Elliots Trackside Diner IV, Under New Management!

[C&O Fan]

Looks great Tom !!!

But --------- well ---------Er----- hum

Some one needs to clean up under the layout !

[twhite]

Okay, everyone.  I got the Creeper put together--I can reach over and TOUCH the Buttes!!  YAY!!  Here's what it looks like hanging over the Buttes--it's too windy today to do much work on them, but at least I'm ready to start.  Went together in about an hour with a socket wrench.  Talk about STURDY!  And I'm  not exactly what you'd call a 'lightweight.' 

So here she is:

Which also means I have to watch out so that I don't whack my little pointed head on the inside of the garage door, LOL!   I think Creeper and I are going to become pretty good friends this summer. 

Tom

[bjdukert]

Afternoon all

Rob  Really sorry to hear about the fire and hope that everything works out for the best.

JR  How are things coming along with the insurance company for your house??

Terry   If you don't decode your decoders,I bet your night running will be interesting.

Hey Monique     HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!! and Dick,I know where there is a Southern 4-6-2 she would like to have.  Let's say it is in 7.5in gauge and makes a visit to Apex,NC at least once a year.

Jeff   Sounds like things are getting better for you and maybe slow and easy is the best way.

That's about it

Best to all on sick call and those recovering

Talk to you later

Duke  

[grayfox1119]

Good afternoon to all, it is 3H weather here again today, Hazy, Hot and Humid, 95F. We broke the record yesterday set back in 1933 and we broke another record just now when it hit 95F. There is a front moving in late this afternoon, the same one that has ripped the midwest apart with storms and all that flooding.

I have been trying to keep the blueberry bushes watered as well as the veggie garden, they get full sunlight all day from 5am until 8:30pm, so they get mighty dry real fast under these conditions.

TOM: Is that creeper the type that you can wheel under the table, but the ladder and platform is extends way over the layout so that you can reach those hard to get at areas from above?

ROB: I am so sorry to hear of your fire and losses. If you need anything Rob, please let us know, I know that is very hard to do, but we want to help. If you ever find out what caused the fire, let me know please. I used to be a safety leader at work and I still like to investigate things like this. I don't know what type of Main Power Panel you had, but I do know that Federal Pacific Main panels were extremely fire prone and have been taken off the market, in fact, the company is no longer in business. So you might want to check that out. Dryers have caused many house fires also even after being shut off, as they smoldered in the vent. Coffee makers that get mounted under kitchen wall cabinets are yet another item that has caused many house fires, even turned OFF due to cheal, faulty switch!! Yet another house was burned down due to the installation of vinyl siding. A nail was used that was too long and went into the wiring running in the wall between wall studs from outlet to outlet. It caused a short that smoldered for quite some time ( like months) before it carbonized into a resistor and really heated up and finally flashed into a fire. It more than likely was indeed electrical.

JEFF: Very happy to hear that your eyes didn't need any lasering, and your foot was doing well. You are doing a good job with watching your health.

JERRY: More rain??? If this keeps up you will have an inland great lake in the midwest!!

RYAN:  Happy Birthday to Monique!!! Did she get a 4-6-2??? 

Later,

[Cox 47]

Afternoon all...we got between 1/2 and inch of rain last nite but the cold front brought in clear blue sky,low humid temps right around 80 a real nice day...I'll have A Polish Sasauge,onion rings and a diet Coke please...Thank You.....Did some more cleaning up of work bench and ran trains for awhile...

Centerstrand and Barbara...So sorry to hear about your fire but thank God that you both are OK...

Johnboy...Got a good laugh out of Train Ticket story but for some reason Sallie thought it was hylarious?

Luc and Bill...Good to see you fellers checking in..Bill that breakfast buffet just gets better and better!!

Jeff....Glad to hear foot Dr. gave you a thumbs up..You gotta  take care of your eyes and feet...

Monique....HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Terry...You continue to be in my prayers and thoughts...

Jim....Wow you get to "train" at work?sounds like my kinda job!..I use to get to watch the Conrail mainline from the station's main studio window it was great!...

Tom...103!!....You need a glass of iced tea and crank up the A/C.....

You all have a good one...Jerry

[jeffrey-wimberly]

The visit to the foot doc's office was uneventful. He's happy with the progress I'm making and wants me to continue doing whatever I'm doing.

[SilverSpike]

Thanks Terry, Jim and Garry for the Birthday Wishes for Monique! I copied them and just sent her an email, I am sure she will appreciate them.

Garry, I made her birthday dinner on Friday night since it was more of a relaxed time to really enjoy the meal. Tonight all she wants is dessert so we are going to Goodberrys Frozen Custard for some desserts.

