BroadwayLion
I agree.
Especially when you talk to those interesting people
TF
York1Lion, that's an amazing background you have, now that you're living on the sparsely-inhabited plains of North Dakota.
Yes, but then everybody is interesting.
My maternal grandparents are even more amazing... They had an apartment in Irvington, NY, third floor on a 'new-law tenement'. Actually, a very nice building. Irvington has only one main street that runs from the river (and NYCS railway station) up to US route 9 (aka Broadway) Only a few dead end streets branched off of it, for the land along the river (Hudson River, aka the North River) was purchased and occupied by the uber rich of their day (circa 1600s) and has never been sold or sub-divided, but they did need housing for their servant class to live.
Halfway betreen Broadway and the River there was the Aquaduct that brought water down from the Adorandak mountains to New York City. It is called the Adorandak State Park, but most of its watershed is owned by New York City. State Park status keeps it clean and free of industry.
Ir was fun to walk along the aquaduct, and in one place it crosses over a county road or something. The road is only a single lane road there with only a few inches to spare on either side, and that was back in the 1920s when cars were much smaller. Maybe only pedestrians can use it now. That would make an interesting feature on a model railroad, especially if you are pressed for space.
The apartment had a dumbwaiter, and those were the days before fire regulations sealed them all up. It was fun to pull on the ropes to make the thing go up and down. Two apartments on each floor shared the same dumbwaiter. People could open both firedoors and gossip to each other across the shaft.
We could go up on the roof. There were clothes lines up there where the women could hang their laundry to dry. There were board walks on the roof to protect the roof from the trampeling of feet.
As we walked down the hill, (grandma's place was at the top of the hill with the 'B" side of the building on Broadway) there were shops in the various buildings, and while the sidewalk followed the street level down the hill, in front of every shop was a level sidewalk, even on the up hill end, but requiring several steps downb tio the new sidewalk level only 25 feet away. There were several shops, but as I recall it, there was only one that could sell you some candy or a soda pop. My brother, we had to be about 14 or less at the time, bought a pack of cigarettes, and we walked down to the railroad tracks to smoke them.
The New York Central was nlt the same as the Long Island. For one thing they had an under-running third rail instead of the over-running third rail that was used on the LIRR or on the subways. The crossing gates were hand lowered by a gateman with a crank. All that was on the river side of the railroad was a parking lot and then a little lower a boat basin with its own parking area and a few platforms that extended out over the water for fisherpersons to practice their affliction.
My grandparents worked as teachers in the local school. My mother was in a class of 26. But in those days teachers did not get a pension, and so in their mid 40s or so, each had gotten a job with a company that did provide pensions. Grandma at the "Foundation" up the hill, (It is still there to this day, although I never found out what the foundation did.) and grandfather at "Lord and Barnum" a firm that designed greenhouses. Grandfather was a draftsman and a very fine shop teacher. That firm is gone but the buildings survive transformed into new apartments.
Another time I will tell you more of these amazing grandparents, although on grandmother's side tghe family coat of arms was granted by the Emperor Barbarosa.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Water Level RouteKevin, I forgot about that desk. For some reason I was thinking a simple flat top. Looking back at your rough track plan you posted, it appears there are straight sections of track in the turnback curves. Could those be removed, and have the curve continue coming out of your staging yard so you clear your desk (with a bit of wiggle room) then gently angle out to your intended benchwork width so you preserve enough width to have the number of staging tracks you wanted? Dunno. Just a thought.
That is a possibility.
I am going to wait until the room is done, and assemble the desk. Then I will build a temporary table-top in the narrow area and play with the full sized components and see what will fit.
I am so bad at track planning.
BroadwayLion. My paternal Grandmother lived in Jamacia, NY, a single family house, it used to be heated by coal, I guess they switched to oil. The back yard was ragged and without grass. The garage was dark, unlighted, too small for a car, which they did not have in any event.
My uncle has a three story single family house up the hill in Riverdale, Bronx. The garage is too small for any real car. For years he had a Dodge Omni, then a Ford Festiva, and now he has a Chevrolet Spark.
$1,000,000.00 house that can only hold a subcompact car!
Welcome to New York, NY.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Good late morning
Taking a little break from chipping away at the stone for lunch.
Grandmother and Grandfather are the best that I have ever known and everything that I am today. I learned no better from anyone else.
