Elliott's Trackside Diner VII: Best View Of The Rails In Town!

[pcarrell]

How do all!

Grab a plate, I've got the buffet all set up for ya!

Hey, did anyone notice that Rob didn't post a Hunny Do list in his last post?  Good Boy Rob!  Guess you're back to playing for the right team!  Think maybe the wifes "unique" ideas might have thrown you off kilter old boy!  We'll chock it up to temporary insanity and get on down the road, OK?  Just don't be lettin' that happen again!

And check it out!  Some new faces! 

Come on in and have a cup of coffee!  Don't let Rob scare ya.....he's pretty harmless.  We've just gotta reel him back in every now and then, thats all.

Oh, and Rob, just for your information, I'm not going to do anything today unless I feel like it!

And hey, I see one or two of you all mentioning the timeout issue when trying to access the forum.  I guess you are having as much trouble as I am?  Sometimes I can't even get in after multiple tries.  I don't have this issue on any other site.....just here.  A speed test reveals I'm good to go with a 15mg download and 3mg upload, and a ping plotter says the only bottleneck anywhere around is in Chicago, but thats normal and it's no worse then it's ever been.  It runs about 60ms on average, which well within normal specs.  Hmmmm...........

[Cederstrand]

in a UNION PACIFIC mug, please & thank you. 

Looks like I still have a dog in the hunt, or should I say "bird" (AZ Cardinals).

Have a good day y'all.

Rob

[jeffrey-wimberly]

last mountain & eastern hogger

If you used something like that plastic egg shell ceiling grid for the frame work and a removable foil of some sort behind it, it would look like a modern day high rise and the you could slip the foil up out of the way when you want to use the A/C.

What do you think ???

Good idea, except for one tiny detail. The AC runs 24/7 either on AC or fan. The only time it's off is during a power outage.

[howmus]

Hey, I'm back!  Managed to get through all my obligations of this morning and may actually take a few hours off to "play" with my trains..... 

 

pcarrell

just for your information, I'm not going to do anything today unless I feel like it!

 

And Philip, you darned well better feel like it!  (My late wife used to use that line........)

Flo, I'll have the buffet for lunch today.  Oh and some more dark raost coffee in a FGLK Mug if you would.

I'll just have a seat near the window where I can see the trains well.  Have a good one! 

[Flashwave]

New Haven I-5

Flashwave

New Haven I-5

  Here are my new Copper Whistle & Bell wires:  

New Haven: I've been behind, but what are the wires for?

Flashwave, they are to show the chords that you pull to make the bell sound and the whistle blow.

                                      Its 11:15 pm, I'd better head home!

Twat I thought. [nitpick]Usually, those head through a hole next to the engineer's front window, not through the top like that. The top vents is for some circulation to try to cool the cab down. In the winter, those might be closed. [/nitpick] But of course I ay that, and then can't find any pictures to back them up.

pcarrell

I guess you are having as much trouble as I am?  Sometimes I can't even get in after multiple tries.  I don't have this issue on any other site.....just here

I don't even have this problem in the trains mag forum. just the MRR one

[howmus]

Flashwave

Twat I thought. [nitpick]Usually, those head through a hole next to the engineer's front window, not through the top like that. The top vents is for some circulation to try to cool the cab down. In the winter, those might be closed. [/nitpick] But of course I ay that, and then can't find any pictures to back them up.

 

Here is one:

Hard to see but, yes the ropes for the whistle and bell go through the cab front not the top. 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I spent part of the morning getting these background textures together for the interior of the Shell station. Now comes the fun part. Cutting them out! Good thing my nerves aren't acting up too bad today.

[New Haven I-5]

Flashwave

New Haven I-5

Flashwave

New Haven I-5

  Here are my new Copper Whistle & Bell wires:  

New Haven: I've been behind, but what are the wires for?

Flashwave, they are to show the chords that you pull to make the bell sound and the whistle blow.

                                      Its 11:15 pm, I'd better head home!

Twat I thought. [nitpick]Usually, those head through a hole next to the engineer's front window, not through the top like that. The top vents is for some circulation to try to cool the cab down. In the winter, those might be closed. [/nitpick] But of course I ay that, and then can't find any pictures to back them up.

 

  There is usually a hole near the engineer & fireman's front windows, but there aren't any on this loco.

 Looks like PC has a buffet set up. I'll have to check it out.  

 

                                 Well, I'm gonna go try out the buffet,

                                                       Luke 

[twhite]

Morning all from SunnyCal.  We actually had a high of 54 here yesterday, which meant I toddled out into the garage and did some more work on the layout before going to the church and playing Vespers. 

