Good evening all,
Fairly quiet day at work. Weather was good. Helped wife clean up after baking today. I hope everyone has a good day.
Keep on training,
Mike C. from Indiana
wrmcclellan KEV! - since I cannot be there, please video your grandkids with their 'presents!'
KEV! - since I cannot be there, please video your grandkids with their 'presents!'
Joined 1-21-2011 TCA 13-68614
Kev, From The North Bluff Above Marseilles IL.
Morning train folks!
50's and gray. Raining. Huge front rolls through this afternoon with 30 mph wind, 50 mph gusts, lasting into tomorrow afternoon. Snow predicted west of here (Ft Worth).
As it was a pleasant 60 shirtsleeve weather yesterday, got the outside lights up before the drizzle rolled in.
Brent - our house was built in the 70's so codes were different. Lights and outlets mixed. And we have some real stupid stuff - like a single outlet on a wall in the living room (where TV stand is located) is on the circuit in the master bedroom, 40+ feet away (ranch style single story). If the heat lamp is on in the master bath, and wife uses a hair dryer, it trips the breaker and takes out the TV (TV, DVR, Blu-Ray). Obviously when houses were built in the 70's, one did not contend with all the electronics now spread all over the house. The way they accomplished two circuits per room is this. Imagine 3 rooms, there are just 3 circuits, but those 3 circuits are split across the 3 rooms - and the hallway lights are piggybacked off one of them - all 15 amp circuits (And all wiring for 15 amps - 14 ga vs current 12 ga for 20 amp)
Regards, Roy
Mornin' FellasIt is code here in MD to have at least 2 circuits per room depending on the size, and if memory serves me correctly you aren't supposed to mix outlets and lighting fixtures, and if you have a ceiling light, they still recommend having one outlet split to switch control for a lamp. It may sound like overkill, but it comes in handy when you are doing work and don't want to shut the whole room down at one time.Not much going on today... thank goodness! Still trying to determine if I want to put the outside lights up. It has been very cold and now not sure it is worth the effort. LOL
https://brentsandsusanspicutures.shutterfly.com/
41 degrees and mostly sunny. Probably going hunting and return tonight.
God bless TCA 05-58541 Benefactor Member of the NRA, Member of the American Legion, Retired Boss Hog of Roseyville , KC&D Qualified
Tree is up and watered. In typical Mopar Dad style, we opened the sunroof held on to the tree and on Main Street in front of the firehouse, did a long smokey burnout through the intersection. Still can't figure out why the tree smells like burning rubber.......Mom and Dad are taking care of their tree, as far as decorations and I'll be doing the lights on our tree Friday, then me and the kids can decorate on Sunday Morning or Sunday night. Since we are in the home stretch of the Christmas season, both kids are in retail and they are clocking big hours. Coordination is the key at this point.Meeting tonight, elections.....my position as Trustee is the only contested position. Should be interesting. Being the senior Trustee, the 2 others aren't exactly going to be thrilled if I lose....lol. No big loss if I go out, there will be other elections to be won or lost I'm sure.DARK and GRAY this morning on the way in. Sprinkled a bit and all the roads are brined, again. It'll rain in Central and South Jersey and ZERO snow is called for. This governor is so incompetent.....what a waste of tax payer dollars......35F here in Marlton, NJRoy - That's typical big car company crap. True, the electronics all work off of grounding. If the grounds are bad, everything goes nuts (we have one here, the battery and alternator are NFG and couldn't get it to run over 20 MPH). Instead of taking care of the customer, they'll screw you of a couple o'dollars. And since everything is electronic, well, you already know....
Did 14 scans yesterday and the last one was very complicated, wound up leaving at 5:20.....
I am the monster in your head...And I thought you'd learn by now, It seems you haven't yet.I am the venom in your skin --- Breaking Benjamin
Another quiet day at work. Did get one project done. Weather for walk was better still. Wife is baking again so I help clean up at night. Of course I have to "sample" the items for quality control. Scored a LEGO set at Rural King tonight. Prices were originally 20% off and they were knocked down another 20%. Was a good price. I hope everyone has a good day.
Evening all!
A long gray day, 60, shirtsleeve comfortable.
fronts start to hit tonight bringing some rain tonight through Fri morning, possible snow but no accumulation.
Spent the day cleaning out the room. Also cleaned a big closet to allow juggling stuff as I tackle the next room so we can recarpet. Took 8 big trash bags of blankets, throws, comforters, some clothes, and 2 lamps to Goodwill.
Banks - wish they had been consistant with outlets on each side of a wall but alas. Builders should be required to post an electrical diagram in the fuse box. Had I not been diligent checking every outlet with a tester I could have grabbed a hot one.
Anj - my Tahoe went nuts when the battery cables (4 of them) system failed due to bad lug terminations on the cables (apparently a known problem). Essentially the BCM and ECM lost their 'ground' reference on the power supplies and their microprocessors went nuts. I do not think the BCM ever fully recovered and GM refused to replace it (still in warranty) as a consequence of the cables failure - even with proof the doors would randomly lock themselves and the security system would act up.
Good Afternoon.....
