Elliot's Trackside Diner V, at the diamonds

[pcarrell]

Mornin' all!

Couldn't sleep this morning, but I'm pretty sure a nap is on the agenda for the day.

Hey, I came across my old friend the other day.  Do some of you old timers remember this guy?

[jeffrey-wimberly]

It's the red "x" guy! Where'd you find him?!

[LSWrr]

Good morning all.

Jim, my layout is wired for DC right now, but its set up to convert to DCC.  As long as you use the proper gage wire, insulators on both rails when you insulate, 2 insulators for blocks, and doesn't use a common ground rail you should be fine.  I have feeder wires every 3 feet and on every turnout.  The main power wires (buss) should not extend more than 50 feet away from the DCC power source.

Mitch, The Berea train show was pretty big, mostly HO scale this year. The show occupied 4 barns and the prices were more than fair on used rolling stock.  The locomotive prices were competitive but nothing to lose sleep over.  I picked up some bridge piers and abutments (Chooch), some small tools, and a few old MATUA rolling stock pieces in very good condition; all metal Even the HAZMAT diamond on the tank cars were metal with spring cushioned trucks for $2.50 each.  I found a Walther's work train #1, in its original box unopened for $25.  An all wood craftsman kit baggage/cargo caboose for $4 (assembled), and a scratch built scaffold car.

I'm glad to hear your Mom is doing well, and hopefully she continues to make good progress.

I'm still looking for Sagami MC-94 can motors for my aging fleet of Mantua steam locomotives.

Jeff, are you still looking for rolling stock?

Lee

[Cox 47]

Good Morning All...Its 56 and partly cloudy here this AM....I'll have Biscuits and Gravey with coffee please..Thank You...Some body wanted the LL SD9 more than I did so I have a bid on 3 fixer-upers a RS and 2 GP 20's...I put the Circus train up on the shelf and ran coal trains yesterday..Also ran a LL GP 38 for about an hour trying to smooth it out but still takes off like a Jack Rabbitt and is herky jerky I don't think there is much you can do to smooth out the darn things...Looks like I'll have lots of train time today Sallie and Her Sisters are going to visit Thier Mother..

Garry..Thanks for photos of new bench work..Keep us updated...

Sawyer...Have you tried Pasta loading before your games? My Son's team would go to the local Pizza Hut before games for all the Pasta they could eat..Also Booster Club would fix Pasta before games..

Jeff..Any more work on Coaling Tower?

You all have a Great Saturday....Jerry

[pcarrell]

It's the red "x" guy! Where'd you find him?!

I've had him tucked away for a while.

[Cederstrand]

in a BURLINGTON NORTHERN mug, please & thanks.

The driver who delivered hay this morning said our tractor should easily back up the hill it's on, which is what I thought. Seems it went from a 4 wheel drive to a 2 wheel drive, ever sinse the J-Deere folks last touched it. I am beyond disgusted with those idiots. Not once have they ever fixed what I asked them to, and one time they replaced a perfectly good part with a new one "which then broke the first time I used it" so I had to have a neighbor weld it back. Yea, never ever again. ***Paul, our next tractor is going to be a Kubota, as they are cheap and everyone around here has one.

Rob

  

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Jeff, are you still looking for rolling stock?

Of course. I'm always on the prowl for more rolling stock. I have plenty of locos, 47 by last count.

Jeff..Any more work on Coaling Tower?

Not at this time. Right now I'm working on a covered walkway that's big enough to span 4 tracks. On top of that I'm battling some dang virus that's messing up my concentration and screwing with my vision

[JimRCGMO]

Morning, Flo, Janie. Are you ladies expecting a big rush for breakfast today? Oh, I'll have some of Ed's OJ, cup of coffee and some waffles please, with maple syrup. Thanks!

PPC, haven't seen that Red-X fella for a while - he's still trying to figure that box out, huh? Hope you get your nap in today.

Paul's probably already running his loco at Clark Gardens by now. I think the weather's supposed to be good across much of the mid-country today, so that'd be nice for their train-running.

Rob, hope you get your tractor woes fixed/resolved/traded off... How does that JD dealer stay in business? I'd be thinking people would get as disgusted as you have, and nobody would buy from them. But that's just my ...

Laundry time now for me - I went by and put some gas in the car this morning ($2.919/gallon). Yessiree, I enjoy that trend on gas prices.

I'll be at the window booth, working on my breakfast and waiting for my load of laundry to finish up. Hope everyone gets a good time of MRR'ing in today.

 

Blessings and a good morning to you,

Jim in Cape Girardeau 

[Packers#1]

Sawyer...Have you tried Pasta loading before your games? My Son's team would go to the local Pizza Hut before games for all the Pasta they could eat..Also Booster Club would fix Pasta before games..

 

No, but then, we stay at school. When the end of school bell rings, we go to the locker room, drop off our backpacks, go to the multi-purpose room, eat a sub (6 in. Blimpie) and drink Gatorade, go over strategy, then get dressed and wait for the bus. Pasta sounds good though, I love it, lol.