At Mass we found out who the new Provincial is for the West Coast Franciscans--and he's a HOOT!   Of course, Franciscan Priests tend to be pretty 'off-the-wall' to begin with (and I mean that in the nicest possible way) but the new Provincial is a particular favorite at our Parish when he comes up to do the occasional Mass.  So the Order is in VERY good hands.  We all came out of Mass feeling pretty 'up.'

Well, I kinda/sorta think I might have found out what's causing the voltage drops.  I was fiddling around and disconnected that BLI whistle and bell thingamajig that runs between the powerpack and the track, since I'm not running my BLI's anymore.  Lo and behold, some of the spots seemed to clear up quite a bit.  I don't know if that was the ENTIRE problem, but it seemed to help.  I'm still checking the busses block by block,  and I may re-solder all of the under-table connections, since I got a new, high-power Radio Shack needle-iron.  If I can just get the darned thing back to running like it used to then I'll be a Happy Camper.  Of course, at my age, crawling around under the layout is like running the Decathalon, but at least the layout's 45" in height so I can stretch a little.  

Jeff:  I agree with you, some people who look down on EZ track might be surprised at how well it actually works.  It certainly did for me, and as I said, that one long section I have around Yuba Pass has remained trouble-free for seven years.  Good stuff. 

Sue:  Speaking of weather, has our sunshine moved north to you, yet?  And if so, has it helped any? 

CN Charlie:  Ahah, LUDE FISK!   My lady friend is part Norwegian (so naturally she's very attached to Remington) and has a whole repertoire of "UFF-DAH!" jokes, one of which is mistaking Lude Fisk for paper towels at a Norwegian picnic, LOL!    Tried some, once.  It goes a long way toward explaining why the Vikings were so rowdy

Well, that's about it from this end of the country.  Best to all, prayers to those in need. 

Tom

 

[blownout cylinder]

don't be surprised if these posts of mine are a little smooshed. I am having an issue with the posting editor up here. Anyhoo--'spring' is all cuddled up by the compooter, he has to keep an eye on me you know---I have keys to a certain cabinet--- I spent a good part of the day in the back room trying to get it organized---so I can get a bit more space for an expansion to the layout I'm building. So with all that out of the way I'm going to check out the buffet and see what we've got in here----

[ewl01]

Buffet looks real good!  Maybe time to take a break and have a bite to eat.  Tea, unsweetened please, Zoe.

Jeff, Are those postcard and tourist pamphlet racks in your interior pics?  Must be a southern thing.  Of course in New Jersey we don't have self-serve. Who wants to pump gas in the rain anyway?  Gas is back UP to $1.45 a gallon today, was at $1.34.

 My editors decided to take a short nap.  Hard to use a laptop with a pile of purring fur sitting on it.

Okay, I set up a photobucket account with a few pics.  Anyway to import them onto the page?

Go Eagles!

Eric

[JimRCGMO]

 Afternoon, Flo - I'll have some chili cheese fries and a root beer float, please. Oh, wait! PC has the buffet out? I'll take a plate of the buffet instead of the chili cheese fries (even though I suspect I might get the TOP). Thanks!

Garry, thanks for the update on Nick, and grrrrrreat! to hear he's progressing.

Uh, Barry, was that sound you heard maybe 'click-click-plonk'? If so, that might be Spring trying to adjust the tumblers on the lock, and then 'trying' to open it. Can you get a locksmith on short notice to change the locks, if needed (or just to confuse Spring)? On those DPM kits, I never get that lucky here - hmmm... maybe I should swing by our Goodwill store this week!

Frank, good to see you're still around, even if you're as quiet as Duke.

Luke, you are waaayyyy ahead of me, if you're adding the cords for the bell and whistle. Now I suppose I'll have to get some small thread to add that to my steamers just to keep up with you.

Lee, what our guys in the MRR club do for their decoders, is to set the address to the last 2 digits of the locomotive's number, so if it's loco #114, they'd set the address for 14. Easier to remember that way (unless you have a garbonza bunch of locos, that is...). So if you don't mind the snow, should we all send ours over to you? 

Ray, it sounds like you need another dozen jobs at your church! (Nah, just foolin' with ya)

I was just glad that I haven't had any calls from my primary on-call for this weekend so far( including while I was a greeter before both morning services, and during singles group this morning. My co-leader wasn't there this morning, so I called her, thinking (she'd had a lot of pain and wasn't feeling at all good last Sunday evening) she was laid up sick or in the hospital or such. Nope, she just didn't realize we were starting back up on our group this morning; she thought it was next Sunday (I'd wondered too, but when I checked, I was told it was this Sunday). Our group has two (about) six-week segments this 'semester', so it'll seem pretty quick to cover everything in six weeks or so.

