V8Vega,
Before buying something on ebay, I always check each photo and read the description of the item so I'm aware of what I will be getting. If you can ask the seller a question about the item, I'm sure he/she will do thier best to provide additional photos of the item, or test the item to see if it works or not.
ATSFGuy V8Vega, Before buying something on ebay, I always check each photo and read the description of the item so I'm aware of what I will be getting. If you can ask the seller a question about the item, I'm sure he/she will do thier best to provide additional photos of the item, or test the item to see if it works or not.
Given that I don't have an LHS and some of the items I look for are OOP, I use eBay a lot for my train items. I would second what was said. I would also add check the seller's feedback rating and read the feedback. Additionally, sellers that are willing to combine shipping on items help as well.
FRRY Kid,
Some sellers have good feedback and some don't.
I've been using ebay since 2009 and I have not been hit with negative feedback (at least not yet). Personally, I only use ebay when I get paid monthy, I treat it as one of my "go to" sites (the other site being Amazon). I have seen stuff listed on there that was released by Athearn, Atlas, Bachmann, Intermountain, Roundhouse and Walthers in the early/mid 2000's. It's a good price to find bargins and stuff tends to sometimes showup without warning. I even scored two Mail in Matchbox Across America cars, (Texas & Flordia).
ATSFGuy FRRY Kid, Some sellers have good feedback and some don't.
Exactly to my point. Avoid the sellers with the bad feedback and stick with the ones with good.
Good Morning!
I hope you all south of the 49th had a great Independence Day! It´s my Patron Saint´s Day as well, so I was also in the mood for a celebration - Petra cooked one of my favorite dishes.
hon30critterAny thoughts about buying a used one?
Thoughts, yes, plenty, but without money, it´s no go!
I tried whatever there is to bring the patient back to life, but to no avail. The thing is gone for good. Well, 10 years of heavy use is a good service record and I shouldn´t be unhappy about that. It´s just that I can´t afford a replacement - if I don´t spend a dime on trains for the next 2 to 3 years, I might have sufficient funds for a good new (used) one. But then I wouldn´t have anything to take decent pictures with...
Can´t say that I am happy about this. Life sucks!
Ulrich:
Do you know anyone you could occassionally borrow a camera from, or ask to take the pictures of your stuff?
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
I have a better idea. I sent you a PM with the details.
Dave - I have sent you an answer via PM!
Good morning diners. Here in Jersey, it's damp and overcast on back to work day.
Need a dry day, as the lawn is suddenly in need of a cut.
Good Morning. A quick look into the diner before returning to w**k, not looking forward to it. The conference gig in Austria spoiled me a bit albeit a very short visit.
YGW - great to hear you had a good weekend. Alot of work, I am sure, but probably rewarding. I purchased an Ariens 21" Classic self-propelled with a 179cc Kawasaki engine. It is a tank that, I hope, will last a long time. My push mower still works as if it were new but the person pushing it (me) is far from new and I just could not do it anymore. If you know somebody that is looking to purchase a push mower let me know.
Have to run.
All the best.
Joe F
Howdy .... I hope everyone had a terrific 4th of July. Many thanks to our international friends who wished us a happy Indepndence Day. ...
Welcome to all the new Diners as well as some people who returned after long absenses.
Happy moel railroading, everybody !
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Good Afternoon!
Good news! My friend Claus has got a new camera for his birthday and was just about to "bin" his old one, when he learned of my misery - now his old, but still good camera is on its way to me!
Life is good again!
But our weather isn´t! Still wet & awful!
I have been giving that idea of a Marklin nostalgia "dream" layout some more thoughts and came to the conclusion, that it isn´t my dream layout, as I have taken out all those features which made it my dream layout.
Since my childhood days, I dreamt of having a turntable with a roundhouse, the electric crane, the classic Marklin grade crossing - not the mechanical one, but the electric one, and the bridge. Never got them, as they were way too expensive to be covered by my paper route money or the maximum amount for Christmas. Not that I did not try my luck, but Santa must have decided I was not good enough that year.
Well, a dream layout without the dream features is exactly what I have been doing for decades - boiling everything down to the doable, the feasible, the viable - how boring! Never ever have I built anything faintly resembling my dream layout at that time. I have been paring down my dreams to the minimum, but always losing the "dream" with it. Mind you, I never had anything completely out of the way in my mind, like a football field sized gauge one live steam layout or a 400 sq. ft. HO scale multi-deck layout. My dreams were always on the rather "normal" side.
