Hi Jim,
The Diner is all yours!
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
gmpullman How is that new kitty doing? Felicity by Edmund, on Flickr Cheers, Ed
How is that new kitty doing?
Felicity by Edmund, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
CNCharlie I see I am top of page so Crown Royal for all.
Thanks, Charlie
I doctored mine into a Manhattan
Manhattan Calling by Edmund, on Flickr
Water Level RouteEd, how is that new kitty doing?
Thanks for asking, Mike. Felicity goes back to the vet tomorrow to get her sutures removed from her tummy surgery. She loves it here (and the wood stove) and I know she really appreciates that we took her in. Still haven't gotten any decent photos of her yet. She won't sit still and when I show up with a camera she instantly walks toward me for a hug.
Clear and cool by Mike Danneman, on Flickr
We got our first 'real' snow of the season. Only about eight inches and the rain this weekend will wash that away. The birds have been busy at our feeders, too.
Water Level Route Bill, what's new in Indiana?
Bill, what's new in Indiana?
Bill Tidler Jr.
Near a cornfield in Indiana...
Good Afternoon,
Mike, we get a lot of birds at the feeders, all part of local flocks that don't migrate, chickadees, house sparrows, downy and hairy woodpeckers, nuthatches and a few others. Later the redpoles and pine siskins may show up. We go through about 50lbs of shelled sunflower seed a month and about 15 blocks of suet. The suet is largely consumed by the woodpeckers. We put it in holes drilled in a piece of log that we hang with a hook. The log has the bark on it so easy for woodpeckers.
I like photos of steam in winter but not that easy to find, at least for CN and CP. Taking photos in winter during that era was a challenge especially in my neck of the woods.
We will be at home for Christmas and won't be visiting anyone. My wife has a big fear of contracting Covid, all part of her anxiety.
CN Charlie
I see I am top of page so Crown Royal for all.
Hi Everyone,
Well, this wasn't part of the plan, but since Dave threw down the gauntlet, I'll be happy to move the diner a little later this evening like after 10:00 pm CST.
Of course, anyone else would be welcome to preempt if it suits their fancy. In the meantime all is good and we'll see you all later.
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
See the redwood forests of coastal California from the seat of a rail bike | Bartell's Backroads - YouTube
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Good Morning Diners. Janie, a couple poached eggs please.
Quiet night last night, so no real news from my end of the world. Honestly, I appreciated the quiet night.
TF, you out there bud? Been a while since we've heard from you.
Ed, how is that new kitty doing?
John, do you have that bridge rebuilt yet?
Charlie, do you have a lot of customers at your bird feeders this time of year? My wife isn't the best about keeping them filled, but our traffic dies way down this time of year. I usually put out suet this time of year too, but even that is hit and miss. I've had some disappear in a week and others last the whole winter.
Mister B, I hear you about the dietary restrictions being problematic. My mom developed life threatening allergies to yeast and anything related to corn. People don't realize how much stuff has corn syrup in it. It's incredible!
Anyone else I missed, hope to hear from you soon.
Looks like Amtrak needed a little help one day. Yuba Pass California.
Have a great day guys!
Mike
Good morning!
For years we would have extended family and friends visiting on Christmas Eve.
Carol singing on the village green. Santa coming down the street giving sweets to the children.
Christmas Eve dinner followed with drinks.
Christmas Day with our children and grandchildren. Dawn doig the cooking.
Now Christmas Eve it is just Dawn and I. I cook lunch and dinner.
Christmas Day we go to our daughter & SiL house for Christmas Dinner. The daughter & SiL do the cooking. Late afternoon we go home and hava a 'Picky Supper'. (Anything ready cooked, cheeses, crackers etc.)
Life in the 'easy lane'.
Good morning. Bacon, eggs, and black coffee, please.
Mike, that sounds like interesting family dynamics. Hosting holiday dinners is fun but work.
We have three daughters, their husbands, and eight grandchildren descend on the house each year the day after Christmas, and they usually stay four or five days. At one time, my wife felt we should be cooking for them the whole time. It made things very difficult and hectic.
Several years ago, the kids all decided to let us off the hook. We now order pizza, make fast-food runs, or go out to a restaurant for all the meals except breakfast. I still make breakfast which I enjoy doing.
It's cold here, but our lawn is covered with leaves. The snow is now gone except in shady places, so I will try to get some leaves picked up today. I love all our trees except for November and December. Oak trees are great -- except ...
Have a great day, everyone.
Acton, California:
Making the Grade by Ron Pinkerton, on Flickr
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."
Good Morning Diners. Chloe, oatmeal with brown sugar please.
Got saddled with what sounds like an impossible task at work yesterday. What's more, I have to accomplish it by leading a team effort to address the problem. That way the struggle will be well documented (and remembered) by all. This will be a headache. I'll spare you the details.