Been sunny most of the day, was pretty decent, however, the bottom drops oput tomorrow night, snaow/freezing rain and rain depending on what part of the state you're in.
Hope to get the tree from the firehouse tonight, the kids have been working or too tired, so we should be able to get this done.
Got my 10 hours of manitory duty done for the tree sales so I can roll in on Saturday for a few hours and pad my time. Need to get my train table up in to the attic and get to figuring out how much more plywood I need.
I was going to try to get this done by Christmas, seems that this may be a bit much, but I'm going to try to finish the woodwork at least.
Saw the videos from the WM facebook page (thanks for the link Fife and for reminding me, Brent...) Very cool stuff.
So just a quick check in, have a very interesting Tahoe to scan, so will check back when possible!!
Hello there,
goin in 6 different directions here.
Gotta admit I haven't kept up with code for residential. That said. Chief I think they're blowing smoke. Only thing I remember is 7 outlets on a 15 amp circuit an 9 on 20 amp. A light fixture counts as an outlet. Nothing said about more than 1 ckt to a room except kitchens.
Roy if running along a wall its easier to put both sides of the wall on the same ckt.
Best move on
Prayers for those in need.
Banks, Proud member of the OTTS TCA 12-67310
52 degrees and sunny. Hunting tomorrow.
Good morning,
38 degrees with sun. Got none of the rain they were yapping about all day yesterday. Got gas today for under two bucks a gal.
Roy, it is code here to split up room circuits. Does make it hard to find what does what.
Here is the perfect gift for all you grand-pa's to get for your grand-sons this Christmas. Trains and flames!!!!!
Semi busy day at work. Not overwhelming. Weather was good for walk. They are cleaning out canal where I usually walk and it is pretty stinky, but since I can not smell, it does not bother me. However, my walking companion can still sense some odors so we will have to redirect our route (maybe past a White Castle?). I hope everyone has a good day.
Roy seperate circuits in a room is a very good idea it helps prevent overload. Plus still having some working outlets.
"IT's GOOD TO BE THE KING",by Mel Brooks
Charter Member- Tardis Train Crew (TTC) - Detroit3railers- Detroit Historical society Glancy Modular trains- Charter member BTTS
Evening Folks!
Hit 65 today and breezy. Front tomorrow brings more rain and possible snow/freezing temps.
So far this year just started over 58" of rain. Now second highest rainfall in history. 2015 set the record at 62+".
Spent the afternoon replacing all the outlets, light switches, and cover plates. Also replaced the return air vent. Room - as intended - is looking like a new room. this took a while as the breaker box is not labeled and the chart I made years ago was missing details. Apparently someone thought at the time that splitting outlets in a room between 2 circuits was a cute idea (I guess to avoid a tripped breaker taking out all the outlets in a room?).
Only have the 3 doors to redo and at this time I may defer that until after the holidays.
I have had the great pleasure of meeting the VPQ at York (York gang dinner get together) a few years back!
Chief - she is there through tomorrow, she'll be in Greensboro a lot over the next 3 years. Doing a big project for PM.
Morning. 44 and sunny. Melting fast. Back to work this afternoon. Two meetings.
Brent, RDU was operating in the snow. Reason is, all flights north were turning and heading over Rolesville. Everytime I went out, could hear them by not see them. Wish I had known where she was. Would have made an effort to go and drop by and say "Howdy". Don't think I have ever met her.
Hope all have a great day.
Thanks, Brent. This video was shot this weekend by one of our engineers...
https://www.facebook.com/WMSRailroad/videos/2321141734625632/
Ho ho ho.
Cloudy and 20s this morning. The font keeps changing.
Airports, like a flight from Detroit to Chicago. A 1 hour flight takes 2 hours in the airport so 3 hours if your lucky.
Kev now you know why there are no pic's of me on here.
S.J.
Mornin' FellasFife - I've been watching some of The WMSRR videos on FB and all I can say is... WOW! Job well done! The exterior lighting is just awesome. Can't wait to see what you do with 1309! And I caught a glimpse of ol' Saint Nick in one of the pictures shared by a family. DonB - Thank you for sharing that news clip! I am now really stoked for getting the new house built and all the minor projects done so I can start on the new train room. Hope to start that project in Spring 2020.TheVPQ had another spectacular travel day yesterday. She is speaking at a training session today and tomorrow morning in Raleigh, NC. Her flight from BWI was cancelled (while she was sitting in airport) and the only route they could find to get her there was to fly to Orlando at 6:20pm (yes she had to spend 7+ hours in an airport), then from Orlando to Raleigh she finally arrived in Raleigh at 10:55pm. To make matters worse, she started to not feel too well on Sunday, so she is going to be a joy when she gets home tomorrow.
Quiet day at work. Busy evening at home. Weather improving. I hope everyone has a good day.
Evening!
Started reassembling the room this afternoon. Finished painting except for door frames (in process) and doors (trying to figure out whether to strip or sand them down). Reinstalled ceiling fan, blinds, and outlet/switch covers. Started hauling out the tools except paint stuff.
Watched the CMA Christmas special. We always enjoy it. The singers stick to traditional.
sir james I I might be PG, been wanting a jelly filled donut but too lazy to go out after one. S.J.
