Good afternoon Diners.
It appears we are back up and running. lo and behold ----
TOP OF THE PAGE.
A MEAL AND SOFT DRINK OF YOUR CHOICE.
Put it on my tab please, girls.
Younger granddaughter is visiting this weekend. There will be dancing and dressing up with Mama's help. I'll be joining in with stories and tales to tell.
A Happy Weekend.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Good morning, everyone. Bacon, eggs, and black coffee please, Brunhilda.
My walk with the dog was very short this morning -- she actually wanted to come in instead of me dragging her in. The wind is howling, the temperature is 3°F, the windchill is -4000°, and we've gotten about six inches so far. It's supposed to snow all day.
Since retirement, I have no problem with this. Let it snow! I used to hate days like this. Kids and teachers loved snow days, the principal hated them.
I don't know everyone's age in the diner, but I assume many of us are at the age when a visit to the doctor is no longer "routine". Every visit means more issues to deal with. I hope anyone with health problems finds them to be minor inconveniences instead of overwhelming.
On the layout front, I finished laying all the streetcar track last night. Today, I will clean track, and I hope to get some wiring done -- maybe by evening I can sit a streetcar on the track to see if can make the trip with no issues. This is my first affair with a DC train system since I was a young boy.
My youngest daughter and family are skiing in Colorado. I wish I could have gone with them. I have not skied in many years. (I had to look up that past tense form of ski -- when I typed it, it didn't look right. It still doesn't look right.)
I hope everyone has a great Friday.
From Ecuador -- this almost kooks like a photo of a model layout. I assume this is a switchback in the mountains, although I couldn't tell from the comments:
Estación de Sibambe by Oscar Padilla Álvarez, 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."
Hi Everyone,
Brunhilda, coffee with cream, please.
Here in the Chicago area we have "snowmagaddon" At least as the weather people are reacting. It started at about 3:00 am and is supposed to go til midnight tonight. In some cases it's supposed to snow 1" to 3" per hour. Of course, this can turn into a more critical situation if there would be a prolonged shutdown. But right now, it's just a bunch of snow. However, I do want to clean off the cars before the temperature drops.
An observation: Where I grew up in Kansas, it would get cold and snow, then the sun would come out, the wind would come from the southwest and the temps would return to 30's and low 40's. Here, it gets cold and snows, then the sun comes out, the Wind comes from northwest, and the temps drop below zero every time. I do not like winter here, at all! If that scenario isn't totally accurate, it sure seems like it.
Hope everyone is safe and warm and healthy.
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
up831Here, it gets cold and snows, then the sun comes out, the Wind comes from northwest, and the temps drop below zero every time.
That seems to be what we also have. The snow will stop this evening, and then the temps will drop -- 25° below zero F Sunday morning.
From this afternoon until Tuesday, we will not be above zero.
I keep thinking about New Orleans. When I lived there, if it got into the 40s, people wore heavy coats. It did occasionally freeze, but that lasted just a few hours.
Once while I was there, it snowed! Less than an inch, but it was pretty neat to see the palm trees and the live oaks with snow on them. Kind of like Brent's photo from Vancouver.
I can see why many people from my area own houses in Arizona and disappear for three or four months each year.
Good morning
Clear blue sky, -22c and a -40 something windchill. Sometimes we have years where the temps do not get to freezing. The furnace has not shut off for at least 30 hours, I can't wait to see the gas bill. It will not get above freezing for a week they say.
Lot's of backyard hockey rinks going in which unlike the rest of Canada does not often happen on the West Coast.
Here are two of my past efforts, they were great fun. Nothin like body checking your children into a snow bank.
My NCE radio controller stopped working unless I plug it in, so today I will open it up to see what I can see. I was waiting for my daughter to give me back my train room office from when she was here over Christmas. It was full of all the computers she uses for work/school and gaming. Through her work with a group from Australia, she has become good friends and once quittin time comes they play video games all night. The Toyota is full of computer equipment going back and forth to Victoria.
Stay warm.
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."
50 degrees in those F-units here in Delaware. It's been unseasonably warm here in Delaware. We've had wind and rain here, but we've had no snow the last couple of years. I miss the snow from Massachusetts, but not the taxes. I had a good income and good investments, but the taxes there were so high I wouldn't have been able to afford my old house if I'd wanted to stay.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Well, I opened up my NCE controller and found a wire disconnected, soldered it back on, and away we went!
Getting buried in S, and SE WI. today. Snowing since 3 am, about 11" so, and counting.
Mike.
