Ace-Garageguy

Couple more interesting diesel locomotives in HO scale. These were listed as "EMD EF-7" locos (?) but are in fact AHM-Tempo Fairbanks-Morse "C-liners", another of the somewhat obscure designs (to non-RR people) developed to compete with EMD's market-dominating "cab-unit" E and F series diesels. A side note on these...the passenger version had a very unusual 3-axle rear truck to carry the weight of the steam generator, used for train heating. The freight-hauling version had 2-axle rear trucks. This model was, again, in production for many years, beginning in 1954, and the separate wire hand grabs on the nose (can't see 'em in the photos) identify these as relatively early versions made prior to "cost engineering" cheapening. They've been "worked on" over the years, mostly bodged (like the ridiculously unusable too-close Kadee coupler mounted on the LH unit), but there's still enough there to restore. A little history: Fairbanks-Morse was a major player in the railroad industry going well back (tracing its heritage to an 1823 maker of plows and stoves), manufacturing all kinds of heavy RR infrastructure, including wooden, steel, and concrete coaling towers for steam locomotives (a cast-concrete version shown to the left of the F-M diesels below), and even marine diesel engines used in submarines in both WW I and WW II. Both of these models are powered, in kinda rough shape, but run. They need work, but I'd rather spend a week and a few bucks making a well-detailed, good running engine from something lotsa folks would throw out than buy a brandy-new one for several hundred. One immediate drawback I noticed is that these early ones have very deep flanges on their wheels, much deeper than RP-25 specs, and hit the spike-heads on code-85 or shorter track. But hey...I have a lathe. Lotta "experts" say these cheap old locos are trash, run poorly, etc., but there are still RR modelers who, like me, enjoy making something really nice from "trash". It's kinda like building hot-rods used to be.

Cool stuff.

Batteries are a means of storing electrical energy, but they won't store it indefinitely.

I also have the identical tool. They come with a pocket clip. https://ascscientific.com/geology-field-equipment/rock-pick/king-tools-giant-scriber/

Missed this one. Seriously cool.

"With your shield or on it" is a saying attributed to ancient Sparta.

Just copy/paste whatever you need to translate into Google Translate. https://translate.google.com/

Apocalypse Now was a film released in 1979, about the Vietnam "conflict".

Glue your finger to your eyeball with CA, and see how smart you feel.

I have one here. Mr. Micrometer says they're about .030".

OMG!!! OMG!!! That is SO offensive to those who can't think, those who don't want to think, those who think they think, those who only think what they're told to think, and those who have nothing to think with. OMG!!!

3 more easy ways...but they all require a circle the diameter of your wheel.

Where I live, if you want potholes filled during your own lifetime, you throw a few bags of sakrete, a hose, a shovel, and a wheelbarrow in the back of your pickup, and go do it yourself.

Pretty cool piece of obscure history. I always wonder how somebody's labor of love winds up trashed and forlorn.

A lathe. OR...use a compass to draw a circle the diameter of the wheel. Use the procedure below to find the center of the circle. Cut the circle out carefully and hold it against the wheel, and poke through the center with something sharp...unless you're like me and can eyeball it within a few thou....plenty close enough. Easy, no measuring, no math, and this guy actually uses unnecessary steps (but I'm not going to watch a bunch of YT videos to find someone who doesn't).

I'm getting intermittent glitches as of this AM's logon, like posts and PMs not posting, and going to a "technical error...site can't be displayed" message. Refreshing the page fixes it...so far.

More train stuff. This A-B-B set of Model Power HO scale Baldwin "Shark Nose" RF-16s (disregard the FA2 on one box) in B&O livery is in really decent shape for its age, with a powered A-unit and dummy Bs. The A-unit model was in production under several brand names, based on the same carbody tooling, for many years. These striking diesels' styling was influenced by the work of Raymond Loewy on the Pennsylvania RR's T1 steam locomotive (the same guy who did the '53 Studebaker and the Avanti). The Model Power tooling is remarkably crisp and clean, especially considering its age, and reasonably accurate. These old models respond well to detail and mechanical upgrades, and can equal "modern" offerings in looks and performance for considerably less money...if you're inclined to put some time and effort into 'em. T1 Shark And another pair from Proto 2000 in HO, this time EMD E6 and E6B units. Santa Fe "warbonnet" livery again. NIB. Another strikingly attractive locomotive, the E6 had more streamlined styling, with a more pronounced slope to the nose, than the later E7-E9 and their F-unit sisters. EMC, which became GM's Electro Motive Division (EMD) built the E-series of locomotives for "streamliner" passenger trains from 1937 until 1963. These locomotives, and their freight-hauling siblings the EMD F series, were largely instrumental in the dieselization of America's railroads, leading up to and after WW II.

But could they juggle?

Of course, Tom Beatty was head and shoulders above the "average" lakes car builder in terms of engineering ability and professionalism. Just the swing axle rear suspension fabbed up from Ford torque-tubes and front UJs is evidence of that...and he was working with guys like Barney Navarro and Frank Kurtis, both racing legends in their own right. AND...note the small diameter of the frame tubes. This little car has technical sophistication with more in common with a birdcage Maserati than the typical lakester.

What's a real shame is that his resin products are very, very nice. I have a couple I bought "pre owned" and have zero complaints. It's sad to see someone who's actually capable of turning out quality work go away, for whatever reason.

I made a rear-hatch window from clear acrylic sheet (plexiglass) for a little gen-1 Fiesta I rescued from a crackhead who only wanted its $50 scrap value. All it needed to be a daily driver (besides the window he'd smashed because it wouldn't run) was a fuel pump.

There's an ancient Monogram diecast version too. Same kit, just a metal body...with pronounced parting lines on the sides that have to be filed flat.

And never hold something in the palm of your hand while drilling. I got in a hurry once and used my hand instead of the vise. When the drill bit broke through the part, I couldn't stop it from drilling into my open palm. After backing the bit out with a plug of meat and bone chips attached, I've never done that particular stupid thing again. Cool stigmata though.

Yup, that's just what incandescent bulbs are. Only 5-10% of the energy consumed by old-style resistance bulbs becomes light. The rest is shed as heat.