COFFEE POT #14 [December], for all to take a drink and chat. Welcome all posters. 4 yrs old and still going.

[Sturgeon-Phish]

Good afternoon all

Just a quick check in during lunch.  It has been a busy morning and gone by fast.

Jim - Can you try to reform the piece without taking it apart?  I'd think if it flex in one direction it may bend back.  If you are going to strip it down, you don't have much to loose.

Chuck - Glad you are doing better.

Glad to see folks are getting home safe.

May God bless

Jim

[Anonymous]

Dennis,

            This early model is very different from the later models in terms of service. To remove the platform on this one, the entire accessory has to be taken apart down to the base. On the later variation, the platform just lifts out. If I take this one apart, it will be stripped and the good parts sold. I don't feel that I should be the one that is responsible to try and fix damage that was done by someone else.  In the mean time, I will look for another one that is at least in like new condition to replace this one. I paid $100 for just this stockyard by itself, so that is why I am upset about this.

[sir james I]

Good morning

20 degrees and overcast. going to 30+ so they say.

Granny is home today so I had a good breakfast of eggs, fried taters and 2 bacons. Been to Kroger and I hope that is it till next week. Agree there is a very nicely done layout in CTT starting on Pg. 64. Well done. Me thinks the gr.kids brought me an unwanted presant as my throat is congested. Ah love the little monsters....S.J.

I know this only means something to me but my dear old pappy would be 101 today. Almost as old as I feel today.LOL

[fifedog]

Ole Timer - Geatz's Restaurant (Paca, just off 68) is where Wifey and I head to whenever we are in the Queen City. I want to try When Pigs Fly, but can't get her near the place.  Railfan near the Fruit Bowl (OF COURSE), but usually don't eat there, or that family style restaurant.

Lawson - Told you guys I was gonna bump Buckeye in'10...

[cnw1995]

Aloha all. Off to grocery shop with the bride - since I never do it, she's amused at how stunned I get at the prices. Jon, congrats on  your article. I love love love that T-1.   We are fortunate to have some nice 'joints' here too where you can get a good meal at a decent price - Andy's Restaurant, The Olympic Diner,  Around the Clock... great names.

[Ole Timer]

Fifiedog .... did you ever go to D'Atri's in Cumberland .... we make it a must stop for great food ..... and of course a quick buy .... all I can .... at the Fruit Bowl at Lavale for candy from my childhood and fruits and veggies ... no more beautiful and fresh anywhere in the U.S.A - they've even got the penny and 2 for 1 cent candy I bought by the lil brown bag full when I was a kid .... and believe me that was a LOOOOOONG time ago .... LOL .

[LawsonFarmsRR]

fifedog

Kooljock - 'taint never waxed my gibous...does it hurt

 

Was going to say somthin' about being to slick, or having a feel good feeling---- but will just say FUNNY, FUNNY, FUNNY!

Pat

[blownout cylinder]

Morning-

Kinda cool out there at this time, -13C with a windchill of -17C----oh gee its a little warmer than earlier----mmm

Put some test track down last night to see if the loke was working--it passed with flying colours----'Spring' was stalking it though---actually tried to pick it up by the stack---it was funny to watch----gonna be interesting running it through and amonsgt the Lemax houses---with 'Spring' in pure hunt mode

Have a bunch of running around to do today----better be getting ready to do dis-----

Have a good one people----

[Papadiesel]

Hi All,

Christmas was great ! It began with Christmas eve Mass with the daughter, son in law, Josh and triplets. The basement was all set for the 47 guests. Now to returning the tables and finally a layout. Hope everyones was as good as mine.

Prayers for all in need of health and jobs.

[fifedog]

Mornin' boys.  It's cold.

Favorite "greasy spoon" is the Chat-and-Chew (McCoole, MD).  You get indigestion just driving by the joint.

Kooljock - 'taint never waxed my gibous...does it hurt

dwiemer - Now if you had only called, I would have had you jump on 301 north for a visit, then sent you up Rte1 to get back on 95N.  Next time...

[laz 57]

Hi GUYZ,

  14 and cold one here today to get to 34 then snow through Saturday.  Going out with the flintlock this afternoon, maybe have deer coming down to cornfields to feeed before storm?

MIKEC., Easy 2 miles is all in your head.  Just start up get some good music on or when I run on treadmill put on ESPN and plod through it.

CHUCK, watch out for those CUTE NURSES.  Keep on doing those exercises.

KOOLJOCK, U DA MAN!!!  Nice spread on your layout in CTT.  BIG CONGA!!!!

