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

[ChiefEagles]

Afternoon gang. Doug, you have mail. Been busy after Sunday School. Now go take a picture for Sunday Photo. God bless.

[Buckeye Riveter]

I don't know how many of you saw the photo I posted of the tombstone in Sunday photo fun, but it is definitely worth taking a look at. I had never seen anything like it! I suppose now everyone will want one.

[cnw1995]

Hey, hey. I just finished expanding the track and sent 248 around for an inaugural loop. It works - off a single connection from the transformer. Now the project will be to wire it right...and get a camera to get a shot.

[ChiefEagles]

Way to go Doug. Buckeye, not looking for one right now. Thanks for the offer. [:D]

[Back2Trains]

Thanks for all the prayers and concern. Right now it looks like we should be able to avoid Ivan here in SE Florida. Our prayers for those in its path, sure hope it weakens a lot.
Been in the house all week and it's like being in a cave with the storm shutters still up. I was able to work on the layout, got several accessories powered up so now the grandchildren can load logs, coal, ice, logs etc. Now there's loose coal all over the place. Until now all of it has just been a bunch of colorful stuff that might do something if Grandpa ever gets around to making it work. My oldest grandson is intrigued with the 182 crane. I think the controller is something like a video game controller to him. Really, though, I'm finally getting to run all that cool stuff that I drooled over in the '50s catalogs.
Good night all,
Jim

[ChiefEagles]

Jim, glad you are getting things going like you want. Think you may have dodged the bullet on Ivan. Forecasters want to push it north but it goes west. I'm no weatherperson but I've said Texas all along. We'll see. Enjoy the trains and accessories. Expecting an intermodal crane any day now. Hard to find. Found one by calling around. Water line up the street burst. Police can not turn it off as Raleigh bought our water system. Have to wait for someone from Raleigh to come out. Then Pam can get up and get ready. Well, so much for planned early trip to lake [boat ready to be hooked up and go]. Who knows when it will rain. Some say this afternoon and tonight but one says maybe tomorrow night. How can you be that far off. I'll get there sometime. Drink coffee and enjoy the TV. The fish will be waiting for me later this AM. [:D] God bless all.

[spankybird]

Good Morning all,

Its going to be another Blue Clear Sky in NE Ohio today. Cool morning of 56 deg at 6:00am with a high of 80’s today.

Buckeye, your are right, I would like one of those.


Pick of the day

click on the pic to enlarge it

all be safe today.

tom

[ChiefEagles]

Tom, don't be in too much of a hurry. We like you being around. [:D]

[Buckeye Riveter]

I don't know if you can see the top of the stone, but the boy died in 1911. That etching was not done with a laser, but with a chisel.

[FJ and G]

checking in;

Layout building on hold for a while as i write several drafts of my screenplay. I've arranged toy trains around my work desk as they greatly inspire me.

Found some neat lunchtime activities to do in the pentagon. I take off upstairs or down the hall and within 5 minutes I get hopelessly lost. Spend the next hour trying to find my way back. A nice way to get some lunch hour exercise.

There's fishing nearby in the Potomac but the only fish I got today were sardines on sale for 50 cents each in the CVS inside the Pentagon. My coworkers said they don't mind the smell of fish. Of course if it bothered them, they could simply get up and leave.

[jonadel]

Just returned from a fabulous week in Colorado where we were able to ride 3 trains. It's one of those experiences you need to do before you check out, It's hard to describe the beauty of CO at this time of year, the Aspens are beginning to turn and in a few areas they have turned. I hope to have an album built by the end of the week so you can check it out. I'm going to try and post a pic here, so keep your fingers crossed.

Jon

http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/auction/Sep/20049134895806302098003.jpg

[spankybird]

Hi Jon,

well your pic didn't work, but you aren't too far off, just need to do the img commands.

here is a thread that will help you

http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=20382

tom

[jonadel]

2nd try, if it doesn't work, I'll keep trying

Jon--a little slow with technoloyg but determined!

[jonadel]

Thanks Tom for the help, now I'll work on my spelling of technology

Jon

[jonadel]

America The Beautiful

Jon

[Buckeye Riveter]

Jon, for my money you have just ridden one of the best train rides in America. I did it in 1978 with the wife while we tent camped all over Colorado.

[ChiefEagles]

Jon, great shots. Looks like you and the wife are doing good. Glad to hear from you. Drop in more often.

