Coffee Shop Part IV

[NickB]

Good morning all, finished my final paper for class. Now I have more time to devote to figuring out my layout. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to give advice and drawings. Hopefully I can get a layout figured out soon and get to start in.
Nick

 

[jbaakko]

RT - Where ya been? Don't be such a stranger!

Ray - Great idea (about making a card), wish I'd saved a larger copy. Oh well, seeing this year after year kinda makes me think inside the box too much...

KenM - Hope those people have the cash to buy your house

Rex - Here's a copy of the steel mill track plan from my old house, where space was at a premium. I think you could leave your blast furnace and coke ovens where they are, and setup a half-dozen rolling mill buildings on the peninsula. Prototype steel companies often ran their hot metal cars and slag pots on the main line, you could do that too (just add spacer cars + caboose). Peach Creek has hot metal cars/slag cars in stock if you don't already have any. Also copies of Dean Freytag's original steel modeling book (a must-read for guys like us!)

Personally I'd go with the ST&D cars not the Walthers cars.

I wish Walthers would do more of those Industry kits, I miss the Lumber MIll, Steel Mill & Waterfront stuff. I REALLY want some of the waterfront stuff for my dad's layout...

 

[SpaceMouse]

Good morning all, finished my final paper for class. Now I have more time to devote to figuring out my layout. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to give advice and drawings. Hopefully I can get a layout figured out soon and get to start in.
Nick

Congrats.

Take your time with the plan. No one has a gun to your head to get started and the better you plan the more likely it will be something you are happy with down the road.

 

[rhoward]

Mornin' Jeffrey!

Mornin' guys!

We're still getting a few snowflakes from that storm a few days ago. Didn't really amount to much here, couple inches or so. Not even worth firing up the snow blower so I guess I'll just let it sit there until it melts. Did some ballasting on the layout yesterday and toned down the wheat fields on the wall with some chaulk. Looks much better.

Time for some cereal and my morning coffee!

 

[Steve B]

Fantastic sunny afternoon here, not quite as hot as in NZ but pretty close,,, well almost 52f.

The breaking news is the train accident was caused by bad workmanship.
Somebody IS going to get a good butt kicking.

1. The turnout concerned should have had three spacer bars on the point rails but only two were present
2. all the bolts were loose on the remaining two which allowed the point rail's to bow out in excess of the prescribed limit's causing the derailment.

The modelrailway club went to Glasgow that night, they were on the train after the one that crashed, they were stopped only yards from the scene by a red light lucky for them, LOL what a close shave that was.

 

[RexHea]

Rex - Here's a copy of the steel mill track plan from my old house, where space was at a premium. I think you could leave your blast furnace and coke ovens where they are, and setup a half-dozen rolling mill buildings on the peninsula. Prototype steel companies often ran their hot metal cars and slag pots on the main line, you could do that too (just add spacer cars + caboose). Peach Creek has hot metal cars/slag cars in stock if you don't already have any. Also copies of Dean Freytag's original steel modeling book (a must-read for guys like us!)

Thanks KenL, that will certainly give me some ideas. The area available will be 12 feet x 30 inches. Not really sure how far to go with the detail, but what I already have is a very busy place for switching and etc., the problem is the access to the backside is very difficult. I screwed-up to allow for a reversing loop and made the area 5 feet wide w/backdrop. I need to go into the benchwork and see what I can do about making it easier to get to. Maybe you could just ship yours down and then you could have a (another) fresh start . By placing the town where the mill is and the mill on the extension, it will enhance the operation aspect of the layout tremendously.

NICKB: Congratulations on finishing your final paper. Is that it or do you have more to do? You're working on your EE, right?

NZKen: Yeah, I know...I'm worst than Gengis Kahn...conquering the garage.

Northern Boys: Hey Snowbirds! Come on down South to T-town and put on your shorts and sandals. The Rays are plentiful at upper 60's to 70 degrees. hehehehe!

 

[Cjcrescent]

Well, I have done it again. I found some extra land in the Depot and just have to fill it up. There has to be a cure for this...maybe a model railroaders crisis group .

This started out being a 12ft. extension for the town of Newton. Hmmmm! Right in the middle of the construction and with only 8ft up (as the photo shows), an idea popped to mind. Now if I were to move the steel mill complex to the new extension, I would free up the more sceniced area for the town with light industry (see the sickness). This means removal of about 10 sidings, ballast, roadbed, structures, reversing loop, and etc. The steel complex is the first area I worked on when I started the layout. I have never been too happy with it being next to the mountains, but at the time, the layout was only going to use half of the garage. (That thought only lasted 1.5 years)

EDIT: KENL, help! Come on down for some fun and show me some Steelmill expertise.

