Good morning all, thought I better report in today. I've been lurking too much. Hope Mrs Brutus continues to improve.
Chief, I was surprised at the size of the High School (6000). Have to check on our local one for comparison. The one I went to had 1500 students and we thought that was big.
Don, sympathize with your traction tire in hard places problem. I have an MTH ATSF 4-8-4 that has tires on the front and rear axles. Rear is easy but front would require taking everything apart to change it. Not going to happen on my engine either! When the present tire goes, I will look into the bullfrog snot route as well. I have some older Williams scale brass engines that have worn out traction tires on the lead axles but I just run them without tires. Does'nt seem to hurt anything and one set on rear is adequate. Congratulations to your son for the Academy job.
Got another Dr. appointment this morning but no biggie. Just tired of going to so many appointments. My cataract surgery recovery is doing fine. I'm almost done with the eye drops. Vision is very good.
Dennis, you could keep a small ice chest near your work with salads and stuff like that for more healthy food. It's amazing what you can carry in one of those things if you try. I had one on the railroad because we never could stop the train for lunch.
Got to run,
Ray
SPMan
Good Mornin, Ya'll, from Hazy 33 Degree Cape Ann Taxachusetts,
Brutus......was thinking of you and Char last night and how the home team can stay on top of so many of the details as good if not better than the professional health care providers because at home you are or can be more focused and attentive. And often it's all in the details. Keep hammering. Wars are won one battle at a time. Good thoughts and prayers continue. Re the Area 51 flying saucer car score......we have known all along that is where you were formerly incarcerated.
Chief......since you cannot torture and then execute the knuckleheads, you are stuck trying to figure out how to assuage their bruised egos after their first round defeat....in order to get some modicum of cooperation and concensus down the road. As useless as they were reaching the optimal site decision, they will prove to be the same over the course of the entire journey.
Don......good news on Chris' assignment, more so with his excitement over the opportunity. Networking......it's the 80%+ solution to employment. Have Chris get us you some autographed pictures. We're interested in keeping up with the female fashion trends.
JimSP.....was thinking about you last weekend when this Grammy and Grampy were babysitting the granddaughters. It never ceases to amaze me how well behaved they are with us. I love playing with them, the mental jousts and boundary finding: "Well, Mommy and Daddy let me....." Reading and anything to stoke the imagination and their sense of importance and belonging. Electronics can interrupt all of that, but it seems their interest in that stuff plummets when given the alternative choice (subtlely mandated) of the one-on-one.
Laz......I hear ya on the US men's curling. The rest made us proud. Some had to suck it up and really attack, caution to the winds.
Pat.....how many pounds have you gained lost on your diet? Cut the grits with the red eye gravy. Cement-like substances weigh a lot.
Chuck......as embarrassed as I will be in this crowd after typing this, here goes. Track cleaning for me is a pile of clean cotton t-shirts and a bottle of isopropyl alcohol, cleaning one foot at a time.
MikeC.....glad to hear Lucas is thriving while Dad toils in humble anonymity keeping the forward motion of the ship intact. Kids realize and appreciate it now but say relatively little. Express it in a decade or two. Your take on Chief's HS and planning ahead on the fileds.....spot on. Every HS built seems to have the same issue, adjacent and adequate open space for parking and the fields. "Coulda, shoulda, woulda." Once urban sprawl sets in, every square inch of practical open space disappears and all of the solutions then come with a terrific price tag, financial and human.
Navyjack......I don't have to look far to find an uglier side of life. Even in my church group where you would think there is no place for insensitivity and selfishness. I try to surround myself and my mind with the positive and write off the rest. As you hold your grandson, you should be plotting, scheming, and taking some small steps toward a very modest layout. It's for the children.
OleTimer and Dennis......for me flash photography is difficult if not flat out frustrating. Skill and experience only take me so far. Based on my shortcomings, there is no substitute for the right equipment. But as you know there are light years difference in flashes, well worth a little splurge to get the range, a more natural look, and the ability to bounce light to eliminate shadows. An expensive powerful flash covers a multitude of my sins and moderate camera. I always opt for natural light photography too when I can. In manual mode I can usually find the light I need as OleTimer suggests, perhaps with some depth of field sacrifice. I get natural tones and eyes that don't look like LCD or laser lights. Hand holding a camera below 1/60th of a second can be a challenge, especially if the subjects are not cooperating by moving. Steady shot cameras help, but.....
