Running Bear's Coffee Shop LIX

[bnsf971]

Speaking of obscure car movement methods, I remember the Bordens plant having some electric winches on the edge of the docks to move cars back and forth on their loading docks. It's something I haven't seen modeled.

 

[Boris]

The electric winches were quite common. Anchor Glass in Cliffwood, NJ, and the PRR/PC grain elevator at Girard Point, in Philadelphia (12 tracks) come to mind. There were also manual car movers that were on long poles that slid under wheels to start them moving. Many customers had them conveniently placed. However poles, chains and straps helped especially when a car drop stalled or stopped prematurely.

 

[new guy]

The initial date was 1964. No new cars built after that time could be constructed with roofwalks. There was a ten year grace period, during which cars were supposed to have them removed during shopping/rebuilding.

1972 or thereabouts, a bunch, (5-6 of us), saw a string of cars on a siding near my house that had roof walks on a couple, we could not resist, we were all very young. I remember standing on a boxcar and seeing an adult walking down the tracks towards us! (OH S#^T!) It happened to be MY Dad! THEY got to scatter but I had to face the music, OW! Got what I deserved that time! LOL! Next time I wanted to play on the tracks I did it much farther away from home!

 

[bnsf971]

1972 or thereabouts, a bunch, (5-6 of us), saw a string of cars on a siding near my house that had roof walks on a couple, we could not resist, we were all very young. I remember standing on a boxcar and seeing an adult walking down the tracks towards us! (OH S#^T!) It happened to be MY Dad! THEY got to scatter but I had to face the music, OW! Got what I deserved that time! LOL! Next time I wanted to play on the tracks I did it much farther away from home!

You could have told him he shouldn't have been walking on the tracks, but that would probably have been--unwise.

 

[Boris]

You could have told him he shouldn't have been walking on the tracks, but that would probably have been--unwise.

Very unwise, Terry, very unwise.

For all you pre 1962 Pennsy fans out there


Enola Motor Pit, August 1956. Photographer Unknown

Enola is alone spelled backward.

 

[Trussrod]

Good evening all,

I've had a neighbor boy stopping by as is very interested in trains but he is also a bit unruly to in that he wants to take and starts changing my switch positions and even wants to move cars and loco's around to suit himself. I realize he is very excited to see what I doing but he wants to take over till I told he wasn't to do that. He also has many different questions but also has a short attention span when I'm trying to explain something to him.

I've mentioned the forums here to him and he did mention he had gotten on here but didn't know where to go, so I tried to direct him a bit, such as track planning. I also mentioned the coffee shop to him and he may stop in one fo these day?

He or someone drew out some rather detailed track plans but they are way too large for a beginner. I'm not sure his father even intends to let him have the space for a layout a they just bought a smaller double mobile home and he has little brother and sister?

I gave him a Roundhouse, Denver & Rio Grand Steel sided caboose to build which he did and didn't too bad a job but he then also thought I was going to keep supplying him with kits to build as well as a loco kit and I had to tell him all that cost money and I had to buy everything I had as nothing is free anymore.

This photo should allay anyone's feelings of guilt regarding a messy work bench. It's reputed to be of Einstein's desk the night he died

Say Toot: And here I thought it was your desk and was going to say, "Now there's a guy who is really involved with his work/hobbies! Then I saw the caption. Oh well, it could be you?

Boy that shack reminds me of the school bus shelters I had growing up. They always reminded me of my grandmother's outhouse.

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Say Justin: I started to crack up when I read that thinking your grandmother must have had a very big out-houe but realized you probably meant a second house out back?

I think my track woes are spanning from when I removed a section. Paying for it now. I have tried the squeeze method which hasn't helped. I may do some soldering on it to see if that is a fix. It's on my Saturday to do list.

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I also had problems with rail joiners in past years and was doing the same thing of squeezing the sides trying to tighten them
against the rail base but it didn't help me either. You have to remove the joiner and squeeze the top flanges down slightly so the rail joiner slides over the base and top of the base fairly snuggly to ensure good contact. A small stainless wire brush is very good to clean the sides of the rail to ensure good solder contact and adhesion.

With the Rail-Craft weathered rail I'm using I have to scrub the sides of the rail I want to solder too to ensure a good joint is created. That's why I suggest tinning the spot you want to place your pre-tinned wire against as both the wire and rail have a coating of solder on them so when heat is applied and the solder melts they automatically bond is held in close contact with a small scrap piece of wood.

