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.

[ChiefEagles]

Afternoon.  Mowed half the block this AM.  Town Clerk retirement luncheon [shrimp, bar-be-que, fish, potatoes, string beans {green beans for the Yanks}, cole slaw and 5 deserts.  Plenty of sweet ice tea.  Sad day as I hired her 22 years ago as Rec Dept clerk [I was volunteer driector].  Happy she can retire [she had 11 years with the State which was transferrable].  Got a great new Town Clerk.  Now off to tour the County's largest middle school [Rolesville Middle School which opens in July].  

Grady is working on the ceiling in the Box.  I mowed his grass [his back yard had not been mowed this year and was super tall].  Now the block is pretty for Wifey's garden tour tomorrow [now suddenly changed forecast to showers ].

Thanks Banks.

Greenprobe, I think they come in a kit that you put together. 

Later   

[RockIsland52]

Ole Timer

.........the fridge broke down ... cable company raised their rates ... any more good news like this and I don't know . I'm changeing to direct tv.....

 

OleTimer.........when our fridge bit the dust, the estimated cost to repair it was way too high, especially considering our old one was (8+).   It is not as easy as it sounds to find a new replacement refrigerator, even on sale, with the features the wives want for much less than $900.  Features like stainless finish, additional storage drawers and adjustable shelving that slide in and out (especially in the freezer), electronic controls (including temp. and humidity), crushed/cubed ice cube dispenser with water, etc., child locks (on water and ice), or a size that is uncommon and must conform to special space considerations.

Jack

[Banks]

 

Hello all,

TGIF!!!!!!!!

Happy belated birthday to those I missed as well as an extra prayer for Doug

Busy week. Mrs was honored by a friends daughter by asking her to be her Sponsor for Confirmation. Monday night was practice and Tuesday was the 2 hour service. Wednesday evening was spent cleaning and detailing her Blazer as Thursday evening she traveled to Pittsburgh to participate in the PSEA convention. (she's now the President of her local). She'll return Saturday PM so it's ME & the dogs.

Busier weekend. Grass needs cut. (rain last evening put the kibosh on that) Pasture fence still needs finished and I never did get the Oliver put back together.  Tomorrow is Test & Tune day at the Hill Climb and Dirt Drags. As well as a birthday party in the PM. Also both days is open house at the AMTMA. Hope to take the grandkids on Sunday.

I'll be going to test & tune at the Hill but I've decided I'm not going to compete any more. I don't have the strength I need to maneuver the bike like I need to if I get into trouble and I don't heal like I used to. I'm really going to miss it but I think it's best to hang it up. (Been racing motorcycles in some manner since 1972) I'll keep attending to help Son  and do registration and score keeping as I have been the last few years.

Best get busy, Chief needs me.

 

Prayers for those in need

 

[sir james I]

45 w/sun, feels chilly.

We were out early this morning Krogering. Granny's happy with her new windows but I wonder whats next on her list. They always have one. I'm running late this AM so catch you later...S.J.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Ole Timer

The fridge broke down ... cable company raised their rates ... any more good news like this and I don't know . I'm changeing to direct tv ...

 

I hear ya on the cable company rates. They went up on my internet service by nearly $5 a month and I see no improvement whatsoever in service or speed. My parents cable bill jumped a bit also and satellite service is looking more attractive to them. Dish Network is the big boy out here. I've had Dish for going on four years and have no complaints.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

RockIsland52

Jeff.........you are a good son.   Wish other adult kids tried half as hard to help out their parents in need.  Your Mom's insurance cards may not re-appear, but they can be replaced with a few phone calls or reordering them over the net.  PITA but doable.  Hope MOM survives your cooking. 

You know, my father says the same about 'the good son' thing. Both of them are glad that I'm there for them and willing to take the time to help out. Yesterday my father left $20 for me to get some gas for my van as the needle has been trying to wipe the 'E' off the gauge for the past few days. So I spent $16 on gas and $4 on a big sandwich. As for my cooking, I'm a fairly descent cook. One look at me will tell you that. I'm no master chef but I can hold my own in the kitchen and some of my culinary creations have won significant praise. One of those is well-done steak you can cut with a fork.

 

Good morning. It's 71° and cloudy. The high will be 85° and it'll be partly cloudy.

