Good morning!
Interurban wreck in Tipton IN.
This was in the early 1930s and my grandmother and some of her children (my aunts and uncles) were in the car.
Bill Tidler Jr.
Near a cornfield in Indiana...
Good afternoon diners. Zoe, coffee and a slice of pumpkin pie please.
Just got back from bowling with my wife's family. It's a once or twice a year outing. We always go around the holidays and maybe one more time throughout the year. I only play one game anymore since it bothers my shoulder. Last year was the first year I didn't get the high score of the day. Got that title back this year though! Don't go getting impressed. I only bowled a 147. Still, it's been several years since I bowled this well.
I've been able to enjoy some nice train running time over the holidays. Speaking of which, off to the basement! Have a great day guys!
Mike
hon30critterA box showed up yesterday and when I opened it there sat a Glenfiddich Christmas cake. Dave
Dave
At least it wasn't the fruit cake I received. And it's the same fruit cake I regifted four years ago.
Good morning!Hamilton Ohio PRR depot 1911
As it appears that the fumes from the Glenfiddich Christmas Cake may have caused Dave to overlook his Top of the Page duties…
Thanks for pointing that out Bear! I corrected the omission. Glenfiddich Christmas cake for everyone!
Cheers!!
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Attuvian1What is it with Kiwis and their sweets?
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Dave, you have my sincere sympathy! That was a nasty shock. I have a piece of shortbread every day that is made in Scotland. I find the best is PC from Superstore. Not a mince tart to be sure but very nice with tea. Hope you manage to score some tarts.
CN Charlie
Well, the Grinch decided to rob me of one of my Christmas treats! The mince pie discussions forced me to order some mince tarts. A box showed up yesterday and when I opened it there sat a Glenfiddich Christmas cake. It looks yummy but it ain't no mince tart!
I'm going to try again. I can't possibly go into 2024 without having had a mince tart!
Edit:
Top of the page! Glenfiddich Christmas cake for everyone, and of course, a glass of Glenfiddich to wash it down!
Good Afternoon,
I did a grocery run this morning and the sun was shining which made the hoar frost on the trees really beautiful.
Dave, you are so right about shipping costs on ebay, they are often outrageous especially for items coming from the US. I was looking at a TLT CN boxcar but shipping makes it too expensive.
maxmanSo, are you saying that the seller advertised something on evil bay, offered to sell it to you directly at a lower cost, and you agreed to purchase the item thereby depriving evil bay of their commision?
Hi maxman,
The issue is not the selling price! That hasn't changed. What we are depriving eBay is an unjustified excess shipping charge that was about 25% higher than the actual shipping costs. EBay supposedly makes their money by collecting a percentage of the selling price. I have no problem with that. But when they start to artificially inflate the shipping costs to add to their profits, then I do have a serious problem with that. EBay shipping has already been very expensive when compared to the other options like the USPS. Adding more hidden costs is completely unacceptable to me.
The truth is that I have almost stopped buying on eBay mainly because of the shipping costs. A decent Athearn BB freight car now costs me close to $50 Cdn., with more than half of that being the shipping costs. I'm glad I bought most of my stuff years ago when I could get a BB boxcar shipped to Canada for less than $15.00 in total.
The Energizer Bunny is all charged up and ready to drum in the New Year!
Energizer_union by Edmund, on Flickr
Brrr !
Stranded by Mike Danneman, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
Arcola IN, former PRR
hon30critterThe phone rang this evening and the gentleman identified himself as Chris. He is the eBay seller. He informed me that eBay had inflated the shipping cost by about 25%, and he thought that was rather shady on eBay's part. He offered to allow me to cancel the eBay purchase so that he could invoice me directly at the proper shipping cost. Of course I agreed.
So, are you saying that the seller advertised something on evil bay, offered to sell it to you directly at a lower cost, and you agreed to purchase the item thereby depriving evil bay of their commision?
And here I was almost sympathising with you over the needing a work permit to have someone help you with your railroad issue..
Good day all! Chloe, a tumbler of Rum Chata on the rocks please.
TF, Happy (belated) Birthday!
tstageCan't win to lose... Tom
hon30critterI had a really nice experience with eBay this evening.
Good Morning,
We were back home by 8 this morning from my wife's x ray on her arm. I think this will be a very long day.
TF, our friends in TRF are ok but they have had some health issues. It has been 4 years since we were last there but I call them most weeks jiust to chat. They don't have any dogs now which must seem strange as there were 7 westies in their house at one time. They used to show and breed them.
Think I'll put the C liner back in its case. Time for steam to take over again. Who says you can't go back in time. I may get the CP Hudson on the tracks. That would please Dave but not as much as a mincemeat tart. I had another last night so now down to only 3!
