Elliot´s Trackside Diner - January 2012 Edition

[cudaken]

 Not feeling well at all.

 Flo, just ice water.

 Hum, cats again.

 Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty.

Just to give you the idea of there sizes.

 And my Wolfhound at Christmas trying to get a better look at the ham.

 Latter.

             Ken

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Curt Webb

Jeff- I like the perspective of the photo of the FT loco.

Thanks. That shot was a bit tricky as I had nothing to rest the camera on.

[Curt Webb]

Evening All,

Not much going on this way. It was my short day today so I'm home. Looks like it's going to be pushing 80 F all week. I'm starting to do some research about speakers and lights to go with the Soundtraxx board I am going to get. It's pretty confusing about what is best to get as this is the first one for me. Someone recommended Railmaster speakers but there must be 2 dozen to choose from. I guess I will figure it out.

Ray- Do you paint the ties after you add the rails? That's how it appears in your WPF picture.

Jeff- I like the perspective of the photo of the FT loco.

Der- Good to hear from you again.

Hope everyone has a good night and prayers for those in need.

 

 

[der5997]

Good evening Diners: Chloe, I'll have the Salmon Wellington, with Celeriac, Caraway Red Cabbage and mashed potatoes please, and a glass of the 2009 Blackcurrant wine, if you'd be so kind.

This MIA reporting in...I read pages 28 through 40 a while ago, then lost track again, so picked things up on Page 47 today. Before we get to that, here's an item that was  in a newsletter the other day. Looks like Modern Era modelers will have on-going projects!

Get this: In the United States, $25 billion in new rail projects are going to begin construction in 2012... and the majority of that money is going to go to light or commuter rail systems, connecting cities across the nation.

Just listen to this list:

• $13.6 billion in projects on the West Coast
• $3.4 billion in the Southwest region
• $3 billion around the Great Lakes
• $2.8 billion in the Rockies, with the potential to double by the end of the year
• $186 million to connect Chicago to St. Louis

And each of the eight U.S. freight rail companies spends about $1 billion a year on maintenance and upgrades.

...on a local Halifax, Nova Scotia note, there is serious talk about using RDCs on existing track to set up a commuter Light Rapid Transit system. The cars are being made over right now....or so the news item said.

Curt:  That empty(ing) coal car is just brilliant! Don't think I've seen an "in progress" tipple scene modeled.

Todd:

Anybody else see structures or kits they like and just want to build it even if it doesn't fit the layout or your plans. Maybe then figure out how you can alter time or plans to accommodate said model?... ... I think so even if you say no.

...since you think so, you're probably right!  I remember on the Alberta layout buying a Shell Plastics hopper  at a Train Show- and THAT led to having to build a whole plastics factory with a siding to give it somewhere to visit!

Ulrich:

I still don´t know where to store a "real" layout without getting more than just a frown from Petra. If I put it on casters and move it out of the way whenever the room needs to be free of it - maybe that could be a way.

...if you have to roll it away, won't it be "in the way" wherever that may be?  Since that's so, could you arrange things so that although it's free standing, it can be mounted and stored against a wall? (Stand offs that clip in place when needed, to prevent scenery destruction?)  This new layout is as you say

No staging, no industries to be served, no yard. just a roundy-rounder where trains can chase their tails.

If you aren't married to the bridge-over-the-river scene,( you've now put in a water crossing on the right end anyway) there's a whole playground for industries in that part of the module. The station module has some operating built in already. The end sections now provide the "country side" running which the bridge scene is shooting for. I do agree, the new curve in the river crossing scene is very effective.  As ever, your layout design creativity never ceases to amaze, and is a great indicator of your mood.

Jeff and Ray:

Agreed! Unfortunately some get too engrossed in getting everything right and get caught in the prototype trap. At that point (to me) it's no longer fun as the modeler is now a slave to making a model prototypically correct down to the last rivet or bolt head. And yes, I've been down that road.

....guilty as charged! only in my case I don't know enough about the prototype of almost anything to get it "right" if I tried! So, what I get hung up on (time-wise - because I love doing the modeling, it's the slow progress that's no longer fun ) is thinking of all the details that "should" be there. Case in point, what I've been busy at over what seems to be weeks). I've detailed the house/yard of the next home down the street of the village I'm working on.   As you can see, I wanted a home owned by some-one who is trying to be the "Jones" in a neighbourhood where no-one has those kinds of resources, not even him!  To keep "on topic" with this, the lights on those brick gateposts, while non-working, are transparent!  Also, the hedge is neatly trimmed, as the short pale new growth shows it's been recently cut! The next house down is a different chap altogether - that car will be rusted, and sinking into the undergrowth, the hedge on his side hasn't been trimmed this season - check out the long growth!  The owner is much more interested in fixing cars, and there  will be an engine replacement happening in the driveway.  I've an A frame chain hoist kit I've put together - but I had to go on line to find out how the chains work in those things - never used one myself. So, to get the car ready for this scene, I've gutted a very simple model like this -   ,built an engine for hoisting out or in -

  (check out the fan, belt pulleys air filter, alternator and oil filter.)

