RE:COFFEE POT #11 November 2011 for all to take a drink and chat. 6+ years and going. Plenty of coffee and sweet ice tea to drink. Plenty of GRITS, oatmeal and Cheerios for the heart.

[cnw1995]

Aloha from a sunny and cool Chicago. TGIF!  Roy, I love that word 'obviate' - I have to work it into conversation today. Happy anniversary, Mike C. Harvest was decent in my part of IL, Jack. CO2 detectors required here too. CN still cleaning up from their derailment yesterday just south of here. Looks like some of the holiday garden train displays are going up....

[RockIsland52]

Good Mornin' Ya'll From Partly Sunny Taxachusetts,

Joy!!!!!!!!  Highs today only 49 but temps may hit 60 Monday and Tuesday.!!!!    Great weather for procrastinating with Winter prep.  If I didn't procrastinate, I wouldn't be able to freeze to death and curse myself for not doing this stuff when the weather was a tad warmer.  Frostbitten fingers keep the health care professionals employed and busy.  Hmmmmmmmmm.......put up Christmas lights?  Nah, think I will follow tradition.  

Safety message as we move into the Winter.......four of the six deaths in MA attributed to last weekend's snowstorm were the result of carbon monoxide "poisoning" in the home.  And four of eight deaths in CT have been contributed to the same thing.  The individual stories citing the causes behind these fatalities seem to point to folks running gas-powered generators in their garages to provide temporary electricity until power can be restored.   In Taxachusetts we are required by law to have carbon monoxide detectors in the home in addition to smoke detectors. These fatalities puzzle me somewhat.  Error in judgement?  Sheer accident?  Stupidity?  No carbon monoxide detectors?  Or ignorance?  My Dad had CM detectors installed in his home back in the 1990s and I recall them saving his and my Mom's life.  He had them installed after a malfunction with his newer gas forced air furnace jacked the CM levels in his home to dangerous levels.  He wasn't feeling quite right and called the fire department to check things out and they confirmed high CM levels.  It happened once again, AFTER he had the detectors installed, and the detectors gave him the heads up.  Be safe out there boys.....this is one of the added reasons/benefits of having my furnace (heating oil baseboard hot water heat) serviced each year.  The tech cleans and checks the heating unit and the rest of the system for more than just the energy performance versus spec.  He checks for proper venting and CM levels against the safe standard spec and the levels recorded last visit.

HudsonJohn......stay safe, brother.  Bet you and your team mates are all running past empty about now.  Yours is the type of job where you don't get second chances. 

Fife........don't you arrest people for the type of assault you were subjected to?

Chuck........IMHO, I think a trip down the stairs to the train room with the wifey at the ready might be a good thing, provided you feel ready.  There is no rush, however.  Bet you'd like to get in a running session.  There is nothing better than a motivated patient. 

LAZ.......re your trip to Barry's, I think I'll make a swing by Northeast Trains in Peabody this coming week.  I like to see what they have there on consignment, like some postwar 2343s.  My wife deserves these for Christmas, don't you think? 

Jeff.......you are me.  One trip to buy the wrong thing, another to go back and find out they don't have what I need, and a third to a store that does.    I write everything down out of the owners' manuals and am saving $ on gas now. 

Bob........break out the Winter coats for your pet skunk!!!!

SP Ray.......I just thought of one more thing for you to consider about your upcoming trip East, a strip search at the security checkpoint at the  airport. 

Brutus.......keeping a lid on Chewy post op will be more difficult than you think.  These pups don't listen to or read the vet's instructions to lay low for a couple of weeks.  They return to their normal activities way too soon, before they are healed.  Jumping onto and off of furniture, tearing up and down stairs, and the like.  Keep a leash on Chewy indoors and out for a week or two.

Banks......how good was the corn harvest this year by you?  It was way below normal locally here this year.

Rich.........glad to hear it was the "other" knuckleheads in the MVA.   BTW, what do you mean when you say "close friend?" 

