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.

[cnw1995]

Morning all. Humid and raining here in Chicago. Streetlights on. Thunder echoing off builindgs down the block. Back online after a busy weekend painting the middle boy's room (grey - his and the bride's choice - looks like below decks on the USS North Carolina.) I have to patch-paint where I messed up, bought the wrong colors so I'll be a mixologist tonight after work. Can you believe the teens saw that Batman movie three times?

Jack, I used to work near that exit at Peterson and Pulaski. Do you remember Felician College or Good Counsel High School? Nice neighborhood. 'Course I had a '79 Chevy Nova no-one ever wanted to steal. Never tried to park by Montrose. Hard to nowadays.

Sir James, I think I know which park you went to in Indiana - it is a fun one for kids.

[Wes Whitmore]

I'm leaving for a 10 year anniversary cruise to Cozymel Mexico on Thursday morning.  Should be a lot of fun.  I enjoy cruises and think that they are a great way to relax.  No trains, but I'll have my laptop and can keep modifying my layout in RRtrack.  The 24 hour pizza will get many visits.

I am selling my 97 honda civic today.  Told the lady that I needed to fix a torn CV boot that I found last week, which I fixed yesterday.  I got to use a really nice lift, which made it so much better to do work on.  Car runs really well.  Get's over 35 MPG.  The 05 accord doesn't do quite as well on the gas, but it's a very nice car and still does around 30.

Seeing the holloween post about the Michaels buildings gave me a little feeling of trains during the holidays.  I really enjoy that part of the year.

Have a good one.
Wes

 

[rtraincollector]

Fifey if you get on mercury blvd towards james river bridge theres a park just befor the bridge  go into the park and make a left right away and head towards the water theres a great little seafood resturant there right on the james river.

Hi all not much happening here today. just taking it easy wifey wants me to replace some 3 way switches but thats about it for the day .

[sir james I]

GOOD MORNING

Its going to be in the high 80s today, with the usual warning for PM storms.

Doug, the camp we went to has a Fremont In. mailing address and is at Barton lake. Our oldest son and DIL had been there before and got us sites at the water. Could have taken my boat had we known what to expect. I slept good in my own bed but still tired, but a good tired. No train doings today just resting. Everyone have a great monday.....S.J.

[RockIsland52]

Thanks for all the sarcastic, better-you-than-me remarks about what to do for the next 10 days while MIL is in town.  RT.....I would be the one that wound up in the wood box 6 feet under, right next to where the dog is buried in the yard.  Jim/Brutus.....poisons are indeed too traceable, must try "death by cookies" approach.  Chief has the right idea: an out-of-town "business trip" to the local Extended Stay America, spending time browsing Charles Ro (Malden MA.) and Northeast Trains (Peabody MA) at a more leasurely pace.  Malden and Peabody are technically out of town, right?  "Yes, dear, you found me out.  Having a torrid affair with "Chessie!"

Putrid weather.  Getting Chief's and DougM's weather, hit from 2 sides.   It's so humid that even when the 90 degree temps drop into the 70s at night you have to keep the a/c going to be comfortable.  Son istalled a new 5,200 BTU window a/c unit in my office.  HVAC guys want $11,000-$12,000 to install central air.  No way.  That would buy a lot of train stuff.  Plus right now I can choose what rooms to cool and when.  Putting window units in (Spring) and taking them out (Fall) is a royal pain.  Luckily, I have been phasing out the older, heavier, energy hogs with lighter 10-12 eeg units.

Rain forecasted every day through next Sunday, bad news for Granddaughter's Saturday 5th b-day party cookout.  All of the guests may wind up in house.  Have a 12' x 12' camping canopy plus two large umbrella'd (waterproof) tables which may keep the beer drinkers and chow hounds outdoors until the heat/humidity becomes too much.  Inside of house will be trashed.    

Dennis....hope your recruiting was successful.  Hang in there, vacation soon, right?

Mitch....are contractor homicides up in your neck of the woods?   Not much from Roy on that front, so we must assume he's either laying low or already on the lamb.

Don.....a day or two with you and your trains escapades would be a great vacation for me.  Never a dull moment with you.

