New Column: Original Ad Saturdays...

...to recapture memories for some, and to give a perspective on where the hobby as I practice it comes from.

From the November 1973 Model Railroader magazine...

1:35,000 Scale Working Model Train Might Be The World’s Smallest...

...what do you think?

Lionel Christmas 2009...

Company Christmas party lineup getting lubed and ready...

...from the upper left going clockwise...

Tyco GP20/Athearn redux, Con-Cor Cotton Belt GP40, Bachmann N&W Class "J" 4-8-4 and Bachmann 4-8-4 AT&SF Northern...



...I miss those Christmas gardens I grew up around, there are so few nowadays that I'm looked on as a genuine oddity. I blame Dept. 56 ceramic houses...sigh...

Wednesday's Word, Psalm 4...

(To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm of David.) Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.

O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah. But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him. Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.

There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.

TYCO GP20 remotor project...ongoing...

...no one can ever accuse me of hurrying a project along...what's this? 6 months now?

Handrails, metal ones are a must on my TYCOs...



...and a new air bell. Let's see what I can get done by Christmas...

Jeremiah 11:6-15

Then the LORD said unto me, Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them. For I earnestly protested unto your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day, rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice.

Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do; but they did them not. And the LORD said unto me, A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers.

Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them. Then shall the cities of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem go, and cry unto the gods unto whom they offer incense: but they shall not save them at all in the time of their trouble. For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to that shameful thing, even altars to burn incense unto Baal.

Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble. What hath my beloved to do in mine house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest.

Barebones model railroading...

...if we hafta explain, you just really wouldn't understand anyway...

Model Railroader magazine...

...has been the hobby mainstay for many years and now my massive pile is slowly being beaten into order.

I personally believe its golden years were from the late '60s up until the early '80s when it started going from a treatise on the craft of model railroading into the glossy industry rag it is today. Nothing wrong with that if that is how you choose to enjoy the hobby. My collection, though far from complete, runs right up to 2007. I'd rather learn how to tune up open frame motors and make scenery from asbestos powder, Rit die and hemp rope while painting my stable of steam with stove black...

JMC/Con-Cor N scale N&W 2-8-8-2 Y6b circa 1977...

Got a question from a reader asking how to remove the boiler shell on this model. As with all things Rivarossi, the mechanism is a marvel of simplicity. The boiler is held on by pins that pressure fit into holes on the shell near the firebox, very similar to diesel model body shells...



...just carefully pry the shell apart at those points, slide the cab end up and then forward and the shell will come right off, revealing the mechanism...



Hope that helps...

Wednesday's Word, Ephesians 2:4-22...

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Athearn HO scale L&N U30c...

A gift from an online friend...

TYCO 2-8-0 Chattanooga Choo Choo, part V...

In my initial test runs, I found the motors to be exceptionally fast...I mean, like put-an-Athearn-Hustler-rubber-band-drive-to-shame fast. To remedy this, I wired a 1/4 watt 1000 ohm resistor into the circuit, reducing the speed at least 70%. Coupled with a transistor throttle with pulse and I have a nice running---albeit noisy---locomotive.



NOTE TO SELF: Work on noise issue like, now...

UPDATE: Gonna need to experiment with different resistors. There appears to be a wide range of reactions according to the various brands of motors I'm using. The one above will probably work better with say, a 1/4 watt 330 ohm unit...

Aster live steam in Italy...

Psalm 90

A Prayer of Moses the man of God. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men. For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth. For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.

Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Return, O LORD, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants. O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil. Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children. And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.

Capt. Lou Albano, 1933-2009

Years ago I worked at a discount retailer as a cashier. One day I looked up at the next customer in line into the unmistakable face of Captain Lou. I smiled, shook my head and said, "You know how many times as a kid you made me want to climb into the TV to beat you up?" He laughed and said, "That was a long time ago." Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out one of his business cards and autographed it, personalizing it by asking for my name. That card still adorns my toolbox 20 years later...



The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. --Psalms 90:10-12

Truly the end of an era...

Once known as the EMD of model railroading, Athearn Blue Box kits are no more...

"Greetings,

Effective immediately, we here at Athearn have made the difficult decision to discontinue the production of our Blue Box line of kits. There were several factors that contributed to this extremely challenging decision however, the primary issue revolved around affordability and ensuring that our Blue Box kit pricing remain aligned with what the market can bear. Unfortunately, due to increased manufacturing and labor costs it has been determined that we are no longer able to continue offering kits at competitive price points as compared to our already assembled products.

For over 50 years the Athearn Blue Box kits have been sold worldwide, bringing happiness, joy and excitement to thousands of model railroad enthusiasts. Your passion for these products has allowed us to thrive and grow into the industry leader you still support today, and for that we are eternally grateful. Moving forward this will allow us to dedicate more resources to new and exciting projects in our Ready To Roll, Genesis and Roundhouse lines for another 50 years, or more.

We will continue to support all service and warranty needs on Blue Box kits from our headquarters in Long Beach, California. You can find our contact information here.

The Folks at Athearn"



One of their crown jewels, the Southern Pacific '84 LA Games paint scheme applied to one of their SD40-2 models...

...and their much loved, rubber band powered beastie, the "Hustler"...

We ALL know God doesn't do miracles nowadays...

...riiiiiight...

Mantua/TYCO HO scale NYC 4 wheel bobber...

I can't believe it's taken me at least 15 years to get to this point. Got it at a flea market in Delaware for $.25, then stripped off the cast on details and installed a battery operated set of Ajax Lighting lanterns from the early '70s. I also replaced the wheelsets with Kadees and installed a set of Kadee #5 couplers.