I do the cooking in our house as my wife know very little about cooking, although she is slowly learning. I come from a family of really good cooks (and bakers!), but never really realized it until I met my wife. I always assumed everyone's families made food like mine did. Then I started having meals with my now in-laws. There's a reason I took over hosting Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and the Fourth of July, and did so almost immediately after we were married (even when money was super tight). We still go to my wife's parents for Christmas dinner. I don't host that since I already do Christmas Eve. I only recently gave up hosting Easter to my sister-in-law as she felt left out and wanted her kids to have the memory of hosting a holiday at their house. I used to leave disappointed in Christmas & Easter dinners, but learned to change my expectations. That helps. I decided that was better than the alternative that my wife suggested of me doing all the cooking and taking the food to their homes. NO WAY!
Depot, Alexandria IN (N&W circa 1980s probably)
Snow and sunshine is fine by me. I am happy with 'whatever'.
NorthBritIt is near the end of the month. Where is the Diner going in December?
Hello David,
I have to confess that I have been totally asleep at the wheel throttle. I have been so preoccupied by other stuff that I completely forgot about initiating moving the Diner. Thanks for covering for me.
Jim has suggested a wintery theme. I think that would be very entertaining for our southern forum members who don't often get snow, but I can't in the world understand why somebody from Chicago, i.e., Jim, would want to suffer winter scenes when all he has to do is step out his door to get the full effect!!! I live in southern Ontario and we are already in the grips of winter! Huntsville, which is only about 1 1/2 hrs north of us, is supposed to get between 12" and 16" of snow tonight!
I wish to propose a compromise: If you want to see snow then by all means post some pictures of trains in snowy conditions, but if you already have enough snow outside your front door like I do, then feel free to counter the snow affictionados with posts depicting warmer climes.
Does that sound reasonable? It's up to you!
I'll volunteer to move the Diner but Jim has to tell me where to move it to, or better still, Jim should move the Diner. He has done an excellent job of moving it in the past. How about it Jim?
NorthBrit It is near the end of the month. Where is the Diner going in December? May I suggest a Wintry snow theme around the world? David
It is near the end of the month. Where is the Diner going in December?
May I suggest a Wintry snow theme around the world?
A wintery snow theme sounds good for December. Might as well get it in early because for sure we'll all be sick of snow and winter by February.
Good Morning,
Expecting a heat wave today, supposed to hit 35F! Will go out and pick up a pizza later for supper.
I don't cook but my wife is a fabulous cook who used to turn out gourmet meals. Sadly she can't manage to do much anymore. I rely on the microwave I have down here in my lair a lot. My mother was just an average cook but was an oustanding baker.
Hard to believe we are only on page 7 and near the end of the month. When Jeff was around I remember hitting 25 pages. We also had AmadaMedic posting too, plus others who are noe gone. I tried to find out what happened to Johnboy but had no luck. He had a serious bout of cancer but seemed to have recovered.
I hear my wife stirring. She goes to bed about 4 am so gets up around 11 or 12.
My job as a young teen was to have the charcoal grill going when Dad came home. He would grill steaks, burgers, chops and so on, but he was not much of a cook. Meat and potatoes guy, who couldn't make potatoes. My Mom couldn't cook much, either. That was the era of frozen and canned food. My grandmothers were great cooks.
I started learning to cook after college. I got pretty good at it, and have always done most of our family cooking. I was thrilled when my daughter started helping and learning in the kitchen, and when she would send emails asking for recipes. She even carefully planned her college schedule to get a term in Florence, Italy, with cultural enrichment courses like Pairing Food With Wine. When she made dinner after that, we called her Chef.
These days, dietary restrictions and preferences for both me and the GF greatly hamstring my cooking. Some days I just want to eat out just to avoid the shopping, cooking and cleanup. This year, Black Friday shopping was for gift cards for restaurants we like that we will use.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
NorthBritI was taught a lot about cooking from my grandmother and aunt.
My mother taught me to cook just about every type of food. She made sure I could bake just about anything from scratch. Even though I learned how as a kid, as an adult I've never enjoyed it. I'd rather run to McDonalds or Pizza Hut than cook.
York1 My wife does not like to cook, so many times meals are up to me. Unlike you, I also don't like to cook. Mealtimes are sometimes just snack times, which is fine with both of us. Of course, we were much better with meals when the daughters were growing up.
My wife does not like to cook, so many times meals are up to me. Unlike you, I also don't like to cook. Mealtimes are sometimes just snack times, which is fine with both of us. Of course, we were much better with meals when the daughters were growing up.
Dawn is a wonderful cook. One of the reasons I asked to marry her. Now she is disabled the kitchen is my domain.
I was taught a lot about cooking from my grandmother and aunt. I am not as good as they were, but I survive. lol.
Now I teach my grandchildren when they are here.
Oregano and cranberry sausage burger with potato wedges and sides.
There will be some left over to be found in the Diner.
NorthBritI am lucky. Dawn is not one for dining out (unless on holiday). She will ask me to 'cook something special'. As I like cooking, that suits me fine.
Mike, it sounds like you had a good Thanksgiving having your daughter home for extra days. One good thing about snow.
