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Jeffrey's Trackside Diner - June 2016 Locked

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Posted by ATSFGuy on Tuesday, June 21, 2016 2:05 PM

Hey guys,

Boy was it HOT yesterday and sunday!!!

Got three days off this week, (Today-Thurs back on Fri).

Trying to decide what to add to my HO Scale collection next.

I was thinking like a pike sized passenger train.

This website gave me some ideas, I mostly like the "classic streamliners" 1930-1970.

Here is the name of the website:

www.trainweb.org/mccann/offer.htm

Take a look if you have time and tell me what you think.

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Posted by ricktrains4824 on Tuesday, June 21, 2016 2:02 PM

Good Afternoon.

Chloe, just a root beer float, please. Thanks.

FRRYkid, instead of wire glue, would just soldering the rails and joiners together work? It would be just as sttong, if not stronger, and cheaper. (Of course, this is cheaper only if you already have a soldering iron and related experience to not fry things while soldering...) Just thinking out loud here, but, I would either solder the rails together, or, use flex track, or even hand-lay track for the custom crossing. (IIRC you stated flex was out though, so, based on that, my choice would be solder the sectional track together.) The above soldering tips are good.

Speaking of above soldering tips:

Howmus, Nice tips, and yes, I also have been told that this is the way to do it, by a friend in the electronics repair field, but some "experts" will disagree, saying that this is wrong, but I have never had any issues this way. And yes, safety is important! (Still have a small scar on my left hand, from where the iron slipped once. But, I saved the model!)

Weather: Thunderstorms last night, with lots of "liquid sunshine", AKA that four-letter "R" word, r**n, cooled us down, and got rid of the humidity. YAY! 74, and sunny now, 75-80 & sunny daytime tomorrow, but, forecasting strong/severe storms late evening, overnight, and early Thursday morning. Thursday is forecasted to be 85-90, stormy/r**ny morning with sun returning afternoon, staying now in 87-97 range Friday onwards. 

W**k: Sorry cousin Vinnie, I have two four letter words in my post again... And a couple different times! Anyway, was off from w**k today, so did some things around the house, and have some train time planned. I was, however, informed that I sit in top 10 in the district at close last night, and am the only non-full time one on the list, on new accounts for the past week. Not bad considering there are 20 stores in said district! (No prize or award, other than bragging rights.) After yesterday I am still averaging more than one new account per day this month, and am sitting well over goal as of the date. (Sitting at 135% to goal on Saturday at close, and added another one yesterday.) And, as of close last night, I still sit double next associate in store, which is now the store manager... Guess I better be careful to not get too big a lead now.... Whistling

Hobby: Working on a few projects, but nothing new to report.

Hope all are good, and everyone enjoy the day!

Ricky W.

HO scale Proto-freelancer.

My Railroad rules:

1: It's my railroad, my rules.

2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.

3: Any objections, consult above rules.

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Posted by FRRYKid on Tuesday, June 21, 2016 12:06 PM

BroadwayLion

 

 
BigDaddy
I have removed the offensive 'e'. I live near a Ferry Point, so it was a honest mistake. A 'u' might have gotten me in trouble with Cuzin Vinnie if he looked at the urban dictionary. I'm sure that definition does not apply to you but Vinnie might have a dirty mind. Big Smile

 

 

Furr... Furry... like as in hmmm. LION!???

LION knows about Furrs and Furries,  Him has more than 60 stuffies.

Maybe they should add more letters  LGBTSFMXYZLMNOP.... : )

Don't let anyone get you down!

 

ROAR

 

Where the FRRY came from is, as one can tell by my avatar, my railroad is the Forest Railway. The extra "R" comes from the fact that I didn't want the name to be a certain type of fast food. The "RY" being the standard short way of stated Railway.

As to the wire glue comments, I was already thinking about putting it in the rail joiner and on the track ends. I was also thinking about putting a line on the outside of the rails. Once dry, it would be covered by the CA when I attach the wood ties for the crossing to the rail.

"The only stupid question is the unasked question."
Brain waves can power an electric train. RealFact #832 from Snapple.
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Posted by John Busby on Tuesday, June 21, 2016 10:17 AM

Hi yougottawanta

Yes funny green things = Kiwi fruit nice with a good quality vanilla ice cream by the way.

