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

[FJ and G]

I'll be back on Tuesday; going to see my folks in NY. When people think of NY they often think big city; but many do not know that much of upstate is rural with dairy farms, vinyards, and in my area, the Adirandacks, where you can travel on mountain trails or canoe for 100 miles by portaging. Will be nice to escape the Virginia heat.

Next weekend, I will start a crossover track project and carefully photograph and document everything and write up a proposal to CTT. One of the pictures will be the finished section, fully scenicked with one of my scratchbuilt freight cars on it.

Another topic; I was just rereading my recent Trains magazine, admiring the spectacular scenery in Ecuador with 19th century steam trains that still have the brakeman riding atop the cars. Then, read another article about Swiss trains and how the country rewrote their Constitution to ensure that trains make up the bulk of freight and passenger mode. A pretty radical idea that never will happen in the USA even if gas hits $10 a gallon. In England gas is $7 gal and people still drive.

That's my sermon for today.

I'll stop by & visit the forum a few times today and then it's off to NY.

dav

[ChiefEagles]

Been trying to sleep late but David will not turn aloose of the whistle. Got up and it was cloudy so I went back to bed. Slept until 9. Then a call from a fishing buddy in FL. You know me, not much to say. [:D] Now making my rounds on the computer. Think I'l go play trains. David, have a good trip. Take some pictures and I'l post them when you get back. Everyone enjoy the day and God bless all.

[Dr. John]

Good morning!
Quiet day in the Port City. Going to be a scorcher with highs in the 90s, unless some more clouds roll in. Yesterday was our first sunny day in about a week. I am grateful for the rain, but the grass is growing like kudzu!
I'll be in Birmingham on Monday and Tuesday to take my oldest daughter to Samford University for orientation and registration. She moves up there the middle of August.
Maybe I can play with trains tomorrow!

[ChiefEagles]

Dr. John, big move for her and you. Grown and leaving home.

[Dr. John]

Chief,
Yeah, she thinks she's ready, but it will be an eye-opener for her. Still, it's part of growing up and will be a good experience for her.

[Roger Bielen]

Well, the daughter-in-law gaduates nursing school this evening, finally. She's hoping that when she starts a regular job she and the girls will be able to get their own place. Boy, Grandpa'll miss my three little engineers if they do. I guess I'll have to take the rug RR from the TV room and put it on a board for them.

We'll wait and see how things go.

[cnw1995]

It's wonderful to feel part of a group like this - and listen to what's going on in your lives. I'm experimenting with this laptop and it's highspeed wireless Internet connection to sit on the deck while the 2year old plays in his plastic pool and sandbox. His 10 year old brother is racing around playing with the garden hose with his friends. His 13 year old sister is on Amtrak hopefully approaching NYC for a few days with her mother-in-law in the big city. My mom-in-law is not a great mom but a pretty nifty gran. She took my son to LA on Amtrak last year. My better half is taking a bit of a mental health day - I'm lucky enough to work at home on Thur. Looks like it's set to rain...Dave, I'll bet the drive to upstate NY is real nice. I hope you have a safe trip, and would look forward to your article in CTT. Graduation is a big deal - I work at a university and it's always a blast to see the adults - the ones who take their education seriously - successfully finish,

[dougdagrump]

Had to chuckle the other day. We had a minor earthquake the other day, barely noticeable, so here goes the local media covering it like half the city of San Diego had been destroyed. I think the only damage was to a termite infested telephone pole.[banghead]

[ChiefEagles]

Doug, you are a blast!!!!!![:D][:D] Always enjoy your "observations" on things. [:D] HEY GUYS!!!!!!!! You will not believe this. I found another box of train cars, my original 1033 transformer [1952] and cabooses stored in my walk-in attic. Frankie had put some empty GI Joe boxes on top of it years ago. [:D] Just added a track for storing cars and engines that I can cut off and on while running the other train on digital. Used a manual 027 switch and removed the switch stand [can not find a used 031 anywhere around here]. Run the engine in on slow and no problem. It ends at the main transformer. I just put the engine on facing in reverse and power up the track and back it out. Then lash it up with the one I have now. The new one comes tomorrow. [:D] This comes in handy to add and remove cars while the main track is under full power. The other storage track is run off of an old Lionel brick and I run a conventional GP( as a switcher to build trains too. Now I need to quit playing and get that room ready and BUILD. Too much fun playing. [:D]

[cnw1995]

That's tremendous, Chief...what a thrill to find it again.