What happened to Kurt? Time. It can really get sucked up by the kiddies. Miss his presence around here, though.
If I am not mistaken, Kooljock (aka Jon2) has a dump of snow in his immediate future up there in Vt. Better him than me. He probably gets more snow than Fairbanks.
DougM......pitchers and catchers report today for the Red Sox. I predict the Cubbies will win it all this year.......just like I have and they haven't during my lifespan. Think I will go out and buy some lottery tickets.
Fife and DougM.....our PD phased out the Crown Vics and Grand Marquis. Sudden acceleration issues and sheer age/mileage. Police officers sucked it up and sacrificed as best they could, made due with the space compromises the Challenger presents relative to the boats they had. They seem to be smiling a lot more and have adapted well. "Hey Fife, bust that suspect's legs so we can fold him up and get his 6'6" carcass in the back seat."
Tiger Woods' indiscretions? Long since beyond tired of hearing it. He has to live with his decisions forever, but I don't. Why I hate the media sometimes. Need to move on. Beating a dead horse.
Later, gang.
Jack
IF IT WON'T COME LOOSE BY TAPPING ON IT, DON'T TRY TO FORCE IT. USE A BIGGER HAMMER.
Good Afternoon
Just a quick check in during lunch.
Buckeye My "watch" is a training requirement where once every 3 months instead of doing my regular job of building manager I work as an operator, then I work a shift as a supervisor over the operators. It is basically a good idea because many times in upper management positions you have a tendency to loose touch with reality and perspective of what happens on the operating floor. I have always enjoy doing my watch, the only bad part is that my regular "stuff" just piles up to be taken care of later.
navyjack - I am glad we can bring a little joy into your world. We all have fun here it seems.
Got to go.
May God bless
Jim
LawsonFarmsRR sir james I Good Morning Wow sun this morning, going to 35, we could lose some snow today. With granny babysitting I am just playing house, doing whatever I want. Guess I'll see what I can find to eat that won't grind my teeth down to stubs. S.J. SJ - Eat Grits -- Improve your teeth! Before Grits: After Grits: navyjack - I am on a starvation diet this week! Pat
sir james I Good Morning Wow sun this morning, going to 35, we could lose some snow today. With granny babysitting I am just playing house, doing whatever I want. Guess I'll see what I can find to eat that won't grind my teeth down to stubs. S.J.
Good Morning
Wow sun this morning, going to 35, we could lose some snow today.
With granny babysitting I am just playing house, doing whatever I want.
Guess I'll see what I can find to eat that won't grind my teeth down to stubs.
S.J.
SJ - Eat Grits -- Improve your teeth!
Before Grits:
After Grits:
navyjack - I am on a starvation diet this week!
Pat
Life's hard, even harder if your stupid John Wayne
http://rtssite.shutterfly.com/
Good morning all (again),
Chief, all the items you mentioned in your list concerning the new schools are obviously overkill.....except the soccer field. That probably needs to be bigger...with lights....and watering system....and decent restrooms and concession facility to handle the throngs of people who will attend the games. With 6,000 kids, you need more than one field so the freshman and JV teams can play at the same time. Also some place for the intra-mural kids to play as well and any travel teams that would want to rent the facilities (possibly be a source of income). Just a thought.
Keep on training,
Mike C. from Indiana
sir james IGood Morning Wow sun this morning, going to 35, we could lose some snow today. With granny babysitting I am just playing house, doing whatever I want. Guess I'll see what I can find to eat that won't grind my teeth down to stubs. S.J.
RFD-TV --- Rural America's most important network!
Aloha from a sunny and cold Crystal Lake. Looks like we're to continue under-norm temps into March. Stupid Canadian air masses. Haven't watched a second of the Olympics so far - 2 days until White Sox pitchers and catchers report. I'm getting into a good routine doing this workout and running trains in the background. Great pick-ups, Chief, Ole Timer and Brutus! Continued prayers for Mrs. Brutus. Glad you're looking forward to this weekend with your grandson, NavyJack - thanks for the offer but I have plenty of old mags I have to part with myself. Our neighboring PD just got a few Challengers. They've had some issues getting used to them instead of the Crown Vics.
Doug Murphy 'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...' Henry V.
