Running Bear's Coffee Shoppe LIX

[Boris]

Good morning, 26° and sunny this morning with a heavy frost. it's going to 43°. 40% chance of mixed precipitation tonight.

 

[new guy]

Good Morning All. Today it's 32 degrees and clear and dark outside. Going up to the lower 60's today. Yesterday turned out a little warmer than predicted...55 degrees with no wind so it was really nice.
Sherrel - OK, here's the last of them
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Eric - Keep at it, although this working does take time away from modeling and beer drinking.
new guy - Glad things worked out for you, one word "Karma". Any further progress on the "new plan"? While I am running trains, I think of all kinds of stuff to improve or enhance the layout. I need to write them down because when I am finished I have forgotten them all!!!! If I could only remember where I left those missing brain cells.
Chet - Did you ever get the grill unfrozen? By the way, that's a really nice looking Chevy. One doesn't see too many of the 1959 models. My dad owned a four door Biscayne back then. I learned how to drive a stick shift (column-mounted) in that car around 1965. There's still a scar on the gatepost back home from that car.

Off to the train shed to await daylight.

Willie

Thanks, my conscience is clear. I'll never know what his 'deal' is cause I no longer care. NOT being able to get his number was pretty darned offensive and I told him so, thru the third party of course because this guy has problems being a MAN and TALKING to people he does business with. OY! VEY!


JUST about to tear it up and go into a 'play' phase where I just put track all over the place and see what is what space wise. Run trains on the 'temp' track and generally mess around with it for a while before the incline sets and risers arrive and the next 'permanent temporary' track pattern goes down.

 

[montanan]

Good morning all. Things warmer up over night. It was minus 1 last night but was up to 16 degrees this morning with overcast skies.

Willie - I did manage to get the ice chipped off of the grill and the grill shoveled out of the snow on Sunday. '59 Chevys are a bit rare but are one of my favorites. I also have a '59 Bel Air that I use as a daily driver. It was also restored, but not to the level of the Impala. Put disc brakes on it and a 350 crate motor in it with a 5 speed manual transmission. The Impala doesn't come out of the shop at all in the winter. Teally like the photos of the SF rail car. Nice.

So far as ebay goes, I don't but a lot at all there, but sometimes there are some hard to find items that pop up there, but I refuse to get into a bidding war and ending up paying more than an item is worth. For instance, when I was trying to find some code 70 Shinohara items I saw people bidding them up way over what I could buy them for from MB Klein. I also have seen people wanting laughable prices for items that I have thrown away. I usually keep my distance from ebay.

Louis - Good to see you stopping by.

Joe - Air travel can big a big pain in the butt. I avoid it if at all possible. My last tril was about 12 years ago when the wife and I went to Hawaii. (No roads to Ouahu). Sure cured me. I won't go into details, but the trip out was fine, but the return trip was a horror show. I will usually drive every where I go. My annual trip to Daytona thankfully is taken on a private jet. Other wise the only time I fly is when I fly myself just for recreational purposes. I used to love to travel by rail and we did quite regularly when I was growing up. There was no interstate system back then and the roads weren't the best back then either. Rail travel in the 50's and early 60's was fantastic. When Amtrack took over passenger service, they eliminated the North Coast Limited and passenger rail service across the southern part of Montana. The only passenger train now operating in the state is the Empire Builder which crosses the northern part of the state up by Glacier Park. That's almost three hundred miles from us. About the only time we get to ride the rails now is when we visit operating steam railroads during our travels. We have been to many of them.

No Power Ball tickets for me. I have already had my run in with lightning when I was a kid so my chances are probably a bit less now.

 

[logandsawman]

Good Morning, -11 and clear. We got a dusting of snow overnight, just enough to make everything really slippery.

Eric--My wife told me that I am a much better carpenter since I started my model railroad hobby. Guess it is the attention to details. Too bad he can't find something more fulfilling than rolling ceilings. I guess he has to take the work he has.

SantaFeWillie, I like the pics posted above. I don't get a chance to see those colors around here!

Curt--really looks like you are "working on the railroad" with the shot you posted yesterday afternoon!

