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.

[SPMan]

Jack, I agree that it is foolish to trust an aggressive dog.  I don't trust this one at all.  The only foolish thing I did was letting myself get talked into feeding the dog to "gentle her".  I think these dogs are strictly a one person animal.  These purebred dogs are too high strung fro me.  I think the best dogs are plain old sooners.  That's Southern for mongrel or sooner be one thing as another.  I like hound dogs and beagles.  Ray

[magicman710]

Evening yall.

How has everybody been doing? I hope good.

One interesting note, 1 year -3 days, (6-3-07), I made my first post on this forum. Through those times have been hardships and friendships, bad times and good.

But know, I can say I have made my first year here, and hopefully many more to come! May God Bless you all!

Oh and to my southern buddy, Happy Birthday!

[dougdagrump]

Jack - Hot Dogs an' GRITS - think you got something there! If folks will eat dogs with sourkraut on them - GRITS are a natural! Maybe we could roll the dog up in a GRITS pancake, slice it up, and call it sunthern suchi!

Ya'll never heard of "Corn Dawgs" !

NYT, To slick for T.P., wouldn't insult a fish by wrapping them in one. I'm afraid to put it in the bottom of the bird cage, mite injure himself making  his own editorial statement.

  

[ChiefEagles]

God bless you, Grayson.  Glad to have you here. 

[Buckeye Riveter]

Getting ready for the OTTSGNEOTMT.  Here is a photo from the last OTTS Tour of the Eastern Ohio Train Stores and Museums, or OTTSTOTEOTSAM.

[Blueberryhill RR]

Good Morning from Blueberryhill....

It's a sunny 72 degrees. Going up to 93 today with a chance of some rain, later. Hope not.

Today is less busy. I got all the mowing done yesterday. Trimmed and did some weeding. Today I can relax a little. There are a few things around the house to do and then I will run trains later, when it gets hot. Not a bad day, so far.

Hey Buckeye...That's me !!

Dining car is here and ready for breakfast. Be back later.

Y'all have a great Saturday.

Chuck

[Sturgeon-Phish]

Good morning all from warm and sunny Southern Ohio

Chuck and Buckeye, hope you have a good time on your tour.  Would you be interested in some company next year?

Chief - Glad you are feeling better.

Don-Don't you love the directions that make a lot of assumptions.

I picked up a couple of 586 Wayside Stations that I am going to straighten strip and repaint.  I bought them cheap enough and we'll see how they turn out.

If you all would, keep my brother in your prayers.  He had his prostrate removed Wednesday and is in rough shape.  The steroid medicine he takes for his MS has wrecked havic with his system and making the recovery hard.  In addition to that he had to cut back on his MS medication so the MS is going crazy also.

Take care.  Have a good Saturday, if you're working outside be careful

May God bless

Jim

[sarpilot]

Good morning from sunny and hot Pensacola Fl. Just getting ready for a busy day. Have a Union meeting this morning and then a lot of work cleaning out the garage. Got my new Gargraves switches in yesterday. Gargaraves replaced the bad ones that I took back to my hobby shop last week. Hope these work better. I would like to get them all installed by tonight. Also have to do some tweeking on the track as there are still a few rough spots on the inclines of the outer loop. Once thats done I can get the ballast work started. Wife says I can't go near the train room until that garage is squared away. Hope everyone has a great and well deserved weekend.

STEVE

[laz 57]

HI GIZ,

  FOGGY here this morning you can cut it with a knife.  To get to 95!

Got to pull weeds today.  No TROUT FISHING although they stocked local stream for last time yesterday with all breeder fish.  Nothing smaller then 16 inches.  Just no fun when temps are 95 and you have to wear wadders because of all the poison ivy near the creek.

  BUCKEYE and CHUCK have fun on your excursion.

B good or B gone,

laz57

[ChiefEagles]

Morning all.  Got extra hour's sleep with time change.  PD just beeped me and said neighbor's dog is running around town.  Neighbor is gone.  He was shocked when I old him I could identify the dog if he would bring it to LA.  We both laughed.  Brent, you and Roseyville are to have temps higher than LA and higher humidity.   Sturg, yuz giz are lucky to not be getting this.  Buckeye, Chuck and OTTS guiz, don't sit too close in a group.  There is always a REB threat around.   Got to get moving.  Later.

[dwiemer]

Good Morning everyone.

Just watching the "Junkyard Wars" with an episode on building a locomotive to pull some RR cars.  Not much on the agenda today, kids go to Chinese lessons and I have to burn some trees that I cut down.  This afternoon, we have to go to the uniform sale for our son's school.  Those uniforms sure can get expensive....now, if I can just figure a way for him to stop growing for a few years!

Don, did you put those little flags all over the place when you were done?  Mine tastes like salt...just kidding.  We have a guy who sprays the yard, too much for me to do and he knows the chemicals.

Hope you have a great time down there Chief!  Just don't eat too much. 

Y'all have a great day!

God Bless,

dennis

[sir james I]

Good Morning

Overcast and 70s, going to high 80s, rain possible. It sure would be nice to just get in the truck and go away for the weekend, but without a mission to follow its just to dam expensive. I still have not finished reading CTT but I'm working on it. As I said once before I have been reading them too long, everything sounds the same. I laid my track, I planted grass I,I,I,What happened to the PW train atricles the mag. was intended for. OK done, enjoy the weekend. S.J.

[RRCharlie]

Happy weekend from sunny and hot Jax, FL. Supposed to hit 90+ again today but probably no rain. Mowed the weeds yesterday morning, dug out a spot to plant two gardenia bushes late yesterday afternoon. Madge fixed a delicious supper of shrimp and alfredo sauce over cheese filled pasta. Yum Yum!!!! Spent an hour soaking in the spa afterwards with some Khaluha. Need to get the gardenias planted today. Steaks on the grill tonight.

My Goddaughter called this week. She and her brothers and sister are planning a surprise party for my sister and brother-in-law's 50th wedding anniversary. I was an usher ( one of the first non-Roman Catholics allowed to do so in a Catholic wedding in Erie, PA ). Spent time on the internet yesterday making reservations: Amtrak Silver Meteor to New York City, Lake Shore Limited to Chicago, Michigan service to Kalamzoo. Arrive on Friday night. Spend Friday and Saturday night with Goddaughter. Party at her house on Saturday night. Sunday take Amtrak back to Chicago, CTA to O'Hare and fly home on United Air Lines. One way air fare out of sight compared to what I paid a few years ago.

Did get all the pictures taken for a magazine article I have been working on ( For The Lion Roar-LCCA magazine). Should be published in October. Will keep yuz giz posted. Need to get back into train room and get more stuff up and running.

Prayers to all who need them. By the way--Chief. Sorry I was so late.

[Buckeye Riveter]

Chuck and Buckeye, hope you have a good time on your tour.  Would you be interested in some company next year?

Jim...You are welcome this year.  The trip is the 21st.  Email me or Chuck for all the details.

Magic....Congratulations on your one year anniversary. 

[Anonymous]

Afternoon Fellas'

Susie-Q is on her way home from her ASQ Test. I had to get up and mow the yard this morning, spray for ants (I wasn't near as bad as Don... I only wore shorts, tennis shoes, and a short sleeve shirt. Anything more and I would have died from heat exhaustion). It is beyond insanely hot here. It is only 12:40 and is already 99 degrees (according to the thermometer that is on the deck, it has been getting Sun all morning so probably closer to 92). But that isn't the worst of it, the Humidity is at least 90%, can't walk outside without having a gallon of water to drink.

