The pot of coffee is always on [even after 2 years have passed]. Come on in. Sweet ice tea too.

[jonadel]

Wow, spring and summer were sure short this year. We've had heavy rains for 3 days and now they are talking patchy frost in the low lying areas tonight. I WILL be loading up the fireplace this afternoon to make it cozy tonight, we only use this monster fireplace about 3-4 times a year but tonight will be one of them.

Miss Saigon is in town for 8 shows this week and I'm working 3 of them. We went last night as paying patrons-- what a great show. We saw the origianal show years ago and I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it. For those of you who still have regular jobs and are happy that it's Friday------the production manager for this show has had one week off, Christmas. He's been with the show 3 years, what a grind.

If any on you have any connections with Mother Nature send her the message that we have enough water in the ground and lakes, please?

Jon

[FJ and G]

Possible hazards?

Riding the VRE every day gives me many opportunities to see possible hazards. Do you think these are hazards?

A very tall bridge (100+ ft tall) and perhaps 200 yards long, spans a river coming out of this lake near Burke, Va.

There are no inside guardrails on either track.



Just about all seats in the new Coaster train, borrowed from Seattle, Wa., has chairs that face each other. In a rapid stopping condition, passengers (who are not buckled up) would be thrown into each other. Also, as an inconvenience, people's feet and knees touch and rub.



I couldn't figure out what this tank car was carrying, but I don't think it was hazardous material (included the larger view as well). However, that nice dent in it can't be good.






BB the beagle doesn't give a dog-gone about hazardous cargo. She just wants to chase rabbits.

[spankybird]

QUOTE: Originally posted by FJ and G

Possible hazards?

Just about all seats in the new Coaster train, borrowed from Seattle, Wa., has chairs that face each other. In a rapid stopping condition, passengers (who are not buckled up) would be thrown into each other. Also, as an inconvenience, people's feet and knees touch and rub.

Dave,

you just have to have the right young lady sitting across from you. [;)]

[FJ and G]

a valid point

[Dr. John]

Morning, all!

Stormy yesterday evening and more storms to come this afternoon and PM. Turning cool and windy overnight - mid 30s in the AM. Should make our church golf tournament tomorrow interesting!

Busy day today, so I'm off and running. Maybe I'll check in later. Have a great day everyone!

[laz 57]

TOM and DAVE,
I don't know which position would be better? Her gettin thrown into you or vice versa?
I would have to go with her getting tossed on me?
laz57

[spankybird]

Hey Chief,

If you ever get a layout built, you will need one of these




[:p]

[Jim Duda]

Dang it! I grew up in Bettendorf, Iowa which is right across the Mississippi river from Moline, IL. What year(s) does this building represent? I wonder if it is still standing?

[spankybird]

JImbo,

This is one of the new building in the MTH 2005 vol 2 catalog. Sorry but it doesn't say anything about it.

[Roger Bielen]

Had a line of thunder storms move through a couple of hours ago with a 10 deg. temp. drop with Dr. John sending another our way later this evening. They're saying that there is a chance of s**w flurries up in the mountains along the GA, NC border tonight.

Heard a term for the weather we're getting, "Blackberry Winter", a last cold snap about the time the blackberries blossom.

[Anonymous]

Finally hit 70 degrees here today ...yippeeeeeeee.[:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]
Got to get the little ladies garden tilled and greenhouse put up tomorrow.

Buckeye.. The electronics went in with no problems and the instructions were very clear. The williams engine was a new one so it had color coded wires, red, blue, black ,and yellow. I think I will convert 2 others to TMCC also. They already have OTT sound units , and I think it will work fine with TMCC. Nice guy at Digital Dynamics. Off to play with the new toy. Still working on scenery.

Doug , Any of the Williams Trains are good products, just decide what you want. I have a Berkshire on order now. Check mapajunction.com or justrains.com. I have bought from both with great success.....Tim

[csxt30]

Good Morning Everyone!! 1weatherman said we may be getting 6 to 12 inches of Snowhio this weekend !! That means " out comes the snow jet again "!! Hope they're wrong!! Thanks, John

[Buckeye Riveter]

Live from Roger's Corners Ohio, It’s Saturday Morning!!!

From the all the postings this past week it is obvious that many other interests are taking more of our time. LAZ, the consummate renaissance man, this last week participated it two great activities, golf and fishing. (Well, he sorta participated in fishing if making kids put fish in your stream.) This morning in honor of LAZ's exploits, we bring you:

