Coffee Pot #4 April 2012 8 years [April 1 is Anniv.] 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.

[rtraincollector]

wrmcclellan

Doug M - uuuhhh - like AnjDevil - "thanks" for the work at home scheme - I will have to stand waaayyy back next time I open one of your e-mails - had to use Task Manager to shut IE down as you could not do it normally...now I get to scan the PC tonight.

Have a great evening all!

I emailed doug about that yesterday and advised him his e-mail had been hacked and he agreed so it really wasn't from Doug

[dwiemer]

Wow Jack!  That was quite the adventure.  We use the American Express for the most part.  At least with rental cars, it automatically has insurance.  Glad you got that straightened out.

Ray, have you ever been to Shaddow Mountain Chirch out that way?  Have heard some good things about it.  I have not been there, but perhaps one day.

Chief, have you hunted Turkey up that way?  I think the bobcats and coyotes have them keeping quiet down here.

Well, gotta get to sleep.

God bless,

Dennis

[cnw1995]

Sorry about the email... .   Scanning the sky for the Tardis. Printing out paperwork for colleges and financial aid.

Jack, what an adventure! Sounds like a wonderful wedding though. I was just there (by the Hotel Sax) today. We had a blast in Boston. My relatives live in Roxbury so we got to go around on the trams. And Old Sturbridge Village was a hoot too. I figured I passed just about half of the Pot driving IL-IN-OH-PA-NJ-NY-CT-MA-NY-OH-IN-IL

Roy, glad you're OK!  What tremendous storms.

[Demay]

Ohayō,

Yesterday’s storm died down around 1900 our time.  It blew some things around the base but I have not seen any major reports of damage.  The weather is fantastic today: sunny and a high in the mid-60s.  I have some usual tasks to handle at work but nothing to pressing.  I should see about leaving early today to go hit some balls with the older son.

Jack – I’m sorry you had to go through all that.

Roy – I’m glad you were not affected by those twisters. 

Sayonara,

Joe

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Good night. Working on two Atlas locos. Damaged bad when display rack fell last year. Maybe get them running soon. SD24 built to SD27J and U30C rebuild by EMD to U30M-R-EM-645. Truck on U30C broken. Make repair with JB Weld. Hoping holds. Both locos getting Bmann decoders. Be back tomorrow whenever.

[8ntruck]

70's and rain today.

Ran across an atricle last week that reported Blii 'Grumpy' Jenkins death.  He ran the Grumpy's Toys series of Pro Stockers.  Strange, because I picked up a book on him just recently.  Found a picture in the book of a Crosly wagon 'gasser' that he built the engine for.  Somebody posted a picture of the same car here a couple of weeks back. 

Cut a deal today with the LHS on a Hallow's Eve locomotive and passenger cars.  Got the rolling stock lined up for this fall, now I've got to figure out a track plan.  Ya know, before I got involved with this forum, something like this would never have crossed my mind.  Youse guys are bad influences?

Mom's potential insurance mess straightened itself out today.  Turns out that the business office at the re-hab center is two steps behind the P.T. staff.  The work mom had on her knee last week has helped.  The P.T. staff told me she is up and walking with the aid of the parallel bars the last couple of days!

All for now.

[Brutus]

Guess I fell asleep last night and didn't post on here.  Nothing big going on yesterday or today.  Looking into some orthodontics on the kids, both need braces.  We found a local guy with good rep who has a 2-fer deal if we take it.  Figuring out the finances on that one as insurance won't help us on it.

Jack - OMG, glad you guys made it!

Roy - looking forward to seeing you in person too

Jeffrey - prayers, dude.

Char is doing a lot better.  Dad is doing fine.  Kids are good.  Wow - this might be a week without mishaps or illnesses in the house!  No loop-de-looops?????

Last but not least - Big Congrats to Bob on 16 years!

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Brutus

Jeffrey - prayers, dude.

Appreciated.

[KRM]

Hi guys, how is it going?

 Just got in from too much time with these guys but it is all good.

 I will scan the pot tomorrow. have a great night.  

 Kev

[MichRR714]

cnw1995

Sorry about the email... .  

Doug I don't think there is anything to feel sorry about.  It happened to me several weeks ago.  My comcast online address book was used to send webmails from comcast.net.  The party to blame is Yahoo in this case and not you!  I'm glad you jumped on it so fast.