There is actually no brandy in brandy snaps, I had to Goggle it, but it appears that the Victorian usage/history of the word was “brand-schnap” which meant burnt. Made properly they, of course, aren’t burnt, but are delicious. I’ve linked to a recipe, but I remember my Grandma making these for special occasions, she’d roll them up round grease proof papered dowel clothes pegs. With cream from the house cow, freshly whipped, I’d describe the taste as “crunchy, caramel, creaminess!! https://edmondscooking.co.nz/recipes/desserts/brandy-snaps/ Cheers, the Bear.
Good morning
Another smile put on my face
Have never seen a girder plate bridge on wooden bents, with steel angle bracing. And that Steamer on top, ain't too shabby either
Thanks Bear
TF
tstageI thought leaving them up would raise more questions but...apparently it raised questions anyhow. Can't win to lose...
NKP roundhouse, Frankfort Indiana - 1950s
Thanks Charlie, for the happy birthday and the smile
You know, ...I've always thought the best of you, chatting about things throughout the years here.
How are your good friends doing in Thief River Falls these days?
TF, a Happy Birthday to you! Only 60. To me you are a youngster.
Ray, nice to hear from you and glad to hear your eye is healing. We have a good friend here who had retina surgery and it took several months for her sight to recover.
I don't care where we go as long as it is somewhere.
Early morning tomorrow as wife has to go for a follow up xray on her arm and she wants to be there by 7:15 so she is first one in.
Late evening
PF
Hi Everyone,
Brunhilde, coffee with cream, please.
Dave: Feel free to move the diner however you want. I was going to suggest that we feature cabooses, or cabeese as some folks joke. Tropical would be ok. The beach part of Winter Wonderland Beach didn't resonate as well as hoped, but then again I didn't have any Florida or Hawaii pics that are digital. So, SoCal beach was the only thing I could offer. What if you differed tropical to February when everyone will be sick of winter? Just a thought.
John: That bridge looks a lot like the bridge at Astoria, Oregon that crosses the Columbia River. Astoria is fairly near Portland, which is UP & SP country. So it would qualify for the UP calendar. Nice picture.
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
Post hog!!
I had a really nice experience with eBay this evening. I have been trying to find a dining car for my Rapido 'Canadian' train in the maroon stripe livery. Nothing has shown up despite months of searching, and Rapido told me that they don't know when they will produce more units. I found a CN diner on eBay for a reasonable price and I decided that I would buy it with the intent of repainting it at some point despite the fact that the shipping was a bit on the high side.
The phone rang this evening and the gentleman identified himself as Chris. He is the eBay seller. He informed me that eBay had inflated the shipping cost by about 25%, and he thought that was rather shady on eBay's part. He offered to allow me to cancel the eBay purchase so that he could invoice me directly at the proper shipping cost. Of course I agreed.
What was even better was that we had a long and interesting conversation about model railroading. It turned out that our approaches to modeling and life in general are very much the same. It was enjoyable talking with him, and I'm ahead by $10.00 to boot.
Hello everyone!
Once again we are approaching the end of the month and that means we have to choose a new theme/location for the Diner. Any suggestions?
Perhaps we could warm things up a bit by moving the Diner to tropical climes. Somehow watching trains snake their way through dense jungle vegetation appeals to me at this time of year.
I will move the Diner if nobody else wants to, but I strongly encourage others to get involved even if it is your first time. It's easy and we can talk you through the process if need be.
I better get out the Christmas nibbles out quick, before I get “sprung” by John of Attu!!! Christmas treats by Bear, on Flickr Brandysnaps by Bear,
Hi Bear!! A belated Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Those treats look divine!! Mince tarts are one of my favourite confections, and anything with brandy in it is fine by me! Dianne and I were sipping brandy on Christmas eve and thoroughly enjoyed it.
All the best for 2024,
Evening
Your just doing your job Tom, and a great job at that. Ya run a tight ship, and keep things tidy here
Can't Win For Trying? You've already won, and have been appreciated here for many years
Just remember, the Cookie will never Crumble exactly the way you want it too Nobody's does.
Good to see you Ray, where the Heck have you been
Greetings all,
It was me that deleted the posts. No one broke any rules. Mike tried deleting his post, which left it with just a period "." (Perhaps a duplicate?) I deleted that then deleted John & Mike's comments about Mike's deleted post.
I thought leaving them up would raise more questions but...apparently it raised questions anyhow. Can't win to lose...
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
CNCharlieI wonder how Ray is doing. Unusual not to hear from him. CN Charlie
Huh??? Huh? Somebody called my name? Oh Hi Charlie! I'm doing fine for a one eyed bandit these days. (For those that didn't know I had a major retina repair done in my left eye about 3 months ago and am just now getting normal sight back in that eye.)
Just been whacko busy around here and having full sight in only one eye has slowed down a lot computer work I had to get done. We just published a 15 page "extra" for the NMRA Division newsletter. That, I am the editor for and do all the page layout. All the usual Holiday stuff going on and I spent way too much on the family this year.... But that is not unusual!!
Hope everyone has been having a great Holliday and a Great New Year!
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!