I think this is the same for everything Brent. I always get my almond M&M's and my dark chocolate Hershey's Minis when I go to the grocery store.
I noticed they're making the bags smaller, adding more air with less candy but charging more $. The chocolate treats are still the same though, so I would imagine the Walthers track is still the same as well. Just less ties and rails to glue and less candy for me to chew
TF
Ain't most ho flex sticks 36". Nothing to see here, move along.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
BATMANI see the new flex is only 36" and not a metre in length. It is more expensive than the old stock as well.
It's like candy bars. First they make it bigger and raise the price, so it seems to make sense. Then they make is smaller again. Then they make it bigger again and raise the price (again). Then...
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
BATMAN I see the new flex is only 36" and not a metre in length. It is more expensive than the old stock as well. They have changed their turnouts but how has the flex changed, has anyone got their hands on some for a comparison?
I see the new flex is only 36" and not a metre in length. It is more expensive than the old stock as well. They have changed their turnouts but how has the flex changed, has anyone got their hands on some for a comparison?
Not I, but my recollection of a comparison photo from Walthers was that the new track was better detailed around the spikes and tie plates. My recollection is also that it WAS better looking.
Enough to pay the difference? Don't know.
It's not like you have a choice: Atlas, Walthers, and Microengineering. If Atlas is too clunky, and Microengineering too scary, that leaves Walthers.
I see that Piko lists flextrack in concrete (only?). It's brown, which does seem strange. It's also listed as 37" long. Not exactly metric, eh?
Ed
I have some "vintage" Atlas flex (at least a few years old) and it's 36".
Jim
Walthers old flex was metric because Shinohara who made it, always made meter length flex long before their deal with Walthers.
Shinohara is gone, so is meter flex track.
I know we are hard headed down here in the states, but I don't have much use for metric anything.
It does not work for the construction industry.
The English system has one big advantage, maybe two.
It is based on the proportions of our bodies, and it divides evenly by 2 and 3
A 4x8 piece of drywall or plywood covers 3 16" stud bays in one direction and 6 in the other. It also evenly covers 24" or 12" bays when I need more strength.
Most rooms and floor spans in houses are based on roughly 12' or 16', please rattle off from memory how many centimeters that is?
And I think Walthers either wants to be on the same apples to apples with the others, or their manufacturer is already making track for someone else at 36".
Still happy with Atlas flex, easiest to use, best price, looks fine painted and ballasted.
Sheldon
I am just trying to be my usual impish self and stirring the pot. It ain't going to break the bank either way. However, the price has gone up while the length of track has shrunk by almost 10%. That will ruffle the feathers of some.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
BATMAN I am just trying to be my usual impish self and stirring the pot. It ain't going to break the bank either way. However, the price has gone up while the length of track has shrunk by almost 10%. That will ruffle the feathers of some.
They are like the other higher priced track, the price needs to reflect the "higher quality"......
And, it is likely that the tooling for this whole replacement of Shinohara has been expensive......
And once they pay off that expense, it will be all gravy. Unless, of course, they lower the price to reflect that event.
Never mind the candy and yards of track.
Watering down the whiskey!!!
No! No, NO!!! I wont stand for it. No! Never! NO!!!
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
7j43k And once they pay off that expense, it will be all gravy. Unless, of course, they lower the price to reflect that event. Ed
That is how you fund the next new project. But in the 80's and 90's Athearn kept his prices low on the older stuff, while other brands had no choice but to charge more.
NorthBrit Never mind the candy and yards of track. Watering down the whiskey!!! No! No, NO!!! I wont stand for it. No! Never! NO!!! David
No watered-down stuff at my house David, have a pour.
It's all I have on hand right now, the expensive Irish stuff is somehow missing, not sure where it went.
ATLANTIC CENTRAL 7j43k And once they pay off that expense, it will be all gravy. Unless, of course, they lower the price to reflect that event. Ed That is how you fund the next new project. But in the 80's and 90's Athearn kept his prices low on the older stuff, while other brands had no choice but to charge more. Sheldon
Yes. That would be the paying off the expense I mentioned. The molds were either paid for out of money on hand, or there was a loan. Once replenished, then the continued profits can be spent on other things of Walthers' choosing.
ATLANTIC CENTRAL...I know we are hard headed down here in the states, but I don't have much use for metric anything....
I heartily agree, Sheldon, even though Canada has "gone metric". It's a puny form of measurement for countries the size of yours or ours. I can easily envision a mile as I drive, but a kilometre is an eyeblink at my usual speeds. As for milligrams, it's main use is as a measurement of the brain capacity of those who came up with the system, based on units of obscure scientific things unrelated to common measurements, like the distance between Paris and the moon at 9:34PM on the 37th of August .
My guess is that the French needed a response to the British system (back in the days when they didn't get along all that well together), and decided to come up with one which would baffle everyone, who would then pretend to espouse its ease-of-use.
I do notice that it's in favour with the manufacturers of plywood, as it allows for fewer plies in a product which no longer matches the original stuff - good luck if you need to replace some plywood underlay for flooring.
Wayne
7j43kAnd once they pay off that expense, it will be all gravy.