Pay Pal and EBay-- I have not had a problem that didn't work itself out. There have been some disappointment, but also some nice surprises.

Louis-- I am glad to see you checking in with us! There seems to be an empty spot here when we don't hear from you!

Everyone have a great day!

 

[chessie_system3]

This is what is driving me batty right now....

The ends are on the centerline. The middle not so much....oddly enough I'm finding that every one I have cut is bent. How that happened I'll never know. Lesson learned here is not to cut my turnouts. I'll have to manage this the best I can. It doesn't hurt my ops so its not too bad.

As you can see the mainline is complete. I'll have to nail the track back down again to get it onto the surface of the cork but it seems to be easier than just nailing it to the board.

Sent from my XT1031 using Tapatalk

 

[BigE]

Eric--My wife told me that I am a much better carpenter since I started my model railroad hobby. Guess it is the attention to details. Too bad he can't find something more fulfilling than rolling ceilings. I guess he has to take the work he has.

Yeah, there isn't going to be any "real carpentry" on this gig. It's his house and he's remodeling to put it on the market circa April.
We were going to do some hardwood flooring but yesterday he's talking about getting some pros to come in and knock it out in a day or 2.
He was talking about flipping houses after this but yesterday he's talking about moving back to NJ.
Except for scaffolding and walk-boards he's got about every tool needed to build a house from the foundation up.
Suppose it's all really up in the air at this point.
E.

 

[montanan]

CHESSIE - Once you have your ballast down, you'll find that it will probably hide everything that's got you worried. To make the transition from the main line that is on the cork roadbed, you may want to consider a wood shim similar to what is used for installing windoes and doors. at their thickest end that are about the same as the road bed and will taper down to almost nothing.

 

[chessie_system3]

CHESSIE - Once you have your ballast down, you'll find that it will probably hide everything that's got you worried. To make the transition from the main line that is on the cork roadbed, you may want to consider a wood shim similar to what is used for installing windoes and doors. at their thickest end that are about the same as the road bed and will taper down to almost nothing.

That sounds like it would work well. I have opted to just cork the whole layout. Make it work off of that. I may need to buy some of the big sheets of cork for my yard and loadout. I may have enough to cover everything then again I may not. Roadbed is a good upgrade for me. It's a painful one but still a good one.

Sent from my XT1031 using Tapatalk

 

[montanan]

That would be a good solution. The transition from the cork road bed would be taken care of and ground cover, grass, weed and whatever will blend everything together.

You'll be suprised at how scenery can cover up and hide a lot of ugly.

 

[chessie_system3]

That would be a good solution. The transition from the cork road bed would be taken care of and ground cover, grass, weed and whatever will blend everything together.

Lol I wish I had gotten this info sooner. I have already started laying the roadbed on the siding. It's OK though. This won't be my last layout build I'm sure. I figure once I'm out of renting places and in a permanent residence I'll do it again and hopefully I'll have the space to play with more so. I can't stay confined to the sacred sheet forever. It's a test bed for me to learn off of. But I'll keep the wooden shims in mind for next time. Thank you for that idea as well.

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[logandsawman]

hopefully I'll have the space to play with more so. I can't stay confined to the sacred sheet forever. It's a test bed for me to learn off of.

I think this is a very good way to get a layout! My first one was a single 4 x 8 sheet which I successfully moved to a different house and also sold and transported to a new home!! I had everything glued down really good so had no problem turning it sideways and getting it through a doorway.

Unfortunately, a couple of my favorite buildings were glued on very well and they went with the layout. Now I wish I would have pried them off.

 

[BigE]

Looks like maybe a short day today. Larry won't be here for at least another 30 minutes and maybe an hour.
E

 

[BigE]

Chessie: One thing I wish I had done looking back in hindsight: Wish I would have painted the work under the turnouts a gray close to the ballast color so I didn't have to worry so much about getting plenty of ballast in the turnout rails and mess up smooth operation.
I did however figured out I could put clump foliage on the turnout motors - being careful NOT to get glue inside of course.
E.

 

[chessie_system3]

I learned the first time I did ballast on my layout not to get glue on the moving parts. One of my switch machines still sticks because of it. Now I just dab the glue in away from all the moving parts. Works pretty well. And this go around I'm doing away with the machines and using my throws that I have.

