CLOSED////////The Coffee Pot is still on and over 3 years. Here we gather as friends with trains.

[wrmcclellan]

Good morning all!

Hey - guess what! It's RAINING here! What a surprise! Rain predicted for the next 7 days (does 40 days and nights mean anything???). Nice and cool though. We have high pressure domes to the east and west of us. The longer they stay there, the hotter it gets in those areas, and then the domes stay there (like here normally in the summer) until a strong enough front can move them. So we are going to get lot's o' rain!

Jim F - That layout plan looks great! See my other post on your 4-4-2. Sounds like they hit you with a motor that needs metric screws?

Zeke - hang in there my friend!

Chief and Jim A - start rain dancin' men - you need to get this stuff to move your way for a while!

Have a great day all!

 

[laz 57]

Hi GIZ,

  Not to bad here this morningat 69 A0530.  Did laz CAMP just and easy 3.25 miles.  GOLF later today can't be to tight.  Don't forget to watch THE BONEYARD tonite on the HISTORY CHANNEL at 9 PM.  They are going to put together a Diesel engine that was cut up for scrap.

  Yesterday got the padding out the walls and drywall done on the bathroom project.  Put down base for shower and cut out drain hole.  And wouldn't you know it the drain ended up over a floor joist.  Had to cut joist out then box out with another 2X10 for support.  Not hard but just took up time.  Wife spackled holes and is going to start painting today.  I got to cut down SWANSTONE walls to fit, so I am going into school today and use table saw.

  All have a good one and HAPPY FRIDAY EVE!!!!

laz57

[Jumijo]

 

Happy Anniversary to Mr. and Mrs. Buckeye!!!

 

Good luck to Mrs. Blueberry Hill! 

 

Jim 

[cheapclassics]

Good morning all,

It is a cloudy and muggy day in SE Indiana with rain on the way and temps in the high 70s and low 80s.  Yesterday was not one for the record books as not much went right at work, and we lost our first game this season.  Our best player was missing and another good player was hurt and two more just did not show up.  We started off with nine on the field and one joined shortly afterward and the 11th arrived at half time.  I played up top the entire time and I was exhausted.  I had two scoring opportunities and blew them both.  We lost 3-0.  The good news is that we still have a one game lead over everybody else, but we have to win our last two to clinch first place.  At least I did not have to drive in to work today.  I see where the dining car arrived early at "Points East".  I hope everyone has a good day.

Keep on training,

Mike C. from Indiana

[Blueberryhill RR]

Good Morning from Blueberryhill....

It is a cloudy 65 degrees. Going up to 80, with the chance of more rain this afternoon. Ground needs it. Miss the sunshine.

Today, we are going to Zanesville, for the wife's out patient surgery on her right foot. About an hour and a half. Then, we will come home and I will be available for her needs. No train time today. Hope all goes well for her.

Happy Anniversary to Mr. & Mrs. Buckeye

Dining car is here early, time for breakfast. Later.

Y'all have a great Thursday.

Chuck

[Jumijo]

 

Almost forgot to mention this - for all you 3 Stooges fans out there, YouTube has some great videos of them in their later years. Larry and Moe talking about what it was like to work in the act just before each of them passed away. You wouldn't recognize Moe. Painfully thin and white haired. 

[Jumijo]

Jim F, Big Chief Apitz speaks with forked tongue.  Took whompom and said he could do rain dance for me.  Only get 1/2 of 1/10 of an inch.  Fly back to NH and scalp the Chief Apitz.

Burned candle at both ends I guess.  Ache all over and had some chills.  Soon as clothes are out of washer [sweated through several sets], going to bed.  Right hand and arm seems to cramp up if strained.  Been hydrating.  Good night all.

Sorry, Chief! My coconut bra and grass skirt have been at the cleaners. I'll go get them and give you a good soaking. Moambetteepoopoo!

I've been meaning to ask you, do you take fishing seriously or just do it for the halibut?

 

Good morning from steamy New England! Hotter here than in cracker country down south.

Last night I stocked my new shelves with just freight cars. Six shelves, each 8 feet long, and I only got about 2/3 of my rolling stock, (not including engines) out from under the layout. So all my passenger cars and most of my post war freight cars are still in boxes.

Wifey was home last night and we had a nice time. It's her birthday week, so she's taken the next few days off... Translation: No toy train activities for me until Monday!

My daughter had one of her classmates over for a while yesterday. I wasn't home, but evidently, my son, John pulled down his pants and did the dance of the boiled onion for the girls... Will military schools take 4 year olds?

Jim 

[mitchelr]

Morning to All. Hope it cools off. Going to DC tonight after work with my son.  He has a job interview at American U for a part-time job.  Hope he gets it.

