Wake Up, everybody !
I'll have a coffee and a donut please.
Dennis .... Maybe that car is jinxed.
Jim ... Looks like a lot of progress with the turnous.
YGW ... I used to refer to such meetings as "dead end meetimgs" because my end was dead when they were over.
I thought I was done with my track project, but one turnout is giving me problems, and I have removed it. I'll fix it and put it back in place. .... Next, I have a lot more projects on the layout waiting for me.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
JAMES MOON do you have any experience with Trex decking?
Morning James,
I put down aTrex Deck about five years ago.
It is two level 10' x 20' and three sets of stairs and it still looks brand new even after our winters and lots of sun.
Now my Wife keeps a mat at the door and I have noticed that the rest of the deck has faded slightly compared to where that mat sits.
Good product, I highly recommend it.
Johnboy out.....................
from Saskatchewan, in the Great White North..
We have met the enemy, and he is us............ (Pogo)
Afternoon, Gang!
I am a little later than usual, but I have been quite busy this morning! First a doctor´s appointment, as my shoulder is really bugging me now. He gave me an injection of "I-really-don´t-want-to-know", and it´s now hurting a lot less. I have to have an X-ray and maybe even an MRT done - next week. Second, I had to mail all the packages, as the folks who bought my stuff have finally paid. I also spent a couple of hours with my planning tool, developing another harbor layout.
YGW - a friend of mine helped me with putting the stuff up for auction in Ebay. Did not look complicated, the system leads you through the various steps. You need to be registered as a seller, though. I am in the process of collecting ideas for your project - it might take a while for me to get a first idea.
A silent prayer for Barry and Galaxy!
In the theory of "Laughter is the best medicine," I present this old picture of myself when I was in college:
It was taken sometime between 1966 and 1968. I've still got the Gibson hollow-body electric, although it's the one my daughter is using now. This was a posed shot in my dorm room, not a concert performance or anything impressive, although I was in dorm bands all through college.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Howmus - You look one of the Beetles !! Would we still recognize you from this photo ?
James - Yes I have. Before I got smart and sold my construction buisness I had three to four crews building decks in this area. We used Trex on about 20% of the decks. There is a plant if I remember correctly in Winchester Va. that makes Trex. I have been to the manufacturing facility where it is made. It is made from recyled plastics ( like grocery bags ) and saw dust (from hardwood floor manufactures ) It comes in several colors BUT the colors in my opinion are a waste of time. All of the decking will eventually fade to the greyish color it has when it is made. Spacing of the decking is something that you HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION to. The Trex contracts and expands a LOT. There is a tool that is made that is made for spacing the ends ( butt joint) and the space between. You have to take or know the temperature when installing the product. It will make a difference on whether it is the wider space and the narrow space. Fastners - You can nail it, screw it or use staples. Decking direction - If you run the decking at 90 angle to the joist you can ( if I remember correctly ) can go two foot on center with joist. If you run the decking at a 45 degree angle then you have to run the joist 12" or 16" on center. It is a good product, about three to four times more expensive that PT #1 Decking, If you have hot summers then you better wear sandles or shoes when walking on it. It gets very hot and it is uncomfortable to walk on it in bear feet. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
Garry LOL that is soooo true !
V8 - I used to know a guy who dropped a 351 (350 ? ) in a Vega. He had to cut out the wheel wells and some other suspension stuff to fit the engine in. I never understood that. To me it was like putting a rocket engine on a pair of skates ! Each to his own I guess. Plinking LOL what caliber hand guns do you shoot. I used to shoot a lot of trap with a 12 gauge Remington with interchangeable chokes. I got where I could hit 100 with out a single miss. Now I doubt I could see half of them. Is the junk yard get anything you want for the $3 entrance fee ? Man I would be buying stuff and selling it on EBAY if that were the case !
Ken - PT wood just last a bit longer. You can use regular pine but the life span will only be a few years before rot sets in and you will have to replace it again.
DER, Brent, Lion, Henry etc... Hello
Gotta Run TTYL
YGW
YGW. That is an old photo of mr B
Mr B. I recall the long hair look was popular. it was the end of "greasy kid stuff".