Don't think there'll be too much traffic on the rail line along the NE coast of NZ's south island after the earthquake a few days ago. 7.8 on the Richter with aftershocks occurring in the 6+.

Holy Mosses, what a mess, 7.8 on the Richter Scale, it's a wonder the light poles and signals were still standing straight up!?

Good Morning All. 57° and clear right now. Wind just shifted from the NW about an hour ago, it was 62° when I got up two hours ago at 4:30. We could have our first freeze tonight or tomorrow night then it warms back up to upper 70's in the daytime. Spent most of the day yesterday running errands, today is grocery/beer trek day. Can't weather a freeze without stocking up.
Trainwise, I mainly re-staged freight trains and exchanged cars off and on the layout yesterday to give everything equal run-time, and keep track clean. Probably ran 8-10 trains from end to end. I also rehabbed an old Bachmann caboose with metal wheels and installed glass in the windows. It still has truck-mounted couplers although I switched them for Kadee's years ago. Since it is always just trailing a train, it doesn't really matter that much. I have now officially run out of cabooses to use!!!

Justin -
I know that there are situations in both the real world and on model railroads that require long hood forward, besides those RR's that did it as a practice (Southern, NS and others). It is really rare here in Texas to see a single loco pulling a train to begin with, much less running down a main long hood forward in this day and time.
Observation: Your track and other layout woes mirror many first and second generation layouts that all of us have built. Consider it a learning experience for the future. Since you are probably not going to re-use the sectional track in the future, go ahead and solder away. If you are going to re-use it, you can do as I have done and use it on the tail end of spurs that will only see freight cars, never locos. Use flex for future main lines.

Commonly known as the "domino effect".
Ray - Got in late on the discussion of the front, but Terry is absolutely correct regarding the "F".
David - Sounds like you have some work ahead of you.

Everybody have a wonderful Friday.
Willie

Say Willie: Yes, I have plenty around here to keep me busy as well as working on my garden tractor.

The advise you gave to Justin is very good too.

Good morning fellers. Thanks to everyone for the advice on my track work ahead of me. I've been working on my yard office here lately. It's the size of a mobile home. I'm talking a single wide mobile home. It's all good though as it will fit my layout perfectly. Haven't figured out where I'm going to place it yet. I'm sure I'll come up with something.

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Say Justin: That's a cute building alright. It appears you put to buildings together which is ok as it looks like many line side buildings. The split in the roof can be easily consealed by cutting small pieces of dark paper the depth of the roof pieces and lay them over the crack one per course till you reach the top on both sides and then cut a small piece to act as a ridge cap to finish it off.

I thought I caution you about using flex track and soldering joints. If your layout is located in an area that has fairly good temperature changes such as a garage I would only solder two pieces of flex track together and on either outer end only solder the rail joiners on one side of the connecting joint and leave the other side so it can float in and out as required to make up for expansion and contraction.

Well I'm a day late and a dollar short. I have pics of my yard office to share. I'm not 100% complete with it. The roof needs some work still.

It's really small on the layout. The pics bring it out somewhat in a good way I suppose.

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Continued >

 

[Trussrod]

< Resumed

BRUCE -- You sure know how to stir the brew! It's probably a good thing that you are no longer on the DMZ; you probably would have a war going by now! LOL

CS3 I like the little yard office - it fits!

YES I'm still around - You can't get rid of me that easy. MOH and I had a nice trip to N.M. We stopped for Bread Pudding and Pumpkin Pie at PIE TOWN, NM, just about the continental divide at 7700 ft. Some of the best pie I have ever eaten. Pie for lunch - why not! Coffee was free!

Say Sherrel: Glad your both enjoying yourselves and the pie!

Mornin' folks!

David, I didn't have any idea about much to do with diesels until I started volunteering out at the museum. Since I model 1925 there aren't any of them diseasely thingies on my layout either.... Below is a close up of the front end of the RG&E 45 tonner switcher. She is now numbered 1941 as she was built in 1941. As run by RG&E she didn't have a number. We decided for several reason's (ease of ID during operations for one) to follow federal regulations and give it the number. As for the reason for the capitol letter F designating the front end........ I think what you might have thought was a plaque was actually sunlight reflecting off the freshly painted side of the cowling. Or maybe the bell underneath. In the photo below I also added a bit more exposure to lighten the photo. I think the uncropped original I left as taken by the camera except for the usual processing I do in photoshop.

