flatracker
1st Class Member
Dunlap, TN
Foreman
Posts:143
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 | | 08/30/2008 6:14 AM |
| Well, I think it is an interesting proposition and would like to see it done, but with the present conditions with Georgia and Russia vs us, it would seem a long way off. It seems like there will always be tremendous mistrust between America and Russia and doubt that it will ever end with the likes of Putin in power. Now the pipeline R/R would seem like a lot more viable project, and would make more sense from an economic standpoint. However, where would enough traffic come from once the pipeline was completed, and all the construction equipment shipped out?
About the political business, I am not happy with any of the candidates, but think your governor is a fine lady and a plus to anyone's team. This time I will vote for what I consider IMHO, the "lesser of the two evils", so to speak. I might also add I am a STRONG supporter of Second Amendment Rights. I live in a rural area, and response times of local authories would find me dead, if an intruder was to assult me with that intent. I don't EVER intend for that to happen. " border=0>" border=0> | |
Bob Martin | |
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KYYADA
Brakeman
Posts:50
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| | 08/30/2008 6:55 AM |
| | The bridge idea sounds good. It would be neat to hop on a bike or get in a car and drive to Asia! | | | |
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Semper Vaporo
1st Class Member
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Engineer
Posts:1217
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| | 08/30/2008 9:11 AM |
| | That would be a long bike ride, and the wind could very well blow you off into the Bering Sea. You would never be heard from again. Russia would claim you never showed up, the U.S. would argue that you left, an international incident would ensue and WW-III, IV and V would result in a useless bridge with several holes blown in it to keep the invading hords from going either way on it. | |
 C. T. McCullough
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
SA #37469
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KYYADA
Brakeman
Posts:50
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| | 08/30/2008 5:42 PM |
| | I think I'll stay home. | | | |
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ThinkerT
Alaska
Foreman
Posts:203
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| | 08/31/2008 2:05 AM |
| I don't see the bridge across the Bering Straight happening any time soon...as in my probable lifetime.
I figure we have about one chance in three of actually getting Alaska properly connected into the rest of the north american railway network in the next decade or two. Partly because of the pipeline, and oddly partly because of the collapse of globalism due to ever increasing shipping costs, might make it cheaper to tap into some of the mineral resources here in the frequently frozen north.
As to Ms Palin...dang, I see that wasn't some sort of weird hallucination brought on by too many hours at the pizza joint yesterday. I do have a thought and a question that goes with it for Blackburn, though:
Up until she began her campaign for governor, I had only barely heard of Ms Palin. I don't really remember hearing anything about her even say...five years ago. Does Blackburn?
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blackburn49
1st Class Member
Copper Center, Alaska
Engineer
Posts:1855
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| | 09/23/2008 11:47 AM |
| It was frosty this morning. When I took this picture--and the ones that follow--it was 26 degrees (about 9 am). The low this morning was 23--about the same as yesterday. Snow has steadily moved down the mountainsides and we have reports of snow on the roads at Eureka and Paxson. Due to the unusually heavy volume of precipitation this summer and relatively-low temperatures, I anticipate an early snow. I am hoping to see an early snowfall to be able to take one last set of pictures with the trains still in operation before I shut them down for the season. Due to ongoing heavy rains, the train has not been operated in most of August or any of September.
Frosted windows on the Cicely model structure this morning-Sept 23 2008
Â
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blackburn49
1st Class Member
Copper Center, Alaska
Engineer
Posts:1855
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| | 09/23/2008 11:51 AM |
| For the first time in weeks I was able to take a picture of a sunrise looking east toward the Wrangell Range from my new shop annex.
Mt Drum (click for larger image) taken at 6am. Temp was 23 F.
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blackburn49
1st Class Member
Copper Center, Alaska
Engineer
Posts:1855
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| | 09/23/2008 12:00 PM |
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The new annex is actually an extension of my old arctic entryway. The windows face east. This will be my model-building shop over the course of what will be a very long winter.
The extension begins just to the left of the new chimney. The annex has its own heat source.Â
Some additional insulating remains to be done under the annex to the arctic entryway before winter fully sets in. The construction material will then be removed.
Click for larger image.
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blackburn49
1st Class Member
Copper Center, Alaska
Engineer
Posts:1855
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| | 09/23/2008 12:11 PM |
| After I took that first photo of Mt Drum from my new office/shop earlier this morning, the fog rapidly moved in. Only by 10 am had it cleared, as seen here:
Mt Drum at 10 am, 23 Sept 08 from an open window in my new annex (click).
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blackburn49
1st Class Member
Copper Center, Alaska
Engineer
Posts:1855
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| | 09/23/2008 12:21 PM |
| The model railroad in context: On the left is the new office/shop annex. On the right is the Cicely model structure with the Kennecott model structure behind it. The ground is covered in frost. As you can see the trees are now barren of leaves. Although it was officially fall two days ago, in reality winter is set to arrive at any time here in the Copper Valley of Alaska.
The model railroad will eventually cross the driveway at a point on the right side of this image, then head south (left) close to the place where I shot this picture. Click for larger image.