From outward appearances it appears I have today to myself as my father is home and can tend to my mother's needs. However there's no telling what he might cook up for me to do. Nothing I hope. I woke up in pain this morning and it'll likely remain with me all day. This constant running back and forth isn't doing me much good. I may be able to do some layout work today. One of the projects involves giving one of the scenes on the layout the ax so I can build something else there. That scene is the Shell Service Center. Not sure what I'll do with the building as it's a bit large. I may just scrap it altogether. I The scene is nice but does nothing and takes up a lot of space that could be used for other smaller scenes.

[Ole Timer]

Where did spring go ??? ... cold and damp here in Maryland .... ..... took the 2 lionel shays out and lubed them .... gave them a good run in front of 15 log cars .... darn I LOVE THOSE RASCALS !!!! The williams cab forwards are next . The fridge broke down ... cable company raised their rates ... any more good news like this and I don't know . I'm changeing to direct tv ... hopefully I'll get some phtography in if it ever decides to warm up again ....  

[RockIsland52]

laz 57

Hi GUYZ,

........43 here getting to 52.  Gonna take my gal for a run in the woods tonite she needs it..........

laz57

LAZ.........which gal, the two legged one or the four legged one? 

Re poodles.........folks have an impression that these are fragile wimpy dogs;  but they are tough and more often than not fearless.  Very smart too.  Corporal punishment corrections on dogs is not only inhumane but creates even more unexpected aggression and reactivity problems than it may seem at first glance to solve.  Dogs do not respond well when you crank up their fear factor of someone or something.  BF Skinner approach to conditioning may work on people but not dogs.  Yes, the smaller ones make a lot of racket and can be aggressive (ankle biters); but with a fair and firm hand (training) they settle in and become quite the opposite, while losing none of their "bold" characteristics, the best of both worlds. 

Last night I heard a statistic that of the last dozen or so Stanley Cup champions, about 80% never made it out of the first round in the subsequent season.  No consolation, the Boston Bruins played flat, were eliminated, and the hockey season is over for me.  One star player said in an interview that the extended playoffs, the subsequent Stanley Club  "victory tour and celebrity, the fact that every team is "up and gunning for you," and the daily pressure to repeat, were a lot for his team to overcome to be successful.   

Thanks guys for the condolences and encouragement over the plight of the Boston Red Sox after last weekend's total dismantling by the NY Yankees.   A team floundering, beset with key injuries, putrid piching from the front end to the back, disrespect for the new manager, and no relief in sight.......even though they have now won four in a row.

The wife and I met up with the "primary" organizers of the upcoming fundraiser we are going to put on June 3 for the family of fallen Police Chief, Mike Maloney, of the Greenland NH police department.  His second in command, a woman with whom we have neen doing dog training, showed up for the meeting.  She had some interesting observations about how the news media gets impatient, takes snippets of information, and then get it all wrong, inventing and speculating as they go.  Creates angst and chaos for all those left behind.

Charlie.......sorry for the delay, but I would like to express my condolences at the loss of your Aunt.

DougM.........prayers for a most successful outcome on today's procedure.  I've had a couple removed myself with great results except for a dent in my temple that at certain angles looks like I took a bullet to the brain.   Explains a lot to folks who know me. 

RaySP........I am sorry for being late on this, but I hope your wifey's birthday celebrations were over the top!!  Hope you are feeling better, this thing has been hanging on far too long.   I really enjoy your background explanations on the flat spotting.

Rich.........happy belated to you!!!!!  And mega kudos and congas  to you for hanging tough and nailing down your full time position.  Not to be denied!!!!    There is no quit in you.   And finally, congratulations on your NJ Devils gutting it out and advancing in the SC playoffs.  It's anyone's Cup at this juncture.

Jeff.........you are a good son.   Wish other adult kids tried half as hard to help out their parents in need.  Your Mom's insurance cards may not re-appear, but they can be replaced with a few phone calls or reordering them over the net.  PITA but doable.  Hope MOM survives your cooking. 

