Welcome to the September, 2024 Jeffrey's Trackside Diner!
Graphics Courtesy See You 190 Kevin
Sigh by JaBearz, on Flickr
This Month's theme is Railroad back shops, roundhouses, service tracks including RIP tracks and car shops, too. Anything related to the building and maintaining of railroad equipment.
Enjoy! Ed
Let's kick things off with a great Kodachrome from the efforts of Jack Delano.
North_Western-Backshop_edited-1 by Edmund, on Flickr
That must have been a real challenge to shoot color (was it ASA 10 back then?) in a dark shop with mostly black painted locomotives. Thanks, Jack!
Backshop layout workflow by Edmund, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
Hi Ed and everybody
Ed - Thanks for moving the Diner!
I can't believe it is September already. The time has flown by. Fortunately we still have several weeks of nice weather ahead of us.
I have decided to forego the pleasure of a large roundhouse on my layout simply because of the amount of real estate one would require. Instead I will have a two stall engine/car repair shop with a separate machine shop and paint shop, all of which I have scratchbuilt and are now awaiting painting, detailing and lighting
I'm on my cellphone so gathering photos to post is a bit of a pain. I'll have to wait until I'm home from the hospital to contribute to the thread. Heaven only knows when that will be.
In the interim, let's see what everyone else has to offer.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
hon30critterI'm on my cellphone so gathering photos to post is a bit of a pain. I'll have to wait until I'm home from the hospital to contribute to the thread. Heaven only knows when that will be.
I hope for a speedy recovery, Dave! I'm supposed to go in for a heart valve replacement sometime early next year. After the whole prostate/radiation thing I'm really not looking forward to more of the same... welcome to the Golden years!
Like Deja-vu all over again! I just bought a new phone AND a Windows 11 laptop. So far I've done pretty good at transfering files and settings to the new devices. The phone was a bit of a hassle and I'm certainly not a smartphone 'power user' by any stretch. I had to download a transfer app from Samsung but the phone said I didn't have enough room for any more downloads. Odd since I don't think I've ever downloaded ANY app (I called them 'programs' in MY day).
So I found some kind of automatic cleanup routine and I let my phone delete 'less frequently used' apps. There was like 150 games, a bunch of weather and news sites plus a hundred or so shopping apps. I certainly didn't download all that junk. For all I know they were already on the phone when I bought it.
Anyway, I just installed a 64 gig micro SD card so I hope to at least have a little room for the few photos I might take with the silly thing. My days of lugging around three SLRs are over.
How about a fun 2-8-0 kit?
PRR_Juniata Shops_all parts of H6b 2-10-09 by Edmund, on Flickr
Hi Ed,
I'm not sure that the word 'recovery' is the right term to use in my situation. It's more a case of maintaining the disease and trying to mitigate the progression. If they had only found one bone lesion then the odds of being able to cure it would be in the 80th percentile. Unfortunately, I have several lesions, hence the term 'multiple myeloma'. When combined with the cirrhosis, it is definitely not a case where full recovery is likely to occur. With due diligence I can only improve the situation.
Ed, I noticed that the last line of entries on the RIP Track has disappeared. That should be fixed.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I've got congestive heart failure. I had a stent put in about 7 years ago. I still ride my bicycle, but the days of hockey and skiing are done. I'm 77, but don't feel bad. Before the heart problems were evident, I was still playing hockey and skiing at 70. I looked, and my life expectancy then was 85. I still figure that's a good estimate.
Still, on the first of every month I check the RIP Track to make sure I'm not on it.
Good Morning,
Hard to believe it is September already. Hope to have another month of relatively decent weather.
Dave, hope you get out of hospital soon.
Ed, sorry to hear you have more surgery on the horizon.
I will be 77 in a couple of months and am relatively healthy so far other than prostate cancer but that was fixed 7 years ago. Hope to have another 10 years but who knows. Ed is right, 'golden' years is a load of crap.
Anyway, Winnipeg was the major western repair place for both CN and CP. CN's Transcona shops did major steam repairs as well as car work. It was the beat of my Grandfather who was with CN police. CP's Weston shops did major repairs too.
We are noticing that the number of migratory birds is very low this year. Several factors, mainly a cool spring so no bugs for insect eaters such as warblers plus habitat loss in the boreal forest from fires. We do have a chipmunk that has become very tame. He will climb in your lap. Guess we have been too generous with the peanuts. Fun feeding him though.
