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

[laz 57]

BRRRRR Cold here in Millersburg Pa. 2 degrees above. Please cl;ose that door in Ohio, maybe it will warm up some? Big wreck on I 80 yesterday, they say 70 car pile up.
Have a good one! Be safe driving?
Laz 57

[spankybird]

Good Morning all,

NE Ohio is cold at 10 deg with wind chill at –5 and the good news is it stop snowing here, but just to the east of us, it contuse to snow.

Laz 57 – I saw the pill up on the news. All I can say is, a lot of people were going way to fast for the conditions. They must have been driving blind.

Guess we have to go out and clean off the drive way.

Pick of the Day




tom

[ChiefEagles]

Morning gang. Did something I have not been able to do since surgery. Went back to sleep and slept until 9AM. [:D] Got up at 5:45 and it was 14 with wind chill at minus 4. Said we had a few Ohios last night but did not see any. Got a nice coverage of Ohio east of I 95 [Mom's] to the coast. Also Ohio north of us. Got Pam's coffee, paper adn warmed her car. Then hit the ZZZ's again. [:D] Jon, good place for the son to have a Christmas layout. Stay warm. Chirs, go to school and love it. When you finish, you have to start that W four letter word. [;)] Sure hope Buckeye had to blow snow this AM. Tom and him sending us this bad stuff. After us southerners try to be nice and give you grits and sweet ice tea. [:D] Well high to be 31 today but winds to stop this afternoon. If they do stop, I'll walk. Got the County Mayor's Christmas meal tonight in the city. Got to leave here around 5:30. I'll eat big and think of all of you. [;)] Have a good one and God bless all.

[Buckeye Riveter]

Subject: snowplow

Norman and his wife live in Cleveland. One winter morning while
listening to the radio, they hear the announcer say, "We are going to
have 8 to 10 inches of snow today. You must park your car on the
even numbered side of the street, so the snowplow can get through."
Norman's wife goes out and moves her car. A week later while they
are eating breakfast, the radio announcer says, "We are expecting
10 to 12 inches of snow today. You must park your car on the odd
numbered side of the street, so the snowplow can get through."
Norman's wife goes out and moves her car again. The next week
they are having breakfast again, when the radio announcer
says "We are expecting 12 to 14 inches of snow today. You must
park..........." then the electric power goes out, and Norman's wife is
very upset. With a worried look on her face she says, "Honey, I
don't know what to do. Which side of the street do I need to park
on so the plow can get through?"
With the love and understanding in his voice that all men who are
married to blondes exhibit, Norman says, Why don't you just leave
it in the garage this time?" [:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]

[cnw1995]

LOL, that's a good one - no snow but bitter cold here - lotsa of wind. Doing things around the house (everything seems to break when I get a day off) The baby's sick too. Other kids (reluctantly) and wife (enthusiastically) getting ready for Christmas services. Got a spray can of dull green paint to make some mountains this week. May try to hang the backdrop tonight - wish me luck!

[wrmcclellan]

Doing better today - but not great. This cold and resultant infection are really rough!

Good joke Buckeye!

Chief - you are just going to eat the steamed vegetables, right!

Doug - looking forward to the latest results - maybe you need white paint for those mountains the way the weather is turning!

Snow flurries predicted here for Wednesday!

Regards and all have a great evening!
Roy

[spankybird]

Garage – You can put your car in there – I thought that is were you put your extra train stuff. You mean a car can fit in there. Who would have thought.

[Anonymous]

Garage?

Ive got 3 vehicles, a Travel trailer, landscaping trailer, PLUS a 12x18 train layout in there!

[ChiefEagles]

Ate the steamed veggies plus; garlic mashed potaotes, shrimp & scallops over pasta, rare roast beef, chicken Cordon Bleu and Pasta Primavera. This was all washed down with sweet ice tea [no wine with meds]. Topped off with strawberry cheese cake. [:D] Not as cold tonight and warming tomorrow. Did do my 1 1/2 mile in the cold this afternoon. Maybe twice tomorrow and to the shopping center and buy a couple of things lite enough to carry home. Good night all and God bless.

[spankybird]

Good Morning All,

NE Ohio is quite this morning with temp of 31 deg. Chief must be sending us a heat wave.

I still find it hard to believe that you can put a car in a garage. What will they think of next.

Pick of the Day




tom

[laz 57]

Great Pic Spanky. Lots of smoke!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Little cold in Pa. 18 at 515 Not too bad no wind.
Have a good one!
Laz 57

[cnw1995]

Little warmer today - no wind so far - but due to plunge again tonight. Anyone know a source for those Lionel accessory-activator switch?- unfortunately I don't know the product number - it works like this: a train goes over it and presses it down and it turns on or off the accessory. It's connected to the track or under the track. I realized if I get a semaphore and signal light for Christmas (though I'm resigned to having them probably come too late), I don't have anything to turn them on and off. I tried to describe it to our local hobby store (a chain) and find it on the Lionel site without success.