My You Tube
· We bought a new “Tilt Control” since the old one wobbled to and frow and gave Br. JP endless days of trying to fix this.
· We bought a new lift cylinder since the old one kept sinking to the bottom of its travel. Besides, I wanted it to lift me higher than the original one would go.
· We bought new casters since the old ones did not cast as well as we thought they might.
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Spaghetti Tonight!
BroadwayLionSpaghetti Tonight!
Hi Br. Elias,
I used to love pasta! Now you have me worrying about what's going to be in my next bite!!
How are you doing? Have you been able to get upstairs to your magnificent subway lately?
Wishing you all the best!!
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
BroadwayLion The Chair “The Chair” had been giving us trouble for some time. Every time JP came into my room and saw the chair upside down, he knew that he was in for another day of great adventure. It came to the point of repairing or replacing the chair, and the abbot and I agreed that it was better to repair the chair, we could always buy a new one if this did not work: this chair could always be used elsewhere. · We bought a new “Tilt Control” since the old one wobbled to and frow and gave Br. JP endless days of trying to fix this. · We bought a new lift cylinder since the old one kept sinking to the bottom of its travel. Besides, I wanted it to lift me higher than the original one would go. · We bought new casters since the old ones did not cast as well as we thought they might. As you may see, the gas cylinder was a bit bigger than what I was really looking for. I will return it and get one half its size. At least now I know. JP and I, well at least I, thought that these parts would be easy to change out, and so they would have been if the old gas cylinder could be removed as easily as the pictures on the Internet would lead one to believe. In the end it was just as easy but required a rather large pipe wrench to provide ample torque to remove a simple press fit fitting. I am now waiting for the new gas cylinder to arrive so that I may finish the job in just another five minutes. ----- Elias
Yup. When I worked at Raytheon, we had a computer lab, all wired up and equipped with new computers, but they wouldn't let us use it because they hadn't ordered chairs for it.
I started saying they could put an office chair 200 miles over the Pacific going 1000 miles an hour and our radars could detect it, track it and knock it out of the sky, but put that same office chair on a showroom floor at Office Max 3 miles away and it became Acquisition Impossible.
Chair1 by Bear, on Flickr
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Ed-
I was very sorry to read the news about Wilson, and your unexpected left turn. I seldom post but I am often lurking, and have always appreciated your contributions here. I have a lot of bookmarks on my computer for some very cool railroad sites, thanks to you.
I also lost a one in a million type of cat last year. He looked just like the grey-ish long haired-ish stray you took in maybe a year or two ago. He was to me what Wilson was to you, always hanging around, even when I was doing construction things or working on cars in the garage, when most other cats would have gotten spooked and been long gone. Tough stuff.
Best, Tom
Thanks, Tom! Yep, the raggedy, grey cat we adopted is named Swiffer. I tell her she looks like something that plugged up the vacuum cleaner hose
Here she's having a bad hair day:
Swiffer-2 by Edmund, on Flickr
Wilson was one refined, cool dude. He was the only one I trusted to join me in my work shop or layout room. He knew how to conduct himself.
Wilson_Relaxing by Edmund, on Flickr
Now the only boy of the house is Juno, here meeting Wilson for the first time:
Juno_First day by Edmund, on Flickr
Juno meets Wilson by Edmund, on Flickr
Thanks again, everyone! Maybe there's something in the DNA of us hobbyists that we are inclined to be pet lovers, too. Seems to be the norm here
I have two office chairs that the gas lift developed leaks, in fact one is pictured above that Wilson is occupying. Since it is a taller, bench-type chair I always use it in the high position so I bought a 28mm, two-piece shaft collar to clamp onto the piston and it locks it in place.
Digging out a frozen switch by Mike Danneman, on Flickr
Woops, I forgot... T R O P I C A L well, these guys won't mind a little recognition.
Regards, Ed
I had two interesting episodes with eBay today, both quite positive. The first was a pair of CP Algonquin corregated business cars that got personally delivered by the seller who just happens to live a few miles north of us. He refunded the delivery fee too! I didn't need two of the same model, but the price for the pair was about the same as that of a single CP business car, also listed on eBay, when the delivery for the single car was added in. I had a very nice chat with the seller, Dan.
The second thing that happened was that I ordered about 2800 scale feet of aged concrete sidewalk. I had seen the sidewalk on eBay and was interested in it, but the cracks (not the expansion joints) just were not realistic. Most of the cracks ran straight across the expansion joints and they also terminated mid slab. That's not how it works. The expansion joints are there to stop cracks. The cracks rarely cross straight over into the next slab. They usually stop at the joints or at the edge of the slab.
