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

[jonadel]

Good for you Steve, been there, done that. 60+ hour weeks will eat you alive and certainly not worth it in the long run. The money is always nice to have but quality time of your own or with family is certainly more important. If I had it to do all over again my priorities would be different, knowing what I know now.

Jon[:)]

[TurboOne]

Hello and good morning one and all. It has been forever since the computer worked, and there wasn't a million things between job and home to do. I've have gone on 6 field trips, and helped out at PTA. I added a second mortgage company so I can do more loans, I did 17 my first two months. Lots of hours. I apologize for not being able to reach so many, but windows 98 finally did me in.

A Big thanks to Chief, for calling and passing the word that things were ok out here.

Just getting email to work, yes the end of windows 98 v1, I am going to XP on all computers, and using thunderbird for the email program.

How the heck are you all doing ??????????????????

It is great to see the fun you guys have, don't know if I can catch up on so many months of email, but I will try.

I will be doing phone calls to all who emailed if I have your number.

PE TIM sent it.

Doug the nicest grump- hope you are having a great time at the museum, will have to stop by this month. I did a field trip with my sons kindergarten class, we saw all but 3 rail, the only gave us 26 minutes and we almost made it to your part of the woods. Hope a lot of interest got created there.

We have some drizzle today but it has been fantastic weather.

Take care all,

Turbo Tim[:)]

[spankybird]

Good Morning All from NE Ohio

where the temp is 62 deg with cloudy skies, which is to be clearing with a high in the 70’s and Saturday in the mid 80’s.

T Tim – Great to see you back. You have been missed.

Steve – sounds like a good move, remember you work for a living, not live for working.

T G I F

Pick of the Day

Leaving the week behind and Heading into the weekend

All be safe
tom

[ChiefEagles]

Good to see Turbo T back. Now lets find SkyRay????? Great photo Tom [he always has a good one each morning]. Got a call from some guy named Buckeye. Almost sounded like he was talking in a foreign language. [;)] Thanks for the advice Buckeye. Think he was really spying to see if he could hear hammering and nailing on layout. All he heard was trains running. [:D] Well, morning is shot. Pam volunteered to help decorate for a friend's wedding. Guess who is going in her place???? [:(] Meeting Frankie at the Crazy Fire [Mongolian Stir Fry] for lunch. First time I've been since who knows when. I'm sure that my Hungarian waitress will be glad to see me. [;)] Got to celebrate as I get another year older tomorrow [and hav to attend the wedding [:(]]. Well, coffee is instore. God bless all.

[Roger Bielen]

Another gloomy (weather wise) day here in GA, cloudy with drizzle. Its been a wet week. Since we get to watch the GDs for the weekend, G-Ma and I decided we'd suprise them with one of their favorite Pop-Pop dishes. I put on a tape of RR songs on the stereo and proceeded to put together a big pot of jambalaya. We'll have that for supper with Texas toast. I'll be enjoying the leftovers for a couple of days next week.

With it being wet, no yard work today so I'll have the afternoon to work on the layout, shoud fini***he small farm plot today.

[ben10ben]

Morning Folks,

RedHawk,
Glad that you were able to find a new job. I can certainly understand your wanting to leave your old one.

Tim,
Really glad to see you back!

Tom,
Great photo as always

Hope that you all have a good day!

[Anonymous]

Good Morning, Everyone!

Well, the weather here on the prairies is anything but nice! For the past couple days (and off and on during the past week), we've had rain. Recently it has been just pouring! It's supposed to stay ike this for the next couple days. There have even been tornado watches for my area (note that there is a difference between a watch and a warning). Southern Manitoba got hit the worst. Some funnel clouds actually did touch down there, but the only damage done was to a chicken coop and the only casualties were to the chickens inside.

I cleaned up the wheels on my Marx 1998 switcher and it runs like a champ! I've got it pulling a frieght on my layout. I also just got a tinplate semaphore signal, station platform and pedestrian bridge made by Distler of Germany in the 1950's from ebay that I've accomodated on my layout.

