Running Bear's Coffee Shoppe LX


Good Morning--it is down to 6 and we are going to have "seasonal" weather for the rest of the weeks. That means off and on snow as well as highs in the teens.
 
Good morning. 37°, and overcast. Snow is forecast for the next three days or so, but with little or no accumulation until Tuesday night??? Gotta get some gas for the snow thrower, just in case.

Karl's comments provoke the question; why is is so difficult to repair or modify these products yourself? Modelers routinely modify brass, Bowser and Mantua steam, and any number of diesel models, but when it comes to BLI and MTH, it appears that, the only alternative is to send 'em back to the Importer and hope they fix or repair it correctly, within the next 60 to 90 days. Is it the price point? Or are they deliberately designed to prevent user modification?
 
Good morning .

Regarding BLI, the only BLI locomotives I have is a pair of E7's. They look good. Also, I've never had a reason to do much work on them. ... However, they are sensitive to imperfections in track. If there is a very small dip in the outer rail on a curve, the E7's will find it, and the lead axle has its wheels bouncing on ties. The BLI California Zephyr passenger cars are also sensitive to imperfections in the track. So that is why I am currently replacing some curved track. ....

Eric .. Thanks for mentioning me to Carey.

Hope everybody has a good Monday.
 
Chet, the only time you need to detail the underside of freight cars is if you're modeling Penn Central. Joe will need some really nicely detailed underframes for his rolling stock...
 
Flip said:
KARL / TERRY - With all the problems with sound and DCC , very happy to stay with DC and only sound is the clickity clack of the wheels on the tracks.

Phil
Click to expand...

Phil
It's not the DCC or sound that is the issue. It's how it's done. I've got a lot of sound equipped engine with no issues at all. As with anything, execution is key.
Nary an issue with my Atlas, Intermountain diesels or my Loksound or Tsunami equipped steam locos.
 
bnsf971 said:
Chet, the only time you need to detail the underside of freight cars is if you're modeling Penn Central. Joe will need some really nicely detailed underframes for his rolling stock...
Click to expand...

You have a good point there. Don't know if his layout is quite up to that time period, but at the end of the Pensey's reign, I think they were having problems too.
 
Flip said:
Mil.113- Hope you see the ad for the DL109 for $89.99.

Phil
Click to expand...

That is a sweet looking locomotive. I am lucky that it was used in service for the Chicago - Minneapolis service. It would not have had any business being out in my neck of the woods. Saves me a few dollars.

DL-109.jpg
 
Trussrod said:
Good evening everyone,

I did a bit more work getting the next section of track set in place on the Central Valley branch line tie strips and will be out there again shortly. The CV tie strips sure do make the job a lot easier with their pre-molded tie plates but I'm still using my Old cast brass Kemtron three point track gauges to ensure the rail is spiked down in the proper gauge especially as I'm standing on a two step platform ladder leaning over about 28"s trying to keep the rail somewhat straight on this back upper section. I'm also going to add at least one passing/holding siding toward the inside, maybe two but I still haven't decided on the second PS.





Say Garry: I have to agree with you when you asked Eric to tell Carry we feel bad for him. I'm assuming, maybe incorrectly, it's medical issues that are are causing him to loose interest, although there certainly can be others such as home repairs that need attention etc. I know about the home, roof repair situation.



Say Chessie: As Garry points out, an edge guard is something very useful. If your track is too close to the edge cut a strip of plywood/OSB chip board to attach under your existing table top and screw it on from underneath using short drywall screws and then cut another length of board to attach to the shelf to extend out as far as you want to create more space so your trains are not running right along the edge as well as allowing for some edge scenery. You can still add some type of fence along the new edge as an added precaution. Reducing your speed and watching for derailments is also a good thing!






Say N/Old Guy: One of these days maybe we'll actually learn your name?? Anyway, Happy Birthday and many more!!
Oh, it's good to know this forum has been such a help to you as it is to all of us in one way or another..






Say Curt: Judging from what you've done here and in past projects your more than adept at scratch building and making some nice stuff. Your Oil loading deck looks real nice and the railing on it looks very well constructed.






That sure looks like you'll get demoted for that if the Supper Intendent finds out! LoL What is the thing the box car is leaning against that looks like a light pole of some sort?

All kinds of odd things happen at times, it can get frustrating yet it makes operation seem somewhat realistic. I was reading a story in in Trains Magazine where at MP 14, just West of Clinton in Malone, Iowa where the track has a long dip to it, where the cars bunch up going into the dip and then as the slack is taken out as the locos start pulling up grade there is a lot of tension put on the knuckles and as a result they tend to break at that location causing the train to come uncoupled and a fellow, Ed Clopton who lived right near the spot the knuckles would break used to go out and collect them and one day helped te Chicago & North Western by giving them two they didn't have in one afternoon. Lucky for us modelers that doesn't happen!





Willie: I'm glad to know a bit about Tony, I was getting to know him a bit and he was going to try and help me learn to use the SCARM program but I never attempted to get involved with it again yet.









That quite a RR cartoon and probably has a lot of truth to it too!


Hope everyone has a good day tomorrow.
Click to expand...
You know I am contemplating this idea as well. As my taxes come in I'll most likely be building staving tracks for my trains to go out and about rather than around and around. An extension on my close edge track sounds good to me. At least a guard rail.

Justin
 
Trussrod said:
Say N/Old Guy: One of these days maybe we'll actually learn your name?? Anyway, Happy Birthday and many more!!
Click to expand...

Thanks!

Well, you asked and y'all seem decent so I'll tell you, it's Bruce but I shall probably remain 'new guy' on here indefinitely.

Rob is mine good friend from H.S. and a heck of a Carpenter, without him I'd still be making sawdust and not running anything!

If I was selling something to someone (LOL!) I would give them my name and number, no big deal but I like remaining a semi-unknown 'new guy'.
 
Say Terry: Note to self; never open a utube from Terry! What the he** was that! Us old folks can't take that first thing inna morning.
BTW, For my own ignorant mind on DCC, why can't the board, decoder, or whatever it is called be swapped to a different brand?
 
Sirfoldalot said:
Say Terry: Note to self; never open a utube from Terry! What the he** was that! Us old folks can't take that first thing inna morning.
BTW, For my own ignorant mind on DCC, why can't the board, decoder, or whatever it is called be swapped to a different brand?
Click to expand...

You DO realize that was the "Travelin Man" right? "I'm leavin it up to you" to remember if you clicked off too soon. I came up with those QUICK and you all know how old I am!
 
Terry and Chet: I'm modeling 1967 - 1970, which takes in the last days of the PRR and the early PC through bankruptcy. There was little difference between the two railroads during this time. The average derailment only revealed the under frame to the car men on the block truck. They are the ones who got to crawl under the derailed cars. The wrecks peaked in 1973, the year I spent more time out with the wreck train than I did at home.
 
Guess Terry had you pegged. Do you super detail the under side of your cars??? laugh.gif I saw a video a while back on the last days of the PRR through the PC bankruptcy. A very interesting movie. Maybe you were the one who posted it.
 
Here you go ------- http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/910-9108 Walthers DL-109 Milwaukee Road On sale, $89.99

One thing that would keep me away from it is that it looks like it has a talgo coupler in the front and the hold for the front coupler is a lot larger than a body mounted coupler. Turns me right off.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.



Back
Top