much later.. The GE's are held up over the number boards, ready to just put strip stock down like I did on an old RailPower shell, everything else is ready to go..  Silly hold-ups!

Well sorry to distract ya all, hey, have a great day!! 

Thanks again guys!!

[Anonymous]

Good Evening Gang

Just a short stop to grab some coffee and a bite.

The young ones are with us, so there is only little time to come here. I hope you all "survived" the holidays...

, Chad - good to see you here!

 

[BroadwayLion]

The LION has updated the Abbey Website, if you are interested click on the "Christmas Album" tab to see what our place looks like on the inside. The LION took all of these photos.

ROAR

[ChadLRyan]

Good Afternoon Guys!

Say can I get an opinion on a photo? The reason I'm asking is that I have the impression that having & owning pieces of real railhead is taboo.... Please let me know if this is OK?  Thanks!!!

This is a picture of a pair of BC Rail locomotives, staged on a real piece of 133LBs mainline rail. It shows the scale of what is being modeled here. This small section of rail weighs just over 30 pounds, the 133LBs comes from the per-yard weight, & dimensional data of all of the surfaces on the railform. The models are; lower: Overland Models, GE Dash8-40CM, & top: Athearn EMD SD40-2, both are on Kato track sections for display use in this picture. I have heard that ownership of such rail is illegal, but I can assure you this was purchased legally in the early 1970's & used as a metal working form in my fathers auto customizing hobbies. Being a model railroader, I just had to borrow it & stage a picture with it, like this!

[ChadLRyan]

Hey, another round on me!!!

Belly-up folks!!!!!    Yipppeeeee!!!!

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Chad: Looks OK to me. I have a couple of pieces of old rail myself but no way am I going to try picking them up!

[ChadLRyan]

Thanks Jeffrey!

Yeah, that piece is just about 10 inches, & is has some serious mass to it, geez!
I was just glad that little bench I have propped up did not collapse & smash everything!
I still can't get over the size differential, they almost could be lied to, as N gauge units posed on that piece of iron!!

I'd like to put a couple HOn3 units on it but don't want to cut up my very few pieces of NG track....

Thanks for the positive support, I appreciate it! 

[GMTRacing]

Good Afternoon All,

    Didn't drop in for Christnmas as we were running all day. Got back around 8pm and tired enough to doze off right away. Hope you all had a nice day as well. I'm at the shop just now between runnning errands.

       Welcome Chad. So long as you didn't "find"  the piece of rail attached to someones' main lline there is no rule against owning bits of rail head. When they installed welded rail there were all sorts of pieces and whole sections of rail just laying around behind one of the shops I w..ked at. The rail is high grade steel and though it's a dickens to cut, it also makes a good anvil.

   Good to see some of the gang stop in thats been missing.   Catch y'all later, J.R.

[fec153]

Hey Chad-Welcome. Just black coffee for me ,thanks.

While in the auto parts business in Miami,in the 60's & &0's, I had two pieces of track that I used to hold a "C" clampto remove wheel bearings in the press. Gave the extra height needed.

By the way, the record for starting consectutive pages is THREE. Held by pc and myself.

Flip

[Cederstrand]

Morning cup of coffee must have been weak. An extra strong roast with a spoon, please. 

***Chad, if you ask me that is very cool. I can envision using real rail all around the train room and displaying all my locos and rolling stock on them. At least it would be pretty neat until the sheer weight brought down the entire house. Seriously, I like what you have there.

Still looking at tractors. Narrowed down to two. A Mahindra 50HP with HST and a New Holland 75HP (basic). Not as much difference in weight between them as one might expect. The big difference is the Mahindra having HST is extremely easy to use and is something anyone (like my sister) could drive one day (when she inherits it). No learning curve required with HST. Price is close, which is why I'm still considering the N.H. beast. Has been some years since I drove a real tractor (had to shift), but that is something I can pick back up. Then again, some of the work I have ahead is on a hillside, which might not be a good place to re-learn And parts of my body don't heal real well anymore and simplicity of operating is a plus. The better deal/savings over MSRP ($-wise) is the New Holland. Both are great machines in their own right. Tough call.

Almost time for evening critter rounds. Rob

[ChadLRyan]

Thanks again for the warm welcome & compliments!
I really appreciate it!

