Good evening,
Hi Flo and Francine, I have some of the flavored Herbal Tea, do you have Apple Cinnamon Spice? You do, great, I have a cup of that.
It was a very nice sunny day today with temp of 62* and the low is suppose to be about 39*, there was a slight breeze also but mild.
On the layout front I haven't got too much more done but have been having a good time shuffling some trains around which is getting me more excited about getting the rest of my mainline and some sidings down. I did pick up another package of Cenntral Valley Branch Line tie strips to ensure I'd have enough to finish off everything I have planned.
Who is/was "Running Bear"?
I ask because my given Cherokee name is "Little Bear". Funny story how I got that moniker.
Hi Big E, Welcome to the forums as well as the fact your getting back into model railroading.
About Jeffrey Wimberly's name of 'Running Bear'? I checked with his little sister Lael and she confirmed he was also of the Cherokee Tribe. By the way he was only 54, I believe, when he passed away, way too young.
I read through all that. Sounds like he was having a rough time of things in that thread.
What was he suffering from? (if I may ask)
Again per his younger sister, she said he had Cerebral Palsy when he was much younger and had to relearn to talk and walk. Later on he developed Diabetes and taking insulin shots. At present though there is a lot of controversy from several Dr's if the usual treatment is actually required? Poor Jeffrey wound up having both lower legs amputated and then suffered a major stroke or two.
He was very sharp with electronics especially dealing with Digitraks DCC and installing decoders and building various Diesels form scraps parts he had. He was a real asset to the forum in helping others if they had DCC programing issues especially with Digitraks and others I think?
Evening All,
Did some detail work on the layout. I put the oil tanks in place, attached the signal flags to the towers and put up 8 call boxes (white metal kits) in the appropriate places. I also painted a AMB garage that when assembled will be for lube oil storage in the TT area. I also went to Jo-Ann's and picked up a bottle of maroon acrylic paint for the Pennsy signs when they come in.
Maybe some of you can weigh in. I am thinking of putting a thin line of cinders on the outside edges of the existing ballast since I run steam about 80-90% of the time on the layout. I have looked at a bunch of photos and in the vast majority there are no cinders but some do. I just don't know that if I do it, it will look overdone. Does anyone do this on their layout?
Tomorrow we are driving to Sarasota (about 2 hours). MOH is going to a quilt shop and about 1 mile away is a really nice train shop. Guess which one I will be at? The downside...there is always one, is that we are stopping at a outlet mall on the way home.
I hope everyone has a good night.
Hi Curt
Yes all the detail stuff like your adding does a lot to create a more realistic appearance. How about a few Out Houses around, Titchy makes some cute plastic ones with doors you can leave open and a actual raised portion with a hole in it.
How about piles of trash, use some smaller size insulation form wire, cut them to the appropriate length and paint them rusty or part silver and rust for newer cans. Larger size insulation can be for grease or paint cans or even small metal drums from some plastic straws cut to length. Also how about some lengths of thin straws like plastic coffee stirrers for smaller lengths of pipe and the larger straws for larger sections of pipe . These also make great loads for Gondolas or flat cars with stakes. How about some piles of rail or a few rails left track side for added interest, don't forget to make them look rusty. How about some small pieces of paper scraps and old boards. Signs, such mile markers along the track can add a lot of interest too as well as functional yard limit sings or posts that can be functional if you have two converging tracks at a switch point so you know just how far a train can get to the other line.
Tree stumps are easy to make from Oak branches as the branches form a natural wide spot so that if you cut between bulge it forms a flat base in most cases and they you can cut the branch off to what ever length you want. Or maybe you have something else in your area.
As far as Cinders, I don't believe enough actually fell right along the ballast area to create a discernable line unless a 'Bear Trap' or Ridgeway Spark Arrester was used and most of them were on the Narrow Gauge lines as best as I can tell.
http://coloradorailroadmuseum.org/drgw-steam-engine-no-346/
From what I understand, it was more likely cinders would fly into dry fields off to the sides and start fires. Indeed one of the narrow gauge lines or the RGS Rio Grand Southern and D&RGW used 'Bear Trap' or Ridgeway smoke stack spark arresters, which had a screen mesh directly above the actual stack as well as the whole stack being enclosed and also had a side tube that ran down to dump cinders along the ballast but that was narrow gauge but some standard gauge lines may have used them too?
We are actually looking at temps ABOVE freezing for the weekend! Woo Hoo! Break out the shorts!! Work on the garage is coming along well.. 1 maybe 2 weekends and the "other man cave" should be done!
