Thanks for getting us all set up Jim.
The fans are in their seats to watch the Canucks take care of some Predators.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Thanks Jim!
I'm feeling even worse tonight. I sound like a gurgling stream. I should record myself so I can have sound on my water feature!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Hi Everyone,
Brunhilda, a Western Cider, please.
Thanks for the encouragement Brent. It looks like you have three very attentive dedicated Canucks fans.
I have to look and see if I even have any yard pics. I know I took a few slides of the yard trackage in south Glendale, but they were never converted to digital. I don't think I have any pics of Colton. In fact I have one slide from Glendale that has a UP gp30 numbered 831. That's where I got my user name from.
i hope people have some interesting pics and commentary this month.
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
Brunhilda, a round of everyone's favorite beverage all around.
lets see if we can spark some interest.
Looking to find out what types of rail yards there if any, I consulted that world renowned authority Google, and came up with these:
Types of rail Yards
Passenger. Goods. Marshalling. Locomotive
Passenger and locomotive are self explanatory, goods and marshaling required a little clarification. Goods yards are yards that deal with handling of freight such as loading and unloading freight cars. The modern equivalent of a goods yard would be container yards. Marshaling yards are also known as classification yards, which are classed as flat, gravity, and hump yards.
Bailey yard in North Platte, NE has 10-14000 cars per day going through it. It has Eastbound and Westbound separate hump yards.
Passenger yards are run through organizations such as Amtrak, Long Island RR, Metra, etc who store and maintain their fleets of passenger cars. Locomotive yards are for storting, servicing, repairing, and staging locomotives.
Sorry, no pictures of my own that show these types of yards, but I'm sure you all get the picture.
Good afternoon, everyone. It's almost 4:00 p.m. in my time zone, so that means it's officially happy hour here. I'll have an ice cold beer, please.
I had the tree man out today. We had wind damage to a large red oak tree in the back yard. While he said there wasn't any imminent danger to the house, it was eventually going to be necessary to take the tree out. We'll go ahead and do it now rather than wait for the next windstorm.
Speaking of weather, one of my granddaughter's classmates lost their house in the recent tornadoes. The F3 was about five miles from my daughter's house.
Dave, I hope your cold (or whatever it is) goes away quickly.
Ed, are you feeling any better after the treatments?
Other diners with health issues -- I hope things clear up for you.
My town sits on a BNSF double mainline that meets other BNSF lines in Lincoln, about 50 miles east of me. It's not easy to get close to the Hobson Yard, but there is a highway that crosses it. If you're not driving, you can get a good view. If you are driving, it's not suggested that you look at the yard too long. The state capitol building is in the distance:
Have a great May 1, everyone.
York1 John
Hello May!
York1Ed, are your feeling any better after the treatments?
The best way I can describe the feeling would be 'not quite hitting on all eight cylinders'. I believe my immune resistance is low as I came down with nasty flu-like symptoms after two separate visits from the grand kids. I'll have to isolate for a while. My regular doctor mentioned there may be future side effects down the road as well. I'm stating active and eating carefully to help regain my former stamina. Won't know about radiation success until a July 1 visit to the urologist.
Thanks for asking!
The Pittsburgh Produce terminal (a goods yard?)
Reefer_Madness by Edmund, on Flickr
Chicago & North Western's Proviso Yard (marshalling?)
C&NW Proviso yard 1942 by Edmund, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
Well ............
I just read that Kalmbach has sold Model Railroader and Trains magazines.
I'll try to find more information.
https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/kalmbach-rail-magazines-trains-com-sold-to-firecrown-media/
Edit, now that I page through the forum titles, I see that I have reported old news. Sorry about that.
York1Edit, now that I page through the forum titles, I see that I have reported old news. Sorry about that.
Well, going by the title of that thread — Wow! — I would say you get a pass. Not exactly the most informative thread title I've seen in these parts.
Team Track turned Coach Yard. A June 1923 Shriners Convention necessitated the additional sleeping arrangements offered by Pullman.
B&O Eckington Yard Shriners Convention by Edmund, on Flickr
Regards, Ed
Here are a few pictures of some real yards. This one is in Houston, Texas:
Chicago:
BNSF yard in Galesburg, Il.
Roseville Rail Yard. Largest rail yard on the West Coast:
Corwith Rail Yard, also in Chicago:
Eckington Rail Yard in Washington, D.C.
Pennsylvania Railroad Harsimus yard in Jersy City:
Argentine Rail Yard in Kansas City:
Canadian National yard in Toronto. The roundhouse has been fully restored and now holds a railway museum with several working engines, a brewery and a furniture store:
Bailey Rail Yard - North Platte, Nebraska. The world's largest classification yard:
Ft. Worth, Texas:
Cheers!!
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Howdy diners. Zoe, coffee and a slice of coffee cake please.
Bear, that picture makes me chuckle. Not so much about the laundry as I'm sure they knew full well what was going to happen and it appears they were used to it, but the camelback locomotives! Did the Lackawanna love them, or what?!
Had to go to a meeting yesterday facilitated by the state. About two hours of that meeting was hosted by a group that had nowhere to put us but outside in the beautiful sunshine at mid-day. While I generally wouldn't mind that, I was unprepared and consequently got sunburned on my head and face. I doubt the boss is going to believe I was anywhere other than the beach yesterday.
Sad to read that the Kalmbach name will be disappearing, but hopeful that new ownership will mean good things for both the magazines involved and the staff. Where I work was sold by our original owner to another and all in all it was a good thing for our site. Sure there are serious annoyances about our employer that bother those of us that remember how our previous employer handled things, but in the grand scheme of things, it's fine. Fingers crossed for our friends in the now former Kalmbach media.
Mike
Good morning, diners. In fact, it's a great morning. We got another half-inch of rain last night. The issue right now is getting the corn planted. The fields will need to dry a little before the machinery can get to work. Always dissatisfied!
Chloe, I'll have bacon, eggs, and black coffee.
Those of us who like this forum are now entering unknown territory. While Kalmbach didn't spend any money improving the forum, at least they let it run. New ownership could let things go as they are, they could improve the forum, or ... they could let it die. We can hope things get better.
The tree man came yesterday and affirmed what I feared -- a large red oak tree needs to come down. This guy is a certified arborist and usually tries to work to save a tree. This oak had wind storm damage several years ago. When I checked it this spring, I saw the same problems this tree guy saw. He said it's not in danger of falling for several years, but still needs to come down.
At one time, Omaha was one of the major train passenger points in the U.S. Both Union Pacific and Burlington crossed the Missouri River on a single bridge at Omaha.
This photo, looking east at the bridge, has Union Station on the left and Burlington station on the right, sharing the same yard. An elevated enclosed platform allowed passenger access to all of the tracks, plus between the stations.
Both buildings are still there, with Union Station now a museum and Burlington station now a local television studio.
A new Amtrak station has been built between the Burlington station and the river. It is nothing more than a small building that serves only one Amtrak train per day.
Have a great day, everyone.
Good morning diners, still cold,damp here in Metro West Boston.
Flo, two eggs over easy with bacon and home fries with sourdough toast please. Coffee, did u have to ask?
Ed,Dave, hope you (and all) are feeling better today. Brent, sorry to hear about your Canucks. Guess to girls can store the jerseys until next October.
I'm hoping the new owners of Kalbach are receptive to continuing the forum. Maybe even make some improvements. Doesn't have to be anything radical, just try to keep it from crashing would do it for me.
I'm off to the yard (again). Some weeding before the mulch is dumped in the driveway.
Regards, Chris
Good Afternoon,
Another wet day here in the GWN. We spent yesterday afternoon cleaning up a front garden bed. I now have 21 paper leaf bags in the garage as they don't do well in the wet. The car is getting wet instead.
My fence guy is coming tomorrow, weather permitting to replace the lattice fence beside the driveway. He couldn't do it last fall as he couldn't find any cedar lattice. It should only take a day or so to do.
I am watching a grey squirrel hanging from a small bird feeder as I type this. Quite the acrobat. Some white throated sparrows are still coming through. We went through 25 lbs. of shelled sunflower seeds in 3 days. Hope they go soon as each bag of seed is $60. The birds are what keeps my wife going so a necessary cost. Wonder if I could claim it as a medical expense?
CP has a very large yard here that is now in the middle of the city. Politicians are always talking about rellocating it. To where they don't say and the cost will be in the billions. Wonder what the soil is like after 70 years of a major steam facility.
Time to do something. Coffee sounds good.
CN Charlie
In many ways I think it sad that Kalmbach would sell off and turn their backs on MR and Trains. If I remember correctly, wasn't it MR that started the whole enterprise in the first place back in 1934? Business is business, but it doesn't say much for loyalties. One can only hope the new owners will be a benefit instead of the usual liability.
A faithful reader since 1961 and Model Trains mag before that.
Anyway, my
up831 In many ways I think it sad that Kalmbach would sell off and turn their backs on MR and Trains. If I remember correctly, wasn't it MR that started the whole enterprise in the first place back in 1934? Business is business, but it doesn't say much for loyalties. One can only hope the new owners will be a benefit instead of the usual liability. A faithful reader since 1961 and Model Trains mag before that. Anyway, my
At least Kalmbach didn't let the business die like Henry Carstens did.
This may not be the case of more profits; it may have been a choice between selling or shutting down.
TophiasBrent, sorry to hear about your Canucks. Guess to girls can store the jerseys until next October.
They are not out of it yet. They have two more games in the series and only have to win one to advance.
On the edge of her seat in overtime.
Brent, my bad. I thought I read last night's game was a clincher. I'm watching the Bruins get pushed around by the Leafs again. Bruins have some talent but they're soft once the playoffs begin.
Happy Friday everyone. Chloe, coffee and a Bavarian cream long john.
Brent & Chris, wishing both of your teams good luck. Mine didn't make the cut, although they were as close as you can be (Red Wings). Still don't think it would have made much difference. Washington (who got that last spot) didn't last long.
We've had a ton of rain here lately, which I don't mind except for the need to start getting things done outside. Last night I finally got a chance to get out to the store to get more raised bed soil for my wife and those bags were HEAVY! A few of them you could actually squeeze the water out of. Apparently enough little holes in the bags that they soaked up some of the rain water too. Good thing they don't charge by the pound for them!
Good morning, diners. Bacon, eggs, and coffee, please.
It's another nice, cool morning on the plains, with more rain predicted for tonight.
We haven't heard from the UK's David since the forum problems. I hope he and Dawn are OK. Same for TF.
This is another view of the old passenger train yards in Omaha. The Burlington station is on the left and the UP station is on the right:
Omaha railroad depots - 1940s by Lights in my hometown, on Flickr
Have a great Friday, everyone.
More delivery grief for us. Delaware is one of like 3 states in the country that does not allow wine to be shipped directly from a vineyard to a consumer residence, so we have to go to UPS store in Maryland to pick it up. I went yesterday, and the store was permanently closed with no warning. We were told it had been shipped there, but there was nothing but a single third-party email address that was useless. I came home. The GF spent a couple of hours on the phone and traced the packages to a different store even further away. She went there today and got the wine. They were going to return it to the vineyard.
