migalyto
Well-Known Member
It was called The Chase.
I faintly remember it. That car didn’t have a bench seat if I recall correctly.
Running Bear's December 2023 Coffee Shop
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I faintly remember it. That car didn’t have a bench seat if I recall correctly.
1. Thank You.
2. Midsomer is like Law and Order. No matter how well it's done, eventually, the writers run out of material.
3. Happy to hear Phil and Deb are still plugging along. Likewise, when you talk to him again, wish them a Merry Christmas from me.
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I faintly remember it. That car didn’t have a bench seat if I recall correctly.
NYC_George
Well-Known Member
Stacking up the MOW vehicles.
Swal
Swal
PRR Modeler
Well-Known Member
Afternoon All,
Started out the day at 47F and breezy. Current temp 69F. It's going to be cold walking tomorrow morning.
Today I finished trimming the second frame and started drilling out the coupler pockets on both bodies using 2 different sized bits. I used a #78 and #62 bit. The afternoon was spent running errands with MOH.
For those that know Phil (Flip) he called me today in good spirits wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. He and Deb are scrapping by but no worse than normal.
Joe- Happy Belated Anniversary. Last night's Midsomer I found boring. The writers obviously have never dealt with large parrots (ending).
Karl- That caused me to laugh and MOH smile.
Terry- Nice looking locomotive.
Louis- Happy Anniversary. You've always said you were a big guy but WOW! I've often pondered that question myself.
Bill- Neat photo.
Sherrel- As others have said, you are in my prayers. Do what you need to do.
Mac- Great photos. I'm ashamed to say the only Pennsy steam I have is an old American. I started out with the BLI steamers that couldn't pull their own weight little own a bunch of cars. I sold them off and bought mainly Athearn Genesis diesels. I do have 4-5 steamers, but they are "leased motive power" from other roads. I would love a couple of I1's but can't pull the trigger at the current cost.
Swal- Reality is stranger than fiction. There is a prototype for anything we model.
Willie- That is a great scene that is instantly recognizable.
I hope everyone has a good night.
Started out the day at 47F and breezy. Current temp 69F. It's going to be cold walking tomorrow morning.
Today I finished trimming the second frame and started drilling out the coupler pockets on both bodies using 2 different sized bits. I used a #78 and #62 bit. The afternoon was spent running errands with MOH.For those that know Phil (Flip) he called me today in good spirits wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. He and Deb are scrapping by but no worse than normal.
Joe- Happy Belated Anniversary. Last night's Midsomer I found boring. The writers obviously have never dealt with large parrots (ending).
Karl- That caused me to laugh and MOH smile.
Terry- Nice looking locomotive.
Louis- Happy Anniversary. You've always said you were a big guy but WOW! I've often pondered that question myself.
Bill- Neat photo.
Sherrel- As others have said, you are in my prayers. Do what you need to do.
Mac- Great photos. I'm ashamed to say the only Pennsy steam I have is an old American. I started out with the BLI steamers that couldn't pull their own weight little own a bunch of cars. I sold them off and bought mainly Athearn Genesis diesels. I do have 4-5 steamers, but they are "leased motive power" from other roads. I would love a couple of I1's but can't pull the trigger at the current cost.
Swal- Reality is stranger than fiction. There is a prototype for anything we model.
Willie- That is a great scene that is instantly recognizable.
I hope everyone has a good night.
Alcomotive
Grandson of an ALCO Builder
Really cool article about Frank Sinatra
Look at this post on Facebook
His wife talks about how he started Model Railroading and his massive collection that he had.
Barbara Sinatra: "A model railway enthusiast, he'd had a special train room built at the Compound for his two hundred or so trains, replicating the layout of the famous Lionel showroom in New York. His museum-quality setting featured yards of tracks on two levels amid scenery of mountains, factories, houses, and bridges as well as a miniature replica of Hoboken. It also had an old Western town, a billboard announcing one of his sellout concerts, and a New Orleans riverboat. From the ceiling hung replicas of all the planes he'd ever owned. In the wood-paneled room built as an extension of an old railroad caboose, he played with his favorite locomotive–the high-speed Japanese one he'd traveled on several times. On the wall were hung all sorts of station signs and slogans, including his favorite, which said, 'He who dies with the most toys wins.'
