2008 and the Coffee Pot is still on and over 3 years. Here we gather as friends with trains. Sweet ice tea too.

[Wes Whitmore]

That's what I initially wanted to do, but I'm learing about Radon and moisture now.  I guess it all depends on your particular circumstances.  On quick look, the crawspace is at least dry.  I will have to get a Radon check before I continue.  I told myself I would never leave a full basement.  This partial is pretty big.  I'm only missing about 200 square feet from what I have now.  Upstairs is better.
Wes

[cnw1995]

Morning all. Wes, I'll send you some photos of what I did with the crawlspace at the end of our basement. Bullet-proof 'benchwork with all the rocks and concrete, but you really can't route things 'under' the layout. Though one of my friends was speculating about decking it over - rather than just using foam boards and carpet. A sunny day here. Taking the middle boy over to sign up for high school in an hour. He's excited. Hope everyone has a good day!

[Wes Whitmore]

Found a house yesterday.  Everything is great, except the partial (but fully finished) basement.  It has a very large crawspace.  Doug Murphy is the only layout I have found installed in a crawspace.  I'm just intersted to see if others have done it, or at the very least, make a solid floor for storage.

Wes

[Sturgeon-Phish]

Good Morning from Sunny Southern Ohio

I am off today but going to help with a funeral this morning, and later do some yard work.  I worked some on the layout yesterday removing the Trainarama and the table extension.  The Trainarama is neat but I did not care for the way it looked with my painted background.

Jim- My bride has the Achilles Tendonitis also.  The docs have her on a deep massage therapy where they use a scraping like tool to massage the tendon.  After a couple of weeks, there has been improvement with out surgery.

Greg- A friend of mine at work was an engineer, he was laid off.  He then started to bid on small contracts to repair components.  His advantage was he knew the work, knew of the need, knew who to contact, and had a good reputation.  Once he was established, he took on bids that are more complex.  He now has about 20 people working for him many of which were retired or laid off from the same plant where he was laid off from, and now doing contract work for.

John- I agree with the avoiding the prescriptions if possible.  Hope you are feeling better, it sounds like you are under good care.

All take care and may God bless

Jim

[phillyreading]

May have to buy a super size capicitor device for my cable tv box as it keeps going out during an electrical brown out and takes almost ten minutes to reboot itself!

Hope you guys up north can hold on to something during those high winds! We got some rough weather down here in Florida as well during the past week, heard there was even some bad weather up in Canada this past week.

Been working on my upper track around the room and had some engine problems, the engines just up & quit running on me. I took them down and cleaned the wheels underneath on the postwar NW-2's and get them running again, excess track dirt I guess so I cleaned the track off where it had been up for a few weeks during painting & scraping of walls, now everything seems good to go. Waiting for weekend to put up last section of track, have track on wood but need to mount the wood to the wall with brackets. Also running a three conductor cable(16-3) around to supply power as needed to the main track and one side track.

Going to post some photos on the sunday photo fun if things work the way I was told to cut & paste from a friend.

Lee F.

[GregM]

Thaky you all for the words of encouragement.  I will do my best to look at this as an opportunity.  We will see what the future holds.

[sir james I]

Good Morning

Nothing new here this morning. Overcast and going to 40 today. I have a few errands to run. Tax refunds to deposit until summer when I have to give the money back for property taxes. I have trains on my mind but not sure if they will run today. Still have not finished ORG.

OK listen up,fri the 13th is a day early this month so be careful today.....S.J.

[cheapclassics]

Good morning all,

IIABSDISEI with temps in the 50s.  My wife and I picked up the PT Cruiser and dropped off the rental last night.  The body work looks great on the PT as if it had never been wrecked.  There is a fog light that is not working and some squeaks from perhaps the belts getting adjusted, but other than that, it is fine.  I did a really good workout on weights at the YMCA, and I read the May issue of CTT.  There is a small tip and technique piece in the issue by yours truly and so I got mine a little early.  There is a very nice article in there about a standard gauge collection and layout and several nice scenery/project articles.

