Weekend Photos - March 2026

[healey36]

Let's get an early start on March.

With the latest developments at Lionel, I was interested in seeing an example of what possibly makes the combination interesting for Round 2. Folks have been implying that Round 2, a big player in the diecast world, might have interest in Lionel's NASCAR product line and licensing.

A search of the local "big box stores" turned up nothing. Our local racing fan shop didn't have anything Lionel either. I did find an online seller that carried the line, so I picked up this example:



Nice model, nice finish, nice graphics, premium pricing; is it better than the old Racing Champions line, not sure. Lionel's graphics might be a bit better. Scaled at 1/64, however, which seems to be the most popular size for folks that collect NASCAR diecast.

[healey36]

A somewhat generic locomotive I've been trying to decide what to do with, the Lionel 2036 on the point of a short freight clears Bridge #305:



This 2036 has been on and off the workbench a number of times, wondering whether to spend the time required to get it back into good running order. At some point it was dropped or otherwise damaged by a previous owner, knocking the motor frame askew. Only five of the six drivers make contact with the rails at any given moment. It runs, but lots of wheel slippage and only able to move 3-4 cars, at most.

I've been thinking of just swapping the motor out of a really rough 2037 that was in a box of stuff Rufus gave me. The 2037 is in terrible cosmetic condition, but the motor is good (especially after I dug all of the steel-wool fibers out of the motor and Magnetraction bits). It would be pretty simple to just swap the motors, but then I'd have an incorrect 2036 (shouldn't have smoke). The purist would cringe

The tender is a 6466W, a correct match for the locomotive. The whistle works, but the wiring needs some help. All-in-all, the combination seems worthy of a repair, one way or another.

A good project to go with listening to a half-dozen or so Crack the Sky discs my brother dropped off the other day. Saw them numerous times at the old Hammerjack's downtown back in the day, a time when I fell off barstools regularly.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

The purist would cringe

Give the warped motor to the purist....

A good project to go with listening to a half-dozen or so Crack the Sky discs my brother dropped off the other day. Saw them numerous times at the old Hammerjack's downtown back in the day, a time when I fell off barstools regularly.

Good talented band that never really broke through.....although the Safety in Numbers album got some press. Should provide more than enough audio inspiration to work over the transformation.

[healey36]

Good talented band that never really broke through...

Most of these six are late efforts, with Palumbo being one of just a couple from the original lineup. 1989's From the Greenhouse is in here, and that still had glimmers of what they'd once been. They were always hugely popular in Baltimore and Philadelphia, but not much anywhere else.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Good talented band that never really broke through...

Most of these six are late efforts, with Palumbo being one of just a couple from the original lineup. 1989's From the Greenhouse is in here, and that still had glimmers of what they'd once been. They were always hugely popular in Baltimore and Philadelphia, but not much anywhere else.

Somewhere I have Live Sky on vinyl; have never been able to find a CD version....more recent live boots, etc. seem available.

[webenda]

RMT tank car from Trainz:
P1004012 by Wayne Benda, on Flickr
$21.70
Ordered Monday... Arrived Saturday after visiting many FedEx sites...

[webenda]

This RMT car comes with brake hoses and brake hose valves.
Brake Hose by Wayne Benda, on Flickr

The one I received has the brake hose broken off on the B end of the car.
Broken Brake Hose by Wayne Benda, on Flickr

There is a tab underneath the brake hose valve. If you push it back, the coupler snaps open.
If you accidentally push on the brake hose, it can snap off.

In the last photo, you can see a big tab hanging down. The big tab ends in what looks like a bent-back shovel. If an electromagnet is activated below the shovel head, the coupler snaps open.

[healey36]

I’ve had a number of packages go on protracted national tours over the last couple years, the worst being a shipment to a mate in Jacksonville, Florida (from Maryland), that was hung up in a Chicago-area distribution center for four days. Sometimes USPS routings seem nonsensical.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Sometimes USPS routings seem nonsensical.

I'm seeing a lot of this odd routing. Stuff gets to the PO within walking distance and then goes off for 2-3 days 2-3 states away. There's something flawed in the algorithm.

[healey36]

Been working on/organizing a few projects:



At the top is the well-worn Lionel 2037 that Rufus dropped off a while back. I was going to swap the motor into the 2036 we have, but now I'm thinking of going in a different direction. It's got some cosmetic issues (lots of chips/dings, a broken marker light, etc.), but I have another 2037 casting here to swap out. It's also missing a few bits (pilot truck, mounting screws for the headlamp, a bell, etc.)...I'll make a list and hit Trainworx up for the parts when I'm up to York in April.

On the lower right, a few figures that Howard Lamey sent me. They look like Plasticville, but made from a soft plastic that I've not seen before; all of the others I've played with in the past were hard plastic. I know from experience that getting paint to adhere to soft plastic figures can be a challenge (learned this from painting vast numbers of Airfix figures when I was a kid). Any amount of handling/bending will cause the paint to crack and come away. A guy over on one of the gaming sites suggested a coat of PVA would hold the paint to the plastic; haven't tried it, but it could be a good experiment.

On the lower left is a French Panhard 178 armored car in 1/100-scale. I have an upcoming wargame on the calendar and one of my assignments is to provide a 1940 French armored car company; fifteen of these to assemble and paint, along with a few other bits.

New granddaughter turned up this past Monday, our first grandchild. Should be an interesting diversion.

[webenda]

I have another 2037 casting here to swap out.

I acquired some castings and molded plastic parts. They have been unused and are often really cheap.
Here is a photo of one.
Locomotive Shell by Wayne Benda, on Flickr
My thought that the chassis of engines from the same manufacturer were basically the same proved wrong. It did not fit the engine I purchased it for.

[webenda]

New granddaughter turned up this past Monday, our first grandchild.

Congratulations!

She "turned up," did she?

This reminds me of where I am from. When a new acquaintance asked me where I was from, I said, "Columbia, Kentucky." Seemed right to me because that is where I have been living for the past 6 years.

The acquaintance replied, "Wrong accent, you are not from anywhere in Kentucky!"

I got to thinking about it. I spent ~49 years in Tucson, AZ, before moving to Columbia, Kentucky, but I was not from Tucson.

I spent ~29 years in Los Angeles, CA, but I was not from Los Angeles.

The real place I am from is Saint Mary's Hospital in Long Beach, CA. That is where I turned up, so that must be the place I am from.

[RBH29]

Congratulations on your new granddaughter, Healey! "Interesting diversion" indeed.
Richard

[Rufus T. Firefly]

The real place I am from is Saint Mary's Hospital in Long Beach, CA. That is where I turned up, so that must be the place I am from.

Easier answer; you're from your parents.

[healey36]

The acquaintance replied, "Wrong accent, you are not from anywhere in Kentucky!"

You know, I spent a lot of time in L. A. and San Diego visiting Hughes facilities back in the day. I can't say I ever figured out what a Southern California accent sounds like. Most of the folks I worked with in L. A. were natives, but nearly all of my coworkers in San Diego were transplants. I think in all of the years I went to San Diego, I only met one guy born and raised there. He had a bit of the surfer twang in his speech; the others were from everywhere.

Now, I have a good friend living over in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. He's a native...no mistaking where he's from.

Thanks for the well-wishes re: the granddaughter. We’re looking forward to having her around the place.