Something worth watching!
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
Good Day,
Nice day here. About 75F and a bit cloudy with good chance of showers. I don't feel very ambitious.
I'm surprised at the comments about grill burners only lasting 5 years. I've had mine for 20 years and have never replaced the burners nor do they look like needing replacement. Mind you we haven't used it much in the last 5 years or so. I store mine outside under a cover and don't use it in winter.
I'm taking my new Hudson over to the brass guru next week for a lubrication and install of a control decoder. He has 75 brass steamers and 30 diesels. Looking forward to seeing them. Most are CP. I don't think he has one plastic loco.
I did run trains for a little while yesterday. I needed the diversion as it was a very tense day in our house but ended ok.
Kevin, nice photos. I'm no photographer but have had the odd lucky shot from time to time. Most of my photos were taken on trips, mostly when in Africa. I rarely get the camera out otherwise.
Hopefully I can get the privacy screen we bought for the back yard assembled tomorrow as long as it doesn't rain. We lost several trees that blocked the view of the neighbour behind us in a storm last fall. My wife has a real need for privacy and can't stand the thought of being overlooked.
We don't go out much at all as my wife has a real fear of getting covid. The home routine is boring. I mentioned a leak in a skylight the other day. Well we have had a couple of driving thunderstorms since and no leaking yet there was in a light rain the other day. Must be something to do with the direction of the rain. Time for a trip up there but I doubt I'll see anything obvious. I had a deck leak in our sailboat for years that I never really was able to trace. I caulked every deck fitting near it but still there was a small drip when it rained. It dripped right over the bunk where I slept. Sailboat decks are made with a balsa or plywood core between the deck and inner lining so water can travel quite a long way. The curved deck areas have strips of balsa giving a lot of routes for water to travel. I do miss that boat at times. Nothing like the feeling of a sailboat close hauled on a tack. Sort of magical a 3 ton boat plowing through the waves with only the wind for power.
Well soon time for lunch. Bought some nice shaved roast beef that is great in a sandwich.
CN Charlie
SeeYou190Here are some pictures from the beautiful Cuyahoga Valley National Park just South of Cleveland, Ohio.
Kevin, my wife grew up in Cleveland, and we plan to go back to see some of the sights in the next year or two. The national park is another reason to go. Nice pictures.
York1 John
I asked my doctor if I gave up delicious food and all alcohol, would I live longer? He said, "No, but it will seem longer."
SeeYou190There is a scenic railroad in the park, but it was not operating when we were there.
I'm a bit familiar with the scenic railroad:
4070 in Brecksville, OH by Edmund, on Flickr
4070_at Jaite by Edmund, on Flickr
IMG_2398_fix by Edmund, on Flickr
CVSR probably has the largest collection of operating California Zephyr Budd cars anywhere in the US.
Sometimes the Nickel Plate 765 will run in the Valley:
IMG_5232 by Edmund, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
Afternoon Diners
Flo, give the gang and I a please and Dirk a ice cube for a snack. Folks it is hot today!
Why am I working on Saturday again! I was there for 5 hours and never had a customer!
I knew I should have went in Friday when the A/C person was there! But, No, Jerry the was there and he has no clue to what went on! He told me "both units where working when the repair person came". I know for a fact one was out, the mens bathroom was hot. Normaly the coolest part of the store! Today the mens room was cooler so 2 are working now. Paul asked me "Has he hit is head again"? Neither Paul or I could get a straight answer out of Jerry the .
Mike I do not BBQ much anymore. When I first bough the house I grilled say 4 too 5 times a week. Just got burned out on it. Last year I think I may have grilled 4 times and this year 5 times. My first Char-Broil last 15 years, maybe one new flame bar. Second one lasted around 13 years and two set of burners. This is my cheapest Char-Broil grill, I paid only $120.00 or so on a fall close out from Sears. Stkk has the heavy cast iron grill plates I like.
To hot to sit outside tonight, Dirk will be disapointed.
Later, Ken and Drik say Woof, Woof.
I hate Rust
BATMAN
Good evening
Sure like those bridges Brent. That first one looks like something out of a story book.
Hi John, You are correct. The bridge I posted is the Hoover Dam Bridge. I've been known to break the rules now and then. The sign said no stopping and a high dollar amount for the fine. I stopped under that bridge anyway. It was the best view and the only way I could get a picture out my window.
Love the National Park photos Kevin. Had to stop and look at that beautiful arch bridge for a while.