Don't tell JaBear but the best ice cream around my neck of the woods seems to come from NZ.

Thanks for the kind words on my modeling efforts I hope to add more to the list as time goes by.

Just don't ask me to wrap presents I am hopeles at it.

regards John

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Posted by BroadwayLion on Tuesday, June 21, 2016 9:56 AM

BigDaddy
I have removed the offensive 'e'. I live near a Ferry Point, so it was a honest mistake. A 'u' might have gotten me in trouble with Cuzin Vinnie if he looked at the urban dictionary. I'm sure that definition does not apply to you but Vinnie might have a dirty mind. Big Smile

 

Furr... Furry... like as in hmmm. LION!???

LION knows about Furrs and Furries,  Him has more than 60 stuffies.

Maybe they should add more letters  LGBTSFMXYZLMNOP.... : )

Don't let anyone get you down!

 

ROAR

The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.

Here there be cats.                                LIONS with CAMERAS

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Posted by yougottawanta on Tuesday, June 21, 2016 8:50 AM

Good morning all

I am a bit better frame of mind today than yesterday. This past weeks events and then no BD cake really had me in a foul mood.Then to add insult to injury the VP scheduled a meeting at the end of the day which the owners were late for and of course this caused me to get home late. And I had set a time to meet with Reinhard and had to cancel that do to the late meeting, which I allowed to foul my mood even more! Shouldnt do that. But I am over myself now and moving on. - Meeting went well. At least I think it did. Seemed to have positive feed back. But one never knows what is said in private.

V8 - wrote "The only place I want to install it is through the wall and those kind of air conditioners cost" more than ones made for window installation." --- We have used these. There are some factors you need to consider 1) Size of area to be cooled ( no heat I assume ? ) . You need to measure the area to be cooled so the equipment can be sized correctly 2) This will help determine the elctric needs. Some can be plugged in just like a regular AC unit others will need extensive electric upgrades 3) Where to locate it in a wall. It should not have furniture in front of it and a clear path immediately around it 4) where you cut it through the wall. I assume it will be a load bearing wall - this will require the installation of a "header" which transfers the weight around the cooling unit. 5) Water proofing around the unit. Read the PDF before buying a unit and understand how the weather is kept out of the house. Does it come with a flashing kit or do you need to make and install one ? This is important !!!! You do not want water entering into your house 6) How is the condensation from the unit going to be carried away from your home ? These units will create water as the hot air blows across the coils. Will the grade of the yard naturally drain it away ? Will you need to install a yard drain to carry it away from the house ? 7) If your panel is full and you need extra breakers you can switch a few to "piggy back" breakers. This simply doubles up a circuit in one spot with two breakers. This will create extra space for your electric needs. 8) interior finsih. - some units need top have trim installed around the interior to give it a finished look.

Ulrich - Thanks for the cake. Isnt that a crazy photo of my MIL I emailed you ? Is it possible to load that on here ?

Garry - welcome back ! Thanks for the BD wishes

John - Funny green things ? Kiwis ?

JaBear - Wow can I have two ?

John B Nice work I saw the first picture and then I wondered why is he wrapping the sides? - then I scrolled down further and understood

Ken - Sent you a PM- I have cheaper solution than a dumpster ( they are expensive , we pay $700 per 30 yd dumpster plus $50 a ton after 4 tons ) its called a match 5 cents - does wonders to a pile of junk

Ricky W - Apple pie ! And ice cream ? Dinner oh boy now you are talking my langauge !

Douglas - Cold drink and watch paint peef ? Oh wow that sounds appealing to me. I would like to just sit and do nothing for a few days !

Terry - Great to hear the good news on MIL cancer Yes thats such a roller coaster when you hear teh word cancer - such a scary thing !

Henry - Good job keeping an eye on Vinnie - he is so tempermental ! A matter of fact we seem to be in the tornado ally of Va. We get a number of them every year. They generally hit in this area between Wincherster/Front Royal to Fairfax area. Shame ones doenst go through the white house and congress and clean things up a bit. Just wipe the slate clean and start over !

Z Stripe - good to see you back ! Thankd for the BD wishes

Richard - Yes we have been hit hard the last few years. Hope this run soon ends !

