2008 [PART 2] and the Coffee Pot is still on and now 4 years old. Here we gather as friends with trains. Sweet ice tea too.

[wrmcclellan]

Back to hot here - 98 today - but not as hot as out west in D Da G's area. I'll bet when the heat breaks there it will just head this way.

RT - good to hear from you and glad to hear the job is paying well also.

Not much going on here - just doing seom chores around the office and garage - cleaning up, throwing a few things out, and tidying things a bit.

Doug - hope the beach was nice today. Do you guys swim in the lake?

Don B - 10-4

Hope everyone is having a great day.

[SPMan]

Good afternoon from Glendora, California.  Hot again today and we are just laying low after morning church and trip to store for milk.  My youngest son is on a railfan trip today from Los Angeles to Bakersfield on Amtrak #14 The Coast Starlight being detoured over Tehachapi loop today account work on coast line.  Southbound Amtrak #11 is meeting the North bound train at Caliente on last report from Trainorders.com. about 2:00 P.M. PST.  This is a rare opportunity for people to ride a passenger train over that line.  Service was discontinued when Amtrak took over.  He tried to talk me into going but I declined.  I have made many trips over that line in the past and once behind steam with the SP4449 on her way back to Portland after film work in Southern California.  I made some iced tea yesterday after reading some of these post about sweet tea.  Only problem was it was decaf which somehow does'nt taste as good.  Maybe I did'nt use enough tea bags.  I used 7 on a pitcher full.  Good luck to chief with the ground hog battle.  Ray

[Anonymous]

Evenin' Fellas.

Well yesterday the mailman dropped off two packages. One was from Lionel Parts. I needed a new miniature switch to replace the Run/PRG switch that I smashed when reassembling the C&O Berk. Took all of 10 minutes to unsolder the original switch, resolder the new one, and reassemble the engine. Took her down to the trainroom, fired her up, and WOW!!! ERR Cruise Commander is awesome. The whole upgrade took all of 15 minutes - including soldering a wire to a post (that is IF I wouldn't have smashed the Run/PRG switch) I now have 3 extra switches incase I do this again.

Also arriving in the mail were three drumheads from Daniel Maher. These are very nice and are easy to install. Doug found the ebay listing and I thought they would make nice upgrades to my passenger service. Check them out over on SPF!

[ChiefEagles]

Thunderstorms.  Rain.  Wife gone to the beach with Youngest and Grandson.  Burg and I trying to hold our own against squirrels and groundhogs.  Rain is good for garden.  More tomatoes turning ripe [had two tomato sandwiches for lunch].  Squash and cucumbers galore.  Corn looking better too.

BTW: dsmith is David Smith of Michigan and not Scott Smith of near Roanoke VA.

Think I will run trains.  Later

[Brutus]

Those are nice pics, 88 - really sharp!  Well, I intended to put up 2 pieces of drywall to finish one wall and then two short pieces on a protruding "closet" wall (about 1/3 sheets).  Instead I got carried away and did another wall too.  I first had to rough in some 2x4 attaching it to the metal studs.  There will be some built in case-work here, so you put in 1x or 2x material to have something to catch/hold nails.  If you guys ever use this metal studwork, be sure to leave extra opening for doors for this. 

I did manage to skin the back of my left thumb with a utility knife.  I was just thinking, you know, I should do this a different way because - ouch!  Yep. 

TARDIS is warming up, had to check the supplies and make sure we still had some Old Mill for Laz.  I'll be in the air in no time so turn on your beacons if you want a ride

[Buckeye Riveter]

BTW: dsmith is David Smith of Michigan and not Scott Smith of near Roanoke VA.

Think I will run trains.  Later

Chief....What do you think of this?  Pretty well sums up the situation.

[dougdagrump]

Brent, I ordered some of those drumheads as well, B&O and Rock Island. The RI he had to make since he didn't have any available. He is also supplying an additional 550 ohm resistor for the RI since it is run with DCS at about 21V instead of the 18V for TMCC.