California boys.....national news had a piece this AM that affects youse guyz.  Video of a surfer and a kayaker that almost became lunch for a humpback whale feeding in the waters just off shore.  Leave the surfboard and kayak at home and use a boat that weighs a few tons.    Unless you need a lot of firewood, ttay out of the woods too.  A giant Sequoia fell there recently.

Chief.........guess my wishes yesterday for luck on your hunting expedition didn't help.  The squirrels and bucks must have been tipped off by one ff your political rivals.   At least you got some exercise toting all of your firepower around with you.  Re the DWI video clip, it did not appear you were acting.

Becky........what you have created is spectacular.  Best wishes for inclusion in an upcoming CTT issue.  Problem is, you have so many fantastic pieces they won't know where to start. 

Dennis......man, the to do's just don't quit.  Prep for adoption nearly becomes a complicated full-time job.  You almost have to invest in project software!!!  Prayers continue. 

JoeyD........I read where it will take Japan 30 years to clean up after the nuclear power plant disaster versus 10 years for Three Mile Island near LAZ.

Gotta run.  Later gang!  Where is Buckeye?

Jack

[KRM]

KRM

 Chuck, four does a fawn and two turkeys in the driveway last night. With the fields harvested it is driving everything back into the wood for the winter. Plenty of those pesky squirrels but not hunting yet. Wifey only lets me get the squirrels. She likes to feed the deer but WOW 100lb bag of feed corn is up to $18.00 a bag from $10.00 last year. Guess that is what you get when corn is over $6.50 a bushel.

  

  I should of put Chief in here sorry Chuck I will wake up soon but I have a pest helping me out to insure I screw up. 

Kev.

[KRM]

 

Hi all,

Must be cold, cat wants back in after only an hour out.

1.5" of rain so no work for a few days. Okay with me but could use the spending cash.

Fifedog and Roy glad you checked out Okay. I need to get my apt for this year’s trip to doctor proc-tor. I have to get one every three years and have been since I was in my 30s. Reason is family history; you never get used to it but glad they have good drugs beforehand. Beats the alternative.

Chuck, four does a fawn and two turkeys in the driveway last night. With the fields harvested it is driving everything back into the wood for the winter. Plenty of those pesky squirrels but not hunting yet. Wifey only lets me get the squirrels. She likes to feed the deer but WOW 100lb bag of feed corn is up to $18.00 a bag from $10.00 last year. Guess that is what you get when corn is over $6.50 a bushel.

Banks, not much corn left standing here.

Brutus

, Good News on the little dog.

Got to go.

Have a great day all!

Kev.

[cheapclassics]

Good morning all,

IIABSDISEI with temps in the 50s.  Made the ususal pre-anniversary flower run last night, which was properly received.  Will be wandering Indiana tomorrow to celebrate.  Taking Monday off to go with Tuesday election to make it a four day weekend.  Regular fare on the dining car.  TBIL, but it will have to be a late pickup.  I hope everyone has a good day.

Keep on training,

MIke C. from Indiana

[Blueberryhill RR]

Good Morning from Blueberryhill....

It is a dark and cloudy 42 degrees. Going up to 60 today, with sunshine.

Today is an easy day. I have a few chores to do and some paperwork. Then, I will relax and do some reading. New CTT mag has a lot of good articles.

Buckeye & LAZ..... TGIF

Dining car is here with Cheerios for breakfast.

Y'all have a great Friday.

Chuck

[fifedog]

Mornin' boys.  49 at first light here in the Mid-Atlantic region.  I wasn't getting the scopey thingy (that's awaiting for me at the end of the rainbow).  I gots other issues to contract out first.  Came out of proc-tors office walking a little funny, and had to take off last night.  And NO, Roy did not hold my hand.

[laz 57]

Hi GUYZ,

  44 here and nice.  Trip to BARRYs TRAIN SHOP today after school.

CHUCK & BUCKEYE, TGIF!!!!!

