Good Morning!
I must be getting old!
I received a parcel today, containg a few detail parts I had ordered a couple of days ago. Aside from other stuff, it contained a figure set with a bridal pair and wedding guests and, separately packed, a photographer. The set looked like what I had ordered, but the photographer seemed to be a little too large! Checking the scale, it was HO scale alright, but the wedding set turned out to be N scale! I hope I can return it for a refund!
Well, aside from that, the rest of the stuff in the parcel was OK! More w*rk on the layout to come!
Last night, a work train ran down the line and the crew unloaded new concrete cable ducts along it, to be installed in the small hours of the day, when there aren´t any trains running.
Work will commence later this afternoon, as the work gang´s boss is invited to a train show this afternoon!
I hope to be able to buy some cheap superglue!
TTFN!
Mornin' everyone!
Zoe, I'll have a short stack of blueberry pancakes with real NYS Maple Syrup, a couple sausage links, and a 30 cup pot of Seneca Lake Dark Roast Fari Traded, Organic Coffee please. Huh, well, I intend to share the coffee with some of the other guys.......
That is looking great Ulrich! You do amazing work...
So far today is the type of day we need around here. All of 68°F, dark and cloudy outside, and a prediction of a few hours of rain. We we get a good soaking rain! Probably it will consist of a few sprinkles.....
The PiP will be paid off the first week of December, and I am already looking at what I will want to get in another couple years.... This time I intend to pay cash for it. Whether I actually do or not will depend on several factors. Started filling out the form to give to my lawyer for the update of my will. Pretty much straight forward as I don't have anything to cause any complications. Sent my son in chicago an email last night asking how he would like to see things arranged and who should be executor, have power of atty, health care proxy, and all that stuff. he got back to me with what I expected that he is comfortable with his brother doing all that as he lives nearby. Hard to have him do that from the Windy City.... I probably will make them co-executors of what ever estate may be left at that time.
Time for me to grab my morning shower and head to the train room. Got some more scenery done last night. Decided I will put a pasture for dairy cattle up on the hillside and a long, wide path for them to get there leading off the layout and going over the tracks at edge of the layout... Made a jig to make the wooden fence in sections.
Catch you all later!
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Well, the train show was not worth going there. Only one rather crude LGB layout to look at. Maybe 15 different dealers, most of them selling the usual used and well-worn Marklin stuff from the 1960´s and 1970´s at prices way above what you can find in "the Bay". One dealer was selling super glue, but also at a price equal to our home improvement store , so I did not buy any, as I get an year end bonus from my place. I did buy an old HO scale model of a Swiss billboard truck advertising Emmental cheese. Got it dead cheap at only € 2, after negotiating the seller down from € 15! The entrance fee was more than recovered with that deal! Back at home I searched the Web to found out more about my purchase, which turned out to be a 1970´s limited edition from Roskopf Miniatur Modelle - a realy collector´s item, usually sold for ten times my price! You should see my big fat smile as I type this!
As I was home early, I started w*rk on the cable ducts an after an hour I got all of them glued down, covered and re-ballasted. Installing two electrical cabinets (one for the signal, another one for the yet to come Swiss-style train signal-bells). Now it´s all done and drying!
... an a picture of the truck in its new "habitat":
Howdy Diners ! ..... I'll have a Barry sized burger with a Root Beer FLoat (RBF) at the Rivit Counter (RC) please ..
Ulrich .... Your layout is becoming a beautiful work of art ....
YGW .... It's very good of you to spend the night at the hopital with your Dad.... Praying for him.
Ray .... You keep busy. Perhaps, there will be no need to replace the PIP.... It may be like the Energizer Bunny.
Ken and Douglas .... Thanks for the comments about scenery
Have a nice Saturday, everyone.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
There is a decided knock on the door of the Diner. The door flings open, and 5 strong men, wearing orange colored workman´s overalls and hard hats stomp into the diner with their heavy safety boots!
Is it allowed to join? Ulrich told us we could come in here. We are the RhB work crew that installed the cable ducts along the line. May we introduce ourselves? This is Reto, this is Urs, this fellow on my left is Walter, on my right is Beat and I am Ueli and , boy, are we thirsty from a good day´s w*rk!
