Elliotts Trackside Diner II

[Hoople]

Morning all.

Nice and cold here in Seattle; still no snow, best chance for it would be friday apparently.

Chloe, I'll have the hashbrowns, eggs, and toast. Scrambled. Milk.

Thanks chloe.

Now let's get down to business:

Jim: I saw their posts, What I was saying was move it north enough so it is actually at the area where there is 1' of reach to the back way up at the top, or close to it.

RT: Did you *ahem* pick it up yet? (See my post on the last page if you're thinking, wuuuh?)

 

Those little balls of fur are getting a bit crazy... Sometimes I walk into the room and see only 1 who is playing with string or something. The other five have been found in these places:

-Inside (yes, inside) the couch
-Under the treadmill
-In a small weird little-kid storage barrel (soft) full of stuffed animals
-Inside an overturned suitcase

They get into the weirdest places sometimes. At least I have entertainment until my Big Boy comes.

[gear-jammer]

Good Morning, All.  Coffee, please.

I haven't even been at the computer for a while.  Did Larry check in last week?  I have a party on Friday and Saturday so I have been cleaning inside and out. ICK.

Jim,  Looks like your track plans will give lots of operating session options.  What are your layout demensions?

Sue

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Hello everybody....

Well, well, well.......... It's been about a week since Chef Ryan told us about the big Thanksgiving Dinner he was preparing. Our mouths were drooling as he explained the menu. ...and now ...days and days later he stumbles into the diner.   It must have been some feast!

Oh never mind. I'll have hazel nut coffee with my oatmeal please.

Nice picture, Jeff.

Happy Model rialroading.

[pcarrell]

Morning all!

This looks to be the warmest day of the next 5 days as highs will get into the lower 50's, but quite a bit of wind come along with the warmth.  Rain will start this evening and then change over to snow as we head into the night.  Yup, it's beginning to look like winter is here to stay for a while!

Well, well, lucky me!  I get to sit in a meeting most of the day to learn something that is irrelevent to my job.  I have tons of "real work" that needs done and I don't really have time to goof off learning something that I'll never need.  But, the boss wants me there and he's signing my paycheck, so, I'll sit in there and learn it.  Just seems kinda goofy to me.  He's always on us about being more productive, and this is going to hinder that greatly.  Oh well!

So what do you have planned for the day?

RT, I'll tell ya what.......I'll split the difference with ya on the $500 if I can come over and run that loco once in a while.  Whaddya say?

Jim, I didn't measure thos tracks out or anything.  I was just trying to tighten things up a little.  The reach to the back of the yard is kinda long but not undoable (ya like that word?).  Just trying to make it and the duckunder a bit shorter.  It may just have to be something you live with if you go with that plan.  It's not a deal killer I don't think.

[JimRCGMO]

Good Morning, Zoe - I'd like a cup of coffee

 

and an egg croissanwich, please!

 

I'll do what I can with TSA.  The TSA agent is a very attractive female about 24 years old.  She was in the office chatting with our waterside security department trying to figure out where this and that RR spur started and terminated in our port areas, so as any good outstanding single male I offered to help.

Side benefits of the job, huh, Lee? But remember you're on the clock, too. Glow-in-the-dark ore for my mine, huh? I'll have to think about that one.

Mark, thanks for the suggestion, but a few post earlier, PC and Paul and I had been looking at the (longish) reach into the 'northeast' corner with another version of my plan, where I had tracks up that way. That's why the tracks got moved further south (and also slightly east). But thanks for thinking about it for me.  

Still kind of cool this morning - about 36 F, so shouldn't have frost to scrape off, just dew. Wind chill is about 28 F though. Could be one of those cold, damp days today (but no forecast of any precip. either).

About time for me to head out for the 'w' thing today. Prayers for JR's driving on California roads (and take lots of pictures at Yosemite, please - I'd love to get to go there!), and for all the rest in need of comfort (or healing). 

 

Blessings on your 'hump day',

Jim in Cape Girardeau 

[Fergmiester]

Good Morning All from the Flemish Cap on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland!

Gales are still blowing and the seas are building, had to put a pillow under the outboard side of the bunk to keep me from being rolled out (wouldn't be the first and won't be the last). Winds are backing to the NW and demishing come tomorrow.

Fergie: What do you do in the Coast Guard?  I'm in the U.S. Coast Guard Way down south on Lake Erie.  I see it's almost Christmas; our tender just pulled the WX buoy off the US/Canada boarder yesterday.