When you've got the government and a big shipping company both working against you, you get pretty sick of the path this country is going down.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
MisterBeasley More delivery grief for us. Delaware is one of like 3 states in the country that does not allow wine to be shipped directly from a vineyard to a consumer residence, so we have to go to UPS store in Maryland to pick it up. I went yesterday, and the store was permanently closed with no warning. We were told it had been shipped there, but there was nothing but a single third-party email address that was useless. I came home. The GF spent a couple of hours on the phone and traced the packages to a different store even further away. She went there today and got the wine. They were going to return it to the vineyard. When you've got the government and a big shipping company both working against you, you get pretty sick of the path this country is going down.
Rich
Alton Junction
Good afternoon from the sunny West Coast where it is 24c.
We are an hour away from game six between the Canucks and Predators. I hope they wrap it up tonight as game seven will be on at the exact same time as my son's wedding and I really don't want to miss his wedding.
We had thirty-plus for dinner last night and everyone stayed quite late. It was the post-rehearsal dinner, it was a good time sitting out in the yard as it was nice and warm. Sunday will be crazy as the hair and make-up ladies show up at 0730hrs and the entire bridal entourage will be here all day so the wife has the menu for the day all figured out. I booked a monster limo that holds 14 for them. Then Monday the day after the wedding she prepares a brunch for 30 or so before a couple of dozen of them start making their way to the airport to head home.
My wife and I got married on a beach in the Southern Latitudes of the Pacific and it was perfect. It is the complete opposite for these kids.
A few people haven't checked in for a while, hope all is well with them. Can't wait for this wedding to be done it has been exhausting. Getting married and having kids late in life means we are old for all this wedding stuff and wear out faster.
I have my Father of the Groom speech memorized and ready to go, I am taking it easy on him as his friends will be torching him.
All the best to all.
TF
What else does one do on the weekend?
Trust me, She got in there!
Post Hog!
Haven't been myself lately
Hi Brent,
I hope everyone has a fantastic time at your son's wedding! Perhaps you could convince the DJ to give updates on the game during the party!
Dianne and I were married in the Peterborough City Hall in August of 1981, and we had a small celebration in my inlaw's back yard the next evening. I think the whole affair cost us about $800.00. I won't say what my son spent on his wedding in 2018!
Going to Zumbrota tomorrow to check on an old bridge
Not that one though
Would things be better with no more TF?
Track fiddlerWould things be better with no more TF?
NO!!!
What??? How could things possibly be better without one of the most consistent and interesting contributors to the forums?!?
Don't you dare quit!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Track fiddler Post Hog! Haven't been myself lately TF
So...... Who were you?
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
hon30critterDon't you dare quit!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'll second that!
Good morning diners. It's doughnut day as I had to go for a fasting blood draw this morning, so while I was out...
Track Fiddler, good to see you back. Better keep it that way. By the way, that first photo you put in, is that your truck? I thought you were talking about it being time to replace the one you had a while back. Just curious if you did.
Brent, congrats on the Canucks winning. On to the next!
Bear, that Kiwi burger has my interest. Is that sliced beets on it? Is that what I'm seeing under the egg? I've never heard of them being put on a burger before. And what's the white sauce on the bottom? It looks kind of like tartar sauce. That pudding though, I think I'll just slide away to the corner booth with the whole dish.
Nice weather in the forecast for today. Means finally getting started on outdoor projects. Long day ahead for me.
Have a good one guys!
Good morning, diners.
Even though it's still morning, I'll have one of the Bear's Kiwiburgers! I'm not sure I understand the dessert, though. I've never heard of "self saucing chocolate pudding".
TF -- Don't think of quitting. Without you, the diner would seem very lonely.
Brent, have fun with the wedding. All three of my daughters got married at destination weddings. It was great. Just show up and write some big checks.
MisterBeasley, I've never heard of that situation with the wine not being able to be delivered to your house. Each state has certain laws. One of the strangest was that a few years ago, Colorado allowed grocery stores to sell beer that was 3.2% alcohol. If you wanted regular beer, you had to go to a liquor store. In my state, you can buy beer, wine, and liquor at just about any grocery store or convenience store -- except on Sundays before noon. You can still buy beer or wine before noon, but no hard liquor. I guess they didn't want anyone hitting the hard stuff on the way to church!
I have hopes that the new company may decide to upgrade the forum software. I have a fear the new company will look at the forum as an unneeded expense and drop it.
BNSF yard at Tulsa, OK:
BNSF Tulsa, OK by J Burke, on Flickr
Have a great Saturday.
Good Morning,
TF, I sometimes think how great it would be just trolling along in a 16' Lund with you on Lake of the Woods. I know a few spots where the fishing is good just north of Bergland. Don't leave the Diner. That's an order.
Well the lattice fence is done at the front. Naturally my wife isn't happy with the job as the fence drops slightly with the yard slope to the street. Also it is about 6" lower than the old one which I think was unavoidable with the lattice panels that are available now. I'm in the doghouse again as I talked to the contractor for 20 minutes (while wearing a N95 mask). She is convinced I have put us at risk of contracting covid so I am in quarantine in the basement as I can't be trusted.
Have to go pick up more birdseed today. We have gone through 75 lbs this week.
Bear, that burger looks really good but I think I could only eat half of one.
richhotrain Mark your calendar for May14th, Mr. B., when HB262 will be heard in committee. The anti-wine days in Delaware appear to be numbered. Rich
Mark your calendar for May14th, Mr. B., when HB262 will be heard in committee. The anti-wine days in Delaware appear to be numbered.
Typically, in Delaware these bills appear every session. They are always voted down. The retail alcohol merchants and from what we've heard the distributors just give too much money to the state legislature so the will of the people doesn’t matter at all.
This bill only allows 3 cases of wine per year to go to any one household. That amount would use up our quota before mid-year.
Good Grief Mr Charlie, I'll go trolling for walleye with you anytime you want, in a 16 foot Lund!
I'd much rather go fishing with my friend Charlie on Lake of the Woods though!!!
Good morning. It's donut day, so just coffee please.
Just last week, I was invited by a friend to go fishing with him and several others as they head to northern Minnesota somewhere. I said no thanks.
I fished as a kid, and I did some ice fishing in college. I never enjoyed it. I could not see the enjoyment in getting eaten by bugs or having frozen fingers. My friends continue to fish and can't believe I don't enjoy it.
Time to head out the door. I'll check back into the diner later.
The diesel shop at the Bailey Yard in North Platte:
The House by Troy Snead, on Flickr
Flo, where is everybody? I have been waiting to be served since last Saturday.
I don't know what's more discouraging, the state of my Boston Bruins or this forum. Oh well, in either case, bigger things in life exists I guess.
Back on the rails?
And on the 155th anniversary of the Gold Spike:
UP CP May 10,1869 Promontory Utah by Edmund, on Flickr
I nearly didn't check getting into the diner again. I thought I'd give it one more try and I was amazed the site opened. I wonder for how long.
I hope the new owners will at least acknowledge what it going on, and what will be happening.
Three days ago I got a card asking me to renew my subscription to Model Railroader. I was going to hold off until I see if we hear from the new owners.
Anyway, even if it's just for a few hours, it's good to be back.
Toast by Bear, on Flickr
I'd be inclined to renew now, before the new owners raise the price.
Oy vey.
Hello everyone. Allow me to introduce myself as it's been so long you may not remember me. I'm Mike, live in Michigan, and model a fictional branch of the New York Central in HO scale.
York1Just last week, I was invited by a friend to go fishing with him and several others as they head to northern Minnesota somewhere. I said no thanks.
maxmanI'd be inclined to renew now, before the new owners raise the price.
Hello everybody! Great to see you again!
No real train news but we are making major progress cleaning out the garage for the layout.
It's been so long I forgot — is our Diner theme still yards? If so here's a track diagram of the busy and congested Mott Haven coach yard of the New York Central where the 'Great Steel Fleet' was turned and serviced:
Mott_Haven-track-layout-1927 by Edmund, on Flickr
Every afternoon the Century was pulled back to Grand Central Terminal for boarding and a 6:00 pm departure.
NYC S-motor 133 Mott Haven by Edmund, on Flickr
We had our first baltimore oriole at the grape jelly this morning. It was a female so perhaps the males have already gone through.
We are the unfortunate victims of urban sprawl. When we first moved in in 1988 there were lots of natural areas close by. The sprawl has now put us closer to the center of town and as a result, there are only small numbers of birds at our feeders. We used to have 40 - 50 goldfinches at a time. Now we might have six.
Oh well, we'll just have to climb into the van and go north a bit. There is a conservation area fairly close but I'd much rather watch the birds from our deck.
Hi Bear,
The burgers and the pudding look fantastic. We'll have to try your recipies soon. I have a suspicion that I will need several napkins and maybe a bib for the burger!
Good morning dinners, good to see everyone again. Glad they unlocked the doors (again).
Flo, I'll please have 2 eggs over eas, well done corned beef hash, home fries and sourdoughs toast.
Dave, I had the pleasure to see my very first Scarlet Tanager yesterday morning in our Magnolia tree. Super bright red! Stunning.
Good morning, diners. Chloe, I'll have bacon, eggs, and coffee, please.
It's good to see everyone so far. It would be nice to hear from Lion soon.
Bear, thanks for the dessert recipe. The term 'self-saucing' was a new one to me. I'm not sure I could take a bite of that burger. I think I'd need a knife to cut some pieces first.
I'll say my goodbyes to all the diners, just in the off-chance the forum goes away for good.
For the bird watchers, my wife has been very happy the past the week. She had five pairs of orioles at the feeders, and two male rose-breasted grossbeaks. That's in addition to dozens of cardinals, blue jays, squirrels, etc.
Last night we saw the northern lights. It's fairly rare that we see them here. Pretty neat.
The layout has not seen much activity lately. I'm in the process of my most difficult scratchbuilding project, but I'm not putting too much time into it. Too many other retirement duties. I'm waiting on some Tichy windows I've ordered, and I may drive the fifty miles to the hobby shop today to see if I can find some specific styrene I need.
On another forum, the main topic of discussion was this forum! We're famous.
Have a great weekend.
40BCP1401Toronto by Michael A Da Costa, on Flickr
Hi Chris and John,
Great birding!
I wish I was still able to visit Point Pelee on Lake Erie in the spring. We have seen several Scarlett Tanagers there but never any in our own yard. We have had a few Indigo Buntings over the years but they were often still in their winter brown with just a few bits of blue showing.
Nice to see the forum back but for how long?
We had a Scarlet Taniger in our back yard a couple of years ago. My wife just happened to have her camera at the ready and got a few great photos. Indigo Buntings have been here too, the best was a vivid blue one last year that stayed for about 10 minutes. The hordes of White Throated Sparrows are gone and hopefully the warblers are next. Had one male oriole last week. He must have been here last year as he knew exactly where to find the grape jelly.