DENNIS, glad you got home safe.

Stay frosty,

laz57

[Anonymous]

green97probe

Brent,

           Thanks for the feedback. My dad pretty much said the same thing about the lighting, but that is a tough thing to control in the living room.  I watched the original footage in Windows Media Player, and it isn't quite as bad as it is on YT. I understand that digital cameras aren't video cameras, but the fact that people have made cleaner videos with this model is what bothers me. The highest video resolution on my camera is 640x480. Would reducing it to 320x240 reduce the compression ratio? I am looking into Class 6 cards.

Reducing the resolution from 640x480 to 320x240 will increase the quality of the video when it is converted to YouTube because it will not need to compress the image. You could be getting some distortion from YouTube shinking the video size from 640x480 down to what it displays. This will also reduce the size of the video clip so again YouTube will not need to do as much compression on the video. What you need to determine is 1. Are you going to display the video on multiple sources (TV, YouTube, etc) if so you will want to increase the resolution so it looks best on the TV, if you aren't worried about TV, then shoot it at the best resolution for YouTube. I would bet that 320x240 is still a little too large for their standard window, so if you can shoot at 160x120 that would probably be best.

---
Well my latest impulse buy arrived last night. FINALLY have the Lionel Chessie GP30 dummy unit (3045). So I now have the 3 GP30s multiheaded on the layout. 6945, 3044, 3045 (running backwards). Now I'm thinking about making this a functioning unit (not powered) by adding working lights and smoke. Any tips out there?

[kpolak]

Morrning all!

Finally back home...Spent another Christmas with sister, BiL, and Father, a few days late, but Christmas together nonthless.  Enjoying spending time with my Father here for a few weeks.

Been running the 0-8-0 around the Christmas layout, and kids are loving unloading the present cars, and blowing the whistle in the whistle shack.  Good times.

We have one more Christmas get together planned with friends, and we're done until next year.

Kurt

[Kooljock1]

"Looking at the new CTT - really like that T1 streamlined steamer on page 64 - is that a Lionel?  It reminds me of the Nautilus from 20,000 Leagues beneath the Sea "

That's my Lionel "LionMaster" T-1.  I've got it pulling my O-27 K-Line Collector's Club PRR "Fleet of Modernism" cars.

It's 1 here in Vermont this morning, with a waxing gibous having just set behind the Adirondacks.

Jon

[strogey]

lionroar88

RT - Are you referring to Super Man's changing booth? I mean the phone booth?

Now the real question is....is there a phone book in the booth?

[dwiemer]

Good morning everyone.  Heading in to do a morning case.  More work after that, but I think the new guy can carry that load.  Still a bit behind on sleep/rest.  Will have to do some of that when I get back this afternoon.

Regarding the stock yard....don't get too upset, remember that these were made to last.  Open it up and see if perhaps the rubber spacers are all in place, and working well.  Also, you can straighten the metal without too much difficulty.  Knowing that it was in such good condition and the amount you had paid for it, I am sure it would upset me too.  But, also knowing that they are made to last and are easy to work on makes it a bit easier to deal with.  I have had my kids damage some older items and it hurts, but I also use it as a teaching time and have them help me with the repairs.

Chuck, it is good to see you doing well.  Sounds like you are being a good boy with your exercises.  As for the cold, I have heard complaints about that before.  Just be sure to have some insulating layers to keep you warm.  I have not been able to keep up to date with your progress, but please drop a line with what you find out at Ohio State.   They may not be able to play football, but they do know their way around the heart!

God Bless,
Dennis

[Anonymous]

Brent,

           Thanks for the feedback. My dad pretty much said the same thing about the lighting, but that is a tough thing to control in the living room.  I watched the original footage in Windows Media Player, and it isn't quite as bad as it is on YT. I understand that digital cameras aren't video cameras, but the fact that people have made cleaner videos with this model is what bothers me. The highest video resolution on my camera is 640x480. Would reducing it to 320x240 reduce the compression ratio? I am looking into Class 6 cards.

Jim,

       I have shot more video of the 332, but I haven't uploaded it yet. It turns out that I wasn't running it at full throttle in the video that I uploaded.

Earlier tonight, I decided to get my 2343 Santa Fe F3s from the basement so that I could use them to pull the Conventional Classics Madison cars from the GG1 set. As I am walking towards the postwar layout, something caught my eye. There was a large bottle of laundry detergent on top of a 3656 stockyard (the layout is across from the washer). As I removed it from the stockyard, I saw that the platform has been distorted as well. This 3656 is the earlier variation form 1949 with the aluminum platform that is suspended within the fence by grommets. When I tested it, there is very little vibration on the right side of the platform now. I am very upset about this. This 3656 was like new, and I paid a good bit of money to buy it, but now it is ruined. Really upset...