Stiĺl haven't got my Consolidation into the shop. Maybe I will try a wheel clean first, someday.
CN Charlie
Good evening diners! Good to be back. Flo, just a Baileys on ice before you lock up.
Of course, to begin, I want to express my hope that all of us that are facing health issues will still be able to discuss them here many, many years from now. The following is pretty insignificant to what some of you are facing. My thoughts to you all.
So that said, I've been a bit distracted from the Diner the past 10 days or so. I've been involved in searching out a new vehicle. Finally closed on a 2024 Audi SQ5. Really nice ride. Does everything well. And is a pocket rocket. Even at my age of 72 you just have to scratch an itch if you get one. Not as big as my outgoing Jeep Grand Cheroke, which is what I was looking for, yet has just as much room up front for me. Available space in hatch is less, but with the second row seats down still plenty if room for golf clubs. Hope to pick it up by Friday.
Next, haven't really logged in in a week. Is the forum now working better, or just tonight?
Regards, Chris
Hi Chris,
Congratulations on your new ride! My brother and SIL had a pair of matching Audi Quattros. They were beautiful cars to drive, never rusted, and they seemed to last forever.
The forums have been working better in the past few days, but FireCrown, our new hosts, have said that it will still be some time before they are fully functional. I guess we just have to be patient.
Good Morning Diners. Zoe, coffee please.
Tophias, congratulations on the new ride! I looked them up and they do look nice. I've always like Audi's cars.
Had a nice, mostly relaxing weekend with the family. Got a few small projects done around the house, watched a little college football, spent some time just relaxing. It was great. Didn't get any train time in, but that's how it goes sometimes.
Oops.
Mike
I forgot about college football, so I missed my team's first win of the season.
Good Morning. Brunhilda, coffee and a jelly doughnut please.
Lost in A2 I forgot about college football, so I missed my team's first win of the season.
Quiet in here again. Maybe restocking the bait pile will help.
Hope everyone is okay.
That bacon pile should really help. I know 'Flyover' John could sure put a dent in that stack. Let's hope this sign in glitch clears up soon!
What could go wrong?
NYC Car shop by Edmund, on Flickr
Those trucks are interesting, archbar style but with a pressed steel top member. From what I gather any steel stampings simply don't hold up in the pounding that a truck sees. I think that's what did in those pressed steel Fox trucks.
Regards, Ed
Good Evening,
Ed, that is quite the stack of bacon! John must be in a serious state of agitation not being able to get into the Diner.
Good birding day. A Piliated stopped by twice at the suet log. Had a few warblers too.
Ran the Consolidation with a short freight. Maybe it is time to get the mighty Northern out.
Nothing new happening here. Chris, that is a very nice car you bought.
Time for tea and tellie.
Good Morning Diners. Flo, coffee and an english muffin please.
Right as we went to bed last night we heard sirens and quickly determined it was the fire department. Then more and more sirens. Turns out some guy lost his marbles and committed domestic violence at one house, headed to another and committed arson, then to another to do property damage and was suspected of planning suicide to end it! They caught the guy, but the damage that was done to one of the historic homes in town doesn't look great. Luckily the house was unoccupied at the time. Guessing the three locations where he did stuff were all tied to him somehow. Still, you can imagine my concern when my ring camera notification went off at 4:45 this morning with a message that there was a person at my door. Turns out it was a friendly neighborhood white tail deer. Didn't fall back to sleep though!
The monster pile of bacon got a couple of you back. Maybe I need to offer some sides to grab some more patrons.
Spare parts.
That's some excitement, Mike!
Here's a little example of some of Pennsy's Bondo work:
FF16 #9498-A Jan 7 1955 photo 3 013 by John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library, on Flickr
See, it just rubs right out!
FF16 #9498-A Jan 7 1955 photo 4 018 by John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library, on Flickr
A little more body work needed here:
FF20 #9465-A Apr 13, 1954 photo 3 037 by John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library, on Flickr
FF20 #9465-A Apr 13, 1954 photo 4 038 by John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library, on Flickr
Back when railroads did everything 'in house' rather than farm it out.
maxman Hello. Hello. Hello? Hello? Helloooo, lloooo, ooooo, oooooo ANYBODY HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE????????????? Guess not. Must be on strike like the other ARAMARK workers. Think I'll help myself to a couple donuts. Hope they're still fresh.
