Morning Guys and PC
Cederstrand wrote: Now if I can just spot and photograph the ellusive steam loco chugging across the sky!?! Have a nice evening all. Rob
Now if I can just spot and photograph the ellusive steam loco chugging across the sky!?!
Have a nice evening all. Rob
Now that looks to me like either a N&W J Class or a NYC Streamlined Hudson. and Yes. I do look at the clouds and somtimes I see steam locos in the clouds.
Now 2 things this morning: 1.. The MNGRR might be homeless by Sept. 30 if it doesnot pay a $65,000 per year rent. The fallowing article was in the Portland Press Herald. The bottem includes responses by the locals.
Narrow gauge told it must pay rent
Supporters worry that the expense could be disastrous for the railroad on Portland 's East End .
Bookmark & share:
Printer-friendly version E-mail this page Reader Comments (below)
By ALLISON ROSS, Staff Writer July 27, 2007
The Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad is soon going to have to begin paying rent, and people involved are worried the added payment will end up ruining the not-for-profit organization if it can't raise the necessary funds.
For almost 14 years, the railroad's headquarters and museum have been housed rent-free in one of the buildings at the Portland Company Complex at 58 Fore St . However, the owner of the complex, Phineas Sprague Jr., is refinancing the land and is asking the railroad to begin paying rent or leave by Sept. 30.
The railroad must raise enough money to pay $65,000 a year in rent or lose the building the museum is housed in, as well as about 15,000 square feet of space for a train yard, said Susan Davis, director of the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad.
Davis said losing the space would be disastrous.
"We'd have to close the museum and just operate the railroad," Davis said. "And I just don't know how many people would ride the train if there were no museum to go to.... It's my perception that we need the museum to run the train."
Sprague said he's sure something will be worked out to keep the train running. Even if the group can't raise the money to keep the building for the museum, he believes it can raise enough to at least keep some space in the yard, and the group could operate from there until it was more financially stable.
"It's not the end of the railroad. We're just talking about the museum building. They will come up with something," Sprague said. "We are just trying to get them to shrink down to what they can afford."
Until now, Sprague has allowed the railroad to use the space free.
However, increased pressure from Sprague's siblings and the railroad's failure to show substantial financial progress forced Sprague to ask the railroad to begin to stand on its own.
"My brothers and sisters looked and said, 'They aren't making any money. They aren't doing anything but look to the family to support them. The railroad has no future if it's going to keep operating like this,"' Sprague said.
"I think the railroad is an asset to the community, but I can't carry them (the railroad) on my shoulders," he said.
Sprague said he remains a big supporter of the railroad and wants to see it do well, but that it's now up to the community to take responsibility to help.
Sprague was one of the strongest supporters in working to bring the narrow gauge railroad to Maine , and he said he is disappointed and sad that the community has taken it for granted.
"This is one of the most important railroad collections in the world, and it could be a significant gift to Portland and the state of Maine if it could be supported properly," Sprague said. "If you have a gift, you ought to take care of it."
Davis said the railroad is close to being able to afford the rent, but cannot quite manage it now without help.
She said the group is three years away from paying off a $750,000 loan it received in 1993 to purchase the railroad collection.
After that, she says, the annual loan payment of a little more than $60,000 could then go toward the rent.
"We were hoping we could last another three years, but the timing was off," Davis said.
Instead, she is hoping to raise enough money to pay back the remaining $175,000 left on the loan so the funds they regularly bring in can go toward the rent rather than the loan.
Davis said she is working to get out information about the railroad's situation and hopes the public, especially longtime railroad fans, will rally around to help.
"I'm hoping to draw attention to our need," Davis said. "There are a lot of people who use us for entertainment. If they realize how much help we need, I'm sure they'll come help us."
Staff Writer Allison Ross can be contacted at 791-6451 or at:
aross@pressherald.com
Bookmark and share this story:
grayfox1119 wrote: JEFF: Any progress with PS install yet, or still waiting for the unit? I know you mentioned that you would be logging ON from elesewhere whenever you could.
JEFF: Any progress with PS install yet, or still waiting for the unit? I know you mentioned that you would be logging ON from elesewhere whenever you could.