Whatever you boys like to have, put it on our tab!
I forget to mention the w*rk crew also painted, weathered and installed a buffer stop at the end of the stub siding, just to comply with safety rules. The twin silo received a light weathering job, which improved the look a little more.
Heartland Division CB&QRay .... You keep busy. Perhaps, there will be no need to replace the PIP.... It may be like the Energizer Bunny.
Hi Garry, Yeah, I can probably get another 400,000 miles out of it without any trouble at all. It is barely broken in with all of 4,100 miles on it after almost 4 years... On the other hand I want to get a car that I will be able to drive almost all the time on electric! With the PiP I am only getting about 33% of the milage from EV and even though the gas milage is a great 51mpg with just gas, I would rather go pure EV or a car that I can go 1,000 miles between fill ups of fossilized dinosaur dung... The new Volt can do that I think since it gets over 50 miles of pure EV and then another 400 or so on gas if I take a longer trip. Cost of the Volt after all the figuring is done is less that the cost of the PiP. They have gotten excellent scores on the dependability of them and the new GM Dealer in town is getting some great reviews. My son's wife bought her latest car from them and had a great experience both with the sale and service after. So.....
Ulrich. looking good! Looking very, very good!!!
Thanks, Ray - I start to like it very much.
Now picture this cute truck approaching the grade crossing:
Nice detail for a HO scale vehicle!
It´s a Swiss Saurer Berna dump track from the 1960´s, many of which are still around after 50 years of service. These trucks are so rugged one can´t kill them unless they are dumped into an abyss.
The model is high up on my dream list, but at € 55 - 60 (has to be imported from Switzerland and they were wise enough to stay out of the EU), no bargain. Maybe in a year´s time...
Sir Madog,
Cool truck! Put it in front of a grade crossing with a train running in front of it.
I was just wondering something...
Is there any was to change the number of posts under my Avatar pic? I want it to say 800, 850, or better yet 1,550 posts instead of a pathetic 161 or 162. I'm sorry I just hate being slow that's all.
I should have registered in 2002 vs 2015.
Everyone seems to have much better routes and connections then I do. And we all know the RI went the long way around and consumed a get amount of energy to get a small profit. I feel like the Rock Island Railroad sometimes.
ATSFGuyIs there any was to change the number of posts under my Avatar pic? I want it to say 800, 850, or better yet 1,550 posts instead of a pathetic 161 or 162.
Sure is! Get busy and post more often....
P.S.- See I got another one just from replying to you........
Evening Diners,
I purchased a free game on my phone called Lara Croft Relic Run. It's fun I spent a good one to two hours playing, but almost tiresome and frustrating. Be warned it drains the battery really fast.
YGW- I did want you suggested, watched some NW Y Class locomotives. But I can't find much on YouTube pulling coal around Blue Ridge.
Ulrich- I really like your layout. Basically all that detail and precision. I mostly like looking at the pictures.
ATSFGuy- I had the same problem you had, so some years ago. I noticed the forum to discuss around 2011, but the profile didn't start until 2012.
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
ATSF Guy, truly feel sorry for you if you feel like the Rock Island. Delt with CRIPRR as a shipper in the early 70's before the Rock finally folded. It was a miserable existence.
Jim
I still think the number of posts is too tight, like a radio playlist
800, 850, or 900 songs is better than 400 or 450.
More tiles, more variety, and less repetition.
James Moon:
Rock Island was healthy from 1948-1956 under John Dow Farrington. After Downing Bland Jenks took over from 1956-1961 is when revenue began a dissapointing steady decline (except for 1964) (the last profitable year) it just kept getting worse and worse.
ATSFGuy James Moon: Rock Island was healthy from 1948-1956 under John Dow Farrington. After Downing Bland Jenks took over from 1956-1961 is when revenue began a dissapointing steady decline (except for 1964) (the last profitable year) it just kept getting worse and worse.
