# Bonita grand central



## norgale

The BGC is moving right along and the tunnel that the company is building has started to take shape. I wouldn't have believed how strong the cardboard strips are if I hadn't just used a bunch of them. My hot glue gun has been very useful on this project and sped things up considerably. Pete

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIOmoURoF3g


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## N-gauged

I"m so ready to start on my layout.
It looks like you got a good start on yours.
I'll be watching for your progress so I can see some more techniques to do on my layout.
​


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## norgale

Thanks for that N-gauged but I am just learning the scenicking stuff. I have never done any of this before but I do read what the guys here have to say and what I see in Model Railroader Magazine. I also found some great videos on this work on YouTube. 
The biggest thing I've learned so far is not to be in a hurry and let what you have done dry before going ahead with something else. Don't be afraid to try any of these scenicking things. If it doesn't work out you can always scrape it off and do it again.
When you get going with your layout be sure to post some build photos so we can see what your doing. Pete


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## norgale

I'm trying to figure out how to post a picture here. Pete

Ok so I can get a link on here but how do I get a picture to go on?


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## tjcruiser

You're halfway there ...

You've already uploaded a photo. Click on the icon to see the photo, and then Ctrl-C copy the full URL address to your computer's clipboard. Then, back in the forum editor tool, click on the little "mountain" icon, and Ctrl-V paste that same URL address into the dialog box ... will stick the URL between "img" tags. (You might be prompted to grant permission, first.)

Syntax is









With that, we'll all see the photo directly in the post:










Layout progress looks great, by the way!

TJ


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## novice

Layout is coming along nicely.

Is that screen and cardboard you're using for the tunnels? Are you using plaster to cover it?


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## norgale

Hey Novice. Yes it is cardboard strips and screen. I will use drywall mud for the covering rather than plaster because I happen to have about three gallons of it on hand. 
After I had secured several strips of cardboard I was surprised at how sturdy the structure was. Just keep gluing the strips on until you have a good surface for the screen to set on. Remember you have to press the plaster onto the screen to make it stick so the structure needs to be pretty strong. You can bend the cardboard strips any way you want to give the structure some terrain contours and then just follow with the mud and a putty knife or spatula from the kitchen.
I see where some people use plaster soaked tissues and that's probably a good way to cover your mountain too. Maybe that would work with some thinned out drywall mud but I havn't tried it yet. I think the drywall mud would be cheaper than plaster but not sure about that. I used staples and hot glue to hold the cardboard strips in place and then just the hot glue for the screen. 
Here's a couple of pics of the work so far. Pete

I'm still trying to post pictures here rather than links.


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## norgale

Jtjcruiser what icon do I click on for the picture? I'm not sure what your talking about.I did find the mountain picture. Pete


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## norgale




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## Big Ed

norgale said:


> Jtcruiser what icon do I click on for the picture? I'm not sure what your talking about.I did find the mountain picture. Pete











This one is up top in the reply box. When your typing out a post.


edit, 

It is TJ not JT too.
Though JT does sounds good too.


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## novice

Thanks for the info Pete - much appreciated.

I just started a small diorama project using NIMT's instructions here: http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=6374

I've never done anything like this, so I decided to start with a small surface to see how much I can screw it up - thanks to Robes thread about starting small. 

So far, I've screwed it up pretty darn good.

My progress is here - http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=6449&page=11

I'll post some pics of my screw up later today.


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## norgale

Ok Got it backwards when I typed it. Sorry. Pete


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## norgale

Yay! I got the picture in the forum. Now if I can only remember how I did it. Ha! Pete


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## norgale




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## norgale




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## norgale

Videos don't post the same way as pictures I take it? Maybe these are too big? Let me know. Perhaps I need to post the pics on Photobucket first and reduce the sixe. At least I have a couple pics posted. Thanks for the tips Tj.Geeze I did it again. Carumba! Pete


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## Big Ed

norgale said:


> Ok Got it backwards when I typed it. Sorry. Pete



I like it better JT, as TJ does tin, JT can stand for Just Tin.

JT sounds like a 200,000 acre land owner in Texas.
TJ sounds like a horse jockey.:laugh:

Sorry TJ , just kidding.


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## novice

norgale said:


> Videos don't post the same way as pictures I take it? Maybe these are too big? Let me know. Perhaps I need to post the pics on Photobucket first and reduce the sixe. At least I have a couple pics posted. Thanks for the tips Tj.Geeze I did it again. Carumba! Pete


You can also use ms paint if you have windows to resize the images before posting.

Just a suggestion


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## norgale

10-4 Thanks for the tip. Pete


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## tjcruiser

My sailing buddies call my "Mad Dog" ... but that's a different story, for another day ...

TJ ... T before J ...


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## norgale

Used to know a "Mad Dog". He would get into the Myer's Rum every once in awhile and we had to tie him up till he sobered up so he wouldn't hurt himself or mostly for our own safty. Nicest guy in the world till the Myers bit him and then he wanted to kill everything that moved. He was Russian if I remember correctly. Pete


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## norgale

It's too hot to work on the trains today. The layout is in a metal building and I'm not through insulating it yet. Prolly over a hundred in there right now. So I'm at home working on my other hobby which is RC Boats.
Here's a link to the current project if you care to take a look. Pete

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1305974


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## Gansett

Metal building in So. Fla? That's got to be brutal in July and August.


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## norgale

Ya it gets pretty hot about then. I have AC in there but without the insulation on the roof and walls it's like sitting in an oven. 120 degrees is about average. However I have it down to 80 to 85 now and when the insulation is finished it should be a comfy 75 to 80. That I can stand.
Trying my luck at posting a picture from Photobucket. Old cars is another hobby that I enjoy. Now however without a job this hobby is on hold. I already have enough in this car for at least ten really nice train layouts. I just hope I can eventually get some of it back. Pete










Ya! That works but the size is still up there. Have to figure that out now.










OK I downsized the picture to smaller than the first one but it comes up the same size anyway. Guess this size is the default size on here. Hope this will do. Sorry these arn't about trains but I've posted all the train pictures already. The car is a 1960 Lincoln sedan for those of you young whippersnappers who have never seen one. They were new on the road when I was 18 and a freshman in college. OK! The computer done downsized the picture on it's own. Now this is a better size right? Pete


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## Gansett

Nice car, from the front I thought it a '59. I'm soooo glad I old cars, muscle cars and race cars out of my system. Oh and boats too.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Puts you at about my age, nice looking Lincoln.  I remember those from my youth as well.


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## gunrunnerjohn

JackC said:


> Nice car, from the front I thought it a '59. I'm soooo glad I old cars, muscle cars and race cars out of my system. Oh and boats too.


I haven't quite kicked the hotrod habit. 













However, I appreciate the classic as well.  This is my "spare" car.


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## norgale

JackC said:


> Nice car, from the front I thought it a '59. I'm soooo glad I old cars, muscle cars and race cars out of my system. Oh and boats too.


58,59 and 60 are almost identical. The diff is in the chrome trim and the bumpers mostly so you were right on target. As for boats I think I'd like to have a house boat. Then I could sit out in the middle of Lake Okeechobee and fish,watch satelite TV and work on the wireless computer. If it were big enough I could have a train layout,a work bench for my boats,a deck for the dog and a motorcycle. Then I could sell my trailer,my car and the truck and go on down or up the river as the case may be. Wait somewhere for my SS check to land,buy some more gas and head out again. I could really dig that life. Pete


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## norgale

Damn John those are nice. I think you said the Jag was an 86 but what is the other car?You take good care of your cars. They really shine. Love them. Anybody else have some old cars? Just for in between trains that is. 
Man my AC hasn't shut off since 10:00 this morning. Hot as hades outside---97 about an hour ago but down to 93 now. Pete


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## gunrunnerjohn

The hotrod is my 2007 Nissan 350Z, it's my everyday wheels. When you put over 300 HP in a really small car, you get a handful when you push it. On the plus side, it out handles a Porsche Boxster on the track and will easily outrun them as well.  The only one that stays with it is the Boxster S, and those are over twice the price. 

The Jag has close to 38,000 original miles, I've owned it since it was new.

I thought 71 was nice, 97 is absurd!  This is the first of may, what are you going to have in August, 130 in the shade? :laugh:


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## norgale

300 HP in that little car must be awesome to drive. You do like sports car. I was never comfortable in a sports car mostly because I was tall but also because my butt was way too close to the ground. I fit ok in a Jag and really like the ride in the sedans. I never did own one until recently when I bought the 88 but it was too far gone with rust so I ended up junking it after I stripped all the useful parts off it.
The Lincoln is a different story. It has the 430 engine with supposedly 300 HP and it moves pretty well for a big car. However the car weighs 6000 pounds so it sure isn't any high performance vehicle. Being a little over seven feet wide it's very comfortable to drive and it has leg room way beyond what I'll ever need. If you want you can go to my Youtube site at pete234 and there are a few videos of the car in action. 
Now I need to make the brakes into a two part system as they were only one part back then. If any of the brake system went out the whole system failed. I also want to do electric wipers instead of vacuum ,rebuild the starter,convert the electrical system to an alternator from a generator and change out the timing gears and chain. The original gear has nylon teeth and they tend to disintergrate while your driving along especially being this old. Then there's the uholstery and the paint but I'll be long gone before all that gets done. Ha! Pete


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## gunrunnerjohn

Those years of the Lincolns were some of the biggest cars on the road, so I expect it to be very comfortable.  I'm only a bit over 5' 8", so I fit into the sports car easily.  This is the third Z car I've had, I had a couple of 280Z models in the 70's and early 80's. I was back to sedans for about 25 years, but decided in 2007 that I needed one more frivolous car.


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## norgale

Haha! "One more frivolous car". Watch out John 'cause they make more frivolous cars every year. Besides everyone deserves to have something that is frivolous at some time or other. My train set is frivolous for me right now. I have no business building a layout at this time than the man in the moon but I'm doing it anyway. "Eat,drink and be merry for tomorrow we may die" is a famous old saying that I like but I don't know who said it. Pretty smart guy if ya ask me. 
The Lincoln is 19'6"' long and 7'6"" wide on the outside. It was made that length on purpose so it would be longer than the same year Cadillacs and Chrysler Imperials. The Caddy was six inches shorter and several inches narrower and the Imperial was the same length as the Caddy but three inches wider than the Lincoln. All three were huge cars by any standard and all sold pretty well for the price at the time. 
The Lincoln sold the least of the three and after the 60 model year Ford changed the Lincoln 100%. There is not one part on a 61 that is exactly the same as on a 60 Lincoln. I don't think the tires were even interchangable.(60= 14",61= 15") One thing that a lot of the 58-60 Lincoln owners do is go up to a 15" wheel for the car. The standard 14" x 6" wide tires look like bicycle tires on such a huge car. Only thing is that there are NO rims that will fit these cars. They all have to be custom made if you want to switch the tire size. T
The 430 engine is the same up till 65 but nothing on the engine will be right for the 58-60. The heads will bolt on but they don't work right because the whole inside of the compression chamber was different. Stroke was changed too. 
Sorry to get so wrapped up in my Lincolns. I've learned a lot about them over the years and do tend to get talking about them. Pete


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## gunrunnerjohn

You are a fountain of knowledge about the old Lincolns!  I know the 61 Lincoln didn't look anything like the earlier ones, it was model shock for sure.


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## norgale

56,57,58,59 and 60 were my favorite years for Lincolns. The 61 I didn't like very much but those years of the "slab sides" were some of the best years Lincoln ever had in sales,before or since. The public really liked those cars and they are the most collectible today. There are tons of 58-60 Lincolns laying around in barns and scrap yards and nobody wants them very much. If you do want one you'll find them to be fairly pricy. However you put a 65 out on the road for sale and it will most likly be sold in a few days. They,the 65's,cost less than a 60 in similar condition but you can sell ten of them before you'll sell one 60 model. Strange people these American car buyers. Ha! Pete


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## gunrunnerjohn

Well, I suspect old cars are hard to sell in these economic times, but I'm sure the market will recover.


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## norgale

Got the details for the GP-60 from Details West and they look great. The instructions arn't very clear from being copied so many times but I guess pics of the GP-60 shouldn't be hard to find.
Also made some headway on the Bonita Grand Central scenery and I like the drywall mud for covering the tunnel. It's thick enough not to splatter all over the place and thin enough to be spread easily. Sort of like putting frosting on a cake 'cept ya cain't lick the bowl.
So here's a few pics. Pete


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## gunrunnerjohn

When you do a forum format copy from Photobucket, you don't need to use the







Image icon, just paste the text directly into the message. That will get rid of the IMG tags that show up for every image you post.


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## norgale

I'll give that try next time John. As you can see I'm still having problems with the sizing but I'll get it right soon. Pete


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## gunrunnerjohn

I post stuff at 800 pixels wide, the height depends on the image orientation. If it's something that might require more detail, I post at 1024 wide.


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## tjcruiser

Norgale,

Just a heads-up ... you're using too many "img" tags in your photo posts ...

You have:










When all you need is:










cheers,

TJ


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## gunrunnerjohn

TJ, see my previous post to him, already covered.  He's using the Photobucket "copy forum image" feature which adds the IMG tags.


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## tjcruiser

Ahh ... missed that ... you beat me to it!

TJ


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## norgale

I'm trying to get rid of the img tags so see if this works. Also what loco do I have here? I thought it was a GP-60 but apparently it isn't. Pete








OK I found it. It's a SD45-2. Guess my GP-60 details won't work for this one. Now I'll have to buy a GP-60 so I can use the details I have and get a set of details for a SD45-2. Havn't detailed one engine yet and already it's getting expensive. Who started this anyway? Pete


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## tjcruiser

norgale said:


> ... and already it's getting expensive. Who started this anyway?


We're like a heard of wildebeest all following one another ... right over the edge of the cliff. Not much we can do except enjoy the view on the way down!!!

:thumbsup:

TJ


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## norgale

That pretty well says it all. Ha! Pete


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## norgale

Got some rock molding done today and that was fun. I used plaster of Paris and learned to mix small batches at a time and to slap the mold with the plaster in it onto the mountain. I also found some tile grout coloring. It's powdered and works great mixed into the plaster. So I tried a few molds with the coloring which worked ok and tried using just the raw color powder to further color the rock molding after it had hardened. I think that will work ok too. Any of you guys who havn't gotten into the scenery phase of MR you have a treat coming. It really is fun.
One thing though is that the plaster is messy and will splatter around no matter how much you try not to do that. Drywall mud works just as well but takes a lot longer to dry and is a lot less messy.
Anyway here are a few pictures of the BGC to date. Pete


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## Massey

JackC said:


> Nice car, from the front I thought it a '59. I'm soooo glad I old cars, muscle cars and race cars out of my system. Oh and boats too.


Not me!! This is my current Daily driver. 










Her name is Sarah and she is a 1999 Camaro RS. I paid $500 for her a year ago and already her and I have alot of history. Here is another thread I have about her, and the history I have had with her.

http://camaroforums.com/forum/4th-generation-41/sarahs-story-my-99-camaro-build-log-59798/

And a few weeks after I brought my car home my wife got Camaro Envy and bought this:










Now... We have a 5yr old and a 2 yr old and people say that kids dont fit in these cars are lying... small kids do just fine in the back seats, Train modules on the other hand DONT!!

Nice looking boat Pete! I miss building my boats. Hopefully soon I will be able to start back on my Aurora project again.

Massey


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## gunrunnerjohn

Kids or trains don't fit in my daily ride.  I have to steal my wife or daughter's car to haul more than a couple of boxcars.


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## Big Ed

One day I am going to fix up one of my old rides.


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## norgale

Ed you better get after those cars befor the creeping crud eats them. Looks like a 48 Chrysler and a 55 Chebby there. Nice cars too. I'd go for the Chrysler myself. Nice ride in a big car. pete


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## Gansett

It's a shame to see old iron like that just turn to rust.


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## norgale

I'm with you Jack. The old cars come from a better time in my opinion. I always feel sorry for some of them that just sit and rust away instead of being restored. However that Chrysler alone is worth about $500 scrap and the Chevy is worth about $300 so the guys who have these junk cars are sitting on some serious money.
It also takes some serious money to fix one up even if you do the work yourself. The kids today want everything all ready to go right now so I fear that a lot of the old cars will go to the crusher.
It's all about the money. Pete


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## Massey

I have been responsible for restoring one 66 Mustang to almost new condition. This is what I started with:










And this is the last picture I took of the car before I sold it.










Yes the goofy looking kid is me, the cute red head is my best friend "Red".

I have also returned 3 cars from the dead. One was an 85 Cutlass totaled from a head on collision, a 69 Chevy 3/4 ton totaled from a tree landing on the bed, and my 99 Camaro, totaled from a T-bone collision. Check out my Camaro forums link to see what happened to the Camaro I have pictures documenting that. 

Massey


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## norgale

Good pictures Massey. Red is a cutie too. The mustang is beautiful and I have forwarded the pic to a friend in Canada who has spent a lot of his life restoring Mustangs. He will enjoy getting your pic and knowing that still another Mustang has been saved from the crusher. Pete


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## tjcruiser

Beautiful job on the 'stang!!!

TJ


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## Massey

Thanks guys. When that car came home it was a mess. There was a bullet hole in the windshield fired from the inside out... the fuel was jelly, brakes rusted solid (GTs had disk brakes where all others had 4w drum) and there were no replacement calipers available, just rebuild kits. the carb gaskets were just about powder, and dont get me started on the wiring. Only the taillight bulbs had ever been replaced all other bulbs had FoMoCo etched on the glass (none worked of course). The car had 48K original miles on the clock, and it did earn them 1/4 mile at a time. I was able to research the car back to the daughter of the second owner. She told me that was her dad's race car and that after he stopped racing he was going to make the car drivable for her. He died shortly after putting the new 289 back in. The next owner could not figure out the wiring and he sold it to Larry, who I bought it from. Larry loved restoring Mustangs and he had 2 others to finish before this one. I came along looking for a new front end for the Mustang that I wrecked (just a plane jane L6 car) and LArry told me he had a whole car not, but not a new nose. A few $$$ later I have a ugly brown mess of a 66 Mustang GT. My dad and I got it running and driving about a week later, and once the weather started to turn sour we pulled the car into the garage and stripped it down to nothing. My living room was littered with new Mustang parts for 9 months, the car was totally naked for about 6 months while we smoothed out the body, and right before I graduated I was able to take the car to the High School Drags in Bremerton where I pulled a best time of 13.6 @91 MPH. About 2 years later I sold the car, I was in college and needed a daily driver and this car was too nice to be a daily driver. I ended up getting a 1960 Chevy pickup (good shape no rust and a Tri-powered 327) and $2500 cash for the car. The car now lives in SoCal once again and the new owner has finished my restoration and has a pile of trophies from Mustang shows.

Massey


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## norgale

This was an answer to another thread that sent an auto message to me. I do not regret the car talk or the pictures of cars. Sorry. Pete


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## norgale

Was able to get some railroading done today. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u65FRDR7Y6A
















































The chief engineer has decided to take a break.


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## norgale

Todays railroading amounted to moving all the structures around trying to get the best fit for what's going on in town. The track is all pretty much in place for this table and there is a stub to lead to another table down the road. Letting the trains just run on their own is great for the customers who come along. I actually had a guy come in today to see the trains. Guess word is getting around about the new layout in town.
This video has a little more color in it and I even got a few of my boats in the picture. Hope you like. Pete

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VK3VMxUtYU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtT4LAZPvTI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amM96mRnx28


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## norgale

Finally got the front and rear railings installed and the snow plow and the cab shades. Can't imagine SG spending any money on a snow plow so it had to have come with the engine from up in Yankee land somewhere. She looks pretty good now I think. I do like the colors. Pete


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## norgale

Also got some more scenicking done along the right side of the upper track. Got to find something for foliagethat doesn't costa lot. Did some more ballasting too. Pete


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## Gansett

Looking good Pete.


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## norgale

Thanks Jack. I'm just stumbling along with this because I've never done anything like it before. Some of the scenery I've done over three times and still don't have what I'm after. I'll get it one way or another though. Appreciate the comment. Pete


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## Massey

If you do trains anything like you do boats you will do just fine. You are doing just fine now. 

Hey how did that yacht you were working on a few years ago come out? I cant find it on the other forum.

Massey


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## norgale

Ha! You remember that build huh? When they allowed the "scale sailboats" topic I switched it to there. It's under "Athena from a picture" but it's been so long since I added anything to the build that the thread has been terminated. It can still be viewed though.
I never did finish the boat. I ran into several problems with the rigging such as the automatic reels for the jibs and the anchors for the back stays. I'm still looking for parts that will look ok on the boat but meantime she sits on the top shelf in the same room as the train layout out of reach of touchy/feely people and kids. I still intend to finish it but not until I get some hardware that looks right or make some somehow. Pete


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## Massey

Yup that was the one I was thinking about. I could not remember the name tho. Last I checked the boat was comming along great and looked just like the real thing.

Massey


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## tjcruiser

Sailboat model ???

POST A PIC SOMEWHERE HERE, PLEASE !!!

(Me like ...)

TJ


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## Big Ed

tjcruiser said:


> Sailboat model ???
> 
> POST A PIC SOMEWHERE HERE, PLEASE !!!
> 
> (Me like ...)
> 
> TJ



Do you want a challenge?:thumbsup:

One for tj.

Look at the detail!:thumbsup::thumbsup:



A French battleship from 1680, the flagship of the Chevalier de Turville and one of the finest and most beautiful ships of the French Crown of the XVII century. 


This model has been buildup from exotic woods and no paint is being used. The metal parts are processed with chemicals using traditional recipes and the highest level of attention to the details of her construction are being applied. 

*Scale* 1:55
*Length:* 1250 mm
*Height:* 1118 mm
*Width:* 565 mm


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## gunrunnerjohn

Here's the page that model appears on: http://www.shipmodels.com.ua/eng/models/elite/le_ambiteux/index.htm


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## Big Ed

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Here's the page that model appears on: http://www.shipmodels.com.ua/eng/models/elite/le_ambiteux/index.htm




Nice model? 
Excellent work, I would like that sitting on the fireplace mantel.:thumbsup:

I didn't search for the price did you?
Edit,

I looked and could not find any, check out the forum link.


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## norgale

What a magnificent model that is. The details are incredable. Somebody spent a lot of time and money on that one. Lot of guys are making these to actually sail in the water now. It really something to see a three masted schooner or clipper ship going through the water.
My Athena was inspired by a picture I saw of her on Yacht forums.com.She was built to order for Jim Clark of Netscape fame and was the largest private ship afoat until the other cyber guy built the Maltese Falcon. Can't remember his name off hand. 
I was able to get some great pics of the Athena and plans of her deck layout and then had to go from there with my own plans.
Here are a couple of pics of her and the full build thread is on RC Groups.com under "scale sailboats". Search for "Athena from a picture" but I'll get the link in a minute.
Here's the link.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=882793&highlight=athena+from+picture


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## Big Ed

Nice work.:thumbsup:

A lot of building goes on when your making one of those.:thumbsup:

Now lets,
Weigh the anchor and cast off the lines, turn windward and raise the main sail. Batten down the hatches, LETS GO SAILING.


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## gunrunnerjohn

big ed said:


> I didn't search for the price did you?


If you have to ask, you can't afford it!


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## tjcruiser

Gents,

Sorry to sidetrack the thread with model ship dialog, but that's some beautiful stuff. A few quick points ...

Ed ... Have you ever been to the Mariner's Museum in Newport News? They have a collection of ship models made by August Crabtree throughout his lifetime ... each depicts a timepoint in the history of naval archicture. Incredible detail. Highly recommended by me.

I've also enjoyed the collection of 18th-century builder's models at the Naval Academy in Annapolis. Many of these have beautifully detailed interiors that never saw the light of day for hundreds of years ... until recently, when some curators poked a fiberoptic camera inside the models. It was like looking into a fleet of long-lost ghost ships.

Norgale -- that's a nice model. You really should get that sailing. If you're having any trouble with mechanics / winches, you can get in touch with my friends at the US Vintage Model Yacht Group ... http://pages.swcp.com/usvmyg/ ... Several members have made wonderful R/C yacht replicas with sophisticated sail control mechanisms.

The real-life Maltese Falcon is here in Newport this past week. Rumor going around is that she was just sold to a Greek owner. Tom Perkins has been the original owner ... made a fortune in the venture capital game, and conceived and built this high-tech interpretation of a modern-day clipper ship.

Cheers,

TJ


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## norgale

The Bonita Grand Central is getting a new flour mill. For the last several months I've been reading through a pile of old MR magazines and they have a lot of neat buildings you can build with pictures and dimensions and some instructions. At 1/8th" equals 1'0" scale it's very easy to measure and cut the parts. I built this out of a sheet of balsa I had in the supply pile and it's surprisingly sturdy. Need to find or make some windows and doors ect. but I'm pretty happy with the way this first scratch built building has come out. Ought to look good on the layout. 
If you try one of these plans don't go by the picture for size. They are way off the scale from being reprinted. You'll have to measure everything but it's not hard to do. Pete
























The current boat project while I'm at it.


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## tjcruiser

Nice work on the flour mill ... good roof line / ridge proportions.

And ...

Sweeeeeet old yacht. Looks a bit like an Elco to me, though larger. 1930's / early '40's vintage, perhaps? What exactly is it ???

TJ


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## norgale

Last fall I watched the movie Key Largo and there is a large yacht in that movie that belonged to the gangsters who drove it to KL from Cuba to collect the drug money. After going onto the RC groups forum and asking about the boat nobody could come up with anything. We decided that the yacht was a prop for the movie and that it didn't really exist. However I was inspired by the yacht and decided to try and build something like it and this is it. I did get some ideas from a yacht called the Mariner lll which I found online and it was close to what I was looking for. The rest is just how it turned out after drawing some basic plans and starting the build. I'll find the link to the build and post it for anyone who is interested. Pete

Here's the link. 
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1305974


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## tjcruiser

Norgale,

Thanks for the link. I had a quick scan, and enjoyed seeing your creativity and evolution of thinking that went into the design of your little yacht. Nice end results.

You might be interested in a yacht called Freedom that some friends of mine recently restored ... quite the beauty ...

http://www.woodenyachts.com/Media/PressLibrary/ShowBoatsInternational.pdf

Regards,

TJ


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## norgale

TJ those Trumpys are really nice and they did an excellent job on the Freedom. She is a beauty. There was one similar on Bone Yard Boats not too long ago and it was free. It was somewhere in Fla up near Orlando I think. Guess it was in pretty rough shape but still above water. You could build four nice runabouts with the wood in one of those yachts. Thanks for the link. Pete


----------



## Massey

Atheana looks great. The last time I seen her she was still getting her decks built. Mariner looks great too. 

Massey


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## norgale

The Bonita Grand Central is getting a new caboose built on an old tank car frame and trucks and a new freight/passenger station built from plans in a 1976 MR magazine.
Not much action on the BGC lately so the crew has time to put these two things together using stuff laying around the main terminal area. Still have a ways to go with both projects but they should,be ready for the new tourist and freight season coming up in the fall. Pete


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## norgale

The BGC is closed for remodeling. Just wasn't enough space for railroading so it's been stripped down and redesigned. I didn't like that stupid mountain anyway. Ha! 








There's going to be a yard on the left and the same one on the right but this time I'll connect them with a loop around the inside on both ends. Took some doing but I got the switches hooked up ok and I wanted to use the turntable but there just isn't enough room for it. I'll save it for the next table which will be more for steam if I can come up with a loan from the govt to buy some. Meantime the flex track I have on hand will make the radius no problem. Course the triple axle locos won't be too good on that loop but a couple of two axle switchers will work ok. Pete


----------



## tjcruiser

Pete,

I didn't get a chance to comment earlier on the station and caboose ... that board-and-batten fabrication looks great! Nice custom work.

Cheers,

TJ


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## norgale

Thanks TJ. I've seen several custom built cars on here and thought I'd give it a try. It's all done in wood and I had to cut each one of the battens by hand as no wood that small was available here. Tedious work but enjoyable non the less. I'll try to make some soldered brass railings and ladders for the caboose this week. Pete


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## norgale

An update on the ex flour mill and the caboose. Pete


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## tjcruiser

:appl::smilie_daumenpos:

Bravo on the station roof!!! What is that ... strips of sandpaper, with scratched lines to simulate individual shingles ???

Your detailing on the caboose is wonderful, too.

BRAVO !!!

You should post a more detailed explanation of your tips/tricks.

TJ


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## norgale

Thanks very much Tj. It's always nice to get compliments on ones work or constuctive criticism too. The caboose is just stuff I had laying around and the brass work is wire cut and soldered which is tedious to say the least. Nothing is finished yet but only in place to get an idea of how it will look. Actually the wire which I thought was very thin isn't thin enough to be scale but it will have to do.
The shingles on the freight station are sand paper. It's 120 grit aluminum oxide which I thought would look scale but it doesn't. There again it will have to do. I cut strips of the sand paper 3/8ths wide and cut random slits with scissors about half that width.Glued the strips on overlapping the lowest course by 1/4th inch and that's how it came out. Not bad for the first try but still the shingles should have been smaller or at least overlapped more.
There are no tricks to any of this. I got the idea for the shingles out of an MR magazine and I learned soldering from the guys on the RC Groups 'scale boat' section a couple of years ago. One thing I did find out on my own is when soldering small stuff like on the caboose you need to use the thinnest solder wire you can buy. Using the standard size is ok but you have to heat the metal up too much to get the thick solder wire to melt. Meatime your heating up the rest of what your working on and it tends to come apart. That's a good tip that I'm happy to pass along. All the rest is just plain model building. Pete


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## gunrunnerjohn

I use solder that is intended for circuit board repair, it's .028" diameter. If you are soldering something big, you just shove more in.


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## Big Ed

norgale said:


> Thanks very much Tj. It's always nice to get compliments on ones work or constuctive criticism too. The caboose is just stuff I had laying around and the brass work is wire cut and soldered which is tedious to say the least. Nothing is finished yet but only in place to get an idea of how it will look. Actually the wire which I thought was very thin isn't thin enough to be scale but it will have to do.
> The shingles on the freight station are sand paper. It's 120 grit aluminum oxide which I thought would look scale but it doesn't. There again it will have to do. I cut strips of the sand paper 3/8ths wide and cut random slits with scissors about half that width.Glued the strips on overlapping the lowest course by 1/4th inch and that's how it came out. Not bad for the first try but still the shingles should have been smaller or at least overlapped more.
> There are no tricks to any of this. I got the idea for the shingles out of an MR magazine and I learned soldering from the guys on the RC Groups 'scale boat' section a couple of years ago. One thing I did find out on my own is when soldering small stuff like on the caboose you need to use the thinnest solder wire you can buy. Using the standard size is ok but you have to heat the metal up too much to get the thick solder wire to melt. Meatime your heating up the rest of what your working on and it tends to come apart. That's a good tip that I'm happy to pass along. All the rest is just plain model building. Pete


This is the first time I have seen this thread.

Excellent work all around.:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## norgale

Thanks to you too Big ED. Welcome to the Bonita Grand Central. We don't make any money on this railroad but we have a lot of fun. 
Pete


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## norgale

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I use solder that is intended for circuit board repair, it's .028" diameter. If you are soldering something big, you just shove more in.


The stuff I'm using is .015 from Radio Shack.It's a one ounce roll thats part silver. Is that bigger or smaller that .028? I never can remember which way these sizes go. Anyway the good thing about the thin stuff is that you get so much more on the roll. One oz of this size will last a very long time and if your careful there is very little waste. Pete


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## gunrunnerjohn

Sounds smaller, I've never needed anything smaller. I have a lifetime supply of the .028 stuff, I have a case of it leftover from when we used to build circuit boards. I had half a dozen benches set up and temp help soldering circuit boards.  Nowadays, we'd probably go for a jobber automating the process, but it was too expensive back when I was doing this, having them hand soldered put more money in my pocket.


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## Gansett

Very nice Pete.:thumbsup:


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## MacDaddy55

*Outstanding!!*

Hey Pete that layout has some very impressive work on it....that Station houseroof is a jem, the roof is cool and the suspension bridge is great. TJ is right you should put that on the "How To Thread"....oh, and do be careful with those smoking materials...hate to see that work go up in smoke!!:laugh:


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## norgale

Since the remodel has brought me back to about the thirty yard line there will be many more opportunitys to do some more modeling. I'll try and make some short articles with pictures of different projects on the BGC as I go along and post them for anyone who might be interested. Pete


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## norgale

Update on the new station and the caboots.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Looks very nice, good job!


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## trainguru

These structures are asowme man, maybe I'll base some of my road's bridges off the suspension one you built. By the way, what did you use, and how did you build the station and caboose?


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## norgale

The BGC was back in limited operation yesterday and today. I did not solder the flextrack before installing it. There is too much slide on the free rail for the curve I wanted and the soldered joiner hit too many ties. The joints didn't hold anyway as the solder is too soft for very much stress. So I installed the track and nailed it down in place and then attached the second piece and that worked better. I then soldered the joiners just to try it and although a couple of ties got pretty soft with the heat,it worked ok. 
The double axel engine works fine on the new radius but the triple axel locos derail a lot. I don't think I've had as many derailments as I had today since I started building this layout. PITA.
Here are a couple of videos of the action for the last two days.
Videos from yesterday.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHOyzQZx6HI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrzNjiHU7t0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2t1W-Fm97s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WksjSL7Cyfc



This video shows the new dash 8 running smoothly through all the new turnouts with no problem MY Santa Fe's just won't do it at any kind of speed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGQzaJbE940


----------



## norgale

Went back to work on the BGC today and got some more roadbed laid. Also started spotting the buildings around to see where they would best fit with the new inner-belt yard route and connected the engine house back up with the inner-belt. Then I ran the heck out of the engines to see where any problems might be. Found one where my flextrack sections came together behind the engine house. Caused the front wheel on the triple axle units to climb the rail and then derail completly at the next turnout. All the time I was blaming the turnout and it was the way I had laid the track instead. Duuuh!
Turnout to the engine house is now connected.








Need to name these two yards. North and South yards just doesn't seem appropriate.








This is the "Back Yard" Ha!








My new caboose home. Damn those white trucks look awful.








The engineer and fireman had to stop for a big gulp.








Gas dock got hit with a small tornado.








And a couple of videos for your entertainment. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yobD6IyByj0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLhklcyFHFQ
Here's one for you truckers. Don's Diner in Plainville ,Mass.


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## tjcruiser

Nice pics ... coming together nicely ... tornado and all!

TJ


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## norgale

Started working on the landscaping on the BGC yesterday and this is what will replace the large mountain and tunnel that was first constructed. I like being able to see the trains at all times and maybe there will be another small tunnel just for interest but not just yet. Here I started to apply the mesh with a glue gun and that will be covered with drywall mud as it's easy to control and doesn't drip all over the place like plaster does. The mud is pretty inexpensive and you can work it into all kinds of shapes if you don't put it on too thinck. Several coats is better than on heavy coat to prevent cracking when it dries. Mud takes longer to dry up but it gives you more working time. I've also used it in rock molds too and that worked ok. Pete


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## Big Ed

The Norgale North & South yards?:thumbsup:

You "got something going on" in the one video?
What they do go on strike?:laugh:

Bridge looks great, what did you use for the cables?

Truck stop in Plainville, Ma? 
I got to search for that, I most likely stopped there at one time. 

Run that Army train around some.:thumbsup:

Edit, 
Nope not a truck stop just a diner.
Very good reviews, been around since 1936.
I don't think I ever been there.


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## norgale

The wires on the bridge are made from the kind of nylon string that they use on construction sites. Lasts forever.
Don's Diner is owned by the Perreault family in Plainville,Mass. and, like you say, has been there since 1936 when the first Don opened it. The diner has always been known for great food and in the old days they had a catering business that catered to all the factories in the area for break times and lunch times.
A few years ago the family,now headed by Don the second sold the catering business as so many of the factories had shut down. Now Don the third and his brother Perry run the diner with their parents filling in when it's busy and the fourth generation is now coming along to keep the diner going. Quite a hard working bunch of people and very fun people to know.
The diner is located in downtown Plainville on South street and if you get there tell 'em Pete McGill sent you. Perry's mother,Phyllis,used to be my babysitter when I was a wee lad. Ha! Pvill is my home town. Pete


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## tjcruiser

Re: Don's Diner ...

Not too far from my neck of the woods. Duly noted.

TJ


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## norgale

TJ where are you in Little Rhoddy? Pete


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## Gansett

Ironic that a member of my family was a cook there for some years.
TJ, you ever want to take a trip down memory lane I can show you that diner plus the ALCO plants and a nifty hobby shop.


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## norgale

I think you said that was your uncle ,Jack. I asked Phyllis about that and she remembered the guy working there. Small world when you come right down to it. Pete


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## tjcruiser

Pete -- I'm down in Newport/Portsmouth

Jack -- Would love to do the road trip thing ... someday ... if I can ever get the magic fairies to run my business, take care of my kids, clean the yard, and keep the wife happy for a day. (And I'm not sure which one on that list is the trickiest!)

Someday ...

TJ


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## Gansett

Pete,
Johnny was married to my aunt so I guess he was my uncle-in-law? I was only a kid and only have a vague memory of him. Like I said before after he took off and left my aunt with 4 kids he wasn't discussed much, at least around us kids.

Ed,
2 truck stops in RI. The R&R is right on the Ct/RI line, the other is 15 miles up the road, the T/A right off Rt 95 on Rt 102.
You ever make a run through let me know.


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## norgale

The BGC has been on the back burner while I take a break from railroading. However I did get a control panel installed yesterday and painted today. It needs another coat of paint but that will wait for tomorrow. Why blue? It was free paint. Good enough for me. Ha! 










Maybe you can see the different colors of the four operating areas in the layout diagram. I'm setting the layout up for four operators so my customers can run the trains. They will be able to operate in their given areas but if they want to go into another area they have to coordinate with that other operator. Should be interesting. Pete
The diagram isn't very clear so here is what it says: The outside loop is the BGC Main line in red. The next inside loop is the BGC short line in blue. The third inside loop is split between the Seminole Gulf RR yard on the left and the BGC Big Cypress Yard on the right. The SGRR leases it's yard from the BGC but the two roads work together with one yard doing some services to the rolling stock and the other yard doing other services. Since all four operating areas are electrically insulated from each other,running cars or locos between them must be done with the cooperation of both operators. Hope that all makes sense. Pete


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## tjcruiser

Looks like fun progress to me! Customers running the trains? Lucky guys!

TJ


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## Gansett

Free stuff is good. :thumbsup:I stopped by a friends body shop last week and ended up with several pieces of 3/16 Lexan left over from the windshield etc from his race car for my control panel.


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## Massey

Lookin good Pete! 

Hey I just created a few simple graphics for a DCC wiring thread I am going to post in the DCC section. It is based on the Digitrax system I use at home. You were asking for a tutorial on DCC well I am working on it!

Massey


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## norgale

Thanks Massey. I'll check on it. pete


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## norgale

Finally got back to the BGC and sorted out the town. I marked where the building were to be located and then painted on the street with flat black pain. After that dried the green areas went in abd then the brown areas between the tracks and where shrubs will eventually be located.
The town has now taken on some organization so it looks less confusing--I hope.
Received my second transformr from 5thgen and it works perfectly. Now two trains can be run under seperate control which is a lot more fun that only one train at a time. There is one place at the right of the table where the tracks come too close together and if two trains are there at the same time they hit. Adds a little excitement to the operation trying to avoid the collision.
Now I need two more transformers and the whole thing will be good to go.
Funny thing. I tell grown men to go ahead and operate the trains and they won't touch the thing. Women and kids will jump right in and have a ball. maybe men have more of an appreciation of what goes into a laout anf are afrid to do something wrng. Don't know for sure. 
Some pics in a bit. Pete









































And a couple of videos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ab0JFwm26D0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjZbxon97Do
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z5HOQi67zA


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## Gansett

Freight house looks right at home Pete.


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## Big Ed

JackC said:


> Freight house looks right at home Pete.



Those Tanks don't.
They look lost.:laugh:
Their looking for their train ride.


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## norgale

The tanks were just dropped off there for the Georgia National Guard summer training. Just havn't been picked up yet.hwell:
The freight house worked out ok I think. Glad I built it now and need some other buildings as well. That will be for another layout, maybe next summer. I sure do need some trees and bushes around the layout though. Looks naked without them. All in good time. Pete


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## norgale

I'm always reading about guys repainting their engines so I thought I would try one. I wanted to develope something that was bright and cheery and looks like Florida so this is what I came up with. The new paint scheme for the Bonita Grand Central minus the decals which I havn't made yet. Pete


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## Big Ed

Nice Pete, Orange for....Oranges. Yellow for the Sunshine......Sunshine State Express.:thumbsup:


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## Massey

NIce looking engine. Is that a SD35? Who makes it?

Massey


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## norgale

This one was an old IHC engine i bought back in 96. It had the dinky little Penn RR logos on it and was all black. A really uninteresting engine. It runs good but I never liked the looks of it so I chose it to experiment on. Not a very professional job but I'm happy with it for a first try. 
Yup! Sunshine and Oranges. That's it. Pete


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## Gansett

looks like the Orange Blossom Special II to me.


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## norgale

Good one Jack. I hadn't thought of that. Orange Blossom Special is my all time favorite song done by Billy Vaugn. Very good instumental from many years ago. 
There was a real OBS train that came down the east coast of Florida way back when. Think it was a steam train but wasn't painted anything that was Floridian. Later it ran with a purple (Fla. East Coast RR) E-8.
Long gone now. Pete


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## gc53dfgc

I am liking the colors so far. It is interesting the amount of detail that IHC engine has (grills and little hatches) for the time it was made compared to some of the current ones which for some have not improved any.


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## norgale

I have another one just like this one only in a different livery. I think I'll do that one next and maybe some propriatary freight cars for the BGC too. May have to change the colors on the freight station though. Oh well. That's for another day. Pete


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## gc53dfgc

Did you paint this with an airbrush or a spray can? I would recomend upgrading to an airbrush for painting the next loco and rolling stock. It makes a difference in how clear the distinction is between colors while yours has a little bit of bleed an airbrush would not.


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## Massey

another way to help prevent the bleed through is to spray a light coat of the first color before spraying the second color. This will create a seal around the tape to prevent the new color from bleeding through.

Massey


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## norgale

You know,I have two airbrush setups and I've never used them. I think it's because I'm basicly a very lazy person and don't like having to clean the brush after each use. Also putting the paint in the bottle and then having to pour the leftover back into the original bottle seems like a lot of work to me plus more cleaning.
I like to use a spray can when painting. I've done tons of this and can handle it pretty well. Then you just turn the can up-side down and press the button until it sprays clear and the nozzle is clean. That's easy and fast.
In this case I sprayed the shell with a coat of gray primer and then three coats of the yellow. I let the yellow dry 24 hours between coats. The orange below the catwalks is painted on with a brush and the orange stripe at the top is pin striping tape. Last I painted the top of the nose flat black to cut the glare of the Florida sun in the eyes of the engineer. I still need an AC on the roof and tinted glass in the cab if I can figure out how to tint the plastic glaze insert. Last is the decals for the engine markings which I havn't done yet.
Tell me where you see the bleeding. It's probably some brush strokes showing and I can touch that up. I'll take a few more pictures when I do the next one and then I can learn something from your comments.
I'm surprised that noone has mentioned the stripes up the front of the cab and over the top. I'm still not sure I like that but it is different.
I'll get some video of the engine in action today at work. Pete


----------



## Big Ed

norgale said:


> You know,I have two airbrush setups and I've never used them. I think it's because I'm basicly a very lazy person and don't like having to clean the brush after each use. Also putting the paint in the bottle and then having to pour the leftover back into the original bottle seems like a lot of work to me plus more cleaning.
> I like to use a spray can when painting. I've done tons of this and can handle it pretty well. Then you just turn the can up-side down and press the button until it sprays clear and the nozzle is clean. That's easy and fast.
> In this case I sprayed the shell with a coat of gray primer and then three coats of the yellow. I let the yellow dry 24 hours between coats. The orange below the catwalks is painted on with a brush and the orange stripe at the top is pin striping tape. Last I painted the top of the nose flat black to cut the glare of the Florida sun in the eyes of the engineer. I still need an AC on the roof and tinted glass in the cab if I can figure out how to tint the plastic glaze insert. Last is the decals for the engine markings which I havn't done yet.
> Tell me where you see the bleeding. It's probably some brush strokes showing and I can touch that up. I'll take a few more pictures when I do the next one and then I can learn something from your comments.
> I'm surprised that noone has mentioned the stripes up the front of the cab and over the top. I'm still not sure I like that but it is different.
> I'll get some video of the engine in action today at work. Pete



I was going to mention the stripes, but I figured you wouldn't like it.
Plus you were done painting it already.


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## norgale

Ha! I wondered if anyone would comment on them. Shows your all decent people and that's nice. I just may change the stripes on the cab but we'll see. pete


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## norgale

Here's the Orange Blossom Special pulling a load. Ran ok and it's a quick little bugger. Pete
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0TQxgdJYfw


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## norgale

*Paint shop*

The paint shop has been very busy this weekend. Here is what's painted so far. Kinda going crazy with this yellow but hey, it looks better than all the black engines I had. Now they are "sunburst yellow". I like. Pete


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## gunrunnerjohn

WOW, that's a wakeup call for anyone seeing the layout!  What road name are you going to use for these?


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## norgale

I'll be keeping the Bonita Grand Central name but I was just sick of looking at the Penn RR and the Seaboard engines because they were all black and ugly. I'm also painting over two oldies I've had since back in the seventies. They were two Santa Fe's with the yellow and blue war bonnet scheme. They run ok but were kinda beatup from being used a lot. So this will give me four engines with the BGC paint scheme and a few cars in the same colors. Always wanted a train that looked like it belonged to some railroad instead of a whole bunch of railroads. May not be very prototypical but it suits me ok. Pete


----------



## Smokinapankake

Prototype schmototype. They look great and anyone who says you're not serious enough can go jump in a lake!

I saw the depot you built from scratch. It looks as good as anything I've seen in a magazine so kudos to you for having a good time. Isn't that what it's all about anyway?

I quit reading the model railroad magazines a decade ago because they all seemed like they were taking the hobby and themselves way too seriously. 

I could go on and on about this particular pet peeve of mine but then I wouldn't be having fun, would I?


----------



## Massey

Smokinapankake said:


> I saw the depot you built from scratch.


You think that is good you should see some of the boats he has scratch built. Athena is one that comes to mind and this one too in the pool for sea trials (Cant Remember the name of the Yacht tho)

http://www.youtube.com/user/PeteM234#p/u/19/I68W7VH9ulo

Massey


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## norgale

WOW! Thanks for all the good words guys. I'm with you Smokinapankake and tend to do things like putting Sidewinder rockets on my boats. Havn't tried that with the trains yet though. It's just for fun and the heck with the rivet counters. 
I like the Model Railroader for the structures in it. Get some good plans that way. Otherwise each issue tends to resemble the last one. But I suppose there's only just so much people can do with a model rr that is new so all in all I think they do a good job and provide a good service to the hobby.
Here's a picture that is in the latest issue of MR. Who would a thunk it?
Thanks for the compliments Massey. That boat in the video I named the Megan O'Keefe after my neices daughter. I name all my boats after family members so that one is for her. I think she is four now. Pete


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## Massey

I name my tugs after family members too. I have my Kate Massey (after my first Daughter) and the Thomas Massey (after my Tommy) and the next one to be finished will be the Sonjia Massey (My first scale scratch built boat, It is a pusher)

Massey


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## norgale

What will ya do when ya run out of kids?


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## Massey

I have plenty of relitaves that have kids too! My sis has 2 girls plus a few cousins and what have you!!

I just need to remember not to name a boat after an ex girlfiriend or I may be sleeping on said boat!

Massey


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## Gansett

If named after my kids,,I'd have Dammit and Jesus, Mary and Joesph


I did have a boat, 27 footer named "Cirrhosis of the River".


----------



## norgale

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAQH! You guys are funny. Don't ya have a knothead there somewhere? That was my name for many a year before I figured out my real one. Ha!

I mentioned here somewhere about tinting the engine windows because of the bright Florida sun. So I did. Got some of that winow tint they use on car windows and after you peel the backing off it sticks right where you put it. Here I've done one of the window pieces and I will do the others. Looks cool I think. Stick the tinting on the INSIDE of the clear plastic piece and it fits right in no problem. Trim with a sharp xacto or a razor blade. Pete








Hard to see the tinted windows but they are there.


----------



## Smokinapankake

That's pretty cool. Did you remove the great big cab light that you usually find in these things?


----------



## Massey

A very proctical thing for a Florida engine. Another thing you may want to consider is some flat black on the top of the nose. Alot of engines in sunny areas have that area black to prevent the glare to the engine crew.

Massey


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## norgale

I'm doing that Massey as I did on the first one. Havn't finished these yet.
Smokin the inside cab light is the same. Don't know how it will work yet but it does throw a lot of light so it should be ok even with the tinting.
Are you Apanakke? Pete


----------



## norgale

*Lettering*

Tried a different scheme with the stripes and added some lettering. Maybe one strie above the lettering and one below instead of the two under. I think I need some help with this decorating. pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Have you considered clear decals? I think they'd look a bit better. I like the colors, really stands out!


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## norgale

Oh yes. The decals will be clear. I just cut out those words to check for size and fit. The BGC is big enough but the 1900 is too small. I'll go with the next size up. The one sticking point is the color of the letters. I'd like 'em to be orange with black shading but I don't know how to do that on my computer or even if it can be done. Otherwise I'll make clear decals in black I guess.Pete


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## Massey

Can you access photoshop? There is a drop shadow filter that could do the job for you. If not I may be able to send you a file with it on there that you can resize in your graphic program.

Massey


----------



## norgale

I don't know from Photoshop or if I even have graphics on this computer. I have a good printer but if I don't have the letters in color the printer will print in black. Maybe today will be a good day to see about this stuff. I know there is a lot of capability on my PC that I have never used. I'll check it out. 
Thanks. Pete


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## gunrunnerjohn

norgale said:


> Oh yes. The decals will be clear. I just cut out those words to check for size and fit.


I thought so, seeing your other work, I couldn't imagine you putting white backgrounds on!  Now, OTOH, if I were doing it, I might do something sloppy like that.


----------



## norgale

*Pain shop*

So here's the results of the pain shop work and the lettering too. Some details to work on but the results isn't bad. Now there's a Bonita Grand Central railroad and there's no doubt about it. Ha!


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## Massey

The black really looks good on the engines. I like the stripe above the names on the side. Good job the engines look really good.

Massey


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## tjcruiser

Hey Pete,

The custom fleet looks wonderful. Nice work!!!

TJ


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## Artieiii

I agree, nice job! My custom work only involves 1 engine at a time. Still gotta get me some microscale decal sheets for my inkjet printer. Next we need to see a video of that consist running on your tracks. Keep up the good work.
-Art


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## gunrunnerjohn

Great looking fleet, that's way cool to have your own railroad!


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## norgale

Thanks for the kind words guys. Since I named the railroad I figured it would be nice to have a few engines with the name on them. I will tell you that all the paint jobs didn't come out that well. Where I used primer before painting the yellow it turned out ok. Where I didn't use the primer I had to do extra coats to cover the old road names and that tended to run the paint. Also had one engine break out in a lot of crazing and cracks. I covered that up as best as I could but there are still some very obvious crinkly places that I couldn't fix. They look ok from back a little but up close won't bear much inspection without finding lots of problem areas.
However I did learn a lot and was able to make my own decals with my printer. The colors didn't come out heavy enough but they work. Besides the whole layout is for sale so maybe somebody else can worry about all that.
Back to work tomorrow so I'll take a few vids of the BGC in action. Pete


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## sstlaure

New fleet looks great!


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## Artieiii

norgale said:


> Thanks for the kind words guys. Since I named the railroad I figured it would be nice to have a few engines with the name on them. I will tell you that all the paint jobs didn't come out that well. Where I used primer before painting the yellow it turned out ok. Where I didn't use the primer I had to do extra coats to cover the old road names and that tended to run the paint. Also had one engine break out in a lot of crazing and cracks. I covered that up as best as I could but there are still some very obvious crinkly places that I couldn't fix. They look ok from back a little but up close won't bear much inspection without finding lots of problem areas.
> However I did learn a lot and was able to make my own decals with my printer. The colors didn't come out heavy enough but they work. Besides the whole layout is for sale so maybe somebody else can worry about all that.
> Back to work tomorrow so I'll take a few vids of the BGC in action. Pete


I have has some similar issues with crinkling of paint. A light sanding with 300 grit sandpaper will salvage it to some degree. Multiple light coats reduces the risk. I think that oil based spray paint softens the lower layers with it's solvent. A light coat puts less solvent on the project so it can't dissolve as much paint underneath. Light coats dry much more quickly witch also helps. Just my .02.
-Art


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## Gansett

Looks great from up here Pete. 

Painting plastic can be a real trying experience. Not only finger tip oils from handling but also mold release agents. There are solvents for cleaning plastic auto parts prior to painting/dyeing but that would be overkill in our situation. A wipe down with alcohol or even a soap and water wash might help a lot.

btw Mold release agents are nasty. 2 weeks after getting a brand new 
'80 Monte Carlo my hands were raw. Took a while but after testing it turned out is was residual mold release agent on the steering wheel. A wipe down of the wheel with alcohol and no more problem.


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## norgale

Redoing some passenger cars now and I think I'll repaint the ugly E-8-A-A
that I have too. make a nice looking streamliner for the BGC to haul passengers in. I think I'm getting carried away with this repainting stuff. Pete


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## Massey

Unless you can tell the color of the paint by only smell you have not gotten carried away.

Massey


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## norgale

Here are a couple of pics of the four newly painted engines and the two gons on the layout. Some videos in a few minutes.
















Here are two pics of the passenger cars I'm working on. The first has two stripes separating the orange and the yellow and the second pic has four stripes. Can't decide what's enough or too much. Any opinions on this???? Pete


















The orange along the bottom appears to be a different color because it's painted directly over the old silver color of the car. A second coat will bring it up to the orange at the middle of the car---I hope.
Now for the videos. Pete


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## norgale

A few videos of the 'yellow herd' running like crazy. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mN9Nt0VKOE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgyLTUHUX3c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cqIbU0s2bY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2uDVwK0tTI


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## Artieiii

Nice custom honey bee swarm Norgale!! /) /)
-Art


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## trainguru

I've got some custom coaches comming too, the South Coast Flyer, will be a streamliner train, with domes, ACL Champ inspired coaches, and Athearn Pacifics hauling the varnish! Those coaches are just marvelous norgale! I give you your props. The loco's are great too!!! -


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## Big Ed

SLOW THEM TRAINS DOWN PETE!

Did you ever hear of Yard Limits?

Nice fleet you made there.:thumbsup:

Hmmm, glow in the dark would look nice in those colors.

I like the added stripe.:thumbsup:


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## norgale

trainguru said:


> I've got some custom coaches comming too, the South Coast Flyer, will be a streamliner train, with domes, ACL Champ inspired coaches, and Athearn Pacifics hauling the varnish! Those coaches are just marvelous norgale! I give you your props. The loco's are great too!!! -


Those coaches sound nice. Hope you'll post some pictures when you get them. Pete
Ed I know the trains are running too fast but I get tired of watching slow moving trains. I figure if they run fast without derailing then they will run slow without derailing too. Looks like I need to file notches in the the point landings on these #4 turnouts. That's where my engines and cars derail from climbing the points. Pete


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## tjcruiser

Hey Pete,

Good think you have the fan running in the background, helping to cool down those engines after all of that hard, high-speed running!

Great fun ... enjoy!

TJ


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## norgale

It's MY railroad----ect.ect.ect.. Pete


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## norgale

Made a video of a couple of passenger cars with the new paint scheme that were dry enough to try on the track. No lettering yet and two more cars and an E-8 AA coming up. Pete

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGkMzCUWGPA


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## Artieiii

Pete, the first one looks a bit more weathered than the rest LOL. Looks good! /)/)
-Art


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## norgale

Yes. That one has been used a lot and goes fast so the paint has blown off. Ha! Hope I get time to paint that one today. Pete


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## gunrunnerjohn

They look real good, nice bright paint scheme. The whole train is going to be an _eye-popper_.


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## Massey

I like how you did the passenger cars Pete, it looks good.

Massey


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## norgale

Thanks for the nice words guys. One thig I need to do is get some new trucks and wheels for these passenger cars. Any suggestions? 
And here is a slow pass and a fast pass.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHaNp50eEKo


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## norgale

Getting the E-8 converted to the BGC colors. Here is the first A unit which is the dummy. Coming up is a Revell Hudson steamer and tender model ( no motor) in the BGC colors. Pete


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## tjcruiser

Pete -- that color-matched fleet is looking quite nice. Great custom work.

TJ


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## norgale

Thanks for that TJ. It's a lot of work but I've always wanted to do this so now I'm doing it. However this next one may look a little like Disneyland. Ha! Pete


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## norgale

So here is what the Hudson looks like in the new colors for the BGC. Ought to lookpretty good at the front of a few passenger cars even if it is a static model. Pete

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGS4875XWIc


----------



## mopac

Steamer looks great. Nice work.


----------



## trainguru

Norgale, ever considered motorizing via the tender, like an old Marx Hudson?


----------



## norgale

​I did look into motorizing this engine but it's not worth the expense. The plastic wheels and axles would all have to be replaced along with the trucks if you could get then. Then the side rods and related linkages would be replaced and THEN you still have to get the motor in there and the wiring. Way to much work for this model. 
I figure to make this model an exhibit model and just have it set on a siding somewhere on the layout. I have the BigBoy too that was made by Revell and that will do the same thing. Don't think I will paint the BB in the BGC colors though. Pete


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## norgale

Here are some pictures of the finished Hudson and the B unit from the E-8 set. I'm still working on the A unit and the paint came out all fisheyes. What a mess. Got to strip it down and start over. Doing a couple of cabooses too for the BGC. I got a little too close to the passenger cars trying to show the lettering. That's in the video that I will attach so sorry for the focus being not good. I'll do another one sometime. Pete

















































http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wyJyt5PwxE


----------



## trainguru

Norgale, that steamer's killing me! Nothing that good looking should be just a dummy!, you should have gotten an old American Flyer or Marx Hudsons, and painted it up!


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## norgale

I know what you mean Trainguru and I felt the same way because Revell really did a fine job on that model. It would be super to have it running but the way it's built just doesn't leave that as an option. However we can always repaint a running model the same way so maybe the BGC will have an operating steamer someday. Meantime this one will be a display model on the layout. I still have the BigBoy to build yet and that will be a display model too.
Glad you like the steamer. Thanks. Pete


----------



## norgale

Got another problem now. Put some knuckle coupleings on the passenger cars and they work just fine. However when it comes to the engine the couplers don't mate at all. What to do,What to do?


----------



## sstlaure

Do you have a coupler gage? Which is wrong - the engine or the cars as far as coupler height?


----------



## NIMT

I'm going to say its the engine, look at the coupler pin removed on the engine.
What make is the engine?
I have a bunch of off set couplers that make up for that problem.


----------



## norgale

At first I had the cut the pin to get clearance over the ties. But then I found that it didn't match up anyway so nothing lost there. I have a coupler guide I think so I'll check that tomorrow. If you think an offset coupler will solve the problem I can get some of them as all my other engines are the same way except the Atlas Seminol Gulf engine. That one is the right heighth. need to check some of the other cars too. More tomorrow. pete


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## NIMT

What make are the engines? I might be able to tell you which couplers to use!


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## norgale

I bought this stuff so long ago that I can't remember the make. There are four of these engines and I think this one is an IHC along with one other. The other two were from PanAm in Miami (distributor) which is long out of business now. Maybe they were Atlas. Is there any way to tell? Most of my trains don't seem to have any makers mark on them at all. I'll take a closer look at them today and get back to you. Pete


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## Gansett

That looks like a square peg round hole dilemma. I can understand some slight variance between manufacturers but that's a massive difference. 

I just aquired some Athern New Haven passenger cars, wondering if that's going to be a future problem for me too.

Anxious to see the solution.


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## kursplat

norgale said:


>


 could you cut out the truck mount for the coupler and body mount it? looks like there's enough room to get the height right


----------



## sstlaure

I looks to me like the coupler isn't sitting flush against the top edge of the pocket to start with (angled downward) The angled piece under the coupler, does this move? It looks like it should swing up a little a take up a little of the height difference.

I always set my coupler knuckle height first making sure they are secure and flush in the pocket, then I go after my trip pin height for adjustment (it's usually only a slight upward or downward bend of the pin to get it just right - I've never cut one short.)

I also agree that body mounting the couplers would improve this.


----------



## NIMT

Yea if it's an extreame differance you might be better off ditching the truck mounted couplers and do a snip and cut and make them body mounted couplers.
There is only a differance of 1/16 between #5 And a #21 Kadee coupler.


----------



## norgale

I checked the rest of my engines and they all line up ok except for this one. I took another engine just like this one and changed the coupler and it worked fine. Two engines by the same maker bought at the same time and there is that much difference between them. Don't know how that could happen. Anyway the problem is solved at least for the passenger train. All the rest are still horn/hook for now. Pete


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## norgale

I am really haveing a bad time of painting my E-8's. The paint keeps fish eyeing. I've painted both the powered and the dummy and the dummy looks fair after about three coats of the yellow but it's really a rough surface on the paint. The powered unit is worse than the dummy. I have stripped the paint off this engine three times using oven cleaner which works very well by the way. This last time I went and bought a new can of primer sprayed that on and let it dry. It came out fine. Then I sprayed the yellow and look at the fish eyes in the picture that I will post in a minute.The box car krinkled when I painted it with the yellow. Using the oven cleaner I stripped about three coats of paint off it. Then sprayed with the new primer and then the yellow. Looks fine and needs another coat. But no fish eyes.
What could possibly be the problem with the E-8 that is causing the yellow paint to fish eye? Pete


----------



## Gansett

Pete,
Fish eyes occurr because the surface is contaminated with oils. Having been cleaned/stripped a number of times I'd say any mold release agent is gone. Oils from your finger tips can cause it. 
You or anyone else recently clean or detail your car anywhere near your paint area? AmourAll and like products contain silicon and silicon will wreak havok on paint jobs. DAMHIKT


----------



## Massey

JAck is right about the oils. 

Other things that can cause the fish eyes are diesel exhaust, smoke fluid residue, oils from cooking, automotive protectants and waxes (not just armor all) and cigarette smoke. My best advise for the fish eyes is to sand and strip the bodys down as much as you can especally in the areas of concern. Before you are ready to paint (like minutes before) wash your hands first with dish soap, rinse and then lather your hands up again and wash the body inside and out. rinse with warm to hot water to get all the soap off as well. Make sure there is no left over soap on you or the body. Use a hair dryer to dry off the body (no towels they leave lint) touching only the inside if you can mount the body to be painted on what ever you paint it on.

For the wrinkling finish, you must remove 100% of what wrinkled in order to get it gone for good. Paint wrinkles like that from 2 main reasons. First in incompatable paints will attack one and another and kill any good paint job you may have been attempting. Using a primer sealer can help prevent this. A couple of light coats is best so the sealer will not attack the under layers. The second reason is the new paint did not have enough time to set up properly and adding a second coat attacks the semi dry layer causing it to shrink and look like a lake bed. This happens alot with enamels, to solve this lightly sand between coats that sit for more than a day and that breaks the seal on the old color and allows it to accept the new solvents from the new coats.

In all of this the lighter you apply the coats of paint the better the results will be. It may take 6 or 7 coats to cover but that is better than 6 or 7 trys with a messed up job. Also if you are using a white under coat, to help the yellow pop better make sure thay are from the same company. Mixing brands can also cause bad finishes.

Massey


----------



## norgale

Then why does the primer go on nice and smooth and without touching the car then the yellow? I can't post a picture as there is something wrong with my computer again. On the box car with the primer the yellow went on perfectly. On the E-8 right next to it and with the same primer on it with no fish eyes in the primer the yellow just fisheyed all over the whole shell. This is for the fourth time. There's something about that shell that is the problem but I can't imagine what it could be. Pete


----------



## Massey

fish eyes in the primer or the paint? If in the primer it is the shell if in the paint then it is some thing to do with what ever touches it after you primer the engine.

Solvents in the paint are more aggressive than that in primer usually. they could be soaking through the primer and attacking what is under the primer. This is the reason for a sealer. Are the primer and paint both from the same company? This could be the difference as well. I know the car turned out fine but if the engine wrinkles then it could be the primer allowing too much of the color coat to soak through. When I was painting cars we would not even mess with trying to fill the cracks in dried laquer or try to seal wrinkled paint we would simply strip it down to the substrait and start over. Best results achieved that way. If you have done this and are still getting wrinkling then it may be the plastic itself that is causing it, in which case the plastic is being damaged by the solvents in the paint. Sanding everything down and using water based paints is about the only way to cure that problem.

Massey


----------



## norgale

I just added the two pictures to the above post. The E-8 smoothed out some after the paint set for awhile. I just put another coat on both pieces a few minuts ago. The box car is coming out great as did all the other cars and engines I painted with this same paint. I did not use any primer on any of the other cars or engines. Has to be something particular to these E-8 engines. I did notice that the fish eyes were less prominent after the application of the primer. Strange situation here. 
Massey the paint and the primer are both Rustolium so they should be compatable. Another thing is that this engine was painted in the New York Central colors when it was made. I did not get all the old paint off before I painted. Only scraped off the lettering and stripes. I got a good coat of paint on with the second coat so if it comes out ok fine. If not I'll not do it over again. It goes to work as is. Pete


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## Massey

I was thinking maybe the fish eyes were from the previous color underneath since it seems to follow a pattern but it does not follow a pattern from the NYC paint schemes.

Well if you can get it to lay down good just run with it!!

Massey


----------



## Gansett

norgale said:


>


wow! 
Pete, you're using the same brand of primer and paint along with following the same process/drying time between coats for both cars and loco's?
Think I'd strip again, wash in warm soapy water, thoroughly rinse and dry. Then wipe down with alcohol to remove any stripper/soap residue and then prime. Wait a full day minimum for the primer to dry then apply color. 

If it happens again I'd think there is something in the plastic used to make those bodies that's different. Does Rustolium make a sealer?

Why Rustolium instead of a paint for models? Somewhere along the line I saw where Rustolium contains a oil to enhance it's rust fighting ability, doesn't make sense I know but I do remember that.

btw Dawn dish washing liquid will take the hide off a rhino. Used just a squirt to clean the bilge of my boat, left it spotless.


----------



## sstlaure

Maybe even try a light sanding of the primer to give the topcoat a little more to bite into.

I also use rustoleum brand paints on my buildings/scenery - mainly because they are TONS cheaper ($4 for a large can vs $3 for the tiny modelling paint spray can.) I use spray cans out of laziness, but there are tons of flat color paints available these days so it doesn't really limit me. I only had trouble one time and that was due to oil from my hands (left finger print sized marks/bubbling). I always try to paint using many really thin layers (it's never fully coated the first coat)


----------



## norgale

I buy the Rustolium because of the cost like sst says. Much cheaper than buying model paint and you get a lot more for your money. I'm convinced that my problem with the fish eyes is from the plastic that the engine is made from. The second coat smoothed out ok and covered the fish eyes but you can see the spots in the paint if you hold the engine up to the light. Otherwise it looks OK.
I'd show you another picture but my printer has gone nuts on me and I can't get pics out of it anymore. Typical HP junk--lasts three years and kaput. No more HP for this guy. Pete


----------



## Gansett

Krylon makes a spray paint specifically for painting plastic without using a primer, maybe that would solve the problem..


----------



## norgale

I used to use Krylon and it was good paint. However it is no longer available in this area for some reason. Pete


----------



## Artieiii

norgale said:


> I used to use Krylon and it was good paint. However it is no longer available in this area for some reason. Pete


Pete,
I bought some at local Home Depot a few weeks ago. Only problem is that the color choices are not that great.
-Art


----------



## norgale

That's where I buy the Rustolium and there lots more colors with that. Pete


----------



## Massey

The Krylon for plastics is just a paint with a more mild solvent than the normal Krylon. It is nothing any more special than that. IF you have a plastic you are not sure will take a oil solvent based paint then use the Krylon for plastics as at least an under color (white or grey to help the top coat cover with less coats)

Massey


----------



## norgale

The BGC embarked on a remodeling project today. The new SKYWAY LIMITED consisting of fast passenger service with double decker cars and a suitable engine is under construction. This tack will be raised above the existing track a bit and will circle the outside of the table with interchange turnouts at the same site as the bridge. This, of course, will mean a totally new bridge to accomodate the turnouts and a double track main across the West side of the Seminole Gulf yard. Some tunneling is expected as well as lots of rock wall work on the aquaduct type trstle on the East side of the layout.
No changes are expected in the Seminole yard or the Big Cypress yard but the interchange track that connects the two yards will be torn up and the yards connected to what is now the local track. (The middle track)
Actually I just can't leave this layout alone. I have to add things and make changes to improve operation. So here we go.This is what I call the aquaduct wall and it has already been cut down two inches. Didn't have my jig saw with me to cut out the openings so that's for next weekend.
















The West side track will be at the same level as the bridge track so that the double crossover will work. The set of turnouts you see resting on the track will be over to the left so it will accept the new track on the outside of the bridge. A new bridgewill be built to replace the old one.


----------



## norgale

Finally I'm getting this engine finished. Got the blue tape today for the trim but now my printer is kaput so no decals till I get a new one. I'll never, never buy another HP anything as long as I live. What a bunch of junk they sell. So here is the almost finished E-8 that I had so much trouble painting. Still got a few things to do with it. Pete


----------



## Massey

I have had no issues with any HP printer I have ever owned, but Lexmarks and canons have been a pain in my tail parts over the years. I have an HP photo printer that is about 6 years old and still prints excelent pictures, just as sharp as any laser printer.

Massey


----------



## norgale

Ya well I had a Hp desktop computer that fried itself after three years. Mother board went. Then I had another one that did the same thing in three more years. Of course it was all off warrenty and HP wouldn't even talk to me about the problem without me paying them for it. This is my second Hp printer. The first got to where it wouldn't pick up the paper to print on it. HP wanted $125 to fix it and wouldn't talk to me about it. This printer is two and a half years old and has always worked fine. Then one day last week it just stopped printing. Two new cartridges later it still won't print. Does everything else and goes through the motions of printing and just won't print anything. Not a spot on the paper. HP won't talk without getting paid for it and so they can stick it where the sun don't shine. The jerks get no more of my money. Not one thin dime. Pete


----------



## trainguru

That is one SCHMANCY diesel!!! -


----------



## norgale

Schmancy? What is this schmancy you speak of? I would call it 'gaudy' myself. Ha! Pete


----------



## trainguru

*The Defining of the word "Schmancy"*

Smart, CHarMing in a way, fANCY!!! That's the way SCHMANCY works...


----------



## norgale

Been working on the Tamiya CVN-65 but back to trains now. Got some passenger cars off ebay and this is what they look like after one coating of oven cleaner. They were all dark blue at first and now i see there are at least four other colors on them. Blue,brown,yellow and green so far. These things have been around for awhile I think. Thank goodness for oven cleaner for paint stripping. pete


----------



## norgale

Several of the new passenger cars have been properly stripped of other colors and are now down to basic black. Today is beautiful with very low humidity and lots of warm sun. (83 with a light breeze) So the BGC paint shop is in operation again and the primer has been applied.I'll wait a couple of hours for the primer to dry well and then apply the base coat of our standard yellow paint.
Also here's a picture of my back entrance. No flowers yet but the green is showing ok. I hate Florida but when the weather is like this I'm glad I'm here. Pete


----------



## tjcruiser

I'm jealous. Not quite outside painting weather in RI. I have to wait for spring!


----------



## Gansett

Look at it like this TJ, the weather trade off is we don't have giant snakes and 'gators in our front yards.


----------



## norgale

Oh come on Jack. Those things are all in the back yard. No problem. Pete


----------



## Massey

Last week we had 14" of snow in my back yard... and you are complaining about 83° Trade ya.

Massey


----------



## norgale

I'll trade you from July !st to November 30th. That's when I really hate this place. Pete


----------



## Massey

I was in Pensacola FL from Feb to Oct, and loved every minute of it! The second time I was stationed there I was there in Nov - Dec and it was cold but not as cold as here in the Puget Sound. 

Massey


----------



## norgale

Pensacola is a nice place. It's been years since I've been there but the town was nice and the beach was super. It gets hotter there in the summer than it does here but the winters can be pretty cold that far North. Pete


----------



## Gansett

Worked in Miami a couple of years. Nothing like going out to a 727 or DC-8 that's been sitting on the ramp with no power (no a/c) for a couple of days and opening the door and going in. Instant sauna. June, July and August can be brutal.


----------



## norgale

Went to my shop for a few hours today. When I got ready to leave the dog wouldn't get in the truck because the seats were so hot from sitting out in the sun. Had to move into the shade and run the AC for awhile to cool them down. And this is January? Pete


----------



## norgale

Got another problem with couplers. The pictures are of two trucks out of many that need couplers but I don't seem to be able to find the correct ones for them. Any suggestions? pete


----------



## kursplat

what's wrong with the couplers? too high, too low? won't fit in the trucks?
looks like you need the whole coupler box to slide into the truck


----------



## gc53dfgc

Those are the old style with a plastic pin that fits around the hole of the coupler where a screw would normally go. They need to be fairly wide at the hole location as to not just twist themselves back off and also I believe that type required a coupler with two centering rods unlike most standard one centering rod that just pushes the coupler to one side while the two rod keeps it centered.


----------



## norgale

gc53 you pretty well hit the nail on the head. These trucks are about thirty years old and I wouldn't mind replacing them but don't know what to order. They had horn hook couplers with a tiny hole to fit over the tiny pin and worked ok but I'm trying to refit everthing with knuckle couplers and KD #5's don't work. I was hoping someone had done this conversion before and could show me how it is done. I keep forgetting how old this stuff is and probably most of you have never seen this truck type before. The car itself is ok and I've repainted it to haul diesel fuel for the BGC to the refueling area that's being constructed. I really want to save this car so any advice will be appreciated. Pete


----------



## NIMT

Pete,
Those are called talgo trucks and #5's do work in them, I've done hundreds of conversions.
You just need #5's, Bronze spring, and talgo truck adapters. #148's work too but not as well as #5's.
Look here.
The only thing you need to alter is there are 1 to 4 tabs of plastic that will need to be trimmed away.







Insert spring and coupler at the same time while pulling down on plastic pin, insert adapter at 90 Deg angle to final set point twist to set point while pushing onto pin it will snap in place when done.


----------



## norgale

Thanks for that Sean. I found a video on Youtube that explains how to make the Talgo conversion and it did show that the #5's worked. I changed out two cabooses and the one tank car but I don't have the adapter part. Have to order some of them. I don't have the tabs but that's good to know.
If you check 'Kadee Couplers' on utube there are several vids on different types of KD couplers and how to make the conversion.
Mine will work out ok now but some of the couplers will have to be replaced with longer shanks. Also Sam from KD says that you need to be sure you have the right coupler before applying the adapter plate as it is almost impossible to get it back off. Good tip there. Pete


----------



## norgale

Got the new Skyliner in the works and some of the painting is done. Lettering still needs to be done and I havn't started the E-8's yet but here's a couple pics of the new color scheme. A little more subdued than the yellow and orange.
























Have new trucks coming for these cars and inside lighting kits too.I've left the tops loose on the frames for easy removal when the new parts come in. Pete


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## New Berlin RR

OOO can i have the purdy yellow cars??? as for the people on the corners...simple solution, barbed wire....im sure after getting stuck a few times they wont mess up the grass anymore


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## norgale

Barbed wire sound like fun but what people are you talking about? Pete


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## norgale

Work has brought the BGC to a standstill for now but I did manage to get the two B units painted. Need the decals now. Pete


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## norgale

norgale said:


> Got another problem now. Put some knuckle coupleings on the passenger cars and they work just fine. However when it comes to the engine the couplers don't mate at all. What to do,What to do?


I know one thing I'm gonna do. After spending all kinds of money on knuckle couplings and postage I still don't have all the different knuckles that I need for all the different cars and engines. I'm going back to the horn hook couplers. At last they work even if they don't look so prototypical. Pete


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## norgale

norgale said:


> I am really haveing a bad time of painting my E-8's. The paint keeps fish eyeing. I've painted both the powered and the dummy and the dummy looks fair after about three coats of the yellow but it's really a rough surface on the paint. The powered unit is worse than the dummy. I have stripped the paint off this engine three times using oven cleaner which works very well by the way. This last time I went and bought a new can of primer sprayed that on and let it dry. It came out fine. Then I sprayed the yellow and look at the fish eyes in the picture that I will post in a minute.The box car krinkled when I painted it with the yellow. Using the oven cleaner I stripped about three coats of paint off it. Then sprayed with the new primer and then the yellow. Looks fine and needs another coat. But no fish eyes.
> What could possibly be the problem with the E-8 that is causing the yellow paint to fish eye? Pete


Somebody on here mentioned that denatured alcohol works great to clean plastic before painting because it has no oil in it of any kind. I've since tried that and it works great. Now the paint is going on nice and smooth. Thanks to somebody for that tip. Pete


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## norgale

Big problem with the IHC E-8's. The rear most screw on the power truck on each of these engines keeps popping out. This loosens the plate on the bottom that holds the gears in place so that the gears unmesh and slip. The train won't go like that. I've tried everything from bigger screws which split the plastic gear case,melting new plastic to repair the split,rescrewing the screws with thread lock and nothing works. Guess I need new power trucks for these two engines. Also the two B units that I added to the trains are the wrong ones and I really didn't realize it. They are also very heavy and don't roll very well at all.
And now my store has become so full of stuff that I've run out of room for more shelves so it looks like the Bonita Grand Central is being relegated to my storage unit. Yup! It's gonna have to go.
So this may be end of the BGC for awhile or until I can get enough stuff sold to make room for it again. Here are a couple pictures of the two trains with the B units and all the cars. I think they look pretty good but of course I'm predjudiced. Ha!


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## gc53dfgc

Those B units you have their are actually Alco PB/FB engines and ran with the PA and FA engines. As for fixing the screws have you tried just a good bit of thick CA and then placing the screws in?

Do you have a website for your store or an Ebay account for it?


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## tjcruiser

What's with the "Layout For Sale" sign, Pete ???


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## New Berlin RR

norgale said:


> Somebody on here mentioned that denatured alcohol works great to clean plastic before painting because it has no oil in it of any kind. I've since tried that and it works great. Now the paint is going on nice and smooth. Thanks to somebody for that tip. Pete


Ok gonna ask this but what brand or where could I finde this denatured alchol, are we talking things like rubbing alcohol or what?


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## tjcruiser

You can find a can of denatured alcohol at any Home Depot, Lowes, hardware store, etc.

http://www.amazon.com/Klean-Strip-Denatured-Alcohol-Gallon/dp/B001EMB2A0


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## New Berlin RR

gc53dfgc said:


> Those B units you have their are actually Alco PB/FB engines and ran with the PA and FA engines. As for fixing the screws have you tried just a good bit of thick CA and then placing the screws in?
> 
> Do you have a website for your store or an Ebay account for it?


I also wonder about the web site/eBay question...also what is up with selling the layout.?


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## norgale

WOW! Lots of questions here this morning so let me do some answering.
Gc53 I have not tried CA . I can't use it because it bothers my sinuses a lot. However I don't think it will stick to the type of plastic that is used on these power units. It's a really slippery plastic and nothing so far will stick to it. I think it's called Delrin but not positive about that.
AS for the website and ebay account,no,we don't have either and that's because of licensing requirements. We are a storage business and when people abandone their property in one of our units it then becomes the property of the landlord,my boss, in lieu of due rent. We can auction off the goods,sell them or throw them out. However we can't advertise the store because that constitutes a retail business where one would buy stuff for resale at a profit. That requires a retail license,restrooms made accessable to wheelchairs,mens and ladies rooms and all the code requirements for a retail store. By selling only what we get from our own storage units we come under the rules for storage units and not retail stores. Thats a lot cheaper and more feasible than being retail. I used to try and sell stuff on Craigs List but got too many crank emails. PITA for me and I don't get paid for the time I put into that. I only get paid when I sell something (commission) and I never sold anything off CL. Ebay is too expensive and you have to do all the packing and shipping. I don't get paid for that either. We are located on a very busy county highway so i put to signs out each day that we are open and that is about all I can do except rely on word of mouth.
AS for TJ's question,selling the trains is only to get space for anew layout. The table with the track and transformers is $350. The buildings and structures ar $150 and the rolling stock is another $350. So far no takers. People don't have room for this in most residences down here. No attic or basements and few garages or extra rooms like up North.
AS stated the denatured alcohol is available in those stores mentioned. Regular alcohol has some oil in it that leave a residue on the plastic so it's not recommended for that use. Pete


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## norgale

After a three month hiatus from the forum I have finally gotten some room again at the store. I will be setting up the train table in the the next week or so and clearing it completly of the existing BCG and starting a new one.
I have this book on "How to wire your model railroad" By Lynn Westcott and printed in about 1953. Lynn explains how wiring is done for almost any situation you can think of on a model rr. He has drawn a layout that has a lot of open running spaces and lots of bypasses and yard track with room for industrial switching ect. The plan as it appears in the book is drawn for a 3x5 layout which is fairly small by todays standards but never the less it's a great design that I want to follow. I didn't do so well with designing my own layout so this time I'll try not to make the same mistakes. One thing is that this layout is the one that is used in all the wiring examples in this book so there should be good explanations of how all the wiring is handled properly so things will work properly. That would be something new for the BCG.
So here is a picture of the layout at 3x5. I'll expand that to 4x12 or maybe 5x12 so there will be loads of room for long haul trains and plenty of room for industrial sidings for freight delivery. I suppose I should go with DCC but there just isn't any money for all the required stuff I would need. So I'm left with going by the book with a block layout but using up to date equipment like turnouts ect. There is also an automatic train control and signaling with this so it will be a lot of fun. Hopefully! Pete


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## sstlaure

Welcome back.


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## norgale

Thanks SST and I missed my trains too. pete


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## norgale

Jack C has pointed out that my plan above is made in two foot squares and not one foot. I found that out when I tried to redraw the plan to fit my table. Thanks for letting me know about that Jack as I wasn't sure about it. I still want to use that plan but I'll have to refigure my table expansion some to make those curves fit so my triple axle engines can run them without derailing.
So you see? You can't be too careful when starting a new design for your layout. Mistakes like this are easy to make and that's where your friends in this forum come into play. They really help to keep you on the right track. AAAHHHA! Pete


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## Gansett

You said you could go up to 5x12, that sounds like a plan to me:thumbsup:


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## trainguru

I'd like to see what the BGC, is offering to the steam fans? Could we see somthing aside from the _"stuffed and mounted"_ Hudson from a few months back??? -


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## norgale

What? You didn't like my Hudson? For shame. I have one old steamer that is motorized but doesn't run. I need somebody to try and fix it but who? Nobody around here that I know of. Otherwise there is no steam on the BGC--yet. I bought one new engine last year and that was the Seminole Gulf one because it's the rr that operates in my area. After that there wasn't enough bucks for more because the economy was so bad. I did manage to buy some track and swiches for the new layout but that's it. Also half my diesels don't work either so The BGC really does need to invest in some new power. Steam will be included of course. However right now I don't have a track to run on so that's all down the road. Pete


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## norgale

JackC said:


> You said you could go up to 5x12, that sounds like a plan to me:thumbsup:


Ya I'd like to think I could use that much space in the store but I have to set the 4x8 back up and see if I can take that much room. I want it to be there for the customers as a lot have asked what happened to the RR. On the other hand the job is to sell all the abandoned stuff first so that has to be considered. My income is directly proportional to the sales I make and that is directly proportional to the space I have to sell in. So whatever space the train takes up is space taken away from my income. See how it works? Vicious circle. Pete


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## Carl

Smooth, slippery plastic that refuses to be bonded to anything, named Delrin......MicroScale Decals sells a small spray bottle of "MICRO PREP" that is first sprayed on the Delrin surface and the CA glue applied for joining the two surfaces. It works!!!!!! Nor only does it work on model trains, it works on Delrin-made products around the house, in the car or truck and on my saltwater-exposed boat......and, no, I do not work for MicroScale Decals


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## norgale

Been working on THE PLAN and here is what I have come up with so far. The plan is 4x10 and I may be able to go to 4x12 but I can't see the 5x12 just yet. In anycase I've had to eliminate a few tracks to get what I'd like here but I havn't lost a whole lot. Still room for the town and some industries but the track levels go up and down all over the place so that will be a challenge.
Can't wait to get going on this. I havn't been able to run any trains since back in December. Pete


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## norgale

For the benefit of you who want to design your own RR you need to start with a plan. Get some graph paper and draw the outline of the table that you want to use. Then draw your track plan in the confines of the table outline. By drawing to scale you can see right away what you can put on the table and what won't fit. After the track plan you can add buildings and lakes,rivers,mountains ect where you want them. I call that "fleshing out" the plan. This picture shows the roads and some buildings that have been added to the plan by comparing it to the picture above. Since I don't know the dimensions and the type of buildings I want yet,I just drew in where the town would be and the roundhouse,roads and bridges. This will all change as the layout is built but the important thing is that there is a plan or guide to get you started. Anybody who may need help with this should feel free to send me a PM and I'll give you more details. Pete


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## Rhumbline

*Master & Commander, or Railroad Tycoon?*

Capt. Norgale, I knew you were Master.& Commander of a fine fleet of very sea worthy craft, but I had no idea that you aspired to be like like Mr. Flagler! I was pleasently surprised to see your handle pop up while looking over the threads. Thinking about starting a small layout for the Grand kids and I since the new job doesn't allow time for building boats. Of course the real thing fills that need to go down to the sea and I don't have to live on it, he he he. If'in its ok with you and the others I think I'll watch and learn for a little while before I jump in to the deep end. I haven't run a model train in at least 35 years. It appears that things are very different yet still familiar. That's a good looking fleet of iron you have painted up for yourself the colors remind me of my years in the Keys. I'll introduce myself soon so no one thinks I'm a spammer or anything more sinister. Good to sea you Buddy. Tight Lines!

Scotty


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## trainguru

*What in Blue Blazes?*

Norgale, you've got a maritime fleet??? - 

I'm looking to add only one vessel to the layout, the M.S. Kalakala! How could I make a fully working HO scale model of the streamlined silver ship? -


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## norgale

Hey Rumbline good to hear from you again. How's everything in Mobile and are you still telling the Coasties how to run things?
SO your looking to get back to railroading hey? Things havn't changed that much but you will find the quality of the trains a lot better that it was back in the day. Lots of railroading in and around Mobile so we will expect some cool pics of trains and some videos too. And don't be tellin' me ya don't have time. Everbody know the G-men have lots of free time. You running any interdiction lately? Bet that's fun.
AS for the fleet,Rhumbline is talking about the model RC boats that we both like to build. Thing is I get to finish mine but Rhumbline is too busy running around the country side teaching the youngsters how to run Coast Guard boats. Sooner or later he'll have the time.
As for the Kalakala in HO scale I don't know how you could build a fully operational boat of any kind in HO scale. It would be fun but probably too small for the motor and electronics and the batteries. How long would it be in HO anyway? Maybe with that high superstructure something could be cobbled together.
Great to have an old buddy here on the forum. You'll find a great bunch of guys here Rhumbline and they will be able to answer any of your questions to help you get railroading again. All ya gotta do is ask. Pete


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## norgale

Now getting back to the BGC I finally made enough room in the part of the store that has AC. Ya just have to have it down here. So I started moving stuff around today and made enough room for the table to be pulled out from it's hiding place and out onto the floor. All this junk has to go.









Now this looks better. Ought to be plenty of room here for a layout.









ANd there it is ,out in the light of day again. Doesn't look so big as it used to and tomorrow I'll get the legs back on and set it up. Then we can see how much room there is to add some size to it.


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## tooter

Rhumbline said:


> I'll introduce myself soon so no one thinks I'm a spammer or anything more sinister. Good to sea you Buddy. Tight Lines!
> 
> Scotty


Welcome to the forum, Scotty, 
You have nothing to worry about in that regard. 

Greg


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## gustovski

norgale said:


> As for the Kalakala in HO scale I don't know how you could build a fully operational boat of any kind in HO scale. It would be fun but probably too small for the motor and electronics and the batteries. How long would it be in HO anyway? Maybe with that high superstructure something could be cobbled together.


in miniature wunderland in Hamburg Germany ( yes its those German model train gods again!)they have a working container port that has rc ships that have containers offloaded to trains and trucks!
edit: in H0 scale


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## norgale

Morning Gustovski and your right about thos ships. However the container ships are pretty good size even in HO scale so they have enough room inside for the operating controls. My question here is how long and how wide will the Kalakala be in HO scale. If it's big enough and with the big rounded superstructure then perhaps an HO model that runs is possible. WE do have some pretty small RC gear anymore. Just look at some of the smaller Rc race cars . Some equipment from one of them would fit in a vrey small model. maybe it could be adapted to a ship too. Pete


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## gustovski

just looked at pics of the kalakala it looks plenty big enough


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## New Berlin RR

im sure it can be done, if the german wunderland can do it I don't see how a few of us couldn't pull off something similar....


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## norgale

Got the table up and started stripping it. Look Ma,NO track. Ha!


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## Big Ed

You have enough room to make an O layout now.


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## norgale

I measured the table today and with two feet added on each end the customers will have about two feet to get by the table. May all my customers be skinny. Pete


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## trainguru

The Kalakala, is about 38 Inches in HO, I did a rough calculation the other day, and I'm still working out the hull (superstructure is all worked out somewhere). Thank you for Elevations on the Foundation website. She'll be dream, soon to be real. -


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## gustovski

looks like good progress!


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## Gansett

I've seen a lot of pics following the construction of a layout here, this is the first time for pics of a de-construction
Will you be able to reuse the cork roadbed Pete?


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## norgale

First of all if the Kluckluck is 38 inches long then you can do anything with it including RC,no problem. It would even make a great railroad ferry. That's plenty big enough.I didn't think it would be that big.
As for the deconstruction of the BGC I was just tired of the old layout and a lot of the turnouts didn't work well with my design. This time around I'll use all #8 turnouts on the mainlines and the initial switching places and then the number 4's,all metal wheels on properly weighted cars should help at the turnouts. The two ramps at the ends of the table arn't high enough for the over-and-under new design so they have to go. If I can save some of the cork I will but I'm not going to spend a lot of time trying to pull it up. A lot of it isn't glued down anyway so some will be reusable. And I am seriously contemplating some new motive power and rolling stock but that's down the road at the moment. I like to build more than run the trains so this will be my project this summer. If it comes out ok I'll keep it and go for the new stuff. If not then there is always next summer. Ha! 
Meantime I have three boats to finish nd I have to work them in here somehow. Sigh. So many trains and boats and so little time. Pete


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## norgale

Went to the shop this morning and did a little more demolition on the BGC. Removed the two ramps at each end of the table and the hills between the tracks at the front. So now it's down to a flat surface but with most of the cork roadbd still in place. I may be able to reuse some of it so I'll leave it there till I get the track plan laid out on the table.


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## norgale

Back to work today and found time to add the two two foot extentions to the table. 12 feet is a pretty long table and the proposed track plan seems to fit it with no trouble. Click on this picture for a video.
Sorry about the background noise. There are four AC's and four fans running in this area and they do make some noise.


Here is the addition on the table. Same for both ends.









Over all the table is 4x12 and that will allow some nice runs for a fairly long train.


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## Big Ed

Looking good Pete.:thumbsup:
It looks like you have a plan.


Man that is a long trailer the truck pulled out of the spot in the video.

Nice picture of your yacht.:thumbsup:
Why don't you hoist the mainsail and let her sail?

Dam dog won't get the bird?:laugh:


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## gunrunnerjohn

Four AC units?  Do you have a roaring fire burning somewhere in the corner as well? :laugh:


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## Gansett

Ah, summer in Fla. Only place you can work up a sweat taking a shower..
Come July and August it gets ugly hot and humid.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Yep, I spent three years in Jacksonville, even in northern Florida it was HOT!


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## norgale

It's not so much the heat as it is the humidity. Tomorrow they are already warning people to stay indoors in the AC because the heat index will be over a hundred. That kind of heat makes it very uncomfortable and even hard to breath. Even the dog won't go out until it becomes absolutly necessary and then it's right back into the AC again. My store is 20 x 80 and only one 20x20 section is air conditioned and insulated. So where do you think the train layout is located? Ha! You bet. It's also where my desk is,the PC and the TV so once I open up I don't have to go outside much at all. 

Ed not sure what your talking about with the truck and trailer. Now the boat is a tuna clipper and doesn't have sails. It also takes 8 pounds of ballast to get her to the water line so the prop will bite. Good runner though. And Cinder the dog didn't get the bird that time but she did a few days later. Got the bird (baby duck) out of her mouth but the duck didn't look too good. Guess it made it though as all the babies are accounted for. Pete


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## New Berlin RR

bad dog....bad dog...no birdies (or ducks) for you....as for your layout, lookin good there....


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## Big Ed

norgale said:


> It's not so much the heat as it is the humidity. Tomorrow they are already warning people to stay indoors in the AC because the heat index will be over a hundred. That kind of heat makes it very uncomfortable and even hard to breath. Even the dog won't go out until it becomes absolutly necessary and then it's right back into the AC again. My store is 20 x 80 and only one 20x20 section is air conditioned and insulated. So where do you think the train layout is located? Ha! You bet. It's also where my desk is,the PC and the TV so once I open up I don't have to go outside much at all.
> 
> Ed not sure what your talking about with the truck and trailer. Now the boat is a tuna clipper and doesn't have sails. It also takes 8 pounds of ballast to get her to the water line so the prop will bite. Good runner though. And Cinder the dog didn't get the bird that time but she did a few days later. Got the bird (baby duck) out of her mouth but the duck didn't look too good. Guess it made it though as all the babies are accounted for. Pete



Why does it have masts then?
this one, http://s242.photobucket.com/albums/ff287/norgale/?action=view&current=Athenainthewater001.mp4



Is this a truck? tight squeeze?
http://s242.photobucket.com/albums/...&current=PalmLakeremovesDonsoldtrailer008.mp4

Are these your videos?


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## norgale

Those arn't masts Ed. Those are booms that swing out to drag the nets back to the boat when they are full of tuna fish. Tuna are big and heavy and it's all done with hydraulic winches. The tower just ahead of the booms is the crows nest where they raise crows for the dinner table. The crew gets tired of tuna don'tcha know.:laugh: 
The trailer was an old mobile home that the new owner of the park had removed. The guy that had lived in it was a horder and had it filled to overflowing with more junk than you ever have seen.When the park owner kicked him out he left all the trash inside the trailer and scattered live bullets and shotgun shells all over inside the trailer. He then left an old raggedy space heater going inside when he moved out and it was two days before anyone found it. Fortunalty the heater didn't catch fire or ignite anything around it so the plan to kill people in a fire didn't materialize. In a fire the ammo would have cooked off and the bullets would have gone through anything nearby including firemen and bystanders. Pretty scary guy with revenge on his mind. 
So now that I have looked at the link of the boat I see that your talking about the Athena and yes that is a sailboat. It's modeled after the boat built and owned by Jim Clark of computer program fame and built from my own plans and from scratch. No kit here. I thought you were talking about the boat in the layout video that is up on the top rail of the wall. The Athena still needs to have the rigging finished and I have to make sails for it too. Someday I'll finish this one. Sorry for the confusion.Pete


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## Lee_R

"Gotta have a mine!" hehehehe. I like that!

Okay, towards the end (about 1:36 or so) when you're talking about the middle track - not sure what you're saying there. Are you talking cut a section out of the middle of the board, so you can reduce the grade on the middle track? If not, that's going to be one heck of a drop, especially right there before the curve into the mine.


----------



## norgale

Ha! Your right about that Lee and yes I was talking about cutting along each side of that track so it can be lowered to go to the mine. I should have talked louder in the video as I didn't realize how much noise the machinery was making. There was a fan running right behind me so I think that's the main culprit.
I've never built a mine before so I thought I'd try it on that end of the table where the space in the corners is mostly wasted. Havn't figured it out yet but that's the intention. Pete


----------



## Lee_R

Since nobody else has commented on it, either A.) I was being particularly dense that day (always a possibility!); or B.) everyone else was letting me be the "sacrificial calf", so to speak! Or you Easterners have a way of phrasing things that leave us Westerners scratching our heads ("tap" is something you do on a window, NOT a place to get water!  )

As for the mine, I'm curious to see how you're going to do that - mostly since where I come from, "mine" means something along the lines of Mammoth, or Superior, or San Manuel - or my favorite, the Lavender Pit (Bisbee). Basically, imagine this great ole' big mountain... Better yet, see for yourself:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavender_Pit

To paraphrase Crocodile Dundee, "Now THAT'S a hole!"


----------



## gustovski

Lee_R said:


> Since nobody else has commented on it, either A.) I was being particularly dense that day (always a possibility!); or B.) everyone else was letting me be the "sacrificial calf", so to speak! Or you Easterners have a way of phrasing things that leave us Westerners scratching our heads ("tap" is something you do on a window, NOT a place to get water!  )
> 
> As for the mine, I'm curious to see how you're going to do that - mostly since where I come from, "mine" means something along the lines of Mammoth, or Superior, or San Manuel - or my favorite, the Lavender Pit (Bisbee). Basically, imagine this great ole' big mountain... Better yet, see for yourself:
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavender_Pit
> 
> To paraphrase Crocodile Dundee, "Now THAT'S a hole!"


how about this








even bigger!! than the lavender pit is the super-pit!!!


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## norgale

This is more like what I had in 'mine'.
http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/de...sh/74/08/74082f19026e2b566f6afcea1a0fd3c3.jpg


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## Lee_R

Pete, did anybody ever tell you that you're a very punny guy? :laugh: Anyway, gotcha - still having a hard time picturing how you'll do it, but I'm looking forward to seeing the photos and videos of it's progress (hint-hint-hint)!

Gus, I humbly concede. That is indeed a bigger hole that the Lavender Pit. On the other hand, keep in mind that when I actually stood on the edge of Lavender, I was >10 years old. At that age, scales are extremely distorted, and I (unfortunately) have never been back to Bisbee so I could see it through adult eyes.

To bring this back to a more "train-oriented" thread, I've been thinking about the whole "mine in an otherwise useless corner" issue that Pete started, and the "big hole" issue that I started. (ohmygawd, I'm thinking again!! ) So...let me run an idea by you guys.

Assuming the "useless corner" is stuck back in an actual corner, would it be feasible to have painted backdrops on both walls, and actually physically cut the corner of the train table out, with the backdrop painting continuing below the level of the table?

What I'm going for there is a camouflaged access hole to parts of the track table - when you look at it from the viewing/operating side, it looks like this great big strip-mine affair, but if there's ever a need to get back there, just crawl under the table and pop up out of the pit-mine!

Am I crazy, or is that feasible?


----------



## norgale

High noon and it's 94 and climbing. I hate this place. No railroadin'today that's for sure.

Lee if you can build it,it's feasable. The only limitation in model railroading is your imagination so go for it. 
I'll try and draw apicture of what I have in mind. Pete

Kinda what I have in mind.


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## NIMT

Pete,
I would love to say I feel your pain...but it's only 55 and raining here! They say it has been the wettest winter and spring on record for us, All I know is it's been raining for over 3 weeks now and only about a half a day that it wasn't!


----------



## norgale

I'm comin' up to live with you NIMT.That 55 sounds great and I don't mind the rain at all. The sun has to come out sooner or later and it won't be cooking your brains when you go outside. pete


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## NIMT

Pete,
The "Not cooking your brains out sun" is exactly why I moved from Phoenix up to here! The day we moved it was a 100 deg and that was in March!


----------



## Lee_R

OH!!









Okay, gotcha Pete. I'm a little slow on the uptake sometimes. I was thinking "just that corner", I missed where you said you were using the whole end. Good use of "dead space"!

(btw, we're looking at 86 degree days, nights it the lower 50s, currently 65-70 degrees, light wind, and somewhat on the dry side. Of course, the winters up here positively SUCK - too darn close to Donner Pass!)


----------



## norgale

It's a hundred degrees there right now too. I could never live there as it's way hotter than here. The winters are ok here but the summer is unbearable for me. Pete


----------



## Gansett

64 and a light rain here Pete. Supposedly we'll be hitting 80 this weekend or so the weather guessers say. 

100 degrees in Nevada in a whole different ball game then 100 in Fla, or even here. Last time I was in Vegas it was 104 @ 10 pm yet it was not miserably oppressive as it is here when it hits just 90. As they say "it's a dry heat".


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## New Berlin RR

I love a good dry heat (death valley at 104  cus I can just hop in the pool then lay in the shade and quickly dry off


----------



## gustovski

100 degrees
water boils at that temperature!!
petes right that would boil your brains! very literally
the desert is only likefifty degrees!!


----------



## trainguru

*You Metric YUTZ!!!*



gustovski said:


> 100 degrees
> water boils at that temperature!!
> petes right that would boil your brains! very literally
> the desert is only likefifty degrees!!


100 Degrees Fahrenheit, you metric yutz! Not Centigrade; if it was 100 degrees Centigrade, that's 212 degrees Fahrenheit!!! We can't survive past 140 degrees Fahrenheit without special equipment. Epic Fail Gustovski... *EPIC FAIL!!!* - :smilie_daumenneg::smilie_auslachen::appl::loser: :lame: :dunno:

I'm sorry, but this is man; oh how easy the world forgets the other measurements!!! No hard feelings, however, this is really funny when you really think for a second about it! - :laugh:


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## gustovski

i dont get that its the americans that use imperial measurements when they arent imperialist like us australians(yes we are still but of the british empire)


----------



## Gansett

The metric system was a vast conspiracy by the tool makers! Not only did you have to have a complete set of SAE aka "American" sized sockets and wrenches now you had to have a complete set of metrics too.
Don't get me started on B.S., British Standard aka Whitworth.

Half the fasteners, if not more, in a so called modern "American" car are metric. I don't know of any bodyshop frame/unibody straightening system that doesn't use metric as the measurement unit.

I'm looking for investers for my metric Phillips screwdriver.....

Which brings me to another pet peeve. Torq head fasteners, internal and external. Why?


----------



## Southern

JackC said:


> The metric system was a vast conspiracy by the tool makers! Not only did you have to have a complete set of SAE aka "American" sized sockets and wrenches now you had to have a complete set of metrics too.
> Don't get me started on B.S., British Standard aka Whitworth.
> 
> Half the fasteners, if not more, in a so called modern "American" car are metric. I don't know of any bodyshop frame/unibody straightening system that doesn't use metric as the measurement unit.
> 
> I'm looking for investers for my metric Phillips screwdriver.....
> 
> Which brings me to another pet peeve. Torq head fasteners, internal and external. Why?


 
OK here I go. British standard and whitworth are not the same. Both are British. I work on British cars, even pre war cars and it is a pain having to get the right size tool after someone put the wrong size on there last time. British cars also do not use Phillips screws, they are Pizidrive, which look a lot like a Phillips but is not. Next was the square, allen, Torq, double square, triple square, and Spline. It is enough to make my head spin. I have to think how much of my train money the Snap-On man has taken from me.


----------



## Southern

Wasn't there a space craft that crash on mars because two groups of engineer used different system of measurement and did not tell each other.


----------



## NIMT

trainguru said:


> 100 Degrees Fahrenheit, you metric yutz! Not Centigrade; if it was 100 degrees Centigrade, that's 212 degrees Fahrenheit!!! We can't survive past 140 degrees Fahrenheit without special equipment. Epic Fail Gustovski... *EPIC FAIL!!!*


Trainguru, :smilie_daumenneg::lame::loser: :smilie_auslachen: *EPIC FAIL!!!* to you sir!

Just because someone doesn't conform to your "standards" is no reason to insult them and say they are a failure! You do know that 90% of the rest of the world uses the metric system and we are the odd ones out!
Oh and we can survive over 140 degrees Fahrenheit, I know I lived in Phoenix,AZ.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

trainguru said:


> Epic Fail Gustovski... *EPIC FAIL!!!* - :smilie_daumenneg::smilie_auslachen::appl::loser: :lame: :dunno:


Please dial it back a notch, there's no reason for personal insults over such an issue, especially since the unit of measurement wasn't specified.


----------



## Gansett

Southern said:


> I work on British cars, even pre war cars.....


Ok everybody, let's all go gentle on Southern. He works on British cars, old British cars. He is enduring enough pain in his life. DAMHIKT

:laugh:


----------



## Lee_R

NIMT said:


> ...I know I lived in Phoenix,AZ.


Oh, you poor, poor man!

(Go, CATS!!! Whup those Sun Devils!!)

((You'd never guess I lived over half my life in Tucson, would you?  ))


----------



## NIMT

JackC,
From a mechanics point of view...

STUPID FRICKING METRIC!!!!!

Lee_R,
I see you were as smart as me and got out of the Oven!


----------



## Lee_R

I'd go back in a shot though - I'm a lizard, and there's just way too much white stuff here for my tastes. Like my father, I enjoy sitting on the back porch in a short-sleeved shirt, drinking iced tea, and looking at the snow...on the mountains, 30 miles away!! 

Actually, I wouldn't mind summering up here, and wintering down there, but there's that whole "money" thing that gets in the way..... And there's WAY too much good stuff going on during the summer that I'd miss, too.


----------



## norgale

It's Celsius not centergrade. But who cares,it's hot here. Pete


----------



## trainguru

*Some Humble Pie is in Order*

Gustovski, I'm sorry about the emoticons, I was remembering that old jazz song "Fever" when I typed it, and I was laughing it up over the whole confusion. So I failed a bit too o), if we can survive past 140 degrees Fahrenheit, okay (not me though). I'm thinking in the context of dog or children left in a hot car (metal oven on wheels, even with a window open; depending on which window). JackC, NIMT, Southern, we all have our on problems with the *"Cumbersom Metric System,"*, and it's going to drive us nuts, till the end of our days!!!

Southern, I'm sorry you've suffered with British cars (but you've got to admit that a 1920's Bentely, like the one of Brian Johnson, of AC/DC, would be fun to drive arond in). And one last thing Gustovski, wasn't the Empire renamed the Commonwealth??? - 

No hard feelings guys? -


----------



## Lee_R

NIMT and I know way more about cars heating up than we'd like to - where we're from, even the lizards carry sticks!!

(for the shade, that's why. :laugh

Gus, I'm talking somewhere in the neighborhood of 48 degrees. And with the continued growth of both Tucson and Phoenix (with the resulting increase in concrete and asphalt, and loss of vegetation), it's only going to get hotter. 

So whatever scale you use - Celsius, Fahrenheit, Kelvin, whatever - when it gets to the point where that first bead of sweat drips off the end of my nose, it's *HOT*!!!

As far as Empire vs. Commonwealth, if you're in Oz you're either...what is it, Gus? Monarchist or Republican? With Republicans wanting no Crown, and Monarchist (or whatever the name) wanting to remain under Lizzie II. But Empire vs. Commonwealth? The joke I've heard is that Commonwealth or not, "REAL" Brits still call it an Empire!! :laugh:

(and that they didn't lose the American Revolution, they just decided that we weren't worth the trouble of keeping civilized  )


----------



## norgale

"We wern't worth the trouble?" Thank God. Of course the fact that the Brittish soldiers all wore red and marched in a straight line didn't help them much. Pete


----------



## norgale

The new BGC is taking shape and I'm now starting to think about the wiring. On the last layout, I had places where the trains ran well and places where they slowed down some.
I'm thinking that drop wires from the rails all around this new layout would help to solve this slowing problem along with good tight track connectors. So after the drops are attached where do they all go?
I've always just hooked wires to the track in one place and they go to the power supply. With the drops all over the layout how do you hook them up? Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

You have the drops, then you run a heavier wire as a bus and tie them all together. Is this going to be DCC or DC operation? I think Sean has some specific recommendations for DCC busing, I remember him saying don't make it a complete loop. If you have it, run #12 for the bus, it'll have minimal voltage drop all along the line.


----------



## norgale

Is there a way to wire this thing for DCC but use DC until such time as the DCC equipment can be purchased? Pete


----------



## norgale

Made some more headway on the new BGC. Since there are lots of raised portions of track in 18"R I decided to make a jig to cut the wood for the track base with the curve in it. All I have is a band saw so I worked with that.
I set the saw on a bench with some carpet on it. That helps keep things from sliding around. 
Next I built a shelf the same heighth as the saw table. 
Then I measured from the saw blade straight back to 16 1/2 inches and drilled a hole in the top of the shelf.
Then measured 19 1/2 inches along the same line and drilled another hole.
This gives two radii with 18"R in the middle of a three inch wide track base.
Next I took a wide piece of wood (paneling),drew a line down the middle of it and drilled one hole to match the hole in the shelf at the 19 1/2 inch hole.
Now with a bolt up through the shelf and through the wide piece of paneling I have a carrier for the wood to be cut to ride on.
Next I set the carrier with the center line at the saw blade. Lay a piece of wood across the carrier and paralell to the saw blade. Draw a center line on the piece of wood just like the carrier and line them up. Then draw a line along the bottom of the wood to be cut so you can realign this piece for the second cut.
Now swing the carrier back to the left,lay the wood to be cut on the carrier and line up the center lines and the line you drew along the bottom of the wood to be cut.
Now start the saw and swing the carrier slowly around toward the saw blade,holding the wood that your cutting firmly against the carrier.
After you make the firat cut wqhich is the outside of the base piece,you move the carrier and the bolt to the 16 1/2 inch hole and do the same thing again.
What you have now is a 18" radius piece of wood three inches wide. All you do now is trim the ends of the base piece to fit where it's going and then do it all over and over until you have enough track base for the work your doing.
Always remember to cut the outside radius first and then the inside radius. This will work for any radius by moving the pin bolt towards or away from the saw blade.
Here are a few pics. pete


----------



## norgale

Now with the jig to cut the track base pieces the work started going pretty fast. Cutting the blocks for under the track base pieces took some more time because that is cut and fit all the way. Almost every block was different as the grade went up and down and I'm still not totally done with this yet. However there is enough done to show a few more pics and a short video. Most of the base is screwed or glued down to the blocks but the blocks are not securd to the table yet. There may still be some moving around to do but what you see here is pretty much what you'll get except for industry tracks which havn't been decided on yet. Pete

















This spur line will go to the mine out on the corners of the layout. This will work better than trying to run the spur off the top deck where the yard will be. 








Click this pic for a short video.


----------



## Gansett

Using tips from the New Yankee Workshop huh? I made one that clamped to the bandsaw tables bed. You could also use it to make the sections for a helix too.

Good idea Pete.


----------



## norgale

Thanks for that Jack. It's pretty crude but it works ok if your careful and go slow with it. Saved me a lot of time and only took about an hour to make using scrap wood laying around the shop. Ol' Norm would probably cringe at this jig. He makes everything so perfect. I don't know how he does it. pete


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## norgale

gunrunnerjohn said:


> You have the drops, then you run a heavier wire as a bus and tie them all together. Is this going to be DCC or DC operation? I think Sean has some specific recommendations for DCC busing, I remember him saying don't make it a complete loop. If you have it, run #12 for the bus, it'll have minimal voltage drop all along the line.


So do you hook the bus wire to the power source and then the drops to the bus? Is that what I'm reading here? Pete


----------



## Gansett

norgale said:


> Ol' Norm would probably cringe at this jig. He makes everything so perfect. I don't know how he does it.  pete


He doesn't. Not to say some of the stuff he "made" isn't beautiful. They have a staff of accomplished woodworkers who select the wood and set up and adjust the equipment. Norm is just the pretty boy  they use for the TV shots. One of the guys on a ww'ing forum applied for a position there.

btw the New Yankee Workshop is physically located in the backyard of the producer Rush Morash in a small town about 30 miles outside of Boston.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

norgale said:


> So do you hook the bus wire to the power source and then the drops to the bus? Is that what I'm reading here? Pete


Yep, you have smaller wire from the track down to below the layout, they connect to the main power bus. As for the exact configuration for DCC, I'd stick with what Sean (NIMT) suggests, he should be along at some point.  He's the resident DCC expert. I know he's made some wiring suggestions in the past. For initial wiring, you'll be pretty safe just doing the drops to below the layout, that is pretty standard. As for the exact configuration of the main power bus, I'm not your man for DCC.


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## norgale

Didn't know all that Jack. Obviously they have everything ready at filming time as there is no way all that furniture would just go together so well and so fast. But it is a good show and I have learned a lot form it over the years. It would be fun to visit the 'shop' sometime. Pete


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## norgale

Thanks for that John. I'll have to do some more drawings for all this so I can tell in advance what I'll be doing. Need turnout wires in there too and I'd like to try putting in some signaling and stop blocks for automatic train running too.
Is there any 'rule of thumb' for how many drops to install? I'll need power to each block so that needs to be incorporated into the wiring. This is getting complicated. Ha! Pete


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## gunrunnerjohn

Well, you'll get opinions all the way from one a foot to much more distance. If your rail joiners are good, I'd probably say 6-8 feet between drops should be fine. For our modular club with Atlas O-gauge track, we put one drop on each four foot section, but there are tons of connections and they'll be loops of over 100 feet, not to mention a connection between each section for the main bus.


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## norgale

I've been doodling with some diagrams and this could get pretty complicated really quick. I have to keep it simple so anybody can understand it. This layout will be for sale next winter so I'm spending lots of time to make things run well and keep it simlpe. See how it goes. Pete


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## norgale

Have to make some changes in the track plan. Drawing a plan helps you to get going with your layout but don't be afraid to make a change to get what you want. Here is a little video about the change. pete

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGuOmqs0X3A


----------



## Carl

The changes look great


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## norgale

Thanks Carl. There's a lot to do yet and I'm not sure how I'll do the landscaping with track going in so many directions. Maybe a lot of bridges. Ha! Pete


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## norgale

Got really ambitious today and painted three new box cars for the BGC.Three hopper cars also in the paint shop today. Pete


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## gustovski

nice!


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## New Berlin RR

very nice work! love the box cars!


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## norgale

Paint shop is in high gear. The hopper cars will be for the RIOUX ICE and COAL CO in North Attleboro,mass.. A business that my grandfather owned back in the early 1900's. The yellow box cars will be named for a business my other grandfather had,McGill BOx Co. in Plainville,Mass and the rest will be named for railroads on the forum. So what's the name of your railroad? Pete
























As you can see I'm using up some old paint.


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## norgale

One of the fun things about model railroading is that you can make your railroad into anything that you want. Make up a name for it,model a certain area and in a certain time period and create your own color schemes for the rolling stock and company buildings and vehicles.
I have enjoyed doing these things with the BGC and when I'm able to have all the engines on the layout and lined up on sidings it looks a bit like a Union Pacific yard full of power units. 
Now I'm wondering if anyone else is doing something similar? SO I'd like to trade a box car in your livery for a box car with my livery and have your car be seen in Florida on the BGC. Any takers out there? Pete


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## Lee_R

I'm kind of up in the air on that, Pete. I've got a set of UP tracks just a couple hundred yards away, so part of me wants to model that; my wife's grandfather used to be a railroad detective for the El Paso & Southwestern, so part of me wants to model "that" (and I can have lots of steam engines!); and another part of me wants to just make something up and go from there, based on the various sections of rail (and the occasional train) that I remember from my occasional trips to visit relatives in rural Mississippi.

Too many options!  I'll think about it though, and if I come up with a decent name for my line, you'll be the first to know!


----------



## New Berlin RR

norgale said:


> Paint shop is in high gear. The hopper cars will be for the RIOUX ICE and COAL CO in North Attleboro,mass.. A business that my grandfather owned back in the early 1900's. The yellow box cars will be named for a business my other grandfather had,McGill BOx Co. in Plainville,Mass and the rest will be named for railroads on the forum. So what's the name of your railroad? Pete
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> As you can see I'm using up some old paint.





norgale said:


> One of the fun things about model railroading is that you can make your railroad into anything that you want. Make up a name for it,model a certain area and in a certain time period and create your own color schemes for the rolling stock and company buildings and vehicles.
> I have enjoyed doing these things with the BGC and when I'm able to have all the engines on the layout and lined up on sidings it looks a bit like a Union Pacific yard full of power units.
> Now I'm wondering if anyone else is doing something similar? SO I'd like to trade a box car in your livery for a box car with my livery and have your car be seen in Florida on the BGC. Any takers out there? Pete



I wouldn't mind taking you up on the offer to get the name of my RR on some of your cars!! sadly I can't paint any for you (don't have supplies and im not great at painting yet!) let me know what should/can be done to get some cars with my RR on it LOL!!! sounds like a fun idea too!!


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## norgale

New Berlin Railroad do you have a logo designed that you would like to use? Also what colors would you use on your own railroad? I have three box cars already painted light blue. Maybe one of them would be ok? Pete


----------



## trainguru

*I have a question Norgale; I could use the cheer up?*

Norgale, is there room for a _*"Muskogee Roads"*_ style. system, from Washington State? Or a pointless Interurban Road on that State's South Coast? I can use the cheer up, knowing my roads' name, travel the land like the real roads, with my Grandma's passing and everyting, it's kinda hard to model railroad. I did a nice train in my Grandma's honor, but it's a hard thing to come to terms with... - 

So Norgale, is there room? I understand if there isin't, I was just thinking...


----------



## norgale

Lee_R said:


> I'm kind of up in the air on that, Pete. I've got a set of UP tracks just a couple hundred yards away, so part of me wants to model that; my wife's grandfather used to be a railroad detective for the El Paso & Southwestern, so part of me wants to model "that" (and I can have lots of steam engines!); and another part of me wants to just make something up and go from there, based on the various sections of rail (and the occasional train) that I remember from my occasional trips to visit relatives in rural Mississippi.
> 
> Too many options!  I'll think about it though, and if I come up with a decent name for my line, you'll be the first to know!


Thinking about what you've just said I would opt for a generic railroad that has the detective in it and the UP operation. Sometimes we can go crazy trying to be too realistic or copy something real for our RR's. One detail leads to another but cancels out something else. Decisions become more difficult to make and the whole thing just takes on a life of it's own. 
You can avoid this by making up your own RR and incorporating what you want into it. This way you are in control and not the modeled railroad. Much easier on the brains and don't forget, it's supposed to be fun not a chore.
Pete


----------



## norgale

trainguru said:


> Norgale, is there room for a _*"Muskogee Roads"*_ style. system, from Washington State? Or a pointless Interurban Road on that State's South Coast? I can use the cheer up, knowing my roads' name, travel the land like the real roads, with my Grandma's passing and everyting, it's kinda hard to model railroad. I did a nice train in my Grandma's honor, but it's a hard thing to come to terms with... -
> 
> So Norgale, is there room? I understand if there isin't, I was just thinking...


Of course there's room trainguru. Always room for one more car on the BGC. Let me look up the Muskogee Roads and see what they look like. Or if you have some pics of their colors ect. that would be better. Post 'em here so I can see what I can do.


----------



## norgale

I have forgotten to post this past weekend's work on the BGC. There was a lot of unpacking of new stuff coming into the store this weekend so I only got to spend a few hours on the BGC on Sunday. However there was a little progress so here it is. Don't forget that you have to click on the picture to get the video going. pete


----------



## trainguru

*Thanks Norgale*



norgale said:


> Of course there's room trainguru. Always room for one more car on the BGC. Let me look up the Muskogee Roads and see what they look like. Or if you have some pics of their colors ect. that would be better. Post 'em here so I can see what I can do.


It's like them, It's not them though. My railroading concept is *like* the Muskogee Roads, but is not the Muskogee Roads. I'll private message you with the logo's, just tell me when you need them by, and they'll be ready (more or less. Thank you Norgale, it's just what I needed. Gramdma's passing is hard on me, so thank you. -


----------



## norgale

Here's what I found on the MR. So send me what you have in mind. I'm doing box cars now. Pete


----------



## Lee_R

I'll have to think about that, Pete. You've certainly got some good points.

Hmmm... Wait, I need some more coffee.

Hmmmmmm... 

Okay! Now to get work on designing a logo for "The Railroad Line That Never Was"!


----------



## trainguru

Logo's for each railroad in my little universe of railroaddom Norgale, will be ready ASAP! Still getting the images ready, including reporting marks. Just tell me what era, each car is from, and I can tell which might suit each logo. -


----------



## norgale

It doesn't matter trainguru. Whatever you come up with will look ok. Just don't make it too complicated. Have to go get new ink cartridges tomorrw. All out of color and black. 
Be sure it will fit on the side of a box car too. pete


----------



## norgale

Still having a problem with this Tyco coupler on the C430 engine. There seems to be a piece missing that would fit into the slot at the right side of the truck in the picture. You can see the slot in the picture. There doesn't seem to be anything broken off here but just a missing bed for the coupler to rest in.
What I need is that bed piece to attach the coupler to. Pete


----------



## norgale

Got this off ebay. See the piece sticking out from the truck that the coupler sets in? That's the piece I need I think. Anybody?
http://thumbs3.ebaystatic.com/m/mhWHJFiZjTsbvO_ixs65ddw/140.jpg


----------



## sawgunner

that piece i believe is part of that truck. i have another of those trucks laying around if ya need it


----------



## norgale

I see that the piece is called a 'coupler pocket'. The pocket looks like it clips into the slot at the front of the truck and the coupler clips into the pocket. I have inspected this truck with a magnifyer and a bright light and there just doesn't seem to be anything broken off from anywhere. Just the empty slot. Pete


----------



## sawgunner

PM replied. i've got a few of those C430's in the parts bin. will let ya know what i have


----------



## New Berlin RR

norgale said:


> New Berlin Railroad do you have a logo designed that you would like to use? Also what colors would you use on your own railroad? I have three box cars already painted light blue. Maybe one of them would be ok? Pete


sure, my RRs primary colors are Green and Orange as for the logo no I don't I thought of using the old BN (N inset of the better B) as the logo as you could look at it and it could be either letter on top, as its already got the two letters of my RRs name NB or BN



















as someone said this is supposed to be fun and not a chore so yea im just reusing what I can to save a bit of time and make it more enjoyable for me


----------



## norgale

That B/N will work for you but do you have an engine already painted up? I'd like to see what the colors look like so I can see where the logo can go and how the colors need to be. Green on orange or orange on green. Good colors too. ought to look great. However the two colors tend to clash a bit so you should have a white or black stripe,very narrow,separating the two colors. If you don't have an engine already painted then draw me a picture of how you want it to look. pete


----------



## New Berlin RR

norgale said:


> That B/N will work for you but do you have an engine already painted up? I'd like to see what the colors look like so I can see where the logo can go and how the colors need to be. Green on orange or orange on green. Good colors too. ought to look great. However the two colors tend to clash a bit so you should have a white or black stripe,very narrow,separating the two colors. If you don't have an engine already painted then draw me a picture of how you want it to look. pete


not sure really, either should work!

here a couple engines, one in all orange with red roof (I think this will be MoW)









and this one also dark green and orange which I may still put as a MoW train, not sure yet, thats letterd for Rio Grande (would only need a name change/MoW added) possibly safety stripes on the rear of the tender nothing major




















as for the shade of green it really don't matter to me so much as long as it looks decient and clean (with in reason LOL)


----------



## norgale

OK then. Orange and dark green it is. I'll find a box car that will be for the NEW BERLIN RAILROAD. Pete


----------



## New Berlin RR

cool, my road uses any shade of green for the most part, but primary I think will be dark green and the BN green (not sure what its shade is) but I really can't wait to see it, heck I hope if you can make two I can have one for running on my road!! can't wait for the finial product!!!

Heres the same two engines together the little 4-8-0 pulling a gondola that I think ill be using for MOW (scrap and things like that)


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## norgale

I will go with Hunter Green in Rustolium so it will be easy for you to match when you do some of your own painting. You'll find it is very easy as long as you do good prep work.


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## New Berlin RR

ok cool, I can't wait to see the results, now i just need a good pay check to come in


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## norgale

Ha! Me too. pete


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## New Berlin RR

at least keep us up to date too!!


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## norgale

I have to tell you that I like your two steam engines. The 248 is particularly good looking and different. Nice. Pete


----------



## New Berlin RR

norgale said:


> I have to tell you that I like your two steam engines. The 248 is particularly good looking and different. Nice. Pete


Well thanks!! I did buy that on the spur of the moment type situation, it just had a color combo that I was thinking of and even tho i didn't know what it would look like it showed it to me and at that moment I knew that was it, it just needs to be relettered honestly and I hope to do that soon!! So I can't wait to see what you have in store sorry my box car! and I may be sending more your way


----------



## norgale

Here's the NEW BERLIN RR box car with it's new coat of Hunter GreeN Rustolium paint. Looks like it will match the green on the 4-8-0 pretty close. It will have a wide orange stripe horizontally across the sides with a white pin stripe line separating the two colors. As soon as I get my ink cartridges in the mail I can make the letters. Nothing fancy,just NEW BERLIN RAILROAD and maybe I can find some other car markings somewhere for it too. Ought to be a nice addition to the Bonita Grand Central. pete


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## New Berlin RR

looks like a great start!! I love it!


----------



## norgale

Finally got the new ink cartridges for my printer today and started making some decals. Still need some trim tape on these cars and engine but that's on the way too. 
The GP-18 is now relegated to the local coal company and hauls that product for the local power plant and to other connections with bigger railroads for distribution. John Rioux,the owner of the coal mine and the short line railroad, leases good equipment but not new equipment because it all gets so beat up loading and hauling and unloading the coal. This is a newly shopped train that is leased from the BGC. It won't look this good ever again and gave many years of good service to the Bryler Junction RR in prior service.
The McGill Box Co. cars are also second hand and newly shopped. Old Henry McGill was good friends with John Rioux and he too prefered the used equipment over new mostly because of the price. These cars hauled blank cardboard from Chicago to Plainville, Mass. for the manufacture of paper boxes for the jewelry trade. The boxes were shipped to Chicago in these cars and then they brought back the cardboard. Revenue both ways.
The third picture is the newly shopped New Berlin box car being built for the New Berlin Railroad. The paint shop has some cleanup to do with paint runs and the trim lines to apply as soon as the next shipment of tape arrives. This car will be permanently leased to the Bonita Grand Central in Florida for the transportation of machined parts to Cape Canaveral from a local aerospace contractor.
That's it for the shop work on the BGC for today. Pete


----------



## New Berlin RR

Nice work on the coal train! Nice colors too! Can't wait to the newly shopped car my RR leased out to your road! (I mean with lettering and all) what you got so far lookin great!


----------



## New Berlin RR

any more progress Noregal, don't leave us hanging!!!


----------



## norgale

Waiting for the trim tape to finish the box cars and the RC&I engine. Should be here tomorrow.
Meantime I worked on the BGC today and finally have one track open and running. Click on the picture for a short video. Pete


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## New Berlin RR

nice work!! hoping to see the NBRR box car soon


----------



## norgale




----------



## New Berlin RR

ok I was not liking the white stripes but that car looks really good, I kinda like that now that I see it  I am gonna have you make another car like that!! great work!!


Got a bit of dimpling on the box car there tho LOL!!!


----------



## norgale




----------



## xrunner

That's a nice paint scheme.


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## New Berlin RR

nice Norgal, could you try the NBRR car with the silver too? or would that look tacky on that car?


----------



## norgale

Thanks for that xrunner. I was a little disapointed in how the tape went on the engine and the NBRR car. I really need 1/32 wide tape and I can only find 1/16th. The box car has a lot of ribs that the tape has to go over and it just doesn't stick into the groves next to the ribs. Next time I'll find a smooth sided car to work on or find someway to spray the stripes on. Maybe an air brush would work ok.
New Berlin it would just be a waste of tape to try that on this car. Please remember that this car was made for the BGC and not the NBRR. Perhaps you would want the silver on your own car but I don't think it would look right. The silver is a light color and goes ok with the orange but with the predominate color a dark green it wouldn't go so well. Also if you send me a car to paint make it a smooth sided car. That will come out much better. Pete


----------



## brylerjunction

norgale said:


> Finally got the new ink cartridges for my printer today and started making some decals. Still need some trim tape on these cars and engine but that's on the way too.
> The GP-18 is now relegated to the local coal company and hauls that product for the local power plant and to other connections with bigger railroads for distribution. John Rioux,the owner of the coal mine and the short line railroad, leases good equipment but not new equipment because it all gets so beat up loading and hauling and unloading the coal. This is a newly shopped train that is leased from the BGC. It won't look this good ever again and gave many years of good service to the Bryler Junction RR in prior service.
> The McGill Box Co. cars are also second hand and newly shopped. Old Henry McGill was good friends with John Rioux and he too prefered the used equipment over new mostly because of the price. These cars hauled blank cardboard from Chicago to Plainville, Mass. for the manufacture of paper boxes for the jewelry trade. The boxes were shipped to Chicago in these cars and then they brought back the cardboard. Revenue both ways.
> The third picture is the newly shopped New Berlin box car being built for the New Berlin Railroad. The paint shop has some cleanup to do with paint runs and the trim lines to apply as soon as the next shipment of tape arrives. This car will be permanently leased to the Bonita Grand Central in Florida for the transportation of machined parts to Cape Canaveral from a local aerospace contractor.
> That's it for the shop work on the BGC for today. Pete



pete thats some awesome work!!! reminds me of the railline missy's dad used to work for RJ Corman, he takes beat up old coal cars and paints them red and reuses them. 

We are going to be in your neck of the woods next week on my birthday. Going to an auction in Nokomis and want to check out pinecraft. Dont tell my Dr. though!!


----------



## New Berlin RR

norgale said:


> Thanks for that xrunner. I was a little disapointed in how the tape went on the engine and the NBRR car. I really need 1/32 wide tape and I can only find 1/16th. The box car has a lot of ribs that the tape has to go over and it just doesn't stick into the groves next to the ribs. Next time I'll find a smooth sided car to work on or find someway to spray the stripes on. Maybe an air brush would work ok.
> New Berlin it would just be a waste of tape to try that on this car. Please remember that this car was made for the BGC and not the NBRR. Perhaps you would want the silver on your own car but I don't think it would look right. The silver is a light color and goes ok with the orange but with the predominate color a dark green it wouldn't go so well. Also if you send me a car to paint make it a smooth sided car. That will come out much better. Pete


cool, its not a big deal as I was just asking for my knowledge anyways, I honestly like the car like it is now color wise, looks great, and perhaps next time as you lay the tape as you put down the tape when you get to the ribs you could use something like an xacto blade (non sharp edge only!!) and use that to gently push your tape into the corners and all, I have done other projects similar to this type of thing when I was dealing with model cars and planes...just a thought for ya to consider


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## norgale

I did use a small screw driver blade but with so many ribs to cover the tape was just too wide and too thick. I'm thinking of trying to make tape decals as the material will be much thinner and with some solva set it might come out a lot better. Have to do some experimenting with this. Pete


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## norgale

Here is another logo for the Copiah & Southwestern Railroad from LeeR. Printed it out and stuck it on the box car. Nice logo I think. The blue background of the logo is a much nicer blue than what my printer puts out but you get the idea anyway. Anybody know why this car has all those bumps all over it? Pete


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## gc53dfgc

It is to give it rigidity and strength.


----------



## norgale

gc53dfgc said:


> It is to give it rigidity and strength.


Pretty strange design I think. Thanks for the reply GC. Pete


----------



## New Berlin RR

norgale said:


> I did use a small screw driver blade but with so many ribs to cover the tape was just too wide and too thick. I'm thinking of trying to make tape decals as the material will be much thinner and with some solva set it might come out a lot better. Have to do some experimenting with this. Pete


OK cool  just thought id throw that out to ya just in case, love the work on all your cars!!


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## norgale

I have found that when there are only two bars for a boxcar door the tape will lay down ok and stay there. With each door having mulitiple bars and very close together it's just about impossible to get this tape to lay in the groves and stay there. Maybe a drop of some kind of glue will help. Like I said above,I need to experiment some with this to get it looking right. Pete


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## Gansett

A little heat? From a hair dryer not a heat gun, just enough to soften the tape a little.


----------



## Lee_R

Who-o-o-o-o, doggies! Yeah, that "did" print out a little big, didn't it? Not what I was thinking of, ay-tall! I mean, everybody expects a little "shameless self-promotion", but that's kind of going over the top.

Let's see if we can't get that reduced to a more "respectable" size, shall we?


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## norgale

It looks ok for that big boxcar but wouldn't fit a normal one. Lots of real logos are very large like that so it's not too big for that particular car. 
Here's one of the biggest ever. Pete
http://img.ffffound.com/static-data/assets/6/b876fcb615a3c8c886210d36b9510d0295e5df41_m.jpg


----------



## norgale

JackC said:


> A little heat? From a hair dryer not a heat gun, just enough to soften the tape a little.


I hadn't thought of that jack. I'll give it a try. Thanks for the tip. Pete


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## Gansett

Sounds crazy telling someone in Fla they need a "little heat" doesn't it?
I wonder if Pete knows what a hair dryer is....:laugh:


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## norgale

Is that sarcasm?


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## norgale

Smaller version of the logo.


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## gunrunnerjohn

I've never seen real pictures of that road name, but I'd think the logo would be a lot smaller than even the second printout.


----------



## tjcruiser

Ditto.

Can you reduce is in size so that it fits flatly between the vertical panel-ridges of the boxcar side?

TJ


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## norgale

This logo is one that Lee_R has created for his model railroad. WE are experimenting with sizes and Lee is doing the art work on his computer and sending the results here. If the size is reduced to fit between the ribs on the car I don't think you'll be able to read it. That would be pretty small. However a further reduction in size wouldn't hurt but the whole idea of the logo is ADVERTISING and getting your company name out there for everyone to see. This logo would show up very well anywhere this car went and nobody would doubt who the car belonged to.
In the end it's up to Lee to decide. My interest is to get people to create an identity for their railroad and to make a model of it for the BGC.
I have really enjoyed making the BGC a label to be recognized and I've learned a lot about railroading in doing this. Just hoping others will enjoy it too and maybe swap some cars here and there so our RR's will be represented in other areas of the country. Also your tips and comments are very much appreciated. Lots of heads are always better than one or two. Pete


----------



## Gansett

Reduce it so the outer edge fits inside the braces with just one brace(?) running through the center.
What about the New Haven Pete?


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## norgale

Here's one from the Idaho Wolf man.


----------



## norgale

Jack was it you who had the black and burgundy colors on a diesel engine? Saw that here somewhere and thought it was your colors. Pete


----------



## Gansett

Sorry Pete, not me. I hope to get some photos up soon. Finally got my camera back. With her cell phone my kid no longer needed/wanted it. Now I have to track down a new cable to download to the 'puter. Somebody let the camera end of the cable drop to the floor and somebody rolled his desk chair over it. When I catch this somebody guy,,oh boy.


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## norgale

Ha! You need to watch where your rolling. Anyway how about this you guys? pete


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## norgale

So if it isn't Jack who has the burgundy and black color scheme,who is it?
AS for the New Haven that's not a problem Jack. I can get decals for that and they will be correct. But which of their many color schemes should I use? pete
I like this one;
https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/i...WWO6AMy9i-OW-XEE8kwsn2WFt38ua4sQym0oHAOJ0mP36


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## Gansett

Little to the left, centered between the braces, that center brace should end up to the right of the "&"


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## norgale

I noticed that after I took the picture. Ya it should be centered better but this is just a mockup.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Personally, I'd like one that was about 60% the size of that one. Also, it would be cool to have separate lettering with the full name of the RR on the car, perhaps under or on the other side of the door.

Do note that this are just personal opinions, not binding rulings.


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## Lee_R

I'm plenty open to suggestions guys! As I said to Pete, this particular logo version is intended for older locos and rolling stock, circa 1880's, 1900's - for when I get in a "steamers" mood.  Not "all" steamers will get the C&SW make-over, too much sentimental value involved to do that! But anything else I get my hands on will most likely be done over.

Not sure how Pete got that smaller one, but using GIMP (a graphics manipulation program for you non computer-types  ), I can probably reduce that puppy down to a pin-head! It's just a matter of finding the right pixel size. :thumbsup:


----------



## UPBigBoy

norgale said:


> I have found that when there are only two bars for a boxcar door the tape will lay down ok and stay there. With each door having mulitiple bars and very close together it's just about impossible to get this tape to lay in the groves and stay there. Maybe a drop of some kind of glue will help. Like I said above,I need to experiment some with this to get it looking right. Pete


What type of paint are you using? if it's an enamel or lacquer base you could use MicroMask to mask off you lines, just be careful cutting the MicroMask where you don't want it.

Jim


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## norgale

Need to start working on the BGC roundhouse. Don't have a lot of room so four stalls will have to do. Drew out one stall and made four copies from the master and spliced them together. Where the stall centerlines converge is the center of the turntable. Pete


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## sawgunner

good idea!!


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## norgale

UPBigBoy said:


> What type of paint are you using? if it's an enamel or lacquer base you could use MicroMask to mask off you lines, just be careful cutting the MicroMask where you don't want it.
> 
> Jim


I have one of those heating irons that the airplane guys use to attach airplane skin. It has a pointed end and some sharp edges so I'll try that at work tomorrow and see if the heat will do any good on the tape. Pete


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## norgale

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Personally, I'd like one that was about 60% the size of that one. Also, it would be cool to have separate lettering with the full name of the RR on the car, perhaps under or on the other side of the door.
> 
> Do note that this are just personal opinions, not binding rulings.


Right on John. Lee is making the RR name spelled out in gold and that will go on the opposite end of the car from the logo. Probably use two lines as it's a long name spelled out. pete


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## New Berlin RR

well im excited to see the round house, and see the cars together!! the three (NBRR, C&SW and the orange ones are looking good) whats the red one with the RR crossing on it? an operation life saver type car?


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## norgale

The roundhouse has begun.
















Roundhouse update.


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## Lee_R

Wow! That's a fast construction crew you've got there - one bay ready to roof, the foundation laid on a second bay... Don't let 'em be hired by the Government, their "work ethic" will go out the window! :laugh:


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## gunrunnerjohn

Tell those engineers to get the stinkin' trains out of the way so you can build it!


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## norgale

Ha! Can't get anybody to work anyway. The government is paying them not to work. Hard to fight that. The steamer doesn't run and the diesel is off it's wheels. But a little C-4 will take care of the problem. Ha! Pete


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## New Berlin RR

what C-4......I kinda borrowed that....but I still have the howie ready (105mm) and the C-130 specter still around here......some where....I think.....now where did the darnd keys go to...only if I could remember the dang codes the the alarm system on that thing.....


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## norgale

Round house update.


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## New Berlin RR

lookin good, you know the boxcars are supposed to be parked on the out side right  silly engineers LOL!!!


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## Lee_R

Yeah, I was thinking somebody started dipping into the egg-nog WAY too soon (well, maybe the "nog" part)!! Especially considering how tight that blue car is - they'll probably have to get blitzed just to get it out again without damaging it or the building!


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## gunrunnerjohn

They're collector versions of the boxcars.


----------



## Catwagon

Why doesn't that beautiful ol' steamer run?


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## New Berlin RR

that steamer would be better in that house then them dar boxcars LOL!!!


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## norgale

The box cars are only there because I don't have anything else here at the house to put in there. The steamer is a mystery. Take the motor out and it runs fine. Hook up the drivers and they work fine. Put the motor in and it won't run. Just can't figure it out. Pete


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## norgale

New Berlin RR said:


> lookin good, you know the boxcars are supposed to be parked on the out side right  silly engineers LOL!!!


The highcube box car is really a tight fit in the roundhouse. Just barely fits through the door. I just wanted to see what something looked like inside and that's all I had laying around. Besides who ever said a box car couldn't go into a roundhouse? May need a repair or sumpin or the engineer was just mad at the dispatcher and did that to torque his tubes a little. Ha! Pete


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## Gansett

Pete,
You going to give us a step by step like you ddid with the freight house? Looks great


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## norgale

I can do that Jack but so far all I've shown is some of the building progress. Here are a couple more pics after I painted the primer. It's to the point now where the painting and detailing will ne needed before putting the roof on. I'm not doing a lot of detail inside as it's almost impossible to see in there anyway. No point in all that work when it can't be seen.


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## norgale

To give you a few things that I did to start with here we go. First I looked through lots of back issues of Model Railroader magazine to find the roundhouse that was simple to build and would fit into the space alloted on the layout. This one fit the bill but was too long having been built for steam engines and their tenders so I had to redraw it to a smaller size to fit my diesels. 


















The article also shows how to build a turntabe but I probably won't try that.
Using graph paper with each square being used as 1/8th inch I redrew the elevations to match the base plate that was drawn to fit a diesel plus a few scale feet using the dimensions on the plan from MR.


















I did not try to measure inches on my drawing and just rounded off all the dimensions to just feet. (1/8th inch scale isn't exactly HO scale but it's so close you'll never see the difference)
Next as with all the other structures that have been built for the BGC I copied my drawings,and then cut them out for patterns.








From here you can pick up the rest of the build so far at the beginning of this thread. Also the other buildings that have been built are here too so there should be enough info for anyone who wants to try this method of structure building. Main thing is KEEP IT SIMPLE.


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## norgale

The primer paint has raised all the grain in the balsa wood and now needs to be sanded. I could have sanded these flat areas before assembly but then the primer would have raised more of the grain and I'd still need to do some sanding. Either way the sanding must be done.








This building will be painted gray to match the rest of the company buildings except with the back shop building which I got carried away with and painted yellow. No I'm not repainting it--yet anyway. Pete


----------



## New Berlin RR

norgale said:


> The highcube box car is really a tight fit in the roundhouse. Just barely fits through the door. I just wanted to see what something looked like inside and that's all I had laying around. Besides who ever said a box car couldn't go into a roundhouse? May need a repair or sumpin or the engineer was just mad at the dispatcher and did that to torque his tubes a little. Ha! Pete


perhaps, but I remember a picture where you had 4 engines paying on graph paper...you coulda used them....


----------



## norgale

Those engines are all at the shop so not available here at home. Now here we have to cut out part of the floor to accomodate the track inside the enginehouse. With a compass I drew arcs from each side of each section of the engine stalls. Where the arcs cross is the exact center of that stall. Then I drew a centerline from front to back and then pinned a section of track down to the wood and marked the outside of the rails in between the ties. After cutting out the centers of each stall the section of track will fit right into the open space. A few planks glued between the rails will cover the ties but leave a little room next to the insideof each rail for flange ways.


----------



## New Berlin RR

lookin good, so you took those engines to the local hobby stop up there? I may have to have you build me an engine house of sorts, I like what you have done!


----------



## norgale

No problem NBRR. Have your check book handy though. Ha!
The engines are at my shop where I work and have my layout. Look back at the beginning of this whole thread and you'll see where I built it. 
Anyway I've cut out the slots in the engine stalls for the track. I'll use the cut out pieces for the flooring in between the rails so it will match the rest of the floor. I only had two pieces of track at home so here is what it looks like.


----------



## New Berlin RR

getting exciting!!! I can't wait to see the finished product!! I just got my Liliput BR87 in the shop too so I hear the whole shop thing, its getting sound too with Digitrax (yay) so Im gonna definatly be constructing at least a small engine house for it  I may use your house as a template unless you have a better suggestion for a single bay house for a small switcher type steamer.


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## norgale

Make a double bay engine house. It will look better and you know you have more than one engine. I'll look through my magazines over the weekend and see what's there for you. BY all means use my templates for anything on here. That's why I post them. Help yourself. pete


----------



## norgale

I've been working on the railllllroad,all the live long day. Here's some pics to prove it. Ha! Pete


----------



## New Berlin RR

norgale said:


> Make a double bay engine house. It will look better and you know you have more than one engine. I'll look through my magazines over the weekend and see what's there for you. BY all means use my templates for anything on here. That's why I post them. Help yourself. pete


cool!!! so the little steam switcher sitting in the house wouldn't look odd next to a diesel in the next bay? if you don't think so Ill start cooking up one, I do have a small house already on its way so im excited for that (another birthday gift )


PS: 591 looks really happy and content in her stall  but wouldn't you rather they get backed into the stalls for easy out?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

WOW, check it out! And there are even locomotives in the engine house, no more boxcars!


----------



## norgale

I have a little steam switcher like yours so tomorrow I'll put it in the engine house and show you what it looks like. Yes it's a small engine compared to the big diesels but the engine house is for engines and the little guy is an engine.
As for the diesels being backed in or out what difference does it make? They all go equally well in either direction. 
However there's no reason why you couldn't have a small house just for that one engine. I was just thinking a bigger house would give you more room as long as your going to the trouble of building one. Now that I think about it maybe a single stall house would look nice for that one engine or a double or triple little house in case you get a couple more little engines. Very useful around the yard.
Maybe I'll just keep one boxcar in the round house just to give all ya'll something to talk about. Ha! Pete


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## norgale

Pretty busy this weekend as a lot of new stuff came in which ,of course, means more unpaid rent. No train stuff but several good pieces of Pioneer saound equipment. I did manage to tweak the one track that is running so that there wern't so many hills and valleys in it. Didn't get to do the picture for New Berlin of the little engine that could but I'll catch up with that in the next few days. havn't found a decent engine house for it yet either. Pete
Click on the picture for a short video.


----------



## norgale

Here are a couple pictures for New Berlin showing a small engine in the round house with the big guys. Looking at it through the front door it looks fine. Looks ok from above too but the roof will not permit a view from this vantage.
Pete


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## norgale

Ahhhh Ha!
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2698/4257627591_dee88371d0_z.jpg


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## Lee_R

Now why do I get the feeling that you've been feverishly working night and day, busting your caboose just to find a picture of a boxcar in a roundhouse???? :thumbsup::laugh::thumbsup:

I think the little steam switcher looks just fine in there - heck, I think I'd rather work on it than on the diesels, because you have more "elbow room" around the switcher!

(some of us have a tendency to throw things when we get overly-frustrated  )


----------



## norgale

I'd like to have a buck for everything I've thrown in a fit of frustration. And no I wasn't looking for a boxcar in a roundhouse. I was googleing "roundhouse insides" and that showed up. Actually though I'm not sure it's a boxcar. Could be a UP power car or a B unit of some kind. Looks like a boxcar though so I had to post it. There are other pictures too with cabooses ,MOW units and all kinds of stuff in the roundhouse. Check it out on google. pete


----------



## New Berlin RR

very nice, and that gives me a nice idea, and I may go multi engine house with it, but I may post a pic of the engine for you norgal just so you have an idea of what im working with  love the progress tho!! can't wait to see the boxcars!!!


PS: that is an aux power car of some sort  usually used for the passenger train nostalgic ride (IIRC)


----------



## norgale

Very good picture NB. So it is a boxcar no matter what's inside. Pete


----------



## Big Ed

Nice work Pete.:thumbsup:

Looking at your picture the stall on the right looks tight with the big diesel sitting there. Looked tight with the big box car too.

Did you think about leaving the roof loose so you can access the inside?
On my O roundhouse my roof just sits on top.

Don't forget some kind of vent stacks on top.
Orange and yellow for the color?:thumbsup:


----------



## sstlaure

Or put a lexan top on it so that you can see the insides (and detail it)


----------



## Lee_R

Actually, what's wrong with "both" ideas? Leave it loose, "just in case", and put strips of lexan (haven't heard that used in years!) over each bay, like "skylights". I imagine that like most of us they run on a tight budget, so if they can cut down on the lighting during the day that would be helpful, yes?


----------



## norgale

The position of the roundhouse on the layout precludes anyone being able to look down on it very well. You can look inthe windows though. I am making the roof removable for cleaning the track inside and whatever else needs to be done. Now I can't find my round table. Put it away so it wouldn't get damaged and now it's gone along with four #8 Atlas switches. I swear I have Leprichauns in the store that delight in hiding my stuff. Pete


----------



## Lee_R

norgale said:


> Now I can't find my round table. Put it away so it wouldn't get damaged and now it's gone along with four #8 Atlas switches. I swear I have Leprichauns in the store that delight in hiding my stuff. Pete


Around here, we say "I put it somewhere where I wouldn't lose it, and now I can't find it!!"


----------



## New Berlin RR

norgale said:


> Very good picture NB. So it is a boxcar no matter what's inside. Pete


yea pretty much....but I agree a box car in a house is fine, heck it could be a maintenance house too....


----------



## norgale

I put the doors on yesterday and now it's an even tighter fit to get into the roundhouse.May have to do some remodeling already. Pete


----------



## norgale

What kind of a roof do you think would have been on a building like this? The article didn't say anything about that and the drawings don't seem to refer to it either. pete


----------



## gc53dfgc

An older style roof would have been something like tar or asphalt while a new roof would have been something like aluminum or stainless.


----------



## New Berlin RR

probabibly metal or tin roofs usually...


----------



## norgale

Tin roofs were pretty commom back in those days but I wonder if a large building would have that on the roof? Maybe put some strips on the roof and paint it silver? Maybe sandpaper shingles? Can't decide. pete


----------



## norgale

Just did a Google search of Railroad roundhouses and there are tons of pictures of them. None appeared to have a metal roof as I didn't see any ribs on them. Most looked like they had shingle roofs so guess I'll go with that. Have to make some windows too. pete


----------



## gustovski

i would say shingle 
but a corrugated iron roof would work well


----------



## norgale

Thanks for that Gustovski but I didn't see any buildings with a corrugated roof on them. Pretty sure you could tell about that with all the ripples that would be on it. Most looked flat and fairly smooth so either a built up roof or shingles would be my guess.Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Note that all metal roofs don't have corrugated tin, many are smooth panels.


----------



## norgale

Don't they have to have ridges where two panels lock together? Makes a water tight seal between two panels or at least that what I see around here. Pete


----------



## gustovski

yes
and there are some roundhouses here and they have like most buildings in australia....
corrugated iron


----------



## Gansett

Pete,
Called a "standing seam" roof. http://images.search.yahoo.com/sear...r=yfp-t-701-1-s&va=standing+seam+roof+details

I've noticed a couple of new, higher end houses around here have them. Looks like what was old is new again. 

btw, you high and dry?


----------



## New Berlin RR

any pics of the NBRR and other box cars you been working on? or are they still in unfinished state?


----------



## norgale

Metal roofs with the standing seam are very common around here.That metal is used for homes,commercial buildings as well as sheds and car ports and what have you. I just didn't see any when I googled the roundhouse.
No new work on the boxcars yet. Working on the roundhouse and wiring the layout. Pete


----------



## Lee_R

Good, because I haven't had a chance to work on an "updated" C&SW logo yet! Been thinking about it - I'm working on something that'll look like it was designed...oh, mid-70's or so.


----------



## New Berlin RR

cool, can't wait to see what other goodies you have in store for us norgal


----------



## norgale

That's great Lee. Take your time and make several designs. The more you work with it the more ideas you'll get. I'm pretty anxious to get some trains running on the BGC so I've been concentrating on figuring out my wiring and building the roundhouse. Finally found my turntable so that will help. Just need to run some wires now. pete


----------



## New Berlin RR

YAY he found the turn tables!!!!! *throws a party* can I put some records on the turn tables now?


----------



## gustovski

New Berlin RR said:


> YAY he found the turn tables!!!!! *throws a party* can I put some records on the turn tables now?


haha good one


----------



## norgale

Back to the roundhouse. Added some lights to the interior today. Pete


----------



## norgale

Does this brick look best or the larger brick? The large looks great but the smaller looks more scale. Pete


----------



## New Berlin RR

gustovski said:


> haha good one


thanks!  figured if the turn tables are back might as well use em 

I vote for the smaller, just looks more scale and proper on the round house really, the larger one even tho it looks good just makes it look too small...


----------



## norgale

Looks like the smaller brick will be it. Just print out the right size brick and glue it to the building. Presto! Brick walls. Pete


----------



## norgale

had to try the lights tonight.

































The brick has printed out in different shades of color. Have to do some weathering here I guess.


----------



## New Berlin RR

now that looks great norgale, heck the inside with the locos looks like realistic lighting thats in a true house!! nice work!


----------



## gustovski

i am loving the round house you have been building


----------



## norgale

Thanks for the nice comments guys. It's a lot of work building a roundhouse but it's also a lot of fun. Having never been in a RH in my life there was a lot of research for pictures ect. of what one is supposed to look like. Finding that plan in an old MR magazine was a stroke of luck. Looking for some HO machinery and tools and stuff for the inside.
Today I worked on the control panel for awhile. Found a hunk of mahogany paneling in the road out in front of the store and now it's a control panel. I also got wires hooked up to most of my turnouts and have all the block wires through the table top and ready for hooking up.
I'll be needing more LED's now too so I have to find place for them that won't rip me off.


----------



## New Berlin RR

Nice work, I'm liking the progress! Makes me want to make one!


----------



## norgale

Very simple construction. Two triangular pieces at the ends and one in th middle made from 2x4 material. Top and end pieces are glued on to the triangels and walla! A control panel. The only thing I had to pay for was the glue and the hinges. The rest was found or was scrap wood laying around the shop.
I hope to start connecting wires today and get some trains running for a change. pete


----------



## norgale

Lots of glitches in the new track and wiring so no video today and no pictures. Lots of curse words though. Pete


----------



## New Berlin RR

ouch!


----------



## norgale

Been working on the roundhouse and here are a few pics of what has been done. Still need to make the windows.


----------



## gustovski




----------



## norgale

Ya! Ha! Thanks. pete


----------



## norgale

Finally got the glitches fixed and the engine actually went all around the track without stopping. Several times as a matter of fact. This is good so now I can start on the wiring for the turnouts tomorrow but that will be a whole nuther ballgame. Ha! Got a hurricane to contend with for now.
Click on the picture for a short video. Pete


----------



## New Berlin RR

looking great!! im about to try painting my first car!! can't wait to see more work!


----------



## norgale

It's Sunday and normally I would be working but since the hurricane that wasn't was coming along I stayed home. So I'm working on my roundhouse and that means making the stuff that goes in it. Here is a picture of the interior of some roundhouse and I see a lot of lumber and stacks of what looks like wood blocks. What was the wood used for? Also there is a reel like thing on top of the tender. What do you suppose that's for? Also is that a steam cleaner machine to the right of the yellow trash car? Something on wheels there. I'm surprised to NOT see a lot of stuff hanging off the posts and the roof beams. 
I'd love to hear from anyone who has actually been in a working rh and or pics of same. Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Here's a picture? I see no pictures.


----------



## New Berlin RR

cool, I don't see a pic!!! I must be blind!


----------



## gustovski

yeah i think it must be a very small picture
so small you need a microscope to see it

-gus


----------



## norgale

Well it's on my desktop so why can't you see it? So here it is again. Ha!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

norgale said:


> Here is a picture of the interior of some roundhouse and I see a lot of lumber and stacks of what looks like wood blocks. What was the wood used for?


They're building a locomotive, silly!


----------



## norgale

Some shots of the roundhouse.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice, I like the little tables between bays, you can put some interesting stuff on those.


----------



## norgale

I made a lathe for the shop and I'll make a drill press along with some fire extinguishers ect. There's a couple ladders hanging in there and I'll need some steel drums and trash cans,chains,a cutting torch setup and all that kind of thing. Right now I'm making the frames for the windows and doors. Lots of fun with something like this. I'm looking at the picture above to see what might be laying around a roundhouse. Pete


----------



## gustovski

neat!


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

A real modeler, trying to make it look like an actual roundhouse.  Can't wait to see the progress.


----------



## norgale

Boy,Photobucket is really running slow tonight. Anyway I'm doing the windows and the lathe for the roundhouse and here are a couple pictures. The windows are heavy clear plastic in a basswood frame and black 1/16th black tape cut in half for the mullions. Need to do the left one over where the right one came out pretty good. The frame is too wide so that will have to be cut down somehow.  Pete

















There is a glaring mistake in the second picture. Can you see what it is? I just noticed it myself and I am NOT going to change it now.


----------



## New Berlin RR

Very nice!


----------



## Smokinapankake

Mortar lines don't line up on the bricks? 

If that's the big bad mistake then I'll take those kinds of mistakes any day. I think the roundhouse looks fabulous!


----------



## stuart

I am not being critical because your work is just beautiful. But if you must know, color and bricks are off on the right side.


----------



## Gansett

stuart said:


> I am not being critical because your work is just beautiful. But if you must know, color and bricks are off on the right side.


That's the new addition built in 1937.


----------



## manchesterjim

norgale said:


> There is a glaring mistake in the second picture. Can you see what it is? I just noticed it myself and I am NOT going to change it now.


Barcode on the window frame stock! 

Jim


----------



## New Berlin RR

Lol noticed that To! Love the work!


----------



## MacDaddy55

manchesterjim said:


> Barcode on the window frame stock!
> 
> Jim


Pete, You are En Fuego!!!! Love Dan Patrick....great detail on the Round hHouse and the lighting is terrific...keep up the good work!! Oh love the barcode!!:thumbsup:


----------



## zorba

WOW

that is one hell of a build thread. i never looked at it previously cos it was in the HO section, not the My Layout section so i thought it was a "professional" one, not just one that someone has built on their own

the level of detail in the building and paintwork is insane.


----------



## gustovski

pete i love it mate 
how has ur trailer held up in the storm
hear that it was big one!

_gus


----------



## norgale

You guys are close when you refer to the bricks lining up but if nobody can see the mistake then I will not worry about it. Take a look at the columns added to the sides. The bricks go up and down instead of side to side. Maybe not a glaring mistake but non the less a mistake.
Anyway thanks everyone for the good words on the roundhouse. It's always nice to know that your peers at least know what we go through to build out layouts.
Gus the trailer has been through hurricane Charlie and Wilma with me in it and now a near miss by Isaac. We did get a lot of heavy rain for about two days but the wind was only about 30MPH or less. My trailer is an AlpinLite 5th wheel,35 feet long. It weighs in at 13,000 pounds dry weight so probably 14,000 with all my stuff in it. It's chained to a ground anchor on one side and to a cement slab on the other. So far all it does is roll around a little in a hurricane but doesn't move anywhere. With all aluminum welded framing and fiberglass sides it's very strong and well insulated,a real all weather RV and totally self contained. I know I'm a lot safer in it than evacuating out on the highway going nowhere with all the traffic and ending up somewhere which is in no position to handle thousands of evacuees. I'm six miles from the GUlf so It's unlikely that the storm surge will ever reach that far. Thanks for asking Gus. Pete


----------



## norgale

I have a bag full of HO scale people that I thought I'd use in the roundhouse but they are way too small. The RH s built to 1/8th scale which is not exactly HO but so close you can't tell the difference. So I get out the little people and see that they are too small and I figure at 1/8th scale the people should be around 3/4 inch high. Does that sound right? Pete


----------



## Big Ed

WINDOW PANES, PETE?

Coming along very nicely.:thumbsup:

I still say....close clearance on those Diesels.


----------



## norgale

Here's how to make these windows;
The frames are made to fit the windows. Each one a slightly different so each piece needs to be fitted where it will go. When the frame is made,set it on the clear plactic and scribe a line around the inside edge of the frame with a hobby knife.









Next place a straight edge along the scribed line and draw the knife across the sme line two or three times to make a good deep score and then snap the plastic along that line. Do the same for all four sides.








Next you fit the window to the frame. Sand the edges to fit if the glass isn't quite right.








Next you measure the glass for the size panes you want. In this case 1/4 inche was close enough. score a mark with the knife where you want the mullions to be.








These pics are coming out pretty bad. Sorry. Havn't mastered this new camera yet.
Anyway now you take the tape and stick it across the glass where you made the marks.








Then place the straight edge along the middle of the tape and score with the hobby knife.








Now trim the ends at the edges of the glass and then peel off one half of each tape. What's left is your mullion.








And here is the results. Just press the glass into the frame and place the frame into the window opening in the building. Walla! A nice little window. Now I have to find out what I'm doing wrong with this camera. Pete








I still have three more windows to make so I'll try and replace these with better pics.


----------



## norgale

Here's the problem with the HO scale figures. Obviously my lathe is way too big so does anyone have IGOR the Russian who would be big enough to run this machine? And who is going to pull those handles on the electrical switch boxes if the power needs to be shut down? The figure is HO scale too. 3/4 inch high. pete


----------



## Gansett

Wouldn't a big lathe be needed due to the size of parts used on a loco? What about truing wheels? Think I'd keep the lathe and cut down the bench. You're on your own with the electrical box.


----------



## New Berlin RR

JackC said:


> Wouldn't a big lathe be needed due to the size of parts used on a loco? What about truing wheels? Think I'd keep the lathe and cut down the bench. You're on your own with the electrical box.


Easy, with one of these bad boys...


----------



## gustovski

trouble is you have built the doors and windows a bit big too and so if you use ho figure it will be too big 
you could use bigger figs but then they would look like giants next to the locos


----------



## Big Ed

big ed said:


> WINDOW PANES, PETE?
> 
> Coming along very nicely.:thumbsup:
> 
> I still say....close clearance on those Diesels.


You asked if anyone saw something wrong?
Was I right???
Or did you have something else wrong??
See the difference in the window panes??


----------



## Gansett

<whew> tough crowd Pete, tough crowd.


----------



## Big Ed

JackC said:


> <whew> tough crowd Pete, tough crowd.



Well....he did ask.

Did I win?


----------



## New Berlin RR

no I think the diesels win, they are hogging up most of the room...


----------



## norgale

big ed said:


> Well....he did ask.
> 
> Did I win?


Nobody won but you were very close. read post #514 Pete


----------



## norgale

JackC said:


> <whew> tough crowd Pete, tough crowd.


Ya but I think Gus has the answer. The stuff is too big in the RH. The windows do look too big but it's too late now. Pete

And Ed is right about the window panes being different sizes. I could have done a little better on that. Oh well! Pete


----------



## Gansett

Many of the old factories here in New England have extremely large windows Pete, surely you remember. Mainly to let light in because lighting a factory in the early days was expensive and not very good to begin with. BTW, Sorry for calling you Shirley, won't happen again.


----------



## gustovski

to make the door more to scale you could put a small window above the door and make it a sliding door
and you should also make the lathe bench lower
then make smaller switchbox and place it a little lower down than b4

-gus


----------



## norgale

I didn't notice the 'Shirley' but that's much better than what some people call me. Ha!
It's not so much the size of the windows or the doors but rather the size of the framing around them. I remember the windows in my fathers factory. They were double hung so they could be opened in the summer but they were huge. Way bigger than what you'd see in a house and they were doubled up so as to be wider. That's pretty wide and needs to be cut down some. The framing hides the edge of the window opening so it looks more finished. 
The lathe and the work benches are way too big for HO scale. Have to work on that a bit. Pete


----------



## norgale

big ed said:


> You asked if anyone saw something wrong?
> Was I right???
> Or did you have something else wrong??
> See the difference in the window panes??
> 
> View attachment 20594


That first window is missing a verticle stripe so the panes look bad. The second window is better. Need to add that extra stripe. 
Ed look at the columns going up to the tie beam. The brick pattern is verticle instead of horizontal. Ya see it???? Pete


----------



## norgale

Funny thing I just noticed. The roundhouse tracks won't line up with the turntable. Now ain't that a hoot. The RH in the plans had a much smaller turntable so the radius was ok. My truntable is bigger so the radius of the front of the RH has to be way bigger than the one I made. Looks like the moral of the story is to make your RH to fit YOUR turntable and not someone elses. Now I get to build another round house. I'm having fun now! Pete


----------



## New Berlin RR

Cool!


----------



## Big Ed

norgale said:


> That first window is missing a verticle stripe so the panes look bad. The second window is better. Need to add that extra stripe.
> Ed look at the columns going up to the tie beam. The brick pattern is verticle instead of horizontal. Ya see it???? Pete


I did not notice that, as the first thing I saw was the window panes and stopped looking.
Dam Pete, that is worst then the widow panes!:laugh:

You got to fix that?
Did you do all of them like that all the way around?
They are just paper glue on's? Just make some new ones?
Maybe paint them all, though I don't like that ideal.

You better lay off the brewski's next build.


----------



## norgale

Well I'm not going to change it now. After all no one saw it even after I pointed out that there was a obvious mistake. You found the odd window pane sizes and others saw the lack of close scale items, some of which I am changing and some I can't but for me to make the mistake of using the wrong radius on the roundhouse with my math background is a major blunder. I can still use the roundhouse but not with the turntable that I have.
So I think what I'll do is tomorrow I'll lay this all out on some large sheets of paper which I should have done to begine with,and see if I can add to the present building, another building that will match up to the turntable. I'm always telling guys to draw out what they want to build first to see if it will work and then I don't follow my own advice. Not very smart. The whole thing is the most basic geometry and common sense and a drawing would have shown that I was making a major mistake. Take heed all you neophytes. Do the drawing first. Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Pete, you can tell the guys that aren't making any mistakes, they're not building anything. Just working on two 4 foot modules, I must have screwed up a dozen times! It happens to everyone at one time or another.


----------



## New Berlin RR

oh heck I screwed up with my model kits already LOL!!! and I been doing model cars (1/18 scale) for about 5+ years and I even install working police lights in some from time to time)...I know ill be screwing up on more models in future dates...LOL!!!


----------



## gustovski

is the turntable too big or small pete,
if it is smaller you just need to make the tracks longer so they reach
if too big you could cut down the turntable or get another
just my twocents
-gus


----------



## norgale

My turntable is too big for the roundhouse. You have to start with the turntable center,then draw a circle around the outside of the TT and mark the centerline of the TT track where the TT stops. Then determine how far you want the roundhouse from the turntable,maybe a full section of track or a half section,and then draw another circle using the SAME center point as the TT. This circle is the front of the roundhouse. The front of my RH does not match up with the TT that I have so it will not work.
I'll be drawing it out at work today and post some pictures when I get home this afternoon.
Everybody have a great day today and enjoy the holiday tomorrow.


----------



## gustovski

hey pete if you want to do a car in my colors here are my logos

Logos by gustovski, on Flickr
and the colors are red and olive drab like this mock up which is of the side of the car the red goes from the top to the the bottom t 45degrees and the ends are just red but could hve black safety stripes on the red 

mock up by gustovski, on Flickr


----------



## norgale

Yes I would like to do that Gus. Thanks very much for the images. I'm working on the wiring for the BGC right now but I'll be making some more boxcars pretty soon and It would be great to include yours in the fleet
I have come to the conclusion that the turntable that I have is not suitable for ANY roundhouse unless you have fourty acres to use. The indexing is way to wide for any roundhouse so I'll have to figure another way to get tracks to it. I don't have enough room to build a RH big enough to be able to use this TT although it could be used in a space way away from the RH and curve the tracks into the RH doors. That may work in this case so we'll see what has to be done. Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Any chance you could modify the indexing to not be so wide for each step?


----------



## New Berlin RR

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Any chance you could modify the indexing to not be so wide for each step?


another idea I been playing with is possibly using point correctors to assist with keeping the TT closer to the RH, not sure if it will work as I have no round house or turn table to test with....


----------



## norgale

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Any chance you could modify the indexing to not be so wide for each step?


There's a raised section in between each track space so unless I did some major mods I don't see how it could work. Also the motor that goes with this thing is indexed to the table so that would all have to be changed too. I'll try and use it in some manner but I can't say what that will be right now. This table dates back to about 1978 or so so no doubt the newer tables are much better designed. I hope so.Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I've seen O-scale tables that allow for much greater track density, so I suspect they're available for HO as well.


----------



## norgale

Got messing around last night with some left over pieces of wood and came up with this little shack that will make a nice small engine repair shop for the BGC. hate to chuck good pieces of wood. pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

You're getting like T-Man, making stuff out of scraps.  Nice work.


----------



## gustovski

nice hut pete


----------



## Gansett

gunrunnerjohn said:


> You're getting like T-Man, making stuff out of scraps.  Nice work.


That's excess inventory, not scraps! You can take a Yankee down south but the cheapn, I mean frugality goes with him.


----------



## Lee_R

Why did I have a sudden mental image of Pete standing there in bib overalls and a straw hat with a nickel between his thumb and finger, saying "I bet you can squeal like a pig." :laugh:


----------



## norgale

A stupid little shack kit like this would prolly cost $15 or so in plastic. i built this for nothing but the cost of the glue since the scraps were destined for the round file anyway. Besides you always need another little shack on a layout. This one will fit anywhere. And ya I can make a buffalo squeek if I have to. Pete


----------



## New Berlin RR

Shack seems a tad small don't it? or is it for a different function?


----------



## norgale

Welll I on't know. What would be a "different function"?


----------



## norgale

Photobucket is giving me a fit tonight so here are a couple of pics of the new BGC engine house being built just for this engine. Is this a Hudson or a Pacific and to give a little help it had the hook and loop coupler on the back. The thing is about to be shopped at Yardbird Trains so it will need a new home when it gets back. Pete


----------



## New Berlin RR

if you can get me a *ss shot of the engine (direct) i should be able to pull info for your coupler, I have just about every type for us and euro on my trains. from what I see its a euro stule but I want a better pic before I say for sure. if you don't mind that norgale!


----------



## norgale

Actually I'm not concerned with the coupler because I have several cars to pull that came with the engine that have the old style couplers. What I'm not sure of is what kind of engine this is. I'd like to try and add some details to the engine to make it look a little better but without the name of the engine I won't know what to look for. Pete


----------



## norgale

Finally got one set of switches and lights working the way I want them to. Lot's of blue air and hair pulling but they work. Here's a short video. Pete

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR7IyfOKq5c


----------



## Gansett

Looking good Pete. Blue air,,funny coming from a guy in Fla.:laugh:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Looks good Pete, seems like the snap-relays were the ticket.


----------



## norgale

Yup! They sure are John. Thanks a bunch for the tip. Pete


----------



## norgale

JackC said:


> Looking good Pete. Blue air,,funny coming from a guy in Fla.:laugh:


If you could see my almost bald head you'd think the rest was funny too. I'm just glad that none of my customers overheard my language while I was trying to figure out where all those wires went. I do tend to get carried away sometimes. Ha! Pete


----------



## norgale

Here's a sneak peek at the new engine house being built for the Pacific 4-6-2. The engine needs a trip to Yardbird first though to get a few malfunctions straightened out.


----------



## New Berlin RR

Nice, can't wait to see what you got in mind!


----------



## norgale

Finally decided to go with some curved roof vents to sort of go with the arched windows. Some 40's trim will set the roof off from the window areas. The flat spot to the rear will be the smoke vent for the engine. Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Can't wait to see this finished, looks pretty cool.


----------



## norgale

Put some cornice moulding around the top of the building and now it's the siding and the doors. Have to go get the engine and put it in to see how it looks. Need some lights too. And the inspection pit. And painting and the upper windows. Gee! This is getting to be work. Ha! Pete


----------



## New Berlin RR

looking great! I love the way its looking!


----------



## gustovski

this is your best building yet pete!
can't wait to see this finnished


----------



## norgale

Thanks for the kudos guys. This is a little departure from the same old RR buildings that we see everyday. I doubt that any RR would spend the money for an engine house that looked like this but there is a need for the BGC to start looking progressive and get out of the 20's and 30's mode of architecture. Not all railroads had old delapidated buildings to work from so this will be the start of newer things for the Bonita Grand Central.
Could this be a real enginehouse somewhere? Sure! Why not? It will be a good place to keep the old 4-6-2 out of the weather if nothing else. Could even become a BGC museum building for the steamer,who knows? Pete


----------



## norgale

Here's the engine in the enginehouse.


----------



## norgale

Almost time for paint. Pete


----------



## gustovski

looking good 
i think u should put a buffer in the end of the building in case you get a runaway loco it doesnt go through the back wall


----------



## norgale

I thought about that Gus but after looking at a lot of pictures of inside roundhouses I saw that none of them had anything at the end of the tracks. The engineer would just roll the engine into the house to where the shop foreman wanted it and the ground crew put a chain around a wheel and over the track so the engine couldn't roll away. Don't know if the engine had a brake that could be set for parking. pete


----------



## norgale

Soooo here it is. Finished--I think. Too bad the stripes on it make it look like a 7-11 but ohhh well. Don't think I'll change it now. Pete


----------



## tjcruiser

Pete,

It looks futuristic to me ... sort of a blend of old and new. Kinda cool, I think. Thanks for sharing ... fun stuff!

TJ


----------



## stuart

Beautiful work. But only because you mentioned it, the stripes must go.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Cool, I like it.


----------



## norgale

Thanks for the comments. Remove the stripe hey? The company colors are orange and yellow so I wanted to have those colors on the building. All white trim looked too plain anyway. However I agree that a change should be made but I can't decide what the change should be.
As for the architecture I was looking for the 1950's look which was when we went from the previouse fourty years of design to a futuristic look due to the influence of jet plane design in our cars. The fifties brought a change in design the likes of which had never been seen before or since for that matter. So yes TJ it is kinda back to the future. Good call there. pete

Does this look any better?


----------



## stuart

Much better !!!!


----------



## norgale

Ok. The stripes are being taken off. Pete


----------



## Lee_R

Weren't the Fifties also the "Chrome" and "Concrete" era? I seem to recall a number of building built during the Fifties that were extremely reminiscent of nothing more than concrete blocks with windows (kind of like a lot of the Soviet-era buildings in the former USSR).


----------



## New Berlin RR

Looking good on the building, any further progress with the box cars and other cars you were working on at one point while back or are those on hold for now?


----------



## norgale

The BGC is getting too complicated for me. I need to redesign the track and the wiring so i can work on it easier and make more use of the space on the table. The way it is now there is a lot of wasted space and some track is very hard to get to for cleaning. Also the raised yard in the front has to go.It's in the way and blocks the view of the track near the foreground and any buildings that will be in that area. All in all I'm just not happy with what I'm building here so I'm going to make some changes. Click the picture for a short video. 

The raised yard area has to go so I started there with the rehab. It's just too much in the way for working on the rest of the layout. Pete


----------



## joed2323

Always a good idea to pull the plug and make changes when needed! Thats what its all about, when something feels wrong, change it until its right for you...

Keep up the good work.


----------



## norgale

Lee_R said:


> Weren't the Fifties also the "Chrome" and "Concrete" era? I seem to recall a number of building built during the Fifties that were extremely reminiscent of nothing more than concrete blocks with windows (kind of like a lot of the Soviet-era buildings in the former USSR).


Joed your right about the fifties and this new enginehouse would have been made with concrete and steel and glass. The glass blocks you may be talking about came out about then too. Let light into a room without being able to see through it. Very popular back then and still used occasionally now.
However the concrete walls with windows were rather plain but they were cheap to build. You could give the wall some character by recessing the windows some or projecting the main posts in the wall out a few inches just to break up the monotony of the plain wall. Then there were window walls that were just that,large windows that filled the space between the wall posts that went from floor to ceiling all the way up the building. Hard to heat and cool those buildings. Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

If it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't. Good to do the remake before you get it completed and then decide to rip it all up.

What's the new plan?


----------



## RUSTY Cuda

Probably a dumb Idea, but could you reverse the table & put the raised yard in the rear?


----------



## norgale

Not a dumb idea at all Rusty but it's best to keep the yard where you have the controls so you can reach any derails that occure. I don't think you'll see very many yards too far from a controller on any sized layout. I really liked the idea of the raised yard at the start but after working with it for awhile I find it cumbersome and inconveniente'
So now the problem is how much of the raised yard to remove. I'll still have to bring the track down from one end elevation to the table top but that will leave the other end hanging in the air and going nowhere. Tomorrow I'll take a hard look at the situation and try to decide what to do. Pete


----------



## norgale

SO I says to myself,self whatcha gonna do wid this mess you got? I lopped off part of the yard and then cut what was left at the right hand curve.This 2will give me a ramp to bring the trains down to the table top. Also removed part of the track that went through the middle of the table. Here's few pics. Pete
This is where the roundhouse was goin to be.








The yard is now a ramp for the trains to comedown to the table top level Lots more room for the yard and the town ect. with all the track gone in the middle. 








I'll be using a lot more flextrack instead of the sectional track so I'll have fewer electrical joints in the rails.


----------



## norgale

making a little progress on the BGC ths weekend. Finally have the outer oval up and running and configured the way I want it. Long way to go yet but it is a lot of fun building these things. Got some new steam coming for the BGC pretty soon too so things are looking up for a change. Click on the picture for a short video. Pete


----------



## RUSTY Cuda

Way to go:thumbsup: I'll be happy when I get my engine test stand going & can run em in place :laugh: Rich.


----------



## norgale

gunrunnerjohn said:


> If it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't. Good to do the remake before you get it completed and then decide to rip it all up.
> 
> What's the new plan?


Didn't notice your question before John but the plan is that there isn't a plan yet. Just got the outside oval working so I can run a train once in awhile and that's ok. Now I have to go back to the drawing board and figure out what to do with all the open space I have now that so much of the track has been removed. There will be yard space inside the oval and some outside where the elevated yard once was. 
I kinda liked the town I had on the layout last year so maybe some of that will reappear. Need a river and a small lake and at least one bridge along with the roundhouse and engine storage area and some industry for some switching activity too. I still want the mine and maybe some low rolling hills but no mountains this time. Some rock walls and randome rocks here and there maybe. This gets to be hard work deciding what to build on the layout. The track is simple in comparison. Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

We wait eagerly for the "new" layout.


----------



## norgale

*New (1953) steamer for the BGC*

I got this engine in a box of a lot of old train stuff last year. It didn't run well and then didn't run at all. Sent it to Shay for repair and here it is now. Can't wait to get it back and onto the BGC mainline. Someone on the forum once remarked that the BGC didn't have any steam. Well now it does so I hope somebody is happier . Pete
Click the picture for the video. Thanks Shay.


----------



## norgale

RUSTY Cuda said:


> Way to go:thumbsup: I'll be happy when I get my engine test stand going & can run em in place :laugh: Rich.


Are you building the test stand yourself? If so show us how your doing it. pete


----------



## RUSTY Cuda

Check out my new begining post, 4th pic down . I haven't tried it yet, looks like just power up the track & the rollers transfer it to the engine & it runs on the rollers?(I'm guessing, but it looks pretty obvious!) Rich.


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## shaygetz

Glad you're pleased. Pete...she were a hoot to work on...


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## norgale

She sure looks great with that bridge in the background. Looks kinda dusty and well used too I think, like it just got back from a run to Chicago. Guess I'll have to figure out how to clean the old girl up some. That chipped paint on the cylinders isn't up to BGC standards. Thanks for the pic Shay. It's super. Pete


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## shaygetz

I'd leave it like it was...every ding has a story and there were several on this one. A surprisingly smooth running beast, one of the best of the old breed I've ever worked on.:thumbsup:


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## norgale

I guess your right about every ding having a story. I just wish I knew what the story was. However I will follow the masters advice and leave it alone. If it ain't broke don't fix it. She do have character like she is. Pete


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## norgale

Here we have the 4-6-2 pacific on the BGC for the first time. I dug out the old cars that went with this engine but only a few are on the track. They need new wheels and a little tweaking but these ran pretty good. Click on the pictures for the videos. had some probs with dirty track but that's ok now. pete


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## shaygetz

Glad you got it...is it working well for you?


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## norgale

It's working like a Swiss watch Bob.I could not be happier. Thanks a bunch for your great work. You must have a magic wand that you wave over these things. Ha! Now I need to concentrate on smoothing out the track so the Pacific will have nice steady rails to travel on. Pete


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## norgale

Kinda busy this weekend which is a good thing,so progress on the track laying was slow on the BGC. Managed to get the roadbed done and the first section of track laid for a siding which will lead to a yard. However in doing so I knocked my newly repaired 4-6-2 engine off the track and broke the drawbar off the tender. It doesn't look complicated to make a new one so I'll try one in brass since I have some on hand.
Anyway here's a couple of videos to watch. Pete
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAwvaa7yHho
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8PP7KENFAs


----------



## shaygetz

norgale said:


> However in doing so I knocked my newly repaired 4-6-2 engine off the track and broke the drawbar off the tender. It doesn't look complicated to make a new one so I'll try one in brass since I have some on hand.


You'll want a non-conductive material like styrene or fiber as you will create a dead short between the locomotive and tender.


----------



## gustovski

norgale said:


> Here we have the 4-6-2 pacific on the BGC for the first time. I dug out the old cars that went with this engine but only a few are on the track. They need new wheels and a little tweaking but these ran pretty good. Click on the pictures for the videos. had some probs with dirty track but that's ok now. pete


if in doubt give it more gas hahaha:laugh::laugh:


----------



## norgale

shaygetz said:


> You'll want a non-conductive material like styrene or fiber as you will create a dead short between the locomotive and tender.


Glad you said that Shay. I din't know about that. Maybe I'll make a wood one so I can glue it together the next time. Ha! Styrene would be better though. Thanks for the tip. pete


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## norgale

You don't know how true that is Gus or maybe you do. Back in the 70's we had a swing bridge over the Marco River to let boats through where the old road to Marco went to the island. The bridge had a very rough surface and a curve in the road at the landside approach to it.One night at about two in the morning I was going home about half asleep and hit the curve at about 80 MPH. I made the curve ok but when the car hit the bridge roadway the wheels were bouncing up and down over the rough surface and was drifting across the road toward the wooden side rail. By that time I was super alert to where I was going and that was through the guard rail and into the river. There was no way I could hit the brakes as that would have not stopped the car from hitting the rail. So the only thing left was to hit the gas and I did. It was a 70 Pontiac with good power and when the tranny went down into passing gear the rear end set down against the road, got some traction, and kept me from going over the side. I must have gone past the guard shack at 90 or so and all the way on the left side of the road,inches from the guard rail. Good thing nobody was coming from the opposite direction.
Anyway I made it across the bridge without a scratch sweating bullets and the only thing that saved me that night was "when in doubt give it the gas".
So you are soooo right Gus. I know that for sure. Pete


----------



## shaygetz

norgale said:


> Thanks for the tip. pete


You're quite welcome...I've known guys who've literally welded their locos to the rails thru the arcing...


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## norgale

Ha! That sounds just like what I would do too. Pete


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## zorba

what grade is that slope? it seems to get pretty high pretty quick


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## norgale

I have no idea how to figure the grade percentage but it goes up about 4" in 6 feet. So would thay be 1.5 % grade? That doesn't sound right to me. Oh well!! Pete


----------



## rrgrassi

Try this for grade calculations:

http://modeltrains.about.com/od/modelrailroadtrains/f/What-Is-The-Maximum-Grade-My-Train-Can-Climb.htm


----------



## norgale

That's a good link RR.So according to it the grade on my layout would be the 6 feet in inches divided by the height in inches which gives 18. Would that be 1.8% or 18%?


----------



## norgale

Got some additions to the BGC roster for show and tell. This is the 4-8-4 #844 that i got from Rusty Cuda. Runs and looks great but probably ought to be on a bigger layout. She takes the 18" curves like a champ and runs very quiet. Sorry th focus isn't better but I'm still learning how to use ths camera. Pete
Here is the Berkshire.


Last is the Y6b I got from Robert Koehler who is WC3026 on the boards. Runs as good as it looks and fits right in with the rest of the steam roster. Be interesting to see if any of these beautiful engines will fit in the roundhouse or even on the turntable. These videos arn't very good so I'll try and get some better ones tomorrow. Pete


----------



## RUSTY Cuda

EXXXXXcellant! really cool to see one of Dads loco's in action.Thank you so much!:thumbsup: Rich.
I put power to one of those 3' sections the other night & ran the up lionel deisel back & forth! just not the same! 
Did you get a chance to lube up the pere marquette yet? Rich.


----------



## norgale

Check the next video. It's uploading now. I will service both these engine as soon as I have time but meantime they are running great. There will be more videos of all these steamers as the layout progresses. I laid some more track today and pics will follow these vids. Pete


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## RUSTY Cuda

He had his little "lube" station & i'm sure kept up with it when his health was better, not knowing when he stopped & that they have been stored for a few years (can't remember when he started packing em up probably at least 3 or 4 yrs.) It cant hurt to give em the once over! 
waiting on the next vidio, Rich.
I really needed something positive after my Itilian buddy's tricks! Rich.


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## RUSTY Cuda

Brings me back a long way! :thumbsup:
I think you might need some guard rails on those high curves, like the old slot cars had, hate to see one of your engines trying to fly! :laugh: Rich.

Tommorrow I pick up that sound system, going to see if I can get my son to make a little vidio to post up, lots of sounds & my lionel running back & forth on a 3' section!  Rich.


----------



## norgale

Youtube is all screwed up. I can't get to the vids right now for some reason. I even tried the link I just posted and it's all numbers and squares and such. Don't know what the problem is. 
Went over to Photobucket and was able to get the other to vids from there. Pete


----------



## mopac

Pete, that berkshire is too cool. Congrats. Nice engine.


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## RUSTY Cuda

Now all three are gone, needed somthing soothing after my paypal rant!hwell: 
Pete , I brought home that sound system today, if i get time after storm prep maybe i'll get it hooked up tomorrow! Rich.


----------



## norgale

I took some better,I hope, videos of the new steamers on the BGC today. Also made some headway laying out the track for the yard and the roundhouse. Sooo,here ya go. Pete
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKJCUZ7g6wg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXo6oFvvsIc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ2pOVO4ZSA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2Yvj9hMp5g
Laid out the yard by just laying pieces of track on the table. Nothing is nailed down and some changes will occure but this where the BGC is going for the moment. 
















I decided to go without the turntable in front of the roundhouse because only the steamers ever need to be turned around and they are all too long for the table.


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## RUSTY Cuda

:thumbsup:There back!:thumbsup:
Thanks I needed that! 
How big is the table your workin off? Rich.


----------



## norgale

Hi Rich. Glad you got your 'Northern' fix for the day. Got some passenger cars out today and will be pulling them with the Northern tomorrow. Check for the video after four PM.
The table was 4x8 but this year i added two feet to each end so it's now 4x12. pete


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## RUSTY Cuda

Checked em all out, getting a nice steam collection there. gonna go shoot some pics of the stuff i brought home today, not too much, but a little more for the diorama. Rich.


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## norgale

Sunday October 28,2012 Click on the picture for the video.

The Y6b from Robert Koehler working out with a few late 40's passenger coaches.

Here's the Northern 4-8-4 and my boss in the background playing with my dog.

Got two engine houses hooked up but I will try and make the track layout look better.


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## zorba

nice vids. i love the steam engines.


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## norgale

mopac said:


> Pete, that berkshire is too cool. Congrats. Nice engine.


Thanks Mopac. Didn't see this post until now. Sorry. 
Thanks you too Zorba. I like the steam engines myself. Pete


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## RUSTY Cuda

Hope there were no unjuries in the decoupling! 
Did you check out the sound system post? 
not the best vidio, my son did it with his phone. Rich.


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## norgale

I can't find the sound system demo. Where is it? pete


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## gustovski

norgale said:


> I can't find the sound system demo. Where is it? pete


here it is pete http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=14444



cheers
gus


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## norgale

Thanks Gus. I did find it after awhile.That's pretty old technology i think. Also from the price I'd think there was more to it than what I see there. pete


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## norgale

Got an old engine here that's in pretty rough shape. However everthing seems to be there and nothing is rusted shut or frozen up so maybe it can be salvaged. One problem is the wheel set at the bottom of the picture. I need a new one and if possible four new wheel sets. All the gears look and turn welland the motor seems ok but havn't put the gas to it yet.Maybe brushes would be good for it. Anyway who made this little jewel and where could I hope to find some wheel sets and brushes for it? pete
?


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## New Berlin RR

Norgal, first off Love the U33B there (pug nose) second I would love to get my hands on it if i could LOL, third I think looking at the picture it may be Athearn but I could be off, is there any stamping on the bottom of it, maybe on the weight/fuel tank(s)?

anyways where did your "new" reshopped boxcars go too? did they sneak off to the corner to hide because you forgot about them?? do you have any new pics of the boxcars from the various rail roads you were doing or have they been placed on indefinite hold? I would sift through the thread but that means starting back on page 18 or so and rereading everything.....


----------



## norgale

Jamie the box cars have just been on the back burner so I can finish up some other stuff. Gets too confusing for me when I have too many projects going at the same time. Now that the weather is turnng nice I have to get back to work on my 60 Lincoln or it will never get done. When I'm at work I have to stay in the store so I work on the new BGC layout.At least I get something railroady done. The box cars will come along in their own good time.
Athern hey? I'll look that up and see if it's one of theirs. It is a well made engine with what looks like brass bearings for the worm gear front and back and brass bearings on each end of each axle for the wheels to ride on. It's also all wheel drive so I don't thik it was a junker from the start.
Anybody has any of these wheel sets for sale please let me know. Pete


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## shaygetz

I believe I have some, Pete. What you have is an old Blue Box Athearn U boat. It should fix up just fine. I believe I have a motor you can strip for parts as well...the only difference between the locomotive models Athearn sold was the length of the shaft. All the rest of the parts were interchangeable.


----------



## New Berlin RR

norgale said:


> Jamie the box cars have just been on the back burner so I can finish up some other stuff. Gets too confusing for me when I have too many projects going at the same time. Now that the weather is turnng nice I have to get back to work on my 60 Lincoln or it will never get done. When I'm at work I have to stay in the store so I work on the new BGC layout.At least I get something railroady done. The box cars will come along in their own good time.
> Athern hey? I'll look that up and see if it's one of theirs. It is a well made engine with what looks like brass bearings for the worm gear front and back and brass bearings on each end of each axle for the wheels to ride on. It's also all wheel drive so I don't thik it was a junker from the start.
> Anybody has any of these wheel sets for sale please let me know. Pete


Cool, was wondering, any ways about the train, what makes me think Athearn is the drive system looks like my Athearn GP38-2 which is the same layout but with brass flywheels, and all wheel drive. if you wind up not being able to fix that unit could I possibly talk to you about taking it off your hands? but I do agree with Shay it should fix up nicely and usually the main diference was the drive shafts, all other parts more or less were interchangeable


----------



## RUSTY Cuda

Been out of power all week, just got back online.
Yea,Pete, not sure about that sound system, it seems self contained with an option to input tapes from a regular tape recorder(don't know what kind, maybe reel to reel)
I've got one of those too in his stero system, along with 8 track & then cassette & finally cd's, he kept the old stuff & added new as it came out! 
Posting the price was just for info, if anyones interested just make an offer, I will not be insulted(I may say no but it won't offend me!) Rich.


----------



## rrgrassi

That is an older Athearn blue box. They used the grey metal flywheels before using the machined brass. I have a PB1, an F7 and a U33c with those fly wheels as well. If you cleam the contacts well, it will run just fine. Be sure to lubricate everything as well. Some teflon grease on the motor armatures, and some labell grease on the trucks gears and axles will do alot for you.


----------



## norgale

Athern says it's a GE-B type engine. They also sent a list of parts that are still available for this engine. Unfortunatly I only need one wheel set and that's not available. Shay says he has one so I'll see what he says about parting with it. How about vasaline on the gears? pete


----------



## shaygetz

Vasaline worked for me in a pinch but I never really tried it long enough to say yeah or nay to it.


----------



## norgale

Since I have the vasaline on hand I'll give it another try. use it on all kinds of things including my old Lincoln and my cut hands when I'm model building. Ha! It does come from petroliun so it should work ok. Pete


----------



## New Berlin RR

in theory but you know how theories are meant to be....


----------



## norgale

Drug out a bunch of my train stuff and tried spotting things around the layout. Sure wish I had more room but ohh welllll.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVH-MyBYKJE


----------



## mopac

Never enough room Pete. Thats how it works. Your railroad is looking good.
You have got alot done in the last month. I need to get started on my new one.
I am cleaning the room it will be in. Its been a storage room for 20 years. Its
full. Most of the stuff is my hobby stuff. Trains, diecast cars, radio cars and trucks,
Radio equipment, oh and auto brochures. All but the trains need to go. I have had 
alot of hobbies but I keep coming back to trains.


----------



## norgale

Had to do some track repair this past weekend to replace some track joints that didn't match up correctly. I couldn't cut the track and film the operation at the same time so this video only shows the beginning and the end of the operation. I hope to do better in the future. Pete
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yldsjx2yyEU


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## New Berlin RR

Very nice norgal!! I just added a few new engines to my roster, I kinda decided the NBRR is taking a slight turn from what I originally planned but still makes me wish I had what you have set up, would be great to run on your layout!!! nice work so far by the way!!


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## gustovski

good fixing pete:thumbsup:
i noticed that you edited the clips int one video will help keep your youtube account from getting clogged up with vids

------gus


----------



## norgale

Hi Gus. Ya I'm learning 'movie maker' where you can combine videos and still pics into one video. All these short 2 minute vids are a pain in the butt. Lots of little tricks to MM though so it's a learning process. Pete


----------



## gustovski

once you get used to using it, it becomes second nature 
i personally use sony vegas as it is a more professional program and provides higher quality results but is harder to learn and costs alot but i got it free through school so im happy 
-----gus


----------



## norgale

I can barely manage Movie Maker never mind anything more complicated. Free is the only thing I can afford right now so the MM will be fne. I'd like to take a lot of the vids on Utube and combine them too but havn't figured that out yet.
Hey your gettin' up there. I see your a brakeman now. Just keep posting comments and you'll go right up the ladder. Pete


----------



## gustovski

if you still have the original clips on your computer or somewhere (on a cd or usb or on camera memory cards) you can just edit them together into relevant groups (like a particular weekends progress or running session) upload them and delete the original uploadi think this will be a simpler way for you to clean out your youtube library
oh and as for my rank i will probably slowly climb up the ladder until i get myself a layout then i will start to go on here more often and will shoot up oh and for me it should be "breakman" instead of brakeman especially if i have a way of making fire handy:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

-----gus


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## RUSTY Cuda

Pete, when you get a mineut take a look at my payback thread!


----------



## norgale

I see that now Rusty. That's very nice of you to do that and I will be very happy to have the piping for my oil depot.
I have to say that my wonderful $400 Canon Power Shot S21S super duper camera has quit on me again so I have no vids or pics from this weekends work. Canon says $89 for repair labor plus parts because the camera is over one year old. Guess it doesn't matter that they have already fixed it once before for the same problem. I'll put that money towards a new Kodak pocket digital. They work better anyway and last a whole lot longer.
Anyway I nailed down more track as I figure out how to build the yard area. Also started on the mine buildings and the mine itself. Wiring of the turnouts and block power is going pretty slow or rather I am going pretty slow. Been busy at the store lately so that's a good thing. The tourists are here now so the layout may be slowed down some for the next few months. Hope you all had a great Turkeyday. Pete


----------



## MacDaddy55

*A Star is born!!*

Pete the BGC is lookin good and just to let you know...you sound like the late Shelby Foote Civil War Historian and Ken Burns narrator on "The Civil War". You should do voice overs for video!! Again great work!:thumbsup:


----------



## PRR975

Norgale, if you are planning on buying a new camera, try "the camera shop" if you have one near you. They offer great insurance plans for cheap-ish, that if canon can't fix, they replace. I had an incident where sand got in the camera body, and they replaced it for minimal fee. It may not be worth it for a point and shoot, but it's worth a look.


----------



## norgale

Thanks for that PRR. I'm looking around now and trying to decide what to buy. It won't be another Canon that's for sure and it won't cost $400 either. I had two Kodak cheapies in the last ten years and they lasted very well. I only had the Canon for a year and a half and this same thing happened to it before the first year was out. Piece of junk I think. Pete


----------



## norgale

Found an old camera that seems to be working ok. Here is the mine shaft which will be installed tomorrow. Pete


----------



## shaygetz

Sweet....:thumbsup:


----------



## gustovski

you should put some n track down the tunnel and put a little mine cart on the tracks with Indiana Jones and short round and the girl but i forget her name! riding in it 








-----gus


----------



## New Berlin RR

you looking really good there Norgal with the layout!!! makes me Jealous LOL!!! Anyways good luck!!


----------



## tjcruiser

Pete ... the inside of that mine shaft looks great ... very intiguing perspective of the shafts twists /turns.

Keep us posted!

TJ


----------



## norgale

So I went to work today and set the mine in place. Still needs lights but I wanted to be sure it fit. Here's a short video.


----------



## gustovski

lookin good pete

-----gus


----------



## norgale

Here's a video from today. Got some of the yard track and switches nailed down but mostly I just ran the trains around and around and around. It's amazing how many people are coming into my shop just to see the progress on the layout. Four today and they each wanted to run the trains which of course they got to do. Click the pic for the video. Pete


----------



## Gansett

Wow, you're really making major progress!


----------



## norgale

Wanted to have a bridge over the coal siding where it goes under the mainline so I'm making a couple sides out of 1/16th paneling. Last night I cut the curves on either end and after soaking some sticks in hot water,bent them around and pinned them in place. These aticks form the top girder for the sides and there will be one along the bottom. Let it set overnight and all day today to let th glue and the sticks dry. Tonight I'll put the verticle ribs on along the sides and some gussets on the inside. Tomorrow I'll paint the sides front and rear with flat black spray paint and install them over the coal tracksThen I'll get a few pics of it to post here. A neat bridge for about $2 worth of wood, glue and paint. Pete


----------



## norgale

Here is what the bridge looks like now. The engine will be a little higher when the bridge is installed on the layout so it ought to look ok. I hope. Pete


----------



## PRR975

Pete, why not paint in the the BGC's colors? Might look neat. Only a suggestion though, it's really a sharp looking bridge!


----------



## norgale

I like that idea PRR. Have to think about that a bit. There's already a lot of yellow and orange on this layout so the bridge may be too much. Have to kick that around a bit. Thanks for the idea. Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Nice bridge, you're doing a great scratch build there.


----------



## norgale

So I painted the bridge yellow but it didn't dry in time to do the orange trim. I'll finish it this week and have some pics on Friday. Meantime I rewired the lighted bumpers and connected them to an extra transformer that I screwed to the table frame under the control panel. I didn't care for the lights only coming on when that block was activated so now they stay on all the time whenever the layout is turned on. Dats mo betta I think. I also cut in a new turnout on the far side of the layout so there is now a spur there to service the passenger station and freight house,the intermodal yard ,a trucking transfer station and the oil depot. When my pipes come in there will be pipes running all over the place along this spur track.
It was a fairly productive day for the Bonita Grand Central but now I have a few days off. Gotta get my Christmas lights up. Pete


----------



## RUSTY Cuda

:thumbsup:Your really movin along there!:thumbsup: Rich.


----------



## norgale

Thanks for the comment John and yes it's moving pretty well Rich. Seems that no matter how hard I try to keep this thing simple it keeps growing all on it's own. Everytime I add some little thing there seem to be three or four other things that pop up because I added something.
However I'm learning one thing here and that is to stick with one thing until I have it right. If it's roadbed or track or lights of what have you,it really pays off to do one thing at a time and use it over and over to be sure it works right and the way you want it to work. Then move on to the next thing. Pete


----------



## norgale

Stuck the bridge in place and it doesn't look bad. It will be installed permanently this weekend. pete
















click the pic for a teeny weeny video. 

I think this little $100 Kodak takes much better pictures that the $400 Canon did. The focus is much better too.


----------



## PRR975

All I can say about the bridge is wow. Really nicely done lettering too! Great idea to put the BGC name on it.


----------



## RUSTY Cuda

:thumbsup:Nice bridge & that loco aint too shabby either! Rich.


----------



## Artieiii

Pete, looks great that color scheme should wake you up better than a RedBull LOL. Keep up the nice work.:thumbsup:
-Art


----------



## tjcruiser

Pete,

Great looking custom girder bridge ... love the graphics, too!

TJ


----------



## New Berlin RR

Lookin good pete!! love what you did with the colors!!


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## norgale

This guard rail will go above the tracks to the oil depot,right behind the mine. Need one on the otherside too but that's on a higher level and a different track with a different radius.pete


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## joed2323

That looks outstanding!

What type of wood did you use?

Ive heard home depot sells really small peices of pine strips? Im sure you picked this wood up from a hobby shop?? Whats the dimensions of the wood 1/4? or is my guess way to big??

Nice job bending that btw


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## norgale

The top rail and the bottom rail are laminated 3/16ths x 3/32 bass wood strips to hold the bow. The upright posts are1/4 x 3/16 and the cross braces inside the uprights is single pieces of the same 3/16 x 3/32 used for the top and bottom rails. Took about four hours to make and now it needs to be painted. This one and it's mate will be flat black as they don't have any good features that would look good with the yellow and orange. It's only a guard rail and not really a bridge. 
Joed any wood strips of an appropriate size will work. You first determine the arc and make a good stout form for the pieces to set against. I used two pieces of 18"r track pinned to my work bench. Then put one strip against the form,glue another piece to the first one and then glue another piece to the first two. Push the center of the three pieces into the form and pin. Then go from the center to one end pushing the pieces of glued wood up tight against the form and pin all the way along the length. Then do the other end also from the middle out.Once the three pieces are tight together and tight against the form just let it sit for a few hours to set up. Little clamps are good to use to keep the three pieces tight together but you still need the pins too.
I'll take some pictures of the construction when I build the second one and post them here for your use. very simple process but you have to let the glue set up really good before removing any of the pins so the arc will be retained. Pete


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## tjcruiser

Excellent curved bridge!

(You should be building BOATS!)

TJ


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## joed2323

Thanks pete, im looking forward to the construction process


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## norgale

tjcruiser said:


> Excellent curved bridge!
> 
> (You should be building BOATS!)
> 
> TJ


I was building boats until I decided to build a train layout over a year ago. Now my latest boat still resides on the work bench and hasn't been touched in way over a year. There's two other unfinished boats too and I'll get to them sometime. Meantime it's TRAINS,TRAINS,TRAINS. Pete


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## Artieiii

Interesting Pete, 
When I was a kid I also built model boats and planes. Perhaps that's why I felt comfortable trying to scratch build my bridges. I used many techniques I learned as a kid when I made my 2 bridges. Yours looks great! A little brown paint in the corners adds a rust effect.
-Art


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## norgale

Had to go to the shop today because the new transformers I got from Rusty Cuda just had to be tried out and they work wayyyyyy better than the old stuff I've been using. Amazing what good equipment can do for a model railroad.
Then I brought the guardrail in and put it inplace to see how it looks. I'm ok with it so the BGC now has a nice guardrail over it's oil depot siding. Here' couple of pics. Pete


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## 05Slowbalt

That is BEAUTIFUL. I only hope as I keep building my bridges they get better like this!


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## norgale

Slowbalt it does take time and practice. I built my first model in 1950 when I was about ten years old.
It was a rainy winter day and I was stuck in the house. My friend Johnny and I were talking on the phone and I invited him over for the afternoon. He asked me if I wanted him to bring amodel and I didn't know what he was talking about. So Johnny arrived with a Stromberg??? model sailboat and we proceeded to try and put it together. I don't remember what it looked like or what ever happened to it but from that day to now I was hooked big time on making models. Any model. Whatever i could con my parents into getting for me.
The point to all this is that everytime you do another project,no matter what it is, you just always try and do it better than the last one. And yes,your bridges will get better and better as you go along. There are tons of projects on this great forum to help with the details and tons of modelers way better than me.It's all in the fun of it all. pete


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## Artieiii

Slowbalt,
Here is the process I use. Take a piece of wood big enough to hold the pieces flat (I used scrap paneling). I covered it with seran wrap (was paper works better). Then pin the pieces with hat pins and glue with elmers glue. The wax paper keeps the glue from sticking to the wood. My curved bridge was tricky, I had to put the pieces over a tea kettle to steam the wood so it would bend easier. Once the glue dries it should hold it's shape. Good luck.
-Art


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## norgale

The second guard rail is complete now so I'll start with the build. The first picture shows the form I traced at the layout including a turnout machine. Just tack the form down on a flat surface and take the first length of wood and bend it to match the form line. Let this piece of wood go wild at each end and trim it off later. Pin on the inside of the curve and pin at each end on the outside. That's enough to hold the wood in place for now.









Now take the second strip of wood,trim it to about the right length of the guard rail and maybe a tad longer,smear glue over one side covering the wood completly. Then starting at one end clamp or pin the second strip to the first strip. After that check the curve and make it fast on the form as now your creating the actual laminated arc. It must be right when it dries as there is no remaking it later.








After the second wood strip sets up,maybe half an hour,you can add the third strip,line it up correctly with the other two strips and clamp or pin tightly and double check the arc. Now is the time for any adjustments if any are needed.








Let this first beam dry overnight and then make a second beam in the same manner. One for the top and one for the bottom. Then decide how high you want the guard rail to be and cut some main supports to fit. Glue the bottom of the supports to the bottom beam and double check that they are straight. Use a small 90 degree drafting triangle or any piece of square wood or metal to get the supports standing straight. Let the supports dry for several hours and then glue the top beam in place. The clamps keep the supports lined up with the beams and cloths pins will work fine if you don't have any small clamps. Elastic bands will work too.








Once the supports are dry this is what you will have. You can see that I let the ends run past where the end of the guardrail would be and that's so I can now check the assembly on the layout to see how it's going to fit. If your guardrail is free standing like mine then you'll want to add some 45 degree angle post braces at either end. You can cut the ends off square if your railing will butt up against a building or maybe some rocks. In any case you can make the ends anyway you want for whatever application you need.








Next thing to do is dry fit the guardrail where you want to put it on the layout. The guard rail will bend a little forward and back if it's a little off but don't push it too far. You could snap the beams and then your in hot doodoo. This is also where you can decide how to finish the ends.








Once you have decided on how you want to finish the ends go ahead and build them now. Also add in the cross braces between the main supports like I did or put in some verticle posts equally spaced between the main supports using a different,smaller size of wood. The smaller sized wood gives a little break in the overall sizes of the wood used in the project and will give good support. Meantime the guard rail is plenty strong enough without the extra supports if you would rather leave it like it is. Last thing is to paint the guardrail and any way you want to do this is fine. Now run a bead of glue along the bottom of the bottom rail and clamp the assembly to your layout. There you have it. A nifty little guardrail to keep your trains from plunging down an embankment or off an overpass. Hope you like. Pete


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## norgale

Here is the finished product. Sorry the focus is off.


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## norgale

This is the END of the guardrail tutorial. Pete


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## RUSTY Cuda

:thumbsup:Thats some nifty work:thumbsup:
I also like Dad's engines showing up in some of the pics, my photo album is starting to grow!  Rich.


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## norgale

Dads engines are running fine Rusty. I took some videos today while running a few trains and tried to put them together with Movie Maker but this time it wouldn't work. So here are five short videos instaed of one longer one until I can figure out what the problem is with MM. Pete
Click on the pic.



The turnout was shut and there's no power to that one yet so this is what happened.


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## norgale

Spent some time in the mine today. Got it in place,the tracks in for the ore cars,(track and cars courtesy of MR. Shay;Thanks Bob) and finished the frame for the mountain that the mine is in. Took all day to do this one little corner and it would have been two days if wasn't for a glue gun. I love that glue gun. Here are some pics. pete

























Here's a short video. Click the picture to watch.


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## norgale

Good thing I have trains to work on because business today was all but non existant. Everyone must be at the mall today buying those last minute Christmas presents. I'll do my shopping on Monday. Ha! Meantime I got the Y6b up on the mainline and hooked a few cars to it to see what it could pull. At first it did very well pulling 7 cars and could have pulled 10 easily. However after a few times around the mainline it started to stall on the upward grade and I had to give it some help. One thing about all the cars behind the Y6b is that they all have plastic wheels. I'm sure the engine will do better after I change all the wheels to metal. I hope the engine isn't just overheating after it goes for awhile. So here's a video of the action. Just click on the picture. pete


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## New Berlin RR

Nice video...a few points would help accomplish what your wanting to do Pete... You may have the rearrange the track a bit tho...


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## norgale

I got the track in under the mountain and only had to remove a few inches of the mine. It wasn't to where i could get a decent picture so that will have to wait till next weekend. However it did work.
Meantime here is a short video,I did run out of card in the camera so it ends before I wanted it to. Pete


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## RUSTY Cuda

Cool ! I tried that momentum thing too, when testing engines I had to switch it off, although it seemed to work a little faster with just the engine, glad to see those transformers got you all powered up! 
I'm testing my patience now, workin on rebending the metal hand rails for the switcher, one side & the front done, workin the other side now, hopefully I'll post the results in an hour or so! 
What do you do at the shop, I mean besides play with the trains! Rich.


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## norgale

The "shop" is a second hand store where I sell all the stuff people leave in their storage units. People die,go to jail,get divorced and /or just plain dissapear. When any of that happens and the storage rent doesn't get paid we can seize the contents of the storage unit for the back rent. We bring the stuff to the store and sell it. I run the store but when it's not busy like now I get to play with the trains.That's it in a nut shell.
The transformers are working just fine Rusty and they are much better that the el cheapos that I was using. I use the old ones for running lights and accessories now and yours to run the trains. That was a good buy and like you said they work fine. Thanks. pete


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## RUSTY Cuda

When will you be "on the air" storage wars & all those shows, seems to be something TV has latched onto! You could be a rock star! 
Going over to moms tomorrow, maybe I'll get an hour to sift through whats left over there, I want to bring home some paints this trip. Have a great holiday,Rich.


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## Artieiii

It's been about a week since I read this thread. You have been busy Pete. Nice work on the 2 story bridge and I love the mine especially with the lights. Great job!
-Art


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## shaygetz

Nice work on that mine...:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## norgale

RUSTY Cuda said:


> When will you be "on the air" storage wars & all those shows, seems to be something TV has latched onto! You could be a rock star!
> Going over to moms tomorrow, maybe I'll get an hour to sift through whats left over there, I want to bring home some paints this trip. Have a great holiday,Rich.


Storage Wars is somewhat whimsical in my opinion. The actual process of auctioning off the storage units that are in arears is a common practice as it's one way the property owner has of getting rid of a bad tenant and getting in a new one. The P.O. can also just throw everything in the dump too as well as sell it otherwise to dispose of it and TRY to get back some of the owed rent. This is all covered legally by a process of paper work and local filings. However finding any really valuable things in someones abandoned storage unit is pretty rare in real life. People know when they are going under finacially way before the storage property owner does. The renter will remove anything really valuable if he is physically able to (not in Jail or the hospital) and leave the rest and hope for the best. But most people being of sound mind and body won't put very valuable things in a storage unit in the first place. That stuff goes to the pawn shop or on sale in Craigs List or ebay because the people need the money.
I do find some sterling silver but mostly silver plate. I have found some diamond rings of low value and there are always a few gold pierced earings with the back missing or stones lost. Antiques are the biggest find and I have done well with those items.
If you go to a storage auction and when they actually open the door to the unit being bid on,check carefully for lots of small boxes as opposed to pieces of large furniture and a lot of big boxes. The furniture isn't going to be worth much for the most part but in all the small boxes you could find the family jewels. Small boxes will have grandma's dishes and silver along with all the little things that people save. Maybe a few coins and maybe some watches or cufflinks that could be valuable. A lot of small to medium boxes in the storage unit will yield the most value in my experience. 
If your not experienced in quickly evaluating a bunch of stuff then don't bid too much to begin with. Auctions are notorious for have a shill or two in the crowd just to bid the price up. Know your limit and stick to it. If you see something you want wait till someone else gets the high bid and then try to deal with him for the item you want.
In three years of running this store I have unloaded and sold the contents of over fourty storage units from 5x5 to 10 x 30 feet in size. I can honestly say that at least 40% of the stuff went to the dump, 40% is worth something, 18% is worth a little more and 2% is really worth some serious money. Also the more it's worth the harder it is to sell.
Determining the value of something is another part of the game. Here the internet is your best friend. Look up stuff on auctions and selling sites.Forums like this one are the best for specific kinds of items like trains or model airplanes and boats. Car forums for automobiles and parts and ebay for other more general kinds of items. Do your homework and you'll get more money for your work. Some people try and do this for a living and some just for the fun of it. Keep it in the fun category and you'll be more successful at it without breaking the family bank. Pete


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## RUSTY Cuda

Well we all know there's not a lot thats real on "reality" TV.Another reason it's great to have the trains to tinker with in the evening!
Cool to here it first hand though, I would think the "hunt" part is cool to do, never knowing what will be in the next box, like me & dad's trains. Rich.


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## New Berlin RR

meh, when ever that storage wars show comes on I just start messing with my trains, I just view (hear) it as back round noise, yes thats really all it equates to is noise for me hehe...thankfully I got my trains to work on


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## raleets

Pete,
Your value estimates of items in storage units are pretty much what I've heard from around this area.
The wife and I have rented two 10'X20' units a couple miles from our house.
They are FULL of leftovers from a closed retail business, items from the loss of both our mothers, and other odds and ends collected over the years. The TOTAL $$ value of the contents in both units MIGHT be around $5,000 if we could get what the stuff is actually worth.
In early spring, when the northern weather breaks, we plan to go nuts on CL and evilBay to cash out as much as possible then hold an auction for the rest.
Rarely are there reports of any storage unit break-ins in our area. Once in awhile some stoneheads will use one for a meth lab, but they shut them down pretty quick.
Hope the great train caper comes to a close soon.
Merry Christmas,
Bob


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## norgale

Bob do yourselves a favor and have a garage sale out of your storage unit. We let people do that and there has not been any problems. Also take some pictures and put them on Craigs List. Both these options are free so that gets you the most money. I'd use ebay as a last resort because they will get about 30% off the top of your sale plus a charge if your using Paypal to accept payment.
Main thing to remember is that the rent gets paid every month and eventually you have to decide if the stuff if worth the expense. Grandma's dishes may be nice and maybe even expensive but if your not going to take them home and use then then you may as well sell them for whatever you can get. Or give them to another member of the family. Pete


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## raleets

Pete,
Yes, your advice is well taken and we've already decided to do just that.
We've "cherry picked" what we want to keep for ourselves during our "golden years" and the rest is for sale.
No sense in paying storage fees for stuff that isn't worth storing, right?
I'm MUCH less sentimental over that stuff than my beloved of 36 years.
The next several months will be VERY interesting. :laugh: 
Bob


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## norgale

Got the track under the mountain so now there is a third loop using part of the second loop. With two trains using both these loops I'll have to be very careful that they don't both try to use the common part at the same time. Should be interesting. Here are three short videos. My movie maker won't work so there's no way for me to put them together. Anybody knows how to put these videos together please let me know. Pete


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## RUSTY Cuda

:thumbsup: Lookin good! Rich.


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## norgale

Thanks Rich. It's a lot of fun doing this stuff but I really don't appreciate the customers coming in to buy something and disturbing me when I'm working on the trains.Ha! Pete


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## RUSTY Cuda

Yea, its a shame work has to interfere with the hobbies!


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## norgale

You got that right. Pete


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## shaygetz

I see your road is as well armed as mine...INCOMING!!!!! :thumbsup:


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## norgale

Put a face plate on the tunnel entrance and need to stick some stone walls in there so you don't see the framing under the hill.








Here you can see inside the tunnel.








Raising the lower track on the hill gave the track some superelevation. Looks cool when a trains gos over it but the grade has increased some so that may be a problem.








The top level is mostly flat and would look better with some superelevation. Bottom level shows superelevation but the grade is pretty steep.


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## norgale

Working on the oil depot today. A diorama madeto fit a specific spot on the layout. I like doing this as I can work on it at my bench and not have to be leaning over the layout all the time. Still need to run the pipes to connect the tanks and the dispensing platform and that will be a lot easier on the bench rather than on the trainset. Then I'll just place the diorama on the layout table and glue it down. Pete


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## mopac

Nice oil depot Pete. Sounds like a good way to build all your different sections of the layout. I like it. Build and place.


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## New Berlin RR

looking good there, nice work!


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## tjcruiser

Hey Pete ... nice oil depot. Now where have I seen that color scheme before? Hmmm ... 

More great work on your part ... thanks for sharing!

TJ


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## norgale

Ha! I know what you mean TJ. I need to come up with something different and create some competition. So far it's completely a BGC town. Pete


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## norgale

Still fighting a darned cold but did manage to get to work today. Brought the oil depot in and placed it on the layout to see how everything fit. Roadways are a little tight but it can't be helped. Some detail to be added yet but the diorama does fit nicely into it's slot. I'll have to measure for the truck loading shed and the RR freight and passenger station for the next two scenes. The littl house next to the truck fill rackdoesn't belong there. it will be located further off that set towards the yard for refuling the locos.
















A short video of the Seminole Gulf loco cruising past the the oil dump. . Click the picture.


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## norgale

Working on the yard this weekend and it gets complicated. Trying to arrange it so trains can be sorted and made up without interfering with mainline operation. Not easy for a novice and I'm not there yet. However I'm getting tired of rearranging things here so it's coming down to "nail it and run it' or the heck with it. It's no fun if the trains don't run. ha! 
Oh ya! The oil depot got in a new fleet of trucks for deliverng grease and oil to local customers. The International stake body trucks are by Bolin and look very nice. Got 'em on ebay. Pete


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## New Berlin RR

looks like the whole town went through an over haul LOL!!! course you may want to get the police out of the freight yard thats not a good PD for them....


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## norgale

Got a new addition to the BGC fleet today and it's as clean and pretty as can be. Took a couple days to get it delivered from Ryan Link in Souix Falls but it arrived in perfect conditon and didn't have to go through any snow storms. This is the first UP on the BGC and now I need a BNSF to go with it. Thanks Ryan. Good job packing it too. pete


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## New Berlin RR

I bet my atlas BNSF would look good with that, its a DC controled unit with directional lighting hehe....nice engine!


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## norgale

That driver was going too fast with the new truck and the smokey got him right at the yard. Florida Troopers don't mess around. Once the blue light goes on your getting a ticket no matter what you say. Pete


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## sdlink

I'm glad the UP made it safely. Enjoy it and put it to good use!


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## norgale

The UP has already been streching it's legs on the mainline and doing very well thank you. Nice loco. 
Had to add another turnout on the far side so that trains would have a way to get back on the inside loop from the mainline. There was only one turnout between the mainline and the inside loop but now there are two. Seems to be working ok but have to get some cars going through it to see if it's right. pete
The turnout to the right (#2) is the new one along with it's counterpart toward the left. Connects the inner loop with the outside mainline.
















The head engineer is watching every move I make. Good dog!


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## norgale

Worked on the track this weekend and was able to iron out a few more kinks that tend to derail the locos. Wired up some more turnouts and I'm practicing running the trains while operating them (the turnouts),trying to keep from having too many collisions. Here's a short video of the new UP loco I got from Ryan Link so he can see that it is actually operating on the BGC. Pete


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## New Berlin RR

norgale said:


> That driver was going too fast with the new truck and the smokey got him right at the yard. Florida Troopers don't mess around. Once the blue light goes on your getting a ticket no matter what you say. Pete


Thats how the Polizei of the city (town) of New Berlin are also...they don't play around at all...

good work so far on the BGC, any progress on the freight cars you started a while back?


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## norgale

No time for box cars right now. I need to get the kinks out of my trackage and then I need to work on getting all the cars with good metal wheels and proper couplings. That's going to be a big job as it is without adding more to it. However there will be more box cars so hang in there. pete


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## New Berlin RR

cool, im in the slow process of converting all my cars over to the knuckles my self along with metal wheels also...so I know what you mean....


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## norgale

had a problem with this turnout being unlevel so it had to be raised. Here's a video of the problem turnout. Pete
http://youtu.be/sxJTGArbSns


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## RUSTY Cuda

Weekends over is it done yet! :laugh: Rich.


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## norgale

No it's not done yet.Got pretty busy Sunday and didn't have much time for the trains. I did get the second ramp in on the right side of the turnout and it will be ready to work with next weekend. Pete


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## RUSTY Cuda

Pesky customers messin with train time, well hopefully you made some bucks to support the habbit. Rich.


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## norgale

You got that right. The customers can't understand why I don't wait on them when I'm working on the trains. No sense of humor. Ha! Started on the next diorama at home today. This one will go next to the oil depot that was shown a couple weeks ago. The oil depot is located behind the truck terminal building in the pics but the terminal will probably not be in that exact place when it's finished. I have to add a platform to unload box cars on one side of the terminal so the trucks will use the other side. Pete


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## norgale

You can see at the lower left in the second picture an area defined with a free form pencil line. This area will be a hill. Hills,berms,trees,rocks and any kind of natural landscape feature will help to define an area of your layout so that when someone is looking at it their sight will be chanelled to one scene or another rather than a view of the whole layout all at once. A lot of railroad all at once is hard to take in so some natural landscape things will break up the view and be easier to actually see. ( This is landscaping 101)
Anyway here is my treatment to an open spot on the layout that will hide the rails that will be behind the hill. I used foam core board because I had some sheets of them that were free. I cut out several freeform shapes,each one a tad smaller than the previous one and by stacking them up you'll see a small hill is formed that when covered with drywall mud and has a few trees on it,will be a nice screen between dioramas. This is really easy to do and you can't screw it up. Even I can't screw this up. Ha! Pete


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## RUSTY Cuda

It's early on yet, murphy has yet to visit, every time I think something going well, wham, there he is! Not tryin to jinx ya here, just my story. Rich.


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## norgale

hey! Even Murphy couldn't mess this up. It's a very old method of building hills and valleys and mountains that I learned in the Cub Scouts. Just thought some of the younger guys might find it all usefull,.pete


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## RUSTY Cuda

:thumbsup: I ain't exactly one of the young ones,just a new old one, can I use it too?
Your marching right along, won't be long your layout will be in one of the mags. :thumbsup: Rich.


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## N scale catastrophe

Great idea for filling in the bare spots, thanks


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## New Berlin RR

thats part of the reason we put these ideas out there, to help others, im cooking a few ideas my self so yea I will be sharing soon when Im ready to do so 

great work so far Noregal (Pete)



RUSTY Cuda said:


> :thumbsup: I ain't exactly one of the young ones,just a new old one, can I use it too?
> Your marching right along, won't be long your layout will be in one of the mags. :thumbsup: Rich.


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## norgale

Yes you can use it too Rusty Cuda. Ha! You can use old ceiling tiles,pieces of styrofoam that arnt good for anything else,cardboard and even wood if you have some laying around. I'll post some more pics when I get the mud on it.Lots of people use this methond for mountains and hills so it isn't anything new. Just the first time I've used it on the Great Bonita Grand Central. pete


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## norgale

Brought home some drywall mud today and slapped some on the hill. kinda looks like something my dog would have left behind. Ha! Anyway I can't put too much mud on all at one time because it will crack as it dries.Best to do thin layers and let them dry in between each layer. Dries faster too when it's thin. Pete


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## tjcruiser

Mmmm ... vanilla icing. Yum!

Are you going for a smooth look when done ... sanding and dust to come?


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## norgale

I don't know yet TJ. I guess it will be what it will be. Ha! Here are a couple shots of the grass and the gravel lot for the freight yard. I put down paint fairly thick and then pour on the gravel or the grass,spread it all around and press down with the back of a spoon. The gravel or grass fibers get pushed into the paint and when it's all dry you tilt up the board and shake all the excess material off. This can be returned to it's container for future use and what's left stuck in the paint looks ok I think. Pete


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## dannyrandomstate

The grass and bushes look great!! I need to get off my rump and get busy on my stuff!


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## norgale

tjcruiser said:


> Mmmm ... vanilla icing. Yum!
> 
> Are you going for a smooth look when done ... sanding and dust to come?


I don't think any sanding will be required. Building something like this is easy because you can leave it in any condition you want. You just don't see smooth or shaped things in nature and certainlyy not a hill. I'll probably find some stones around the yard that will look ok on the hill and I need to try making some trees too. They would help a lot. Then some smaller shrubs, maybe a trail through the trees and an abandoned car or something. The hill isn't big enough for a whole lot of details. One thing I need is some stop signs. Where would I find that? pete


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## New Berlin RR

I like the progress your making on your layout!! looking great!!!


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## norgale

I think I have all the track in good working order now. Made a few final adjustments today and now the loco will run on all the track with no problems. Got some nice cars from Rusty Cuda today so tomorrow I'll put then on the rails and see how they do. Still have the yard to put together but at least now the trains can run. Pete
http://youtu.be/t3f4ZePEblk


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## norgale

A few short videos of todays train work. Pete
http://youtu.be/NP2aUnXaiqY
http://youtu.be/WteQ3ZC4ZiI
http://youtu.be/zYoc49NdiSQ
http://youtu.be/y5D4RBoMCAQ


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## RUSTY Cuda

Wow Pete, sorry bout that, tried to pack everything so it wouldn't bang on the couplers, never did pull the crane cars out though, shoulda padded the ends of the boxes, sorry.
On the colorado, are the last 2 cars different, they seem to have less of a gap, couplers mounted different? Rich.


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## RUSTY Cuda

Just watched the vidio again(the one you scanned all the cars) the rear cars are much closer together, check out the trucks & couplers see what he did there, might help adjusting the front 3. Rich.


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## norgale

Well guys it looks like the Bonita Grand Central is kaput. The place where I have the layout is being sold and the new owner wants the space I take up for rentals. So starting this weekend I will be dissassembling the layout for the second time. Looks like my happy little job is kaput too so things are about to change drasticlly for me. Don't know how this will all play out but I'll keep you informed. pete


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## Lee_R

That absolutely SUCKS!


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## RUSTY Cuda

holy crap, all that great work & even worse the job, any chance of workin something out with the new owner for some work?
Good luck, hope it all works out even better for you,Rich.


----------



## HardcoreABN

damn that sucks...what is your happy little job?


----------



## Gansett

Really sux, a double whamey, hang in there Pete.


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## norgale

Hardcore I run a store at a storage place selling stuff that renters abandone through none payment of the rent or just going off and leaving the stuff. Some die some go to jail some get divorced and just disappear. It's been a good little job but the money is terrible. The only saving grace for it was having the layout there and working on it while at work. I also have a shop area there with all my tools in it for building stuff and repairing things for sale in the store. However the new owner apparently believes that renting this space out will be a better deal for the owner and she is probably right. I havn't heard the final word on the subject yet but the hand writing is on the wall. Ha! So I'll move. What else could I do? pete


----------



## blackz28

norgale said:


> Hardcore I run a store at a storage place selling stuff that renters abandone through none payment of the rent or just going off and leaving the stuff. Some die some go to jail some get divorced and just disappear. It's been a good little job but the money is terrible. The only saving grace for it was having the layout there and working on it while at work. I also have a shop area there with all my tools in it for building stuff and repairing things for sale in the store. However the new owner apparently believes that renting this space out will be a better deal for the owner and she is probably right. I havn't heard the final word on the subject yet but the hand writing is on the wall. Ha! So I'll move. What else could I do? pete


pete , that sucks , hey i went to the family hobby store in naples & wow he has alot of stuff , i didnt get to stay long but it llooks like i might spend a couple of bucks there :thumbsup:


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## New Berlin RR

wow.....OUCH! THAT SUCKS!!!!  sorry to hear about that!! hope all goes good for you!


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## dannyrandomstate

Man. Sorry to hear about both things. When one door closes another opens. Better times are ahead.


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## norgale

Yup! You have to be positive about this sort of thing and it's not the first time this has happened to me and prolly not the last. I hate to take the layout down since I just got the track all running well. But I'm still looking for a house so who knows,maybe the next BGC will be twice as big and even DCC ---maybe. Ha! Thanks to all of you for the kind words. Good to know there are people out there that care. pete


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## norgale

blackz28 said:


> pete , that sucks , hey i went to the family hobby store in naples & wow he has alot of stuff , i didnt get to stay long but it llooks like i might spend a couple of bucks there :thumbsup:


Yes they do have a nice store there even though it's not the biggest in the world. However he does charge full retail price on things but if your in the area and need something there's nothing like getting it right now.
I thought there was a hobby store in cape Coral or maybe it isn't there anymore. I used to go to Hobby Warehouse in Ft. Myers just South of Page Field but not only is he gone but the whole building he was in is gone too. That building used to be a supermarket years ago so it wasn't a small building. Jeff had everything in that store but it's gone now. Pete


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## blackz28

norgale said:


> Yes they do have a nice store there even though it's not the biggest in the world. However he does charge full retail price on things but if your in the area and need something there's nothing like getting it right now.
> I thought there was a hobby store in cape Coral or maybe it isn't there anymore. I used to go to Hobby Warehouse in Ft. Myers just South of Page Field but not only is he gone but the whole building he was in is gone too. That building used to be a supermarket years ago so it wasn't a small building. Jeff had everything in that store but it's gone now. Pete


 it figures i get here & there isnt really any hobbie shops left , i am joining scalerails club , i have been there a few times & ran stuff its nice,


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## norgale

The BGC hasn't been disassembled yet but all the structures and rolling stock have been pulled off the table,wrapped and put into boxes for safe storage if need be. It appears that the sale of the storage place may have hit several snags so I'm hanging in there until the last gun is fired. Meantime I left the oil plant diorama on the table so it can be matched to the truck terminal diorama. Both dioramas still need trees but I havn't gotten around to that yet.
So here are a few pictures to peruse. Pete
































The trailer is one of the Bowser roadrailer kits that's for sale.








If this buggys rockin',don't bother knockin'.








Found some granit stones in my yard and spotted a few in the scene.


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## RUSTY Cuda

Aah man thats sad, hope it all turns & things get back to normal for ya, Rich.


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## New Berlin RR

looking nice....well as nice as it can be with out the trains that run the rails....hope all goes well for you man!!!


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## blackz28

yea hope it works out for you


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## norgale

I appreciate all the kind wishes guys but sometimes you just have to make a change. So the latest news is that I can stay running the store for now but it has to be reduced from 8 units down to 2. Right now I am selling everything and anything at whatever price I can get for it and no reasonable offer will be refused. This does mean that the BGC has to go. It takes up too much precious room to continue with it in the store. However I think I have it sold so I won't have to dismantal it or try and store it. Meantime I got the truck terminal to the point where I could put it on the layout with the oil storage facility and there are some pictures of this set up below.
Anyway I am now planning the Bonita Grand Central #3 inside my shed at my home.The place is full of junk right now but I'll get that cleaned out pretty fast. I've seen several layouts built in outdoor sheds so since that's the only place left for me to build in,that's where it will have to go. 
Several members here have seemed to be willing to come up with designs for layouts so maybe someone would give this one a try. The shed is 6x12 but after I put up some insulation the inside space will be about 5'6" x11'6". There will be an A/C in the wall somewhere but it won't effect where the layout goes so that won't be a problem. Access to the layout willbe through the four foot wide door and I'll have to be able to reach the left side of the layout from that area. The right side has another door that will allow access to that side if it's needed.
Here are a few pics of the dioramas and I'll post some pics of the shed tomorrow when I get home from work.


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## RUSTY Cuda

Well thats a touch of good news, at least you have work.
Are you able to keep all your rolling stock, or is everything going?


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## norgale

I'm keeping all the rolling stock and the buildings and the two dioramas. The track,turnouts and transformers that are installed on the layout will go with the table. I don't see any sense in taking all that apart after so much time and effort getting it running smoothly. I should get enough out of the deal to replace it all. So now I get to build another BGC and right at home too. That will be a switch. Ha! Pete


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## RUSTY Cuda

OK , that sounds good, well as good as curcumstances will allow, good luck with the whole deal,Rich.


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## norgale

Here are a few pics of the shed. Obviously I have some cleaning out to do but all in good time. Also a drawing of the floor plan. Don't worry about the big tank in there. That's the reservoire for my solar powered irrigation system for my plants that isn't working yet. Ha! The tank will make a nice hill or the base for a mountain or sumpin'. Pete


----------



## norgale




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## RUSTY Cuda

You got some work ahead & I thought cleaning out my sons closet was a job!
10x6 seems like a decent amount of space,my 2' tables would be workable in there, like my little room,just joined to complete the loop. I can just imagine you'll have a triple decker going on in no time! Rich.


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## norgale

You could be right Rich. I'm working on a first draft plan now and that shed doesn't have a lot of room. At least it will be right here at home so I won't have to travel to work on it. However now I may have to start building boats again too so I'll have something to do at work. Ha! Pete


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## blackz28

nice pics ,you should have nice layout, do you ever go to the scalerails layout in ft myers??


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## norgale

Didn't know there was one up there. Where is it? pete


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## blackz28

norgale said:


> Didn't know there was one up there. Where is it? pete


www.scalerails.org its a nice double deck just off 41 in ft myers open tues, saturdays


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## norgale

The BGC is coming down and the 'shop'is being disassembled and turned into a show room. No more trains and boats at work so I think I'll quit as soon as the sale of the property goes through. The new manager is an idiot anyway. I will never make another layout that is not designed to be moved. This table weighs a ton and it's going to be a big project to move it to my shed and then get it inside and set up on it's legs. Hope to have that all done by next Thursday if it doesn't rain. have to install an A/C first though. It's already getting hot and very muggy here. It was pushing 90 here today. I have a heater too just in case. Ha! Norgale


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## RUSTY Cuda

Warm up the buzz saw & cut it in sections, you can always add bracing on the cut ends when you rebuild, thinking of doing that to my 8x4, thinking about moving that up & down 2 flights a stairs with turns, well just seems easier to make it smaller & then piece it back together? Rich.


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## norgale

I need to trim off about four inches to get the table inside the shed but there's no place to do that without getting into the track. Guess I'll have to take up some track on one end and make the cut and worry about getting the track hooked back up later. The main thing is getting the table inside the shed and on four legs with the braces. I think I'll lower the table too. It's at 48 inches and thats a tad too high to work on it. All I have to do is lop off a chunk from each leg as long as they are off the table. This is not going to be an easy transition. Pete


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## RUSTY Cuda

OH sorry, didn't see any track,I thought you stripped it, that makes it more complicated.
Dads tables were about 41" high, but there was no where he had to reach more than 2'.
he was 5'10ish. I'm 6'1" & just tested, probably can't reach in more than 30" comfortably(without tearing up stuff on the edge of the table)
Maybe a removeable diorama in the center with a hatch for access? Rich.


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## norgale

The pictures are of the underside of the layout. The tracks are on the other side. pete


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## tjcruiser

Pete,

Sorry to see the layout coming apart. The new shop owner is not a train buff, I guess. But, when one door closes, another opens. I hope the shed setup offers happy horizons ahead! And no bosses except for YOU!

TJ


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## raleets

Pete,
I haven't posted yet on this totally crummy situation but, rest assured, I'm on your team.
Up here in Michigan the economy is in the tank....way below water, and it's man eat dog just to survive in many areas. As a crappy result, many folks have been put on the curb regardless of seniority, talent, or loyalty. The almighty dollar, as always, is the supreme ruler.
You, like myself, and many others on this fabulous forum are "survivors" and will figure out a way to make it work. 
Good luck in the dismantle of your layout and saving so many great goodies that I know you enjoy. 
A wise old dude once said "this too shall pass". The sun will come up tomorrow!
Bob


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## norgale

Very well said raleets and I don't intend to let any of this get me down.
Meantime today is the big day that the BGC moves to it's new quarters in my shed at home. Of course it hasn't rained here in well over a week but as soon as I got the layout on my truck it did. The first thing I did was install the AC unit in the wall. No point in putting the train in there without AC. 
Two of my neighbors came over to help and it's a good thing too. There wasn't any extra room in the shed and they both told me it wouldn't work until I sliced off more at one end. I told them I had measured the shed (big laugh there) and that the table would fit if they could get off their duffs and lift the thing into position. After a lot of grunting and groaning and some very colorful descriptive words the table slid into place without a sixteenth inch to spare. Some track got bent and one switch machine was squashed but all in all it went pretty darn well and now the trains will run at my house instead of at work. Took a few pics along the way. Now to get the legs back under it and the bracing on and then we'll see if the trains still run. Pete


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## gunrunnerjohn

Glad the trains survived the move, good luck in your new quarters.


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## norgale

Thanks John. Now the work starts getting everything set back up again. Pete


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## gunrunnerjohn

It'll keep you off the streets.


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## New Berlin RR

good luck, you may need a slight redesign of the layout/table there to give you some room, but should be a fun project still, great luck there!!!


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## raleets

Pete,
Glad you got thru the move without too many headaches. 
My wife asked me a few weeks ago if there would ever be any way to move my layout......after I picked myself off the floor from laughing I politely informed her there would be no flippin' way, since it's 10'X10' and weighs a bunch. It would require at least two strong guys on each side just to lift it off the support legs.
So, anywho, get yourself busy getting the BGC up and running as quick as possible. That will make you feel better in a jiffy.
Bob


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## gunrunnerjohn

10x10? What kind of doors do you have that you could get it out, even if you could pick it up?


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## raleets

gunrunnerjohn said:


> 10x10? What kind of doors do you have that you could get it out, even if you could pick it up?


GRJ,
The building is 30'X40' with two roll-up garage doors. One of them is 16' wide, so no sweat there.
Now, once we got it out into the driveway, what then?
Not to worry 'cause that sucker isn't goin' anywhere soon! 
Bob


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## tjcruiser

I'm happy to see the layout in its new home, Pete. Good luck with the rebuild!

TJ


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## RUSTY Cuda

Looks like you got alot accomplished in a fairly short time, how big was that, looks like you had to take off quite a bit on the one end,4 x12? 
Good luck with the all new BGC, Rich.


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## norgale

Rusty the table was 4x12 and after measuring the inside of the shed I had to remove three inches off one end. It did cut into the outside track but on the other end it would have cut into the coal track way more. I'll start the repairs tomorrow and see what needs to be done to get the trains running again. I do like the idea of being able to work on the layout here at home. Pete


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## norgale

raleets said:


> GRJ,
> The building is 30'X40' with two roll-up garage doors. One of them is 16' wide, so no sweat there.
> Now, once we got it out into the driveway, what then?
> Not to worry 'cause that sucker isn't goin' anywhere soon!
> Bob


Maybe the wife is telling you that your going to be moving. Ya never know. Ha! Pete


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## dannyrandomstate

Let me know what you need to fix as far as your track goes. I've got a bunch of track switches that I will not be using. I'm sending ya mail anyways!


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## norgale

Guess I missed this post Danny. I won't need anything for right now but I do appreciate the offer. My table fits into the shed ok but there are too many places I can't reach so I'll have to cut access into the middle of the table and widen the ends to six feet from four. Won't be a total rebuild but it will tear a few things up. Soon as I get a few things done I'll post some pictures. Pete


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## blackz28

pete last week i found the only ft myers real trainshop CALLED * AWESOME TRAINS *off of 41 , i never knew it was there until my son came down & he found a buisness card so we checked it out , nice stuff big too


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## dannyrandomstate

No worries Pete. The offer still stands though. Whenever ya need it.


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## norgale

The BGC just didn't afford me the room that I need to work in it's present location. So I had to do a little minor surgery on the layout so that this fat boy can reach all the far corners because if I couldn't reach a spot that's where the problems will be in the future. After a few hours of sawing and cutting and banging and chopping I made room for me and for recreating this cursed railroad. If I have to move it again it will be with C-4 explosives. That should register on the government survaillance computer. Ha!
No videos today but here are a few pics. Got my boats in the train room for lack of any other place to put them. pete


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## rrgrassi

WOW!!! Something made by Quasar that is still operational!!


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## RUSTY Cuda

Your gonna need a BIG lake in those cutouts, then you can float your boats while railroading!


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## norgale

rrgrassi said:


> WOW!!! Something made by Quasar that is still operational!!


A friend gave that AC to me back in 1996 and it had already been around for awhile. I havn't used it in ten years and could have sold it a hundred times over but I didn't. Now I'm glad I saved it and it works great in the shed. I can drop the temp to 65 in about an hour if it gets too hot. Pete


----------



## norgale

RUSTY Cuda said:


> Your gonna need a BIG lake in those cutouts, then you can float your boats while railroading!


We have a decent little pond on the property here but I havn't had any of my boats in the water in two or three years now. I keep saying I'm gonna go float one every once in awhile but so far I havn't had the ambition. Ha! Meantime they will have to be shelf queens for now. Pete


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## norgale

Got this roadrailer trailer and just got the bogy that goes at the fron of the first trailer with the coupler to hook it to the train. My engine has the wrong coupler on it but I'll fisx that soon enough. Can't wait to try this rig on the tracks. Got some couplermates and some roadrailers listed under Retail Deals on the classified threads if anyone is interested. pete


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## norgale

Here is the latest on the Bonita Grand Central. Still a ways to go before the trains run again but I'm working on it. Pete


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## norgale

Got some more track laid today and now it's time for the bridges. Need to go back to the drafting table for the drawing part.. Got a little warm here yesterday. Pete






































Pete


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## RUSTY Cuda

I would have had that a/c blastin once it hit 75 or so. Was 30 somethin here today, spring what spring??????? 
what did you end up with as a table shape? cubby holes? Rich.


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## norgale

I ended up with the 'L' shaped cut out and it's working ok. I can reach 90% of the layout from inside the shed and the other 10% through the side door from outside.
Normally I would have had the AC working too but it was very low humidity that day and a nice breeze so i didn't need it. I'll need it after a few more weeks though. Ha!
Got some more work done on the bridges today. Nice to not have to work so I can play with my trains all day. Anyway here are a few more pictures of the bridge under construction. There will be two bridges total. Pete


----------



## norgale

Got into the bridges this afternoon and here's what's done so far. Pete


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## RUSTY Cuda

Pete , whats the idea here, are they going to be removable for access or just crawl under, or are the just bridges over a future lake or river? Rich.


----------



## norgale

No lakes no rivers. The opening is for operating the trains and getting in and out of the shed. The bridges will be removable and I still have to come up with a way to power the tracks on the bridge that is easy to connect and disconnect. I have no idea how that will work yet. I'm just winging it for now, making it up as I go so to speak and next will be the truss sides to the bridges so they won't sag in the middle.Pete


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## RUSTY Cuda

I have to do the same for the lighting on my cubby hole cover, gonna look through my furnace harnesses. I'll show you what I come up with, if I find more that one, if you like the idea I'll send you one, there all scrounged for older unit emergency repairs,I think I used one in the last 10 years! Rich.


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## norgale

Thanks Rich. I'd be interested in what you come up with. I save things like that too. Got a shed full of things I'll never use but you never know. . Ha! Pete


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## norgale

Here is one of the two bridges,not quite finished but you can see what it looks like. The other bridge will be different I think. Pete


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## norgale

More work on the bridges. This is the second one. Click on the pic for a short video. 


Here there are three layers of wood to form the arch.









The arches are set on the bridge base. Next comes the cross braces for the arches.









Now the arches are glued to the base and the cross braces are also glued
on.


----------



## joed2323

Wow, that is a sweet looking bridge you are building.

What type of wood are you using for the arches?

I like how this bridge is turning out, i cant wait to see more.


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## norgale

Thanks Joed. The arches are strips of bass wood. Easy to bend and sand and glue. The base is red oak that I happen to have as are the cross ties. The flat wood across the ties is a piece of thin plywood that I found and that also works great for raised roadbeds. Something to tack the track to. Pete


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## tjcruiser

Ohh ... I'm likin' those arches. "Sexy" is the word that comes to mind! (blush blush...) 

TJ


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## norgale

You dirty old man! Leave my arches alone. They're too young for the drive-in. Ha!


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## wingnut163

nice bridge. like to see it when its done.

???????? please, cork road bed on a bridge?????


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## norgale

I used the cork roadbed because the wood under the cork came out just even with the table top where the bridge will set. The track approaching the bridge is all on roadbed so I need roadbed on the bridge to match the approach track level.
So why not? Holds the track nails well and they go into the wood bed underneath just enough to hold it all in place. Pete


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## norgale

Got some holes drilled and some string attached tonight. The string is just common construction nylon line. Has a nice prominent twist to it and after it's painted it will look like steel cables---I hope. Pete


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## RUSTY Cuda

:thumbsup: Thats a nice piece of work, watching you guys is starting to make me feel like a beginer, Oh thats right I am! :laugh:
Lookin great , Rich.


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## gunrunnerjohn

You trying to take away the title of master bridge builder? That's going to be a neat looking bridge!


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## norgale

Bridges are a special item for a real railroad or a model one. They come in all shapes and sizes and generally no two are exactly alike so you can let your imagination run wild and nobody could say you were wrong. There are five pages of bridge doodles in the throne room where I do all my thinking and neither bridge resembles the doodles too much. I guess you could say the design just appears as you go along. I like arches and suspension bridges and although both bridge bases are the same I didn't want them both to look the same. The big thing is working with the material that you have or can beg, borrow or steal. The problem here is getting power to the bridge track and still have the bridges removable. Haven't figured that out yet. Thanks for the compliments guys. Much appreciated. pete


----------



## JerryH

Take a look at post 31(HO-Granite Gorge and Northern) on how I handled powering the rails on a removable bridge. You can put the connectors just under the deck at the end of the span to hide them from normal view. You don't have mid span piers to hide them in like I do.


----------



## tjcruiser

Hey Pete,

Check out the real-life bridge ...










I think it's the "Ogatayama Bridge".

Look familiar?!?

TJ


----------



## norgale

This is what I mean by saying no two bridges are built exactly the same. I've never seen this picture before nor any other picture like it, yet here is a real bridge that's very similar to what I came up with. You really can't go wrong no matter how you build your bridge. I see the date is wrong on the picture. Just fixed the camera. Also there could be a roadbed for that bullet train on that bridge. Kinda looks like it. Pete


----------



## Big Ed

Nice work of art there Pete, :thumbsup: are you going to lay the track just on the timbers or are you planning on using the piece of wood you have there?

TJ.......that site doesn't like you doing that.
Though their copyright dates are not up to date. 

Here this is from their site on photo usage,
http://www.railpictures.net/usage/


Edit, that is good now that you changed the picture, now everyone's thinking, what is Ed talking about. 
Your welcome.


----------



## Gansett

Beautiful work Pete.


----------



## DonR

Norgale

Beautiful workmanship.

How about a mini plug attached under your roadbed and a
matching jack in the bridge support on one end...automatically
powered when you replace the bridge.

My brother had a near miss when he had his bridge out...
wifey's timely yell saved his F7 from a bruised nose.
He's gonna insulate a track section either side of the
bridge with a auto switch of some sort that kills the
circuit in the insulated sections when the bridge is out.

There are a couple of bridges on I-24 in Kentucky that are
near yours in design.

Don


----------



## DonR

That's I-24.


----------



## Big Ed

Pete.....you are now famous.

I did a picture Ogatayama bridge search and this came up, look down towards the bottom of the pictures.

YOUR BRIDGE IS THERE.:thumbsup:
http://search.comcast.net/?q=Ogatayama+Bridge&cat=images


----------



## RUSTY Cuda

:thumbsup:Thats cool, when you click on the pic it's a link top the post!:thumbsup:


----------



## norgale

Holy Cow! hard to believe that my misfit bridge would show up like that. Pretty cool I think. I also did a search for that bridge and came up with no more pictures but found that the train in the picture is a mag-lev train and is in operation now. Then I saw another arch bridge that is really cool. The bridge or the arch I should say, goes at a 90 degree angle to what it's holding up-- a highway in this case.
http://www.tokyorope.co.jp/eg/english/new_pws/images/br01-06.jpg


----------



## tjcruiser

You're right, Pete ... 1001 ways to hold up a roadway / railway!


----------



## norgale

Here are the two bridges together positioned about where they will be installed. Both need more trim and detail work but this is how they will look. Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Impressive work Pete, and I see you even flipped the cork right side up for one of the shots.


----------



## norgale

I didn't even notice the upside down cork John. I just stuck it in there for effect so it's not glued down yet. I still have to get the approaches right on both ends of both bridges and hook up some power for the bridge track so it will be awhile before the track and roadbed are secured to the bridge. No matter how much gets done there are always a few odds and ends to tie up before the job is finished if it ever is. Ha! Pete


----------



## tjcruiser

Pete,

Bridges are looking quite nice. One suggestion for the arch bridge, if I may ...

When you anchor the arch bridge to your finished layout, consider carrying (extending) the arch beams themselves over to whatever land foundation you'll have. If this were a true arch bridge, those arches would need to be anchored / terminated into a large footing / foundation (rather than just ending in mid air).

Just food for thought ...


TJ


----------



## norgale

I know what you mean Tj but the bridge has to be removable so I'll have to think about this. The arch does end on the big beam underneath the whole thing but it could use some more anchoring. See what I can do. Thanks for the input. pete


----------



## norgale

Getting the back curve lined up and the risers in place. Got some of the roadbed glued down too.

That little bridge is lightly glued and the track and roadbed will hold it in place. From the right side of the far bridge to the next bridge will all be flex track.

Working on the railroad is hot work and the BGC crew has gone to take a break. The AC in my caboose (shed) got the temp down to 75 in about an hour so it wasn't bad out there tonight.


----------



## Big Ed

Nice work on the bridges. :thumbsup:

I think 2 (twin) cable bridges would look better along side of each other.
Use the other one somewhere else?
Make the other one a pedestrian bridge?

Nice work Pete, can't wait to see it finished. :thumbsup:
(With the paint/weathering.)


----------



## Southern

Thanks for posting your work I like it.


----------



## norgale

Thank you Southern. Nobody ever said that before. I appreciate it. Pete


----------



## norgale

Cleaned up the East fourty today. It's amazing how many nooks and crannies I found to stash stuff. Anyway this is where the tracks are heading after they go over the bridges.

Over the river and through the woods to Grandmothers house we go, 'cause she has the booze. Your right Ed, the two don't really look good together. Tough patootie for now though.

Darn! Here comes Casey Jones and the track ain't done yet.


----------



## RUSTY Cuda

Can I borrow your imagination for a month or so, 
I like how you cross track, go over & under,like there actually going somewhere.:thumbsup: 
maybe some day I'll gragiate from paddywon to apprentice! Rich.


----------



## norgale

Ha! Not to worry Rich,your doing fine. You got to remember that this is the fourth time I've done this same railroad in four years and believe me I'm still learning stuff. Nobody gets it right the first time but each time you make a change you learn something new. Take your time and be patient. You are really doing very well considering this is your first RR. I already made a bunch of mistakes so I'm passing that on to you.
Incidentally if you could see my drawings for each remodel job you'd see that half of what's on the table isn't on the drawings. Ya make it up as you go along. Pete


----------



## RUSTY Cuda

Till the other nite it was mostly quility time , between the upper loop problems & the UP going down again it was time to make a change,complicated becomes work instead of play. 
KISS must rule for now, I have enough challanges just to get the track smooth & level, those trestles would have been a nightmare, so plan B (Yea like I had a plan A):laugh: is going into action!  Rich.


----------



## norgale

Every change is a learning experience. Have at it guy. Pete


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## shaygetz

That arch bridge is just sweet...gonna hafta abscond the design for my cieiling track...:thumbsup:


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## norgale

You just help yourself Shay. Glad you like it but on the ceiling? How you gonna reach it? pete


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## shaygetz

norgale said:


> You just help yourself Shay. Glad you like it but on the ceiling? How you gonna reach it? pete


I'm 6'2" and the loop will be @ 7'...


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## norgale

WOW! They pile it plenty high out there in de bayou country.


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## RUSTY Cuda

Pete, you hittin the Vino again, though I was seeing doulble there!


----------



## norgale

I need this thread back near the front so I can find it. Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

Post more updates, it'll stay closer to the front.


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## norgale

I know John but I was looking for some pictures for Rusty Cuda. I'm not working on the BGC because there's a good chance all the trains will be sold for my bankruptcy. No sense in building something that may go out the door. However I am doing some planning for another new BGC or a continuation of the existing one if it doesn't have to be sold. Since bankruptcy is a federal case involving the federal government you can imagine how long it takes to get something done. They don't answer any questions either at least not yet. It's only been three months so far and $2000 that I don't have so it's a learning experience for the most part. The next step is an appraisal of my --ahh estate-- such as it is. They really do send people to look at your stuff and that happens on September 11th. Then we get the preliminary evaluation from the bankruptcy court sometime in November. After that it's up for grabs. Only the feds can take 75 typed pages and 8 months to determine that your broke. I already told them that but I guess they don't believe me. Ha! Pete


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## trainguru

Pete, I'm sorry to hear that! If you'd like to have help to keep the government from butchering the BCG, you know we could hold things until life is better for you. I guess you could compare it to the penny auctions that helped save neighbor's farms in the Great Depression. You've been doing such wonderful work, that it would be a pity to let the Government just chuck it into the trash if it doesn't sell. I honestly hope things get better for you Pete; God bless and have a good day.


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## norgale

Thanks for that Guru. It is a pain in the butt but it's necessary to protect my home and truck. However what most people don't know about bankruptcy is whatever you get out of paying is added to your income for the year and you get to pay income tax on it. So the more they sell my stuff the more they have to pay my creditors and the less I'll have to pay taxes on. The whole thing gets inventoried and whatever they take is deductible. I may get back what they don't sell or they might take nothing at all. I just have to wait to find out. I do appreciate the concern. Pete


----------



## norgale

It's been awhile since I posted on the BGC but I havn't been idle. I'm looking into putting DCC on the BGC and that has taken some study. I've had a lot of help and good advice from the people here on the forum and people from other forums too. For what it's worth Digitrax seems to be the best all around stuff to use and they offer great instructions and diagrams for setting their stuff up. It's all online too so it's free. http://www.digitrax.com/static/apps/blockslider/images/panel_newproducts.jpg
The appraiser has been and gone and she was stupefied at what to do with all my boxes of stuff. Supposedly she was to write down every thing I owned and then evealuate each and every item. However when she saw all the stuff I have with boxes of train stuff and many boxes of everything from my fathers training book from Sheepshead Bay Navy boot camp to the door handles for a 1935 Packard she decided it would take a very long time to do this appraisal and decided to inquire of the trustee if he wanted to spend the money for her to spend two days going through all my stuff. So there it sits and now the government is out of business and since this is a federal case it could go on for a very long time. I also mentioned that should she be sent back to go through everything she should wait until it gets cooler because there is no way I'm spending all that time to rummage through my stuff in 100 degree heat inside that storage unit.
Another thing I found out is that I do not have to pay income tax on any debt that isn't compensated for. I don't remember where I read that but I was wrong according to the appraiser.
Anyhoo, now that it's only getting to 90 at the peak of the day I can start to get the BGC ready for it's further progress. I have also found out that anything I purchase AFTER I file the bankruptcy is not included in the appraisal so I can now continue to get new stuff and keep building what I started. I can also buy back anything the feds take at the appraised price if I chose to do so. I'm keeping my train stuff as much as I can afford so that's a good thing. I can refuse to give them anything I want as long as I can pay for it. Ha! What a twist of fate.
So today I will start cleaning off the layout table which is a shambles and get ready to lay more track.
I've been thinking about the yard I want on the layout and this morning I was reading through a November 1994 issue of MR and found a nice yard that Jim Chukinas designed and built for his shelf layout. I hope Jim doesn't mind if I post a picture of his yard here for anyone who is looking for some guidance in designing a yard. It looks to be a fun design with lots of switching, backing and forwarding and even a turntable to turn your engines around. It can be stretched or shortened to fit a lot of spaces and isn't complicated for wiring. It's not DCC but it could be with very little effort and expense. 
Well here we go with the BGC again. See what happens next. Pete


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## dannyrandomstate

I really like that design. It took a second for the design of the legs/supports to sink in. Looks like it would make for some good running.


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## RUSTY Cuda

And I thought my switching was a bit tricky! that should be fun to operate.
I was over at Moms today, just brought home a few more copies of MR to browse through & a little drill surprise for the man with too many drills, I'll post that up over at my saga. Rich.


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## DonR

It's another very creative version of that old somewhat simpler
switching area using crossings. I have long admired it and
wished I had a place for it. There is something special about
a crossing on a layout...i have several pieces but, sigh, they're in
a drawer.

Don


----------



## norgale

I like the crossings too and I have several but never seem to be able to fit them int my layout. This plan looks like I can get the crossings in no problem. Pete


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## norgale

The BGC is a little messed up right now. Gotta get the crew off their butts and to work. 



Need some boxes to pack all this junk up and get rid of it. Pete


----------



## Lee_R

Tell 'em that just because the Government's shut down doesn't mean THEY are shut down!


----------



## RUSTY Cuda

Cleaning lady on strike! 
Put the apron on & do it yourself!


----------



## norgale

Cleaning lady? Ya,right! Have to go get some boxes first. Need something to put all this junk in. I'll give it the government people.


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## RUSTY Cuda

Whats the holdup, nap times over 
need to steal some of your ideas, get back to work! :laugh:


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## norgale

hey it's been almost 90 everyday lately. gets cool at night but the days are still HOT and I'm not doing anything in this heat that I don't have to do by law. Ha! I'll see what I can do tonight. Pete


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## norgale

I just went out to the shed and it's still 86. Forget it.


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## RUSTY Cuda

Wow, I couldn't live there, actually been bringing a jacket in the am's, haven't used it yet but there's a nip in the air. made it to around 70 today, I love this time of year, too bad soon the snows will be coming, at least you don't have to deal with that.  Rich.


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## norgale

I would give my right arm to "have to deal with snow". I could hook up my space heater and be very comfy in my shed working on the trains. It's nine o'clock right now and it's still 81 out there. Unfortunatly NCIS is on and then NCISLA so tonight is shot to heck. Try again tomorrow. Ha! Pete


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## norgale

So it's a new day and at 12:00 it's 87 degrees. Just can't be working on the railroad in this heat and humidity. Come onnnnnnnnnn winter. Ha! Pete


----------



## gustovski

wow so much has happened since i went on last!!!


----------



## norgale

Where have you been Gus? Long time no hear from. Pete


----------



## gustovski

been busy with school


----------



## norgale

Sorry Gus but I've been distracted lately with stupid financial problems. However I'm getting through them and starting to feel like working on the BGC again. Hope school is going ok for you. What school are you at? 
Anyway I started to build some building for the BGC town which doesn't have a name yet. Here are a few pics of the first one so far but i can't decide what this building should be used for. I have plans for a bigger hotel/casino/saloon which will be called the Wynn. Hope ol' Steve doesn't mind. I could use some suggestions for this first one though. Anybody???? Pete


----------



## RUSTY Cuda

Good to see you back in action, now I'm guessing here but you going with a western town? 
If so that might make a good sheriffs office/jail house :dunno:


----------



## gustovski

maybe a gunsmith if ur going all ol' western on us
so excuse im gonna go smash some sarsaparilla like a six shooter cowboy yee ha!


----------



## norgale

I usually try for the fifties era as that's where you can still find these old buildings and a steamer or two along with more modern stuff and the diesels. There are still a lot of towns with buildings from the 1800's all over the place so ya, a western town in the fifties is what I'll probably end up with.
A sheriffs office ,that's good, maybe with a gibit out back and a new Crown Vic out front. Ha! Ok what else? Pete


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## wingnut163

general store!


----------



## wingnut163

Hunter11Rilley said:


> Wearing the hair wigs is really cool and I have no need to go to the salon and have my hair cut. Thus I can free try different hair style as well and recentlt I just bought the womens wigs and it gave me a different feeling than before.



:thumbsdown::thumbsdown::thumbsdown::smilie_daumenneg::smilie_auslachen:
think he is on the wrong form?????:dunno:


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## RUSTY Cuda

I was waiting for Pete's reaction  maybe some wigs on the HO people. 
look at the time, someone's got nothing better to do :dunno:


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## norgale

YEEEEEOOOOOOWWWWW! Guess he is on the wrong forum. Wonder who he's writing to and how good does he feel with a woman's wig on? Maybe a see through blouse and a short skirt too with three inch heels. WOW! Maybe I'd better quit while I'm still a member here. Ha! Pete

Gotta be spam.


----------



## dannyrandomstate

I saw that earlier and was skeptical on having a wig store on the layout.


----------



## norgale

Shades of the Midnight Cowboy. Maybe I should make it a ladies dress shop. Maybe J. Edar will stop in. Ha!


----------



## dannyrandomstate

norgale said:


> Shades of the Midnight Cowboy. Maybe I should make it a ladies dress shop. Maybe J. Edar will stop in. Ha!


HAHAHAHAH!!!!!:laugh:


----------



## norgale

OK this guy or girl is selling wigs. I'm not interested so could a mod shut this guy or girl down? Gee, where are the mods when ya need one? Pete


----------



## RUSTY Cuda

Heck of a place to try & hawk womens wigs :retard:
I'm sure at least half of us now have it on our favorites list! 

Pete, so hows the building commin along, build the outhouse yet?


----------



## norgale

Hey,an outhouse. hadn't thought of that yet. Good idea. I'm building the windows and the doors right now and getting some paint applied. Balsa really sucks up the paint so it may take three coats. Pete
I think the wig guy or girl is gone now. I hope.
The general store idea from wingnut is a good one. I'll have to name it "Wingnut's General Store". Bet ya never seen one of them before. Ha!


----------



## norgale

Got some more paint on Wingnut's General Store and the windows and doors are in the works. Started the two story hotel/casino too. Pete


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## wingnut163

thanks, nope never seen that,, make sure they stock plenty of wing nuts.


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## norgale

Scoring the boards with a pencil on the front panel of the hotel. The back of the panel is covered with card stock to hold the 1/16th balsa from breaking. The card stoack is glued to the wood so it stays there permanently.

Front panel stained


----------



## norgale

Side panels with index cards glued on the back for reinforcement.

Sides stained and windows cut.


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## RUSTY Cuda

Are you making your own window frames? If so post up some pics I'd like to see that, small wood gives me a hard time!


----------



## norgale

I am making my own windows and frames but yaa it's a pita all the way. I can never find premade windows of the size that I need so i just make my own. I'll take a few shots of the hotel windows and post them. Might help. Pete


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## norgale

This is a pic of the windows and doors for the General Store. The doors are awful and will be done over. The two windows are ok but one is crooked so it will be done over too. Hard part is getting everything straight and square and use the right size lumber or cut what you need. The doors are bad because the lumber I used is too big for that application. 
Windows are glazed with a piece of clear plastic glued on the inside.


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## RUSTY Cuda

like the rafters on my house, hard to get em all exactly the same when cutting freehand, keep practicing right, sooner or later you'll have enough for the buildings!


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## norgale

It's just that no matter how many times I cut the boards they are still too short.


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## norgale

Gluing 'The Wynn' together.


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## California RailFan508

Looks pretty sharp, norgale.


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## norgale

Thanks Railfan. How are you coming along with your designing? That's always the hard part for me. Once I get building though I love it. Pete


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## norgale

When I finish this building I'm sending a picture of it to the Wynn. Hope Steve has a good sense of humor. Ha! 
Anyway the floors are made and painted flat black and now I'll have to figure out a way to put some lights in there. Need to get the top floor porch on too. 



The left wall isn't glued yet. Will have to get inside for the lights.


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## RUSTY Cuda

A little texas holdem when your on break? :smokin:
Lookin good , they might use you in a commercial!


----------



## norgale

I said Iwould show you how I make my windows and here is the first installment.
First of course you need an opening in a wall for the window to fit into. I have cut all the openings in advance and although they are not exactly equal in sixe the opening can be sanded or filed to fit the window.
I take a piece of the material that I'll use to build the windows and measure it for the left and right sides of the window.

Next I cut a piece of scrap the same length as the measured part for the right side of the window. Left and right must be the same length.

Next I build a little jig for the measured length of window frame and start cutting. In this case there are 12 windows of this size so I'll need 24 pieces this length.

Then I install two frame pieces into the window opening (not glued) and measure the bottom piece. The top is the same length.

Next I add a piece of scrap to the first jig leaving it intact,to make a second jig and cut 24 pieces the new length.

Now I can start building the frames. Take one long frame piece and tack it down so it won't move.

Then I put a puddle of glue on the board and dip one end of a short frame piece in it and place it at the top of the long frame piece.




Last thing is to complete the frame and square it up then put another pin to hold the whole thing together. After the frames dry you can pop them off the board with a hobby knife but be careful not to break any fame members. That's why you have left the cutting jig in place,in case you break something you can quickly cut a new piece.
After the glue has dried I sand the tops and bottoms even and also sand the face and back of the frames to make them nice and smooth.
Next up we will look at building the outside frames and glazing the windows. Pete

The outside frames on the windows are the trim that you see outside and it gives the frame a stop when putting it into the opening. I used some 3/32nd walnut strips I had from a boat kit that are a tiny bit too wide but what the hey, back in the day you had to use what you could get for lumber. Anyway I made a jig just like before to cut all the trim pieces,glued them on the frames and then trimmed and sanded the sides. Some of the top pieces are a little out of square but that's because the carpenters were in the saloon for lunch and had a few beers before Mr. Wynn came along and got them back to work. I think the out of square pieces give the building some character. Ha! Pete




Got the bottom and second floors glued in and a couple of lights started.


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## RUSTY Cuda

Ok nice work, got a little trick for you, (if you don't already know & like your way better) :dunno: put a piece of waxed paper underneath the work, pin right thru it then you just have to clean the glue off the work, won't stick to the board.


----------



## norgale

I used to do that when I made the stick and tissue model planes but I can't find my wax paper. So what you see is all I got. Ha! Pete


----------



## RUSTY Cuda

Like me, work with what's on hand  I'll wrap you next shipment in some for ya! 
ooops, they are already boxed up! ok next next shipment!


----------



## santafealltheway

Did you carve the grooves in that your self?


----------



## RUSTY Cuda

I posted before you put all the pics up, trim is cool & yes, whatever was around, I know, my house was built in 23 , somehow it's still standing!


----------



## norgale

santafealltheway said:


> Did you carve the grooves in that your self?


The groves were put in by dragging a sharp pencil across a straight edge. Balsa scores very easily but other woods that are harder would need something like a screw driver blade to make a good impression. Good question Santa Fe,thanks for asking. pete


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## norgale

Wingnut's General Store is just about finished. Got the light working and the only thing left is the sign when I make them again. Pete


----------



## RUSTY Cuda

:thumbsup: lookin good! :thumbsup:


----------



## norgale

I think I'm going to change the modus operendi of the Bonita Grand Central to something that better reflects the local business environment. Since all we have here for industry is tourism and Hertz car rental you'll find that the most popular and lucrative activity is selling drugs. We have acres of pot growing everywhere from peoples back yards to rural fields and of course grow houses. Then we have meth labs in private homes all over the place which are easy to recognize from the pile of ashes after the labs blow up and the house burns down. They need a steady supply of raw materials.We have a very active cocaine trade going on requiring boats and airplanes which could connect with trains to haul the little blocks to the local distributors. There could be Highball Express passenger service for those who are escaping to the North after being 'made' selling dope and for bringing back the little blocks that don't get swept up by the Coast Guard from ports on the East coast. Then there could be the Colorado Eagle back in business hauling potheads out to Denver for buying legal maryjane which they can smoke on the train on the way home. Be the happiest train going I would think.
The local town could be entirly made up of the sheriffs offices with a huge jail and the biggest parking lot for parking the 500 police cruisers needed for tracking down all the illegal activity but not discovering much at all. WE need a good hospital too for taking and treating all the gunshot people and the drive by machine gunnings that happen about every night. Of course we'll need a large junk yard and a fleet of wreckers for hauling the wrecks of high people who just can't see that 100 mph through town is just too fast.
I-75 is the main artery for running drugs to other places on the West coast of Florida so a train to Miami would take about half the cars off that road and thereby reduce the number of high speed wrecks that occur out there almost everyday. That one train would help a lot.
I guess you can see where I'm going here and the BGC may as well get some of the action and some of the millions of dollars that go through here in a constant stream. No checks or credit cards either. cash only is the only way to pay. No taxes either. Sounds great to me. Ha! Pete


----------



## RUSTY Cuda

Wow! did they clockwork orange you to the news channel.


----------



## norgale

Well I have to admit all that drug stuff was a result of tonight's news. I swear if it wasn't for speeding wrecks and drive by shootings and pot arrests and two kids getting shot with birdshot by two other kids just walking by with a shot gun there just wouldn't be any news at all. Where do you see two young kids walking down the street with a loaded shot gun. Then,after shooting the other two kids they calmly walked home where they were captured by the police using a K9 dog. Not only are these kids stupid they are just plain morons. And this is every day stuff around here. ( The shot up kids are ok and just had to have the shot picked out of their face and arms and legs at the hospital.)
There are four local places that have shooting ranges and give classes for a concealed carry permit and they are over run with customers. $100 for the class and it takes one hour and then another hour to qualify on the range. They sell $500 pistols and $1500 rifles all day long along with thousands of rounds of ammo. There is no telling how many people are walking around with a gun and I don't blame them one bit. I'll be getting my permit pretty soon and I already have a pistol.
Drugs are killing us around here. Is it like that everywhere? Pete


----------



## RUSTY Cuda

Well not everywhere, but it seems more & more places are overrun. 
Maybe it also has to do with the endless news cycle, you don't just see your main city anymore it's the whole worlds bad news, some day I have to sit & count, but seems like the ratio of bad to good is like 100 to 1, guess good news isn't interesting enough. :dunno:
Keep Bonita Grand Central a happy place  don't wanna turn off the news, go out to relax & play with the trains & look at a cop scene cleaning up after a drive by!


----------



## Gansett

Good news doesn't sell or get high ratings.


----------



## wnewbury

Youtube says your video is private. Won't let me watch it.


----------



## norgale

Don't feel bad Newbury I can't watch my videos either. Some how Google has taken over Youtube and I can't post comments any more without resigning in and when I put my password in it won't work. Google has screwed up my Yahoo and my Youtube and so far I havn't figured out how. All my videos used to be public and now they are all private and I didn't change them. I'm so sick of screwing with these people I'm about to go off line for ever and I'm going to take my computer outside and run over it with my Dodge truck. pete


----------



## norgale

Finally got the material for the windows. I wanted clear plastic but could only get some that was a little opaque so it will have to do. I drew out the windows on paper first and then printed the widows onto the plastic. Came out ok I think. Now I'll cut the windows out and glue them on the backside of the frames. With the lights on inside the building the windows should look ok.---I hope. Pete


----------



## raleets

Hey,Pete,
What kind of lights are you using inside the buildings?
If you want it to look slightly "yellowish" you might try giving the bulbs a coat or two of clear orange water based paint.
Somebody on the forum suggested this a year or two ago and I've done it to all my interior LED bulbs before installation. When you turn out the lights the interiors look pretty darned natural.
Good luck,
Bob


----------



## norgale

I'm using grain of wheat bulbs at 12 volts. That's a good suggestion Bob and I'll take a look at doing that after I try this out. Since the plastic is opaque I don't know how much light it will let though. The yellow tint is nice though,more natural looking. Pete


----------



## norgale

Ok here are the lights. What do you think,to yellow or not to yellow,that is the question. pete


----------



## raleets

Pete,
Strictly my opinion, but if it were mine I would give the bulbs at least one or two coats of Floquil clear orange acrylic paint.
You will more than likely need two coats because that stuff is watery thin, but it dries pretty quick. This will give it a nice "yellowish" cast.
Good luck,
Bob


----------



## norgale

How about some Testors orange in enamel? Would that work? I don't have any acrylics. Pete


----------



## raleets

Pete,
Can't give you an honest answer on that one 'cause I've only used the acrylic stuff.
Why not do a "tester" with the Testor's? Paint one bulb, stick it behind the window, turn out the lights and see how it looks. If it's not right then use some paint thinner to remove the paint and you're back to square one.
Virtually all craft stores sell acrylic paints......Michael's, Hobby Lobby, Jo-Ann's, etc.
Good luck,
Bob


----------



## DonR

Or you could cut the yellow bulbs out of one of those cheapo Christmas strings of
small series lights. Two of my strings burned out this year so I'll have a
bunch of bulbs to use. Gotta find what voltage each is tho.

Don


----------



## norgale

Don if they are LED's I think they are about 1.5 volts and need a resistor to keep them from blowing out. Test with a AA battery. They are 1.5 volts. 
Bob the lights are already installed in the building but I can try some other paint and see what happens. Can't really hurt anything. I'll try red and if it works I'll rename it the Mustang Ranch. Ha! Pete


----------



## raleets

Pete,
Funny you should mention the Mustang Ranch.
It so happens that I own an authentic desk bell from the world's most famous chicken coop. 
They were placed on the front registration desk and were used by "guests" to alert the Madam-in-Charge of a new arrival.
It has a very pleasant, soft tone. Guess they wanted their "guests" to be relaxed prior to rendering services. 
Bob


----------



## Gansett

Can one be so rude to ask how you got that bell? PM me if you wish. hwell:


----------



## norgale

Wasn't it the Mustang that the IRS took over for back taxes and went bankrupt running it?
Proved once again that the US Government can't run anything at a profit. Pete


----------



## norgale

JackC said:


> Can one be so rude to ask how you got that bell? PM me if you wish. hwell:


WOW! I'd like to know too.Ha!


----------



## raleets

JackC said:


> Can one be so rude to ask how you got that bell? PM me if you wish. hwell:


Shazam!!  
I was wondering who would be the first to inquire! :laugh:
Truth is I'm an antique mall shopaholic. During a trip to Sin City (Vegas) a few years back I wandered into a cool antique mall off the beaten path and found that little gem on a dusty shelf. 
It's definitely authentic and not a cheap tourist doo-dad. The bell part is solid brass and has been used many, many times based on wear on the top of the plunger. (no pun intended )
For some strange reason it was calling me to take it home. hwell:
Bob


----------



## Gansett

When I was the Grand Poobah the Elks sent my wife and I to Vegas for the convention.
Couple of the single Poobahs discussed going out there "sight seeing". Well the wives heard about this and us married guys were put on short leashes.:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:


----------



## raleets

Wow, what a surprise! Those short-sighted wives just have NO sense of humor.


----------



## raleets

Jack,
And as a "P.S." to my previous post..........just for the heck of it I was leafing thru the Las Vegas phone book and just about dropped my false teeth when I discovered at least 10 full pages of VERY explicit ads for "services". 
What happens in Vegas, STAYS in Vegas!! hwell:


----------



## norgale

Seems to me there was a movie about that place. It was pretty good too and not too risque. Pete


----------



## wingnut163

JackC said:


> When I was the Grand Poobah the Elks sent my wife and I to Vegas for the convention.
> Couple of the single Poobahs discussed going out there "sight seeing". Well the wives heard about this and us married guys were put on short leashes.:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:



as a grand poopah you might like this.

my wife was the first bar tender in an elks loge. this was in yonkers ny.


----------



## Gansett

What year? I think it was '88 or so when we had one.


----------



## raleets

I'll confess to never being a member of the Elks, Moose, Lions, etc, etc.....
Was it rare to have a woman barkeep?


----------



## wingnut163

i anit an elk and i cant say how rare it is since jack said he had one. my wife was there before 88, cause that was the year i bought my harley. 

just looked, it was 82


----------



## norgale

In my Moose Lodge whoever wanted to tend the bar did so except when we had a big deal going on. Then we hired pro bartenders for the event. We had no women bartenders ever while I was there. Pete


----------



## raleets

Way back in the day of stopping after work for an "attitude adjustment", my favorite watering hole had an extremely well-endowed barmaid on duty for the afternoon happy hours. 
Guys used to get there as early as possible to get a seat at the bar so they could have a good view of her bending over to rinse glasses.  hwell:


----------



## Gansett

From what I understand women are now admitted as full fledged members. When I applied there were questions on the application that asked if I was white, a male, and if I believed in God.
Try asking those questions today!


----------



## norgale

Me too Jack and that was only back in the 70's when I was invited to join the Moose. No people of color allowed. There are still no people of color in my old lodge but that's because there are none living in the area. Those old rules are long gone now. Pete


----------



## norgale

OK! Everybody say "Happy Birthday Pete". Yup! It's that time of year again, January 9th,1942.That was a great year. Ha! Steam trains in my back yard. I loved them and wish I had some pics of them. Saw my first diesel there too. I can still see that thing shuttling coal cars to W.H.Riley coal yard under the bridge on Broadway in North Attleboro, Mass. Ugly damned thing it was. Pete


----------



## RUSTY Cuda

:appl: Happy Birthday :appl:
Have a great one! Rich.


----------



## Gansett

Happy B-day Pete


----------



## raleets

Happy Birthday, Pete....
You're just a kid!


----------



## raleets

JackC said:


> Happy B-day Pete


Nice lookin' elephant.


----------



## Gansett

There's a elephant????

My brother has sent me these in recent years.. 
I really don't know about him..


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## norgale

Ha! Good ones you guys. Love the girls and the elephant ain't bad either. The flaming cake I can relate to anymore. Thanks for the good wishes. Pete


----------



## norgale

Update on The Wynn.


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## dannyrandomstate

Happy Belated Birthday!!!

The progress looks great!


----------



## norgale

Thanks Danny. It was a good day and passed without incident. Growing old is a lot more of a challenge than growing up which I'm still trying to do. Ha! Pete


----------



## Big Ed

Happy Belated Birthday. You old fart.

( nice building :thumbsup









Hmmm, the dogs mouth used to move?


This one moves, no room for anymore candles.


----------



## norgale

Thanks Big White Boy. I needed that. Ha! Pete


----------



## Big Ed

norgale said:


> Thanks Big White Boy. I needed that. Ha! Pete


Dam Yankee big white boy! 

What did you buy yourself for your B day?


----------



## raleets

Hey, Pete,
What did you ever settle on for the interior lights? You were going to try to tone them down a little, remember?
Bob


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## norgale

Can't talk now. Watching Barret Jackson on TV. Just saw a 64 Chrysler convert restored go for $260,000. Unbelievable. Pete


----------



## norgale

Barrett Jackson is fantastic. It's unbelievable the money that goes across the board at that place. I watched it for thirty minutes or so and there were three cars that went for over one mlillion bucks and one red Corvett that went for three million five hundred thousand. The bidding for that one went to two million in the first 15 seconds of bidding. Just unbelievable.
Well anyway I did color the lights in the hotel a little bit yellow and using the not clear glazing the look is ok I think. Here is a pic. Pete


----------



## RUSTY Cuda

:thumbsup:Rooms look about ready for Roy Rodgers & Dale Evans to ride up.:thumbsup:


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## norgale

Finally got my new camera and here are the last two shots of the Wynn. I'll need some people to go with this but that will happen down the road. Pete


----------



## norgale

Click on the picture.


----------



## raleets

Pete,
Love your sense of humor with "Wynn's", but really, shouldn't that be "Mabel's" with Green Stamps every Wednesday?
Just checkin',
Bob


----------



## norgale

Steve Wynn is an old pal of mine from back in the 50's when we went to school together. I wanted to send a picture of my hotel to him but when I got the Cyberlocker thing it wiped out all my contacts. Maybe he'll see it from somebody here ,who knows. Meantime it has to be the Wynn although Mables isn't a bad name either. Ha! pete


----------



## RUSTY Cuda

:smilie_daumenpos: Hey now ,some things running! :smilie_daumenpos:

that side of the table looks all cleaned up, you finally get the shed sorted out? Rich.


----------



## norgale

Still have a ways to go Rich but it's getting there. Problem is the dirty track. It's all been sitting out there for the last six months so it's pretty grungy. I don't know if I can keep a layout going outside in a shed. Pete


----------



## RUSTY Cuda

Once your up & running it should stay cleaner, do what I do, drag a track cleaner around in each train, so some of the work is done while you play!


----------



## oldhobbie reborn

I use thinned drywall mud on My layout nut learned that without screen or gauze it tends to crack when dring,,,,I like the gauze,,,,,,easy to work with and I have a whole bolt of it


----------



## norgale

Been unpacking stuff and trying to get the whole table cleared off but there is a huge shortage of room in that shed so I don't know where everything is going to fit. Cleaned some more track and ran a few engines to get them working again and found some track that needs replacing because it doesn't go where I want it to go. I also have some track I can't reach to clean so that has to be figured out too. Now I'm tired and it's time for the rack. Pete


----------



## norgale

hey look! You can see some track now.

Got a few engines running.

Found a few buildings and a pile of cars. Started laying out track but it's hit and miss as I don't have a plan in place yet.


----------



## rrgrassi

Along with a case of Butt-Wiper Beer...Now, if it was a good, dark, German beer...


----------



## norgale

I would agree except that that box has trains in it and some buildings. Just havn't moved it off the table yet.


----------



## RUSTY Cuda

Any room left under the tables, I have all my stuff under, but granted it's all train stuff, if I had to add my misc collections of "Stuff" I'd run out of space real quick.
I still have all the boxes of "car" stuff all over the shelves in the garage & some in the basement, most just needs to be sorted out & junked, I didn't throw much away till I was sure the replacement stuff was going to work, that was 5 or 6 years ago.  another job I keep putting off!


----------



## norgale

There's a 500 gallon water storage tank under my train table on one end. It's for storing rain water for irrigating my plants. I'm going to take it out of the shed and find another place for it outside so that will give me a load of new room to use under the layout. That ought to help some. Pete


----------



## norgale

Got the water tank out of the shed but didn't seem to gain as much room as I thought I would. Got to get rid of more stuff. Thing is I don't remember where most of this stuff came from. Anyway I started building my Bowser roadrailer kits to night. They go together easily and look great I think. Didn't have a chance to put them on the track yet but maybe tomorrow. Should be fun to run if they stay on the track ok. They do come with weights and the wheels turn really well.Too cold out in the shed tonight. Down to 66 with a stiff breeze blowing so it's not too comfortable out there.
I,ll get the pics in a minute. Pete


----------



## norgale

Sometime in the near future I'm buying a park model home and putting an 8x30 addition on it. The addition will be for my trains and boats and here is a picture of the proposed new Bonita Grand Central RR. The picture is not to scale but the size will be about 4x24 or so right in the middle of the room. Plenty of switching, a fiddle yard and lots of hills and valleys. Should be fun. I figure I can have four trains at a time on the layout with at least two running at the same time,maybe three. The thing is that each train has to use the same rails at each end and in the middle so that will be interesting. With the third train running that could get pretty hairy to keep from having a collision. Pete


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I think my wife would object to me parking a trailer outside for my trains, but it's a good idea.


----------



## RUSTY Cuda

:smokin: Now that's some space, you can start your own train club! :thumbsup:


----------



## norgale

A Park model is technically an RV because it comes in on wheels and can be moved. However they are set up on concrete block foundations and generally are permanent. The addition on the side is like a Florida room with lots of windows and good circulation of air if it's not too hot. The addition is generally air conditioned and heated like the house. The house is 12x35 and the room is 8x35 giving the building 20 feet wide and ten feet more for the driveway. For a single guy like me this will be perfect. If I had a wife I'd probably have to sell her to get this arrangement. Ha! Anyway the trailer I have now will go for the down payment on this thing and I should be able to get myself a nice little place to live out my days for about 30k. Not bad when you consider the average home price here is about 200k. Here are two pictures of the PM's across the steet from me.
Soooo,the train set will give me plenty to do and I'll be able to walk all around it to work on it. I'll get a mechanics stool on wheels to work under the table and there will still be room for my boat and model building. Looks good to me. Pete


This is the back of the Park with extra parking for cars and boats ect.


Here is the front of the models. Casual living at reasonable prices.


----------



## Brian

So how long before we see the construction (again) !?


----------



## norgale

Haha! Again??? Ya this will be the fourth or fifth BGC I think. Maybe in a year or so. Definitely next winter at least. Meantime keep buying those lotto tickets. Pete


----------



## Gansett

So Pete ol' buddy ol' pal you gonna have room in the new digs for snowbirds?


----------



## raleets

JackC said:


> So Pete ol' buddy ol' pal you gonna have room in the new digs for snowbirds?


Jack,
The problem is that ,in most cases, when you show up as a guest at somebody's pad it's customary to bring a nice bottle of wine, a couple good steaks, or at least take them out for dinner. 
In Pete's case, you would need to show up with a new DCC loco, a few pieces of rolling stock, and a gift certificate to the nearest LHS.
Just sayin'.....


----------



## norgale

I don't drink---anymore and I hate going out to dinner or lunch or breakfast. Your welcome any time Jack as I'll have a couple mattresses under the train table. Nobody ever gets my bed. Ha! Pete


----------



## raleets

norgale said:


> I don't drink---anymore and I hate going out to dinner or lunch or breakfast. Your welcome any time Jack as I'll have a couple mattresses under the train table. Nobody ever gets my bed. Ha! Pete


Pete.....for Pete's sake.....please understand that I'm completely KIDDING. 
Dang, 20,000 comedians out of work, and I'm still trying to be funny?


----------



## Dirtytom

Pete, wife and I had sailboats when we were young. In 2005 after Rita bought a 48 foot Viking Sundeck in Galveston, piloted back to New Orleans and refurbished entire boat. Wife and i set sail on the Great Loop. We left New Orleans in 2008 and motored East to Florida, up the East coast thru Canada then back down Lake Michigan.

We wintered in Southern Illinois and down Mississippi to Kentucky River to Tombigee Waterway and back to New Orleans. Trip was 7,156 miles and took us 19 months. We went all over Florida and went thru Ockeechobee to East Coast of Florida. We meet a couple in Kentucky who loved the boat and when we got back to New Orleans they bought the boat. Quite and adventure.

Hope you get moved in and get settled

DT


----------



## norgale

Maybe your kidding but I'm not. :smilie_daumenneg:

This is in reply to releets comment. Pete


----------



## Dirtytom

You live in Florida and do not like boats? Hardest part was the Gulf Crossing from Appalachia Cola to Tarpon Springs. Chesapeake could get rough but safe harbor every where.

We went inside from Cape May thru New Jersey on to Statue of Liberty. Was closed due to 9/11.

DT


----------



## norgale

I like boats a lot. The above comment was for releets. I had some friends who did that trip in a 48 ft Chris Craft. had a super time and it took them a long time too. They left from Marco Island and came back through New Orleans and then across the Gulf back to Marco. They were all very happy to get home again. Pete


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## Dirtytom

I meant to say we had 523 days of travel. Our longest run was 465 miles in one day. We trireme for 65 to 80 per day. The entire trip was over two years. We explored every nook we could get to by dinghy. We found many marinas in Florida and all thru the Chesapeake that we wanted to stop and just stay. Found nothing once we got pass the Delaware. Canadians were very nice, but the 72 locks were to say the least adventurous. Did your friends mention some of the 1780 to Early 1900 still operating locks. One they lock in and they raise you 80 feet straight up in a very unusual manner, then they have the carriage, you pilot up to tram, they tie your boat off and haul you over land?? 

We traveled all rivers in the Chesapeake, we traveled up Potomac to DC. Once we got to the Kentucky we spent six months going up rivers to Huntsville, Al and then to Memphis, Tn.

You have 200 some miles of the Mississippi to fight, currents, trash and tug boats. My bride was the Captain, she became quite the navigator on our sailboat. If I can locate the files will post a few pictures.

Back to railroading, I might try to add to my layout and need tom ask many questions? Later today will make a excel file of my proposed plan and need input.

Many thanks, if you ever get to Cajun country please stop by.

DT


----------



## norgale

Just about got all the track laid out. Now to start the wiring. Yuck! pete













Track plan as it stands now.


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## Magic

Looking pretty nice there but I hope that shelf in pic #6 is stronger than it looks. 
The two bridges in that same pic look cool. :thumbsup:

Magic


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## norgale

Thanks Magic. The shelf in question is only holding a bunch of RR stuff and a couple model boats. Eventually I'll have some narrow shelves there to keep the trains on instead of the wider shelves. Meantime it's a convenient place for all the stuff i don't know what to do with. Ha! Pete


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## kix662003

I see some familiar bridges, Pete, and they're lookin good! You've gotten a lot done.


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## norgale

Now I'm unpacking all the rolling stock that I can find. Guess I need some shelves on the walls for them as I find them.


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## RUSTY Cuda

nice to see them out in the daylight again, so now I gotta ask a rookie question, the bonita cars, did you custom paint all those?


----------



## norgale

Yes i did and made the decals with my computer and printer. More pics.


----------



## Brian

grab that Siemens, looks like a de-rail going to happen


----------



## norgale

There are so many cars that need the trucks and wheels tuned that it's a wonder any of them stay on the track. A future project will be to put on all new couplers,metal wheels and change whatever trucks need it. Be good inside work for this summer. Pete


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## norgale

Took a break from the trains and built this kit I've had for a couple of years. Came out pretty well I think and it is a good sized model even at 1:144. I have hung an F-16 also in 1:144 scale for size reference.


----------



## RUSTY Cuda

:thumbsup: Hmmm someone else is not workin on the trains!


----------



## Big Ed

Nice Pete, just what you needed. 

Is that a Revell model?
I see a spot on the shelf for it behind the boat.

Do you have the jet hanging in the room?
You ought to use some light test fishing line to hang it. :smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## Gansett

How come it's not yaller with a wide orange stripe and BGC down the side?


----------



## norgale

Good questions guys. I have about ten model airplanes hanging in my living room (no place else to put them) and most are the 1:144 scale. I like that scale as there are tons of models available in that scale and you get a good idea of the size of some of them next to each other when they are all the same scale. I have the model of the 747 with the space shuttle on it's back somewhere and so far the 747 is way bigger than anything else in that scale. I'd love to get a 747 fuselage to make into a home. It would be huge and cost a lot less than building a regular house. I'd put it on top of a rotating pedestal on top of a mountain so I could sit in the pilots seat and pretend to be flying somewhere. That would be a hoot.
Jack,as for the colors I thought about exactly what you mentioned but it just didn't look too good in my mind. Would be interesting though. I looked at lots of pictures of the Colombia and the boosters and tried to get close to the original. Had to mix the color of the wide band near the top of the main fuel tank and I think it's close but the pictures weren't all the same color due to the light in which they were taken. 
And Ed, yes, this is the Revell model #4716-3800 from 1981. Didn't have any of the mono line so I just used pieces of wire I had laying around. Pete
Here is a C-47 or DC-3 with Eastern Airlines on it and a B-17.

These are all 1:144 scale that I made in the last few months.

This is a Paul Guillows stick and tissue model of the C-47. Came out the best of all the stick models I ever built. Kinda grungy looking now.


----------



## norgale

Jack how about this? A new inspection car for the Prez of the BGC Railroad to ride around in. 1930 Packard boat tail speedster.


----------



## Gansett

:appl: :thumbsup:

Were did you find that model? The cruise nights will be starting here soon and I did see it on the road once last summer but a guy is supposedly going to bring his Duesenberg out a few times this year.


----------



## norgale

Had it for awhile now. Think I got it online. I know I didn't get it at a hobby shop. Get some cruise night pics if you can. Pete


----------



## norgale

Spent some time on the BGC this past week and I'm still working on the wiring and the track. However I did get one track so that the engine would actually go all the way around without stopping. amazing! Ha! Pete
click on the picture for the video.


----------



## Dirtytom

Looking good, fast engine

DT


----------



## norgale

I have two of those fast engines DT. They were IHC Penn RR before I painted them and they are two good engines. 
Finally made it all the way around the center track. Stil some rough spots in it though. Pete
Click the picture for the video.


----------



## Biggie

This is a great thread, i love it! Do you have some Mehano / Mehanotehnika locos / rolling stock ?

Take care,
Rok


----------



## norgale

ROK I don't think I have any by that name. Most of my stuff is Atlas and IHC from years ago. Glad you like the thread. It has been a lot of fun over the years and it isn't through yet. Ha! 
Your Mercedes collection is super. Pete


----------



## golfermd

Your layout looks great. As Scotty said in a Star Trek Movie, "The more complicated the plumbing the easier it is to stop up the drain." Great analogy to a complex layout (really, anything much more than a simple loop). So many places to make design and/or wiring mistakes. And it takes forever to ferret them out! :laugh:


----------



## Biggie

norgale said:


> Most of my stuff is Atlas and IHC from years ago


That explains it; Mehanotehnika (ex. Yugoslavia toy and model trains manufacturer) made a lot of models for IHC and I think for Atlas also (they produced for Rivarossi, Lima, Rocco, Jouef too, etc.).
Nowadays they are known as Mehano and have specialised in producing mostly high-end digital European (Blue Tiger for example) running and rolling stock. They still make a lot of USA models also (check the website), but not investing into new models as far as i know.




norgale said:


> Your Mercedes collection is super. Pete


Thank you Pete, scale model cars are my main passion, but model trains are in my heart from the beginning also. My grandfather was a locomotive engineer on the strongest and fastest Borsig class 06 and class 33 steam locomotives in former YU. He also had a very big HO scale layout with which i loved to play.

The whole family is still nuts on trains, can not help it ha ha :thumbsup:

Regards,
Rok


----------



## norgale

Golfermd, Scotty was right. It's been awhile since I wired up the BGC so I'm glad I have the 'wiring' book from Kahlbach to refer to. It's surprising how much I have forgotten since I built the last BGC. I wanted to do DCC this time but the cost is still a bit spendy for me so I'm back to the rats nest of wires under the table.

Biggie I probably do have some Mehano then. Several of my cars are made in Yougoslavia so maybe they are Mehano as you say. They would have been sold under another name like IHC. Now of course it's all made in China or Korea.
As for the Mercedes, here they are luxury cars and very expensive to buy and maintain. Over there you all use them for taxies like your model of the Russian cab. Strange to me that they should cost so much over here. I've never owned a foreign car because I find working with the metric system difficult and frustrating. Guess it's what you grow up with. I'll take a good old Cadillac or Lincoln anytime. Ha! Pete


----------



## norgale

JackC here's another Packard for you. It's a diecast model bought as is several years ago when I was rich and famous. The Victoria for 1937 is the Holy Grail of Packards with only four?? in existence. There's one for sale online (search 1937 Packard Victoria) with the v-12 engine for a measly $250,000. Wonder if they will take a check? Ha! Pete


----------



## RUSTY Cuda

Yo Pete, pretty sure the bottom one is a mid fifty's caddy, what's the tan one with the continental kit? Rich.


----------



## norgale

Oh you poor, young whippersnapper. It's a shame that you didn't have the pleasure of viewing these great cars when they were new. Back in the thirties,fourties and fifties you could ALWAYS tell what kind of car you were looking at because they were all different. In the mid sixties they all started to look the same in my eye but maybe that's because I was older and interested in other things by then.
Anyway the top car is the '37 Packard Victoria as I stated, the next one down is a 37?? Cadillac, not the top of the line car that the Packard was but on it's way to becoming Americas #1 luxury car; next is the 1958 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser convertible. A sleek and very powerful car with the first 400 HP engine ever in a production car. Ford had the same engine in other cars too but it was special order if I remember right. The bottom car is a 1949 Cadillac exactly like one my father owned. Same color and everything. The car had hydraulic power top and windows and front seat all driven by hydraulic motors that sometimes leaked and smelled awful for awhile after they were fixed. It also had power brakes, power steering and a power antenna for the radio,all optional equipment in the day. It did not have AC although it was available in 49 at about $1100 extra I think. Maybe not available in the convertible as the AC equipment was all in the trunk back then. May not have been enough room in there with the top down.
There you have it Rich. That's as much as I remember about these four cars. Pete


----------



## RUSTY Cuda

Well merc fits the bill, Dad had a 56 coupe de ville ,guess they didn't change the taillights for quite a while. Some years later a girlfriends dad had one sitting in the yard under a tree, all full of sap, told us if we got it cleaned up for him it was ours for the weekend, needless to say I was crusin in style that weekend, a lot of hand compounding but it was fun, now this was around 69 or 70, my car was another boat, a 66 Chrysler 300.
but the caddy floated even more, the steering wheel was big as a house & you rode up high compared to the newer cars, thanks for bringing back a fond memory!  Rich.


----------



## ssgt

I am working on a 37 packard junior(110) .My task is to get it running after sitting for 30 yrs in a garage.I also am going to be getting a 40 packard 180 super eight roadworthy in a couple of months.


----------



## norgale

Sounds like fun and the man knew how to get his car cleaned. Ha! The tail fin on the 48 was pretty much the same through 56. What did change was the sweep of the rear fenders and the length. In 57 the "fishtail" disappeared never to be seen again. 
It's amazing the memories a car can bring up. Pete


----------



## Big Ed

Calling Rusty 'Cuda!


Look, 
http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=24167


----------



## norgale

Have to tell you guys I lost my best friend yesterday. Had to have my dog Cinder put down from a growth around her bladder that just got way out of hand. There was just nothing that could be done to save her. I feel terrible about it but she was 14 years old and we had a great trip together. She was the only dog I ever had that knew what I was going to do before I did and was always ready to go with me. I took her everywhere and never had to leave her overnight one time her whole life. My baby is gone. Pete


----------



## Fire21

I'm sorry for your loss, Pete. It's like losing a member of the family. I hope you retain the good memories and lose the heartache very quickly.....


----------



## norgale

Thanks Fire21 and actually I did lose a member of my family. There was only the two of us, me and the dog, so she really was my family. My little house is awfully empty tonight. Pete


----------



## Magic

Sorry to hear about your dog. 
I know how you feel as I had to put down my 14 year old cat a few years ago and it was just the two of us as well. The place still seems empty to this day. The little critters sure grow on you don't they. 

Magic


----------



## norgale

Your right about that Magic. In a small place like mine you have to be careful of not stepping on the dog. She had her space and I had mine. Now there's a big empty space where Cinder would always be and that is the tough part. She's not there anymore. I know I'll get over this but it sure isn't easy. Thanks for the condolences Magic. Pete


----------



## kix662003

Sorry about your loss, Pete. I remember watching your videos in the past where she's riding shotgun in the pickup. Looks like you were happy together. George


----------



## Gansett

Condolences to you Pete, it's a very difficult time.


----------



## norgale

We were that for sure George. Cinder loved to ride and wherever I could, I took her into stores where she got all kinds of attention and she just ate it up. Several places that we went to often, like the bank, had cookies for pets and if we drove by the bank and didn't stop she'd sit up and look at me like I was crazy for passing up a free snack then look back at the bank like she was thinking "why didn't he stop". Not only did she know different people by name she knew where she was as we traveled around the local area.
They say dogs don't see colors but driving along she would see a traffic light change from green to yellow and put her feet out to brace for the stop before I even had my foot on the brake pedal. I thought it only a coincidence but I watched her do it a hundred times. If the light stayed green she didn't move a muscle.
If I left her in the truck and went away towards the front of the truck she would sit in the drivers seat and watch me. If I left towards the back of the truck she would sit and watch me in the outside rear view mirror. That may not sound too unusual but I thought it was interesting that she would figure out how to use a mirror. She was a dog I would talk to and feel like she really understood what I was saying.
I've had five dogs in my life and three of them were pretty smart including Cinder. However she was smarter than the others by a long ways. You have to really miss a dog like that and I do.
Nights are the worst as I always could hear her walking around the house even when i was asleep. The slightest foot step would bring me around and I listened to be sure she was ok. Now the house is silent and I can't sleep very well wondering if she's alright.
Like JackC says it's a very difficult time and I can sympathize with you who have also lost a pet. It's just plain sad and you just have to outlive it. We get over it but we never forget it.
Thanks for all you condolences guys. It's very much appreciated. Pete


----------



## norgale

I now have a therapy dog. I get to walk Ella when her owner,my neighbor, is at work. She's a real sweetheart and was good friends with my Cinder. She helps a lot and loves to go for walks while her 90 pounds drags me down the street. Ha! Pete
click on the picture.


----------



## Big Ed

A little late but sorry for your loss Pete. 

Maybe you need another? 
Take a look at the dog shelters around you and "rescue" one? That is what they call it now. 

I know it won't take the place of Cinder but at least you will have some company again.
And possibly save a dog from the death chamber?

Just take your time and look , one will pick you out instead of you picking it out.


----------



## norgale

I hear ya ED, thanks for that and that's pretty much what I had in mind too. It's kind of nice not to have the dog to worry about anymore although I sure do miss her. Like a little vacation I guess. I'll wait for awhile before looking for another dog but a rescue dog would certainly be considered. I'm kinda looking for a Border Collie mix so maybe one will find me some how. After I lost my last dog (Marco Cinder) the teller at the drive up window ,who loved that dog and always had a cookie for her, told me about a friend who's dog had eight puppies. I had to wait for 8 weeks for the pups to be weaned but finally the day came when I went to see the pups for the first time. They were out on the pool deck all running around raising hell except one who was standing there watching all the rest play. She was the only pup with four white feet and she turned and looked at me, walked over to me and sat on my foot. She just stayed there for awhile looking up at me and that was that. She (Bonita Cinder) went home with me right then and there. Turned out to be the smartest dog I ever had and lived the longest too. So another Border Collie would definitely be first on the list for another dog.
Life throws a lot of crap at you but it's worth living I think. Pete


----------



## Big Ed

Well it looks like the dog had a good long life in dog years.

I had 2 Conures, small parrot like birds.

My first one, Big Bird, talked to me, yep it understood when I talked back. You could almost have a conversation with it. Walked around the house with me only bit me once when I was ucking with it. My fault, it just didn't want to ride on the train. It liked watching but would not sit in the gondola car. I tried a flatbed too it finally let me know it did not want any part of riding. Drew blood too, though it could have took my finger off if it wanted to it didn't. Big bird was raised from a baby, never crapped on me either.
Then I bought another, it must have been caught in the wild, that bird never did anything or wanted anyone near it! I named it Stupid.
It caught something, I don't know what and I buried it outside. That one only lived for 15 years but I don't know how old it was when I bought it, Big Bird was a baby when I got it.

Big Bird lived with me for around 25 years and finally passed away. 

That was years ago Pete, I still have it sealed in a freezer bag in the freezer.
The old (young) lady loves that. 

I tell myself every summer that I got to bury it but for some reason don't.:dunno:

Now that I talked about it maybe this will be the summer that I will find a nice spot for it.

My old German Shepard long gone now was too big to keep in a freezer or else he still might be there now. He lived 14 years too, that seems to be a magic number. He had hip problems common for Shepard's and had problems getting around the last few years. 

I once had 2 Love birds, one flew into a mirror and killed itself. 
The other died 1 week later from depression?
Missed it's mate I guess.
I buried them.

I think it is time I bury Big Bird too. 

I hear what you mean about being nice not to care for a dog. I never got another.
No more birds too, bought the kids a couple of hamsters besides the stink they don't last too long. 
The fish were doing good in a small tank, gold fish, then they died. The tank is still there, I had a fake rubber shark in it. No food to feed and no water to care for.
Though now the shark has been replaced with a ceramic gold fish from the Mom in law basement. Her cellar got flooded and I helped clean it out. She was going to toss it but I cleaned it up and saved it. Mom in law is long gone too, I am glad I saved the fish.

Take your time and look around, decide if you even want to care for another. 
But I think another would be good for you?


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## norgale

You can bury the bird whenever you want. It's just a matter of wanting to let go of it. That's the hard part. Hope you don't have the MIL in the freezer too.  I can really understand not wanting to give the bird it's final resting place. Obviously you were very close to it especially if it could talk to you. However it's kinda morbid to keep it around so maybe it's time to let go and send the poor baby on it's way. That's for you to decide. No easy choices there. Pete


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## Big Ed

It is more than sadness, It died years ago. I am over the missing part. It is more laziness than anything. 
And then when I do think about that I got to get it buried, the ground is frozen.

Heck, Trigger was stuffed? So was the dog. Maybe Tonto was too?
I could still get it stuffed? 

It is double sealed in the freezer bag way in the back. Nothing morbid about it, you never froze a chicken?
Now if the mother in law was in my freezer, that would be morbid. 

I will do it this summer. 
I wrote it on "her" honey do list so I won't forget.


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## norgale

Ha! Ed your funny. Pete


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## norgale

I finally got all my junk out of the storage unit and saved $75 a month on the rent. That will come in handy when I get hungry and that happens a lot.Speaking of stuffed here are a couple pictures of my train shed stuffed with some of my stuff. I'm getting rid of all this stuff as fast as I can but there is still a lot left. Must have twenty ads on Craigs List. It's starting to cool off a bit here with temps in the high seventies at night. Still hits 90 in the PM but it doesn't last long and the rains help bring the temp down a lot. Pretty soon I'll be getting rid of the junk and I'll be back to railroading again.
The hot water heater blew a hole in the flame flu so now there is a new one on the way. Another $400 shot to hell. Will it ever end? Pete


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## norgale

The bundles of sticks that you see above shifted a bit and fell on my suspension bridge. Guess it wasn't as strong as I thought.


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## Fire21

And did you say "Oh darn it", or something like that? :laugh:


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## Big Ed

Well you built it to carry the weight of the trains, which it did....right?
You didn't think you were going to have an avalanche of timber fall on it. 

A jar of Gorilla glue will make it new again.


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## norgale

"Oh Darn!" Ya that says it ok. The rest will remain known only to the avocado tree and me. Ha! It's busted up pretty bad and I doubt that the laminated beams can be aligned again to look right but I may give it a try. Otherwise I guess I can always make another bridge. The wood must have hit it sideways. It has great vertical strength but not horizontal strength. Still have a lot of stuff to get out of the shed before I can get back to railroadin' but I'm working on it. Getting cooler here now so that helps a lot. Pete


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## RUSTY Cuda

Wow, you got your work cut out for ya, too bad on the bridge, that was a nice piece of work, train time's not too far off for me too, had a quiet week & spent a few hours a day cleaning up the underside of the hood, shot the epoxy & a good coat of urethane today, so that's finally almost done, a couple of putty spots & back on the car for winter. Hope to get a fender or two stripped & primed before the cold weather hits, but the rate I've been moving I'll be glad to get one ready!


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## norgale

Got the ridge back together and it doesn't look bad. May use it after all. Train shed is partly filled up again with more of my junk. Had a lot in the house and got tired of looking at it so It got moved out to the shed. It ain't easy getting rid of forty years worth of treasure. Ha! pete


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## Big Ed

norgale said:


> Got the ridge back together and it doesn't look bad. May use it after all. Train shed is partly filled up again with more of my junk. Had a lot in the house and got tired of looking at it so It got moved out to the shed. It ain't easy getting rid of forty years worth of treasure. Ha! pete


You have a house? 
Buy another shed? Or if it is wood add on to it?:dunno:
More room to store your treasures. :thumbsup:


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## norgale

A house is where I live. It could be a dog house or a regular house or a cave or under a bridge. If I live there it's my house smarty pants.
"You might be a red neck if your house has wheels." I wish I had a house that cost as much as some of these RV's. I'm gonna get a hundred RV's to find you on the road Ed and surround your rig and go 25 MPH all day long. Ha! Pete


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## Big Ed

norgale said:


> A house is where I live. It could be a dog house or a regular house or a cave or under a bridge. If I live there it's my house smarty pants.
> "You might be a red neck if your house has wheels." I wish I had a house that cost as much as some of these RV's. I'm gonna get a hundred RV's to find you on the road Ed and surround your rig and go 25 MPH all day long. Ha! Pete


Gggggggeeee's Pete did you have too many coffees today?
I get paid by the hour your just making more money for me if you do that.

Your abode is where you live, we all live in an abode.:smokin:


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## RUSTY Cuda

Well at least you got to work on the bridge & save that. reorganize, I find when I really try I can move stuff around & make up some space, which reminds me, my garage/shop is in need of just such a job 
On a slow moving construction job, many slack days so I got some work on the car done, hood is ready for paint & back on the car, one fender is in the blocking stage, If all goes really well might get that done & the other fender stripped & primed before winter hits, well that's an optimistic view, hey I can still dream!


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## norgale

Hope everybody got their summer projects finished or at least secured against the winter. It's finally getting pretty nice here and I've been able to get all my track fired up and most of the wiring done. Everything is working well so far except one cross over spot where the track wasn't level and caused a derailment every time the engines went over it. So I had to tear up the track and some of the roadbed to fix it. The pictures show part of the roadbed in a raised up position and the problem area is under and behind that roadbed. I glued some wood pieces in there to make the crossover level and then had to extend the roadbed so the grade would be more gradual. Not finished yet but it should work. I'll take some more videos when I get this repair finished. pete


The weights are setting on the two wood beams I glued together to hold the roadbed level between the tracks. You can see the turnout in the background. The extension of the straight roadbed isn't on there yet but it is now.


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## norgale

Lets get going Rusty. Time for the trains again. Pete


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## RUSTY Cuda

Been thinkin bout it, works still busy & beats the crap outta me, but soon I should be back at it, just tucked away the car for winter.
& I thought you were going to add a loop d loop for the trains !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## norgale

No looptyloop for the train because the engineer is loopy enough already. Got the repair made to the track and now it works ok. Had a switch motor burn out tonight and since all the turnouts are operated by one separate transformer it shorted the whole system. Took awhile to track down the culprit but I found it and changed it out. Now all the turnouts that are hooked up are working ok. Still four mor to hook up. Gonna have to start tuning up some freight cars to haul around. Most need new couplers and all need metal wheels. Always something to do on the railroad.:dunno:
Click on the picture to get to Photobucket and then click on "library" to get to the videos and pictures. The first fram will be this video.


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## norgale

Here's another short clip of the BGC on Youtube without all the advertising crap on Photobucket.
http://youtu.be/4eesCkMxTDU


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## norgale

I need to be working on my railroad but it's just too hot. The AC runs all the time and the bill is up to $65 a month so no running the AC in the train shed. You'd think by now this dump would cool down a little bit. Gotta go trim the weeds around the trailer and wash the truck. Happy New Year all ya'll. Pete


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## sdlink

Nice to see that U23B out to good use!


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## norgale

sdlink said:


> Nice to see that U23B out to good use!


Did I get that from you? I was thinking about that a few days ago and couldn't recall just who I got it from. Good running engine even when the track isn't so good. Very happy to have it. Pete


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## sdlink

Yep that's the one I sold you. I'm happy to hear it's a good runner. 



norgale said:


> Did I get that from you? I was thinking about that a few days ago and couldn't recall just who I got it from. Good running engine even when the track isn't so good. Very happy to have it. Pete


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## norgale

I didn't remember it coming all the way from South Dakota so thanks for reminding me. yes it is a good runner like my other Atlas engine with the Seminole Gulf logo. Both run very well. Very happy to have the U23B sdlink. Pete


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## norgale

My train days have been limited because there are so many other things I need to get done while it's still cool. I was looking back through my old pictures of the BGC and found this one with four newly shopped locos and a couple of gondola cars all decked out in the BGC colors. Found several short videos too that I'll be putting on YT directly. Look up Bonita Grand Central on Youtube to see them ifn ya want.


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## microbuss

what? no caboose?? o.o
Do I see a USA Express loco? do want


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## norgale

I want to do a couple of cabooses but I was having so much fun running what I had that I forgot about it. What is the USA Express loco?


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## norgale

I couldn't find anything under Bonita Grand Central for some reason so here is a link to one short video of the newly painted engines. This goes back to 2011 when I had the layout set up at work. Lots of room there but the place was sold and I had to move out. BooHoo!
https://youtu.be/HcXEiReYhng


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## Dirtytom

Pete, where do you keep the trians in the motorhome?

DT


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## RUSTY Cuda

There's Pete, hadn't seen you on in my little visits each night, not much with the trains here either, just cleared the junk off and ran some track cleaners around once in a while.
been a crazy winter & just never got my but back to work on it.
Springs a commin, see if I can get that car done & sold this year, that my give me a little "heart" back????????????? Rich.


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## norgale

Tom the trains are out in my shed. I have a small setup out there but haven't worked on it at all this winter. Seems to always be something else more important going on. There are several pictures of it back on this thread.
Hey Rusty. I'm in the same boat as you this year. Just no time for the trains and I'm planning on a new house here in the park with a 10x30 addition on one side. Plenty of room for a layout there but not sure when this will happen. So ya it's time to get back to work on the Cuda so maybe you can get it done this summer. Actually if it runs ok you might be just as well off selling it like it is instead of putting all that work into it. I do know how you feel about it though. Felt he same way about my Lincoln. Good to be in touch again. Pete


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## microbuss

norgale said:


> What is the USA Express loco?


its the red, white & blue loco in the back with the chrome Silver Streak caboose


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## norgale

Oh yes. I bought that on ebay and it doesn't run very well at all.I haven't taken the time to check it out but the Silver Streak caboose is sort of a collectors item anymore. I don't think it's worth any large amount of money but it seems to be in demand online. Haven't seen another one in some time. I think I have two of those engines (bicentennial,not exactly alike) and intend to run them as an mu when I build the next BGC. I hope to be using Digitrax for that layout.
You have a good eye there microbuss. I didn't see that caboose back there. Isn't there a loco that goes with that caboose? ( Silver Streak) Pete


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## norgale

Got a new old dog today and she's a beauty. Got her from the local animal shelter and she was turned in from a lady who could no longer take care of her. She's 8 y.o. and named Echo. Weighs about 65 pounds and eats like there is no tomorrow. She stays in the truck while I shop,runs around and doesn't take off on me so who could ask for more.?


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## Big Ed

She looks like she has made herself at home.


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## norgale

Ya and totally occupied my couch. At least she's lazy like me so we should get along very well.


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## norgale

Anybody heard from Rusty Cuda lately?


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## RUSTY Cuda

Just us lurkers, I check up on you guys about every night, see what's going on, haven't done much of anything hobby wise, trains are about where I left em last year , car slightly further along, but a long way from the repaint. 
I did put out 2 full trains to run for my grandson, at about 10 months old he seems to like em, other than that I still look for basket case rivarossi stuff on ebay but haven't pulled the trigger in a long time. 
So how you doin, the new housemate behaving? Rich.


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## norgale

Hi Rich,glad to see your still around. It's been too hot to work on the BGC so I stay in the house mostly. Looked back at some of your pictures and your layout still looks great. maybe we'll get something done this winter. Hope you are all in good shape these days. Pete


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## RUSTY Cuda

Been second guessing my tearing off most of the decorations to try elevation again, I may never get there. At least I didn't tear up too much track, just my sidings in the middle, mains & steam yard are still running. 
When I get back Into it I'll have to really think about what I want, mostly I really want to get a ton of rolling stock on the board, shame to have such a nice collection & only have maybe 10% on the board!
I need to win the lottery, buy a nice little ranch with a full basement & start buying lots of wood to build a 20 x50 or 60 layout with a couple of giant staging yards! Hey I can dream!!!!


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## norgale

Ya Ha! Me too.


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## norgale

Hey looky here,a train running on the BGC. Amazing!
https://youtu.be/btn4SMhI04o


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## Fire21

Well, it was running before the disastrous crash...LOL. Looks like a pretty intricate track system.


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## Magic

Reminds me of my low bridge incident.  

At least you got 'em running for a short time.

Magic


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## norgale

The track is intricate alright. Only the Track Gods know how it works. For some reason I have smoked three switch machines and I can't figure out why. Mean time I can run two trains while a third sneaks in and out of the other two tracks.To not cause a collision means some fancy turnout switching which I have not mastered yet.
So far the Seminole Gulf and the UP loco's are running ok but I need to oil up the steamers as they just don't want to go. I need to find my glue gun and the glue sticks so I can start on the scenery but so far no luck. It's hiding from me, I know. Got some new SD cards coming so longer vids pretty soon. Pete


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## RUSTY Cuda

Yo some action on the BGC, things finally cool off down there, hope you have a lot of spare couplings! 
actually been messin with mine a bit, finally started to populate the passenger cars with those people I bought last month, had to still chop quite a few off at the knees to make em fit 
Still not full in yet on what to do with the back half of the table :goofball:
Have a great Holiday season, Rich.


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## norgale

It got down to 75 the other night so I was able to get in the shed for awhile. Supposed to cool off a bit today so maybe I'll get some more done tonight. There are three or four different kinds of couplers on my rolling stock and they all need to be changed out so they are all alike. That ought to be fun. Need some wheels and trucks too but that will all come along sooner or later.


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## RUSTY Cuda

Work kinda died out for me, lookin for little things to putz with, reversed polarity on a switcher that was running opposite from everything else, might do some switching out of the locos, box some up & get others out, get them a little run time, service the ones I missed last time out, that should kill a year or two! 
Didn't even buy myself a bunch a junkers to toy with, I like trying to make old scrappers run again, but still watchin a few lots, see how long the bucks last since work has become scarce. :dunno:
later dudes, Rich.


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## norgale

So last night was a cold front, went down to 62. Cool and sunny today so I dug through my stuff in the shed to try and find my hot glue gun and although I know it's there I had no luck finding it. So Echo and I took off to Home Depot where she loves to meet the people. You'd think she was running for president. She fell in love with a standard Poodle that had a blue body and pink puffs on his legs. We had to go get the hot glue gun so it was a short romance. Wasn't sure about the pink puffs on a male dog anyway. We got the gun and some glue sticks and went back to work on the railroad. The picture of the roll of plastic mesh is to show what I like to use in the landscaping. It's sticky on one side so it stays where you put it for a bit, long enough to pop it with the hot glue. The mesh is small enough to lob on some dry wall mud and then shape it the way you want. Works for me and it's all cheap.


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## norgale

Can anyone tell me what kind of loco the blue Seminole is? I have found it listed in two places as GE8-40B and GE B39-8E. The UP was listed as a U23B. Just curious. Pete


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## norgale

Finally got cool enough to work on the BGC. 66 degrees tonight and just right. So here is a vid of two engines actually running all the way around the layout. The second vid is me starting to do some landscaping with no TALKING. I like vids with no talking.:smilie_daumenpos:

https://youtu.be/zriYMnSNaNU

https://youtu.be/BRAYhgr0Q7E


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## norgale

YoooooWhoooooo! 175 mph winds. Man that is gonna be some ride.


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## Fire21

Be safe down there, and duck your head!!


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## RUSTY Cuda

You got everything bolted down !
Be safe & let us know how you fared when it's over. Good luck, Rich.


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## norgale

All this baloney about 185 MPH winds is all el toro phoo phoo. That's only for the first fifty miles out from the eye. After that the winds drop a lot until you get to the outer fringes with forty to fifty MPH which we can stand no problem. As it is we will probably be pretty close to the eye but in the lower speed of the wind. If it doesn't go over 125 ok. If it does then that's when all the damage starts. We'll see what happens and I will let you all know what's going on. Pete


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## DonR

Pete

I was on family vacation in 1950 my last visit
to Bonita Springs. We stayed in a motel and
picked up shells on the beach. I remember it
low lying. Irma seems to be tracking somewhat
wnw. That puts the storm surge coming at you
big time. Hope you are high enough to survive
that. 

Don


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## mopac

Worried about Norgale. Heard this evening Bonita Springs got hit pretty hard with the surge. Hope he and his trains are dry.


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## RUSTY Cuda

Might be a while before we hear anything powers probably down & will be for a while, hope he's OK.


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## Gramps

Just saw a video of Bonita Springs and it still has massive flooding.


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## RUSTY Cuda

Heard from Pete, he had a problem with his A/C, which was good news to me, means he didn't get flooded out & is ok, guess when he gets some time he'll post up what He had to deal with, for now at least we know He's home & safe!


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## norgale

Thanks for caring all you guys but as it happens I made it through ok. After securing everything that I could I hunkered down in my trailer and waited for the end. Ha! It came with a bang and the wind picked up fast. Trees were stripped of leaves and all sizes of branches flew through the air or just crashed to the ground. It was really exciting for several hours and the rain came down like I was sitting under Niagra Falls. The flooding you saw on TV was across the street from me. The street kept the water from flowing into our park so we stayed dry all the time. The people near the Imperial River all got flooded out and they are still flooded out. The water is finally going down so maybe all the people will be getting back to their homes although I don't know what they will have left. We have army's of power company's trucks down here and they are doing a magnificent job considering the extent of the damage. There is also the National Guard helping where they can and passing out food and water. Never had a MRE before but they are great especially when there is nothing else to be had. For several days after the storm there was no power so no gas, no food stores open, no banks open no nothing open. Banks are still not open. I ran my generator for lights and refrigeration and ran my neighbors house too but not enough juice to run my AC. It was so hot and muggy that all you could do was lay down and hope you went to sleep for a couple hours. Just awful weather. Outside would cool down to 85 or so at night but inside the damned trailer would be 95. I would have just got in my truck and left if I'd had to go another week like that. Finally the power came on and I turned on the AC, closed all the windows and went to bed for two days. I was exhausted and couldn't even eat anything. It was the biggest chore to get up and feed the dog and take her out for a walk. THings are still messed up and some people still don't have power but it's all getting back together pretty fast. All the gas stations are open and the food is flowing again and the flooding is going down so in a few weeks you won't know that anything has happened. It's amazing how geared up we are for this kind of thing. One thing that I found amusing was that FEMA had signed people up for hotel and motel accommodations but when the people got back here and went to stay in a room the hotels wouldn't honor the FEMA agreement. Only one Motel near me has agreed to take FEMA payment and all the others in Naples and FT. Myers wouldn't get involved and they were all sold out anyway. The TV says that FEMA is doing this and FEMA is doing that but nobody I know has seen hide nor hair of them. The National Guard and the power companies are my hero's. Also the local Lions Club, churches, the Salvation Army and such have helped so much passing out food and water. One big thing that was missing this time was ICE. Last hurricane we got semi truck loads of ice which helped so much. This time no ice at all. I have seen no Red Cross people here anywhere at all. SO now it's cleaning up the tree debris and that will take many weeks. The place is a mess but we are ok and no deaths at least around here which is awesome. I'll see if I can post some pictures and videos of my trip through the rabbit hole. Oh ya, The eye of the storm went right over us so we got it all. 140 mph winds is what has been reported although I didn't think it was quite that bad. Pete


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## DonR

So glad to actually hear from you Pete. You are a brave
man. I wouldn't stay in my masonry house in a cat 4 
storm. 

There were a number of us who were quite
concerned for you when the news showed what happened
to Bonita Springs.

Let's hope that it will be decades before
we have to face this kind of danger again.

Don


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## norgale

Thanks Don. It was a hairy experience but what else could I do? If I hit the road and went north the storm would just follow me up the state. If I went east or south I would have run into the storm there too. I just decided to stay put and it was all over by the end of the day. Actually riding out the storm was no problem and I got no damage to my trailer. It was what happened after the storm that about did me in. The heat and humidity was relentless and there was no way to get cool. I managed a few ice cubes from my little refrig every day and that helped but wasn't nearly enough. Now who knows where Marie is going? It could come here and blow us away again if the steering winds move the right way but I sure as heck hope it doesn't.:dunno:


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## RUSTY Cuda

Great to here from you, sounds like quite the experience, let's just hope Marie heads back out to sea! Later,Rich.


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## norgale

My driveway as the storm started to pick up speed.


My trailer. Weighs 14000 pounds and is tied down with chains. It also has a weldd aluminum frame throughout so it's pretty strong. Third hurricane for it so far.


Trees blocked my driveway until yesterday but I squeeked out between two trailers behind me.


This is about the height of the storm. I'm videoing from inside my trailer through a large window and you can still hear the wind as it gusts along outside.





The aftermath wasn't bad for me but very bad for lots of others. We are still cleaning up the trees and branches.


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## Gramps

Glad that you're OK.:thumbsup:


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## norgale

Thanks Gramps. All is ok for the moment.


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## Lemonhawk

My driveway looked just like your's! No trees down but both neighbors had tree problems. What I can't figure out is that both side yards were debris covered, but it appears all the debris was blown off the front yard, it was clean as whistle!


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## norgale

All depends on which way the wind blows Lemonhawk.


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## norgale

Been awhile since I posted on this thread and a lot has happened. Everybody recovered from the hurricane Irma and mostly we are back to normal. It took three days to get the gas stations open and four to get the food stores going. Six days for my internet to come back on and seven days for the electricity. being without power for seven days was the worst part of the whole thing. 98 to 100 everyday with very high humidity and absolutely no place to get cool. Nothing anywhere had AC. All you could do was sit there and let the heat suck the energy right out of you. But I made it through and glad to say we all did here at Palm Lake RV Park. Minimum damage to a couple homes and trees down all over the place but it's all gone now.
The Bonita Grand Central has been completely dismantled and packed away for now. I'm looking for a Park Model home to buy and I'll install a ten by thirty room on one side and have plenty of room for a new layout. Room for all my models too for once.
After all that my sister moved back to South Carolina where her kids are,my dog got cancer and died in July and my mother who had been in a nursing home for over a year had bad stroke that killed her in August of 2018. I'm just now getting finished with her estate and looking for another dog. That's a lot for one summer but I'll make it. Glad to be back here with all you train nuts. Cheers. Pete


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## Magic

Pete, sounds like you had a pretty tough summer.
Good to see that things are improving.
Keep in touch and good luck with the new home and layout.

Magic


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## norgale

Thanks magic. It just takes time and you have to give it all the time it needs. I'm taking things one at a time so I don't get backed up with things that aren't done on time. Finish each project before starting another. Actually I'm really looking forward to starting the new layout. Something like that helps get you back on track so to speak by keeping busy with the build.


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## norgale

I was looking back over the posts on this thread and none of my videos will run. They are all on YouTube and when you click a link it goes to YT but then says "This video is not available." What'sup with that?


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