Coffee Pot #1 January 2012 5+ years and going strong and its for all to chat. Plenty of coffee and sweet ice tea for all. Come and join us and chat. GRITS for the Yankees.

[cnw1995]

Aloha - back in the office and it's a balmy 12 degrees - about 3 with the wind. Aaaaaaah Chicago! Sending it on Eastwards - especially to Jack. Lots of Bears angst in the papers. Good luck on the kitchen faucet. My last project as well. It was a doozy, complete with hacksaws, rusted everything and the usual leaks. Tempted by the RMT 50% off Beeps sale. Though as I recall, they weren't too happy with 027 curves.

[sir james I]

Good morning

It's cold, only 23 for today's High. Going into the 30s tomorrow. Of course I have to go out this AM, got a Doc appointment. Regular check-up time. Jack the game of football has been ruined with penalties for just about everything. They can't touch, how can they play. Tag football is coming I guess. The Lions have had a good season but I would not bet money on them in the playoffs. Their fans are just glad to finally see some wins.

And a goodbye to all...S.J.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

RockIsland52

Jeffrey........I had to take a couple of ibuprofen and a nap after reading about your excapades with your Mom's furniture.  There is nothing better than to have a slave son to work mercilessly moving furniture.  It sounds as if she didn't get the memo that as we sons age our heavy lifting responsibilities are supposed to be phased out.  Hope you can recover from this current flurry of her interior decorating. 

I let them know I'm not lifting that couch anymore. Well,they decided it was sitting too high (three inch concrete block with brick on top) so they wanted the bricks taken out. Nicht, nein, no way! So they called on my nephew to do it. If they expected him to drop whatever he was doing like I do they were daydreaming. Three and a half hours later he showed up and did only the absolute minimum of what was required. That is,lift it and kick the bricks out. Now it's lowered but it's low on that far end again, so a couple of wood wedges will have to be put down there.

[KRM]

Cold and sunny. Wife and cat are still sleeping. 

Wife and I ran trains till 12:30 last night. I got out my old Marx 1095 for a few laps and let her command the transformer. No Pile-Ups.

 Was going to go out to hunt squirrels but this sinus thing is making me think NOT.  Maybe tomorrow.

Jack, Sounds like you had a great party. I would need a shoehorn to get 19 people into our house. Invite me, I would have brought beer!

SJ, Have fun at the doctor’s.

DougM Is that true about the Beeps not liking 027? I wanted to get one too to use on the small inner loop and that is 027 so that would be a bummer.??

Later,

Kev

 

 

[Stourbridge Lion]

Happy New Year CTT Fans!

OK, maybe a few days late in that...

Santa was good to me and got a few RR items both historical and model related.  Was a quiet X-Mas and New Year for us spending nearly all of it with just Lisa and my brothers dog we are taking care of right now.  Didn't spend much time on the forums these past few days other then to just pop in and check if anything need moderated and then pop out again.  It should be unseasonably warm for the next few days which mean we will likely get some snow over the weekend.

 

[Banks]

Hello all,

Back at work today.

A chilly 22 this AM. A heavy snow squall last evening made driving scary. There were many fender benders. It came while son & I were shelling corn. He has orders for 1200 lb. We shelled a ton so there will be some on hand.

Buckeye great picture

Laz, are you hunting this weekend? I'm watching the forecast.

Best get back to the SS fund

Prayers for those in need.

[KRM]

cnw1995

 Tempted by the RMT 50% off Beeps sale. Though as I recall, they weren't too happy with 027 curves.

Doug are you sure about this? 

 From RMT add

"Compatible with most LIONEL, K-line, MTH, Atlas, Williams/Bachmann and Weaver 3-rail electric trains, this baby-sized GEEP Diesel is 9.5 inches long and perfect for use on all O and O-27 3-Rail model train layouts."

Kev.

[dougdagrump]

Hey All.

Won't mention the weather here, don't want to many unplanned guests all at once. Although they do have heavy surf, coastal flooding and dense fog warnings for the coastal areas.

Any of you guys ever thought about putting a "Garden Layout" on your "O" gauge pike ? Check this out: http://www.teenytrains.com/Train-Parts-Nano-Kit-PS100.htm .

We have one of these on the clublayout running on the roof of the MTH Greyhound Bus Depot. It gets a lot of attention from visitors.

Waiting for a callback from Atlas, got an engine that is in need of some TLC.

Later All !