Greg M, good luck with the job search.  You might want to check out any jobs in state government as well.  RT, glad to hear your good news.  Jack, thank you for your observations.  Things have been very stressful (and still are), but I am beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

   I had the usual fare on the dining car this morning.  I hope everyone has a good day.  "Lost" is on tonight.

Keep on training,

Mike C. from Indiana

 

[Anonymous]

Mornin' Fellas.

Prayers to all that need them... Brutus, John, RT, Greg, Nick (I pray for young ones to have long healthy lives), and anyone else needing them.

JF - We lost power from 3:30pm Saturday to 11pm Sunday... don't realize how dependant you are on electricity till you have to go without it for an extended period.

Got the rest of the river plaster clothed and spackled last night. Also finished painting the front of the shed and the almost have the doors painted. Tonight I want to get the doors finished and get the last side painted (just have to do the grooves in the T-111) then just have to finish installing the trim boards (may even get that done tonight).

Susan informed me last night that she wants a light installed above our kitchen sink (she's been telling me she wants one, last night it became - YOU ARE DOING IT NOW). So tonight after dinner we're going grocery shopping for the weekend (little sister and her family will be here tomorrow night so can't go then) and we'll stop at Lowe's to get the light and supplies to get that done. Should be able to get the layout assembled tonight so I can test the tracks again to make sure they are ready for this weekend.

Jack - School? Since my workload is light, and my boss is supportive of higher education, he allows us to do our school work during the workday - as long as it doesn't interfere with our jobs - and I've gotten pretty good at time management so I'm able to do most of my school work from here... I have also found that having a dual monitor setup helps immensely when multitasking. I have that at work and can't stand working on the single monitor at home... so I may have to pickup another monitor with my birthday discount and reward certificates from BestBuy.

[kpolak]

GregM:  Sorry to hear about the job loss.  I'd keep the trains as well.  Prayers for things to turn around, and good health for you and your Bride!

RT:  Sounds like good news on the Job front!  Will keep praying a great job flalls into your lap.

Nick:  Congratulations on the new family member!

Kurt

[mitchelr]

Morning to All,

I made a fresh pot.  Prayers for all especially Brutus, John, RT, and Greg.   NO train time as I had another late night.  Yesterday was gorgeous, wish I had gotten home before dark and could have done some yard work.  Maybe Saturday if the weather holds up.

Got to run. May be I'll able to check back in tonight. 

Mitch 

[dbaker48]

Thought I would make a quick reply........The suspense is over, I left a battery charger on my Diesel that thought it was a Trolley, and it magically transformed itself overnight!  It now thinks its a Diesel again!!

Greg - Now you have to really get busy, remember, Finding a new job is more work than having one.  I can't tell you the number of times I've been down that road.  Just trying to make sure you do something EVERY day in the job search.  And, most importantly do not doubt yourself or your capabilities.  Everything today is strictly numbers. 

Good Luck RT - Hope that situation works well for you! 

Good Health to All - And Have a Great Day 

[sir james I]

Nope never played Jak, My oldest son has spent his life playing video games,I have no idea how many memory cards or controllers he and the 2 boys have used.unreal.Its 10pm here so thats quitin time,everyone get better quick afore spring arrives. good nite Chewy,  S.J.

[Brutus]

Oh, I had that first ATV game for the PS2 before my son took it over - good game!  Did you play Jak and Daxter?  I beat the first one, whoohoo!  That was a fun game, too.  Right now, I'm playing a game called Rune Factory on the DS.  It's like dungeon and dragons meets Harvest Moon (run a farm and get married game) - pretty good so far.  Need to upgrade my house though so I can get a forge and make better tools/weapons.  I think I have beat the first dungeon out of 5?  Oh well, I'm reading a really good book, so probably sign on pretty soon.  It's called The Kite Runner - just awesome!

[sir james I]

Brutus---thats why I like golf. no rush just a quiet game at my own pace. Another game I like is Casino, Ratchet & clank,and ATV(there are several of these).But the golf games are my major.

We still have some banilla and peach. So grab Doug and Kurt and stop by. Stay off your feet though. S.J.