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 from warm, 98% RH ,70F dew point , tropical Central New England. The good news is that the cool front is just north of us, and by tomorrow we will have ideal weather until next weekend. Today the wife and I have to head over to clinic to have our 2 year eye exam, so maybe I will need new lenses, I think they are fine, but who knows until you look through the scope and try to find the "E".
ROB: The paeenger cars on the Cog RR are normal, that is, level floor. Only the loco has the tilted firebox, and for obvious reason. Can you see the fireman opening the door to shovel in coal to a level boiler with the locomotive on a 35% grade?? The coal and fire would spill back out onto him and things could get exciting in the cab.
PC: In electrical work, we have a system called "Lock-Out/Tag-Out " , you might want to try a modification of this system the next time you work on your computer, it will save a lot of pain.
SUE: I don't know if you get TRAINS magazine, but in case you do, or get to see one at library or bookstore, check out the book advertisement section near the back, "White Cascade". This book is selling very well, it really is a great read on a factual trajedy in the high Cascades.
Ok, were off to the eye doctor, "see" you guys soon.....no pun intended...ya right Dick !.
pcarrell wrote: Well I can see that you're all happy that I'm back.......mostly because you get a free meal out of the deal! (It's nice to be loved, even if it is a little warped!) gear-jammer wrote: pcarrell wrote: Am I that much of a blabbermouth?I couldn't help but make a mental note that you've avoided the question! Did your mother teach you something about, "If you can't say something nice,........."?
Well I can see that you're all happy that I'm back.......mostly because you get a free meal out of the deal! (It's nice to be loved, even if it is a little warped!)
gear-jammer wrote: pcarrell wrote: Am I that much of a blabbermouth?
pcarrell wrote: Am I that much of a blabbermouth?
Am I that much of a blabbermouth?
I couldn't help but make a mental note that you've avoided the question! Did your mother teach you something about, "If you can't say something nice,........."?
This just goes on and on.
Jim, Carpenters glue on the stockyard. We have a gallon jug from our house building. I figure that is a life-time supply. I considered staining first, but it will be back in the corner. I don't think that too much detail will show. If I can age it without destroying it I will be happy.
I better get ready for work. See ya,
Sue
Anything is possible if you do not know what you are talking about.
Mornin' all!
I see I'm buying breakfast for all of you this morning! Guess you best fill your belly's!
Mornin' Chloe! I'll do the coffee, some of Ed's OJ, and how about some steak and eggs? I'm buying anyways, so what the heck?
So how are all of you this morning?
I feel like this weekend was just a whirlwind! Seems like it went from Friday straight to Monday! Ever feel like that? I hate that!
JimRCGMO wrote: pcarrell wrote:No, I didn't blow a power supply. I wish it had been that simple! My kids decided it would be OK to download some stuff that they didn't know where it came from. They happened to catch me in the middle of some programing and I had no anti-virus or anything operating at the time. I even had my firewall down, all so I could remote program some IP phones on the other side of the state (so I didn't have to drive there!). Long story short, 3 trojans, multiple spyware and tracking devices, an eventual crash, followed by a mad weekend of programing and rebuilding and I'm back! Made some upgrades to the system while I was at it. Had to completely blow away the system (cmd:format C:) and start from scratch. I'm at about 85% right now. I still have to set up my wireless home network and my remote desktop connection to work, but other then that, I'm casual!Ouch!! And the kids are grounded from the computer for how many months, PC?? Definitely sounds like someone's computer privileges are in definite jeapordy...(That doesn't look like it's spelled correctly, but it's early...)
pcarrell wrote:No, I didn't blow a power supply. I wish it had been that simple! My kids decided it would be OK to download some stuff that they didn't know where it came from. They happened to catch me in the middle of some programing and I had no anti-virus or anything operating at the time. I even had my firewall down, all so I could remote program some IP phones on the other side of the state (so I didn't have to drive there!). Long story short, 3 trojans, multiple spyware and tracking devices, an eventual crash, followed by a mad weekend of programing and rebuilding and I'm back! Made some upgrades to the system while I was at it. Had to completely blow away the system (cmd:format C:) and start from scratch. I'm at about 85% right now. I still have to set up my wireless home network and my remote desktop connection to work, but other then that, I'm casual!