There is no such thing as "gravy". I don't believe that I have ever been on a bridge where the temporary toll has been eliminated. And I think here in Pennsylvania we are still paying a "temporary" tax to recover from the Johnstown flood.
Metrification was attempted in the US. The first event was soda pop. That worked out OK. Then speedometers started coming with dual scales. Again, no big deal. And speed limit signs started being posted with both.
Then the big fail: SOME gas stations started fielding metric gas pumps. Around here, and I presume everywhere else, citizens just refused to buy something where the price was posted out on the street for something they just couldn't envision. The price was a lot lower, for sure. But it was pretty obvious you weren't paying by the gallon.
Nobody went to the metric stations. Then the pumps were replaced by gallon pumps, and all was well.
I also recall being warned that if we didn't go metric, our economy would fail because no one who was metric would trade with us. You are now enjoying that failure.
On a slightly different subject, the US DOES use decimal inches, too. When I work as a machinist, ALL dimensions are in decimal, usually inches.
And one final thing: note that the metric people TOTALLY wimped out, and didn't do time. They did distance. And they did weight. But not time. In France, there's still days, weeks, months, years. ALL non-metric.
maxmanI don't believe that I have ever been on a bridge where the temporary toll has been eliminated.
Craven little New York, of course, didn't abolish their craven little toll to connect to the west end of the Turnpike...
Meanwhile, after I moved to Louisiana, I maintained residency in New Jersey just so I could drive 1429 miles to vote against that Teflon governor Florio. We had covered a story at PRB about the New Jersey Turnpike getting voter approval to take out a large bond issue 'to widen the road' -- this of course paid for by the toll industry, via a rise in toll rates. But Florio instead floated a plan to use the bond revenue instead to buy parts of the free Interstate system 'at cost' from the Government -- this being the sections of I-80 and I-95 connecting from the north end of the Turnpike at exit 18 across to the George Washington Bridge... and incorporate it in the toll system of the Turnpike Authority. Then he planned to issue yet more bonds, covered by yet a further increase, to get the road widening that was the reason we all approved the original rise. That little weasel had to GO, and the whole wretched scam with him. That business with Christie in Fort Lee didn't hold a candle to it!
Amusingly, although automobile wheel mounting bolts have been metric 40 years or so, metric automobile tires were a flaming failure -- even though touted by major European (I.e. metricized) companies like Michelin.
I liked TRX in principle; didn't much like the fun of finding replacements for them after discontinuation...
If you're that bored, my lawn needs mowing.
Disclaimer: This post may contain humor, sarcasm, and/or flatulence.
Michael Mornard
Bringing the North Woods to South Dakota!
maxman...I don't believe that I have ever been on a bridge where the temporary toll has been eliminated....
There aren't too many toll bridges here in Ontario, except at border crossings into the U.S., but we did have one about 15 miles from here, which was built in 1958. It spanned the canal which connects Hamilton Harbour to Lake Ontario, a former traffic bottleneck with several lift- and swing-type bridges for local roads, the QEW highway, and the railroads. While there's still one lift bridge for the local road, the railroad is gone, and the tolls, $.15 for a car (trucks payed more, based on the number of axles) were dropped in 1973.
The bridge was twinned in 1985, allowing for four lanes in each direction.
Hi Brent,
Replying to your original Q' - one of the reasons why Walthers may have reverted to a 36" length of track, is because USA Model Railroaders are more familiar with and used to working with this size, i.e. Imperial Units.
Also Shipping-costs in the USA, may be higher for a metre length than a yard. That certainly is the case in the UK - as I discovered, to my cost!
The quality of the new Track may have improved greatly too, i.e. a more robust Tie-base that can easily be manipulated, in a manner similar to Peco, with Spikes that hold the Rail-section firmly in place. I was not impressed by my Shinohara track's in-abilities in this respect. Likewise, with the quality of the Plastic used as well as the finish of the Mouldings.
My instinct would be to try some examples of the new track and compare the two for any future decisions. I would certainly be interested in reading about these. Paul
"It's the South Shore Line, Jim - but not as we know it".
7j43k Metrification was attempted in the US. The first event was soda pop. That worked out OK. Then speedometers started coming with dual scales. Again, no big deal. And speed limit signs started being posted with both. Then the big fail: SOME gas stations started fielding metric gas pumps. Around here, and I presume everywhere else, citizens just refused to buy something where the price was posted out on the street for something they just couldn't envision. The price was a lot lower, for sure. But it was pretty obvious you weren't paying by the gallon. Nobody went to the metric stations. Then the pumps were replaced by gallon pumps, and all was well. I also recall being warned that if we didn't go metric, our economy would fail because no one who was metric would trade with us. You are now enjoying that failure. On a slightly different subject, the US DOES use decimal inches, too. When I work as a machinist, ALL dimensions are in decimal, usually inches. And one final thing: note that the metric people TOTALLY wimped out, and didn't do time. They did distance. And they did weight. But not time. In France, there's still days, weeks, months, years. ALL non-metric. Ed
Yes, built lots of hotrods, rebuilt lots of engines, worked lots of cars, and actually designed and drafted my share of machine parts, machine work in 1000ths of an inch.
Civil engineering uses 10ths of a ft, not inches.
Metric is simple. Base 10. Water boils at 100 deg, freezes at 0. That's complicated?
100 km/hr is so close to 60 mph that it might as well be the same thing for practical driving purposes. Either way, you get to 60 miles within a couple of minutes of each other.
The only reason metric is disliked is because we keep harkening back to the imperial measurements, things like 16" on center. If we changed it to 40 cm, and kept at it the way most of us do diets, wouldn't that work out for the better? How hard is it to remember '40 centimeters?' Any harder than 16 inches? Don't think so.
It's our penchant for converting back to published standards that kills the enthusiasm. It was poorly managed right from the beginning.
Back on topic, our hobby is always going to get more costly. What, and when, is just a waiting game. The shorter flex lengths is disappointing, but understandable.
Didn't that bridge get rebuilt at higher level so there was no need to retain road bridge tenders? There has been quite a bit of discussion of this area in past years on the Classic Trains forum.
There has been a push to monetize the various Delaware River highway crossings; I believe everything but the 'bypass' Interstate that was built as I-95 connecting near Hamilton to I-295 is the only 'free' one. I distinctly remember a free crossing somewhere in the Delaware Water Gap area, with fairly high-speed ramps from what I remember as Rt. 46 along the river north of the Bel-Del end of track... it has been removed without a trace, at least not one I can find any more.
Bayfield Transfer RailwayIf you're that bored, my lawn needs mowing.
You got beer? Be right over.
7j43knote that the metric people TOTALLY wimped out, and didn't do time
Metric time? Time to pass out the 7.62 mm ammunition and permanently get rid of those varmints.
maxmanMetric time?
Reportedly France planned to re-introduce the current (manifestly non-SI-compliant) hobgoblin of small minds:
https://about-france.com/metric-time.htm
but many perceived it as the April Fool's joke an idea like that really is, and like our 'we're going metric' no one wanted to come along.
The military, Nasa, and medical all use metric along with many, many industries. Like Elon Musk said if you run across someone that thinks using the metric system is a bad idea. Just smile and say "how do you argue with that" and move on.
Living next to the U.S. makes it necessary for us in the Great White North to know both systems and anytime I have more knowledge about anything I am delighted. Everyone I know can use both systems equally and I have little problem converting one from the other in my head.
Metric?
We don't need no stinkin' metric.
Unless, of course, I am comparing Tanqueray 10 - - - 750ml to 1.75L.
If 750ml costs $36.99 and 1.75L costs $64.99, I'm going with the 1.75L.
Rich
Alton Junction
7j43kAnd one final thing: note that the metric people TOTALLY wimped out, and didn't do time. They did distance. And they did weight. But not time. In France, there's still days, weeks, months, years. ALL non-metric.
I wonder what Elon Musk would have to say about that?
One of my favorite "conversion disasters":
By Kathy SawyerWashington Post Staff WriterFriday, October 1, 1999; Page A1
NASA's Mars Climate Orbiter was lost in space last week because engineers failed to make a simple conversion from English units to metric, an embarrassing lapse that sent the $125 million craft fatally close to the Martian surface, investigators said yesterday.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Climate_Orbiter
Track.
Back in 1995 when I was building my current layout I had visited several layouts in my area. At that time there were a few fellows using the Shinohara code 83. I don't believe the Atlas code 83 had been available yet.
The Shinohara product had the best looking ties and were speced closer to a scale distance. By comparison the Atlas code 100 just didn't have the same visual effect.
I didn't care if each stick was a meter or a yard. When I came to the end I added another piece.
The Shinohara Code 83 turnout selection was rather extensive at the time as well. Number 10 turnouts! Of course it is no longer made so really shouldn't be considered a viable option today. There's no way to really determine how large of a selection Walthers will offer or if availability will be an issue with their new line of code 83.
Good Luck, Ed
7j43kThen the big fail: SOME gas stations started fielding metric gas pumps.
This was an interesting series of events.
When gasoline exceeded 99.9 cents per gallon, the majority of gas pumps did not have the ability to ring a dollar amount.
It was much less expensinve to convert a pump to liters, than convert the pricing arrangement for dollars.
I remember quite vividly many people speculating that this was the push that would put America on the metric system.
Nope.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190When gasoline exceeded 99.9 cents per gallon, the majority of gas pumps did not have the ability to ring a dollar amount.
I remember buying gas at 59.9¢ per half gallon in '73.
Gas_pump-1973 by Edmund, on Flickr
($1.20 in 1973, adjusted for inflation, would be $7.16 today)
Around here it was the Royal Dutch Shell stations that (briefly) switched to ¢/liter pricing.
Locking gas caps were the hot ticket in the J.C. Whitney catalog, too
Cheers, Ed
richhotrain Metric? We don't need no stinkin' metric. Unless, of course, I am comparing Tanqueray 10 - - - 750ml to 1.75L. If 750ml costs $36.99 and 1.75L costs $64.99, I'm going with the 1.75L. Rich
Clearly a man of great intelligence and taste!
I will be quaffing a glass of that stuff in about two hours. With a dash of vermouth, of course. It just wouldn't be right to leave it totally out.
selectorThe only reason metric is disliked is because we keep harkening back to the imperial measurements
Not the only reason.