Just for the purpose of planning, I put all the goodies back into the plan - now it is as close to my dream layout I can get, without leaving ground contact.
Here it is:
Still a doable layout - when I grow up and get rich.
Good to see the place is still standing after a long weekend. No obvious fireworks damage, anyway. *stumbles on pile of beer bottles* Hey, who left these here? We recycle, you know.
Uncle_Bob: I know it's too late for you, but maybe others can learn from your example... Get antivirus software on your computer, or you're taking your digital life in your hands. And never open a file attachment you weren't expecting, even if it looks like it comes from someone you know. E-mail them asking what it is before opening, because a hacker doesn't actually have to hack your friend's e-mail to send you an e-mail that looks like it comes from him. They can just fake the return address.
hon30critter, if I were you, I would give the kid all my old tools (and dishes, and kitchen gadgets, and etc.), and buy myself new stuff only as the need for it arose.
I had my own eyeglasses scare today. My glasses have a spring in the temple that lets them flex outward. Yesterday as I was taking them off, that spring went *snap*. Luckily I remembered that when I bought my previous pair of glasses, I got a spare pair I never used. So I planned to wear those today. Problem is, they were the previous prescription. Fine for long-distance viewing, not so fine for reading and close-up work -- in other words, what I'd be doing all day today. No problem, I thought, they're the exact same frames, I'll swap the lenses! Turns out those wire frames are under a ton of tension. Couldn't get the screws back in for the life of me. Luckily the wife is a jewelry maker and has a bunch of tiny needle-pointed pliers. I was able to squeeze things back together with those and hold them there while she put those teeny screws back in. Phew! I can see clearly now, my brain is gone...
We had ribs for our Independence Day dinner. Expensive but oh so good. I dry-rub them (using Penzey's Spices Galena Street rub), cover them in foil and bake them in the oven at 250° for 3-1/2 hours, finish them on the grill on low heat for 15 minutes, then turn off the grill and let them rest in there with the lid closed for another 15. They were so tender they started to fall apart when I just brushed the sauce on. Add oven fries and corn on the cob for a memorable meal.
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
Steven OtteFine for long-distance viewing, not so fine for reading and close-up work -- in other words, what I'd be doing all day today.
The joys of age, Steven, the joys of age!
Ribs for dinner? Yummy! Haven´t had any since Summer of `74....
Good afternoon all.
Flo, Barry burger, fries, and a Coke please. Thanks.
Steve, Your ribs sound much better than mine ended up, mine were a little crispyfied... A local grocery store had BBQ ribs on sale over the weekend, pre-made, just needing reheated. Poor instructions made for some crispy ribs....
YGW, thanks for inviting me (back) to the diner.
Weather: Overcast, but a warm 75F and climbing. Lake has blue skies, but not inland yet. It is very humid though, no matter where you are in my area. Calling for high near 85 today, 90's tomorrow, high 80's till end of weekend, but chance of r**n each day Thursday on. Thursday looks to be a washout, with a cool front (only dropping to upper 80's, so can't classify as a cold front. ) coming through, bring the r**n with it. Then, just humid enough to be unstable enough that you {could} get a pop-up r**n shower each day, but most places will be dry.
W**k: Weekend was a bust, poor sales on Sunday allowed us (really me) to mop the entire sales floor, doing only $150 in sales from 3pm on. Yesterday was even worse, no computers or registers or phone when we were supposed to open, a power box out in back somehow (no , so unsure how that happened.) got fried overnight. (Still had lights, but that was it!) Myself and the assistant manager had to swap out power leads for phones and registers and computers, before we could do anything. (Still no interim store manager named at that point.) That made our open almost 1 hour later than our scheduled open, hurting what little sales chances we had. Because of this, the assistant manager was on her phone with tech support, I had to call the district manager from my phone. (Not the way we wanted to start the day!) As the district manager had yesterday off, I had to interrupt his day off, calling his cell. I left a message, as he didn't answer, explaining we were totally down, and asking him to call my cell, as we also had no phone. We were just getting everything back up when he called, and he also was surprised that we had the issue. (He was also surprised that tech support was nine with us going to only backup power, but it seems to be working.) Only ended up with about $450 in sales by the time I left.
Well, all enjoy the day!
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
LUNCH TIME !
