SeeYou190 Our hosts have historically allowed off-topic discussions in the Diner, but poltics is a strictly forbidden topic even there. -Kevin
Our hosts have historically allowed off-topic discussions in the Diner, but poltics is a strictly forbidden topic even there.
-Kevin
Where is the diner?
Rick
Water Level RouteOverpopulation may be the issue nobody wants to talk about.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
BATMANMove out of the rat pit to the country.
Well, I certainly do not think I live in a "Rat Pit" as you described.
The rural area is a non-starter for me, sorry. The disadvantages are way too many.
It is a nice place to visit, but it gets old very quickly. There is a lot more to life than being able to kill your own meat and graze for berries.
Living the dream.
SeeYou190Personally, I could never live in one of those communities, with their 1/10 acre lots and driveways too short for a pickup truck.
126' from the garage to the road for me.
My wife's good friend lives three doors away, but she always drives over when she visits.
We rarely lock the doors at our house or cars. B&Es do not happen as the thieves are too lazy to come this far, we all leave our lawn tractors, pressure washers, and other equipment out in the yard for six months then put it away when the weather turns. I have not heard that any neighbour has had something stolen.
Do you want a big train room? I sold my 45-year-old 2000sqft house on a small lot in the city and bought a 5 year-old 4000sqft with a 1200 sqft garage on acres for the same price out in the stix.
I have water in the creek across the street if needed and breakfast, lunch, and dinner are often asleep on the front lawn if the grocery stores run out of food. The wife grows fresh veggies all summer long and the neighbours give us fresh eggs and veggies as well.
The only reason I bought the house was to have room to do the things I wanted, including a trainroom, however, not being surrounded by noise and obnoxious people means the city is a non-starter for me after experiencing such peace and quiet.
Want a lot more bang for the buck, move out of the rat pit to the country.
SeeYou190I am very surprised it has not been locked.
rrebellEarths temp has been 7 degrees warmer in the past. Trouble is people in their studys base things on recorded history or less than 1000 years, that time is nothing when compaired to earths history and the only reason we know as much as we do is from deep ice which has come and gone many times in earth history.
Mike
rrebellIf we can't talk about other things than trains, then the forum is truly doomed.
SeeYou190 BroadwayLion Those were in the days before Home Depot. Home Depot delivers. mvlandsw I've often wondered why gas, or electric ovens for that matter, are not vented to the outside. Mine is vented to the outside, and so is my microwave. Almost all new construction does not vent these to the outside, and I also find myself wondering why. AEP528 Come on mods, this thread truly has absolutely nothing to do with model railroading. This thread started with political commentary, and has gotten worse. I am very surprised it has not been locked. -Kevin
BroadwayLion Those were in the days before Home Depot.
Home Depot delivers.
mvlandsw I've often wondered why gas, or electric ovens for that matter, are not vented to the outside.
Mine is vented to the outside, and so is my microwave. Almost all new construction does not vent these to the outside, and I also find myself wondering why.
AEP528 Come on mods, this thread truly has absolutely nothing to do with model railroading.
This thread started with political commentary, and has gotten worse. I am very surprised it has not been locked.
Attuvian1 York1 As far a gas stoves, certain groups will not be happy until there are vitually no open flames anywhere on earth. Yup. Then again, there's the view that the earth itself will end up a flamer. And I'll leave it at that lest the powers that be raise an eyebrow. Attuvian John
York1 As far a gas stoves, certain groups will not be happy until there are vitually no open flames anywhere on earth.
As far a gas stoves, certain groups will not be happy until there are vitually no open flames anywhere on earth.
mvlandsw I've often wondered why gas, or electric ovens for that matter, are not vented to the outside. That keep any combustion fumes, excess heat, and cooking odors out of the house. A hood over the stove catches only some, but not all of those. Another thought is to use outside air for refridgeration when the temperature is appropiate. Mark
I've often wondered why gas, or electric ovens for that matter, are not vented to the outside. That keep any combustion fumes, excess heat, and cooking odors out of the house. A hood over the stove catches only some, but not all of those.
Another thought is to use outside air for refridgeration when the temperature is appropiate.
