Saw this on the CNJ Bronx Terminal blog.



10% More Heat - 10% Less Ash. I think its quite possible that they were using Gern Flux Fuel Burning Additives to achieve such lofty numbers.


Linky to source page. http://keokukandwesternrr.com/models.htm


Man...I think I need to pick up some of these colourful little box cars. Just rolling works of art.

Hi guys.
This is totally non train related but I have to pass this along. Maybe someone from Arizona will see them.
This was posted on our Samoyed forum this morning. I know if I lost my dog how devastating it would be, and I know that if you don't have a pet you maybe can't understand that.:

Posted by Mary Carlson
On our way to the Scottsdale shows, about 6 pm tonight (Tuesday, February 24)
Ch. Tori and her daughter Margee took off. (We were in the RV fiddling with a
slide-out when we noticed the once shut door was wide open. ) We are about 20
miles west of Flagstaff Arizona on I-40. There are two rest areas within a mile
of where we are. We have driven up and down I-40 and taken literally every dirt
road in the area for hours and hours. They have simply vanished.

I have called the sheriff's department and they have dispatched it to everyone
on patrol tonight.

If anyone is traveling on I-40 please keep your eyes peeled. They are around 45
pounds and white (or were the last time we saw them.)

Tori is wearing a PINK collar with red tag and Margee is wearing a GREEN collar
with red tag. The tags have both our home phone and our cell. They are both
microchipped.


PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CROSSPOST.

Mary Carlson

Thanks Guys
Charlie

I need to get Grab Irons for my BNSF GP38-2 (RTR Unit) and SP SD70M (Genesis Unit). Are they the same size grab irons? There both missing the grabs on the front and rear and i would like to replace them with metal ones and paint them to match but i havent the slightest idea where to get them or how to go about this. Im used to them coming with the loco and applying them on the KATO's lol

Both locos have the wholes pre-drilled so all i would have to do it slip them in place. I would prefer to buy them already bent and ready to install.

Any help is appreciated, thanks in advance

now for the more serious side . I've posted several old mining photos her are two of the modern way to mine called long machine, the machine is in this mine 1500 ft long cuts 8 t0 9 ft high 42 inches wide.
Jim

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just makes me want to go get a bucket or two . how bout you?
Jim

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The title may have thrown some of you off, this thread wont we be for Weathered Freight Car trucks, rather for Big Trucks like semis and such

Ill do one post per company, so that means when i weather a trailer and or cab for a company that has previously been posted, ill come back and edit that post and add the new truck in there and post an update to the posts that were updated with new pictures..... This should be fun and a long term project for me

Hi guys, i just won to Athearn RTR Engines off e-bay, one is a CSX GP38-2 in the Dark Future Paint and the other is a BNSF GP35 in the new Swoosh Paint.

Im wondering, are these DCC Ready? According to the product pages on Athearn's web site, the BNSF one is DCC Ready but the CSX GP38-2 Does not say if it is DCC Ready or not....

BNSF GP35:

http://www.athearn.com/Products/Default....D=ATH94226

CSX GP38-2:

http://www.athearn.com/Products/Default....ID=ATH8008

Anyone have the CSX one? Is it DCC Ready? Thanks in advance

Well it wasnt easy, but i got a huge set of paints finally that have been on the list of things to buy for the longest time now lol

I bought all the Polly Scale paints that i need/could use for projects right now and for future projects.

Here is what i got:

• BNSF Orange
  
• BNSF Green
  
• BNSF Silver
  
• BNSF Yellow
  
• CSX Tan
  
• CSX Yellow
  
• CSX Blue
  
• CSX Gray
  
• UP Dark Gray
  
• SP Lettering Gray
  
• SP Lark Dark Gray
  
• BN Green
  
• CNW Yellow
  
• Mineral Red
  
• Special Oxide Red
  
• Reefer White
  
• Reefer Yellow
  
• Oily Black
  
• Grimy Black
  
• Engine Black
  
• Rust
  
• Roof Brown
  
• Railroad Tie Brown
  
• Mud
  
• Earth
  
• Dirt
  
• Concrete
  
• New Gravel Gray
  
• Sand
  
• Flat Aluminum

• CNW Green
  
• UP Harbor Mist Gray
  
• UP Armor Yellow
  
• SP Lark Light Gray
  
• Aged Concrete

Finally, after years of wait, I have a Zephyr system up and running (albeit with some glitches at first programming a decoders).

My thanks to all who have provided their hints, tips and experience that shaped my DCC selection and ultimate layout setup.

