Good Morning from Tipton IN !
Bill Tidler Jr.
Near a cornfield in Indiana...
Just a tall cool glass of water please.
Didn't get much sleep last night. Too tired from burying three people up to their heads behind the tall garden fence last night and one was a cop. Pond is full enough again so getting rid of the vehicles was easy. Anyway, the wife has been nagging me to make some of my special BBQ meat and with gas prices these days, town is too far a drive.
Rob
Hey, hey. I see Bill's buying this morning. I'll have a bacon sarnie and some OJ.
Good morning.It's a very nice 70 degrees here this morning under a cloudy sky, but like all things that's subject to change. We're expecting a high of 76 that will probably feel like 82 and there will be showers and a thunderstorm or two.Today's Weather for: Sundown, LA 71446-6114 4/1/2008Wind Chill: 70°FHumidity: 88%Dew Point: 66°FSo Far TodayHigh: 72°FLow: 70°FRain: 0.00"Rain Rate: 0.00"/hGust: 17mph S Today High: 80 Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs around 80. Light and variable winds. Tonight Low: 62 Mostly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening. Lows in the lower 60s. Light and variable winds becoming northeast around 10 mph after midnight.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
Good morning,
Rob, I might have some door sized track plans on my home computer. What are the dimensions of your door?
Hoople, how big are the squares on your plans?
The DDS had to pull one of Dorothy's teeth last night to help control the infection, evidently something went wrong with the tooth last week causing the infection in the jaw, and just happened that the sinus infection hit her at the same time.
Dick, I was wondering that myself. I've seen locomotives hit the de-railer then hit a concrete pad and re-rail itself but I've never seen anything cut through a closed switch. I think someone at the lumberyard is in big trouble. They do have permanent de-railers here in Cleveland. Throw the bar/flag down and it's open, throw it up and its set to de-rail. If the weather clears up I'll get a picture of one. Why didn't 911 call train dispatch to report the runaway car??
Garry, if we can come up with a suitable logo for the diner I'll ask Dorothy to hook us up.
Lee
BM1 Lee Soule USCG (ret) L.S.&W Railroad Serving the Lower Great Lakes
Our thoughts and prayers go out for all in need, recovery and recuperation.
Garry that storm by you today is headed our way tomorrow, and with the 3+ inches of rain we've gotten since Saturday that will really keep the ground wet here. The lakes are really full again too!
Rob with all that digging and hiding work from last night you might have to catch up on some sleep now.
You all have a great day!
Ryan BoudreauxThe Piedmont Division Modeling The Southern Railway, Norfolk & Western & Norfolk Southern in HO during the merger eraCajun Chef Ryan
wow were have I been????
Mark finally got his big boy after an eternity, sue is another year older and PC has cleaned out the pie vault (well that can be expectted)
I've finished the track makeover on my layout and I'll get pics up later today.
Good Morning!
And a fine morning it is too!
I'll have a cup of Joe please............
I feel a little better today. Not a lot, but some. Last night was tough though. I took a lukewarm shower to get my fever down as I was burning up. The wife isn't much better, but her stomach was too upset to sit for a shower. She's better today though.
I got into contact with a old friend this morning. Seems he is the guy that does the warranty work for the builder who built our house. When we scheduled someone to come out to fix a couple of minor things we had no idea we'd know the guy who came. I actually was planning on hooking up with this guy in a couple of months because I want to pour a concrete patio out back and then put a roof and sliding glass doors all around. I'm wanting to put a hot tub in there for therapy for the wife and kids (and I just get to benefit!).
Well, last nights storms through Central Indiana have made for an interesting start for the workday at the phone company. It looks like most of the major problems are delt with now, just cleaning up the little ones. Gotta love those storms. They're my job security! Everyone always says that my job is easy, until the storms roll in. And indeed, 50% of my job is just standing around waiting for stuff to happen. I mean, don't get me wrong, I find stuff to do, but I don't get to really launch into action and do what I do until the really nasty stuff starts happening. And then, NOBODY wants my job! But I love it, because thats my job....I get to help people in trouble, it's what I do.
And speaking of........time to launch again!
Later!
I was just visiting a website I absolutely love, and I thought I'd share it with all of you!