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blackburn49
1st Class Member
Copper Center, Alaska
Engineer
Posts:1855
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| | 09/23/2008 7:15 PM |
| One of the advantages of my running this thread is that I have a readily-available log of my progress on the models and my thoughts for future development. When I went back through this thread earlier today I was amazed at how much had occurred since I started this thread. Here, for instance, is a structure that has long since moved to another location within the Cicely model. As I add more structures it has proved necessary to shift some of these around to fit the scheme.
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blackburn49
1st Class Member
Copper Center, Alaska
Engineer
Posts:1855
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| | 09/23/2008 9:45 PM |
| An arctic entryway is nothing more than an enclosed porch to trap some of the heat from the house and otherwise keep the frigid cold air from directly entering the building. My original entry was only five feet wide. The expanded version is closer to 24 feet, allowing sufficient room for me to draw up and build my models this winter. Hopefully conditions will be favorable and I will have the opportunity to construct several models over the course of the winter.
Visible on the right is the propane heating unit which will keep this area warm and also provide a back-up heat source, particularly in event of a power outage. On the left are a DeWalt 10 inch table saw and a DeWalt 12 inch miter saw. The new entry is on the far left.Â
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blackburn49
1st Class Member
Copper Center, Alaska
Engineer
Posts:1855
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| | 09/23/2008 10:01 PM |
| | The DeWalt tools are probably overkill for building 1:24 models, but I also need them for full-scale building projects anticipated for next summer. It's going to be a busy year next year even with an expected down-turn in tourism. I got them both in a hock shop (lots of tools available that way these days). | |
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blackburn49
1st Class Member
Copper Center, Alaska
Engineer
Posts:1855
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| | 09/23/2008 10:31 PM |
| Posted By flatracker on 08/30/2008 6:14 AM
. . . the pipeline R/R would seem like a lot more viable project, and would make more sense from an economic standpoint. However, where would enough traffic come from once the pipeline was completed, and all the construction equipment shipped out?
You might be surprised at the huge volume of items shipped to Alaska, mostly bound for the North Slope. We are now assuming that major activity will continue in that area for the next three decades. By that time, who knows, maybe the Bering Straits bridge or tunnel will have come closer to reality.
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blackburn49
1st Class Member
Copper Center, Alaska
Engineer
Posts:1855
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| | 09/24/2008 9:14 AM |
| Last week we cut back the Fushcias in preparation for winter. I had eight of them hanging in the beer garden this year. These are now stored over the winter at Bell's Nursery in Anchorage. They took their 205-mile annual trip where they will remain in nursery care until about mid-May. These hanging plants are a significant part of my "garden" railway. Only the fushcias are saved. The others are seasonal ones that die off with the frost and must be replaced.
(click)
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Kevin Miller
1st Class Member
Brakeman
Posts:56
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| | 09/24/2008 9:15 AM |
| I don't think the Dewalt table saw is overkill for large scale. I use an old Craftsman 10" table saw to cut all my stripwood. I just change to a 7 1/4" narrow kerf skill saw blade and use a zero clearance insert. Very seldom do I have to sand it to get a smoother finish.
17,756 views on this topic Ron, it must be a record. | | | |
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Semper Vaporo
1st Class Member
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Engineer
Posts:1217
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blackburn49
1st Class Member
Copper Center, Alaska
Engineer
Posts:1855
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| | 09/24/2008 12:09 PM |
| Posted By Semper Vaporo on 09/24/2008 10:55 AM Posted By blackburn49 on 09/23/2008 9:45 PM An arctic entryway is nothing more than an enclosed porch to trap some of the heat from the house and otherwise keep the frigid cold air from directly entering the building. My original entry was only five feet wide. The expanded version is closer to 24 feet, allowing sufficient room for me to draw up and build my models this winter. Hopefully conditions will be favorable and I will have the opportunity to construct several models over the course of the winter.
Isn't that now, technically, a "room"? Do you not now need to build an Arctic Entryway to trap heat from this 'room' and otheriwse keep the frigid cold air from directly entering the building? I wanted to build a gable end cover over a 3'x5' precast concrete stoop once and was denied a building permit because if they let me build that substantial of a roof then someone in the future might want to add side walls to cut down on crosswinds and then someone might want to put a front wall on it and a door to keep the snow off the porch and that would then constitute a "room" and the side walls would not be long enough to have a proper window to meet fire code regulations as an exit in case the door was blocked.
It is. Fortunately, I am not meeting any codes here. I will not be adding a new arctic entry. This new area does not have to be heated when I am not using it, although I will keep it on minimal heat.
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blackburn49
1st Class Member
Copper Center, Alaska
Engineer
Posts:1855
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| | 09/24/2008 6:43 PM |
| The view from the new room is great--when it is clear out. That hasn't happened more than a few days this last summer. In fact, I don't recall seeing more than two good days in a row all summer. And mostly those mountains were not in view even then.
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blackburn49
1st Class Member
Copper Center, Alaska
Engineer
Posts:1855
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| | 09/24/2008 8:34 PM |
| Although the view
above is great (when it is not foggy as is the case here), below is the
typical rural Alaskan neighbor yard: a bunch of long-parked cars, some
on blocks (as in the hill billy red-neck jokes and assorted other junk.
Thus I have a fence to mask that level.
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