0 C is freezing, 37 is body temperature and 100 is boiling but if it's 10 C do I need a fleece or a really warm coat. If it's 28 C do I need to turn on the air conditioner? No idea.
If I want an 8 oz steak or or a 12 oz steak, what is that in grams? 224 and 340 with a calculator.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
BATMAN Bayfield Transfer Railway If you're that bored, my lawn needs mowing. You got beer? Be right over.
Bayfield Transfer Railway If you're that bored, my lawn needs mowing.
OF COURSE I have beer.
7j43kWith a dash of vermouth, of course.
Of course for a proper dry martini that measurement is in nanoliters...
Bayfield Transfer RailwayOF COURSE I have beer.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TMK0egDFX0w
The real reason we are not metric is americans don't like to be told what to do, period. It has to do with our independence.
Lest we all forget, America has been on a metric system since we became a country. Our money is a metric system. Start with a penny or cent (.01) 10 cents is 1 dime (.1). 10 dimes or 100 cents is 1 dollar. 10 dollar bills or 100 dimes or 1000 cents can be exchanged for one 10 dollar bill. 10-10 dollar bills or 1000 dimes or 10000 cents give you $100, etc.
Until the advent of the euro, many of the European countries' monitary systems were metric. They all had wacky conversions. The British were on a decimal system after 1971. (Had to look that up. Before my time.)
For aesthetic and reliability I dont piece flex track together normally and given the amount of chopping that is normally involved to accommodate turnouts for a non giant sized layout i can't see it making much difference to me whether it comes in 36 or 39 inch lengths. I buy boxes of Peco code 83 -25 lengths and just accept i will have leftovers for the future. The boxes are £75 here and around the same in the US. Always seems like one of the best buys in the modelling world.
Agree with others though most stuff is less for more these days.
BigDaddy selector The only reason metric is disliked is because we keep harkening back to the imperial measurements Not the only reason. 0 C is freezing, 37 is body temperature and 100 is boiling but if it's 10 C do I need a fleece or a really warm coat. If it's 28 C do I need to turn on the air conditioner? No idea.
selector The only reason metric is disliked is because we keep harkening back to the imperial measurements
I do. Wife and I will turn on our fan if the temps in the living room rises above 23 deg C. If it continues to climb to 26+, we turn on the air.
BigDaddy If I want an 8 oz steak or or a 12 oz steak, what is that in grams? 224 and 340 with a calculator.
When you eat it, it will be identical either way. But you are still stuck in imperial measures because you only think in terms of those weights for a steak. What if you wanted a 200 gm or a 300 gm steak? Can you remember those numbers? I'll bet you can.
BATMAN NorthBrit Never mind the candy and yards of track. Watering down the whiskey!!! No! No, NO!!! I wont stand for it. No! Never! NO!!! David No watered-down stuff at my house David, have a pour. It's all I have on hand right now, the expensive Irish stuff is somehow missing, not sure where it went.
Two very nice whiskies indeed.
7j43k richhotrain Metric? We don't need no stinkin' metric. Unless, of course, I am comparing Tanqueray 10 - - - 750ml to 1.75L. If 750ml costs $36.99 and 1.75L costs $64.99, I'm going with the 1.75L. Rich Clearly a man of great intelligence and taste! I will be quaffing a glass of that stuff in about two hours. With a dash of vermouth, of course. It just wouldn't be right to leave it totally out. Ed
BATMAN No watered-down stuff at my house David, have a pour. It's all I have on hand right now, the expensive Irish stuff is somehow missing, not sure where it went.
Which brings me to my favorite drink - - the Rusty Nail. Three parts Chivas and one part Drambui. Have a second, if you dare.
TheFlyingScotsmanI can't see it making much difference to me whether it comes in 36 or 39 inch lengths.
I do not either.
When I packed all my railroad stuff away last year I happened to have a 36 inch lonh box from Midwest Cork Roadbed. I cut 3 inches off of my few pieces of Shinohara flex that I had. I did not cry about it.
When I finally build the layout, I might run into a circumstance where I regret doing that, but I doubt it.
selector Wife and I will turn on our fan if the temps in the living room rises above 23 deg C.
I did not know ceiling fans could be turned off.
Lastspikemike the Earth is round after all
the Earth is round after all
maxmanThere is no such thing as "gravy". I don't believe that I have ever been on a bridge where the temporary toll has been eliminated. And I think here in Pennsylvania we are still paying a "temporary" tax to recover from the Johnstown flood.
I've never heard of another one.
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
LastspikemikeMetric woodworking is no more difficult that "imperial".
I just bought a truckload of 12.5mm ply for underlay for my new tile floor. It butted up to the old 1/2" perfectly, was that supposed to happen? What am I missing here?
BATMAN Lastspikemike Metric woodworking is no more difficult that "imperial". I just bought a truckload of 12.5mm ply for underlay for my new tile floor. It butted up to the old 1/2" perfectly, was that supposed to happen? What am I missing here?
Lastspikemike Metric woodworking is no more difficult that "imperial".
But it is the perfect example. If 1/2" plywood had never existed, and we had always had the metric system, don't you think that would have been 12mm or 13 mm plywood?
When the guy invented plywood, he didn't think, ok, I need to made this plywood 15/32" of an inch? Nor would he said in needs to be 12.5mm.
