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Monday, February 27, 2012

#426 Project ~ Floored

 Hollywood. It'll chew you up and spit you out like a piece of 5 and Dime store gum. But if your lucky, every once in a while, you might catch a break.


I'm glad to be working again but man the studios work you hard. Late one night I was dragging like the brain crazed Undead after a particularly long day of production. But I had to hustle if I was to catch the last Metrolink out of the Glendale station and make my journey home. I was making good time too, until...

 A figure steps out of the shadows. I keep walking. Whatever he's selling, I'm not buying. But he walks right up to me. And even though the night seems strangely darker than usual, I can see him pull something out of his jacket and point it at me, the light of the arriving train flashing off the metal! Acting fast, I wrestle it from him. But wait. It doesn't feel right. I examine it the best I can in the little available light. Is this?.... It can't be... It is! Its a brass replacement floor for Pacific Traction's H.O. scale San Diego 400 series class 5 cars etched to accept Hollywood Foundry's new Diablo mechanism and even drilled with holes threaded for the underbody details! But how... why...  Bewildered, I look up...  but he's gone. Disappeared into the the flurry of activity of the detraining and boarding passengers.

In the cheery, brightly lit interior of the train, I examine the floor. Its exactly what I need:

Exhibit A. Top

Exhibit A. Bottom

With the under body details transferred from the original floor.

Finely crafted, accurate dimensions, and that tell-tale logo. There is only one man I know who could be behind this...
Fred Gurzeler! Front man for that Australian mob. Somehow he knew. Somehow he always knows. In this town of a thousand crushed dreams its good to know that Fred is out there, somewhere, watching out for us. Yes sir! Fred's watching out for us! 

Thanks Fred! Wherever you are!

Dandy

4 comments:

  1. Hi Dave,

    Is this a commercial part that Fred is supplying (or intending to supply), or a 'special' just for you?

    Cheers,

    Bill

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's what I would like to know! I have about a half dozen of these cars I would like to rebuild. But Fred is so darn mysterious about all this, I don't know what's going on. I didn't even ask Fred to make that floor. It all happened just as I described: He opened his jacket and pulled that floor out of nowhere! I got a good thing going, so I don't want to press him too hard for info. I guess time will only tell...
    Sorry Bill. Thats the best answer I can give right now.
    Cheers!
    Dandy

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks, that's cool! I too am in the position of having several 400 cars (bi-directional *and* doors on all corners - how could I resist) which I've been slowly accumuating since the early 1970s. So, I'm also very interested if the "process" turns out to be repeatable!

    Cheers,

    Bill

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very creative post. Good job.

    ReplyDelete