The entire rail industry in the US was suffering financial problems in the the period you mentioned, 1956-1961. These problems continued until 1976 when Conrail was created by Congress from several failing railroads and 1980 when deregulation of railroads took effect. After deregulation, the railroad companies consolidated into a few large systems. They implemented numerous operating efficiencies while restructuring the physical assets.
Rock Island Railroad went out of business in 1980, and its assets were sold to various railroads.
Here is a Rock Island Passenger train departing from Chicago.
Here is a former Rock Island GP38-2 purchased by Grand Trunk Westerm and still in the final Rock Island paint scheme of blue and white.
ATSFGuy Rock Island was healthy from 1948-1956 under John Dow Farrington. After Downing Bland Jenks took over from 1956-1961 is when revenue began a dissapointing steady decline (except for 1964) (the last profitable year) it just kept getting worse and worse.
Ben Heineman chairman of the CNW feared about losing revenue from the UP and asked Nathan Klitenic (law judge ICC) to delay procedures until they got caught in 1974. They tried to split up the railroad with other roads. If the Union Pacific was successful with the merger in 1964 we wouldn't have the Iowa Interstate.
Edit: The paint scheme of the Rock Island suits the Grand Trunk, because their close same colors.
Jervis Langdon took over from Oct 1964 to July 1970.
Don't forget Henry Crown and John Ingram in the final years.
He was the largest bondholder for the Rock Island from 1946-1980
Rock Island enterd banckruptcy in 1975 because of the way the ICC handled the UP/RI Merger Case.
The RI made a bad choice cutting expenses and paying dividends instead of putting money back into the railroad.
The Rock was in terrible shape after 1974 with slow 10-15 mph speeds plaguing the whole system.
Evening Diners
Flo, Please.
Over all today was a pretty good day, but a little confusing?
Work Front Not a busy day in anyway, but the way I like it. Only had 7 customers but 4 of them bought. I made around a extra $115.00 so that is good! Semi high lite of the day (I see a frying pan heading my way) was a young woman that came in. It was sort of hot outside, the store has AC and she did not have all of the possible under garments on that she could have. OK I will shut up, ouch!
Train front, the good, the bad and the confusing?
Good My Atlas B&O GP 38 seemed to have died a few days ago. Ran real slow and shut down the Digitrax DB 150. Pulled it from the track and the layout worked fine again. Last night I tested the engine on my DC test track and it ran slow, only pulled .91 amps but smoke was coming from the brushes? That could not be good!
I then sprayed the motor with CRC contact cleaner. Let it sit over night and tried it when I got home. It ran a little faster, but there was no smoke. Kept running it running it and it ran faster and faster with no smoke! .
Bad Well a small bad. Thought I had a Tyco Old Dutch Hopper coupler pocket fixed! Soon as I tried to lash it up, Kadee fell out?
Confusing Lost power to all of my turnout switch machines? OK, must be the Life Like transfomer AC side. (thought I left a screw driver a cross the Atlas power switches wires.) Replaced the Life Like Transformer tonight! Still none of the turnouts will work?
Question I have a cheap Harbor Freight volt meter. What setting do I use to check AC volts? I only use it to test amps drawen to check engines motors power draw.
ATFS Don't worry about the post count, it is what in the post that counts! When I came to this board I knew nothing and everything I had was de-railing, breaking down or buring up, and that was when I was DC only! Only reason I have over 8000 post is because of all the stuff I messed up!
Later, Ken
I hate Rust
Evenin' folks!
Janie, just a tall glass of lemonade for me at the moment... Thank you Ma'am.