10 COMMON FISHING TERMS EXPLAINED
Catch and Release - A conservation motion that happens most often right before the local Fish and Game officer pulls over a boat that has caught over it's limit.
Hook - (1) A curved piece of metal used to catch fish. (2) A clever advertisement to entice a fisherman to spend his live savings on a new rod and reel. (3) The punch administered by said fisherman's wife after he spends their life savings (see also, Right Hook, Left Hook).
Line - Something you give your co-workers when they ask on Monday how your fishing went the past weekend.
Lure - An object that is semi-enticing to fish, but will drive an angler into such a frenzy that he will charge his credit card to the limit before exiting the tackle shop.
Reel - A weighted object that causes a rod to sink quickly when dropped overboard.
Rod - An attractively painted length of fiberglass that keeps an angler from ever getting too close to a fish.
School - A grouping in which fish are taught to avoid your $29.99 lures and hold out for spam instead.
Tackle - What your last catch did to you as you reeled him in, but just before he wrestled free and jumped back overboard.
Tackle Box - A box shaped alarmingly like your comprehensive first aid kit. Only a tackle box contains many sharp objects, so that when you reach in the wrong box blindly to get a Band Aid, you soon find that you need more than one.
Test - (1) The amount of strength a fishing line affords an angler when fighting fish in a specific weight range. (2) A measure of your creativity in blaming "that darn line" for once again losing the fish.

And for all of you not in Ohio today, here is what you are missing:: [:(]
Snow advisory in effect from 6 pm edt tonight to 2 pm edt sunday,
The NWS in Wilmington oh has issued a snow advisory.
Rain will mix with snow late this afternoon and early evening, changing to all snow by midnight. Snow will continue overnight and change back to a wintery mix by Sunday afternoon. Snow accumulations beginning tonight are expected to be from 2 to 4 inches by Sunday afternoon over much of central Ohio.
Now some comments:

Tim, thanks for the information about the Digital Dynamics installation of TMCC. In summary, the kit you purchased from Digital had color coded wires that simplified the installation while the kit that I purchased from Train America used only black wires and that complicated the installation. Hmmmm… I wonder which company I will use for my next upgrade to TMCC? [;)]

Jimmy, if you grew up in Bettendorfer, Iowa you should be a big fan of the ROCK.

Dave, can you take BB on the train? You need to find out if the dog is a chick magnet. If so, you will be a millionaire in about two weeks.

Doug, Kroger is a better place for flowers.

Dr. John, the only time I have ever been hit by golf ball is at a church golf outing. Be careful.

Jon, Are we seeing the beginnings of big floods on the Mississippi this year with all the water in Iowa?

Mark, I did tell you that there were Marx trains all over Ohio and West Virginia.

Chief, I put the battery charger in the boat and attached the cord, but I have a problem. When I roar away from the dock the extension cord is not long enough and about 100’ from the dock, the cord pulls loose. Now what? You sold me this thing, make it work! [:D]

And to all of my fellow NE Ohio Buckeyes and Doug in Chicago, batten down the hatches because it is going to get rough today and tonight. And John, when they fire up the snow heater thing, photos are a must.

Tom, another week of good photos. Take care of yourself and the family today.

Have a great weekend and you all be safe out there.

[cnw1995]

A heck of a day to open Little League - it's 26 right now with the wind - and it's in the 70s in Idaho - what's with that. This is also the day my daughter's youth group works out(side) in the community - well, it'll toughen them both up - and me too as I freeze on the baseball field bleachers. A great day to spend in the basement cleaning track - hopefully later. I found some flowers at Jewel on the way home and we had a nice dinner together at home to celebrate our anniversary - 16 years. Have a great day.

[spankybird]

Good Morning All,

NE Ohio is cool and wet, temp at 42 and falling with lots of rain soon to be snow. Where did I put the snow blower [?] Good weekend for running trains, not so good to travel to a Train Show !!!!

Buckeye – Good to see you back – loved your posting this morning.

Doug – 16 years, that’s great. I have been married for 28 years. Oh – not all to the same woman, does it still count [?]

Pick of the Day


all be safe
tom

[Jim Duda]

QUOTE: Jimmy, if you grew up in Bettendorfer, Iowa you should be a big fan of the ROCK. - Buckeye

Affirmative Commander! I just wish I could find some MTH Rock Island STEAMERS so I could pull a string of flats with Farmall tractors...!!!

(Click to enlarge)

[tadowler]

Does anyone know where I can buy Farmall scale models for my future layout? I bought a Farmall H when I was in high school and it was a great tractor. I like the Johhny Poppers but the Farmall was awesome! [:D]

- Todd

[Buckeye Riveter]

Jimmy, I used to live in Muscatine, iowa, thirty years ago. It wasn't the end of the earth, but you could see it from there.

[jonadel]

Buckeye,

I sure hope this isn't the beginning of floods like in '93, I don't think I'll ever see any thing like that again. The "experts" say that only happens once in 100 hundred years, yeah right, I've also done my fair share of scooping partly cloudy over the years.

I'll be in Bettendorf on May 6-7 for a State Music contest, last one of the year and it's a big one. That's the one good thing about being retired, having the time to make the longer drives and not be wiped out after a day of work.

Kind of cool this morning, 33 when I went out the door at 7:30 but at least it hasn't rained for 24 hours, our ground is saturated.

Have a good one.

