Coffee Pot #4 APRIL 2013 TEN 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 Yanks.

[charliebrown]

Okay fellas I have a few questions.

I have been shopping for o gauge track on the bay. How much should I be looking to pay for a 40" straight?

Also somewhere on here I had found some info on curves that gave measurements for across radius.

Just trying to figure out if 072 would actually be over kill.

Till the morning .... have a great night all!

[KRM]

Hi,
Well an uneventful day on the North Bluff.
I worked on the layout addition for about 1.5 hours and called it quit because I just am not sure what I want or how to do it. 
I did get a premonition today about my old trash pump. I have this 2” trash pump form the late 50s to mid 60s. It is so old it has a rope pull for the start. NO PLASTIC and built to LAST. We used this at the old house to pump water from the river to the yard in the dry of summer. When I got it in the late 70s it was old then and had about 4” of rust in the gas tank. Well I saved it and it has been nice to have around. Tonight for God knows why I decided I needed to get it running because the last time I ran it was May of 2010.
The tank was dry so I blew the dust out and added some new gas. Put a coffee can of water in the pump and a little gas down the carb and gave her a yank and it fried right off and died. So a few more sips of gas and it took off. Then is when the strange stuff happened: This blue foam started coming out of the pump and I am thinking WTH is this.
Anyway I took it out of the shed and set in on the drive and put the hydrant hose in it and fired it back up. Well Out comes about three packs worth of the happy mouse food and a large mouse nest. I always like to know things I have will work if I need them. Anal I guess. I will be getting some 2” plastic pipe caps to close the pump off so this will not happen again.
Yesterday I transformed the flammable cabinet into my ammo / pistol, and short rifle cabinet. I had forgot that my SKS has the collapsible stock and my Winchester 1897 shotgun breaks down in a flash so they fit well as well as all of the handguns and ammo. I checked on Crags list and E-bay and the cabinet would only bring about $400 at best so I will just use it. At least I can lock up all of the ammo and stuff so the kids can’t get at it when I am not looking.
Prayers for all in need. 
I will be skipping on the ride tonight Boys. 

[KRM]

charliebrown

Okay fellas I have a few questions.

I have been shopping for o gauge track on the bay. How much should I be looking to pay for a 40" straight?

Also somewhere on here I had found some info on curves that gave measurements for across radius.

Just trying to figure out if 072 would actually be over kill.

Till the morning .... have a great night all!

RJ, 40" straights in 0. I have found that you can get track NEW at Model Train Stuff for less than used or new on the bay. Wide is nice and depending on what your running, or more so what you plan on running will tell you how wide of a curve you need. Most Postwar will work on R31" but a lot of the new stuff and scale cars and engines need at least R72" so you have to decide. I would say no less than 042" but that is your call. My tightest curve on my outside loop is Marx 034" I use 027 on the small sawmill loop. and 042 on the Thomas loop.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Well I didn't get much done today. Some tools were put away. I considered whether or not to cut the grass but decided I wait until after the rain. Had dinner at my fathers place. Chili dogs. I have a pile of Atlas FP7 number boards, eight of them I think. I have no idea what I'm going to do with them. probably dump them in the junk box. I mounted inlaid number boards on the FP7's so there's no need for for surface mount boards. I also looked at some coupler height issues and I think I just about have that worked out. There on some old train set cars so it really doesn't matter one way or another.

We're expecting rain tonight and tomorrow, 60% tonight maybe 70 tomorrow, so we might actually get wet. Looks like the wind will be civilized.

Tonight I'll be taking the first full dose of the gabapentin. Had a half dose yesterday to get started. I felt all right today, still a bit of tingling but it doesn't feel like I'm trying to squeeze a pin cushion full of needles.