[spankybird]

Jon, great pic,

If anyone ever wondered if there was a God, just look at that. [:D] [;)]

tom

[jonadel]

Thanks for the nice comments guys, it was a fabulous week. Did the Royal Gorge train on Monday--fun short ride, two hours. Cumbres-Toltec on Tuesday, just an amazing ride through some of the most beautiful vistas I've ever seen and then on Thursday it was Durango-Silverton going through the beautiful San Juans. Every trip was different and I can't say one was better than the other, each one was very special in it's own way. The other super thing were the wonderful people we met while enjoying the tours and the crews on the trains, talk about world class customer service without being pretentious. Best vacation we've had in years and that includes some big ones.

Time to start planning something like this for next year, any suggestions?

Jon

[ChiefEagles]

Alaska [inland]

[ChiefEagles]

Morning gang. Guess what? Started to rain again [whats new?]. Did get a an intermodal crane yesterday. Hard to find. New Lionel job. Man is it big!!! Thought that would be good with all the ttux trailer trains and maxi stacks I have now. Think I will work on decaling the switcher I repainted. All have a good one and God bless.

[spankybird]

Good Morning all,

It again going to be Blue Clear Skky day in NE Ohio, temp at 6:00am is 69 and going into mid 80’s today. [8D] Had to cut the grass last night, before the big rains come this weekend.

Dr. John and company in the south better start looking out. The big one is coming.[B)]

Hey Chief, where is the pic of the new car? [?][?]? [:)]

Pick of the day


all have a great day[8D]

tom

[ChiefEagles]

Yes, Dr. John is not looking good. I'm trying to send it to Texas [been saying Texas since before it hit the lower islands]. The weather folks still are trying to make it turn north and now trying to say it will turn sharp north. Storm that big and strong does what it wants too. Kinda like, "Where does a thousand pound gorilla sleep?" "Anywhere he wants too!" Dr. John, I'm trying hard to move it west of you. Problem, its so big it will give you some bad times even if it goes to Texas.

[FJ and G]

Jon,

That is perhaps the most dramatic picture ever.

Have you ever visited a real rivet-counter's layout that just knocks the socks off you? A seemingly real world in miniature. Then you notice something that ought not to be there.

For instance, on an Armstrong-inspired O scale layout in Maryland where structures are fully weathered, there sits atop a hill a Lionel (or MTH or K-Line?) MacDonalds that is shiny toy plastic; and on a layout in Virginia there is a passenger coach filled with scantily clad passengers (you have to look really close to see them because it's HO). The rest of the layout looks real but the free-spirited passengers in that coach put a small dent in that illusion--that is, until yesterday.

If you've ever been to Washington DC, you know that people here are ostentatious and dress conservatively. I boarded the VRE train in Crystal City, Va., expecting another normal, if not dull ride to Broad Run, past Manassas. Much to my astonishment, some of the passengers had stripped off their clothing; well, not all of it but a lot.

I soon discovered why. The air conditioning in the last coach (the old 3 seat, 2 seat arrangement, probably built in the 1950s) had expired.

However, the air in the rest of the train was working and people there were packed in like sardines, which left me 2 options. Join the sardines, or join the free-spirited people in the stripper coach, where plenty of seating was available.

As you probably guessed by now, I joined the latter group. I joined a lady about my age, who had doffed down to a heavy-duty black bra. I removed my shirt (wearing T-shirt), and we settled into an interested conversation about art, since she was a former art teacher.

We spoke of form and curve and even finger painting, which she described as a messy massage on canvas. I just love that old coach. I hope the air is out this evening and perhaps the artist and I will resume our conversation as we once again disrobe.

Never again will I look at a model railroad and think to myself, that just shouldn't be there.

[FJ and G]

Tom,

Love that 19th century train.

[Anonymous]

I think Cleaveland is the best big city you can visit! It is so clean and beutiful.[:D]

[ChiefEagles]

OH MY, not Cleveland. [Tom will be grinning]. David, di she have on rings? Prospect. Tell your kids and grandkids, I met her on the commuter train as we stripped. [;)] David, yu got an email address yet?

[cnw1995]

Good morning. We're having a string of warm, sunny days here, strange after such a cool summer. I'm going to return my 20 gauge wire this evening on the way home from work.

[FJ and G]

no ring Chief. Also, no email yet. Things are so slow in Pentagon, don't even have a badge & have to go thru visitor's entrance every day.

Takes up to a month to get security clearance here & email. Very frustrating!

[Dr. John]

Thoughy I'd pop in and say "Hi!" before the storm hits. Right now, Ivan is supposed to hit shore fairly close to us, maybe Biloxi or Gulfport, MS. Who knows? Chances are, I'll be out of touch for a few days if power, etc. are off-line. I weathered hurricaine Frederick back in 1979. We were without power for two weeks back then and without water for four days. I've got my supplies laid in and the house as ready as I can make it.

Hope to be back up in a few days. Until later . . .