COFFEE POT #4, April 2010 for all to take a drink and chat. Welcome all posters. 4 yrs old and still going. Sweet ice tea too. (Even some Kibbles)

[submmbob]

 Well Wed. morning was fairly interesting at the 'scope. Within 3 hours of the end of the last shift of the week, a critical part of the 'scope chose to break, with the VLBI run looming within just a day or so. After figuring out the problem there was some more swearing at the guys who originally set this place up. They were trying to run a 120V AC solenoid on 24 V DC. It kinda worked but not very well. Explained a lot of the troubles we'd had w/ this system in the past. When John got up we ran temporary AC power and  installed a relay to use the 24V to do the switching. I actually used two of my dropping resistors from my old radio parts box to make the circuit. It works but I'm concerned about the duty cycle on the relay. One of our engineers had  a more appropriate one at the office, so I'm on deck in case I  need to make a run up to the mountain before my next shift.

Slept most of the day today catching up on sleep. We ended up having that dinner date tonight as she was busy last night. Still not quite sure where this is going but it's good for me to get out. 

Boxed up the first radio items I have sold tonight. They will basically pay for the clutch pressure plate and throw out bearing for the van. I found a few more things I want to sell off in the process. Excited about making the space and paying for some of the trains. 

Firend is moving back in town and is bringing me a new bed and some speakers to match the prowness of my old Pioneer stereo. It dawned on me last night that I could use the old setup for the futon as a train table. Will be a bit wider so I could use larger radius turns on the outside loop. I see a Railking Y6B in my future...

Bob

[MichRR714]

RockIsland52

Charlie.....where you been?

I have been around.. new baby in November has kept me busy.  I am still alive and kicking though ! :)

[dougdagrump]

Roy, Here's another that truely squeezes a lot into a small space.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py7RejJ1ZPM

ps. He's a regular on CTT's sister site for "G" gauge, V. Smith

[dwiemer]

Jack, either you are very talented and can type on the computer while swimming, or you were spared with your height advantage compared to so many.  Glad you are well.

I know this has been passed around a few years ago, but had just watched it again and since we have a lot of US Navy guys around these parts, thought you would enjoy it....even if you aren't a Navy alum, it is worth it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWGU3mpfRoM

Had a lot of fun with the family and looking forward to some good sleep and more fun tomorrow.  Hope each of you have a blessed night.
Dennis

[wrmcclellan]

This is for Buckeye to use with those that say "I just do not have the space for a G guage Garden RR."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbo2MmoN8jE&feature=related

[Anonymous]

Jack,

         Here is a photo of the spot before I tried fixing it myself.

I didn't take a pic of what was (or wasn't) lying underneath.  It wan't pretty. You can see the primer spot here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea6cqOhxqLw

Here is a pic that I took today of the repair that the shop did.  Saying they did a great job is an understatement IMHO. 

 

[RockIsland52]

Happy April Fools Day Ya'll From Finally Sunny Taxachusetts,  

So once again I found myself a zillion posts behind, began reading, then began posting........on the wrong Pot!  You were here while I was there.  And I wasn't alone.

Thanks for all of the kind thoughts and prayers during this current round of wet stuf up this way.  I'm pretty sure all of the rivers have now crested and are either steady or on their way down.......down to flood stage.  Lots of hurting folks with major damage and no flood insurance, some doing this dance for the second time in as many weeks.  No worries.  The president's helicopter touched down in Marlborough MA at 5:15pm and he should have things squared away in short order.     Sorry, my mistake, he's out fundraising at a $30,000 a couple affair.  Route 95, the gateway to New England, has finally reopened. 

Brutus......sorry to hear the trip to visit Char's Mom had to get cancelled and that her Mom gets better soon.  Just think how far things have come in the past 90 days.    Hang in there.  Prayers continue.

DougM......hope you are feeling better.  Delayed reaction to the St. Patrick's Day imbibing?

8n.......good news that they got your Mom back in action and back at home.   Prayers for your wife's vertebrea issue.  Glad she is feeling better, but  I am surprised the Doc didn't diagnose you as the cause of pain in her neck.  