Well I will check back in around lunch time gotta go and earn my pay

TTYL

YGW

FRRYKid - Thanks for the BD wishes : )

 

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Posted by howmus on Tuesday, June 21, 2016 7:53 AM

FRRYKid
I am looking at two pieces of Atlas 22" R track. The main reason I want to avoid soldering is the last time I tried to solder rail, the ties melted and the wood ties will be glued to those ties so I don't want them melted. I also know if I use CA the attach the track it will lose electrical continuity. Hence the problem.

Mornin' Mr. Kid.....  You could learn a new (actually it has been around for years and was taught in the US Air Force way back in WWII) trick to correctly solder electrical items that will not melt the ties on plastic rail track.  I am reprinting here the handout I had for a clinic I did several years ago on Basic Reliable Soldering for Model Railroaders.  Hope it is useful to you and maybe to others.  Done correctly you will not melt ties and you will have a reliable good solder joint that will not fail!

(I had a video of me showing the technique in my Photobucket Account but it seems to have disappeared.....)

"There are many different techniques that people use for electrical soldering in the hobby.  The method I use works well for me and is based on techniques I have learned from electronic repair professionals over the years.  Your mileage may vary.

1.  Use the right equipment.

            a.   25w to 40w pencil tipped (or flat tipped) soldering iron.

(I use a 25w for almost everything. Bigger is not always better.)

b.  Rosin (or resin) core solder 60/40 (tin/lead).  For most RR hobby work a small diameter solder is generally best.
c.  Rosin soldering flux (paste or liquid).
d.  Small damp sponge and/or tip tinner-cleaner.
e.  Scratch brush or sandpaper for cleaning surface to be soldered.
 
2.  Safety!
 
       a.  Keep the area clean and orderly

       b.  Wear eye protection, and never solder over your head.  Do not become distracted while soldering.

       c.  The tip of a soldering iron gets to 800°F or hotter!  Handle with care as it can cause serious burns instantly!  Use a soldering stand.

       d.  Items that have been soldered tend to stay hot for a while.  Don’t handle them until they have had time to cool.

e.  Vapors given off in the soldering process contain lead and are poisonous.  Do not breath vapors and always solder in a well ventilated space.

3.  Soldering.

          a.  Make sure soldering iron tip is clean, tinned, and hot.

          b.  Items to be joined should be clean and free from oil, dirt, or corrosion.

                  c.  Pre-tin surfaces?  Depending on the surface and if there is corrosion I may or may not pre-tin all the surfaces.  When using stranded wire, I tend to pre-tin to make them easier to work with.

            d.  Items to be joined should make a solid connect prior to soldering.

            e.  Add a small amount of flux to the joint.

            f.  I place a drop of solder on the hot tip of the iron and touch the iron to the joint.  Additional solder may be added near the soldering iron. As soon as the solder flows into the joint (you will see it), remove the iron and let cool.  A good solder joint will be smooth and somewhat shiny in appearance.

Caution Science Content!
A little theory.....  Heat is transferred to the joint mostly where the metal of the iron is contacting the metal being heated.  Remember that air is an insulator. A dry iron has very little contact area, so the heat is transferred slowly allowing a lot of the heat to travel down the track melting and bending ties as it goes, but won't easily get hot enough where the joint is to melt the solder or if it does you may get a cold solder joint.  Having a small drop of solder on the tip of the iron increases drastically the contact surface allowing heat to be transferred quickly from both the drop of solder and the entire (very hot) soldering iron.  The result is a lot of heat right where you need it.  You are done quickly and before the heat travels away from the joint to do damage.  That phenomenon is the reason some people recommend a larger iron and flat tip on the iron.  More contact area, quicker, better, and safer results.
 
Remember: Practice on scrap materials and you will find your skills will improve quickly!  Have fun!"
 
 
73

 

Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO

We'll get there sooner or later! 

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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, June 21, 2016 7:47 AM

Good Afternoon!

I just woke up from a midday snooze - seems as if this is becoming a habit now. Would that make me a habitual snoozer?

The easiest way, IMHO, to deal with track going over module joints is to lay flex track over the joint, remove two ties on each side, replace them with strips of copper clad PCB and solder the rails to them. Cut the rails with a cutting disc where the slot between the modules is. Dont forget to remove a bit of the copperclading between the rails, using a V shaped file. That´s all there is to it.

