Good morning, everyone. It's a beautiful cloudy day here, which means we may get more rain.
Wordle!
I lost a fairly long streak yesterday. On the fourth row, I had _ound. I guessed sound and mound. Unfortunately, the word was hound.
SeeYou190I have never had a task drain me so emotionally.
You're doing a nice service for your friend's widow, even though it is hard for you. Your help for your friend's family shows your empathy and understanding. All the best for you.
Edit: Top of the page! Everyone can join me for a buffet. Here's my kind of breakfast. I'll have a helping of everything, and I'll be back in a couple of minutes for more.
York1 John
York1Wordle! I lost a fairly long streak yesterday. On the fourth row, I had _ound. I guessed sound and mound. Unfortunately, the word was hound.
I lost my streak about seven weeks ago.
On guess three I had STARE
I tried STALE, then STAKE. Both wrong. Then I saw it must have two T's, so I tried STATE.
Wrong, the word was STAGE.
Playing fill-in-the blank is a chancy thing to do.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Good Afternoon,
The storm for today has been re-scheduled to tomorrow. Just windy and 38F here.
Ran my PK2 0-6-0 yesterday. It is an early Lifelike edition. It really is a smooth engine, one of my best. If you want a loco with a 'swiss watch' mechanism, pick up one of these. The detail is really good too.
Another day with no plans. Can't do any yard clean up yet, maybe next week it will be dry enough. Still a few bits of snow in the shady spots. The fence guy has been in touch so hopefully thay can be done early June. It will be a high stress time in our house as my wife can't tolerate anyone in the yard. She also hates the colour of pressure trated wood. I tried to get cedar last year but couldn't find enough to do a fence and the price was crazy.
Got the May issue of Model Railroader yesterday. Nothing much of interest to me as has been the case for the past year. Seriously thinking of cancelling but will wait until renewal date in the fall.
Time for a late lunch,
CN Charlie
SeeYou190Was that when it was DWELT?
That's the one. Somehow the word delft popped into my head and I tried it. A friend of mine was Dutch, his nickname, and I bought him a ceramic cottage that was Delftware.
Wordle_416a by Edmund, on Flickr
Again, more of luck than any kind of skill.
Speaking of estate horrors, this same fellow passed away in 2008 and in his will he left his entire estate to me. In the state of Indiana anyone can contest a will — and someone did. The resulting litigation pretty much consumed the value of the estate and two thirds of the liquidity went to the attorneys. Many of the items I gifted this fellow over the years had been auctioned off without my knowledge. I only found out about the auction a week later and after seeing the website of the auction house I spotted several of these items. All sold for pennies on the dollar since the auction was run more like a local flea market rather than selling on a railroad-specific site where items such as a Pullman step stool could fetch hundreds rather than the fifteen bucks it garnered.
C'est la vie...
Cheers, Ed
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Good morning, diners. Chloe, I'll have bacon, eggs, and coffee, please.
It was a late night last night. I worked on the layout, and I kept gluing and cutting, all the while thinking I'll just finish this part. One after another, just one more part. Very late.
I wonder why Lion posted pictures of bear claws?
Hope everyone has a great day today.
This is Mt. Hood in Oregon:
Howdy diners. Zoe, can I get a chili cheese dog and a cherry coke please? Thanks.
Re-entry at work today as I've been gone to a conference the last three days. Surprisingly, I'm not as behind as I anticipated. Things must have gone relatively smoothly in my absence. Thank goodness.
York1It was a late night last night. I worked on the layout, and I kept gluing and cutting, all the while thinking I'll just finish this part. One after another, just one more part. Very late.
Mike
Hi Everyone,
I don't really understand what would be boring or uninteresting in MR's content. I mean to each his own, but I think the magazine has picked up some notches over the past several years. For a period, it seemed that all MR featured was layouts, and "how tos" were nonexistent. But in the last 20 years the magazine has featured a lot more in the "how to" variety. One thing I think is really "next level" is how the staff has researched and included representations of actual buildings and scenes of real places in their project layouts. That approach was never before featured to the degree it has been of late. Granted, materials are better ie. textured styrene, these days, but the level of modeling in general is better. At least it sure seems like it.
well, now that I've probably offended a couple of dozen people, which was never my intent, I'll get off the soap box now.
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
Afternoon diners. Happy Friday. Flo, a chocolate malt please.
Slow in here lately. Must be the weather is getting nicer for most of the usuals. Me? I've just been swamped lately.
