O.T. Found on road today.

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2013: O.T. Found on road today.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Richard Eagle Ida Fls on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 12:51 pm:



In 1980 my Doctor told me to walk 3 miles a day. It would be beneficial to me. He didn't know what a pack rat I am. The above is what I found today. It's off topic but I know that a lot of you T guys are like me about picking free stuff up. Below is just part of what I have found on my walk on the road near by for the last 33 years. It looks a little like some of the ebay ads.

There were a lot more wheel weights but I melted them down to put in brass tubing to bend it. I took about $10 in coins to the bank and got a dirty look as they cashed them in.

I don't pick up spoons or knives but I remember the Great Yogi Berra saying "If you come to a fork in the road, take it." I always thought that was good advice.

The big clevis pin I use as a small anvil for forming sheet metal. I don't know what the bronze piece in the top picture is but it will work good for something.

Why this stuff shows up on a busy road I'll never know. You should see all the stuff I don't pick up.

Hope you all have a nice day.

Rich


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Dufault on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 02:03 pm:

Rich,
You wrote:

"There were a lot more wheel weights but I melted them down to put in brass tubing to bend it"

So what do you do with that filled brass tubing?

Dave


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dennis Seth - Ohio on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 02:04 pm:

Richard,

I remember dropping that five dollar bill on your road...Would you be so kind as to return it.


I work at a scout camp (15 years) and I have two shoe boxes over flowing with flash lights, another filled with pocket knives, six nice lanterns, and several pairs of boots. I can't count the boxes of clothes I have had over the years. The most expensive item I ever recovered was a beautiful propane camp stove on a stand and carrying case. I held on to it for two years and when no one claimed it I gave it to my niece.

I also find a lot of loot on the road inside of camp and along the highway as I clean up but forks???


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Derek Kiefer - Mantorville, MN on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 02:24 pm:

Judging from the number of lugnuts, I think a longer walk would get you a few wheels and tires :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Harold Schwendeman - Sumner,WA on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 02:25 pm:

Rich - Before retiring in '02, I spent 34 years as a railroad cop. You wouldn't believe how many tools I've found, just on either side of a railroad crossing, especially rough crossings that are in need of repair! (Think "bouncing" pickup truck) For some reason, the most commonly found item seems to be retractable tape measures! However, I've found pliers, wrenches, hammers, chain binders, pipe wrenches, and the list goes on! Of course, I also have a pretty good and complete set of tools that I've bought over a lifetime of tinkering with cars too, but it is amazing what's laying alongside the road,...(especially near rough RR X-ings!) My latest "found" tool is one of those new reversing, high-speed ratcheting and double acting screw driver gizmoes that Lowes sells. (Can't think of the brand-name of those tools but they're blue.).......harold


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Fred Dimock, Newfields NH, USA on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 02:27 pm:

I guess you have to do something while walking each day but ---- ---- have you tried chewing gum? :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mack Cole ---- Earth on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 02:39 pm:

I worked for NCDOT for 14 years as a sign erector.
I found everything BUT a gun of any kind.Allways wondered why but a fellow in the nieghboring county found 1 on the interstate.
I found knives,tape lines,4 foot Rigid pipe wrench,and numerous hand tools.
You also find stuff you dont want to pickup because you know where it has been but not who's where it's been!
Craziest thing I found was a new in the box "blow up girl friend" . Let's call her Suzy.
Never opened,had 64.95 on the box.
We left Suzy where she was but told the bridge inspection crew about her location.
They went by and got the box.Took her to the mechanic shop and pumped her up and set her in a fellows truck seat complete with seat belt on.
He went ballistic when he found her.His dad came by,"oh that ,give Her here.He put Suzy in his beat up Toyota and hauled her around for 2 weeks in cab of the truck.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Richard Eagle Ida Fls on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 03:32 pm:



Dave D. the support rod, the mirror post and the Buick water tube.
Dennis S. the $5.00 is in the mail.
Derek K. I only pick up 30 x 3 1/2's
Harold S. I'll try walking down by the tracks from now on.
Fred D. chewing gum reminds me of when I was trying to quit smoking. (1980 it worked.)
Mack C. I didn't mention the syringes and condoms I don't pick up. No Suzy doll yet.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Dufault on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 03:43 pm:

Great idea - cuts down on the vibration...Thanks !!

(But the water tube??? guess I'd better do some research - a water tube filled with lead??)

