Proto-lanced Pennsy: The West Slope

[Cajonpassfan]

Got my workbench set up! It's not pretty, and it smells like cat piss, but it works.


I am posting a list of projects that I need to finish!

Weather a K4 for Beezer
Build 2 Streamlined K4s
Finish 11 HGM kits for Ed and Eric.
Secret Baconrail 1 project.

Man, beyond dealing with the cat piss, you need to get yourself some TOOLS
Otto K.

[chicken45]

Man, beyond dealing with the cat piss, you need to get yourself some TOOLS
Otto K.

That portal will open when we buy a house.
I finally bought a shop vac this weekend.
As I've said, everything this far has been temporary. I see no reason to buy tools I don't yet need since we're renting. And just today I was out using that shop vac to blow leaves when I realized...we don't have a rake! We haven't had a yard in 10 years!


I've somehow managed to get by without a drill until last year when Ed gave me his old one.

[Cajonpassfan]

Lol, I wasn't talking about yard tools, I was reacting to that blank pegboard...
Otto K..

[seusscaboose]

Mmmm

So Ed gave you his drill?

WTF.... 

Are we NOT doing phrasing anymore and no one told me?

[mcjaco]

So, upon firther investigation, there is what looks like a crater of crystallized cat piss under my bench. I'm gonna have my landlord remove that. Also one of the murder rooms also smells like cat piss.

All this in addition to an upstairs bedroom that also smelled of cat piss.

WTF is wrong with people?

How do you not smell that?

When we bought our first place, the previous owners had three cats.  The liter boxes were in the back hall.  We had to pull carpeting in the master bedroom upstairs....cat piss.  Scrape poo off the walls all over the place.  It was like the previous owners didn't even notice.

[dougnelson]

I don’t see the fridge and toilet. You must be self contained in case of nuclear attack.

[chicken45]

And thus after much discussion, I have decided on ballast!

Left: ARM Light PRR              Right: S&S Gray Limestone



S&S Gray Limestone is what I will be using for my main line. I got some Penn Ohio, too for sidings.

[mu26aeh]

* Thread Drift *

I'm just catching up on this thread and regarding the cats, cat piss, litter boxes, may I suggest the Tidy Cats Breeze Litter Box System.  It's a little pricey up front but worth every penny.  No odors whatsoever (so long as our cat covers up when he goes #2).  Pad is soaked when changed weekly but absolutely no smell.  No litter tracked all over the house.  Some pellets go astray but mostly because he throws it with paws while covering up.

https://www.tidycats.com/products/litter-boxes/breeze-litter-system

[DeltaBravo]

And thus after much discussion, I have decided on ballast!

Left: ARM Light PRR              Right: S&S Gray Limestone



S&S Gray Limestone is what I will be using for my main line. I got some Penn Ohio, too for sidings.

You may have wanted to paint the pink foam before you start with scenery, Just saying, if there is some movement of the ballast that pink might not look very realistic.

[chicken45]

* Thread Drift *

I'm just catching up on this thread and regarding the cats, cat piss, litter boxes, may I suggest the Tidy Cats Breeze Litter Box System.  It's a little pricey up front but worth every penny.  No odors whatsoever (so long as our cat covers up when he goes #2).  Pad is soaked when changed weekly but absolutely no smell.  No litter tracked all over the house.  Some pellets go astray but mostly because he throws it with paws while covering up.

https://www.tidycats.com/products/litter-boxes/breeze-litter-system

Nice! The basement problem is actually from previous tennants cats.  It isn’t so bad now unless air circulates under the bench.

[chicken45]

Good idea, DEB! I do need a base layer put down.

[chicken45]

I was with my folks this weekend and took a trip to Portage for some layout research. I got some dirt and the color is a little darker then I would have thought it would be. I'll pick up some paint later this week and hopefully start laying down the ballast after a test run.

First stop was the passenger station which is now a museum. It was closed for the winter, but I saw some cool stuff through the window. It how houses the Portage Area Historical Society. Can't wait to go back this spring.

Sorry some of them are upside down. We've been through this before haha!
Here's some pics outside of the station:







I thought these bricks were pretty interesting.
 At first, I thought they were planted vertically,
 but look closer at the shape. They look like a normal brick but have 2 grooves that make them look like they are vertical.


We were about to leave when we heard a train. Tankers slogging up the hill towards Gallitzin. Then a westbound met it on the far track.
I walked around the back of the station and found some PRR signals.


There was the spur that ran in to town to the old freight station. I thought the derail was pretty cool. Sadly, the freight depot has been torn down.


And then two more trains came by!


Not sure what these were. Maybe an old signal bridge?


So that spur...there was some scrap on one side, and Leman Machine on the other side. Not sure if either are used anymore, but I love scrap yards and I can park my weathered-to-hell gondolas there so we'll see what I have room for.

The spur was belwo ground level at this point, so that's something to consider for me when modeling.


I have some ties to the Orthodox Church in Portage.

And I think I'll use this Tomix church as a base.



As we drove through town we saw a coffee shop in an old department store.

It was such a cool looking place!






We were having a great time...then I ordered a cappuccino.
When the 16oz mugs were brought to the table, I was instantly reminded that I was indeed still in the middle of nowhere.

Cappuccino should be around 5 fluid ounces, being roughly a third coffee, a third milk, and a third milk foam. There was no small size, just medium and large here. The guy asked me what kind of syrup I wanted...that should have been a red flag to walk away. I was served 14 ounces of hot milk, 1 ounce of espresso, and 1 ounce of dry, oversteamed foam.

My dad who is NOT a coffee snob simply said, "this is nothing like the ones you make for us. This is horrible."  We LOL'd together and left 14 ounces each on the table.

Next time, I'll just get drip.

[DeltaBravo]

Next time, I'll just get drip.
[/quote]


LOL! Josh, way to go, just get the drip!

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Holy crap, that Tomix building is almost perfect. If you're crazy you can swap the windows in the front to get the order right.

Or you can just drop it on the layout and move on. Which is exactly what I'd do.

[chicken45]

Holy crap, that Tomix building is almost perfect. If you're crazy you can swap the windows in the front to get the order right.

Or you can just drop it on the layout and move on. Which is exactly what I'd do.

I'll have to make an onion dome for the top. That will probably be the extent of kitbashing since it's mostly already there. The front is different, but still, it's really close.

Next time, I'll just get drip.



LOL! Josh, way to go, just get the drip!