Howdy, Joe. Lunchtime again; I'll have a Singha, and one of those superburgers that Mister Bumstead invented.
Pictures... Well, that's a long story! Believe it or not, I don't own a camera. (My 120 roll-film TLR died years ago and was never replaced.) Not that I'm in the stone age, technologically, (the mailbox next door is marked, "Rubble," and, "Flintstone," is a couple of houses over.) To get a good idea of what my layout looks like, start with a shot of bare Westcott L girders (except that the girders and joists are C-section steel studs,) then superimpose a shot of Disney World's Himalayan Adventure ride under construction - except that my grades aren't that steep.
Mike, how's your back doing? My son's is in pretty good shape, but it's been years since his surgery. According to him, the key is, "Follow doctor's orders, and don't try to speed the process."
See you all later.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Some Pinot Grigio for the gang, Joe. Lobster tonight. $5.99 a pound up here in New England, and no, that's not 1937 prices, or 1967 prices, just 2007 prices at our local supermarket. Man, I still remember $2.99, though.
Well, I finally made that great leap of faith and started assembling my pile of Jordan vehicles. Eventually, I'll have enough for the roads of Moose Bay, circa 1937, once I've got them all together. Not as many autos as 1967, but that's OK, the roads really weren't as crowded back then.
Yeah, I've gotta fix up that door. The camera really shows it, huh? It was a "glue mistake," as I attached the cab to the chassis. Man, those cars do have a lot of parts, don't they? And some, like the gearshift and handbrake, can't even be seen! (Good thing. The steering wheel is somewhere in the top drawer of my workbench, or maybe on the floor. I dunno.)
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I will sure step up for the Lobster dinner.
Is that PU lifted? Or is that just the angle?
Sue
Anything is possible if you do not know what you are talking about.
Sue, if you and Larry are ever in New England, the lobster dinner dinner is on us. (The same offer for the rest of you, by the way. Ummm - train talk and lobster, can you beat that?)
I thought I followed the directions, but yeah, that truck looks jacked. I've never seen one for real, though, so what do I know?
MrB,
You have been smokin' those scenes out. I assume that things will slack off as we get closer to ski season. The freezing level came down to 4000 ft here on Friday. They predicted 2 inches of snow. There was no report. If it had snowed, they would have had reporters at the pass standing in the snow. It went back up on Saturday.
PS Thanks for the invite good train talk is always fun.
Morning, all. Joe, I'll just have some coffee this morning. Still full from all that lobstah.
Actually, I barely touched the layout over the weekend. I did spend a lot of time on that truck, though, so I posed it in front of an existing scene. (The people are all from Preiser's "Sitting on the Stairs" package, by the way.) I put a driver in the car, too. He's a BLI engineer. The brutal Dremelling I had to do to his legs and lower torso would have done a teen slasher movie proud.
I had some "home alone" time, so I did do a bit of wiring. I'd put in a contact-closure thing with the Peco turnout for the brewery siding, so I wired that up with a LED to indicate turnout position. Right now, it's just a dual-color R/G LED hanging off the edge of the layout. I'll have to make up some kind of housing for it, and then figure out how I'm going to route the wires. That track runs on the piece of 1/4-inch masonite that forms the roof of the subway station below, so I can't just punch a hole through.
Barely touched the layout? Sounds like you did quite a bit.
Morning all, Joe I'll have the sausage & eggs with black coffee this morning. Thanks.
Not much going on this morning, slept late, I got up at 4:30 AM with my back hurting to the point I had to take a pain pill, Finally got back to sleep around 6 AM, and got up at 9:30. I was supposed to have a Physical Therapy treatment at 10 AM but was already late so I had to call and cancel the appt. I really hate having to do this but I guess you have to sometimes, I don't feel the PT are doing much good. I have an appt. in the morning at 8:30 AM in lawton to see a nero surgen, maybe he can tell me what we are going to have to do to get my back back in working order, I am so ready to get back to work!