"IT's GOOD TO BE THE KING",by Mel Brooks
Charter Member- Tardis Train Crew (TTC) - Detroit3railers- Detroit Historical society Glancy Modular trains- Charter member BTTS
Won a couple cars and a K-line Broadway Diner last night .... does anyone know what music it plays ? I asked the seller but it's new in the box and he does'nt know and does'nt want to open and hook it up . Wanted one of the shiney aluminum ones and got lucky at way under 1/2 of retail .
Good day and evening on the chat with Brutus = SJ = and RT .... back to finishing detail parts and hopeing the rest will come today .
Dennis ... and everybody else with a digital SLR .... have you played with the lens settings instead of useing the flash ... I'm getting great results and no glare or red eyes . This is a great site for settings = tips = and tricks for dslr cameras .... look around there ..... actual user results at many different settings with examples ...... http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/forum.asp?forum=1034&page=1
hello guys, hope everyone is enjoying the great weather we are getting aroung the country. wife and daughter in law are making cookies this weekend. that means i will get lots of playtime with my new grandson. he is really cool and his face lights up when he sees gramma and grampa. you guys are good friends and i really enjoy your kind friendship. in this dog eat dog world it is nice to have folks around who can be civil around a hobby such as trains. i find that when you share your joy with getting a new car or loco, that i am as happy as you are.
rt thanks for the receipe for sos
pat eat light this week
sbmmbob hope you get some train time
doug m hope that you are doing ok. this spring wife will do some spring cleaning and she is bugging me to get rid of a box of back issues of train mags. would you like? if so i will let you know when you could pick them up.
Morning all. Sunny and cool [warmer than yesterday]. Off to the lawyer's down east and then Mom's. Then got School Board meeting to thank them for school.
Buckeye, wrong on school construction. Wake Co does its own. Mostly grandstand. Gym in middle school looks like HS size. Gym in HS is college size. Classrooms now have slanted ceilings to reflect light. Power blinds. A thing half way down the windows that looks like an airplane wing to reflect the light to the ceiling. Light sensors to auto dim the lights as the natural light hits the room. These things are super buildings. No $$$ spared. You will not believe it. An administrative section on each floor with an Asst. Principal in each section. Then they say this is a must. The middle school in west Wake Co that is like the one we are getting soon in Rolesville had 3 million $$$ worth of changes down due to it did not look right. The middle school [starting in June] is 3 story and the HS now approved is 4 story super size [over 6,000 students, largest school in the Co.] with football stadium, baseball stadium, soccer field and tennis courts. No joke. HS has to have large property so it will have big parking lot so all the kids can drive to school. Then bus area too. This new approval also puts an elementary school there too. We already have two in town.
Now you see why we have no money and there is a big fight to get these palaces in your Town.
Later
God bless TCA 05-58541 Benefactor Member of the NRA, Member of the American Legion, Retired Boss Hog of Roseyville , KC&D Qualified
Good morning all,
It is slightly warmer in SE Indiana with temps in the 30s. Got the financial aid work done for Lucas last night. That is a relief. Glad to see the Vonn lady get a medal. So much attention, so much pressure. Have to wonder if it is worth it. Imagine what she could do if she was not hurt.... Did weights and soccer drills at YMCA last night. Long day at work, but may be seeing light at end of tunnel.... Slept well last night for once. Had a very interesting conversation with an old friend in Second Life. Her son has some sort of situation with the skin growing on the inside of the body. Supposedly threatens bones. Major surgery involved. Dennis, I know you deal with the tickers primarily, but have you ever heard of such a situation? Drive into work went smoothly for once. I had the regular fare on the dining car after it rolled in from "Points East". TBIL any time and I can drive. I could use the seat time. I hope everyone has a good day.
Good Morning from Blueberryhill....
It ia a cloudy 24 degrees. Going up to 34 today with a chance of some snow flurries. We need some sunshine.
Today is a busy day. I have some chores to do and a project to finish. Then, I will relax in the train room. More track to clean.
Dining car is on the way. The usual for breakfast.
Y'all have a great Thursday.
Chuck
THE LAZ OLYMPIC REPORT.........
laz 57Watched Olympics last nite, FLYING TOMATOE did really good and so did the ski chick. Speed skater won in the last heat. Pretty good stuff. USA GUY CURLERS STINK!
I like it!!!
Speaking of sports, Boiler Up!!!
Chuck......Fire it up and I'll get the camera. I can't believe your bad luck on this SNOWOHIO nomination.