Liked the Scenic Railroad pictures Ed. A shame it was closed when you were there Kevin. Certainly understandable though.
TF
Way too hot today. I downloaded a compass app to my Iphone and just got back from looking for the comet. I took photos, which showed stars I could not see with my naked eye, but no comet.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
I was locked out of the forum for about 40 minutes. That's about the time I took pictures of the sky.
Hot and sticky all day. Cool air coming in from the West. The White Cloud was going one way and the gray cloud was going the other way as they were building before dark. I haven't seen it too often but the White Cloud was rolling like a wave.
We're gonna get it!
Track fiddlerI haven't seen it too often but the White Cloud was rolling like a wave.
I wouldn't want to be flying through that in a Cessna 150!
Nice pictures!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
CNCharlieHopefully I can get the privacy screen we bought for the back yard assembled tomorrow as long as it doesn't rain. We lost several trees that blocked the view of the neighbour behind us in a storm last fall. My wife has a real need for privacy and can't stand the thought of being overlooked.
My wife is the same. The new windows for the master bedroom have bathroom style obscured glass so she never needs to worry that someone could see in.
I wanted to get a perimeter of Eureka Palms planted this year to get some backyard privacy for her, but that is not happening in 2020. The price of ornamental trees is through the roof right now.
York1Kevin, my wife grew up in Cleveland, and we plan to go back to see some of the sights in the next year or two. The national park is another reason to go. Nice pictures.
It is a very pretty area. I'll bet in Autumn it is gorgeous. I am planning to return to Ohio in October. I don't know if that is good Autumn Colour time or not.
The Covid thing had the park 95% empty. That was quite a bonus.
BigDaddyWay too hot today.
No kidding! We had a high of only 89 degrees today, which was quite a bit cooler than a lot of the country. We were even not as hot as about half of North Dakota! What is happening?
Track fiddler The bridge I posted is the Hoover Dam Bridge. I've been known to break the rules now and then. The sign said no stopping and a high dollar amount for the fine. I stopped under that bridge anyway. It was the best view and the only way I could get a picture out my window.
The Hoover Dam Bridge is nearly impossible to photograph from anywhere you are legally allowed to stand. A good picture would require a hike up from the other side, or maybe a drone.
This is best I could do. It stinks.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Lunchtime!
I missed my big Sunday breakfast this morning, being too busy working on the documentation to be sent to builders for quotes. I came across a rather ingenious modular system, which will act as the basis for my design and the drawings for the builders. I don´t know what will come out of it - at least it keeps me busy and out of mischief.
Following WWII and the nationalization of the various different railways serving Great Britain and subsequent merging in 1947, the newly formed British Railways was faced with replacing an ageing and worn out fleet of steam engines, often dating from years prior to the grouping in 1923, some even before 1900. The British Transport Council and British Railways had different ideas on modernizing the railway network. BR wanted to electrify much of the mainlines and built a small fleet of modern steam engines, while BTC had plans to electrify only a few main lines and dieselize the other lines. BR and BTC didn not come to an agreement and BR just went ahead and commissioned the development of a new breed of steam engines, the "Standard Classes". Some of those engines, although powerful and as economical as a steam engine ever could have been, saw only a few years of service before being dispatched to the knacker.
The following video gives an insight view into "The Last Stand of British Steam"
Good morning
One of the coolest mornings so far lately. I've been enjoying it out on my porch drinking coffee since 5:30.
I haven't seen either one of my daughters since the pandemic began. My oldest daughter called me a few days ago. Both of them enjoyed Agate hunting in gravel pits when they were kids. She said she wanted to meet at the one in Lakeville so we can visit outside and look for agates.
My other daughter and I will meet after her thyroid appointment on Monday for a nice long walk together. I hope she doesn't have polyps on her thyroid. The problem runs on her mother's side and if they find polyps it will have to be surgically removed.
Not too many good Sunset shots in Imgur but I'll post the two I have.
Ice fishing on Prior Lake last winter.
The calm before the storm late last summer.
Thanks for sharing the BB code on Imgur with me Henry Works like a champion.
Have a great day everyone
Some impressive photos being posted.
I'll have an extra strong coffee in a Union Pacific mug, please.
Making good progress on tearing down the old layout. Will be starting the new one soon.
Last of my dogs, Kanati a Great Pyrenees passed on yesterday. He was a lovable boy who was always happy to see me.and will be missed.