Mark
Well larger ranges are but it's not an appliance you just leave on all day so emissions aren't as toxic as ambient air quality. To steer this back to model railroading slightly, there some research done that the 3D printing I do may be harmful if it's done in a living space. While the plastic is corn and sugar based, micro sized polymers can be inhaled and stuck in cells via the blood stream. To date, no reports of people getting sick from 3D printing but if there's enough research to prove a long term effect, you'll start seeing warning stickers like you do on paints and solvents.
BroadwayLionThose were in the days before Home Depot.
mvlandswI've often wondered why gas, or electric ovens for that matter, are not vented to the outside.
AEP528Come on mods, this thread truly has absolutely nothing to do with model railroading.
AEP528 Obviously nobody uses electric stoves because they're too hard to cook on. https://www.statista.com/chart/29082/most-common-type-of-stove-in-the-us/ Come on mods, this thread truly has absolutely nothing to do with model railroading.
Obviously nobody uses electric stoves because they're too hard to cook on.
https://www.statista.com/chart/29082/most-common-type-of-stove-in-the-us/
Come on mods, this thread truly has absolutely nothing to do with model railroading.
Those numbers are a result of availability more than choice. More recent high density housing is less likely to have been built with a gas infrastructure. Propane cannot be stored in the small backyards of town houses, etc.
Model Railroading, the OP is moving because the cost of living where he is at is too high. Quality of life is directly related to model railroading.
I can afford to build a 1500 sq ft model railroad partly because my Mid Atlantic basement requires no supplemental heat or a/c, has no head knocking ductwork, and my utility costs are low.
That is one reason the OP is moving, to be able to afford model railroading.
Sheldon
LOL.
I agree with you, but I am afraid that you are fighting a losing battle.
Rich
Alton Junction
First, despite recent "studies" suggesting hazzards which have not been conducted with a correct scientific approach, the output gases and byproducts of burning natural gas or propane are extremely small quantities.
Both gases burn about 98% pure leaving mostly water vapor, whch is actually good for your indoor environment in the winter.
I have my own ideas on the rise in asthma cases but that is another subject.
Despite advancements in electric based appliances, gas and oil still provide the highest total energy efficency for heating tasks in most cases.
And again, a modern 85% or 90% efficent gas or oil boiler running a hydronic heat system in a single home equals or exceeds the performance of any electric based system - and if that electricity is being generated with fossil fuels, the carbon footprint of the small individual gas or oil system is less.
Side note - I am an electrcian and electrical designer by original trade.... currently self employed asa residential designer, historic restoration consultant, and master restoration carpenter.
If you generate electricity and do not use it that instant - it, and the energy used to create it, are lost.
And there are line losses in transmission from the power plant to your home.
With a gas or oil fired boiler, with hot water based heat, every BTU of heat released in the process is used to heat your home.
More about cooking.
It is harder to cook on an electric stove, and often the burner is "on" for a greater time but not actually being used.
With gas you have the advantage of instant on, instant off with much quicker response time to changes in the burner setting. Pans heat up quicker, temperature can be better controlled. When off burner grates cool much quicker than electric elements.
And now to life cycle costs.
A gas or oil boiler for heating, or even a forced air gas or oil furnace, will last longer with less maintence than any heat pump ever built. The current life span of heat pumps is 12-15 years. A typical quality boiler will last 40 years with only minor repairs to ancillary equipment.
So if we factor in these costs, inconveniences, carbon footprint/resource depleation of replacement equipment manufacture, etc, the individual fossil plant wins again.
Systems that provide ONLY air conditioning also have a lifespan that is nearly twice that of a typical heat pump.
Gas ranges also typically last longer than electric ranges as well.
I restored this house in 1996:
It has five zone hot water baseboard heat, and two zones of a/c. Our combined efforts at energy conservation reduced its energy consumption by 40%. The a/c systems we installed then are still working with only minor repairs in 27 years. The modern boiler we installed is only the third heating plant in the 122 year life of the home. We sold it just two years ago.
There will be a test later today.....