 

[dougdagrump]

Evenin' All.

Great day at the museum the semi-controlled chaos, Kid's Club Fun Run, went well. No significant catastrophies, not even any minor ones.

Ok, use the way back machine tonite and check out the "Ace of Cakes" that was on tonite. For a surprise for her hubby, they are BIG fans of Dr. Who, she ordered an animated cake in the form of Dalek.

Getting stuff together for friday, will be running the layout on New Year's Day.

[Ole Timer]

 Jumped in a bit late but really enjoyed the tardis with Brutus and SJ tonight . Downloaded Last Cab Forward over Donner Pass and the full Cab Forward collection on dvd tonight ..... WOW .... now I love them even more ..... the fare was a whopping $14.00 for adults and $7.50 for kids .... round trip ..... LOL ! 

[Brutus]

Dennis - glad you made it home and in one piece!  Nice chat tonight with SJ and now Wes Ole Timer too

Chuck - glad to hear you are doing better, take care man!

Looking at the new CTT - really like that T1 streamlined steamer on page 64 - is that a Lionel?  It reminds me of the Nautilus from 20,000 Leagues beneath the Sea

Watching the old Get Smart tv show with the kids - what a great old show!  I watched this when it was first on and then for years in reruns.  I'll bring a couple of the dvds on the Tardis tonight, set the wayback circuit, and we'll use autopilot so Mike can watch too

[Anonymous]

green97probe

Jim,

        I've always liked the look of the 792. You should get a 799 talking station to go with it. Could you send me your email address in a PM? I'd like your input on an upcoming project, but the only pictures I have right now are ones that the seller emailed to me.

Is anyone familar with using a digital camera to shoot video? I am using a Kodak M341 camera with a San Disk Class 4 SDHC card, but my videos are grainy. Would upgrading to a Class 6 SDHC card help? Here is my latest attempt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2V1VMZt64g

 

Finally had a chance to look at this. Some feedback:
1. Your lighting is all off. There is too much backlight causing unnatural shadowing. I know this is because of the sunlight coming through the windows, but that is a big problem as sunlight is VERY bright
2. The 'graininess' is due to the video compression used by YouTube. My bet is if you watch the original footage it isn't as grainy. The lower your compression ratio the clearer the video will be.
3. Go with a higher burnrate card. This means the camera can write to the card faster, giving you more frames per second.
4. Digital Cameras aren't video cameras... so they will never be as good as a video camera for shooting video.
5. Back to lighting... close the curtains some and get yourself a couple 'spotlights' and aim the lights UP, not at your subject matter. The point is to reduce the backlighting effect of the sunlight.

[sir james I]

Good Evening

Sunny but only 26 today, teens tonite.

Dennis it sounds like you had a busy trip. Glad your home safe. Not a busy day for me, stayed in. Read most of CTT,liked the Lionel showroom display article. Well me and da banilla are ready for the thingy but I have Brutus on the chat line so he might be late....S.J.

[Sturgeon-Phish]

Jim - I saw you videos, I love that 332! 

Jim

[Sturgeon-Phish]

Dennis - You da man!  Way to go, felt like old times right? 

Buckeye - Got my well travelled car back from th CTT exchange.  It is now my favorite Gondola!

May God bless

Jim

[blownout cylinder]

Evenin'

That restaurant called the "Chuckwagon" used to be something of a truckstop at one point--it had a gas island out back and there was a garage just around the bend that was associated with it. As for the "farmers breakfasts" that place is still cheap and very filling. In fact, when I was in high school a bunch of us would meet there about 6:30am and have breakfast right there--that is when you had the $$$. It was also a great place to hang out on weekends because it was open 24/7. If we needed someone to talk to there would be some waitress there who we would talk with. An interesting place to be sure

We had about 4 places around town like that---

[Blueberryhill RR]

Good Evening from Blueberryhill....

It was sunny and cold today. I went outside , a couple of times, and walked around on the walker.  Legs are very sensitive to the cold, since they lost all the water. I have to keep them protected.  Cute little Nurse was here today. Checking my vitals.  Good readings.  First followup appointment next week.

Maybe next week, I will be able to spend some time in the train room. I need to do that.

Dining car was here early this morning. I have been eating a bigger breakfast. Eggs with my Cheerios. Omlets go down good. Dining car has been leaving here empty.

