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

[spankybird]

Good Morning All from NE Ohio

where the temp is 82 deg and heading to 92 with Blue Clear Sky’s

If you have a need for speed, today Cleveland is hosting the Cart Race (I think it starts at 1:30) and it should be very hot down there. And of course the NHRA is on ESPN2 tonight at 9:00 pm est. [:D][8D]

Jon – great shots of your mountains

Dave – I love your sunrise.

All be safe
tom

[ChiefEagles]

Tom, NO PHOTO OF THE DAY???? [I know you did Sunday Photo post, but....] Always look forward to Tom's photo of the day. Cloudy here. Dr. John will have to forgive me today. Over slept [too tired] and did not make Early Church and Sunday School. Cloudy [had sprinkle earlier]. Need some of Roger B's rain. Got a couple of ripe tomatoes. [:D] Now will have real tomato sandwiches [lots of Dukes mayo, salt and pepper]. [:D] Dougsnotagrump, hope you are not burning. Man, from shakes to fires. [:(] Hope all have a great day and God bless all.

[Anonymous]

Jon, Nice layout pics. maybe I'll get off my butt and shoot some later today. Or maybe not , good to have a do nothing day. Sunny and 50 this morning...headed to 78 this afternoon......Tim

[Dr. John]

We missed a good chance for some rail today. Very pleasant, overcast day, though - much cooler than it has been. Maybe we'll get some rain over the next week.

I'm thinking about building a small diorama to photograph equipment and try out some scenery ideas - it'll give me a small project before the fall and beginning the layout. Chief is ahead of me there - at least he has some track down!

[Anonymous]

Chief, Or anyone else, How many different maxi stacks has Lionel made ? I am referring to the traditional size ones with 8.25" containers and the two cars are 27" including couplers. Like to know so I will know which ones to look for.
So much for a do nothing day. Cleaned out shop and swept up, finished my daughters cedar chest and built crate to ship it to her. Dug some holes with tractor for Mrs PE to plant bushes. Did find a few minutes to run trains...Tim

[ChiefEagles]

Tim, I do not know. Better ask someone else. I got these from a guy in NY off of OGR Buy and Sale. They come in twos like the TTX Trailer Trains do. They come hooked together but with two sets of die cast trucks to make them separate flats. The containers I have are sloted so you can attach them to 18 wheeler trailers [which Lionel makes and I have].



Wish I could help more.

[Jumijo]

Jon,

Those mountains are just great! I never would have thought to use that technique, but seeing it done, it looks very convincing and really makes the background three dimensional. Very, very nice. Thanks for teaching me something new.

Tom, great storage drawers under the layout. I was going to just have shelves until I saw those. Much more effecient use of space. Less than 2 weeks to go before I start building the benchwork. Your turbine is a good smoker. I want one!

My 3 kids had a combined birthday party this weekend and someone gave them a Lionel covered bridge. It's big, but I guess nothing says New England like a covered bridge. My daughter and I detailed the daylights out of a Plasticville barn this weekend. We're missing one of the vent stacks that go on the roof, but that shouldn't be a problem. Gotta have some place for all the new plastic animals to live, right?

Jim

[spankybird]

Good Morning All from NE Ohio

where the temp is already 78 and heading to 95 (again) with Blue Clear Sky’s. They say today maybe the hottest day of this heat wave.

Jim – the draws under the layout is from Scott Smith, I use shelves on the wall. Thanks anyway.

This week we have a break from w - - k so we can slide into the 4th weekend.


Pick of the Day


all be safe
tom

[Jumijo]

I stand corrected. Great drawers, Scott! Gotta start posting after I wake up, not before. Enjoy your week off, Tom.

Jim

[Dr. John]

Busy weeks starts with Vacation Bible School at our church. Our children's minister expects over 1,000 children this week.

Each year there is a different "theme" for VBS - ocean trips, space adventures, western themes, this year it is a "Ramblin' Road Trip" with an automobile theme. I sure wi***hey would come up with a train theme one year - I could be a lot more help with the decorations! Not to mention setting up some layouts for kids to run.

[jonadel]

Good Morning,

Well it was 7:15 a.m. with temps in the 70's with high humidity and once again headed for 92 so I got to work early. Took down a fairly large tree and now need to cut it up for firewood but I need a break, it's good that I have large places for those trees to fall--can't say that I'd like to be in the tree trimming/cutting business, very dangerous.