.....and cut out the hood, so it could be open for the "transplant operation".  That got me into what we've been talking about - details, and when to stop.  So far I've put in a firewall and various boxes to represent battery, electronics etc., wheel wells,  dashboard, steering wheel, front bucket seats, rear bench seat, (with shelf behind that has speakers on it. You just know this guy has those!); and window glass all round. The windshield has sun visors and the mirror painted on the inside. The interior is painted same as the seats and dash. The lights and bumpers are painted on.

Still to do are the wing mirrors and wiper blades, and the hood hinges that would be sticking up in the air after the hood's off.....that's my problem, where to stop? - then the yard of that  house has to be done over - a rougher grass - because this man has no time to care about it, and I've a whole lot of daffodils ready to scatter around. They would of course grow in profusion on his side of the hedge, while Mr. Neat has precisely 3 clumps on each side of his steps! It's a wonder he hasn't swept up the fallen petals from that flowering tree - and why has he allowed dandelions to go to seed on the hedge side of his house?

Must get back to fiddling with that car, Downton Abbey part 3 is due in half an hour.  Goodnight all, and God Bless. Prayers continuing for all in need of Healing, Comfort, Prosperity and Peace.

 

[ns3010]

Evening all.

Not much going on around here. Still keeping busy. And this week won't be much better. I have hockey every day except Tuesday, so I don't see myself stopping in too often.

Tuesday, I have a college interview at Lafayette College in Easton. Part of me is nervous, but part of me isn't. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how it goes. On the bright side, I won't have to go to school

Well (covered in s**w, glistening in the moonlight), I have some things to do this evening, so I must go for now.

Catch ya later!

-Joe

New Jersey Transit train 415, enroute from Hoboken to Gladstone, arrives at Maplewood with a three car set of Arrow III MU's on 1/20/12.

[Curt Webb]

Terry- Here's what I did:

1. Cut  a carboard insert to go inside the car. (needs to be a tight fit)

2. Fill the car to personal taste with cinders or what I used was Mine Run Coal. (cinders are cheaper)

3. Spay the "coal" with Iso Alcohol until soaked (this will break the glue surface tension)

4. Soak "coal" with glue mixture. I use 50% Elmer's and 50% water)

5. Let Dry

[howmus]

Afternoon folks!

I'll have the Roast Beast special tonight Flo.  A cup of decaf would suit me fine as well.  Thanks!

Spent some of the day figuring out what changes I want to make in the other half of the yards at Kanandaqua on the SLOW.  (THAT is an archaic spelling of Canandaigua BYW.)  I think I can get 2 more yard tracks in and make it look a whole lot better by hand laying it.  Just ordered 12 more #6 Turnout "Quick Sticks" and a straight tie rack/tie jig from Fast Tracks.  I'm about ready to move the cars and locos sitting in THAT yard onto some other tracks (some will move to Hopewell but I don't want to make the yard too crowded so I can't run trains from there), and start ripping up track.

I am also trying to find info on a coal dumping operation right outside of Canandaigua, NY next to the road.  It was still in use when I was a kid as I remember trucks getting loads there directly from the coal hoppers.  Can't find any online info about it at all, so I have sent out a plea to the Museum membership.  Already got two replies.  One guy wanted a bit more info of exactly where it is, and the other (a dear old MMR who has become a friend, wants to measure and draw it for me.....  May be able to be used as the needed bridge for Structures, or at least one of the 6 "other" structures needed for the AP certificate.

Cederstrand

I do not miss satellite tv in the least now. Have grown accustomed to the relative peace and quiet and sure as heck do not miss the Bill. Have zero intention of ever going back to it.

 Rob

Me too, Rob!  There is absolutely nothing on TV that I find even vaguely interesting to me.  Only time mine is ever on is if I am watching the Granddaughters at my house.  I pay through the teeth for cable, and only use the internet and phone part of it.  Will most likely keep it all for those times when a TVholic happens to be at the house.......

Later!

73

[blownout cylinder]

Good Evening..

