A bell. Hmm! I have used meters, a probe with a light (check for juice) and a probe with a battery for no juice just a circuit. But you have to be able to see them. A door bell only needs to be heard. Sounds like a good idea.
I have a DVD playing on my old school TV. It's of the Southern Pacific, in it's finest days. That should get me motivated.
On second thought, I have. The door bell button stopped working on the garage door opener. When I jumped over the button terminals I got both - light and motion with sound. Just cleaned the button like we clean tracks.
Seriously, that would almost solve a problem for me. The problem here is getting this bulk of a body underneath the layout and then back out every-time I want to change blocks topside. On the positive, I will add the bell to my circuit testing apparatus's. Oh darn, it's a RC bell ringer. It will keep it's home on the rear door.
Rick, you need either Jeanie or Samantha to blink or wiggle her nose and the wires would be all back together. Plus, you would have all that beauty by your trains. Gosh, I sure hope that's not being sexist. Doug
It's not sexist as far as I'm concerned. Funny thing is: I have a Tabitha, Samantha and Esmeralda in my cat family. They don't wiggle their noses very well. They earned their names, every-time they walked by my Computer screen they would change things that only I can from the Control Panel. Earning their names for such behavior. Right out of Bewitched.
Interesting thoughts about learning from the mistakes of others. Primitive animals lack the ability to communicate the "why" something is done that way; they can only show their little ones the "what's," not the "why's". Once we developed a more robust language, were were able to communicate "why" along with "what," which is more productive, and also guides future generations to seek improved solutions to familiar problems. With that, we can not only learn from our own hard-knocks, we can learn from those of others. And with written and distant communications, we can learn from the hard knocks of those we have never physically met, due to space and time. Okay, enough of that stuff; back to your regularly scheduled programming...
My Ex used to call me a big animal, like a bull in a China Closet. Hummm?? Well, I made it through the weekend. Stopped by Home Depot to pick up some 1x1's to frame the Valence. It broke in half, well not quite but close enough, during the move. I've had this Valence since shop class in Highschool. It has supported a lot of things. School logo, pennants and now the actual numbers from a switch engine. If this works out it will hang over a window in my train room. The numbers will be lit. That light will provide indirect lighting of the upper yard. How about that? You've seen it before. This picture kinds of shows it off despite, this is all about first trains into the helix's. Helix-i. I think is correct. Train wise we have a visitor, a Museum Special from the South East. N&S and N&W PV., being pulled by a museum restoration, Santa Fe GP7 in Zebra Stripe Livery. Below it is the official PV., Party Train that eventually found a new home and ended up operating on the T.H.E.R.R. railroad. This time the Valence will have a nice wall and background to hang from. Now, when it finally warms up outside I will get my chop saw out, drill motors, glue, screws and paint out. It will be time to rebuild and repair the Valence. Now if I could only find a working F7 engine light and a engine bell to make me ding-y. Later!
Ah yes....the party train is alive and well on T.H.E.R.R.. It now has limo tinted windows as it is an official "Adult Excursion Train"....
Wish he had used...oh never mind...I like it the way it is. It's just that I took the time to paint the ugly red seats into Suntan and Dark Blue seats in the two dome vistas. Now you can't see them. Besides two figures in the dome with one giving a lap dance to the other would of been fun to look for. Or even better. The limo black-out looks impressive.