Zoe, I´ll just have a coffee, please. Nothing to eat, I have to observe my diet! Doc told me to get rid of those to 20lbs. bags I am carrying around with me! Getting rid of 40 lbs. is a requirement to improve my health just a little. It´s a necessary starting point for more.

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Posted by Heartland Division CB&Q on Tuesday, June 21, 2016 7:28 AM

Good morning .... I'll have a doughnut with coffee again this morning. 

Ray .... Thanks for commenting about my being back home. Now I hope to be close to a normal schedule in a couple of weeks. I'll be in Nashville all day tomorrow for medical appointments. That's where I go for heart doctors. Also, I'll be traveling again next week for a few days. .... I enjoy your telling about museum activties. Sounds like fun times. 

Douglas .... Thanks for commenting. Thanks for commenting. Unfortunately, I did not have any railfanning time. Occasionaly, I did see some trains. 

YGW ..... Belated Happy Birthday..... I think we should celebrate it all week. Pass the cake, please. Cake ..... I am sorry to hear about MIL's house being demolished by a tornado. Lightning

Bear .... That looks like a very good dessert. 

Ken .... Maybe there is another way to get rid of her junk. Can you operate a frontloader?  Smile, Wink & Grin

 

GARRY

HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR

EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU

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Posted by John Busby on Tuesday, June 21, 2016 5:42 AM

Hi JaBear

Its ours precious (no not that one) so there WinkBig Smile

Except South and West Australia they where free states.

I will just remind you that you only missed out by a gnats wisker on being an Aussie at FederationBig Smile

Then I am coming round to raid your fridgeWinkBig Smile because all that matters is pavlova is the closest thing man has to the food of the godsDinner.

And them there funny green things arn't to bad iether.

regards John

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Posted by "JaBear" on Tuesday, June 21, 2016 5:17 AM

Gidday Chloe, a mug of green tea please, it will go down nicely as Her-in-doors and I have just been for our swim.
 
 Well I thought Cousin Vinnie had finally woken up and decided I was not a fit and proper person for the forum, though with the low post count I had wondered if the forum was experiencing an IT “improvement”!!!Grumpy
 
YGW,sorry to hear about your MILs home. A belated  Happy B-Day  I’ll shout you a large slice of Pavlova.
 
The Aussies and us have been fighting for years over who first came up with the recipe and while not wishing to upset our closest neighbours too much over the validity of their somewhat spurious claims, I’ll just remind them as to which country started its life off as a Penal Colony!!
 
Today’s the winter solstice here but while the daylight hours will get more, it’s not a sign that the weather will improve for a while yet.
 
Big Daddy. Henry this is not necessarily the best way but this is how the local modular group deals with the joins.
Thoughts and Best Wishes to All that need them.
Cheers, the Bear.Smile

"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."

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Posted by John Busby on Tuesday, June 21, 2016 2:14 AM

Hi all

Well I will have a flat white and a lamington thanks.

Well my eyes are doing nicely now and I have the matching glasses as well.

So have been doing some modeling I can't upload direct to here

so http://mrlforum.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/3317-buz-rail-workshops/

that link will take you to what I have been playing with.

While nothing particularly special it feels good to be back at it, and funds being a bit tight.

I can see my self rumaging through that load of model railroad stuff we all seem to collect with reckless abandon for other things to do at minimal further spending

On the downside have to go through the Sigh company medical ect to get back to work that is going to be a right royal pain.

Since they some how missed the failing eye sight in the first place I am not to impressed with them to begin with, which from my point of view doesn't promote much in the way of trust.

regards John

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, June 21, 2016 2:04 AM

Wire glue will work if you use it inside the rail-joiner joints -- be sure to clean and if possible abrade the inside of the joiner and the contact areas on the rail ends before applying the material.  The 'active ingredient' is many very fine carbon fibers, which the 'matrix' of the glue holds in contact across the small gap between joiner and rail.  I understand this can also be used to attach wires to rail bottom or side for feeder, for example by drilling down through the roadbed on either side of the joint, attaching the wires laterally, then 'countersinking' a scale fishplate and gluing it over the area -- even with the plate going on, you will want to apply a 'topcoat' of a stronger adhesive to hold the 'wire glue' in place and prevent it from scuffing or crumbling.