The problem is only partly the less logical to human proportion units, it is the idea of converting at this stage of the game? To what end?
I get it regarding some things, for other things, like building buildings, it is pointless.
Lastspikemike0.02 mm height difference.....
So that's what the dogs have been tripping over.
Lastspikemike Metal working has been metric for ages: thousandths not fractions of an inch.
Metal working has been metric for ages: thousandths not fractions of an inch.
That is not "metric". That is "decimal".
Lastspikemike richhotrain Lastspikemike the Earth is round after all Actually, it is not round. It is closer to an ellipsoid or spheroid. According to Scientific American, it is not even a perfect oblate spheroid but, rather, a bumpy spheroid. Actually, the Earth is round. All those shapes you mention are also round. Spheres are round but they're not the only shapes that are.
richhotrain Lastspikemike the Earth is round after all Actually, it is not round. It is closer to an ellipsoid or spheroid. According to Scientific American, it is not even a perfect oblate spheroid but, rather, a bumpy spheroid.
Actually, it is not round. It is closer to an ellipsoid or spheroid. According to Scientific American, it is not even a perfect oblate spheroid but, rather, a bumpy spheroid.
Actually, the Earth is round. All those shapes you mention are also round.
Spheres are round but they're not the only shapes that are.
A statement is either right or it is wrong. In this case, the statement is wrong, and you are wrong.
The earth is not round. It is spherical, not round. There is a difference. Actually, the correct scientific term is ellipsoid. The earth's shape is an ellipsoid.
I had an ex-wife once that was one of those know-it-all people that thought she was right all the time. She couldn't stand to ever be wrong, EVER! She's on her fourth husband now and I was her first. Come to think of it, I think she used to water down my whiskey That was just wrong!
I would hate to be right all the time, nor would I even try to be. It would be pretty hard to learn things doing that.
I found some interesting art this morning that I thought you guys might enjoy.
Track fiddler I had an ex-wife once that was one of those know-it-all people that thought she was right all the time. She couldn't stand to ever be wrong, EVER! She's on her fourth husband now and I was her first. Come to think of it, I think she used to water down my whiskey. That was just wrong!
I had an ex-wife once that was one of those know-it-all people that thought she was right all the time. She couldn't stand to ever be wrong, EVER! She's on her fourth husband now and I was her first. Come to think of it, I think she used to water down my whiskey. That was just wrong!
A statement is either right or it is wrong. In this case, the statement is right, and you are right.
It is absolutely wrong to water down whiskey. In fact, that is the beauty of the Rusty Nail, Scotch and Drambui, no water.
Just for the record, here on a TRAIN forum, the earth's shape is oblate...not ellipsoid. Even then, it's only a rough profile because, as someone said earlier, it has variations of 'mean elevation' due to the weight of glaciers thousands of years ago, tectonic activity, and other influences. The tides are indicative of a strong influence that makes the earth's shape anything but ellipsoid.
Lastspikemike richhotrain A statement is either right or it is wrong. In this case, the statement is wrong, and you are wrong. The earth is not round. It is spherical, not round. There is a difference. Actually, the correct scientific term is ellipsoid. The earth's shape is an ellipsoid. So, a cylinder is not round? Like a wheel is not round? I didn't correct anybody until somebody tried to correct me. It's difficult to correct me. As well as a rare event. Usually you can easily tell when I might be wrong. I will tell you. Occasionally I make mistakes. This is not one of those events.
richhotrain A statement is either right or it is wrong. In this case, the statement is wrong, and you are wrong. The earth is not round. It is spherical, not round. There is a difference. Actually, the correct scientific term is ellipsoid. The earth's shape is an ellipsoid.
So, a cylinder is not round? Like a wheel is not round?
I didn't correct anybody until somebody tried to correct me.
It's difficult to correct me.
As well as a rare event. Usually you can easily tell when I might be wrong. I will tell you.
Occasionally I make mistakes.
This is not one of those events.
selector Just for the record, here on a TRAIN forum, the earth's shape is oblate...not ellipsoid.
Just for the record, here on a TRAIN forum, the earth's shape is oblate...not ellipsoid.
Lastspikemike richhotrain Track fiddler I had an ex-wife once that was one of those know-it-all people that thought she was right all the time. She couldn't stand to ever be wrong, EVER! She's on her fourth husband now and I was her first. Come to think of it, I think she used to water down my whiskey. That was just wrong! Well, TF, You are absolutely correct. A statement is either right or it is wrong. In this case, the statement is right, and you are right. It is absolutely wrong to water down whiskey. In fact, that is the beauty of the Rusty Nail, Scotch and Drambui, no water. Rich Both the whisky and the Drambuie contain water. Whisky is generally around 50-60% water and Drambuie is even weaker.
richhotrain Track fiddler I had an ex-wife once that was one of those know-it-all people that thought she was right all the time. She couldn't stand to ever be wrong, EVER! She's on her fourth husband now and I was her first. Come to think of it, I think she used to water down my whiskey. That was just wrong! Well, TF, You are absolutely correct. A statement is either right or it is wrong. In this case, the statement is right, and you are right. It is absolutely wrong to water down whiskey. In fact, that is the beauty of the Rusty Nail, Scotch and Drambui, no water. Rich
Well, TF, You are absolutely correct.