The other issue was that most of the cracks terminated mid slab. A crack that only goes part way across a slab would be impossible to see in HO. That is because the slab hasn't broken all the way though and the part beyond the crack will still be in one piece. Cracks only show once there has been frozen water in them for a period of time, or if the subsurface has shifted. Both will push the broken pieces apart.
I took the liberty of contacting the seller to tell him how I thought the cracks should appear. He got back to me immediately and thanked me generously for pointing out the error. He then offered to re-do the crack paterns, which he did, so I placed an order for 1/2 of an HO scale mile. The sidewalks will still require some weathering and I may mute the cracks a bit, but they will save me having to cut 30 actual feet of styrene and etching all the lines.
Good morning!
Clover Leaf (former NKP/N&W)
Bill Tidler Jr.
Near a cornfield in Indiana...
Good morning, everyone. I'll have bacon and eggs, Flo.
Bill, for some reason I couldn't view your photo today. It may be my computer.
It's 8:00 a.m. and this is our high temperature today:
Last night my wife called me from the layout room to see this. It happens occasionally here, but was still very neat. I had to walk down the street to get away from the trees, but then a house blocked part of the view. It was too cold to walk any further. Sun dogs! They were very bright. At one point, the sun dogs were nearly as bright as the sun itself:
The layout's new trolley is coming along. One problem is that since I have DCC, I didn't have a power source for the DC streetcar. At a train show, I bought a used one. Trying it out, I notice the control is very jerky -- it's hard to get a certain speed. As you move the dial, the speed jumps. I may have to get a different one.
Have a great Saturday.
Indonesia:
Tracking up to the hill by Zudi Susanto, on Flickr
Good Morning Diners from finally snowy west Michigan. While we didn't appear to get the worst of the forecast, we still appear to have gotten a decent amount. Guessing 8" looking at the railing on our deck. My daughter has to work at 4:00 so I have plenty of time to not go out and snow blow for now. I won't mind doing it. It's one of the seemingly few times I'm running the snowblower in the daytime and it sure is beautiful out!
York1As you move the dial, the speed jumps. I may have get a different one.
Well, I'm off to sip some coffee, watch the snow, and grin ear to ear on the inside.
Take care guys!
Mike
Good Morning,
John, you are nearly as cold as it is here. We are at -12 but it will be colder tonight. Nice and warm in here though. Although our house is 63 years old we do have tripple pane windows which really reduces the heat loss. I have to go oout tomorow but the block heater is plugged in so the car will start easily. It will start without it but it is easier on the engine and it warms up very quickly.
Watching the Mecam car auction. Amazing the prices for some muscle cars that were quick but not regarded as high quality back in the day.
CN Charlie
Good evening Diners. A large rum and coke please, Brunhilda.
We have our younger granddaughter staying this weekend. I took her to a huge indoor play area. she teamed up with other 'single girls' and had a great time. So much so she was a little sad at having to leave.
Dawn is entertaining her now as they play with the dolls house. I can see the shine in Dawn's eyes as it takes her back to when she was a Children's Nanny before we met many a year ago.
Time I made dinner.
Pesto & Mozzarella in a bun with sides. Yoghurt Surprise to follow.
Good morning from the West Coast, it's cold here just like the rest of the continent.
I had the fire on in the train room yesterday, usually, it makes it too hot in there, but not yesterday.
My wife and I had a good trip to warmer Latitudes in the Pacific before Christmas and a lot of friends and family are currently there and sending us photos of the tropics. We are seriously thinking of hopping on a flight to Kaui as my cousin is there for another 7 weeks. A dog/house sitter is our biggest problem. Usually one of the kids does it, but my daughter is at University, and my son is working full-time and started school for yet another degree. We were bugging him about all the letters he is going to have after his name when he is done and he said ya, but I'll never catch up to you Mom. He may be right. I was glad to just get through high school.
Had a great looooong day playing with my trains, once my NCE controller was fixed things ran flawlessly. I ran five trains at the same time, talk about juggling.
The Canucks are on @1300hrs in Buffalo so I will park my butt by the fire with a huge mocha and a couple of dogs and enjoy that.
No luck on the train room : ( -22 -57 windychill
Of coure if I actually TRIED it might make a difference.
Good morning! Frankfort IN (former Clover Leaf, NKP)
Snow dogs and -12°F!!