Zeke - don't know if you are much of a reader, but you might want to go to your public library to find a book called When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold S. Kushner. Twenty four years ago next month my wife and I had a set of twins that were stillborn. Not to preach, but this book, that is written by a Rabbi, really helped me becasue i was feeling a lot like you are right now.

Well I have finally cleared out all of my stuff from the old office.  All I really need to do is turn over the keys to my successor and meet with him to discuss some personnel issues that he is going to have to deal with.

Take care,

Mitch 

[Anonymous]

ZEKE - I thought you might think that, but You couldn't be more wrong!!!!  ....Yep, he went down there because of

YOU,  ........Yep, he certainly got a spark of HAPPINESS, because of YOU, ...... Yep, You talked trains to him,

 probably something that NO ONE has done in a VERY long time.  Yep, ....... YOU got him to thinking of trains,

However, HIS thinking took him downstairs, he wasn't going down there to get YOU a glass of water or

 something.   YOU brought some QUALITY into the last days his life regarding some of HIS previous interests.

I think YOU were a tool, that was used to bring HIM some FINAL HAPINESS.  NOTHING MORE....NOTHNG LESS

 

You have just received a gift that very few of us will know.  The feeling of knowing that you brought a lot of hapiness to a person in their final days !!!    

 

 

 

 

thank you don, rich, and everyone else. Your all right i spent all day with his wife.His kids will not return to help with any of the arrangment. When i heard this i mentally went into the zone.( A zone i havent been in since the war) I was very mad but whatever i cant change thier minds.

 

So his wife is such a strong woman, she Was prepared she said she knew  he wasnt gonna make it back. I told her about how i felt and she reassured basically what you all said. He had lung cancer, and a blood defiencacy which he was dying from. I didnt know this.

So im helping any way i can. she told me that he change his wil recently. i signed his kids ouit of it. Personally im glad,they are ungratefull ppl. But thats just my opinoin.

 

 

Other then that i havent done anything. been drinking but i stopped cuz that wont solve anything, may feel good but wont help.

 

as far as god, I just cant believe in that man anymore.

Within a yr and a half i have lost my mom, dad, both  grandparents, brother, a sister, uncle, an aunt, and the one the eats at me everyday, my son. and now someone i just met has died. God, if there was a god why would he let this happen?

[Anonymous]

Zeke, very sorry to hear about Charles. You certainly were a good friend to him and was God's intent for you to have known him and him you in his final time. I also am happy to know that his wife has someone to turn to for condolence. God Bless.

[dwiemer]

Zeke, Sorry to hear about Charles.  I can tell you that when we talk about operating on someone, one of the biggest things is "Quality of Life".  There is a big difference between being alive and living.  He was existing prior to meeting you, but Living after you entered his life.  I would suggest that if you have the time, be there for his widow.  She will be needing some assistance in making arrangements, getting around, etc. 

Hope everyone has had a good week so far.  My bride heads back tomorrow and I have yet to do one thing in the train room.  I have been so busy with cases that I have hardly been able to jump on the honey do list.  Early morning ahead, so I will head in to bed and get some morning cases out of the way.

Hope everyone has a good night,

Dennis

[ChiefEagles]

Jim F, Big Chief Apitz speaks with forked tongue.  Took whompom and said he could do rain dance for me.  Only get 1/2 of 1/10 of an inch.  Fly back to NH and scalp the Chief Apitz.

Burned candle at both ends I guess.  Ache all over and had some chills.  Soon as clothes are out of washer [sweated through several sets], going to bed.  Right hand and arm seems to cramp up if strained.  Been hydrating.  Good night all.

[Brutus]

Here's a pic I was going to share last Sunday for you John Deere fans like Chief, Brent, etc.  This is from the Smithsonian Museum of American History.  My wife took it on her business trip.

Also, here's a pic of my current (final?) track plan. The table will be on rollers, just FYI.

[Brutus]

I know RT, I was going to ask him next, but since Roy told me I'll just stop and try at ACE first.  I wish I'd have known to order replacement screws all at the same time!  It would have only cost a few more cents then!  I just hate to pay for shipping on a few pennies worth of screws....  Jeff was great and in fact I got the shipment prior to him getting my check, I'm sure, since I dropped it at the Arnold Post Office on Saturday morning and I got the shipment already on Monday!  That's great service!

BTW - it rained like crazy here about mid-afternoon and really cooled things off, then was still raining as I was racing home on I55.  I think it's headed for Doug Murphy - see what you get when you ask for it?!    Chief, I think you need to get Jaabat on the line, because his Whammy is blocking my powers to send you some of my rain!  I think he needs to do the old nekkid two-step backwards in order to lift the rain boycott on Roseyville.