[ChiefEagles]

cnw1995, your little quote below remainds me that I need to watch my DVD set of "Band of Brothers" again. [:)] Just got the DVD "Saving Private Ryan".

[Anonymous]

Chief,

How many times have you watched "Band of Brothers"? I've read the book and been through the DVD 3 times. Its a great story.

Mike

[warner brook]

yo chief eagles
thanks again for your input.by pure luck i found a closer source for o gauge 3 rail it`s only half the distance,of all places it was in a farmers market i guess they are growing the trains now instead of manufacturing them.it looks like he`s turning a hobby into a side business,i wasn`t able to talk to him personally as he`s not always there and his employees didn`t have a clue about the trains they just told me to call before comming.oh how sad.about the whole middle east debacle, i don`t think it will ever change in a couple of life times,their minds are too twisted they have a different outlook on what religion is all about.but enough of this.let me not digress.i`ve started to work out a modest track plan in my head i guess i should wait untill i see and get my hands on some mth real track,it probably doesn`t hurt to think about it i`am sure i`ll change my mind a few times.talk to you again roy

[ChiefEagles]

rrcrossing-fr, a couple of times and everytime they re-run them on TV. I may be missing them on TV now as I think the wife told me they come on once a week on some channel. To me one of the greatest was when the LT took the german guns in the early part of the episode. Running the trenches and the zinging bullets and shooting Germans in the same trench. All this and they were green guys. OH, just saw you are a left banker. Dougsagrump is too. Glad to see you all posting. Keep the sun shinning. [8D]

Roy, I agree with you on Bush's war. Our guys did a good job and now bring them home. You can not make "Little Americans" out of everyone. Those folks have been killing each other since the Bibble. [that is a repeat of an earlier post] I have one that is a good friend of mine. Runs a restaurant I go to all the time [knew him before that]. He says they need a strong dictatorship to keep the factions in line. [soapbox]

[spankybird]

Good Morning all,

Well of course we had more rain yesterday and big T-storms last nignt. Now they say we should have 3 or 4 days of some sunshine. Maybe I will be able to see the sun set once.

On Saturday, Willoughby is have thier Classic Car Cursine. The shut down the main street, have great cars from the 50's thru 80's, live (better than dead) music (50 and 60). It should be a great time.

all be safe today.

tom

[ChiefEagles]

Tom, I thought that was true for every day in your town. [:p] Hot and humid here. Last night's news gave the sweat cities in the USA. El Paso was number one, Greenville SC was number three and Raleigh NC was number forty [highest rank for NC]. Well I have to go weedeat and mow today. I'll give that a test. Actually I have my nose pressed against the full glass storm door in the front of the house. Kind of like a kid in the forties and fifties looking at a Lionel layout in Macey's front window at Christmas. Waiting for Brown. My other NS SD90 PS2 is due today. [:D] He use to deliver by 10:30 AM but the last two deliveries were at 3:30 PM. ???? Well, a big sweet roll with pecans and melted butter on top and some coffee is next. Thought David wass going to NY state to see his folks. Would not be on the computer. He is still posting. Can't cut that hot air off. [;)] All have a great day and God bless all

[jonadel]

Good Morning,

After a busy week (for a retired guy) with my part time job it's off to the mighty Mississippi on the bluffs of Dubuque, IA. Except for the mosquito's it's a great time of the year in the midwest with lots of opportunities close by. The barges going throught the locks and the trains running next to the river as seen from a bicycle seat are magical.

Have a great weekend.

