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

[ben10ben]

Morning folks,
And a Happy New Year to all!

We're having a party this evening with some folks from Church, so we're busily preparing for that. At the same time, I'm trying to get as much reading of Gone With the Wind in as possible, so I'll be pretty busy today.

Hope that you all have a good day!

[jonadel]

Good Morning To All,

Here's to a great 2005--it's going to be even better than 2004 with more time for trains and working on layouts.

Best Wishes from Iowa and stay well.

Jon

[Jim Duda]

Daan - this is a tough crowd! Everybody chides me for my headgear that I wear...next, they'll scoff at my hotpants. Oh well...

Laz - the bandana keeps the sawdust of the neighbor's property when I dump it and crack my head open.

[Anonymous]

Happy New Year, Heading down to NJLS [New Jersey Live Steamers] with a friend tonight.

Chris

[ChiefEagles]

Chris, it had better be that pretty friend.!!!!!! You know you have to give her a New Year's kiss. [;)]

Ben10ben, how about the video or DVD. We have both. Lots faster than reading [still 3 hours or so]. [;)]

As the guy sitting on the porch in "Its a Wonderful Life" said to Stewart and Reed, "Life is wasted on youth." Oh well, you all wouldn't understand. [;)][:-^]

[ben10ben]

Chief,
I would love too, and in fact have seen the movie a couple of times. The only problem with that lies in the fact that I'm told the movie is quite a bit different from the book in several aspects. The teacher has told us that people in the past who have just watched the movie and not read the book have done poorly on the test, so it looks like I'm stuck reading it.

At least I did get my new issue of OGR today, so I'll have something not quite as boring to read.

Hope that you all are well!

[Jim Duda]

I'll bet a lot of us are taking advantage of the "balmy" conditions today compared to a week ago...75 degrees in Austin as I type this. Just got back from dialing in the Q500 beast - gunned it at 175 MPH (actual) using the Police Radar Gun so we should at least be competitive in Phoenix in a couple o' weeks. Might even have to cut the grass (wearing the helmet, of course!)

Got the cars off the street - Austin will start to get crazy here in the next few hours - just ask Bob Nelson! You guys and gals behave yourself tonight...

[Anonymous]

Cheif, I'd better not be kissing this friend of mine, Its my buddy John. My GF's is new years day, weird huh?

Jim, That looks like an impressive plane, 175 MPH... wow!

[ChiefEagles]

Chris, That is OK about GF and New Years Day. They say what you do on New Years day is what you do the rest of the year. [;)] I will have to run trains and go fishing [somehow]. Just eat lots of blackeyed peas [for everyone eaten, equals a $]. Have not been able to eat a million on New Years Day, yet. [:(]

[wrmcclellan]

Happy New Year you guys!

Just got back from an all day event taking the boys (my neighbors and cousins etc.) to a paintball field where thay all had as great a time as did we watching them.

Regards,
Roy

[cnw1995]

Almost 60 degrees here today - a no-coat day - so v. rare for Dec. in Illinois. I am so proud of myself - today I broke both of my long sidings into 2 separate electric blocks controlled by an Atlas Connector - I followed the pictures in a newish Kalmbach book about building a layout. And it works! So I can move one train into the siding, park it, and move another on the other end of the siding out onto the main - and also do the same on the other side of the main line. I wired the Connector to the C terminal and the wires from each lock-on to the B terminal Unfortunately, one of the wires for the main line fell out of the R transformer - I'm not sure where it goes back again. The other places I've tried to connect short or overload the transformer. So I'll have to try to puzzle it out tonight. I have a house full of 13 year old girls to keep an eye on tonight too. I had a brainstorm to invite my wife out to an early dinner too. So when I get back hopefully I can work on it. I also hope to wire the Lionel semaphore and the Girard station so they work together... Happy New Year to you all!

[Anonymous]

Got in from work a few hours ago and glad to be away from Times Square Festivities Tonight. Going to spend some time tonight and continue delevoping a block signal system for part of my layout. After that, sit back with the wife, dogs and cats and Watch Ball Come Down.

Happy New Year

[laz 57]

Happy New Year EVERYONE,
CHRIS take the CHIEFS advice and make sure you kiss that pretty girl tonight.
10 years ago I asked my wife to marry me in Central Park New York City. We ran a race (3.1 miles) and at the half way mark they had a champagne toast to bring in the new year and thats when I proposed to her, She said YES<YES<YES and we ran the rest of the race, it was one of the best nights in my life.
All have a Happy END of the year! and a great new year.
Laz 57

[ChiefEagles]

Back in from dinner with some new friends [actually old friends but never been out with them before] and had a great time. Now watch TV until 2005. Diet Pepsi for me [meds say no booze which I do not have to have].