Yeah, even Dad said; "#ell, everyone round here has one of them in their shop somewhere!!!"  Heh heh....

I would love to buy a new tractor, one like in this picture!!! (Cuz winter is coming) ..
I know that over here New Holland was always well respected, & I hope the namesake still runs true..  I also see that some Foreign company is importing tractors under the Farmall name, Makes me chringe a bit cuz I have favorable memories of Gramps C's, & I was hot rodding around on both my Dad's H's this summer,whe we were logging (cleaning up!) after a pretty bad storm...

[ It's an early model, those chipper teeth can take down Ft. Knox no? Plow & blower were scratchbuilt.. ]

[Cederstrand]

***Chad, your model is a MONSTER, and I mean that in a good way. Bet the full size version costs a bit to fuel up. Would be fun though. Much of the work here that remains is clean up form that one tornado hit. Will be great to eventually get all the debris removed and have only nice pastures. Plenty of fence building ahead, too. Agree completely about driving tractors...it's all good.

Rob

[blownout cylinder]

Chad: That tractor is a monster!! Love it!!..as for the rail bit, yeah, it really does show off those BCRail locos very well...

So, got 3 buildings built up for Anson...now I need to scenic these things...

[ChadLRyan]

Rob,

Very sorry to hear about your storm damage, sounds much worse than what we had. We lost a few decrepid Oaks, but they damaged a few Maples, young Oaks & a couple ever popular Boxelders.. We also removed a once majestic White Pine that was split down to about 15 feet from the bottom by a lightning strike the year before, as it was now dead & threatening a garage.
I have noticed in the last 10 years-ish, that the really large mature trees have taken a severe hit, & left quite a bit of open area in my Dads 5 acre woods & also on Grampa/Grandma's on Dad's side home place too.. The good thing is that there is some good young growth there, that I hope will mature in time!  No real severe issue, although a couple Raccoons & Opossums were homeless for a few weeks! Heh hehe heh...

Thanks for the compliment on the Fendt with the blower, I used a DW Air Filter/Dryer for the snout rotator motor, it actually looks cool (in my mind)..  Used the other skinny one on a windmill water pump sucker rod that is over at Dad's..  Back then I used what I had on hand & it worked! 

If I only could have learned to plant trees when I was ~20ish years old, & not 40 something! It could be pretty incredible now & we could also appreciate & enjoy the efforts too!

Thanks & take care! 

[ChadLRyan]

Blownout Cylinder,

My Lord, you come up the the most awesome photo's, I love those!!!

The best!!

That one is the easy way to check & lube U joints, & inspect the undercarraige!!
Wish I could do that!!!

I need a Hoist just to get back up after laying down under a car!!!

Thanks!!!
-it also reminds me of Broderick Crawford: "IF YOU CARE TO DRIVE, DRIVE WITH CARE!!!" 

[Cederstrand]

Chicken soup, please.

***Chad, sinse you missed all the damage pics, I'll share this one I took the day after the tornado. That is my mailbox. Trees were down for close to 1/2 mile all up the windy road. Power poles & phone lines were down everywhere on my property. There was no going anywhere for a long time. Lots of roof damage to the barn and outbuildings. Was something to experience, best never repeated.

Not feeling to great tonight. Going to go lay down awhile. Rob

[jeffrey-wimberly]

ChadLRyan

Yeah, that piece is just about 10 inches, & is has some serious mass to it, geez!
I was just glad that little bench I have propped up did not collapse & smash everything!

That's a light weight! My shortest piece is three feet long and weighs about 70 pounds a foot. The othe is five feet and weighs about 90 or 100 pounds a foot! My father and I moved them here from Tyler Texas back in the mid eighties. Now neither of us can lift them! We MIGHT be able to manage the short piece together, but the big one? Forget it!

[Curt Webb]

Evening All,

Not much going on here. I just had to do a system restore back to IE8. MOH loaded IE9 today and with 9 this site always locks up. I tried the torn paper icon but it didn't help. My daughter and  husband Gave me a set of Blair Line 1947 HD motorcycles for the layout. I put them together and painted them white and red (color of their HD motorcycles).

After looking and reading and looking and reading the LRT literature and actual parts I sent off some questions to Chuck at LRT and I got the response back today. I made a line diagram and sent a picture to him to verify that it will work as I expect to wire it. I am very happy with the customer service from them. I will probably get the first 2 done Friday. I needed to draw it out so I can follow it while under the layout.