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Got the errands in town done. I almost ran off without a package I was going to drop at the Post Office, but I remembered it before I got off the loop and came back for it. I got the rest of my groceries. One thing I couldn't find was sliced salad olives in a jar, so I had to settle for sliced black olives in small cans. Came back home and put it all up. I also picked up a can of starting fluid. I need the stuff to get my van started some days (especially when it's cold) only for the first start of the day. Only have to spray it on the filter for a second. In cold weather I have to give it a few seconds to evaporate before starting but in warm weather I can kick it right over. Sometimes it wants to be a little contrary and struggles a little and sometimes kicks over sounding like a Hemi. But most of the time it starts the way you'd expect a 318 to start. Occasionally it'll backfire through the exhaust and rattle the nearest neighbors windows. One time it did it one of them was in the process of picking up his cat! Nuff about that! OUCH!! I guess most of the dogs here think it's too old to bother with and don't even chase it when I drive out.

Well anyway my father wanted to go to Wal-Mart a bit later so we both went in his car. One thing he had to get was something that would dice up a whole onion without having to even once pick up a knife. I went in search of that as he would have gotten the cheapest chintziest thing he could find. Sometimes the man makes Scrooge look like a drunk sailor! But he got everything he was after.

Got hand cramping going again. last time it was my left hand, this time it's my right. Been having occasional problems with cramps in the ribs on my left side too. That smarts!

Be back later.

[dwiemer]

Good evening guys.  It is a bit brisk out....down to the high 20's tonight.  Had one case this morning and got home in time to take care of some honey do's.  Joe, That is the book I just picked up on Bonhoeffer, glad you liked it.  I am just getting into it.  Jack, glad you got that camera.  One thing to be aware of, when using the on-camera built in flash, if you take a photo up close, there will be a shadow at the bottom of the photo.  You can either raise ISO so flash is not needed, or, use off-camera flash.  Another option is a diffuser.

Chief, better watch that ATV, I understand it has a propensity to back fire!

God Bless,
Dennis

[LawsonFarmsRR]

I AM BACK!!!

Couldn't get on the forum for a week until I deleted the Firefox cookies. Thanks for all the help you guys gave me by private email. Hope to catch up on the Pot tomorrow.

Pat

PS: Happy birthday Buckeye again.

 

[jonadel]

Greetings from the Heartlands where it's been kinda windy but still brown with no snow drifts or forecasts for any white death, WONDERFUL.  The snow blade is on the ATV and ready but thankfully it remains dormant, rusting!  I'm positive there will be paybacks .........

Presidential wananbe's, politico's, analysts and TV crews from around the world are here right now ......... along with ROBO calls!!!  It will be good to see the traveling Circus of Clowns head east tomorrow morning but THANKS for leaving your millions here   Once every 4 years is sufficient.

I'm in the very active stage of planning road trips for next summer, I truly enjoy the preparations as much as I do the actual trips, does that make sense?  There are so many places I want to visit but I fear there is not enough time but that's OK, I have no regrets.

I spent the morning talking with several teachers, their staff started the new year with in service meetings, it was great fun and self full filling.  I appreciate greatly that my opinions are still valued.

Best to everyone!

[sir james I]

Good Evening

21 now, it will slowly rise into the 30s tomorrow. The doc saw me this morning, an hour after my appointment time. Seems he had visitors while his patients sat there waiting. They should have to get a appointment just like we do. Anyway all my blood numbers and EKG were good, so I'm set for 90 days. Banilla will be waiting...S.J.

[Buckeye Riveter]

fifedog

Buckeye - I am looking forward to such times.

fifedog....After this last couple of weeks running trains, it was worth all the time and effort building the layout.  You should have seen his eyes when he pulled a switch lever and we had a derailment and the power shut off.   BTW, I'm going to be in Baltimore sometime in April. 

Thanks to all who commented on the photo.  I'm still waiting for Jon to ride his big bike to Rogers Corners and run the trains.

[jonadel]

Buckeye --  the Ohio trip is on the VERY short list, how's the weather the 3rd week of May look?

[dwiemer]

Buckeye, I think that was the photo of the year!

Dennis

[KRM]

SJ, So much for loosing weight. Just finished up some stuffed pork chops and that = 0 reduction in lbs. 

DougM, Wife popped today for that Beep I have been bugging her about. Boy they are almost sold out on them I got the BNSF. They say it will work on the 027 loop I have hope they are right. 

fifedog I am working on a plan to cross the creek that will be okay with the ins co. 

Jeffery, about the van….have you ever heard the saying Get out of Dodge??? 

Pat, good to know you have found your way.

For all of you that had to return to work today, hope it went well.

Night all.

Kev.

 

 

[wrmcclellan]

Evening all!

Spent a long weekend in Tennessee with good friends for the New Years. Had a great time and like all such jaunts, I need a week to rest up from my restful trip.

