Running Bear's Coffee Shop LXXII


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Anyone lead me to a printout source for HO scale random plywood, the stuff they use to make packing boxes for machinery parts etc?
 
Beach:

My 'vision' was to have the power plant customer served by the mine. Unattended train on main line while I switch empties/full cars in the yards. Pick up the empty/full cars and move the where they go. Of course the fact is I don't know what I am doing so a lot of the layout decisions were 'what ifs'.

My first thought was to link the tunnel line and the main line together to make a longer run, but I can't wrap my head around how to get it done. Once again lack of knowledge/experience biting me in the butt.

The only wall against the layout will be the bottom. The other three sides allow access.

Thanks for the post, please keep it coming.
 
tootnkumin said:
Anyone lead me to a printout source for HO scale random plywood, the stuff they use to make packing boxes for machinery parts etc?
Click to expand...

One thing I've done is use Sketchup ( a free 3d drawing program) to draw some things in full size, then print them out at scale. It has textures such as plywood, metals, etc.

There is a bit of a learning curve, but one interesting thing is that there are lots of 3d drawings available free to download from the 3d warehouse, people have done drawings of real buildings and items, it's stunning what is available.

Also, for some items, if you put a bit of time into it, you can export the 3d model into something that can be printed on a 3d printer.



For your thing, you could simply draw a rectangle, paste the plywood texture on it, and print it to scale on a color printer.

what dimensions is your crate?
 
Good morning everybody .

David....... The pad on the Walthers track cleaning car is easy to clean. I have not changed it, but that looks easy. ... My Prairie type locomotive is a brass import, and it is about 30 years old. ....

Sam ... I also like your track plan ... Before you finalize it, you might want to consider what happens at the mine and the power plant.... The mine should have empties coming in and loads going out. The power plant is the opposite. .... Imagine operating the layout now, and loads have been delivered to the power plant. How do you get empty cars back to the mine? Are the coal loads easy to remove so you can carry them to the money to reload? At the mine, what will you do with empties arriving? Do you fill them with coal? If not you have to swap cars from one end of the layout to the other. ...... Another method: I have seen layouts where the mine and the power plant are situated back-to-back with a backdrop crosswise on the layout between them ... A train of loads enters the power plant, passes through the back drop, and emerges from the mine.... A train of empties does the opposite. ...... Another way is to have a hidden track which connects the two locations allowing loads to return to the mine and empties to return to the power plant.... .. Just some thoughts ...
 
Good morning, 49° and cloudy.

Chet: The daily track photo is awesome. Brings back memories of cold, snow and night work.

David: I did have some exposure to the chemicals, and felt the heat, however the wind mercifully kept most of it away. Can't help but think some of my "slowing down" is related. On the other hand, after 40 years, something would have shown itself by now. In any event, shortly after that fire, I was offered a railroad management position in Washington, DC, and left the fire service.

Johnny: The stations I worked at, were all single floor buildings, but the engine room was basically void of anything but a Coke Machine, and doorways to the hose tower, the kitchen and the dormitory. There was also a radio room, generally located off to the side, which contained the Radio Transceiver and the "Gamewell" System, emergency phone and a few other items. Think the firehouse in the TV show "Emergency". To facilitate response, the turnout gear was placed on the truck, where one's assigned position.

My biggest challenge, was the interior appearance, which in old buildings, frequently was a tiled wall. Modern stations have painted cinder block.

KenMD: I feel you're pain, every time I try to fix something it opens up another can of worms. Would it be helpful to shim first, then drop your ballast, and then run over it and let it settle, before gluing it? Not model railroad conventional, but similar to railroad engineering practice.

Thanks for the comments on the fire truck. I have had no association with them since 1978, but I still keep up, although my buddy's have long retired or passed.
Since my layout is based on rail operations there in the 1970s, they are a source of photos and information, and memories.
 
Sam - Didn't know that the mine tracks were not up against a wall. Garry mentioned a great idea. There were a number of magazine articles about back in the 70's and 90's about a mine being connected to a power plant. I was in N scale in the late 70's and did this. Excellent operating opportunities. I haven't seen much published about this in recent years.
 
Good Morning - Nice sunny day outside going up to 72 today. Yesterday looked like rain for most of the day, but NADDA!
"Dry Conditions Will Continue"

JOE I spent hours looking at "earth" last evening. On short turn parings, We used to stay at a small hotel/motel along the river in Chester. I could not find the building - perhaps it has veen torn down by now. What was neat about the place is that right next door was a guy with a J-3 Cub on floats. Several of us got our seaplane ratings from him. Used to walk a ways to eat at a "pub" - I want to say Migilcuties?
Later on we stayed at a truckstop/motel located between the highway somewhere south of that - noisey to say the least!
Longer layover times we went downtown - forget the hotel?

SAM - Still looking at your plan ... looks interesting!
 
