Dave!
Beatiful, sunny morning over `ere! Enjoyed watching our little morning visitors for a while, sipping my first coffee of the day. There is so much grace and elegance in these animals, whereas people are noisy, nosey and annoying! I should move to a place without humans!
I spent the better part of the night searching the Norwegian real estate market. As a result, I am afraid I have to drop this idea. I am getting weary of not knowing where to go to. All I know is that it can´t be Germany, the way things are turning out here.
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
More info on Ontario railroading!
The Via Rail System is now the primary passenger train operator all across Canada. In Ontario, it runs from Windsor all the way to Quebec City in Quebec, and it also runs in Jason Shron's basement! Yes, that's right, the owner and founder of Rapido Trains has a Via Rail car (or at least part thereof) in his basement. It is equiped with all sorts of authentic Via bits:
Okay, the guy is certifiably nuts, but don't deny the fact that you want one too!
Back to the real VIA. Here is some history:
https://corpo.viarail.ca/en/company/our-history
Here is a video of the Toronto to Montreal trip:
Before Ulrich starts boasting about how fast European trains go, just remember that the VIA trains run on regular trackage. Getting from Toronto to Montreal in four hours is pretty good. This is one passenger train that gets priority on the tracks.
In a couple of days I'll show some details from Ontario's long running and successful Go Transit System.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
hon30critterBefore Ulrich starts boasting about how fast European trains go, just remember that the VIA trains run on regular trackage.
So do the highspeed trains in Germany! Other than France and Spain, we do not have track dedicated solely to HSTs.
Tinplate ToddlerSo do the highspeed trains in Germany! Other than France and Spain, we do not have track dedicated solely to HSTs.
I knew you were going to say that!!
Here is another video from inside the train showing some of the perks that VIA Business Class offers. When you get to about the 2:20 mark you can tell that the train is on regular track!:
Just bfor the purpose of comparing:
Thanks for the birthday greetings Ulrich! I'm only 66 but I don't feel a day over 90!!! Maybe building the layout will loosen my back up a bit, or kill it! We shall see! If I'm posting from the garage floor in two days you will know what happened!!!
Cheers!!
hon30critterI'm only 66 but I don't feel a day over 90!!!
So you are running two years and a couple of months ahead of me! My back is just the same - I cannot stand for more than a few minutes without my back yelling insults at me. Lifting that washing machine 3 years ago didn´t help much to improve it.
Dave, happy birthday, old fella...
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Oh gosh, that looks delicious!!! Thanks Bear!! I will have a hard time not keeping it all to myself!
We had a real treat thanks to our son and daughter-in-law a couple of days ago. They sent us a dozen pieces of chocolate covered fruit! The strawberries were enormous and they were the sweetest strawberries that I think I have ever had! There were also banana pieces, apple wedges and pineapple chunks, all covered with dark chocolate with white chocolate drizzled over the top.
They were supplied by a company called Edible Arrangements. They specialize in creating delicious cut fruit arrangements, often with bits dipped in chocolate. We have used their services many times when we wanted to send someone a 'pick me up'. Their fruit is always amazingly fresh and tasty. I have no affiliation with them. Good thing, or I would be eating all the inventory!
Happy (now belated?) Birthday Dave. Let me buy you a little drink to celebrate!
I'm getting the feeling I have a relatively short honey-do list for the weekend. Might I get some time in working on the layout? Maybe! Calling for rain Sunday, so that should eliminate outdoor work. Don't really have any indoor projects right now. This could all come together.
Cheers!
Mike
Dave. As Mel says, getting old is not for sissies (or words to that effect).
Glad you are going to be able to start on your layout finally. Have fun. J.R.
GMTRacingGlad you are going to be able to start on your layout finally. Have fun
Thanks J.R.
The order arrived first thing this morning, or to put it more accurately, part of the order arrived. I was missing the foam and half of the wood. I got very thin plywood instead of the requested masonite, and the 19 mm plywood was not cut despite my having sent them a cutting plan twice!!
The driver took the plywood back to have it cut and I have emailed a list of the missing items to the fellow who took the order. Hopefully it will all be here by this afternoon.
Dave ....... ... Hope it was a good one.
Bear ......... That looks yummy!
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Mornin' from "partly" in the Finger lakes this morning. "Partly" means you can fill in the word after most anyway you want and you will be right. Right now it is partly cloudly with the part that is cold and cloudy hanging over my house as I try to get the lawn mowed.
hon30critterI got very thin plywood instead of the requested masonite
Good luck trying to get masonite any more. A couple years back I tried to find it a three or 4 different lumber yards and was told, that it is not made anymore.... Nobody had any left in stock. Bummer as I was using Masonite for the fascia board and still had a bit more to put up. Ended up using the very thin plywood (1/8" I think) which did look pretty much the same once it was painted and installed.
Ok, just came in for a battery for the lawn mower as the first one done ran out of current on me. Wet, heavy lawn out there today.
Be Blessed and Stay safe!
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
gmpullmanYeah, I've seen some of the damage done by semi tires popping off. I saw one that was a dual tire, the retainer nut must hagve come off the end of the axle.