I need more storage/siding area. I was juggling trains and rolling stock around yesterday and there's no doubt about not having enough storage. I'm making a list of what I like about our layout and what I would like different for the next one, list's are the ONLY way I'll remember[:I] The other very important concern is that I have remote power switches for the sidings, now that I have three passenger trains I need to cut the power to those passenger cars not in use. I know it's any easy fix but I've already ballasted the tracks, grrrrrrrr. See what I mean about learning from my mistakes? I want to do that this week since it's so doggone hot outside.

Well, I've stopped the flood of sweat, had a cup of coffee and have had a conversation on the computer with good people. Time to get back to w$#k.

Stay cool and have a great day.

Jon

[ChiefEagles]

Morning gang. Tom , have a great week off. I have ripe tomatoes. I've got some tall vines but not as tall as you get them to grow. Growing out the top of Burpee square tomato baskets stacked two high. If we had rain, they would really grow. Still no rain. Jon, cooled off and stopped sweating and had cup of coffee. [?][?] Suppose to have sweet ice tea. Will you Yankees ever learn???? !!! [;)] Have a geat day and God bless all.

[cnw1995]

I'm drinking green tea this morning, Chief, does that count? Hot and humid, watching streams of people pass my window going to the 'Taste of Chicago' this week. Can't imagine anything more unappetizing than standing crammed together eating tiny portions of overpriced food with your shoes sticking to the asphalt.

John was right, the 'extra' button I had to try to sound the whistle didn't work. I read up on sine curves and transfomer outputs - seems like my older transformers were rated without loads unlike modern transformers - so my R transformer may be up to 30ish% less than its 110 watts with a load. It's fun trying to figure this out.

I'm taking my son to a Cubs game for his birthday this Wed. May end up taking the rest of the week off... Wish we had rain. All the greenry is wilting.

[jonadel]

Chief--

I did try Sweet Tea when we were in NC in May, I about went into sugar shock[:)] Wow, I immediately switched to Gin & tonic and was better quickly[8D]

Jon

[ChiefEagles]

Well YANKEES, us REBS are charging Nawth. We have sent you high temps and high humidity. Actually hotter than down here. [:D] Getting you guys who side with them out in the plains states too. [;)] Bet you will find that sweet ice tea now. [:p] Stay cool
guys. Just came in from gardening. Wet as if I fell in pond. [I'm use to it] Now for some home grown tomato sandwiches. [dinner] OH Doug, last night I was running 4 big Lionel engines [2 motors each with sounds, lights and smoke] and the dummy [lights and smoke] in TMCC on one side of my KW. Later

[Anonymous]

Good Afternoon, Everyone!

I wrote my Chemistry final this morning. It was a departmental exam, but it wasn't too bad. Does it ever feel great to be done school! Now I can relax and enjoy the summer!

QUOTE: Originally posted by Dr. John

Busy weeks starts with Vacation Bible School at our church. Our children's minister expects over 1,000 children this week.

Each year there is a different "theme" for VBS - ocean trips, space adventures, western themes, this year it is a "Ramblin' Road Trip" with an automobile theme. I sure wi***hey would come up with a train theme one year - I could be a lot more help with the decorations! Not to mention setting up some layouts for kids to run.

Actually, there was a train theme for VBS once. I remember a few years ago there being posters advertising VBS and the title (I can't remember it) was train-related. The posters had pictures a bunch of kids on a wooden Nickle Plate caboose. Perhaps things are different for VBS in Canada and the US, though.

It's great to hear that there will be so many kids. We certainly don't have numbers like that here. Mind you, I'm in a small town of about 1500 people, but attendance for Sunday school at our church is dropping at an alarming rate. There's less than 10 kids total that go to Sunday school on a semi-regular basis and most Sundays not all of them show up. It's really a shame that so many parents aren't brining their kids to church.

QUOTE: Originally posted by cnw1995

Wow, Sask, that streamlined engine would be neat.

I couldn't find a picture of it on the net, but I did find this clipart image of an identical engine. You've got to love that bullet nose! It was/is made in these colours as well as black with white trim. I have the black one. It is a European prototype, so I can see why K-Line might not be interested in using it, but it's such a cool engine that it's really a shame if they don't do something with it. The set mine is in has a tank car and a flat car with stakes hauling logs (I wonder if K-Line has the tooling for that car, too).

http://www.webpraxis.ab.ca/vrr/clipart/pics/locos/VR[W7A4FMhHD1Y]_loco24.gif
(The image didn't want to post, so here's the link to it.)

[Dr. John]

Sask, congratulations on fininshing up school. I know you are glad for a break. I must have missed the train theme for VBS. There are about 15 different publishers that put out VBS materials so it is not surprising that I've missed some. Still, it would be fun to see a train theme again.