No train news except CP has announced #2816 will make a stop here at the end of June. I saw it in 2007 down in Thief River Falls. Got some great video pacing it. Was the only car following for about 25 miles.
My sister is in shock. She has lost a 6 figure sum from her bank account. Told her to be at the bank Monday morning as soon as it opens. There has been a fraud and hopefully the money can be recovered. It was most of the proceeds from the sale of their house. I tried to give her some guidance based on my experience as a credit manager. Sued more than a few people back in the day.
Very warm day here, about 75F but back to a more normal 60 tomorrow.
Almost all the streets in our community are named after birds. We have an Indigo Bunting Court, a Tanager Way and we live on Flicker Court.
I don’t know about the health of the forum, either. I've been getting timeout messages when accessing threads, and the hated 504 error popped up earlier. Duct tape and baling wire seems to be holding it together.
Ed, thanks for the map of old Mott Haven yard.
Not much left there now, just the "Y" and it's a single track.
In my time in freight, we used to come out of Oak Point via the Port Morris connection (the switch would be located at the extreme lower right, just before the crossovers on the Harlem Line), then go over all the crossovers and "turn right" and go along the Y to the Hudson line north (originally, it was "west").
In the earlier time, MO tower was still open, later it closed and the dispatchers were all downtown. It was (for me) an easier move when the old NYC signals were still there, as you would get "slow clears" so you'd know at least the next signal was good (with a big train behind in some very tight spaces). Later on, when Metro-North went to the "proceed cab" signals, all you'd get is a "restricted cab", so you were running on faith that the dispatcher had the next one cleared up and wanted to "get you through". Sometimes they'd let you know that you only had it so far (he might say, "I've got one to get by on the Hudson"), so you could lay back a bit.
Going north was pretty much all empties, but coming south with all loads, again, could make you nervous until you saw you had the railroad all the way. 80-120 loads, and the odds of getting stopped in 6-10 car lengths, well, they weren't assured...
Good morning, diners. Just coffee this morning.
It looks like we will get wet going to church today. Everyone is in a good mood on the plains when it rains.
JaBearI note that the rubber band appears to be unravelling!!!
I noticed it too. The diner's door was locked much of yesterday.
I drove into the city yesterday (about 55 miles) to the hobby store. I stocked up on some styrene parts I need for some buildings. It was a nice drive in spite of some construction.
The construction will not be finished before I'm in the ground, but eventually the highway will be three lanes each way all the way from our town to the city.
It will be great -- I wish back in the 1960s it had been originally built that wide. I guess back then no one could see the number of semi trucks that would be going coast to coast on our highway. It's unbelievable how much stuff heads to the east from California on our highway.
I can't find the numbers right now but a while back, the state police published the numbers of speeders they had stopped going over 100 mph on the highway. Many of those were carrying drugs from the west to the east. Unbelievable.
It's a busy week ahead. I hope I can fit some layout time into the schedule.
I hope everyone has a healthy great day.
The east hump at Bailey Yard in North Platte:
Respite at sunset by Mike Danneman, on Flickr
The retarders at the east hump:
Hump yard retarders by Mike Danneman, on Flickr
Track maintenance on one of the hump tracks while the other track stays in service:
Track work on the hump by Mike Danneman, on Flickr
North Platte is one of the best places in the U.S. to watch trains at work. The Golden Spike tower gives you a great elevated view of the yards. I have a good friend who is a diesel mechanic for UP in North Platte.
Thanks for the warning about having the pudding overflow.
Did you make the Beef Wellington and the cake? They look perfect. Beef Wellington is one of my favourite meals! I tried to make it once but it didn't turn out anything like what's in your photo.
Thanks for your permission to attack the burger with a knife and fork. My jaw was beginning to hurt just looking at it!
Charlie, that is awful news about your sister. Any idea how it happened?
Forest fire smoke here so not pleasant outside. Supposed to clear off later today but sure is early for it. Lake Winnipeg is at a record low level for this time of year. Sure hope it rains soon.
Rich, don't have any facts yet. My sister is just in shock and my BIL is useless. I think it might be a case of stolen identity but the thief knew about the bank account and would need ID and the account number. My sister thought one of her sons was responsible but if so the CU has worse security than the library where my wife used to work. Hopefully more will be known tomorrow. She needs to involve the police too.
No plans for today other than visit the MIL. I won't be doing anything outside as long as the smoke is around.
Thanks for the reply, Charlie. This is really troubling and something that we should all be concerned about. Once more information comes out, anything that you can share with us would be helpful.
Good Morning Diners. Happy (?) Monday.
richhotrainThis is really troubling and something that we should all be concerned about.
Well, break time is over. Back to the chaos at work.
Cheers guys!
Charlie, I hope your sister finds out this morning it's all a computer error that is easily cleaned up.
My daughter had her identity stolen 20 years ago, and it still shows up every-so-often. Several years ago she filed her taxes and the IRS reported she had already filed and gotten a large refund. Someone got a nice refund.
Not a lot going on out here today. It rained last night, so most work will wait until tomorrow and the ground dries out a little.
It's a good day to work on the layout. A new building should begin to take shape (I hope).
Minnesota:
BNSF Hump Yard by Paul VanDerWerf, on Flickr
Good Morning Diners. Chloe, coffee to go please.
Bear, I made your self saucing pudding recipe Sunday night. It was good. I used a 2 quart dish and it was just big enough. Fresh out of the oven, we thought it was okay, but got much better after we allowed it to cool off so the sauce would thicken up. Last night we took what was left, dished it into small bowls, reheated it, and put some vanilla ice cream on top. It shined in that use!
Off to the rat race. Have a good day everyone!
Thanks for the pictures of the Windsor and Detroit ferry yards.
My great uncle Day Warnica lived in Windsor. He had an interesting career. One of his first 'jobs' was running booze across the Detroit River during Prohibition. He ended up as a Colonel in command of a tank regiment in WWII.
Well, I guess i should be celebrating today. It is my 70th birthday. I have mixed feelings about it. I don't feel '70', whatever that is supposed to feel like.
Good morning, everyone. Just coffee today, Chloe. I have a busy day and not much time.
Dave, Happy 70th Birthday! You're just a youngster. It sounds like you are really making some headway in your garage to make room for the layout. Good news.
I'm out the door in a minute. I hope everyone has a great day.
Hobson Yard in Lincoln, NE. The state capitol is on the right side of the photo:
BNSF 1697, 662 by Dylan Widger, on Flickr
Happy Birthday Dave!!
Happy Birthday Dave! Only 70, still a youngster.
A rainy day here which is what we need. Glad I raked the front lawn yesterday with the thatch rake. A great garden tool. Mine is 45 years old . Haven't seen another like it for years.
My wife hurt her back yesterday and is in a lot of pain. Has an appointment with a physio tomorrow morning so hopefully will get sorted. She has had problems for years. In 2015 a physio saved a trip to Africa less than a week before departure. We paid to upgrade to Buss Class on the flights as 17 hours cramped in Economy was a trip breaker with her back.
No update on my sister's bank issue. She didn't go to the bank yesterday and I am getting suspicious there is more to the story. She is to go today but if not then there are non bank problems.
Ran the J4e yesterday. Sure is a nice little loco.
Tea time I think. Join me in a cuppa.
Happy Birthday Dave from the West Coast.
Wow! it has been a heck of a month. We had my son's wedding which was a huge success. The wedding was at 1600hrs and it was 0100hrs when the last guest left. We got home and were up by 0530hrs preparing a post-wedding brunch for 28. My wife prepared food for 173 people over six different functions over 16 days. She was in heaven with her custom kitchen being put to maximum use.
We had one day to clean up the house and we were off to Vancouver Island for a week of dog shows where the wife cleaned up. Coming home on the ferry they had to cut the engines as we were surrounded by multiple pods of Orca, boy did they put on a show for twenty minutes. We were late getting to the mainland because of the whale of a show we had, but no one minded as every passenger was smiling ear to ear.
Took this while sitting in my truck waiting to unload.
We stayed with some friends in their guest house for the week, this was our view as the front of the house opened up and I could sit and watch hockey on a huge TV and look at this view at the same time. Three of the days we had Orca right off the dock.
The lawn is up to my knees and there is over an acre of it, so that will take care of day 1 tomorrow.
Charlie, sorry to hear of both your sister's and better half's misfortunes, hope things take a turn for the better.
Canucks are on tonight in three hours, I think a Rum and Pepsi on the patio is in order to calm my nerves. No ocean view just big trees.
Winnipeg-Symington-Train-Yard-1966
Dave, Happy Birthday you youngin'. Hope you celebrate big time. Also hope my Bruins celebrate tonight or else they're off to make tee times.
Thanks for all the birthday greetings everyone. You put a smile on my face.
'Morning Diners. Zoe, large black coffee to go, please.
I guess we’ll have to share a birthday cake
We're in the middle of a big maintenance turnaround at work. It's been an absolute whirlwind for a week and a half. Today marks the midpoint, and I have to say, time is flying by through this. So busy.
Hope everyone is happy and healthy. Has anyone heard from David across the pond?
Cloudy here and expecting showers to start at noon and last rest of the day.
My wife has cancelled her physio this morning as she is much better and is too afraid of contracting covid unless absolutely necessary. Rest is the order of the day. I plan on getting the potting bench out of the garage but a lot of stuff needs to be moved first.
My sister didn't go to the bank yesterday as the son she thought had taken the money came by and now she acts as if nothing happened. She hasn't even looked at her bank statements so I suspect she isn't telling me the whole story. I wouldn't be surprised if she has taken the funds to help out her eldest deadbeat son. Anyway I won't get involved further.
Just saw 2 Orioles outside my window. They are heading for the grape jelly. We have a lot of Pine Siskins that can empty a bird feeder in a day, actually 4 feeders. For a small bird they sure eat a lot.
Good morning, diners. I'll have bacon, eggs, and coffee, Brunhilda.
I'm happy to see that Steven Otte has posted several comments this morning on the purchase of the company and some things related to it. The Kalmbach magazines and the people who write them seem more personal to me than any other publications I know. I think that's why I'm so interested and want to hear about what is happening.
Water Level RouteHas anyone heard from David across the pond?
I hope it's just a case that David got tired of trying to log in during the forum outage.
The farmers in our area are working night and day to get the planting finished. We are supposed to have rain again, and that slows them down. I love driving the county roads at night and seeing the machinery all lit up out in the fields.
Many of the farmers had issues last week. The planters used GPS and some related systems to plant the fields, and the signals were disrupted last week.
Brent, happy to hear the wedding and celebrations went so well.
The Grand Island, NE, Union Pacific yards were on both sides of the Burlington tracks that crossed there. BNSF has since built an elevated crossing here. If you're ever traveling I-80 though Nebraska, stop at Grand Island. This is a great spot to catch both UP and BNSF trains at the same spot. If you're lucky, you can catch the BNSF locomotives over the UP locos.
UP eastbound approaching BN diamond at Grand Island, NE by Tom Taylor, on Flickr
Brunhilda, coffee with cream, please.
