Good evening guys... Joe, I'll have double of you best Scotch whisky, on the rocks!
Been busting my butt all week with WAY more extra stuff then I want to do... Then I run away to a hunting / fishing cabin that I share with a long time (darn near "life long") friend that we have over by Itasca State Park on an environmental lake surrounded by State Forest. Only to find that it's been broken into sometime between Feb. and now.
Fortunately.......Nothing was trashed except for the doors being blown to bits......They just unloaded the goods, taking ONLY anything that was of value! Seemed as if they were setting up their own place (they even took my bottle of extra virgin olive oil off the shelf) with lanterns, knifes, tools, propane tanks, radio, fishing tackle and rods.........the list goes on, or maybe just anything that could be hauled out on a four wheeler and sold easily.
All weekend long we were coming up with things that were missing. So far we're out a couple of grand (or so we think), with only a very few things that can't be replaced. None the less, I really feel violated and I'm mad too.
I've always been a trusting soul and have tried to do the right thing in regard to other folk. Like....Not locking the gates to our property and always granting permission, thus not limiting access to the lake to the locals for fishing, riceing (a local Native American uncle and nephew team took over 1000 lbs. of wild rice off the lake last year) and water foul hunting......This really stinks to be ripped off!
I'm approaching the point of "NO MORE"! I try to be the nice guy! I own the land, I pay the taxes, I let you all use my access to the lake....And you violate my trust. I'll have another double Joe, please and thank you!
With all of that now off my chest: As for the MRR.............Tomorrow I have to work in the garden, weather permitting, but then I want / need to finish up the new layout of Sawbill Jct. I did get part of the road down with paint and a sifted sand. So far, so good!
And...As long as I'm crying in my beer, so to speak. I'll have another double Joe, and I'll spring for a round of the house too.
Let me buy you another, JB. It's the least I can do.
Unfortunately, nothing is safe anywhere anymore, from the cities to the boonies. Of course, it's not a particularly new phenomenon. I still remember coming out of my LHS when I was a kid, only to find that someone had ridden off on my bicycle. (I looked, and there it was! Gone!)
Unfortunately, if you try to claim anything on your insurance, the company will either jack up your rates or cancel your policy entirely. The crooks don't all wear masks and sneak around at night.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Good morning. I'll have a big breakfast Joe...And keep the coffee coming too please.
Yes, I know it's pretty late in the morning, but I just got up at 1000. I've been working REAL late the past two days, but now I'm back to a more reasonable timeframe for the remainder of the week.
Jeffrey: I didn't mean to just blow right over your post of "road work" pictures! I was just wound up with being ripped off! Your work looks good. I always like the way your dioramas have such a great sense of depth. What is the next step in your finishing process? Are they to be paved or blacktop?
My work schedule for the Trainroom is still on a "hold-order" with working in the garden on Mon. and working in town all day and most of the night yesterday. Today I have an entire load of ARC paperwork to do (classes are winding down), so RR work is again postponed.
Mr. Beasley: Thanks for the condolences....and the drink! I needed both. It is amazing what the thieves can do. WOW! In the middle of the night when folks are in the home. That just blows me away! Are these folks sleeping through the burglary?
I'm a light sleeper and I'm thinking that I would hear something going on. On the other hand, that could be bad, as I do have a substantial arsenal and know how to use it...I need not say more!
Well, I'd better get back to the ARC website and get some more work done. Later.
J.B.,
Sorry to hear about the cabin and all the vandelism. I have been a victim of crime too many times to count, well, actually, three separate incidents. And each time it left me with an angry view of life in general. Time will heal though, it took a few years before I got to trusting people again, and even still, I am more cautious these days.
Mind you, all my victim of crime events happened back when I lived in Uptown New Orleans, and all was over 15 years ago.
Enough of my belly aching!
Is it mojito time yet?
Ryan BoudreauxThe Piedmont Division Modeling The Southern Railway, Norfolk & Western & Norfolk Southern in HO during the merger eraCajun Chef Ryan
colvinbackshop wrote: Jeffrey: I didn't mean to just blow right over your post of "road work" pictures! I was just wound up with being ripped off! Your work looks good. I always like the way your dioramas have such a great sense of depth. What is the next step in your finishing process? Are they to be paved or blacktop?
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
Dang, sure is lonely in the Beer Barn the past few days...
Looks like all the mojitos are all for me....
Hick! Darn good too!
SilverSpike wrote: Dang, sure is lonely in the Beer Barn the past few days...
Hey, just got in....And, I'll buy a round.
No work on the RR of late, but it's raining tonight and is supposed to do so all weekend. Not only does that reduce the fire danger (we have been in the MAJOR high danger zone for the past few days) it also means that once I'm done with the chores....I get to play in the Trainroom!