Not much time in the train room this weekend but I hope my scale lumber will be in this week so I can go back to work on the wood barn. I guess I'll go and eat my food, MrB, I would have come up for the lobster last night but I was to tired and achey. Take care Mike
Sue;
I/m curious as to your forum name. Has it anything to do with the video on another post. Just wondering. I find it interesting how people choose what to call themselves. Mine is quite simple - Great Uncle Bruce.
GUB
Evening All - I'll have a nice cold beer, perhaps a Corona or maybe a Sam Adams. Came home early today. I now have a deadline to get the master bedroom finished. I guess I shouldn't complain, it's been 17 years since I started. (it's a long story and I wouldn't want to bore you withn the details. At the rate I'm going I should make the deadlineeven with Thanksgiving happening this weekend. This is our tenth aniversary for the Donald's Thanksgiving Extravaganza. On the modeling side, haven't done much over the past couple of weeks. Still struggeling to get all the windows painted for the mill. Once that is done I'll start working on the 2nd floor addition. I got a email from my LHS and the Tichy windows and doors are in. All I have to do is go and pick them up. Well, I should go. Will check back later. BTW Mr. Beasley nice work.
GUB wrote: Sue;I/m curious as to your forum name. Has it anything to do with the video on another post. Just wondering. I find it interesting how people choose what to call themselves. Mine is quite simple - Great Uncle Bruce. GUB
Bruce,
Larry, my husband, is a truck driver. When I go with him, I drive too. It sort of fit. Was the video, the hot rod video? We sold it last weekend. Sadly, I miss it, but we weren't driving it much. The garage is huge without a car in it. Lots of room for the other toys.
I probably should shove off. I need to get a few chores done since I work tomorrow.
Evening all: I'll have a tap please, Joe.
Well...I have made it back home, from both another trip north and from work this evening too. I've been away from home for a bit again. Uncle died and I've been back up in the N.W. corner of the state for the past few days.
We said our goodbyes to Uncle last Thru. morning and then proceeded to have one great wake lasting well into the weeee hours. He was a good man and will be missed by many. Somehow, I'm sure he had a good time with us too!
So, after a week or better, being away from home over the past month, it's catch up time and I'm running "full tilt"!
Still working on the library, yard, garden and a multitude of fall projects. Still have two major projects; siding to put on the re-model and a new wood shed to build. The rest are rather small in comparison!
Mike: The PT will take a substantial amount of time. The first time I was really "down & out" with my back, took most of a year to even somewhat recover! I haven't been totally incapacitated for some time now, but the last time I was...I was hardly walking, with a cane none the less, for a good nine weeks! Be patient, do the routine and you may recover without surgery. In my mind, at least these days, surgery is a LAST resort.
GUB, thanks for sharing the source of your handle. Knowing your name from the dining car emails.....I have to say, that I too wondered what GUB stood for. And speaking of the dining car, we need to do some sharing again. It's been a while.
Thanks for the photos. I love seeing the progress. Maybe someday I'll have some progress to report again! For now though everything in the Trainroom is experiencing a "stop order".
And with that, I'll have another Joe!
Yes it was the video of the Hot Rod and when I saw it I was extremely jealous. I have always wanted a pickup truck from that era. Since I am not mechanically inclined and far from being independtantly wealthy I guess I'll just have to settle for my "Smart Car". It's great for going to the LHS or Train Shows. Not very handy for picking up car parts.
Speaking of LHS, I picked up part of my order. The Grandt Line grab bag of Architectural Details and Doors are on back order. When I questioned the owner of the LHS as to when these would arrived, he couldn't tell me. He did elaborate that Grandt is somewhat problematic in this. Has anyone else experienced this Grandt?
Since it is Lunchtime I'd better settle for a nice cold glass of milk to wash down my sandwhich, instead of anything stronger. I don't think the boss would be to happy. Hey... Wait a minute, I am the boss. Well maybe I should be responsible and wait till I get home before having a drink.