Jim, you didn't offend me, but you did confuse me. Maybe I missed something someone posted earlier? I admit guilt at not really remembering everyone's posts lately.
Hope everyone is doing okay.
Water Level Route Afternoon diners. Happy Friday. Flo, a chocolate malt please. Slow in here lately. Must be the weather is getting nicer for most of the usuals. Me? I've just been swamped lately. Jim, you didn't offend me, but you did confuse me. Maybe I missed something someone posted earlier? I admit guilt at not really remembering everyone's posts lately. Hope everyone is doing okay.
Mike: Someone just made a comment in passing aboutMR's recent content. No worries and all is good. I just didn't understand the perspective. Myself, MR is the only magazine I subscribe to and have for decades, which is kinda crazy since I haven't had a layout in 50 years. But someday.......
One thing I like about Google maps. I can take screen shots of the satellite and street images of my home town. Granted, it's changed dramatically since I lived there, but the pictures of places jog the memory. I got some screen shots of a local what used to be a meat packing plant, which would be nice to include on a layout if "someday" ever happens.
Yeah, it has been slow in the diner today.
I think the content of the MR magazine depends a lot on the staff that puts it together. When I first subscribed, I was not impressed and thought of canceling. When Neil took o er, the magazine improved significantly and I stayed through his tenure. Over the last couple of years, MR has not had steady editorial leadership, and the magazine has suffered, but seems to be coming back. I'll stay a while longer.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Good afternoon, diners. I had a busy morning and didn't get to eat breakfast. No problem, I just ordered and ate bacon, eggs, and coffee for lunch.
While I work on the layout, I've got the TV on to one of my favorite movies -- To Have and Have Not. Bogart and Bacall can't be beat.
My wife got some new flowers, but they are all in our garage. Last night and the next two nights will be below freezing.
Not real good mountain scenery but it's kind of neat. A train crossing the Great Salt Lake on the Union Pacific causeway. The causeway is about 20 miles long.
I rented a van today and went down to Naples and picked up the remained of my friend's hobby collection.
This will be a very busy week getting everything else priced out to sell.
She showed us the memorial video she made for his service. It was incredible. She does promotional work for a living, so editing together an excellent video was not surprising.
My poor wife broke into tears.
Good morning, diners.
SeeYou190I rented a van today and went down to Naples and picked up the remained of my friend's hobby collection. This will be a very busy week getting everything else priced out to sell.
Good luck, Kevin. I hope for the widow's sake that you are able to get good prices for all the items.
When my father died, it was left up to me to clear out the house and sell everything. It's hard to describe the feelings as I sorted out things that meant a lot to my parents, but they were things no one else wanted.
I was especially taken with some things in my father's dresser drawers. There were small items and papers that obviously meant something to him, since he kept those things -- some from the 1930s. However, they meant nothing to any of us, and they ended up getting thrown out.
Part of me wanted to keep them since they meant something to him, but they would have just been stored in a box until I died, and then my kids would have the same problem.
Kevin, it sounds like your friend's wargames stuff are things that others would be willing to pay for, so I hope things go well. I know that you will miss him.
I have been attending quite a few funerals in the past six months, and most of them have the photo videos that play at the wake (visitation) at the funeral home and in the church before the funeral. They are always interesting to watch. I always think -- there are a few minutes of pictures that try to sum up that person's life. I wonder what my wife and kids will put together to sum up my life? Maybe I should do it myself -- otherwise it might be clips from the Three Stooges.
I have an entire Saturday free, but tomorrow starts another week of things going on. Not looking forward to it.
I hope everyone has a great day.
Wyoming and Colorado Railroad:
Good evenng Diners. A glass of whisky, no ice please, Flo.
Today I took younger granddaughter to 'Weekend Camp'. She was a little apprehensive in going, but the pictures coming back show she is having the time of her life.
'British India Line' on Settle & Carlisle Line
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sQobCcbx_E&list=RDCMUCS08JD_e_qRqxpXX3xoXDIw&index=2&ab_channel=MarshSteamVideos%E2%84%A2
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
York1I have been attending quite a few funerals in the past six months, and most of them have the photo videos that play at the wake (visitation) at the funeral home and in the church before the funeral. They are always interesting to watch. I always think -- there are a few minutes of pictures that try to sum up that person's life.
The video is 28 minutes long, and his widow was concerned it was too long. I had spent hours with him discussing how to set up Axis And Allies differently for a more exciting first turn.