Once he was in that room, Frank was a child again, the same little boy who'd pressed his nose against the glass of the Lionel model train store. His mother, Dolly, had pawned her fox fur to buy him his first set, a sacrifice he never forgot. In his special room that took him back to those days, he wore a bright red engineer's hat with a visor and blew a whistle while the sounds of trains and engines played. He loved it, and so did his friends, who would happily don hats and blow whistles too. Many of them bought him new or unusual trains as gifts, happy to find something to give the man who had everything. He had a solid gold one with his initials set in diamonds and rubies, which was a present from one of the Vegas hotels; a locomotive that was a gift from the Vatican; and a crystal version of the train that inspired Glenn Miller's 'Chattanooga Choo Choo.' Whenever his electrician came by to help fix any problems with the track, the two of them would spend hours 'testing' the entire system. I'd pop my head around the door sometimes just to watch Frank, happy to see him so playful and animated, a glass of Daniel's in his hand."
John Aaron (musician, piano technician and fellow toy train enthusiast): “Over the years, we met up at train conventions, shows, swap meets, auctions, etc. We also frequented many hobby shops, after regular hours, of course, and visited numerous layouts of fellow train collectors.
Most folks in his childhood neighborhood could not buy electric trains which have always been costly, but so the story goes, Frank's mother pawned an old fox fur piece she had acquired and bought him his first set of trains. Another often-heard tale has Frank and various friends jumping aboard a streetcar every now and then and traveling the dozen miles or so to the Lionel Train factory where they would rummage through the trash bins after hours in search of discarded train parts. From the parts, they would cobble together whole trains.
In his glory years, Sinatra would stroll the Lionel factory floors with Joshua Lionel Cowen himself as Frank picked out the latest Lionel offerings to add to his growing collection. Frank collected trains from almost all the major manufactures the world over. The value of his collection eventually exceeded a million dollars.
Of course, once the word got out that Sinatra loved toy trains, many came to him as gifts, including an antique locomotive courtesy of the Vatican. Tommy Dorsey, one of the first bandleaders Frank worked for, had a huge train layout in the basement of his Bernardsville, New Jersey, mansion which Frank enjoyed visiting and operating. Frank was also quite taken with the 1949 Macy’s holiday display layout in New York. Sinatra's personal toy train layout not only surpassed both the Dorsey and Macy’s layouts, but it also gave the Lionel Corporation’s New York showroom layout a good run for the money!
The Sinatra collection and layout was not about owning the most toys. It was about fun. I never saw him more relaxed than when he was cleaning or oiling a locomotive or at the controls while four or five trains roared around his layout.
During the holidays, Frank often had neighborhood kids in to not only look at but to actually operate his layout. The fact that some trains were occasionally damaged by the overly enthusiastic kids did not upset him.
Sinatra and I were also of the mind that no train was too rare or valuable to operate. We both owned the rare and highly coveted 1957 Lionel pink girl's train sets. Although they were beyond valuable, we both frequently operated them on our layouts. Neither of us was much into the mint, never-opened, boxed train sets so many collectors strive to acquire. We both felt that toy trains were made to be toys and made to be played with.”
Look at this post on FacebookHis wife talks about how he started Model Railroading and his massive collection that he had.
Barbara Sinatra: "A model railway enthusiast, he'd had a special train room built at the Compound for his two hundred or so trains, replicating the layout of the famous Lionel showroom in New York. His museum-quality setting featured yards of tracks on two levels amid scenery of mountains, factories, houses, and bridges as well as a miniature replica of Hoboken. It also had an old Western town, a billboard announcing one of his sellout concerts, and a New Orleans riverboat. From the ceiling hung replicas of all the planes he'd ever owned. In the wood-paneled room built as an extension of an old railroad caboose, he played with his favorite locomotive–the high-speed Japanese one he'd traveled on several times. On the wall were hung all sorts of station signs and slogans, including his favorite, which said, 'He who dies with the most toys wins.'
Once he was in that room, Frank was a child again, the same little boy who'd pressed his nose against the glass of the Lionel model train store. His mother, Dolly, had pawned her fox fur to buy him his first set, a sacrifice he never forgot. In his special room that took him back to those days, he wore a bright red engineer's hat with a visor and blew a whistle while the sounds of trains and engines played. He loved it, and so did his friends, who would happily don hats and blow whistles too. Many of them bought him new or unusual trains as gifts, happy to find something to give the man who had everything. He had a solid gold one with his initials set in diamonds and rubies, which was a present from one of the Vegas hotels; a locomotive that was a gift from the Vatican; and a crystal version of the train that inspired Glenn Miller's 'Chattanooga Choo Choo.' Whenever his electrician came by to help fix any problems with the track, the two of them would spend hours 'testing' the entire system. I'd pop my head around the door sometimes just to watch Frank, happy to see him so playful and animated, a glass of Daniel's in his hand."