The best gift they both instilled upon me through the years was a high level of confidence.
https://youtu.be/5B90-CMgYuQ
Lion, that's an amazing background you have, now that you're living on the sparsely-inhabited plains of North Dakota.
What a change for you!
moelarrycurly4Who went to the out house at night for #1 ? you just either went off of the porch or the yard ( I mean who could see you in the middle of nowhere)
You were lucky! If grandpa or grandma caught us doing that, we were in trouble. The closest you could do that and get by with it was behind the barn.
York1 John
So My Grandparents lived in rural Missouri
My grandpa on my dad side owned a gerenal store as well as farmed.
We only got to visit once or twice a year because we lived so far away.
Barns to explore, creeks to fish in ( and swim) The store was a trasure trove.
They had indoor plumbing but it never worked right so out house.
Who went to the out house at night for #1 ? you just either went off of the porch or the yard ( I mean who could see you in the middle of nowhere)
Mom's parents lived on a farm 5 miles away. their indoor toilets actually worked, they originally had wood stove heat and it got changed one year to propane heat.
Ah... My paternal Grandmother lived in Jamacia, NY, a single family house, it used to be heated by coal, I guess they switched to oil. The back yard was ragged and without grass. The garage was dark, unlighted, too small for a car, which they did not have in any event. I was afraid of spiders, which I was told were in there. The Subway was a few blocks away, as was Hillside Avenue. And over they years I watched them build more and more six story apartment buildings, now called Lefrak City. As they were being build, and I must have been about eight years old when I climbed into the buildings and walked around on the bare concrete floors.
Good morning, everyone. Bacon, eggs, and black coffee. I love it.
hon30critterWhen I was a kid we went to 'Grandma's' house almost every weekend for many years. My grandparents had a farm with a big barn. There was no end of things to explore, both in the huge barn and around it.
Dave, that sounds a lot like my situation. My grandparents' farm was an amazing place to explore.
Their old farmhouse had a propane furnace but they never turned it on. Grandma cooked on a wood stove in the kitchen that heated the house. During the winter, I slept upstairs. There was no heat, but my grandmother had about a foot thick set of quilts on the bed. In the morning, when you stuck your head out from beneath the covers, you could see your breath. You finally worked up enough courage and ran full speed downstairs to the kitchen to sit by the stove.
Of course, the worst was heading to the outhouse. You did not want to drink anything after supper, or you would have to go out in the middle of the freezing night to the outhouse. No bedpans at grandpa's house!
Nothing on the schedule today -- that means I can devote today to trying to finish a plan for the layout. Of course, that's the goal, and I fully expect not to finish the plan. I am going to start laying down some mainline cork roadbed on the part of the layout I know where I want it.
I hope everyone has a great day today.
sigh
Grandma's house. Well, not houses exactly, actually third floor walkup apartments in Brooklyn, NY. My paternal grandmother was quite elderly, and suffered from what we then called senility, but from the symptoms she had Altzheimer's. There was no yard, no farm, no tractor, no animals. But, there was warmth and familiarity, and good food. Both of my parents came from large families, so there was never any shortage of aunts and uncles.
When she was growing up, Grandma had a cat named Big Bum. He loved to stock his head in a paper bag and run around the apartment complete blind. One day, he ran right out an open window and fell three stories into the alley. He was a tough old cat. They fixed up his broken hip, and from then on he walked with a loud thump to accompany his permanent limp.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Top or Not... Lion caught some lemon-poppy seed sticky buns for breakfast.
Yes, I know, this is a snow leopard... But is friend of LION and so deserves a bite of your time! Go ahead... CLICK on the Leopard!
York1Kevin, it sounds like you want to build something like Ed's caboose. I wish I had tried something like that 20 years ago. You will have a nice advantage -- you can buy supplies at work and bring them home each day.
The caboose project will be entirely my wife's. She fell in love with Ed's, and she always wanted a she-shed, so that settled it.
I cannot build one nearly as beautiful as Ed's. In my area of South Florida, all outside sheds larger than 8 by 8 must meet the same building codes as the primary structure, and withstand Category-5 Hurricance force winds.
So, I will basically build a 10 by 18 shed with a cupola on top and paint it to look like a caboose. I can meet code and accomplish this, however, it will not look as perfect as Ed's. Plus, I don't have the beautiful scenery to surround it like Ed. Mine will look like it is coming out of the Areca Palms.
