Freightrain

I looked at mine this morning, still hasn't moved from Sunday. Guess mine is doing okay. I hope you got yours fixed.

Glad we only got 2-4" inches here! I dodged the bullet of having to put the plow on the tractor again this winter. I admit, I kinda have fun plowing, but then I'm done and want it all gone fast!

Going back to mid 70's, I was about 10 yrs old and I was with my Dad and maybe my sister too? We were down by Atwood Lake, coming home from something? There was a train parked in town(likely for lunch?) and we stopped to look at it. The engineer asked if we wanted a ride(don't recall any details of where he was headed). Dad unfortunately had to tell him we had to get home(don't recall why). Ugh. You don't get those kinds of offers these days. There was a local group, back in the late 80's? The acronym was "STEAM", Silver throttle.....sumthin. They had the little steam engine from the local city part(Mother Goose Land). They were storing it on some back space at one of the Timken plants in town and working on restoring it. I don't ever recall what happened to the organization or the engine? This group in Cleveland is about an hour drive for me, so it's close, but not close enough for a quick trip. I'll try to make some time to get involved. With their involvement with CSX you can get your schooling to be Conductor, brakeman, engineer, etc. The two young fellows working with me that day were working on their hours.

9-0-nuthin was what I heard about them.

I had covers made years back, don't recall what I paid for them. Still have one on the truck as I removed the second battery box a few years ago. I had original covers til I hit one of our wonderful bridge expansion joints and it threw the one cover off. Nearly through me into the roof. No sense in trying to save it. Once I get the air start installed, not sure if I will sell the boxes/covers or keep them around just in case.

Yup. Certain Lionel stuff can fetch big dollars. My dad had HO, I did also. My sister had N scale. I ended up with all of it, all boxed up in the attic. I wanted to rebuild a layout about 20 yrs ago. I got two 4x8 tables built in the basement and the money pit started. I wanted two main lines an lots of big curves to hand the larger engines. Track/roadbed and switches were adding up quickly and the budget just wouldn't support it then. It all got torn down when I moved in 2004 and hasn't seen the light of day. I do have some G scale from my Dad that I set up upstairs that I run occasionally. My g/f bought me the green Mack switcher engine: My dad was going to build an outdoor layout using the G scale stuff. Unfortunately he passed long before he got around to actually putting it up.

My dad purchased a "DD40" for his HO layout. I remember them being a very large engine(even in HO) and you had to have a large radius layout to run them. I still have all his engines, including a cab forward(another very cool piece I always liked).

Or Mike Harrah's motor: It's coming along, this is the first time I've found an updated video from when the dyno video came out: This stuff was just cool growing up and would love to have something like it:

Always liked the earlier jeeps(whatever model number they were), mid 70's or so. With a 304 v8, side exhaust and a 3spd. Man, they sounded GOOD!! I think about that more and more. How we used to have some really cool stuff to drive. Not a bunch of buzz'n 4 cylinders and Hybrids. Ugh. I've run into a fellow I knew about from college in mid 80's(didn't know him, just his car). He drove a very nice black '70 Chevelle, 454/4spd to school. Ran into him a few years ago at machine shop I use and he still has that car. I just miss being able to drive stuff like that everyday like it is "normal".

Tuesday? You mean Monday the 2nd? LOL!! Ya, every year I get older the more I hate the cold. Blah.

Big Boy....down right favorite. Would love to ride 4014 when it gets finished in 2019. Likely never get to, but would be a real thrill.

Reel mowers, made for people with common sense. Thus they aren't made for the general public anymore. I still remember a neighbor lady trying to clean a clog out of a std push mower once while it was running. Almost lost her hand. Today's mowers have more safety crap on them then should be allowed by law. Of course there are still people dumb enough to run over their kids with a lawn tractor and not realize it. WTF?

Well it hasnt drop a pound. I think I'm good to go. Polishing is next.