[Buckeye Riveter]

QUOTE: Originally posted by cnw1995

Little warmer today - no wind so far - but due to plunge again tonight. Anyone know a source for those Lionel accessory-activator switch?- unfortunately I don't know the product number - it works like this: a train goes over it and presses it down and it turns on or off the accessory. It's connected to the track or under the track. I realized if I get a semaphore and signal light for Christmas (though I'm resigned to having them probably come too late), I don't have anything to turn them on and off. I tried to describe it to our local hobby store (a chain) and find it on the Lionel site without success.

Call Warren's and ask them for a contact switch. http://www.wmtlionelparts.com/index.htm

[ChiefEagles]

Now I can post. Earlier attemp blocked due to Trogan Horse attempt throught his site:
Garage, put a car and truck in mine. Don't know if this will post. Norton blocked an intursion attempt through this site. Happens off and on and will not let anything from this forum address into computer for 30 minutes. Well, warmer here today. Should be able to do two walks today. Slept late again today. Sure feels good to sleep. Hope all have a good day and God bless all.

Hey to be in the 60's for the next two days and then rain. Now they say we might have some light OHIO Sat. [:0]

[wrmcclellan]

A beautiful day here, but things start to degrade tonight. Highs in the 30's predicted for the rest of the week.

I am beginning to think that Jim D must have been very naughty to bring the Oh-High-Oh down to Texas!

Doug, that is the 153C contactor, still sold in some Lionel accessories. You may wi***o explore the 153IR infrared sensor that does the same thing. The 153Cs are difficult to keep in alignment (spring pressure adjustment) for reliable operation.

Regards,
Roy

[Anonymous]

[:D][:D][:D][:D]Gooooooood Morning Trainguys... Beautiful sunshine and a brisk 28 degrees, snow forecast for the weekend , and we need it. Whew, what a day yesterday. Cleaned out 3 horse stalls and re bedded with shavings. Curried and brushed 3 horses (wife helped) swept barn and vacuumed tack room. Straightened up and vacuumed shop. Removed pilot light tubes from stove and purged with 120 lb. air, reconnected , works fine now. Built bookcase for train mags, finished it last night. Shipped out some 027 train engines I sold on Ebay. Received my L&N 72' Streamliners from Marty @ Mapajunction. They are really nice. Am waiting on a VW transformer to arrive. Love the old Lionel transformers.
Got the relays hooked up for the double track stop/start passenger station area, and built 1double tunnel portal from some 1/4' plywood and cedar scraps. I have included a pic of it and a pic of the new layout progress.Ran some trains around this am and everything works perfectly. Hey Doug, the relays and control rail is another way to control block signals and other accessories . I think I have about 20.00 in the 2 relays and rectifiers. This setup is similar to the article last month in CTT, except the 2 trains approach the station from different directions . I have installed one block signal, and have another to install today , hooked up to the relays. Its really simple once you get it all straight in your head.






Yes Chief thats a NS Unit Train in the picture, thought you'd enjoy that......Tim

[cnw1995]

Thanks for this information. I'll see what I can dig up - I think I would want to try to 153s. Last time I went to Radio Shack to try to get a relay to try it out - the young man wasn't v. helpful.

[ben10ben]

Hello Folks,
I've been on this forum for nearly 2 years, but this is my first post to this thread. I started once to read it through, with the plan to post when I got to the end of it, but never go that far.

I just figured that I'd pick up right here.

[ChiefEagles]

Yes ben10ben. Seen you around. Glad to have you at the Coffee Pot. Keep on dropping by. We shoot a lot of bull here and keep up with each other. Also has helped me to visit folks if I am traveling to their town. Hey Tim, I want a, I want a. Seem I can not find NS but mainly engines. My unit trains are SP, UP, Southern and CN. Guess They will have to do. Jealous. Warmed up here and to be in 60's tomorrow. Walked the big circle and then to both shopping centers. Came back with 4 2 liter drinks [two in each bag in each hand]. Got to be a little much before I got home but made it. No pain, no gain [I guess]. I cranked my 10 hp generator today. Its a pull start [been thinking of adding starter but don't use it that much]. Was a little too much for me to pull good. So, shot a little ether and pulled. She fired and ran good. I crank it once a month [have not since Nov 10] instead of pulling plug and fogging motor. They are saying some OHIO showers Christmas. We could easly get freezing rain. We are right on a line that goes either way. Think it is the hot air at the State Capital that causes it not to snow. [;)] Last freezing rain storm was in Dec. 2000. Now power for three days. Some did not have power for two weeks. Generator is under shed and 100 amp service feeds there. So I back feed and kill the line power. Can run house [natural gas furnace, logs ,hot water heater and etc] on generator. Some are not as lucky. Boat and tractor tanks full of gas so I lots of storage. You can tell I'm getting bored staying home. [:D]

[Anonymous]

Hey Ben, Glad to see you in here, The Lounge car so to speak.

