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

[ChiefEagles]

RED SOX WIN WORLD SERIES. [bunch of Yankees]

[wrmcclellan]

Hi all!

Been away for a while for York and NYC Macy's layout checkout for this coming holiday season.

When I got back last Wed night, I had to jump in Thurs with the HS robotics team I coach/mentor to help for final prep for yesterday's tournament. The team did great and we ended up in 3rd place overall after the 7 seeding rounds. However, after the double elimination finals, we eneded up in 7th place, so we missed the cut to go to state by 2 places. I personally hate the double elimination concept. The teams do well for 7 rounds and then get knocked out in the "start over" finals. A low score in the seeding rounds is dropped, but not in the finals. A low seeded team that did poorly in the 7 seeding rounds suddenly jumps up with a single lucky run in the final rounds. It is really not fair to the kids. If you played consistantly all day, you should win.

Doug - nice work on the castle!

Hope all are doing well.

[Nick12DMC]

Hi all, Had a busy weekend with some friends getting married on Saturday.

Caught a bit of the NY and Miami game held in London last night. I belive its a first to hold a NFL regular season game outside the US. They had a 90k crowd so maybe the NFL will come back next year.

Sounds like Charlie's Hogwarts set will soon be heading over the pond. Have to keep it hidden till Xmas. Hope he likes it.

Have a good one

Nick

[kpolak]

How I spent my evening: constructing the castle in the background and helping the Princesses give out candy...

The youngest (R) defending the castle with his pal:

Work, work, work... spending the evening with three princesses...Which one's Rosencrantz?

Kurt

[Jumijo]

 

2007 WORLD CHAMPIONS

 

For the second time in 4 seasons, my beloved Boston Red Sox are the World Champions of baseball. My father lived his whole life never seeing them win a World Series. My sons and daughter think it's as natural as breathing. What a blessing for everyone in Red Sox Nation. All of New England can now catch up on their sleep.

And to top it all off, we bought $6000 worth of new furniture back in April from a store that was holding a promotion. If the Red Sox won the World Series, the furniture is FREE! We don't have to pay a dime!!! How can you hate that?!

 

[Jumijo]

Great work, Jim A! I agree Sir James, it is always tough to find a price on a new set like HWX. How I spent my evening: constructing the castle in the background and helping the Princesses give out candy...

The youngest (R) defending the castle with his pal:

 

Great photos, Doug! Are you known as Sir Loin of Beef or Sir Osis of Liver? 

[Blueberryhill RR]

Good Morning from Blueberryhill....

It is a cold 29 degrees. Frost last night. Going up to 56 today with sunshine.

Today is another busy day.  I have some phone calling to make and paperwork to do. Wife has a doctor's appointment this afternoon. Just a check up. Have to spend some time cleaning up the train room. Maybe run trains for awhile later.

Dining Car is here and it's time for breakfast.

Y'all have a great Monday.

Chuck

[dwiemer]

What a nice moring it has been.  Came in to find that the case is delayed so I get a few moments on the forum.  I do have an important meeting at 1pm, so I hope we get going soon so I can make it.

We did the Thomas and Friends train this weekend.   A friend is one of the conductors so we got some free tickets.  Son (5yo), woke up on the wrong side of bed and was cranky the whole time.  To keep the folks from reporting us to DEFACS, we had to swat a few hornets away from his bottom to get him in line, I mean to get those nasty bugs away.  Otherwise, it was a nice time.

Plan on some layout work tonight...if SWMBOed allows for it.  I have been rather busy lately and the honey do list is now a book.

Have a blessed day,

Dennis

[fifedog]

Mornin' boys.  Clear & 35 here in the Mid-Atlantic region.

cnw1995 - Are you supposed to be King Friday or Prince Tuesday?  I notice that the castle is just like Mister Rogers' Neighborhood of Make Believe.   Where's the TROLLEY?

Buckeye - I'm sure that you could point it right out, but the stones are pretty weathered over.  The bridge has survived 35-foot walls of water twice during it's history.

[Buckeye Riveter]

The frost is on the pumpkin in Central Ohio.  The grass is covered as well as the roofs.  It is currently 34 degrees at the airport, but the Roger's Corners Official Weather Service shows the temperatue at 29 degrees. 

Brent, when are you going to restore the roar? 

Dennis, glad to see you posting.  Kids just go nuts over Thomas. 

Mow and mulch today. 

 

[sir james I]

A frosty morning in  s.e.Mi.34/50s

Doug- very nice pictures.