I do have a question...regarding the decoder in a Bachmann HHP8. I haven't been able to program the decoder. Each time I've tried, I get a "d nd" error. I haven't been able to find out what make decoder is installed, and although trying several times, haven't been able to reprogram the decoder from the factory set - cv03 address - to the engines four digit road number. From the very little I know about decoders, I've read that not every one is reprogramable, and that some decoders are "set" at the cv03 address value. But I successfully reprogrammed two other decoders today, so at least I know I can follow the directions successfully to reprogram the diesel's address. The HHP8 engine works fine using the cv03 address on the layout. But I was hoping to change the address to match the diesel's road number. (As an interesting side note...when I first tried to reprogram the HHP8, it starting moving under power down the programming track - which I thought it wasn't ever supposed to do. I changed the track and wiring I was using for a programming track and the engine stayed still...but the Zephyr still gave me the "d nd" error and I couldn't read or write to the decoder.)

Any ideas why I can't reprogram this guy? :?:

I just spent the past few days scouring the archives of the Big Blue Railroad and how it came to be. There's a lot of information on the Internet, but to get the whole story I had to dig through a pile of musty and dusty boxes stored in our headquarter basement. The story is fairly complicated and lengthy, with mergers, acquisitions and speculators, that span over 100 years, and so I've condensed it here for you all. In addition to this interesting story, I was able to dig out some of the artwork for a lot of the old and current logos and reporting marks, so as soon as I'm able to get these things organized in my computer, I'll be sure to post that here as well. Note that I left off names and specific places so as to protect the identity of those involved, good bad or otherwise, they'd really want it that way.

Here's the honest history of our railroad:

Quote:

THE STORY BEHIND THE BIG BLUE RAILROAD

The Gauge Railroad start:
Sometime around the late 1880’s, there appeared to be a void in rail service to some communities and newly created industries along the growing areas around Ohio, Pennsylvania New York and parts of Canada. It appeared that none of the bigger railroads were interested in spending the resources to develop the area, so several community-spirited individuals thought it best to strike out on their own. With enough capital in hand, the hired an energetic man that had the right contacts and towards the end of 1890, the Gauge Railroad was formed. Between 1891 and 1900, well over 1,000 miles of track was laid bringing coal and wood to a number of remote industries and allowing many isolated towns rail access for goods and passenger service. The railroad was at its peak when it was sold to a speculator in 1947. The Gauge RR thrived for a good number of years as this speculator pumped up business with clever and innovated marketing techniques, but as is true for most railroads, modern highways and even some local air carriers cut deeply into their traffic and profits and the railroad was merged into other business interests held by this speculator. At some point, the burden of running this combined empire became too great and it was sold intact and as-is to a profit-oriented company with no knowledge of how to run a railroad. They tried, but continued to stumble with poor and intermittent service resulting in the loss of customers. Passenger service dwindled to a trickle, while trains had an overabundance of billboard reefers and boxcars, the seemingly single source of revenue for this new company.

Big Blue Railway begins:
Around the turn of the century, a small group of enterprising railroad enthusiasts decided to run a competing railroad with high hopes of expanding beyond the east, and to venture where no railroader had gone before. It was in 1908 when the Big Blue Railway was established on basically a shoestring and a lot of hope. This was the first railroad to establish service between Pennsylvania and Arizona, and with a lot of luck and hard work, made it succeed. Throngs of people rode the timely passenger trains between the two states while goods and raw material were seen being transported back and forth on a regular basis. Cacti, sand, citrus, Indian blankets and prairie dogs headed east while delicacies such as Tastykakes and cheesesteaks made their way into the stomachs of many desert dwellers thanks to the Big Blue. For the first time in history, many easterners could get a first-hand glimpse of the Grand Canyon. Desert Rats were seen touring the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. It was a win-win situation for everyone, and the railway grew and expanded to other parts of the country and even into Mexico and Canada as the first transcontinental railway on the North American continent to serve three countries. The downturn of the railroads in later years had little effect on Big Blue since because of all of its enthusiastic and frugal approach, it became a lean, mean, running machine.

The merger:
The management of Big Blue is always looking for routes to expand to and so when they saw an opportunity to assimilate the routes held by The Gauge RR, well, they snapped it up, thus merging it into Big Blue in 1960 and calling itself the Big Blue and Gauge Railroad, Ltd. Expansion knew no bounds, and through unique engineering techniques and management skills, it was able to expand beyond the borders of the continent and is now able to serve the world with inexpensive transportation of goods and people. By the end of the century, the railroad shortened its name to what it’s know as today, the BB&G Railroad. Management at the BB&G vowed to remove all advertising from their consists and never again to have third-party advertising anywhere on any of their trains. You will not find advertising anywhere on the railroad except for the products and services rendered by the BB&G; this had a positive impact on customers and passengers alike resulting in a sharp increase in traffic. A refreshing difference and is a contributing factor in the continued growth and stability of the railroad. To this day, you can find a mixture of steam and diesel locomotives, wood and metal cabooses and cars from all eras, mainly due to the thrifty nature of how the railroad is run; “Never, ever, throw anything away,” says their CEO, and they’ve held steadfast to this philosophy. It’s a crazy way to run a railroad, but it seems to work.