Running Bear's Coffee Shop XLIX

[BigE]

YAAAYYYY. Mail just got here!!!
2 packages came. Catch you all later.
E.

 

[PRR Modeler]

Afternoon All,

Well I had planned on working on the layout today but after raking 8 bags of leaves, cleaning the gutters and cleaning the pool I strangely only wanted to sit down and veg a bit. Our eldest grandson is spending the night because his brother has a medical appointment first thing in the morning and we will take him to school in the A.M.

One reason I think the angle seems so big is the 12 ft straight shot always rising. One thing that helps with the angle is that I rarely run trains longer than 5-6 cars. I am also thinking of breaking up the incline with a hill that covers both mains before the bridge. The down side is I will have to get to either move or remove the passenger station. The up side to that is that I rarely run a passenger train.

Big E- Enjoy your packages.

I hope everyone has a great night.

 

[Bruette]

...Louis .... LOL about the couch in the basement. I would not be able to be so kind because I doubt my wife would appreciate my offering a couch to someone whose wife kicked him out. ...

It's a very comfortable couch, I nap on it 2 or 3 times a week. Sounds like you better be very nice to your wife, I would not want to get on her bad side!

...Louis: When the Consol terminal opened, it was state of the art, an awesome operation....

Boris I was bored to tears most of the time. If we ran relatively dry coal the automatic sampler did all the work. I only had to check it and empty it once an hour. If we ran "mud" like the Japanese bought it would clog and I would be manually sampling out on the cat walk next to the conveyor belt.
I loved Curtis bay because I got to climb up on the hoppers to take samples and jump from car to car, I loved it!

Just thought that she was worth showing again....

I could look at that pretty girl all day long!

 

[montanan]

The only time I get in trouble is when me and our dachshund start snoring together.

Hope BigE is happy with his goodies.

 

[bnsf971]

For those that don't know, the letters and numbers under the "MILW" on that engine stand for "3000hp EMD Road Switcher 6 Axles".
Even if you do know, that is still what it stands for...
Several railroads used that type of classification system. Some used horsepower, some used tractive effort, some used a combination of both.

 

[Bruette]

The only time I get in trouble is when me and our dachshund start snoring together.
.

Who is louder? I guess I would have to ask your wife that question.
Either way both you and your dog are welcome to the couch. I have a hearing loss so the snoring won't bother me. My beagles may drive you nuts. Would be cheaper to go to motel 6 (they take pets too) considering the gas you would use in one of your hotrods driving to Baltimore from Montana, but you are welcome all the same.

Nearly bed time for me, have a good night everybody!

 

[Bruette]

For those that don't know, the letters and numbers under the "MILW" on that engine stand for "3000hp EMD Road Switcher 6 Axles".
Even if you do know, that is still what it stands for...
Several railroads used that type of classification system. Some used horsepower, some used tractive effort, some used a combination of both.

Very interesting, I did not know that! Thank you very much professor.

How do you remember all this stuff? Never mind I would forget if you told me anyway.

Good night again everybody!

 

[montanan]

I'm told that we get going in two part harmony. She's louder. The other Doxie is the one with the gas. He can clear out a good size room.

 

[BigE]

Hope BigE is happy with his goodies.

YOU BET!!!

Got the Roku unit hooked and operational.
Started building the fueling station already as well. I think I'll paint the tank.
Got some home-made dirt/sand ground cover made for the table - still needs some sifting and crunching up.

Think I'll start on some steak and eggs and homemade hash browns for supper.
Already got my pajama pants on and several beers drank.
It has been a good day.

E.

 

[tootnkumin]

When it cometo Hooters, my wife really doesn't care. She's pretty good. I just tell her that even though I'm on a diet doesn't mean I can't look at the menu.

Is that what the waitress called them Chet? Me'n'U.

 

[kbkchooch]

Hiya Gang!

Got this Email from my LHS today,,


"Today is the last day to place your orders for the new Western Maryland and B&O engine.
It has features that will blow you away - DCC / Sound / Smoke and working wipers. Plus this is the first engine that can operate on both HO / O and G Scale track ! Please don't miss this one - should sell for about $800.00. ( WM version will be in Fireball)
Thanks, The Moose Caboose"

Um Duh, it is April Fools day eh??

Ken, I assume you got it too?