John Aaron (musician, piano technician and fellow toy train enthusiast): “Over the years, we met up at train conventions, shows, swap meets, auctions, etc. We also frequented many hobby shops, after regular hours, of course, and visited numerous layouts of fellow train collectors.
Most folks in his childhood neighborhood could not buy electric trains which have always been costly, but so the story goes, Frank's mother pawned an old fox fur piece she had acquired and bought him his first set of trains. Another often-heard tale has Frank and various friends jumping aboard a streetcar every now and then and traveling the dozen miles or so to the Lionel Train factory where they would rummage through the trash bins after hours in search of discarded train parts. From the parts, they would cobble together whole trains.
In his glory years, Sinatra would stroll the Lionel factory floors with Joshua Lionel Cowen himself as Frank picked out the latest Lionel offerings to add to his growing collection. Frank collected trains from almost all the major manufactures the world over. The value of his collection eventually exceeded a million dollars.
Of course, once the word got out that Sinatra loved toy trains, many came to him as gifts, including an antique locomotive courtesy of the Vatican. Tommy Dorsey, one of the first bandleaders Frank worked for, had a huge train layout in the basement of his Bernardsville, New Jersey, mansion which Frank enjoyed visiting and operating. Frank was also quite taken with the 1949 Macy’s holiday display layout in New York. Sinatra's personal toy train layout not only surpassed both the Dorsey and Macy’s layouts, but it also gave the Lionel Corporation’s New York showroom layout a good run for the money!
The Sinatra collection and layout was not about owning the most toys. It was about fun. I never saw him more relaxed than when he was cleaning or oiling a locomotive or at the controls while four or five trains roared around his layout.
During the holidays, Frank often had neighborhood kids in to not only look at but to actually operate his layout. The fact that some trains were occasionally damaged by the overly enthusiastic kids did not upset him.
Sinatra and I were also of the mind that no train was too rare or valuable to operate. We both owned the rare and highly coveted 1957 Lionel pink girl's train sets. Although they were beyond valuable, we both frequently operated them on our layouts. Neither of us was much into the mint, never-opened, boxed train sets so many collectors strive to acquire. We both felt that toy trains were made to be toys and made to be played with.”
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CambriaArea51
Well-Known Member
Louis and Boris Happy Anniversary.
KriegslokBR52
Well-Known Member
But they still "managed"It was called The Chase.
I faintly remember it. That car didn’t have a bench seat if I recall correctly.
KriegslokBR52
Well-Known Member
Yeah those Pennsy "Hippos" are my favorite. On a lot of train shows i go to there are Bowser I1s available already put together, sometimes for as little as $75. I'm super detailing one currently. They will pull a lot, and most likely a lot more than BLI versions. While the BLI look more prototypical, they are just not up to the task and you're not the first person i hear this from.Mac- Great photos. I'm ashamed to say the only Pennsy steam I have is an old American. I started out with the BLI steamers that couldn't pull their own weight little own a bunch of cars. I sold them off and bought mainly Athearn Genesis diesels. I do have 4-5 steamers, but they are "leased motive power" from other roads. I would love a couple of I1's but can't pull the trigger at the current cost.
KriegslokBR52
Well-Known Member
Boris
Beach Bum
Uh, Oh, Someone's in trouble!
Boris
Beach Bum
Curt:
1. Thank You.
2. Midsomer is like Law and Order. No matter how well it's done, eventually, the writers run out of material.
3. Happy to hear Phil and Deb are still plugging along. Likewise, when you talk to him again, wish them a Merry Christmas from me.
Boris
Beach Bum
That's great. they are good power. One caution, be aware of the possibility of zinc rot or other corrosion. The late Father in Law had at least one of every Bowser PRR steamer. He stored them on an enclosed display case mounted on a wall. When we cleaned out the MIL's house in order to sell it, we found they were in sad condition. My son has them and is planning on reworking them.
troyphoto
Snarky Old Fart (in training)
Well howdy there internet people, and those who knew Ole Blue Eyes had more than a cold... I didn't realize he was a collector of railroading in the small scales.
It's Troy again, and I'm sore.
three days (or is it more? Started on Sat. Today is Tues, that's four days) of working on new doors. In hindsight, it might have been easier to just get prehung and tear the old out.
Today, I headed to the big box store and purchased a power planer. It helped, expect for the door I had already routered the hinge mortices. I can't get that on level on the edge I'm trying to plane.