Summing up a life in 28 minutes is crazy.
The pictures of family vacations really got to me. Of course I knew his family, but course I never really saw the family vacation side of him.
That was very sad.
He was also in the Army and served in Germany, Saudi Arabia, and Somalia. I had never seen those pictures, and he never talked about it.
When my video is prepared, it will make a huge difference if it is made by my wife or one of my daughters. They would make entirely different summaries of my life.
York1 . . . I always think -- there are a few minutes of pictures that try to sum up that person's life. I wonder what my wife and kids will put together to sum up my life? Maybe I should do it myself -- otherwise it might be clips from the Three Stooges . . .
. . . I always think -- there are a few minutes of pictures that try to sum up that person's life. I wonder what my wife and kids will put together to sum up my life? Maybe I should do it myself -- otherwise it might be clips from the Three Stooges . . .
John,
Your comments are well spoken. I hope I'm not taking Kevin's labors (not to mention his grief) lightly, but if my memorial were to include a couple of strageically placed short clips of the Stooges, it would be fitting.
Kevin,
The hearts of lots of folks here in the Diner go out to you. The loss of close friends is almost as bad as that of close family. In many respects they're the same, just at different levels. Learning after their passing of unknown facets of their lives makes it even more bittersweet.
We all occasionally secure items from the collections of others. Even when buying them from sales or auctions, we'd do well to reflect for a few moments that many of those items were previously another's treasures and cast an extra measure of respect upon them. Like the rest of us, Kevin's friend invested more than just his money when he first acquired them.
Attuvian John
Scenery:
OCS on the Dotsero Cutoff by Mike Danneman, on Flickr
Back when my first wife died in 1986 I put together a little video with the not too sophisticated editing equipment I had on hand, essentialy just two VCRs. This was the pre-computer, YouTube, TikTok days. I overdubbed some music while still retaining some of the original audio. That was a challenge Come to think of it, I don't think either one of my sons has ever seen it. I'll have to dig it out and give them copies.
Cold and rainy here in NE Ohio. Good weather for trains!
York1When my father died, it was left up to me to clear out the house and sell everything. It's hard to describe the feelings as I sorted out things that meant a lot to my parents, but they were things no one else wanted. I was especially taken with some things in my father's dresser drawers. There were small items and papers that obviously meant something to him, since he kept those things -- some from the 1930s. However, they meant nothing to any of us, and they ended up getting thrown out.
We haad a similar problem when my parents were still alive. Myself, and two of my brothers were there, and we sort of ganged up on them... They had a doctor's appointment and we went with them. Doctor told them they could not drive any more. Mom snapped back, "Will you be making house calls then?" He rwplied "For you, yes, of course I will." My parents moved to this time the same time this new doctor entered practice, and so they have know each other for twenty or perhaps thirty years.
So then we discussed their living arrangements, and decided that we would move them into an assisted living situation. Sow by the ned of the week we had them moved. Russell (an auto mechanic) took the car down to North Carolina to sell it at a better price than what could be had in Pennsylvania.
We also sold the house. It was priced to sell since we did not want to fool around with it. The handy man who did work for my parents snapped it up. Well he said rto let him know if we wqnted to sell.
But then we had to go through all of their goods, clothing went with them, as did the dressers fulled with their stuff and other funature as well. At least some things would be familiar to them. Dad's thousand or more art books went to the Library. Mouch of the shop and other things Russell took to NC. Much better than me taking them to ND. But we all took what we wanted. Rusell still has big wooden boxes of stuff in his shop in NC, we paw through this once in a while.
Both Mom and Dad have since passed away, and as per Dad's wish they were burried in a vetweran's cemetary, right across the highway from the main enterance to Camp Lejeune. As a veteran myself, and Dad as an immigrant to the USA, which he loved, I am pleased whith this choice.
Anyway, dad loved to keep stuff in big wooden boxes, and so that made it easy to cart off the boxes and then go through them at our leasure.
Elias
Ah! The Dash Of Life
https://hellopoetry.com/poem/1184764/the-dash-poem-by-linda-ellis/
Good morning, everyone. No breakfast today.
We're heading out the door. Later today we head out of town to visit some amazing children we know in another town. They seem to like us coming to visit them.
Neat poem, David. I know I've read that before, but it sure has a good message.
Traveling through Colorado, the Royal Gorge is a must-see stop for railroad lovers:
Have a great Sunday, diners.
