Stepjam

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About Stepjam

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  • Website URL http://public.fotki.com/Stepjam/

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  • Location Dutchess County

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  1. Thomas Ford. I remember that one, I think it was arson?
  2. Ferrara would be wise to take a history lesson from Mack and Seagrave. When you set up a productions schedule that caters to a single buyer, at the expense of numerous smaller buyers, that's going to hit your bottom line in the long run when those smaller buyers go elsewhere. It's the Walmart theory of supply and demand.
  3. There are plenty of 65 year olds who could run lots of 20 year olds into the ground, when it comes to physical fitness. Just sayin'.....
  4. The Sullivan family right in Putnam county a couple of years ago. They didn't have a chance. My own home, built in 1988, is probably LWC through out, judging by the 2x4 truss assemblies in my attic.After that disaster at the Avalon, I think pressure has to be applied to changing the building codes, and maybe eliminating the "cost-effectiveness" of future construction by having insurers charge a hefty premium for underwriting structures that are built this way.
  5. There's a new-ish "Luxury Condo" in Peekskill that appears to be of very similar size and construction, if not appearance, to the Avalon complex in Edgewater. I remember being amazed, as I watched construction progress each day, that a residential structure of that size was being built almost entirely of engineered lumber, slathered over with vinyl siding. To me, it looked like a fire trap in the making. Toll Brothers has also built a huge cluster multi-family condo units in the village of Fishkill. They are four story units, probably sixteen or twenty apartments each, also of all engineered wood and vinyl construction. Incredible.
  6. Yes to all....as far as I humanly can. I still haven't solved the windshield problem; I made a lot of expensive attempts at vacuum forming a new one, but they weren't successful. I will probably have to hand cut one in Lexan from a tracing I make from the cab. I'm less worried about the bubble windows on the gondola. For those, I'll use PTFE (soda bottle) and heat it up, then push it through a square opening cut in a piece of balsa. This is the most challenging one I've built yet, but I need to build it.
  7. Every now and then, I can snatch an hour or two to work on something. Other times, if I have no distractions. I might spend the better part of a day. I don't think 200 hours would be an unrealistic estimate.
  8. I had to start the cabinets all over again. The completed assembly was too short. This time, I used .005 styrene overlaid on .02 ABS, then sanded it out. I want this rig to look "beat up" rather than factory fresh, and I remember the real one was practically falling apart by the time it was retired. It, and its two sisters, were worked very hard during a time when Yonkers was broke. Anyway, I made a lot of headway on the trailer. The tillermans's gondola needs some work, these rigs had open ground ladder cribs rather than the continuous deck on the Code 3 version.
  9. There are quite a few pictures of to real 70, 73, and 74 tillers in the "Protection from the past" section; most taken by JJPinto.
  10. Started the trailer modifications. VERY difficult disassembly, and I still haven't figured out how to detach the ladder and turntable. Once I stripped it down to the base plate, I used a Dremel to grind it back about 1/16" on each side so that the new side panels for the compartments will be flush with the existing fenders. Next, I measured for the length of the high side compartments, leaving a space behind the front fender, which is where the rear hydraulic outriggers wold retract into, did some arithmetic, and marked out the panels. I used .02 ABS sheet for a base layer, and .01 ABS on top of that for the panel doors. Then I ran a strip of DP between the uppers and lowers. Each compartment was a separate unit on the actual truck, so I scribed a deep line between each section. Later, after it's painted, I will use a black wash to highlight the low spots.
  11. Thanks. It will be Ladder 73.
  12. Coming along nicely. Next step is to break down the trailer and put in the compartments. That crappy Code 3 was good for something after all.
  13. 1. Plead gulty. 2. Pay the fine. 3. Get a receipt. 4. Hold on to the receipt forever.
  14. That supply line must have weighed a ton once it was stretched and charged, tough job overall. I hope no one was injured. And thanks for the suggestion about the fulton history site. Unfortunately, they only have the old Herald Statesman up to 1985 and not the Urinal, I mean the Journal News, But the JN's coverage of anything in Yonkers, if they covered it, always sucked anyway. The old Herald Statesman was the best and Yonkers became a little poorer when it closed down. Thank you for the helpful and informative replies, gentlemen.