Both the whisky and the Drambuie contain water. Whisky is generally around 50-60% water and Drambuie is even weaker.
All this because an importer had to find a new supplier of HO track which happens to be 3.370 inches shorter than the former product?
Brent sure has a knack —
I'm going to run trains
Model Railroading IS fun!
Just for the record, here on a train forum, is IERS Technical Note 36. The relevant part starts on p.31.
https://www.iers.org/SharedDocs/Publikationen/EN/IERS/Publications/tn/TechnNote36/tn36.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=1
gmpullman All this because an importer had to find a new supplier of HO track which happens to be 3.370 inches shorter than the former product? Brent sure has a knack — I'm going to run trains Model Railroading IS fun! Cheers, Ed
Lastspikemike Scotch is not whiskey it's whisky.
Scotch is not whiskey it's whisky.
https://www.britannica.com/story/whats-the-difference-between-whiskey-and-whisky-what-about-scotch-bourbon-and-rye
You are now 0 for 4 on this thread.
maxmanMetric time? Time to pass out the 7.62 mm ammunition and permanently get rid of those varmints.
Soeaking of 7.62, I'll pull out my M1A
The one part of the US that is metrificated is the military. We speak ierms of distance in "clicks' (kilometers), weapon calibers are in milimeters (5.56 NATO, 7.62 NATO. 120mm M246 tank gun, 155mm howitzer, etc). Time isn't metric, but we do use the European 24 hour clock, where 2:40 PM is 1440 hours. (the Navy still uses the number of bells in a watch, so "two bells in the Forenoon Watch" is Nine AM. Watches are Morning Watch (0400-0800), Forenoon Watch (0800-1200), Afternoon Watch (1200-1600), First Dog Watch (1600-1800), Second Dog Watch (1800-2000), First Watch (2000-2400). Middle Watch (0000-0400))
Oh, by the way, 7.62mm is .30 caliber (if you're Russian ,"Three Lines" from an even more obscure system than Imperial), which is decimal based. (.30 caliber is 0.3 inches). And 7-62mm is not the same as .308 Winchester and 5.56mm is not the same as .223 Remington. SAAMI says so
Lastspikemike It's difficult to correct me.
I'll have a go. The difference between 1/2" and 12.5mm is 0.2mm (about 0.008"), not 0.02mm.
So you are wrong by a factor of 10 and now 0 for 5.
This forums sometimes goes on like a bunch of fish-wives!
riogrande5761 This forums sometimes goes on like a bunch of fish-wives!
You are now 0 for 1 on this thread, Jim.
richhotrain Lastspikemike Scotch is not whiskey it's whisky. This is a United States forum. In the U.S., it is spelled whiskey. https://www.britannica.com/story/whats-the-difference-between-whiskey-and-whisky-what-about-scotch-bourbon-and-rye You are now 0 for 4 on this thread.
This is a United States forum. In the U.S., it is spelled whiskey.
Scotch is a whisky (no e) that gets its distinctive smoky flavor from the process in which it is made: the grain, primarily barley, is malted and then heated over a peat fire.
Reference to any bottle of Black will establish this beyond further argument. If it's Scotch, it can be a boiler, it can be a yoke, it can even be tape ... but it is always "whisky".
You'd have been on firmer ground castigating him for that whopper about 'whisky' meaning 'water'. As with everything else he sucks the life out of, he left out the 'beatha'/'Baugh' in the Gaelic that, as with its source in 'aqua vitae', is an essential part of both names.
I haven't disputed that the Scots call it whisky. It says so right on the label. We Americans takes liberties with spellings known as spelling variants. Merrian-Webster accepts and acknowledges spelling variants. It's a local thing. You will find many, many references to blended Scotch whiskey in the literature. For example...
https://www.thescotchadvocate.com/blended-scotch.html
LastspikemikeAh, but I never claimed that Gaelic for whisky is uisce. That's just the abbreviated Anglicism. No Scot's speaker could possibly have been mislead.
Somewhat ironically the Gaelic word literally translates to "water".
And in America, we follow Fowler in despising your greengrocer's apostrophe, and the word is 'misled'.
We have a saying in the United States, 'know before you go'. That can be applied to intellectual wizzing just as it does for action or travel. Now you have a great deal of pee on your hands and nothing to show for it.
LastspikemikeThe question is why every half an hour
The 'devil to pay' is the same one in 'between the devil and the deep blue sea' and the longer form 'the devil to pay and no pitch hot'.
I confess I don't know how the critical seams got their name; I always suspected it was from that delightful Britannic intensive use of theological terms, the tradition that gave us the ineffable 'zounds!' and 'gadzooks!' "Those seams are the very devil to pay"... (the pay, itself, being I believe one of those amusing British pronunciations of French words, in this case some version of 'poix').
richhotrain riogrande5761 This forums sometimes goes on like a bunch of fish-wives! Fishwives is not hyphenated! You are now 0 for 1 on this thread, Jim. Rich
Fishwives is not hyphenated!
I don't care.
riogrande5761I don't care.
riogrande5761 richhotrain riogrande5761 This forums sometimes goes on like a bunch of fish-wives! Fishwives is not hyphenated! You are now 0 for 1 on this thread, Jim. Rich I don't care.