BBFN
Good Morning Everyone;
Well it's Friday finally. It's been a long although only a four day week. I'll have a coffee and an english muffin to start the day. I am taking the day off and combined with the holiday on Monday I am geeting an extra long Long Weekend. Let's see, today's project is to get the Mantel finished in the Master Bedroom. If I can get that done then I can lay the tile for the hearth which won't take long since it is only 3 tiles and some wood trim. Then I can install the existing wood baseboards which will allow the carpet guy to come in and do his thing. Then the closet people come in and do their thing. At the same time I can trim out the cabinet above the mantel. Just in case you were wondering it is a gas fireplace, so there is no chimney that would interfere with the Flat Screen TV that is planned for that space. I figure if I get this room done and one other the CFO will allow me to start the train room in the attic. Yeah! But then again the best layed plans ......
Tomorrow we have to get ready for the Thanksgiving Feast for both families on Saturday. Although we are missing most of my family and my wife's one niece moved to Victoria and she and her husband and daughter won't be here and another niece is in Norway where her husband is playing hockey and they won't be here we will still have around 30 people on Sunday. Maybe I will get in a little modeling. Paint more windows on the Mill. And speaking of windows, I am using the windows that came with the Walther's modulars and I am using Polly Scale paint. However, when I apply the first coat by brush the paint tends to bead. If I apply enough i do get pretty good coverage. After scrapping off the excess and after applying the 2nd coat they look pretty good. Is there anything I can do or put on the windows to prevent the beading? Anyone here have any experience with the windows that come with the modulars. Maybe I should read the instructions that came with the Modulars and see if there is a hints that might help me. Just a thought. Although if painting is not in the cards I could organize and catalog the Grandt Line grab bag of windows.
But I think the wife might have other projects, such as helping with cooking and cleaning for the upcoming occasion.
Okay, officially now I am rambling. Need to get going. Gotta go to the lumber store and pickup some screws and glue. Speaking of gluing and screwing ... Ah never mind it's somewhat corny.
Gotta go. Have a Great Day. I will check back in later.
Happy Friday morning, everyone! I'll go with a big omelette, ham and mushrooms, Joe, and keep the coffee coming.
So, here we are ramping up for Columbus Day weekend. The National Hockey League has started it's regular season, the NFL is up to week 5, and it's 80 degrees in Boston? Yeah, the Red Sox are hot, but is that the reason for this unseasonably mild fall weather? OK, it's a lot more pleasant taking stuff outside to Dul-Cote it than doing it when it's 35 and about to start spitting snowflakes.
I got one Jordan vehicle assembled last weekend - a Ford pickup truck. These are nice little models, but they do take a lot of time and effort. The small parts weren't as bad as I'd feared, and I didn't need any magnification beyond my own bifocals. I just took my time, used tweezers and was very careful with the glue.
While I had the Dul-Cote out and was spray painting anyway, I started the 2 Walthers Mather stock car kits. I've had these for a month or two, but didn't get to them. I've got them both weathered up now, and I assembled the first one a couple of nights ago. Again, a lot of very small parts, but not too bad. The stockyard kit from Walthers came in, so there's another project. I've got much less space than even half the kit uses, so I'll be bashing from the first step on this one.
A guy at work asked me for some advice on toggles for a work-related project, and then said he was going to a local electronics supply place to pick them up. He asked me if I wanted anything. For once, my brain clicked at the right time and I said "Fahenstock clips!" Those are the little wire clips that Lionel used to use for a lot of their accessory wiring - push down on the clip, put the wire through the loop, and then release the clip and the spring tension holds the wire in place. Not as good as solder, but solid enough, and great for connections that need to be taken off occasionally. I installed a couple of them last night. I've got a building that straddles two "fault zones," places where lift-off scenery for subway access meet the solid parts of the foam base. That building has to come off for maintenance, so this was the perfect solution for wiring its interior lighting. I've got to mount the socket on the wall inside the building, but other than that it's finally light inside the Burns Coal and Oil Company.
Just a quick cup of coffee before I head out for Physical Therapy, Thanks Joe.
