Right you are, Sue. I'm just in from hockey. I'll be drinkin' Bud tonight, since I've already started with that, I don't like to mix, and I've got to get up at 6 and go to work. We're a bit light on hockey players, so if anyone wants to join us, it's 2 hours every Tuesday at 8. Festivities thereafter, either in the entryway to the rink or in the parking lot, depending on the weather.
I decided my layout needed an LHS, and I named it in honor of my own favorite shop in Chelmsford, MA, Maine Trains:
The original structure was Pam's Pet Shop from DPM. It was the first "new" building I put together after I got back into this a few years ago. I never did put on any signs to make it any particular building, so over the weekend I printed up some Lionel logos and the Maine Trains sign, plus a couple of those engines from a Monopoly deed that you see hanging above the street. The figures are from Woodland Scenics "Window Shoppers." I think the young boy looks like a Romulan from Star Trek.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Hey, Joe, I will have a beer while I warm up the bar stool. Mike, JB, Chuck, and MrB, will be in shortly. Then we will break out the shine. We plan to have a big brag session over who is getting the most done on their layout. Maybe someone will have photos.
Sue
Anything is possible if you do not know what you are talking about.
Wow, Has Joe been on vacation the past few days, I had to go to page 6 to find this.
Anyway, Joe, Any of that Shine left, I got busy (yea right) and didn't get back in. None left? Well I might see if there is another jug in the cellar, OH I'll take the jug and fill it with some fresh stuff next time I can get to the still. Just bring me a Cold Bud for now Thanks.
Not much going on here, I did get to Lawton and found Hobby Lobby had there train stuff for 25% off, I used a 40% off coupon and picked up another Bauchmann B23-7 loco, now I have 2 of them and have been MU'ing them. I kinda like the Bauchmann locos, they are a little noisy but they will stay on track MU'ed very well. When I bought my 2 P2K Geeps I had to do a lot of coupler work on them before I could even run them, and they still do not run as consistant as the B23-7's. I am now teaching myself to run 2 trains at the same time in DC mode. It works pretty good as long as you stay on your toes, no room for mistakes. I have beem pulling 12 flat cars loaded with new Cat Equpt. with the 2 B23-7's and a 10 car tank train with my 2-6-2 steamer. I still remove a tree now and then, I need to plant some grass/weeds where the trees were.
While I was at Hobby Lobby I picked up a couple bags of different sizes of tallas (SP) and sprinkled a little on the hillside where I have thinned some trees. How do you do this and make it look like the rocks were there and the grass/weeds grew up around them? Mine look like the rocks were sprinkled on the top of the grass, Imagine that.
I guess I need to go to the basement and fix the broken window before winter really sits in and I really don't want to do it in 12 degree weather. Take care and I will see about more ''shine'' Mike
Well, It is 5:00 o'clock somewhere. I will have a beer. Anyone care to join me?
MrB, You have really become the expert at interior lighting. I can't wait to get to something that needs lighting.
I will check in later.
Morning, everyone. Friday at last. I'll have some coffee, Joe. Eggs 'n' bacon, too.
Gee, I woke up this morning and thought Mike's Moonshine had made me go blind, but then I remembered that it's still dark out at 6 in the AM. Daylight time goes away tomorrow night, though, so my eyesight should return. Not that I really want to see myself in the mirror at that hour. Don't forget to set your clocks BACK tomorrow night.
I did a bit more on the stockyard, adding the Gypsolite to give me a rough surface, and gluing down the fences. I also put the Gypsolite on the "scenic covers" for the Atlas switch machines, and painted on the green washes so they'll be ready for turfing tonight. Got the lights in the old Scollay Square subway station, too. Originally, I had planned for that station to be "abandoned" and dark, but it came out too well so now I'll have to populate it, too.
This station is on a dead-end spur that comes out to the edge of the layout. The spur was placed as a possible "extension" off the layout if I ever decided to do that. So, it comes out looking like a tunnel entrance, and that's the only visibility from the outside. It's also a short station designed for the trolleys, so the platform height is inappropriate for the other subway cars. I'll have to put some pictures up after I've got more details in that station.
Well....I made it through my shift at the pool and back home again! I should be thankful.
And so with that; I'll take another shot of that shine Mike....If there's any left. This time I'm thinking that it should be along the lines of a hot toddy. Maybe a little lemon and honey...and if we put a jigger's worth in the cup, I ought to sleep like a baby!
Nothing new here. Nice evening with a clear sky and a temp. of 46. Seems all is right in my world for now.
