Ramblings, rants and idle thoughts

I had mentioned previously that I had wired up three light assemblies from a Position Light Signal, and they were stacked on the corner of my deck's railing.

The thing is they were balanced somewhat precariously, as the 1.5" PVC pipe was holding them in line and preventing them from going over backward. However it did not have enough mass to keep them from falling off the front of the railing. This was something I was concerned about, as the hood on each assembly is 15 inches long and good snowfall would have enough weight to move the balance point too far forward and then they would tumble ~5 feet to the ground. Something I did not want to happen.

While it was not on my list of things to do yesterday, I located a 5 foot length of pressure treated 4x4 in my scrap pile and proceeded to plant it in front of the deck.

So now the signal looks like this:


I had wanted to mount the "spider", the black thing in the background, that would allow me to mount all 7 lamps, but I did not have large enough bolts and it would have put the bottom lamp to close to the ground. I also realized later that the target, or background, would've protruded into the driveway.

I took off the lower lamp hoods as you could not really see the lights with them on.

As you can see in the picture it is snowing today, at last. :=3

I thought it would be neat to compare the lengths of the John Bull locomotive, acquired by the Camden and Amboy Railroad back in 1831, and the largest steam locomotive that the SJ&W owned, a Challenger 4-6-6-4, first built in 1936, 105 years later. I also have a model of the DeWitt Clinton, built for the MoHawk and Hudson Railroad also in 1831.



The DeWitt Clinton is in front, then the John Bull and then finally the Challenger. All three are even with their front ends. The only reason that the DeWitt Clinton seems to be further ahead is because it has no pilot, while the John Bull and the Challenger have one.

Some interesting notes about the trains.
The DeWitt Clinton was the first steam locomotive to be operated in the state of New York. It was built in New York and only operated from 1831 to 1833, after which it was scrapped. The M&H RR became part of the New York Central System which had a replica built. The replica still survives and can be found at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.

The John Bull was built in England by John Stephenson and then shipped to Philadelphia. When it first was operated it did not have the cab or pilot. Its original number was 1 and its name was the "Stevens" to honor the president of the C&A. It got the name "John Bull" because of where of it was manufactured and a reference to the cartoon personification of England, John Bull. Early on the smokestack (chimney) was changed due to wood embers setting fires along the track side and to passengers clothing. Early additions included the cab, headlight, bell and leading truck. Circa 1840 chief mechanic Isaac Dripps (I love that name) added the now famous "cowcatcher" or pilot. The train set, as pictured, is how it would have looked between 1840 and 1866, when it was taken out of revenue service. The famous picture of the John Bull and train was actually taken after the locomotive was taken out of revenue service. Amazingly the original John Bull still exists at the Smithsonian Institution in the National Museum of American History in Washington D. C. There is a replica, that was built by the Pennsylvania RR, that is displayed at the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum in Strasburg, PA. The original John Bull is still in operating condition and was last under fire in 1981 for its 150th birthday! At that time it was the oldest operating steam locomotive and self propelled vehicle in the world.


The John Bull under steam in 1981!

The Challenger type locomotive was first designed by the Union Pacific Railroad and the American Locomotive Works (ALCo) and was first delivered in 1936. There are two surviving examples. One is on static display in North Platte, Nebraska and the other is in revenue service for the Union Pacific Railroad.

It is interesting to note that the Challenger is almost as long as the entire John Bull train set, while the DeWitt Clinton's entire train set is only as long as the John Bull's engine, tender and first coach. Also the U.S. went to two four wheel trucks (bogies) very early, as the 1840-1866 coaches, as shown on the John Bull cars, had them. Also note that the U.S. went to "corridor" coaches early as, again, pictured in both John Bull photos

SJnW PD at station
by LionkingCMSL on deviantART

This is a 3D version of the Crown Vic that I posted yesterday.In translating from a 2D drawing to the 3D model I did not get everything exactly the same.

I can see this as an actual police car.

Station model from Dreamland Models, over at Renderosity. Ford Crown Victoria from DP Vehicles.

Posed and rendered in Poser Pro 2014. Skin done in Paint Shop Pro 8

SnJW Crown Vic police car
by LionkingCMSL on deviantART

Here is a SJ&W PD regional commander's car. As you can tell the "new image" scheme works well on a Crown Vic.
As a note the letters in the unit designation refers to what state the car is based in; in this case Illinois.

Tomorrow I will be posting a 3D render of same unit.

Painting blank by MisterPSYCHOPATH3001 .

3D SJnW Material Handling van
by LionkingCMSL on deviantART

This is a 3D version of the paint scheme on the 2014/2015 E-350 Vans.

The model is from Vanishing Point (VP) Models, over on Renderosity, and is based on an old E series van.

I like how the "new image" scheme works on the van.

Skinning done in Paint Shop Pro 8. Posing and rendering done in Poser Pro 2014.

After thinking about the increased HP of a PA-9 it dawned on me that the radiator area on a traditional PA would probably not be enough. There is some over cooling capacity on a PA, but I don't think it would be enough to cool double a PA-4's (re-built D&H PA-1s) 2400 HP.

I re-imagined the PA-9 with a third shutter panel and a second fan. You lose the characteristic rear porthole, but that isn't required as there is no need to have natural lighting in the back, as there is no steam generator.

So here is the new version of a PA-9: