It's always something! Like I posted the other day, two steps forward, one step back. Maybe use a between the rails magnet.In my haste to get the runaround track down the other day, I forgot to put in the permanent magnetic uncoupler!! Now have to decide if I want to take up the whole track, cut it, or just do without. Decisions, decisions.
Good Morning all,
What are the odds? I drilled a hole for the frog feeders and eventual point switch machine, and sure enough the hole for the frog wire went straight into a cross member support. And probably the worst one as with its location, it is a doubled one. So break out the drill, jigsaw and mallet and chisel. Bust out a a section, and it was dinner time. Then we watched a movie. AN old one, from 1995, "The Net," with Sandra Bullock. Surprising how prescient that film was/is!
Church today and then perhaps Right-of-way construction resumes. I am working on this bit:
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I suppose I should have expected this, but the way my ladder fit together is a bit off from the Anyrail images. I somehow gained about about 3 inches at that point and further east, gained 5 inches. Meaning that everything is further east than the plan in Anyrail showed. No doubt, my poor construction skills. But now, it has made fitting those two TT approach tracks a bit trickier to manage. But I think I have it figured out. Just can't get those three engine service structures in, I'll have to move the cinder tower somewhere. Though I suppose by prototype, they probably put a good distance between the cinder dump and the Coal loader, so maybe that's not a bad thing. Pretty sure I can still get that southernmost track just above the controllers in for a programming track. Yes, I'll put it in with a "on-off-on" DPDT switch.
Still having fun, though I did speak colorfully a bit yesterday when the drill went in to that cross member!
Happy Birthday, Hughie, one day late! --------------Steve J
Alan - It was good to read the other day that you have the time to get back at it. The F units look really nice and your review was nice to read. I was disappointed years ago when Athearn bought out McHenry and started using their couplers, but I have always read that Kadee is hard to deal with so most manufacturers don't use their couplers. So far though, I have not had to replace any of their newest couplers due to failure. I have replaced all of the older ones that I mistakenly installed years ago before I knew of the issues. I replaced some of the newer ones just because I wasn't initially sure of their reliability. Mostly though, I haven't bought a new freight car in over seven years.
Nice buildings Willie. I've always liked Downtown Deco. I have a couple of their kits here. I should look into doing one of them. After I get back on O'Neil's, and various and sundry other projects, which there seem to be too many of these days.
Glad you liked the notes on the FP's. I ran them at the club last night in freight service during the operation session. They did quite well and I got a bunch of compliments. Now for some light weathering.
Yep, Kadee can be tough to work with. It was either Red Caboose or Intermountain that wanted to put them in their kits and Kadee demanded that only their envelope be used. It probably wasn't smart to be that hard nosed when your patents have expired. To be fair, most modelers probably wouldn't have issues with McHenrys. They are a sound design. I run into problems because my club's layout permits prototypical length passenger consists. Long freight trains of 75 cars or more are possible before physics gets in the way. Physics doesn't scale! I may have told this story already, but some years back I had a San Joaquin Daylight on the layout. A long train and a mixture of brass and plastic cars. Some of the plastic cars were BLI Daylight cars, and out of the box those things are lead sleds. It was a heavy train, and I was pulling it with a pair of Athearn Mt-4's in Semi-Daylight. Going upgrade, the pilot to tender couplers would flex enough under load to allow the two engines to decouple. Not good, especially in front of company! Luckily I discovered this before the actual open house, so embarrassment was minimal. This was during Trainfest, and the Athearn rep stopped by. I gave him a polite and low key ear full. He was understanding but told me they were stuck with the plastic couplers. I'd guess only modelers with large home or club layouts will see any issues. Kadee's business model is secure!
Sorry, Tom, I cannot share your enthusiasm. Kadees for me, and scale head kadees for the stuff which really deserves it. I tried the ScaleTrains couplers for a while, but they just didn't like me or something. I wish they'd not try to re-invent the wheel and just ship with scale-head kadees like Tangent does. If you're a Sergent coupler guy, you have to change couplers no matter what. I'd love to try those some time!Alan, good story. If I had my way all my couplers would be Scale Trains. I read about the bad stories people have with them but other then an occasional dropped spring I feel they are the best. But, they are not available in the market place so I replace everything else with the wisker Kadee # that fits the coupler box.
TomO
It's my understanding that ScaleTrains wants to market their couplers separately. They said this at a visitation to my club last year, so who knows when that will happen.Tom, have you tried shooting an email to Scale Trains? They may have a supply there.
Hi Tom,Alan, good story. If I had my way all my couplers would be Scale Trains. I read about the bad stories people have with them but other then an occasional dropped spring I feel they are the best. But, they are not available in the market place so I replace everything else with the wisker Kadee # that fits the coupler box.
Another year coming of missed Trainfest. With the increase in Covid and talk again of putting in the field hospital on the fairgrounds it is good they cancelled when they did.