SirJames.....I love tomatoes, waiting for SIL's father to start harvesting in a couple of weeks.  Always has way too many, and they don't feel and taste like major league baseballs.

Fife.....one of our dogs has a pink belly too.  Maybe you are related.

Brent...I may need to consult you on deck r&r.  Mine is redwood but 16 years old.  Structurally sound but hasn't been cleaned and resealed in a few, big mistake.  Was going to rent a power washer because the chemical cleaners neither clean nor restore the deck to the natural color.  And if done improperly, sliver city for people in bare feet.  Wife wants to tear it down and go composite.    Re auto a/c issue, FIL just got a quote from Chrysler dealer for $1,500 to replace evaporator coil on his LHS, think it's a remove dashboard job, labor charge city.

DougM.....I lived half of my life about halfway between the Edens 94 (Peterson Avenue) exit ramp and Felician College/Good Counsel High School campus.  Neighborhood is called Sauganash.  So now I know how all my beer kept disappearing from the coolers in my back yard.  The least you could have done was pick up your empties.

Later, guys.  

Jack

[Anonymous]

Brent...I may need to consult you on deck r&r.  Mine is redwood but 16 years old.  Structurally sound but hasn't been cleaned and resealed in a few, big mistake.  Was going to rent a power washer because the chemical cleaners neither clean nor restore the deck to the natural color.  And if done improperly, sliver city for people in bare feet.  Wife wants to tear it down and go composite.    Re auto a/c issue, FIL just got a quote from Chrysler dealer for $1,500 to replace evaporator coil on his LHS, think it's a remove dashboard job, labor charge city.

Jack,
Power washers clean very well but you will have to resurface the deck afterward because they also raise the wood grain. If the wood hasn't cracked then I would clean it well, resurface, and treat with Thompson Water Seal, or something along those lines. My deck is made of preasure treated lumber, and hadn't seen maintenance in over 10 years, the stain looks aweful because I had to really load it up. Susan and I were discussing options and next year the area where the table and grill are is going to get replaced with composite wood, expanded, and receive a roof and screening in. The rest of the deck will follow the following year.

---
Forgot to mention that I went to see The Dark Knight on Friday. By far and away the best Action/Thriller movies I've ever seen, and could possibly be the best ever. Ledger was flat out insane as The Joker, Bale was stellar as Wayne/Batman, Gyllenhall did a fine job as Dawes, and Eckhart was phenominal as Dent. I don't want to give away anything so that is all I will say. If you have the opportunity to see it GO, you will NOT be disappointed. I'm thinking of taking in an IMAX screening...

[Wes Whitmore]

I just finished staining my deck as well.  I went with the Behr brand (home depot) premium stain in simi-transparent.  Mine was pressure treated.  First I power washed with plain water.  Then I used the chemical stripper.  After using the stripper, I ended up getting out the belt sander to smooth out any splintered boards that I had.  Then I used the Behr surface prep before the stain.  Looks brand new now.  Redwood might be a different beast, depending on the level of transparency that you want, but I like the Behr products and they offer a good warranty on the premium grade.

Wes

[RockIsland52]

Wes, what does the chemical stripper do?  Remove old sealer buildup?  Organic growth from the wood's pores.  Bring the natural color back up?

Second, I read some consumer publication that rated the Behr sealer over the Thompsons, wonder if there is any truth to that as if I go to all this effort I don't want to fall short on the sealer.

Re the sanding, I've got a million spindles, any advice on a faster easier way with these?

Finally, Wes and Brent, do you guys crawl under the deck and do any work on the underside, like roll on some sealer?

Thanks,

Jack

[Anonymous]

Jack - I would have to really, really, really, really small to get under my deck. Actually the most 'damage' is done to the exposed surfaces, if you get under your deck most likely the wood underneath will look brand new. Although I've never done it, there shouldn't be any reason not to treat the underside every 5 - 10 years.