I'm back to w**k tomorrow. Next all the following week I took vacation for MOH's surgery and to help her at  home.

 

 

 

Everybody take care.

 

 

[AmanaMedic]

Good evening,

CHAD: A belated welcome Pal, always good to see a fellow Iowan in here. I too have seen your w**k in other threads, good stuff! . As for owning rail, I'd guess if you were helping yourself to it 39' at a time without the railroad's permission...you might have a problem. I've got a few "chunks" of it myself. One is being used as a bookend currently. 

 

Have a good evening, everybody!

Chris

***EDIT*** What? TOP? How'd THAT happen so darned quick? OK....Rerun and I got this, order up boys and girls...

[ChadLRyan]

Rob,   Wow, that is not so good, that first tree there looks like the big Pine we regretfully took down too.  Yeah, you need a tractor!  Sorry you had to deal with that, but glad you came out OK & able to join us again!

Jeffrey,   Yeah they are really serious irons! We moved my Milling machine by putting 1 inch steel bar down & used a 'Come-Along' to try to drift her into position, it's 2700 pounds of precision hardware! 

Take care guys!    

[ChadLRyan]

Hey Chris, Thanks!!!
I really like the shot of the 4204!   That is right up may alley!!! Amazingly it has top walkway/high ditchlights & an AC on the roof!!! Cool!!! Another thing I noticed on it, is the numberboards, I had the same issue on my patched IMRL GP35, as I used 2 decal sheets, one set was slightly bolder than the other, & I magically oriented them the wrong way, but no one has ever called me out on it!!  Well you all can look at it now, Heh heh!!!

Thanks!

[fec153]

Just tell 'em the fireman was NEARSIGHTED and needed larger numbers.       lol

Flip

 

[howmus]

Evenin' folks!

Flo, I'll have a slice of the Chocolate Pecan Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream and a cup of decaf please....  Yes I know what it will do to the blood sugar, but every one in a while I just don't care.

I have a pre-print copy of the MLK Day flier all set to go to press, just as soon as the other two officers OK it.  I have learned the hard way not to go ahead and spend my $ printing a couple hundred of them only to have someone find a mistake....  Hopefully they will OK it tomorrow morning and I will have them printed before the meeting tomorrow night.  We need to get them out in the community ASAP!

Chad, I have liked seeing your work in several other threads as well.  Glad you have joined us.

Guess I will head to the basement and build another turnout tonight.

Later!

73

[BroadwayLion]

ChadLRyan

Rob,   Wow, that is not so good, that first tree there looks like the big Pine we regretfully took down too.  Yeah, you need a tractor!  Sorry you had to deal with that, but glad you came out OK & able to join us again!

Jeffrey,   Yeah they are really serious irons! We moved my Milling machine by putting 1 inch steel bar down & used a 'Come-Along' to try to drift her into position, it's 2700 pounds of precision hardware! 

Take care guys!    

 

We just installed a new boiler that way. 2" pipes, some jacks and a come-along. Boiler is running right now. But it is a gas boiler, and so it will normally see only summer and stand-by use, our main boiler remains the 1915 vintage coal boiler. with the tall chimney that needs repairs about every 10 years.

ROAR

[JimRCGMO]

Good Evening, Chloe - I'll have a  Rio Grande  mug with hot chocolate in it, please. Thank you! Yep, I tried to swing by here on Christmas afternoon, but my laptop's battery died on me (and since the restaurant whose WiFi I was using was closed, I couldn't plug the 'book in like I usually do when it's open). Sorry I missed everyone yesterday.

fec153

...instead of Pulling the track cleaner, PUSH it. Told Cape Jim months ago and it works for him. I've been doing it for years.

Uh, Flip, maybe it was the other 'CapeJim' - I don't recall ever having a track cleaning car (only a Brite Boy...).

We're getting cold rain tonight, s'posed to have a total of an inch to an inch & a half by tomorrow, maybe some slush/wet s**w by morning (but not accumulation of the white stuff, since the ground's too warm).

