In Review

I have discovered that a blogger really should take the time to read his own blog. Not so much for the ego  as in "What a wonderful writer I am" (okay, maybe a little), but more because you get to see what the readers see. I would realize, for instance, that I used the word "their" when I met "there" or "through" when I meant "throw". After living almost 60 years in America, you would think I'd learn the language.

I'd also see that I repeat myself. How many images of the R2 can I post anyway. I would think people get the general idea pretty quickly and don't need to have it hammered home. I guess I was trying to show the various phases the model was going through (used the right word that time).

Progress on the "Agg" (a right proper nickname, don't you think?) has been incredibly slow now that the track plan has crystallized and track is going down "permanently" (seems a rather loose term when applied to the All East). I'm taking time to make sure this incarnation is right. No more throwing down the track with nails in a few days. Now I know why it took over twenty years for John Allen to almost complete the Gorre & Daphetid.

I'm also surprised at how many folks actually read this. While it's not on par with the Wall Street Journal, it does get more views than I ever expected. I suspect most of them are members of the Railwire forum. I've only been a member myself for a short time. Didn't even know it existed until Dave Vollmer accidentally found my website and invited me on board. And yes, Dave, this is a blatant case of name dropping. It's not often you get e-mail from one of your heroes. Many of the guys (and girls) over at Railwire are modelers I have seen in model magazines or online and I admire them. I won't list them all. How much kissing up can one guy do? I do wish to thank you all very much!

Now that the brown nosing is out of the way it's time to get around to the actual reason I posted this epistle. Trackwork on the Allegheny Eastern has been incredibly slow. At this point only Track 4 is completed between Harrowgate and Tunnel Hill. There is also an observable lack of progress on the connecting helix. Management assigned a team of engineers to inspect the right of way and suggest a remedy for these issues...

Their submitted report contained only one sentence with this photo attached...

Highly recommend review of hiring process!!!

With tongue in cheek,
Frank Musick
Chief Cook and Bottle Washer

Allegheny Eastern Railroad

Abject Failure

Between cleaning up what's left of our cedar tree and other errands I haven't made much progress lately. I have to admit that my interest has waned for the past few weeks. This proved to be a good thing, because I was working on the helix before the pause. Coming back to the job after several weeks hiatus enabled me to see some flaws.

The code 80 track on the first level "buckled" somehow. This caused the track to expand out of its slot in places. Had I moved forward with construction I would have had a major repair on my hands. Since the levels still aren't assembled I simply had to pull up the track and relay it. Still in the process of doing that.

Another issue has come to light as I work on the second level. On this level I'm using the older Rapido flex track. I laid track #1 and let the glue dry. When I went back to check on things several days later I found most of the joints were "off". I thought it was a bad alignment, but I couldn't straighten them out. After a little investigation I found that all the joints were higher than the rest of the track...

Vertical Rise at Track Joint

Same joint Seen From Above

Turns out that all of the sections of the Rapido track are warped vertically...

Vertical Warp

I guess I was thinking the glue would hold the ends down. I have to pull each section up and bend it so it lays flat.

The helix wasn't the only source of aggravation. I tried some actual modeling. I had done a couple of N scale projects before and most of them seemed to come out "fair to middlin'" including a double ended PCC car...

Keystone Northern Boxcab

Keystone Northern FM Switcher

Logan Valley Double Ended PCC Car

So I took a shot at building a PRR N5e cabin car, a one of a kind "caboose" that resulted from rebuilding a wrecked N5. After several tries I ended up with this...

A Real PRR Class N5e Cabin Car

The Model

There was another try after this one, but even that was nowhere near acceptable, especially next to all those nice Bowser cars...

N5e Latest Attempt

It gets worse. After hunting around for an old Bachmann DD40 I finally found one on E-Bay. The trucks on the DD40 are exactly right for modeling Pennsy's BP60 "centipedes". I had envisioned something like this...

Concept Image of a PRR BP60 "centipede"

What I got after "kitbashing" several diesel shells was this...

The Model

Seems as though my N scale modeling skills leave a lot to be desired. Nonetheless I intend to keep at it. Practice makes perfect.

Regards

Frank Musick

Chief Cook and Bottle Washer

Allegheny Eastern Railroad

Tornadic Activity

Here in Tennessee we have a phenomenon known as "tornadic activity". It's a term that may be in use everywhere, but I never heard it until I moved here. It's usual use is before two other phrases. The first, "tornado watch" means exactly what it sounds like. "Watch out there may be tornadoes out there somewhere. The second "tornado warning" can be loosely translated as "duck" or "hit the dirt". It usually indicates an actual tornado is stalking the local trail park.

The phrase "tornado warning" is only personally applicable if you actually hear it. It is usually accompanied by an earsplitting siren, which again, must be heard to be appreciated. Sometimes it's followed by your wife's voice stating "That tree is swaying dangerously". Since this is the SECOND tornado the wife has experienced since we arrived in the Volunteer State, she knows a thing or two. You would think I would learn to listen when she has an intuition about such things. A more reasonable person probably would have. situation. What did I do?

Roll over and go back to sleep, of course.

So the next day one wakes up to find said twister (or twisters) has missed your master bathroom by a scant yard or so and shattered the swaying cedar tree in your back yard into three parts...

Too Close for Comfort

Cedar Shattered Into Three Pieces

You notice that your cell phone has four text messages time stamped for 3:00 am or so declaring you're just about doomed and you should kiss your ass goodbye.

Sound Asleep

As you drive through the neighborhood you notice an unusual number of blue tarps covering various roofs on the houses. Along the main road you may encounter a couple of utility poles snapped in half. Oh yeah, let's not forget the Dollar General store that no longer exists...

As a consequence, your hobbies take a brief respite as you haul out the chainsaw (or two) and proceed to fill your back yard with branches and pieces of tree trunk and/or trunks. It takes a day or so to cut up a 60 foot cedar tree. It takes a lot longer to get the local municipality to come and grind up said branches and pieces of trunk and/or trunks...

Two Hours Into It Before the Electric...

...Chainsaw Buys the Farm.

You find yourself VERY grateful all you lost was a nuisance tree you wanted cut down anyway. You feel really blessed that you and yours are still around to clean up the mess and the roof still keeps the rain off your head. You also realize more that any other time that things like model trains are easily replaced, but your loved ones could be gone forever.

Regards,
Frank Musick
A Very Grateful Chief Cook and Bottle Washer

Allegheny Eastern Railroad