Reply With QuoteHow long does it take you to get it that clean?
considering it was built almost 5 years ago, and has 610,000 miles on it!
How long does it take you to get it that clean?
Very nice! Do you expect to get the mileage up to seven digits?
Nice!
My beloved steam engines could rarely go that mileage before rebuild.
[FWIW they could make about 60,000 miles before attention to things like settings of poured-white bearings, frame-springs and piston-rings, 300-600,000 miles before a full rebuild with boiler-off, fire-box stays, spring seats, frames, cylinder-chest, and come out better than new]
An engine with 200,000 miles could have a brilliant boiler and rubbish running gear and springs, which made the work of say a 1st-link express from, say, Marylebone to Leeds at an average speed of 60mph., when a 'bad' engine was required to do this, it was becase the shed-driver had nothing else to offer, and if the train was steaming quietly at Marylebone, 14 carriages, 450 tons, and a kid like me was right at the end of the platform wide-eyed, well what can he do? But look back and see the green flag, check the signals, wink at the boy while and drawing the train out of coupling slack, pull up to nearly-full gear and open the regulator and
"whuff" ... a smile back to the kid, then back into the cab, elbow in 'comfort', "whuff", steady , safety valves sniffng, a few more beats and the engine is gone and a smooth line of carriiages rolling with a faintly metallic roar ... the engine now on the curve to the right slips once-or-twice the last carriage wheels resonate..
The train was delayed 3 minutes near Rugby, after getting over the hill and past Aylesbury ahead of time, the old engine was steaming OK, the fireman was not so great, so we couldn't make much of the steam. I let him rake the fire, but he didn't know what to do, ... the engine shook about, I was in Leeds that night, booked on a semi-fast up-train. I couldn't wait to be back.
As it happened, the return home was with a very keen fireman who had a bit of skill and a lot of energy. We had an A3 newly out of Doncaster. It was easy. What a beautiful engine!
Held 15 minutes at Sheffield, she truly sang, and by Leicester we were 8 minutes down. having hit something around 90mph here and there, engine was so sweet rode like a carriage and on the downgrades I looked back in the roaring wind and saw the carriages behind on the semi-fast we got clear signals, all on the up-down-up-down, we made a meal of it! Then signal checks, yellow never resolved into greens, we were eight minutes back at the Banbury junction, we got more yellows, but my fireman was new.
He offered a cuppa as we came to a walk, and he went up to draw coal down on the tender, then said nothing.
We were nearly stalled now, walking the beautiful A3 still shining along the boiler, the semaphores were about 100 yards away, 15 carriages behind bunched on the tricky grade, 12 minutes late at least... the long coal train had got across, I coukd see the old '02' on the adjacent, and saw the driver who caught my eye I think he was nodding but it was dark.
Steaming at walking pace we had 15 carriages behind, not a few were Great Central men, and we were steaming at walking-pace into the London Metro... my fireman looked at me, I looked at him, and he put fire on.
I spent some spare time polishing the wheels last week, but other than that, it just takes about 15 minutes and $40 every so often.Originally Posted by MikeHalloran
If I could figure out a way to sell it, I would. I'm not upside down on it any more, but it's fully depreciated, so anything I get for it is recapture and taxable income.
I apologise I wrote a longer reply [above] which has nothing much to do with your truck.
Away now to cook spids.
Started out to be a truck driver and had to turn into an accountant? That's what happens to everybody who has his own business and thinks that the bookkeeping will be simple.If I could figure out a way to sell it, I would. I'm not upside down on it any more, but it's fully depreciated, so anything I get for it is recapture and taxable income.
Why sell? Have you a need for some feature that isn't on this model?
It's not purple?
I still have a little over a year to pay on it, and I'm paying the price for a team truck on the income of a solo driver. I have to make $36,000 per year before I turn a wheel, just to cover the basic costs.
Once it's paid for, it won't make a difference, but right now the funds are tight. I could make more money as a company driver, but if I don't sell the truck, all I would be doing would be supporting the truck.
I like that shade of blue; looks like it's close to the hue of my '64 Corvair!
It's interesting to note the development of aerodynamic aids over the years. Do you have any idea what the fuel savings are for a new truck relative to one of the old boxy ones?
There are a lot of factors, and this truck has one big disadvantage: I can't run with the trailer close up to the cab, due to weight issues.
But the difference between this and a "classic" style Peterbilt is enough to go on a very nice cruise every year, saving something like 1000 gallons of fuel.
What route(s) and loads are you running? Last I heard you were doing long distance truck-loads. Are you local/LTL now?
Chip H.
Former owner: 2012 Honda Civic LX, 2006 Honda Ridgeline RTL, 2000 Honda CR-V EX, 2003 MINI Cooper S, 1992 Honda Accord LX, 1999 Mercedes ML-320, 1995 VW Jetta GLX, 1991 Mercury Capri XR2, 1981 Mercury Zephyr, 1975 Chevrolet Impala
I'm leased to a company that does dedicated delivery for a number of companies, among them Wal-Mart, Sysco, etc. My location is a Wal-Mart/Sam's distribution center, but I just spent two weeks up in VA doing Sysco to the Northeast. In fact, that photo was taken on the way back.
I've gone from a typical 18,000 miles per month down to more like 8,000.
And you're paid by the mile? Uh-Oh.I've gone from a typical 18,000 miles per month down to more like 8,000.
Chip H.
Former owner: 2012 Honda Civic LX, 2006 Honda Ridgeline RTL, 2000 Honda CR-V EX, 2003 MINI Cooper S, 1992 Honda Accord LX, 1999 Mercedes ML-320, 1995 VW Jetta GLX, 1991 Mercury Capri XR2, 1981 Mercury Zephyr, 1975 Chevrolet Impala
Well, in this instance, by the mile and by the stop, plus a minimum, plus a fuel surcharge. On a 100 mile trip with 2 stops, it comes up to nearly $1.70/mi. On a long trip with only one stop, it goes as low as $1.10/mi.
That is frightening.
It is, when you consider that fuel is over 40 cents per mile.
I'm trying to run the numbers in my head and without complete information yet it seems to me that the trucking industry is in deep trouble.
Do fuel costs will drop or rise when the refineries change over for winterheating opil and the like?
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