Jeff - please email me links for those background pics... I think you must be the ace on finding those pics so quickly. When I've tried to track down such, I don't 'Google' up enough decent ones. Maybe you should do a tutorial in the forum for how to track down suitable background photos?

twhite

Ahah, LUDE FISK!...   ...mistaking Lude Fisk for paper towels at a Norwegian picnic, LOL! Tried some, once.  It goes a long way toward explaining why the Vikings were so rowdy

  Tom - and, toward explaining why they went to sea so often (looking for some any other kind of meals?)... Good to hear you have a keeper of a Provincial incoming.

About an hour until we need to get ready to head out for my buddy Mark's chili supper, so I'll finish off my buffet so I have a little room left for dinner. Cold but sunny day today - you just don't want to be out in the wind that Barry sent our way.... or was that Johnboy who did this to us? When I get home tonight I'll likely need to crank up the heat a bit. Supposed to drop to -3 C (gee, you're right, Barry, it does sound colder in Celsius! (I guess you could give temps in Kelvin...)

I'll be heading out soon. Prayers for warmer weather and good health for you and yours.

 

Blessings,

Jim in Cape Girardeau

[JimRCGMO]

ewl01

Okay, I set up a photobucket account with a few pics.  Anyway to import them onto the page?

 

Eric, when you mouse over the lower part of each pic, you'll notice four text boxes, the bottom one being [ IMG]xxx.yyphotobucket.com [ /IMG]  (or something close to that, but without the spaces inside of the brackets that I put so you could read the format). double click in the bottom text box that appears, and you will have copied the link you need. switch to your other window/tab in your browser (which should be open to the message entry box). Click where you want the image to show up, and then paste in there with that link you just copied. Then go on with your rest of the posting, and it should (note that word, 'should', not 'definitely will') work. I think in the big forums (near the top) there may be some of that info in the FAQs or one of the moderators' posts, too.

Hope that helps get things rolling for you!

Jim in Cape Girardeau

[jeffrey-wimberly]

 

ewl01

Jeff, Are those postcard and tourist pamphlet racks in your interior pics?  Must be a southern thing.  Of course in New Jersey we don't have self-serve. Who wants to pump gas in the rain anyway?

Yes, they are. Actually they're European but shrunk down to 1:87 who's going to notice.

 

JimRCGMO

Jeff - please email me links for those background pics... I think you must be the ace on finding those pics so quickly. When I've tried to track down such, I don't 'Google' up enough decent ones. Maybe you should do a tutorial in the forum for how to track down suitable background photos?

Jim: They can be found here. You can download 15 megabytes worth each day. They're a bit big though. I load them into MS Paint and and shrink them from 100 to 15.

[gear-jammer]

I thought that I would stop by for an early afternoon RBF.

Tom,  Looks like your sunshine should hit us about Tuesday.  They predict 50's in the daytime and low 30's at night.

I got my first layer of water in my streambed.  I used WS Realistic Water with RR tie brown tint as recommended in the latest Dream,  Plan, Build DVD.  My goal was to leave it fairly clear so the rocks on the bottom still show.  We are discussing the facia board which will need to go in place before we pour too much water.  We are thinking that a deeper pool at the edge will blend nicely.  Larry painted my scratch built background building so we have progress.

Time to workout.  I will check in later.

Sue

[ewl01]

Thanks JIm, The FAQ's I went through only said one had to have a url based photo.  A lot of us obviously use computers, but we don't all know how everything works.  Don't have the stuff you guys have, but just to show I'm in the field.

Thanks again Eric. 

Uh-Oh looks like I have to fill up the buffet table. Zoe! where's the creamed chip beef!

Guess it works

[Packers#1]

  ewl0, nice roster shot. And give me a big plate, I'm hungry.

Well, today, I went to church, then my parents, siblings, and I went out to eat at Mi rancho (Mexican Resturant) w/ the pastor, his wife, their daughter, and their daughter's daughter. Was a little bored, lol. Saw a girl from school that I used to like (just friends now, we have like zero classes together. Essentially quit liking her as more than a friend when I chatted w/ her on facebook and realized we had zero things to really talk about), nodded my head at her when I caught her eye (the usual sign of hello, ya know), she said hey, then I got back to be being bored. Read some as well. I'm now either going to do work on some structure kits or work to complete the scenery for one area of my layout. One book i was reading essentially gave me the idea for this saying "Either you beat life, or it beats you".

[blownout cylinder]

Jim; I think we better leave Kelvin out of this---It'd be a little TOO low--- I'm going for seconds---Chloe, can you get me another coffee please?

[ewl01]

blownout cylinder

Jim; I think we better leave Kelvin out of this---It'd be a little TOO low--- I'm going for seconds---Chloe, can you get me another coffee please?

Kelvin? Who's Kelvin?  Just kidding,let me know when to put out the desert cart.

I collect more than I run, this only part of the motive power.

Eric

[GMTRacing]

Afternoon All,

   Back at the shop fixing the last bits on the Festiva. Need to be careful now after the game (stupid Giants - grrrr).