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

[8ntruck]

Redfire - congrats. on the job.  Bummer on the accident.  Kind of reminds me of the time I was broadsided by a lady who ran a stop sign.  She insisted that I hit her!  Fortunately, a good friend of mine from out of state was visiting and was following me.  He provided an apparently 'independent' account of the accident. 
I had paid $1,200 for the truck I was driving.  The insurance settlement from the other driver paid me $1,500 for the truck.  The back axle was bent.  I used the money to replace it and I am still driving my 'free' truck.

I scored a X3464 A.T. & S.F. operating boxcar on e-bay for just under $9 last night.  Was not really looking for one, but I can't beat the price.

The bad news came back from the dealer on the SS today.  A failing throttle control module threw the code.  $960 installed.  Being a drive by wire car, I'm thankful that it failed into the 'off' position!  My inoperative cruse control was caused by a failed clutch position module.  $320 installed.  Leaking half shaft seal on the tranny - $280 installed.  This will put a damper on train funding for a bit.  On the other hand, I didn't pay much for the car to begin with and it is under average mileage for a 2006, so it is worth keeping up.

All for now.

[Lehigh Valley 2089]

Good morning.

Nothing new to report. Will likely be the same things that have been going on the past few days.

[Blueberryhill RR]

Good Morning from Blueberryhill RR....

It is a cloudy 62 degrees. Going up to 72 today with rain.

Today is a busy day. Wife has errands to run and I have a bunch of chores to do. Busy until lunch.  Then, a nap. Not much else new.

Indians / White Sox game this afternoon.

Dining car is here with Cheerios for breakfast.

Y'all have a great Wednesday.

Chuck

[rtraincollector]

Morning all looks overcast this am but it might clear off. Time to get back to working on my to do list lol some is my own some is the wife's had english muffin with ham and egg and cheese this am ( type you microwave) not much else going on right now. Talk to you all later. Hope all have a good day

[charliebrown]

Good morning ...

We had rain most of the night. It turned to snow and yes we are getting snow showers at this time!

40's for a high today but they say we will be in the 60's for the weekend.

Nothing done on layout last night. The wife had deliveries to do so she couldn't make the stop for lumber. Maybe today.

Kev thanks for the info on the curves. I'll have to do some surfing to see what I can find for new price on the 40 inch o gauge. It seems on the bay it was running 50 plus dollars for 6 sections. The ones I seen were used but didn't look bad.

[cnw1995]

Aloha from a grey, cold and rainy Chicago where our local weather folks say it's the wettest April in 143 years of records. I can believe it.  Watched a scary Doctor Who episode last night when the youngest was out. Then tinkered around the layout and went to bed early. Busy season now for me to update / edit lots of content before mid-May. $3.23 a gallon for gas is a dream. Paid $3.90 last night. Ah well. Jake, congrats on the job. Sorry about the accident. IL Central station. Mich Ave at 12th (Roosevelt) in 1895

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Good morning. It's 46° with 100% humidity. Wind NW at 23mph. There's a fair chance of showers and thunderstorms. The high will be 65°.


It's been raining off and on all morning, most certainly since 3am when I noticed it. I couldn't help but do that. Thunderstorms with almost continuous thunder tend to be hard to sleep through. My only plan for today is to stay dry. The new medication seems to be having a positive effect. The tingling in my right arm is nearly non-existent and my fingertips only hurt a little. It wouldn't be so bad if I could feel something other than pain, like to be able to actually feel something when I touch it or be able to feel my hair when I run my fingers through it. That's a very distant memory. I may get some layout work in today. That will depend partially on how ugly the weather gets.

[Hudson#685]

Good Morning:

50 degrees and partly sunny. Warmer than yesterday already!

Today it is a goof off day today and then school tonight.

Kev: LOL about the pump. Found all kind of critters, including snakes in vehicles and equipment.

Redfire: The insurance laws vary from State to State. The one thing that they have in common is that the car has to be repaired to pre-accident condition. I do not know about Pa, but depending on the age of the vehicle, in NJ, LKQ and aftermarket parts can be used as long as they meet the OEM specs. Also, in NJ if you go thru a Direct Repair Shop, the repair is guarenteed for the life of the car. The insurance laws are changing and what was common practice may not be now. I would check with the insurance company for the warranty for repairs, ask for a list of shops that they work with and go from there.