Dave: belated congratulations or condolences on your 70th. No, you won't feel any different than yesterday, it's just now,...you're 70! Dum, dum, dum (dramatic music interlude)
The only thing I've noticed is I start to ache a little more and I've noticeably slowed down some. It's hard to get up an down from my knees, but that's kinda about it.
Last year my wife and I spent a day in Oconomowoc (O-KAN'-o-mo-wak), WI and we spent the day going from place to place and sat on benches at each stop. We had never done that before, but we were happy with it. Go figure.
I really like all the yard pictures you guys are posting.
up831 It's hard to get up and down from my knees,
Well, if you paid attention and always did what the boss asked you wouldn't have to beg forgiveness so often.
Evening
The site's working now??? Lovely
Happy belated Dave!
Who Loves You Baby!!!
It's raining pretty steady here Kids. I'm just hoping the Canadian wild fire area is getting a good dose of this as well.
I'm hitting the rack, and hoping the site still works tomorrow.
Nighty Night
Good evening all.
I tackled the grass today and before I started I turned on the GPS in my Garmin to see how far I go when cutting the lawn. I traveled 7.95km in 1:34 and burned 552 calories doing it. It was really long so it was slow going in some parts.
There are currently 150 wildfires burning in British Columbia alone, looks like another bad year. Snow packs are at 64% of normal. Bear better get those Kiwi firefighters heading our way.
Bombers at our local airport.
We have friends heading down from Fort Nelson which has been evacuated, they may stay with us.
I sure wish Lion would pop in to say hi.
Those BLI UP Kenefick business cars sure look nice. I wonder if any of them ever had an excursion to Canada. I wouldn't mind sticking one on the rear of one of my CP trains. Ed should know.
Time for a bit of the idiot box and then bed.
View-of-freight-yards-taken-from-the-roof-of-the-Winnipeg-Union-Station-at-Broadway-and-Main-Probabl
It's raining here like a sieve, and Minnesota ain't too far away ya know
Post Hog!!!
Whale, him only come round when feeling, ewe know, like da Lion
Perhaps him after some extra rare prime rib wildebeest, on a brand new pallet
Ewe know? When it's done Purr-fect
Good Morning Diners. Chloe, I'll have the special with coffee. Throw an extra egg on there too please.
After a week's worth of not enough sleep (started Saturday night), went to bed last night, fell asleep for about 20 minutes, and then someone texted my wife. At 11:00. She articulated her displeasure audibly and silenced her phone. Too late for me. I was wide awake at that point. Going to be a rough day.
JaBearvery preceptive
Gotta run. Cheers gents!
Good morning
The Bear Gidday Mr.TF. I don’t want to be ungrateful, but reckon that cut of meat needs a little more fire!
Roger that.
He once told me, him likes the cut to sit out for half a day, slowly acclimating to room temperature. Then placed in front of the heat register vent, set at 77° for about 5 -10 minutes...
Good morning. Just coffee today.
I'm heading out the door to get the yearly eye exam. That means that I will spend some hours here at home in a fairly dark room. I wish they could do what they do without dilating the eyes.
Have a great day.
CRIP 834 Silvis IL Aug 1979 by Pete Piszczek, on Flickr
Good evening Diners. A glass of scotch please, Zoe.
I see things are back and up running.
Tried logging in a good few times and finally gave up.
Just come back from a cruise in the Mediterranean and picking up on the thread.
In the process of writing a novel based on a sea travel.
Good to see Chip is around.
Back tomorrow.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Good evening everyone. Flo, how about a Hendricks Negroni please. Resting today until the last 3 yards of bark mulch get dumped tomorrow. Goal is to finish by Sunday. David, good to have you back. Many were concerned about you. Next time please tell us you're traveling BEFORE you go.
Tophias David, good to have you back. Many were concerned about you. Next time please tell us you're traveling BEFORE you go. Regards, Chris
David, good to have you back. Many were concerned about you. Next time please tell us you're traveling BEFORE you go.
I was frever getting a Forbidden 405 before I went on holiday.
NorthBrit Tophias David, good to have you back. Many were concerned about you. Next time please tell us you're traveling BEFORE you go. Regards, Chris I was frever getting a Forbidden 405 before I went on holiday. David
David, we all were locked out. You are the lucky one, you went to the Mediterranean and didn't have to fret over the situation.
Tophias David, we all were locked out. You are the lucky one, you went to the Mediterranean and didn't have to fret over the situation. Regards, Chris
Wow!!! Did somebody take the key home?
It seems the key has returned.
Glad to see you back, David AND Chip!
MY railroad yard was Collinwood, on the New York Central about ten miles esat of Cleveland, Ohio. My dad brought me here to watch trains from around the first days I learned to walk.
This was the view from the wooden stairway that led down to the yard office off the East 152nd. St. Bridge:
Collinwood_shop by Edmund, on Flickr
Today, of course, these shops are leveled and there are some truck transfer yards here and a food bank.
Collinwood_shanty by Edmund, on Flickr
When I was maybe eleven or twelve one of the engineers spotted me on the landing and hollered up, "Hey kid! You want a ride?" That was the first time I 'ran' a locomotive, the 9512, one of the EMD switchers the NYC bought from the defunct Ontario & Western Railway.
Great memories!
Good morning all. A coffee on the go please, Chloe.
'Odds and ends to tie up' this morning then have an easier afternoon.
Possibly back later.
Good Morning Diners. Zoe, coffee and toast please.
York1I'm heading out the door to get the yearly eye exam. That means that I will spend some hours here at home in a fairly dark room. I wish they could do what they do without dilating the eyes.
David, on the other thread you just started, I didn't know you lived in an old railway station, or was that one fictional? I don't recall you ever mentioning that before.
My youngest got her SAT scores back yesterday and she did really well! I'm so proud of her! Will have to celebrate it somehow this weekend.
Going to a Euchre tournament tonight. A now retired co-worker of mine hosts one with his wife at the local American Legion. It started out as a relatively small affair in their house (12 people the first night) and as others have been invited and new friends made, they've had to start limiting attendance. We'll fill the meeting space in the legion tonight with 36 people playing. They do a potluck dinner at the start, and then play for several hours. Hopefully my luck is better this time around. Haven't had any luck the last few times I've been.
Water Level Route David, on the other thread you just started, I didn't know you lived in an old railway station, or was that one fictional? I don't recall you ever mentioning that before.
Mike Pure fiction. (All the stories)
We do live in the land of the former North British Railway, but not an old station.
A few years ago we did look to buy an old station house on the old NBR, but one property was gutted and altered so much it no longer looked a railway house.
Another property we did like, complete with signal box, but were outbid (substantially) by another railway fanatic who wanted it. It wasn't to be.
Good morning, diners. Flo, I'll have my usual.
I got a new sugar maple tree planted yesterday. The nursery owner and two younger employees came out to put in the tree. The owner asked how retirement was going, and I said that work on my model railroad took up my time.
One of the younger guys perked up and said, "Model railroad?" He explained he has just started a new layout. I brought the three of them in to see my progress on the new layout. I thought I would just show them for a minute. They stayed and stayed. It was fun, and it was rewarding that some of the work was interesting to them. I think the guy with the new layout was inspired to keep working on his.
I have to spend some time at the car dealership today. A recall on the car is finally ready to take care of. The backup camera had a defect that every-so-often would make the screen turn blue. Not a big deal, but will be glad to get it fixed.
It's been good to hear from Steven Otte on what is going on with the sale of Kalmbach. It sounds like no one really knows the future of this forum.
North Platte UP yard:
Bailey Yard # 2 by Douglas H Wood, on Flickr
Out of curiosity, is the car a Ford? The back-up camera in my work van does that, too.
The forums, apparently, will survive and even be upgraded. See the thread above by Rene. It's locked, so I'll take this opportunity to thank her for noticing our angst and providing the only solid information we've heard about our forums. Thanks, Rene.
Good morning from the stunning West Coast.
I am just waiting to hear from BMW. You may recall that Grandpa gave my daughter his mint-condition 2005 530i which is a whole lot of fun to drive. It did not take long for things to start to go wrong with it. I think it is going to be expensive to fix the four things that are wrong with it. It had a recall on it so they are doing that as well. The recall involves 5 hours of labour to fix so hopefully they can tackle the other problems while they are doing that and save us some money.
I don’t care that it was 6 functions over 16 days, catering for 173 ffolkes!!! You married Superwoman, Batman
Yes, she is pretty amazing. The night before the wedding my son's 21 friends from Ottawa met here with plans to head to a restaurant at the beach for a bash. They were all out back and it was a perfect night so they decided they would rather stay right here and would order in. My wife said if they wanted burgers she would feed them, and they jumped at that. So it was burgers, Greek salad, pasta salad, and fries for 24 whipped up by the wife in about an hour. My daughter and I helped but she ran the show. She was worn out by the time the wedding was over, and that is why I went to Vancouver Island with her, to help out at the dog shows. Normally I would rather watch paint dry than attend a dog show but sometimes you just have to throw yourself on a grenade.
I have had and still have friends and family who work/worked in the wildfire service over the years. When I was 13 I worked with my uncle for a summer taking supplies to the fire camps over some pretty rough roads. We keep an eye on things as the family tells us where those close to us are working the fires.
https://wildfiresituation.nrs.gov.bc.ca/map
Winnipeg, 1940s
MisterBeasley The forums, apparently, will survive and even be upgraded. See the thread above by Rene. It's locked, so I'll take this opportunity to thank her for noticing our angst and providing the only solid information we've heard about our forums. Thanks, Rene.
Yes. Thanks, Rene.
Wow, absolutely great news!! Now if/when the forum goes down at least we can chill knowing it's the usual problem but not THE END. I'm actually OK with that now knowing the issue won't remain forever. Happy Days!
What else are you going to do on the weekend?
I'll get one for you too but can't quite guarantee the claw fin.
And that's way too many fries, although they were a good crispy contraption, soft in the center as well
$42 dollars of beer on the wall, 24 bottles of beer. You take 2 down and pass it around, $38 dollars of good beer on the wall...
Us birds are growing older too Kids.
The key is don't let the old man in!
It's Thunderstorming like a Grant from God here
Love it
It smells like the lake!
Pitter Patter, Pitter Patter, and Thunder, I'll be out here for the duration of this
Good Evening,
Expecting more rain shortly. Had a major hail storm yesterday, after about 20 minutes the lawn was white, looked like snow. Panic getting the car into the garage but was fast enough so no damage done. The evestroughs were plugged so up on the roof today.
Have been collecting the flowers at the nursery but won't be planting for a couple of weeks as there is still a frost risk.
Nothing new here. It is the Victoria Day long weekend but that doesn't mean much now, have to look at a calendar to confirm the day of the week.
Here Here Charlie, You stand out in the Sea of Faces, recognized, because your You.
Quisp, that little helicopter hat always shakes off!
What is it with people looking red when there's hundreds of thousands of them?
Well?
Bad lighting?
maxman Bad lighting? Yep
Yep
Good morning all. a coffee on the go please, Zoe.
A sunny day so taking Dawn for a drive in the counryside this afternoon
Track fiddler Here Here Charlie, You stand out in the Sea of Faces, recognized, because your You. Quisp, that little helicopter hat always shakes off! What is it with people looking red when there's hundreds of thousands of them? TF
Should be on the trains songs list.
I was caught in the middle of a railroad track.
Long live AC/DC !!!
Good morning. Bacon, eggs, and coffee please.
Grandchildren are coming for a visit today, so we've been cleaning. It's good they visit every-so-often or the house would never get cleaned.
Cookie the dog has been going nuts. There's a family of rabbits in the backyard. She can see them from the windows, so she rushes window to window going crazy. She keeps thinking if she goes outside, she can get to them. Unfortunately for her, the rabbits are on the other side of the fence. My wife is ready to close all the window shades so she can't look out.
We had an interesting political event happen. An 18-year-old high school senior ran for our county commissioner. No one really knew him, so he walked door to door, talking to anyone and everyone. After a month of doing that, he won the election over some other more well-known people.
Time to get to more cleaning. I know that once they all leave, it will take us a while to relax and get back to normal.
BNSF 2805 & 2888 working in Argentine Yard Kansas City, KS 10-26-19 by Tyler Silvest, on Flickr
RAILWAY STORIES THREAD
To those people who read the stories a special thank you. At 900 views before being locked I am overwhelmed.
It was meant to bring a different enjoyment to railroading. Meant to have stories in a thread and not go looking for them.
Obviously as the thread has been locked, if I wish to post any more short stories they have to be in the Diner.
I shall continue to write much longer stories to be publish elsewhere.
Morning
Lee, and the horse that you call Leon, come back sometime and visit us, we ain't got time to stay
Remember that song? Can't seem to find it though.
oh by Bear, on Flickr
Good morning. Just coffee this morning. Donuts later!
It's raining again. A beautiful day.
David, I enjoyed the stories. You have a real talent.
Have a great Sunday everyone.
Coffee and one of John's Church Donuts might be good
I am enjoying my coffee and watching Orioles at the feeder. Have to get more grape jelly and oranges for them later.
The sun is shining which hasn't been the case for several days. Yesterday it was very windy, cloudy, cool and showers to top it off. The atmosphere in the house matched outside.
If the front lawn dries I want to mow the grass. It needs it.
Have a very good day.
York1 David, I enjoyed the stories. You have a real talent.
Thanks John. As can be seen the thread has been locked with nearly a thousand views.
Posting anymore stories would be 'lost' if posted in the Diner , as requested. Therefore there will be no more stories.
Many thanks to those of you who have read them.
If the atmosphere is the same in the inside as the outside, that's usually pretty good
TF, yesterday it was very cool indoors too so I stayed in my basement lair. Today it is much better as we just had the 101st bird species in our back yard. A pair of Wood Ducks. My wife took some photos through the back door. She has photos of most.
Off to collect the groceries shortly. May go get some burger patties later. It is a 40 minute round trip at least but worth it. I grilled some for a friend a few years ago who said they were the best he had ever tasted. Should be at $12 each.
richhotrain I was caught in the middle of a railroad track.
Oh, you got that one!
Afternoon
Those wood ducks are very colorful. Quite a beautiful bird. Post the photo if you would. And I'm definitely in for one of those burgers please
I, too, have read the stories and enjoyed them. You do have a way with words, and the stories draw the reader into another world, often an earlier world. For many of us, it's a world we have not and can't ever see, obscured behind the insurmountable curtain of our now-distant births.
Fan fiction does have its place in railroad history. I'd encourage you and other so inclined and talented to continue here. Perhaps our new host will understand that our interest in train history is well served and enhanced by personal accounts, actual or fiction with a real background story, and all of us on either side of that old birthday curtain can appreciate it. I try to add small historical details to my layout, things like Civil Defense shelters and era-appropriate autos to my layout, to bring out those old memories while I still can.
If you'd like, please continue with an occasional story here. I think it would be appreciated.
Brother Lion, we're art thar?
Good Morning Diners. Brunhilda, coffee and one of those sweet rolls please.
Had a productive weekend (again) getting more projects done. I fear that is to be my plight over a good portion of the summer months. The big ones this weekend were running more wire outdoors for a plug in for our travel trailer, conduit under our deck for some wire that had been previously run under there, and doing some work on our trailer to start getting it ready for camping. Found evidence that a mouse found its way into the trailer at some point. Going to do some poking around, but it appears it didn't really do anything other than explore and poop in a few spots. Doesn't appear it was in there for very long, but who knows what I might find yet.
Last regular season soccer game for my daughter tonight, followed by districts starting Thursday. Supposed to rain tonight. Good thing we got new, bigger umbrellas.
Hope everyone has a good Monday.
Good morning. Bacon, eggs, and coffee, Flo.
Bear, thanks for posting the link to the interview with the new owners. It sounds very optimistic. I'm happy so far. The owner made sure everyone knows improvements will take time.
Mason City, Iowa:
Milwaukee Road in Mason City, Iowa by The Milwaukee Road Warrior, on Flickr
Well let's give this a try.
Good morning from the sunny West Coast.
I decided it was a good time to get the septic tank pumped out, with the wedding we had dozens of young ladies here over three weeks, and who knows what they flushed down the head even after reminding them we were on septic. What could be more fun on a Sunday morning? Unlike John, I didn't get donuts.
Took bags of returnables from the wedding back to the recycle centre that is just steps from PWRS, so I had to go indulge myself. Came home with these little beauties.
As always I did the roll test. These guys were not nearly as rolly as the single-sheathed boxcars from Rapido in my last video.
It is game 7 for the Canucks tonight, it is the best of seven. Should be a barn burner.
I will stop here and if the post goes kablooey I can live with what little ink I've wasted.
Bear, thanks for posting that video. I just watched it. Interesting.
BATMANI decided it was a good time to get the septic tank pumped out,
Probably early in this century I had the same inkling and called one of the local cleanout outfits. During the vacuuming the driver asked when the last time was that I had the tanks pumped out. He said things looked pretty good and I must be taking good care of my system. After giving it some thought I realized it had been at least fifteen years singe the last pump-out!
The approach to South Station, Boston. Oh to be a leverman!
South_Station_1904 by Edmund, on Flickr
Yikes! It might be a good day to hang out in Charlie's or Ed's basement
Good Morning Diners. Janie, French Toast and sausage please.
Well, the kiddo's game got cancelled last night due to lightning, but they sure took their sweet time cancelling it. She had to meet up with her team at 4:30 and they didn't cancel the game until 6:30. It was certainly clear to us that the weather wasn't going to cooperate but the powers that be must have had their eyes shut and their ears plugged!
Brent, bummer about your Canucks. Good season though. Those new boxcars look like they just kind of turned on the brakes at the end.
TF, hope you didn't get the nastiest of that forecast!
After walking the dog this morning, it's time to pick up branches. Lots of stuff blown around after the storms. The good news -- another third of an inch of rain.
Since we've had a wet winter and spring, the water in the creek is fairly deep. A result is that I spotted the Blue Heron. I haven't seen him in a long time with the creek dry.
We are one of the few people with a landline phone. Yesterday was about the limit of my patience. We have had junk calls for several years, but with the phone program, we can filter out most. The call centers must have figured out the program, because yesterday we got a call nearly every 15 minutes. While we don't hear them and they don't leave messages, the call still appears on the TV. It's probably time to pull the plug.
It's a good rainy day to stay inside and work on the layout.
Interesting yard in Helper, Utah:
Helper Overview by Doug Lilly, on Flickr
Good very wet morning from the left side where we are expecting 50mm of rain today. Don't mind the rain as it will help to keep the Province from burning down. Currently, there are 119 fires burning in the Province. I'll just finish my second cuppa and put on the Gortex and hit the trail. It has been three weeks due to the wedding and being away and I can feel my fitness level declining, which will be fixed by the end of the week.
gmpullman BATMAN I decided it was a good time to get the septic tank pumped out, Probably early in this century I had the same inkling and called one of the local cleanout outfits. During the vacuuming the driver asked when the last time was that I had the tanks pumped out. He said things looked pretty good and I must be taking good care of my system. After giving it some thought I realized it had been at least fifteen years singe the last pump-out!
BATMAN I decided it was a good time to get the septic tank pumped out,
It has been eight years since I had it pumped out when the pump failed after 30 years. We have a 6000 ltr septic tank and duel fields with 150m of runs each. With just the two of us here I doubt I will have it cleaned again in my lifetime.
Water Level Route Brent, bummer about your Canucks. Good season though. Those new boxcars look like they just kind of turned on the brakes at the end.
The Canucks did great considering they were not expected to even make the playoffs at the start of the season. Can't wait for September. I keep telling everyone I am not croaking until they win the cup. My wife looked at me and said I guess I am stuck with you for another year. The big screen will be collecting dust for the next four months.
The best way to end robocalls is to pick up the receiver and just place it down on the desk until you hear the tone that the other end has hung up. Whether a live person or a machine the calling computer will show it as a bad # and remove you from the list. As soon as we started doing that our calls dropped to almost zero.
Time to scoot my 10km and then hit the shower.
Nanjing
It's been chilly and breezy here, but we finally got outside for a good long early evening of Happy Hour with the Hummingbirds. The seem to be ignoring the feeders but are "going natural" and concentrating on the Salvia plants. Best of all, we saw a MALE ruby-throated bird for my first time ever.
York1, re the landline phone.
Is it an old-fashioned "copper wire" connection, or is it "VOIP" (voice over internet protocol, coming in over your internet connection)?
If it's VOIP, you can probably use "NoMoRobo" to catch the robocalls. It's relatively easy to set up, works pretty well here, especially in conjunction with an answering machine.
“Freedom without limits is just a word.”-Terry Pratchett
Good morning, diners. Bacon, eggs, and coffee please, Brunhilda.
This is one of those Spring days we dream of. It rained yesterday, so everything is bright green. Today it's clear, high temperature of 70°, calm winds, ... I doubt there will be a better day this year.
Bear, that photo site is great! Now the issue is if I can justify the hours I will sit looking through all the pictures. Very interesting! Thanks.
I take it that Spring Creek Model Trains is not just down the road, York1John.
Spring Creek railroad store is exactly 60 miles from my house. It's a nice drive. The hobby store is in the town of Deshler, population 700. There are no cities anywhere near -- my town has 7,000 people and we are the closest town of that size. Of course, out here in flyover country, a town of 7,000 is considered a 'big' city.
The neat thing about Spring Creek is that they get people from all over the U.S. (and other countries) coming to the store. It's a testament to the people who run the store. They have a very large supply of HO and N materials, and if they don't have something you want, they will work to get it for you.
If you're ever traveling across the U.S. on Interstate 80, the store is about 55 miles off the highway. It's worth the time and effort.
Not much going on today. On the layout, I'm working on a building that will sit on an old brick street. I'm having trouble finding the right shade of paint to make the street look good. I thought I found one online, but it is discontinued. I've tried mixing shades of brown and orange without much luck. I'll try some more today.