[laz 57]

HI GIZ,
TGIF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lost another one to my bro last night. He beat me in the last hole. I missed a 5 foot putt. Oh well maybe next week.
2 days o school left.
Maybe go fish if it stops raining today.
Have a good one.
laz57

[Roger Bielen]

Did the Chief and Buckeye finally get together for a fishing trip? Wonder whose manning the oars?

[IronHoarse]

Mornin'

Yesterday the UPS truck came with my bay window caboose, so now I have a complete train. I know cabooses are rarely used now on the railroads but I think they are cool. Mine has a flashing Mars light on the back. Does anyone know what "Mars" stands for? I know they were on the back of a caboose so other trains could see if there was a train in front of them. Have a good day everyone.

[image] http://www.moranweather.com/trains/Baywindowcaboosew.jpg [/image]

[TurboOne]

Good morning all, hope everyone is having a great day.

Tom, miss your pics good to see them again.

Roger, that looks like Chief and Buckeye.

Hiya Ben, how are things going ?

Have a fantastic weekend guys, hope we can chat more this weekend.

Tim [:)][:D][8D]

[wrmcclellan]

TTim - great to hear from you and that all is well. We have been doing the same thing here - lots of end-of-school-year stuff (PTA, parties, finals, etc.) and then school ended and summer camps (band, B-Ball, soccer, Scouts) starts up. And Hey! Throw a vacation trip in the middle of everything!

Iron H - Mars was a manufacturer of what was known as a mechanically oscillating "signal" light for locomotives. Here is a nice link:

http://pages.tca.net/lruback/warnlite.htm

The light that flashes on a caboose is typically know as a EOT or End-of-Train signal light.

I notice that Chief avoids any comments on getting his layout built - meanwhile Jerry is plowing ahead [:-^]

Nice here today (high 80's) with a big line of T-storms approaching from the West. Hopefully I can get time to mow before they arrive.

Have a great day all!
Roy

[Dr. John]

Very muggy hear in central Alabama. Getting packed for trip up north. Leaving from the church tomorrow at 6 AM to drive to Atlanta airport (MUCH cheaper than flying out of Montgomery!) Extended forecast for Boston not too good next week - rain forecast for each day. Hopefully we can get some work in between showers on this church sanctuary.

Hope everyone has a good week!

[IronHoarse]

Thanks Roy, the link has a lot of good information on it.

[Roger Bielen]

Dr. John - Be careful if you drive up to the curb to drop anyone off at the terminal, the airport police are extremely paranoid about cars being at curbside too long, especially empty. There have been a few instances of them ruffing up women who asked the simple question of why they had to move so fast. Exceeding authority???

I've always found the remote parking best with the shuttles picking up and dropping off almost at your car, though its a little bit of a walk getting to the shuttle coming back.

Have a safe trip, I guess Chief and I are on our own to defend the South this week.

Ironhorse - I've also heard the flashing light called FRED - flashing rear end device.

[Anonymous]

Nice pic, Iron.

That light was added to cabooses after about 1930's. before tha, they hung lanterns out. The flashing light is all you see at the end of an train now, No more cabboses other then pushing manuvers.

[wrmcclellan]

Well all we got out of the huge storm front was a pitance of rain to wet the sidewalks. Finished the lawn and cleaning gutters just as it came over.

[ChiefEagles]

Got one Lionel SD80 smoking up a storm. Tried the fiberglass wrap around the element. Was OK but. Buckeye suggested I take it off and just use bare element against pink insulation [for the wick]. Works better. [:D] Now to do all of my diesels. All fans were turning right direction. Now to check speakers as Marty has photo on the smoke unit repair post showing how speakers are to be wired. Now for pizza. Later.

[dougdagrump]

Evenin' All, Did ya hear it? The sounds of silence, my Atlas SD-35 just purrs like a kitten, finally.[^] I got so happy with the Atlas that I forgot to test the smoke unit that I tuned-up. Oh well that gives me something to do either this sunday, if we are still short of people, or next friday. Hopefully I got some good pictures today for "Sunday Photo Fun". [sigh]

[laz 57]

Hi GIZ,
Ran trains for two hours NO major wrecks or things all ran GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hope everyone had a good night.
Rain here all day, no fishin tonite. Maybe tomorrow?
Good night.
laz57

[Anonymous]

Finally proof that Im ahead of Cheifie!!!!

