Good late evening Rail Layers & Spike Driver's,
Hi Flo & Francine, Happy New Year to you both! How about some coffee and a nice piece of Mince meat Pie with some added Cinnamon. Thanks.
It started out as a fairly nice day but around 4:30 Pm it started to rain and I had light rain all evening along with some wind. Let me check WW to see what they say? Their site doesn't want to load-up?
Earlier at about 4:30 Pm it was about 38* outside and a bit windy coming from East.
Good afternoon.
Sherrel. .. thanks for the very kind remark you made to Chet and me. I'll let Chet have it go to his head.
Bruce.. I suggest replacing cheapie plastic couplers with Kadee metal ones.
speaking of couplers. In addition to using Kadee couplers, it is good to have the Kadee couplers height gauge and the Kadee trip pin pliers to make adjustments as needed.
Curt.. looks like part of a signal. Say hi to Phil. We may be in Orlando in April.
Garry: That's good advise your giving Bruce. the trip pin pliers are a big help.
Chet - put another log on the fire!!! Or maybe a whole tree
Johnny
Johnny: That's for sure, I'm nowhere that cold and still have to keep adding wood to the fire to keep the place warm!
Rain and high 30's this evening.
I will look into metal couplers as soon as metal wheels are more prevalent in the fleet. Property Taxes are coming up fast so it may be a while.
Bruce: The Kadee couplers are a really good choice. The ones
Karl mentioned with the wiskers, which are a tough plastic that extend from the base of the shank, are the simplest to work with.
Glad that I was able to help you out there, CURT! I talked to Phil this morning. I want to make a conscious effort to try and communicate with him on a more regular basis, and I hope that more of the members will try to do the same. I'm not all that far behind him in age - and I know too that sometimes one (I know that I did) just gets to feeling that they have become useless to everything around them. I just wish that Phil had a computer that he could enjoy the forum with. I don't know if it's his computer, or that he is trying to do something that the computer won't let him. I would gethim a computer to use, but I am just a little far away to hook it up for his provider.
Sherrel: I think that's a good idea that we should contact Phil.
Mid day here and it has cooled down today from the high 90's we've been having since before Christmas. Overcast and light rain showers. Currently 82f, but 85% humidity, actually higher than when it was hot. Instead of hot and clammy, cooler and more clammy. Daren't rest my arms on a table or desk, will never get unstuck.
Toot: That's what you call a, 'Sticky Wicket'! I can remember one day when I was in Massachusetts not too far from the coast and it was 85* and 100% humitity. I was actually walking through a mist.
Garry/Willie/Johnny/Joe/Sherrell/Curt - thanks for the well-wishes! I'm doing much better today, fever's gone down. Haven't quite decided yet whether or not I'll go back to work tomorrow though.
Curt, that was a 36-hour GI infection. I got a 3-day reprieve from Christmas Day thru Dec 28, then this more virulent bug got me. Hopefully there won't be any more ugly surprises like this!
Say Ken: If your taking any kind of Anti-Biotic it's very important for you to also take a good grade of Acidophilus spaced as far inbetween the time you take your Anti-Biotic so you don't tend to kill off it total effect.
I can only speak for myself, but I like to leave room for scenery between the track and the wall. Other than the staging yard or industry sidings against low-relief structures, I think that the closest any of my track comes to any wall is 3"-4". My preference is to run "through the layout". Some scenery such as trees and bushes helps the transformation between track and backdrop. But, there is no right or wrong way to approach it.
Willie
Say Willie: Leaving space around the edges was one of the objectives I had when I was planning my layout too. That, along with not having things to crowded if at all possible?
Willie, Chet, Others - - Yeah, that makes sense. I think Chet mentioned in another post some time ago that he likes to see trains run through the layout and not in front of it or behind it (unless you can't help it). So I think I'll leave a few inches between the roadbed and the wall to put a low rise, ground cover, trees, something like that, and then have the instant horizon stuff on the wall.
Thanks.
Johnny
Johnny: Leaving at least 3" if possible is best and between 3" to 6" is even, but even with only 3" a lot can be done. I think that all the pace
Garry had in one of his scenes and did quite a lot with it!
It can be a slow process, but equipping your locomotives and rolling stock with Kadee couplers will make a difference especially when you are pulling long trains and adding metal wheels will be icing on the cake.
Chet: That's very good advice to Bruce.
Ssssssssshhhhhhhh. It was supposed to be a surprise! !!
Say Karl: Terry did kind of let the cat out of the bag didn't he?
Good evening gents.
Well, Professor Ken was right - the office was indeed quiet today. But I still had to go home after 3 hours, since apparently I need to lie down frequently and I don't have access to any couches in that environment. Fever is gone, but it's taking longer than I expected for this ol' bod to rebuild itself! I dropped by the LHS on the way home and got some brass rod to repair my broken E8 gear, but I wound up napping all afternoon so I haven't made any more progress on that project yet...
Say Ken: Some of these bugs can be fairly nasty for sure. Glad your feeling better. Be cautious though as some of these darn cold strains can mutate and reappear, I hope that doesn't happen to you!
Take care and I hope everyone has a good day today!