No, I didn't blow a power supply. I wish it had been that simple! My kids decided it would be OK to download some stuff that they didn't know where it came from. They happened to catch me in the middle of some programing and I had no anti-virus or anything operating at the time. I even had my firewall down, all so I could remote program some IP phones on the other side of the state (so I didn't have to drive there!). Long story short, 3 trojans, multiple spyware and tracking devices, an eventual crash, followed by a mad weekend of programing and rebuilding and I'm back! Made some upgrades to the system while I was at it. Had to completely blow away the system (cmd:format C:) and start from scratch. I'm at about 85% right now. I still have to set up my wireless home network and my remote desktop connection to work, but other then that, I'm casual!
Ouch!! And the kids are grounded from the computer for how many months, PC?? Definitely sounds like someone's computer privileges are in definite jeapordy...
(That doesn't look like it's spelled correctly, but it's early...)
Nawww, they didn't mean it.
I figure this is a good chance to teach them a little more about computer safety. I mean, they're good kids and they're pretty safe online, but they don't realize fully what constitutes a "download". They also don't realize what a secure site is. Rather then ban them from the computer when they didn't even know they were causing harm, I'll use this opportunity to teach them a few things using this as an example. I think that would be a far more productive approach for this situation.
Good Morning, Zoe - I'll have a cup of coffee to go, and one of Bill T.'s donuts, please.
Got to get going. Everyone take care of yourselves and your loved ones.
Blessings and prayers,
Jim in Cape Girardeau
Good Morning ! from Tipton IN
07-30-07
Bill Tidler Jr.
Near a cornfield in Indiana...
a coffee sounds about right, thanks.
cheers, krump
"TRAIN up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it" ... Proverbs 22:6
I know it's late, but if the is fresh enough, I'll have some in a UP or AT&SF mug, Please.
My back is finally feeling halfway alright again so I am going to celebrate by working late on some small projects tonight. Could actually get out of bed normally and didn't even take any Motrin today.
***Dick, is the floor of that cog loco level with the track or angled like the cab? Also, is there a seat belt in that thing?LOL
Rob
JimRCGMO wrote: Gee, PC, do you know how long we've all been waiting for you? Glad to see you're back in form at the TOP. Good that you got your/a computer working again - wasn't a power supply like Jeff's, was it?
Gee, PC, do you know how long we've all been waiting for you? Glad to see you're back in form at the TOP. Good that you got your/a computer working again - wasn't a power supply like Jeff's, was it?
I can see you've ben waiting!
Chloe, did I hear that PC's buying? Hot doggie! (No, actually, I'll have some ribs, fries, and a bottomless Dr. Pepper...)
Dick, thanks for posting the Cog RR pics. Those were neat - the top of the run photo reminded me of driving in some clouds (less than the Cog RR has) a while back when I was in Colorado (on my one and only Southwestern vacation, toward the wind-down of the marriage, but that's another story). It seemed strange to be driving with clouds about midway up the hubcaps.
JP, hope you did great on your training, and are on your way to getting back to cool New York weather (or however it is by now).
Scott, I'll be keeping you in mind tomorrow morning and your interview. When's the NS interview, again? I take it from what you wrote that the distance is more manageable to get to the NS job, correct?
Sue, thanks for the more completed pic of your stockyard. What kind of glue are you using - carpenter's or white glue, or something else? I'd think white glue would be tricky in not keeping the stain from getting into the wood grain. Least ways, I've heard ya have to watch out for it.
Helped my buddy Mark this afternoon a couple of hours (well, as much help as one person unskilled with drywall and most construction can be ). I also got the task of breaking some undesired news to him. Mark didn't make the other small group or to our church this a.m., and in the other small group, the woman Mark had dated some (but not long ago they'd broken up) and the new boyfriend announced they are planning to get married next July ('08). Mark was not happy about that (more mad at God than the woman). If you would, pray for his heart to find healing and to be open to the Spirit.
Well, I need to go wash off the sweat from earlier this afternoon. Hope none of you were downwind from me while I was eating my ribs and fries.
I'll see you all in the morning (if you don't beat me into the Diner).
Blessings,
Evening Gang:
Sue that corral and loading chute look good. To many modelers put the chute right into a corral with no alleys or sorting gates. Our corral has a curved crowd pen and chute We need to break up one of the corral pens in two. Right now it's too large. I'd also like to add another pen so we can hold calfs without getting them mixed up with the ones we're working.