As for the BALLISTERS you can use an orbital sander (if there is enough space between the ballisters). They also make sanders that have a 'shorter' profile so look around you'll be able to find a sander that will work for you. When going through this amount of work, believe me a power sander is a must. If sanding isn't in your book, then either leave them alone and simply stain/seal them as is, or replace them. Leaving them alone and staining/sealing will result in differences in the wood color which can add a nice look to the deck - instead of being all one color there could be a miriad of different shades.

[kpolak]

Afternoon!

Sir James:  Glad you had a great trip!  Northern Indiana.??? Were you at the Gary Works or the BP Refinery???  

Jack:  Keep busy...Cook, clean, whatever it takes...9-days left.

Wes:  I have been using the Behr Premium Waterbase too!  Re-applied this year.  Last time was 3-years ago when it first came out.  Very satisfied.  Used on deck, and children's playground equipment.

Busy day yesterday...Father, and his Bride in town from AZ.  She started feeling sick, so they left to go back to Indiana, and her daughter's early...larger house, no kids or dogs.  At least I was able to spend some time with them, and my sister and BiL.

Finished hooking up wiring to switches/blocks on layout, and was running trains for father, and BiL...Mixed feelings about results....yellow block signals look like green switch signals, but I'm getting the hang of things.

Brutus:  I'm in if you're heading out tonight!

Kurt

[Wes Whitmore]

The chemical stripper acts like bleach, bringing everything back to a neutral color, ready for staining.  Even if you were to strain redwood back to a redwood color, I think I would use the chemical stripper.  I only strain what I can see/reach.  I don't strain the bottom since it's all pressure treated anyhow.  Sun and contact are what wear out the sealer, and not a lot of that happens under the deck.

Wes

[cnw1995]

Beacon is on.

Jack, should've kept those empties for scrap.

We have a large, old deck and gaze o / trellis of pressure-treated wood. Nowadays, it's a bit green with a more than a few beat up boards. Over the years, I've power-washed it (albeit sometimes a bit too strongly), then applied the Thomson seal with a mop (too much greenery around it to use a sprayer) to the places where I could reach and it works well -I usually redo it every other year. Like the others mentioned, I only do the top - heck, only the exposed boards. I've not replaced the bad boards either - more because I lack the right tools and haven't quite figured out how to do it. "The deck's fine. Put on your shoes!"

[rtraincollector]

servere thunder storm came thru about 3:00 this afternoon. ISo I could be on putor so took nap wife not happy worried we might have to jump in truck and run for it . Told her thats the worst place to be.

[Buckeye Riveter]

GOOD EVENING ALL

I'm tired, just returned from Northern Ind. where we had our little family camping trip. It is a Jellystone camp so lots of things for the little ones to do. Four days with the kids and for the most part the grandparents let the kids take care of there own..No trains, just enjoyed the family. When we got home this late afternoon I picked my  first tomato so now the Chief can stop tempting me with his BLTs, I can have my own....S.J.

Sir James....were you near Pokagon State Park in NE Indiana.  There used to be a Jellystone Campground on SR 120.

Chuck.....Have you been keeping track of all the free meals the Chief receives?  If he was a mayor in OHIO,  by now he would have been convicted of accepting too many meals and his next meal would be at Mansfield.

Tomorrow I will be in Chillicothe, Ohio.  Not only do I know how to spell Chillicothe, but I know how to say it in Buckanese. 

Cleaned up the train room for company on Wednesday.  Of course they will be here at noon, so they just get to look and they will not see them run.

[Brutus]

Hey guys - HOT in St Louis.  I redid the deck about 2 years ago and it needs a good cleaning and sanding, that's for sure.  I also need to fix a bad piece of railing.  My deck ranges from about 8 feet up to about 12 feet up off the ground, as the hill varies away from the house.  I left a brother-in-law convince me to do the deck a certain way and I've been unhappy about that for about 10 years now.  Next time, I'm doing it my way.  Of course, I'll probably be doing it alone too

TARDIS is about ready, men.  I need to reload the beer fridge.  Plenty of rootbeer, though! 

[CSXect]

GOOD EVENING ALL.

Tomorrow I will be in Chillicothe, Ohio.  Not only do I know how to spell Chillicothe, but I know how to say it in Buckanese. 