"TITLE 49--TRANSPORTATION

CHAPTER II--FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION

PART 229--RAILROAD LOCOMOTIVE SAFETY STANDARDS--Table of Contents

Subpart A--General

Sec. 229.11 Locomotive identification.

(a) The letter ``F'' shall be legibly shown on each side of every
locomotive near the end which for identification purposes will be known
as the front end."



Here is a close up of the front end that clearly shows the "F" on the deck side. That is one of the RR trivia I often pass on to guests at the Museum about Diesel Locos.

For those who may be interested, here is more info about the old loco. http://www.rgvrrm.org/about/railroad/rge1941/

Have a great day!

Say Ray: In the first two shots I saw the 'F' but didn't know what I was looking at as it looked like the the two spots on the next section back along the deck side. So I didn't even think that was it. I heard form another railroad friend about the diesels beinng marked that way but thought the marking was the larger plack below the deck as that seemed to have what appeared to have an 'F' mark on it beit rather indistinct. Thanks for taking the time and effort to enlarge the loco so I could easily the error of my ways! LoL Btw: Is that you in the cab?

And here was me thinking it was an abbreviated warning to "Keep off".

Say Toot: That' a good description for it!

I know the answer to this, but we'll see who else does. There is a round "thing" just under the end handrail, next to the coupler cut lever. What is it called, what is it used for, and when did railroads stop having them on equipment?

Say Terry: Willie nailed it, that most certainly is a polling Pocket for a couple of guys to move equipment around. All my old equipment has them on the cars and the engines too!

Poling pocket, used for pushing cars with a pole on adjacent tracks. I don't know when they stopped using them, probably around the advent of OSHA.

Willie

2x6 lumber also worked, as late as 1977 too. Sometimes, Ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Later in life, Nylon coupler straps came about, ostensibly to straighten drawheads on high cubes, but crews soon found numerous other uses for them. Better than lumber, as nylon didn't break. Call it situational awareness.

The electric winches were quite common. Anchor Glass in Cliffwood, NJ, and the PRR/PC grain elevator at Girard Point, in Philadelphia (12 tracks) come to mind. There were also manual car movers that were on long poles that slid under wheels to start them moving. Many customers had them conveniently placed. However poles, chains and straps helped especially when a car drop stalled or stopped prematurely.

I think I missed some post I meant to comment on but I'm just too tired to continue.

Good Night!

 

[bnsf971]

Very unwise, Terry, very unwise.

For all you pre 1962 Pennsy fans out there

View attachment 59399
Enola Motor Pit, August 1956. Photographer Unknown

Enola is alone spelled backward.

I used to pass that yard several times a year. There were several places along US15 you could stop and watch the action, there is, or was the last time I was in the area, a MacDonalds situated where you could eat a Big Mac and watch a portion of the yard.

 

[tootnkumin]

but I'm just too tired to continue

There's an old song but can't find it on Y-tube

Hound dawg's howlin' so forlorn
He's howlin' 'cause he's settin' on a thorn
Jest too durned tired to roll over.

 

[bnsf971]

Good morning. It's a smokey 46 here. Air quality alerts, and advisories to not have any open fires.

 

[kbkchooch]

Good morning gang
Roller-coaster day weatherwise. 44 at 5:30 a.m., going for a high of 65 by 1p.m., then temps drop to the lower 30's by the evening.
Better wash the truck this morning!!!.
L8ter!

 

[santafewillie]

Good Morning All. 34° and clear here this morning. Cars are very frosty. Our blue norther is coming Karl's way. Roller coaster weather here as well. Temps in the 80's as late as Thursday, then this cool front hit yesterday. Won't last long...temps back into the 70's by Monday. Had to dig the jeans out of the back of the drawer. Between grocery shopping and having the grandsons over yesterday, I didn't get a lot of time in the train shed. Mostly I ran trains for them, but they are beginning to get bored with that even though I have been letting them do the running. The older one (9yo) actually enjoys reading books on his tablet more than anything. The younger one (7yo) just plays games. They brought their new dog (puppy) by for grandpa to keep while they visit their other grandparents in South Jersey for Thanksgiving.

Toot - Einstein's desk resembles my entire life! But I do know where everything is at.
Chet - Noticed that you keep mentioning Tapatalk. I also noticed that Justin seems to still be using it. I know that Bob turned it off for a while, but thought that he restored it once he straightened McAfee out.
Justin - Yard office is coming along nicely. It looks to be about the right size for your operation. Good location as well.
Bruce - That other thread is actually quite a thread. A lot of diverse thoughts and civil to boot! Heck, it got 54 replies in 36 hours, and almost 800 views!
Terry -

Speaking of obscure car movement methods, I remember the Bordens plant having some electric winches on the edge of the docks to move cars back and forth on their loading docks. It's something I haven't seen modeled.