Might as well say evening...it do look kind of dark in here...wait..I'll turn a light on...d'oh

Well, we are going to have our own version of floor wars now..Audrey and I are looking at redoing our floors and getting rid of all the old...and we do mean..old...carpeting and such. So what does this mean for the hobby budget? A lot less to be had...for one thing

Our plan? Oak flooring in the main rooms..like living dining room areas...some kind of tile for the kitchen and bath areas and...who knows for the foyer....

Chloe, I'll have a coffee for now please..I'll be at the back with the rest of the folks..

[Cederstrand]

saronaterry

The southbound  drag looks silly with a piece of paper that says " loaded".

***Terry, Thanks for the laughs! Sounds like you're keeping very busy there. Keep up the good work.

 Rob

[saronaterry]

Hi, all!

Busy train weekend for me so far. Lengthened 2 yard tracks , relocated a spur  to better fit a furniture building I had , working on a barb-wire fence and started the other half of the Spooner roundhouse.It's a three stall Atlas kit that really is close to the prototype 'house.

Wrote another letter to the Son at FT. Benning. He'll graduate in March.

Cool projects going on in here!

Ken , can you do a step-by-step tutorial on how you do coal loads? I have about 15 hoppers to fill. They don't need to be removable as I have an empty  northbound coal drag in service already. The southbound  drag looks silly with a piece of paper that says " loaded".

 Well, back to the mancave to run some trains while glue dries!

Terry in NW Wisconsin

[JeremyB]

Hi Fellas

Rob- I think the nmra gauge is one of the most useful tools you can get, I had a handful of cars and a few engines that I thought were just bad runners and when I got the gauge all it was were some wheels that had fallen out of gauge. A great tool for sure.

Jeff- I always enjoying reading about your projects, It seems like you always have something on the go for your railroad. You always finish your projects too, I cant count how many I start and dont finish for months,lol

Well Im going to get going, Im having lasagna and garlic bread for dinner and going to watch football tonight while working on weathering some coal hoppers. I have found a cool supply for coal loads, its carbon medium you would use in fish tank filters.

Jeremy

[BroadwayLion]

Pooch? Who let a pooch in here. Where is he. Are pooches tasty?...

[Cederstrand]

Best get a coffee refill before I head down to the barn.

***Galaxy, I do not miss satellite tv in the least now. Have grown accustomed to the relative peace and quiet and sure as heck do not miss the Bill. Have zero intention of ever going back to it. I also keep the heat set at a minimum here and only in the part of the house I spend the most time in. Will soon spend a large sum (for me) on a wood stove. A one time investment which long term should more than pay for itself. Can hardly wait.

Me thinks the (N) Soylent Green Plant will be entirely operated by Burlington Northern. The N layout IS where it belongs, even if I did buy some stuff for the HO version. Starting to lean towards finishing the HO layout as it had been originally planned. The way my mind jumps around, only time will tell.

The more I think about it, you folks must be right about either wheels or track  being out of gauge. Some cars never derail which suggests wheels. I did indeed order the NMRA gauge, so when it comes I can start figuring out (and hopefully correcting) the running issues.  

 Rob

[galaxy]

A do-nothing day of rest for both of us.

naturally, I have a migraine settling in as the weather is geting from -1* to 40-something tomorrow! SO althouhg it will rain tomorrow they say, I will be miserable on the "nice" day..and be OK on the miserable cold days to follow...actually they are now saying it will be 30s and such for about the whole week. Maybe melt off the 4 inches of snow we got steadily instead of all at once.

MOH is doing nothing as 2  10 hour days in a row have MOH beat.

Ulrich...LOOKS like FUN!!! The curves created by the rice patties may cause some problems though..I have found it often better in small spaces to leave straight-a-way a straight-a-way, and not curve it as asking for trouble that way. COuld be just my dumb luck? I don't mid some roundy-rounders, as I can watch trains go round and round fora bout an hour before I get bored!

Jeffrey- when you have little,,you work with it, true. We are fastly learning if you don't ave it, you don;t need it as well. and not liking it. THe CableTV will be shut down to 16 only channels,and we will deal with what food we have now for the next month, and we will do without other things...I used to keep heat at 50* when I lived alone and dressed in long johns in the house to keep warm..MOH can't quite stand it that cold, but ... CAn't wait another month til the furnace paid off...

THe CAravan's tranny seems to be jumping out of {automatic} gear...due for a fluid change.we hope that clears it up..maybe KEN knows? Hope we don't need a tranny rebuild!!!! can't afford that !!!

well,,,i go "comiserate"  with the TV on the couch now. while we still have cable.

Later

 

[blownout cylinder]

Good Afternoon

Well(frogs sunbathing in mild weather)..it is a somewhat quiet day so far......not too many calls...yet...