Click on the pic and it'll take you there!
Good morinng everyone .
Careful! Don't be an April fool.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Good morning everyone, cloudy, showery day here today, but the temp is up to 56F and headed for the 60's today, what a change from a day ago.
The furnace kicked up again last night, this time the head guru ( owners son ) came to the house and after about 30 minutes of TS'ing, the problem turned out to be zone 3 valve power head. It was not fully opening, which was sending intermittent signals back to the aquastat controller, causing it to open and close in rapid succession. Can't complain, that zone controller head was 12 years old.
GAV: Sorry that I didn't get back to you last night, it was after midnight and I headed off to bed dog tired. Yes, there were many people injured, none life threatening or very serious luckily.
LEE: I just cannot understand how a proven, working de-railer can be at fault. This is once again, as is the case in most cases, "human error". The switch from the siding was set wrong also, as it allowed the car to roll right onto the main line and down the tracks. The engineer did get a call from the dispatcher, and he had all of 40 seconds to stop the train and then try to reverse. Not enough time to get momentum in reverse to match the speed of the runaway loaded lumber car.
ROB: Sorry to hear about your family health issues, we continue to keep you guys and all the others in need, in our prayers. Hang in there Rob.
RYAN: More rain?? I think your drought is over !!
PC: Philip, that is one nice site, thank you for sharing with us !!
JEFF: I just read in the paper here this morning, that Louisiana is only two states under MA in cost for auto insurance. States like MA, NY, NJ, FL etc are over $1000 average, now what would make Louisiana so HIGH $$$? That makes no sense to me. What is driving your state cost so high?? Lots of accidents?
Lunchtime !!
Dick I can answer for Jeff since I lived in Louisiana for 95% of my life, it is the number of uninsured motorist who drive that cause the rates to be so high for those who do have it!
And yes, the drought seems to be over, Cary has lifted their water restrictions and Durham will most likely lift theirs soon. Still no word on Raleigh water restrictions...
Good Morning Ya all.
Hi there Chloe, When you get a minute I'll have a western ommlette and A long tall OJ from Ed.
Jeff. Please tell me what that thing is that you are eating. "A sarnie" I have never ran across that term. It sounds like a sardine sandwich that Fergie would be smacking his lips on.
Well our little trip to Spokane is over for now and back to the grind. Didn't get out to the show in Olympia as there just seemed to be too much snow every morning. So Sue, I didn't get close enough to say Hi.
My son took us out for breakfast one morning to Frank's Diner, in down town Spokane. I am sure that a lot of our Washington members here will know all about this, but for those of you that don't, I thought you might find this very interesting. This is the history of the railway car that the diner is in.
During the heyday of railroading, Barney-Smith and Pullman vied for supremacy in the elegant railcar business. In 1906, Barney-Smith Manufactured this car as an "observation car".
It remained unsold until 1909, when it was purchased by the Northern Pacific Railroad and remodelled to suit their needs as a private car for the President of the Railroad.
This car ( # 1787 ) served as the President's car until it was replaced in 1931.
It became stranded in Seattle at the height of the depression, then # 1787 found a new home. Frank Knight, the brother and sometime partner of Jack Knight of Spokane, bought the President's car and converted it into a traditional "diner".
Frank and his heirs operated the Diner on 4th Avenue south in Seattle from 1931 until 1991 when they lost their land lease, sixty years after old 1787 served it's first meal.
With a 60 year tradition of great breakfasts, lunches, and dinners in Seattle, # 1787 has been restored locally by Pat Jeppesen. Our owners, Larry & Pat Brown and Ken & Christy Belisle along with our General Manager, Kim Jacobson and her crew are proud to offer Frank's Diner in Spokane, where appreciation for tradition and good food is unsurpassed.
Seattle's loss is Spokane's gain. Frank's Diner has been voted Spokane's Best Breakfast 11 out of the past 12 years. We welcome you to Frank's and are sure you'll enjoy the hearty recipes handed down over the past six decades.
I can attest that the food was really great and the ambience of the old car was fantastic. What a neat experience for those who have a railroad bug. If you get the chance to visit Spokane, don't miss this experience, you won't be sorry.
Sure glad to hear that most of you ducked that storm alright. Health seems to be on the upswing for all of us and that too is great.