[SPMan]

Breakfast out this morning with my dear wife.  Took in a free concert at the local guitar shop after that.  Good pickers!  Electric, bass and acuoustic.  Three people.  Sang one funny song about Viet Nam or sad.  I did'nt quite know how to take it.  Sounded pretty irreverent at first but some of the guys in the band were in Viet Nam,  so I guess they are entitled.  I lived through all that mess so I guess there can never be anything funny to me about it.  I guess it's best to just move on.  Nothing new in the train world today but weather is nice in the 80's. Ray

[cnw1995]

Afternoon all. What is that broken washing machine doing on top of the mailbox? Must've dropped out of the Tardis. I have had a rollicking 18 hours. Walked in the house after work last evening and realized it was 80 degrees inside with the air conditioner running all day - uh oh. So a buddy and I spent the morning trying to find the collant leak in this 17 yr. old monster, cleaning the blower, and getting it to work. So far so good - only cost $117 in parts and freon. It sure is humid outside! Cheaper than the rest of my morning buying the boy shoes and shorts for football - he starts 'training' Mon. and is thrilled.

Don, if I ever used weed killer, that would remove the only green things in the yard...

Likewise with cable/satellite, the tin-foil hat I put on every time I watch our TV seems to work well...

Jack, I have heard of that ComEd electricity plan in our benighted state - I got a letter inviting me to allow them to put a regulator on our a/c compressor allowing them to turn it off when they wanted - - I laughed. I pay our natural gas bill in installments each month - the monthly debit just tripled today ...sigh.

Ray, my middle boy spends his Friday evenings playing guitar in the local coffee shop/bar with a few older guys - they're teaching him all these 'old' songs and have all sorts of stories. I enjoy sitting in the back and listening. . . nothing new on the train front today.

[ChiefEagles]

Afternoon.  Just ate at the hotel restaurant [same as last night].  More cat fish [gooooood].  Was going to eat at the store but no where to sit.  This store is smaller than most.  Most have a conference room next to restaurant that serves as seating overflow.  This one does not.

J & J, congrats on the 1,000.   forgot to mention it yesterday [hard to remember all the posts

Back to the store.  Later

PS: hope the OTTS guys don't sit in a group.  Tempting for us REBS.

[cheapclassics]

Good afternoon all,

Greetings from a soggy and rain-soaked SE Indiana.  I just wanted everybody to know I was not washed away with all the rain.  The weather reports said we got over 6 inches of precipitation since last night.  Power was out for an hour this morning.  They closed the library where Lucas was working today due to the streets being flooded.  Neighbor's house next door was hit by lightning, knocked out her TV.  She is ok.  Lots of water in the yards around here and we have the sump pump going.  Now the sun is out, and it will get sticky today.  I had the usual fare on the dining car this morning.  Manning is starting 17th in the IRL race at Texas.  Dixon is on the pole.  Danica starts 5th, and John was faster than Marco in the Andretti family.  I hope everyone has a good day.

Keep on training,

Mike C. from Indiana

[Buckeye Riveter]

Mike C....we are seeing the reports from Indiana that the Coast Guard is doing rescues.  I can't believe water that high for Indiana.   (Make sure you Hoosiers whine and bellyache about the government not doing enough for you so you can get a bunch of new stuff. )

[Anonymous]

Jack - Hot Dogs an' GRITS - think you got something there! If folks will eat dogs with sourkraut on them - GRITS are a natural! Maybe we could roll the dog up in a GRITS pancake, slice it up, and call it sunthern suchi!

Ya'll never heard of "Corn Dawgs" !

NYT, To slick for T.P., wouldn't insult a fish by wrapping them in one. I'm afraid to put it in the bottom of the bird cage, mite injure himself making  his own editorial statement.

  

Sure have Jon! Just had 3 for dinner... not the good ones from the county fair or the best ones from Kennywood in Pittsburgh, but they'll do (they were the frozen kind). Lots o' ketchsup and spicy brown mustard, I couldn't find any nacho cheese.