Jon

[Jim Duda]

Spank - I'd love to ride down your Main street in my hooptie, mix it up with a few XKE's, then pull into an A&W root beer stand, have them hang that aluminum tray on the window with those cold, heavy, glass mugs foaming over at the top...!!! Then maybe go to a drive-in movie after that...(sigh)

[spankybird]

Hey Jimbo,
We would love to have you and your Vette up here. Last year, there was over 450 cars in the town, this year, they add more space for them to park.

The town next to use has a cursing night every Saturday. It is the largest in Ohio. Last year, My Classic Car Show came and taped it. They had over 2,000 cars show up.

I will take some pic

tom

[Dr. John]

Good morning, all!

All this talk about Classic cars and Jim's Corvette are making me nostalgic. When my wife and I were in our "courting days" 20+ years ago, I owned a '79 Vette - Ice blue with custom painted pin stripes, close-ratio 4-speed and the L-82 350 small block. We had a lot of fun in that car, cruising to Gulf Shores or Dauphin Island with the T-Top off and the Alpine sound system cranked up. *Sigh!*
A funny story related to that Vette concerns Sheryl's desire to drive it. She's 5 feet tall on a good low-gravity day, so even with the seat pulled forward, she had trouble with the clutch. That Vette had a safety switch where the clutch had to be fully depressed before you could start it. So I told her, "If you can start it, you can drive it." By the way, a clutch on a Vette is tight! not like a Civic or Toyota! She tried for all she was worth, but she couldn't move the clutch pedal enough to start it!
I sold it sometimes in 1983 to a guy in Pensacola - got more for it than I paid, but I still miss it!

[Jim Duda]

I'm nostalgic for that big mug of A&W root beer (they don't have 'em in Austin) and a 10 cent MacDonald's hamburger from the '50s...and polishin' up the car for a date with the head twirler in the high school band! I think "The Thing" is on at the drive-in...

[ChiefEagles]

Dr. John and Jim had better stop right now or they are going to embarrass themselves. [;)][;)]

[Roger Bielen]

I married tthe head twirler of the high school band, though she was a year behind me. We've been married 35 yrs. end of July.

[Buckeye Riveter]

Speaking of classic cars, I remember well my first car, a 1965 Mustang. Yes, I had one of the orginals in 1969. I purchased it for $900. It was great for cruising, but the most fun I ever had was driving through the curvey mountain roads on US 50 in Wild and Wonderful West Virginia. [8D]

[Jim Duda]

Damn you boys!!! Now I really wanna go to the Spankster's Classic Car Cruise! The hooptie is OK, but I think I'd choose to show up in my FIRST car. I changed out the original Stude 259 V8 and put a Corvette 283 with solid lifters and double Isky valve springs...it would spin 7200 RPM and tear your ears out! I had more fun doin' bad things on the one-ways in Davenport, Iowa against the '55 - '57 Chevies and Crown Victorias...even Mopars, because nobody expected a weenie Studie to be fast. I still like the Raymond Loewy styling which was ahead of it's time. Funny how you never forget your first car, first girl, first kiss, first homerun, first TRAIN, etc...

[Dr. John]

Jim,

I love the design of the old Studebakers. Remember the old Avanti?
I can't remember the last time I saw a Studebaker outside of a car show.

[Jim Duda]

Sure do! Had the instruments in the visor area and the panel looked similar to an airplane's. I think the body was fiberglas and was introduced in '62 or '63. The '57 Golden Hawk was supercharged (Paxton?) I think they had a Packard engine...

Great memories...Maybe I'll get some cans of A&W, and pour it in one of the old mugs I stole and reminisce...

[ChiefEagles]

My first one was a 55 Chevy. Later I had a Corvair Monza Spider.

[Buckeye Riveter]

When I lived in South Bend, Indiana, the Avanti Factory was on the southside of the downtown area. You could walk up to a window along a sidewalk and peer in and watch them put the cars together. In the summer the windows were open and you could hear everything quite clearly.

I also walked through the old Studebaker plant in the early 1980s. What a spooky place, even in broad daylight.

[spankybird]

When I was a junior in High School (67) I had a 62 Ford Galaxy Convertible. [:P] How cool is it to have a rag top while you were in school. [8D]