# Suitcase Train Under Construction



## Reckers

This was what my girlfriend saw at a trainshow:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KN6y-BKKk8

She had to have one of her very own. The train show was yesterday; today, we went hunting for a suitcase. $18 later, this one followed us home:










It's going to have to have a pocket-ectomy before anything else can be done: note all the fluffy little pockets lining the sides. Each of them is stitched into the lining, and I found a metal staple at each top corner you have to remove, as well as cutting all the stitching.









The inside lining of the lid has to come out, as well: it will serve as a template for the new liner that will go in with some sort of 50's theme.










I should point out that she's doing the bulk of the work; I'm simply advising and helping when called upon. More to follow as she works on it!


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## Big Ed

And tell her that is a beautiful suitcase.

Did she think about dressing up that outside somehow?

Stencil trains on it? Something?

I pulled a suitcase out of our dumpster that someone threw out years ago...it is huge! And leather, looks like brand new. It has to be like at least 4'x3' by 10" deep.
I will check it out and verify it's size.

I will watch your thread, maybe I can try one too.

Do a step by step with plenty of pictures.


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## Reckers

I'd love to see you do one, Ed. She's planning on painting the outside cherry-red for a starter and has big plans for decorating the inside, too!


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## Reckers

Ed, Steppy says that if you have any suggestions for decorating the suitcase, she'd love to hear them!


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## Big Ed

Reckers said:


> Ed, Steppy says that if you have any suggestions for decorating the suitcase, she'd love to hear them!



Right now I have none as I never did it or researched it.

If anything comes to thought you know I will add my 2 cents.

How about something made like a backdrop for around the insides of the suitcase. On the depth sides.

Get a roll of the right kind of paper, paint the backdrop like a mountain or city landscape and glue it in?
You know what I am trying to describe?

Maybe one can find a roll of wall paper of something and cut it to size and paste it in?

I don't know this is new for me, I got to get up early, when I get the chance I will look at the suitcase I have and measure and take a picture to show you.

By the way what kind of paint will she use for the outside?
I never painted a suitcase.


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## Reckers

Ed, I know exactly what you're talking about---that trim stuff like wallpaper that goes around the wall up by the ceiling. I'll mention that to her. She's found a poster of a 'vette parked in front of a diner: she'll probably order that and cut it to fit the inside of the lid. THe inside, she was just going to paint, so your border might be a better idea.

So far, she's found and ordered a diner she likes and I found her a steamer switch engine and tender on Amazon, so that's coming, too. This morning, she was talking about trees, roadway, etc. and ready to go shopping when I get off work!

The outside of the suitcase will probably be cherry-red with black trim. I'm going to suggest a gloss enamel as the best choice---it's more durable, where scratches are concerned.


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## Steve441

Nifty Idea - Great Stuff - I shall watch - Steve


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## Reckers

Thank you, Steve. Please allow me to point out that neither my girfriend nor myself have any experience at this sort of thing, so keep your safety goggles on!

Guys, she wants the diner to sit in the center...on top of a rotating 45 rpm record that is at ground-level. Any suggestions on a drive mechanism? I know I could try to find and old record-player and gut it, but I thought I'd ask if anyone has a better idea.


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## tjcruiser

Reck,

Just thinking out loud here (a scary thought, in itself!), but I would think she's looking for relatively low RPM. You could mount the diner pivot on a below-grade (hidden) large diameter sheave or pulley, say 9" or so in diameter. (Axis/pivot pointing directly up.) Wrap a low-stretch chord/string twice around that, and take the ends of the strings to another pulley/sheave (twice around that, too), this one tiny diameter mounted on a small elec motor. You'd have to have good low-friction bearings on the large sheave/pivot, but it could be a simple fabrication. 

Alternatively, we've had a few threads here on home-made train turntables ... low RPM there. Probably some clever ideas/mechanics there. I think Shay used an audio jack as a table pivot, with the +/- terminals of the jack plug used to allow easy transfer of power to the turntable track. You might do the same to provide power to lighting in the pivoting diner?

Cheers,

TJ


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## ptl5spd

I have a low speed turntable for product shots, I made is using a rotisserie cooker motor and a lazy susan. I got the plans/idea from the video bellow, it will give you an idea of how to do it.


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## tjcruiser

Great thinking and vid! Pepto Bismol and all!


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## Reckers

Just touching base....she's cleaned up the suitcase with Windex prior to painting and gotten years of gunk off, inside and out. The diner has arrived and tonight, she ordered the screen, ticket stand and marquee for a drive-in theater. Here's the diner:


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## Big Ed

:thumbsup: I like that diner, nice find, was it bought new?

This weekend I will dig out the suitcase I have to see the actual size of it. This weeks been busy for me.


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## Xnats

She did good, that will look awesome spinning around.


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## Steve441

Indeed!


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## Big Ed

Is she going to spin a 45 record?

She ought to look for a HAPPY DAYS 45 to spin around.:thumbsup:

Get any old 45 and custom make a new label of her choice for it?:thumbsup:

Raise a whole 78 album and have the trains running either over the top or underneath?

Just thinking out loud here.


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## tjcruiser

15 cents for a burger?!? 

Where can I get a few?!? 

Diner looks fabulous ... a real classic look. Can't wait to see it in motion!