LastspikemikeAh, that old "context" problem. There I thought...
the context was water, not whisky.
Certainly the English word "whisky" is derived only from the one Gaelic word "uisce" and so my hands remain clean...
BTW, the English are notoriously pathetic with their transliterations of Gaelic names in general, so best not attempt to excuse your solecisms by invoking linguistic incompetence.
.
LastspikemikeThen my very first contribution was met with an absurd "correction".
You had a far better contribution just prior, in the post where you invoked the small single-malt distilleries and the nonsense of the dram. Even re-reading it makes me thirsty for a taste of the many I haven't yet tried...
From there it is all fishwifery, all the way down.
Overmod As with everything else he sucks the life out of
As with everything else he sucks the life out of
Look, it's all in good fun, not trolling. I'm not seriously using ad hominems as insults, and I would plead that you not, either. It was a play on the part of usquebaugh he left out, not an actual piece of invective.
This thread's development reminds me of something...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dttymMREONQ
(As LSM has an interest in model ships it's apropos... )
It wasn't by no shape or form directed at you Overmod. Just a bit of fun taken off your statement.
Things get quite analytical around here at times taking the fun out. It was indirectly meant but not meant to point fingers at anyone.
Could have some truth to it sometimes but all in good fun
Yep, just like every Saturday night when a large group of friends gathers at our house. The men go watch the game(s) on the big screen with suitable beverages being dispensed. Soon the fate of the world is in our hands as the debating begins. It goes on for six or seven hours and then the wives come out of the kitchen and look at us and say, "time to take them home".
We all say "see ya next Saturday". Someone says I'll bring the rum and another guy says you are always soooo quick to volunteer for the rum just because it is cheaper than the Whisk y. Okay, I'll bring the Scotch next week but then we're taking turns. And no trying to sneak in that homemade hooch.
Another Saturday night with the friends I love, we have saved the world once again. I really miss my Saturday nights with the guys, it has been over a year.
So what about that shortened track anyway?
See ya next Saturday.
BATMAN So what about that shortened track anyway? See ya next Saturday.
Yeah I miss the get-togethers with the guys on the weekends too Brent.
The solving the world's problems conversations get rather ridiculous and also hilarious but they sure do make sense at the time
As far as the shortened pieces of flex track go. The way I figure it, if you had a big layout that required 50 pieces of flex track. Ordering that track thinking it was one meter lengths but only one yard long would be a problem.
A meter is 3.37" longer than a yard. According to my calculations you'd be exactly 14' short of track on your layout That's alot! It isn't like you can put a scrap in-between that gap.
Track fiddler The way I figure it, if you had a big layout that required 50 pieces of flex track. Ordering that track thinking it was one meter lengths but only one yard long would be a problem. A meter is 3.7" longer than a yard. According to my calculations you'd be exactly 14' short of track on your layout
Isn't ordering flex track like ordering floor tile?
You don't buy what you need, you add a certain percentage to make up for losses and small cuts.
I think the most you would need to order extra would be one or two pieces.
Yes you're right, you always order 5% more material in construction so you ain't running back to the lumberyard.
But Man! Flextrack is way more expensive than a 2x4 per stick. I don't think I'd be ordering to much more of that stuff
Yep, with tile I usually got about 4 extra pieces in case of a mistake too. We did a lot of 45-degree work.
P.S. I corrected my 3.7 to 3.37 mistake on my last post. The 3 key didn't register
I remember having to help with a speedy dismantling of a layout once. It had about 500' of track and it was all soldered together. One of the other guys said we had to desolder all the joints which would have taken forever and we had to get the layout out of the house that day.
I just snipped all the track on either side of the soldered joints and it went in the box. In the end, each piece of flex was an inch or two shorter but was undamaged and reused on the next layout. It doesn't matter how long the flex is as long as you have enough.
That is so true but if you dismantle an old garage to move it to a different place in the yard and cut all the stud ends off 3" so you don't have to pull nails. The ceiling is only going to be 7' 6" high and the tall guy is going to feel confined and uncomfortable having a beer in there eh?
How much beer you got?
More beers than people so apparently not enough
I've always wondered if I had enough friends. I guess that answers that.
The Amish people sure know how to pull together but I've never seen anything like that before!
Lastspikemike You just put the moved garage on top of a row of cinder blocks and you will then have even more headroom.....
Lol, You obviously haven't priced framing lumber recently. I'm going to build my next house with flex track. Upwards of $9.00 a 2*4-8 in upstate NY
FlattenedQuarter Lol, You obviously haven't priced framing lumber recently. I'm going to build my next house with flex track. Upwards of $9.00 a 2*4-8 in upstate NY
Mike
Dang! You guys are right, I haven't done any framing for quite a while. I only thought it was the cedar crisis Who would have ever thought Cedar would cost more than composite?
Check out this receipt for 10) 2x4's cedar
They're just two by fours for crying out loud! Crooks I'll tell you, legal thieves!
P.S. It's starting to look like it would be cheaper for modelers to build their bench work out of ripped OSB and 90° angle brackets. Unless they decide to Jack the price on OSB too.