Homework.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Harold Schwendeman - Sumner,WA on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 03:48 pm:

Rich - Check around RR crossings, but DON'T walk down by the tracks; that's trespassing as well as dangerous, and besides,....RR cops frown on that,....ha,ha,.....harold


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By keith g barrier on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 06:38 pm:

You can only walk down the tracks if you are a car knocker!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Harold Schwendeman - Sumner,WA on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 07:29 pm:

Keith - I could tell you are from back east even before I looked at your profile! I started out with the RR Police on the Milwaukee Road in Chicago, and back east, "car knocker" is the most common slang RR term for RR Car Dept. employees, or, "Carmen". Out West here, one of the more common RR slang terms for Carmen is "Car Toad". My RR career involved Chicago, Montana, and the last 22 years here in the Pacific Northwest. I have always found railroad "lingo" to be rich in informal terms, and it is also interesting how the terms differ in the different geographical areas of the USA. In Chicago, I was a railroad police officer or railroad detective on the MILW RR, also known informally as a "gumshoe" or "cinder dick". Out here in the PNW, railroad police are known as "Special Agents", or more informally,..."yard bull"! Also, I guess I should admit that I realize that because we also enforced RR company rules as well as state and federal law, some RR employees had names for us RR cops that we'd probably rather not admit,....ha,ha,.....harold


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Richard Eagle Ida Fls on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 07:48 pm:

Sorry Dave, I wasn't very clear on the lead. I fill the brass tube with molten lead and after it cools I can bend the tube without it distorting too much. Then I melt the lead out. Now that you mention it, it might be good to leave some in the parts that vibrate. Glad you mentioned it.
Rich


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By keith g barrier on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 07:50 pm:

I always had great respect for the Special Agents(what we called you on the southern). They always got there man. Course we always tried to get the hobos on a train out o town before ya'll got em. KB


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dexter Doucet on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 08:14 pm:

Harold or someone else, what is the name of the movie about hobos and yard bulls with lee marivin, Keith carradine, and Ernest B-?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hal Davis-SE Georgia on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 08:23 pm:

I heard about someone in a big city (Atlanta?) who used Suzy so they could ride in the HOV lane.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Dufault on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 08:27 pm:

Thanks Rich.

But then, doesn't the brass discolor when you heat it?

I've heard that some folks bend copper tubing without kinking it by inserting it in a spring...a long spring to accommodate the bend, and of sufficient diameter to fit snugly around the copper tube, yet not so tight that it won't slide off when finished with the bending process.
(Then again, maybe the spring would scratch the brass...the lead works for you - great!)

Dave


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Harold Schwendeman - Sumner,WA on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 08:36 pm:

Dexter - "Emperor of the North"

Except it not so much about "yard bulls" as it is about a mean conductor (Ernie Borgnine) who prides himself on never letting a hoboe (that's Lee Marvin) ride his train.

Frankly, in my opinion, not really that great of a movie, but Ernie Borgnine and Lee Marvin were both pretty good actors.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David A. Siver on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 08:39 pm:

Dave,
I bought a cheap tube cutter kit that had springs for 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 inch tubing, works really great.

Dave.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Richard Eagle Ida Fls on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 09:07 pm:

Dave, I haven't tried a spring on brass. It works good on copper for 3/8 or less. The brass I bent is around 3/4 to 1". It discolors any time you heat it but always sands down and polishes up nice. The discoloration doesn't go very deep.

Loved "Emperor of the North". Time to see it again.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Steve Jelf, Parkerfield KS on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 09:14 pm:

Richard's post takes me back over half a century, to the days before the coming of Interstate 5. LIFE ran a feature on an old fellow who made a living shoving a push cart along old US 99 between Banning and Palm Springs. He picked up hubcaps, jewelry, watches, and all manner of discarded items along the highway, and was able to make enough to support himself doing it.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Oneal Lee on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 10:20 pm:

Last Mother's Day I carried my wife out of town to eat. On the way we crossed a bridge that had a lot of cypress trees on either side with a lot of lily pads. On the way back home I wanted to take some pictures from the bridge of the cypress trees. It was a four-lane road so the bridge was really wide. As I began to walk upon the bridge I was looking down just to see what might be on the bridge. To make this long story shorter I found two silver dimes (the oldest one was a 1947), a buffalo nickel and 1943 steel penny. I will always wonder how they got there.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mack Cole ---- Earth on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 11:31 pm:

Well,I reckon this is a good time to repeat my story about my front axle of my T pickup project.
It had to be about 96-7 when I was working along Fish road in northern union county.
We couldnt park beside a curve sign we needed to change out so we parked accross the road in a vacant farm house driveway.
I assembled the sign and was toteing it along the roadside and tripped,probably passed gas, and fell.The sign hit me in the head on the way down.
I decided I wanted to know what the BLEEP I tripped over being it werent my own 2 feet that 1 time.
So I kicked around and it was a a rusty peice of metal sticking out of the ground.I kicked some more,couldnt-didnt beleive what I saw.
It was the complete front axle,radius rod assemble from a T ford.In the dirt about 8 inchs or so except for what I tripped over.
All that was really useable was the beam.I had the threads repaired on the right side and it is now on the pickup project.
That dont happen often. Stumbleing over T parts.