Another cold day here, so more time in the layout room. That's a good part of below freezing weather.
Later this week, the temps go above freezing, which means I'll have no excuse for the yard being covered with leaves. The oak trees continue to slowly lose leaves, which makes for a long fall. Why can't they be like the maple trees and lose all their leaves in a week?
Have a healthy day, everyone.
Water Level Route Our anniversary is coming up next week. I asked my wife what she wanted to do and her response was pretty much what I expected. "No presents. There's always too much money going out at this time of year. Let's just have a nice meal at home." Basically been the same answer since we were married, although sometimes she does want a meal out. One of the benefits of getting married near Christmas.
Our anniversary is coming up next week. I asked my wife what she wanted to do and her response was pretty much what I expected. "No presents. There's always too much money going out at this time of year. Let's just have a nice meal at home." Basically been the same answer since we were married, although sometimes she does want a meal out. One of the benefits of getting married near Christmas.
I am lucky. Dawn is not one for dining out (unless on holiday). She will ask me to 'cook something special'. As I like cooking, that suits me fine.
Good Morning Diners. Brunhilda, I'll have the special with a large grape juice.
Still getting some snow. It sure is pretty. Hopefully it stops before my oldest heads back to school today. She got an extra couple of days at home for the holiday. None of us minded that.
We all went downtown Saturday night for the town's Christmas parade. It was a really nice parade this year. Plenty of creative entries loaded up with lights and no big gaps between them. I sure hope they finally figured out how to do a parade right. Usually there are big pauses between the "action" during parades in our little town. This was a pleasant surprise. Christmas miracle?
Hope everyone is healthy and happy. Have a good day guys.
A chilly 8F here in the GWN.
Dave, I saw in your plow thread that you are having knee trouble. Hope it gets fixed soon.
Another boring day here. Need to get something going but not sure what. I guess I should get back to that Mo Skeeters kit. There are a lot of small detail parts to paint. I painted all the structure parts last year.
We have 4 small racoons visiting most nights. They came with Mum in the summer starting when they could barely crawl up the fence. Mum has left now but they are sticking together. About half grown now, very chubby, ready for winter. My wife can get a foot away before they back away, not aggressive at all. Sure are cute. They don't come when it is cold as they go into a semi-hibrination.
Time to check the bird feeders.
Good morning, everyone. Chloe, I'll have bacon, eggs, and black coffee, please.
Part of my Sunday went OK -- the Chiefs won. The big disappointment was the Saints losing to the Falcons. Any loss is bad, but losing to the Falcons is ten times worse. It's not time to get out my grocery bag mask yet -- I had hoped it was never to be seen again.
I'm not tired of turkey -- yet. But the amount of turkey in the refrigerator doesn't seem to lessen even though we keep eating it. I'm kind of in the mood for a hamburger.
Yesterday I got more track installed leading to the new bridge. Today I'll try to get the bridge itself into place. It's still cold out so that means more layout time today.
Since our house faces north and we have large oak trees, the lawn gets very little sunlight. That means even though we had a tiny amount of snow, our yard is still white. All the neighbors' houses get more sunlight, so we are the only house with snow.
I hope everyone has a great start to the week.
Lodgepole, California:
Alpine photography - 1 by Greg Brown, on Flickr
Redding, California:
Rolling Through Redding by Jake Miille Photography, on Flickr
maxmanI don't understand what those suitcase-looking handles just in front of the engine are for. Look like sidings, but appear to be too sharp and short for anything.
My take on those 'little' sidings is that they are designated as bad-order setout tracks. I can see where having a pulled drawbar could be a particular hazard and pose a serious delay in traffic movements if a crew would have to back down, or leave a portion of a train tied up on the long grades.
Some information also shows they were used to scoot some M of W equipment out of the way as well as giving a place for hy-railers to duck out of traffic without having to retract their wheels.
Railroader's legend has it that the sidings were supposed to be 2500 feet long but someone, somewhere left a zero off the drawing. There's a photo of a UP 6900 locomotive on one of the sidings and there wasn't much room for anything else.
Sometime recently some changes were made. The security lights and fences were added after some attempts at suspected sabotage were encountered:
BNSF - Summit, CA by d.w.davidson, on Flickr
Regards, Ed
Good morning, everyone. Just coffee this morning.
We dodged a big snowfall yesterday -- we got just a trace. Just south of us they weren't so lucky.
The Goat Canyon trestle east of San Diego, California:
Goat Canyon Trestle Vista by Jeremiah Lietke, on Flickr
Have a great Sunday, everyone.
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[quote user="gmpullman"
Santa Fe 5825 Waits At Summit by emd, on Flickr
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Ed:
I don't understand what those suitcase-looking handles just in front of the engine are for. Look like sidings, but appear to be too sharp and short for anything.
Any idea?
Thanks
If they are like in the U.K., they are to hold a banking locomotive after hauling a train up the hill. The banking loco enters the siding to allow the train to pass.
Then crosses to the other line and returns to the bottom of the hill to await its next job.