Generally any material over 100 lbs I'll have delivered. or if it's free delivery, drywall definitely. But if I can move it on a cart or it fits in an elevator which means it will fit in a subway car, a $2.75 train fare and 40 minute workout and some fresh air is worth it. Any major oversized freight they'll have you board at the front car so you can tell the operator the stop you're getting off
NorthsideChi Oh I'd get a truck if I were doing more remodeling work on the side. Yesterdays trip to home depot, carrying 8' long 2x4s on a subway train was an adventure and definitely a decision most people would avoid.
Oh I'd get a truck if I were doing more remodeling work on the side.
Yesterdays trip to home depot, carrying 8' long 2x4s on a subway train was an adventure and definitely a decision most people would avoid.
When I lived in Concord, MA, by the train tracks, I was building something and needed a 4x8 sheet of plywood. I had a very small car, so I walked over to the lumber yard with a pair of heavy gloves. The guy asked me where my truck was, and was kind of blown away when I told him I would just carry it home.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I have lived up and down the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay all my life.
We avoid DC as much as possible, I would rather go north to Phily or Wilmington....
Beaches, after 65 years the novelty of the ocean has worn off, but if we do want to go, Cape May, Wildwood NJ, or the Delaware shore is two hours or less from our spot right at the headwaters where the Susquehanna dumps into the bay in beautiful Havre de Grace, MD.
No long vacation drives here.....
I wanted to move to the Shenandoah Valley, just could not talk the wife into it.....
But it is pretty, quiet and rural where we are.
At the moment we are burning gas. It happens to be cheaper than coal, but shopuld that change, we will run the coal boiler. The gas boiler is half the size of the coal boiler, but twice the BTU. This heats our entire campus, about 5 buildings.
Rural Place we are. our property is 3 square miles, but we no longer do our own ranching, so another rancher rents most of our land.
This part of North Dakota does have mountain LIONS, but actually I have never seen one this far east, though I have heard of the as far easat as Bismarck. I keep looking out the window for a LION, after all (like prayer) yolu will never see one if you do not look. Our cook, ten mies west of us has had them in her yard. The upset the other critters that she raises. She buys piglets in the spring and slaughters them in the fall, not keeping (and caring for them) over the Winter.
OH, YEAH, New York and its governator Hotchill. Yeah she is going after gas stoves, but worse yet, she wants the states to impose some zoning laws. All proberty within a half mile of an MTA train or subway station must now be zoned for multiple dwelling affordable income housing, 3 to 4 strories tall. Fortunatel most of that land is already developed so I am not sure what she is doing except trying to upset the worng kind of voters. Maybe they will move to Florida.
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Eh? When we lived on Long Island the lumber yard would deliver to our house. Those were in the days before Home Depot et.al.
...and the stretch of I-64 between the I-295E bypass around Richmond and Williamsburg. 70 MPH...Stop...70 MPH...Stop...(repeat ad infinitum).
Sometimes I don't mind taking an alternate route - even it takes longer - so that I don't have to deal with traffic and stupid drivers. And I get to enjoy parts of the state that 99% of the highway drivers don't want to take the time to see.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
tstageCannot STAND driving through there on the way to the Outer Banks in the springtime. I'd MUCH rather take the beltway around DC.
We used to do the Hancock - Winchester - Paris - Fredericksburg cutoff when I was a kid and we were driving to Virginia Beach or the Outer Banks from Pittsburgh.
You're better off taking the Beltway and here's why. Even in traffic, the higher speed limit makes up for the congestion. There's very little actual stopped traffic on the 70 - 270 - Beltway - 95 run. The only real slowdowns and stopped traffic is south of the city, exactly where the cutoff dumps you out.
NorthsideChi Gas is the primary energy for buildings in Chicago. My condo building is pretty much all gas and it's new gut rehab of 120 year old building that had its entire structural frame and infrastructure replaced. Hot water system, in-unit furnaces and washer / dryers all gas. Same case for newer buildings. But I know people switching to induction cooktops for cleaning and maintenance reasons. Then there's heat pumps for HVAC which give better room by room control than conventional gas furnaces. I'm fortunately the HOA in my building. Our covenants and bylaws are straightforward. Keep power tool usage to a reasonable time of day, don't leave a big mess behind and don't obstruct exits or mechancial equipment. So no, I can't build track in front of the doors in the basement or block meters. The nice thing is I have a big open space to work with that I wouldn't get in a house. Though my property taxes are higher, there's a greater return in Chicago for services provided and free amenities that would come up at a fee cost in other places. I don't need a car so that's a monthly expense I can instead spend on trains. I suppose if I were retired and staying home more, I'd be settling for a rural plot with lots of spaces and lower taxes
Gas is the primary energy for buildings in Chicago. My condo building is pretty much all gas and it's new gut rehab of 120 year old building that had its entire structural frame and infrastructure replaced. Hot water system, in-unit furnaces and washer / dryers all gas. Same case for newer buildings.