Good morning, correction noon to all.
Brent, I looked up the thunder jacket on line and we have a dog coat from Orvis that looks like it will do the same job with compression. We will try it out the next time we have thunder and see if it helps.
Johnboy, did you buy the Trex in Regina? Your response is what I was looking for as I have seen it new but did not know how it ages.
Time for more track work before my next to the last British history class later this afternoon.
Jim
yougottawantaYou look one of the Beetles !! Would we still recognize you from this photo ?
No, probably not. The Beatle haircut is much shorter now, and the hair is, well, thinner and not so dark.
Mr. B - Ooops sorry I called you Howmus. That does happen ! I have a bald spot and LOTs of white hair now. I think half of the white hair came from this job !
Garry - I know it is an old photo. But sometimes you can still recognize a person from the way they looked when much younger. Sometimes not.
Ulrich - I went to the N&W Historical web site and there I performed a search on the plans for the railroad as it was built. AMAZINGLY they still have prints of the actual civil drawings from the orginal design !! I purchased several items including the track work plan for the Roanoke yard I cant wait to get the copy. I am going to frame it and hang it in the train room ! They even have plans for the actual buildings !!!
TTYL
MisterBeasley
Gotta like a guy that uses his thumb on the low "E".
As far as cramming a 350 into a Vega, my friend would have tunnel bashing parties where he would supply the beer and all his friends would take turns bashing out the transmission tunnel with a sledge hammer so the larger engine and tranny would fit.
As far as I was concerned these cars were quite dangerous and not made for the speed or power of a monster engine. They were always dealing with severe metal fatigue and having things rip open. I was more of a sport car guy.
0 to 100KPH in 4.8 seconds. Owned it for 14 years. It would get to 240KPH very quickly and I topped out at about 270KPH a few times. Only when the roads were completely deserted.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
This one was my "midlife-crisis" car:
Top speed 280kph
Now I drive this one
Top speed 160 kph, but it takes a year to get up to that speed. Mine´s black, though. Petra just loves to drive it, it´s a pretty nimble little car and actually quite comfortable, even for my 6´5" 240 lbs. body!
[quote user="JAMES MOON"]
Yes Jim , The Trex was bought in Regina.
Johnboy out..........
Afternoon folks!
Chloe, I'm ready for a hot decaf coffee please. Been out mowing the hay field/lawn..... The new blades came in yesterday around 7PM, and I was in a meeting on a Boy Scout Trianing event for the Handicapped Troop I work with until 11:30PM last night.
Having a blade that is not all smashed up and dull makes a heck of difference in how the little electric mower tackles the 5 to 6" high lawn in front of my house. I still have about 30 square yards to do as I used up both batteries getting what I have left done. the lawn is about 5 to 6" high where I haven't finished it and I mulch (don't have anywhere to use the clipping at the moment if I use the bagger...).
My favorite car was a 1971 Super Beatle... Had a whopping 60hp (compared to the 36 my first VW had). I souped it up a bit to get 72hp out of it and used to do wheelies in the parking lot at Chemung School. That used to impress a couple of my young students out there, Bret and Todd Bodine. I also got a challenge at Elm St. School (4 - 6 grade) from a sixth grade science teacher who told his class he could out run any car from telehone pole to telephone pole (125'). Of course one of his classes came right down to music after that and told me... So when he picked up his class I bet him $10 he couldn't and the race was on. The principal heard about it and not only said it was OK to do but invited the whole school out on the front lawn to watch Mr. Howard get beaten! I didn't know that part of the race was that I couldn't start until the teacher (fine athlete BTW) passed my car. So I reved up the Bug (kids loved that as I was using an extractor exhaust), He went by me and I lifted the front of the VW about a foot off the ground and beat the teacher by about 10'. He claimed I cheated and that it was physically impossible. So we did it 3 more times. I beat him worse every time. He panted that he was defeated to the whole school who were cheering for Mr. Howard the "cool" Music Teacher! Today we and the principal would be immediately fired for pulling something like that. A few parents were not happy, but we sure had fun!