See you all in a few days. Hope life treats you well till we meet again.
Seems as if everyone is going agricultural here - even Mike's jug came from a country place.
Tried a new fertilizer on the incipient jungle in the back yard (a HUGE honeysuckle, three hibiscus bushes, a miniature lemon tree and a banana plant in a pot, spread across the grass- and weed-free gravel.) We shall see if it's all its creator claims. The stuff is called Worm Poop and it comes in a recycled 2-liter soda bottle (with the soda cap seal ring still on it.)
Wheels are rolling regularly on the very limited part of my railroad that's operational, but I still haven't quite solved a few (opportunities) with control of the railroad's only reversing section from two different locations (zone and CTC panels.) As soon as that's sorted out, it's back to the caulk, spiking pliers and soldering gun!
Thanks for the sip, Mike. I needed that.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Thanks, Mike.
I just stopped in for a quick bite before I head back to mowing the pasture.
Later, Sue
Thanks Mike...I'll have a shot. Haven't had any for a few years now so I'm sure it's time to clean out the system again!
Just got in from working on my old Ranger Tractor....I blew a tire while out in the woods the other day. Of course it's always at a place FAR from home and NON accessible with any thing but the tractor. Oh well...If life were easy.......
Haven't been out to the Trainroom and won't get there for a few days (maybe a week or more) with demands for my time elsewhere. With the good weather I'm finishing up the outdoor chores and then I'm running away to Whisper Wings for a few days to be the Bull-Cook for Deer Camp and maybe shoot a duck or two. It will be good to get away for a bit.
Once back home I'll be officiating the Sec. and State swim meets..........Then It's TRAIN TIME!!
For now though....I've got to head out to the garden making it ready for winter (we already had snow flurries yesterday) which feels just around the corner.
I'll be back later, with Mike, for another "shot of shine".
Morning all, well early afternoon. Joe, just a glass of ice water this morning, I need something to wash down a pain pill. Thanks.
How is everyone this day? I just stopped in and noticed that Joe is already getting some calls for my moonshine. Joe, here, take this jug and hide it behind the bar, CAREFUL!! That stuff is dangerous! I will be back in this evening for a shot or two, Go ahead and set up anyone that wants a shot but save me a couple. I wonder how many here have actually had a chanch to try the stuff? Really isn't that bad, kinda sweet if I remember right. Time for a nap, does anyone but me take afternoon naps any more? The ones at your desk don't count. See you all later. Mike
MrB, Are you still celebrating Halloween with moonshine? Where is Mike?
Ryan, You are our resident goblin,
Almost quitin' time for me in these parts of the east coast time zoners over here....
So....I...think.....I'll.....have.....a.......beeer.......
How about an Abita Fall Fest.....
Then on to Happy Halloween Celebrations...
Cheers,
Ryan
Ryan BoudreauxThe Piedmont Division Modeling The Southern Railway, Norfolk & Western & Norfolk Southern in HO during the merger eraCajun Chef Ryan
Good afternoon gang. I'll have a Meininger Special Bitter, Joe. And one for any other takers too
Spent the morning at my Mom and Dad's place changing out a circulating pump on their furnace...Getting to be the time of year where it's better to fix now, then when it's 20 below! It wasn't a real big project, but none the less, time consuming. The great part of course, is that Mom had lunch ready when the project was done. So a belly full of good lunch (home made soup and fresh baked bread) and a nice visit was a great reward!
Mr. B, the soup sounds really good....Tis the "soup season"! I love making soups and stews, especially in the fall and winter.
Squeaky.....Most have already said the important stuff, but I will repeat one thing: Don't toss in the towel to the point of getting rid of your MRR stuff. Seems a few of us (including myself) have been in and out of the hobby over the years. You just never know.....And me thinks that once bitten by the bug, the itch is always there. At least it was in my case, and also for a close friend here in town.
I got to spend most of the afternoon in the Trainroom yesterday and for the most part finished up the bashing of the oil distributor at Sawbill Jct. Just need to build some sort of car unloading racks and do a bit of piping, and it'll be a done deal.
The weather forecast for the week is looking good, so I've got some fall projects (cutting some fire wood, clearing and mowing ski trails, pruning the grapes and making the garden "black") for the remainder of the week. If I get back to the Trainroom....I'll snap a picture of Burnstrom Oil.
Gotta' get a move on for those outdoor projects.
Dubya-Are-Construction, don't, repeat DON'T, use that cee-ment for overshoes!