Thanks again!

Speaking of food, I just got back from a lunch at Firebird's, the company paid our way and gave us $50.00 gift cards for the work we did back in April at the conference in Denver. That should buy me a tank of gas. LOL

Tom sounds like the topside creeper is already set for a good workout! Keep us posted on the results! 

[twhite]

Morning all--

Well, it hit 103 here yesterday, dry as a bone and the air quality was ZERO!  Had to stay inside all day because of the COPD--real bummer!  It's breezy today, but it's a North wind, so that means warm and dry and the fire danger is going to go through the ROOF around here.  Luckily, the wind isn't supposed to be in the Sierra, though, just here in the Valley.  Went outside for a while and didn't get doused with Pollen, so maybe it'll be a fairly good day.   

Rob:  I'm so sorry to hear about the fire--it must be devastating.  I'm very glad you've got State Farm insurance, though--they're usually right on the mark about their coverage.  I'm just glad you and your wife weren't IN the house when it caught, though.  My prayers for you on the rebuilding. 

Jeff:  Glad the eye exam went well and that the bleeding has stopped.  Good luck with your foot. 

Terry:  Egad--I HOPE the radiation treatments don't accidentally de-program your locos, LOL!  Especially that neat Allegheny. 

Well---IT CAME YESTERDAY!!!  My Topside Creeper.  And it got delivered to the wrong house!  I saw the UPS guy pull up near my place, unload this big box and trundle it across the street.  An hour later, the lady across the street called and asked if I'd ordered anything from Van Buren, AK.  I said yes, she said it was over at her place.  I'm 6345 Templeton, she's 6346.  So I went over and attempted to drag it across the street to my place, my next door neighbor Jon came over and helped me, asked me what it was, I told him, his eyes lit up and he said it would be PERFECT to use to work on his van.  I have a feeling this is going to be a VERY busy Topside Creeper around the neighborhood, LOL!  I'm putting it together this morning.  Thankfully the instructions are in clear-to-read English, though I'm going to have to borrow some socket wrenches from Jon.  Hey, he's so excited about the darned thing, maybe HE'LL put it together for me.  Think so?

So this means that I have no excuse not to put in my Buttes--or finish my backdrops or a whole bunch of other stuff--question guys:  When do we ever get to just settle down and RUN our trains?

Well, I see Jon outside looking longingly over at my place, so guess I'll go out and get started.  Of course, there will be photos to follow, LOL!

Have a great day.  Prayers to those in need, and let us not forget our friends in the Midwest who have lost homes and property to those terrible floods. 

Tom

[railroadnut675]

guess what I found on the third floor the other day--- a list of all the railroads in 1920 more later

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Good Morning....

Now, that's really bad news, Rob. I suppose it's a blessing that it did not start in the middle of the night while you two were asleep. Please keep us informed. We all care.

Terry, we're thinking of you, too. Keep up the humor, and it will help you through this. My bet is you can some day post that you beat the disease and are free of it.

Ryan...... Best regards and birthday wishes to Monique. Are you preparing a candlelight birthday celebration with her favorite recipes? .......or is it a night out on the town?

Jeff ........ I'm glad your eye appointment was okay. I like the park scene.

In my youth I used to get up to Wisconsin Dells and Lake Delton when I was gorwing up in Chicago area. That part of Wisconsin was just clobbered by storms. BTW, some trips back then were by train (MILW RD). Also road the Q's TCZ to La Crosse, WI back then.

Happy Model Railroading

[Guilford Guy]

Morning Guys!
The heat wave continues, thus school was optional today!
I get to sleep another 4 hours! yayz!

[JimRCGMO]

Morning, Zoe - I'll have a glass of Ed's OJ, cup of the TH, and I'll take a plate from the buffet, please. Thanks!

Jeff, I'm glad to hear your report on your eyes (and that you're eating right to help them out, as well).

Rob, so sorry to hear about your house fire - thankful that the studio was okay and that you have a roof over your heads in the meantime. Think of everything you had, and everything you think you might have had, in the house when you're making that list for the fire adjustors. Good that you didn't lose any of your critters as a result. are going up for you. Hug Barbara for us, too.

Monique -

HAPPY  BIRTHDAY !! 

 

and have a slice of cake (ask one of our servers for the ice cream of your flavor on top):

 

I'd guess you must be... what? 29? Obviously, Ryan married much younger than his age.

Texas Terry, if it does deprogram your DCC locos, you may just have to re-program them, huh? But I'm no DCC expert, so I'll let someone else tell you on that one.

