I like the Canadian Northern Bear
We are a day late and a dollar short Happy Birthday again Brent
Track Fiddler
Restless tonight I can't sleep probably because I know I have the day off tomorrow Usually the full moon keeps me up for some reason but that was a while ago
Well hopefully Alrich is tuned in It's about 9 AM in Germany right now I know he's not having his big breakfast That's Sunday I think
How are you doing Alrich are you here this morning
Runnin' this up the flag pole to see if anybody salutes...
How about having the Diner in Sunny Sacramento California, USA?
https://www.californiarailroad.museum/
It has been a few years but I really enhjoyed my visit to the Sacramento area and the Railroad Museum there is outstanding.
I'm not a native Californian but I could host if no one else is ready to take the throttle. I suggested it once last year but there didn't seem to be any interest.
Ideas —
Opinions —
Suggestions — ?
Minus eight here. My air-tight wood stove is earning its keep. Stay warm everybody.
IMG_8049 by Edmund, on Flickr
Regards, Ed
gmpullmanHow about having the Diner in Sunny Sacramento California, USA?
Was the Diner ever painted with lead based paint????
Are you sure we won't be banned?
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Track fiddlerIt's about 9 AM in Germany right now I know he's not having his big breakfast That's Sunday I think How are you doing Alrich are you here this morning
I am just back from my fight with the red tape, filing my aplication for support, so we can compensate the rent increase. Any amount will help!
We are having a heat wave, a tropical heat wave! When I went out this morning, it was a notch above freezing and now it´s a whopping 35F! The western part of Germany, however, sees a lot of snow right now, with a couple of airports having been closed down.
I´ll be going for a nap right after lunch. I did not catch much sleep last night and now I have a hard time to keep my eyes open!
CUL!
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
Was the Diner ever painted with lead based paint????Crying Are you sure we won't be banned? Whistling
Good point Bear! Maybe the diner could be parked in Carson City or Reno, so it's just over the border, but close to Sacramento?
Nice caboose Ed, you sure have some great stuff in your yard, and your yard must be huge!
I've always wanted to ask you, do you have a track plan for your outside railroad? I sure would like to see more of it. In better weather, of course, unless you have a Jordan or 2 running the line to keep it open.
Do you have anything on your YouTube?
Mike.
My You Tube
mbinsewiDo you have anything on your YouTube?
Hi, Mike and Thanks!
Actually, the garden railroad track was pulled up about five years ago due to a fire and the resulting repairs
In fact, my very first YouTube video was scenes of the garden RR.
Enjoy! Thanks for asking
Thanks for ride Ed! Bummer about the fire!
Good Morning All,
Nice Ed. Must have been fun to keep that track clean especially with all the pine trees in attendence.
My thanks to our diners in the midwest for taking some of the cold off the plate before passing it east. We only got down to -3 this morning, everything started up and the only s**w we got was the squall yesterday late afternoon. Very nice of you guys to help us out.
Checked the turnouts again before coming in this morning and all looks good. Also found or rather didn't find cuts in the line coming to the main yard so that is likely the cause of the funny shorts in the switching there. I have the yard on a seperate zone but it has continuity with the zone for the main line. Easy fix now that I know what is wrong. Auto reverse and breakers showed up from Tonys so next after planting the rest of the yard track will be revising the sectors to work better. Three more weeks before we start loading for Florida so I better get on with it.
California would be a good choice for next month. The museum in Sacramento is a favorite and there are a number of other historic railroads within a days drive. Now all we need is a host.
Ulrich. Hope your meeting with the benevolent state ends up helping. Sounded a lot like a trip to DMV here. Take a number and wait avoiding the people with cobwebs on them. Time to pick up tools. CUL, J.R.
It's -28 degrees in SE WI. this morning. They are calling for temps in the 40's and 1" or more of rain on Monday. Oh boy!
The local 10 pm news last night, the cold is still all that is talked about, and to liven up the subject, one local station put varies brands of soda and beer, in aluminum cans, outside, and watched to see which brands and beverage blew up first, I didn't stick it out to see who the winner was.