A year or 2 later,on the same road but the dirt portion of it further north in the county,I found a rusted out oval tank.I saved the bungs and brackets from it.They are in the shed for future project.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Dewey, N. California on Thursday, September 12, 2013 - 02:06 am:

Car Knocker was the term down here (N. Calif). When Solano Railcar here in Oroville shut down, there were about 6 cars (one Pullman)needing to be sent to Portola to the museum. Some of these cars hadn't turned a wheel in decades! The railcar company told the WP inspector that I was a car knocker, and we went around stenciling the cars as current (well, I did check for waste and oiled everything)--this was known as "FWS" ie: Fix With Stencil--there's also "Fix With Paint." We got the "Hospital Train" approved and delivered (and there was a group of us hiding in the Pullman for the ride).
Long enough ago that the Statue of Limitations has run out. . . .
:-)
The whole story is longer than this, but suffice it to say we also convinced the Dead Head transport company that we were a crew needed back in Oroville and got back home that way! I think the driver caught on about halfway down the canyon. . . .
T'
David D.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim on Thursday, September 12, 2013 - 02:20 am:

Time to fess' up .... :-)

Last Winter while driving the I-80 turnpike,
I stopped at a truck parking turnout to check a tire ....

Found (2) boxes of 4 inch frozen pizzas - one was sealed.

After dropping off in Eastern PA I got a hotel room for a week while waiting for another haul
and went out & bought a toaster oven at Walmart .....

I dined on ' roadthrill ' for that week, mixing it up with pepperoni slices ....

I am neither proud or ashamed ..... :-(



Jim :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Herb Iffrig on Thursday, September 12, 2013 - 04:42 am:

About two years ago my niece was pulling a gravity wagon with a pickup to town to take some corn to the grain elevator. I got a call she had a flat tire. Ok I went to take care of it. It happened right after she crossed the tracks and turned into the elevator driveway. I changed the tire and she went on her way. But there I was right by the crossing so I took a little stroll over to the road. I notice there were some screws and nails laying along the road at the crossing. I started to pick them up, but went over to my pickup and happened to have a big push broom there which I used to sweep the crossing and shoulder of the road. I got one of those plastic containers that you can by a hotdog in from a gas station full of nails and screws and other bits of metal.
This crossing is on the way to the local recycling place and I am sure if I went there today I would find another quantity of things that have bounced of off of trucks as they crossed the tracks.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Fred Wicker on Thursday, September 12, 2013 - 06:07 am:

find stuff on the road every day,you have to grab it before the Buzzards get it.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hal Davis-SE Georgia on Thursday, September 12, 2013 - 07:34 am:

I live near a RR crossing which is on the way to a scrap yard. Luckily, I have never gotten a flat (Probably just jinxed that!), but I do see all manner of things that bounce off people's trucks and trailers hitting that crossing.

Years ago, I used to be into RC Airplanes. We flew in a small industrial park on the weekend and parked in the parking lot of a Golden Flake potato chip warehouse. When the route drivers cleaned out their out of date stock, they tossed it in the dumpster outside. On more than one occasion, we pulled some of it right back out of the dumpster. Free chips and cookies. Not bad for a group of guys who sometimes struggled to buy balsa wood and 2 cycle fuel.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Fred Dimock, Newfields NH, USA on Thursday, September 12, 2013 - 09:01 am:

Can't believe that someone hasn't mentioned Found On Road Dead.

As for RR stuff- My uncle was the yard master and grandfather worked in the freight office of the Taunton MA New Haven RR.

I used to spend Saturday's with my grandfather checking the car numbers of the freight cars at different sidings.

I also would ride and sometimes operate the switch engine in the freight yard as it broke down and re-formed the different freight trains.
We would pull 6-8 cars up a small incline, then reverse and release one or two at a time so they would roll down different sidings to make up the different trains. It was fun -
The engine was a small diesel electric - wish it was steam :-)
Both the freight office and switch yard are gone. :-(

Later in life I built a 8 x 14 foot HO table with over 120 ft of track, 26 switches, 2 main lines, block control, and 3 control transformers to duplicate the yard experience but it was not the same as the real thing. I still have boxes of HO engines, cars, buildings and other stuff in the basement somewhere.

I still set up a small N gage circle every Christmas.
(Christmas without a train set is like a PB sandwich without jelly or a Model T without leaking oil!)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ned Protexter on Thursday, September 12, 2013 - 11:25 am:

Jim- "I did what I did and I'd do it again."


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dan Hatch on Thursday, September 12, 2013 - 02:10 pm:

I have in my stuff a fender off of who knows that a friend picked up off I 35 south of Wichita. He found it in the middle of the road on his way to Chickasha. It was the year that they had a swap meet the week before Chickasha. He tried to find out who belonged to it, but no one wanted to claim it. We call it the road kill fender. Dan


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