Good Morning Everyone....overcast with a bit of fog, but mild here in my part of Wisconsin.

No real plans for today, but just might run a train or two.

Snow is melting off the roof...hey!

Just may go through my storage containers of locomotives and see what I all have put away. Want to install sound in a Life Like (pre-Proto) 0-6-0 switcher. I have the decoder and speaker. Debating about updating the speaker since its an old product.

That's all for now.

Greg

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Greg@mnrr said:
Good Morning Everyone....overcast with a bit of fog, but mild here in my part of Wisconsin.

No real plans for today, but just might run a train or two.

Snow is melting off the roof...hey!

Just may go through my storage containers of locomotives and see what I all have put away. Want to install sound in a Life Like (pre-Proto) 0-6-0 switcher. I have the decoder and speaker. Debating about updating the speaker since its an old product.

That's all for now.

Greg

#############
Click to expand...

Greg -- You may want to try one of the iphone speakers that Terry used?
 
JOE I spent hours looking at "earth" last evening. On short turn parings, We used to stay at a small hotel/motel along the river in Chester. I could not find the building - perhaps it has veen torn down by now. What was neat about the place is that right next door was a guy with a J-3 Cub on floats. Several of us got our seaplane ratings from him. Used to walk a ways to eat at a "pub" - I want to say Migilcuties?
Later on we stayed at a truckstop/motel located between the highway somewhere south of that - noisey to say the least!
Longer layover times we went downtown - forget the hotel?
Click to expand...

Sherrel: I probably would not remember much if I went back there now, much as changed. I recall the guy with the Piper Float planes. the place used to be called the Philadelphia Seaplane Base. There was an upscale restaurant adjacent to the Seaplane Base. The location was close to Lazaretto Point, which was the location of the Quarantine station for immigrants arriving on ships coming up the Delaware. The Pub you walked to was "Lehman's" right next to the Reading Main. I used to patronize the place from time to time. There was also an Italian place "Romano's" on the other (PRR) side of the tracks where one could get a great "Strombol".

I also remember the motel between the divided highway. That had to be noisy, especially before I 95 was completed, that highway had all the truck traffic.

Here I thought only railroaders were put up in such accommodations. :rolleyes:
 
Good Afternoon,

Back from visiting Jon and Phil. We all had a great time as usual. When my son gets home from work we're going to the range. We are watching the and possibly a overnight and all day Sunday. We won't know until Saturday for that though. Monday the family is getting together to celebrate Dad's 85th birthday (actually Saturday) and daughter's 39th birthday.

Joe- Thank you.

Ken- I was going to recommend shimming the rails but several people have beat me to it.

Sam- Like others have said, if it works for you it works. From experience I would tell you if something is difficult to get to or do sooner or later you will probably change it.

The tower signs came in. Now I need to paint them and mount them.

20180215_135159.jpg

I hope everyone has a good night.
 
Joe - Small world at times! Who would have thunk that we stomped around on the same ground?
I was off on somewhat - I thought we were further away from the airport than we were! I cannot remember "Lehmans", may not have dined there; it not sure that it would have fit into our 50 cents an hour per diem budget for R&B. This was back in the day when we had to provide our own rooms. I do know that "we" frequented "Romano's" I remembered the street name, "Warwick" from walking up there - with the boat storage on the right - from the motel which sat where the current Holiday Inn Express is now! Also can remember the "Philly Cheese-steak" sandwichs from the employees diner at the a/p - they were the best I have ever had!
I know why I asked you about the bridge in the photo ... Had not viewed it looking up from that angle before - But, I remember seeing many like that flying down the Ohio River when I was ferrying small planes on cloudy/rainy days with low overcast LOL
 
Sherrel: Funny how our worlds intersected. The Chester & Philadelphia Branch used to hug the perimeter of PHL, and the River. I worked a job that made that run each evening for a while. I also worked all the lines on either side of EWR. Part of my hearing loss is attributed to working at South Kearny, where aircraft approaching EWR would pass over every 30 seconds and low enough to read the stenciling :rolleyes:
 
I stumbled onto this pic this morning. Me and my little girl about three years ago. Maybe four. She is still the same way when it comes to trains. She will watch em go and ask a gazillion questions about everything. But! She can run them too just as well as me.
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Justin
 
Thanks for all the replies to my plywood question, just making a note of the page they're on so I can get back when time allows.
 
Good evening.
Today was not even remotely fun in any way. Started out late because there were multiple accidents on every road in every direction. The funeral was really wrenching, this is the third person I've watched go through this, and there will probably be a fourth soon. I lost my grandmother and mother to cancer in much the same way my co-worker was lost, so I was experiencing flashbacks to both of their deaths while at the funeral. When both of my co-worker's daughters broke down and bawled while trying to stand and speak about her, there wasn't a dry eye in the place.
There were several hundred people an attendance, she was well-known and well regarded.
Then, back to work.
 
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