As quick as I could, I went to the PBS station, and watched part 2 of the Ken Burn's thing about prohibition, buried myself under the quilt, and drifted off.
I can tell you, from my days of being an avid deer hunter and ice fisherman, good old Pabst Blue Ribbon outlasted Miller Lite by a long shot, as far as freezing time.
Mike
Good morning
Coffee and hot oatmeal, please. ...... 15F here.
Brent.... Sorry I am late, but happy birthday to you.
Steve O .... I'm glad you and other Kalmbach staff are safe in your homes during the deep freeze. ... I like homemade chicken noodle soup. Thanks for sharing yours. Actually, there times when I make homemade chicken noodle soup myself. Beleive it or not, I am complemented each time I do so.
Mike ... I am also glad you are safe. ... Funny about the TV show having a contest to see which beverage would explode first. On a more serious note, water mains can break in frigid weather, and that is a real problem.
The News had a story about how railroads in Chicago were "setting the tracks on fire" during the freeze to keep trains running. Apparently, they don't know railroads have used heaters like the ones they showed on TV for switches for a few decades..... Nothing like keeping us informed. LOL
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Nothing better than a red caboose in the woods Ed. It looks warm in there. That picture looked very familiar to me, I do believe you posted it before.
I like Mike's idea of Nevada. That's a great place to go in the winter. We went on a short vacation there last February and had a ball. Laughlin Nevada. If you call Laughlin Riverside Resort they darn near give you a vacation to come down there for 4 days. We got airfare and hotel for $278 each. That's like a gift. They have River shuttles that tote you up and down the river to the other casinos. It was 90 degrees but it was a dry heat, we sure enjoyed it compared to what it's like up here this time of the year.
There's a story to this as well. Don Laughlin basically owns that town. He started out as a young boy buying antique slot machines and putting them in bars in Minnesota collecting half the money. His principal at his school told him he needs to make a decision of taking his academic progress more seriously or his slot machine hobby. He chose his slot machine hobby as he was making over twice his principal's salary.
As Minnesota started clamping down on gambling he bought a small run down strip motel on a small Highway in the middle of nowhere in Nevada. He built his Capital Empire up to what it is today. He built and owns the airport across the river in Arizona and built the bridge to it with his own money.
I liked the Trains down there. I wish I could remember what their road names were.
Well the truck started this morning. Going out in the wee hours of the morning and turning it over for a while helped. I'm still not going to work though, it's a half hour away and I don't want to be traipsing around in this cold. Like me, my truck is no spring chicken. This cold is when things usually break down.
Not Today, ...... Be safe and keep warm. TF
Heartland Division CB&QApparently, they don't know railroads have used heaters like the ones they showed on TV for switches for a few decades
Heated switches are around for just about a century. Formerly oil or petroleum fired contraptions, these are now exclusively electrically heated - in Germany.
Sometimes, I need to be reminded of the beauty of my German fatherland.
The video shows only the state of Bavaria - maybe I find videos showing the other parts of Germany.
Can you imagine how bad things must have turned for someone wanting to leave this behind?
On the issue of next month´s diner location, I do like New Zealand, but the "Snowy Countrry" is also quite OK!
Hey Diners.
Can someone help me out here. I have two locomotives I bought at train shows and became a little leery about buying used locomotives after that.
They squeal slightly when I run them. I've been told the old older locomotives had problems with the gears cracking and the sound I'm hearing is them slipping.
They are N scale. Where do you get the replacement gears for these things and how tedious of a job is it.
Thanks for helping me out.
TF
A squealing noise points toward a cleaning and lubrication job, not necessarily split gears. The old Marlöin locos squeled like mad at first, but as they have metal gears, split gears is no issue. Hardened grease or oil is, however!
I'd start with Kato and Atlas web sites. They both have parts. The Atlas looks like an RS3 ? and the Kato, an SD40?
I just looked at the Kato site, and they have SD40 axles with the gears. Both sites are pretty easy to navigate.