Chuck.........was glad to hear your sinus infection is responding quickly to the meds.   My wifey and I seem to get them at the same time and go into the Docs at the same time for diagnosis and meds, always see great improvement in 3 days or so.  We used to try to wait these things out to see if they would clear up on their own, but they NEVER DO for us.  By day 14 (untreated) we are both trashed and still getting worse.  Now we don't wait any more, meds by day 7.   Re the cholesterol levels........wow!!!!  That is dramatic improvement.  I don't like the idea of going on the reduction meds but may have to because I eat too much of the wrong stuff and keep making excuses about it. 

Brutus......you are very smart in my opinion taking advantage of the low re-fi rates.  Your drop was dramatic!!!  The payoff date has not been moved out.  The tax break remains.  Lower payments.  And you are making a brick and mortar asset work for you instead of just sitting there draining the wallet.  Once your yard is squared away with the retention wall, you will probably find the yard far more of a pleasure to use and a blessing from a maintenance standpoint.  You win all of the way around.   

Blownout.........sounds like you get more kite-flying weather up your way than the rest of us.  Is it always this breezy for you, or is it just this Spring?

DonB.......no matter, you still need to farm some of your engines to us able caretakers.  We can provide trustworthy foster homes until you re-retire.   

Chief.......you must be stoked about the progress you are making with the inside of the WRECK TANGLE."  Thank you for the pictures.  Are the heat pumps still working adequately with the rising temps?. 

KEV.......your dry weather sounds like what I have been experiencing here since the first of the year.  Last weekend's deluge really put a pop in things and the lawn has greened up considerably, now growing..  Still about 6-7 inches of ain behind year -to-date, but something is better than nothing.

JimmyT........I had a Hurst Super Shifter installed in my 1969 Corvette back in the mid 70s, initially thinking the shorter throws were a vast improvement over the stock shifter.  I quickly tired of the quirks of new linkage within about a year, never changed back, but will be going back to stock if I can ever rummage up enough money to bring the car out of retirement.  Who needs the short throws anyway?  To me, the quirks take the pleasure out of both cruising and everyday driving.

Buckeye........if you need any trouble spending some of the other guy's  money, I stand ready to help you out.

OldTimer....... hope the Yorkies helped celebrate your POT resurrection by making sure your glass was kept full.   

Well, I am off to Home Depot to see if I can find a repacement shelf for one of our kitchen cabinets, because the existing shelf bowed badly from the wifey's zillion pounds of dishes. . The existing shelf is bowed about two inches edge to center and no longer catches enough of the 4 hangers to stay up.  Tried parking the car on it for 12 hours to see if it would flatten out and stay flattened out, no go, not a lick.  The composite pressboard shelves don't take kindly to using a good soaking of water to make them more pliable.  Can't use bracing and screws to straighten them out as the screws wouldn't hold in the pressboard, might if they were solid wood.  Plus as I stated in an earlier post, the inside wall of the cabinet has warped outward about a half inch and toward the adjacent dishwaher over the past 23 years.  My plan is to buy a melamine shelf cut to fit 1/2 inch wider than the original, one that is also 1/4 inch thicker to forestall warrping over the next 23 years.  I'll be 84 by then if I make it that long.

Later, gang.

Jack

[Stourbridge Lion]

TGIF CTTFans!

Man, did we get a quick but very drowning down pour last night along with some strong winds.  Had water coming into the house from the bathroom vent .  WIll need to see if the wind did any damage or if the water has just being pushed so hard in got up and under the vent cover.

Hear this morning that Lamar, CO got hit with three (3) tornado's including one that made a direct hit on their power-plant.  "Colorado Emergency Management has issued a statement asking people in the Lamar area to use caution due to downed power lines. They are reporting power is out in Lamar, Eads, Chivington and Sheridan Lake and surrounding areas. The statement calls damage to homes "considerable" and says power may be out for four hours or possibly longer."   My thoughts out to those hurt by this storm.  Lamar is about 100 miles east of Pueblo and about 30 miles west of the Kansas state-line.

[KRM]

Cloudy and cold at 42 degrees. Winter is back. George does not want to go outside.

Not much on the plate today. Got my last direct deposit from the Cat thing and next week will spend most of it on gravel for the lane. The neighbor has a dump trailer that will hold 12 ton and I think 10 to 12 loads should help out a lot. I will pay for the gravel he will buy the diesel fuel to haul it.