[sir james I]

GOOD EVENING

We spent the afternoon at a local park with son & family. Their church was having their summer picnic and since we use to go there we know many of the folks. Last year we took a dish of something and ate with them but we were a little lazy today so we ate at home and then went to the  park. The two grandsons looked exactly the way you would expect, dirty hands,faces, the works. Brutus maybe thats the place that green ham came from, now that I think about it. So no trains but we had a great day and the rain went all around us again.  OK Brutus fire up the dohicky and lets go.....S.J.

[kpolak]

Evening all!

Brutus:  Looking good!  Remember to take it slow.  Also, since you are installing the drywall horizontally, you should stagger the vertical joints so you don't end up with a (+).  Hope your thumb heals so you can get back to work. 

To park after Church for bicycling, and kite flying.  My Father brought a bi-plane kite for the girls last year when he visited, so we finally assembled it and tried to get it flying.  Not enough wind.    Should have brought out the red-eyed tree frog...a great performer.

Buckeye:  Hey isn't that the valedictorian on the left. 

Kurt

[cheapclassics]

Good evening all,

IIABSDISEI with temps in the 70s.  Washed all four vehicles today.  Watched both the F-1 and the IRL race.  The IRL race was both good and bad.  Bad in that Manning dropped out early and good in that AJ IV was fifth.  Danica was 6th and Wheldon was the winner.  F-1 was a Ferrari fest.  I had cereal and donuts on the dining car this morning.  I hope everyone has a good day.

Keep on training,

Mike C. from Indiana

[Brutus]

Hey Kurt - why is a + bad?  Less stable or harder to blend?  Thumb is okay - I put some kind of spray on bandaid stuff on it and it worked very well.

[fifedog]

Ahoy maties!   All ready to shove off tomorrow at 0500.  Hope to be eating at the Cracker Barrell in Binghamton,NY by 0900, then it's over the Catskills and pulling into Rutland, VT around 1430.  Hope to be arriving in Stowe (Trapp Family Lodge) by din-din.  Won't be plundering in Burlington until Wednesday Noon.

Will take lots of pics.  And during dinner I can impress all the other guests with the fact that I know the Mayor of Roseyville.  And, hopefully I will return with some nice "booty".

[CSXect]

Hey Kurt - why is a + bad?  Less stable or harder to blend?  Thumb is okay - I put some kind of spray on bandaid stuff on it and it worked very well.

My guess is that you have a potentail 4 way crack

[Blueberryhill RR]

Good Morning from Blueberryhill....

It is a sunny 53 degrees. Going up to 78 today with a slight chance of an afternoon thundershower. Hope not.

Today is a busy day. I have some errands to run and the usual chores around the house. Not too much new. Maybe I'll get some train time in, later.

Dining car has arrived and it's time for breakfast. Later.

Y'all have a great Monday.

Chuck

[cheapclassics]

Good morning all,

IIABSDISEI with temps in the 70s.  For those of you who have playing on the "home" version of the Dating Game, the continuing roller coaster that is Lucas' life went back up again this weekend as his girlfriend is now back in the Hoosierland to stay (at least for the time being).  I think people should not tell their kids whether or not they are going to move until after the final decision is made.  This going back and forth the past few weeks has been quite unsettling to say the least.  Other than that, not much else going on.  Soccer practice tonight if the weather permits.  Daughter starts her new job today, and I hope it goes well.  I had the usual fare on the dining car.  I hope everyone (especially those going to the TCA convention) have a good day.

Keep on training,

Mike C. from Indiana

[cnw1995]

Another beautiful morning here in paradise. Off to the beach soon.

I know vacation is almost over when I start totalling up the expenses of everything in my head. :)

Roy, there's a lagoon in the back here between this villa and the golf course with "crocagators" in it - as the youngest calls them - I wouldn't swim there. Back in Crystal Lake, there's a real lake with two beaches where we go swimming - early summer though - it's glacial without an inlet so I don't trust the water at the end of the season.