Still working on Sawbill Jct. with the next step being the "graveling" of the street. I'll snap a pic and share it tomorrow.
As for now, I'll have a Rogue Mocha Porter Joe...And as stated when I first walked in, a round for the house. It's payday today and I feel the need to share the wealth. How ever small it may be!
Hey everybody! Some pics....
Hey, nice rocks, Detroit. And good weathering, too. Let me buy you a Dr Pepper. Still morning here in New England, and unseasonably cool. Still in the 40's, with enough light clouds that the sun's not making much of an impact yet. I was up too late last night, so the coffee's not making much of an impact, either. And sorry about the 2-day stubble - I'll shave later.
I finally figured out a solution to one of my wiring problems. I've got 2 Model Power buildings, Baldy's Barbershop and Annie's Antiques, that came with nice ceiling-mounted interior lights. The kits included interiors for the first-floor shops, too, so the lights let you see them. The problem is, how does one wire these things? Most of the time, structure lights are attached to the layout base, and the structure goes on top. These lights, though, are part of the building, so I needed a quick-disconnect when I want to remove the building so I can work behind it.
I ended up with small, cheap alligator clips from Radio Shack. I think they were $2.79 for a 10-pack. I wired the clips to the wiring bus for the structures, and then just clipped the wires on as I set the building down. I made one of the clip leads longer than the other so they wouldn't be next to each other and short out.
I went to a train show and open house in Bolton, MA, on Saturday. The show wasn't much, two modular layouts and maybe a dozen or so vendors. It seemed like half of them were just selling books, videos and shirts, too. The Young Model Railroaders group was there with their layout. It's good to see young kids, particularly girls, working on modules and doing scenery. (The best module by far, by the way, belonged to one of the young ladiies. Way to go, Brenna!)
I had a great time at the New England Rail club after that. It's a pretty big layout, with a very long mainline run thanks to the serpentine aisle arrangement. It's at http://www.nvrra.org/ if anyone is interested. Again, one of the engineers was a young man, and he had several of his friends along with him.
Morning all, Joe, I'll have a tall Iced tea and one of your famous cheesburgers and onion rings, Thanks.
Mr. B, I have also been wondering about quick disonnects, I have several wall warts powering my layout. I have clipped the ends off the wire and was thinking of using the ends for the disconnects. You can usually get the other end from out dated equipment, sush as old cordless phones or stereo equipment. Do you thing this would work?
Not doing much in the train room lately, spending some time in what will be the new train room. I have a cousin hat is an artist in Flordia and has bought an old farmhouse here that used to belong to my Great Grandmother and Grandfather. He is planning on remodeling it and is wanting me to do most of it. Could turn into a really sweet deal, I am going to see if he would be interested in painting my backdroop on the new layout.
I see my grub has arrived. Pass the katchup please. Thanks. See you all later. Mike
Mike, Cheeseburgers and onion rings for breakfast? Hmmm.
That looks like sunrise over Detroit, Detroit. Great weathering on that car.
MrB, Are you back to the layout now that skiing is over?
Sue
Anything is possible if you do not know what you are talking about.
Good morning, everyone. Joe, I'll have scrambled eggs, toast and a BIG coffee.
All of the photos are outstanding! Makes me want to get out of the netherworld and build some scenery. (Unfortunately, I have to finish the netherworld before I can build anything over it. Can't ice the cake until all the layers are in place!)
Mister B, I'm a great believer in miniature stereo plugs for easy disconnects. You can mount either the plug or the socket on the base. Only issue is with alignment - but that can be a plus rather than a minus since the plug will align the same every time.
Colvin - sorry to hear about your encounter with the criminal element. A few years back I had some local kids on a crime spree break into the garage of an at that time empty house. All the little (fillintheblank)s got was a straw broom! (They also got busted when one's mother got curious about all the stuff her son had just acquired.)
As I mentioned in the tool thread, I just finished converting a sheet of plywood into spaghetti in anticipation of the next leg of construction. The foam and track templates are all set to caulk in place, so things should go quickly - especially since the only turnout is a spring switch. Now it's time to get creative with the tin snips. All my risers are made of steel stud material, just like the joists they attach to. Three different alignments, on three different grades, with three different radii - all destined to be hidden in the netherworld and accessible by opening up the main CTC panels for the JNR and TTT (which are scheduled to occupy that part of the fascia.)
Well, the General Superintendent just called - has some household chores she wants me to attend to. See you later.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Yes, Sue, (and Larry,) I've put the skis away and now can reasonably expect to get at least some train time in most weekends. Of course, today was perfect for putting down some Turf Builder Plus 2 to green up the lawn and get rid of dandelions, so that took priority, and we have a guest coming over for dinner so I had to clean up the layout a bit and make it show-ready.