SJ......my wife's plans are always the same as my plans, sooner or later.  Make that much later.   Outdoor window washing?  Yuk!  Try that Windex concentrated product that comes in a bottle and hooks up to the garden  hose.  Spray it on, rinse it off.  It is fast and easy, and no climbing required, even for the second floor.  Get it at a hardware store.  Two passes may be necessary on the sun-baked stuff.       

Thanks for the call yesterday, Chief.......no, thanks, I don't need the bass boat.  Now that I know you have 4 daughters, everything about you makes much more sense.   Time for an updated picture of your underwater "No Parking" sign at the lake house.  Of course there was no liquor at the ribbon cutting ceremony nfor the new liquor store......it was all probably stacked up and covered in the back of your truck.

Fife......did you ever finish the boat bottom?  Isn't there some kind of special paint that keeps the science projects from growing down there throughout the baoting season?  Hard as it may seem after the weather events in March, there are more folks this year who already have their boats in the water and either moored or docked in Beverly Harbor, Salem Harbor, Danversport, Marblehead, and Manchester.

DougM.....glad your son is home safe and sound.  How he could possibly have had a good time out my way in Boston with all that rain is beyond me.  Lot's of great pubs in and around Fanuel Hall, though.  Did he get to the USS Constitution?  I feel your pain about the never ending repairs around the ranch.  Ah, Lake Geneva WI.  Memories of my childhood, boating and fishing up there.  My wedding reception was held at Lake Lawn Lodge in Delavan.

Dennis.....hope your wife is feeling better.  The image of you running the ship....."Dad is great!  He lets us eat chocolate cake!"

Chuck and Jon......we still have the filthiest, most disgusting snow mountains slowly dissipating at our malls too.  Another month and they will be gone.

Chuck.......when the wife goes shopping, take out a bunch of tools and leave them out.  Play with trains.  Then when the wife gets home, spin a good yarn about how you just got done fixing that leak under the sink and act really wiped out or frustrated.  She won't dare ask you "What leak?"  have a bucket and a mop close by for effect.

Charlie.....where you been?

RaySP......wish I could ship you, Don, and DougDG some of our water.  We have a tad too much.  My wife will be out Monday to check up on you guys.

Spanky......good luck with the rehab facility search and the NJ house prep.  Bet you can't wait until all that is past you.

DougDG......A beer tanker would be my choice.  Where is Laz when you need him.  Trout fishin'!

JimT......what's with the worries with the Probe?  Did they have to go at the roof repair from the inside out?  I have a collision repair shop that can work miracles, including matching paint.  Been using them for 20 years.  Some roofers (ironically) threw some construction material off the roof where my wife works.....landed on the roof of my wife's black G35.  You couldn't even tell when these guys got done with it.

MikeC..... for handling the knuckleheads professionally.  Just reinforces the wisdom of your decision to make a change.  Good luck on the launch of the "SS New Job!"

Later, gang.  Time to break out the Easter baskets.

Jack 

[hscsltb]

http://www.warwickonline.com/view/full_story_news/6909671/article-The-Great-Flood?instance=home_news_1st_left    This is from the local paper.

[dwiemer]

Good evening everyone.  I see the Chief has yet to sign in, so Lucy, got any more left on the big sale?
Almost had to do a emergent case, but they were able to fix things in the cath lab.  Also called the security director as I found an old shotgun in one of the houses that we are going to use in the movie.  They are going to get it and hand it over to law enforcement.  I think I have a couple of areas we can fit trains into the movie...both real and model.

Son had a good day with field day.  Wife and kids all got sun tans from being outside all day too.  I have to get on that new peach tree we planted as it needs water.  Also want to fertilize a few other trees.  I am thinking of building a elevated garden for veggies.

If I don't get called in tonight,  will be going up to run some trains.  I have so many that have yet to see the rails.  Wife is happy to see them running. 
Did anyone see that story about the Somali Pirates that tried to take on a US Frigate?  As a friend of mine would say, "How'd that work out for ya?"  Chalk one up to the good guys!

