Vladislav

Sorry and maybe I'm wrong, but it doesn't look like stainless.

That's a good question and I surprized nobody put it up before. Those "trackked boxes" are for collecting turf, along with all other eqiupment there and the very railroad. It's a kind of a harvester machine. Turf exploration is provided by plowing a slim layer off the ground and keeping it still on the ground for some warm days to dry. Than those tracktor-pulled buckets came in action to scrape dry turf off the ground and roll into coils.

Hi Billy, sorry, I'm mostly off the 'puter and the net recently due to the job and other headaches entertainments. Haven't googled Edmond Fitzgerald so far but I will. Pretty interesting. It's both a tech story and a story of our life. Yes, you're right on the MH grill. It's aftermarket and was fabricated by someone because the original central part was broken in the accident. I happened so I saw that truck about 2000 year for the first time. There was no grill than. And the bull bar also though No, it seems mostly untypical to hit a deer/elk/hog on the road overhere. During Perestroyka years because of low policemen activity lots of outlaw hunting were provided (and still continue). So population of wild creatures went down. Honestly I had been surprized seeing on this web-site results of such "meets" in the US. For Cuba I heard many talks on that overhere because Russians make flights there for a holiday from time to time. Can't say it's too popular direction because of the long way. My father visited Cuba in early 80's a couple of times along his job. He was to Havana. But I haven't heard of old American cars overthere from him. Of what I remember he told me how they rode a Lada car owned by some Cuban man with a speed of 30 or 40 km/h along a straight and wide highway built by Americans. Being questioned on that slow trip the driver said that he removed 2 pistons of the 4 cylinder 1.5 liter engine to save damn expensive gas!!

Hi JT, Nice to hear from your side either, it's a long time since we discussed last. Here's a couple of shots specially for you. Last weekend we had a small meeting which was called "Classic coupe day". Mostly MB and BMW. So you might enjoy

Ufff, as longer I spend my time and money fixing old Macks live as more I get a feeling of how winters are short. Starting from fall you build up plans of what to do before the warm season begins, when you both possible to work outside and, what is more important, can enjoy getting your toys for some run. And than you usually find out that snow is long gone but you still have lots of stuff unfinished!

Best B-day wishes Mike!

Billy, no I haven't heard about Edmund Fizgerald boat. It's pretty interesting (and sad) to learn that fact. As for modeling it is a nice way to spend hours and hours being glad and proud of the result you get on every step. Unfortunately there's a trouble in many cases of unability of a model you would like to build or buy, or it is not of a good enough quality. Or sometimes just made in a wrong scale. Acetone glue sniffers showed out at some point here too. But happily it happened much later, about early 90's. And most the glues with toluine base were swapped with something smoother. When I was a kid in early 80's my mom could bring some dichlorethane from her jobsite. Glued fast and hard. But was extremely toxic as I was told.

Perfect work Larry! You know that I know a bit about such stuff And glad to see you have it done.

Thank you for all the thanks guys! You're very welcome. Just sorry I don't travel over the country much to share things which worth to be shared.

What happened to the rears? I saw you didn't mention them but I might be interested in a pair of differentials it they're avalible.. With the correct ratio though. Vlad

That's cool! I modeled the only ships of Aurora and Potemking. It was when I was a kid. Those models were Russian made. Can't say the quality was bad but the glue included made the job as a pain. Difficult to imagine now but there was a trouble to buy good sterene glue for plastic in Soviet Union 35 years ago!

Is that the same one?

Unfortunately your opinion on the headlights is too optimistic. Actually they were just put there off MAZ truck or Lada car. Much cheaper than original ones. One of my SGT R's has them installed either. Damn modifyers !!

Brocky, you are welcome! That blue locomotive along with others and that rail road at all was used to transport turf. That's why the slim track and light rails were used. A crue of rail road enthusiasts organized a private museum there. The actual turf exploration still continues so the guys can use existing rails and the station. On the other hand they help fixing transport units for turf moving facility.

Paul, your historical knowledges surprize me. Yes, that's Aurora. Potemkin was involved into 1905 compain which was a kind of pre-revolution. The ship didn't survive, was destroyed in 20's.

There's plenty of american trucks in service indeed. Much more than you can see in Europe. We have a length limit of a tractor-trailer of 20 meters. It allows easily to hook up a full European 13.5 meter semi-trailer to convention American tractor, with 2 drive axles and a sleeper. The most central European countries have limit of 18 meters so conventionals could be used with shorter (and usually) heavier trailers such dumps or tanks. Or pretty common application is show trucks with special trailers which are used at exebisions. As for Russia many of American trucks run between Moscow and Sankt-Peterburg and other directions. But I was told many times that a real amounts of them work further to the East providing transportations to Asian part of the country. Long distances, poor road conditions, too poor road service, cold winters etc.

Two thumbs up! Congrats!

Thank you for pointing it out. I can see US trucks wearing those colors from time to time. Just had no idea of what company they related to exactly.

Jim, your right. By my common way I spend the most of time at my place, making just local trips to the city a cpople times aweek. So I had many things I wanted to do or check out during a year or so. Finally I made a trip North-West and complete the most of what was planned.

Upps, just about to forget - I visited the old white lady. She's still alive but seems having no good chances to survive. Her Cummins worn the mains and the guy has no power to contunue fixing it. I wold give him two scrap costs but he still hopes for 3 times more. Towing expences for a 700 km trip don't increase my exidence either.

Saw an old Lada car, a big crane, a fire fighting boat and a chirch

Than I saw a battle ship. Wouldn't pay much attention to it but there was an interesting fact. Once in 1917 it fired its front gun. And as a follow of that ocassion Bolsheviki revolution took place in Sankt-Petersburg on 25th of Oktober.

Another day I saw three big Mack trucks. They were all Pinnacles with MP8, built in 2011. I can spotted one of them unhooking the trailer and making some maneuvering at the lot. Also I saw an old IH cabover and Western Star dump truck.

Ok, that's not the end. My further way got me passing by a power station. It was not a really great one about its size but worthy paying attention since it was the eldest one in Russia. Actually there was one which was built earlier. But it was a kind of a test project, on a small river in a small village. And it's not in operation yet.

G'day Timmy! Yea, I'm still safe and sound. Just busyness gets me tight