I'm back to the turntable pit-bash, among other things. Walthers has had the City Classics grocery store and the Arrowhead Ale background structure on sale, so they are now awaiting painting and assembly. For the pit-bash, I took a set of trucks and pulled the wheels off the axles, and then put them back on with the flanges out, and the wheels shoved all the way to the center of each axle. That way, I'll have a wide wheel with flanges on the outside, that will hopefully stay on the pit rail. The rail itself will have to be shrunk a little - I made the circle some time ago, before I worked on the bogies, and it looks like it's not going to fit. Oh, well, it's easier to cut it shorter than it is to cut it larger.
Morning, Joe. How about some bacon 'n' eggs, over easy, with an English muffin. Thanks, and keep the coffee comin'.
What I really wanted for quick disconnects is Fahnestock clips. Remember them? Lionel used to use them for all sorts of connections.
I just can't find them around anywhere. They're available mail-order, but I hate to pay more for shipping than for the product.
I thought of stereo plugs and other connectors like that, but I didn't want to spend $8.99 for two of them. All of those things are technically OK, but you just can't get them for a reasonable price. Maybe I'll find an appliance repair place and see if he's got any in his scrap bin.
I'll have some coffee and a plate of toast, please.
Oh, wait a minute, that's another thread.
Midnight Railroader wrote:Wait, someone's figured out how to make toast with DCC?
As an analog DC antique, I make my toast with a propane torch...
Goes right along with my 325-watt rail feeder soldering tool...
Howdy guys..and gals:
Joe, I'll try one of those mojito things...looks interesting! What is it exactly?
No, I didn't get lost. But I did get REAL busy with work at the pool again, and I fell down and hurt my back pretty badly to boot! I've been limpin' & gimpin' since Sat. morning with a lower back and legs that just want to recover very well. I have been in the Trainroom a bit, but between extra work and my wheels that don't work quite right...I'm experiencing a "slow order"!
I did however get most of the gravel down on Broadway Street.
And, I now need to continue it into the backdrop and work on the parking areas.
"detroit" I have to agree, you have done some nice rock scenery, but what really caught my eye was the nicely weathered GN Rocky. Nice job!
Mr. Beasley, I'm in Chucks camp regarding phone plugs. Check out the 1/8" phone plugs at Radio Shack. Seems to me they were pretty cheap...At least way less than your $8 + price. I have to admit, it's been a while and prices keep going up, but if memory serves, I got plugs for under $2.
BTW, not only can you make toast, the propane tourch works great as a broiler too!
I'm turning into a pumpkin....I think I may have just dosed! I worked in the yard and garden with the wife most of the day...Before heading in to the pool to teach the Lifeguard class for three hours and then pull my CPO shift for four hours. So, I'm thinking it may be time for a little "shut-eye".
colvinbackshop wrote:
JB,
Great progress on your community. Thanks for sharing your photos. We have planned for businesses, but the details are still fuzzy on residential areas.
Howdy, Joe. Suds for the house, and keep what's left out of this.
J.B., that's a fine looking town you have shaping up there. Sure wish I had enough space to do something similar. As it is, most of my non-rail-related structures are going to be virtual - sharing the aisleway with the operating staff - or reduced scale forced perspective pieces up on the mountains.
Construction on my layout has come to a (brief) halt, pushed aside by the need for a major cleanup effort. Reason? THE MUNDANES ARE COMING! More specifically, my sister, my niece, my cousin (who I haven't seen for 50+ years) and her husband will be here for the weekend. My wife convinced me that things will be better if I lower the debris pile so the visitors can actually see where the tracks are! So, spent the last two work sessions bringing a semblance of order out of the chaos and shoveling up sawdust, bits of plywood and odd chunks of styrofoam. In the process I re-discovered some missing tools and salvaged a bunch of useable screws, track nails and rail joiners from the sweepings.
Only problem is, now I can see where I am and how much farther I have to go. If my grand plan is an iceberg, so far I've completed the part that actually contacted the hull of the Titanic. At closest approach, I'm still half a scale kilometer of track (and three turnouts) from breaking out of the netherworld. Don't ask how far I have to go in the other direction!
Well, it's back to the layout room. Now I have to try to organize the temporary storage on and under the table that will be the other end of the railroad...
Good morning. OK it's almost time for lunch...OK, it's time for lunch! Joe, I'll have the special and tall cold tap, please.
Thanks for the kudos on the townsite...It's been slow coming. Just don't get (maybe "take time" falls here too) enough time to play out there.
"tomikawaTT"...Regarding time and the project at hand. YES, it is an iceberg effect type of thing! Keep in mind that it's all fun!