Flo - give me a tall glass of well water with lots of ice and keep it coming. No food. Too hot to eat.
Ricktrains - Sorry about that. I have invited probably about fifty people and I cannot keep track of who I have and have not. When I go to message it has "add friend", canceL pending friendship" and if accepted then the name displays in your friend BOX. So if I see "add friend" I send an invite. I dont think MRR has all of The kinks worked out in the "message" section.
Steve - Wally Worlds or just about any eye glass place sells repair kits for glasses. I just bought two more this weekend. My wife keeps loosing parts on hers.
Ulrich - Glad you have a camera coming.
Garry - Howdy !
Reinhard - Does your Kawaski lawn mower have a "kick start" ? How did they get a mower deck on that there motorcicle any ways? Just kidding. I will ask around how much are you asking for it ?
FRRYKid - How do you determine the feed back acceptablility? For instance do you only use venders that have zero negative feedback ? Do you use venders that may have a 1000 good and one hegative or 4000 positive and five negatives ? What is your risk factor ?
V8 - What is an "In & Out" burger ? What is so special about them that lots of people stand in line ? People watching now there is a fascinating Hobby ! Once when I went to Mississippi where my sister moved to we were sitting on a bench in Walmart waiting for her to finish her purchases. MOH and I were sitting there going "human" or "ALIEN" this was right about the time "Men in black" came out and they had the scene in the movie with the aliens walking down the street. Yep there were a LOT of aliens !
Dave - Around here one can buy reading glasses for five or ten bucks at CVS, Walmart, Walgreens etc...just about everyone sells them really cheap.
Ken Ames - glad you could make it !!!
OOOroo ( Geez I love that )
YGW
yougottawanta Ricktrains - Sorry about that. I have invited probably about fifty people and I cannot keep track of who I have and have not. When I go to message it has "add friend", canceL pending friendship" and if accepted then the name displays in your friend BOX. So if I see "add friend" I send an invite. I dont think MRR has all of The kinks worked out in the "message" section.
No problem. You just made sure I stop in to say hi, that's all.
Yesterday I finally found some time to work on the railroad. I glued down the track I had to pull up, and added little wedge to soften a hard corner on my layout. Except for building the wedge backwards, it was a complete success.
Richard
Hi Steven:
Steven Ottehon30critter, if I were you, I would give the kid all my old tools (and dishes, and kitchen gadgets, and etc.), and buy myself new stuff only as the need for it arose.
Don't worry, he is getting his share of old stuff, but only where we have duplicates. He bought us our current dish sets so giving them back to him would be rather tacky, but the old dish sets are certainly going his way. I'm too attached to my tools to part with them. Besides, I'm not buying high end tools for him because I don't think he will be using them any more than neccessary. He still has to think before deciding which way to turn a wrench.
Evening Dinners
Flo, Beer please and if any of the GM Guy's want one I will buy.
Another slow and useless day at work. So that is coverd.
yougottawantaWhy is there a PBR sideways on the engine ? Is that a hose running in and out of it ? What was the difference between the Plymouth superbird and the Daytona Dodge ? What was a 440 super commando ?
YGW Far as the PBR can that was on side ways, well the whole thing was a joke on the Dodge Charger site. PBR is Dave and I was sticking cans any places they fit.
Far as the 69 Dodge Daytona and 70 Plymouth Superbird it would be easier to tell you what parts they shared.
1 Windshelid and side glass.
2 Dashboard.
3 Inner fenders, subframe and floor pans.
4 Drivetrain and brakes.
5 Fender scoops (that is still debated) and winsheild post air deflectors.
Wing and Nose are not the same, Superbird wing has more backward rake than the Daytone and there is noway a nose could be interchanged with out butchering it!
Few intresting fact, well to me that is.
69 Charger Daytona used a 1970 Charger front clip not counting the grill and bumper.
70 Plymouth Superbird used a 1970 Dodge Coronet front clip again with out grill and bumper.
Superbird was all so faster (body wise) than the Daytona in NACAR.
Far as Super Commando
Dodge call there HP motors Magnum's. Excpet Super Bee's, they had 383 Super Bee engines. 5 more HP than the 383 Magnum.
Plymouth called the HP motors Super Commando's. Excpet the 383 and 440 Road RunnerEngines, they where well Road Runner engines.