I cannot have an open space beneath it, so that will ruin some the the effect as well.
Here is another Russel plough in action. Note the F series locomotive in the consist! You will be forgiven for skipping through the narrative a bit:
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Good Morning All. Flo, a large coffee in a New York Central mug please.
Ah yes, to be able to go to Grandma's house. Sign me up for that when time travel arrives. I'll be the first in line.
Kevin, I forgot about that desk. For some reason I was thinking a simple flat top. Looking back at your rough track plan you posted, it appears there are straight sections of track in the turnback curves. Could those be removed, and have the curve continue coming out of your staging yard so you clear your desk (with a bit of wiggle room) then gently angle out to your intended benchwork width so you preserve enough width to have the number of staging tracks you wanted? Dunno. Just a thought.
There is a guy in town here with a homemade caboose in his front yard. It's okay, but nowhere near as nice as Ed's.
Have a good one fellas.
Mike
Hi David,
Thank you sincerely for the story about 'Grandma's House'. It brought back many memories of long ago. When I was a kid we went to 'Grandma's' house almost every weekend for many years.
My grandparents had a farm with a big barn. There was no end of things to explore, both in the huge barn and around it. There was a cow's skull beside one of the ramps up to the main floor of the barn. When I was little the skull scared me half to death.
I did a lot of growing up there, and they allowed me a lot of liberties. I had free roam of the farm. How many kids at the age of 10 were handed a 12 gauge shotgun and told to go kill the groundhogs?!? I admit that I had mixed feelings about that but I managed to do the job. When I was in my very early teens my dad allowed me to drive the family car across the fields! I was thrilled despite the fact that the ploughed fields left a pretty rough surface to negotiate. I couldn't go more than a couple of miles per hour because of the bumps. I guess that's why my dad wasn't too worried.
Thanks for rekindling lots of great memories!
Cheers!!
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
York1Earlier, when you said there was a major disaster, I thought the worst and that your train room was no longer going to be a train room.
Oh no! If that would have happened none of you would ever hear from me again.
I have five years of planning into this layout project... it is going to happen!
Tin Can IIKevin: That has to be disappointing. However, I would bet that you can come up with a solution that will work for you.
Now that the initial shock has worn off, I am sure I can find something that will be acceptable.
The big disappointment is that I built the whole layout in 1:1 scale out of cardboard already, so I knew exactly what it was going to look like. Now I need to change some plans.
Good evening. The diner's waitresses are all standing around bored. No customers.
I'm still drawing some plans for the layout. Everytime I get what I want on paper, I change my mind. This time around, I want to be sure I'm getting what I want. I have found the Peco N turnouts I bought the other day are better than the Atlas I used on the last layout. I believe I will switch to all Peco turnouts this time.
Mike, I had three daughters. I feel your pain. The good part for me was that most problems were handled by mom. They grew up fast. They all married great guys.,
Charlie, I've never seen Escape to the Country. It sounds like it was the model for several programs we get here on HGTV.
Henry, that video of the bike-train collision was amazing. I can't believe how close that guy came. I know what you mean about friends and illnesses. Lately, my college alumni magazine's obituaries have had a lot of people from my class. Every day is a gift.
TF, those Great Northern Pullman cars look great. They're going to look nice on your new layout.
Ed, I know I said it a while back, but that caboose is about the neatest thing I've ever seen in someone's backyard.
Kevin, it sounds like you want to build something like Ed's caboose. I wish I had tried something like that 20 years ago. You will have a nice advantage -- you can buy supplies at work and bring them home each day.
David, you are fortunate to have your grandchildren close. You and your wife must be wonderful grandparents, and it shows because the grandchildren want to stay at your house. A real compliment to you!
Tin Can, I may have read it already but have forgotten. You said you are in Kansas. Did your job bring you there from Texas? I go through Kansas often on the way to Texas. Highway 81 changes into I-35, straight through the state. My father used to drive miles out of the way, just so he didn't have to pay the $2.00 toll on the Kansas Turnpike.
Jim, I've never had reposada or anejo tequila. Tequila is the only liquor that I like. I'm a beer lover, and I never developed a taste for anything else. My doctor says I can have two cans of beer, but not three. Not sure why.