Had a prospective new club member at the MRR club meeting last night. Seems like a good sort, and (some of you Diners could relate to this) he has a lot of rolling stock and locos, but no layout to run 'em on just yet. Actually, I think he's a lot like one of our MRR club members (who also doesn't have a layout started yet).

Got training at work today (hopefully both halves of the day, unless the guy who's covering for us gets swamped. Based on yesterday's activity level, he should be able to cover it if it's like then. The center's even providing lunch for us! Mostly (or all?) covering paperwork, to get the outlying offices and ours all doing it the same way. I think there are some changes on a few forms too. We'll see.

Well, i'd best get to my breakfast - got to have that energy to sit through all that training, y'know...

 

Blessings on your day,

Jim in Cape Girardeau 

[C&O Fan]

Happy Birthday !!! Monique

Back to the hospital for another dose of radiation for me

I wonder if all this radiation will deprogram my DCC locos ?

Wouldn't that be a hoot ?

Have fun today everyone !

 

[SilverSpike]

Rob I am so sorry to hear about the fire at your house. State Farm is fairly good at responding quickly to most claims and sounds like you are already on the recovery track. Let us know if you need anything, and our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Today is Monique's birthday! Please join me in wishing her a Happy Birthday! She is kind of down today because she misses her sister who is in her second trimester of pregnancy and her son Bryan who is starting LSU in the Fall.

Nice to see some of the ole timers from the CS make their appearances in the Diner, you know who you are!

You all have a goodin'!

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Good morning.

It's 75 degrees at this time and mostly cloudy. The high is expected to top out in the low 90's and there's a good chance of thunderstorms later.

Gotta head out later to see the foot doc again. The wounds are slowly healing up but not fast enough to suit me. I'd like this business to be over with so I can get sized up for a new pair of shoes.

Today's Weather for:      
Sundown, LA  71446-6114      6/10/2008

Heat Index:  79°F
Humidity:  92%
Dew Point:  72°F

So Far Today
High:  76°F
Low:  74°F
Rain:  0.00"
Rain Rate:  0.00"/h
Gust:  9mph E

Now through 07:15 AM CDT June 10, 2008

Through 7 AM...scattered showers and possibly a few thunderstorms will continue to move southeast at 20 mph into portions of central Louisiana and the lakes area of southeast Texas. The majority of the showers will be between Woodville and Alexandria...with a few thunderstorms possible in northern sections of Vernon Parish. Rainfall will be light to moderate with rates from one tenth to one quarter of an inch per hour.    
 
Today  High: 92    Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 90s. Light and variable winds.    

Tonight  Low: 72    Mostly cloudy. Lows in the lower 70s. Light and variable winds.

[Cederstrand]

First off, Barbara and I, along with all our critters are all OK. Ten or so days ago, after our last day of helping Barbara's folks settle into a room at a new living facility, Barbara and I rewarded ourselves with a trip to see Iron Man. Long story short, upon arriving home we found our house fully engulfed in flames. Barbara called 911, I grabbed Luigi & Lorenzo and got them to safety. Being so remote, by the time the fire dept arrived the house was completely destroyed. State Farm was out the very next day and have been most helpful this past week. Although offering to put us up in a hotel, we chose to stay with our animals. The power company hooked back up the studio that same night, so although we had no water, we did have a place to rest. Two little old ladies from the Red Cross also showed up that night to see if we needed anything, which impressed me. Anyway, every morning I filled a solar shower from our storage tank and by evening we could take quick showers with it. A new line was put in from the well to the studio ytwo days ago and phone/Internet was reconnected yesterday afternoon. Barbara has had some good crys. Not sure if I ever mentioned it before, but her father helped her build the second floor before I moved out here. She is not telling her parents, as her Dad is very susceptible to seizures when he is stressed. It has certainly been a trying time, but we are fine. All my recent train purchases (and the Tech II's & DeWitt Clinton) were in my workshop and are untouched. I did lose some trains, but honestly I'm more bummed about my larger skulls which were still in the old studio. Fire Marshall said we will probably never know the cause, but it is obvious to us it could only be electrical. Both gates were still locked when we arrived home. The only thing we left on that day were some lights (incase we got back after dark) and a crock pot of beans on low, which interestingly was one of the few things still recognizable. Just waiting for the final OK from State Farms fire investigators who came out over the weekend before cleanup begins. And the task of trying to remember what all we had is a daunting one. There is no way we will remember everything. 

Will drop in when I can. Barbara returned to work today for the first time since the fire. Used all of her PTO. Hope everyone is doing well. -Rob

[NS Luc]

Good morning

[wetidlerjr]

Good Morning from Tipton IN !