Chrysler had there TNT 440 It was detuned from 375 HP to 350 HP. TNT 440 was used in one of my dream cars. 1970 Chrysler 300 Hurst. For a big C Body cars it looked good!
Later, Ken
1970 Hurst
I hate Rust
I was taken by surprise when I logged in to this thread today. For a moment I thought to have been diverted into a classic muscle car forum
Ken - how come that page on Chrysler group cars is a German website. The cars shown their are even rarer then hen´s teeth on our roads.
I am battling my old health issues again, making me feel rather awkward to day. Running the middday train on my Swiss layout didn´t help, nor firing up SCARM and introducing some changes to the track plan I gleaned from a German classic toy train forum, which, off course, is dominated by Marklin enthusiast.
I basically addes a track in the station, which allows me to run three trains on the layout and drew an electric locomotive, which is supposed to resemble a class E 10 passenger electric from my childhood days.
The SCARM software is somewhat limited for drawing things like the loco, as functions to draw rounded corners and slanted lines and shapes are not (yet) included. Eventually they will be incorporated, making things a lot easier.
Still, I find SCARM a powerful tool, which is certainly a match for some of the CAD´s you have to pay $$ for.
TAFN!
Mornin'...... Ah, well I see Ulrich is here at least.
Zoe, I'll have a bowl of Organic Granola with some fresh blueberries on top and a pot of Seneca Lake Blend Dark Roast coffee please. What? Oh, yes, my R&GV RR Mug would be great. I'll go sit and chat with [color=red]Ulrich[/color] and see if my attempts at Duetsch gets a laugh out of him (that should cheer him up if anything will). I did take a year of it at Eastman back 49 years ago.....
Gonna be another hot one here in the Finger Lakes region of NYS. The weather people are predicting a high of 93°F today under partly skies. Partly what, I don't know.... Good day to stay in air conditioning as much as possible. Unfortunately I have to catch the boys and one by one take them over to the Vet for their blood work today. Last time I was there she mentioned she may want to do a full blood work up on them to make sure kidneys and everything else is good.... That will cost me $$$ if that is what she does, but it may let me know if there are any problems and start treatment early.
After supper, tonight I'll be heading out to Boy Scout Camp to check out the new speakers and make sure we have everything ready to install them when we get the chance. the rest of the day will be spent cleaning house. have company (Troop and Pck Committee) coming over for a meeting and I would be embarrased to have them be here at the moment......
Hope all of you have a great day. Stay cool and have some fun!
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Morning all.
Chloe, the breakfast platter please, with scrambled eggs, bacon, home fries and wheat toast please. And a large OJ. Thanks.
Ken - I hear you on useless w**k days, cleaned more things than I sold over the weekend, and that is no fun! No chance at making any bonus money when cleaning... (In my store, no commission on sales, but you hit numbers and sales goals you get bonus money... Best bonus money comes from new accounts, and a huge one if you lead the district. Me being part time, I have zero chance at that, as a full time associate in a bigger store, while averaging less per hour worked, can get more in a day than me. But, after the first account, every one afterwards pays bonus money, with that getting higher per one the more you get in the month. I ended June leading the store, and will get just shy of a triple digit bonus on my next paycheck because of it. If I hadn't of missed three days for Dad's emergency, I would have made triple digits for bonus money.)
Dad - Speaking of Dad's emergency the end of June: He is back to w**k, cleared for normal duty, save for the time he takes his BP meds, that he still needs to go easy on things for about 15-20 minutes still, and should still be taking with food to avoid it getting to low. (Without food it drops it enough to make you a little light headed for about 15-20 minutes, hence taking it easier for that time.)
Weather - Hot, humid, and just plain hot. Did I mention it is hot? The being humid isn't helping the heat any either. Hoping that we get that cool front late tonight/early tomorrow. And, did I mention it was hot and humid today? 90+ with a 80%+ humidity level. Hoping for the AC at w**k is operational today.
W**k - The sr. asst. manager is now our interim store manager, and I am not so sure whether to say congrats, or pass on my condolences! She really did not want it, and really, really wanted an extra person to be coming into the store as our interim manager. (I agreed that we needed another person, but was just happy the interim manager was not me!) So, now we (meaning her) need to redo the entire schedule this week, as it was written with a pretend interim manager coming into the store, so now we have empty shifts, and the rule is there must be at least 2 people in store, on the clock, at all times we are open, no pretend people allowed... So "Erica" (long story short, she is our scapegoat that never does anything, as she is our pretend person.) can not be the other associate scheduled with whomever was scheduled to open opens the store. (Nor can she be the one to assist with sale set tomorrow morning with me, so my schedule tomorrow is definitely changing...)