Most of the tire/wheel assemblies on class 8 trailer axles are barely held onto the vehicle.
The brake drums and wheels are held on by a dozen bolts that torque to about 150 foot/pounds, but these studs are only going into the hub. The hub is supported by a pair of tapered roller bearings. All that holds the hub on is a single nut.
This single nut also sets pre-load for the hub bearings, and it is only torques to a few inch-pounds of torque, then a lock plate is bent over to secure the nut.
If the lock plate is not bent properly, the hub, brake drum, both wheels, and both tires will come off the trailer as an assembly. This results in a 500 pound rolling boulder bouncing down the highway at 70 miles per hour. Whatever it hits will be destroyed.
I am amazed this mounting system is still legal. Newer efficient tandem axle tractors with a single drive axle have a pair of hubs that are the same.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
howmus hon30critter I got very thin plywood instead of the requested masonite Good luck trying to get masonite any more. A couple years back I tried to find it a three or 4 different lumber yards and was told, that it is not made anymore.... Nobody had any left in stock. Bummer as I was using Masonite for the fascia board and still had a bit more to put up.
hon30critter I got very thin plywood instead of the requested masonite
Good luck trying to get masonite any more. A couple years back I tried to find it a three or 4 different lumber yards and was told, that it is not made anymore.... Nobody had any left in stock. Bummer as I was using Masonite for the fascia board and still had a bit more to put up.
That might be because Masonite is a brand name. Should have tried asking for tempered hardboard. Went to the local HomeDepot a couple years ago and asked for “Masonite” and they never heard of it. Plenty of tempered hardboard on the shelf though.
Same thing as asking for Homasote. None of that available, but plenty of “soundboard”.
SeeYou190If the lock plate is not bent properly, the hub, brake drum, both wheels, and both tires will come off the trailer as an assembly.
I have seen this arrangement in the tractor shop at GE. I've also worked on quite a few older cars that relied on a similar arrangement to hold the front wheels on. Several times I've seen the cotter pin that keeps the castle-nut from turning was broken (mechanics re-use the bent-up cotters!) or it wasn't properly secured and the vibration wore it right through.
I agree, an old method from the conestoga wagon days applied to heavy, high-speed equipment. It is a wonder there aren't more accidents caused by this.
Mazda Mack Mangled by Edmund, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
maxmanThat might be because Masonite is a brand name. Should have tried asking for tempered hardboard. Went to the local HomeDepot a couple years ago and asked for “Masonite” and they never heard of it. Plenty of tempered hardboard on the shelf though.
Good point! If I ever need the stuff again I will ask for tempered hardboard. Hmmmmm.....
Ray ... Your model railroad, the SLOW , is excellent. The "O" is for Ontario. So, I suggest you show photos of the SLOW while we are in Ontatio. Some of your older pictures will do.
Heartland Division CB&Q Ray ... Your model railroad, the SLOW , is excellent. The "O" is for Ontario. So, I suggest you show photos of the SLOW while we are in Ontatio. Some of your older pictures will do.
I can do that..... Try to find some time tomorrow to show a couple.
The very first Mango ripened on the tree today! Summer is here. In a couple of weeks I will be drowning in Mangos.
If you have never eaten the cheek slices from a tree-ripened mango as soon as it is picked, trust me, you are missing one of the most decadent experiences in life.
I have about 1/3 of the garage tiles installed now. Grouted and everything.
I installed a threshold cut from remnant pieces of Turkish Travertine tile.
howmusGood luck trying to get masonite any more.
As far as I know masonite is still available at our local Home Depot. All I really need is a 2' x 4' x 1/8" piece to make the control panels out of. The store opened to public traffic earlier this week, but the line ups have been long so I'm going to wait until things settle down.
By the way, I got the rest of the lumber order.
Thank you to everyone who has offered me birthday greetings! In addition to all of your comments I had several phone calls and emails from friends and relatives. I don't think that I have had this many congratulatory messages for any previous birthday!
The best part was that the wood for the layout was delivered on my birthday. Today I will sort it all out and label each piece so I will know what goes where. I'll post pictures of my progress on my layout thread.
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/281323.aspx
hon30critter howmus Good luck trying to get masonite any more. As far as I know masonite is still available at our local Home Depot. All I really need is a 2' x 4' x 1/8" piece to make the control panels out of. The store opened to public traffic earlier this week, but the line ups have been long so I'm going to wait until things settle down. By the way, I got the rest of the lumber order. Dave
howmus Good luck trying to get masonite any more.
Just searched for Masonite on their website. Searching for “Masonite” leads one to a bunch of pre-made doors. Searching for “Masonite sheet” gets one to “sheet material”, but when you get to the actual product it is described as tempered hardboard.
Might as well just ask for that in the first place.