Stay frosty,

laz57

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Time for me to call it a night. See y'all tomorrow.

[AF53]

Jim - I spoke with HudsonJohn tonight and he is very tired. He said that he was handling 120,000 volts and the only advice I gave him was to stay away from water!

Ray

[submmbob]

Another quiet night here collecting photons. Weather is going south on us. Supposed to get high winds and a chance of snohio tomorrow and this weekend.

Never got the N-scale consolidation I won on the bay. Seller emailed that he dropped it while packing it. Refunded my money promptly though.

Chief - well done on the video.

Jack - sounds like a nightmare up there.

JimT - interesting to see the details of a first generation. That steering console is wild. Looks like a bit more room to work under the hood w/ the 4 cyl rather than the 2.5 L V-6.

Ray - hope your travels go well

Bob

 

[Brutus]

Hey guys - cold and rained most of the day.  I think we will have a couple dry days and then more storms.  I hope John Hudson is okay?  Haven't seen him on the messenger thingie and I heard they got hammered up that way again.  Nice chats with the boys last night and with just me and Jim tonight. 

Going over to a buddy's house tomorrow for some pizza and movies - I think we'll watch Dylan Dog and Spooky Encounters.  We'll see what he has too, of course. 

Thanks for the kind thoughts and encouragement about Chewy.  She's our fuzzy daughter and we are just so relieved it's something that can be fixed. 

Joe - glad you guys are fitting in there in Japan!  Watch out for the tv shows.  A lot of the cartoons they show here from Japan have had a lot of stuff edited out of them that is not appropriate for kids at all!  REALLY bad stuff man.

TARDIS is ready and I can't wait to make a rootbeer float, so let's get moving guys!  We can cruise over and check out that probe too :)

[anjdevil2]

Good Evening , guys

Quick post after fire drill...clean up continues from Irene at the Fire House....it's starting to look like something again.

Brutus - Good News on the Chewster!

JimT - Nice Buy!

And no, my car wasn't damaged, I was on the fire truck...3 other NJTP drivers have scrapes and dents however..

Although, I do need to replace the 344,000 mile neon.  Irene's wraith has seen to that.  Soon, I think.

Caught up with an old friend yesterday.  I Princess was in tow and they haven't seen each other in 3 years.  We had a great lunch the 3 of us.  Princes said I was a DA for letting her go...go figure...

Fife - hope your plumbing is in order & Roy - Glad yours is ok!

Devils lost last night but beat the Flyers tonight....I'll take it.

about 80,000 still without power up NORTH of here...Dennis's old stomping grounds in Bergen, Hunterdon, Sussex and Essex counties.  We were ok.

HudsonJohn - still looking...

Chuck - a "Good Job" is in order...keep it up!

[Banks]

Hello all'

Stopped by mainly to encourage Becky to contact Rodger. Check her Christmas Layout Thread.

Chief Great Acting (If it was acting)

Demay,  I've been beat several times by a one second remaining bid. There are programs that place your bid for you that way, for a small percentage.

Finally dry enough to pick corn yesterday (not by much)

Off to bed. Try to get back in the AM

 

Prayers for those in need

[ChiefEagles]

Three does and a fox.  Shooting only antlers right now.  We have a full doe season here with antlered deer.  Not interested now.  No squrriels?????  Put up two more auto feeders.  The one I put up earlier at another stand is being cleaned up.  Fred was on that one.  Saw nothing.  Not even a bird.  My stand is in the corner of a small field.  Lots of doe tracks and several big buck tracks going and coming to and from the BIG fields across the road.  All tracks were fresh as they had some rain Tuesday.  Must be coming out at night??????

Pam bought more material for making Christmas scarfs for dogs.  She loves this sewing thingy.  Rains coming tomorrow.  She is talking about us sewing for the day.  

Sir J, you figured out why I have lots of "Mayor" shirts.  Then they can bring me home.  

Tired.  Popcorn time.

Sleep tight.   