My current car:
If I was to hold it to the floor it can go up to 112mph at which point the computer holds it there... That is plenty fast enough for me at this moment in time... I have averaged 75mpg over the last 39,000 miles!
This is my other vehicle:
Here she is starting up!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy3hWrzJrfk
Some quotes for you...
“A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.” ~ Herm Albright
“I was going to spend the afternoon daydreaming… but my mind kept wandering.” ~ Steven Wright
“We buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like.” ~ Dave Ramsey
Have a great day!
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Afternoon Diners,
Interesting cars! To bad I don't drive. Not by the lack of a license, or everything I chose not too. I enjoy walking, almost everything is in walking distance.
Ulrich- Did you really torn down with Swedish theme layout.
I finally decided to reserve the Walthers 48' well cars. I hope my reservation will help it not to be cancelled. I really need well cars for intermodal service.
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
I'm going to Maine for a few days. I won't have a computer. Don't anyone worry.
We do too much of that already.
Ulrich, sweet Porsche I'd love to drive one some day.
In my 14-years of driving, I only bought my own vehicle 3-years ago. Others were usually hand me downs that my parents had given me. A few years ago I had, still have, a good job that paid me enough to let me to let me buy a vehicle, and though small 4-door cars appealed, I instead bought a woodland green 2001 Ford Ranger XLT Supercab 4x4. And for a now 15-year old truck, it has treated me quite excellently. It has not needed much work aside minor upkeep and small repairs.
I will be riding my bicycle to work more and more as the weather permits. I have two steel framed 14-speed road bikes to choose from, a 1987 (I think) Giant RS940, and a 1990 Bridgestone RB-1.
On the MR front, I ran a 63-car freight train using a string of club freight cars, plus my express boxcars and reefers on the club layout this afternoon with my BLI L1 for power. The L1 pulled the 63-car freight train nicely. I'd not had a loco pull a train that long in years. And never in HO before. My GHQ/Kato L1 Mikado with traction tire could pull such a load. I'd initially planned to not model freight trains, I'd just focused on passenger trains, but I've had a change of heart, so I'll start collecting freight cars again as I loved seeing the L1 pull a freight train.
Alvie
Batman:
BATMANAs far as I was concerned these cars were quite dangerous
My brother owned a stock 4 cyl. Vega. He was living in the snow belt off of Lake Huron on the bottom of the Bruce Peninsula at the time. The Vega had a very interesting fault in its design. The tie rod ran through the front suspension cross member. On the long straight runs on the rural roads the cross member would fill up with slush and then freeze. When you got to a corner where you wanted to turn, the tie rod would barely move, but it would move just enough to put you into the ditch. There wasn't enough time to correct. That caused some strange driving driving because you had to stop before the corner and thrash the steering wheel back and forth to clear the frozen slush. Poor design, as was the all aluminum block.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Good Friday afternoon everyone.
Just got home from a marriage seminar our church is hosting. Pretty enlightening. I actually learned a few things about relationships that I didn't know.
Alvie How many PTM ( peddles to the mile ) you get in your bicycle ? Those old fords aren't to shabby. I have a 94 F150 XLT w/302 mustang engine in it and it is a five speed. 250k miles on it. All orginial equipment.
Mr. B prayer for safe travels for you
Angel - why not buy one on eBay ?
Howmus - I have a friend who is a VW guy. He always said ( cover your ears Ulrich ) that a Porsche was a hopped VW. Bet the kids loved you for that stunt. : ) My class mates disassembled a VW and reassembled on the school roof at the entrance. My kids came home one day talking about the legend. They asked me if I had heard about it and if it was true. Yep I replied it was true and my friends did it. There jaws dropped to the floor...
Ulrich I bet you look like a giraffe getting in and out of that thing ?!
Batman I had forgotten about the metal fatigue issues they had. Very true !
Good night TTYL
Evening Dinners
Flo, Beer Please.