Nice pictures of the cog railroad Dick. I wasn't able to get on your two addres's.
Scott: Good luck with the interviews.
PC is back on the top and all is right with the world.
Early to bed tonight.
Good Night All
Well, since you are buying, I think that a rootbeer float sounds great for a Sunday evening.
Dick sure has some great photos.
Hey y'all!
Since PC is buying...I think I'll take the bottomless iced tea and some key-lime pie!
We're finally get some rain around here! It's been dry for so long now...All the corn around us is looking absolutely horrible, and my friend's farm missed out on their second cutting. Hopefully this'll help 'em out some.
So I took a drive out today to go over the route which I am going to take Tuesday to get to the MARC station to get to Washington DC for my morning Amtrak interview. I'm not so sure if I'll be able to handle the call-in time though...They give me a two hour call-in time and I'm almost 70 miles away from DC. If there was no traffic, I could do it in an hour and a half...But with traffic it'll take two hours alone. That won't give me anytime to prepare myself or eat breakfast or anything...I'm gonna ask about that on my interview, but NS would be so much more convenient for me.
Okay y'all, I'll be around.
Scott - Dispatcher, Norfolk Southern
Good afternoon everyone....hot and humid here, but no storms "yet"!! Lorraine and I have been picking blueberries for a couple of hours after church this morning, about 2 gallons, and after lunch from the veggie garden ( eat healthy ) we spent the next 3 hours canning 18 pints of blueberries.....hey, these will make nice blueberry pies for Thanksgiving , Christmas, Easter, and on top of ice cream just about any time.
SUE: That is real smoke, no doctoring with Photoshop. That is the Conway Scenic RR's #7470, 0-6-0 yard switcher, built in 1921 in Montreal. It spends 99.9% of it's time pulling passenger from the North Conway RR station to Conway village to the south. It is not designed to haul heavy passenger cars up mountains like these. 20 miles of 2.6% grade from North Conway through the Crawford Notch ( White Mountains ) to Fabyan RR station. This was the original route of the B&M Mountain Division.
ROB: Glad you enjoyed the photos. I am posting a few here in the Diner for the guys who can't get to my website ( Webshots ).
Here is a photo of the Cog Engine that was getting our car into position for passenger loading and the climb up to the top of Mt. Washington, 6288 feet with an average grade of 36%. No mistype...36% !!!
Here is the view at the start of the climb up to Mt Washington peak.
[URL=http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2274593060063886960NyVuUl][/URL]
Here we are about 3/4 of the way up the mountain, and the cold front was fast approaching, clouds were lowering. I was standing in the isle to get this shot, and had to lean forward because I was at nearly a 45 degree lean in the car at this point in the climb. The D70 Nikon did a great job I thought between me moving and the car shaking on the cog gear.
[URL=http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2348341470063886960VhSXVq][/URL]
Nearly to the top off to the right.
Please keep the steam pressure up !! Shovel on more coal, faster.
And here we are at the top, in the clouds at 6,288 feet, when we reboarded 20 minutes later, it was pelting ice pellets and rain with winds over 60 mph, we were absolutely soaked when we got seated, but after a 90 minute ride back down the mountain, we were nearly dry.
OK, who wants to model a Cog RR ? What loco to we start with?
gear-jammer wrote: Philip, I wondered why you were so quiet. Glad you are back.
Philip, I wondered why you were so quiet. Glad you are back.
EDIT: I guess so since I'm on the top of the page.......AGAIN!
OK, what'll it be?
Chloe, Zoe.......get ready! I can feel the ground shaking.....here they come!
Paul, You would be my best judge. How did I do with my sagging gates? My stockyard is assembled.
Afternoon Gang:
Rob: As far as I know there has never been a catasrophic boiler failer in the live steam hobby. We've had an injury or two, The worst I've heard of was a broken ankle during a derailment. My friends wife put her foot out of the car during a derailment. She knows better but did it anyway. Usually the when a boiler goes bad it won't steam. an inspection usually shows a leak in the fire box area. Ether that or a flu leaking. A steam leak will put out the fire in the fire box. Our boilers are very over built. Mine has a boiler shell 3/8 in thick. I just got back from the track. I cleaned up my locomotive and brushed out the flues. I had to go to town and get a new brush as the old one had lost all its bristles. I use a .50 cal bore brush.