HAPPY NEW YEAR

[Anonymous]

[:D][:D][:D]
Went snow skiing with my daughter and her college friends today ( am I crazy or what?) I managed to make 11 runs down the "Blues" and am feeling every one.Thank goodness the TMCC dial is easy to turn, as my hand is about the only thing that doesnt hurt. Got the turntable re installed with a much slower motor and starting to work on the second level. Did anyone know when the batteries in the TMCC handheld start to go, horns blow and all kinds of lights flicker?Changing them out solved the problem. Headed for the hot tub.....Tim

[Anonymous]

psst... look like "troll polska" registered again!![V][}:)][banghead]

[dougdagrump]

Chief, What are you doin up so late ? [:O][:O][:O][:O]

[spankybird]

Good Morning 2005

NE Ohio is cool at 38 deg and Blue Clear Skys. What a great way to start a New Year.


Charging into the New Year with a full Double Head of Steam


All be safe

tom

[jonadel]

Happy New Year from Iowa,

Nice quiet night at home with another fabulous meal. Woke up this a.m. with freezing rain and of course the roads are coated, good day to stay home and watch parades, cheer on the Hawkeye's and run trains.


Had a former student drop by yesterday with his family and it was sure fun to hear about southern Texas. I'm thinking a trip to the Rio Grand Valley might be in order for February if I can find a inexpensive flight

Cheers to everyone and a great 2005!

Jon

[ChiefEagles]

Morning all. New fishing shows on ESPN2. Sunny and warm here. Hope all had a safe New Years Eve. Hope all have a great 2005 and God bless all for 2005. Tom, great picture of the "smokers". Wife was telling friends last night about her smelling smoke from the trains upstairs. [8D] Get that smoke fluid in that is ordered and should really get it going.

[cnw1995]

Happy New Year! Stayed up too late (for me) working on the layout (the one night of the year I can stay up past midnight without domestic complications)- figured out the short was as Murphy's law would have it - some track came unconnected and overlay one another. Hope to recover by mid-morning.

[ChiefEagles]

Doug, very seldom but have had a section with the center insulator slide and get a short. Have had old track where the insulator for center rail had deteriated. Good luck.

[ChiefEagles]

Just saw headline that Rose Parade has a float of a 207 foot locomotive!!!!!! WOW a train in the parade. [:D]

[ben10ben]

Morning folks, and a happy new year to all!

Hope that you all had a good(and safe) time last night. We sure did.

We're headed off to Louisville today to set up a computer for a distant cousin of mine. They're having a pretty decent sized flea market at the fairgrounds, so I'm hoping for a chance to stop by[:)]. Besides trains, rotary dial telephones are at the top of the list(I'm hunting for a Western Electric 500 with a metal fingerwheel, if anyone can point me in the right direction), as well as various other things that I have an interest in.

Hope that you all have a good day!

[TurboOne]

Wow, lots of energetic folks already up in the new year. I am sipping coffee, and sitting in my sweats, jammies in CA talk, and slowly waking up. Oh yeah, eating the last piece of pecan pie from our party. Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Happy New Year.

Tim

[ChiefEagles]

Ben, got an old Southern Bell [actually Western Electric] test set. Not the old black one that you had to dial with a pin or something sharp. The later one that is blue plastic with the dial that is not quite full size and has the clips to clip on the terminals. Still works great as used it three months ago to test out a telephone line. Use to work for Ma Bell years ago. Got a Princes phone and a trimline that still works.

[ben10ben]

Chief,
I've looked at those a few times, and one's definitely on the list as a future purchase. Are you talking about the one that uses the same dial(with a moving fingerstop) as a trimline? They seem to be quite a bit harder to find than the earlier pin dial ones.

Hold on to those old WE phones. They're built a whole heck of a lot better than anything you can buy today. It never fails to amaze me when my dad throws the phone on his desk in the trash, and my 500 from 1965 just keeps right on working[:)]

[ChiefEagles]

That is the one, Ben. I'm holding on to them. I even have a tool that is made to fit the nuts on phone therminal blocks. I use a set of lineman's and cablesplicer's scissors to strip wires. OH, I have the big blocks used for the old keysystems where you "punchdown" the wires. Guess what I used [and will use] as terminal blocks for my old layout? Got the punch down tool too. Why I used so much station wire. Red and yellow was + and black and green was -. Makes good wire for lighting and accessories. For heavy wire running to the track sections, just split the strands and punch them down. Use the old white plastic strips that snapped on the sides to label the wires. [8D]

[bogaziddy]

Tom:

Aaaaahhhh! I love the smell of napalm ... uhhh ... errrr ... I mean Lionel smoke in the morning. Yeah that's it. Nothing like ozone and the aroma of Lionel smoke to get those juices flowing in the morning. Anyway, Happy New Year Tom and to all on the forum. Here in Mount Shasta it's light snow and 29 degrees with 2 1/2 feet of snow already on the ground since the 26th. I tell ya' the dog is loving it.

Time to call out the Flanger ... Highballin' toward 2005 at maximum authorized speed. This is the High Bogaziddy Mahesh Maserati Top Ramen sending it back to the studio.

[daan]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Everything stayed cool here, only our doggies had problems with the traditional fireworks..
Have a good year in 2005 and keep healthy..

Cheers, daan.