Have a Great Day!

John

[fifedog]

Mornin' boys.  Mornin' English.  Sunny & 54 here in the Mid-Atlantic region.  tonight.  Need to get a haircut this morning.  Don't want anyone thinking I'm some hippie, or worse yet, Justin Bieber.

Waiting for my Generals...

Redfire - Sorry about your .  Let's be honest; you contributed to this accident because you left your house (most accidents occur within a mile of your house, that's why I'm moving...).  It was good you "locked" the other driver into a fault statement.  But, don't be surprised if she doesn't spin it differently to her insurance.  I am constantly setting the record straight with agents days, weeks, months after the fact.

Unfortunately, police response (like anything else "service" related) is headed downhill, as us dinosaurs give way to younger cats.  Our agency is pushing towards more on-line reporting, and I cringe when I hear "call the complainant back and explain e-reporting" over the air.  I cringe even more that supervision doesn't "correct" that.

I won't miss it.

[KRM]

Same forecast as DougM here on the north bluff.

 When I was picking out a shirt in the closet this morning I found a packet of things from my dad. In it were six old Lionel sale catalogs.  Not in the best shape but interesting. There was also a instructions for assembling and operating Lionel trains book from 1947. I am not sure on the year of the other books. I think one is 1950 and I know one is 1961 the other four I will have to look into.

I will spend some more time on the addition today because it ain't worth going outside.

Have a good day.

After looking these catalogs up they are 1950, 1954, two from 1960, 1961 & 1963. Neat stuff.  

[ChiefEagles]

Morning.  Beautiful day.  Was a little chilly [50] early but warming fast.  Fruit trees to spray as little peaches forming.  Then outside light fixtures to do [Wifey wanted new fancier ones].

Charlie B., go with the 72" curves.  Makes trains look a lot more like real railroads.  Then you do not have to worry about running large scale cars or engines.  Takes up a lot of real-estate but worth it in the long run.  I do have some 054 switches in some sidings.  I used a lot of 072 Y switches for switching yard.  Longer but puts tracks closer together.

Have a  good one.  

[blownout cylinder]

G'mornin'

Dull and dribbly here..temperature going down as well..in the wind...sigh....

Got a few things done earlier this morning so it looks like the rest of the day is all mine..

[sir james I]

The temp is 38 with dark overcast skies. Rained most of the night.

Doug M what a great pic and beautiful lobby. Cost would be in the millions today. I would like to do some yard work but the weather is either wet or cold so whatever is waiting for me out there will have to wait a little longer. A short chat with Brutus and RT last night then off to bed a few minutes earlier than usual....S.J.

[RockIsland52]

fifedog

Redfire - Sorry about your .  Let's be honest; you contributed to this accident because you left your house (most accidents occur within a mile of your house, that's why I'm moving...).  It was good you "locked" the other driver into a fault statement.  But, don't be surprised if she doesn't spin it differently to her insurance.  I am constantly setting the record straight with agents days, weeks, months after the fact.

 

JimmyT.........same thing happened to my wife. A guy stopped at a side street stop sign across traffic to her left (a street dead-ending into her street),  zipped out across one lane of traffic and t-boned my wife.  She had no traffic signal on her busier through street and she had  100% right-of-way!!!!!  She got hit square on her left rear driver's side wheel by the knucklehead!!!! 

 

Wifey pulled over and immediately called the police.  After they determined by talking to her that there were no injuries and the cars were driveable, they told her to come down to the police station and fill out a report.  She did.

 

Less-Than-Desireable Conclusion:   the other driver's insurance company declared her 50% at fault!!!!  My insurance company got our car squared away and took it up with the other guy's insurance company.  No deductible paid by us.  I got a rental paid for while her car was laid up.