I finished up wiring the lights for the Penny Lane subway station today. Then I had to take a break from railroading because we had some friends over. Last week, we had some really fine beef short ribs for our gourmet club, and we saved the bones and leftovers for broth. Wife Penny, after whom the station is named, is our family broth-maker. We took the broth and made a hot-and-sour soup tonight. Yummmy. I love going to the oriental grocery store, partly because it's fun to be the only Euro type in the place, partly because I love stores where I can't read the labels on 3/4 of the stuff, and partly because it's very close to my LHS.
Sue and Larry - "Liesure Suit Larry" was the title character of a series of early PC-based games, base on the exploits of a "lounge lizard" out to score with the ladies. The character in the subway has been named that for years, but he had no "prototype" until now. Not a bad person, really, and hopefully he's ended up as well as the Sue and Larry we've come to know and love.
OK, time to go watch some Sox action.
Well, Squeaky, I can understand that. My (brief) experiment with powered model aircraft ended in terminal frustration. (Then I spent most of my adult life working on 1:1 scale aircraft. Go figure!)
OTOH, forever is a long time. Don't be surprised if you find yourself back in model railroading after age and physical problems make backpacking and camping unattractive.
MisterBeasley, Tuxedo was on the Weerie Snailroad. Somewhere in my past is an accidental double exposure taken with a box Brownie about 1950 - mail crane with mail sack ready for pickup, then the snatch - and a flying bag tossed out of the moving train, caught in midair. The location? Tuxedo Park, NY. I was camping with my Scout troop at Spruce Pond, a couple of miles up Route 17. I've also crossed Bear Mountain State Park a couple of times on foot.
These days my hiking is confined to the prepared, reasonably level path between the parking lot and the overlook/museum/viewpoint/whatever. Likewise, I limit my camping to motels. My days of running up mountains are, sadly, history.
Squeaky,
Welcome to the world of camping. It is a family hobby. Maybe you will come back to MR again. My husband, Larry, and I rotate through our hobbies. You might just be taking a break. When we gave up on the 4 x 8, and went to a larger layout, it gave us more variety with operating sessions.
Hope to see you back in the hobby. Check in with us occasionally.
Well, I can drink to camping, too. I used to be a backpacker, many years ago. I had a friend (my teenage train friend, actually) and we'd go off for a weekend a couple of times in the summer. We rode the Long Island Railroad into New York, then took a subway down to the PATH trains, took that under the Hudson River and then picked up a "real" train (Lackawanna, maybe? I forget) up the Hudson to a small station called Tuxedo junction up just outside of Bear Mountain State Park. From their, we slipped into our packs and hiked up the road, over the tracks and the Interstate, and finally into the park itself. No stoves back then - we scrounged for wood and built fires for every meal.
Now, we're strictly car campers. We still pitch a tent, though. I've never had any use for "camping" inside some form of motor vehicle or trailer.
I'll drink to that Squeaky! Margarita time!
Camping and other outdoor adventures are one of my interests too! Sorry to hear that you are leaving the MRR hobby, but you might want to just box up what you have and put it in the attic or storage, you might want to get back into it years from now. That happened to me too many moons ago and I am so happy that I saved all my stuff from the 1970's original layout.
Hi!
Everyone knows I haven't been around here for a few months. But....
I have lost complete interest in the hobby. For good.
Sorry to dissappoint, but how much more bull should one put up with; considering a 4X8 double ovals and constant maintenance with the tracks/ or trains.
I gave up. Threw in the towel. I don't care anymore.
I have discovered a new adventure!
Camping!
Yes, it is the greatest stress reliever I know- but! the money I was spending for trains will now go into camping- the greatest hobby of them all!
Sorry-
Squeaky
Good morning. It is still early enough that I will just have coffee.
MrB, You seem to make good use your time. There is no TV in our train room, but a great view of the valley, so I like to work in the daylight. One of my friends is an avid Red Sox fan, so we cut our climbing a little short on Wednesday. He is happy.
I need to go to town this morning. It is property tax time. Ick.
Thanks, Sue. It's a bit early in the day, but what the heck? It's Friday, and the Sox are hot. The good teams win the close ones, they say, not to imply that both teams aren't good. Anyway, a Harpoon IPA for me, Joe.
The stockyard is progressing slowly. I did cut down the excess roadbed, and cut a notch in the packing plant wall to get the throwbar for that hidden Atlas switch machine out. The stockyard is back to being a "workshop" project I can do down in the tool room, so I started another "on-layout" job. Those are incompatable with family TV activities, so I like to keep one of each running. "Family TV" includes the Sox right now, though, so last night I did both by stripping wires in the 5th inning.