High winds today out of the NW, blew all my leaves (and neighborhood trash cans) to a different zip code.

Has anybody used the brick/cobblestone street, self adhesive strips from Walther's?

Me well I do a bit of this and a bit of that  but honestly I am a Chief Officer (What you would refer to as XO) I also do get to go Skipper from time to time. Rank is not an important thing to me thouigh as it takes a team to make one of these puppies run and as long as everyone works together that's key.

Anyway guys thanks for the concern! but it's not too bad out here... yet!

Later All

Fergie

[rtraincollector]

Oh, BTW Dave V., the tender looks awesome!

Woo Hoo Jeff is back Time to have a party girls yes put it on PC's Credit Card he normally leaves it under the regester.

HEY!!!  Wait a minu..........oh what the heck!  Just do it girls!  Party's on me!

See I knew you wouldn't mind thats why you leave the credit card there.

By the way girls can you give me a $500.00 on pc 's card he's a great guy you know.

Thanks

Not that great! 

man nothin like fatting up the wallet ever once in a while. Glad no one else is in here to see this

I spy with my little eye, something, um.........SNEAKY!

Maybe I ought to order one of those new lionel big boys next time PC don't look at the statement just pays it. Heck there only $2100.00 he wouldn't notice with the dinners bills he gets

Girls, any unauthorized charges on the card come out of your tips!  (RT, you take those girls tips and may God have mercy on your soul! )

Don't worry girls anything prior to that statement ain't your responsibility

But heres the $500.00 don't want pc to get to upset over a little joke lol. I couldn't keep it anyway he's to nice a guy besides not my style I rather do with out but like to kid around

 

[SilverSpike]

Morning folks! Hot coffee for me, thanks Chloe!

Dang, a week away from the Diner and 11 pages later....you all been talking it up huh!

Well, Ben and Monique are down in New Orleans visiting family so I am all alone and plan to dedicate every spare moment in the train room for the next 6 days so I hope to start making some major progress on the layout.

Welcome to the new Diners in the Diner!

Later folks,

Ryan

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Good morning.

Today's Weather for:      
Sundown, LA  71446-6114      11/28/2007

Wind Chill:  39°F
Humidity:  93%
Dew Point:  37°F

So Far Today
High:  41°F
Low:  38°F
Rain:  0.00"
Rain Rate:  0.00"/h
Gust:  3mph SE

Today    High: 68    Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 60s. Light and variable winds.    

Tonight    Low: 45    Increasing clouds. Lows in the mid 40s. Light and variable winds becoming northwest around 10 mph after midnight.

[inch53]

Mornin, coffee and a short stack please Zoe.

29 here in the woods and headed for a high near 50 [maybe], chance of rain later today, Lows tonight upper 20's and a high tomorrow in the upper 30's

FERGIE,, yes I did some something the other day, but darned if I can remember what it was. Oh well, I guess it wasn't important

DICK,,, I'm getting more layout time lately, but it's not cold enough yet to keep me in on sunny days and I've still got plenty other chores inside that need doing. Pellets are running $3.50 to $4.35 here right now; it's the corn that ridicules $9 plus a hundred.

 CN CHARLIE,, welcome to the dinner, hope you enjoy your visits here n have a cup on me. I'm in HO too and it's at 32" so I can set down, since I have trouble standing for long, and that way the grandkids can see it without me holding them.

PHIL,,, never thought about it till this morning, but the next time your going to be in Effingham give us a holler. Maybe me n Mother could meet ya there and show you round.

LEE, you might best behave while your checking security.

JERRY,, here's link to the IC thread over in the Trains mag. Forum and I hope they get your phone fixed today.

 http://www.trains.com/trccs/forums/1/875147/ShowPost.aspx#875147

Best gets round, kids are here and I still need to do a few things. Hope ya'll has a gooden n stay safe

[wetidlerjr]

Good Morning from Tipton IN ! 

[LSWrr]

Phil,  I'll do what I can with TSA.  The TSA agent is a very attractive female about 24 years old.  She was in the office chatting with our waterside security department trying to figure out where this and that RR spur started and terminated in our port areas, so as any good outstanding single male I offered to help.

Lee 

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Hello everbody.

Good to see that CNCharlie joined the forum. The root beer floats are gone I see; so I'll be glad to buy a round of hot cider to welcome him from Winnipeg.

I've been in the layout room this evening. I laid a small amount of track in my section under construction. Next, I operated some trains.