[ChiefEagles]

Good night.  Been trying to get up with Shake and Bake since 11 PM EDT.  Not answering his cell.  Understand he has been driving the train all day.  Head in the clouds.

Here is what has kept me from the Box and going fishing.  Wifey's garden tour for Rolesville.  All Iod is work on her projects.  Today was my errand day but still got some things for her at Lowes. 

Here it is.

Takes a lot of pincestraw and mulch to do all those beds.  The disked up garden space will be raised beds with lumber frames. 

Sleep tight.

[blownout cylinder]

Good Morning

It is sunny and a high near 55F is expected today...nice day for a walk in the park here...

Got a few things need doing here..doctor appointment and some more bloodwork again ..then off to the friend's layout to get some stuff done for it...

Chief:  Those gardens look wonderful..good job!!

8n:  Saw that article as well...sad news for sure.

Jack:  That video was insane!! Glad you guys made it through ok...

Have a good day!!

 

[ChiefEagles]

Morning.  Extra warm.  Possible T'sorms this afternoon or tonight.  Up and moving.  More work to do.

Jack, stay at home.

LAZ, the Carolina Mud Cats [neighboring Town, and where I go to the ball game] are now owned by the Cleveland Indians.  The Indians played them yesterday.  Score 13 to 0, Indians.

Have a good one.

[Blueberryhill RR]

Good Morning from Blueberryhill RR....

It is a stormy46 degrees. Lots of thunder. Going up to 68 today with cloudy skies.

Today is a busy day. I have an errand to run. As soon as it stops raining. The usual chores that I do every day. Then, I can relax and enjoy the day. And of course, a nap this afternoon. Retirement is not too bad.

Chief... Your place looks good. You put in a lot of work that payed off.

Dining car is here with an omlet for breakfast.

Y'all have a great Wednesday.

Chuck

[Anonymous]

Morning fellas.

Cheif - for those raised beds... do NOT use preassure treated lumber. The lumber will ruin the soil it touches and leach into the rest, possibly killing your plants. I would use either cedar, red wood, iron wood (if you can find it), or another hardwood that resists rot and mold.

Not much going on today. Have to get some stuff done at the office, then tomorrow is the final hearing on the adoption, then back to the office Friday (seems like a waste - may see if I can work from home if I get my stuff finalized today).

TTYL

[sir james I]

44 now with bright sun.

I had a nice chat with some of the guys last night, Doug M was able to join us, York and trains were the topics for the evening. I will be heading out for some errands and gulp, gas. Why does the font keep changing as I write? does anybody know?...S.J.

Regular was $3.93, I bought E85 at $3.34.

[dwiemer]

Good morning everyone.  Not much going on today.  Will go in later after dropping kids off with sitter.  The kids are on spring break and having fun.  We are in a rural area, so when such breaks come along, the programs lows and we do not have much work.  It is a welcome relief.

Chief, looks great.  I am sure Miss Pam is happy with the results.

Brent, bring a camera to the court.  The judge was all to happy to take a photo with our daughter when we did the re-adoption.  He said it was the bright spot in his day as opposed to dealing with the troubled in our society.  It was a special moment that we have on digital file, and will be putting an album together.

I am going to put some scenery on the layout.  Hope everyone has a blessed day.

Dennis

[cnw1995]

Aloha from a sunny and cool Chicago. I enjoyed joining the Tardis crew last eve.  Kev, thinking of you in the Dakota wilderness. Great pick-up on that Thomas. I am jealous of the price. It is a good little engine. I added a front coupler, LED light, an engine driver, and tank covers. Chief, what beautiful gardens. The Box looks promising.  Brent, I second Dennis' suggestion of a camera. We have photo from the final hearings from all three of our adoptions. Since these are happy occasions, the court / judge is very accommodating,

[cheapclassics]

Good morning all,

It is cloudy and cooler in SE Indiana with temps in the 60s.  Good day so far at work.  Traffic was a bit heavy.  Hoping for another quiet night tonight.  I had the regular fare on the dining car.  TBIL.  I hope everyone has a good day.

Keep on training,

Mike C. from Indiana

[laz 57]

Hi GUYZ,

  50 here and nice going up to 69.  Gotta cut grass later.