While in Spokane, I also loaded up on a case of flex track, some scenic materials, 5 Bachman silver series cars and 2 Atlas trainman cars at prices you can't refuse at a shop called White Elephant. They have a location in downtown Spokane and one in Spokane Valley. Definately worth a look, for hunting and fishing, games, toys and modelling. More like a clearance center, but definatly well stocked.
Always nice to get away, but as well it is nice to get home again. Must get down to the "Wobbly" now and see if it still likes me. Lol. or have the gremlins taken over.
Johnboy out...................
from Saskatchewan, in the Great White North..
We have met the enemy, and he is us............ (Pogo)
Almost Afternoon Gang: I got a call this morning that Tony passed away this morning. At least now he is not suffering. I will miss him.
Rob are you turning into a serial killer or just taking care of some tresspassers? Around here tresspassers and poachers are open season. That's why I cary an AP 4 with a red dot scope.
I'm going to head out and get some things done. Rob knows that that means.
Paul. I'm very sorry to learn about your good friend, Tony.
Happy lunchtime, Diners! How's everyone today? Zoe, I'll have one of those bacon sandwiches ("samie") like Jeff's, but toast my bread and add some lettuce and tomato slices, please. Oh, that is a BLT, come to think of it! Yep, and a nice, cold Dr. Pepper, too. Thank you, ma'am!
Nice sunny afternoon here, though with as much soggy ground as we have, we didn't need those 3 inches of rain last night. Had a flash flood watch at one point last night, and a tornado watch another, and then a severe thunderstorm at another spot in the evening. Sheesh! Guess that's what you got later, Garry. I think this front tracked up the Ohio Valley, mostly.
At MRR club last night, the four of us who were there got some track laid around one of the turns (the one that'll go between the power plant on the one side and the coal loader on the other when it's all done). Our design guru laid out our big (visible) yard tracks - that's gonna be one long yard - eight tracks, about 4 feet or more each! During part of the time we were there, we think the rain was coming down sideways. But the rain eased off by the time I left last night, so not too bad.
Good one, Rob - or else, you shouldn't be posting the details of the crime here. Remember, we have a couple of Diners who work in law enforcement, y'know... Hope your wife (and Puddles) gets feeling better soon.
Hoople, that plan looks like it has possibilities (but can you fit 140 cars and the Big Boy on it? I'd agree with the other comments - be nice to your Mom, and you might get to annex that additional land for your RR.
Folks, I'm not sure about the derailer, but I'd agree with Dick and the others, that the lumberyard turnout probably didn't throw itself.
Lee, hope Dorothy gets feeling better (once the soreness from the dentist wears off) soon. That sounds neat on the embroidered shirts, though! Forgot to ask you earlier - if you're on the Admiral's staff, will you get some fancy gold braid for your uniform? Will we have to salute you and call you Sir?
PC, hope you and the CFO get feeling better. Hopefully, your fever will break with that shower. That, or Dick's favorite (beverage) remedy.
Oh, in keeping with today's date, one of our psychiatrists came in this morning and said that the cash-only gas station down the road had $1.00/gallon gas until noon today. Got several patients excited in the waiting room (I wish that one were true, but...).
I'll be w**king on my sandwich at the corner booth for now.
Blessings and a sunny afternoon for you,
Jim in Cape Girardeau
Paul, sorry to hear about Tony's passing. Give his wife our sympathy and prayers.
refill, please & thanks. (picked up 72oz of collumbian on the-bay last night, but it won't arrive for a few days and all I have is Instant...)
***Paul, sorry about Tony, but his suffering is over and that Is a Blessing. It is the living he leaves behind who must endure. You know, it might not hurt to go about setting that "red dot scope" on some targets and let off some stress.
***Jim, hiding in plain site is the prefered way to live for us schitzophrenic sociopathathic homicidal maniacs who know we control the Universe. (you should read some of the e-mails my brothers and I send back & forth to see if we can trigger an investigation. I know we shouldn't, but sometimes can't help ourselves...)
Puddles is still alive thus far. Will give her another shot of pen this evening to try keeping her from becoming septic. She still has to pass "it". Yuck!
