BarstowRick's H&P Layout Restoration

BarstowRick Sep 15, 2020

  1. DeaconKC

    DeaconKC TrainBoard Member

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    Progress, yes, prayers from here too.
     
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  2. BigJake

    BigJake TrainBoard Member

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    Kinda like me and seatbelts. My parents were religious about us always wearing our seatbelts. We had all been in an accident in our station wagon with no seatbelts. I was in one of those child seats that just hooked over the seatback, and whacked my head against the dome light , leaving a nice little divot in my scalp that healed over fine. Mom was tossed into the windshield, but luckily needed only some stitches in her forehead. She was concerned about how it would scar, so she went to a plastic surgeon. While she was in the waiting room, she saw all kinds of patients with far more serious wounds than hers, and decided she was just fine, and walked out.

    I said "religious" as in Mom would not shift out of park until she heard the requisite number of "clicks" for all our seat-belts. And woe be unto us should we try to fake her out! So naturally, when I started driving myself, I was not in the mood to use mine when alone in the car. Then a friend was killed a week before our high school graduation, not wearing a seat belt. Two weeks later, my cousin was killed when thrown from his car when it rolled over. His date was wearing hers, and she walked away without a scratch. That's when I got "religious" about it. Sometimes mother nature has to smack me around to get my attention. Thank goodness she does!
     
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  3. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Had a similar event in my youth. Believe it or not, mid-1950's we were heading home, and stumbled upon a steam excursion. My father, a former railroader, and life long fan, proceeded to pace it- right into the back end of an also pacing slower car. I went from the back seat over the front, forehead into the dash and a big welt. Dad had bruised ribs. My little brother hit the front seat and went to the floor, crying but unhurt. My mother hit the windshield. Even after "plastic surgery", for the rest of her life had that scar. And hated seeing trains near any road we were using.
     
  4. Doug Gosha

    Doug Gosha TrainBoard Member

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    When I got my license in 1969, wearing seat belts was still a rarity. I never even really thought about wearing one even though my '59 Chevy had lap belts as an option. It wasn't until the late seventies that most people buckled up when cars also had shoulder belts, originally separate from lap belts and later, integral. Lap belts, alone, really were not good because the upper part of your body could still fly forward and hit things and if the forces were severe enough, cause serious internal injuries.

    Doug
     
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  5. Shortround

    Shortround TrainBoard Member

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    I turned 16 in 1966 and bought my first car. A 1955 Ford Fairlane. The first modification was to add seat belts. My father had a fit.
    A year and half later I had a head on collision. Her fault. With the seat belts I only had a bruise on my forehead. She needed an ambulance.
    I had been slowing down because there were railroad tracks after the intersection. :whistle:
     
  6. DeaconKC

    DeaconKC TrainBoard Member

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    I have been pulled from cars that were totalled twice. If I had not been wearing my seatbelt both times, I would have died.
     
  7. BigJake

    BigJake TrainBoard Member

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    The main thing lap belts (alone) did was keep you in the car, and away from the windshield. Not sure a lap belt alone would have saved my friend, but it would have saved my cousin. Those two accidents were in spring of 1981. The accident we were all in was in 1966, in an early '60's Valiant station wagon. I was 3 years old. They had to special order the seatbelts for the rear seats in the 1966 Dodge Sportsman Van Dad bought to replace it. Dad would not take delivery until they were installed.
     
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  8. BigJake

    BigJake TrainBoard Member

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    TGFSM!

    But, why did you ride in cars that had already been totaled? :ROFLMAO:
     
  9. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    Seat belts aside.Oh the stories i could tell but that's for another time and place.

    Here's what I'm working toward restoring.
    Below you can see a mixed manifest heading out and around the curve. Note the flat cars These are the original Kadee N Scale offerings.
    30+Car Train Flats Kato ConCor.jpg

    Above: On the inside curve is a loaded coal train about to reach the summit and cross the Dry Gulch Creek bridges.

    30+Car Train Tail End.jpg

    Above: The tail end of a 30 car train working it's way up the face of the layout headed toward the summit. I must have edited it at some point in time. Hope you can see it

    More later.
     
  10. badlandnp

    badlandnp TrainBoard Member

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    Now them photo's should inspire you to get that track wired up. It is always such a great feeling of accomplishment when the trains finally roll!! Looking forward to seeing that. "Buckle up, Buttercup!! Time to roll!!"
     
  11. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    One more picture of F7's crossing the Dry Gulch Arch Bridge. This is the head end of the train I showed you with the flat cars. You might be interested to know there's not truck mounted couplers in that consist of flat cars. They handle sweet in a reverse move.

