Dear Lanny,

I did not check the HH site to see if they offer a Spectrum 2-10-0 motor. I offered that to Bob as an option. When I get time I will browse the HH site to see if they offer an motor for this little beastie. I have not taken apart many of these things, so was not familiar with the caveats re the 2-10-0. Thanks for the heads up!  The Bowser guy told me I could isolate the DC-71 motor for DCC operation with a $1 part available from Bowser, but I think I will get a HH instead. Glad to hear the good news from you. Now I am EAGER to do it!!

Best Wishes,

Jack

Dear Friend,

You can also check out a Helix Humper for a premium motor you can install yourself. I intend to get one for my Bowser USRA light Mike kit that I plan to assemble this year.  It was recommended to me by a board member, perhaps Joe Satnik, as a very good one.

Best Wishes,

Jack

Dear Hal,

Very elegant procedure.  My old brain would have tried a steel band, but that is too crude. Will keep your tips in mind when my 11' x 22' arrives!!

Have you ever tried "Plum Brown" from Birchwood Casey to rust metal?
It works like a peach for carbon steel.

Best Wishes,

Jack

Dear Lanny,

Here is a link.

http://www.ab-charles.com/


I had talked to these people several years ago. Very nice!  Good luck from a Pittsburgh lad!  However, I did spend some time in St. Patrick's Hosp in Lake Charles and learned to like Boudin!  Also, learned a few jokes I could tell you some time!

Best Wishes,

Jack

Roger that, Paul. And to you.

Best Wishes,

Jack

From me and my kids a big round of applause to Mr. B, Hunt and the other moderators who make this board so good.  Not to kiss up, just a word of thanks from me and anyone else who wants to chime in.  Happy 4th of July to all. 

FYI, today's birthdays, Cal Coolidge, Stephen Foster (from Pittsburgh,  my home town).

List of others:
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/july4th.html

Best Wishes,

Jack

Dear Jim,

Wouldn't that be 269 Kelvin, in response to GG?  I did not look this up, but I thought absolute zero was zero degrees K, -269C, -451F.  Please correct me if I am wrong. Have not thought about physics until last week when I landed on my "Como se llama."

Best Wishes,

Jack

Dear Friends,

Second that re grilling fresh dirt or compost on charcoal OUTSIDE, if you want to stay married!

Dear Hal,

An HO friend is going to show me how to make trees from dried sumac flowers. Will keep you informed. I am  not the guru you are. This is my first foray into model rr'ing, etc etc. However, I am willing to try lots of stuff you have showed, and some my friend will show me. However, I do not have the patience right now to spend lots of time with scenery creation.  Four small children, work, garden, grass mowing, business, skiing, you get the picture!  We like to run trains!!

Best Wishes,

Jack

Dear Jim,

Will post to Dave re a LS installation.

Best Wishes,

Jack

Dear Friends,

Thank you, all.

Dear Bo, Will contact you possibly for an airplane R/C question.  The issue here is a specific R/C system that TOC installs in LS trains to be run with battery power. Thus, you do not need to clean rails, etc. These guys call themselves the Battery Mafia. (I won't tell you what my wife calls me!!!).

Best Wishes,

Jack

Dear Friends,

Have not heard from TOC latey.  Is he out hunting killer subs, or will you have to shoot me if you tell me?  I need to contact him about an R/C question.

Best Wishes,

Jack

Dear Brian,

Nice pic!  Would like mine to be that nice some day.

Has anyone tried to stain the rail?  Perhaps the folks at Brownell's, Montezuma, IA could suggest a metal stain that is used in the gunsmithing industry. Personally, I have used their Oxpho-Blue for cold bluing of rifle bbls, pistols, etc. Works very nicely for ferrous metals, and cuts trough surface film, oil, etc.  Birchwood Casey makes a product called Plum Brown that obviously browns the bbl in a rust-like process. Old timey flintlock and percussion firearms were browned. One method I have used is to soak a few cut iron nails in HCl, paint it on a sanded wood gunstock, then apply a heat source, like an electric stove to oxidize the iron that has been absorbed into the stock. Afterward, you neutralize the acid with a baking soda solution before applying the finish.  I realize this is for iron, but surely there must be an application for brass.  Just a thought, or rambling thoughts!

Too, the Dixie Gunworks catalog has a very neat way to case harden a frizzen the old fashioned way, no cost, in a wood fire. Nice thing to know if you are ever out in the boonies with a soft frizzen that will not spark.  Also, it is just good to know you can do stuff on your own, if you ever have to.

Best Wishes,

Jack

Dear Friends,

I recently saw somewhere, perhaps Micro-Mark, there is a flat car with a clear acrylic body for observing the motion of the trucks through a turnout. Have you seen a picture of this?  If so, this might be a good way to watch what might be happening in this turnout. If I can ever find it again, I will surely buy one.

Best Wishes,

Jack

Dear Hunt,

Thank you for another great link. I try to save these aritlces, but missed that one!

Best Wishes,

Jack

Dear Hal,

As usual, very nice work, and work it is for me!!!  Your pictures of bygone days are quite nostalgic.  Remembering the good old days brings to mind that today is the anniversaries of the start of WWI and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, in which 10,000,000 people died in a 4 year span. So, perhaps the good old days weren't so good, at times.

Too, I am reminded of the times I road the old southern Jersey rr, I forget the name, from Phila to Cape May, a 3-rail I think.  Anyway, the scenery was similar to some of your pix in the '60's. Sorry to ramble and thanks a million for your good information!

Best Wishes,

Jack