Good Morning All,
55F with intermittent showers today. So in other words, typical New England weather - wait five minutes and it will change. I'll have a regular and a ham, egg and cheese sandwich on an English muffin please Zoe.
posted a couple of pics of the scratchbuilt backround building on weekend photo fun but here it is for those of you who rarely get out of your booth in the diner.
sperry2 by J.R. Mitchell, on Flickr
Still have the roofing and corners to do plus some other detail items but what I thought I'd knock out in a day or so took a week. The inside is just the foam core base - no details or anything as it is all the way on the back of the layout. I still have trackage to figure out, one lead into the building, a siding off that and a test track that ran a half mile or so through the woods which will end up as a 2 foot stub.
The rest of the foam core I ordered along with the 4 x 8 sheet of styrene arrived so I can start laying out the urban part of the layout at the other far end. Probably best at this point to reclean the track and rerun everything to make sure it is ok before I make stuff hard to access.
Another day trying to hold the shop together - another shoe dropped and Thompson the middle of next month is cancelled for the year. Turns out the regs do not allow enough people on the track property at once and all the hotels are not yet allowed to take regular bookings. Even the Indian casinos are remaining closed. So it goes. Ciao, J.R.
Good morning .. TH coffee and a TH donut, please.
JR .... I saw your indiuctrial building in Weekend Photo Fun, and I am glad to see it here also. Your layout is progressing very nicely. I see a lot of tracks in the foreground in this photo.
In the last couple of days, all I have done on the layout is operate trains. Actually, that is the best part of having a layout. I posted pictures of one of the trains in Weekend Photo Fun. If you are interested you can look there. It has GN Alco locomtives. You might be interested in a couple of boxcars in the train.
Have a nice Friday.
Good almost afternoon but still morning here in the Finger Lakes region of New York State!
First day so far this year that being outside withput a coat but wearing a flannel shirt was almost too warm! YES!!!!! Currently 71°F outside. Little green shoots are now appearing where i seed some grass seed a couple weels ago. Another YES! Plan on changing to a t-shirt before lunch. May start to install the roof racks on the Tesla early this afternoon. That should make it rain I think! The plan is to buy a hybred road/trail bicycle that would get transported on the top of the car.
I just ended my account at Silver Singles in honor of my still dating a lady I met on there one year ago today..... We plan to go biking soon, I hope. Zoom is nice, but........... I miss seeing her in person. I guess that is a good thying. She told me she has tried to close her membership at SS too but got put in a loop and couldn't actually get in touch with a human to help her. Guess we are thinking alike.
It was suggested I put up some photos of the SLOW (Seneca Lake, Ontario, & Western RR). (Ontario on mine really is for Ontario County where I live, but can also relate to Ontario Canada too.)
Enjoy and have a safe day out there!
SeeYou190I installed a threshold cut from remnant pieces of Turkish Travertine tile.
I used to love Turkish Taffy when I was a kid... Oh, wait —
Still no TF? Been four days...
Happy Birthday to Dianne, too!
Breezy, warm and rainy here in NE Ohio.
Dave, when looking for control panel or fascia "Masonite" take a look at Melamine wall board, like the stuff used in some bathrooms**. It is thin and flexible like tempered hardboard but one side can be had with a "whiteboard" finish, some is textured or formed like tile, but there is a smooth white available that would make a nice finish for control panels and such. I've even cut some to use as lay-in ceiling panels when I want to install recessed fixtures in and regular ceiling tile isn't strong enough.
** I haven't bought any in a while, I guess they don't call it Melamine any more?
https://www.homedepot.com/p/1-8-in-x-4-ft-x-8-ft-Eucalyptus-White-Hardboard-447562/204727075
Menard's still does:
https://www.menards.com/main/paint/paneling-planking/paneling/dpi-trade-4-x-8-flat-smooth-white-melamine-wall-panel/300/p-1444428733772.htm
Now in bathrooms they use FRP which is more plastic than hardboard.
Masonite seems to be primarily focusing on doors these days.
There's that Genesis ceiling tile, too. Easy to cut and does not get all "fuzzy" when you go to drill it. Use a brad-point bit and drill in from each side. One thing I don't care for when making Masonite control panels is how a drilled hole gets all fuzzy.
Good Luck, Stay healthy, everyone! Ed
Good Evening!
Dave - a to Dianne!
I have finished analyzing the Norwegian property market and have come to the conclusion, that Norway is not a legit option for us. Norway is just too expensive. In Sweden, houses are much cheaper, but those within our price range either require a complete do-over, or are too close to the polar circle for us to feel comfortable. Now what? I simply don´t know.
No, I am not happy anymore!
Good Afternoon,
A belated happy birthday to Dave. Glad you had a good day. This morning we had at least 2 dozen yellow rump warblers in our yard and about 50 white throated sparrows. The warblers were eating suet as there aren't many insects here yet.
My wife has been ordering paper products with the online gocery orders as we usually only get a few items. Well not yesterday! We got most of it and now have enough toilet paper to last a year? We have over 150 rolls. Not sure where to stack it all.
Not much new on the RR front. I ran the K5a Hudson again yesterday. I am amazed at how well it runs especially for a large drivered brass loco. It can creep along smoothly at a very slow speed. That fellow here really is a magician with brass.
Well time to do something,
CN Charlie