Ulrich:  Looking good! Now to see what the expenses are going to be...

Ray:  That site I got some of these images off of has quite a few of those..a lot of aircraft mechanics as well during the second world war were women...

Jeff:  I, too, used to get into the superdetailing end of things..but now..what with shaky hands and my rather bleary eyesight...megh..not so much...

Chloe, I'll have some PECAN pie and a cupojava please..I'll be at the corner booth for a bit...

 

[AmanaMedic]

Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood afternoon. Foggy, cold, miserable weather here. Must be January in Iowa. So (not a needle pulling thread), a bucket of coffee please 'n thank-you.

JEFF: I think I fell head-first into THAT prototype chasin' trap you mentioned. Last night, while painting a covered hopper, I realized THAT all three of the prototype photos I have, are of the same side. Ordinarily not a problem. But, the end panel is obviously a darker gray. So, did they do the whole end? I then spent several hours scouring my negatives and every rail car photo website I could think of, trying to find the other side. You would think, with a name like "Good Seed & Grain Co  Hamburg  Iowa" on it, THAT somebody else would've snapped a picture...but no! So, I ended up debating and agonizing over whether or not I should just repaint the entire end or not. After several hours thinking about it, I finally took the plunge and re-did the whole end. It looks good...but just watch. Now I'll find the other side and see it was really just the one corner after all...

Also JEFF: With your massive fleet of A and B units, you could be running lash-ups like the Chicago Great Western (CGW). They were known for sticking a half-dozen or more "covered wagons" together to drag two-mile long freights across Iowa and Illinois. 

 

ROB and RAY: Positional vertigo...ain't it fun? THAT's one of the life-long side-effects from the 1996 fire engine rollover: If I lay perfectly flat on my back, the room starts a-spinning. Or, if I look up at the right (wrong) angle, again the world starts a-turning. What fun. Oh joy. Oh rapture. I can "take a trip" without taking a single sip!

ULRICH: I'm really liking THAT latest track plan. I'm not big on "roundy-rounders," but I could quickly take a liking to THAT one!

 

Rerun was asking me what all the cats were doing in the Diner lately, and figured he'd better stick his nose in to make sure they weren't causing any trouble...as cats are prone to do!

Have a good and safe rest of the day people! Best wishes to all in need, in pain, sniffling, dizzy, or otherwise out-of-sorts.

Chris

 

***EDIT"**"** ULRICH done went and dashed in to tack up another, even cooler track plan up...and Rerun and I got stuck with TOP! Ah well, order up people...the Runner and I got this.

[Anonymous]

The bug has bitten again - I played around a little with the plan.

Now what you can´t see is that I will be able to link my modules to that plan!

Starting to like it even more! I even have a name for it it:

" The Four Faces of Japan"

the faces are:

• Japanese suburb
• Rice field
• Temple mountain
• Coastal region

Now I need to do my calculations, just to see how many years I have to wait until I can afford to build it

[Cederstrand]

Veggie & fruit smoothie, please.

***Ulrich, I really like that layout plan. There is enough going on to keep it interesting both in running trains and visually.

Out of bed for awhile. Cats are still hunkered down there. Don't know how they do it. Still don't feel normal so not going to do much until mandatory evening critter rounds.

Severe storms predicted for the wee hours. YeeHaw!

Rob

[Seamonster]

Looking good!  It reminds me of a project layout MR did years ago.  I believe it was Z scale.  They had 4 different scenes like that in that configuration except the end pieces had curved backdrops.  It came apart in 4 pieces for transportation.  Maybe someone can remember what it was called and what issue it was in.

 

[Anonymous]

Took up Barry´s idea to add scenery to the corners and introduced some other minor changes:

Starting to like it!

[jeffrey-wimberly]

howmus

 

jeffrey-wimberly:

 

 

howmus:

 

Jeffrey, you amaze me with what you can accomplish with so very little!

 

Well when very little is all you have that's what you have to work with. A good imagination does help a lot!

 

 

 

Far more important, you sure seem to be having fun!  THAT is what it is supposed to be all about.

73

Agreed! Unfortunately some get too engrossed in getting everything right and get caught in the prototype trap. At that point (to me) it's no longer fun as the modeler is now a slave to making a model prototypically correct down to the last rivet or bolt head. And yes, I've been down that road.

[howmus]

jeffrey-wimberly

 

howmus:

 

Jeffrey, you amaze me with what you can accomplish with so very little!

 

Well when very little is all you have that's what you have to work with. A good imagination does help a lot!

 

Far more important, you sure seem to be having fun!  THAT is what it is supposed to be all about.