[sleeper33]

very funny

keep them comming

Gav

[last mountain & eastern hogger]

Good evening gang,

Just a root beer float in my CZ mug, thanks Chloe. 

That is good news Jeff, be sure to keep those eyes and feet working. You have to be able to get to the LHS and to see what you are painting. So far youre doing great.

Boy our Indiana and mid-west buddies need any hip waders that you can spare. What a wet years this has been for you guys and gals.   Our best wishes and prayers for those affected.

Here is a funny little story that I though that Sue should have sent in. Maybe she hasn't seen it yet so I will send it for her.   Enjoy ---

TRAIN TICKET


Three women and three men are on their way to travel by train to the
football game.  At the station, the three men each buy a train ticket and
watch as the three women buy just one train ticket.

'How are the three of you going to  travel on only one ticket?' asks one of
the men.

'Watch and learn,' answers one of the women.

They all board the train. The three men take their respective seats but all
three women cram into a toilet together and close the door. Shortly  after
the train has departed, the conductor comes around collecting tickets.  He
knocks on the toilet door and says, 'Ticket, please. The door opens just  a
crack, and a single arm emerges with a ticket in hand.  The conductor takes
it and moves on.

The men see this happen and agree it was quite a clever idea; so, after  the
game, they decide to do the same thing on the return trip and save some
money. When they get to the station they buy a single ticket for the return
trip but see, to their astonishment, that the three women don't buy any
ticket at all!!

'How are you going to travel without a ticket?' says one perplexed  man. 

'Watch and learn,' answer the women.

When they board the train, the three men cram themselves into a toilet, and
the three women cram into another toilet just down the way.  Shortly after
the train is on its way, one of the women leaves her toilet  and walks over
to the toilet in which the men are hiding. The woman knocks  on their door
and says, 'Ticket, please.' 

I'm still trying to figure out why men ever think they are smarter  than
women.

Well I have a couple of days off and I sure need them, however my honey-do list is pretty lengthy, so I don't see much rest in store.   Will try and get in in the next couple of days.

Keep smiling ya all.........

Johnboy out....................

[Paul W. Beverung]

Evening Gang: The kids are here safe and sound. Mary Ann is getting ready for bed and I'm headed that way. I haven't had time to catch up on all the posts. It will take a couple of days. Right Now I'm bushed so I'll be heading for bed.

Good Night All

[Cox 47]

Evening all.....We are getting more rain this evening..just what we needed.....Weather guy says the front has slowed way down and is dumping on us again...I did a little work on a couple of cars and ran trains for awhile...

Jeff...Sounds like good news on your eyes!....

You all have a good nite....Jerry

[CNCharlie]

Good Evening Diners!

 Jeff, Glad to hear your eye exam went well and that you are taking good care of them. I still haven't noticed a couple of RV parking spots in the park for Johnboy and I but I guess it's just a seasonal thing. Great job though and as far as the weathering goes, I stand by my earlier statement that you are the weathering wizard. I have some Athearn BB rolling stock that I got in the late '50's that I now classify as weathered. By the time my latest acquistions are at that state I'll be about 110 years old.

Lee, Well I'm glad you weren't inspecting on my dock as my boat certainly wouldn't pass. My flares were made some time in the previous century but we rarely use the boat now and we only go  few miles from the harbour so I don't think we're taking much risk. The VHF still works at least.  We have a CG station right beside the club but I'm out so rarely that we haven't been inspected for at least 10 years.

I found out some great news this week-end about the little tourist RR that operates out of Winnipeg called the Prairie Dog Central. They have a 4-4-0 built in 1882 that has just completed a major re-build and will be back in operation this summer. While it looks like an American loco in fact it was built in Scotland for the CPR. They also operate an ex-GTW diesel that looks like a GP7 but I think it is too new(1958) for that model.

It seems that rain is the order of the day for much of the continent and we are no exception. It started about 2 a.m. and has just stopped now at 8 p.m. Cool too at only 55F.

I was reading a publication called CN Lines put out by a CN historical society this week-end and found out that CN had a few USRA light Mikados.  As BLI is supposed to re-issue theirs this year I think one would look great on the  Mortimer sub.  A Pacific would be even better but there are no good reasons to not buy additional locomotives that fit the operation and are even remotely close to protoype. After all it's our duty as model railroaders to have as many locos as possible. In fact it is likely our mission.

 

 See you soon,

CN Charlie

 

[LSWrr]

Evening,

Pouring cats and dogs outside!

Jeff, glad to hear things are going well with your eyes.