[jefelectric]

Don, you might as well give up on the grass and just put in pebbles and a few cacti like the folks in AZ do.  Local news says CA is running out of water.

Chief, are you selling any battery chargers? 

Doug, Sounds like a lot of AC problems going around. 

 

 

[ChiefEagles]

John F, a few.  Most folks I've talked to have one.  Did a good job  of training these giz.  Store was not that full.  Economy is killing sales.  Cabela's canceled their second seasonal events.  Bought a new GPS with free Fishing Hot Spots chip [$99 value].  Got my discount too.  Seems a lot of companies are discounting or giving free items to try to attract business.

In the room as store was dead.  Relaxing for a while and waiting for a movie.

4:00 PM flight tomorrow.  Big Seats all the way home.

Later 

[Buckeye Riveter]

Chief...You are not selling battery charges loafing in your room.  Now get out there on the streets and sell, sell, sell.

[sir james I]

Good evening all

Wow if Cabela's can't draw a crowd, the economy is really going down hill without brakes. And the people in Washington just sit back with their hands in our pockets. I cannot remember anytime that prices have jump as fast as now. Our temp. went to 85 today, but 92 for tomorrow and Monday, with a chance of storms of course. Ran some trains today but still can't decide what to remove from the shelves or layout. The problem is all these new things with sound who wants to give that up? Have a pleasent evening......S.J.

[Brutus]

Hey guys - major headache yesterday with little sleep due to sinuses.  In-laws made it to our house at about midnight last night and I got up at 5:30 to go buy donuts for everyone and then to work for 6 hours of OT, that paid for the washer!

Doug, I thought you would like that new mailbox I made for you?  It will hold some really big boxes from train stores?  Did you note the little flag I screwed on the side?

Full of meatball grinder, pizza and Barq's rootbeer!  Watching The Final Countdown with father-in-law.  My son just challenged me to chess, so I'll have to say TTFN!

Sir James, I'll warm up the TARDIS later and we can go buzz Doug's house with the planter you made him from that old freezer we found on the porch in NC.  (Be sure to get the klondikes out first!)  Laz, Kurt, Dennis, Don, anybody else want a ride this evening?

EDIT: Drat - lost two games in a row!  How do they get so smart?

[wrmcclellan]

Late evening all!

Mel - looking forward to your LCCA article later this year!

Jim F - Missed the Tardis run - need to make sure you guys know I am up for a few of those runs.

Doug - A/C in Chicago this time of year - youze giz trying to pretend you're in Texas????? BTW - know you are not a Cubbies fan - but what happened this afternoon - I think they were ahead of the Dodgers 3-2 in the 7th and they loose to the #2 team?????

Well - making some progress on the home front - the first hardwood floor is now installed as of 8:30 pm tonight. This is in the former dining room soon to be TV room. It looks great! Still lots to do (baseboards & crown molding, 2nd coat of paint on walls, some cauling around new front windows, etc.). However - these guys thought they were going to be finished by 4 today! Ha!

The missus and I went out tonight for our 22nd anniversary. Had a very nice and very expensive dinner at a classisc old restaurant here.

Daughter's 17th B-Day is tomorrow - the queen princess is charting her festivities even in her sleep. The only thing that slowed here down tonight is she had to get up very early today to go and take the SAT exam. She is normally up late - but this evening she was out like the proverbial light bulb with no power. The good news for us is her B-Friend has to work tomorrow so we do not have to worry about her out cattin' around tomorrow night.

Chief - building a Cabellas in LA is crazy - those folks don't need a Cabellas. No tools are needed for noodling catfish.

Hope everyone has a great day tomorrow!

[dbaker48]

Evening all !  Made it through the computer show today, the promoter is getting desperate, suspended sales of annual passes, (that may mean something), AND offered via email FREE admission and parking passes for customers!  Typically parking is $6 gen, $12 preferred, and $8 admission. 