ROARING
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
TF - I'd be surprised if either had split gears, they're pretty rugged units. I'd get the shells off and try again. More likely a dry bearing or axel is at fault. The split gears usually make a clicking sound unless the unit won't move at all.
Why is Lion waiting for the train perched on the station sign? J.R.
Good Morning,
Track Fiddler, regarding your noisy locos, I have both Atlas and Kato N scale diesels. To get the shells off I use 2 very small slot head screwdrivers as you need to pry off the shell from the frame. They are held in place by little tabs. I use one driver on each side and find that they tend to come off one end first and then the other. You need to pry them and then pull up on the shell. Once off you can access the trucks and gears. I find that a small amount of a plastic compatible oil works best on N scale gears as the gears are just too small for grease, it tends to gum them up. If you do need gears you will likely hear a click. I had to get new ones from Atlas for a loco as a tooth had broken off a gear. I just bought new trucks as replacing those very tiny gears is a very tedious job although I did do it once. If you want to take off the trucks, they just pop off by carefully pulling down, you will see once you have the shell off. I find that by taking the trucks off, I can test how well the roll and how well the gears turn more easily.
On another topic, I was wondering if people use block heaters in Minneapolis. Your weather isn't that much warmer than ours. Our friends in Thief River Falls certainly use them. If you had one installed, all your cold starting problems would be over and also the engine will warm up a lot faster. I think it generally makes it easier on the engine so I plug in even though I know the car will start otherwise just for those reasons.
CN Charlie
CNCharlieI was wondering if people use block heaters in Minneapolis.
.
I cannot speak for up North, but there is no down side to a block heater. We use them in Florida for anything that might need to enter service immediately. Fire Trucks, Ambulances, Stand By Generators, etc.
I have one in my truck, and I use it quite often. Most of your engine wear occurs when the engine is cold.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
gmpullman. . .Then, click the upward-turned "share" arrow and use the BBcode and paste directly into the forum reply window without using the "insert image" icon. . .
Ah, I don't have a "BBcode" option, only "Share" and "Email." I am guessing it is because I am using the free version. Oh well...
Richard
RideOnRoadAh, I don't have a "BBcode" option, only "Share" and "Email." I am guessing it is because I am using the free version. Oh well...
I have the free version too. BB code is there on Firefox but not Chrome or Edge. No idea why that should be.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Track fiddler Restless tonight I can't sleep probably because I know I have the day off tomorrow Usually the full moon keeps me up for some reason but that was a while ago Well hopefully Alrich is tuned in It's about 9 AM in Germany right now I know he's not having his big breakfast That's Sunday I think How are you doing Alrich are you here this morning
Hi TF, just for your info, the fine German Gentleman that you are refering to, his name is Ulrich, not Alrich. He is a real old Guy, has been around since God made stone for ballast.. But not as old as I am.
I didn't forget, just lazy >> Happy Birthday Brent and Kevin. Your RBFs are on me.
Garry, hope your MIL isn't suffering. I know all about alzheimers as my Mother suffered with it for about 14 years, she passed at 94. RIP Mom.
Ray, it certainly sounds like you are getting frisky with a new squeeze in sight. What are you taking old Buddy ???
CN Charlie, Hope you are enjoying the weather that has come your way. Do you have that Volvo ??? fitted with skis yet ?
Johnboy out..................
from Saskatchewan, in the Great White North..
We have met the enemy, and he is us............ (Pogo)
Block heaters are well worth it for any motor. The newer race motors are "zero clearance" and we run a powered water circulator to heat the coolant and the oil so the motor is near operating temp before we even turn them over in the morning. Depending on the heating system, it takes half an hour to an hour. J.R.
BigDaddy RideOnRoad Ah, I don't have a "BBcode" option, only "Share" and "Email." I am guessing it is because I am using the free version. Oh well... I have the free version too. BB code is there on Firefox but not Chrome or Edge. No idea why that should be.