TJ


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## Reckers

Ed, she has an old Tony Bennett 45 for the rotating disk, but Im going to paint it a glossy black---it's too beat up to look good, otherwise, and the label doesn't meld well with the diner. Stan, she's a class act with excellent taste: once she gets some confidence with how good she really is at doing stuff, I'll be able to go back to my S scale in the basement. 
Teej, I'm going to junk-shop for an old kitchen clock with a cord: I'll see if I can find a way to mount it to the board and use the second hand barrel to rotate the record. As you can guess, the diner is quite small and light, so I think I can get away with that mechanism. The really good part is that the clock motor should have a relatively simple mounting frame that can be adapted to the wood surface, since it's already behind a flat clock-face. So, Saturday, I shop for plywood, grass-green paint, an used clock and some track!


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## tjcruiser

I like the clock idea!


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## Reckers

Yeah, I'm basically a lazy guy. I need a small, quiet motor that's easy to mount and turns slowly---a kitchen wall clock looks pretty promising. There's a thrift store near where I work, so I'll give it a shot. If nothing else, I can probably slide plastic tubing over the shaft and use that as a coupler to an axle to spin the record.


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## Steve441

Sounds like you are gonna make it work Man! Then the wife will do her magic. Way to go! 

Steve


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## Big Ed

Len, how big is her suitcase?

Mine is a bit smaller then I thought.hwell:

Full size washer & dryer behind it.

Price..... free, :thumbsup: inside there are 2 or 3 smaller suitcases.
I did not open it yet.


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## Reckers

Thank you, Steve! Keep in mind I don't know a thing about N scale or suitcase trains, so there should be a lot of "oops" moments on this thread. My feelinng is that those belong here as well as the better decisions---seeing what not to try is as valuable as seeing what works.

Ed the suitcase is outside in the garage with the first coat of cherry-red on the exterior bottom, so I can't give you dimensions. The train surface, however, is 25 1/8" x 15 1/8", and I'm guessing I have abouut 10" in wall-height in the lower part of the suitcase.


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## Reckers

Okay---a bit of progress. Today, we went a-junque-ing. The idea was to hit several thrift stores in search of a motor to rotate the 45-rpm record upon which the diner would rest. Targeted items were a wall or desk clock that had hands rather than a digital display, or some sort of rotating Christmas item with similar characteristics. My first find was a bar display, a rotating 18" tall illuminated beer can. At $40, not a great choice.

I did find a small pair of speakers: we had discussed finding a CD-payer small enough to fit beneath the layout, inside the suitcase, to play Ed's Happy Days theme and other music from the 50's. At $3, worth carrying home. Still need the CD player, but that will come.

Then I saw it---better than the clock motor, the beer can, or anything similar. It is a decorative stand that is designed to illuminate your favorite acrylic engraved paperweight. It rotates about 1 rpm, is powerful enough to spin that engraved plastic block you got to remember Knotts Berry Farm, and has 4 alternatinng-color LED's inside to light up that paperweight.



















Here it is with the record and Diner:










The idea is to cut a whole in the "deck" or ground surface on which train and layout are displayed, mount the device from below so as to have the record rotating just above ground level.


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## tjcruiser

Good find, Len! Easy squeazy!

I like the diner on the record ... the grooved record looks a bit like a roadway encircling the diner. Neat!

TJ


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## santafe158

That's going to look cool. We have a record player disguised as a suitcase (I think it was made by crosley). A train layout inside would be cool. 

This is what it looks like.


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## Reckers

tjcruiser said:


> Good find, Len! Easy squeazy!
> 
> I like the diner on the record ... the grooved record looks a bit like a roadway encircling the diner. Neat!
> 
> TJ




Teej, credit on taht part goes to the lady. I was dubious about the record, but she insisted it would look like a parking lot and she was right.


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## Reckers

santafe158 said:


> That's going to look cool. We have a record player disguised as a suitcase (I think it was made by crosley). A train layout inside would be cool.
> 
> This is what it looks like.




That is a really attractive unit!


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## Reckers

A couple of photos. I cut a piece of plywood to match the inside of the suitcase dimensions: the fabric liner of the lid made an excellent template. Painted it green so as to have a green background beneath the grass when it's shaken on.

Then on to the track. I bought 4 "30" lengths (code 80, per advice received on this site!), One of the benefits of total ignorance is the freedom to say "This outta work!". I used carpet tacks to temporarily position the track on the board so as to establish the curves and so on:










Next step is to solder the joints. Three sections of track to connect, but the power drop is already on the rails at the top of the pic. After this, I need to get the streets down and tuck them beneath the track, then glue the track to the plywood.


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## Xnats

Before you solder those joints, I would drop the plywood in and check the rail. You are mighty close to the edge and being that suitcase is a soft side, can a train make it around?


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## Reckers

Stan, that's a good suggestion---thank you! I know the board will fit the case, but I should have taken that into consideration as well.


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## Xnats

lol - I thought I was too late :laugh:


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## Reckers

Nah---it just has temporary carpet-tack securement, right now. I don't have a locomotive yet, but I can put the green "floor" against a vertical wall and see if a boxcar can make it all the way around. I think I left sufficient clearance, but I'll take your advice before I go any further. That Flextrack is nice stuff!


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## NIMT

Just wanted to throw my :thumbsup::thumbsup: for the project!
Yea ain't flex track Cool! Opens up a lot of possibilitys!


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## Reckers

Thank you, Sean! It seems to be going pretty smoothly. Kind of a surprise, since I don't know what I'm doing and just winging it. So far, the suitcase is being painted a bright, cherry red; the plywood deck upon which the train will run is painted green and actually fits the suitcase. It's about 1/8 undersized, which should help the track have enough room---if not, I'll adjust it. The deck is green to avoid that pesky white-showing-thru-the-grass problem when the grass goes down. 