If you're surface applying a material, consider nickel print (or silver print, or silver-plated copper print) which are conductive paints used to restore broken or damaged printed circuits.  The silver is nearly 20 times as conductive as the nickel, but it is considerably more expensive.  I always topcoated an application with lacquer or epoxy.

There is such a thing as conductive epoxy.  I don't think it is particularly valuable for this particular application,, compared to the other choices.

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Posted by FRRYKid on Tuesday, June 21, 2016 12:53 AM

After I posted about my track/crossing issue, I did a quick hunt on eBay for ideas and came up with a possibility: I found a listing for wire glue here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/221819147394?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

From what I read in the listing and on the package picture, this might be what I need, but I have no direct knowledge. Has anyone here used it? Any suggestions/ideas are welcomed. I might even get whatever form of potable that the responders would like. Smile

"The only stupid question is the unasked question."
Brain waves can power an electric train. RealFact #832 from Snapple.
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Posted by cudaken on Monday, June 20, 2016 10:16 PM

 Evening Dinners

 Flo, I will have a Beer, give YGW a pice of Cardboard Happy B-Day cake and give the Buick Guy a Beer as well!

 Work Front Sunday was slow with only two customers. But the last one was a good one! Yes They bought a Memory Foam in a King sizes and I made a extra $125.00 and I needed that!

 YGW Sorry to hear about your MIL house, just gald she was OK. My self, I would love to have a big tree fall on my house! I have better insurance than house! Plus it would get rid of some of my wifes junk! I have sent you a PM as well.

 Douglas I think I may still have your number, I will check the PM's. I have never delete any so it should be there.

 V8 Vega My wife killed our central air a few years ago. Stopped blowing cold but would not let me turn it off! Burned up the compressor and it was not worth fixing. Turned out to be a blessing! Fair sizes house at 1515 Sq Foot but we only use 1/2 of it at most. I have a 500 BTU on the bedroom and a 8000 BTU in the family room. These are the main part of the house we live in. Will they get the house cold, no. But as soon as I walk in to the living room it is cooler than outside. Kitchen is warm when cooking, but my wife does not cook much. 

 Reason it was a blessing? My wife spends 89% of her time in the bedroom. With central air she would make all 1515 Sq Foot 70 degree's and it was costing me $250.00 too $350.00 a month! Now that only the area we used is cooled summer bill is around $205.00 at the highest so far. Most of the time it is around $135.00.

 Wife Front Sunday my wife saw a Snake In The Front Yard! It was so BIG I could never beable to kill it! So that is why I killed the one I saw in the pool a month ago. Lion, you want some kittens? I am sure my wife will be having a litter pretty soon now! Smile, Wink & Grin

 Later, Ken

I hate Rust

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Posted by FRRYKid on Monday, June 20, 2016 8:42 PM

BigDaddy

I have removed the offensive 'e'.  I live near a Ferry Point, so it was a honest mistake.  A 'u' might have gotten me in trouble with Cuzin Vinnie if he looked at the urban dictionary.  I'm sure that definition does not apply to you but Vinnie might have a dirty mind.  Big Smile

Maybe I misunderstood your original question, which I thought was achieving electrical continuity without soldering rail joiners.  Were you asking about structural strength instead?  Randy is far more electrically knowlegeable than I am.  I don't recall he mentioned soldering the joiners to the rail (although I could have missed that detail)  Every rail has 2 electrical connections with his method. 

I too am building a modular layout that will need to be separated when I move.  I am concerned that simply cutting the rail at the juction will leave both ends vunerable to moving damage.  I know some people use a short piece of rail to bridge these junctions, but I haven't decided what I will use.

 

As I said that's the way my parents decided to pronounce it, and I didn't have an objection to it. I think I know where you are going with the Urban Dictionary reference so that's why I almost always explain where that login comes from.

As to my original question, if possible, I want both. I am looking at two pieces of Atlas 22" R track. The main reason I want to avoid soldering is the last time I tried to solder rail, the ties melted and the wood ties will be glued to those ties so I don't want them melted. I also know if I use CA the attach the track it will lose electrical continuity. Hence the problem.

Edit: As to your modular layout problem, the NMRA HO modular standard has the rail offset from each end by 4 1/2" so that when they're joined to one another a standard 9" section fills the gap. (At least that was what was used when I was in a modular club many years ago.) For HO the modules were 48" long by 30" wide.