[sir james I]

Good Evening

Roy thumbs up on the test results, sure is nice when it's over eh.

46 degrees, cloudy all day, rain stayed south of us. I don't understand, I got CTT & OGR +TCA all sitting here and I can't seemed to get into them. Oh a little now and then but no progress. I did run some trains though. Got banilla and rootbeer so come on by..S.J.

[KRM]

 

Looks like I will have a few days off because of the rain.   Not going to be many trucks that can get into the fields for awhile.

Helped the son-in-laws dad with his well pump today and saw some neat stuff at the Local Menard’s. I placed a post on that stuff. Still want to go get the 2010 set for $189.00.

Showed a Utube video of it to wifey to soften her up if one should show one day. 

 Jack, I did not intend to smoke you out but I could use some help with all of these leaves if you’re in the area.   

 

LAZ

, that was a great video you posted, mad me think to better days.

Jim the Green Probe,

let us know how the progress goes on the fix up.

Sounds like Becky may get in the magazine. Can’t think of anyone more deserving. Her work is inspiring, makes me want to go to Howard Johnson's.

Time to go play,

Have a good one,

Kev.

 

 

[dwiemer]

Good evening everyone.  Just finished a report for the social worker in preparation for her visit here this weekend.  I had to collect all resources that may be needed for when we bring the kids home.  Now, got the thing done and the printer is not being "found" by the computer.  I mean, it is right here, next to the screen....can't you SEE it?  Just kidding.  little issue that is probably saying I need to update drivers.  Have that going on while I visit here.

Chief, I know you are a man of many talents, but a seamstress?  Who'd a thunk it?  Good luck with your hunting trip. 

Hope everyone has a great night.  "
God Bless,
Dennis

PS: Jack, I think this storm caught a bunch of them off guard.  I know Georgia Power sent up a bunch of trucks to New Jersey.  Hope it doesn't take much longer for them to get things back to normal.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

The Shop-Vac hangup now has a new filter but not the type I wanted. Lowe's doesn't the 903-98 cartridge. I'll have to order it online when I have the money for it. The filter I put in is a combination of several filters. A foam sleeve topped by a paper filter topped by a fine mesh cloth filter. Anything that can get through all that is indeed very fine. I also picked up a half-pint can of mis-tinted satin paint. It's very close to an emerald green.

It's cooling off here. The temp tonight will be in the upper 30's.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Went to town earlier today. Went to Lowe's first and got a couple of cans of starting fluid for my van. It doesn't start so fast in cold weather. A one of two second spray of the fluid assures a hit on the first crank. Also got a four pack of super glue and a bottle of super glue gel, two packs of 2 x 3/8 brass screws. Then on to Wal-Mart for the remainder of my grocery shopping. On the way back home the wind had increased to 12 mph from the NW with 30 mph gusts. That gets to be fun when you're driving something that has the aerodynamics of a billboard. And now I have to go back to Lowe's. I got a cartridge filter for my Shop-Vac and wouldn't you know, I got the wrong one. Fun, fun.

[wrmcclellan]

Afternoon all!

Proc-Tors reports was all good. Clean out was successful - but kept me up until 2 am. Slept for a while and now watching "Riding the High Iron" on TCM. Lots of SP diesel/yard action at the beginning.

Jack - the real issue is all the time management/political people today put into out-talking the other guy and using the noise to obviate the truth. Us radio guys call it "locked on transmit."

Chuck - congrats on the news.

Brutus - our dog just had some fatty tissue sacs and a tumor removed and doing fine. Good luck on Chewy!

Have a great day all!

[Blueberryhill RR]

Well, got the report on my bloodwork and everything is fine. Cholesterol has come down, due to Cheerios. (205). Was 225. Drove to the bank today(drive-thru) and Hardware store. They also, have a drive thru. For me, anyway. Took an hour nap. Think I will wait a couple more weeks before tackling the basement steps.