As soon as I'm sure the train can run without hitting the walls (thanks again, Stan!), I'll mark where the roads go. That will let me determine where the hole gets cut for the rotating disk for the diner; then the road gets glued down, track gets glued down, and so on. Those N scale couplers are a bit of a challenge for old eyes---I had to dig out my magnifier!


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## Reckers

A bit of an update. Suitcase is now a bright, cherrry red---the photo color is off, but it shows some headway:










An interesting note is the change in my girlfriend---suddenly, it's okay that the dining room has become a workshop and is full of train stuff!

The plywood deck now has a hole for the device that will rotate the record and diner. Hole is out of round, but that doesn't matter---the device fits:










And finally, the first string players are starting to arrive:


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## Xnats

This photo makes the suitcase look more like a hard case, I guess the sides don't move that much, plus the color must look great in natural light. 
How is the little Bachmann running, most of the reviews are pretty good but they won't pull a lot since they are tender driven? They do look nice for the current price they sell them at.


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## Reckers

Stan, the Bachmann seems to be the little engine that can. We hooked it to the existing string of cars and it pulled them like they weren't there. This is a switcher: the motor is in the locomotive and the tender is just the tail of the dog. It's very smooth and pulls like a trooper.


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## Steve441

I like it all - and the Texaco Car is nice - I keep getting outbid on EBay and want one as well! Cheers - Steve


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## tjcruiser

Reck,

I think you need an alter-ego identity to tout whenever you're running those tiny N trains. Superman / Clark Kent. Jekyll / Hyde. Reckers / Snookems. Or something ... gotta protect the King of S from any hints of revolution in the kingdom ...

Cherry-red suitcase looks HOT!

TJ


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## Reckers

Steve, thank you. This is a case of buying cars for looks; my girlfriend isn't impressed with the historic significance, one-dome vs two-dome and so on. However, I am proud to say that tanker elicited an "OH, I LOVE IT!!!! IT'S SO CUTE!!!!", so I guess I did okay. Aside from that, I went for a sliding-door boxcar so she could perch an hobo in the door and the rest were picked by price and color: they had to match her layout decor!

Teej, thank you for the compliment; it did come out pretty well. We used Krylon, so hopefully it will be tough enough to last a few years. As for the alter-ego, she calls me Boo and the drivers here at work call me...well, I'll save you the trouble of deleting it!


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## BraytoChicago

*Record player in a suitcase*



Reckers said:


> That is a really attractive unit!


This is so cool. It actually looks like our family record player in 1970s. It wasn't a novelty. They really did come like that back then!


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## Reckers

An update...after cutting the hole for the rotation mechanism, it's time to put down the roads. If you've never used this stuff (like me), it comes in a pack with (3) 3-foot strips. The yellow striping stops before each strip ends, so I let each one run over the edge and cut it off with a razor knife at the edge.










The road has no adhesive; I spread a line of paper towels on the table, centered the roadway upside down on the towels and sprayed the back with adhesive, then my darlin' held one end in place as I smoothed the stuff down against the green deck:

You can see name of the adhesive (from Walmart craft section) in the background, as well as a leftover piece of the strip. Steppy put a semi down to do quality control testing on our new asphalt!










Here, the track is re-installed over the roadbed, the joints have been (sloppily) soldered, and the track has been glued to the deck. Not sure if it will hold well, but I wanted to minimize the visual adhesive. What I did was used carpet tacks to hold it in place, then lifted a small section and used a toothpick to smear clear silicone caulking beneath the ties, working my way around. Afterwards, weights applied all around to hold them to the board. Tomorrow, it's music time.


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## tjcruiser

I can almost picture a '57 Vette cruisin' down the road! Concept looks great, Reck!

TJ


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## Reckers

Thank you, Teej! It's still got a long way to go, but the music system is in, now. I found a radio/CD player in a junk shop, added the speakers and velcro'd it into the bottom of the suitcase. Velcro is going to play a big role in the assembly of this thing, as I may find the need to relocate things as it goes together. Tomorrow, I plan to cut the 4 vertical posts for the deck to rest on and use velcro to secure them to the sides of the suitcase: That will allow me to yank them and shorten if I miscalculate the height. I bought an extension cord: tomorrow, I'll cut the plug off, drill a hole in the suitcase to pass the wire through and put a replacement plug on the ext. cord, leaving the outlets inside the suitcase. Once it's inside, I can add the transformer and velcro it down, then use more adhesive-backed velcro strips to support the rotating disk that will spin the 45 rpm record. If the silicone holds the track in place and doesn't require additional work, she can begin laying out her parking lot for the drive in and the viewing area for the theater. I've probably used the word "I" far too much in describing the process, as Steppy's been involved in it as much as I have. Thank gawd I can turn this thing over to her, soon, to finish off! As she put it, "You do the engineering to make it work---then I'll make it believeable."


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## Steve441

You folks are are a great team. This is so neat to watch this come together - Thanks for the great description of how you are going about it - Steve


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## Reckers

Thank you, Steve. She's the inspiration behind it all---I'm just the one who tries to figure out how to make it happen. It seems to be going slowly, but there's so much to work in sorting out how to do it and what to do it with for the mechanics of it. Pretty soon, I'll be able to back out of it and let her get started on the landscaping and making it come to life.