Happy Model railroading.  

 

[philnrunt]

  CNCharlie- Good to have you aboard! Welcome, come in often and enjoy the good company!  

LSWrr- Coastie, eh? Good man. I have a favor to ask- while you are going around with the TSA folk, if you have a cup of common sense and a tablespoon of humor, slip it to them.

     They are good folk, but they are new at this security thingie, and they still can't "read" people just yet.

     I was typing on another post, and on TV an astronomer was speaking on planets we have located with the Hubble, and suddenly he was riding behind a steam loco, saying iwhen we discover more planets one might even have "forests and a steam train" on them. Sounds good to me. Earlier, the local ran two light engines past the PD, had to step out to watch them roll by. I like it when they run by in the night, but I'm sure the folks living by the tracks wish they would lay off the horn a bit. Actually had a person complain about that once, they had just moved next to the tracks and didn't realize how loud the trains were. I sided with the train. Huh, go figure.

   Pretty quiet here, just like in the diner. Except, in the diner, it's always a warm summer night when I visit. Not too warm here in Dunkirk. Already miss those summer nights. Gettin' old, I guess.

    Better go do something, even if it's wrong.

   

[LSWrr]

Jim,  you could buy some of that glow in the dark paint for the ore cars it tends to be clear until the lights go out, might shock the heck out of your fellow modelers.  I have my coal mine finished but i want to marry the coal mine and the power plant together with hidden tracks so I'm pulling emptys from the power plant and fulls from the coal mine.

TSA stopped in at work, might be doing some rail fanning with them after the holidays to assess railroad security, LOL.  They asked for referances and I gave them my collection of rail fan pictures from the area.  Should be interesting, wander around taking pictures while on the clock.

[GMTRacing]

Good Evening All,

  Greetings from Bakersfield. Flight out was good and the drive out of L.A. wasn't as excruciating as last time. still bumper to bumper stop and go for two hours is taxing. Tomorrow the plan is to drive to Yosemite via Hanford where I used to live then through Fresno to rt41.Temps are supposed to stay in the high 50's with no rain predicted so we should be able to get some hiking in.

Der - the layouts looking good. I ended up with the AMI instant road bed in gray and O scale as well as the usual black which has been handy for use as car roads.

Jeff - Glad to see you back up and around the diner.

Gotta go, long day tomorrow. CUL, J.R.

[Paul W. Beverung]

Evening Gang: Just a quick one to let you know how the party went. I saw a lot of old friends and the old boss didn't show. Unfortunately there were quite a few no shows. The food was good but no entertainment like in years past. We usually had a casino. Oh well it's kind of expected since the new owners ran up a $2.5 billion debte. I'm glade I got out when I did.

Wellcome CNDave.

Well I guess I'll head for bed.

Good Night All

[JimRCGMO]

Jim, your mine in the corner will that be coal or iron ore? 

All:  Whatever happened to PA Belt?  I was flipping through the old diner trying to catch up on everything I missed this past summer and I notice I failed in my New Year's Resolution to assemble all these structures I have stacked up.  Maybe this year I can get some stuff done, LOL. 

Lee, actually the mine will be vanadium/uranium ore (gonna be lotsa fun to paint and get the coloring of my loads right for that, though). This is set in the Four Corners region in the 1950's - I'm sort of placing the mines up near Lukachukai, into the mountains a bit. The ore gets transported on the CAW lines over to Farmington, NM, where the refinery/smelter is - the government is paying decent money for that uranium ore, and the vanadium is a valuable metal in its own right about then, too. That's my RR story, and I'm sticking to it!

Hey, Lee - if you didn't finish all your structures, I'd sure better not make any New Year's resolutions about putting together all of mine!

Now that you mention it, PA Belt hasn't been in for a while. Anybody talked with him? 

Jim in Cape Girardeau 

[Hoople]

Evening.

It's nice and cold... Hoping for snow.

RT: Too bad about PC's card... Don't worry, I stole his backup yesterday. I believe your LHS has the new Lionel Big Boy waiting for you. I also got myself some pretty daylight cars... california zephyr cars, the athearn FEF, the BLI MT-73, the PCM ALCO PAs in Daylight and CZ schemes... a DT400, and several sound decoders...

Jim: I have six balls of fur to enjoy, I think I can wait. Oh, and btw, I like the track plan, although the reach is a bit far.

Jeff: I believe they have those E8s on sale at walthers, I think B&O and SP A units for $43, undec. with sound A/B for like $100, that's from last month, I don't know if the prices are still that low.