Tom - glad you found at least one of your big voltage drops (draws). I've been lucky to have enough old used transformers and whatnot around to use for switch motors and lighting so I don't end up running anything but the locomotives on the track from the primary booster. When I get back up and running I have a variety of wall warts that I want to fiddle with to see if I can get lighting that way as they tend to run cooler (and therefore more efficiently?).

Garry - glad you're BIL is coming along. The therapy is tough but lets hope it works out. 

   Well, I'll have a regular coffee for now and stop in later for some pie and an RBF.  Catch y'all later, J.R.

[BamaCSX83]

Evening all!  Really didn't do a whole lot today, went to church this morning, went out to eat afterwards with about 1/4 of the church (pretty well standard issue after church action), came home did a the nap thing and chased my little girl around the house.  I'll have a RBF and a plate of cheese fries, if you please.  Been hearing train trumpets all evening, kinda wondering what's up, things are normally quiet around here on Sunday nights.  Today was pretty chilly, and only got cooler as the day went on.  Thankfully it didn't rain, but it was a pretty cool, cloudy, grey day.  I'll probably be hanging around here, in and out, keeping an eye on the trains as they pass through.  Thanks for the welcome all!  I really appreciate it. 

[Robby P.]

Another good win for the Steelers. They looked pretty good today. The wife put some propane tanks together for me today. I will move some track around this week, and see where I can put my warehouse, and the propane tanks (2 of them). I wondered what I should call the propane company, she said, "Strickland Propane" from King of the Hill. I thought that was perfect. I can also try to find someone to be Hank Hill. I also made a short video of a mix train coming through. Its about 23 seconds. We played around with the camera, and this is about the best shot it will do.

[pcarrell]

Man Robbie, you've got the makings of a mighty fine layout there!  The building weathering is right on, the rolling stock looks like something you'd see every day down at the local yard, and even the backdrop is great.  I think I'm jealous!

[Robby P.]

Thanks.  The wife did the video.  My hands are shaky, and it would have looked like a earthquake (well maybe not that bad).

I will work on the layout this week for more videos, and REALLY tone down that engine.  Its to clean

[New Haven I-5]

 Good Evening!

  Just finished watching the Chargers lose to the Steelers!  I made a new logo for my RR today. I hope you all

like it.    I'll have the buffet again. I have to talk to PC about getting

some real turkey on the buffet. 

 

                                             I'll be back later,

                                                     Luke

[TMarsh]

Evenin’ everbody, I’ll have the buffet and a big ole glass of sweet tea. Not from the Carolina's though WOW will that stuff curl yer toes talk about saaweeeet.

I guess I missed Rob, wanted to buy him a piece of pie. I over reacted and got kinda rough there , but hey! I panicked. Life as I know it may have ended. I saw it coming! But it turns out that the wife doesn’t really expect much from me. Guess I trained her better than I thought. Any way leave a piece of pie on my tab for Rob. Don’t tell him who it’s from though.

Went family visiting today so I didn’t get much done. I’ll head on back to the corner and see how much I can eat. Who’s Kelvin?

Todd

[ns3010]

Heyy, everyone. While I'm here, I'll have the buffet and a RBF.

We won our game, 3-2. So now we're 4-2 in the season, although we lost a lot of scrimmages.

Didn't get to the layout today, but maybe tomorrow after school. Nothing new, so I'm out. Night all.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

 Good evening. I've been working on the Shell station today. I got the interior walls for the sales area put together and up and put up the lining wall for the work area. I also added a few details outside the building. Now I'm waiting on Lee to send me a couple of gas pumps.

[Cederstrand]

Tall glass of water & hey look, free pie from someone...I'll gladly accept it. Thank you (...unless it turns out to be spiked). 

***Ray, cool pic of the steamer. 

***ewl0, nice pic. Sharp looking CSX there.

***Robby, "Strickland Propane" Will it sell Propane & Propane Accessories?

 ***Luke, the Logo looks sharp. Is it as dark as the pic suggests?

Picked up two more items for the wife tonight:

Snake

Dog

Might jazz them up a bit down the road. Been looking at roller coasters and she really likes the CoasterDynamix "Comet". I think the Faller "Mammoth Cave" is way cool. Problem with both is their price tag...YIKES! Her birthday is coming up sometime soon though.

Got a good bit done today, but won't elaborate so as not to ruffle any potatoes couch pillows.

Killer headache tonight...going to rest awhile. Rob

 

[Packer]

Evening all. I'll just take an RBF and some extra vanilla ice cream on the side. (teeth hurt, happens)

I was supposed to go drag racing today, but the weather didn't look like it'd cooperate. So I'm pretty bummed out about that. Haven't done anything MR related today. Just a lazy Sunday spent goofing off.