Chief.......Your school problem has just begun. Now they will make the interior look like a palace. Later you will discover that they put in substandard plumbing, poor materials in the floor, leaking windows or the HVAC is undersized. Most of us in construction will tell you that colleges and school systems are the most wasteful organizations for buildings. Many of them will hid behind the, "the state told us to do it that way" excuse. My wife's new school has a clock in every classroom. Guess what they are not synchronized! If they had purchased atomic clocks from Wal-Mart the problem would have been solved, but instead they spent 10x more. Good luck and watch those change orders.
Jim......Stand watch over what?
Hi ho, hi ho...................
Celebrating 18 years on the CTT Forum.
Buckeye Riveter......... OTTS Charter Member, a Roseyville Raider and a member of the CTT Forum since 2004..
Jelloway Creek, OH - ELV 1,100 - Home of the Baltimore, Ohio & Wabash RR
TCA 09-64284
HI GUYZ,
34 and not bad at all, to get to 38? Watched Olympics last nite, FLYING TOMATOE did really good and so did the ski chick. Speed skater won in the last heat. Pretty good stuff. USA GUY CURLERS STINK!
Stay frosty,
laz57
Good Morning all
No new snow but cold.
Jim F - PRayers still in high gear!
Received a book off the bay last night. Good book, Greenburgs American Flyer track plans and operating instructions from :89. Nice shape good info.
Need to go to work early today. Today I will be an operator. I have to stand watch a shift each quarter to maintain qualification.
Greetings All !!
Brutus, glad to hear Char is doing well ! Every day is a success.
Chief, Really great news on the High School ! We need you out here !!!
Had a busy past few days, went to the train show in Long Beach last weekend and met up with George Watson. Then surprisingly he gave me a call Monday morning, and came over to my place and we ran trains for a couple of hours. What was really great, is that everything ran perfectly ! That doesn't happen often.
I have been playing with the Record/Playback function, believe me that is certainly a way to find out the inadequacies of your layout. The minor discrepancies always become significant. So, resolving them one at a time.
Then Chris got some good news. He starts working at the Academy Awards tomorrow. They usually contact us and by quite a bit of paper from us every year, and last year I had introduced Chris to one of the managers. Unbeknown to me Chris had maintained contact with the manager, and got the job. It only lasts for about 3 weeks, but talk about excited, he is walking around on air.
Looks like I'm going to have to use the Bullfrog stuff on my Cab Fwd, got a loose tire. And of course the wheel is directly behind the Steam Box. The retaining screw will not clear the linkage without removing it. And that of course requires removing the boiler, then the steam box. Just not going to happen, way to much can go wrong. The wheel of course has a groove cut in it for the tire, so will fill the groove with snot. I have applied it to a different engine, and it seems to work, but their is a lot of weight difference between a Beep and this engine.
Hope I didn't tick anyone off with the thread I put up, but I am curious about the features I'm missing, hopefully I will learn something new.
God Bless !
Don
Good night all. Found a end of the track gang section by Lionel. Been looking one. Off down east to Mom's and do some $$$ business. Back for a night meeting with school board. [yes, this one is to repay my debt for HS] I crashed tonight during Criminal Minds [on DVR, one on TV was a repeat]. Sleep tight.
Hey - threw a bid on ebay and won that flying saucer car with saucers from the Area 51 set for $17
RIP Chewy - best dog I ever had.
Wife's temp went back down - we checked it a few times through the night to be sure. We know to expect some more bad times, but overall things should keep improving now with some care and preventative actions.
No real news today - just the usual stuff, which is nice for a change! Wife and Mother-in-Law are watching the olympics. Lots of crashes on the slopes tonight.
Tardis is ready so let's hit the road!
Buckeye Riveter Buckeye RiveterCongratulation Blueberry Chuck!!!!! I see you were nominated as the SNOWOHIO person of the year. I do hope that you are the honoree this year. I can't remember another year when SNOWOHIO has been such a pain in the butt to Maryland, Virginia, N.C., Georgia, Mississippi and Florida. I also hope you wint the SNOWUSA award, but it is hard to beat the guys from Michigan and Wisconsin. Chuck.......I am afraid you have some stiff competition this year for SNOWOHIO PERSON OF THE YEAR AWARD. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L-fVwcGBlU Can you do this and spell North Carolina? That might help you win.
