Mon
28
Jan '08
A typical snowy day of winter looks a little a bit similar to this image.
N1EY
'
Everyone, you really should check out this website. It gives an explanation in English about some of the basics of what Europe looks like in terms of railroads. Check it out at http://www.bueker.net/trainspotting/ or some stuff about modeling at http://www.forsten-online.de/navi/00-de.htm or http://www.ete-ene.org/.
I saw a nice group at the Springfield Train show this year. They are called the European Train Enthusiasts. One of their members was from Deutschland. They featured a lot of European and specifically German traction. They also had some steam locomotives in use for railfan trips. Their layout had two return loops on either end of their point to point layout. They had a control system which prevents more than one train from entering the return loop at any time. They use third rail AC Marklin trainsets predominantly. These sets feature command control, sound, lights, steam, and other features. I like seeing modeling of electrified railways. The supports for wiring are correct; in Germany they utilize a lot of open braced steel towers versus concrete towers favored in certain spots of the USA.
N1EY
Sat
26
Jan '08
My friend, K1LWI, had a very nice QTH in Quincy, MA. He gave up some beautiful towers in order to be closer to the sea air. I think that he worked everyone in the world three times over, and he does not have to worry about chasing DX anymore! A Local ham told me about how they could hear K1LWI in their horrible PA system across town during Sunday mass chasing 10 meter DX. Quincy, MA has been the home of two former Presidents of the United States. It is very interesting area with a rich history full of political, cultural, and engineering feats. This is a picture of one of the most interesting engineering wonders, which no longer stands.
K1LWI told me that he removed the tower when he left the QTH for his new seaside location. However, he asserted that the tower was in fine structural condition with no deterioration. The tower had remained straight and the material was in great condition. The tower had been made out of wood. K1LWI has told me that his ROHN 25G tower was not in a new-in-box condition upon his departure. Remember, steel rusts. K1LWI utilized several different variants of popular beams in use by his contemporary hams. K1LWI has explained to me that he would take the tower down in order to repair the two element Cubical Quad that he originally installed on the tower. I find the whole thing fascinating. K1LWI built this wooden tower as a teenager! The commercial Quad did not hold as well as his tower. I think one of the reasons for the success was that K1LWI is a skillful painter; he would put a very even coat of paint all over the town structure every once in awhile. He also worked on developing the plan for the tower and built it slowly on the ground. He did not rush anything.
DE N1EY
Leave a passing comment »