Alright all, gotta go.

Mark

EDIT: Jim: I just looked at your plan again, and thought of an idea. Why not move the oil dealers switch north a bit, and have the oil dealer farther up by the area where there is plenty of room to add more up north? Or, you could move the grain dealer there, which would add some interesting operations if a backdrop was added so the grain dealer could be out on the plains. Just an idea.

[JimRCGMO]

Hey Jim,

Is it possible to put a little less swing on those tracks to tighten them up?  Something like this?

I liked that at first when I looked at it, PC, but then I'm trying to figure how I'll fit the elevator between those closer-together tracks (not enough room unless I put it to the left of the tracks. If I put the elevator on the left-most track in my ('eastern') town, then I'll have more steps to do when switching (move the boxcars and covered hoppers off the elevator/oil dealer track onto the spare one nearer the factory, then pull the tankers in, switch them back to the oil dealer, then go back and get the boxcars/covered hoppers and move them back to the elevator. Could mess (tm - sorry, Fergie) up the elevator's work schedule during harvest season... Danged if you do, danged if you don't, huh? More fiddlin' with the design is in order, I see...

Thanks for the (re-)start, though, PC.

Jim in Cape Girardeau

[LSWrr]

Jim, your mine in the corner will that be coal or iron ore? 

All:  Whatever happened to PA Belt?  I was flipping through the old diner trying to catch up on everything I missed this past summer and I notice I failed in my New Year's Resolution to assemble all these structures I have stacked up.  Maybe this year I can get some stuff done, LOL. 

[pcarrell]

Hey Jim,

Is it possible to put a little less swing on those tracks to tighten them up?  Something like this?

[Flashwave]

For those of you F fans, I hope you won't skin me. The HO&N Turbo Division is at it again...

 

 

I'll have a milk and a Pasta Daylight. :P

[JimRCGMO]

Welcome aboard Dave.

, CNRDave, what Lee said! I think we have about 4 Dave's in the Diner from time to time now. I was going to guess you were NOTB, from your weather description. And what have you been doing to keep the CFO (wife) happy, so maybe she will authorize additional trackage rights for the Mortimer division, by the way? Might check what's on her Christmas wishlist; it could work to your long-term advantage...

Have a cup of your favorite beverage on me, since you've already filled us in on your layout and modelling style. And enjoy the Diner, since you've moved from peeking in the windows to grabbing a seat at the table inside. Oh, one thing you may have noticed - don't sit between PC and the kitchen when one of our lovely servers bring a pie in, you don't want to get trampled in the stampede...

 

Blessings,

Jim in Cape Girardeau (where it's not quite as wonderful of weather as Jeff gets down in Louisiana) 

 

[JimRCGMO]

Evening, Diners! Chloe, how about some a nice rib plate with fries and some baked beans, please, with a cup of the TH.

 

Looks like I'm buying. The Caffeine Coffee house is open with a special Cowboy coffee for the serious coffee drinkers "served with a spoon"

So Rob - is that like a Popsicle on a stick, but instead more like a Coffee-sicle on a spoon?? I know a few people in the Diner who'll love 'em, I'm sure!

Dave, excellent work on that tender - and in iNvisible scale, too! You da man! And a manuscript on the way? Let us know which MR issue it'll be in, so we can watch for it!

Fergie, watch yourself out there and get yourself back home safe and well, so you can ride that 0-6-0, and re-engineer the MESS(tm)'s main line for two.

DerJohn, I'd forgotten about you mentioning the AMI roadbed for your roads. I don't know if you'd said earlier about painting the roadbed after it's in place. That would make sense, since the AMI roadbed always seemed a bit sticky to me, and I was hesitant to use it because of that. Lets me use up the roll of the roadbed that I was wondering what to do with. And I'd have to agree that you do seem to be working away furiously on your layout. - how much will you get done once it's winter and you are inside with more time to work on the layout... 

Colby, once you get the 'puter fixed/replaced, do get one or more of those antivirus and anti-spyware programs on it - and keep the antivirus updated daily. No fun having an infested PC...

Jerry, you must have a pretty handy nephew (and a kind one). Treat him right, definitely!

Our rain has stopped here for now, and it warmed up this afternoon into the 50's, after all. Only supposed to drop to just above freezing tonight, so I'm hoping I won't have any frost to scrape in the morning. It was a pretty nice afternoon.