CHIEF, AWESOME job on the landscapping.  Bet the WIFEY gave you a big kiss?  Hershey's I bet.  CLEVELAND INDIANs farm team down South?  What's the world coming too?  CHIEF now you can "Take me out to the ball game"......... "Take me out to the show"........

laz57

[wrmcclellan]

Morning all!

The news said the area was victum to two "supercells" converging which triggered all the mayhem here yesterday. No reports of any deaths from the storms so that was good. The entire area is pretty well equipped with storm sirens (us old guys still call them Civil Defense sirens!) so that helped.

Re the tractor trailers, one family had one dropped on their house. The rear wheels set went through their roof literally destrying the house. Another home had fence posts/pickets driven through their high window over their front door and stabbed the pickets/posts through an interior wall like arrows.

Doug and Dennis - agree about the camera for the adoption court. The judges and lawyers love to pose with you and the children as it is one of their more pleasant tasks in life!

Chief - do you and Pam hire out for landscaping? Looking great!

Jeffrey - couple of good photos the last two days! Take care of yourself!

KEV - keep the northern plains safe for democracy!

Mike C - glad things are better!

Brutus - yes - looking forward to meeting you face-to-face!

Have a great day all and prayers for those in need.

 

[cnw1995]

I have a photo of each of the kids (who were babies) getting 'served' by the Sheriff of Cook County as part of the final adoption process. Priceless!   Glad you are OK, Roy. Everyone pays attention to the sirens here...

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Good morning. Partly cloudy, 40% rain chance this morning, 20% afternoon. High 85.

Atlas SD27J, Atlas U30M-R-EM-645 running good. Found mu partner for SD27J. Bachmann GP38-2 perfect speed match, no matching required.

[dbaker48]

Good Morning,

Glad to hear those tornadoes, skipped by Roy!!!  Those videos are unreal.  Texas can have some really mean storms, I've seen a couple.

Great job on the landscaping Chief, you can do my place anytime.  The "Box" is really looking good.  Had a toast with some "Baker's" last night for you.

Jack, can't believe the trip you had, talk about challenges, WOW!

MY FIRST DAY.......

First couple of hours spent with administrative items, got "costumes" issued.  A little interesting, my boss told me to make sure that the long sleeve plaid shirts that would be issued were the cotton ones, NOT the polyester.  "They will melt to your skin."  Also, make sure they give you the "good" rain gear, not the transparent pauncho.  (Concerned about that the suit sure looks like it would melt). Then the cap, they didn't have one big enough.  (I know there will be a lot of offers as to the cause of that problem).  I ended up being issued 5 sets of Bibs, Shirts, 1 Rain Gear, windbreaker, and a small cap.  (Provided my own boots.)

1st task was riding on the tender deck plate, watching my trainer performing the Fireman tasks, on the 2-8-0 Consolidation, C-19.  1 trip around the approx 1 mile loop at 8 mph.  2nd trip we changed positions.  Talk about hot, I have 3 layers of clothing on, all cotton, and of course our weather really warmed up too!  Think I will definetly be loosing weight.  Didn't see ANY plump guys, they are all skinny.

As Fireman, I was watching the flame in the firebox, water level in the sight glass, steam pressure, maintaining the fuel oil value (feeding the fire), controlling the blower, atomizer, steam injector, water injector, ringing the bell, and watching for clearance on the track.  Watching the exhaust from the stack, minimizing Black smoke. All at the same time.  What a challenge!  As we have a stage coach running in the park parallel to a portion of the track, if it appears, IMMEDIATELY stop the bell, so as not to spook the horses. 

Coming back into the station of course you need to minimize the fire, by watching it through the "crack" at the firebox doors, I only had 3 flame-outs.  (Was advised handled that situation great, immediately recovered the flame.  After a dozen or so trips.  Then went over to "Little Toot"

Little Toot, is a propane fired 24" steam engine used in Camp Snoopy.  Only has one person as Engineer/Fireman.  All the same controls and values as the C-19.  But there on your own.  Did ride a-longs, with hand on throttle while my trainer was showing me operation.

Today, will be spending most of the time as Fireman on the C-19, (suppose to be hot today too), as I am on the closing shift, will be introduced to the shut down procedures.  Then tomorrow, all day on Little Toot, also closing.  Next week working the opening shifts Tue thru Fri, learning start-up.

Overall, this is really fantastic!  Loving it! 

The C-19 Lomotive;

Little Toot;

Yours Truly

Later

 

[dwiemer]

Don, sounds like so much fun!  Was wondering, could you wear a pair of Sears Die-Hard shoes?  I don't know if they even make them anymore, but we used to wear them around the firehouse all the time.  You could leave them a little loose, and then if the alarm sounded, just slip them off and into the boots.  On the engines, they should be sturdy, yet allow your feet to breathe a bit easier and not be so hot.  They also had good tread, so slipping was not an issue.

Well, did some scenery this morning.  I need to order some O-27 track for a trolley line.  This should be the last thing before wrapping up the elevated line and hopefully the scenery too.  I will contact my buddy up in NJ.

We got some good news from some friends who are missionaries in a  country that is in the middle of a civil war.  They were able to make it across the border to another country before the border was closed.  Not sure what the plan is, if they will return when things settle down, or if they will come back.  But at least they are safe.

Gotta head in.  God Bless,
Dennis

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Ambulance came, carted mother off to hospital again. Blood sugar through roof other problems. Am staying near phone.

[wrmcclellan]

Don - that is cool! You and LAZ can start the Brotherhood of CTT Real Locomotive Engineers! Watch those Yard Limits!

Jeffrey - prayers for your mother

[SPMan]

Hey Don, thanks a bunch for all the good photos of your Knotts adventure.  You lucky dog!  Looks like you are having entirely too much fun.  They really let you get your feet wet right away it looks like on the fireman training.  When I went to work for the Southern Pacific years ago, we had to go to class for 6 weeks before they would even let us get near an engine  and that was only diesels.  I really envy your opportunity to work on a live steam engine.  All my experience was on the internal combustion kind.  I did get a ride for about 100 miles in the cab of the Daylight engine SP 4449 once but that was my only time in a steam engine cab on the SP.  I still have my bib overalls from work since I retired but I don't think they fit anymore.  I have grown sideways.  I always liked the black and white stripe bibs like the color of the familiar engineer hats.  The old time hogheads wore hats with polka dots on them sometimes too.  I had a red one and a blue one both with white dots.  First time I wore one of those to work as a fireman, the engineer looked at me like I just landed from Mars.  My friend Larry, who worked on the Knotts railroad years ago said they used to have to put something in the water in the tender to prevent foaming in the boiler.  It looked like round balls of something.  I'm sure you know about that by now.  How hard was it to work the spout on the water tank?  Wouldn't want one of those things to get away from me.  Have fun and keep us posted.

Dennis, sorry but I don't know anything about the Shadow Mountain Church.  Maybe V8 Vega has heard of it.  He goes to a big church in the San Fernando Valley.

Roy, glad you did'nt get blown away, literally.

Chief, what a lovely house you have and nice job on the landscaping.  Your place reminds me of the nice houses I remember growing up when a lot of them had some individuality, not all made out of ticky tacky like some of the tract houses are today.

Jeffrey, prayers for your mother.

V8 Dennis, Happy birthday

Good day all,

Ray

[blownout cylinder]

 

Good Afternoon...

 

Well, kind of....seems that our friend was sent back to hospital with a fever......not sure why though...keeping vigil here...

for your mother, Jeff

[RockIsland52]

Jeffrey............prayers your Mom is doing OK, and I hope things with you have settled down as well.

Roy.........the news videos about the tornadoes were stunning.  Glad the worst of it missed you.  At least you got some of the sod downbefore the rains hit you.

KEV........better not get arrested in ND.  I hear they give you a nice hanging right after a "fair" trial up there.   I'll bet they are civilized in ND in that they ban grits.

Dennis.........my niece that got married this past weekend in Chicago has been on several medical missions to Puerto Rico, Central, and South America.  She works for Astra Zeneca, the pharmaceutical company.   Yes, there was danger amidst chaos, disaster, and desperation during some of them.  You have my prayers for your missionary friends.....amidst a civil war no less.    

Thank you guys for all of the "condolences" on the snafus my wife Pam and I experienced on our trip out and back from Chicago this past week.  The TSA story at the Chicago O'Hare airport over our expired drivers' licenses (photo ID) was amusing.  More on that later.  

Jack