Building the Pinnacle Creek Mining & Timber Co. RR


I'll take the photo as a consolation prize, 'cause I didn't spot the tree :rolleyes:

Congratulations to Clayguthrie for the eagle eyes.
 
April 1st. No fooling! Back to work. The PCM&T Co. layout is still standing after a week of hard reflection as to it's long term viability. I hate to tear up a railroad that is not perfect as far as my standards are concerned. I still have one track tuning issue to make it up to my standards.

Naturally it is inside the tunnel on the new loop I put in. I'm having trouble getting to the problem as it is exactly in the middle of the tunnel and as I'm not getting any younger my lack of flexibility makes it much harder. I have been working on this for a couple of weeks now and I'm not much closer to a fix. Softball is taking its toll on my body!

If and when I get this problem solved I will post another video of the whole loop. I have the new Heisler from MicroMark coming this Wednesday. It's a 2-truck, DCC and sound. I can't wait.

If you recall I have an open house in late August. Frankly I'm not sure I can wait that long with a completed layout in my room. Just not me. I'm excited to do the "last" layout. I'm mulling over some new, for me, scenery ideas that I've not used. Ceiling tile and Scultamold this time around. Until later here's a pic I took a few minutes ago. Jim:)

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New present to myself arrived yesterday.

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This replaces the old Heisler the guy from the LHS ruined for me trying to put a sound chip in.

This one's a bit gawdy right now, but after break-in I will repaint. Jim:)
 

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Thanks guys. Yes, it is DCC and sound. After never having sound before I'm really enjoying it. I know some don't care for it and I can understand. I wouldn't want more than two locos with sound on the layout at the same time. Since I really only run one at a time I'm good with it. Jim:)
 
New addition to the fleet. I found this at my LHS on the junk table for $10. I shortened it about 4 feet, repainted it, put on new trucks, added some dry transfers, and added a wood floor. Next will be weathering. Jim

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Hay, Jim, I got my Rivarossi Heisler back this week.....2nd try at getting the DCC to work right. It was an older model with a 2 wheel pickup.
A TCS KAM4 LED ( run-on tech.) did the trick.
 
HOexplorer said:
I still have one track tuning issue to make it up to my standards. Naturally it is inside the tunnel on the new loop I put in. I'm having trouble getting to the problem as it is exactly in the middle of the tunnel.
Click to expand...

Are you any closer to solving the track problem in the middle of the tunnel? -Chris
 
JPIII, My original, now in pieces, was a 1997 model. The DCC worked great but when it came to sound the dumba** that worked on it ruined the loco. My new one is perfect.

Chris, Sadly the answer is no. My back has been killing me and as soon as I can I will get under and fix it. I know what to do, it is just finding the 'window' to do it in. Jim:eek:
 
Speaking of your back hurting, what position on the softball team do you play? I know with a bad heart, I had to stop most of my outside type activities. Hope you feel better. Oh yes, also, I love what you did with the gondola/workcar. It really looks good and fits in with your type of a mining/logging setting. - Chris
 
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Gettin' old is not all it's cracked up to be. My hands/wrists have had me nearly at a standstill for bout 3 weeks now.....but slowly getting better.....they *really* don't like getting cold.

The Heisler with its single axle pickup is (I think) of 1994 manufacture but practically unused. That decoder with "run on" (bout 10-15 seconds) capability made it a good runner to match its good looks.....the good news is I got it cheep. The decoder, while affordable, was not....no sound. The total cost was less than half of what is now being asked on the bay for DCC equipped units.

If I load up on Aleve, I think I can get the hands to work for an hour or 2.:D
 
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Chris, I play shortstop. At 68, this is no easy feat. The other six shortstops are in there 50's and early 60's. I always was a pretty good athlete and it still continues. I can only play with the aid of two Vicodin on game days however. I also lead our team in HR. Slugging percentage is 1000. We have a guy 80, that is the fastest runner in the league. He has 8 or 9 doubles in our first four games this season! Here in San Diego we play year round and choose new teams (7) every quarter.

JPIII, Mine may have been built in that year. My sheet of parts was printed in '97, so I used that as my guideline. It worked great until I tried to add sound! Jim:)
 
My personal feeling has always been that shortstop is the most fun but also the hardest of the infield positions to play. Sounds like a good, fun league. I've always enjoyed baseball/softball, so my hats off to you. - Chris
 
Thanks Chris, Indeed SS seems to be were the teams best player usually plays. My back ground is 20 years competitive basketball, 5 years of Rugby Union, 4 years of power volleyball and 15 years of extreme mountaineering. I played little league and then over 50 years later picked up the senior softball. No bat and ball team experience in between. I was SS in little league (all star) but golf was my real skill. Fun while it all lasted. Jim :)
 
The extreme mountaineering sounds intriguing. I know it’s not quite the same, but have you ever heard of the Hardrock 100? I had a shop in Silverton Colorado for four years, and in July they ran this 100 mile race they called the Hardrock 100. Starting in Silverton, then up to Ouray, then over to Telluride and back to Silverton. And not over the roads, but over jeep trails, mining and wagon roads, and hiking paths, its 100 miles but with a total elevation change of 67,984 feet. Low elevation point of 7,680’ and high point of 14,048’ with a winning time of just short of 25 hours. That is completely nuts. What an accomplishment, but sounds like self-torture. Your background of accomplishments sounds pretty impressive. Hope your back feels better. - Chris
 
Well, maybe 'extreme' is too much of a word. I should say very, very, difficult (and dangerous) climbing. During the 70's there were certainly better rock climbers than me. Ice was new to most of us and I like to think I was on the cutting edge of that wave.

I have quite a few first ascents. Some of complete mountains and some of routes. I've lead expeditions to the Himalayas, South America, and done some of the 'Grande Courses' in the Alps. I was a mountaineer who did his best work far from the 'everyday' climbing scene. Those days are all gone now and seldom do I really reflect on them anymore. But I still pay the price of those great days by sitting in the hot tub every day for an hour! Jim :)
 
Now is this before or after working for the FBI and being a secret agent for the CIA. No wonder you got into model railroading later in life, there wasn't enough time to fit it all in. - Chris
 
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Hi Chris, No, none of that stuff.

sorry, none of these photos can be found??!

Here's a photo of me from the North Face of Mt. Shuksan in the North Cascades NP. Relatively easy stuff. The lake is over 5000 feet below. circa 1974 maybe.
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Here is the North Face of Orkun Mung 22,000 feet in the Himalayas in 1979. The face itself is over 3000 meters high or 10,000 feet. It took us $120,000 and two climbing seasons for this first ascent.

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Here we are nearing the summit in 1980.

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Great days! Off to the hot tub now. Jim :)
 
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