Now, what's for lunch? Rob
A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA TODAY. SOUTH WINDS WILL GUST TO AS MUCH AS 40 MPH AHEAD OF THE FRONT. BEHIND THE FRONT...WINDS WILL BECOME WESTERLY AND INCREASE. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS GREATER THAN 45 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED ONCE THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH.
Paul, sorry to hear about Tony.
Jim, no fancy rope, that's for the ADM's aid. No I'm still a Bosun, people come up missing teeth or wake up face down in Rob's garden for calling a Bosun sir
Dick, IMHO its human error and someone needs to go to prison. I stopped at the N&S lift bridge and chatted with the operator for a while today on my patrol; He made a comment about derailers only fail when they aren't used. It sounded like the locomotive crew did a good job, but as an outsider the dispatcher sounded (from the recordings on the internet) maybe "a little too calm" about the whole event. I didn't hear on the recordings that 911 were called until after the report came about the collision. It will be interesting to read the final report.
I did stay for a while at the bridge and watched B&B replace the ends of the mitered rails for the bridge. My office regulates some aspects of the bridge; normally my job is to respond when someone hits it.
PC, I have sliding glass doors all around my side patio. If there was one thing I would change about it I would have one swinging patio door for the winter time. As it is now water gets into the bottom track and freezes the doors shut.
I felt odd driving in Louisiana after the 6th car went by me with the big sticker in the back window announcing he was an "uninsured motorist caution". 1. no insurance 2. He can't see out his back window due to the sticker. Granted most of my driving was along I-10 and in NOLA.
I just got hit by the State of Ohio with a random automated audit. They mailed me a letter requesting I mail proof of insurance to Columbus within 30 days of this letter or my license will be suspended. I found out they do this every month and a computer picks who is getting the audit.
Hi Zoe, I'll have a root beer float, please.
Thanks!
Lee, good to hear you're still among the real people!
Cederstrand wrote:***Jim, hiding in plain site is the prefered way to live for us schitzophrenic sociopathathic homicidal maniacs who know we control the Universe. (you should read some of the e-mails my brothers and I send back & forth to see if we can trigger an investigation. I know we shouldn't, but sometimes can't help ourselves...)
Rob, you're probably on the NSA/Homeland Security list of "No Fly" people, if you and the brother have been doing that... But heck, someone has to keep them on their toes, so why not you?
I just spent part of my afternoon at a local place of confinement, explaining to one person why - even if they are very, very frustrated with a family member's behavior - it is not good policy to make remarks about "I think I'll go be with (dearly departed) Grandma.." (especially when there are weapons in the home). Told the person that - when I could not for sure know that the person wasn't likely to act on the threat-out-of-frustration-comment - I have had to arrange for a short, three to four day stay at another place of confinement with the white coats for people making such remarks. Certain things aren't for messing around (kind of like saying the 'bomb' or 'boom' word if you are anywhere close to an airport isn't a smart thing to do). Personally, I have felt at times like the person's family members could stand to see someone in my field, but then again, they're usually sneaky crafty enough that they aren't there where I'm seeing the person. Okay, end of pet-peeve rant... And no, that only barely had anything to relate it to your comment, Rob.
Got away late for lunch, so I am now off the clock for the day (a bit early). My co-worker went to lunch, but forgot to tell me when she got back, so it was an hour later (after the call from the local gendarmes) before I found out. I figured, what the heck, might as well go get this taken care of, and then go to lunch.
After some looking at my Walthers PS 2893 covered hoppers (and the photo that was in the package, showing the grey one vs. the oxide red ones in the box), I figured out that I will need to paint over the ATSF 'billboard' lettering (1960's or after) and the strips for the automated car readers on the sides, and re-decal them with some older style ATSF lettering decals I have. Did some looking on that auction site, and on Athearn's site, but doesn't appear to be any abundance of (or any) earlier ATSF PS 2893 covered hoppers that I know for sure are in the 1950's. I'll probably (if I need any more covered hoppers) just get the 2-bay kind (even Athearn's 2003 cu. ft. ones will fit my RR's time period) instead. My SP, Cotton Belt, and Frisco ones are within the correct time frame, so they'll work fine.