I'm not sure if they installed the doors back in '74 as custom fit, but none of the doors are an exact 32 inches (or 28"). I expect some settling in a building that old. But I've taken a quarter inch off one door's width, then used the mini-sledge on the frame, and it still binds.
This weekened, the weather is supposed to be in the 50s (F-degrees), so I plan on popping the hinges off, and ripping another 1/8th or so inch from that edge. Deep enough to get the hinge mortices flush, so I can route them after test fitting the doors. Silly me, I expect the openings to be standard.
Oh, well. I've got the first four up. Other than the one that sticks (until this coming Sat when I take the saw and planer to it again), they're in and working. Three more on order due to not being a size anyone stocks (26"). I'll be pre-cutting the length and breadth now that I understand how off the framing is. Then a test fit.
For my reward, wife let me pick the other Italian place. It's pricier, but has huge calzones. I ordered the all-meat one (with BBQ sauce). Wife got the small Lasagna and a Sangria. I know what I'm having for lunch tomorrow, since I'm full eating only half of the Calzone.
It's Troy again, and I'm sore.
three days (or is it more? Started on Sat. Today is Tues, that's four days) of working on new doors. In hindsight, it might have been easier to just get prehung and tear the old out.
Today, I headed to the big box store and purchased a power planer. It helped, expect for the door I had already routered the hinge mortices. I can't get that on level on the edge I'm trying to plane.
I'm not sure if they installed the doors back in '74 as custom fit, but none of the doors are an exact 32 inches (or 28"). I expect some settling in a building that old. But I've taken a quarter inch off one door's width, then used the mini-sledge on the frame, and it still binds.
This weekened, the weather is supposed to be in the 50s (F-degrees), so I plan on popping the hinges off, and ripping another 1/8th or so inch from that edge. Deep enough to get the hinge mortices flush, so I can route them after test fitting the doors. Silly me, I expect the openings to be standard.
Oh, well. I've got the first four up. Other than the one that sticks (until this coming Sat when I take the saw and planer to it again), they're in and working. Three more on order due to not being a size anyone stocks (26"). I'll be pre-cutting the length and breadth now that I understand how off the framing is. Then a test fit.
For my reward, wife let me pick the other Italian place. It's pricier, but has huge calzones. I ordered the all-meat one (with BBQ sauce). Wife got the small Lasagna and a Sangria. I know what I'm having for lunch tomorrow, since I'm full eating only half of the Calzone.
Boris
Beach Bum
Good evening: 33° and partly cloudy, with the moon visible through the overcast. Today's high was 42°, with a brisk breeze that made it feel cooler. As we drove around today, we witnessed some streams just below flood stage.7½" of rain over two consecutive weekends is hard to absorb, eh?
Had my "delayed" eye exam today...minor change in the Rx. Most of my problems are due to Cataracts. Once I'm finished with the TAVR program in February 2024, the eyes are next. looking forward to it.
View of the defunct St. Anthony's (Italian) Parochial School, at West 3rd. and Parker Streets, Chester, PA. Alarm came in a little after 0400 this morning, and went to 3 Alarms. Since the structure was known to be empty, and fully involved on arrival, the companies went directly to a defensive attack. (Surround and Drown). Another landmark from the last century goes up in smoke.
Had my "delayed" eye exam today...minor change in the Rx. Most of my problems are due to Cataracts. Once I'm finished with the TAVR program in February 2024, the eyes are next. looking forward to it.
View of the defunct St. Anthony's (Italian) Parochial School, at West 3rd. and Parker Streets, Chester, PA. Alarm came in a little after 0400 this morning, and went to 3 Alarms. Since the structure was known to be empty, and fully involved on arrival, the companies went directly to a defensive attack. (Surround and Drown). Another landmark from the last century goes up in smoke.
KriegslokBR52
Well-Known Member
I've read about zinc rot. Looks like case by case event. I've seen some really bad examples at shows, really for parts only. The one i bought is in good shape...except cast model of Worthington water heater. The rest of details are brass, so all is good.
PNKFLOYD
Mikey
Follow the doctor's instructions and you will be amazed at the difference in your sight.
Bruette
Well-Known Member
Good morning, Everybody!
Thank you for all the kind words concerning my wedding anniversary. We had a wonderful day.
If you have time look at the Iron Horseman's Christmas Tree Forest in the thread Christmas Trees, Trains and More Posts #74 and #75 https://modelrailroadforums.com/for...rees-trains-and-more.36452/page-4#post-592293
If you love Christmas, it will be worth your time.
Have an enjoyable day Everybody!
Thank you for all the kind words concerning my wedding anniversary. We had a wonderful day.