Minneapolis:
Untitled by MN transfer, on Flickr
John: brown with orange doesn't sound right. The only street brick I've ever seen was a deep dark red, almost a browner version of Tuscan red, so may I suggest that you try mixing brown with dark red or perhaps a maroon with a little brown and see how that works.
I don't often see modelers depict 'greasy' track. Here's an extreme example:
Southern Pacific - San Antonio, TX by d.w.davidson, on Flickr
That track on the right looks like it would self-deflagrate!
More 'dirty' yard trackage:
up831John: brown with orange doesn't sound right. The only street brick I've ever seen was a deep dark red, almost a browner version of Tuscan red, so may I suggest that you try mixing brown with dark red or perhaps a maroon with a little brown and see how that works.
Thanks, Jim. I'll try it tonight. I looked at some brick streets today in my town, and you're right -- they are very dark red. It's just a small section of city street, so I should be able to mix something that looks right.
Good Morning Diners. Flo, coffee please. Large coffee.
Rough day at work yesterday. After three hours, I was ready to take the rest of the day off, but there was too much stuff going on where people needed my help, so I stayed. I know it was bad when at the end of the day I needed to go talk to some of the folks in one department, and when I walked in my one buddy in there looked at me and said "Mike, go home before you stab someone." After some more joking around to lighten the mood, he told me when he saw me that morning he knew it was a bad day and was surprised I was still at work. I've never left work early for such reasons, but apparently the look on my face was bad enough for him to think that. It all centers around our new plant manager. He's a peach. At least everybody knows it. We're all in the same boat, it was just my turn with him yesterday. Theoretically he will move on to another plant in a few years, but it's going to be a long few years for us. Sucks.
Tuesday night I kept watching the weather as I needed to get some insect killer down on the lawn and it is supposed to be watered in after application. They were calling for rain at midnight (85% chance!) all day long, but at 8:00 they upped it to 90%. Great! I busted out the spreader and got after it. Finished up, cleaned up, and looked at the forecast at 9:00. 30% chance of rain overnight. Sure enough, no rain. Too windy yesterday to try to run a sprinkler and going to be gone tonight. I sure hope I didn't just waste a bunch of money.
Here's to hoping for a better day today. Hope things are going well for everyone!
Mike, I know the feeling about the rain. This morning at 6:00 a.m. the weather said rain likely by 9:00 a.m. I rushed out and mowed the entire lawn. By the time I came in, the forecast called for some clouds but no rain.
Bear, everyone says that we live in flat country, but on this morning's walk, my walking app on the phone said I had a change in elevation of nine feet. I nearly wore myself out going up that hill.
I found some paint called rust that is pretty close to the brick color I want for the layout street. I going to add a touch of black and it should be about perfect.
My wife is feeling a little low this morning. All three daughters and families are getting together in Texas for the long weekend, and we won't be there. We were just there last month, and this is a good time for all the kids and grandkids to get together without two old people hanging around cramping the fun.
I'm off to the pharmacy to get my wife's medicine, and then it's time to get to work on the layout. Have a great day.
A neat photo of the double track hump yard at Bailey Yards in North Platte:
Rails by Mike Danneman, on Flickr
I apologize for yesterday's post. Now that I can log back in, I see that I was Top of the Page, and I didn't treat anyone to eat with me. My excuse is that once I posted, I couldn't get back into the diner to see that I was at the top. I assumed the diner was full of patrons, so the over-worked waitresses locked the doors.
Anyway, I will pay for breakfast this morning, as long as you want Bacon, Eggs, and Coffee.
We had quite a storm last night. At 2:00 a.m. my wife woke me up. We had about 50 mph winds. Even though we were in a tornado watch, we didn't hear any reports of one near us.
I have another day of nothing scheduled, so I hope to get quite a bit accomplished on the layout. The building I am putting in is slow-going. A lot of things I want to do are taking a lot of time. This building will be my hardest and most complicated scratch-build I have attempted. It's enjoyable work.
As the diner gets more and more difficult to enter, it seems we can just wait hopefully until the forum gets onto a more modern system. Hopefully.
Forth Worth, Texas:
Davidson yard - Fort Worth TX by David Hawkins KB5WK, on Flickr
Good morning from the very damp West Coast. There are only 111 fires in the Province today, somehow it feels like the calm before the storm, all this rain is welcome though.
Thanks for the Bacon & eggs John. I eat a lot of eggs and steak or bacon, no toast though as I avoid the carbs.
I live at the top of the hill so my walks usually include going down and then up, twice, and depending on the route I choose will amount to well over 150m back up the second time sometimes requiring hands and feet. I envy the dog(s) with their all-wheel drive. It is a good workout that I miss when I go for more than a few days without it. MY VO2 max rate is in the 40s. You can tell by my heart rate when I am going up the hill.
I think the prairies are beautiful and love driving across them. I usually take secondary roads just so I can see what life is really like as I make my way along.
Maybe next month's diner theme can be grain elevators and other farm ops, Photos will not be in short supply for that subject.
I am with Bear when it comes to looking at the mountains. Speaking of secondary roads, our return trip from Alberta last year through that impenetrable wall called the Rockies was stunning. As we left civilization the sign said, no fuel or service for 326km, no cell service for 143km, I bet we only saw five other cars that whole stretch. It was heaven.
The wife figured it had been an hour at least since we saw another car when this guy passed by, we both waved at each other as if acknowledging the wonderous solitude we found ourselves in.
Time to get the gortex jacket on and hit the trail.
Port Mann on the Fraser River, I believe that is Thorton Yard in the background. What is the guy in the wagon doing, cleaning up a spill????
A very wet day here. Rained all night and expecting heavy rain this afternoon. I have the sump pump hooked up in case the pond overflows.
My lower back is quite sore. I agravated an old injury the other day. Carrying 19 flats of plants down and up stairs because we might get frost hasn't helped. How there could be frost when it is raining I don't know but I don't question orders.
Had a great takeout pizza last night. It is a local place we have gone to for about 10 years. It is expensive but worth it. A 15" is now $38 but it isn't run of the mill stuff.
No plans for today, just rest my back.
Howdy everyone. Flo, a chocolate malt please. Had a doctor appointment this morning. Was really nervous about my blood pressure as I haven't really been able to exercise much between our schedules this spring and my knee bothering me. Then with this last week at work being so stressful I figured I was done for. I was so happy when the nurse said 125/71. Whew!
Charlie, we have a pizza place like that here too. The previous owner recently passed and everyone was nervous the new owner would change it all up. He kept the food the same. That's a great thing!
We keep looking for a pizza place. We've been here 5 years and we're still looking. Most of the pizza, like most of the sub rolls, is doughy and bready, and we like a thinner, better-cooked more NY style pizza. The GF has made her own on the Big Gren Egg, which are delicious, but that's a huge production that takes two days to get everything ready. Besides, I shouldn't eat pizza because of the carbs, but I'm not interested in those cauliflower crusts you need a Dremel to cut. I still say I'd rather have 5 more years of steak and beer than ten more years of brown rice and vitamin water.
Good evening diners. Flo, I'll please have a Gunpowder Gin and Tonic with a lemon.
As we kick off Memorial Day weekend here in the U.S. I just want to express my deepest thanks to our brothers, fathers, grandfathers, uncles and all who made the extreme sacrifice for us all. Parades and picnics are surely enjoyable but we must always remember what we are celebrating. Millions have given their lives so we can enjoy the freedoms and all that is good about our country. The next time this forum goes dark for a few days (and you know I've expressed my displeasure) let's not forget what's really important in our lives. It's a great country, with all its fault and discourse, and we owe so much to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. I hope only better days ahead for us all. Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend and please never forget.
TophiasEnjoy your Memorial Day weekend and please never forget.
Joseph Ambrose, WWI by Edmund, on Flickr
Bone Yard:
LTEX 105 by Todd Dillon, on Flickr
Amtrak 410 by Todd Dillon, on Flickr
As I look at the pics Ed posted of the engine "bone yard", I can't help but remember how many of those engines were brand new or not very old when I was just starting out as a fireman going on 50 years ago.
I don't believe the Amtrak 410 had even been built yet. Is that a B23-7 in Conrail paint? Probably ran that one, too.
Yeah, Larry's Truck & Electric is known far and wide. Lordstown is only about 20 miles from me. LTE has at least three sites like this, he outgrew the original one in Warren, Oh. a while back.
The above is a more recent look. Most of the Conrail stuff is probably already cut up. This site is a former WWII armory.
Good Morning everyone. Chloe, I'll take two coffees. One for each hand. Fell asleep right away last night, only to have somebody text my wife about 30 minutes later. Then I was wide awake for hours. Had to wake up early to do some running around with some friends, so I'm definitely looking for an opportunity to nap today.
Just threw some ribs on the smoker and cooking up some chicken wings later. Giving my nephew a nice little family cookout as he didn't want a big graduation party. He couldn't resist my cooking though! Should be nice.
Placed my first pre-order with Scale Trains yesterday. Some reefer cars that I could certainly use more of. Hopefully they are worth it.
1942. Somewhere in Tennessee.
Water Level Route Placed my first pre-order with Scale Trains yesterday. Some reefer cars that I could certainly use more of. Hopefully they are worth it.
richhotrainGotta have reefers, and lots of them.
I'd love to see this in color!
Good morning from the Pacific Rim where there are currently 112 fires burning in a soggy Province.
On my Thursday scoot, I stepped in a hole in the ground and did a number on my Achilles tendon. After rolling around on the ground in agony for a while I got up and carried on thinking it would be okay. Yesterday I headed out and did not get far before it reminded me it was still injured, so I am on light duty for a few days.
Of course, the injury meant I got to go to the train room to recover, and ended up spending eight hours in there. The wife came home from the dog show and asked if I wanted homemade pizza for dinner and I passed as I had only burned 1500 calories on the day. I made myself a rack of ribs and a spinach/avocado/tomato/parm salad and had a glass of cab around 2000hrs and just snuck in under my burn for the day.
My daughter needed a break from school work today so at 0630hrs she hit the road with my wife to the dog show. So it is just me and the dogs that didn't make the cut home for the day.
Field B.C. Note the piping in the TT pit to help thaw the 50' of snow they get every winter.
Another soggy day here and cool, as in 45F.
Mr. B, thin crust pizza is what most places here do. The last pizza we had a couple of days ago had a crust about 1/4" thick. When I lived in southern Ontario about 50 years ago the crust was quite thick and I never liked it. Guess it is a regional thing.
Ray, how are your plans going for your trek across the pond? My Dad always referred to England as the "old country". Anything new with the SLOW?
Time to think about lunch.
CNCharlieMy Dad always referred to England as the "old country".
My Grandparents would say the same thing. They would be going back to the old country or say, "back in the old country", and my Dad would always say, "which one"?
Where do you want to take the Diner for June?
I'm stuck in the hospital after having suffered somewhat severe abdominal pains on Friday morning. There are still some tests to do but it is pretty obvious that is the beginning stages of cirrhosis. It's my own fault.
The good news is that the damage will stop if I stop drinking, which I will. I have done it before for several months so hopefully this time I won't relapse.