Dennis- If more kids had the hornets swated away I believe there would be less trouble in this world. Too many parents don't want to show their kids the right things to do.

Again my day is not planned but I will find something in the train room to do today. Football got me yesterday, never made it to the trains. Also need to get ready for the train show on sunday.,,,,,,,,,,Sir James

[Anonymous]

Brent, when are you going to restore the roar? 

Hopefully tonight!

LOL!!!!

Seriously I was incredibly disappointed with PSU's lack of a game plan.  Two weeks ago agaist Wisconsin they looked awesome and then Saturday night the coaches decide to put 1/2 the Wisconsin game plan back in the closet.

It won't be till after JoePa is gone and they bring in someone with a bit of creativity that PSU will be back in the MNC picture.

[Buckeye Riveter]

Brent, when are you going to restore the roar? 

Hopefully tonight!

LOL!!!!

Seriously I was incredibly disappointed with PSU's lack of a game plan.  Two weeks ago agaist Wisconsin they looked awesome and then Saturday night the coaches decide to put 1/2 the Wisconsin game plan back in the closet.

It won't be till after JoePa is gone and they bring in someone with a bit of creativity that PSU will be back in the MNC picture.

Does this mean we can count on you for another $5000 to the PSU athletic program this next year?  

[ChiefEagles]

Morning.  Forum was down for a while.  Thought it might be a Yankee invasion but a Yankee confirmed he had the same problem.  Then I knew it was from all the New England BS and it was backed up due to the "S" part.   43 degrees earleir.  Might get frost tonight and then warming back up.  Busy day today.  Chat tonight.

[wrmcclellan]

It's a beautiful day in North texas. 52 this morning, sunny, and headed up to 72-74 today. 70's predicted most of this week.

Have a great day all!

[anjdevil2]

Welllll now, I have returned to reality...dodged rain droplets all weekend and came to rain (again).  Been raining since yesterday PM.  At least we were semi-dry in Orlando.  A good time was had by most...Mrs. NJDevil was not very happy Friday night, she wasn't interested in Horror nights and didn't want to drop us off...sooooooo

No more sports for a while Jim, congrats on yer windfall...don't think you got a dynasty there....YET!

NJ Devils open a new building and new "system"  open up the ice for more offense (where is my Devils "D"??) and now they suck

No more Yankees unitl Spring Training....the ticket line forms around Christmas time

Go NY Giants  --- unitl the Red Sox like swoon in mid season

Have the next 2 Thursdays & Fridays off to work on the Chrismas & Train to Work layouts and of course, wrap up Halloween....

That's all the news from the Soggy Sunshine State

Rich

[cnw1995]

Good morning from a sunny and cold Chicago where it's about 40 degrees and I'm still recovering from putting up and taking down the big castle. Today is the beginning of Thomas-Buying-Week.

Jim A, congrats on your free furniture! And a 2nd World Series in so short a time. Great dialogue from Warner Bros. cartoons. . .
Fife, I was called King Friday all night. LOL.

Buckeye has grass on his roof?

Great to hear from Roy and Dennis too.

[laz 57]

HI GIZ,

  30 and frosty here today.  Had to put my lite jacket on this morning and warm up da truck. 

All B safe.

laz57

[Anonymous]

OK guys I haven't received my Dec issue yet so was checking out the stuff on-line... there is an article on building an X-Mas layout and all I can say is... it looks nice, but I'm not sure I would try to run trains on this layout!  The grades are crazy!  O-42 curves with 5.25 in height change... you'll burn out your motors in no time with grades up to almost 7%!

I redid the layout using Atlas O-45 curves and could only get down to 3.6% grade and that is with lifting the 5.5 back run to 6.5 so it crosses the lower track at the bottom of the diagram while the decent grade is at 1.21 inches.

The layout, as in the article, requires you do some 1/2 inch drops in 1/2 sections of O-27 track, that is 1/2 inch drop in 4.5 inches of run...

CTT article: http://www.trains.com/ctt/objects/pdf/christmas_track_plan.pdf

my layout:

I have to measure the living room... if I can get that much space I may go it!

[phillyreading]

The Florida Dolphins lost another one; 0 & 7, in London yesterday against the N.Y. Giants.

Jimbo; I used the $3.00 towards extra ties for my GarGraves track. Good deal on furniture Jim boy!

Lee F.

[Jumijo]

The Florida Dolphins lost another one; 0 & 7, in London yesterday against the N.Y. Giants.

Jimbo; I used the $3.00 towards extra ties for my GarGraves track. Good deal on furniture Jim boy!