I had the day all planned out, Wife and I would go set up and work the show, Chris would drive out about 1pm, and he and I would go to the Train Show, then the 3 of us meet for dinner.  All went well, but he got lost trying to find the show, (he's only been there about a hundred times.)  Anyway we got to the show about 3:30, was a small show!  Bought some light kits and that was all!  Spent time at the MTH booth talking with the rep regarding running DCS with our G-Scale around the ceiling.  Sounds interesting.

Went to our favorite Steak House for dinner, 16oz Top Sirloin with all the fixins, $16 !  The best steak I've ever had, small local restaurant, and always a line to get in.  Really great food.  (Its actually in SPPMAN's area,  LaVerne CA which is next to Glendora where he is at, called The Terderloin.

Chief - I think most shows are really going to be sufferin for awhile, there was a Horse Show, RV Show, World Travel Show, Boat Show, all at the same location we were, they were all complaining about low attendance.  The Train Show was very sparsly attended as well.  Gas is just to expensive, which makes me wonder if people cant afford to buy gas for the lawn mower, why would they go to a sporting goods store to buy battery chargers for trolling motors for the boat that they can't get to the water???  Were all in trouble!

Thankful, that the Tardis is fossil fuel independent, Doug since your accumalating this stuff in your yard, we've got this used Hot Water Heater that would really work well as a barrier for the driveway.  It will fit in the Tardis no problem, by the way when you guys pick me up, don't be alarmed about that blueish-green glow coming from my place, it isn't an "infinity light", its just the ground glowing from the weed killer.

Hope all the OTTS giz had a good outing today.  

Well late here already going to turn in, and start all over tomorrow.  Saw that gas went up .40 just since Thursday, can't believe it.  Personally I believe its due to the price of the oil futures that's causing the biggest portion of the problem.  Something's going to happen, don't know what, but its coming.   Just like our current drought, that was predictable, after all less than a month ago we had floods.

Take care, Hope every one has a safe and good day tomorrow.

Roy, Just saw your post, I'll make sure Jim gets the message tonight, he may have already left.  We'll swing by and pick you up on the way to Doug's.  (BTW I understand Doug is redecorating the front of the house, if you have any large bulky items from all the work being done, I'm sure he woruld appreciate it.)  Also, your comment about noodlling is right on, as matter of fact I was talking to the Chief earlier as he was driving to the hotel.  And, he was commenting about the "gator tails" on the road.  Seems the people just run over what they need.  Don't even need a boat, wild life trying to get out of the swamps, gotten too crowded.

 

[Blueberryhill RR]

Good Morning from Blueberryhill....

It is a sunny 68 degrees. Going up to 94 today, with sunshine. Rain missed us yesterday.

Today is a relaxing day. Got all the yard work done. Paperwork for the month done. Now, I will enjoy the day. Wife due home about noon. She was at the daughter's for the weekend.  Her and the granddaughter love to play together.  Need a cooked dinner.

Nascar race today. Love to see JR win.

Looks like a few " older guys " are up early.

Dining car is here and self service. Breakfast is Cheerios.

Y'all have a great Sunday.

Chuck

[fifedog]

Mornin' boys.  Saucey & 75 here in the Mid-Atlantic region.  Made it to 101 yesterday;s'posed to be 96 today.  Will be changing oil and trying to diagnose a problem on my car's front end this morning, then it's off to the pyuuuul.  Haven't been able to post because fifey's-wifey through a graduation party at our house yesterday, so yours truly has been preparing "the estate" all week, in between the doctor visits.  Combined with a couple of clusters I had to handle at work, I've earned a do-nothing day.

Phish - Best regards on your brother.

Roy - HAPPY ANNIVERSARY.

RRCharlie - We will be expecting a full report and pics of your AMTRAK adventure.

JandJ - Congrats on 1000.  Send penny rolls and shirt size to Buckeye to receive your crushed valor smoking jacket.