TomO
Tom, have you tried shooting an email to Scale Trains? They may have a supply there.
Before you throw stuff away, check it out on eBay or whatever,people like vintage,they like antiques,hell they like broken old stuff you would imagine the dustbin man would laugh at,and sone items from the 80s 70s 60s is sought after for filming,people can make up object d’junk worthy of a room of pastimes,be it kitch or what or downright ugly, and o ten someone else wants it, broken a teaser, well someone might like the remaining items to replace their broken items,often insignificant junk is sone end else childhood memories or reminders of days gone by…..before you hit the bin Chechen the Cher ching.Good evening y'all.
Hughie, Happy Birthday !
Curt: Just the other day, the wife and I were talking about how cluttered the house is becoming. Trouble is we keep buying stuff, and not throwing old stuff out. Plus we still have a bunch of her mom's stuff stored in the garage...Time for a big dumpster?
Still under a Tropical Storm Warning, for Henri. Started raining about a half hour ago. Worst of it should be during the daylight hours tomorrow, but suddenly no one is sure. Meanwhile Hurricane Grace said goodnight over land in Mexico. Showed as a "Post Tropical Depression" on the Atlantic Hurricane map, and as Disturbance #1 on the East Pacific Hurricane map. Apparently, the forecasters expect the old girl to come out over the Pacific, re-intensify and get a new name.
My Rapido SW1200 is enroute, I should have it on Monday or Tuesday. I ordered it in January 2019. Family should be here from NY sometime Monday. Son is going to put in a laminate floor in the kitchen this week. If the Tropical Storm doesn't alter the schedule, My new gutters are due here Wednesday, and the oak tree in the back yard comes down next Saturday. Busy week.
Less than two months until Hockey Starts, less than one month until training camps open.
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Station at Berwin is just West of the 50 MPH curve. When approaching the curve from the cab, it looks like an 18" radius curve...that sharp.
I find clowns fascinating, they have a patented face,once recognised only a family member usually can inherit and use, they inevitable have to have acrobatic or tumbling skills,and excellent comic timing,like buster keaton if they hope to survive, one used to have an act with a real lion,I do not know if the lion had any teeth but he would put his head in its mouth,now I know some circus’ have been done for poor animal care, but others were devoted to their animals,s, and yes it is not natural, but sone. Of those poor animals pined for their trainers when forcibly retired by the do goods, so yeah sticky wicket, I lived not too far from the winter quarters of a big circus, and their animals appeared well spaced,well cared for,certainly no more than a domestic pet, do I think new animals should be bought in, no not really, but I think some of the animals were well loved and even enjoyed it, i think it is sweet to give kids Santa Claus and the tooth fairy etc,but accept sone kids are really upset when they realise it is not true, I am sorry that your experience was clearly not with fond memories, for me I believed a lot of that tosh, and as my eyes were opened to reality I was still left with great memories, but then I used to speak to my dads feet…..yeah lol…he waggled them and spoke for them…and I chatted back like a loony - I did have one unfortunate fear, we used to have gold fish and if they died my mum flushed them down the loo, my aunt who had lived in new york told stories of crocodiles flushed down toilet….and I used to race hell for leather when I flushed in case a hungry cric wanted a dead fish and only found me…..yeah I think even when I knew Santa was not real I played along for my parents as they clearly wanted me to believe….crazy.Good morning!
Rained hard over night; a welcome rain because we needed it. 49F here @6:30am.
It's another day I can't be in here long, as the interior painting job at the rich ladies home is calling my name. She's not home at this time, but trusted me with a key to get in. I'd like to get as much done as possible, before she gets back. - I heard her mumbling something about some fence work before she left, so I might just be rich lady employed for awhile. That's ok, because I need to get some new plywood for a layout this winter, and I don't want to remortgage my home to get it.
Happy Birthday, Hughie!! Hope you are looked down upon with many more years in the railway hobby, and that the well never runs dry. Bye the way, I really like the photos of the layout you've been posting recently. Well done!
SteveJ - Thank you for posting news about the layout progress. I hope we get to see lots of photos as progress continues.
Jaz avalley - I've never liked clowns, not even as a kid, because I always knew they were as fake as Santa Clause. None-the-less, I've disliked the idea of Hollywood making children afraid of clowns even more. I've never understood the rationale behind making a clown a monster.
I need to get going, and I haven't taken any new photos. So I'll drop a re-run on the table:
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CN 5386 is an SD40-2 that is said to have had a run-in with some part of another passing train. That's why parts on the left side had been replaced, including the number board. - 5326 is an SD40-2w.
The photo was taken locally in the spring of 2020. The Millar Western pulp-mill can be seen in the background.
I thought it was a fairly good photo, except for the power poles that keep getting in the way.
Well, gotta go. Have a good one!
Jaz- MOH plans on that. I don't have the patience for it. I remember ESSO from when I lived in Germany during the early 70's.