Then again, I probably need to do like Hoople and start checking out additional territory to expand my railroad. Then I'll have room for more of those buildings I haven't assesmbled yet... And I don't even have a Big Boy - nothing bigger than a GP7 or a Mogul, so far!
I'm going to kick back at the table (more leg room to stretch out in).
evening all
tea and a bacon sarnie please Chole
how is every one on this of most exellent evenings ( last day )
GREYFOX
like you said very lucky. that derailer cant of been in place otherwise the thing would have come orf. as for the switch were they expecting a shipment?
pc get well soon
Paul sorry to hear about you friend my condolences go out to you and his family
right going to eat my breakfast speak soon
Gav
Okay, Guys and Gals, it's time for a quiz!
Here 'tis -
The Mental Capacity TestThe following short quiz consists of 4 questions and tells whether you are qualified to be a "professional". Scroll down for each answer.The questions are not that difficult.Questions:
1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?.. . . . . .....The correct answer is:Open the refrigerator door, put in the giraffe and close the door.This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?..... . . . . ..Wrong Answer:Open the refrigerator door, put in the elephant and close the refrigerator.Correct Answer:Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door.This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your actions...... . . . . ......3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend except one. Which animal does not attend?... . . . . .....Correct Answer:The Elephant. (The Elephant is in the refrigerator)This tests your memory. OK, even if you did not answer the first three questions correctly, you still have one more chance to show your abilities..... . . . . ....4. There is a river you must cross. But it is inhabited by crocodiles. How do you manage it?........ . . . . ........Correct Answer:You swim across. All the Crocodiles are attending the Animal Meeting.
This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.According to Andersen Consulting Worldwide, around 90% of the professionals they tested got all questions wrong.But many preschoolers got several correct answers.AndersonConsulting says this conclusively disproves the theory that most professionals have the brains of a four year old.
(This ends the test. How'd you do?)
***Jim, my wife as a nurse (and former fire fighter/ambulance driver and EMT) has a pretty warped sense of humor, much like law enforcement I would imagine. It's why we make such a good match. That and we are both artists and everyone knows how crazy artists are. She is starting to finally burn out though. She is trying to get a position in pre & post surgery, so she doesn't have to deal with all the serious nut cases who come into the ER. On a serious note, we stopped including my brother in Hong Kong with the (every trigger word imaginable e-mails), because we were affraid living over there, he might actually get in some real trouble. As for "no fly lists", there are so many folks who share my legal name, I would be stunned to discover I was on it. Besides, with airport delays these days, might be faster to take a train. Would certainly be more fun.
Been diggin holes today. No, not "that kind", just post holes. Expanding our old rescued IG's (Italian Greyhouds) enclosure so they can have fun barking at the forest dwellers that come through on the backside of my studio. Only 6 more posts to go. Feeling old.
grayfox1119 wrote:JEFF: I just read in the paper here this morning, that Louisiana is only two states under MA in cost for auto insurance. States like MA, NY, NJ, FL etc are over $1000 average, now what would make Louisiana so HIGH $$$? That makes no sense to me. What is driving your state cost so high?? Lots of accidents?
Paul sorry to hear about your friend Tony. Our condolences to you and his family.
JIM: nice test, however, is a Crocodile an "Animal" or a "Reptile"? If a Reptile, did they "crash" the meeting?
LEE: The Engineer did get a call from the Dispatcher, and had all of 40 seconds to stop the train, warn the passengers to brace themselves via the Conductor, then try to get going in reverse, which he was not able to do...not enough time. The 911 operator called the Dispatcher who then notified the Engineer. A lot of wasted time because the Lumber yard didn't know or have the Dispatcher number handy. That time lost was the time needed to reverse the locomotive.
And what gives with so many people driving unregistered vehicles in Louisiana? That is not a good thing at all, your car gets totalled, they have no insurance, so your insurance pays for your damage. And the rates go up for everyone who "does" have insurance to cover for the clowns without insurance? Nice !!! We have the problem here too, but not to that extent.
Later,
grayfox1119 wrote: JIM: nice test, however, is a Crocodile an "Animal" or a "Reptile"? If a Reptile, did they "crash" the meeting?
Reptiles are animals.
I think you just didn't do well on the test and so now you're looking for loopholes. That just goes to prove that you're a different kind of animal. You're a politician!