[gear-jammer]

Good morning, Gang.  I will have a quick coffee, please.

Garry,  I enjoyed your photos on WPF this week.  NP rules.  Your A-B-A unit is a nice touch.  What do you have planned for your new benchwork?

Philip,  Have you been taking any layout photos lately?  I remember that you started off fast and furious when you moved into your new place.  That was how long ago?

Rob,  I notice that your are scavengering the pastures for tree like weeds.  When I hang mine, I dip them in a Matte medium so they don't crumble as easily. I can't wait to see what you found.  Didn't you have a fire a while back?  How are things doing with that?

der,  Are you drying weeds again?  It is that time of year.  I have been using Sedum for my tall rangy Maples.  My friend Donna has some huge ones that she cuts off every year.  I am lucky that she hangs them to dry for me.  I was drying the butterfly bushes, but I think that I can get my Aggro trees to be similar in shape.

I will stop in later and have one of Jim's RBF's.

Sue

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Hello!

To answer a couple of questions, my layout extensions will have a two level reverse loop. You can see the layout section in the back left of the picture has two levels.  The upper level will be part of a city, and the remaining part of the city will be to the right in the photo.

I'm glad the NP F units were appreciated by Sue the NP fan.

 

[JimRCGMO]

Afternoon - Flo, I'll have a root beer float, please, since Garry's buying...

Thanks, Garry!

Got the necessaries done for today (laundry, car maintainance, misc. toiletries and tp bought), so the rest of the day is mine. Hmm, if/when God lines me up with some sweet thing, I guess I might have more of my weekends taken up with those HoneyDo Lists, right guys? Trade-offs, trade-offs...

Watched some of the Texas-Oklahoma game while they were checking out my car, and that was fairly exciting and back-and-forth. And the Texas state fair is huge (well, it should be, in Texas, I guess - d'uh!).

Did an inventory of my DPM and Woodland Scenic kits and scenery stuff this morning. Had been thinking about what else I needed/wanted. I think I should probably stick to their smaller (metal) building kits for a while, or until I get some of the DPM kits built.

Rob, you may have several of those 'mini-trees' that would be quite usable with a little ground foam glued on them after they're soaked in the matte medium and dried. And the cost is right, right? I have a foam board with several 'tree structures' in it (one of which has a huge ball of foam or other scenic stuff on it - I figure I can pull most of the stuff off that and make several more lightly 'populated' trees with the other branch structures.

I'll be back at the window booth, 'w**king' on my RBF, if Sue or anyone else wants to come have one.

 

Blessings,

Jim in (sunny ) Cape Girardeau

 

[Packers#1]

I'll have 6 XL Mountain Dews if you don't mind. I'm SO sleepy, lol.

I've been making some scenery on my engine terminal. Now i gotta get some more white glue to add water to so I can finish it up. Oh well.

[Robby P.]

 Good late afternoon guys.  I am hungry, um..... how about a pork chop.  I haven't had one in awhile.  

 Went to the hobby store to get some rail joiners.  Read a few mags, while waiting on someone to check out.  I thought this was a VERY neat idea.  Instead of using plastic rock castings, use a large or small rock, which ever your choose.  Then take some play-doh (or how ever you spell it), push the rock into the play-doh. Take the rock out, and use the plaster, and pour it into the play-doh.  Let the plaster harden and the play-doh as well.  Later after its all dry, peel the play-doh off the plaster and clean with a tooth brush.  BAM!!!!!!  You have a new rock for the layout. 

 All you would have to do is find a nice looking rock, and some play-doh.  You could make all kinds of rocks, or what ever you would like.

 I thought that was a neat idea.  I am sure some of ya'll have heard that, but if not heres the idea.  I will have to try it out.

 

[Packers#1]

Hey ya'll, check it out. I found a video w/ the highlights of our football game wednesday. I'm #71 out there.

http://apps.augusta.com/video/video.html?id=1405

[Robby P.]

Good video.  Was that you that got the fumble?   You should change your number to the great Jack Lambert 58, which I am a HUGE fan of.  The problem with that would be he was a LB.   Plus you would have to miss some teeth.  Not good with the ladies. 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Man, I'm impressed with #7. That guy is quick! I see Sawyer (#71) isn't joking about his size. He looks like a skyscraper moving around out there. I'd hate to be on the recieving end of one of his tackles.

[Packers#1]

Yeah Robby, that was me who got the fumble. I also almost blocked that punt. They didn't show me cause a facemask (tackled #14, but my hand found his facemask) and they didn't show me tackle #18 (almost same spot, also behind line, but wrapped his middle so he only went to the sideline and slowly slid down till I got his legs). Our team is wearing the white jerseys.

[Cederstrand]

 in a Santa Fe mug, please & thanks.

***Jim, I got the 4-wheel drive to engage this evening, so I started work on the little road bed that will head behind the studio and eventually end at the wife's garden. She plans a big raised garden elswhere and wants to plant an orchard of mini trees, too. I think she decided it was time we BOTH started eating better by growing our own fruits & veggies.  