PC, Paul and my other layout advisors - here's some of the changes that you'd mentioned on the room-sized layout idea:

 

I like this some better, but would like it if the switchback to the oil dealer didn't stick out so far. Only problem is, if it's not that long I'll have trouble getting very many tanker cars at a time moved into the dealer's siding.

Paul, maybe you can sit at the other end of the table from your former boss?

Mark, I know it'll be hard for you to wait for the Big Boy to arrive, eh? Hang in there in the meantime. 

I went by the eye doctor this afternoon, and he said that my ocular (eye) pressure was up (I'd run out of one of the two drops, didn't have refills left and couldn't afford them until payday. He was talking about maybe having surgery on the left (worse) eye - yeah, so how am I going to pay for that?... so-called 'health' coverage... Okay, end of (abbreviated) rant.

Looks like our Easterners are in for some of that fluffy white stuff. Got your shovel? Got the wood moved in close? Got your long johns on? Okay, let it snow! We're not quite ready for that just yet out here in the Midwest, though.

Need to go by the grocery store for some things. Those ribs got me going.   Take care and I'll be back in the morning.

 

Blessings,

Jim in Cape Girardeau 

[LSWrr]

Welcome aboard Dave.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

 

I do have one request of Jeffery though. Please stop torturing me with those weather reports! It's depressing enough with a current temp of +2F and a forecast of -17 by Friday.

Request denied. The weather reports will continue.

[CNCharlie]

 Hello! I'm new to the neighbourhood and I heard that the coffee is good here. Plus the patrons don't give you odd looks when you mention model railroad.

By way of introduction I am another returnee to the hobby a couple of years ago after a long absence. In fact I got my first HO engine exactly 50 years ago this month for my 10th birthday. It is an Athearn F7 that I still have. It still runs but by today's standards it is rather crude. I have a small layout on the much maligned 4x8, actually it is 7.5 but I'm happy for that as it isn't the decor item my wife had in mind when we re-did our rec room a couple of years ago. It's also low, only 30" off the floor, as it couldn't be higher than the room divider book case it sits beside. Good thing I'm not tall or is it that I'm short? In any event I'm trying to basically model a CNR sub with mostly steam power. I had all the trackwork and wiring done but then the DCC thing happened so I tore it all up and completely re-did it last month. I also changed to Kato Unitrack from Atlas Trutrack and am glad I made the switch. I don't have a lot of time to devote to it so sectional track with roadbed was the best option for me.

I have been reading this forum for about a year now and have gotten a lot of good advice by reading the posts. I especially want to mention those of Jeffery Wimberley. I always read his posts and like so many others was glad to hear he is on the mend.

I do have one request of Jeffery though. Please stop torturing me with those weather reports! It's depressing enough with a current temp of +2F and a forecast of -17 by Friday. Mind you it is supposed to warm up tomorrow to +10 but there will just be more snow that won't melt until April. In case you are wondering where I might be located, it is in Winnipeg, Canada. Oh well, I can always go downstairs and run trains. It's always summer on CNR's Mortimer sub! 

 Keep the coffee hot!

Dave (aka CNCharlie)

[LSWrr]

Fergie: What do you do in the Coast Guard?  I'm in the U.S. Coast Guard Way down south on Lake Erie.  I see it's almost Christmas; our tender just pulled the WX buoy off the US/Canada boarder yesterday.

High winds today out of the NW, blew all my leaves (and neighborhood trash cans) to a different zip code.

Has anybody used the brick/cobblestone street, self adhesive strips from Walther's?

[Paul W. Beverung]

Good Afternoon All: I'm early today. We're going to the Christmas party tonight. Us retires get an invite. I'm not really wanting to go primarly because my old boss is going to be there and I really don't want to socalize with him. Anyway the resturant is a good one and in Ft. Worth which is much closer to us here.

The weather is really nice here. It's about 60f and will be that way for a day or so. I started to clean out the old hay barn. I got the 2 pallets of Bentonite out. They were too heavy for the front end loader to lift but I managed to get them out far enough to get them with the hay forks. I was really pushing the tractors limits. Now I have to figure out where to put all the stuff I've stuffed in there the last couple of decades. Anyone wwant a Spelunker? I've got all the molds to make them.

Dave that's a really good job on the tender.

Fergie: You take care there. If that one little fist sized hole in that 2400 ton cruiseship caused it to sink? I know that you guys are better at taking care of stuff like that.

Well I guess I'd better get in the shower and get ready to go.

See you all later.