I spent part of today calming down the Scoutmaster of the Handicapped Troop. One of the Mommies (a complete wacko and trouble maker) was harrasing another lady in the leadership about getting her son's medical form. The lady told her she has it in the folder from camp. It seems the Scout is being sent by mommy back out to camp this week for a program the kid could care less about, but has to arrive with the health form. Mommy insisted that the other lady could not go to church tomorrow morning because she needed to pick up the Health Form on her way to camp. She was NOT going to drive today to Geneva to pick it up (lives about 17 miles away) so the other lady would HAVE to be there. A major argument over the phone ensued (complete with yelling and name calling), and the lady who has the documents drove over to the Scoutmasters house and gave it to him, still in a foul mood! He has to work tomorrow morning and won't be home. In the mean time the Idiot Mommy calls me and leaves a message about needing to get the documents and could I please help! I got her message just minutes before the Scoutmaster calls me in a complete snit and asks if he can now drive to Geneva and leave the stuff with me! The lady who dropped off the stuff to the scoutmaster lives right around the corner from me, BTW.... Anyway, I now have the Health Form in an envelope with the Mommy's name on it and have called her back to let her her know she can find it on my door on her way through town. Being a commissioner is definetly fun at times.... I wish people all up and down the line would start to think in terms of how something like this can be done, and not why it CAN'T be done. Seems to be a very prevelent problem these days.... (Nope, not gonna mention politics! Opps, just did!)
Hey! Something is on Time Warner News today from the museum. I bet Lion might be interested in this one! http://www.twcnews.com/nys/rochester/news/2016/07/30/rehab-underway-for-sole-surviving-rochester-subway-car-at-rochester-and-genesee-valley-railroad-museum-.html
Time for me to head out to cut some wood (ZZZZZZZZ), see you all tomorrow. Have a safe and pleasent night!
Ken,
Your meter should have a hole marked VOA, volt, ohms, amps. Put the black lead in the hole marked ground, and use the red lead as per---You should also have scales marked AC volts/DC volts, with the graduations 0-12, 20-50, 120-220, etc. When I measure a known voltage I will set the appropriate scale. If I don't know the voltage I will set the meter to the highest value, (60 VDC when checking for 12 VDC but not sure what the voltage is, and don't want to burn my meter up)
herrinchoker
cudaken Confusing Lost power to all of my turnout switch machines? OK, must be the Life Like transfomer AC side. (thought I left a screw driver a cross the Atlas power switches wires.) Replaced the Life Like Transformer tonight! Sill none of the turnouts will work?
Confusing Lost power to all of my turnout switch machines? OK, must be the Life Like transfomer AC side. (thought I left a screw driver a cross the Atlas power switches wires.) Replaced the Life Like Transformer tonight! Sill none of the turnouts will work?
The other thing to check: Check to make sure that your wires have continuity. (Edit: That setting is the symbol that looks like the Greek leeter omega. Set it to the largest number possible.) I have a setup where the turndrive drive can be powered by the main power packs as well as the local toy transformer. I discovered that the remote wiring wasn't working so I moved the power pack to the local panel and it worked at the local panel so I ended up replacing the wiribng from the main panel to the local panel.
As to the post numbers gumble, I've been on here since '08 and I only have (counting this post) 685. I only post if I have a question or happen to feel that I can help someone else when I happen to be on the fourms.
What a night and what a morning! I could hardly find any sleep, as somehow a bunch of mosquitos found their way into our bedroom. The noise of an insect zooming in for the kill kept me awake, but finally I could not keep my eyes open and fell asleep - waking up with about a dozen mosquito bites, while Petra has got none!
Right now it´s raining cats and dogs. I had plans to go the that museum railway today as their are having their 50th anniversary celebration, but that´s no fun in this type of weather. They have celebrations all week long, so maybe coming weekend will be another chance - weather permitting. As my plans for today don´t turn out, I might as well have a lazy day - just hop over to my friend´s place to collect my static grass applicator I had lent him, say, 10 years ago? To be fair, I hardly need it and he has been using it a number of times now.
I have worked with static grass only once, as I am not particulary fond of having static grass everywhere but the place you want it to stick, so this will be nearyl anew experience for me. I hoipe it turns out nice! I will go over it twice - a basic cover with a mix of short fibres and then a final one with longer, yellowish fibres, but only in certain spots.
It´ll be a messy job and I will surely get "the look" from Petra!
Talking about post counts - quite a lot of my posts came from my role as a user moderator and a few only from participating in other topics, the balance from being a patron to this place. The number of posts is not at all important, it´s the quality and of them and the friendship they contain which really matters!
TTFN - I´ll be back later!
Just getting ready to watch the f1 race from Germany. Light rain here today but calling for sun later, we really need some rain.
ulrich I have asked before but forget, how close are you to the hockenheim ring?
jeremy
JeremyBulrich I have asked before but forget, how close are you to the hockenheim ring?