Mr B. I see your at the top, are you picking up the tabs this morning? I got my scale lumber in the mail yesterday and I hope to start on the barn this weekend, Man that is some really small lumber, I went to Lawton yesterday and picked up a pair of Hobby Lobby's brand of opti-visors. They came with 2 pair of lenses, You guys could have told me how bad my layout looks when you can actually see it. LOL I finished the wrecker I have been re-painting for Cody's recovery, and have another one to do, (I will remove the plastic mirrors before I soak it in paint remover. While I was at Hobby Lobby yesterday, I foumd a silver felt tip marker that works great for adding the chrome to the sides of the viehicles after re-painting. I used it on the blue Chevy PU I painted last week and it sure made it look better. I guess I better head for PT, See you all later. Mike
Glad you liked it. Our original outlay was not too bad. A friend of Larry's needed the money. We made an offer and he took it. Larry was able to do alot of the work. We bought a small block chevy from my brother, along with other assorted parts. It is the cam that makes it sound so great.
I agree with you. I am not mechanical either. Leave it to those who can.
The video sold the car. I will miss it. On to other hobbies.
Happy Thanksgiving, Bruce. Hope that you had a great day with family.
Hi Folks-just a quick Busch Light before I head to bed (I walked here so no worries there).
Been a long time since I saw a day in October this warm here. (upper 80's) Woke up this morning & as I sat down to my computer with my coffee, I heard a popping/grating noise a little bit to the northeast of here, & the power went out. (well, sorta-we had enough to make lights glow very feebly, but that was it.) I heard the neighbors outside saying they had problems too, so it wasn't just us. I had no light at my train workbench so I decided to walk 1 of my fiance's dogs. It worked out well, since the power was out, the neighbors were out too. & since we're new in the area, we stopped to talk. Turned out we have some good people living by us. The folks whose home we were in front of actually lived there since these postwar houses were built in 1948. He said he bought his place for $8000 new back then, & his house payment was less than $40/month. (but he also added he was driving a truck at the time & making .65 cents an hour.)
Power Co. came by then & got us fixed back up, so I was able to get back on the comp & witness the 2nd wave of abusive posts. Blah-I hope things get straightened around so this ceases to continue. As it got hotter, I decided to descend to the basement & the workbench, & got a little bit of work done on a few of my boxcars.
All in all, I got "most" of what I wanted done today, so off to zzz.
Ah, Monday! Coffee, coffee and more coffee, please, Joe. How about a Mexican omellette, too? Thanks.
I spent a bit of time re-wiring under the table this weekend. I got those Fahenstock clips, and put them in beneath a couple of liftoffs, where I need to be able to remove scenic sections which have lighting on them. At the same time, I separated out my building and streetlamp wiring, and put them on separate toggles. Then, I got to work on the building that houses Suzanne's House of Beef and Madam Adrienne's fortune-telling parlor. This one got bumped and fell apart a week or so ago. It was an early assembly, and the front wall wasn't glued on very well. I put in some supports for the light-block between the first and second floors, and for the roof, too. Then I built an interior wall between the two businesses (named after daughter Annie's friends) and started the interior.
I glued a light bulb bracket to the ceiling, and cut the center wall down so the same bulb could light both halves. Madame Adrienne prefers curtains and subdued lighting, so I covered that side of the bulb with some plastic from a WS figures pack, and painted it red. The light shining through gives a dim red glow to that side of the structure. Suzanne's, on the other hand, is a sub shop. I downloaded some panelling, pictures of Greece for the walls, and even a guy behind a counter with a brick pizza oven. I still need to pull the whole thing up and run the wiring through the floor, but this is what the House of Beef looks like. The walls are jacked up a bit so the wires can get under them on the other side:
Good morning. Coffee please. It is still too early for breakfast so I will just enjoy the coffee.
MrB, I am impressed with you interiors and wondering what I want to do when we get to that stage. Seems like you have a new one every week.
Mike, How is your scratch building going? Tweezers help.
I made some real decals for a change. Here's some of them. It was a real job to apply them with my shaky hands.
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
Good morning all, or afternoon. Joe I'll have a pain pill and a glass of ice water. Thanks, I'll have a nap in a few minutes.
Sue, thanks for asking about the barn raising, I wasn't sure if I should post these yet. I got a few pics that I will share, I started to post on WPF but the way it is going I will wait til later.