I changed out my 027 yard switches yesterday with the new 042s so now I can park anything on any spur. The Lionel Blue stripe passenger cars I ordered are on back order, go figure. 

First off , prayers for DougM and his surgery today. God bless and best of luck. 

Ole Timer, Himmmmm Shays. Major envy. 

Nice ride on the Tardis last night, good guys ,good fun.

Chief, Good deal on the workbench. I use my daughters old PC desk for the train room, Works okay and I already had it.

Buckeye, your friend need another friend? 

Brent, I too have been kicking or better getting kicked by a cold. This weather is no help.

MikeC, send some of that rain my way. If it is going to be cold it may as well rain to. 

JimProbe,

I like the way the guy making the MGW shifter will not take it back and said that what you were experiencing wasn't possible ,,,but,, then he suggested several "workarounds". Yeah Right! I sent you another PM before I went to bed last night. Let me know what you think.

Have a good day gents

 

[Anonymous]

green97probe

Chief,

             I saw that work bench in this week's flyer.  If I had a way to get it home, I'd get it.  They have a nice tool cabinet on sale too.  When I go there, I have to try to remain focused on what I went there to buy.

Be honest - when you go anywhere you have to try to remain focused... you get distracted by shiney objects, loud objects, and (I won't go there)... speaking of which... what's the update on Boysenberry?

[Anonymous]

Chief,

             I saw that work bench in this week's flyer.  If I had a way to get it home, I'd get it.  They have a nice tool cabinet on sale too.  When I go there, I have to try to remain focused on what I went there to buy.

[cheapclassics]

Good morning all,

IIABSDISEI with temps currently in the 40s.  Mowed the yard last night.  Was tired from that.  Games tomorrow will probably be stormed out.  Not much else going on.  Indy car race down in Brazil this weekend.  TBIL and I can drive.  I hope everyone has a good day.

Keep on training,

Mike C. from Indiana

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Demay

Jeffrey – I dug out an old HO set I have to see if it would still run and to my dismay it doesn’t.  It wants to run and is getting power.  I can hear the motor turning and the wheels begin to move but then stop.  When I hold the locomotive in my hand the wheels will smoothly turn in reverse, but need quite a bit of coaxing for forward.  The locomotive is Life-Like 2-6-0 steamer (Life-Like #8390, cab #3179, http://tycotrain.tripod.com/lifelikemodeltrainscollectorsresource/id76.html) and was part of a UP set purchased in the 1980s.  I do not have a manual and I have no idea what could be wrong with it.  I am not afraid to open it up but I have no clue as to what I should expect to see.  I appreciate any suggestions you can provide.

First clean the track. If it's been in storage for a while it's going to have a tarnish film on it that needs to be removed. Going in the direction of travel sand the rail heads with 800 or 1200 grit wet/dry sandpaper. Wipe rail heads with alcohol, 91% if you can get it, if not 70% will do. On the loco, I'm not familiar with that one as I never trusted the standard line locos of that era and standard line was all that was available here. Many steam locos of the 80's picked power up through the drivers on one side of the loco and returned it to the other rail through the wheels on the opposite side of the tender, some others picked up power and returned it solely with the drivers. Looking at the loco drivers does it have traction tires? Being of the 80's it's likely that it does. Locos then tended to be light and needed all the extra traction they could get. Clean the loco drivers that DON'T have traction tires with a cleaner like Goo-Gone or Krud Kutter or whatever equivalent you can get. Clean the backsides of the drivers as well as the pickup wipers contact this area. The wheels with traction tires should be cleaned with alcohol as the harsher cleaners can damage the tires. If the tender is used in the power pickup clean the metal tender wheels with Goo-Gone or Krud Kutter, etc. As for the locos motor it's probably a pancake motor. Most of these were nowhere near as dependable as their bigger brothers used by Lionel and other O Scale locos. If you can see the motors commutator place a drop of something like CRC 2-26 on it to clean and lubricate that part of the motor. Turn the motor a few times by hand if you can to distribute the cleaner then connect power to it and turn up the throttle. It'll be rocky at first but will speed up and even out as the cleaner does it's work. Now as to the locos quality this could be an issue. Life-Like and 1980's-90's is a BIG red flag for me as many companies cranked out cheaply made locos whose operational life was measured in hours, days or weeks, not years. For example many of the Bachmann diesels made then were jokingly referred to as being warranted to work for ten feet or ten seconds whichever came first as they were very badly made. I know, I had some of them. In the 80's many standard line steam locos were used in train sets. These locos usually had cheaply made pancake motors that ran at high rpm and were prone to burnout. After all many of these sets were aimed at children and children tend to run trains, cars, etc at full speed and generally lose interest after a little while so why bother making something of quality? However, if treated kindly these pancake driven locos can run for quite a while. I have a few 70's/80's vintage pancakers myself that I run once in a while and a couple of them are fairly descent though they are showing their age. On some others I ripped out the pancake mechanism and replaced it with something more durable and dependable. I'm not trying to insult what you have, just preparing you for what you may find. Now if the loco has something other than a pancake drive like an open frame motor or a can motor you MIGHT have a descent runner but not in all cases. These sometimes suffered from bad quality control as well. Many HO locos made in the 80's-90's by Life-Like, Bachmann, AHM, Rivarossi and some others were nowhere near the quality of those made by Bachmann, Life-Like/Walthers today which are much higher quality.