Lee F.

Back from my lunch time walk. It is brisk out there today. Had the jacket zipped all the way up. 

I've been roaming the web reading everything I can about the World Series Champions.

Speaking of football, Philly, how did you like the way the Patriots force-fed the Redskins their lunch yesterday? I shut the game off when it was 52 - 0.   Maybe next week it will be our turn to cry in our Cheerios. But today we are laughing and smiling.

 

[cnw1995]

That was a basketball score for the Pats game. There was an article recently in the Chicago Trib about Boston's recent run of sports success - Pats, BC, Sox. Thank goodness for our egos that the Celtics and Bruins stink.

[Anonymous]

Speaking of football, Philly, how did you like the way the Patriots force-fed the Redskins their lunch yesterday? I shut the game off when it was 52 - 0.   Maybe next week it will be our turn to cry in our Cheerios. But today we are laughing and smiling.

BB better watch himself.  First game of the season and he gets caught cheating and every game since he keeps his starters in well into the 4th qtr even when up 40+ points.  I hate advocating poor sportsmanship, but some team with nothing to lose may 1. Take out Brady (NE is a joke without him) 2. Take out Moss (if he doesn't push off he can't catch the ball - I've see two TD catches by him that were offensive pass interferance) 3. Take out Belicheck <sp> and it wouldn't be hard to do either (play OOB comes close to him, a LB or DL 'accidentally' runs into him).

NE/Belicheck are making a mockery of the NFL rules and the league itself... they will NOT do the entire season undefeated, my prediction is 2 or 3 loses, with one of them coming this week against the Colts...

[Anonymous]

Thank goodness for our egos that the Celtics and Bruins stink.

The Bruins - Yes

The Celtics - Nope... they are going to be darn good and hard to beat this year... did you see their latest 3 way signing???

[cheapclassics]

Good afternoon all,

IIABSDISE with temps in the high 50s today.  I pulled a "Chief" yesterday and did way too much:  cleaned gutters, picked up sticks, mowed the yard, edged the sidewalks, and washed the PT Cruiser.  Lucas helped on several of the projects, but I was tired when I sat in my chair.  Saturday was too rainy for outside work so after the housework and YMCA workout was done, I helped the wife with the grocery shopping and some early Christmas shopping.  I am glad to be at work to rest (physically) a little.  There was bran muffins on the dining car from "Points East" this morning.  I hope everyone has a good day.

I do have a question which may belong on the Garden Railway page or perhaps one of the people "across the pond" can answer.  A former neighbor stopped by with a Bowman Models live steamer "LNER 265".  According to what I was able to "google", it was made in England between 1925 and 1936 and is an oversized O-gauge live steamer.  He was wanting to know the approximate value.  I was able to locate one auction from 2003 that had a selling price of 90 euros.  Thank you to anybody who can help.

Keep on training,

Mike C. from Indiana

[cnw1995]

Brent, you're right. I view the Celts through the prism of the Bulls...

Mike C reminds me - did anyone see that Ace Trains is coming out with a live steamer in O gauge?  I know there have been others - nothing I would want on an indoors 3R layout with power-through-the-rails (because of their prototypically leaking cylinders and alcohol or other fires...)

[kpolak]

I just saw that Brookstone is carrying Lionel trains!  Cascade Range, and Penn Flyer.

Kurt

[rtraincollector]

This is really a bad day at the railroad

 

 

[jonadel]

Doug and all,

Our Granddaughter seems to Like Thomas so I think Grandpa needs to get on the stick and order a set as she will be here in two weeks for the weekend sans parents. I know absolutely nothing about that set, what should I be looking for? All suggestion would be most appreciated.

Jon

[cnw1995]

After a few fun weeks of research, I think I am becoming a world-class expert on what's out there. Providentially enough I just ordered every Thomas item in the Lionel catalog from Justrains. There is an 'old' set of Thomas, with his coaches, three figures and a loop of Fastrack with CW80 transformer (from circa 2003)and a 'new' set with a 30 watt transformer. I haven't found many of the new sets 'in stock' yet. Plenty of older ones ranging from $122-$139. Some of the older sets had issues with the transformer. The tops of each coach comes off so they should be fun to place items in. Percy and James range from $89 to $109 each. James looks a little small compared to the videos. The expansion sets - there are two - are pretty good bargains (ranging from $79 to $90 ea) though not exactly prototypical of Thomas' world. I'll post more after my next meeting or tomorrow morn... Jim A also has Thomas and James.