I think N scale uses a 2 1/2" offset for a standard 5" track sections. (As I've never built an N scale module I don't know the standard framework on one of them.) I image that idea can be adapted to any scale by offseting the ends by 1/2 of the  standard sectional track length.

"The only stupid question is the unasked question."
Brain waves can power an electric train. RealFact #832 from Snapple.
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Posted by ricktrains4824 on Monday, June 20, 2016 8:15 PM

Good evening.

Flo, Apple pie with a large scoop of ice cream on top, please.

Weather: Hot and humid today, hit 95 with a very high humidity. Tonight forecasting storms, tomorrow sun with high of 75-80, rest of the week all 75-80,  with r**n chances Thursday, then sunny and 80's weekend. Really hoping the storms are not to strong, but also hoping they don't die out and we end up staying this hot... Double edged sword indeed!

W**k: AC is not working correctly, so it was HOT! The only (relatively) cool spots are the bathrooms, break room, the security office, and the corner fitting rooms. Suddenly there are lots of bathroom breaks for some odd reason! (Might just be that we are going through so much water while working.... I downed 3 20oz water bottles, plus a soda on lunch, while there today just myself.) The boss was nice and got us pizza for lunch today, so that was good!

Hobby: Nothing new on that front, still working on weathering and painting projects, and finishing a couple of other small projects.

Hope all have a good night.

Ricky W.

HO scale Proto-freelancer.

My Railroad rules:

1: It's my railroad, my rules.

2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.

3: Any objections, consult above rules.

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Posted by PM Railfan on Monday, June 20, 2016 6:56 PM

Hello Railfans!

Top of the blessed hot evening to ya! I see im not the only one who couldnt log in the last day or so. I was getting worried someone broke my plate and cut my corner off the dinner table.

 

Ken - aye man, you got my email and my number. You got puter problems, drop me a line! I can get in here only so often. One week more than maybe another week. The next week maybe not at all.

 

Angelob6660 - I dont model the NYC per se. Matter of fact i dont get any modelling time at all. And only a poor mans alotment of railfanning. One of these days though when the planets align, my eyesight totally gone, and my hands shake enough to mix a drink without asking.... then maybe I can model.

When that time comes, i will be modelling the Pere Marquette. My intent is to model from Toledo to Plymouth Mi.. This trackage somewhat parallels the NYC line (and a few others) from Toledo to Detroit.

At one point in the history, the PM aquired trackage rights for their passenger trains to hop over to the NYC line to Detroit at Alexis Ohio (suburb on north side of Toledo). So it is fair to say I will be having the NYC on my layout. Along with C&O, NKP, Toledo Belt, and a couple others.

Aside from what the NYC ran on this line, that will be the extent of my modelling 'other' railroads. If i was an NYC modeller - Id model the water level route! Or parts where NYC and NKP compete closely. What a sight to behold .... high stepping Hudsons and no nonsense Berkshires every where you look!

 

Garry - Welcome back to the show. hope your trip was productive and you brought me lots of Michigan Railfan pics! Whistling

 

In General - Not much going on railfanning or otherwise. Wasnt a good weekend for me and today started out pretty bad. Took a turn for the better as it went along.

Im gonna try and find a shady spot to cool my heels. Draw me a nice, cold sasparilla, and watch the paint peel. Yall have a good evening!

 

Douglas

 

 

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Posted by saronaterry on Monday, June 20, 2016 6:49 PM

Hi, All! Finally got logged back in. Things are great in Wisconsin. Started 2 houses so have been very busy with w.ork.

 I've been keeping up with all the posts, just not much to add. MIL has gotten good news regarding her ovarian cancer, seems the docs think they got it all! The wife is relieved as she lost the FIL in November.

Had a relaxing Father's Day. Mowed the 5 acres! Ha! Kids were busy with their stuff. Got calls and texts. Good enough for me.

That's about it for now. I hope to post more often if life doesn't intervene.