Dave, I also wondered what it's like to hit those snow banks without being able to see ahead. Kind of like a pilot flying through heavy clouds? I would be nervous.
I know I have missed mentioning some people. I hope you all are doing well.
I probably shouldn't complain when I have to clear our driveway snow. These guys are on the Chicago and North Western "Cowboy Line" at Chadron, Nebraska, in 1949:
Water Level RouteKevin, that really stinks. Is there any possibility to have the model building desk slightly lower than the layout so the last bit of it could tuck underneath the layout and allow the paint drawers to fit as intended?
No, the model building desk is huge! It is my favorite (and most expensive) piece of furniture. Three daughters and I did homework at that desk every night for decades. It is one of the most treasured possessions I have.
There are so many memories tied to this desk.
I even spent some time there with friends.
It has received several upgrades through the years. The most cherished is this wonderful Dazor desk lamp!
Water Level RouteMaybe bump in just the section by Port Annabel to maintain space there? I know, your aisle would be narrower there, but unworkably so?
I can do that, and it will not be unworkable. I wanted a 40" wide straight aisle so the layout could be run from a wheelchair is necessary. I think I can maintain something close.
NorthBritSnow and Snowploughs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA06hL4VemA&ab_channel=YesEpicYes2.0
Another great snow plough video!
Even though I have seen several of the scenes before, they are still very entertaining! My devious self would love to see a bit more footage of the aftermaths of the bystanders getting blasted! The moderators might object.
I'm also enthralled by the truly 'blind' faith that those brave souls riding in the ploughs must have in their equipment. It's like driving into a whiteout at full speed on a major highway without having much in the way of quick braking. Scary! I guess that one major saving grace is that they don't have a bunch of idiots tailgating them!
up831Now I have that song stuck in my head, too.
Oh well. At least it's good music and not something really annoying.
Hi Everyone,
Now I have that song stuck in my head, too. It was a good one, but I'll have to try to purge it with some Debussy or Beethoven, or else it'll be going on all day.
The picture of the sunrises look appetizing, which gives rise to the question. Does anyone ever make tequila mixed drinks with reposado or anejo?
Last day of the work week for me. Since January, I've been on a schedule of four on and three off. Works well for me. Hope they don't change it.
Ed: I think your caboose cabin and Howe truss bridge are really neat and well done.
Well, later guys.
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
York1 Good morning diners. I'm writing this sitting in the dentist office waiting room. Not exactly one of my favorite places. I'll try to check in later if I make it out alive.
Good morning diners.
I'm writing this sitting in the dentist office waiting room. Not exactly one of my favorite places.
I'll try to check in later if I make it out alive.
Good afternoon Diners. We are having a few days away this weekend, so being packing a suitcase. Therefore some of that breakfast, Lion has left and Tequila Sunrise TF has left. Thank you both.
Pictures of pussycats, big and small, great. I have always liked cats.
The grandchildren are always visiting.
I do not know what we are doing right, but they all say 'they don't want to go home. It is such fun here.'
Snow and Snowploughs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA06hL4VemA&ab_channel=YesEpicYes2.0
Stay Safe Everyone
Morning music Thanks for the good tune.
I remember my daughter Kaylee really liked to do the balance the silverware off the side of the glass trick Mike. When you finally get it to work it looks physically impossible.
I'm going to have to confront her next time I see her because I don't remember how to do that anymore
She just couldn't stand to leave a restaurant without the silverware left like that. Better than the salt cap left loose I guess
Dang. Now I have the song stuck in my head. So I'll share it...Track Fiddler style!
Good morning
Looks like a rather scrumptious breakfast Thanks for that
Nothing like waking up to the rarely seen Ghost Leopard either
Track fiddlerToo Cute! Reminds me of when my daughters were little.
Been a rough couple of evenings at home lately for my youngest-and by extension my wife and I. Boy troubles. That's two nights of not getting to go to bed early enough. Oh well. Sounds like the trouble will be dealt with today. Out of everthing I look back on in my childhood and smile and wish I could go back and experience again, those first loves are not on that list. Something to be said for being happily married.
Anyone been watching much of the Olympics? We normally do, but just haven't much this time. Not really sure why.
Have a good day everyone.
Edit: Top of the Page! I see as I was typing my post, brother Lion offered up some fantastic looking breakfast! How about a tequila sunrise or two to go with.