RideOnRoad Ah, I don't have a "BBcode" option, only "Share" and "Email." I am guessing it is because I am using the free version. Oh well...
The plot thickens. I just tried Edge, Firefox, and Chrome with no BBcode on any of them. Hmmm...
Good afternoon from a very pleasant West Coast. It is 12c with a 9/10 high OC.
Just got back from an incredible lunch at a higher end Afghan Restaurant. I had Lamb kabobs with Afghan rice, potatoes and some sort of salsa salad. It was so good. I tend to get PWRS gift certificates for helping people out and my wife gets lots of restaurant gift certificates for doing the same.
Lots of drama going on the last day or two here as my wife had sent some frozen dog semen of a long-dead dog to a breeder in the U.S. The U.S. customs opened it and let it thaw out and it likely happened as a result of the Government shutdown. It is irreplaceable and we are talking big $$$$. The female dog owner in the States is big time on the warpath with the authorities. It is spectator sports now. OOPS! I shouldn't laugh.
Thanks for the Birthday wishes everyone, I had a great day. I had been telling people I was going to be 63 but I meant 62 so I gained a year more of life, sounds like a good deal to me. We will have our usual crowd in on Saturday and because of my Birthday, I will end up with some bottles of rum, wine and probably more PWRS gift certificates. Can't remember the last time I spent my own money on trains.
Young Steven I hope the job search goes well. I was poking around your town on Google Earth and noticed the Copper Creek (?) Golf Course. Have you applied there? Riding a lawnmower all day isn't the worst job in the world. I worked in the pro shop at a golf course for a just over a couple of years, loved it there.
Bear, I really liked that RNZAF DC-3. I found a video of the only two DC-3s still flying in NZ and sent it off to Mikey M. Maybe I'll get a mention.
Ed, how long is the mainline on your Garden RR? That was a cool video, thanks for sharing. It would be ideal for the wife dispatching Beers to the firepit.
The wife just came home with two sets of new taps for the master bathroom, guess I know what I am doing for the next hour. Now, where are my torch and solder? I need to install shutoffs as they were not required when the house was built in 1988.
All the best to all!
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Here..... I cheated however.....
Track fiddlerWell hopefully Alrich is tuned in
TF,
I am going to politely ask you, once and for all, to get Ulrich's name correct. It starts with a 'U', not an 'A'. I'm pretty sure that if someone was constantly misspelling your name, despite being given the correct spelling more than once, that you would feel pretty disrespected.
By the way, my name is Dave Warnica. What's yours?
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Hey guys,
So YMCA "hired" me they are looking for an opening somewhere, they're thinking either the Front Desk or the Sports Department, the only problem is they are going to start me at 24 hours a week, and at maximum I'll get 29 hours a week.
I also got promoted to the front desk at the hotel so I'll be splitting my hours between them.
Brent the Copper Mill golf course sounds like a good idea, theres also a country club on Fennwood that I might apply at too.
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!
Evenin' Folks,
Janie, I could use a large pot of very hot decaf please to keep my R&GV RR Mug filled for a bit.
last mountain & eastern hoggerRay, it certainly sounds like you are getting frisky with a new squeeze in sight. What are you taking old Buddy ???
LOL... Hard to get "Frisky" when I am here in NYS and She is in Florida for the winter. Not taking anything yet, but my Doc has let me know that he is willing to write a presciption should I.... Ah... Need it! Way too early to be doing anything more than... well... thinking anyway, even if she wasn't about 1400 miles south of my location.
I did venture out into the frigid artic air here in the Finger Lakes to get a case of canned cat food for the boys, mail a letter and get some pictures of dead presidents to spend. Tomorrow I will be at a Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra concert at the Smith Opera House here in Geneva. Supposed to warm up quite a bit tomorrow so even if I have to park a ways away from the theater it shouldn't be too bad.
I am working on a Bank to put in a corner position on the layout. Scratch Building the counter where the tellers will work. Lots of fine piddly work to do for the inside. Guess I will also have to light it so people can even see the inside stuff.
Have a great night and stay warm!
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!