[rtraincollector]

Jim you could ask jeff at www.ttender.com

 

rt

[Brutus]

May God bless his wife and children and grant you peace of mind, Zeke.  He used you to give Charles a chance to see his kids prior to his passing.  Charles is in a better place now and his wife and kids will be able to deal with it a lot easier knowing they put their problems aside and came together to see him before he passed.  This is really a blessing for his family.

Well, tried to put my loco back together, but the old screws are just too small for the new motor.  Tried Hobbytown USA, a new store here in Arnold.  He has some O gauge stuff!  Also tons of model kits, including some 1/48 scale WWII models if you guys are looking for them.  He tried a bunch of diff screws and said they are all just a little too big or a little too small.  These are not standard size.  I'll try ACE Hardware tomorrow.  Might just use some foil tape to shim the screw holes in the end.

[sir james I]

Time for fresh coffee. We finally got rain but storms came with it. A 71 year old golfer was struck and killed by lighting this afternoon. a high price to pay for rain.Went to the train store today, they have a new list of Lionel being shipped soon, mostly rolling stock, but to much for me to list here.

Zeke. I'm not good with  words but you can't change a persons time to die. Charles could have fallen off the porch, fell getting out of his car, even tripped at the curb,if you understand my meaning, a lot of things would have brought about the same  result.

      A good nite to all   Mich. Jim

[Sturgeon-Phish]

Zeke-Like the rest said, Charles death was not your fault.  You did bring happiness into his last days and the family reconnecting is something that cannot ever be taken away.  God was working through you to help these people. 

I am praying for Charles, his family, and you my friend.

May God bless all your needs

Jim 

[wrmcclellan]

Zeke - so sorry for you and your friend. You did not cause this and you should not feel responsible. There are a thousand other reasons he might have gone into the basement or somewhere else that something may have happened. Please take care of yourself!

Well it is still raining here. So far we have passed last year's annual total. We need it. Next year could be another drought year the way things work here. The news surprisingly spoke to a guy in waist deep water that said this is the price one pays to live next to water. He said it sure was nice the last few years when it wasn't flooding!

Getting ready for vacation to Tennessee next week. They are 12 inches shy of their normal rain so far this year. No fireworks this year. But no bans on 12 ounce curls

[dbaker48]

ZEKE - I thought you might think that, but You couldn't be more wrong!!!!  ....Yep, he went down there because of

YOU,  ........Yep, he certainly got a spark of HAPPINESS, because of YOU, ...... Yep, You talked trains to him,

 probably something that NO ONE has done in a VERY long time.  Yep, ....... YOU got him to thinking of trains,

However, HIS thinking took him downstairs, he wasn't going down there to get YOU a glass of water or

 something.   YOU brought some QUALITY into the last days his life regarding some of HIS previous interests.

I think YOU were a tool, that was used to bring HIM some FINAL HAPINESS.  NOTHING MORE....NOTHNG LESS

 

You have just received a gift that very few of us will know.  The feeling of knowing that you brought a lot of hapiness to a person in their final days !!!    

 

 

 

[anjdevil2]

Zeke,

I'm nor one to give advice.  But from my point of view:

I have seen people die.  This is a fact of life.  You have seen them in combat, I've seen it in daily life and fire/rescue.  I do not mean to equate them, so please don't get that idea.  Things happen for a reason.  It is not for you or I to question the reason, but it is God's will.  You and I were meant to influence other people.  God led me here to Florida for a reason.  I do not like it here and I'd rather go back to my life in New Jersey.  But I realize there is a reason He put me here, just like you were meant to meet Charles.  If at some point you realize that you sparked the joyous memories in him of playing with his trains, that meant that you gave him back that great joy.

I said it before and I'll say it again.  Why some kids treat their parents so nasty is beyond me.  You gave him a son's love and interest in a hobby he had fallen away from.  Do not be depressed.  Stand by his wife and do what you can to comfort her.  Realize that YOU gave him happiness and joy before he went home to be with his God.

I am not religous and I don't preach.  In my 52 young years I have come to learn that there must be a God.  We are here for each other.  You were there for Charles.  You can mourn 'cause you miss him, but again remember the great joy & love you stirred in him even for a short time.  Buck up my friend, I'll all be good again.

Rich 

Sorry guys for my editorial..... 

[Anonymous]

Well thnks everyone for your thoughts.

 

I know am so mad at myself right now. If i had not got him so fired up he wouldnt have went down there by himself and fallen.Thats my fault and i dont know if i can forgive myself for that.

I got out of the army hoping i wouldnt see another person die in front of me. I have seen too many people die, and this man didnt deserve this.

