FoamStream...

[eaglesdare]

on the amtrak sleeping cars i have been on, they potty is not even enclosed. it is right there next to the bed. no curtains or anything, you just lift the lid and do your thing.

 

[GPW]

I Hate those ,like being in an aquarium, with curtains ... we always get the "little room" , last time we ended up in an empty handicapped room and it was HUGE !!! They've had some pretty interesting layouts over the years utilizing the space available ... Some principles easily applied to Foamie construction

 

[steve smoot]

GPW, you kinda artistic dude...I like it the way you have it drawn. very nice work.

 

[GPW]

Thanks Steve, I've managed to make a good living as an Artist for the past 41 years ... against all odds ...

This was really just a quick sketch to better visualize the interior layout ... and something to show the wife , who doesn't quite share my enthusiasm for trailer building ...
BUT (the qualifier) We are fast approaching the peak of Hurricane season , so she's now more willing to consider my "crazy" ideas , as long as I provide a suitable mobile abode for EVAC... our Primary trailer need !!!
The layout just has to be right for the both of us (plus a Cat and a dumb Dog) , too HOT to build right now , might as well do the fine tuning of the design ... still trying to attain the original goals of Strength , Lightweight, and THRIFTY ... and streamline so as to tow efficiently ... more drawings forthcoming ...

 

[Wolffarmer]

The only time I have ridden US passenger trains was in 1967. We didn't have sleeper cars. Toilet in a room in one end of the car. Flush the john and if you looked down you could see the rail bed rushing by. And there was a sign to not use the facilities when stopped.

I don't think we can get away with that these days.



Yes. The little space they put the john in makes it nearly impossible for me to use. Though I will admit I have never tried it in any recent memory but just looking at that tiny room really makes me wonder.

How about using the john in the middle of the trailer as a support for the table top.

Just suggesting.



Randy

 

[GPW]

Wolf , they have improved since then , but it seems the bathrooms have gotten smaller and smaller , and now include a shower too .. Cramped but workable . Some as Eagle described , have the potty right in the middle of the room ...
I remember the old see through johns... then promptly gave up walking along the tracks ...

 

[eaglesdare]

not all have the showers, they cost more. i did not mind the potty in there, but there is no privacy. i have only used the rooms so far with young kids, so it wasn't a problem.
..i guess i could now just tell them to turn around. but i haven't used the trains in 2 yrs now.

i love taking the train. would love to do the grand canyon tour on amtrak. but i think the cost is pretty expensive.

 

[GPW]

The Nice thing about taking a train is you get to see Americas' backyard... All the things you can't see from the highway , or from the air ...
Being old now , we can't travel coach anymore ... Just have to have a place to lie down and rest ... look out the window and dream about the past , the way things used to be ...

 

[eaglesdare]

The Nice thing about taking a train is you get to see Americas' backyard... All the things you can't see from the highway , or from the air ...
Being old now , we can't travel coach anymore ... Just have to have a place to lie down and rest ... look out the window and dream about the past , the way things used to be ...

coach is not comfortable at all. but the rooms are tolerable. you just have to reserve them when they are at their cheapest price. i made the mistake one time of waiting to get one, and the price went up to $911. and that was a room without the shower, only the potty. so i did end up coach on that one.

 

[GPW]

Those rooms can get EXPENSIVE , so is last minute plane travel , and none of the meals (included on the train fare )
The FoamStream should solve all these little problems ... Big enough to live in for a short while if need be ... Comfortable layout for "lounging" ... and since we always travel (EVAC) with both vehicles , the little Foamie will also come along ... just to carry the 500 lbs. of beer... and a small bag of potato chips ... Gotta' have a support vehicle ... Two Foamies are better than one ...
The really good news is I sold my old Letterpress blocking the door , so Now I can build the FS INSIDE in the AC ... Yippee !!!

 

[Cliffmeister2000]

When I lived in SoCal, I wanted to take my son on a train ride. There was an Amtrak line, called the San Diegan, that I could pick up in San Clemente and take it to San Diego. Sea World had an Amtrak stop right in the grounds. We drove to the station, and found out it was $35 each, each way, for a 50 mile trip. Well, for $140, I decided I could live a long life without ever experiencing a train ride.

 

[GPW]

Cliff, That probably is an accurate figure if you buy tickets last minute ...
I remember for a past birthday , the wife bought me a ride on a real Steam engine ... I did what I always do on a train and fell fast asleep for most of the ride ...

 

[Cliffmeister2000]

I didn't remember any pricing options, but probably didn't know enough to ask. The San Diegan is a commuter route. Who can afford to commute at those prices?

 

[Cliffmeister2000]

I just checked Amtrak current pricing. You can't even go South on that run in the morning anymore. The commute is North in the morning, South at night!

 

[eaglesdare]

yay!!!!! get that foamie started. cant wait for those pics to start.


no about flying....once i retired from the navy, i know longer "have" to fly and i will never fly again. i hated that so much. a car, a train is the only way i will travel.

 

[GPW]

After my Navy flying experiences I don't fly anymore .... no cruise ships either ... I don't even much care for elevators ..
The only flying I do is Foamies ... with a small example here ...

which is how I got the idea for Foamie trailers in the first place ...

 

[pat g-TNT]

Hey GPW,

Watched your plane vids. Cool stuff Is that an expensive hobby?

Pat G

 

[mezmo]

Hi GPW,

I came across this unit done as a dwelling for a Multiple-Chemical-
Sensitive person. It's not as elegant as your design but at least there is
a pic of the interior. The exterior is coated with Magnesium Cement ! - so
she says it weighs 3700lbs! Sort of defeats one of our purposes but
it was done to suit her's. Anyway it's a foamie.

http://reshelter.org/housing/nebraska-trailer/

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

 

[GPW]

Pat, It's pretty inexpensive using Foam ... and you can see the stresses the 1/4" un-skinned foam goes through , so no worries on a trailer ...

Cement over foam ??? 3700 lbs... No wonder as he says , it didn't work out ...

 

[GPW]

Over at my consulting job today (NOGC) ... was talking about the ribs and how to make them ... Vinney came up with another idea ... Use a pair of cutout ribs (ply ) and put blocking in between ... Then he proceeded to figure a way to "nest" them so we could cut out all the ribs on his CNC machine ... Very interesting!!! ...