We just got back from a week in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The GF had gotten an amazing offer for her rental condo here, so she sold that and this week she went south for a good rollover deal elsewhere to use tax law to avoid capital gains taxes. She found a nice condo on the beach and bought it. We drove home Saturday.
On the way, we saw something I thought was only a memory, an operating Stuckey's shop. I remember those dotting the highways and byways of the Southeast when I was a kid, before everyone flew south for vacation. I thought they were all long gone, but here was one on Route 17 in Southern Virginia.
Good morning from a dreary West Coast. Sunshine and Summer temps coming in a day or two for the week at least.
Had the MILs' celebration of life yesterday here at the house, and a good crowd showed up. I enjoyed your poem, David, it would have been perfect for me to read at the gathering yesterday. We now spend the day on clean-up.
Had a great trip to Alberta. The wife was constantly taking pics and posting them to the family chat on FB so the kids could follow along and post their usual hilarious cheeky comments.
Had beautiful weather for the drive to Calgary.
Leaving home.
Within an hour we start to climb through the first of three mountain ranges and hit the snow line early.
An early pee break due to three mugs of Tims before departure. I could not believe the number of charging stations everywhere. Even in the most out-of-way dirt pullovers in the most remote areas there would be charging stations. Every rest stop had banks of them.
Stopped at Craigellachie the site of the last spike on the CPR, and had the place to ourselves.
Made the usual pit stops along the way.
Banff.
On the way into Calgary stopped by to say hi to the Selkirk and ran into some guys there for the train show. One of them was John Morris who may be Charlies' friend from Winnipeg. I also chatted with him again at the show as he had a nice brass 2-10-2 I was interested in. I got his card and may pull the trigger yet if he still has it.
After the train show weekend, we went North to visit my wifes' friend NorthWest of Calgary near Rocky Mountain House. They were very remote but when we finally got to their ranch we went in from the road along a very long driveway coming around a bend to this massive log home. It was stunning and a real treat to stay there. Lots of moose wandering around and we went out to drive off a pack of wolves that were passing through as they had already taken a couple of calves over the previous days. The place was like something you would see in a movie, more like a resort than a ranch. I did not want to leave as I always thought I could really enjoy that kind of life.
Heading home a sign by the side of the road said no fuel service for 344km and no cell service for 192km. My wife counted 14 other cars the whole way. It was a stunning drive with copious quantities of wildlife along the way.
Whoever made these mountains obviously used the stacked foam method.
Pure joy in experiencing such isolation.
The lakes were still frozen and the wildlife was out walking around on them.
Lots of km of snow and the plow driver gave us a wave and we waved back, I don't imagine he sees a lot of people along the way.
Stopped in Field and ran into the guys from Rapido doing some railfanning. I should have asked for a photo but doing that is not in my nature.
The Toyota was great through the passes, especially in the snow with the latest in traction control, The self-steering, and cruise get shut off at the first sign of weather, however on a good dry highway they are great and really go a long way in preventing fatigue as they are designed to do.
Wife did the math and says we got 47MPG on the trip. Not bad for a nine-passenger SUV Hybrid.Our next vehicle will be all-electric, with all these charging stations everywhere, it is a no brainer.
The CPR follows the highway most of the way so it was also non-stop trains as we drove.
Time for another load of dishes and some catch-up on the guitar.
All the best to all.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
We're at the high for today here in the Finger Lakes, 47°F and light rain....
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
BATMANI could not believe the number of charging stations everywhere. Even in the most out-of-way dirt pullovers in the most remote areas there would be charging stations. Every rest stop had banks of them.
Yep! Canada is ahead of the game! For me to drive out to see you folks (and someday I hope to), I would have to cross into Canada at Chicago!
Another cool day here but supposed to warm up by Tues.
Brent, John Morris is the guy who serviced my 3 brass engines. He is an absolute wizard with brass. If you buy from him it will run great and be fairly priced. He installed decoders in my brass, just motor for the 2 Hudsons plus LED headlights. The cost including a tune up was very reasonable. For my Pacific he re-motored with a can motor and installed a Tsunami sound decoder with a keepalive. It runs great. I would love to see his cabinet as he has 80 brass engines but due to covid I couldn't go in his house.
Nothing much going on here. The hoards of Juncos are still coming through.
Have a great night!
Hello folks,
We are getting close to the end of the month so, as usual, we need to choose a theme for May. Brent suggested doing roundhouses and turntables which sounds very interesting to me. What do you think?
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!