[jefelectric]

Good evening guys,

RT, Good luck in your new job application.  Sounds like you are well on your way.

Greg, Don't get down to much, and do hang on to a few trains.  Be sure to keep on chatting here on the pot.

Edit [John, Didn't mean to miss you, Hope you recover real fast.  Got to get your strength up for York.]

Been really busy here for the past week and it has been a little while since I checked in.  This area got hit pretty good with high winds over the weekend.  A pole just two doors down the road got snaped off and landed in the neigbors front yard, which closed the road and put us and about 15 neigbors out of power from 8:00 AM to 1:00 AM the next morning.  With high winds and cold temps it got pretty cold.  Of course it was even colder for the guys out there repairing the downed poles and lines. About 15,000 out of power in the county.  Weather has moderated some and it was pretty nice Yesterday at about 50 degrees.

Trains have been sitting a lot. 

[Brutus]

John, hope you are up and about soon - at least I can go to work and stuff, just no long walks or working on my feet for a couple weeks.  I'm really blessed though and have other friends with some serious problems to pray for.  Prayers for you too, train-buddy.

Sounds like a good day, Sir James.  I tried to play super smash brothers brawl and couldn't keep up with the action - which one am I again?  Where am I on the screen?  Oh, it's over.  Went 4 rounds like that and finally said Good Game and got out.  It's just too much stuff on screen for me, I guess.  Must be getting old!

Fifedog, sounds like fun to me!  Did a class with cubscouts once showing them how to start fires with a 9 v battery, lint, etc - they had every branch and limb scrounged for like a mile in no time to help out - LOL

[fifedog]

Evenin' boys.  Evenin' English.  It was nice enuff 'round here to get a little yard work done.  The younglings and I also lit the fire pit outside, which made picking up sticks less of a chore..burn-baby-burn.

GregM - Best wishes , but GEEZ LOUISE,what a year you're having...I trust everything will work out.  rt certainly is a good steward to help you maneuver during this time, and RockIsland52 certainly has put things most eloquently.

[sir james I]

Good evening

Brutus-hope you feel better,at least you don't have to walk with your hands.or do you?

Made it through the day with youngest grandson 3 next month, my wife was home so  everything ran smooth. She is at Awanas tonite with two other GS's. should be home soon. that kind of burnt up my day so thats it for now.,,,S.J.

[johnandjulie13]

RT:  Good luck with the VA.  They need good people.

I was actually able to walk a little bit today.  In addition, I stopped taking the Darvocet (I am leery of narcotics).  While the progress has been slow (I have been on my back since Friday ), at least I feel like there is improvement.  I hope I can be mobile by the weekend.  I miss my trains!  In the meantime, I have my 4 1/2 year old son acting as my doctor and taking care of me.

In the meantime, I will keep bugging you guys with useless posts.

Regards,

John

[Brutus]

Prayers for you too, RT!  You've got email.

[rtraincollector]

By the way Gregg I 'm about to start a new job with the VA. going thru www.usajobs.gov it has been less than about 2 months in the mean time you should be able to draw unemployment to hold you over. Till you find something that is up your alley.

[rtraincollector]

Hey all been a busy day worked on the porch some and got it about 75% done, also for those who have been keeping up with my post about the new job adventure heres todays progress. I did phone interview today and I guess all went well as I was asked to send in a fax with aproval to contact my references (Prior work) then it goes to there human resorces for processing and I will be contacted to go to some VA for a physical and once they get that back they will contact me with an offer for the job. I will be on a probational period for how long I don't know I've read 3 months and 6 months on some but don't remember seeing on this but interviewer siad it may be 3 months to 1 years not sure. year seems awlful long to me but not worried either way. what

I am wondering about is that I have to have a physical and I have a difibralator in me.

Oh well waiting game starts

1st References checked

2nd HR contact me to get a Physical

3rd HR contact me with offer.

4th house hunt and move. (the fun one Not)

[Nick12DMC]

Evening all, Just checking in. Its been blowing a gale here for two days. 65-80mph gusts.