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## Steve441

Yeah - It's so great it was her idea and she is enthusiastic about getting underway! As my daughter Vicki would say, "You Go Girl!". Cheers - Steve


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## tjcruiser

Oh! I had no idea you were fabricating the case with a built-in sound system! Excellent idea, and one that will really add to the diner / drive-in theme.

I like the Velcro approach ... hidden, but easy adjustment / reposition, if needed.

On some of my marine projects, we use a strong all-plastic velcro-like strip called 3M Dual Lock ... quite strong, with a better, more rigid grab than the fabric-type velcro.

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/...C2E66CA-B902-4EB9-A017-0E930264AF65cs1Rq0WDiQ

(you may have to scroll down a bit on the link above)

Cheers,

TJ


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## Reckers

Teej, I'm a big believer in any material that lets me realize I screwed up and relocate without damage or lots of work! I'm also going to use velcro to attach the interior legs that the deck will rest on, to the suitcase walls for the same reason. Also for mounting the diner rotating mechanism from below to allow height and angle adjustment without iron mounts.


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## Reckers

Just for fun----here's Steppy's train on it's test run, this morning:


















So, the next thing to do was extend the power leads so the transformer could be inside the suitcase, but the deck lifted out and laid flat on the table for easy work. Then everything inside gets velcro'ed into position (except the diner-rotating mechanism) so the case is transportable. I drilled a small hole in the back wall of the suitcase and bought an 8' extension cord with multiple outlets. I cut the plug off, slid the wire through the hole and installed a replacement plug. The extension cord had 3 outlets, but I needed more. Power strips take up too much room and add weight, so I bought a converter to change one outlet into three. Power for CD player, speakers, diner-rotator, transformer, and an outlet left for whatever else she decides to add when I think I'm done! It's a rats' nest of wiring, but it's safe and secured to the case:










Finally, there has to be some way to connect the diner-rotating mechanism to the 45 rpm record the diner will sit atop, with record and diner rotating. What I plan to use might even work: I bought a box of business-card-sized, andhesive magnets. These are thin, plastic, and one side has a peel-off that exposes and adhesive surface. The idea is to cut the magnets to four rough rectangles, two adhesed to the rotating surface on the device, and two more (properly aligned) that will be adhesed to the bottom of the 45 rpm record:


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## Reckers

OH! One more thing!!! My darlin' burned a CD for the suitcase this morning---we were able to test out the train to the tune of Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" blasting from the suitcase!


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## Steve441

Super Choice for a test tune!


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## Big Ed

What train?

Hey Len what is going to hold the table board in the suitcase?
Velcro?

I guess you have to mount it for easy access to the CD player?

You won't see the wiring when the board is in place.

Looking good man.:thumbsup:

Are you guys going to bring that on vacation with you?

Do you have any plans for storing the trains during transportation?


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## Reckers

big ed said:


> What train?
> 
> Hey Len what is going to hold the table board in the suitcase?
> Velcro?
> 
> I guess you have to mount it for easy access to the CD player?
> 
> You won't see the wiring when the board is in place.
> 
> Looking good man.:thumbsup:
> 
> Are you guys going to bring that on vacation with you?
> 
> Do you have any plans for storing the trains during transportation?



Ed, the table board (I call it the deck) is a friction fit. Once it's in the case, I have to sort of pry it out. No plans for the suitcase ever coming out of the horizontal, so that's not a problem. I can hook my pinky under a corner of the deck and lift it to access the CD player, transformer, etc. Thank you for the kind words! On vacation...well, only if there's good reason to, like if she's going back to visit the family in PA and wants to show off her skills! As for storing the trains, I bought a plastic case that has small compartments for now; as he fleet grows, we'll go with a plastic tackle box to keep the cars from banging into one another.


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## Reckers

Photo sequence:


























MG]


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## Reckers

Now it's time to start dressing up the suitcase interior better and landscaping. She needs to sketch out what she wants to do to enclose and access the diner (for the cars and trucks), and design an outdoor drive-in movie theater with parking, access roads and so on. I get to assemble the screen for the theater.

She also has a lot of grass to install!


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## tjcruiser

Reckers said:


> I get to assemble the screen for the theater.


Do tell ... DO TELL !!! ...





















Reck, the mechanics setup looks great. Lots of "basement" space in the suitcase ... perfect for the concept. Thanks for the detailed step-by.

TJ


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## Xnats

The two of you are doing a great job. I was thinking all the hardware went in the lid. The basement, as TJ stated, is just fantastic. After thinking about it, the lid is suppose to have memorabilia of the era :laugh: Maybe your wife is holding out on ya Reck, it seems she has done this kind of thing before :thumbsup: 
Very nice job on the track, that was a hard bend that looks perfect.


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## Steve441

Super Progress!


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## Reckers

Thanks, guys---I appreciate the support. Stan, it was my first attempt, so I don't know a hard bend from an easy one. *L* I just used carpet tacks as fulcrums as I went around the loop and moved them in and out until it looked right. The train runs right up against the edge, but it flies and has no trouble staying on the track. I'd put it down to beginners luck.

I figure we have about 2 more weeks to put into it, as she's pondering parking lots, the drive-in theater, and some woods and a little park. I cringe at the thought of trying to glue all those micro-people into place! I've started working on the theater screen and there's some touch-up painting to do on the suitcase. Then, there's finishing the inside of the suitcase, so it might be three more weeks. Then, I can go back to my S scale. Steve, thank you for your encouragement---you should hear the sound system belting out the music!


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## Reckers

A wee bit of an update: I've been building the structures for the outdoor drive-in theater. here's the screen, ticket booth and marquee sign. 
Penny included for scale:


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## Reckers

This little device is a miter box for exacto-knife work. An inexpensive little fellow of aluminum that does a great job when you need a framework for right angle glueing and such. Top and bottom view:


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## santafe158

Reminds me of this relatively famous RR picture by O Winston Link.


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## tjcruiser

Reck,

The marquee looks great!

I'm jealous, of course ... I've never been to a real drive in ... never ... 

TJ


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## santafe158

tjcruiser said:


> Reck,
> 
> The marquee looks great!
> 
> I'm jealous, of course ... I've never been to a real drive in ... never ...
> 
> TJ


Funny, we have one or two in Michigan (maybe more that I don't know about?), and I've never been to them. One of these days I'll have to go, just for the experience.


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## Reckers

Santa Fe, that is a terrific picture!

Teej, thank you. It was a learning experience to work with stuff that tiny. I ended up having to drop the "deck" in the suitcase another 1 1/2" to acomodate the screen's height so the lid could close. We'll probably work on it again next weekend, since she's off. I bought a sheet of black foamboard as in insert for the lid of the suitcase, and she's ordered something from Ebay to be mounted in there, as well. Now, it's getting down to how to line the vertical sides of the suitcase box and lid and adding all the grass, gravel, and gluing all the cars and people into place. After that, I can go back home to my S scale!


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## Reckers

By the way, those drive-ins? We used to have lots of them around Louisville. When I was a kid, there was a flat price for a carload to get in. I have 9 brothers and sisters, so when the eldest sister got her license, we were set for the summer. We'd take large paper sacks of popcorn, a large insulated canister of Kool-aid and we had a Friday night's entertainment for all the kids. There's still one or two around---one guy was smart and put up a second screen to run twice as many movies. You could come in one night and face north to watch the first film, then turn the car and watch the next one. They broadcast over your car radio, so you don't even have the old posts and speakers.


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## Steve441

Nice! - All our Drive-In's closed in the '70's. Well - Around Ottawa anyways - Steve


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## Reckers

Steve, I'm not surprised. With the coming of Beta, VHS, movies on television and DVD's, theaters of any type were hard-pressed to stay profitable. In many cases, the edge-f-town locations where they were built became valuable business or residential properties as the cities grew and engulfed them. I suspect the further south you go, the more drive-in theaters remain in operation. They have a longer season and generally speaking, lower labor operating costs. Bubba will work the projector for a six-pack and a family-sized bag of pork rinds!


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## Steve441

That's what happened here Man - The real estate value went up and tons of land was developed into Condo Townhouses! I live in one of those close to where a Drive-In theater was! - Cheers - Steve


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## tjcruiser

Reckers said:


> By the way, those drive-ins? We used to have lots of them around Louisville. When I was a kid, there was a flat price for a carload to get in. I have 9 brothers and sisters, so when the eldest sister got her license, we were set for the summer.


Classic! In one of those old station wagons with the rear flip-up seat, I bet!

We have 2 or 3 long-closed drive-ins here in RI. Ironically, the property is sitting in disarray ... no other commercial or real estate development over the years, as far as I know.

As I said above, I've never been to one, but I would sure like to experience the fun with my kids someday, if the opportunity were around.

Nostalgia that never was, in my book ...

TJ


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## Xnats

Looking good Reck :thumbsup: What do you mean get back to the S Scale stuff :laugh: Everyone should have to model N Scale for one month. This way when something does not fit because there is not enough room or it is just too small to handle. Everyone will be an expert in their Scale and know exactly how to handle them little things  :laugh: 

I don't think we have one around me. The one in Wall has a office building on it, which went up in the 90's  We do still have a curb serve  http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/4345935842/


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## Big Ed

tjcruiser said:


> Reck,
> 
> The marquee looks great!
> 
> I'm jealous, of course ... I've never been to a real drive in ... never ...
> 
> TJ





tjcruiser said:


> Classic! In one of those old station wagons with the rear flip-up seat, I bet!
> 
> We have 2 or 3 long-closed drive-ins here in RI. Ironically, the property is sitting in disarray ... no other commercial or real estate development over the years, as far as I know.
> 
> As I said above, I've never been to one, but I would sure like to experience the fun with my kids someday, if the opportunity were around.
> 
> Nostalgia that never was, in my book ...
> 
> TJ


You guy's didn't learn anything from my Jersey thread.

THE FIRST DRIVE-IN THEATER IN AMERICA, WAS IN NEW JERSEY.:thumbsup:
http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa980121.htm

TJ YOU CAN BUILD ONE NOW, DID YOU WIN THE LOTTERY? 336 million!:thumbsup:
WINNING TICKET WAS SOLD AT YOUR STOP AND SHOP. NEWPORT,RI.

Whoops caps on.....When I was a young whippersnapper I had no less then 10 drive-ins in a 30 mile radius.

Many fond memories!:thumbsup:

LEN...why are you building them, I thought it was her suitcase project?
Don't forget to fabricate all the speakers on posts for the drive-in.


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## Reckers

That may be true Ed, but the newest one is going up (in a suitcase) in KY! We went out this morning and found some gravel---it was time to lay sod and rocks for the drive-in theater and the drive-in restaurant. We stripped everything off, masked the road and the tracks andthe area that will be under the rotating record:










We sprayed the open areas with a spray adhesive, laying in the gravel first. Then we followed with the grass. I used an old spice bottle with a shaker head to carefully shake the grass in. Once the large areas were done, Steppy hand-painted diluted white glue (water and glue) and I followed with the grass-shaker:



















Last step in this sequence was hand-dribbling in the driveways, and that took both of us. I hspray eld a cleaver for a straight-edge while she trickled in the gravel. Applying a top coat of adhesive wasn't satisfactory: if left a whitish glaze we didn't like. We topped that with more grass to make it green, again. Tomorrow, we go to Wallyworld for an eye-dropper and a spray bottle. We'll use the eye-dropper to dribble diluted glue onto the driveway and the spray bottle to spray diluted white glue over the grass and gravel areas to secure the surfaces.


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## tjcruiser

I think the grass looks great. Due for a mow, I think, but with a good sense of realism.

When I fiddled with my HO layout a while back, I had problems with the water/glue mix clogging in the nozzle of the spray bottle (a Home Depot version). I'd be curious of your findings / tips here.

Nice progress!

TJ


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## Reckers

Thank you, Teej. We wanted to avoid the flat-as-a-board appearance on either the grass or gravel: too perfect tends to work against the eye accepting it as real, so the grass is shaggy, clumped and uneven by choice. We also went thinner at the edges and more detailed toward the center to draw the eye into the center and away from the walls of the suitcase. I'll let you know how the glue-spritzing works, but I think the key to it is a thin enough mixture and shaking it often to keep an homogenous density. That white glue tends to settle quickly, leaving you a thick clot at the bottom and white water at the top.


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## tjcruiser

You know the old-tip to add a couple of drops of liquid dish detergent or iso alcohol to the mix (to break the surface tension), right?


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## Xnats

You need to add a little dishsoap to the water and let is fully dissolve then mix with the glue. I have a batch 3 weeks old in a reused oxi-clean spray bottle, still squirts nicely even after sitting a week without use.
I had back luck with adding alcohol to the glue mix, it causes the glue to gum up, I don't know why


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## JohnAP

Great progress Reckers! We still have a nice drive in back home. Two screens with the radio broadcast signal....they still have a few old time hang in the window speakers I believe. Me and my better half go at least once in the summer. They have a nice diner there, live entertainment, car shows and stuff like that during the summer.


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## New Berlin RR

cool, looking good so far, cant wait to see the suit case train case....


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## Reckers

Ed, she didn't grow up building model planes and stuff, so the idea of kit-building was foreign to her. That aside, those kits aren't cheap and she'd rather get mad at me for screwing it up than at herself. New Berlin, my best estimate is that this is about a month away from being completed---the project has a lot of steps to it and you have to think your way through each one. I've never lined a suitcase, for example, but we're going to have to line the top and bottom on the insides.

Teej, you mentioned clumping. I thought you were referring to the glue settling in the spray bottle, but now I realize you were referring to the powdered grass clumping when sprayed. Here's my take on solving that problem.

First, add a few drops of liquid soap to the spray bottle to break the surface tension of the glue-water solution. That lets it absorb more easily and the droplet can't roll as far. 

The other issue might be characterized as a snowball being rolled, gathering more snow as it moves across the surface. It results, in part, from the force with which it's launched from the sprayer and the trajectory used when the droplet is launched. The solution is to change both, but it's sloppy. You have to use air resistance to reduce the velocity, and a high trajectory. In other words, stand way back from the table on which the layout rests and fire your spray about 3 feet above the layout, and slightly above horizontal. The result is the droplets fall to earth like a gentle rain instead of hitting the turf like a fire hose. I was able to saturate the layout that way without blasting it off the plywood. The liquid hits in tiny droplets falling almost verically and they simply soak into the soil.


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## tjcruiser

Good "rainmaker" spray trajectory tips, Reck!


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## Reckers

Teej and Stan, I just realized you'd both suggested the use of liquid soap in the glue bottle---thank you, and acknowledgement to you both for your contribution. We're no where close to finished, but it was time to put the printer to work. Teej, you'll note we went with "The Blob"! Forgive the camera angle, please---it makes the screen lok like it's falling over backwards.










One more of the ticket booth:


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## tjcruiser

"The Blob" !!!

Love it! I was half-kidding, earlier, but it's perfect!!! For some strange reason, that's the movie that pops into my head when I think about old drive-in theaters.

The ticket booth and movie screen (with movie shot) look great! I assume you're workin' on a little collection of N-scale autos to drop in the scene? It would be a hoot if you could lay down a pair of people in the back seat of a car or two! After all, young people paid $0.75 to NOT watch a movie ... nudge nudge wink wink ...

Do you have some sort of a projector-booth building planned for the scene?

Cheers,

TJ


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## Big Ed

tjcruiser said:


> "The Blob" !!!
> 
> Love it! I was half-kidding, earlier, but it's perfect!!! For some strange reason, that's the movie that pops into my head when I think about old drive-in theaters.
> 
> The ticket booth and movie screen (with movie shot) look great! I assume you're workin' on a little collection of N-scale autos to drop in the scene? It would be a hoot if you could lay down a pair of people in the back seat of a car or two! After all, young people paid $0.75 to NOT watch a movie ... nudge nudge wink wink ...
> 
> Do you have some sort of a projector-booth building planned for the scene?
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> TJ



The Blob would be better for an indoor movie house.

YOU DIDN'T REALLY WATCH THE PICTURE IN A DRIVE-IN.:laugh:

Don't forget little poles with speakers on them. Plus you have to make them attached to wires so that they come off the poles to stick in the cars window.

That ought to keep you busy for a while.
Plus a little refreshment stand along with the projector in it, is needed in the lot too.

Looking good.:thumbsup:


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## Xnats

Ok that is cool, that is a perfect still shot from the moive. TJ is right, I don't even know what one looks like though, lol.


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## Big Ed

Xnats said:


> Ok that is cool, that is a perfect still shot from the moive. TJ is right, I don't even know what one looks like though, lol.



Didn't the blob have one scene where it Blobbed into the movie house?

Or was that the Tingler?

I think both of them went in the movie house to attack.


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## Reckers

That was The Tingler, Ed---they started hollering it was loose in the theater, and if you didn't scream it would kill you! Right now, we have more cars and trucks than you can shake a stick at with more arriving. The Krispy Kreme truck is due any day now!

Teej, you're right about needing a projector booth/concession stand. I'm going to have to scratch-build that. Ed, I hope to figure out a way to make and mount some "large" speakers on posts at the drive-in instead of doing all those teeny ones!

Stan, my sweetie picked that scene out of a couple of pages of Google images for "The Blob". I sized it down to very-close, printed it out on glossy photo stock and then Exacto'ed it to fit the screen. I then sprayed the back of the photo with adhesive and popped that sucker onto the screen. A small drop of gel Superglue on each leg did the trick to keep it up. That surprised me, as the thing is front-heavy.


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## Xnats

Lol I guess you are right it about it being front heavy, the screen has to be over double the weight of the frame, dang N Scale :laugh:
You might be better off making tower speakers, I started playing on how to make the little post  One or two would not be bad but a whole bunch, lol :thumbsdown: That would be a retiree project.


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## tjcruiser

Reck,

Just out of curiosity, will the lid of the suitcase be able to close with the height of the movie screen?

TJ


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## Reckers

That was what I thought, Stan---save myself a lot of misery! Teej, it will close right now. But she saw something she wants inside the lid that will not allow it to close. I'm going to have to make the lid insert removable, so as to close the case.


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## BraytoChicago

Looking great! so unique


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## Reckers

Thank you, Bray. This past weekend, work was limited to painting the interior sides of the suitcase jet black to focus attention on the layout. We're taking an excursion this coming weekend, so it'll be a bit before we make any progress.


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## tjcruiser

*Juicy Temptations ...*

Hey Reck,

Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover-model Kate Upton was poking around our model train forum the other day. She was so impressed with your "diner and drive-in movie" layout theme, that she filmed this little video just for you. She sends hugs and kisses, too ...






Life's good, huh?!?

TJ


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## sstlaure

WOW....I want what she's having. Hell....make me the burger


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## sstlaure

tjcruiser said:


> As I said above, I've never been to one, but I would sure like to experience the fun with my kids someday, if the opportunity were around.
> 
> Nostalgia that never was, in my book ...
> 
> TJ


Here you go TJ.....Bring pillows and blankets.

Rustic Drive in Theater
(401) 769-7601
Louisquisset Pike, North Smithfield, RI 02896


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## tjcruiser

Scott,

Can I meet up with Kate Upton there?!?

Jack and I were chatting about old RI drive-ins the other day. I didn't think any in RI were still functioning. We talked about a few on Rt 146 ... that's where the one you mention above is located. Good to know that they're still in business. I'll have to check it out. With Kate and the kids. Uhh ... err ... the wife and kids ... WIFE and kids!

Cheers,

TJ


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## Reckers

Teej, that woman obviously understands men and trains. That consist started off with a terrific cowcatcher and then held my interest all the way back to when the caboose popped up! Great video!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Big Ed

tjcruiser said:


> Scott,
> 
> Can I meet up with Kate Upton there?!?
> 
> Jack and I were chatting about old RI drive-ins the other day. I didn't think any in RI were still functioning. We talked about a few on Rt 146 ... that's where the one you mention above is located. Good to know that they're still in business. I'll have to check it out. With Kate and the kids. Uhh ... err ... the wife and kids ... WIFE and kids!
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> TJ



You do know that this is a family site?
I did not report it but you have been warned.

Family site...family site.


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## Reckers

No problem, Big Ed---it's family. I want to have her babies!:laugh::laugh::laugh:


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## Big Ed

Reckers said:


> No problem, Big Ed---it's family. I want to have her babies!:laugh::laugh::laugh:


What about the burger?:laugh:
That is the first thing I noticed.

That looks good too.


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## Gansett

What burger?????


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## Reckers

It was the brown thing Kate was wrapped around. I noticed it on my 5th review of that educational train video.


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## Gansett

She'd be the perfect woman if she owned a liquor store....

btw google her modeling victoria secret stuff,,have your nitro pills handy.:thumbsup:


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## NIMT

WOW....WOW....(Clunck) Picking self off of floor) Who pulled the chair out from under me!
How many of you had the wife looking over your shoulder as you watched the video???
Thank goodness my wife is super cool with "trains"!


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## tjcruiser

OK, Reck ... doin' a little arm-twisting here ...

Any fun Suitcase updates for the gang???

TJ


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## Carl

Great idea, just make sure she does not use the case to pack you up & move you out


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## Big Ed

tjcruiser said:


> OK, Reck ... doin' a little arm-twisting here ...
> 
> Any fun Suitcase updates for the gang???
> 
> TJ




Man talk about a question going unanswered.

What happened to the Suitcase layout Len?

Keep us all hanging in suspense.


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## Xnats

Reckers said:


> No problem, Big Ed---it's family. I want to have her babies!:laugh::laugh::laugh:


Reckers has been a busy busy busy with other things. :laugh:


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## Reckers

Hi, guys! Sorry not to have responded sooner. The suitcase train remains unfinished, though it's not forgotten. When springtime arrived, my sweetie shifted gears and became engrossed in landscaping/birdwatching. We put in a large bird-feeding area with flowers, birdbath, etc, a fairly labor-intensive project. Then she bought a canopied swinging bench for the back deck and we spend most evenings out there, watching all the birds. A family of red-tailed hawks nests nearby and the large trees in our backyard is part of their hunting-ground, as the supply of squirrels seems endless. We also bought two bicycles and are starting to hit the neighborhood asphalt on early weekend mornings. We're not far from it getting too hot to stay outside as much---for me, that's the reopening date of train season. Soooo....it's still incomplete, but we'll finish it up this summer.


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## Big Ed

Reckers said:


> Hi, guys! Sorry not to have responded sooner. The suitcase train remains unfinished, though it's not forgotten. When springtime arrived, my sweetie shifted gears and became engrossed in landscaping/birdwatching. We put in a large bird-feeding area with flowers, birdbath, etc, a fairly labor-intensive project. Then she bought a canopied swinging bench for the back deck and we spend most evenings out there, watching all the birds. A family of red-tailed hawks nests nearby and the large trees in our backyard is part of their hunting-ground, as the supply of squirrels seems endless. We also bought two bicycles and are starting to hit the neighborhood asphalt on early weekend mornings. We're not far from it getting too hot to stay outside as much---for me, that's the reopening date of train season. Soooo....it's still incomplete, but we'll finish it up this summer.



No Excuse.....No excuse.......as your sitting on the deck watching birds fly around and the flowers growing you can be working on the suitcase.
Two bicycles? You should have got a bicycle built for 2. Then you could sit in the back and let her do all the pedaling.

Sounds like you should have worked off at least 50 lbs by now?
Slim & trim Len?

I guess you have the bird identification book right?
I have had numerous pet birds, and keep my eyes open on the road as I do for old trains.

I was waiting at a light with the 18 wheels right around the corner from our yard and happened to see some birds taking a bath in a mud puddle that never gets dry along the RR tracks. One bird was all green I laughed to my self because I thought it was the green slime of the water making it look green.
But when it flew onto a tree branch to dry I noticed that it looked like a parrot.
Funny thing is I went home and was talking to my neighbor and he told me his friend in Carteret, NJ sent him pictures of a parrot colony in that town. 
I told him it was funny because I just saw one in the same town today.

I went on the net and found this,
here........ http://dendroica.blogspot.com/2012/03/wild-parrots-of-carteret.html










Do you want me to get a pair for your backyard?


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## Reckers

Absolutely, Ed---a pair of pairotts!!!! As for the 50# mark and slim, both are a long way off. I'm going to Wallyworld for a new seat this morning---the one that came with it feels like a brick! With the heat we're having, I'm at least generating a lot of sweat-equity in the bicycle. We went out each of the last two mornings for short rides ( I need to build up my endurance), then went to a nature preserve outside of Bardstown, KY, to take the dogs out for a walk. Walking a 75-pound dog who is frantically pulling you toward geese, ducks, and quail can be a workout, all by itself. Fortunately, the 90+ heat took it's toll on the dogs and they were soon panting. I found a bench in the shade and let them cool down before we headed back to the car and the AC. We were halfway home (about 30 miles) before they finally cooled enough to stop panting. It's 6 am now----Wally opens at 8, so I should be peddling again this morning by 9 or 9:30! Have a great Memorial Day!


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## tjcruiser

Reck -- nothin' wrong with a little backyard birdwatching. Every year, there's several family of barnswallows that nest in the carport behind my office ... big field and pond behind all of that. The swallows spent countless hours flying acrobatic "sortee" missions around the fields ... nabbing mosquitos and insects along their way. Great fun to watch how agile these creatures are.

Oh ... and Ed ... maybe if you dress like a pirate, you can get one of those NJ parrots to land on your shoulder!

TJ


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## NIMT

Reckers,
Nothing wrong with bird watching...Well except bird shooting!:laugh::laugh::laugh:
OK honestly we also love watching the tweeties hanging around singing!


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## Reckers

Speaking of bird-watching....we were sitting on the swing yesterday evening, watching the birds feed. My girlfriend was emoting over a cute little sparrow, hardly old enough to be out of the nest, sitting in the bird-garden and being fed by it's mother. The little thing would sit and flutter it's wings and Mom would stop eating, pick up a seed and feed the baby, then go back to eating till the baby fluttered again, demanding more food. We talked about how endearing it was, how many personalities and behaviors we were noticing, and the little one flew a short distance into the grass. It just sat there and we forgot until a grackle swooped down to where the sparrow had landed, stood there and made two or three quick pecks and then flew off with the baby sparrow in it's claws!


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## tjcruiser

Birds can be ruthless ... even those of the same species ... destroying nests, eggs, etc.

Remember ... they're modern dinosaurs!

TJ


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## gunrunnerjohn

Nature is harsh, you only have to watch Discovery or the National Geographic channel for a few shows to see that. It's truly a world where only the strong (and quick) survive.


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## Big Ed

tjcruiser said:


> Oh ... and Ed ... maybe if you dress like a pirate, you can get one of those NJ parrots to land on your shoulder!
> 
> TJ



BUMP! I was looking for something In N scale and came across this thread.

Ha Ha Ha shivers me timbers Matey.

I wonder if they still have the suitcase? :smokin:


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## Carl

Seagulls enjoy bombing runs on those sitting on wood decks. :smilie_daumenneg:


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