Work Front Spent 45 mintes this moring try to figuer out what Jerry sold Wednesday and Thursday. Had a late customer and they bought so it was worth staying, I guess.
It was a OK day till I got home. Wife had honey do's that I had to get done. While they where simple one's after being at work all day and not getting home till 9:00 PM it did get under my skin.
Have a lot more I wanted to type about, but I am beat.
Ken
I hate Rust
angelob6660Ulrich- Did you really torn down with Swedish theme layout.
Naw - my Swiss layout is still here and being worked on, as much as my bad shoulder allows me to. I hope to sell it eventually - for a resonable price. It wouldn´t survive a move by a moving company and I have no means to transport it myself.
YGW - a Porsche 356 or its successor, the 911 are exactly this - a chopped and beefed up VW bug! In my student days, I drove a metallic blue VW 1302 L, which was dubbed "Kugelporsche" - that´s "Spherical Porsche".
I´ll be dropping by again a little later in the day!
Morning !
Alarm went off at O dark thirty in the morning. Will be heading out to church for another session on the marriage seminar. I think there were about 250 attending. The speaker when I met him I thought this going to be a L O N G night! Who would have thought he was so good. Man was I surprised ! The three hours went by in minutes !
Ulrich - now that is surprising !? I don't know much about VWs but here in the States there are whole clubs devoted to them.
Ken -Love the picture of the engine. Why is the positive cable off ?
Flo fix whatever anyone wants this morning. Bring me the tab. Breakfast is on me this morning !!!!
Good morning one and all.
Not much to report from the land of Buckeyes other then I'm bored and restless so,I'm going to point the nose of my Buick toward Galion and have a big plate of gravy and biscuits at a mom and pop restaurant then go to the hobby shop in Mansfield.
On the modeling front I'm working on another SW1500 for my Summerset Ry.This will be #150. I'm thinking about adding a SW1000 to my Slate Creek Rail roster but,not sure yet,that may go to SSRy.
I shall have a cup or two and look over da forum.
Have a good 'un!
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Good Afternoon!
Time for a break! Janie, make that a slice of that lovely looking apple pie, topped with vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce for me and don´t forget a gallon of coffee, please!
Aside from a short HD list I had to work down in the morning, I am busy working on a layout planning project. It´ll take a while to finish, as I can only work on it for a couple of hours without a longer break. My shoulder is still acting up - got to see the doc about it on Monday!
Have a great weekend, Folks!
Thoughts and prayers for Barry and Galaxy (My email to him remains unanswered)!
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Mornin' everyone!
Zoe, I'll have a short stack of buttermilk pancakes with real NYS Maple Syrup, a couple sausgae links, anbd a large pot of Marrakesh Express Organic Dark Roast Coffee in the R&GV RR Mug this morning. I'll be sitting at the Rivet counter chatting with [color=red]Ulrich]/color] for a bit.
Back when I had the 1971 Super Beatle my next door neighbbor in the trailer park outside of Waverly we lived in had a brand spanking new Porchia 911T. It was 165hp and a seat basically (he had the car dynamiter tested). He let me drive it a couple times.... WHOA!!!! The car wasn't supercharged, but had a carburator for each of the 6 cylinders.... I was driving it home from Waverly out old Rt. 17. There are two bridges just outside of town. One that goes over the LV RR tracks and the next one that goes over a large creek. Just before we came to the first bridge I had it in 3rd gear (of 5), just shifted and was just off idle, and he said "Floor it"! So I did... Didn't do much until it came up on 3000rpm just as it crested the first bridge. Then it opened up and by the time I crested the second bridge it went from 3000rpms to over 8,000rpms! The speedometer said I had gone from 30mph to 90mph in just a couple seconds! It was still in 3rd. gear BTW... Man! What a feeling.