I never did get the station lights into the Penny Lane subway stop, so last night I pulled up the liftoff and started work. I punched a couple of holes through 2 layers of 2-inch foam, and ran tubular coffee stirrers through the holes as conduit for the wires. Then I took a couple of lengths of phone wire and stripped off all the insulation. I'll run those lengthwise down the roof of the station, over the girders, and that will be the two bus wires for attaching the individual bulbs. Not much actual work, but now that I've looked at the job and figured out exactly how it's going to be done, I figure I can move more quickly. The big problem now is that I'm out of juice on that old Lionel transformer, and my little 30 milliamp bulbs have added up to an overload if I turn all the toggles on. Methinks it's time to scrounge through the parts box for another wall-wart.
Well, I hope the rest of you have a fine Friday. Thanks for the brew, Sue, too.
Thanks for the beer, Mike. I will buy the second round.
Chuck, I am sure that you will get back at it. I find it a lot easier when it is raining. It was 33 this morning with frost on the deck, so it was easier to stay inside.
Thanks, Mike. A Bud will go good right about now. I see you got your forum name back!
Sue, both you and Mister B are showing me up something fierce. I've been hung up on dead center ever since we got back from Tucson.
Well, I finished the "honeydew" list (spliced the garden hose after cutting out the section the neighbor's dog chewed yesterday,) so now I can get back to model building. Just in time, I got my shipment from AllElectronics - enough diodes to carry me out to visible track, I think. (I hope!) (Where do I use diodes? By 'polarizing' the power connection to a twin-coil switch machine I get away with a single power wire. Since one diode = one foot of wire in cost, I save money on every switch machine lead that's more than four feet long. I have very few turnouts that are close enough to the panel to have a lead less than four feet long. Tortoise users can get the same result without the diodes, but have to use SPDT switches, one per turnout. I get away with a hot probe, one per panel.
Skimmed through the December MR. Lots of good stuff for everybody. I'm especially impressed with the look of Rod Stewart's work. As for Handlaying Turnouts Without a Hassle, I do - but my methods differ in almost every detail from Tom Piccirillo's. "There are eight and forty ways/ of creating tribal lays/ and every single one of them is right." (Kipling) "If it works, it's good." (Mayor Pragma, Rome, 1879)
The dinner bell just rang, so I'd better get it while it's hot. Don't want to irritate the cook!
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with a commuter rail operation)
Mike,
How did the clear cut go?
Hello all. Joe, I'll have a cold Bud and get one for any one that is ready. Thanks.
I have actually got something done on the layout the past few days. I was installing a few more street lights yesterday and noticed the rats nest of wires under the table! I thought there ought to be a way to orginize all that clutter. Today while I was on my pain pill and taking a nap, (Yea, I still like a nap in the afternoon) I thought I could run a buss wire down the center of the underside of the table and attach all those light wires to the buss wire. I took a piece of #12 wire and stripped off the insulation and attached two of the bare copper wires to the underside of the table and secured them so they would not get in contact with each other and then hooked up the Wall Wart to the bare buss wire then started the process of undoing all the existing wiring and hooking them to the buss light wires. So far everything is going fine and everything still works. I still need to do the other side of the layout. There are a lot more lights on the end where the town is located.
While I was at it I picked up some fuse holders and some 2 amp fuses and built a fuse panel. That should make it a lot easier to replace/add lights, and if something should happen it will blow a fuse and not the wall wart. I was in Lawton on Monday and stopped in at the Salvation Army surplus store and found a box that was full of the wall warts, I looked thru the box and found 5 of them that were 12 volt and ranged from 1 amp to 1.6 amp. I got them for a dollar a piece, a lot better than $20.00 for a 12 volt 2 amp from Radio Shack.
MrB, I am glad the cleaning car works good, I need to find one to clean inside my tunnels. Are you going to Rent it out in the near future?
Joe, set us all up with another round. Mike
Coffee, Coffee, Coffee. I think that huckleberry pie would go nicely, please.
I climbed at the rockgym last night. I went with my friends to the local brewpub afterwards for dinner, and I had pear cider. This morning I finished applying ground foam to my Aggro trees. There will be a tree planting this weekend. Since Larry started on the bridge deck of his trestle, he is pushing me to keep my part going.
MrB, Thanks for the info on the track cleaner. I think that we will keep our eyes open at the local train show in November. You get so much done on your layout. Where do you find the time with all of your other activties?