Visited the BIL and SIL tonight and met a new member of the family. Baby Lauren who is very cute. Wife has gone all gooey.

Greg, Think postive. My Dad was 56 and laid off from a ship yard after 30 years and thought "thats it". A week later the phone rang and a local company had heard Dad might be looking for a job and asked him to come and work for them. He worked there till just recently when he retired. Hang in there.

Have a good one

Nick 

  

[dougdagrump]

Gregg, Hang tuff guy. I had about the same time with my company when I was down-sized. In actuallity I was happy about it though because I didn't like the way the management had changed over a period of time. I was quite busy for a couple of years doing some cabinet making, but eventually the rising cost of materials really put a crimp in that. Eventually with the support and blessings of my better half I became a "House Hubby", got back into the trains and joined the three railers at the museum. So, unless you get put between a rock and a hard place, don't be in to big a hurry to start depleting your RR empire. They can be a great way to get rid of the days frustrations, even if it's just "Carpet Central".

[Brutus]

Hi guys, off today with the kids.  They had a 1/2 day of school, so I went to the doc this morning.  He figures I have Achilles' tendinitis and I keep aggravating it.  He gave me Naprosyn and orders to keep off my feet for 3 full weeks, then start doing some exercises he gave me.  No projects around the house and just sit at my desk at work etc.  Drat and darnation.  I wish I'd gone in about this a month ago, since it is now getting to be nice out and I want to get stuf done around the house.  I think I can put a chair by my trains though!

Greg, hang in there and start looking right away.  You might want to look on usajobs.gov.  Just FYI.

Gotta go play super smash bros with my son for a while, so ttyl

[kpolak]

Brent, I think it will still work. It's just a basic coupler and it ends in a flat plastic piece that butts perfectly against the front of Percy's frame. I thought that frame was plastic and swathed the end in CA. It seemed to 'take' but like I mentioned, fell cleanly off the other night.

Doug:  Thomas parts diagrams are available online.  http://www.lionel.com/Products/ProductNavigator/_ServiceDocuments/6938_combo.pdf

Sorry, I didn't see Percy.

Kurt

[Blueberryhill RR]

Good Afternoon from Blueberryhill....

It is a beautiful sunny 52 degrees. Really warmed up. Going up to 60 today with more sunshine.

Got busy this morning and forgot to post. Just got back from grocery shopping. Gas at $3.39 a gallon and rising every minute. Looks like they want to reach 4 bucks a gallon now. Gheeeeez....

Well, Dining car was here for breakfast from " points west " and left for the North. No grits on that Diner.

I hope y'all are having a great Wednesday.

Chuck

[RockIsland52]

Brent, don't forget about school.  I don't know how you find the time for all of this other stuff.  Your comment on cleaning up leaves gave me a brief flash of guilt, but fortunately it went away. 

John, it's about time the boys from the UK piped up on the gasoline price discussion.  If our politicians in Massachussets read your post, they'll get even more courage (or gall) and jack our gas taxes even more than what's being proposed now.  We've got taxes and "fees" up my way (over, to you) that I never heard of before I moved here from Chicago.  Politicians are very creative fellows when it comes to finding more ways to spend my money and then taking it from me.  Sometimes I just wish they'd explain why the last bond issue, tax, and toll was not enough to pay for our roads and bridges many times over.  Fact is, it was, but the money went elsewhere; and they don't want to tell us where.

JimA, hope your tests come out ok and they don't discover you have jumijo fever.  Probably got it from some of the exotic scenicing on your layout.

Mike C, the human body is an amazing machine, ain't it?  Can surprise you sometimes with it's ability to adapt.  A few weeks back your demeanor was a little more on the discouraged side.  Glad for you. 

Sir James, your visit today from your grandson is a great opportunity to spread the train addiction without the meddling of the gentler sex.  Go for it.

Jack 

[cnw1995]

Brent, I think it will still work. It's just a basic coupler and it ends in a flat plastic piece that butts perfectly against the front of Percy's frame. I thought that frame was plastic and swathed the end in CA. It seemed to 'take' but like I mentioned, fell cleanly off the other night.