A few weeks later he was following me (and my family) coming back from down in PA on one of those severly hilly and curvy back country roads they have down there. I decided to see if his 911T could stay with the little 60hp Bug. The Super beatle was the first year to have the New strut suspension and anti sway stabilizer bar. The Porsha didn't have the stabilizer bar. He couldn't stay with the little VW Bug..... He would roar up behind me every time there was a straight stretch but then in the curvy hilly areas I keep pulling away from him. We got home, and he got out of his Porche, slammed the door and went into his house. Didn't want to even speak to me... The next weekend he had his car jacked up in the driveway and was installing one on the Porche! He got done, came over and said, now lets try that road again!!! It did make an amazing difference. Oh, and yes, I know it was a very stupid thing to do (my wife made me very aware of that at the time) but I was young a foolish back then. I am amazed that I somehow managed to live this long......
Sun is trying to make an appearance from time to time here in the Finger Lakes. Hope it stays good as I plan to go watch Granddaughter #1 play Softball this afternoon.
Some quotes for today:
“There are two secrets to success: 1) Never tell everything you know…” ~ Roger H Lincoln
“The most wasted of all days is the one without laughter.” ~ E E Cummings
“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” ~ Dalai Lama
Have a great one out there!
Morning diners,
yougottawanta Angel - why not buy one on eBay ?
What do you mean exactly.
If you're talking about some TTX stack cars. I have an Athearn 48' Husky Stack #56425. Which I bought on EBay. I just can't go buying every car I want. It has to be double checked by a photo if it exists around my timeframe.
There was some 89' flatcars, 3-5 unit spine cars, 40' and 53' well cars that I want but its hard when nobody sells them or selling them way to high.
Or maybe a train set layout being sold on EBay than no. Way to expensive for my tastes and sometimes they are horrible for a fixer upper.
howmusIt was 165hp and a seat basically (he had the car dynamiter tested). He let me drive it a couple times.... WHOA!!!! The car wasn't supercharged, but had a carburator for each of the 6 cylinders.
Those were the good old days!
My Porsche had 345 hp, fuel injection, turbo charged. It had a Stroszek exhaust, meaning it got louder when you hit 50mph. Of course, you could also flick a switch to hear that noise when driving in town - just to impress the girls ...
What an utter nonsense!
Good morning all from the beautiful West coast.
Dave, I totally forgot about the steering problems on the Vega. Putting those heavy 350s with their matching heavy transmissions in a car that just had a tiny 4 banger in it from the factory would really create havoc with the steering components. I also remember drive shafts coming up through the floorboards. The torque of those engines would twist those cars up like pretzels sometimes.
Man I am in rough shape this morning. The kids school holds a huge fair every year and we are down to the last eight days in the countdown. We raise about $200.000.00 dollars through the fair so it is well worth the effort. Being full of arthritis, my hands and other joints are really swollen today. I'll rest after the fair.
Kids hockey is over for the season and I already miss not being at the rink(s). All those enthusiastic kids make life really worth living. Last week the family of one of the players brought their grandmother over from China for a visit. She had never seen hockey, never mind an ice rink. Didn't speak a word of english but asked if she could walk out on the ice after the kids had come off. She was a very old lady so I held her arm and we walked out. She got down on her knees and slid the palms of her hands on the ice. The look of wonder on her face was quite something to behold.
Wifes says there will be a big crowd at the house tonight as there is a big fleabag event not far from the house. Her trip to Costco yesterday told me something was up as we lugged in huge hunks of meat from the car.
I guess I had better get up now and get to the school(do I have to) OUCH!
My father was a Porsche man. He bought a new 1961 356 right soon after he started working for IBM. We lived in Utah and in 1964 we were transfered to the Mid-Hudson Valley. Dad put the station wagon in the moving van, and drove the family in the Porsche to New York. Later he bought a 1967 911. I remember going out to shoot Estes rockets one Saturday and Dad packed six kids in that 911. Fond memories.
Today I did something I haven't done for about a year and a half--I went mountain biking (with Mrs. ROR). Man it felt good. Here is a sample of what it looked like.
Richard
Howdy ...
I see it is car day again ..... I still have the '84 Porsche which rarely leaves the garage. Meanwhile, I still drive my Chevy Avalanche, and Shelley still drives her Caddy SRX.
I certainly hope we hear from Barry and Galaxy soon. .... When were their last posts in the Diner ?