But I know people switching to induction cooktops for cleaning and maintenance reasons. Then there's heat pumps for HVAC which give better room by room control than conventional gas furnaces.
I'm fortunately the HOA in my building. Our covenants and bylaws are straightforward. Keep power tool usage to a reasonable time of day, don't leave a big mess behind and don't obstruct exits or mechancial equipment. So no, I can't build track in front of the doors in the basement or block meters. The nice thing is I have a big open space to work with that I wouldn't get in a house.
Though my property taxes are higher, there's a greater return in Chicago for services provided and free amenities that would come up at a fee cost in other places. I don't need a car so that's a monthly expense I can instead spend on trains. I suppose if I were retired and staying home more, I'd be settling for a rural plot with lots of spaces and lower taxes
And if you like that lifestyle, I am happy to let you enjoy it.
My last home had oil fired hot water heat - 5 zones, and two separate A/C systems. My current home has gas fired hot water heat and separate A/C.
It a building like you are in there are lots of good arguments for more electric based systems.
In a free standing single home those reasons do not hold up.
If my wife had to cook on an induction stove, I would be eating in resturants the rest of my life.
Room by room control - you mean mini splits. They have their place, just not in my house.
But again, hot water heat is also easily zoned.
I support choice - glad you are happy with your situation.
I work in construction - I need my truck.....
No gas in Florida homes is not political or legislated, sorry if I made it sound that way.
We don't need to heat our homes, and way too much transient heat comes off of gas stoves. Thus, no need for residential gas utilities. You can get it if you want it. I recently found out there is a gas utility supply to my house.
Efficient electric cook tops that heat the pan, and not the room, just make more sense here.
No politics to it.
Tennessee is nice, beautiful land and mostly nice friendly people. Twenty three years ago we moved from Florida to NC and have never, ever regretted the move. Our house (in one of those planned communities) has that wonderful bonus rooms above the garage, natural gas for heat, water, and cooking which is great.
About that HOA, make sure to carefully read the entire document before signing. Look for keywords such as "Must" and "Should" because there is a difference and the HOA bigheads like to read "Should" as "Must" and if you ever get in a spat with the HOA it makes a huge (and legal) difference.
My wife painted the rails on our deck which according to certain despotic HOA members was PROHIBITED. The line from the HOA covenants read "Decks and Fences should be left to weather naturally" versus the next line "All decks and fences must comply with city building codes". I pointed out legally Should means that a certain feature, component and/or action is desirable but not mandatory.
-Mike in NC,..
Tin Can IILooking forward to the Garden City, KS train show in March. Hopefully the nice folks from Spring Creek Model Trains will be there this year. Ditto for the Free Mo folks.
I think Kansas has several upcoming shows: January 14 - McPherson, February 4 - Wichita, and March 11 - Garden City. I believe Spring Creek will be at all of those.
York1 John
I'm happy I left Massachusetts 5 years ago and moved to Delaware where I am now. (Yes, I've tried to change my profile, but that doesn't work.) I am in a planned community in a small single family home, but I'm right on a tidal marsh on a creek that runs to the ocean about a mile away. At 75 and counting, I don't want to mow a lawn or shovel snow. We have a bonus room where my trains are. We have no sales tax, income tax is low and real estate taxes are dirt cheap. Crime in our tiny town of Ocean View is basically non-existent. Look it up. The only MR-listed train shop in Delaware is right here.
We can be a bit of a rebellious lot. During Covid, our community happy hours were suspended. So, my neighbors all went outside with lawn chairs and had our own happy hours, every Friday evening at 5.