73

[jeffrey-wimberly]

howmus

Jeffrey, you amaze me with what you can accomplish with so very little!

Well when very little is all you have that's what you have to work with. A good imagination does help a lot!

[howmus]

Mornin' everyone!

Zoe, I'll have some French Toast (whole wheat bread please so I can think it is OK) with lots of NYS Dark Amber Maple Syrup (yes, the Day Brothers Farm variety would be great), and several cups of dark roast coffee in a FGLK mug please.

I am presently skipping Church at the moment.  So I will get some w*rk done for the MLK Committee to pretend it was all right......   Will start scanning winning poetry entries, and running the Honorable mention certificates as soon as I finish breakfast and coffee.

Jeffrey, you amaze me with what you can accomplish with so very little!

Rob, hope you get feeling better real quick!  Being dizzy is not fun.  I have "benign positional vertigo" and rolling over in bed can be a sickening experience sometimes......

Barry, I like THAT photo this morning.  Guess they are proving THAT even a pretty girl can jack up a little car like that.....  Um...  I'll stop there before Flo gets the frying pan.....

I need to finish cleaning up my in box on my email folder....  Got half done last night so I only 250 more to go through.  Do this once a month and delete spam and other stuff when it comes in.

Later!

73

[Anonymous]

blownout cylinder

Ulrich:  I've known people who actually used something like that approach use the ends as well as other scenes...looks to be a good start though...

Barry - good idea! Now I need to think of how to make use of the corners. From an operations point of view it´s a bad plan. No staging, no industries to be served, no yard. just a roundy-rounder where trains can chase their tails. I can cope with that, as it is intended just to be a stage for trains. But it is not final - just food for thought!

[Cederstrand]

Coffee in a STORMY & SOUTHERN mug, please.

Became very dizzy last night and had to crawl into bed and not move. Still not entirely right today, so will continue resting in bed. Suspect it's ear related and something that crops up every once in a great while.

Have a good day all.

 Rob

[cudaken]

 Morning

 Flo, please.

 Was a sleep last night by 6:00 PM and did not get up till 7:30 Am. My head is all clogged up, and lets say I don't feel good. I was not on he schedule today so I may not go in. Just took pill to clear up my head so we will see what I feel like latter today.

 Curt Much better! Nice thing is if you get coal car happy like I did, you can make the loads look a little different from each other.

 Time to eat, see you all later!

              Ken

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Good morning. It's 63 with dense fog. The high will be 76 and there's a 20% chance of thunderstorms throughout the day. Rain chance will increase to 30% after dark.

No particular plans for today as I'm still sore. I got the cracked gear issue with the Athearn blue box F7 resolved yesterday. I still need to resolve the poor pickup issue. It improved somewhat yesterday after I changed the one wheel set so I'm reasonably confident my original evaluation of the problem is correct. Cleaning the bottom of the trucks and outer contact surfaces of the bearings with a pipe cleaner and some Krud Kutter should do the job nicely.

[blownout cylinder]

Ulrich:  I've known people who actually used something like that approach use the ends as well as other scenes...looks to be a good start though...

Good Morning...

It be sunny outside, for now, but it supposedly will get dull dull dull with showers and....would you believe a possibility  of those t'underin'boomers...well, at least that is what one radio station threw at us High going up to 34F today..that will be in the evening then going up to 39F in the morning tomorrow with lotsa wind be windin...

mmmmmm....We are going to see about whether I am going to have a busy day today....it appeared that at least one call last night was a hospital run...

Flo, I'll just have coffee for now please..I'll be at the RC for a bit...

[Anonymous]

Lunchtime!

Flo, steak, baked potato & salad, please. Add a mug of coffee.

A drab day. It´s been raining endlessly the past days. On Friday we had slurry with it, making the roads slippery. Winter shows its bad face this year, making me feel "lonely and blue".

With that new loco hopefully showing up soon, I thought I need to give it a place to run. My shelf layout is good for those EMUs, but not for a hard working Hudson pulling a 6-car excursion train. I still have that old hollow core door up in the attic, so I toyed with some ideas on how to make good use of that for a layout base. I still don´t know where to store a "real" layout without getting more than just a frown from Petra. If I put it on casters and move it out of the way whenever the room needs to be free of it - maybe that could be a way.

Here is my first rough idea:

It is a "double-face" layout with two different scenes. One is a suburb station, and the other one a mountain scene. Both scenes are clearly separated by backdrops employed a scenic dividers. I am not fully happy with it, but it is a starting point for more thoughts.

Jeff - I do care about how you feel! Hope you are better today!

Have a good one!