Terry

 

Terry in NW Wisconsin

Queenbogey715 is my Youtube channel

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Posted by BigDaddy on Monday, June 20, 2016 5:56 PM

I have removed the offensive 'e'.  I live near a Ferry Point, so it was a honest mistake.  A 'u' might have gotten me in trouble with Cuzin Vinnie if he looked at the urban dictionary.  I'm sure that definition does not apply to you but Vinnie might have a dirty mind.  Big Smile

Maybe I misunderstood your original question, which I thought was achieving electrical continuity without soldering rail joiners.  Were you asking about structural strength instead?  Randy is far more electrically knowlegeable than I am.  I don't recall he mentioned soldering the joiners to the rail (although I could have missed that detail)  Every rail has 2 electrical connections with his method. 

I too am building a modular layout that will need to be separated when I move.  I am concerned that simply cutting the rail at the juction will leave both ends vunerable to moving damage.  I know some people use a short piece of rail to bridge these junctions, but I haven't decided what I will use.

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

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Posted by zstripe on Monday, June 20, 2016 5:36 PM

V8Vega
Anyone have experience with this?

V8Vega,

Back in 1980 when I moved into My house, I put a 12,000 BTU air conditioner through the brick veneer wall of the house in the living room where there was a glass-block window, consisting of 8 non see thru blocks. I just installed the unit where the glass blocks were, after removing all the hardware that was on it for mounting in a window. It was just about a perfect fit, about 1/1/2 from ceiling and caulked around the opening inside and outside with a frame around the inside and outside, with just a little tilt down on the outside, for water drain. It was a Fedders, at the time, the largest window unit you could buy to run on 120. It worked perfect for 5yrs, until I got central air. Then removed it and put the glass block windows back in, easy to do...they are concreted together, with a steel band around them. I know that they have 10,000 BTU units that work on 120, but I don't know about larger one's now a days.

I kept it in, all year long...In the winter, I put a wrap around cover on the ouside, that I made out of Marine plywood. That was bolted to the ouside frame with wing nuts. Easy to take-off/install.

A brick veneer house has  one course of bricks around a wood frame house that shares the same concrete foundation.

Take Care! Big Smile

Frank

YGW: Happy B-Day Belated Birthday! Thoughts and Prayer's for all Other's needing them.

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Posted by MisterBeasley on Monday, June 20, 2016 4:45 PM

V8Vega
Anyone have experience with this?

I haven't tried to mount a window unit through the wall, but I've got 4 through-the-wall units and I'm very happy with them.  I leave them in all year long.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

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Posted by FRRYKid on Monday, June 20, 2016 3:06 PM

BigDaddy

Frrykid Randy Rinker wires jumpers to his rail joiners.  You could also run wires between each piece of track, disguising them as best as possible in the scenery or you could have feeders to each piece of track.

Just for reference, my login doesn't have an "e" in it. (if you want to pronounce it, do what my parents do with it: "furrykid" with a short u) Because of the way that I build my crossings, what I want to do it make the two pieces of track as one, if possible. And no, I don't want to try to wrangle with a piece of flex track either. As we all know, rail joiners wear out and sometimes don't provide positive connection.

"The only stupid question is the unasked question."
Brain waves can power an electric train. RealFact #832 from Snapple.
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Posted by BigDaddy on Monday, June 20, 2016 2:16 PM

YGW I did not know you had tornados in Va.  I am sorry about your MIL's house.

Ulrich  Those same kids were at my gym today.  In the corner, dancing to Rap music so loud i could not hear my ipod with earphones, at the other end of the gym

Howmus cool news story

Frrykid Randy Rinker wires jumpers to his rail joiners.  You could also run wires between each piece of track, disguising them as best as possible in the scenery or you could have feeders to each piece of track.

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

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Posted by RideOnRoad on Monday, June 20, 2016 1:46 PM

yougottawanta
Last Thursday a tornado went through our area. Took out my MIL house (and power at our home for two days). Two trees went through her house like hot knife through butter. Knocked the house off of the foundation. I believe they will have to condemn the house.

Your family seems to be having a run a really bad luck. It sounds like the house is a loss, but hopefully everyone is safe.

Wahoo, it is cooling down today! Only supposed to be 115 versus the 120 yesterday. I went out for a ride this morning, left at 5:00am, before the sun was completely up, and it was already pushing 90. This time of the year is disheartening for me. I can handle the highs during the day--that why we have air conditioning--but when it is almost too hot to get outside in the morning it is tough.

I did weather the heat in the garage on Saturday and installed my compressor hose reel. To make sure it would not come off of the wall, I bolted a 2x6 to the studs, using 3 1/2" lag bolts, then mounted the reel to the 2x6. I am pretty sure it is not going anywhere anytime soon.