If you have time look at the Iron Horseman's Christmas Tree Forest in the thread Christmas Trees, Trains and More Posts #74 and #75 https://modelrailroadforums.com/for...rees-trains-and-more.36452/page-4#post-592293
If you love Christmas, it will be worth your time.
Have an enjoyable day Everybody!
Bill Tidler Jr.
Retired N&W/NS Signalman
Good morning! Depot at Forrest IN on the CLOVERLEAF (NKP) 
troyphoto
Snarky Old Fart (in training)
Well howdy there internet peeps and those following doctors instructions
It's Troy again.
Now that the doors are in a temporary state of doneness, I'm putting the nose to the grindstone of booking the books again.
I've got the online store built and am letting the Facebooks advertising bots figure out who to serve my ads to. Right now, I'm breaking even plus a little on ad spend, but need that to climb as my infrastructure costs are about to hit (leaving the free/cheap trial periods)
One product I don't have on the store is audio books. I've had 8 of my 19 books converted to audio by human narrators. That's pricy, and the books are taking a lonnnnng time to earn out their production costs.
Welllllll. AI voice is now a thing.
And there are ethical considerations involved. Seems that AI models have been trained on other people's work, without consent of the original creators. I'm looking at one such that I'm cautiously optimistic about.
The backup is Google's Auto Narration. Because I sell my ebooks on Google's Play platform, I can use the auto-narration free. All I must do is keep the audiobook on Google's platform and priced competitively to all other platforms where I position it. BUT, Google's auto narration is a stepping stone between the robotic voices of old, and the newer AI voices. Their "voices" don't pick up on emotional context... yet. I figure we're about 6 mos away from Google giving the other guys a run for their money.
Of course, that will move the service from free to paid.
The other guys have a fee structure of about $100 US per book to produce. Compare that to $750 to $1000 to produce. And I'm using skilled but less experienced narrators. I hate cutting out the human artist. But I can't continue to produce a product that doesn't earn out.
So, today, I'm re-reading, tagging narration character shifts, then re-listening to one of my books. Hope to have it complete by the end of the week.
EDITED to add this link to a page that shows an AI-generated avatar, using the the AI-generated voice. The article is a bit tech-wonky for those interested.
www.nextomoro.com
It's Troy again.
Now that the doors are in a temporary state of doneness, I'm putting the nose to the grindstone of booking the books again.
I've got the online store built and am letting the Facebooks advertising bots figure out who to serve my ads to. Right now, I'm breaking even plus a little on ad spend, but need that to climb as my infrastructure costs are about to hit (leaving the free/cheap trial periods)
One product I don't have on the store is audio books. I've had 8 of my 19 books converted to audio by human narrators. That's pricy, and the books are taking a lonnnnng time to earn out their production costs.
Welllllll. AI voice is now a thing.
And there are ethical considerations involved. Seems that AI models have been trained on other people's work, without consent of the original creators. I'm looking at one such that I'm cautiously optimistic about.
The backup is Google's Auto Narration. Because I sell my ebooks on Google's Play platform, I can use the auto-narration free. All I must do is keep the audiobook on Google's platform and priced competitively to all other platforms where I position it. BUT, Google's auto narration is a stepping stone between the robotic voices of old, and the newer AI voices. Their "voices" don't pick up on emotional context... yet. I figure we're about 6 mos away from Google giving the other guys a run for their money.
Of course, that will move the service from free to paid.
The other guys have a fee structure of about $100 US per book to produce. Compare that to $750 to $1000 to produce. And I'm using skilled but less experienced narrators. I hate cutting out the human artist. But I can't continue to produce a product that doesn't earn out.
So, today, I'm re-reading, tagging narration character shifts, then re-listening to one of my books. Hope to have it complete by the end of the week.
EDITED to add this link to a page that shows an AI-generated avatar, using the the AI-generated voice. The article is a bit tech-wonky for those interested.
ElevenLabs
ElevenLabs is a startup and technology company that specializes in natural-sounding speech synthesis and text-to-speech software using artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning.
www.nextomoro.com
Last edited:
Good morning. It's clear and 45.
Tomorrow is our company gift exchange, where we give each other gifts, instead of past years, when the company gave a bonus and a small gift.
Also, I received my Christmas bonus yesterday-- a $20 gift card from a local grocery store.
Tomorrow is our company gift exchange, where we give each other gifts, instead of past years, when the company gave a bonus and a small gift.
Also, I received my Christmas bonus yesterday-- a $20 gift card from a local grocery store.
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