Chuck 

[SPMan]

Good morning Chief, enjoyed watching your video.  Nice job of impersonating a drunk driver.  Also gave me a chance to tune up my ability to communicate with that lovely North Carolina accent before I get to my sister's house this weekend.  I've been out here in California so long, I have probably lost mine but my sister sounds like your lady police officer in the video.  They must have deleted the bloopers in the video.  Didn't see that part.   Good luck on the deer hunt.

Will try to get all my traveling stuff together today and keep it simple for the security check.  My son who travels all the time is clueing me in about what to expect at check in.

Have a good day all,

Ray

[RockIsland52]

More from RI52.......

MikeC.........proud of you, even though soccer is not my favorite sport.  You left it all on the field and shoud be proud of this past season.

Chuck......your posts are an inspiration to the rest of us.  There is no quit in you.

Roy.......this gives new meaning of "taking one for the team." 

SJ........my grass is still growing, albeit more slowly.  I figure my last Fall cleanup will be another two weeks off or more, too many leaves still up above. .

Fife.......better you than me, though 2012 marks my next scheduled "adventure" down the hallowed halls of extreme plumbing. 

Chief........the video was superb, but it would have been more exciting and effective to see Officer Amy body slam you to the asphalt and then taze you.  The donuts table and the dog biscuits were a nice touch.    Around these parts the surprise DWI roadblocks snag about 15%, similar to yours, though ours are only conducted about twice a year.

Kevin........so THAT is what caused all of that smoke in the air up my way.   I sure do miss the days of yore when the Fall leaf cleanup was legal and was a wonderful annual family affair.  The kiddies "helped" and waited with great anticipation for the burning to begin.  That unmistakable smell has stayed with me.

Brutus......I know you and Char might be a bit apprehensive about Chewy's procedures next week.  But at the least you finally now have an accurate diagnosis and a treatment that will resolve the issues.  In a couple of weeks Chewy will be as good as new, thankful for the relief.  We will all be thinking good thoughts for a most successful outcome.

LAZ........why is this the last time you will be golfing for the season?  Around here, the hardcores use flourescent yellow or orange golf balls and seem to be out on the courses year round when the snow isn't too obtrusive.

Bob.........man, your days can be quite long!!!!  You must be related to Dennis and the Chief.

JimmyT......thanks for the video and the commentary.  Nearly all of the stuff you pointed out on your new acquisition appear to be simple and relatively minor to rectify.  I was surprised at the great overall condition of the sheet metal and the original interior.  An exceptional find if I do say so myself.

Gotta run.  Later, ya'll.

Jack.

[jonadel]

So, Jack how do you really feel?  Corporate world at it's worse, sorry it's affecting so many folks that actually pay their bills on time.

Now you know how I feel about all the Presidential wannabe's that are now in our state pounding the pavement with Broken Promises (great old jazz tune).  Since we are first out of the chute in January with our caucus process the airwaves are already full of it right now.  I keep telling the boss we should move to St. Johns in the VI until next May then we would not have to suffer through the run for the White House.

 

[RockIsland52]

Good Mornin' Ya'll From Sunny Taxachusetts,

It appears we have dry weather for the time being with seasonal temps on tap.  May hit 60 by Sunday or Monday. 

The electric power companies in New England are looking worse by the day if that is possible:  when interviewed by the media, the spokespeople for the power companies say one thing while the presidents of these same companies say the opposite.  My conclusion, the spokespeople will be fired.   

CT., for example.  600,000 "connections" still without power last night, down from 850,000 at the height of the outages.  So the impacted civilian and business headcount must remain well over one million in CT. alone.  About five days, and only a 30% reduction of outages?. 

The cavalry (outside contractors) say they have not been paid since they assisted in the last go around with the August Irene storm catastrophe, while the power companies said "all" were paid.  That is a quote.  They then retracted that when the media started listing unpaid contractors they themselves had already spoken to.  More backpedalling.  "I don't know about that"  followed by the statement they were still processing invoices and the unpaid contractors would be paid. 