Obviously way behind so Happy New Year all and for those in need,

[Anonymous]

Jack,

              I am running five loops around the tree.  Three are for MTH and the remaining two are Gilbert Flyer laying on original roadbed.

 

I keep thinking about the GL, and I've gone from aggrevated to motivated.  I have to finish this and get it back on the road.  I've got some leads on the filler neck, and the tank is available new if needed.  The quarters can be patched.  With the $$ that I've got in ($1280 off the lot and $700+ into parts),  I have to save this one.  My 97 was down a similar road after a small engine bay fire while troubleshooting a problem, and it has never run stronger than it is right now.

I've also been changing the layout from O31 curves to O42.  I'll do the three most critical loops first, then do the rest later.

 

[dougdagrump]

Evenin' All.

Buckeye, One photo is worth a thousand words ! On another note, I got the new t/t's from Lionel. Imagine my surprise when I discover the t/t's for the "scale" Lionel Mike is the same tire that they use on their 2000 model FT's. They do fit but they are a real bear to put on, will have to see if that adversely impacts their longevity.

Any of you guys have one of the MTH Railking SD70Ace's ? Good/Bad/Indifferent ????? 

Dinner is done, gotta go clean up the kitchen.

Later all.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

KRM

Jeffery, about the van…have you ever heard the saying Get out of Dodge??? 

As opposed to what? I can't just go out and buy another car. I have to work with what I have. So I'm just twenty years older than it is. That doesn't sound like much until you consider I'm fifty-one. That makes it thirty-one. Why do I suddenly feel old? Point is,it runs. Engine is original and solid, tranny is a factory rebuild and it has a new drive axle. Brake system is all new, calipers, pads,rotors,drums, brake shoes,master cylinder, wheel cylinders. My nephew was rebuilding it for himself then got hung up on a boat. He needed $400 which I just happened to have. Not to mention it's built like a tank. Universals are new, suspension is newly rebuilt and the tires are new. The tires cost $600 by themselves. And I got the whole thing for $400? That doesn't buy much car here. A somewhat descent car starts at $1,000 and it MIGHT have good tires and CV joints and run somewhat fair while it's making a smoke screen any military commander would be proud of. Sometimes not. I'm not talking a car from a car lot. I couldn't hope to get one of those for anything under $2,000. Besides which, I like Dodges. I feel very comfortable in it as long as I'm properly dressed. No heat? No a/c? No radio? Only three seats? The seat behind the driver spins around when it feels like it as the lock on it doesn't work. So what? Keeps the neighbors from asking for a ride to town. I had to do some work on it when I got it to make it road worthy. Undo the jigsaw puzzle that was the wiring, fix the brake light switch, get a working steering column.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Temp here is 38, heading for the low of 36.Looks like tomorrow is going to be 62. Went to dinner at my parents place tonight. Tacos! It was my parents,my sister and her husband and myself. I had to cut up the onions. The julienne blade on the new chopper we got today diced up two large onions in less than half a minute. It took longer to set the thing up. Didn't have a chance to work on the junkyard scene. Too busy getting stuff done for myself and tending to other peoples stuff.

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

[KRM]

Sorry Jeffery if you took offence. I was joking……… 

I drive a 2001 Dodge Dakota I order new from the factory, that in hindsight I would not do again. 161,000 on the clock and on its third heater core at $900 + a pop. Second AC condenser at $1,200 a pop. Dodge seems to think that is okay I don’t. 5 sets of front brakes with 4 sets of rotors, 3 sets of rear brakes and drums. 3 sets of ball joints, 13 mpg on a good day, AC leaking water all over the floor, front drive shafts, and I could go on. But like you it is what it is. I am stuck with it till I can afford something else. With the wife driving almost 90 miles a day to work she will have her 2008 Torrent wore out and need something before I can get anything. Glad I am retired and don't have to drive unless I want to.

Tks,

 Kev.

Kev.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

KRM

Sorry Jeffery if you took offence. I was joking……… 

I drive a 2001 Dodge Dakota I order new from the factory, that in hindsight I would not do again. 161,000 on the clock and on its third heater core at $900 + a pop. Second AC condenser at $1,200 a pop. Dodge seems to think that is okay I don’t. 5 sets of front brakes with 4 sets of rotors, 3 sets of rear brakes and drums. 3 sets of ball joints, 13 mpg on a good day, AC leaking water all over the floor, front drive shafts, and I could go on. But like you it is what it is. I am stuck with it till I can afford something else. With the wife driving almost 90 miles a day to work she will have her 2008 Torrent wore out and need something before I can get anything. Glad I am retired and don't have to drive unless I want to.