***Sue, will post a pic after I've collected those branches/twigs, perhaps sometime next week. Was thinking I would hang them upside-down to dry and then later dip them in a 50/50 solution of white elmers & water, (isn't that what others here use?). As for the fire, almost finished with the Insurance end of things. As for the new build, it is progressing slowly, but should be completed by Christmas.

***Sawyer, nice work out there.  And I'll second Jeffrey's comment on #7, he is quick indeed.

Picked up a bunch of assorted Arnold/Rapido & Atlas bridge piers of various sizes. They smell like the previous owner was a cigar smoker. Perhaps when they are weathered, that odor will dissipate.

Hope everyone is doing well this evening.

Rob

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Afternoon - Flo, I'll have a root beer float, please, since Garry's buying...

Thanks, Garry!

Jim CG  ........... I noticed you soring above the diner awaiting somebody to post. Some people will do anything for an RBF!

 

[Packers#1]

Man, I'm impressed with #7. That guy is quick! I see Sawyer (#71) isn't joking about his size. He looks like a skyscraper moving around out there. I'd hate to be on the recieving end of one of his tackles.

lol. Yeah, #7 is pretty quick (We all love him, cause when he gets the ball, it's fun to watch. And he scores a bunch of TDs. When we lost to Kennedy in the opener, he didn't play the first half and got our only TD). Hey, I told ya i was big, didn't I? lol.

[Cederstrand]

Tall glass of cool lemon water, thanks!

Tonight I picked up this one for the wife's circus/carnival:  

 

I'm about to spend a wee bit more (understatement) on a new digital camera for myself, so figure a few of these little items for the wife may lessen the sticker shock, incase she finds out? My old camera has had it and is totally unreliable now.

Rob

[Paul W. Beverung]

Evening Gang: Yup. At 10am I was running my locomotive. I let it roll back for the 110 ft of track and then ran up the hill on the compressed air. I can't fire it because of the insurance thing. I can't take riders ether for the same reason. Mr Clark may get insurance if I can find out how much it costs.

It was a really long day. It's funny how tireing standing around and waiting for someone to come along and show an interest. I'll be heading out there again tomorrow morning early. Well early acording to what my ROF body feels.

Rob those Kubotas are pretty good tractors. We have two of them. One older 25 horse and a newer 28. The old one is mine and has shuttle shift and a loader. It is the tractor that has the grapple on the loader. That shuttle shift is really worth it for doing loader work. The grapple is worth it's weight in gold. I can pick up half a pick up load of brush and carry it off.

Good Night All

[pcarrell]

Sawyer, you rock!  You look good out there.

Philip,  Have you been taking any layout photos lately?  I remember that you started off fast and furious when you moved into your new place.  That was how long ago?

That was almost 2 years ago.  My, how time flies!  I've had very little time for most of that time.  Full time work, full time school, and full time ministry, along with family doesn't leave much spare time.  As such, not much of anything has changed on the layout in a long time.  I'm hoping to fix that soon though.  This winter should bring big lifestyle changes!  I'm transitioning from a full time job in the secular world to go straight full time ministry.  Also, I graduate next spring.

[Hoople]

Hello all.

I haven't been in for some time... But what else is new?

I went to the mall with a friend of mine today. Found out he has even bigger feet than mine, at 15.5... Crazy stuff, right?

Phil: I like the sig. Nice bumblebee.

Sawyer: What position are you in football? I'm tight end. I enjoy it, you get to shove people and catch the ball. Fun for me! (I bet it'd be better for me if I was as tall as ya, lol.)

I'm just enjoying my three day weekend... Thank you teacher inservice. Looks like the Cowboys play the Arizona-what-ever-they-ares... Brain farts are helpful.

I'll catch you guys later.

Mark

[TrainsRMe1]

 Hey Packer's 1#

   Lookin' good out there, man, My Oakland Raiders could use you, I'll call Al Davis,

     I got alot of scenery work done today also, and I feel really good about it, see you guys later,

                                 Trainsrme1 

[wetidlerjr]

Good Morning from Tipton IN ! 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Good morning.

It's 66 and clear. How long it stays clear is anyones guess. It will become partly cloudy later as the high climbs to the low 80's.

Today's Weather for:
Sundown, LA  71446-6114      10/12/2008

Wind Chill:  66°F
Humidity:  86%
Dew Point:  62°F

So Far Today
High:  71°F
Low:  66°F
Rain:  0.00"
Rain Rate:  0.00"/h
Gust:  9mph NNE

Today  High: 82    Partly cloudy. Highs in the lower 80s. East winds around 5 mph.

Tonight  Low: 65    Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 60s. East winds around 5 mph.

[Packers#1]

Thanks guys. Mark, I'm a defensive end. I wouldn't mind being a Tight end though, I got decent hands for catching a football.

[Cederstrand]

in a SOUTHERN mug, please & thanks.

Rob