Brutus, nice wall! I've never put up drywall. Just replaced holes in it put there by small children. LOL.

[laz 57]

Hi GIZ,

  Nice here this morning at 62.  Ran a easy 4.25 miles this morning.  Today got to start on retaining wall out by shed.  Wife wants to plant flowers around shed so this is my job for today.

  Watched NHRA on ESPN last nite.  Sorry to hear about SCOTT KALINNA car blowing up and the result he hit the wall and died.  What a sad loss.  He was a good guy.  Prayers for his family.

  Ran trains last nite for about an hour, all good NO PILE UPs.

  B GOOD or B GONE,

laz57

[kpolak]

Hey Kurt - why is a + bad?  Less stable or harder to blend?  Thumb is okay - I put some kind of spray on bandaid stuff on it and it worked very well.

My guess is that you have a potentail 4 way crack

Bingo.  Also, staggering the joints will add strength to the wall.  Like building with brick or block.  USG recommends staggering by one stud space, minimum.

Here's a how-to guide.  Much more friendly than Specifications.

http://www.usg.com/USG_Marketing_Content/usg.com/web_files/Documents/Installation_and_Appl_Guides/Shtrkgypsum_panel_and_joint_treatment-installation_guide.pdf

Kurt

[ChiefEagles]

Morning.  Got another half inch of rain.  Got to mow today.  Hope all have a great week.  Not in a hurry to do anything today.  Maybe work on pond path holes and fill them in.  Fife at Cracker Barrel.  Means he can get GRITS.  Later. 

[RockIsland52]

Like others, I made the fatal mistake of getting behind reading the Forum and the pot.  Apologies if I fail to respond to something important.

I decided to eliminate family and take my wife out for dinner Saturday night, just the 2 of us, alone at last to celebrate our wedding anniversary.  Good plan.  Then I was "informed" we were bbsitting our 4 year old granddaughter overnight Saturday so my daughter and SIL could have a nice romantic dinner down in Boston and an evening alone.  What's wrong with this picture?!?!

DougM....what ever became of the auto A/C issue on your vacation?  My father in law began giving me a history of the Chain of Lakes and his escapades racing boats there back in the early 50's and also told me about years when the water levels were both exceedingly high and low.

Chief.....I finally got a new(er) 17" monitor as the old 14" one was pushing 15 years.  Your avatar on this one makes you look 10 years younger and 20 pounds lighter.   Hope your cough is under control.  Allergies or exposure to grits?

Fife....he's mia temporarily.  Hope his parole officer knows he skipped town for the wilds of Vermont.

Jim/Brutus....great construction photos.  What will go there, or did I miss that too?

Brent....Suzie-Q went from hospital to Ruth's Chris' chomping on steaks in about 36 hours.  Good news for her but bad news for you.  I thought you'd get a brief respite from "The list," but no.

Laz....read your post about the flower planting chore assigned by wife.  I got the same set of instructions for the day.   But it looks like rain.   The guys down South are probably wondering why the guys up Nawth are just now planting annuals.

RT....all work and no play.  What became of the train room?

All you guys down below the Mason Dixon line and in California.  If you don't mind, I am paying $.105 per kilowat hour up my way.  May I ask what ya'll are paying at this hot period of the year to a/c your homes?  

I've got to go check out SPF, so syonara for now.

Jack

[CB_Fan]

Re the price of electricity, our community owned system (Fairhope, AL) is charging $0.0973 per KWH BUT there's also a fuel adjustment surcharge of $0.0147 per KWH, so the total is $0.112 per KWH, a little more than what you are paying.

Energy costs are very high, but I don't intend to let the price of gasoline prevent me from attending the LOTS convention in South Bend in July!

[sir james I]

GOOD MORNING

We had an early morning shower that got the street wet and that was it. I'm not sure of the temp right now but the windows are open and I am getting some nice refreshing rain smelling air. I made my morning round trip,bank gas,haircut. Got clipped at two out of three. Reg.$3.98/$4.06.

