PRR 2026

[Rufus T. Firefly]

No posts for two days? Well, ok - no photos for you this week, since everybody is out enjoying Indian Summer. I too may do that- we need to go to Texas to pick up an airplane. No better month than October!

I may build quickly and may have several projects going in parallel, but even then I don't have new stuff to share any faster than I am already posting.
Where is everyone else???

I just ran out of .020 brass sheet. Got a small 12" x 33" sheet for $37.

I've never bought sheet brass in that large a sheet so I lack a reference point. But I can tell you that the price of strip wood and sheet basswood has gotten pricey. Just finding clapboard for O scale structures has turned into a challenge. Used to be I could pick up wood at shows and meets. No more. Same on detail parts and small bits - dried up and what's on eBay is grossly overpriced.

[SWrailroader]

TX is pretty nice the in the second half of October. Sounds like a fun trip salvaging an airplane.

I feel your pain about the price of brass sheet but that is a decent size sheet. Doing the math that should suffice for about 5 or 6 boilers about 12” long. Maybe 3 cab forwards. I know, I know, five years ago, it was probably half price.

You want to talk about sticker shock. Go to the post office. My local PO tries to upsell everything. Sometimes they flat out overcharge leading to a firm discussion of me revealing their error. In short, going to my local PO is akin to visiting car dealership. Thank goodness for Shippo.

Rufus, the OSW scratch building wood supplies along with windows and doors were freebies.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

You want to talk about sticker shock. Go to the post office. My local PO tries to upsell everything. Sometimes they flat out overcharge leading to a firm discussion of me revealing their error. In short, going to my local PO is akin to visiting car dealership. Thank goodness for Shippo.

Doing the USPS stuff through the online system traverses the arbitrary clerk games....I do everything there through the self-serve kiosks.

Rufus, the OSW scratch building wood supplies along with windows and doors were freebies.

Traveling 3k miles would have made them a wee bit pricey. Next time, please box them all up and ship them to me,

[up148]

You want to talk about sticker shock. Go to the post office. My local PO tries to upsell everything. Sometimes they flat out overcharge leading to a firm discussion of me revealing their error. In short, going to my local PO is akin to visiting car dealership. Thank goodness for Shippo.

We've been using Stamps.com for a couple of years now and I generally save 50% or more over just walking in a shipping store. Even the USPS shipping is much cheaper via Stamps.com, but I generally ship with UPS and still get a steep discount.

The bad part is you can't change what some charges you for incoming shipping..........ugly. I could do that when I was working, send someone a shipping label, but unable to do it with SdotC.

[bob turner]

Shippo lets you send a label in e-mail. All you need is lwh, weight, and address. For me, Shippo revolutionized shipping.
And at least if USPS is involved, they pick up at my door, for free.

The long distance tender uses a third of that $37 sheet.

I have always thought that using a torch was bad news on sheet metal - but I had a slight bow on one side, due to a gap. Had to use the torch. Spread the heat around carefully - beautiful joint and no distortion. Even old dogs . . .

[up148]

I have always thought that using a torch was bad news on sheet metal - but I had a slight bow on one side, due to a gap. Had to use the torch. Spread the heat around carefully - beautiful joint and no distortion. Even old dogs . . .

I seem to have those epiphanies more often these days........generally "after" I've already finished the project or committed to another solution.