Buckeye RiveterCongratulation Blueberry Chuck!!!!! I see you were nominated as the SNOWOHIO person of the year. I do hope that you are the honoree this year. I can't remember another year when SNOWOHIO has been such a pain in the butt to Maryland, Virginia, N.C., Georgia, Mississippi and Florida. I also hope you wint the SNOWUSA award, but it is hard to beat the guys from Michigan and Wisconsin.
Chuck.......I am afraid you have some stiff competition this year for SNOWOHIO PERSON OF THE YEAR AWARD.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L-fVwcGBlU
Can you do this and spell North Carolina? That might help you win.
I can fire up my 454 cu. in. 300 h.p. Chevy powered snow blower and spell that out on 1/2 acre of snow. You sure you want " North Carolina " ?? How about "Soggy Grits " ??
Painting barrel stays on those darn lil wooden barrels ...... I think my eyes are going to pay me back for this .... .... then I have to dremel a few out inside and glue some RR spikes in them for spike barrels . Thought I may as well make a few whiskey barrels with the XXX on them .... not that railroaders ever drank .... LOL . Maybe a couple pickle and cracker barrels too .... they both came in barrels back when .
Almost time to fire up the coffee pot and head on over to the chat / tardis ... I'll have the light on guys for awhile ....
Blueberryhill RR RockIsland52 Chuck......hang in there with the PT. No pain no gain. Suggest you consult our resident physical fitness guru Laz on the correct liquid analgesics to mitigate the muscle discomfort. Jack Jack.... I have consulted Dr. LAZ and he has told me to buy a case of OL MIL and drink 12 cans after PT. This will calm the muscles and leave me schloshed for 3 days. I think this remedy will work. Chuck
RockIsland52 Chuck......hang in there with the PT. No pain no gain. Suggest you consult our resident physical fitness guru Laz on the correct liquid analgesics to mitigate the muscle discomfort. Jack
Chuck......hang in there with the PT. No pain no gain. Suggest you consult our resident physical fitness guru Laz on the correct liquid analgesics to mitigate the muscle discomfort.
Jack.... I have consulted Dr. LAZ and he has told me to buy a case of OL MIL and drink 12 cans after PT. This will calm the muscles and leave me schloshed for 3 days. I think this remedy will work.
CHUCK,
Remember to pace yourself, start out maybe a 6 pack then work your way up 2 beers at a time after evry PT. You won't even feel that schloshed after a week. Good luck, buddy remember its all in the pace.
Good Evening
It soared to 35 today but stayed cloudy so no big snow melt.
It was a non event day here I just couched and walked the floor. Still have some banilla and beacon will be on..S.J.
Chief sounds like the real estate guy was only watching his bottom line.Fife dog if you find one of those rich uncles could use one too.Brutus the up hill road will have some bumps but remember you are always going up.Birthday boys I wish you a belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY.Sorry I missed them.
anjdevil - I wanna see what the 3.5 6 cylinder is like in the Challenger. I just don't want to cough up the major cuh-ching for the gas-guzzler tax. I'm more interested in the car's looks. But if I had a rich uncle, the Plum Crazy SRT8 would do just fine.
D'OH!!!
I am the monster in your head...And I thought you'd learn by now, It seems you haven't yet.I am the venom in your skin --- Breaking Benjamin
anjdevil - We drive Crown Vics. It was Joe Citizen's Charger.
Good afternoon. Jack, I have learned to not get involved in PiZZing matches with fools, so try to stay away from such arguments. I will jump in there if someone goes overboard, or calls my honor in to question, but otherwise, they are not worth my time. I agree with you regarding the battle ship exchange....those ships were/are awesome.
I have started the "Daniel Diet/Fast". Several of us on the heart team are doing so and it is good to have others encouraging you as you go. Or, put another way, misery loves company. It is difficult because we often work such crazy, unscheduled hours that planning meals, or taking time to eat the right stuff is pretty much out the window. One of the guys on the team lost 38lbs on it just recently. My bride is on my case to be healthy so that I will be around for the little ones to grow up....got a point there.
Took a little time and looked into some photo techniques. It may be time for me to get a new flash for the camera. They have new ones for both Nikon and Cannon that are "inteligent", through the lense designs that really bring out the best quality in pictures. Then, perhaps I can start contributing to SpF?
God Bless,Dennis
TCA#09-63805
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.
Get the Classic Toy Trains newsletter delivered to your inbox twice a month