[spankybird]

Good Morning All from NE Ohio

where the temp is 65 with partly cloudy skies and going into the high 70’s. What a great start for the weekend.

Jerry, its great to see both you and Big Boy to have track on a table. Wonder what Chief is waiting for [?]

Buckeye – Looks like we are going to have a very warm summer, with nothing but hot air coming from the South.

Pick of the Day

Working on the RR.
Notice the guy with the hammer isn’t looking at the guy with the spike. Want to guess which one is Chief [?]

All be safe
tom

[ChiefEagles]

Chiefie has the hammer and Tom has the spike. [;)] Got a lot of room prep before I start building table. Painting the walls sky blue for starters, insulating a walking attic so trains will run into it, ceiling to pain after installing exhaust fan and then I will build tables [at least 6 in the main room and a couple in attic]. Alison is here for my birthday [she lives at the beach now but still has a lot of stuff upstairs] . Pam said waffles but no one is cooking. [:(] Think I'll go to the train store [Miss Edna's] to meet with the guys. Too wet to mow right now. Got to go to a wedding this afternoon [will take all afternoon]. Obligations. [:(] Have a good one and God bless all.

[IronHoarse]

Mornin'

I got the grass cut and trimmed yesterday. Washed and waxed the wife's car the day before. Guess my chores are done for a little while so I think I will play with the train. I would like to work on the layout but I will have to wait for my truss bridge and switches to get here before I can do much more. The bridge should arrive early next week so I will be able to work on that end of the layout hopefully by Tuesday. Have a good one!

[Roger Bielen]

Up early this morning for a run to Lowe's, came home and started on reseeding some bare spots in the lawn, after the GD's were up, fed and dressed took them over to the grand opening of a new AC contractor in town to see the #2 Nextel cup car on display.

They watch the NASCAR races with me and always ask why don't the drivers get hurt when they crash and showing them the "cage" was easier than trying to explain. Wish we had a steam engine nearby to answer some of those questions.

Just finished another section of lawn and almost time for lunch. Weather today is going into the 80's, its cloudy looking like more rain but every so often the sun breaks through and it get humid as h***. Think I'll spend some time in the train room this afternoon wiht the AC roaring.

[FJ and G]

Roger

I'm headed to Lowe's soon to get broken bags of soil. They give 50% off on these bags and most of the dirt is in them. Almost cheap as dirt, you might say.

This has been the coolest spring in N. Virginia that I can recall in about 10 years of living here. I go outdoors a lot and hope it stays cool and drizzly so the hound doesn't heat up too much chasing rabbits. BB the beagle helped me do some grilling this morning, ensuring any dropped pieces were tidied up real quick. Also tried her paw at eating corn on cob. May have a picture or 2 to show in couple days.

Don't find much time running the train at work these days as working on a Gettysburg microsite for www.army.mil.

When will Nemechek win a NASCAR for the Army? Dyin' to get a picture up.

[Roger Bielen]

Dave, careful with BB eating corn on the cob. We had a dog that loved the corn and the cob, only problem was it tended to go right through her.

[laz 57]

Hi GIZ,
HUMID here today at 74.
Got ta go fishing tonite.
Cut grass tomorrow.
Have a good one.
laz57

[ChiefEagles]

Well, afternoon wasted on wedding and reception. Strange wedding. Groom is part of the #2 contemporary Christian band. Had 6 earrings. Three in each ear and they were big silver ones. [:0] Very informal. Great music though. We left reception early because Pam had ordered me and ice cream birthday cake and had to pick it up by a certain time. Fine with me. [;)] Now I have all the materials [maybe an oddd and end or two] to light and smoke that MTH NS Dash 8 dummy, that will be my next big project. [you should have noticed I like to work on, modify and run trains more than build] Later

[Buckeye Riveter]

Played golf today. Six under with one eagle.....it was a scramble so LAZ don't get your shorts in a knot and tell me I should be on tour and quit my day job. [:D]

Tim, glad to see you back on board.

The tree was removed from the Garden RR. Not one scratch!