I realize these are not a completed project and I hope I don't get flamed for posting before I am done. If you look closely, you can see some of the wall studs are not straight but when I get the 1X12's on the outside and the weathering done I don;t think you will notice. The center pieces at the bottom of the big doors will be removed and a slab of weathered concrete will be poured. I still need to place some small horizonal boards between each stud to hold the center of the 1X12 exterior lumber. (These will be run vertical with 1X2's covering the gaps between the 1X12's)
And YES! tweezers are a must, along with a steady hand and very good lighting. I use an opti-visor some of the time. After I work a few minutes I have to stop and let my eyes re-adjust and it is also about time to stop and let the glue dry for a couple of hours. Being that I am unable to do anything elece, I can work on the barn for a few minutes and quit and come back to it in a while.
I woke up the other morning at 4 AM and couldn't sleep for thinking about the barn, so I went down in the shop and installed a few more wall studs. I am also getting into the re-painting of some of the automobiles on the layout, I see no need for 5 red Ford vans.
What are your opinions on this so far? Now, for the nap.................................Mike
Mike,
I think that you are safe here where we are free to talk about nothing, if we choose. I have been careful what I post, too.
What is the brown material that you are using for a foundation? Is that the part that you intend to remove? Hope that you enjoyed your nap.
Yeah, I like it too. I'm a big fan of in-process photos. I think showing the details of how it's done is good for everyone, particularly the beginner who's a little timid about asking questions. One day, I'm going to show an old shot of a piece of old brass track on a sheet of pink foam, my entire layout on that day.
Layouts grow and develop with time. So do our skills. So do we. (OK, I know, I've grown a bit too much, and need to cut down on the beers. (Joe, another Harpoon IPA, if you would. Thanks.) I like looking back on how things used to be. These old photos might not mean much now, but they will gain in value as the years pass. Kind of like mutual funds, but more fun to look at. And the memories are guaranteed.
Gotta' head for work soon!!! I'm waiting to pull diner from the oven, eat a bit and take off for town.
Mike I like the work on the barn! And NO...I don't think that anybody here will give any guff. If that were the case I would be in "DEEP DO-DO" as I have nothing really completed on my pike and still share pictures!
More latter folks. Joe, keep the pale ale cold...I'll have one when I get off work tonight.
I thought that I would stop in for a cold one before I head to bed. I know that it seems early to you guys, but 5:00 come mighty early sometimes.
Larry will be home from LA tomorrow, so we will probably do something on the layout if it is not too late when I return from the rock gym.
Evening all...I'll take that cold pale ale now Joe, and what the heck, I'll buy a round too.
About all I can say is wow! Mr. B, Mike and Jeffrey are all busy and doing some mighty fine looking work, I may add!
I don't think I've done anything in the Train since first running up north to help with uncle's auction....some three or four weeks ago now! On the other hand, I now have phase one of the library completed (trim and such, I can putter around with all winter) and it's raining ....So if it's still raining tomorrow, I'm going to head out there right away and play a bit.
Mike you mentioned a while back, even sharing a picture, that you had gotten a new dog. I got one too! I inherited my uncle's dog and he has now been with us a few days. So far only minor dog fights (I already have a Yellow Lab and a Jack Russell) and they are adjusting to each other pretty well. Just what I needed....Right! But he really needed a home and some love. What can I say, I'm a sucker!
Well, I had better drink up a head for home. I'm running on empty and need to hit the hay!
Good Afternoon:
Thanks JB & Sue. Thanksgiving was great. We had a little over thirty peple at the house for the day. Anne's Trivia was a big hit. We had our dinner at the Lawn Bowling club which makes it easier to sit everyone down. Even got in a couple of games which some of the younger ones actually enjoyed. Overall the day was a big hit. Next year, which will be the 11th, we'll have the rest of my family plus a couple new babies. Anne's thinking of having a road rally for the entertainment.
On the railroad side of things, I got about half way through identifying and cataloging my Grandt Window Grab Bag. Oh and I built a nifty lap tray to make it easier to work in front of the TV. Now if I can figure out what someone did to my TV, I could actually watch some TV. About the only thing we can watch at present is DVD's. Watched a couple movies last night while recuping from the day before - Second Hand Lion and Meet Joe Black. Second Hand Lion is worth watching.
Well, I had better finish my lunch and get back to work.