Unfortunately I don't have any. Just a text asking for me to check around.

Well I had a few leaks to deal with. The drain plug was loose(duh, forgot to roll it over and check it) and the pop off valve is likely pretty dry rotted too. I plugged them and it is holding steady. Will see tonight if it moved at all. I have a polishing kit coming, I have a new Dewalt 5.3 hp grinder to use. Just waiting on my brackets to get powder coated. The new fuel tanks should be here late this week. Can't wait to polish them!

Ya, there is a WHOLE lot more going on in the cab of a steam engine.

Pretty cool, lots of good interior shots, sounds, chrome 5 hole budds, twin sticks, etc. (watch for the nekkid lady from Winfall at the end ;)....sorry it is not NSFW)

Ok, a friend has a buddy that bought a rat rod. It is suppose to be a 1948 Mack on a 49 Dodge chassis. It came with a Dodge title but he wants to change it over to 1948 Mack title. He is looking for a title. He is also looking for a passenger outside side door handle if anyone knows of one.

Grew up using a reel mower with a very similar Briggs on it. The rope was tied on the handle after you started it. I kept that mower around til mid 90's? I donated it to a fellow at work who tinkered with mowers/tractors. I never remember seeing a name on it, but it was red? with black motor. I tried mowing with it a few times, but it was very narrow and it needed a good sharpening. My new house is 1/2 acre and it would takes days with that little mower.

If ya haven't noticed my login is "Freightrain"......................

The pop off on mine was not the typical big external model. It looked just like a pipe plug, til I unscrewed it and saw the spring on the inside. This is an aluminum tank. I have a couple steel tanks and they have no pop off valves? I rechecked mine this morning and it was not down at all from yesterday, so I think I found what was wrong(loose drain plug and maybe the pop off). I have a few new pop off valves so I'll replace the original.

Does your tank have a pop off? I just realized mine did and think that was my leak. I plugged it and retesting. I also found the drain plug was a bit loose too.

Dad took me to Illinois museum when I was about 12? Here two pics from yesterday:

Yesterday I took advantage of the opportunity of a lifetime. The Midwest Railway Preservation Society offers "drive a train" and I took them up. Pay a fee and get an hour behind the throttle of there vintage long hood RS-3 similar to this: What I was told about the Alco RS3, was the fact it was a long hood, was it was one of the first diesels and the long hood mimic's a steam engine. Pretty much all the later stuff were short hoods(like GP's and SD's) Due to circumstances beyond my control I was given the benefit of playing longer then typical. The other gentlemen that was doing it was a 95 yr old WWII veteran. It was pretty cold out and he didn't stay on for the entire time limit. The engineer offered me more play time if I wanted to? Well, HELL YA!!! We were hooked to a tank car and was dragging it up and down an access track for their property(off CSX rail yard in Cleveland). Pretty cool to play with I must say. After the veteran was helped off the engine I asked if my g/f could ride(typically that is not allowed), but was told "that's okay". Karen hopped on and we played some more until it was time to put things away. The engineer took the controls and we shuffled some cars around and put things back were they started from and then rode back into the roundhouse. About 3 hours worth! I have been familiar with the organization for a few years, but never joined. I joined and hope to make some time to actually volunteer to work on the equipment. They own and are restoring the 4070 that used to pull the cars for the Cuyahoga Valley Line. I rode behind it back in the early 80's?(and still have a badge from it somewhere). www.midwestrailway.org

I just put a kit in my Sealco 14900 valve. Kit #109-5. Mine lost air in hours, it seems better now, only dropping a few pounds over night. I hope it is just the cold(it's 45 in the garage). I'll check it later today to see if it is holding steady. I plugged the tank using a gauge in one fitting and a air line fitting in the other with a 1/4 turn ball valve. I'd like to put a balloon on the output side of the starter valve to determine if it is still leaking. I want to make sure it is pretty tight before I get all this stuff installed on the truck.