I need to get something for lunch so I'll say so long for now.
Coffee please & don't spare the beans!
***Paul, running live steam must be a joy. Curious, have you ever heard of any serious misshaps?
***Philip, that is a very unique Mother Hubbard you built there. Love the idea of having some "one-of-a-kind" locos on a layout. Will probably turn my Bachmann 4-4-0 (Jupiter) into an odd looking logging loco, but I need to find a source for replacement traction tires first!?! Has been stored for many years and presently just spins on the rails. No point beginning the project until it is running properly.
***Sue, nice work on the stock yard. Once complete, you need only fill it with people to be loaded for transport to the Soylent Corporation for processing.
***Jerry (anyone else, too) do you have a MOW train that you run to clean tracks or is it always a hands-on process? Just wondering if a variety of enough cleaning cars were strung together and run once a week, if that would be enough to keep rails clean or not?
Hey Jerry, everyone,
My computer finally bought the farm. I have it rebuilt now though, so now you're stuck with me once again.
Cederstrand wrote: I wonder how an N-scaler could kitbash such a thing? Start with 1/2 of an Atlas Mogul perhaps? Probably still to big. Something better left to HO and larger modelers I suppose.
I wonder how an N-scaler could kitbash such a thing? Start with 1/2 of an Atlas Mogul perhaps? Probably still to big. Something better left to HO and larger modelers I suppose.
It could be done. The Atlas loco might be a good starting point. It all depends on how crazy you are? It took one of the old Bachmann 4-4-0's and made it into a mother hubbard. I'm not done with it (it's a work in progress), but the basics are there and it runs pretty good. Here's a pic or two.
Jerry,
Thankyou for the kind remarks. Growing up on a small farm, and exposure to stockyards/saleyards, has given me the idea of how I wanted things to flow.
It is a slow building process. Glue. Wait. Glue. Wait.
grayfox1119 wrote: Lets see if this will enlarge as it is supposed to:
Lets see if this will enlarge as it is supposed to:
Loved it Dick. It enlarged just fine on my end. Did you photoshop the smoke?
Jim, The stockyard is totally scratch with a rough drawing. I took the measurement of the space and was originally going to have a chute on each end to load two cars at the same time, but decided that for the small farm operation that there was little chance that they would load simultaneously. I used wood from a bag of railroad ties for all the vertical posts and the cross beams at the gates. All of the other wood including the gates was 2 x 6 scale lumber (2 packages). Lots of little pieces. I can send you better photos if you would like. I made all of the panels and then glued them together. It is not exactly square, but in real life the fence could vary some. If you want to try one I can talk you through it.
Oh, yeah, I would like some coffee please. I want to relax a little before I head out to do my chores. Probably should wait until 8:00 so I don't wake the neighborhood.
Good morning ! from Indiana.
07-29-07
Dick, that Cog RR is fascinating. At first I wondered if I was looking at some exceptional model. Would sure love to see that little loco run. I wonder how an N-scaler could kitbash such a thing? Start with 1/2 of an Atlas Mogul perhaps? Probably still to big. Something better left to HO and larger modelers I suppose. Thanks for sharing the photos. Really enjoyed them and will view the rest tomorrow.
Good Evening ........I have all the photos uploaded to the Webshots site at the bottom of my reply here, so you can go there and see all of them, including the Cog RR and the 0-6-0 through the mountains in New Hampshire's Crawford Notch. I will post a few here so as not to overlaod the Dial-Up Diners.
JEFF: Thanks for the info, I paln to go to Wal-Mart tomorrow and pick up the spray kit and some alcohol. Yes, I have seen caps explode, very nasty with big can caps filled with oil back in the old tube type hi -voltage supplies, scares the hell out of you and takes a year off your life.
Here is a photo of the former CN 0-6-0 yard goat, rebuilt to new FRA standards a year ago at North Conway, NH, and crossing a trellis high up on the side of Crawford Notch. This is a 2.6% grade, and she worked VERY hard pulling 4 passenger cars.