Hose Reel

I am going to Costa Mesa, CA tonight for a meeting tomorrow. Normally I would be excited to get out of the heat, but the high in Costa Mesa today is supposed to be 104. At least tomorrow it is supposed to drop to 86. I pity anyone who scheduled their vacation for Disneyland this weekend.

Richard

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Posted by FRRYKid on Monday, June 20, 2016 11:51 AM

This morning, I would like two scrambled eggs, some cottage/American (I know they're called both as I worked in a food establishment right after college) fries (both of them with white cheese melted on top), some wheat toast and some OJ. Thank you.

yougottawanta

Last Thursday a tornado went through our area. Took out my MIL house (and power at our home for two days). Two trees went through her house like hot knife through butter. Knocked the house off of the foundation. I believe they will have to condemn the house.

My thoughts go out to your MIL.

Layout side: I managed to get the Athearn drive modified to fit my GP30. It ended up more involved than I thought (don't projects always get that way) Front was as I thought. Rear, OTOH, was a horse of a different color. I ended up doing the same amount of modifications as I had done for my GP20s.

I also got a crossing built that was on my to do list. In the process, I discovered that I had 4 more crossings that I need to build. Considering I build the crossings with wood ties (to match what was used in the general area at the time), that's a lot of ties. One of those crossings ends up being longer that one section. On that point, I have a question for the group: Other than soldering the joint, is there a way to join two sections of HO track permanently to keep conductivity? One of the track sections involved is over a section joint. I figured that I will need to join the two section permanently as I don't want to try to break the crossing at the joint. (I know eventually the layout will have to move and I don't want track hanging over an edge so nothing gets broken.) Any ideas would be welcomed.

"The only stupid question is the unasked question."
Brain waves can power an electric train. RealFact #832 from Snapple.
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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, June 20, 2016 11:40 AM

What? No birthday cake?

Isn´t that the purpose of a birthday - to get a birthday cake to share with friends?

Happy B-Day, YGW!

I hope it´s not too late!

I hope your MIL didn´t get hurt when that torado knifed through her house - best of thoughts for her!

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    April 2007
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Posted by yougottawanta on Monday, June 20, 2016 11:13 AM

I havent been able to log in since yestrday on fathers day and my birthday ! Yesterday was not that great either ! No cake, no pie , birthday presents : ( Woke up to a water leak from the dishwasher all over the hardwood floor, and since no cake I decided to at least mow. The dang belt broke on the mower !! And I asked teh mechanic to fix teh finish mower on the tractor and he hasnt returned with the part yet. After that I gave up and just watched the boob tube.

Last Thursday a tornado went through our area. Took out my MIL house (and power at our home for two days). Two trees went through her house like hot knife through butter. Knocked the house off of the foundation. I believe they will have to condemn the house.

And today to beat all my supervisor has scheduled a stinking meeting to start at the end of my day. I will be glad when June is over if the rest of the month is gonna be like this.

Hope all of your fathers day was better than mine.

TTYL

YGW

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    May 2012
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Posted by angelob6660 on Monday, June 20, 2016 10:59 AM

Afternoon Diners,

I was locked out yesterday on the MRR forum, but now it works fine now.

I thought of building or making a small 2x4 foot layout by using 11" curve in which the main line will be 26".

Modeling the G.N.O. Railway, The Diamond Route.

Amtrak America, 1971-Present.

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    April 2003
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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, June 20, 2016 10:56 AM

Good Afternoon!

I could not log in this morning, but I see I was not the only one.

It´s been a nice day out today. My son invited us to the zoo in Hannover and after a boring 2 hour drive, we made it in time to meet the little one and his GF. The zoo is actually quite nice, a little unlike your normal zoo. I like this new way, although there was too much of a Disneyland element to some of the attractions. The place was filled with little kids, which was a nuisance. Apparently, kids cannot behave any longer. The noise they made was terrific; they push you aside, as if they´d own the world. What kind of parents do they have? Well, I better stop ranting, we come too close to politics.

Nevertheless, Petra and I enjoyed the day, but were are also happy to be back. We both are exhausted!

Zoe, 3 Beer for me, please, one down the hatch and the other two to coll my feet!

TAFN!

 

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