Been busy with the work week, and the trains have taken a back seat till today. The brass consolidation's paint has laughed at 95% alcohol, lacquer thinner, and liquid furniture finish remover. Today it got a bath in carburetor cleaner (Trichloroethylene) . Now its asking me to close the garage door, cuz its cold out there!! Its nekkid as a jay bird! Lacquer took the paint off the tender and the chassis, but barely budged the boiler paint. I don't know what they painted it with, but whatever it was it was tough! (and thick!) This weekend the boiler is going to be baked at 225° to melt out all the low temp metal the previous owner put in there. So much weight it crushed the suspension springs. (I've already got new NWSL springs.) Then the rebuild can begin. Oh, and I have to finish a brass caboose for a customer.

On another note. Several of you have seen my articles in MR and RMC over the years. 3 months ago I let me MR subscription lapse. I just got the May issue, with a big "This may be your last issue" sticker on it. This makes the 3rd month I have received a "final issue". Why have I not renewed? Several reasons. Probably the main one is the insulting of my (and everyone elses) intelligence. Fast forward back to January. I get a mailer from MR with a "special subscription renewal rate for our valued subscribers". $42.95 for a year. Wait a sec. Thats the same rate every Tom, Dick, and Harry can renew for, in fact, new subscribers get this rate, plus a booklet with 8 track plans in it. Some appreciation! Meanwhile, more and more content gets shuffled to the video, extra cost side, and the rest of the mag turns into "noobs with trains" and ooooh, pretty pictures!! Meanwhile, they have sat on a kitbash article of mine for over a year now, without publication. (even though I have been paid)
Meanwhile,,
RMC gets sold to White River , Steve Priest becomes editor, and RMC, with the emphasis on Craftsman, is reborn. WOW, what a change! If you have not checked them out lately, you are missing out on some good stuff! When was the last time you saw detailed scale drawings of a locomotive in a magazine?? Kitbashing a cast steam loco into a prototypical model? Not in MR! Vive le differance! If there are future articles of mine they are now going to be directed to RMC again. So RMC does not pay as well as MR. So what? I for one appreciate the fact that publication in itself has its own rewards. Mainly in the thank yous I have gotten for taking the time and effort to explain how something is done!
Oh well, thats my 2 cents for the night,

"The opinions expressed above are not the views of the station management, its staff or advertisers"

just little old me,,

 

[GarryCBQ]

I'm told that we get going in two part harmony. She's louder. The other Doxie is the one with the gas. He can clear out a good size room.

View attachment 49318

When she toots gas, you can say she is whistling Dixie.

Speaking of Toot ..... Toot: ... LOL about the waitress.

Terry .... I noticed something else in the photo besides the lettering on the MILW locomotive. ... We can observe the engine numbers on the E-L locomotives. ... E-L numbered them with series based on horsepower.. The SD45 has 3600 HP and is numbered 3607. The GP35 has 2500 HP and is numbered 2571. The two E-L locomotives are a good match based on horsepower per axle (600 for he SD45 and 625 for the GP35).

 

[Boris]

Karl: Concerning MR, you're right about the decline of MR. The content is definitely geared to new model railroaders, (not necessarily a bad thing, but doesn't help me), and I get tired of seeing the editors constantly referring to themselves as experts. . There are more real experts here on this board, and no one needs to toot their own horn to prove it.

RMC, ? Well, the change is good. I received my first subscription issue late last week, and there are numerous articles, that challenge me to be better. Some fantastic modeling. Steve Priest is doing a fantastic job. The articles are well written, and interesting.

I did fanegel a good rate for my last renewal with MR, so I'm subscribed through Aug 2017. I don't like their direction however.

Louis: Concerning Consol, I understand what you mean. From my standpoint, it made all the headaches of the old, "historic" PRR facility go away, overnight, so to me it's forever awesome.

 

[Milwaukee Road 113]

30-ERS-6=3000 horsepower-EMD Road Switcher-6 axles then?

 

[IronBeltKen]

Got this Email from my LHS today,, ...

Ken, I assume you got it too?

You betcha!

Meanwhile,,
RMC gets sold to White River , Steve Priest becomes editor, ... Vive le differance! ...

Wow, I didn't even bother to look at the masthead - he's definitely qualified if anybody is! I just picked up a copy because it had a detailed how-to article on weathering CNJ locos - which, as you may remember, had exactly the same blue/yellow color scheme as the B&O [who they were renting their locos from]! Gonna refer back to that when I get around to weathering my Genesis geeps.