 

 

Buckeye hold your nose when drive in or through Chillicothe Paper mills stink

 

Dayton Ohio is now a weekly stop for Job#1 Have to get up early in morning as job # 2 is a full day where as job#1 I am lucky to get 4 hours a day but boss says things are looking up and we have some new customers as well so by the time job#2 is done and did I may be back to a normal schedual again I hope.

I gained 3 pounds over the weekend because I ate 2 brauts a chicken *** and a piece of cake Sunday at a cookout will not do that again the 2 brauts had buns and the cake way too many carbs

Hope to have tables  for layout reassembled and painted by the end of next week, then I will start buying the needed track sections mostly swithes and 3 60deg crossovers. Pics to follow shortly after.

[sir james I]

GOOD EVENING

Buckeye, we were near I69 & SR120.

How is everybody this evening. I did ok today just relaxed. We got our evening downpour with lightning but its suppose to cool us some. No train news today. I must have a brain cloud as nothing is coming to mind this evening. Brutus I'm ready and I have banilla for all. S.J.

[dwiemer]

Good evening everyone!  While I am still on call and have been putting a lot of time in at the hospital, things are going well.  The Locum guy is supposed to be coming in tomorrow night and ready to see a few cases before I leave Friday evening.  Really am looking forward to the trip. 

Had a special suprise tonight when I got home.  I turned on the DVR and a program on Trains and Locomotives was on the New York Central West Shore route.  I got to see a lot of the area I grew up in.  At the bottom of our hill, was a double main line for the NYC and just up the road, they tandem with a double main for the Susquehanna.  Got to see plenty of steam, early diesles, and some Susie Q RDC and RS3s.  Gives me some scenery/modelling ideas.

Well, I have plenty to get to, but I did want to check in and say hello to everyone.  Hope everyone has a great week ahead and plenty of train time in...someone has to.

God Bless,

Dennis

[ChiefEagles]

Plop Plop Fizz Fizz, oh what a relief it is.  BURRRP.  Free meals.  Buffet at fancy restaurant for lunch and steak and trimmings for dinner.  Now I pay [not in dollars].  Wife might be buying a new dog.   Just what I need.  A puppy to house break. Later. 

[dougdagrump]

Evenin' All......

A little warm and muggy but not to bad, could be a whole lot worse.

Surfin' around E-Bay tonite and came across something that the halloween train fans might like:

http://cgi.ebay.com/HALLOWEEN-SPOOKY-TOWN-Lit-Drumhead-for-Lionel-train-car_W0QQitemZ170237111622QQihZ007QQcategoryZ19149QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

Just mite pick up at least one. Hmm wonder if it would be possible to put one on the "front" (boiler face) of my halloween 4-4-0 instead of on the caboose.... 

[Anonymous]

Mornin' Fellas.

We could see some interesting weather here today... according to the 'weather' man (Whether this happens depends on whether that happens or whether this other thing happens and whether this happens after one of the three things happen) we COULD get rain, if that doesn't happen we're hitting 92 today, tomorrow if it doesn't stay cloudy in the morning we'll hit 92 again... I'm really beginning to think that the most incompetant people work for DirecTV the rest become Whethermen/Whetherwomen.

I'm trying my hardest to stay off ebay and the other train sites... I need to get some projects completed so I can get back into the train room...

Dennis if you are out there lurking... check your email.

[cheapclassics]

Good morning all,

It was stormy last night in SE Indiana, not sure what it will be like today.  My posts will be less frequent and much shorter for the forseeable future.  Situation at work has ratcheted up in intensity by a factor of 10 to 100.  When any major news breaks, I will let you know about Lucas or soccer or racing.  I hope everyone has a good day.

Keep on training,

Mike C. from Indiana

[Blueberryhill RR]

Good Morning from Blueberryhill....

It is 68 degrees and raining lightly. We had a big storm last night. Lots of wind. Thunder and lightening woke up the whole house. Wind was very strong. Going up to 82 today with more rain on the way.

Today, I am taking it easy. Must drop dog off at the groomers this morning. Then, I will take an early nap, after a few chores. Didn't get much sleep last night.