Rob, hearing about your movie-watching (or would that be movie-feeling?) there, got me thinking about watching one of my movies (though since I have neighbors in my building, I probably won't crank it quite that far up...). Now, if I had the wireless headphones I got my daughter a few years ago when she was in college, I might be able to do that... Also, did you mean that the two kitties also keep you warm, or that the blanket also keeps the two kitties warm? I'd think, with all the woods around your place, a wood stove (once you get one) would make good economic sense in the wintertime.

Barry, I hope those houses under the tree are sturdy - or Spring could make a MESS(tm) of them!

Ray, I thought of you the other day (actually, it was in the evening), when I saw the Apple ad (where this bearded guy dressed in red is using his 'eye' phone to ask directions to some kid's home, and then is told he has an email from "Mrs. Claus" telling him to lay off the cookies, then asks how his evening is, and is told he has (forget the exact number here...) "seven billion appointments" - wonder why I see a similarity between you and a certain 'jolly old elf'? (Hey, you could pass for the guy, if your beard were whiter...)

Todd, I've heard that Italian women are NOT to be trifled with (possibly worse temper than Irish women, I heard - but I have no first-hand knowledge about THAT matter...). Is your wife Italian? (just wonderin'...)

DerJohn, sorry to hear about your MIL being in the hospital at this time, but good that you and Kris (and likely others) could visit her & celebrate there. Hope she gets feeling better and can keep her nourishment down to build up her strength more. As for your snow, hey, it always looks better with some white stuff on the ground about this time of year (doesn't need to be a foot or two of the stuff, though...).

Garry, in our area there've been one or two churches (and a few homes) with thieves like that. Our scrap yards here have gone to the ID routine, too. Hope they nab the culprits, and (as one sign I saw in a campus parking lot many years ago said) "Trespassers will NOT be forgiven"... They had one of our police officers (who had to w**k on Christmas Day) and he said (more or less) that the crooks don't take a holiday (unlike 'normal' people...).  Garry, are some of those buildings in your photo of that (approx.) 87th scale ceramic kind? (I can't think of the name for them) I know there is some kind of collectible/craftsy buildings that are 87th scale (and I think they're ceramic...)

CN Charlie, careful, or they'll be letting you have an assigned seat at the RC. (about as soon as I get one, that is! )

Jeff, way to go with indoctrinating your nephew

Lion, I like your Christmas tree - I'm guessing you didn't go whole hog like some have, and put the music and synchronized lighting effects with it?

Chad, to the Diner and (also belated) Merry Christmas, and have a cup/glass of your favorite beverage on me. With your photo pranks in the other topics, it sounds like you will fit in here just fine! Oh, I think your display with the proto rail looks great!

Sue, when you were exercising your Mikado, did you have it on the treadmill with you? I bet you and Larry will be glad when this painting project is done and finished.

Ken, sorry to hear about you being laid up on the sofa for Christmas. (Maybe if Tim's at w**k when you go back, he'll catch the bug from you)

Darren (Stourbridge), how much sn*w do you have around your place (still)?

Curt - nice job on the cycles! Blair LIne makes those? I have some JL Innovative motorcycle kits (yet to be assembled), but didn't realize that BL made vehicles, too.

Chris, I'd say that your ICE needs a Jordan Spreader in front of it to do some weed-clearing! (That, and a tank of Roundup on the rear of the train...)

Flip, I might have missed it - did you get Christmas off from your job? I wasn't sure, since it might be that some of your riders had to have treatment *very* regularly. Hope you and Deb got the day for yourselves.

And as some of you may have guessed by my making it into the Diner twice in a week, I'm on vacation this week! Hoping to get some de-cluttering done and some MRR stuff done also. I got some 'piano wire' (thicker wire, that is) for the bases for my pine trees, but have found that the wire is too thick for my wire cutters. So may need to figure out how to clamp the wire and use my hacksaw to cut the wire into 3 to 4 inch lengths for the trees. Also have some trim for some  buildings to get back to (including my background warehouse/factory). Speaking of Acme Manufacturing (recommended by Wile E. Coyote), I've decided that I want another building in its complex (too much space between it and Industrial Ave.), possibly an office annex.

My brother is supposed to be sending me something in the next week or so (Christmas present, sort of. More later...)

Think I'd like to have a hot fudge sundae brownie a la mode, please, Chloe. Got hungry sitting here talking...