I recall the line in The Deer Hunter where Stanley talked about 'Sun Dogs' being a blessing on the hunter. Maybe a snow dog is the same thing? The Deer Hunter is one of my favorites and parts of it were filmed in Cleveland near some of my old haunts.
Tropical enough?
Seaboard by Edmund, on Flickr
Damascus seems to also qualify as a sunnier clime:
CFS, Damascus, Syria, 1991 by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
It is -11F this morning,....COLD! And it's supposed to get a bit colder tonight. The coldest weather I'd ever been in was -25F. It's not uncommon here. Argh!
Ed: The Seaboard postcard reminds me the time my wife and I went to see Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Emmy Lou Harris, and the warm up band Alabama at Anaheim Stadium. During Merle Haggard's set, he started a three fiddle version of Orange Blossom Special. It almost brought down the house literally. We were under the upper deck and that upper deck was flexing a full 6" in time to the music. I remembered that military units break step when they cross bridges to not set up a rhythmic stress on the structure so as to prevent collapse. I was getting real concerned about that upper deck. Fortunately, it all stayed together and nothing happened, but I was having some angst over it. The engineers did a good job of designing the stadium. Other the those few moments, it was a good show.
Morning Folks!
up831It is -11F this morning,....COLD! And it's supposed to get a bit colder tonight. The coldest weather I'd ever been in was -25F. It's not uncommon here. Argh!
Here in the Finger Lakes Region of NYS, "We're Havin' a Heatwave, Tropical Heatwave...." Yep it is 27°F outside the door at the moment. We got some wind over the past couple days, but not much white stuff. Only a trace and that blew over to the next county....
up831 We were under the upper deck and that upper deck was flexing a full 6" in time to the music.
The ancient old High school I went to in Canandaigua, NY was built in the early 1800's. In the huge "Study Hall" we would start lifting our feet with our toes and get everyone in time together. We could set up a sympathetic vibration at certain frequency that made the entire floor bounce up and down! Used to scare the $... out of new teachers and the principal and vice principal would make sure those of us that were seen doing that served a few detentions!!! LOL That old building is still in use as senior housing these days and an arts academy. The old auditorium is now a community concert venue for shows and local orchestras (not to mention some big name performers as well).
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Good Sunday morning. Just black coffee, please. I'll have donuts later.
Kind of a strange Sunday morning for us. Our church is having only one service this morning. There are a lot of people who are unable to get out of their houses yet. I don't expect too many people to attend this morning. Most roads are still drifted shut in the rural areas.
The good news? It only got down to -18°F last night. They had predicted -25°.
Enough weather complaining.
The best news from me? I got the streetcar running. It took me all day yesterday to get the reversing programmed. Part way through the day, I finally unsoldered some connections and basically started over.
A frustrating part was that part way through the setup, I could not get anything to work. I finally checked the old DC transformer and found it was not working. I dug out an old buck converter and rigged it up to be the power to the track. It worked! Since I won't be varying the speed, I just adjusted the voltage on the buck converter and let it go!
Amazing to me are the computer boards for programming. I bought those for only $3.00 each last year, and they can be programmed to do just about anything.
The streetcar now sits at an endpoint (future station) for about 15 seconds, starts and runs to the end of the line, stands for about 15 seconds, and then returns to the station. It runs automatically, so it will run itself when I am working on other trains or showing the layout to grandchildren.
Talking about sun dogs, several years ago I saw one that had a partial rainbow with it. Like I said, I've never seen one as bright as the other day.
This has turned into another long post. Sorry about that.
We're getting ready to head out the door. I'll check back later to see how everyone is doing.
The death railway at the River Kwai:
The Death Railway, Khwae Noi River (river kwai) by Geoff Challies, on Flickr
Good morning from the balmy West Coast where it is only -10c today.
John, I did not find your post too long at all, though I read pretty fast so that may have something to do with it.
Compared to the cold some of you are dealing with I am in the tropics. I have not spent as much time outside as usual as my old bones are starting to notice the extreme change in temps. I think it may be the dryness as well that is affecting me as I am used to a more soggy environment. To think I would spend 20hr days out on the ramp at the airport in the cold, snow, and wind and loved it.
Bear, I have been on the Karanda Railway. I seem to recall we all got off the train on that bridge so we could take photos. It was an enjoyable day.
Kuranda Scenic Railway by Joersch, on Flickr
Think I'll see how many trains I can juggle today. I am worried about not having enough power with only 5 amps, I have 20 locos on the layout and was running seven with no issues. I will stick the meter on it to see where I am at.
I need to take a dog for a scoot first, not the usual 10km, probably 5.
I put the fire on today.