Right now on my layout, electric winches are "understood". At some point in the distant future, I hope to model them.
Joe - Somewhere I once saw a video put out by the Canadian government in the 50's I believe, about grain elevators. In it was a very "senior" gentleman using a pole under the wheel to position a boxcar for loading. It was amazing how little effort it actually took.

Everyone have a great day.

Willie

 

[rhoward]

Mornin' everyone!

David, nope, that is a guy named Dave leaning out the window..... Around here most people that hang around trains appear to be named Dave I Guess. For instance, there are 4 officers in the NMRA Division here. Ray (me), who is the Superintendent, and Dave, Dave, and Dave. Dave will be at the RIT Tiger Tracks Train Show With me at our Table. Another Dave will be with the Rochester Model Railroad Club exhibit, and we are waiting to see if the other Dave will be able to be there at all.....

This is Ray standing in the doorway of the 80 Tonner at the Museum a few years ago:

Enjoy!

 

[new guy]

Hi guys! It went from awesome nice to wicked nasty in about 30 seconds last night down at the "Silver Bells in the City" Parade in Lansing!
The Capitol Area District Library "float" was the only RR themed thing in the entire lineup.
About 5 minutes after this pic was taken we were in the van watching the people RUN from the rain! It got BAD, hard rain and thunder with lightning! My son was keeping an eye on the storm with his phone and we were among the first to BOLT!

Quite the brew-ha-ha I got going with that thread but it IS staying nicely out of the gutter!

 

[GarryCBQ]

Good morning .... The surgery went very well and the wound should heal in a week or so. I have a new implanted defibrillator / pacemaker and I should be good for another 5 years at least. Thanks everybody for your concern.

Don't think there'll be too much traffic on the rail line along the NE coast of NZ's south island after the earthquake a few days ago. 7.8 on the Richter with aftershocks occurring in the 6+.

That reminds me of Penn Central track I saw in Michigan before PC went out of business.

 

[new guy]

Allright! the BIONIC MAN is back! Good deal Garry! Glad it went smoothly.

 

[bnsf971]

Allright! the BIONIC MAN is back! Good deal Garry! Glad it went smoothly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGO57y4td-c

 

[bnsf971]

Good afternoon. It's kind of hazy, still smells like smoke, and 62.

 

[chessie_system3]

Good afternoon y'all. Been down in the train room. Trying to get a handle on my track work. My joiners are loose. Unfortunately they aren't the only things loose. I have a rail really loose in the ties. Soooooo......another section I'll have to take out. This is starting to get old. I'd much rather move on to something else. Oh well. I'll let y'all know how it turns out.

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[IronBeltKen]

Good afternoon. I think I'm losing my mind; I wrote up a Coffee Shop post at ~8:30am outlining my plans for the morning and was positive that I hit "Submit", but I guess I hit "Preview" by mistake... I'm not seeing it anywhere.

Garry - great to see you back from the surgery!

Joe - super-cool photo of enolA! I'm especially intrigued by those things that resemble selectively-compressed GG1's - has anybody ever done one of those in brass.

Justin - your yard office looks great right where it's at, not too big or too small.

Hope Eric is doing ok, I haven't seen any recent updates from him.

I spent most of the morning running the old fuel out of my generator and riding mower, put in some new gas with marine fuel stabilizer mixed-in, then ran them just long enough to make sure the stabilized gasoline got the whole way into the fuel lines. Now they're in hibernation mode until April.

Not much to report on the mrr front. These days of early darkness seem to negatively affect my energy level; I'm usually too exhausted/fatigued to embark on any ambitious projects on weeknights, especially M-W-F when I do my treadmill exercises. But I have been perusing various online shopping venues for models I need that may no longer be available in the not-too-distant future: Accurail 89ft auto rack kits, and Walthers slag cars [which have become rare as hens teeth]. I need 12 of those to make up an over-the-road train, have 9 so far so I ordered the last 3 I could find on ebay. I'm aiming for something like this: [url]http://nmr.collinsandgoto.com/history/train.gif[/URL] ...without the fire, obviously! It'll just look cool going over my main line until it dissappears into staging.