Hi John,
My wife makes a strawberry/rhubarb/custard pie that is my favourite. It is delightfully sweet and tart at the same time. One piece is never enough!
Unfortunately I can't have any anymore because of the sugar content. That upsets me enormously!
The decision has been made to do surgery in order to get what one doctor described as "a good meaty chunk" of my skull so they can determine exactly what type of cancer I have. The tests so far haven't given an absolutely clear answer as to what ails me. They can't do a needle biopsy because the problematic bone is right behind my eye.
They know that it is cancer but there are a few different types of cancer that look the same in the blood tests. However the treatment differs between types.
I have at least six different doctors working on my case, all of whom are trying to get a full diagnosis as quickly as possible. So far the only cost to me has been the insurance premium to upgrade from a ward to a semi-private room. In fact, I have a large private room with a shower at no extra charge because all the semi-private beds in the cancer ward are occupied. Gotta love universal health care!
hon30critter In fact, I have a large private room with a shower at no extra charge because all the semi-private beds in the cancer ward are occupied. Gotta love universal health care!
All of our local hospitals in my part of the US are upgrading to all private rooms.
Good Morning Diners. Janie, coffee please.
AEP528 hon30critter In fact, I have a large private room with a shower at no extra charge because all the semi-private beds in the cancer ward are occupied. Gotta love universal health care! All of our local hospitals in my part of the US are upgrading to all private rooms.
Cold north wind today is dropping our forecast high temp 15 degrees cooler than yesterday. Off and on rain. Makes for a nice day to get some stuff done and then head to the trains.
In looking for images to share for this month's theme, I stumbled across something I had to share. It's from a 1906 publication. A ditch digging railcar! Haven't heard of one of these before.
Cheers everyone!
Gidday Chloe, it was a great send off, down the "Naki" for my old mate, Neville, witnessed the most spectacular thunderstorm.
However, back home on turning on the computer, I found myself logged off this site!!!. All my other normal sites, like email, Flickr, YouTube, flight following ap, no worries! I can tell you I was annoyed, to say the least!!!
But my phone was still logged in, and though I find one finger typing on a small pad a right pain, I thought I'd be letting down all the others who have been locked out.
Thoughts and Best Wishes to All that need them. Kia Kaha.
Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
I haven't been able to get on for several days. I either get Gateway timeouts when trying to get in or Gateway timeouts when trying to open a thread. It looks like nobody else is having much luck either.
Testing — testing...
Keep your ear to the rail, but look over your shoulder now and then!
Erie_Publicity_Can you hear me now? by Edmund, on Flickr
Well, this is bizarre. I normally jump into the forum through Chrome. Has been taking 27 seconds to open but it's been fairly dependable recently. Tried it a couple of minutes ago and immediately was flashed a message that it was inaccessible. Figured they were working on it.
But just on a lark I pasted the web address and slapped it into the MS Edge browser (which I never use). Bingo! - instant access. The strange thing is that when I closed it out (I wasn't logged in there yet to be able to post), the site was suddenly open in Chrome without any new key strokes on my part.
Gotta run: a black helicopter is trying to land next to the UFO that just set down in my back yard. Whatever.
First time in several days that I have been able to get into the Diner. Don't think the Forum issues are doing MR's image much good in the model RR community.
Been very warm here for past couple of days and forecast to continue for the week. It has been mid 80's which is at least 15 degrees above normal.
Sure hope Dave is doing ok and the biopsy wasn't too difficult.
Ed, how is the new computer? We bought a new laptop last year with Windows 11 after our old one died. My wife wanted a 15" screen so that limited the options without going to a gaming model. We got the old one repaired with a new hard drive as there were thousands of photos on it. The repair shop said only 2 makes are worth repairing, Toshiba and Fijitsu. It was the latter with a 15" screen. I think it has a metal frame as it is very heavy for a laptop. Anyway after $500 it is as good as new with all the photo files restored. We also had windows 10 installed to replace 7.
Charlie, I make electronic copies of all my files, including pics, on separate USB Keys. I've heard many horror stories of people losing pictures due to broken computers or theft. You can also make copies on a cloud. I'm not there yet.
Simon