Well, got to go get ready for w**k now.
Ray - your Deutsch will most likely be much better than my English, which sounds like :
Breakfast time! I would like a steak omlette this morning with some OJ. Thank you.
yougottawanta FRRYKid - How do you determine the feed back acceptablility? For instance do you only use venders that have zero negative feedback ? Do you use venders that may have a 1000 good and one hegative or 4000 positive and five negatives ? What is your risk factor ?
What I look at is the feedback percentage. (I go 90% or above.) I tend to avoid feedback less than 10 unless it is something that I can't find anywhere else. If it is a seller I have not dealt with before, I also take the time to read the negative feedback. Sometimes it is not deserved, sometimes it is (I gauge it by the responses given to the feedback.).
I do, however, have a few sellers that because I have had such a positive experience with them that I tend to stick with. (I even found a unique item that I needed for a project from one of those sellers. And, as I recall, that was only because I was bored that particular day!)
In honor of National Fried Chicken Day, Chloe and Zoe have been in the kitchen whipping up a batch of their famous Southern-style chicken for today's lunch special. And since I'm the top post on this page, I guess that means it's on me. Order up, y'all!
(Side note: It's oddly coincidental that when I Googled for a graphic for this post, one of the top results was this one, which was on the website of a local restaurant where the MR staff holds its annual Customer Focus Awards breakfast.)
Looks finger lickin´ good to me!
I just looked it up - today is really National Fried Chicken Day! Didn´t think it was real - sorry, Steven.
Reminds me of the infamous "Reichseintopfsonntag" 83 years ago ...
Lunch Time !
On todays menu Shreaded cardboard with pepper ( no salt ) Topped with recycled paper products that look like a bun but isnt. No catchup, no mustard, No Mayo little onion, tomato and some of that green stuff that passes for lettuce
Geez I hope I loose this third person soon so I can eat REAL food another week or so I visit the heart sawbones and hopefully I can get released from that program.
Ulrich - What ! Fried chicken day !!! Oh How I would LOVE to have some spicy "Popeyes" Fried spicy chicken with biscuits, butter, corn on the cobb, coleslaw, onion rings....Big tall glass of sweet tea with lemon yuuuuummmmyyyy!
Steve - You are JUST to good to us : ) THANKS. Flo bring me a BUCKET of fried chicken and throw this cardboard stuff away that pretends to be food !
FRRYKid - I have found that most sellers only have a couple of the items that I model and I have to search eleswhere
Ricky - LOL Congrats or Condelences ! Thats what they told me when I was promoted to this position ! I think it should have been condelences !
Ken I will have to read up on the "Hurst" I never heard about that car and I used to have Chargers and had friends who had Roadrunners, swingers, coronets, challengers etc...Bunch of us were Mopar guys.
RickyW - Well then I am glad you came back !!
Where are the MIAs MrB, Jeremy, JaBear, Galaxy, Garry, Lion, Henry, Reinhard.... ???Hey guys stop in and fill up on the cake or pie of your choice its on me ! Steve has the Fried Chicken covered !
OOOroo
I've been travelling and got home to temps and humidity in the 90's. Plus air pollution warnings in the afternoon. If you are ever in Lubbock, see the Silent Wings Museum.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Good Afternoon Diners,
Flo, I'll have an extra large cup of coffee with lots of cream, please.
Havent been in in a while.
Fried chicken day?! Fried chicken gets a day?? OK, sure! Why not.
While skimming thru the posts, I glanced and saw In-n-Out Burger. I suppose there would be somebody who doesn't like them, but they were voted the #1 burger in 3 counties, LA, San Diego, and Orange. They have expanded Eastward and have restaurants in Arizona and a couple in Texas in the DFW area.
Every time MOH and I go back to So Cal, it's always one of our first stops.
Work Front: In a word, hectic! Lots of customer service things to the point that it really cuts down on design time and I get behind. We're looking for a good customer service person. If anyone knows anyone in he Chicago area with that kind of skill, send me a PM and I'll give you the contact info.
Had a lackluster 4th of July, but MOH and I took in the local fireworks show. Didn't get bit up by mosquitos.
Gotta go
I hope everyone is ok and safe.
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)