Yet another another school update

dan

dan

Senior Member
Just checking in again...

It's now 2016 and lots going on. Have now been in Kansas three years and am just more than halfway done with the McPherson College Auto Restoration degree. It's taking longer than planned as work keeps me too busy to take more than one class at a time. Last time I took two I almost had a nervous breakdown :eek: I signed up for two again this semester because work is supposed to be slower and it's two classes that are pretty easy.

Classes this semester are Assembly Restoration Processes (sort of a final assembly class) where I'm working on a 1908 Holsman. And Electrical and Electronics Systems where we're mostly learning stuff I've known for 30 years--I was an electrician in a former life--but that makes it easier to handle two classes at once so I'm not complaining.

Still don't have a car :( but SWMBO is open to another, especially if I can find a Fordor. The kids are still too little for a rumble seat, I agree--the youngest is now four. I've seen a couple of slant windshield Fordors for sale, but most were a more than I wanted to spend. We'll see how things go next spring.

To keep myself out of mischief I've taken up live steam garden railroading. Not directly old car related (steam car prices are way out of my league) but mechanical and soothing nonetheless. I'm still hoarding A parts and holding on to the A motor I bought just before we moved. I'm hoping to make an "open motor" for my senior project.

I still lurk here on FordBarn occasionally, but without a car don't have many questions to ask or much to add. I see that most all the old codgers, fonts of knowledge, and rabble-rousers are still around. I'll be back more regularly when I get another A.
 
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Tom Wesenberg said:
I also like live steam. Now, if the good fairy stops by in the next 4 days, I can buy this engine.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281975662541?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
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I saw that, too. Pretty cool--but you could buy a passel of Model A's for that :D

My stuff is all G gauge (45mm) locomotives. I have a ~200' loop of track in my yard I can steam them on...

layout1-small.jpg


I wish I could go larger, but this is just 1/4 acre and with three kids (10, 7, and 4) I can't really justify tying up the whole yard.
 
tbirdtbird said:
does that Holsman have a scotch yoke engine? some did

I assume Joe is still teaching electrical? he's a sharp dude
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That's interesting, some refrigerators in the 50's and 60's used a scotch yoke.i still have a 60's refrigeration book, guess I'll look it up and remind myself how it works. I suppose an early dykes might show the gas version?
 
That is a great layout. I can imagine your kids are having a lot of fun with it. Your new profession is great and will continue to keep the antiques on the road. Congratulations!
 
GM tried the scotch yoke on the R4 compressors, and I never thought it was a good idea. I had to replace several with low miles due to wear and noise.

That is a nice train layout. I don't think that would survive Minnesota winters too well though.
 
tbirdtbird said:
does that Holsman have a scotch yoke engine? some did

I assume Joe is still teaching electrical? he's a sharp dude
Click to expand...

I think the Holsman engine is a scotch yoke. We haven't had it apart yet as we're working to rebuild the carb and cast new drive pulleys.

Joe is still teaching electrical. They've added some professors (there are more students interested in the program than they had spaces) and Garrick is now teaching woodworking and machining. Ed still handles the sheetmetal classes. They have a new guy doing engines (his second year, I think), and a brand new guy for drivetrain and another new guy doing paint.

They've made what I consider amazing progress with the facility, too. All those orange HID lights that took an hour to come on have been replaced. The area behind the trim shop is all cleaned up and there are "bays" for vehicles in the assembly process, each with a bench and full tool board. You can actually see the back wall of the building :) Over in the engines lab, you no longer have a single 9/16" wrench between all the benches and in the chassis area there are new benches with integrated tool chests. By the time I'm done, it will be like a real restoration shop :)

Of course, it would take 10,000 years to get central supply cleaned up.
 
Tom Wesenberg said:
... That is a nice train layout. I don't think that would survive Minnesota winters too well though.
Click to expand...

You never know... the buildings are mostly made by Pola, and they're designed to stand up to German winters, so they're pretty sturdy. I think the tricky part would be frost heaves.

But part of the fun is that it's so much like a real railroad. About once a week I have to go out and do MOW duty--clear debris off the track, cut back "trees," and check that everything's still level. I have a track cleaning locomotive that I send around that polishes the railhead for when I run electrics (less and less as I get more into live steam)
 
So, it's been like a year (+) since my last update. I'm taking advanced engine rebuilding this semester. There's not a Model A engine to work on (though I've been following along as they rebuild and re-babbit a T engine) but here's the Austin Sprite engine I'm working on
sprite-engine-small.jpg
I'm still lurking here occasionally and planning to buy another A once I'm done with school. I have an idea that I might buy a car and completely disassemble and reassemble it, taking pictures as I go, and put up a website with all the info. But first I have to finish school :-)
 
TRIVIA: Waaaaay back, maybe in '28, my Mother took a class in Automobile Electrical. Later, during WW-ll, it helped land her a job with Douglas Aircraft, in Oklahoma City!!!
Bill W. (PROUD!)
 
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