[blownout cylinder]

 

Good Morning...

Going to be sunny today with a high of 49F...going to be windy though..up to 35mph forecast here...

Got some stuff to pick up from work today then it is on-call weekend time for this'un...

 

[Blueberryhill RR]

Good Morning from Blueberryhill RR....

It is a cold and sunny 40 degrees. Going up to 64 today with sunshine.

Today is a busy day. I have an errand to run and the usual chores around the house. I am starting to feel a lot better. Meds are kicking in. Legs still achy from the cold weather.

Dining car is here with Cheerios for breakfast. I have brought my colesterol down to 180 from 220 just from eating Cheerios for the last couple of years. I used to take a pill for the problem, which I don't anymore. It works.

Buckeye & LAZ.....TGIF

Y'all have a great Friday.

Chuck

[fifedog]

Mornin' boys.  Clearing and 48 here in the Mid-Atlantic region.  Poor taking a beating on the front porch.  Hope it survives.  Last night of evening shift.  Hopefully grab meal on the yatchet.  Baseball parades tomorrow morning...hate short change-overs.  May be going trackside (on the hunt for the new NS heritage GEVOs) Sunday up Enola (weather permitting).

wimberly - Nice photo of crossing.

88 - You need some time in the sun.  My allergies are kickin' it too.

[Anonymous]

ChiefEagles

Bet I can find one of those.

Chief - I'm sure you can! Just look in the right place.

---
Mornin' Fellas - not much going on... other than I feel another cold coming on... this weather is kicking my butt again!

for DougM.

[laz 57]

Hi GUYZ,

  43 here getting to 52.  Gonna take my gal for a run in the woods tonite she needs it.

BRUTUS, yepper got the pics now.  TANKs!  I see those Amish buggies evryday here.

ANJDEVIL, BIG CONGAs to them DEVILS!!!  Now beat da Flyers.

CHUCK & BUCKEYE(whereever you are)  TGIF!!!!

Stay frosty,

laz57

[Buckeye Riveter]

Chuck and Laz...........TGIF

I remember Chuck and I posting a comment about the new oil fields in Ohio and a few people scoffed at the idea of such riches in Ohio.  One of my best clients now has a check from a major oil company for $21,500,000. I'm going to help them spend it.

[Demay]

Konbanwa,

We had another rainy day today.  I was able to make it to a local (Japanese) hobby shop located not too far from the base.  Unfortunately, the only train items they carried were HO and N scale, and they only had a few items.  They had tons of models and R/C items but nothing that interested us.  The only worker (possibly owner) in the shop was an elderly Japanese woman who did not speak English so I was not going to obtain any information from her as to where to find O scale/gauge trains.  She seemed pretty enthralled in the Japanese soap operas she watching as well.  I tried to run an old HO set I have but was unsuccessful; I am requesting Jeffrey’s help. 

Dennis – Thanks for the information.  I will email Bob and see what turns up.

DJ Spanky – Those are great photos you posted.  I hope you resolve your preorder issues. 