Hope everyone is doing well. Started another round of chemo, so room for improvement here. Cheers! Rob
Good Afternoon!
It´s hot and humid, but no sunshine visible. I feel wasted, after hours of torturing the computer with those house plans. At last, I am finished and now have the basis for some serious number crunching.
Here are the plans!
I will just relax the rest of the day!
Good Morning,
Sunny and about 70F right now. Expecting strong NW winds later so won't get very warm.
Hopefully I can get that privacy screen together today but that wind is a concern.
Rob, sorry to hear about your dog passing. I remember that you have had Great Pyrennes for many years. I seem to recall that they were outdoors dogs. Good Luck with the chemo. Keep us posted.
Perhaps I will tackle the driveway weeds today. We have a long paving stone driveway and my wife won't let me use chemicals so I have to get on a rolling bench and srcape the weeds out of all the spaces between the paving stones. There are about 5k of them. It usually takes several days as my back can only take a few hours at a time.
Lacking in motivation to do much of anything lately.
I need to get an oil change done on the car soon. I will also replace the battery as it is 5 years old now. I don't wait until there is a problem and 5 years is a good lifespan for car batteries in our climate and the short trips I take. They tend to fail when it hits -30. I get it done at the dealership as their prices are ok and changing it isn't as simple as the old cars. In fact if you open the hood you can't even see it.
Have a nice day,
Last Sunday I shared some Churches. This Sunday, I will share a few of another favorite subject of mine, Railroad Depots.
The third picture is in West Virginia of an old Depot was converted into their City Hall.
Great pictures, Kevin!
This is our train station. Each day, nearly 500 trains pass through this station...
The stripes on the platforms mark the safety zones, which you should not be standing in when trains pass through the station at 125mph.
I have been shoving some furniture around - only on the computer...
A tight fit, but cozy!
Hot here already this morning. Not much to report on. I am working on more radio projects and more and more keep lining up . I may work mostly inside today.
I weeded my driveway with the weed eater yesterday while both cars were out. Boy it looks better.
to the basement
cudaken I do not BBQ much anymore.
Tried my hand at home brewing beer for the first time today. My wife bought me a starter kit for my birthday. I'll know how I did in about 4 weeks. Hopefully I didn't muck it up.
Cheers.
Mike
My condolences to you, Rob, on the passing of your fond companion Kanati. We sure form a close-knit bond with our animal friends.
Storms are rolling through my neck-o'-the woods. At 6 PM it is dark enough to turn on the street lights, IF we had any street lights. (I think there is one in front of the town hall). Temperatures dropped from mid 90s to mid 70s in less than an hour!
Here's an interesting look at replacing some complicated track-work:
I hope this finds you all well this evening —
Ulrich, where will you be building, I think I missed it.
Rob sorry about the loss of your dog and good luck with the chemo.
Mike welcome to homebrewing. I am fortunate to live 3 miles from a homebrew store. The original owners sold it to open a brewpub just last year. I guess that didn't work out.
Cleanliness and sterility are important in homebrewing. I've had a couple batches that while they tasted OK, were gushers. The head is 80% of the glass. I started homebrewing in the late 70's.
I thought a brewpub would be a money maker. Someone opened one in Baltimore and I thought the market was saturated, and gave up on the idea. Oh well, I probably would have drank up all the profits.
I think it was 97 today and very humid. The grass is 50% brown.
There was a dog fight at my neighbors. No dogs were injured, nor was any blood drawn. My neighbors daughter was dog sitting a little phuphu dog and decided it would get along with her parents golden retriever, who plays rough. They did not get along.There was only growling, but the daughter and mother sounded like one or both of them (people not the dogs) were getting eaten alive. More wildlife issue, my cousin who owns a winery in Napa heard the sprinkler, except it wasn't a sprinker, it was an annoyed rattlesnake. He saw it in time. My wife has a friend on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, who found a copperhead in their kayak.
Eveing Diners
Flo, give the gang and I a please and Dirk a dog treat.
Rob I am sorry to read about Kanati. I still miss all of my 4 legged friends.
Watched the Movie A Dog Journey today with Dirk and Sue. It was a very good but sort of depressing story if you are a dog lover. I several times during the movie, it was very touching.
Lets see if I did this right.
Later, Ken and Dirk says Woof, Woof.
Evenin' Folks!
Just catching up on the posts.... Rob, so sorry to hear about your dog. Even when you expect that the end is near, it doesn't stop the pain of losing a trusted friend!