I actually saw about a dozen drops of rain today! Then the cloud moved on and the sun returned. Hot and dry in central Alabama. Autuaga Creek and the Alabama River are both well below normal. One of my favorite fishing spots is just a trickle of water between mud flats. Maybe some real rain will fall soon.

[ChiefEagles]

I hope Dr. John takes a check. [;)] It rained!!!!! Would you believe it ran me in from watering Pam's flowers after I had soaker hosed the garden. That was just fine. [^] Everything is really wet. Might get more this PM and, per weatherman, greater schance tomorrow. I had sprayed Roundup about 2 hours before. Think that was enough time. Had been sunny and then cloudy and sunny back and forth. No indication of rain and suddenly, lightning and thunder. Later.

[laz 57]

HI GIZ,
HOT and STEAMY here sort like TEXASS lawn ladies.
Planted 13 abrovities today before 10 AM. Got too hot today 92.
TOM cool pic on this RED hot day.
Stay COOL?
laz57

[ChiefEagles]

Laz, us REBS getting even all the time. [;)]

[Dr. John]

Chief, no check necessary . . .
. . . just send some rain down this way!

[Roger Bielen]

Thunder squalls started moving through around 8:30 this evening. Was hot and humid today, after this additional rain probably more of the same tomorrow.

[csxt30]

Boy, working in all this heat, I feel like a French Fry !! Been a few years since we had these temperatures. one temp. sign said 98degrees today! Thanks, & all keep cool!!

[daan]

Hi Y'all,
Thunderstorms today and tomorrow, now it's still hot and sunny outside.. Guess I'll prepare the garden for some serious storm goming up.
It has been hot for a week now, no rain and temp's between 25 and 30 dgr's celcius
(which is hot for Holland).. But since it's not too humid, it's nice and comfortable to be outside. I had a few day's off from work, so I didn't have to work in 40+ drgs celcius in the french fries factory.. (But I'm kinda used to it, so apart from feeling like a glacier in summer it doesn't really harm.) Got to do the car today, polish and clean it thoroughly.
Then hopefully also do some work on the layout today.
Have a great day all and keep the head cool.

[zwbob]

Tom(spankybird) must be sleeping in today so I'll post the weather in NE Ohio[:D]. Its 78 and the sun is shining. They're calling for a high of 85 with scattered thunderstorms.
Have a good day and keep cool.

[spankybird]

Good Morning All from NE Ohio

where the temp is now 77 by the lake with partly cloudy skies. Maybe a chance of T-Storms latter. Yesterday we hit 95 deg again. Sure wish Chief would start to build his layout so we could cool off.

Yes Bob – its great to stay up late and not have to worry about getting up early.

Csxt30 – John - I see in today’s newspaper that the NS coal yards in Ashtabula Harbor caught on fire.

Pick of the Day


all be safe and cool
tom

[jonadel]

Good Morning,

Cloudy, rainy, high humidity and headed for the 90's again today We've been blessed with about 1" of rain since last Friday night, the bigger problem though is that it comes down in torrents but we'll still take it. I worked outside yesterday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. doing hard yard work, cutting down a fairly large tree and then did a huge pickup load of mulch around the perennials. Yes, I did take several breaks but I did feel good at the end of the day after a shower. I need to do that more often and get off my butt.

Spent time in the train room last night taking more pics. I'd like to redo our internet train album so it makes more sense, not difficult work but certainly time consuming. I have a new digital video camera and want to put it on a flat car and run it around the layout. Do any of you know of web hosting sites that take video? It's an area I'm totally unfamiliar with and need help.

Have a great day!

Jon

[cnw1995]

In the 90s again today - third driest June ever - behind 1922 and 1904. The county's farmers are suffering - the corn is very stunted. At least the air conditioning is still working. Going to take tomorrow off to swelter at a Cubs game with my son.

Any plans for the holiday weekend? We're going to go visit friends who live near the lake (there is a real lake in Crystal Lake) to watch fireworks on Sun.

[1688torpedo]

It's been so hot here that the Gargoyoles on the Methodists Church in Cleveland have been begging for Lemonade from the Pedestrians on the city sidewalks.[:)]

[IronHoarse]

It is warm and very muggy here and our air conditioning is nothing more than a window fan. We need rain here, only about one inch fell this month's so far. We only had one inch in May too so it is very dry here. The grandchildren are coming for the weekend. As far as I know they have never seen a toy train before, so their reaction should be interesting when they see my train. Their ages are 5, 8, and 11. The 5 year old is the only boy and he is nuts about cars and trucks so I am sure he will love the train. Not too sure what the two girls will think but time will tell.