If I'm still going to be here on the 31st I will recruit somebody else to move the Diner. I can't do it from my phone.
Good luck, Dave! I hope the doctors pinpoint what the issue is and you can take care of it. Your garage cleaning and layout work can wait! Please keep us informed.
Around here they call that thick crust pizza Sicilian.
hon30critterWhere do you want to take the Diner for June?
I really can't move the diner this next month. I wasn't that good of a host this month. But for reasons of my own, May I request someone else move the diner for June?
Getting into the Memorial Day weekend. When I was young, Memorial Day was always May 30th. They do things a little differently nowadays. My parents always went to the family plots on that day. Of course, I had to go along, but it wasn't a bad thing. I got to spend time with my cousins and at one of the cemeterries they had an American Legion honor guard who gave the gun salute. After which, we went to the local park for a family picnic. I wouldn't say it was a great time, but it was good and that's just what we did back then.
Good morning. I'll have some coffee, Chloe.
Jim, the same for me about Memorial Day. My parents visited about four cemeteries where we had relatives buried. There were veterans in the family in each cemetery. We as kids always loved the gun salutes.
Something I remembered with a friend that gave us a good laugh. My mother would bring food for the picnics as we went cemetery to cemetery. Her food -- cold hot dogs right out of the package, and pork and beans out of the can. Some people would think we kids were being tortured, but we loved holding the hotdogs like candy and using a spoon to eat beans out of the can -- that was adventure eating.
We're heading out the door. I hope everyone has a great day. For all those with health issues, I hope you get some relief.
At the west end of the Union Pacific yard at Grand Island, Nebraska:
Under & Over by Chris Paciocco, on Flickr
Many of my uncles and cousins served in the armed forces. My Dad was in the Army Air Corps during World War 2. Fortunately, I only had one relative I know of who paid the ultimate price. He was my oldest uncle, and he was shot down in a fighter plane in World War 1 over France. Before that, all my relatives were from "the old country," in my case Scotland and Sweden.
Good morning from a very wet West Coast where it is only 9c with 110 fires currently in the Province.
We usually shut the furnace down toward the end of April and don't turn it back on until mid-October. It has been an average of 5c colder this May so the furnace is still pounding away. We don't have or need A/C as our doors and windows are usually just left open all the time as the temps are usually perfect.
Dave, hope you get feeling better soon. The liver is pretty resilient and can recover quickly if you let it. If you really want to speed up your recovery, along with no booze, Google, "foods your liver hates".
Wife is back at the dog show about an hour away, and the dogs still at home don't want any part of going out in this weather, my daughter has her nose in the books, not sure how many PHDs she will end up with. She is not working right now so can really keep her nose to the grindstone. She has set up all her computers in my train room office, it is nice to have her to chat with while my trains grind their way up through my little Rogers Pass.
My guitars are in the train room so it will be guitars and trains all day today.
Outside the CPR station in Vancouver.
It looks like I'm about to spend my third night in a row stuck in a hallway in ER. Service is a bit hit and miss. I didn't have a pillow the first night, l didn't get breakfast or lunch today, and I am as far away from the washroom as I can get.
Mind you, it is an interesting place to do some people watching. Yesterday afternoon the ambulance folks brought in a rather drunk and very nasty lady who was handcuffed to the guerney. They put her in a room right across from me! She cursed a blue streak for about half an hour, at one point slamming the glass sliding door so hard that a piece flew off. At one point there were eight police officers and hospital security standing in the hallway outside her room. Thankfully they gave her a tranquilizer which put her out for about 12 hours. I have to give the police and security people a lot of credit for staying calm and professional while they talked her down.
Hi Bear!
The Shorpy picture of the yellow reefers is neat, especially because it is in colour.
Another interesting item in the picture is the tall building in the background. It is The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce building. It was the tallest building in the British Empire when built in 1929. It is one of Toronto's architectural gems.
Good morning. It's a holiday in the U.S., so walking the dog this morning was very quiet with no traffic on the highway.
Dave, your hospital stay doesn't sound real relaxing. I hope they can get to the source of the pain and get you onto your feet again. At the very least, they could give you a pillow and some food!
Since everything is closed today, we have a free day with nothing planned. I live a long way from cemeteries where my family veterans are buried, so we aren't going to be going out.
I have to get some self-discipline. Since Bear started me looking at Shorpy, I am spending too much time online and not enough time on the layout. What a great site.
My wife continues to fight a losing battle with the raccoons over her bird feeders. She has tried everything she can find on the internet except for ammonia. She read that raccoons hate the smell of ammonia (strangely enough, so do I). I have a feeling she is going to spray ammonia all over the place.
Kansas City:
From Shorpy, some yellow reefers for Ed.
Thanks for that beautiful Kodachrome, Bear. We have to thank Mr. Delano for his efforts to adopt the newfangled science of color photography. I wonder where all the negatives were developed back then. I imagine they all had to go back to Kodak in Rochester since there were very few, if any, labs licenced to use the Kodak process during those War years.
More colorful cars:
Proviso Yard C&NW Delano_1943 by Edmund, on Flickr
— and I spot a 'Ball Glass' box car out there all the way from the Muncie & Western, the Ball Glass Line of Indiana! I have one for my layout:
Muncie & Western by Edmund, on Flickr
If no one else would prefer to move the Diner this Friday I would be willing to tackle the task.
BATMAN Dave, hope you get feeling better soon. The liver is pretty resilient and can recover quickly if you let it. If you really want to speed up your recovery, along with no booze, Google, "foods your liver hates".
As a biochemist by profession who is suffering from non-alcoholic fatty liver myself, I have learned a lot about liver diseases. First, the bad: parts of the liver affliucted by cirrhosis will not recover miraculously; the damage is permanent. The good news: Unless in extreme cases, the parts of the liver not affected can take over all functions.
The only rule for a successful recovery: DO NOT DRINK. Most of the other remedies pushed on the internet, such as "foods your liver hates", are BS.
Dave, hope thy can get your liver problems diagnosed soon and that you get some food in the meantime. You may need a special diet too. I can ask my sister who is a retired dietitian.
John, the only way to outsmart a racoon is to take in your feeders every night which is what we do.
Time to fire up the grill. A little late but there has been many warblers stopping by today.
DrWsuch as "foods your liver hates", are BS
I stand corrected, Sluppees and bacon rinds for everyone.
CNCharliethe only way to outsmart a racoon is to take in your feeders every night
It was my understanding that shotguns were almost 100% effective.
Hi DrW,
That's exactly what the doctor told me. No booze it is!!
I am finally in a room after three nights in the ER hallway. I am not really pleased though. I have an idiot for a roommate. She is nice enough but very inconsiderate. On the phone continuously.
I find out the results on Tuesday. Right now they have me on a liquid diet. Fortunately that includes Jello.
I sat down in front of the idiot box and decided there was just enough light left for a scoot through the 100-acre wood. It gets pretty dark in there even when it is still quite light out in the yard.
We disturbed Owl just as the hunting hour was coming around. He was a monster.
Did 6.73km. Now I'll watch the idiot box.
BATMAN I sat down in front of the idiot box and decided there was just enough light left for a scoot through the 100-acre wood. It gets pretty dark in there even when it is still quite light out in the yard. We disturbed Owl just as the hunting hour was coming around. He was a monster. Did 6.73km. Now I'll watch the idiot box. All the best to all.
Good Morning Diners. Zoe, coffee and an english muffin please.
Had a nice rainy day yesterday. Sure needed that. It kept me off my to-do list. I was able to get a bunch of "me" time in and that included ballasting about five or six feet of track. (Yay!) I swapped out the eye droppers I had been using for wetting and gluing the ballast for some small spray bottles. The process went MUCH better for me with the spray bottles. I hadn't enjoyed ballasting for a lot of years, but I enjoyed it yesterday. I also hadn't used spray bottles for ballasting for a lot of years either. Coincidence? I think not.
Brent, great shot of the owl! Every year or two we will be sitting out in our hot tub and see one fly overhead, usually in the fall or winter. You have to be paying attention though as they are absolutely silent. Since it is often dark out when we're in our hot tub, you have to catch a glimpse of a dark shadow in the sky, illuminated by what lights are around. Pretty neat.
Remember kids, health advice on the Internet can be worth LESS than you pay for it.
If you're following health advice from a model railroad forum, expect it to be harmful, not helpful.
Brunhilde, coffee with cream, please.
Yesterday started out normal enough, but noticed the shower head dripping longer than usual. I thought, "Let's give this an hour and see if the drip stops." After a few hours my wife says shower is leaking. Uh oh, I had forgotten about it. We ran a couple of errands and then tackled the shower demon. Ended up replacing the cartridge in the valve and the shower head. The job was relatively easy. I'm no plumber, so a simple job canbecome very involved quickly. Fortunately, this one went easy. Got it fixed and functioning the same day, which is good. I didn't have to have the water off for more than an hour. Yay!
From one of the diner's kids, I say,
"Good morning, everyone."
The layout has suffered more neglect as outdoor spring projects keeping coming up. I have finished a cardboard mock-up of the new building, I've got the windows and doors from Tichy, I have plenty of styrene -- now all I need is time and enthusiasm to get started.
Charlie, I've suggested time after time to my wife that we make the bird feeders easy to move and bring them in each night. Let's just say she didn't see much good in my suggestion. (She doesn't see much good in any of my suggestions, so I don't give it much thought.) I think the battle between the raccoons and her gives her something to do each day.
Ed, how are you feeling post treatments? Hope it's going OK.
North Platte east hump control room:
East Hump operator by Mike Danneman, on Flickr
Yesterday's festivities in Altoona:
PRR ROSE Tower Altoona by Edmund, on Flickr
Note to the far right one of the light towers salvaged from the 1939 World's Fair.
York1Ed, how are you feeling post treatments? Hope it's going OK.
Thanks for asking, John. There's no single symptom that is what I'd call debilitating but taken collectively they do wear you down a bit. I'll spare the reader any details but I'd say the main two issues are digestive problems and a few incontinence issues. I'll see the oncologist on July first. Hopefully time will bring me back in realignment
Any thoughts on where to move the Diner? We could continue the 'yard' theme by taking the Diner to famous cattle yards. Of course there would have to be a section of track that is upwind to park the Diner on. Otherwise it might not see too many customers! Having 'tantalizing turnips' on the menu won't help either!!
Surely someone can come up with a more appetizing venue!
Good Morning Diners. Janie, coffee and a blueberry muffin please.
Had an interesting time messing about with our camper last night. Something told me to check the propane system before we go out for our first trip of the season. Had trouble getting the stove to light and when I did, the burner was relatively low. I could get two to light but they would both barely have a flame, even on high. Three burners wasn't going to happen. I shut them off and tried the furnace. Nothing. Apparently something was going on with the regulator as after fiddling with the system for about an hour, out of frustration I rapped the regulator several times with the handle of a screwdriver. Presto! Everything works right again. I'll be ordering a new regulator tonight.
Made BLT's for dinner last night. Those things are dangerous. Good thing we don't have them often.