I just checked the distance, it´s 344 miles! Not really close by....
Sunday, July 31st, 2016 is wedding day for Beat Andermatter and his beautiful bride Heidi Imhasli. While the ceremony in the little chapel is still in full swing, the village photographer Urs Zurbriggen has already posed himself on the bridge for a surprise shot of the newlyweds leaving the chapel. He doesn´t know it yet, but he will have to wait at least 3 more days for the couple to emerge ...
While he is waiting, strange things cast their shadow on the layout further down. Unknown objects, looking like giant-sized steel pins keep growing from the underneath! Are they emissaries of doom? Time will tell!
Picked up my static grass applicator from my friend and started prep work for "letting the grass grow". Going to be a little messy, so I have to find the right moment to do the job without getting SWMBO´s "look".
Is there a LION in the house?
LION been looking at manufacturing.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Hey y'all
Quick update on my father. He is slowly improving. He has been started on food mush, tires very quickly at the slightest effort, they have been moving him out of bed into a special chair, His pain level is 8 or 9 out of 10. Looks like its gonna be about 8 weeks before we get him home. Please continue to pray for him. His white blood cell count is up and they think there might be an inefection somewhere.
V8 - How was church ?
Ulrich - Why 3 days. Love the way you detail. Really neat with a story added !
Howmus - I know what you mean about can do vs. cant do !
Lion - What are you manufacturing ? Wildebeast jerky ?
Ken - DUCK I see another frying pan coming ! Did you get any of the B&Os put together ?
Garry - it is hard to believe Rock Island went out of buisness. Heck even Johnny Cash sang a song about them ! Thanks for praying for my Dad.
Angel - Did watching N&W pick up your spirits ? Did you get to see the J ? Boy I watched it run by here one time. Videos do not do it justice !
ATSF - The count will come just keep pop keep popping in here we love having you here !
Jim - Thanks appreciate the prayers
Douglas - Did you move to Fredericksburg ?
FRRKid - wrote "every paycheck and that allows me to save for big stuff or I can get small stuff as needed" that looks like a good plan !
Jeremy - what are f1 races? Hey stop in more often we enjoy your company.
JaBear, MrB, Galaxy, DER....Howdy
Dinner time, Mrs. YGW is a Great Cook !
TTYL
YGW
At last, a lion I can see!
Spent several hours with the AVG computer virus people Saturday and Sunday. I was running Avast and it couldn't detect a virus, though it gave popup warnings on this forum from time to time. Avast updated their program and it wouldn't work at all so a switched to AVG and it found the virus right away. Getting rid of it was not so easy. I needed to buy their program and services and they ran about 8 different programs, some multiple times to get rid of it.
6" of rain last night in Ellicott City MD, historic home of B&O's old main line, back when trains were powered by horses. The yuppyized downtown of old stone buildings is surround by hills on all 4 sides and has a river perpendicular to Main St and a creek parrallel to Main. It is small, but 170 cars were destroyed, 5 buildings and two people died. The guy in the blue shirt is a hero but easily could have died himself as he broke the chain to rescue the girl
YGW Toby used to have more and softer fur than beagles or coonhounds have and he lowers his belly to the ground to go to the bathroom, much like my wife's last lab. He hates the water though.
I glazed the windows of two caboose shells this weekend. I had planned on installing my 1st DCC board, but the virus business took way longer than I expected.
This will give you a better picture of Ellicott City, I do not know the status of the museum after the flood, but it was said to be worse than hurricane Agnes in the 70's.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
BroadwayLion Is there a LION in the house? LION been looking at manufacturing. ROAR
LION,
That's hilarious...LOL. I like how He fell off the roof......Is that the way the other Lion fell off the ladder?
Take Care!
Frank
yougottawanta Angel - Did watching N&W pick up your spirits ? Did you get to see the J ? Boy I watched it run by here one time. Videos do not do it justice !
Watching the NW did make me happy also raised my spirits. I saw a few videos of 611 doing some passenger service, but I wish I could see in person.
Giving your father some prayers.