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Post by bnsf971 on Dec 30, 2012 16:38:58 GMT -8
Good evening, and welcome to the last lounge pf 2012.
I have been in the mountains for the weekend, and it was cold, windy, snowy and icy. Other than that, the weather was perfect.
I stopped by my not so local hobby shop in Marion, and after some horse trading and cash changed hands, I came home with a new Atlas gold ALCo C420 in L&N, and a Tsunami decoder to replace the one that got smoked last week.
We had our fourth Christmas over the weekend, I think we've about covered all of our family that is within easy driving distance now. Next up is one of my nephews has a birthday the 12th of January. Since we just went there this weekend, I don't think we will be going back that soon. He will get a nice card in the mail, and maybe a small gift.
Everybody have a great week, and a happy new year.
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Post by rhpd42002 on Dec 30, 2012 18:13:33 GMT -8
Good Evening Terry and the rest of the Forum Folks. Been hectic and busy so had little time for much, beyond work. My Capt. left for Ga. on Sat. Morning and my Sgt. is off till Tomorrow night, so it's been me and a few part-timers trying to hold down the proverbial fort. Our new guy starts training in about a week and a half. Been a looooooong 12.5 months of being shorthanded!! Not quite worn out, but darn close to it. No train time of late. The yard's a mess from all the rain and winds, meaning pine cones and twigs and pine straw all over the yard. Not sure when I'll get it cleaned up. Everything is wet from the rains and more is coming. Possibly on Tuesday and again on Thursday. It's dark before I can usually get home and I'm just not doing yard work at night. IF the weather is fairly decent and IF I have the weekend off and IF I have any energy left, some of it might get done this weekend. I'm hoping for a quiet New Year's Eve so I don't get called out, but... it IS New Year's Eve. Maybe the trouble starters will go elsewhere. For me, sleeping through the New Year's arrival is a good thing!!  Wishing everyone here on the Forum and their families, a good and happy 2013. |
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Post by jamesbrodie67281 on Dec 31, 2012 4:37:27 GMT -8
Many HAPPIES to every one tomorrow.
Going to be a busy week as 1 New Years day 2 on the 2nd I am a year loder again 77 this time i think then on the 12th we that is modom and I start our 57th year of trouble and strife. Hope the Good Lord dosn't allow a third dose of Cancer Beryl has managed to ride two nasty doses but prayers we know do get answered.
We fly back to England on the 7th aeroplane to Edinburgh and train to York/Malton then 18 miles of country lanes to Rosedale East on the North Yorkshire Moors. Hope we do it before the pending snow closes in, one thing the Range Rover has four wheel drive but the 1 in 3 hills out of Rosedale can be a bit daunting. more than once I have had to turn back as there was no adhesion on the snow covered ice. The top of the worst bank there used to be an engine shed and there are still traces even from 1920s of sleeper depressions (ties) on the moor top and track beds.
Baseboards No 2 & 3 & 4 should be ready to be installed in the garage then I can play with my piece of chalk marking out storage sidings including one long enough to take all eleven CZ coaches when they are produced. I can use the first two that I have for spacings.
Happy Dreams and .Happy Trails....and....happy New Year.
Jim Brodie 67281.
Shetland time 12-37hrs.
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Post by bnsf971 on Dec 31, 2012 9:55:54 GMT -8
1 in 3? Isn't that like a 33% grade? I have climbed stairs that weren't that steep.
Here we use the percentage system, which I think is easier to understand. A 1% grade would be a one inch rise in one hundred inches of travel.
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Post by rhpd42002 on Dec 31, 2012 17:43:03 GMT -8
Not yet 2013 here. 3 hrs & 20 min to go. I hope the arrival of 2013 is anti-climactic as well. I hope to sleep right through it, but I'm sure some of the revelers will make enough noise to wake me up. Hopefully not so bad that I'll have to get up, get dressed and go out looking for 'em!! I'm hearing the occasional boom & pop already. The day started clear, then got fairly cloudy, then somewhat clear again in the late morning to early afternoon. Now the WG's are saying only a slight chance of rain tomorrow, but a better chance on Thursday. It was a crisp 27F this morning when I went out on patrol, but thankfully, no snow for us here in southeastern, NC!  Jim, You've got a lot going on this month! Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary to you and Beryl. Be careful on those roads and hills. Terry, that does sound like a 33% grade to me, too!!  |
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Post by bnsf971 on Jan 1, 2013 6:10:04 GMT -8
Good morning, and happy new year. My new year was kicked off about 3 am to what is becoming a familiar sound: That of a car whizzing by my house, followed by the sound like a garbage truck emptying a dumpster as the car runs out of road at the bottom of the hill. No injuries, but alcohol may have been involved...  |
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Post by calzephyr on Jan 1, 2013 15:15:40 GMT -8
My week was fun since we went to the only state I had never visited up until this last week. It was our 30th anniversary and we had a great time in the 80 to 86 degree weather for five days! Enjoy the pictures, we did. larry    |
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Post by rhpd42002 on Jan 1, 2013 19:17:21 GMT -8
Well, Larry, I'm no "expert", but it does appear as if you had a great anniversary in the westernmost State of Hawaii!! Happy Belated Anniversary to you and your spouse!! Had a quiet day at work and hope it stays that way for many months to come!! We've had a bit of on/off light rain, but more is possible throughout the night. The stuff predicted for Thursday seems a bit less likely or very light at best. When I finally got some time this evening, I headed to the workbench and prepared 10 pr. of KD #5's for a batch of freight cars that need them. Worked on an Athearn (formerly MDC) RTR, 40' gondola by swapping out couplers, painting the underframe, wheelsets and trucks with my "rust" color paint. Also touched up with yellow paint, a couple replacement side sill steps on 2 of my W&W, 2-bay covered hoppers. Even managed to add the horns/side view mirrors to a Herpa semi-truck. Just about ready to call it a night, as 0600 seems to come earlier and earlier. Hope that everyone had a good day. |
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Post by jamesbrodie67281 on Jan 2, 2013 5:48:33 GMT -8
Thanks for the greetings folks. Gradients 1 in 3 for every foot risen you travel three foot. When I was a fireman on the push/pull train in 1953 after our first station stop we went into a 1 in 43 rise from a standing start. Every 43 foot travelled we would rise 1 foot. Our 63 year old 0-4-4T engines No67338 was a bit shy on steaming so you tried to have as much water in the boiler as possible. the fire had to be dancing on the firebars-a dancing fire- one too heavy a shovelful of coal and you were in more steaming trouble, but she rode like a sewing machine. 67281 was a good steamer but sounded like a bag of hammers! At the top of the bank was our next station stop, we as we started into the bank put the first injector on and left it on, after a while before you got down to half a glass of water the second injector went on and also stayed on. Water in the boiler was more important than steam and nearing the top with the water in the bottom nut we would do a very gentle stop to try and keep some water over the crown of the firebox. There were many anxious moments until we saw the top of the water bubble come back into sight. Happy days and happy memories.
Have been planning siding space for some of the completely formed trains I have but I find for me it is best to lay the flexible track down then mark round it before I lay the permanent track in it's site.
I prefer the curves to be laid by sight with the rails and fishplates soldered solid to try and avoid 'dog legs' I use some of my widest wagons to give clearance between tracks remembering some of the tight clearances in the hump shunting sorting sidings in the old pre 1900 yards. By February I should actually have sidings laid so some photos to follow.
The photos of Hawaii brought back happy memories as when it was our 40th anniversary we did a world tour and had ten days there at Wiakiki Beach Hotel. We sunbathed in the ''shade'' following the shadow of a palm tree but managed to finish like a lobster as I stood at the waters edge 'witnessing ' to a Russian' but there was a high factor sunburn oil available so no harm done but the tan lasted for a long long time.
Must go as Modom needs me.
happy trails.................67281. Shetland time 17-04hrs.
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Post by calzephyr on Jan 2, 2013 9:48:38 GMT -8
Well, Larry, I'm no "expert", but it does appear as if you had a great anniversary in the westernmost State of Hawaii!! Happy Belated Anniversary to you and your spouse!! Had a quiet day at work and hope it stays that way for many months to come!! We've had a bit of on/off light rain, but more is possible throughout the night. The stuff predicted for Thursday seems a bit less likely or very light at best. When I finally got some time this evening, I headed to the workbench and prepared 10 pr. of KD #5's for a batch of freight cars that need them. Worked on an Athearn (formerly MDC) RTR, 40' gondola by swapping out couplers, painting the underframe, wheelsets and trucks with my "rust" color paint. Also touched up with yellow paint, a couple replacement side sill steps on 2 of my W&W, 2-bay covered hoppers. Even managed to add the horns/side view mirrors to a Herpa semi-truck. Just about ready to call it a night, as 0600 seems to come earlier and earlier. Hope that everyone had a good day. Mike Thanks. We had a great time and enjoyed the weather and scenes around the island. This was my 50th state to visit over the years either in business or vacation travel. My travels to Alaska in 1994 allowed me to log 49 of the states that I had visited but Hawaii was not on my list until last week. Larry |
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Post by calzephyr on Jan 3, 2013 10:48:04 GMT -8
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Post by rhpd42002 on Jan 3, 2013 17:10:03 GMT -8
A very nice set of pics, Larry. Looks like a lot of sightseeing.
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