I've been working. What? Should I have said you might want to sit down first? Two things have to go in on the very back wall, of the train room. Why? Once the layout is back together I will shove it up against the back wall and that will be the last time I can get in behind it. The Valence needs to go up and over the back window. That's next. First I decided to install the TV. As you can see in the pictures below it's installed. I have a DVD playing right now. How about that? Here's what you see from the kitchen. Mess and all. Above: I do miss the Colton Crossing, CA.. It doesn't look like this now. The picture on the screen is blurry. I've tried to sharpen it up. It's part to blame on the original 8mm film the photographer used. The other, you can only do so much with a Plasma TV. Below: The bracket I used is similar to the ones I used to install LED Monitors for a Church back in Big Bear Country. Earthquake country. Like we aren't here in Idaho Country. Only here we are more prone to see a Volcano pop up. Then nothing will matter...anymore. Since the base isn't wide enough to bridge over the two 2x4's, I choose to use a 1x12x4 (not the real measurement) to bridge four (4), 2x4's. Anchoring the wood solidly to the wall. Funny but the wood is warped. Just try to buy a straight piece. I flipped it over and it snuggled right up to the wall. What does that tell you about the wall? Above: Next I mounted the bracket to the wood and was able to secure one end into a 2x4. Here the bracket is fully extended and you can see how the TV is attached to the Bracket. Above: I've turned it to give you more of a view of the backside and how it all comes together. Shows off the flexibility. I'm sure most of you have done this before and your thinking, "This is old news...history" Well, Okay. But this is news for the H&P. Above: Everything is pushed back up against the wall. So you can see how it all folds back. What I like about these brackets is I can pull the TV out to work behind it. Turn it if I want to see it from a different angle. You can't beat that. The hook like brackets, attached to the TV, make it slick as can be to mount the TV to the Wall Bracket. Done!! I know the wood isn't painted. Tell you what! You want it painted? Then it's your job to paint it. Oh boy! I'm going to catch it for that one. Next project is the Valence. Later
Dont you still have one more 'layer' to put on top of the layout ? Isnt the TV gonna interfere with that 'layer' ??? Just askin...
Nice! That would be the ticket for use with my Raspberry Pi 4b & Pi-SPROG 3 hat, running my trains, programming decoders, surfing TrainBoard, or online shopping for more train stuff!
Thanks for asking. Measure and measure again and if that doesn't work punt. Yes, there is one more layer or deck to go on top of the layout. The corner of which will go under the TV. No higher then the loop of track you see in this picture. Not even close. I don't like TV's in any situation where I have to crane my neck-up to see it. Eye level is good. On another subject: The felt on the feet does exactly what you were afraid it would do. You asked me about earlier. Making it easy for me to move the layout while needing to get in behind it. Looking forward to the time I can push it back up against the wall. That will mean it's train time. Yes! Just not yet!
That would be a distant goal. You know for later. I have a computer center and I'm good with that for now. Currently, I'm looking at a way to get Roku hooked up to it. It's not a very smart TV.
Does your TV/monitor have any HDMI ports? If it does, it is a simple matter of selecting the alternate active port. Something along the lines of video-1, Video-2 etc. It does not have to be a Smart TV, it just needs to have alternate video ports that line up with the Roku. What is the brand and model of your TV and I can help further. Or you can call me and I can talk your through it.
Panasonic 32 inch screen. It has HDMI ports. I'm using HDMI 1 for the DVD player. It doesn't have an internal wireless WiFi hook up. So where we are, there we are. Very familiar with HDMI as that's how we installed the TV Monitors in the Church. The one in Big Bear Country. My computer Guru, Andy helped me fine tune things and get them up and running. Roku and WIFI, although some what new to me shouldn't be. That's how I had Roku hooked up before the big move. Thanks for your offer and should I have any questions I will give you a holler. The picture on the screen, it looks a lot better with the sun turned off outside. Later
It's Saturday. Normally, I'd be off and running to operate a sound system for a Church in Big Bear Country. Well, that would be a reflection on the past at this point. I'm done with that and thankfully it's over. I mean how do you screw up a perfectly good Saturday? Some of you may be wondering what happened to BarstowRick. Did he fall off a cliff or into an old cistern? No none of the above. Sweating a lot. The cistern might feel good about now. Healthwise? I'm Okay! That's about it. No life threatening stuff...yet! The old HVAC seems to have given up. Looking for other options at this point. Ice down the back of my neck, cold showers, not for the reasons you are thinking. I've been wanting to work on the Valence. It needs to go up before, I push the layout back up and against the wall. I was waiting for the wind to subside. Does it ever stop in Idaho? About the time the wind subsided outside we decided it was time for a Memorial Day Barbecue. And why not?? I need to paint a frame I will be adding to the valence. I don't need to add mother nature's sand and dust flinging itself into my paint job. Seems we broke the valence in half during the move. Such fun. That should happen sometime this next week. If everything goes as planned. I know! I heard you. What about the layout, the layout? It's on hold for now. The talk or discussion, about the kids moving me has been re-opened. I don't know how this is going to workout. I can't predict their actions. I'm humbled by the desire they have to care for me. Appreciated...to a point. Has me wondering at what cost to my dreams? If you get my drift. Looks like my neighbors are moving out. Sad to see the only real friend I've made since getting here is headed for New York State. Upper New York. I think they will like it there. That's the news for now.