Tks,

 

Not a problem.It gave me a chance to explain how things are here. Heater core? A/c condenser? Mine doesn't have any of that. It doesn't even have a climate control panel. There's a hole in the dash  where that should be. The one that was there caught fire due to the Chef boyardee wiring that was in it. I redid the wiring and got it straightened out. Maybe some day I'll be able to put in a heater core and a blower. Yeah, that's gone too. 13 MPG? You may be doing better than me. My old Century got a little more than that.Torrent? I had to look that one up. That's the one that came out after the Aztec. I used to see a lot of Aztecs on the roadsides down here. They didn't seem to do well in hot weather. Now I very occasionally see one. Still running that is. I see a bunch of them at the scrap yards. I hope the Torrent has a better track record.

I'm going to have to another keyboard for my computer. After 16 years mine is starting to die. Space bar isn't working right.

[Buckeye Riveter]

jonadel

Buckeye --  the Ohio trip is on the VERY short list, how's the weather the 3rd week of May look?

Normally it does not snow in May, but near the lake.  Remember there is no inexpensive place to stay in Indianapolis in May.

[KRM]

Torrent is nothing more than a Chevy Equinox with PONTIAC on it.

Now another dead brand.

[Brutus]

Cccccold in Saint Louis today!   Hope everyone had a good commute!  Those BEEPs sure look nice, you guys have to tell us how they run for you when they show up.  BNSF is a good choice, Kev!

Jack - hope you don't burn a hole in your tummy like I did - could have been worse, could have dripped down closer to home (ahem)!!!

TARDIS is ready, so let's hit it!

[anjdevil2]

Almost good morning, guys...

Going into the TEENS tonight and windy.  Just got back from a fire call and it is cold, fortunately, my turnouts are WARM!!  Thankfully, it was a false alarm.  Fife - I feel your pain on the fatal...

Kev & Jeff - Being a Mopar Man, I have to tell you I am the 2nd owner of a 1995 Dodge neon with now 344,000+ miles on it.  I just replaced the radiator ( a $35 investment ) thermostat ( a $8 investment ) and  I need front struts ( $100 for both ) and a schrader valve for the AC system.  And at 30+ MPG, it was worth every cent I've put into it.  Oh, BTW my 1976 Dodge Aspen is a 13 MPG beast but it is pretty fast and hauls more than groceries.  Love them both.  I had a '85 Dakota and only my wife and stepson could kill it at 150,000 miles.  Love my Dodges....Jeff - LOVE your RamVan!!

Buckeye - I also love that picture...but not looking forward to grandchildren just yet.....

Probe - yeah, sometimes ya just gotta invest in 'em...I understand where you're going on that!

Princess's Mom called yesterday and is flying her down to FLA for 2 weeks.  Parents heading to NC for a week then to Cancun for another....geez, no one home? I wonder what mischief I can get into...

OK, going to head up to bed....sooo...good night!

 

[dbaker48]

Evening All,

Completely lost control of my day, plans where to redo our flag pole, then work in the train room, but didn't really happen.  Ended up doing the year end physical inventory, making a bunch of phone calls, and ordering product.  Did manage to do a little bit on the flag pole but that was about it.

Tomorrow work at Knotts till 1pm, then going to go to the club.  Want to see the new round house, and take some pictures.

A couple of comments regarding the Beeps, I have two that I bought shortly after they came out.  I then got the Electric Railroad TMCC upgrade boards with sound and installed them.  They really work well on my layout including the switches.  The smallest track I run them on is O31.  The sound set I got included a "Beep" horn that sounds like a Volkswagen.  I use them primarily for pullling a track cleaning car around the track.  (Unfortunately the sound board isn't available any longer.)  I'm working on trying to change out the couplers with electronic couplers, but its been a challenge to get them mounted.  

We had ANOTHER post card day today, AND first day since New Years Eve it hasn't been foggy overnight.  But that will all change soon I'm sure, cold spell coming.

Take Care and God Bless

[dwiemer]

Good morning guys.  A chilly one today....I think Kevin in Alaska left the door open!  Have two hearts this morning and then violin with the kids later.  Regarding Dodge vehicles, I was never a big fan, but would have loved to have owned a power wagon at some point.  Have some friends who swear by them.  Many moons ago, I used to help my dad at his business of building emergency vehicles.  We noticed if you had any Chrystler vehicle as a base, the body metal was very weak, you could easily punch a drill through the skin.  I have driven some dodge vehicles over the last several years, and I think they have come a long way, but I will most likely continue to drive what I have.

Roy, did you have trouble with the snow and ice they had in Tennessee?  I have been up there in similar conditions and it just shut everything down for a day.  I hated driving in some of those mountain passes with iced roads.

Well, I had better get to work.  Have a blessed day everyone.

Dennis