Dining car is here and it's Cheerios for breakfast.

Y'all have a great Tuesday.

Chuck

[Sturgeon-Phish]

Morning all from cloudy Southern Ohio

I spent most of yesterday painting the garage, starting with the addition.  The T1-11 siding soaks up the paint like crazy.  Going to see what the weather is going to do before I start in again.  If it looks too much like rain I guess I'll mess around in the train room.  Darn the bad luck

All take care and may God bless

Jim

[GregM]

With all this talk about decks, I thought I would show what I have been up to as time and money (mostly money) permits. 

Remember this photo from last winter? 

Well, the years took their toll on the deck so I had to do a little repair work.  Here is a picture of the decking that was removed.  I gave this to folks that wanted used treated lumber tomake a building for some goats.

 Didn't take any "in-process" pictures.  Guess I am just getting lazy.  Anyway, here are a few pictures of the deck at this point.  Still need to redo the one end under the deck behind the stairs.  Thinking about using that T1 siding to give it a more finished look.

Well, better get back to work. lol

These days my "work" consists of applying for jobs that I know I won't get but still trying.

[laz 57]

HI GIZ,

  68 and another mugly one here today.  Got started a little late on my daily run, started at 630, was talking with neighbor.  Rung my shirt out after my 6 miler.  Going to be a stinker again today going to 92.  Suppose to get better tomorrow?  Oh well it is July.  Had guy come over and spray house for spiders and bugs.  Cost was $159 for firstshot then from March til November its $30.  Figure it will be worth it down in train room.  Gotta pull more weeds then get 8 backhoe scoops of mulch ordered.  I am sooo late on this.

  GREG, that SNOWHIO looks refreshing.  But I can wait.

  BRUTUS, Thanks for the COLD ONES, tasted real good last nite.

B good or B gone,

laz57

[Wes Whitmore]

GregM,

Deck looks great!  House doesn't look too shabby either...

Here is mine with a fresh coat of stain (several coats of Chocolate semi-transparent over pressure treated pine).  That pergola wasn't much fun...

Wes

[sir james I]

A Good Tuesday Morning to All

GregM, a very nice deck but, I could have gone a verrrry loooooong time without seeing a picture of winter. Where are those nitro pills?

Evening storm passed by and I do not know if it rained during the nite. It was cloudy this morning but the sun is out now. Hi 70s today. Have not heard from my train friend so I will check in with him sometime today. OGR is still sitting where I put it last week, just doesn't motivate me anymore. Every One Have A Great Day.....S.J.

[cnw1995]

Morning all. Sunny and cool here in Chicago. Here's an amusing scenario you might've experienced: 7:30 pm last eve, the middle boy who is going out for freshmen football pipes up: I need cleats for tomorrow. Me: Wha? You've been home all day. More importantly, your mom has been home all day... but I really didn't mind going out to get a pair. Found the local sporting goods store full of dads and boys looking at cleats... LOL.

I've been enjoying reading the last few MRs, picking up some hints from our fellow hobbyists.

Here's an interesting one for today: use figures to help visualize your switching or other railroad-y moves. Place a figure to remind you to pause to move a switch, allow time for 'him' to get back on the engine or caboose, to move to uncouple a car, recouple air hoses, etc. I'll have to try it with some of my oversize Thomas the Tank men... definitely need to pause to look for the guard waving his flag or blowing his whistle...

[ChiefEagles]

Morning all.  Slept late.  Phone rang [Town business] or I probably would still be asleep.   Now for some coffee and sausage biscuit [already cooked so will microwave to warm].  Need to mow grass.  Need to go to State Employees CU [up the street] and check on a "backup" loan.  Going to Kerr Lake to look at house on two lots, two outbuildings for storage and one monster metal building that houses 21' center console Mayko, 20 foot pontoon boat, jet ski and golf cart.  All come with the house.  Might have to put some "earnest money" down until I can make some "arrangements".  Price is right.  Right up the street from my buddy's place.  The good Lord will guide.

Need coffee to wake up [took cough meds last night to get to sleep].  Got my Golden Spike car yesterday and have not had time to open box.     Chat later.