Annnnnd...that's the way it sat, through 5 moves and 15 years, until this weekend when I finally bent a set of ladders and grabs and installed them...



I wonder how long it'll take me to paint it...sigh...

Wednesday's Word, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21...

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

"It is easy to talk about God today. God, purpose, fulfillment, service, meaning. None of those terms will evoke much of a negative reaction from the world. It's Jesus Christ who is the stumbling block. It is the exclusivity of the Gospel message, that is what the world hates. So if I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition that God made us and has a plan for us, but avoid that single point that God made us holy but that we sinned and are in rebellion to God in our natural state, we are not confessing Christ, however boldly we may claim to profess Christ.

I have heard repeated claims that some of evangelicalism's biggest superstars are propagating the "Gospel". It is important to understand that there is little understanding today as to what the Gospel actually is. It is not about "opening your life to God" or "accepting his purposes for your life." It is to acknowledge that we have sinned and that we deserve the wrath and curse of God, to turn from our sin and to look to Christ alone and believe that He took that wrath of God on Himself to satisfy the just demands of God the Father on our behalf. There is no Gospel outside of an articulation of God's holy hatred for sin. There is no good news without the bad news first. The true amazing meaning of God's sovereign grace will never be understood until our true state before him outside of His grace is grasped." ---Ingrid Schlueter

Model Power HO scale NAPA 40' promotional boxcar...

...purchased at a swap meet last weekend.

LSU 3, Florida 13...sigh...

Maybe Les Miles should have had the cheerleaders dress as temple vestal virgins, casting yellow flags like rose petals in the path of the Gators as they made their way to the end zone...



Even my son, who's not big on football, made his digs with his 2002 Fleer LSU monster truck...



...don't EVEN get me started on the Ravens D and THEIR colorful path to Cincinnati's end zone...

Ecclesiastes 1:3-18

What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.

All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us. There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.

I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

Life-Like 0-4-0 Booster remotor...

Feeling pretty good about the possibilities with theses CD ROM drives, I dove right into remotoring this switcher. It required removing the armature, rear bearing and brush plate and field magnet. On the opposite side, the other bearing was removed then opened up a bit for the new pinion gear. Then it was simply a matter of lining the gears up and securing the motor with Gorilla Glue. The new gear itself came from the scrap box and was from an old toy.

---Something to note: The motors and drives sometimes need a bit of experimenting to orient the polarity properly. In the case of the switcher, the positive side of the motor lead went to the negative side of the model so that it would go in the same direction as the other models when the power pack was set to "Forward".





This remotor and the second TYCO 2-8-0 drive in action...note the flywheel action of the TYCO drive, something most of the salvaged motors have but does not always come through when finally assembled...

Restored 1947 HO scale Penn Line 4-6-2 Reading "Crusader"...

...I'll let Tony take it from here...


...Tony Lucio photo...

Simply stunning...

TYCO 2-8-0 Chattanooga Choo Choo, part IV...

Wednesday found an idler wheel in the TYCO drive that was hitting the new motor casing. I remedied this by turning the wheel in a Dremel tool and running it against a file until it cleared the motor.



I also repaired the missing railings on the pilot steps. While the sockets were damaged, there was enough left to re-drill and insert the new railings, formed from .015" brass rod.

Wednesday's Word, Romans 1:17-32...

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

TYCO 2-8-0 Chattanooga Choo Choo, part III...

I've just finished remotoring it with, of all things, a motor salvaged from a CD ROM drive. It's actually not too hard, one needs only to open up the cavity where the armature and magnets used to be and slip it in, making sure it is both parallel and centered on the casting. You'll have to open up the hole in the small shaft gear to the size of the motor shaft, making sure it is a snug, push on fit...





It fits quite well in the original frame and provides a much smoother running locomotive with the motor's built in flywheel action...





And don't sob if you destroy the small shaft gear as I did when I tried to drill it out for a second power truck remotor. I simply trimmed a large gear down from a scrapped drive, rounded it off and flipped it face down onto the motor shaft after drilling it to the right size. It works great and gives it a flywheel similar to a John Deere Model "D" tractor...

So please, don't ask...

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The Federal Trade Commission will require bloggers to clearly disclose any freebies or payments they get from companies for reviewing their products.

It is the first time since 1980 that the commission has revised its guidelines on endorsements and testimonials, and the first time the rules have covered bloggers.

But the commission stopped short Monday of specifying how bloggers must disclose any conflicts of interest.

The FTC said its commissioners voted 4-0 to approve the final guidelines, which had been expected. Penalties include up to $11,000 in fines per violation.

The rules take effect Dec. 1.

The vendors I endorse at the bottom likely don't even know I link to them, which is fine by me. They're put there because I like their products or service and therefore get the best advertising there is---word of mouth. Try them knowing I don't get anything for it. Blessings, BS

Psalm 97

The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne. A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about. His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled. The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.

Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods. Zion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments, O LORD. For thou, LORD, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.

Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

Marklin BR 03 with MRX sound...

...almost there...

TYCO 2-8-0 Chattanooga Choo Choo, part II...

A lot of modelers smack TYCO around. Yes, it is true that they are the poster child of shoddy workmanship but it is also true that at one time they were the innovators of the hobby, right up there with Athearn, Varney and Red Ball.

The Chattanooga 2-8-0 was powered in the tender, a development that made for a more powerful locomotive for the money while giving a more realistic view under the boiler, free of any gears. It works especially well on the earlier models with the cast bronze frames.

The other prominent feature was a working front coupler. It may not sound like much but modelers were sobbing like school girls that most locomotives--even brass ones--did not include working couplers and were in fact, very difficult to modify should one want to do it.



So hey, show them some respect...they got you here...