Hope nobody had to take any presents back today (bad day for THAT..) News showed the parking lot at our local WallyWorld, already somewhat filling up at not much past 7 a.m.

I'll kick back at the window booth and enjoy my dessert for now.

 

Blessings,

Jim in Cape G.

 

[Stourbridge Lion]

JimRCGMO

Darren (Stourbridge), how much sn*w do you have around your place (still)?

Jim, we got about 10" and I would say we still have a few inches still on the ground but it's melting fast.

[Curt Webb]

Cape Jim- You are correct it was a JL innovative kit,  I was mistaken

 

[GMTRacing]

Good Evening All,

     Tired early again but we got some done on the garage where the CFO's wood shop will go and I have been tidying up the layout area again. Sorted built structure kits and unbuilt kits and happily I didn't have as many unbuilt kits as i thought. About 2/3rds were started and placed on the last layout before the fire. Most of the wood buildings grew mold and got tossed but the plastic kits are slowly being rejuvinated or repurposed and reinstalled. I  need to do the back corners where it is difficult to reach before I do  much more track and bridge installation.

   Curt - Love that JL scene you did. I was looking at it for the race shop scene I did but ultimately kit bashed a tower together with a freight house to represent a repurposed building in a cheap area. Most of my shops have been right on the tracks or within shouting distance.

 

[ChadLRyan]

Hey guys, thanks again for the warm welcomes, I truely appreciate it!

I do have a serious modeling question, earlier this weekend there was a thread that asked about freelanced locomotives. I enjoyed the thread, & even the "Ugly Locomotive"  thread was brought up a couple times, I bought an Atlas RS3 back then to build that CP low nose, but the Canadian one has all different vents, "or I" got the wrong RS version, anyway, that's not my question, just a forecasted warning of an ugly unit on the way, Hah hah..
I also brought up that I want to eventually build the DM&E #5000 that was built by Morrison Knudsen.. From my research it was built on an SD45 chassis & had an MK Cab, from the pictures it looks like the research is correct. However, (in the only Diesel Spotters Guide that I have) they appear to be heavily modified SD60 or 70 Chassis based, & I was chasing a ghost for a long time!!! (Shame on me).. Cuz, I didn't realize the DM&E one was really an 'X' model on an SD45 platform!

So my question is, has anyone ever seen a MK model cab?
I have not, & I got to thinking that the Kato SD70 & 80 series cabs have that removable short hood piece & it just may make a fairly easier conversion rather than say an Athearn cab shell...

I also have an SD45 on hand, but don't really want to chop it's nose off until you guys can look over these pics.. Also, I really wish Kato's 70 & 80 series cabs were available like some of their other common parts..    

In addition, about a year ago I painted up an Ath SD60M to become an IC&E test unit (could be an ex SOO, as I added a winterization hatch), but the paint needs an airbrushed finish coat, as the initial rattle can application left the edges showing, but it is not that bad, (but I can see it!)

So what do you think, should I get a parts Kato & start cutting?
I'd really like to get about 4 of the complete Kato SD70 series cabs, just for fun...

Although the running gear & fuel tank looks long to me, does this say Standard SD45 to you guys?

I'll buy you guys a round of Cookies, Pie, & Coffee for the feedback!    Thoughts?

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1746828
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=731434
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=179131  

I wish I didn't have these 'lil demons in my head, but it hasn't gone away all weekend..
Please share your thoughts.. I look forward to it..
Good night!    -& Thanks Again Guys!

[howmus]

Evenin'!

Janie I need a refill on the decaf...  Please and Thanks!

So...  What all that funny talk THAT Chad is mumblin over there.  Can't figure none of it out.  Sumptin' about a SD45 or SD70 sompthin'....  Huh?  Oh some of those new fangled diseasally thingies huh!  He better keep them away from the SLOW!  Those guys in the roundhouse have been known to string up anybody trying to unload any of those nasty things on the line!

Huh?  Oh, he models more modern times and he has them on his layout.  OK, THAT makes sense now.  But why is he going to cut up some cats?  KATO?  Oh they make little scale diseasals huh. Well I'll stay in the back where you have a nice warm coal stove and keep warm.....  (Still have no idea what the guy is talking about........)

Almost got another #6 turnout made tonight.  Have several more to go for the first half of what I am replacing.

Think it is time to call it a day.

Prayers for all in need!

73