Ed, good to hear you are otherwise doing okay.
Good morning, everyone. Chloe, I'll have bacon, eggs, and coffee, please.
It's another perfect day on the plains. It's in the 60s, light wind, low humidity, and sunny. It couldn't be better.
What makes it even more perfect is that for the next three days, I have nothing on the calendar. It feels good, except I know my wife will need something from Walmart or the grocery store.
I made some good progress on the new scratchbuilt building. I got three streetlights installed and working in the parking lot. I wanted to do that first so I can then concentrate on the building itself. There have been a lot of times I wish I was working with a larger scale than N.
It seems like a lot of diners have health issues. Although I attribute that to our advanced ages, I wonder if scientists would want to look into the health effects of the diner's food?
Milwaukee Road at the Bensonville Yard:
Milwaukee Rd Covered wagons at Bensenville hump yard 1977 by Mark LLanuza, on Flickr
Hi John,
I think the Diner's food is very healthy! No fat, no calories and no sodium, and it makes me very happy.
Now, if you start to make the actual food yourself it might not be quite so healthy but it will still make you happy.
I am still in the hospital and will be for a few more days. This has been a rather awful trip to the hospital but it just got a whole lot better! My terrible, inconsiderate roommate who paged the nurses every three minutes just to argue with them has just been discharged! She was so bad I was starting to get depressed.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel!
Don't Go Into The Light!
3 Men at a train Tunnel:
Ray, this roommate was so obnoxious that standing in front of a train could possibly be the only way to get away from her.
Hi maxman,
When severe depression hits, going into the light (i.e. seeking something bright and happy) is the best (and the hardest) thing to do. I speak from having suffered severe depression for the last 40 years.
You must not have seen the Poltergeist movie. Nothing bright there except the tv screen.
“Old people shouldn’t eat health foods. They need all the preservatives they can get.”— Robert Orben
Good Morning Diners. Zoe, I'll have the special and a coffee.
Dave, glad to hear your roommate was discharged. Here's hoping you are next.
Ray, how have you been? Still walking at the field house?
John, for a while growing up I had HO trains at my dad's and N at my mom's. I enjoyed them both but often felt like you are when putting together a N scale building kit. I can't imagine building one from scratch. Good for you.
Bear, same here. The replacement regulator is on the way.
Have a good day everyone.
Something has happened that I never thought possible. I have developed a liking for oatmeal porridge!! The hospital oatmeal actually tastes pretty good!
Not too long ago I expressed my disdain on the forums for all things porridge. It would seem that my dislike was based on the flavour and texture of the porridge that my family made. It looked, tasted and stuck to the roof of my mouth like thick wallpaper paste, and no amount of brown sugar could change that. It also skinned over very quickly. That was the worst part. The hospital stuff is creamy and tastes good even without sugar.
I'll eat breakfast quickly and then head out to cut the grass before the rain starts. At least we hope it starts.
Dave, it's good your roommate is gone. I'm glad that most hospitals in our area have now switched to single rooms.
Years ago my wife was in the hospital in New Orleans. She called me, crying, from her room and told me to come and tell the hospital she had to have a different room. She was whispering and wouldn't say more.
When I got there, I found out her roommate was an old woman who was dying of lung cancer. Her two sons were visiting, and all three of them were smoking cigarettes in the hospital room! I'm not sure what eventually happened, but I know once the nurses came into the room, they would stop what was happening.
Have a great day. My day will immediately improve when I finish cutting grass. This is the time of year I want to change my yard to artificial turf. My neighbors all love yard work -- I don't understand that.
It seems like there is always discussion about how to ballast a track, how to make it look right, what kind of ballast to use, what color should it be, etc.
This yard seems to have a great variety of ballast colors:
Balmer Railroad Yard #1 by John Gateley, on Flickr
York1 I found out her roommate was an old woman who was dying of lung cancer. Her two sons were visiting, and all three of them were smoking cigarettes in the hospital room!
Many, many years ago, I think in the early 70's, I was in the hospital having a pilonidal cyst removed. This was before Fonzie said to just sit on it. Anyway, the guy in the bed next to me must have been in for some sort of throat operation. There he was, just puffing away.
Some never learn.
Water Level Route Had trouble getting the stove to light and when I did, the burner was relatively low. I could get two to light but they would both barely have a flame, even on high. Three burners wasn't going to happen. I shut them off and tried the furnace. Nothing. Apparently something was going on with the regulator as after fiddling with the system for about an hour, out of frustration I rapped the regulator several times with the handle of a screwdriver.
Good thing there was no gas leaking around the regulator. They did a TV show about that. The Big Bang Theory.
Perhaps 30 years ago I took a bad fall skiing. I tore my rotator cuff. It was a seriously miserable experience all the way from the sled ride down the mountain to all the physical therapy and months of recovery. But, guess what I remember as the worst part. In the hospital they fed me the worst hospital food I've ever had. It was atrocious macaroni and cheese, which I specifically selected because it would be so easy to make even a cave man could do it. Apparently, they found the one cave man who couldn't do it. Boil, drain, add milk and butter and serve. How could they have messed that up?
I've complained about this site's poor performance, so will now give credit where credit is due. The timeouts have almost completely disappeared, and forum performance is back to where it was a few months ago, before this started happening. So, thanks to whomever fixed it.
Hi maxman
I have seen the Poltergeist itself! It was my previous roommate!!!
MisterBeasley Apparently, they found the one cave man who couldn't do it. Boil, drain, add milk and butter and serve. How could they have messed that up?
Maybe it was caveman leftovers.
hon30critterI have seen the Poltergeist itself!
Next time try to get a room without a mirror.
".....try to get a room without a mirror....."
After six days in the hospital, what else would I look like?!?
I've been workin' on the railroad —
Car Inspector Pit_Juniata Scales 1-17-30 by Edmund, on Flickr
Well, somebody has to do it. At the Juniata hump yard on the PRR in Altoona. Note the small pipes on either side of the track in the distance. These squirt a shot of whitewash at the offending car wheel or journal for car inspectors to further diagnose the problem found by Pit Stop Pete here.
Water Level RouteRay, how have you been? Still walking at the field house?
Nope!!!! I do run over there though! Fitbit tells me that in the last aproximately 6 years I have put in 8,600 miles. Had a Doctor's appt. a few weeks back and he asked me if I was still rinning. I said yep and if I really push myself I can lap a retired doctor that still runs over there. Of, course that guy is still running competitive 5ks and he is only 90!!! My doctor told me to keep at it for as long as I can. He did say to keep going unless I have any chest pain, start having muscle craps, or shortness of breath. If those happen I need to see a doctor!
I'm only at Codger at the momet so I have some time left!
Excuse me...
Couldn't get on here for days, turned into over a week.
Dave I've heard about the Canadian Hospital thing.
Strong Road To Recovery DAVE Thoughts, prayers and best wishes my friend.
The Shadows, Shade Blue, caught tonight.
That's Judy's foot, smearing behind her tennis shoe!
Gotcha covered Kids
Welcome to my Grandsons
I stand low
These boys are so beautiful, and as of now, one is almost done with college, and the next will follow in 2 years.
Proud Grandfather
TGIF - for those that care anyway. I do!
maxmanGood thing there was no gas leaking around the regulator.
howmusNope!!!! I do run over there though!
Track fiddlerWelcome to my Grandsons
gmpullmanAt the Juniata hump yard
Meanwhile, at the J&L yard. Lots of varitey here and modeling ideas. Those cars really take a beating! How many people do you see? I count three Four?
J&L Steel Pittsburgh Yard by Edmund, on Flickr
Good Friday morning. I'll have bacon, eggs, and coffee.
If I live long enough to make it into a nursing home, I wonder if they will let me eat bacon and eggs every day? I don't want to pay six or seven thousand dollars a month and then have to eat fruit or oatmeal for breakfast.
It's a beautiful day on the plains -- cloudy and later rainy. Perfect day.
TF, great picture of grandsons! You can be proud of them.
Time to get Cookie the dog out for a walk before it starts raining. For a long time, we had Daisy the Dachshund who hated water. If it was even misting, we couldn't drag her out. She had a fit walking on a damp sidewalk. Cookie it different. Rain doesn't bother her -- she is too interested in what is going on to even notice it's wet.
One of the staff at my doctor's office congratulated me on going into my 'golden years' when I turned 70. I told her that I didn't think gold was supposed to tarnish!
Good afternoon
Thanks guys
I've had a hard time getting on the site this month, so you'll have to excuse me for no railroad yard pictures.
I've been looking for that fine looking CP Building that Brent posted some years ago. You know, that good looking red, white, black and gray one. Maybe someone can help me out with that? At least I know where it is now. Its in the East Saint Paul yard. Seeing it driving by put a great big smile on my face. Thanks Brent!
The picture is no train yard, but a Green Machine pulling a ton or ten of history and Heritage, is at least worth a look.
Over in Osceola, Wisconsin.
PS Dave? Just a bit of acknowledgment would be appreciated. How you doing brother? When are you getting out of the clink? We're hopeful over here you know
Mike Bless your heart and the horse you road in on my brother. You put another big smile on my face
I'll get you back man! What comes around goes around.
And that's the way it's supposed to be.
hon30critterOne of the staff at my doctor's office congratulated me on going into my 'golden years' when I turned 70.
From what I can see there hasn't been a darn golden thing about them. I should find out how much more un-golden they have become after tests next week.
Hi TF,
I apologize for not responding sooner.
Here is the situation:
I have a clot in the large vein that goes through my liver. I will be on blood thinners for the next six months with the goal of dissolving the clot.
I also have an ulcer in my stomach. It poses a greater risk in that, if it starts to bleed, the blood thinners could cause severe bleeding.
They are going to keep me for a couple more days to monitor possible bleeding. There is also the possibility of suffering a stroke if the clot breaks loose.
The long term outlook is good as long as I stop drinking.
I'm with ya Dave. Someone like you, and a snow plow from past History from scratch, and a rotisserie layout, could probably go gently into that good night. But not you my friend, you're appreciated here.
Lots-a-Love, Get Better Dave
John & Judy
The Bear Pleased you’ve managed to join us Mr. TF, great photo of two strapping lads. (I’m going to reserve my comments about the third chap!)
Bear, I can't say nothing else, but you've been the greatest thing since peanut butter since I've joined the club a few years ago.
I'd have to say your next determination is, how much I actually like peanut butter
Well, I apologize for my previous apology. Since I said things had gotten much better, they've gotten worse again and I've had trouble posting.
Dave, I have been on blood thinners for years after needing a stent and going through some useless procedures to get rid of my AFIB but just messed me up more. Sad to think that medicine has gotten as crooked as car repair and a out as unethical.
Anyway, you will be much better off switching to an electric razor or even a beard because you don’t want to test your blood thinner every morning with a blade. Get a bunch of bandaids and keep some in your bathroom, some in your kitchen, some in your workroom, some in your bedroom and some in your car. You never know when you'll need one.
You should of seen that thing that came out of Ju-Ju's arm.
Quite disturbing