RI52,so you got the "grandmas going to babysit"routine,I'm usually not informed until the day of arrival,and then I hear I told you two weeks ago don't you remember? If you had not told the wife of your planned outing more than likely you still would not know either. At least someone will enjoy the nite you were going out.

Later all,,,,,,,,,,,,,S.J.

[wrmcclellan]

I know vacation is almost over when I start totalling up the expenses of everything in my head. :)

Doug - I know what that feels like...

Busy day so a quick stop and hi to all!

Have a great day everyone!

[dwiemer]

A quick stop by to check in.  Not much going on with cases.  That is a good thing while we are now trying to recruit a replacement for a problem that has 'gone away'.  I will be busy for some time, but at least we are on the way to resume a normal work/call schedule.

Hope everyone has a blessed day,

dennis

[dbaker48]

Hey All !!

Made it through my day on Saturday, hotter than heck, but left the show about 11:00 so missed the worst part.  Spent the rest of the weekend doing honey do's.  Did watch most of the Nascar race, all but the last 10 laps.  Darn Recliner!

Then this morning NO Internet connection!  Spent about 3 hrs trying to make it happen, finally Verizon thinks it a line problem will come out tomorrow between 8 and 6 !  

Went to the office today, took care of some stuff, not I think I'm headin home to work on the trains.  Comp Time !!  MAYBE will be back on line soon or maybe not.  

Later,  Will be watching for the Tardis !!!

 

Looking at some "investment opportunities in NC"  huh ??  may be interesting. 

[Sturgeon-Phish]

Evening all from rainy Southern Ohio

Lots going on as getting ready for vacation.  I am glad I'm off.  One of the big A/C units at church went bad so met with contractor to see an estimate for a fix or replacement.  We werelooking at a new heating system in a year or so so we may just replace the whole thing.  The boiler is 46 years old and has been a maintenance pain for severa years.  Nowto convence the finance committee.

Chief- Did you see the picture of your image on my layout in SPF?  I was looking for a groundhog to put alongside the pond for a realistic effect!

Buckeye and Chuck and Spanky, looks like you had a great time, maybe next time I can join you.

Tomorrow is bride's birthday.  Got the card and the present and supper planned.

All take care

May God bless

[sir james I]

Good Evening All

I see we have only used one page today,I guess the big printers took the day off.LOL

My wife just got home from  vacation bible school, teaching the five year olds as two of our grandsons can be in her class. She said they also have some little females that like to talk. but thats a given, right.Detroit having biiiiggg fireworks tonite that will be on TV also but a few years back some idiot decided to add music to the fireworks. He should be hung upside down. I like F.W. but I want to hear the snap,crakle,and ka-boom. Brutus get the thingy ready I am waiting...S.J.

[CSXect]

Good Evening All

I see we have only used one page today,I guess the big printers took the day off.LOL

My wife just got home from  vacation bible school, teaching the five year olds as two of our grandsons can be in her class. She said they also have some little females that like to talk. but thats a given, right.Detroit having biiiiggg fireworks tonite that will be on TV also but a few years back some idiot decided to add music to the fireworks. He should be hung upside down. I like F.W. but I want to hear the snap,crakle,and ka-boom. Brutus get the thingy ready I am waiting...S.J.

They set our 4th fire works off to the music, I agree it detracts from the display which is called red white and boom. we used to have a laser light display late in the summer as well.

[rtraincollector]

Evening all got home about 4 about 6 it started thunder  booming so shut putor down laid on bed to play with cat woke up at 9P.M. lol.

Brutus wheres the tarus been waiting for about 1/2 an hour lol.

not much happening tonight suposely off tomorrow but going in 4-8P.M. but then off wed.

[Buckeye Riveter]

Another fun 12 hour day.........LAZ, how many more until TGIF?

fifedog........I'm going to be in SF next week.  If I tell them I know the Chief of Roseyville, NC, will it be benefical ?  BTW, I plan to go to Sacramento to that train museum too.