Y'all have a great evening.

Chuck

[cheapclassics]

Good evening all,

IIABSDISEI with temps in the 20s.  An almost perfect day!  First of all last night, I did go to the YMCA and did soccer drills, weights and treadmill.  However, today, the "saucy wench" had pancakes and sausages for breakfast on the dining car before it headed out to "Points East".  Did some business errands and concluded some favorable financial transactions.  Set up the "Polar Express" on the back porch and ran that for awhile.  Had a problem with a coupler, but a rubber band was a good fix.  Went to the YMCA.  Averaged 6 touches per attempt with a high of 14 on one occasion.  Did weights and then 2 miles on treadmill.  (Note to Laz: even at a 4.1 MPH setting and just walking, there is no such thing as an "easy" two miles!!!)  Came home after a good work out, turned on the computer, checked my e-mail, and there was a message from my Norwegian soccer friend (dopey grin time).  It was a good day.  TBIL, and I can drive.  I hope everyone has a good day.

Keep on training,

Mike C. from Indiana

[dwiemer]

Good evening everyone!  Hope all had a great Christmas, or Hanukkah, etc.  Sorry I was out of contact while visiting Dad in NJ.  We had a great visit, but the holidays are different without Mom.  We made the drive up which was bumper to bumper from DC all the way to the end of the Jersey Turnpike.  I had left right after doing a heart, so arrived in NJ still wearing my scrubs.  Was having a little chat when a box alarm comes in with a report of people trapped.  Turned out, woman had fallen asleep while smoking and started the fire.  She and her husband got out with burns to the face and head along with smoke inhalation.  Four women (mother and three daughters) were trapped up on the second floor.  I helped stretch the 5" supply and then advanced a 1.75" Mattydale line to the second floor.  Was like the old days working with the guys....of course I only knew the old guys as so many guys are on after I left some 20+years ago.  The ladies were rescued by the initial search guys and all went as best as it could.

Did do some railfan stops by NYS&W and that major railroad that likes to let it's equipment leave the rails too often...oh yeah, CSX!  The main line on the old West Shore route is up to 3, which is great, though as can be seen in my avatar, it used to be a 4 track main.  Did not take in any O-gauge, but did reconnect with some old train guys from years ago.  One is a supervisor on NJ transit.  He used to work HX tower and I got to go to work with him when I was a kid.  Also caught up with a engineer who taught me to run a GP9 and FP40 some time ago.  Going to get a number of photos from years past to hang in the train room.

Well, have a early case, so I had better sign off for now.  Hope everyone is having a wonderful week.
God Bless,
Dennis

[LawsonFarmsRR]

 Jon you are right, most of them are called cafe's. Our area does have a number old diners, those that look like stainless steel rail cars. Same type food, good and reasonably priced.

Mentioning pork tenderloin sandwiches takes me back to the days Laura and I were dating, over 50 years ago. One of our favorite places to go was a cafe in Council Bluffs that specialized in pork tenderloin sandwiches.

Coincidentally, she was planning the dinners for this week, having no-no type meals before starting the annual new year dieting. Pork tenderloin sandwiches with cole slaw was the first dinner written down!

I haven't seen the Fierey show. Sounds interesting. Is it on satellite?

By the way, is the meal at 6:00 PM dinner or supper?

Pat

[jonadel]

LawsonFarmsRR

blownout cylinder

rtraincollector

Laz I was talking about the Phonebooth which seems a disapearing act bigtime

That phonebooth was sitting in that spot for about close to 35 years now. There was an older booth in the back that got crunched awhile back--they took that one out.

I just wonder how many diner type of affairs exist out there----

 

We live in a rural area and just about every small town has this type diner. So do other states I am familiar with. Jon - Dose Iowa still have local diners?

Pat

 

Pat--not sure they are called Diner's but the best restaurants are still in small towns and one of our local TV stations goes out once a week and does a feature on said cafe's.  There's a small bar/cafe not far from us (Van Meter) and they made the top 5 restaurants in IA for serving pork tenderloin sandwiches.  The Iowa Pork Producers pick those cafe's once a year and they are well worth a road trip.  There are other restaurants (always small) that do unbelievable "farmer" breakfasts, they make the chain restaurants look silly and the price is always cheap.  That's one thing my son and I enjoy about motorcycling, we always choose the "blue" roads (no super slabs for us) and just finding those special places.  We wish one of the major networks would hire us to travel around the USA, maybe the food network???  We could make Guy Fierey look bad (Diners/Drive In's and Dives), I do enjoy that show.