Jeffrey – I dug out an old HO set I have to see if it would still run and to my dismay it doesn’t.  It wants to run and is getting power.  I can hear the motor turning and the wheels begin to move but then stop.  When I hold the locomotive in my hand the wheels will smoothly turn in reverse, but need quite a bit of coaxing for forward.  The locomotive is Life-Like 2-6-0 steamer (Life-Like #8390, cab #3179, http://tycotrain.tripod.com/lifelikemodeltrainscollectorsresource/id76.html) and was part of a UP set purchased in the 1980s.  I do not have a manual and I have no idea what could be wrong with it.  I am not afraid to open it up but I have no clue as to what I should expect to see.  I appreciate any suggestions you can provide. 

Sayonara,

Joe

[anjdevil2]

Quick post...I'm beat...

Thanks for the Birthday wishes guys!! I really appreciate it!

Just got done with DOUBLE OVERTIME and THE DEVILS WIN THE SERIES!

Off to Philly to visit the Flyers for the Semi-Finals.

Laz --- Why yes I DID get some Flanged Wheeled items!!! I have yet to unpack them.

Work has been busy and the travel time doubled.  But tomorrow I have to sub for someone close by, so I can sleep 15 minutes later and I was told I have this Saturday off!!  Love it!!

Off to bed, 7 hours sleep and off to work!!

 

[ChiefEagles]

Good night all.  Grady got a lot done on the Box ceiling today.  Today was my meeting and errand day.  Went by Harbor Freight.  They had a nice work bench on sale for $149 [reduce from $200 something].  Noticed their display bench was sitting near door with sign indicating $120.  Asked my "young lady friend" [who always helps me] if I could have them hold it until I came with pickup.  She said since I was an Insider Club member I could buy it for $100.  I DID!!!.  I now have a nice 4 drawer work bench to go in the Box work room.  Only thing wrong is it is missing one drawer handle.  Bet I can find one of those.

Off to bed.

Sleep tight.     

[dwiemer]

Good evening everyone. Been another crazy day with long cases and odd things going on, but dealt with everything and finally home.  Was a 18 hour day and another long one tomorrow.  

Doug, thanks, I hope that does work for the iPad.  Also, good luck with everything.  I will keep you in prayers.

Joe, yes, CTT has had several anniversary box cars and trucks.  If you email the Bob or any of the other folks with CTT, they should be able to let you know what they have left.  May be sold out.  I have gotten several off eBay and other sites.  I know they have had cars made by Atlas, and I think several others.

I am tired, heading to bed.  God bless

Dennis

[Brutus]

Roy - actually it's going to be chilly here, you can keep that colder weather!

Prayers for Doug Murphy getting skint tomorrow - hang in there man and praying for good results.  Maybe you will get a good looking skin doc like Chief?

Chief you are sure making good progress on that Box!  Wish I had one, that's a sweet deal!

Laz - can you see the pics now?  I'm not sure what is wrong?

Apparently bank rates are way down?  Looked into loan for wall and instead we'll refi, extending our house loan only 3 years with a new 15 year one, and save 2 points on interest from 5.75 to 3.6 with less payment per month and cut down the remaining interest over the old loan too.  WOW.

Then tonight we went to the Choir concert for my daughter and she was great.

Overall a great day   TARDIS is ready and the drinks are on the house, so belly up boys!

[blownout cylinder]

Yep..doing pretty much the same thing here...good night Jeff....

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Time for me to call it a night. I have no idea what I'll be doing tomorrow. See y'all tomorrow.

[Ole Timer]

Got the C&O Alleghaney out ... checked the wheels ... lubed her .... ran through all the sounds and crew talk .... gave her a good run .... going to do the rest also ... the shays and cab forwards may be hard to put away though ... lol ..... 

[KRM]

green97probe

Kev,

            I was looking in the wrong place.  Reply sent.

  

 Got it Jim but could not get the picture link to work.

 

 Prayers for DougM tomorrow. Good luck Doug.

Night,

[blownout cylinder]

Good Evening...

Well, I now have a band that is now going to do some live performances in a week and a bit.  Hopefully a video will crop up on youtube about said performance..if anyone is brave enough to listen to some space rock improv.....

Tonight I actually got some time to run some trains and I actually did have to clean some tracks of fur but not as much as I feared before

As for American Standard Poodles..any we ever had were very quiet dogs...very loving indeed.

Have a good evening people!