With all the loose ends around the layout and I have to think of something else to do . No wonder a layout is never done .

Uhhh, Rex?

Do I need ta bring my crowbar????

 

[NickB]

[
NICKB: Congratulations on finishing your final paper. Is that it or do you have more to do? You're working on your EE, right?

QUOTE]

Actually already have my engineering degree working on my Masters in management part time and I finished my class for the semester. Since it's part-time the class is designed to be shorter but higher intensity in workload, and thanks.

 

[grove den]

Evening All!!

Nick B: congratulations Nick you reached another important milestone in your life, great!

Jos

 

[NickB]

Thanks Jos, I was very happy to get my Bachelors now starts the long road for my Masters due to I'm working full time now as an engineer and only have evenings for my master's classes.

 

[Steve B]

Nick That's an awfull lot of commitmant to complete that and work, i did a HNC in 2003 in advanced engineering, LOL it was hard work

 

[NickB]

What can I say Steve I'm a glutton for punishment and abuse

 

[OldGettysk]

Hi ALl , Just stopped in to put my two cents in for what it's worth , We had about four inches of heavy wet snow .The kind you break your back trying to shovel and I did. No complaining it was my choice. Well got to get the Wintergreen out and do some rubbing, Have a real nice night all !

 

[RexHea]

Thanks Jos, I was very happy to get my Bachelors now starts the long road for my Masters due to I'm working full time now as an engineer and only have evenings for my master's classes.

That's great Nick. A Masters in Management will certainly help your career. I have been trying to get my son-in-law to go ahead and get an MBA. He is very contented as a geophysicist, but an MBA would open a lot of doors for him later in his career. If you don't mind me asking, what is your speciality in EE?

 

[NickB]

Morning everyone, Rex I'm an electrical guy, Electrical Engineering Technology, I don't know how many are familiar witht this type of degree it has the same theory as EE but integrates hands on labs from the very first class all the way up. I really liked it after I wasted 2 1/2 years of my life as a EE where I all did was paper work and no practical labs.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I'll have a cheese amd mushroom omelet.

Today's High: 78
Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 70s. Southeast winds up to 10 mph.

Tonight's Low: 52
Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 50s. Southeast winds around 10 mph in the evening becoming light and variable.

My blood sugar crashed early this morning, read 28 on the meter. I have it back up to 130 now but still feel like s**t.

 

[RexHea]

Morning all! We are going to get in the 70's today and tomorrow...then the storms again.

After thinking about my rework of the steel mill area and all that is involved, I believe that I will start a thread following the step-by-step progress: from tear down to re-build. Hopefully, KenL and others will be able to input their ideas as I go along with the transformation. I need to get some "before" pictures, but probably will do this in the next few days. Maybe this will be close to what boss Bob has been trying to get us to do more of and it will show another important dimension of our hobby--Changing Course .

NICK: Yeah, I am familiar with EET as mine is an EET, but electronics. The U of Alabama had a BSEET program, but recently dropped it for some reason. Although with 30+ years in electronics, I was a late comer for a degree and by the time I completed it, I went from industry to education and developed and ran an industrial maintenance training program at our community college. So, not much actual engineering experience. Heck, now in my retirement, most of it is a far away memory You know: "Use it, or loose it!"

 

[rhoward]

Mornin', NickB. Good luck with your classes. I remember those years of teaching full time, having two part time jobs, a wife, two kids, and taking the classes for my Masters in Fine Arts in Education. Didn't get much sleep back in those days. Very glad when I finally got to walk across the stage and get that piece of paper that in my case said I could continue to teach...... I learned a lot about my profession and myself back in those days.

Mornin' Jeffrey! 28! My God that is low! Glad you were able to get your sugar back up OK. Hope you feel better. My Mom used to have her sugar read every other morning when she was in assisted care. If her sugar was below 80, all you know what used to break loose and they would get her down to breakfast right then! I have borderline diabetes and have it controlled by diet at this point. I hope that I can continue to keep it in check for a while before going the drug route. Never know.

 

[IronBeltKen]

Dangerous road conditions here in the Balto area this morning: "black" ice everywhere. I hit a patch of it and skidded 30 feet, luckily I did'nt crash - unlike the poor sap who hit it 5 minutes before I did! There was a 14%-grade hill a mile farther up the road, I turned around and took the safer (but more congested) main roads to work. Saw 2 other accidents along the way. I don't think the County even had a clue how bad road conditions were...

Have a great day everyone!

 

[Steve B]

Slippin and slidin around ain't no fun, except if your an ice skater.

Just got a Walthers centre beam flat car off Ebay and it's a nice heavy one with die cast metal frame, got it for £1.99, the starting bid, it was listed as a Bakman truck and even in the wrong catagory, lucky for me.