I started a good ten years ago on the CCRY with a room that needed (to say the VERY least) a lot. This ranged from the ceiling all the way down to the floor....First it was just a matter of getting EVERYTHING that had been stored there, out. At that point it then became a re-model of sorts with the removal of piping and some re-wiring. From here I moved on to new / additional insulation, new sheeting, installing a furnace, moving windows, installing lighting, building a "backshop" work bench and the list goes on.
This took me three years before I even started on benchwork! Then....It took two more years before I had my first track down. This has certainly been a "labor of love", but not always fun nor progressing smoothly or fast.
Now it's a lot more fun....Even the chore of ballasting! Sooo...Hang in there! It does sound like you are getting a lot accomplished!
Good evening all. Joe set us all up with something to drink, make mine a Bud. Thanks
Been raining here all week but we needed it. I have been pumping water in the ponds and have them about full. No rain as of noon today so I took off work at noon today to do some mowing, soon as I got home we had fust enough rain to keep me from mowing. I decided to go ahead and work on my PU. Got it fixed and went to the store and got some gasoline ($3.05 a gallon, OUCH!!!!) and when I got home it started to rain again! That is my luck for you. Sounds like I need to go to the train room and relax with the trains. Any one got a better Idea?
Joe bring us another round, Keep the classes full. Put it on ,my tab. Will check back later. Mike
Hey Mike...I'll keep you company. And we can switch off paying the tab too. This one's on me!!I'll have a Porter, Joe. And maybe something to snack on too...If you please.
Sounds like if it weren't for bad luck, you wouldn't have any luck at all today. Actually, you are lucky regarding the price of "go juice"! Ours is at $3.17 tonight...And the annalists say they don't really know why. I can tell you why. SOMEBODY is making A LOT of money off me and you! And there isn't a darn thing we can do about it.
Hope you got to escape from the real world, to your Trainroom for some fun at least.
I didn't have much time today, but did get out to play for a little bit. I did a little painting on the backdrop at Sawbill Jct. and did some cleaning. As tomikawaTT made comment earlier regarding cleaning up. Things can get a bit out of control and a good cleaning is called for every now and again. I don't think I've lost any tools....But how can I be sure? Most of the time I can't find them when I'm using them! Is it just me or can you too, lay down a tool you have been using and then not be able to find it for an hour or two?
I should otta' stumble off to bed. I've got a busy day ahead for tomorrow with all sort of chores to do. And then, It's Mother's Day! We have plans in place with most of the family to rendezvous at "Zum Brauhaus" (a great German restaurant about 1.5 hrs West of here) for a dinner. It should be great fun...And full bellies too!
Hey, wait a minute! I'm at the top of this page! It's my turn to buy! Set 'em up, Joe. A Harpoon IPA for me. (Come to think of it, I'll go have a real one, too.)
Gas is still just a few cents under $3 here in Massachusetts. Two stations in town, though, have no gas and haven't had any for a week or two. That goes along with what the analysts I heard on the car radio were saying - over the last few months, almost every major refiner has had some serious "maintenance" problems, "forcing" them to curtail production. Now, if you believe that all those maintenance problems were real and unexpected, well, I was born in Brooklyn, New York, and I happen to have deed to a bridge you might be interested in.
I'm supposed to be outside chain-sawing out some old timbers around a flower bed and replacing them. Instead, I've been tinkering around a bit with scenery. I put a piece of card stock between the first and second floors of the Woolworth building, and found some pictures of grocery shelves on the Web. I printed those up and made stand-ups by bending over the bases, and put them inside the building. I've arranged them so that one "shelf" blocks the interior light from the front of the store, but the light shines on the others. Probably easier to show a picture, but my wife's got the camera and is away on a "girls weekend" with some old friends in Pennsylvania.
And the Varsity Girls lacrosse team won a close one this morning, 13-12. Beautiful day, and now they're really getting good at the game. It was more fun to sit there and watch this game than to go see the Red Sox. Our high school teams are the "Buccaneers," and some time ago someone designed a "Lady Bucs" logo for the girls' lacrosse team. (Nice logo, but not the kind of person you'd want to run into in a dark alley.) Anyway, I've got a bar model that's going to be sittin' on the dock of the bay when I get to that part of the scenery, and I'm now going to call it "Lady Buc's."
Morning all, Getting close to dinner time, Joe, bring me a pizza, thanks. Had to rescue this from page 5. Just playing hooky from work today, woke up this morning at 2 AM and couldn't get back to sleep until the alarm went off and I was so tired I called in sick and went back to bed. I am a bad man I suppose.
I was wondering, is it me, or are there a lot of useless threads on the forums lately? I guess I had better go do something, BTW I have been without a cigarette for almost 8 months. Later Mike
Congrats, Mike.
BB has been quite dead lately. I'll bet with the nice weather that everyone is outside more.
I may do some ground goup today.