Well, Got done with all shopping, And found out I am invited over the Girlfriends house for Christmas dinner, So had to get her folks something.

Happy Holidays guys.

- Chris

[ChiefEagles]

Chris, better look after that pretty lady or we will come to Jerseyland and get you. [:D]

[ben10ben]

Thanks for the welcome, guys.

Here's this years Christmas layout



It's a whole lot smaller than usual, and much smaller than I would like. Due to poor planning this year, the layout got shunted off to the side. Normally the tree would sit right where the layout it now, but, in an effort to avoid extensive furniture re-arranging, we put the tree over to the side. A piece of furniture is right behind it, meaning that I can't wrap the track around the tree as usual. And these gosh durn new trees that come all the way to the floor make it impossible to put the train under the tree. I sure do miss last year's layout, even though it was somewhat small.



Meanwhile, I'm still debating about whether or not to put a train around the tree in my room.



Although the pictures don't show it, that tree leaves a good foot of room under, perfect for a train. And a Lionel train set would go right along with the two strings of American made Noma brand lights on it

[Anonymous]

Ben, you ought to get some Fastrack for your tree layout to keep the oil and glunk off the floor. I learned my lesson from last year.

Merry Christmas to all!!!

[ChiefEagles]

Welcome Rivet Counter, glad to have you. Keep on coming by the Coffee Pot. This is a lot of bull but a lot of friendship. God bless and good night all. [:)]

[Anonymous]

[#welcome][#welcome][#welcome] ben10ben, come one come all. Hey Doug , the radio shack part # is 275-218 and they are 7.99 I think. The ' Wiring your Lionel layout" book # 2 shows how they connect. If you dont have the book I could scan the page and send it to you. Let me know if you want it.
Chief the NS set is a rail king set w/Dash8 from 1994 I think. I had bought so much stuff that I never ran until this last year. Just buy it, and put in storage...........................Tim

[Buckeye Riveter]

The 13th Annual Running of the Trains with Buckeye.
For the past thirteen years, we have hosted the childrens' neighborhood Christmas Party which includes a visit from Santa. Orginally the trains just ran around a tree on the floor in the living room until one day, Mrs. Buckeye said, "Why don't we have a permenent layout?" Shazam!!!! Holy Cow!!! And the Baltimore, Ohio and Wabash was started.

She is pointing to the authentic giraffe car.

The PRO

Small, medium and large all run the trains with Buckeye
And yes, the kids run the TMCC. They youngest is about 5 and the oldest is about 42. I had three girls run the trains more than many of the boys. The JT Smoke was cooking. Note layout expansion project in the background. Next year bigger and better.

We had trains under the tree and a cat too!

We had trains running through the garden.

We had trains under the tree outside:
MERRY CHRISTMAS
[:D][:D][:D][:D]

[laz 57]

Welcome new guys,
I am quite new myself to this topic and enjoy seeing and hearing from these guys tooo.
Nice pics of the layouts, Buckeye and Ben.
Quite balmy at 25F @ 5:15.
I won a Lionmaster Western Maryland Fireball last night on Ebay for $480. I am happy with this price because in the spring at the Allentown Spring thaw meet, Charles Ro had won there for $600, so I think I did OK.
Suppose to get rain here in Pa. Tonght into tomorrow.
Have a good one.
Laz57

[FJ and G]

Nice pictures, guys. My daughter is spending some of her Christmas vacation helping me with my layout construction/destruction

[spankybird]

Good Morning All,

Buckeye – Great pics and it looks like a great time was had.

Ben – Glad you are joining us. You mean, you have missed almost a year of ‘Pick of the Day’ photo’s [?]

Rivet Counter – Weclome aboard and to the CTT Forum

NE Ohio is cool at 30 deg and light snow from TEXAS way. We have to Thank Jim Duda for a White Christmas

Pick of the Day




all be safe

tom

[ben10ben]

Morning, folks,

Tom, I guess so.

A cold and rainy 36° here today(Frankfort, Kentucky). Supposed to turn to snow later, and continue tomorrow.

Hope that you all have a good day.