    To the right is ATSF SD24's pulling a fully loaded coal train through the coal district. Aain, the same one in the picture above. Neat concept. As one said, "When it works"? It will again.

    ATSF F7's Crossing Bridge SD 24's At Junction.jpg

    Below: Is the top deck. For the moment it's still out in the shed. Waiting it's turn to be restored.

    Here you can see the work trains. They are getting their job assignments and preparing to head out. In the background on the main line is the Chippewa Chief, a test train. They will report back any track discrepancies.
    Rail Pic's HP 004.jpg

    I have three work cranes. Two of them can be seen here. All with a little bit different livery. Most of the time these were used as wreck cranes or wreckers. Often called the "Big Hook" or "Hookers" by the crews.The time frame of this picture is. When I took out the Atlas Turntable. Did not like it the whole time I had it but until this picture I couldn't find anything better. Cornerstone came out with a turntable and it was Good Bye to the Atlas Turntable. A permanent good bye.

    A lot of Atlas stuff eventually was replaced with Peco or Kato track components. Time to say good bye to Atlas switches and other stuff on the layout.

    I need to mention. Those SD24's are Atlas. Occasionally they do something right.

    Got a busy day ahead of me.
    Enjoy the weekend.

    Later.
     
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2022
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  12. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

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    Last edited: Oct 28, 2022
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  13. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    I'm betting on Mike Fifer
     
  14. badlandnp

    badlandnp TrainBoard Member

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    Wellllll, that just burns my odds! I was going to put the bux down on our very own Big Bear transplant! Dang!
     
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  15. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    A vote of confidence. If I get going and have the resources I can move quickly to get this done. I'm slowed down by health issues. So, I'm not having the fun I'd like to have.

    I'll get'er done.
     
  16. badlandnp

    badlandnp TrainBoard Member

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    Our older bodies rebelling on us is always a drag. But, we just gotta keep trying!
     
  17. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    After a brief discussion over on What's BartstowRick Up To. I found this media documenting...what else.



    Although, I don't know Mark personally. He sounds just like my family of old rail heads. The true professionals of the railroad.

    I think I've seen every video he's put out. He's not a Railfan or a Toy Train, Model Railroader. He's the real deal and is worth listening to. He is now retired from the Union Pacific Railroad. He tells his story in a later video. You can find his You Tube Channel and his playlist. At the time of this filming he was a foreman and working for the aforementioned railroad. Note his hard hat.

    These are the guys I listen to when it comes to Railroading. I prefer not to sound like the guys and gals at the infamous MR wig wags (magazines). About my stack of MR's. I heard all to often, "They don't know Railroading," they said. Of course, not to sound redundant, my family of old rail heads, repeated each time they picked up one of my copy's of said wig wags. That's what they called them. So why not?

    Well I have four Kato Unitrack #4 Switches to install. Got's to get busy.

    Enjoy!
     
    Last edited: Jul 20, 2023
  18. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    The wiring project is on going. A never ending job or so it feels.

    I've wanted for sometime to get rid of the Atlas #4 Switches. Just not the performance I was hoping for. Kato Unitrack #4 Switches will be going in to replace them.

    In this first picture is a stub end yard. It will handle storage for the locals. This will all be under the upper deck of the layout. Part of the Hidden Staging yard that you can see to the right ..
    09 Stub End Yard Throat.jpg

    Below you can see how the new switches will fit right in with some minor adjustments. Then I will be wearing a smile.


    DSCF1939.JPG

    Another good friend Jack C., U.S.M.C. retired. He stopped by to see the progress. Plenty of encouragement.

    More later.
     
    Last edited: Jul 20, 2023
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  19. Many Trains

    Many Trains TrainBoard Member

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    How do you get the (I assume Atlas) track to connect to the Kato switches?
     
  20. BigJake

    BigJake TrainBoard Member

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    A few different options...

    If the conventional track is laid directly on the base (no roadbed, as in this case), it will have to be elevated near the Unitrack to match the Unitrack's built-in roadbed.

    There is a Unitrack adapter piece that will join up with conventional track. It had a "shelf" of sorts to support the conventional track at the right height.

    The Unijoiner is compatible with conventional track rail, but the ties on non-Unitrack will have to be trimmed back to clear the Unijoiner, since the Unijoiner extends below the rail further than a conventional rail joiner.

    The Unijoiner can be removed, and a conventional rail joiner used to join the atlas rail to the Unitrack rail.

    If the Unitrack piece is not a switch (which has the mechanism housed inside the roadbed), you can use a belt sander, file, etc. to taper the end of the Unitrack roadbed to normal sectional track (tie) thickness, and use conventional rail joiners to join it to conventional track directly on the base.

    There are probably other techniques I missed...
     

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