Many of these same outside contractors, when called upon for last weekend's storm, decided to go elsewhere where they would be paid (burned once.....). 

The companies also told the media they pay standby fees when ramping up for storms, then were informed their own internal written policies and personnel say they won't and don't pay standby fees.....got caught there. 

The timelines demonstrate too little was done way too late.....which flies in the face of "We care about our customers."  Many outside power companies and contractors not impacted by the storm, and quite willing and able to lend a hand, confirmed the former, saying they responded to those companies and States who first asked for assistance. 

Another CT. power company spokesperson interviewed in the field tried to explain that the storm's events and severity could not have been foreseen.  She then had to quickly change the subject to the task at hand (power restoration and timeline).  Why?  She was informed that the entire planet had a week's advanced warning about timelines, locations, severity, and heavy snow impact from the meteorologists on the news warning folks 24/7.   

Now the "fix" according to the politicians is more legislation. 

Meanwhile, those in operations and in the field are working tirelessly far above and beyond the call of duty, only to be nastily confronted by the wrath of the electric customers who have been without power, day 6.  They are the true heroes in all of this.  Do they get any thanks?  Do they get any respite?  Nope.

The reason I have continued this line of thought is simple.  This morning it is apparent the news media has now moved on to items more sensational.......Lindsay Lohan, Kim Kardashian, and Michael Jackson.......while arguably millions in the Northeast continue to suffer greatly..... physically, financially, and emotionally.  Who EFFECTIVELY speaks for them?  The power companies' brass?  The politicians?  It will be the staus quo again the next time when the same tired propaganda is spewed and the words on a piece of paper (legislation or policy) are found to be just that.  Empty words.  

Say a prayer for the citizens and business owners in the Northeast.  They need it. 

Jack

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Good morning. It's 47°, mostly cloudy, wet and breezy with a NNW wind at 8 mph. There's a 30% chance of rain this morning but clearing out by noon. The high is due to be 63° and it will be mostly cloudy.

We got some rain last night but it didn't amount to much. We may get some light rain this morning. The boys out on Fort Polk are having a lot of fun making big booms but I don't hear any thunder. Anything dense enough to show up on radar is passing over east Louisiana heading ESE into Mississippi and there's nothing showing to the west of here. I'll be going into town later to get the rest of my grocery shopping done. I picked up some items recently in a trade. One of them is a track cleaning car that uses a dry pad. Initially I looked at it as being useless as all I have to do in the way of cleaning is give the rails a quick light wipe after any long period of inactivity. No real cleaning is involved. I've come to realize that I can have a loco push this thing around the layout and it can wipe the dust off for me. Being it's harder and more painful for me to get around than it was just a few years ago anything that can make things easier and save me from some pain is worth a shot. Getting to the east side of the layout requires opening an access hole from underneath and getting to a standing position in that access is a royal pain in the butt. That access allows me to get to about seven feet of track that would otherwise be out of my reach. If this little cleaning car can wipe the dust off that portion of track why should I torture myself.

[KRM]

Cold, rain and wind here today = no work!!   Slept till 8:30 and it felt good.

Yard is coveren in a new blanket of wet leaves. 

Jim Probe, Looks not too bad for it's age. Have fun.

Guess I will go to Farm & Fleet

Kev.

[sir james I]

Good Morning

46 and overcast.

Looks like 50s for awhile. Chief I watched some of your video I figure you have Mayor on your shirt so they know where to take you home. ..You gotta learn that grits and alcohol don't mix. Had a nice chat with Brutus and Charlie last night, just general chit chat, no world problems solved..S.J.

[Anonymous]

Bob,

         I've got a long way to go before I can really drive this one.  Here is Part 1:

watch?v=zRnyi5yXglk&feature=feedu

My dad was checking it out while I was at work last night, and he said the radiator is shooting a stream of coolant towards the belts, so that probably explains the squeal.

The audio isn't the greatest with this Canon, and I don't sound that nerdy.