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

[ChiefEagles]

Finally got in from the visit to the Dr in the big city. Got to drive back tomorrow for a CT. Traffic!!! Traffic!!! Well, guess I'd better get unpacked and mow the grass [really bagging the leaves that are falling]. God bless all.

[daan]

Hi all,
I like the idea of a location list to see where you are in the planet. So here goes the list for Holland.

You know you are in Holland if:
1 You considder yourself safe on the seabed
2 You eat bread with cheese for breakfast and supper
3 You eat "balletje majo"
4 You think that Ruud Gullit is the best soccer-player ever
5 You need 2 hours to cover a 3 mile distance by car
6 Your best possible way of transport is a pushbike
7 If you sneeze on any place in this country, 50 people whish you health.
8 The only dark spot at night is in the garbage can.
9 Walking outside requires shoes to protect against dogshit.
10 Any where you look, you see a windmill
11 Any where you look, you see water
12 The Firesquad is called for too much water.
13 The Prime Minister is Harry Potter.
14 Every day it doesn't rain 15 million people sit on the beach.
15 You get higher punishment for speeding than murder.
16 you are as stoned as a shrimp and you may still join the traffic.
17 You live in Amsterdam and are automaticly gay.
18 If you leave your pushbike, it vanishes.
19 if you leave your car, it vanishes.
20 if you leave your house, it's empty when you return.
21 you like dumb call-games on television.
22 you think that snow is artificial.
23 The roads are perfect, but they make bumps in it to slow you down.
24 4x4's are used to drive across that perfect flat tarmac.
25 Trains are yellow like a banana and never run on time.
26 anything costing money is too expensive.
27 more than 99% of the people are complaining.
28 the airport has a special room for drug-carriers.
29 the main food is beer, mosselen and patat-met.
30 you still love the place after knowing the 29 things mentioned before...

[ChiefEagles]

Pretty good Daan. Nothing to eat or drink since last night. Off to the big city again to get stomach CT. Warm and rainy here. Cleaned gutters, blew leaves out into yard and bagged up leaves yesterday PM. Rained last night and leaves on the ground this AM. That is fall. Ran my MTH SD90s yesterday. One stopped and I heard a buzzing. Took it off the track and turned it over. Hooked up alligator clips. Buzzing at one coupler. Took shell off. The motor has a stop plate on it to keep the trucks from turning too sharp. It had worn through the covering over the coupler wires and shorted one out. Coverd it with tape. Runs now, get coupler sound but no coupler action. Off to a MTH Service Center for warranty work. Hope all have a good day and God bless all.

[spankybird]

Good Morning All,

NE Ohio is still in the mid 40’s with on and off rain showers. Must still be fall.

Chief, look at it this way, the CT is better than an upper and low GI test. And you don’t have to drink that special milk shake. Maybe you better watch those southern BBQ. Good Luck with it.

We have been working on the Holloween display. I am a little late on it this year, and am building a new one from last year.

Pick of the Day


all be safe

tom

[ChiefEagles]

Tom, have had upper and lower GI. Only three cups of contrast while I was waiting to go into CT room. Then dye in the veins. Was not bad. Xray techs were good looking and very friendly. Now to get to eat something. Well, Pro Mariner Bass Pro Shops spring schedule is out. I may be on the road every weekend in Feb., March and April with a few in May. OUCH.

[dougdagrump]

Well if the weather predictions hold true for tomorrow SoCal will be in big trouble. Especially in the burn areas from last years brush fires, we got a little over an inch yesterday and had some flooding and mudslides but we could get as much as 4 inches tomorrow, a real stump floater and frog choker.[|(]

[daan]

@Chiefeagles, what's the problem that you needed a ct scan? Nothing serious I hope?

Today was another beautifull fall day, sun, almost no wind and the trees have their colors now. I probably model my train layout in fall, I like the colors and the atmosphere now.
All stay safe and keep healthy chief!

[FJ and G]

Afternoon, gang,

Every day I try a different corridor, floor or ring of the pentagon and then try to find my way back without getting lost. It's a puzzle palace here. Much of the north side of the Pentagon is still under construction, where the plane hit. From the outside it looks new but that's just a fascade. Lots of work still to be done. People here don't really talk much about it. Too traumatic, I guess.