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[BigE]

I learned the first time I did ballast on my layout not to get glue on the moving parts. One of my switch machines still sticks because of it. Now I just dab the glue in away from all the moving parts. Works pretty well. And this go around I'm doing away with the machines and using my throws that I have.

Sent from my XT1031 using Tapatalk

91% ISO should get that glue off. It worked for me.
E.

 

[chessie_system3]

91% ISO should get that glue off. It worked for me.
E.

Hmmmm.....I never thought of that. I just dealt with it as it isn't too irritating for me. But I'll keep this in mind should I mess up on one of my turnouts.

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[BigE]

Hmmmm.....I never thought of that. I just dealt with it as it isn't too irritating for me. But I'll keep this in mind should I mess up on one of my turnouts.

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Don't be too liberal with it however. It will make the cork curl up. But it will flatten back out after it dries.
E.

 

[kbkchooch]

C-c-c-cold up here!

I yousta DO that, I did not see the sun for months at a time when working for both Dawn and Duncan!

BEST job I ever had for the FIRST two weeks then the powdered sugar gets into your eves, lungs and bloodstream and you NEVER want to even SEE another of doughnut EVER again!


Dawn beats the pants off Duncan and I'll never know how they went under so quick! Much better mix in the cake product and the yeast product was also a bit better! and DON'T get me started on the coffee Duncan pumps out! BLEA! "Oily Swill" is the best description I've heard!

I know the feeling, I worked for Pizza Hut in high school. Took me years before I could eat pizza again.

 

[montanan]

I learned the first time I did ballast on my layout not to get glue on the moving parts. One of my switch machines still sticks because of it. Now I just dab the glue in away from all the moving parts. Works pretty well. And this go around I'm doing away with the machines and using my throws that I have.

Sent from my XT1031 using Tapatalk

Before applying ballast, give any moving parts or areas such as points a little shot of WD40. The glue won't stick to it.

 

[Trussrod]

Good afternoon Rail Setters & Spike Drivers.

Hi Flo & Francine, I see Jeffreys' Diner is fairly full again, here's a bunch of Apple Fritters if anyone is interested. I'll grab one and a cup of coffee. Thanks Francine.

It's a beautiful Sunny day here, lets check WW:
Partly Cloudy
59.2 °F
Feels Like 59.2 °F
2.2 mph Wind from West

Today is forecast to be nearly the same temperature as yesterday.
Today
High 58 | Low 44 °F
0% Chance of Precip.
Yesterday
High 59.5 | Low 36.5 °F
Precip. 0 in

Pressure 30.24 in
Visibility 3.0 miles
Clouds Scattered Clouds 500 ft
Dew Point 40 °F
Humidity 48%
Rainfall 0.00 in
Snow Depth Not available.


I been doing more things on the house like calking the top and sides of a West facing window I had forgoten about. Now I need to take the drapes & rod down in the living room and put some new sash cord in it. I'm tired of dragging the drapes across to the center. Some of the slides the drapes hang on are broken and seem hard to find.


Say Chessie: Using the shims as Chet mentioned will give you a lot more of a prototypical look as they will be lower as most sidings are compared to the main line. I'm not sure who mentioned it but allow at least 1" from any joint before you start you decline to the siding. I think you'll appreciate the difference in height change besides most all freight docks are ment for trackage that is at ground level. For your newer time period you want the main line raised up a bit from sidings.

As far as the cut rails on the switch being a bit bent that shouldn't hurt much as your using rail joiners. If you feel the need to try and straighten them a bit, grab the rail head with some needle nose pliers and twist slightly but there probably isn't any real need to do so. Sometimes it's necessary to cut a bit off the switch to allow them to fit in a bit better.

Be sure to check the inside rail head and center web area to ensure there is no burr that might cause a tight spot when the loco and car wheels role bye.

What did you use to cut the rails? If it was a saw blade the teeth were probably too coarse.


Chet: Your suggestion of using WD40 on the throw bar area to prevent glue from sticking is interesting but unless it's cleaned off later with alcohol I think it will gum up after awhile.


Time to get to work