I might be PG, been wanting a jelly filled donut but too lazy to go out after one.
Humm,,, why does this come to mind as the child SJ????
Tiss cloudy and cold here. No snow which is really fine with me. A warm-up at the end of the week may be a wet one. Nothing in the train news dept. I might be PG, been wanting a jelly filled donut but too lazy to go out after one. Maybe Wed.when we do some grocery shopping.
Very cool Shake & Bake!!
13 and frost on everything when I got up. That is our Christmas decorations. We don't do any out here in the woods. We did when we lived in town but no one would see them here.
I re-adjusted the carb on the 40+ year old 49SP Jonsered chainsaw the other day. It is running fine now, used it yesterday and all morning today cleaning up a tree that fell across the driveway in the one snow storm a few weeks back. It has been a great saw from day one. My boy has a Stihl MS 250 I think it is and Jim next door is the 391 I think. Their good saws to.
Gator is fixed. I drilled and tapped a new set of threads on the bad side where the motor moung stud broke and topped it off with a coat of JB weld. Seems fine.
Better get back to my fire.
Good morning!To hit 56 and sunny today. Brief dip below freezing last night.
With yesterday and this morning, now have two coats of semi-gloss on the baseboards. One coat on the window sill. Faces south and sun got too bright to continue working on it. Will hit it further tonight. Working on door trim repair - sanding/filling/sanding.
8n - I use Shutterfly, but my picture posting has been sporadic. I do like the ease with creating albums and uploading with the SF app.
DonB - that's pretty cool about the Nixon library layouts!
Snow was about gone when more came this AM. Suppose to be gone by 2 PM. We'll see. Taking it easy.
Spent day in Indy. Oldest grandaughter's birthday and did some shopping after that. Weather was sunny and not terribly cold. I hope everyone has a good day.
Hi guys,
Don't know if this will work, but for those of you interested, a local TV station did an expose on the layouts that we did at the Nixon library. The link below is a You Tube video. I'm hoping I can copy the address here.
A little history of the layouts;
- The first one is all HO, originally built for the Orange County Fair a couple of years ago. Lloyd and Betsy did all the detail, I assisted a little on the wiring. She is really fantastic, especially with water scenes. They describe it well.
- The second one is a snow scene/Christmas layout. It was built for Bob Eubanks, for a fund raising event he and his daughter was doing in Thousand Oaks. (Back in 2010 or so.) After the event he didn't want to buy it, but did rent it at the purchase price. The layout has been rented a number of times for holiday parties and events. (I did all the wiring on this one, and initial set up at Eubank's event.)
- The third one was built about 5/6 years ago, and featured a "double helix". The owner recently passed, and his daughter & SIL wanted Lloyd to buy it back. After that was all explained, they ended up donating it to the library. So it was dismantled, re-located, spruced up, then set-up within 4 days. (Just two weeks ago.) Then there is ANOTHER interesting story about the train inventory associated with that layout.
- The fourth layout (big one), has 6 operating trains. 2 G-Scale, 3 O-Scale, and 1 HO. The layout was originally built by another group, and has set in storage for the past 3 years. Lloyd was asked to bring it back on line. There are 9 8x12 modules, then all the various mountains to setup. We did not have any good pictures to use, and went by trial & error. After we got that done, all the wiring was 20 or 22awg! So I rewired the entire layout. And currently we are keeping on top of it for operational issues and maintenance. So far so good! We will be taking it down Jan 8th or so.
All in all, they seem to be very satisfied, with the entire display. I expect that it will be an annual event.
Take care All, and stay healthy!
Wow Roy, I've been wathing what you had to do, WHAT A GREAT JOB !!!
Chief, there may be MORE weather headed your way next week. Will send it to Bob, and Roy first. We are suppose to be getting rain tomorrow.
Buckeye, your article was very inspirational ! Good Job!
Don
Been spending the last few days working on the Polar Express themed open house at the KATY Depot museum. It was held yesterday. Somewhere between 400 and 500 people showed up. Hot chocolate, crafts, Santa Clause, and our Polar Express layout were featured.
I want to post some pictures I took, but need to find a new photo posting site. Photobucket wants $$$$ for third party viewing, so I've got to change to something else.
What are some sites that you all use?
My wife made a Pintrest user for me. Pintrest supposedly is a photo hosting site. If it is, that feature is well hidden. About all I saw when I signed on was a bunch of adds and no visible good way to navigate where I wanted. Instant opinion formed - TOTALLY USELESS SITE!
I added a track for the Polar Express trolley this year. Everything worked the way I wanted it to on the bench, but it appears the relays to start the trolley at each end of the track gave up after final assembly (9pm Friday night). I ended up manually starting the trolley with a couple of the orange buttoned postwar momentary contact switches. Going to set it up on the bench again to troubleshoot further.
The stars seem to be aligned to close on the 20 acres we are buying in KY. this week. Going to go shopping for a builder's transit and probably a GPS unit. I plan to teach myself some surveying skills and develop a more detailed topographic map of the areas of the land we will be building on.
About all for now.
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