 

What aggravates me, however, is that while she was clearly not even 1% at fault and that the logistics/physics made it imposiible for it to be anything but the guy's fault for failure to yield, the guy's insurance company somehow believed some BS he spun and let him off the hook by declaring him only 50% responsible.  So he also saved on his deductible.  One reason why automobile insurance rates are so high.....folks are not held accountable for their carelessness.

 

What aggravates me more so is that the insurance companies do not "go after each other ex-post-facto" in a case like my wife's.  They just "settle" large volumes of cross claims against each other, and one writes the other a check for the difference.  The insurance companies' reasoning is that it is too expensive for the insurance companies to investigate and pursue actual fault and place the blame where it belongs.  You and I pay for that because the lousier drivers get away with the poor driving......something we all subsidize, even with a squeaky clean driving record and no claims!!!!!.

 

More Desireable Conclusion:  Fast forward.  A guy in a strip mall parking lot who was parked next to me (while I was standing there) cut his wheels too soon backing out of his space and took out my right rear quarter panel and rear fascia.  My insurance company said they would take care of it, told me to go get my car fixed, and that they would pursue the matter with the guy's insurance company. 

 

After my wife's escapade I realized that while I might get my car fixed with no (immediate) impact on me, the other guy might spin a whole different story with his insurance company and get off.  And I don't want my insurance company to directly or indirectly associate me with incidents they have to pay for, fault notwithstanding.  That is what the insurance companies care about......having to write you or me a check for damages, even when I am NOT in any way at fault.  Claims paid on my behalf still make me a higher risk.....may think that somehow I keep winding up at the wrong place at the wrong time and am therefore a higher risk to insure.  

 

I asked my insurance company if it would be OK if I handled the matter directly with the other guy's insurance company and they said: "Why?  That is what we are here for.  You won't have to pay any deductible because it was not your fault.  We will take care of you.  But if you insist, no problem, keep us posted, and send us your documentation.  If you are not successful, let us know and we will make you whole and go after him/them." 

 

My carrier's involvement was unnecessary.  I called the other guy's insurance company the day of the incident.  They took care of me and my car 100% in short order, including a rental, and they then had their own customer to deal with. 

 

Now you might ask what did I gain?  Yes. it was a PITA.  But I gained the satisfaction that my policy and my carrier stayed out of it financially and administratively and paid nothing.  More important, the other guy's carrier picked up every penny of my expenses, including my deductible and the rental car.  And the person at fault was held fully fully accountable with no BS or "settling" at 50% based on lies..

 

Jack

[lion88roar]

RockIsland52

Wifey pulled over and immediately called the police.  After they determined by talking to her that there were no injuries and the cars were driveable, they told her to come down to the police station and fill out a report.  She did.

This is why you ALWAYS demand the police respond... I always call 911 and not the direct PD line... why? Because the police respond to 911 calls. They are there to 'protect and serve' the community, not flub off and sit in a coffee joint. It my cause them to have some additional paper work - but they is their job. We are paying their salaries, so they work for US.

[cheapclassics]

Good afternoon all,

It is rainy in SE Indiana.  Sorry to have missed yesterday.  Did not really do anything last night.  Work has been busy but somewhat good.  Daughter is improving, but it will take awhile.  I hope everyone has a good day.

Keep on training,

Mike C. from Indiana

[RockIsland52]

lion88roar

RockIsland52

Wifey pulled over and immediately called the police.  After they determined by talking to her that there were no injuries and the cars were driveable, they told her to come down to the police station and fill out a report.  She did.

This is why you ALWAYS demand the police respond... I always call 911 and not the direct PD line... why? Because the police respond to 911 calls. They are there to 'protect and serve' the community, not flub off and sit in a coffee joint. It my cause them to have some additional paper work - but they is their job. We are paying their salaries, so they work for US.

