Was working on a coupler install on a E-8A unit and had the part laying on the workbench while I was taking care of another item. The Missus walked in the room and asked what Deekus The Cat was playing with on the floor. Yup it was a piece of the truck sideframe. OH $%^& I must have brushed it off the bench and then rolled on it with my chair containing my old ample posterior. Hmm Delrin plastic, not good for getting it back together. So I'm looking for a Lifelike E-7,8, or 9 rear truck frame. The one with the coupler pocket since the front is a pilot mounted coupler. I've effected a halfway type repair but I'm sure it will eventually fail. Barring not finding one here, and from what I've heard about getting parts from the new owners of Lifelike, which hasn't been good, I'll just have to wait for a few weeks until the show up in Timonium, MD were I should be able to pick up one to use as parts. But I thought I'd give a try here first. With the month I have had I must have really ticked off the Train Gods. Must find suitable sacrifice.
What is it about cats and trains? The missus has a cat that attacks her jewelry making stuff too! It hasn't gone after my trains, but they are kept locked away from him!! Am going to Helena railfair in April, will look if you ain't found one yet.
Deekus The Cat is actually my constant companion at the workbench, who is usually occupying a basket by the workbench below the windows, where she reposes while watching me work. She has taught me to clean up the workbench and put things away daily. I have, in the past, ocassionaly found a missing shell downstairs, and once took three months to finally find a missing thumb drive that she had hidden in her bed. Her big attraction though is the mini meeces with shining eyes. She can be downstairs and the high pitched whine of a motor being tested will bring her immediately to the workbench. I have one but the coupler pocket is cut off since I put MT1015s on the back. Oldrk, I was looking at that possibility which is why the truck frame was off. However what l found was that it was not a good fit. I had to apply numerous shims to get the coupler down to match a truck mounted coupler on another LL E. Then the close proximetry to the truck severely restricted the truck swivel to the point of it would have to be run on 18 to 20 radius to run and not have issues. So I was going to install a truck mount MT which is a pain. Then disaster struck.
I'll try not to let that comment go to my head. Although my Wife would tend to disagree with you. She says that the old goat has just mellowed with age. However, the Train Gods decided to smile on me at last and let me have that rare moment of rational and clear thinking. Or as the Mad Monks of the N scale Zendo would call it a moment of Satori. I took a quick look at where my modeling efforts, and settling on a era, or timellne have led me. Then I realized that I had a possible E-7 loco that would be excess. Since I model the GN after the E-7s were taken off the Builder and now have a set of Fs to pull it having a pair of E-7s was not needed, just a single E-7 to pull locals and short runs. Thus the other E-7 became a donor unit for the CB&Q unit. Therefore the shell has been tucked away and I now have spare gears, motor, etc. I can now finish this project and at my leisure perhaps later at a show pick-up another E-7 or E-8 or two and repower that spare GN E-7.