 

Im sorry I am just feeling horrible right now. His wife told me thats she was so glad that he got to see the kids before he died. That is the only thing i did good!

 

Some friend I was

[csxt30]

Afternoon Everyone !!  Hot one today & busy day at work too. That's enough of of those kinds of days. Sometimes I think they think we're there to work or something !! Plus, hardly any nap today !!

Zeke : very sorry to hear of Charles passing.  You did well to know him .

Yes : it was nice nice talking to Keith last evening !! Can't wait to see your train on my layout when you visit again soon !!  We'll get some good pics. & video too !! Maybe my new eng. will be here before you !! I doubt it !! 

Buckeye : Happy anniversary & get those fishes !! 

Hope everyone has a nice evening !!

Thanks, John

[Buckeye Riveter]

It is hot and humid in Buckeyeland.  High predicted to be 91 with some big thunderstorms on their way.

Zeke, sorry to hear the news about Charles.  You take care of yourself.

Busy day, packing for trip to the clear cool waters of Ontario.

Ran the trains this morning.  All are working perfectly but the train room is hot this time of the year.

Wes, looking good with that foam.

The Chief is all excited about a pile of rocks. 

See ya down the tracks,

[Anonymous]

Getting some projects checked off my list!  Dining Room is painted, Living Room is painted, switches and outlets replaced in Dining Room, switches replaced in Kitchen, Dining Room chandalier replaced, breakfast area light replaced, kitchen island light removed (found they didn't use a ceiling box to hang the light so I have to cut a hole and install a box tonight), replaced the four exterior lights.  So the project list is getting shorter!  

 

I thought you were moving into a NEW house.  If your this ambitious now, just wait a while, you'll get over it.  

Greg,
New to us.  The house is 12 years old and hasn't had much done to it over the years.  My wife and I bought it because:
1. it was twice the size of our old house
2. it is in an awesome location
3. the price was right
4. we can add upgrades to it over the next few years and dramatically raise the value of the house - surround homes are going for over 1 Mil, ours was mid-500s
5. the current projects are all 1 hour jobs (except the painting) so they aren't difficult
6. I love working on my house (when the projects are done we will move within a year)

Hope this helps clear this up some.  Also keeps me out of the bars and clubs of nefarious reputation, and it gives me an excuse to have my wife climb a ladder!

[magicman710]

Zeke, sorry about Charles, you did make his last days good days.

 

Good afternoon all from a hot, sunny Georgia coast. Its going to get pretty hot today without any rain. Hope everybody has a nice and rainy day.

 

 

Grayson

[GregM]

Getting some projects checked off my list!  Dining Room is painted, Living Room is painted, switches and outlets replaced in Dining Room, switches replaced in Kitchen, Dining Room chandalier replaced, breakfast area light replaced, kitchen island light removed (found they didn't use a ceiling box to hang the light so I have to cut a hole and install a box tonight), replaced the four exterior lights.  So the project list is getting shorter!  

 

I thought you were moving into a NEW house.  If your this ambitious now, just wait a while, you'll get over it.  

[tmcc man]

Good afternoon everyone,

Zeke, I am very sorry for your loss. It's never a good time for anything like that to happen.

Well, it has been a very quiet day here, so far. As a matter of fact, it has been quiet for the whole week so far.

I hope everyone has a good rest of the day.  

[1688torpedo]

 Hello All!    Had a nice Chat with CSXJohn last night as always. He's still waiting on his Atlas Diecast Engine. Hopefully, it will be here soon enough as it looks like a decent engine. Zeke- So sorry about Charles passing away. You made his life meaningful again if only for a short time. Too bad his death happened too soon after you got to know him. Take Care. Chief- Those Stones you found are G-R-I-T-S that have hardened over time. Must have been abandoned by some Ancient Indian Tribe after some Explorers offered Grits as Food. Take Care all.

[Jumijo]

Jaabat, what kind of Alco's are you talking about as Greenberg's Guide lists three possibles for those numbers?  Sorry to hear that you are having problem similar to mine, local hobby shop closing.

An uncataloged set from 1964-66. A 215 Santa Fe, a 212 Santa Fe dummy, a box car, a gondola, a hopper, and a caboose along with a transformer and track. All looked to be in nice shape. not bad paint on those alcos!

The hobby shop that's closing mainly sold HO and plastic model kits. A small assortment of O is available, but I got a lot of post war stuff there pretty cheap until the owner got smart and started asking more. A 2056 w/ tender for $29.00, a 6464-475 B&M box car for $20.00, a set of 4 2400 series passenger cars for $75.00...too much to list. Life goes on.

Still plenty of trains stores around that sell O stuff. At least one in every town. A lot of them are familiar to you all as they are big magazine advertisers and online sellers. 

Jim