I guess that's why they call it Mistere Meats? Maybe you should pull out your camies and night vision goggles and do a secrete investigation.
Oh, GREAT idea. Like everybody has a set of night vision goggles just lying around. So, anyway, I grabbed mine and headed back downtown. First stop was my office, so that I could scope things out. There was enough moonlight to let me clearly see that the tarp was no longer in place, but was now covering "something" in the car. I could also see something protruding from one end: A quick test of the goggles, and it was time to move: I sneaked into an alley across the street, giving me a direct line of sight to TBX 3401 and an open door at Mistere Meats. There were at least two men inside, having a heated discussion about something.
I still couldn't make out anything about what was in the car. Out of desperation, and assuming that the men inside were too busy arguing to notice, I flicked on my flashlight: Instantly, there were shouts coming from everywhere, and then I heard the dogs barking. Dogs that were very close, and getting closer. I screamed like a little girl and ran. Apparently in my panic, I snapped one last picture, because this was on my camera when I got home: Mark, you owe me a pair of shorts...
Whoa whoa WHOA! I owe you new shorts and you didn't even discover what was under that tarp!? I love this one! Hopefully you can build up the confidence to try Operation TBX Recon 2.
I guess I’m late to the party, again! Nice work the on on-going saga and a great car-type choice. Mark. :thumbs_up: May I ask? Where did you get those great crewmen of yours….. Jerry G.
And I want one in a slightly larger scale. Say 1:87th? (IE, could you sell decals in twice the size you made them? Be a fundrasier for the site too!)
For a party that lasts as long as this tour, its never too late to join the fun! The real credit goes to all the hosts who have dedicated their time and layouts to the story! I'd be more than happy to help someone coordinate an HO Tour. Details can be found in the TBX Exchange Program Group.
Wow, do I feel silly! Ok, so, I headed back downtown this morning, hoping that daylight would reveal a little more about what's going on with TBX 3401. When I got there, the car was gone, not a trace that it had ever been there. As I walked past the alley that I was in last night, a man with a dog approached me. "Hey, aren't you the fella who was here last night, screaming like a little girl?", he says. I admitted that I was, and he introduced himself as Zeke. Apparently Zeke was out late last night, walking his dog Fluffy. They had just rounded the corner when this crazy person wearing night vision goggles leaped out of the shadows, shining a flashlight all over the place. Zeke panicked, dropped the leash, which Fluffy interpreted as the "all clear" to greet the crazy man. I asked Zeke about the activity at Mistere Meats - turns out he works there, in the marketing department. "Ayuh, they were loadin' up our new hot air balloon. They didn't want nobody seein' it before the big festival today." He then directed me across the river, to the site of a hot air balloon festival that had started earlier today. "It's probably all over by now, but if you hurry, you might catch sight of one or two", and then he bid farewell. I jumped in the car, picked my way through traffic, then headed out of town. By the time I crossed the river, it was starting to get dark, but as I drove past a warehouse of some kind, I caught a glimpse of this, which I assume is what was loaded into TBX 3401 last night. :membarrassed: Sorry about the blur, it's a point-and-shoot photo taken from a moving car.
Last shots of TBX 3401 After spending the afternoon on a hot roof repairing curled shingles, I was in no mood to cook or fire up the grill. Wife and I decided to head into town to get something for dinner. On the way, I caught sight of TBX 3401 crossing the river (don't ask how I got this shot, it wasn't easy): Decided to chase it through town. Just as the sun was setting, I was able to get this shot of it entering the tunnel. Not sure what awaits on the other end, probably headed south from here.
Rumor has it that the car is headed towards St. Louis, where it'll be turned over to the Frisco to be routed on a freight to Tulsa, Madill and Hugo, OK. With that in mind, I'll keep you posted.
For the "sunset" shot, I used a 500W halogen, at layout level, aimed across the scene. For the "moonlight" shots I posted earlier, I used a small LED flashlight, aimed somewhere off-camera.
Heard from a friend down in Hugo that TBX 3401 was spotted in train number 739 arriving in the yard, along with a couple of other gons. Looks like I've got a railfan trip to make to "Little Dixie" this weekend...........when I get pic's I'll post a report here.
Flashwave - YOU knew what I was TALKING about...:tb-biggrin: I guess, Mark missed it in translation.... Mark - the second part of my reply was a query on the "little crewmen" in your photos. Shown, with the car as it was being built. As far as your partners in crime in propagating this saga, you could not have found any better :thumbs_up: :tb-biggrin: Jerry G.
Ahh, I see now. Well, it was a highly complicated process of, first finding, and then capturing the little guys who were unfortunate test subjects in the research for the 1989 movie "Honey I Shrunk the Kids". Once captured, they were offered the option of either being glued in place, never to move again, or to accept their unfortunate end and continue to live an animated life of working on the TBX tour. They chose option two. (Just don't tell them that we found the technology to blow them back up to size.. they never saw the ending of the movie. )
