ZOT Porter's Home Page

William P. Porter's Home Page

Recent changes in laws and regulations world-wide require that attention is paid to captured data, management of that data and respect for the visitors who create it. This site includes Google Analytics code to capture and aggregate the data describing visits. No individual user data is collected or stored. Only aggregated data is kept, summarized and reported to the owner. I do not know who you are. I do not report the aggregated data to anyone. The data are not provided in any way to other people or organizations. I alone use the data to tell me which of these pages are visited and something about how the visitors arrived here. - Bill
There are no sales or any other sort of commercial business done here. This site is just for fun. Enjoy!

Zilwaukee Okeechobee & Tremungus Rail Road
Other related interests

This photo was taken during a visit in 2006 to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. The Pioneer Zephyr number 9900 has recently been refurbished and installed in its own display hall. That's Bill trespassing on the exhibit.

Click on the photo to see a PDF file from The American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Did you find something you were seeking or that you enjoyed? Let me know.

Here is a link to a handy list of Netflix search codes and how to use them:

ASTRONOMY: Here is some information about The Moon The moon spins like the earth but, instead of one revolution per day, a revolution takes 27 days, 7 hrs., 43 min., 11.6 sec. One moon phase (full moon to full moon) takes 29 days, 12 hrs., 44 min. at 2,287 mph As the moon goes through it's phases there is: new moon waxing crescent 1st quarter (appears 1/2 but, is really 25% through it's orbit) waxing gibbous (3/4 full) last quarter waning crescent As the moon phase is about 29-1/2 days and, the average month takes about 30-14 days, you can see how eventually there will be two full moons in one and the same month. The second full moon, in the same calendar month, is called a 'blue moon'. As days go by, and a person is not paying attention to the moon, you can easily tell if the moon is going to be full or, if it was full by remembering the famous words "what's up DOC". Think of the O as a full moon then, note the curve in the D and C. When the curve is the D, it is going to be full. When the curve is like the C, it is going away from being full. Exeligmos is described as 54 yrs. 1 mo. for a solar eclipse to come back to the same spot. Samos is described as 18 yrs. 10 days. Three Samos equal one Exelgmos.
Every full moon for every calendar month has it's own common name. The names for the months are as follows:
Month	Known As
January	Wolf Moon
February	Snow Moon
March	Sap Moon
April	Pink Moon
May	Flower Moon
June	Strawberry Moon
July	Buck Moon
August	Sturgeon Moon
September	Harvest Moon
October	Hunter's Moon
November	Beaver Moon
December	Cold Moon

In addition to the names commonly used in the USA, there are some additional names used by the earlier tribes and nations. Please visit the site in this link to see an impressive list of names from those peoples who were here before the Europeans came.

What's New

2020-09-08 Added a short essay on how I back my computer up. It is not part of the site navigation.

2020-06-25 Added the new pages of Videos to the site map page

2020-06-23 Added 2 pages of links to my YouTube videos

2020-05-19 Added a link to a page of Trolley History

2020-04-10 Updated the page for Marx items to avoid when kit bashing. Marx 3000 Jubilee

2020-04-09 Added a link to the Marx Double Reduction Gears file/a>

2020-04-08 Added a photo showing the Marx 999 Variations

2020-03-15 Added a couple of pictures of another bash of two Hustlers into a larger, Cherry Creek, switcher. It is at the bottom of the Athearn section and just above the Lionel Husky section.

2020-02-20 Added a project PDF file for kitbashing a Vanderbilt Tender using Marx Plastic

2020-02-20 Updated the Site Map

2020-01-07 Repaired some single quote marks on the Modern Steam Page

2020-01-02 Happy New Year - Updated Change Log

2019-12-03 Updated the links to train-related online Groups

2019-11-16 Added a photo of two styles of gears in Marx 333 locomotives

2019-11-04 Added a technique for an improved Marx 999 Front Truck Mount

2019-08-08 Fixed a couple of apostrophe and a link

2019-04-26 Added some photos of Engine Service Facility, the passenger station, the track plan and the power plan.

2019-03-30 Updated the Links page and removed a couple that no longer point to valid sites

2019-03-24 New table showing Marx Car Production Years by Coupler Type

2019-03-16 Updated links to Other Layouts and Organizations

2019-02-26 MTH RealTrax Custom Lengths and TGransition Curves - Near the bottom

2018-12-31 Some Handy Prototype Information on Bridge Truss Types

2018-12-14 Added a direct link to Recommended Car Weights - All pages

2018-12-07 Fixed a spelling error on the Relay For Life 2012 page

2018-11-27 Added a photo of a kit-bashed switcher made by Jerry Cramer

2018-11-23 Added a page showing how to modify a Williams Trains reverse unit to allow Forward Only

2018-11-19 Added the image of a card I use to help keep the bus wires straight.