But Brent......many of us are afraid that the responding police officer might recognize us and take us off to jail for previous indiscretions.  Wild guys, like SP Ray, SJ, and Chuck.

Jack

[anjdevil2]

Good Early afternoon guys...

Thanks for the prayers but the sad news is Ms. Nora's Dad passed at 0520 this morning family was there.  He had been brought home earlier in the day.  I have already told the family (mine/her extended) and awaiting the details.  Very sad, but in the long run most likely for the best.

Nothing else to report looks nice outside will venture out in a bit.

Been having a great conversation with my Princess the last few days, God willing, I'll make the trip to see her in 2 weeks...

Back later...

[MichRR714]

anjdevil2  Praying for you and your family.

[Lehigh Valley 2089]

Good afternoon.

Again, not much happening. Have some work Friday and next week, so a little more money will be coming in soon. Hope to probably head to Elmira or Williamsport this weekend, will look for a caboose to salvage the trucks off of for my own little caboose. Will use the body as an office on the railroad, or kitbash it into something else..........

[rtraincollector]

 anjdevil2  Praying for you and your family.

[RockIsland52]

Rich......that was sad news about Nora's Dad.  He was in my prayers, but I will add in your faimily and his.

I know you have missed your Princess and that the telephone has had to suffice to bridge the miles.  I really hope your plans for a trip to visit her come together.  Hand in there and hopefully you can make it happen. 

Jack

[RockIsland52]

V8Vega

Going shooting soon, overcast right now, suppose to get up to 77

SP Ray yes my new pellet gun is a pump up. There also is CO2 these aren't as powerful but no pumping and some are semi automatic. And there are break barrels where the barrel is used as a lever to load a spring. When you pull the trigger the spring pushes a piston that makes a high pressure air that moves the pellet.

This state totally controlled by one party just passed a Homeless Bill of Rights I hear on the radio. Skid Row in downtown LA. has been famous for its squallier forever.

My tenant who got me going on Firefox says leave the computer on so I have been and I compared electrical bills and see no change but I have decided to turn it off overnight every 4th day or so as it seems to get loaded up and all of a sudden will be unusable slow.

Dennis.......I have been thinking about picking up a BB rifle like the old Daisey lever action ones.  I need something low powered enough to supplement Maximus' patrols.  I want to keep the geese in the pond behind my property and off the lawn.  Just something to put a sting in them, but not enough to harm them, make them associate pain and harassment with the location so they will pick some place else as their restaurant and poop repository.

Like you, I also leave my PC on 24/7, on standby when we call it a night.  I got similar advice as you did from my PC guy.  I have all of the anti-virus and security scans set to run overnight.  I have very few problems even though I am running XP, Internet Explorer 7, and just the Norton antivirus/security package Comcast provides. 

Jack

[blownout cylinder]

Good Afternoon...heh heh...

Wherein we can has snow...yes, snow.... and biting winds...and cold temperatures....sigh.....oh well...maybe NEXT month we might get to crawl out the winter bucket...

We went out in the stuff to go to the diner and see the gang there..not many showed up though..most likely due to our ...ern...interesting weather...

[Banks]

Hello all

We just had a thunderstorm here.

It seems Mrs has given me the stomach virus she had last evening & this AM.  I've had the diarrhea and tummy pain and if I follow her pattern I have the puking to look forward to

Rich for Ms. Nora's Dad & family.

Jimmy T.......Great news about the job!!!! answered. What field will you be in? About the Mustang. I agree with the rest, insist on OEM parts installed by a reputable shop.

88.............Mrs and I greatly enjoyed your conversation as well. By the way, the YORK photo looks great.... On that note I'd best move on......

Prayers for those in need.

[sir james I]

The temp is 41 and we had lite rain most of the day with a few snow flurries mixed in. Now the skies clear. It's sad to read of a loved ones passing, may there be some peace for the family. I had an online chat with Charlie today but no other real activity. Banilla is ready..S.J.