It was the August 1966 RMC issue that got me started on my lifelong mrr hobby.

 

[Cjcrescent]

Frankly I haven't liked the direction that MR has been going either. But it started a long time ago, and I have bought on 3 MR's since then. I saw that many times they would repeat articles over a period of time. Now I do know that the MR's of the 70's, 80's and part of the 90's, had many superb articles, drawings and tips.

Meanwhile, RMC, and the Narrow Gauge Gazette, stayed geared to their original purpose. Have good articles for the craftsman side of the hobby. I've built more locos, and cars from these magazines than from any other magazine.

The new editor of the RMC, was the editor of the NMRA mag. He totally changed the concept of the mag, and it is now geared more toward the active NMRA member. In the latest issue, there is an article that describes how to take a Bachmann On30 loco and turned it into a Sn3 loco. Great article.

ERIC;

I think that I have the latest version of JMRI on my laptop already. I'll also bring my programming setup, so we can compare the two interfaces. If you like we can do a little speedmatching of a couple of your locos. I may even breakdown and bring a decoder or two to give you more locos. Then we can program them on JMRI, and let you play with it some as well. Still looking at a couple of weeks, like maybe around the 11th?

 

[Trussrod]

Afternoon All,
I laid down the first set of the W/S risers to see what it looked like. Nothing is glued down yet. Right now they are pushed all the way against the back drop which will make the scenery more difficult.

I hope everyone has a good night.

Say Curt, Your addition and expansion are really starting look good! A three percent grade isn't really all that bad, and as Chet, I think it was said, you have to do what you have to do, with the space you have to get things to fit in. Now the fun begins as you'll really get challenged pulling a bit longer and heavier consist up that grade and just as in actual railroading you have reason for a helper unit on the rear for the extra power to make the grade. I've had to do it on my layout a couple of times and it look really neat to see both steamers really working get the consist up my steep grade.

What I found about using a helper on the back, as I don't have speed matching capabilities with just 'DC' is that I used a slower loco on the rear with the couplers just meshed together so as to push but not coupled so the faster lead loco could pull away as it obtained traction as the track leveled out. Really quite a thrill to watch.
Of course you could just double head to begin with as your train/s require which also adds a lot of interest and maybe break the lead engine away when no longer needed.

 

[tootnkumin]

On the subject of MR versus MRC. Why would we, or the market, want/need two publications doing the same thing, isn't it better to have them serving opposite ends of the hobby with maybe a bit of overlap in the middle. Should ensure that both continue to be profitable, don't think we should knock MR if it's pretty pictures inspires and brings new MRRer's into the hobby.

 

[Cjcrescent]

...

What I found about using a helper on the back, as I don't have speed matching capabilities with just 'DC' is that I used a slower loco on the rear with the couplers just meshed together so as to push but not coupled so the faster lead loco could pull away as it obtained traction as the track leveled out. Really quite a thrill to watch.
Of course you could just double head to begin with as your train/s require which also adds a lot of interest and maybe break the lead engine away when no longer needed.

Depending on the type of caboose on the rear, the helper may have to be cut in ahead of the caboose. If it was a steel caboose, the helper could stay behind it. Also the type of helper used would be dependent on the length and tonnage of the train going up the grade. Some trains could just get a 2-8-2, while others would get 2 2-8-8-2's. One on the front, and one on the rear.

Many of the railroads had their own rules for the use of helpers, over and above those dictated by the FRA. Many RR's would not put a helper on the rear of a passenger train. Southern did this on their Saluda grade, and I bet it was quite a sight seeing 2 2-8-8-2's in front of the green and gold 4-8-2 assigned to the Carolina Special. The echoes off of the mountains must have been amazing! Later when steel passenger cars were the norm on the SRR, the helpers for a freight train could be a 2-8-8-2 on the rear and a 2-10-2 on the front. Passenger trains generally got the same set of helpers.

At the top of the grade, where there was a long passing siding with several crossovers along the length of the sidings, the rear engine would just cut off and start back down the grade. The front helpers would cutoff from the front, go theought the crossovers and start back down the hill. Often times as these locos got to the bottom of the hill, they'd top off with coal and water and connect immediately to the next up train. If there was a down train that was extra heavy, sometimes the front helper would connect to the down train and act as extra braking power for that train. Saluda, at times was a very, very busy place to be.

 

[Bill Tidler Jr.]

Good Morning!

Storms with a high of 70.

Temperature in Tipton IN