BB the beagle has been helping me on my layout. Spilled some food and soda on my layout that's being built and she cleaned it up. Hope to have pictures by next week.

[Roger Bielen]

Got back from our trip to Mexico's Copper Canyon last night. It was an enjoyable vacation, especially the 7 hr. train ride to the area we stayed at. Didn't get much of a chance to take photos of the train or get info. on the power. When at the station it was get on ASAP or be left behind, same getting off. All I noted was that the engines were made by GEMCO in Mexico, not knowing my diesels all I can say is that they had round fan shrouds like an Alco. The RR is owned, and powered, by FERROMEX.

[Anonymous]

Daan , I love #15............Great pics as always Tom.. Good health to you Chief.
Roger , was that the train that goes over the Mexican Rockies? Where does it start and stop? Tim

[spankybird]

Good Morning All,

NE Ohio has very colorful fall foliage now. The autumn leaves are out of this world now.

Chief – have you been eating to much BBQ [?]

Doug – be happy that you don’t have the Florida rains. It would change you Zip Code faster that an earth quick.

Have been working on our Halloween display. Should be done this weekend. I have been taking a lot of pic of it as I go.

If you havn’t noticed, I added my pic to the signature line. You guy know that you can do that now [?]

Pick of the Day


tom

[Buckeye Riveter]

Tom, How did you add the photo? I tried and it doesn't work with the updated profile. Mine has always been stored off forum.

[spankybird]

HI Buckeye,

That part is still the same, store your pick on your host, and add the 'img' to the url in the signature line. Just like posting a pic on the forum.

tom

[ChiefEagles]

We have blocked some pictures due to the possiblility of kids seeing them. [:p] We watch all YANKEES and especially the Buckeye fans. [;)] Hope all are well. Cloudy and misty here [know Pam is glad that she does not have to work the VIP section at the State Fair today. she had to work Monday and Tuesday and now Friday and Saturday]. Have a good daya nd God bless all.

[cnw1995]

I just discovered spade lugs - by researching some more online CTT articles on wiring - I know they're basic things to most of you - but they'll make my experimenting with wiring up the R transformer to the Atlast Connector. I didn't know the R transformer allowed you to adjust its voltage too (thanks Tim). Kind of misting this morning, nice day to be indoors (at work). Hope you are feeling well, Chief.

[Anonymous]

Good afternoon!

Well, the snow that came on Sunday may have melted, but we got a whole bunch more dumped on us this Monday and it looks like it's here to stay.

As you may know, I enjoy weird and obscure toy trains. In the past two days I've received two Communist-made boxed train sets from ebay. Each only cost me $4.99! One is this Russian set from the 70's.

It's battery powered and while it's about the size of O gauge, the track is slightly wider. This actually is acurate, though, since Russia uses a wider track gauge. The box and instructions are written entirely in cyrillic without a word of English.

The second one is this S gauge wind-up set that was made in East Germany by a company called Ankerbahn in the 80's.



This is made out of a combination of plastic and tinplate. It's a neat set, but there's one really interesting thing about it that I only discovered now that I've got it. You might not be able to see this, but look very closely at the picture on the box as well as the passenger car on the right. Two of the passengers appear to be none other than Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein! The guy in the second window from the right is an Arab Sheik with sunglasses that reminds me of bin Laden. In the second window from the left is a guy with a moustache. On the actual train he bears a close resemblance to Saddam, but on the box artwork the picture is an almost-perfect likeness of the former dictator (albeit in cartoon form)!

I wonder if this is where the inspiration for the people came from or if it's just a coincidence. Either way, this is an excellent conversation piece and ought to get some laughs from visitors to my collection!

[Roger Bielen]

Tim, the trip we took started at El Fuerte and ended at Posada Barrancas, almost 7 hrs., the map shows the line running from Topolobampo on the coast (Sea of Cortez) across the Sierra Madre to Chihuahua inland. The highest elevation is around 7800 feet above sea level and it appears the line is about 950 kilometers long.