We can't even buy those here from Home Depot, but that is a little more than a simple 2x4 stud. That's S4S lumber, like a trim board, and cedar on top of that.
But agreed, lumber prices are out of control.
S4S? I see that on the receipt Sheldon. But these ten 2x4's I purchased were solid cedar lumber. Is it possible Home Depot got the wrong SKU numbers on their boards?
I thought S4S was (surfaced four sides)
Track fiddlerUnless they decide to Jack the price on OSB too.
$37 a sheet, are you kidding me. I believe it but I did had no idea. I've lightened my load the last 2 years doing small jobs like plumbing repairs and such. Wow! It won't be long a $200,000 house will cost a half a million. I shouldn't have downsized as soon as I did but who was to know
Track fiddler S4S? I see that on the receipt Sheldon. But these ten 2x4's I purchased were solid cedar lumber. Is it possible Home Depot got the wrong SKU numbers on their boards? I thought S4S was (surfaced four sides) TF
If what you got is smooth and has square edges, it is S4S. Regular studs, cedar or otherwise, will have rounded edges.
Shekdon
Track fiddler$37 a sheet, are you kidding me. I believe it but I did had no idea.
Absolutely true.
There was a lumber theft down here where a guy stole $10,000.00 worth of lumber... jokes were...
He must have been in a hurry.
His truck must have been in the shop.
Someone is building a new doghouse.
He got away on foot.
That was a quick in-and-out theft.
And so on.
Then there is the new classic... My wife wanted to go somewhere expensive for our anniversary, so we ate a picnic lunch in the lumber section of Home Depot.
The rationale isn't using a tree as a sink for carbon or to reduce emissions. The idea is to close the carbon cycle, albeit at a higher level. Burning a tree injects no new carbon into the cycle.
NittanyLion The idea is to close the carbon cycle, albeit at a higher level. Burning a tree injects no new carbon into the cycle.
Yes, the carbon from the tree does not come from the ground, so the carbon load in the atmosphere is not increased, because when a new tree grows, the carbon is absorbed.
It is a pretty simple idea to understand.
I just heard a radio report that blamed the lumber shortage also on the low interest rates. At the same time the lumber companies cut back production last year due to the virus, the low interest rates caused a building boom. Not sure if this is true or not, but it sounds logical.
York1 John
I asked my doctor if I gave up delicious food and all alcohol, would I live longer? He said, "No, but it will seem longer."
LastspikemikeFortunately, Mother Nature is growing more stuff faster with the "extra" CO2 so we need not be concerned.
Including poison ivy!
Regards, Ed
Lastspikemike...the idiotic belief that this reduces CO2 going into the atmosphere (which of course it doesn't)
Most carbon 'fixation' by plants involves photosynthesis, which only runs with adequate light at a couple of wavelengths. Since plant life does not cease during dark hours, some amount of normal respiration occurs during that time which involves oxygen uptake and CO2 generation.
With regard to fixation: it's my opinion that the slip between combustion of carbon in a given amount of biomass and fixation of a comparable amount of carbon via the usual range of growth processes can be comparatively short, so in a practical sense whether you burn before 'replenishing' or only burn biomass fixed since some arbitrary beginning point for renewable-fuel production is only a relatively short offset. The much more important thing, as noted, is the long-term carbon sequestration involved in use of the various building products...
gmpullmanIncluding poison ivy!
And Kudzu!
SeeYou190And Kudzu!
Yeah, that, too!
NS - Macon, GA by d.w.davidson, on Flickr
It's a pretty Lush looking Ivy but is that evasive parasite foliage corrosive on the building? Would the lawn service possibly take care of the problem while they are there trimming the hedges anyway?
And what about poison oak and itch weed, are they a contender?
gmpullman SeeYou190 And Kudzu! Yeah, that, too! NS - Macon, GA by d.w.davidson, on Flickr Ed
SeeYou190 And Kudzu!
richhotrain gmpullman SeeYou190 And Kudzu! Yeah, that, too! NS - Macon, GA by d.w.davidson, on Flickr Ed Is that where they make Scotch whiskey??? Rich
Is that where they make Scotch whiskey???
No silly! That's where they make the Scotch whisky. The whiskey is made at the Windsor plant up in Canada
LastspikemikeTo my taste buds both e rye whiskey and non e rye whisky taste identical. Awful.
Macon, Georgia will be corn likker, not whisk(e)y however spelled; if you think Chivas tastes like puke you have a real experience coming...
Track fiddlerIt's a pretty Lush looking Ivy but is that evasive parasite foliage corrosive on the building?
Kudzu will cover up anything it can attach to. Entire buildings have disappeared beneath it. It drapes across and down power lines. It is so hard to get rid of. It grows inches every day.
They call it "The vine that ate the South" for good reason.
Wicked stuff. I knew it wasn't good. Sounds like that stuff does to buildings what Creeping Charlie does to lawns up here. Sometimes the only way to get rid of it once it's over spread is to kill your lawn and start over.
P.S. Maybe that's why Brent's Flex track is shorter. Kudzu was growing on the end of it so they cut 3.37 inches off the meter and he ended up with a yard Walther's might have been doing him a favor watering down his whisk(e)y
Kudzu covered power poles: