Come on back to the caboose and get a cup of coffee [or sweet ice tea] Part I

[jeffrey-wimberl]

Good morning, how is everybody on this Thursday morning?
Yesterday I removed the old open frame motor from my antique Bachmann and shoe-horned a PPW can motor into it's place. There's a 300% difference.

Before

After
Now it doesn't sound like a pepper mill anymore.
Here's a scene that's been preserved from my old layout and will be a part of the new one.
First, in darkness.

Then in the light.

Now, on with the business at hand.

Today's Weather for:
Sundown, LA 71446-6114 1/25/2007
Sundown Fire Dept., Station 23

Wind Chill: 31°F
Humidity: 84%
Dew Point: 33°F

So Far Today
High: 41°F
Low: 37°F
Rain: 0.00"
Rain Rate: 0.00"/h
Gust: 8mph N

High: 59 °F
Low: 36 °F
Today High: 60 Sunny and warmer. Highs around 60. North winds up to 10 mph.
Tonight Low: 35 Clear. Lows in the mid 30s. Northeast winds up to 10 mph.

For breakfast this morning, pancakes!

 

[Torpedo]

Good morning to you all.

We've got a nasty day going on here, a blustery north wind driving cold rain. It's almost 9:30, and the temp is still only in the low 60's. Lousy weather for S. Fla. :cry:

 

[Chief Eagles]

Morning all. Chilly here. Got to get upstairs and do more wiring. Transfering all the wiring to permanent locations. Worked on wife's uplights for house most of yesterday. Finished after dark. Have a good one.

 

[jefelectric]

Good morning,

Didn't look at the temp this morning but it is clear and sunny and not to cold. Went to the lab for blood work first thing this morning and now back home and had a good breakfast.

Actually did get one project finished on the bench yesterday.

Weaver flat car with add on wooden deck, Corgi tank. Added tarp covered loads, blocking and chains. Have a couple more I want to do later.

Jeffrey is that "N" scale, can't quite tell from the pics if it is N or HO.

 

[jeffrey-wimberl]

Disregard this message box

 

[jeffrey-wimberl]

Disregard this message box

 

[jeffrey-wimberl]

.Jeffrey is that "N" scale, can't quite tell from the pics if it is N or HO.

It's HO. N scale is too small for me to handle.

 

[cedarcreekrr]

I got a p2k 2-8-8-2 engine today realy nice, can't wait to run it.

 

[oldtanker]

John that is a fantastic looking flatcar with load....M48 TANK!!!! Not knocking this at all but....

, they shipped from the factory with the gun tube blocked in the fender and a wooden crate on the rear deck that contained and of the Basic Issue Items (BII). Also the gun tube in your case should be in the bracket on the back edge of the rear deck while in transit...its called a travel lock. While serving in Germany we were delayed on a train coming back from the gunnery ranges at Grafenwier for 12 hours. We were being pulled by and electric engine. One of the gun tubes came loose from the travel lock, the turret turned to the side and the tube knocked down one of the towers that supported the overhead electrical lines for train.

The tiedowns shoud be crossed too. Tracks were blocked front and rear with planks laid down on the inside of the tracks to stop side shifting.

That is a very nice model of that tank too!

Cedar, you going to post some pictures of that??


Rick

 

[Alan d Lambert]

flat car

Hey John'
Like Old tanker said , the front and rear chains should be croosed. And the turret should be in the travel lock located under the turret. Like he said load shifting can have bad results. I am still in the Texas Army National Guard and we sometimes used fail service to get our trucks to summer camp locations instead of driving the long distance required.

 

[cedarcreekrr]

Rick I will try posting one tomorrow.

 

[oldtanker]

Good morning all, bout 21 here. Got lazy yesterday and didn't do too much, foam goes on today.

Have a great day everyone!

Rick

 

[jeffrey-wimberl]

Good morning and top 'o' the day to all of ye.

Today's Weather for:
Sundown, LA 71446-6114 1/26/2007

Sundown Fire Dept., Station 23
Wind Chill: 31°F
Humidity: 90%
Dew Point: 33°F

So Far Today
High: 42°F
Low: 36°F
Rain: 0.00"
Rain Rate: 0.00"/h
Gust: 6mph E

High: 59 °F
Low: 35 °F
Today High: 65 Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 60s. Light and variable winds.
Tonight Low: 45 Increasing clouds. A 20 percent chance of rain showers. Lows in the mid 40s. Light and variable winds.

Ham and eggs today please.

 

[pennman]

John, Nice looking model!works for me.

Rick, Graf huh, spent many a cold winter walking around grafs gunnery ranges and field areas. No wonder you dont mind the cold.

Not sure what tomake ofit down here got to 19 last night and going to mid 50's today. Have the day off so looks like I'll get a chance to get some stuff done around the house today maybe somemore drywall and hopefully I can start the trim soon.
Yallhave a nice day,
Tony

 

[oldtanker]

Tony, after 3 tours of Germany I can say that I remember more about Grf and Hoenfels than I care to....LOL! The best part was the railhead and train rides!

Rick

 

[Chief Eagles]

Yanks, close the door. Could hardly get my grits to boil this AM. Got things to do. Need to build car storage for layout. Have a good one.

 

[brakie]

Good Morning All.
Not much to report from the land of Buckeyes except winter has enter the building..Its 22 outside but the wind chill is 5-10 degrees.
I pity the folks working the receiving and shipping docks where I use to work..I remember how the wind would whistle through the open dock doors and chill you to the bone even wearing heavy coveralls..Well let me throw another log on the fire I am cold from just thinking about those days. Ah,yes,nothing like retirement on a cold windy day.:thumb:
I shall have a cup and look over the forum!
Have a nice day all!

 

[jefelectric]

Good morning,

9 degrees this morning, coldest of the year so far.

Rick & Tony, Thanks for the help. I did know the gun tube should be in the lock, unfortunatly the Corgi model is not adjustable in tube elevation and the lock is fixed to the deck. Had no idea how to block and chain. Only time I every saw a tank on a flat was at Gallup, NM and that was from several hundred yards. Was never in a tank unit but did get to drive an M41 Walker a few times in the Reserves back in the early 60s (don't ask).

Next one I do I'll try to chain and block as suggested. I can still add the planks on the inside of the tracks, but the chains are glued to the flat.

Chief, Now it is getting cold enough for me to start eating grits. I do mine in the micro.

Keep warm and enjoy the trains.

 

[oldtanker]

Chief, sould like you guys down south need to learn about insulation....LOL

Larry for us retired guys that sounds like a winner....COFFEE!!!!

John ok that explains the travel lock.....on the older tanks like the M48 and M60 series we tied em down at the lower tow hooks and the chains were crossed.


For others looking to model flats with tanks.... For US layouts that are modren the M1, M1A1 series are loaded to to a flat, with 6 chains and binders front and rear. On the front they were attached to the lifting block on the outside of the headlights and crossed and on the rear with a big ring mounted in the tow pintel.

M1s on trains in Germany were one tank to a car, and metal chock blocks that had teeth in the botom that extended under the track, no ties downs needed. The trains were set up with passenger cars that the tank crew rode in, passenger cars in front and tanks to the rear.

They also tied and blocked the gun tube to the rear deck with wooden blocks because travel position on the M1 series is over the right rear sponson and for train clearances the tube has to be centered. Both US and Germany.


Rick

 

[N Gauger]

Good Morning All.
Not much to report from the land of Buckeyes except winter has enter the building..Its 22 outside but the wind chill is 5-10 degrees.
I pity the folks working the receiving and shipping docks where I use to work..I remember how the wind would whistle through the open dock doors and chill you to the bone even wearing heavy coveralls..Well let me throw another log on the fire I am cold from just thinking about those days. Ah,yes,nothing like retirement on a cold windy day.:thumb:
I shall have a cup and look over the forum!
Have a nice day all!

Thanks larry... I'll think of your good wishes every time I open the "Bomb-Bay" doors It's a blood freezing 21 here now with a wind chill of 8 Deg. I haven't been 'warm' since i got outta bed this AM at 6:00

Got to work -- found out that my car does not warm up in the 6 minutes it takes me to drive to work -- so no heat or defroster on the way here. Then, since it snowed, we had to hand out rock salt and calcium (opening the garage doors each time). Then I had to get the mail, back out in the c-c-c-cold.... then finally got to sit in my office (inside the warehouse) and turn my space heater on.... It's about 50 here and I'm hoping we wont have any more reasons to open up the "big doors"

See ya later!!