God Bless,
Dennis

[hscsltb]

Hello all, got to see the sun today.Made out ok with all the rain. Really feeling bad for those who were flooded out. A friend of mine was telling me his fathers shop has at least 8 feet of water.95 south was reopened this afternoon but some of the state highways are still closed.River is running over the bridges.Cant hardly believe it reached 21 feet over normal. for those who need them. 

[SPMan]

Good afternoon all,  well our so called rain storm was a joke.  It only rained enough to spot the cars and barely wet the sidewalk.  Places under trees were completely dry.  I had my sump pumps standing by and a cover on my old 87 Buick that leaks and ready for action.

Got news lately that the MTA Gold Line extension has been approved to come almost to where I live.  The line goes through Pasadena on the way to Los Angeles.  Suppose to complete this segment which is about 10 miles by 2013.  Thats progress I guess.  The Central Pacific Railroad laid 10 miles of track in one day when building the transcontinental railroad in 1869.  These turkeys are taking three years to do the same.

Got a new problem with my MTH proto 2 GP-20.  It is making a loud squeaking noise at times apparently from the sound system.  Its not the axles because it does it even when stopped.  If its a board problem, I hate to think what it would cost to fix it.  The engine is only worth around $150 on the used market probably.  The noise goes away when the engine sits for a while.  PS Its not the smoke unit either.  I checked that.

Lucy, I'll give you $25 for one of those NS units.

Have a good Easter week all,

Ray

[sir james I]

Good Evening All

A record breaking 81 today, two more days and then back to normal. Banilla for sure tonite.

I will wait on the porch for the thingy...S.J.

[cnw1995]

 Aloha from a sunny Crystal Lake where it is 83 degrees. Sounds like a joke. Picked up the teen from a deserted O'Hare airport early this am. He had a great time with my uncle and aunt in Boston - visited Fenway, took in a Bruins game, went to various haunts of his favorite bands. I'm happy for him. I got suckered in by the weather to just fix this little thing outside, then this one, then this one. And now I got tools and ladders and keep finding things to fix. LOL. Boy, the lawn looks horrible.  Thank God for the sunshine. Good dog, Lucy!

[MichRR714]

 Dennis.. I had the same problem with a Lionel Pacific I have.. a good track cleaning was the fix.

[dwiemer]

Hey Fife, ya ever notice that when someone gets shot, it is always "Some Dude" that did it?  One of these days, they are going to catch "Some Dude" and our emergency work will drop dramatically.  Had one today that made things interesting.  Also had some other cases to keep busy on, but they are all done.  I am hoping to head home early to spend some quality time with the kids and my bride.

Really wish I was heading to York this time around, but on the busy side as well, the movie work is getting into full gear.  I am hoping to get some trains in the movie some how, but will have to see.  Shooting schedule is quite busy and we are doubling the number of cameras, so it gets quite expensive.  Quality of this one should be a big leap ahead of the last.

Haven't heard from Chief as of yet....if he doesn't get on hear soon, I will have to ask Lucy for a few more items. 
I noticed on the Southern Mikado while running last night, that a few spots on the layout, it would stall with the engine lights on, but the tender lights off and not responding.  A little push would get her going.  This only happened at real slow speeds and once I got her up a bit, she was fine.  I suspect I need to have a good track cleaning, but still have plenty of landscaping to do, so that may wait.

God Bless,
Dennis

[dougdagrump]

Howdeee !

Been a busy morning here, gettin' a cauliflower ear from being on the phone. Looking for some CAB-1's, one for me and maybe a few to back-up the club's layout. When the kids club has their meets & events they normally run conventional, initially using the older MTH handheld until those were discontinued. So we switched to the CAB-1/TPC and now the CAB-1 is going byebye. Just fear putting a DCS or Legacy ($$$$$$) in the hands of so many little-uns.

If any of you guys see any please let me know.

Refill the mug and back to the search !

[Anonymous]

Afternoon fellas.

Was over on the 'York' thread and Ole Timer posed a question so I figured I respond over here to see if he can keep up!