2018-10-15 Added some more photos of the roof at the East end of the Zilwaukee Station

2018-10-09 Added a page showing the construction of a large roof on a passenger station

2018-10-04 Added 2 More Model Power Porters and some internal navigation buttons

2018-10-01 Updated the page of links to paintings

2018-10-01 Added a photo of the Rio Grande Hustler

2018-09-30 Added another Lionel Husky - USAF Minuteman

2018-09-29 Added some more Athearn Hustlers to the Critter Gallery

2018-09-24 Added another loco to the Critter Gallery

2018-09-18 Added some Model Power and Marx to the Critter Gallery

2018-09-17 Added a couple of local navigation links in the HK Porter Pages
-or- Critter Gallery

2018-08-23 Added some pictures of the control panel wiring on the old N-Scale ZOT.

2018-08-17 Added some locos to the Porter Hustler Critter Gallery

2018-08-09 Added a link in Modern Steam to Cedar Point and Lake Erie

2018-07-23 Added a link to a Wikipedia page containing a glossary of railroad terms used in the USA and Canada

2018-05-30 Added a link to the Schultz Space Coast Train Show site

2018-05-26 Added a couple of links to the Boy Scouts of America Merit Badge for Railroading

2018-05-22 Updated the page of links to paintings

2018-04-22 Updated a link to NMRA RP for Car Weights

2018-04-19 Updated the links to images of my paintings

2018-04-16 Added a notice about visitor data. No Sales - Just Fun

2018-04-10 Corrected a spelling error on the Marx 333 Locos page

2018-04-04 Corrected a spelling error on the HKPorter Locos page

2018-02-07 Added an update to the Marx 333 - No Single Reduction

2018-01-09 Removed references to Guest Book - Never did work right

2017-12-24 Improved a caption on the Restorations page

2017-07-23 Added a note about signal Mast Heights in Techniques

2017-06-28 Added 4 photos from the old N-Scale ZOT: Thunderbirds and a Container Crane.

2017-06-10 Rearranged Empire Builder under Restorations

2017-05-25 Added a link to a page of essays on a variety of model railroad topics.

2017-03-14 Added a link to a page of American Indian names for the Full moons.

2017-03-14 On the ZOT backdrop page, added a link to Clouds Technique and some photos showing the thickness of some of the elements.

2017-02-19 Added a second link to Dave Farguhar's blog. This one is for repair of Marx reverse units.

2017-02-03 Started a page with information about the venerable Marx 999 steam loco

2016-12-26 Handy list of Netflix Search Codes

2016-12-11 Added a link to a page describing Marx couplers in Dave Farquhar's blog

2016-12-06 Added a link to Brittney's history site. Also fixed a few broken links.

2016-08-20 Added a couple of paintings

2016-07-21 Added a link to a page with some information on the Great Northern Railway - Thanks Julie

2015-08-15 Removed some old references

2015-04-17 Added a direct link in the navigation panel for Hustlers, Huskies, Porters and Davenports

2015-02-19 Updated links to Yahoo Groups

2014-09-07 Updated the pages of the Critter Gallery and ...

2014-09-07 ... the Critter Prototype information

2014-08-31 Updated the TCAMG Photo Album Index - Version 12.

2014-08-06 Added a link to a page for the Relay For Life 2012 1000 Mile Run for Cancer Research

2014-08-02 Added a link on the 'Links' page pointing to the S Scale Herald on line magazine

2014-07-31 Added the photo album index for prewarOgaugetrains group on Yahoo

2014-07-29 Added links to a information about several portable and Modular layout systems

2014-07-28 Added links to a couple of S-Gauge Organizations: East Coast and Baltimore

2014-04-17 Updated the new ZOT Power and Wiring page.

2014-05-07 Updated the page for Marx items to avoid when kit bashing.

2014-01-22 Added a link to Dales Smith's American Flyer Displays.

2014-01-22 Added a page with examples of some of the critters made in various scales.

2014-01-16 Added a page for the All Aboard Fastrackers modular system.

2014-01-15 Added links to the All Aboard Fastrackers Modules and some videos.

2014-01-10 Added a page with information on H K Porter Diesel locos - prototype and model.

2013-12-21 Added a link to the Binns Road site for O-Gauge reference - especially older tinplate.

2013-11-12 Added a photo taken on a friend's layout.

2013-10-17 Added a link to a page about Marx HO Trains. - Very Handy.

2013-10-15 Added a link to a page about the Transcontinental Railroad.

2013-10-11 Added two pictures on the MOW Kitbash page

2013-06-25 Added some information about The Moon (Thanks Brian)

2013-06-08 Added a Guest Book - Working Again

2013-06-04 Changed All Other Pages to PHP using PHP for the Nav Table

2013-06-03 Restoration Page: Rusty Marx PFE

2013-06-03 Changed Home page to PHP

2011-03-24 Track complete on the new ZOT

2011-03-24 An index of all pages in the site

Site and Pages Copyright 2011-2020 - William P. Porter --- Some content belongs to the indicated provider.