I guess I will post some photos taken from a ride on the Finger Lakes Railway back a few years ago. These are not of the train, but the view from the train in the Finger Lakes of NYS. Enjoy!
As you can see they were taken in late fall. They are all from the line going over the North end of Seneca Lake by the Railraod.
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Sorry to hear about your dog Rob. I've been there, it's a tough one. Also my thoughts go out to you and wish you the best.
I have a thing for Railroad Depots too Kevin. I liked your pics. Those buildings are Classics, it isn't like they're building them anymore.
I'll see your Depots and raise you one
Owatonna Minnesota, one of my favorites.
I liked the lakes and the wetland picture Ray.
I had fun at the Gravel Pit today with my daughter looking for agates.
Some gravel pit pics
Look at all those rocks, you'ld think we find some in there. Actually I think we did. The ponds water was green like the water in Nevada. The other two ponds didn't have green water.......Hmmm Even stumbled across some wild flowers. These things looked better than some I've seen in people's gardens. It was such a beautiful day today even the weeds looked good at the Gravel Pit. We did find some agates. Nothing to get too excited about or post a picture of. You know it was almost the same as when she was 12 years old, only difference is now she's 26 but I'm older too so it was just the same. Afterwards I took her to El Loro, a fine Mexican restaurant and we had lunch on the patio. It was good to see her and tomorrow I get to see my other daughter. TF P.S. Why is my text all blue. Did I do something wrong using the BB code? I've never had blue text here before.
Look at all those rocks, you'ld think we find some in there. Actually I think we did. The ponds water was green like the water in Nevada. The other two ponds didn't have green water.......Hmmm
Even stumbled across some wild flowers. These things looked better than some I've seen in people's gardens.
It was such a beautiful day today even the weeds looked good at the Gravel Pit.
We did find some agates. Nothing to get too excited about or post a picture of. You know it was almost the same as when she was 12 years old, only difference is now she's 26 but I'm older too so it was just the same.
Afterwards I took her to El Loro, a fine Mexican restaurant and we had lunch on the patio. It was good to see her and tomorrow I get to see my other daughter.
P.S. Why is my text all blue. Did I do something wrong using the BB code? I've never had blue text here before.
Howdy .
Rob .... I'm very sorry to hear about your dog passing away.
Ulrich ... I like your station. .... Wow ! 500 trains a day ! I'm amazed you could get a picture of the station without a train with that manu of them.
I see lots of nice pictures in here. RR stations. Sunsets. Beautitful scenery. Nice.
We spent much of the day boating on the lake followed by swimming.
Cheers !
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
CNCharliePerhaps I will tackle the driveway weeds today. We have a long paving stone driveway and my wife won't let me use chemicals so I have to get on a rolling bench and srcape the weeds out of all the spaces between the paving stones. There are about 5k of them. It usually takes several days as my back can only take a few hours at a time.
Hi CN Charlie,
I have a propane torch with a long nozzle on it that is designed to kill weeds quickly and easily. You can use it from a standing position. If the weeds are on the driveway I just burn them away. It takes a long time for them to come back (weeks). If the weeds are on the lawn, all you do is cook the seed heads and they can't reproduce. It is quick enough that it doesn't hurt the surrounding grass.
This what it is like:
The one in the illustration has a small head for spot weeding. There are larger heads available for doing broader swathes.
Note that they should not be used on Poison Ivy or the like because the smoke contains the oils that cause the rash. Breathing the smoke can cause severe lung problems.
Rob,
Condolences on the loss of your friend. We do get attached----
herrinchoker
CederstrandLast of my dogs, Kanati a Great Pyrenees passed on yesterday. He was a lovable boy who was always happy to see me.and will be missed.
Hi Rob,
Sorry for your loss. Our dog Jake is still constantly in our memories even though it has been 15 years since he passed.
Rob: sorry for the loss of your furry friend.
TF : I would love to have that depot as a house.
Not much going on today, Been working on more Radios.
This is the top part of a 1938 Zenith I am working on for me ( Mrs MLC bought it at a yardsale for $5)
It was missing a big chunk of veneer on one side so I decided to replace all the veneer on the right side.
Here is the new veneer after glue and it is not trimmed yet.
Here it is trimmed and I have started to match the color with the left side.
I have replaced some missing veneer on the bottom part ( not seen in these photos) that I need to trim and refinish.
The "guts" already work so when I get done I will have to just stick them in.