Anyhoo - regarding the 'injury'. I'm all healed up, haven't tried pushing it yet, that starts next week when I start using the new gym at the office. I've got 28lbs I need to shed and keep off or the Dr has threatened the use of 'prescribing' me something... I really hate that. Anyhoo... I got the rest of the siding up on the sunroom last weekend. Been too busy at work to get any more work done this week, but hope to get out tonight and get the scrap off the screened porch and into the garage so I can work on the railings and screen panels.

I see the ol' dog is up to his ol' tricks again... Sit Uboo Sit...

[wrmcclellan]

Afternoon all!

Happy Fool's Day?

Mid 80s here today. Partly sunny today and rain tomorrow. The weekend is supposed to be 70's and sunny. May be the nicest Easter weekend we have had in several years. Family picnic scheduled for Sun afternoon.

Hope everyone is having a great day!

[Ole Timer]

 Hi Charlie !!!  Good to seeya buddy !  Do you really think one of us would get into any mischief ? ... we're all as innocent as new born babies ....    .....   

[cheapclassics]

Good morning all,

IIABSDISEI with temps in the 80s.  I scrimmaged with the high school kids in soccer for the first time in three weeks last night.  Played hard.  Slept well.  Body will hurt later on.  Glad I took today off.  The IT people tried to do one last "nasty" yesterday.  Does not surprise me.  It is amazing how petty some people can be.  Done with them.  Have some chores to do today.  I had a little extra on the dining car for breakfast this morning. TBIL anytime tonight.  I hope everyone has a good day.

Keep on training,

Mike C. from Indiana

[MichRR714]

 Happy April Fools!

 

Be weary of mischief today! :)

[navyjack]

hello guys happy april fools day.  hope we all have a good month.  cant think of a joke to pull.  it is 80 degrees today.  hard to believe.  thanks to god we got some of that southern weather. 

pat....dont work to hard guy, pace yourself....love you man

 

also all my friends...navyjack

[sir james I]

Happy April Fools Day

It would have been my sisters bday(deceased) always felt sorry for her as every one played tricks on her all day. Sun is shining going into the 70s. I am ready for breakfast and a walk.

S.J.

[Sturgeon-Phish]

Good Dog, gooood girl, good dog

[rtraincollector]

If you are lucy I'll take that atlas PRR he got I'll give you say $15.00 as its not as nice a engine as that which dennis wants but still a nice engine

[dwiemer]

Good morning.  Going to the mid 80's here today.  Normally, that would not be a problem, but son's school is having a Field Day, so wife will be heading out there and I will be going to a OR suite that will be a cozy 52 degrees.  Have a couple of cases early on, so I will go in as call dude again.  I really would like to be there for son's events, but sometimes we have no control over things.

Lucy, good job on getting things going and picking up the SLACK for the Chief.  Are you going to be selling any of his goodies today?  If so, I'd be interested in that new K-line engine he got....I would go as high as $20.00 for it.

Anyway, hope everyone has a blessed day,
Dennis

[Blueberryhill RR]

Good Morning from Blueberryhill....

It is a beautiful morning. 75 degrees and sunny. Going up to 85 today with sunshine all day.

Today is a busy day. Grocery shopping for the wife. Relaxing for me. I worked very hard on writing up the grocery list for her. Only 5 stores to go to. She'll be done in only 6 hours. We'll celebrate when she gets home. I will be running trains when she gets home......so I'm not in her way, when she puts everything away.

Dining car is here with a huge plate of GRITS for breakfast.

Y'all have a great Thursday.

Chuck

[laz 57]

GOOD DOGIE, such a BIG SWEETIE!

  Hi GUYZ,

      To get to 79 here today.  I have a half day with kidos and then Inservice, off tomorrow. 

  Stay frosty,

laz57

[anjdevil2]

 APRIL FOOLS!!!

WOW! Getin in on da first page!!!  Good job pickin' up da slack Lucy!!!

Shower, shave then back on the Harley to work....so the CHeif kin keep is SSI checks..

ok, Later!

[rtraincollector]

Well I see Lucy beat me to it so I'll let it go with that. not sure where chief get me as the reminder of it as believe ask twice but any way I see its started. good to see it got started

about out the door on my way to work all have a good day talk to you all later