Jon

[Buckeye Riveter]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jonadel

Buckeye,
I sure hope this isn't the beginning of floods like in '93, I don't think I'll ever see any thing like that again. The "experts" say that only happens once in 100 hundred years, yeah right, I've also done my fair share of scooping partly cloudy over the years.

Jon, When I was in school studing about hydrology and hydraulics, we dicussed the terms 10, 25, 50, 100 and 500 year storms. Here is the scary thing, the chance of the 1993 storm event is once in a hundred years, but you could theortically have the next 100 year event before one hundred years has passed. Too put it more simply, it is like rolling a dice with the numbers from 1 to 100. You could get on the first roll a 100 and then on the next roll 100. Unlikely but possible. You then could go for another 100 rolls or longer and not see the 100 again. Unlikely again, but possible.

Now what type of boat do you own? [:D]

I worked the 100 year flood in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1979 and then after I left they had another storm event in 1982(?). That was also catagorized as a 100 year storm. I was able to go into areas that were restricted to only emergency personnel and I will tell you it is not a pretty site to see homes under water. [:(]

[jonadel]

Buckeye,

Point understood. No boat needed here, we live on very high ground (sometimes a problem in the winter) and if we get flooded several thousand people will go before us. I do understand what you said about rolling the dice, it's much like tornado season or hurricane season...... could happen, but then maybe not. The good thing about '93 is that the water treatment plant (which went down and stopped water for 250,000 customers) now has extremely high berms which should prevent any future problems......... but then.........

Jon--not living anywher near a flood plain[:)]

[Dr. John]

Good evening!

Well I survived a round of golf with 20 mph winds during our church golf tournament. Had a great time, lots of sunshine, pleasant temperatures - just very breezy. Our team came in third at even par, not band with the wind.

Buckeye - the only time I ever hit someone with a golf ball was at a church tournament.

You don't suppose . . . ?

[Buckeye Riveter]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Dr. John


Buckeye - the only time I ever hit someone with a golf ball was at a church tournament.
You don't suppose . . . ?

Dr. John is it obvious that church golf outings are very dangerous. Next year I would suggest a long prayer before play based upon the dangerous odds we have exposed here today.

[Dr. John]

Buckeye, I agree! Prayer would help (and full body armor couldn't hurt! [;)] )
Actually, the time I hit someone was when I had a bad lie and the senior pastor was standing out in front of me, a bit off to the right. I told him he might want to move. He said, "Oh go ahead, you won't hit me."

I proved him wrong! [:D]

[FJ and G]

Dr. John,

When I lived in Arkansas, our pastor went to retrieve his golf ball in the woods (go figure) during a windy day and as he picked it up a branch came down, just missing his head and dislocating his shoulder.

THe next pastor we had fell off the top of a 30 foot ladder while doing roofing work on his house and had a pretty severe back injury.

-------

Ran the hound early this morning in the woods. She chased a fat rabbit out of the woods and thru our neighborhood at around 6:30 a.m. Glad the dog catcher was asleep.

Completed roadbed and ties on remainer of my layout last night, perhaps adding rails today if I don't kayak all day,

[spankybird]

Good Morning all,

NE Ohio is cold at 33 degs and yes

SNOW

We were planning on going to the Medina Train show today, but some of the roads are now snow covered and very slippery. I believe the road crews are planning on waiting for it to melt and save the salt.

Now I have to find the snow blower somewhere behind that grass cutting machine.

Buckeye, we have to send this stuff NC for Chief!!!

BTW – I see we have another Ohio boy on the forum, Chief, eat your heart out.

All be safe

tom

[laz 57]

GOOD MORNIN GIZ.
BUCKEYE, I have copied my new dictionary of terms and will use it. LOL I love it now you got to get me a glossary of terms for golf. One term you missed for the fisherman,
Bank fishing, where a man or woman sits on a bank over looking a body of water, uses a stick to rest rod on, and waits for fi***o bite while sipping on favorite adult beverage.
Also remember when out fishing do not I repeat DO NOT touch another mans rod.
Yuz GIZ from OHIO got some snow? Looks like the CHIEFSTER is at it again, must be mad at ya?
Have a good one only to get to 47 today.
laz57

[jonadel]

Good Morning,

Bright blue skies here this a.m. but a might chilly walking down to get the morning paper. At least the wind has finally died down. We've had the fireplace going the last two night and it sure felt good.

Time to go start measuring and cutting the skirting, can't wait to see how it finishes the project.

Jon

[dougdagrump]

Mornin' All, A good mornin for sippin coffee and checkin the board. Cool and drizzly. Still need to figure out the problem with my F3's, run down to Radio Shack when they open so I can get an El Cheapo meter for continuity checks.
Tom, You're better off driving in the snohio than out here driving in the drizzle. These folks don't know how to drive in any kind of weather.[censored]

[spankybird]

Doug,

I have to agree. It often make me wonder why people will drive on the interstate at 70pmh in the mist and rain and NO lights on.

BTW - some areas are reporting power outages and where I used to live has about 12" of snow. We still have green grass showing, but we are very close to Lake Eire.

And the SNOW contuines