[Buckeye Riveter]

Spanky, that's what I do now. I thought there was a new way to post a photo.

BTW, whoever heard of a STATE FAIR in October. Real State Fairs are in August.[:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]

[spankybird]

Good Morning all,

Glad to see the CTT forum web site back up.

Well we have a couple of day of vacation so we can fini***he Halloween display. It is coming all very well. With luck it will be done on Friday.

I don’t know Buckeye, State Fairs this late in the year, I thought it was time for Oktoberfest and drinking good beer.

Pick of the Day

Work in Progress

All be safe

tom

[ChiefEagles]

Well, the CTT forum finally woke up. I guess it is due some extra sleep once in a while. [:D] Went down east to Mom's. All OK. Cloudy and misty and cool. Got home to find a box of hopper cars waiting from the Priority Mail. Had purchased them from a friend in NY. The box was sitting on a bench at the side door. Getting wet. 4 feet away, was the steps and the covered stoop. That explains the mentality of our mail courier person. I really do not think she knows how to read. Everyones' mail gets delivered all over town in the wrong boxes. Now, lets see how they run. [:D]

[cnw1995]

It's nice to be back. I found a great kid's book I'd recommend if you're in the market for one - The Little Train, by Lois Lenski - apparently there's a whole bunch of similar books featuring Mr. Small - here's he's Engineer Small. They're by Random House, originally written in 1940! I was v. impressed with the level of detail that the author goes into in recounting this train journey - how the engine crew readies the train, the trip itself, semaphores, meeting an express that looks like a blue UP 10000. A great read for the 2 year old.

[ChiefEagles]

Hey Doug, just put the three new black hooper cars on the track. Makes 15. Add weight by putting a few rocks from the yard int hem. I then cut stiff cardboard to fit inside and stop at the taper to the bottom. Then fill with MTH coal. Impressive train behind two NS SD90's. All black except for the white lettering.

[Buckeye Riveter]

Spanky, the only place I can think of that would have a State Fair at this time of year is some backwater state near Rollysville where the Chief has a mail lady who can't read. [:D][:D][:D]

[ChiefEagles]

Hey you dumb bunnies, it is just getting to fall here. Fall is fair time. No frost yet. Trees just turning. Not like the frigid nawth where some yoyo's live. [:p] Bet yuz giz will have snow soon. [;)]

[Anonymous]

Well Chief, None of the white stuff here at the ranch yet, but you can see it on the mountain tops nearby...................Transplanted Texas Inland Norwestner........Tim

[ChiefEagles]

Morning gang. What was it I heard about the Buckeye State?? Something about it represented a cross section of American. Did not know they let felons vote. If not, there goes Ohio. [;)] Now that I have my buddies in Ohio with their blood pumping this AM, everyone have a good day. Think I'll skip the State Fair as it is cool and misty. Not the usual FALL day for NC [while the Yanks are dodging cold]. God bless all.

[spankybird]

Good Morning All,

NE Ohio is cool at 54 deg with a high of 66 today. The weatherperson says some sun in the afternoon. No S---- in the near forecast, sorry Chief.

Well the Halloween Village is coming along, we need to put a second coat on the roads, the yellow lines on the roads, then add the kids and trains. [:D]

Hey Chief, do you guys have Halloween on the 31st or is that also some other time of the year [?] [:0]

Pics of the day




all be safe

tom

[jonadel]

I've been using photoisland for posting pics and as you probbly know they are shutting down in November. I registered yesterday at Shutterfly and uploaded a couple of pics without any problems, however I'm uncertain on how to retrieve the needed url address to post here. I don't see any buttons to "link to auction" type activities so I could use some help.

If you want to email me that would be fine or post a reply here.

Jon

[e-mail]

[cnw1995]

Wow, Tom, that Halloween village looks great. I love Halloween - the one day of the year you get to see everyone in the neighborhood. I saw some Halloween houses in our local Cub Foods, you're inspiring me. Chief, your NS train sounds neat - do you ever have any pictures?.

[ChiefEagles]

Went by Tom's house last night. Caught him and Buckeye with their buddies outside.


[:D][:D]