Railroadnut, yea that sounds right for a hopper car, I couldn't make out the date very well in the picture.  Now that's not the year the model was built, if you look at prototype rolling stock you should see ‘Built 3-67" or "New 3-67" or whatever year the car was built.  The only thing I've seen still on the tracks pre 1980's up here is gondola cars.  Seems they only keep some of these cars around for 30 years then they get scraped.

Signals on a layout? I'm using Semaphores, but then I'm a steam buff and there is a bit of a challenge in rigging animated semaphores on the layout.

Lee

[sleeper33]

great news Jeff

 hpe all goes well from now on

Gav

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Well, the doc at the Alexandria Eye and Laser Center didn't get to play with his laser today, at least not on my eyes. The swelling that was present in them three months ago has greatly reduced since the original laser treatment. The bleeding at the back of the eyes has been reduced considerably as well. This is mostly due to me being very careful about what I eat. Some foods that are good for others are not so good for me. Wheat bread is one example. One slice of wheat bread will blow my blood sugar level through the roof! It's at the top of the glycemic index for bread. White is next down on the list followed by rye, then sourdough and finally Pumpernickel, at the bottom of the index. I've developed quite a taste for German style Pumpernickel bread.

[sleeper33]

looks like i got the tops

 tuck in everybody

Gav

[JimRCGMO]

Okay, back after lunch - how about a chocolate custard concrete, Zoe, please?

 

Thank you. And might want to start getting ready to make some more. I might have the TOP, by the time I get my post done.

Nittany Lion - my condolences on learning that rule of MRR'ing the hard way. Here's your shirt for that, by the way:

 

All the talk about beer and that other yellow liquid (the one that doesn't taste very good) has me a bit confused - you mean, there's a difference? Now a cold glass of OJ, that sounds very good to me!

Jerry, with 9.5" of rain, no wonder those tracks washed out! That's a bunch. Ditto about hoping that Sally can get to her treatment okay and without any power outages. Sounds like in the meantime, you're snapping up the bargains in the auctions, though.

BridgeTom, you better be careful or those Yellowstones will get jealous of your new tall interloper there and gang up on her! Glad to hear your pollen has been less today.

Garry, thanks for the word on JP arriving in the sandbox okay. I'd agree on sending him email (will be doing that once I get home tonight). That idiot with the hit and run at your party should be tracked down. Anyone get his plate number?

Inch, good to hear you weren't washed away with the tracks up there. I trust that your campground has good drainage around it and all, yes?

   Tomorrow I start a six week summer program at USF for math, science and computers (I am not a nerd)

, right, RRNut!... Hey, to be a decent MRR'er, you have to have at least a little nerd in ya - right, Diners? Hope your enjoy your courses and learn a lot!

Keep going back for those treatments and hanging in there, TexasTerry. Do you get to take a MR mag or book with you to read (during the treatment or before/after)?

We'll be awaiting word back on how Jeff's eye doctor visit went today. I'm not sure if my doctor dilates my eyes or not - I know it seems like he always puts some kind of drops that burn, into my eyes before he looks at me with that blue light. Wonder if he gets that gizmo from K-Mart?

PC, those bikes sound like fun (for you and your wife) - fun and you get some exercise, too! Can you ride a bike to work (hey, with the price of gas, that might be a good idea...)

TrainsRMe - sounded like a good parade party you had. Around here when the university has their Homecoming parade, it's almost as much fun to watch the people at the side of the parade route as to watch the parade!

Good to see you in again, Luc - don't be a stranger, and give Gloria a hug for us!

Tonight's MRR club night, and I got word that about all of my MRR order is in. Better go by the credit union and make a withdrawal...

Time for me to get back to what passes for w**k today. It's been a day to find things to do. Only saw one client in walk-in, and not much since then. Not that I'm complaining, mind ya! Tomorrow we're supposed to have training all day - in the morning about outpatient paperw**k and in the afternoon for on-call/crisis w**k. The Center's even buying us lunch!

Everyone take care of yourselves - and those of you up north of me, stay away from those twisty clouds, okay? Prayers for those in need.

 

Blessings and prayers,

Jim in Cape Girardeau 

 

[sleeper33]

Evening gang

 just a tea for now. seems in my absence we had a duscussion about the merits of brit beer ( real ale) to clarify real ale is drunk slightly chilled but not to the extent of larger or Cider.

I myself will only drink Bass if having ale otherwise Larger thats why i liked the american brews when i was over. as for Friday i went on the cider as all largers sold were c***.

 hope this clarifies everything

 Gav

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I'm back home now. Cant see real greatr but it;ll clear up in a fewq more hours.