Elliot's Trackside Diner IX

[howmus]

Mornin' everyone!

A cloudy day here in the Finger Lakes.  Currently 22°F with the high around 25°F.  And I'm out of wood.  May have enough for a fire tonight and have a wheelbarrow full that didn't get split last fall.  But for all practical purposes, I am out of wood.  Hopefully Spring isn't too far away.....  At least we are not going to get hit by the storm moving up the coast.

I didn't make it to Church again.......  Didn't even wake up until 10AM! Last night was the first decent nights sleep I have gotten in a week with the cold.  I guess I am getting over it.  I am waiting for the news that my Daughter in Law is in Labor or has had her baby.  She is due in a couple of days, so every time the phone rings, I jump about 3 feet in the air only to find it was from some telemarketer.  Can't understand what part of "NO" they don't understand?

Philip, we used to call Barry's cure for the cold the "Kaskas Cure" at Eastman back in the 60's.  Anna Kaskas, contralto at the Met in the 1930's, Opera Star, had a very similar "cure" she used to "prescribe" for her students.  I studied voice with her my first 2 years.  It is an old German cure for the common cold that was also used by an old German Dr. in Canandaigua.  He said, "Yah! Dat Verks!"  So what you have to do is: Take a shot glass of 100 proof whiskey (drink in one gulp!) followed by a cup of hot, black coffee (as hot as you can drink it) and go straight to bed and bundle up.  You will awake drenched in sweat.  The cold will be gone.  If it isn't, oh well, at least you didn't care for a while...........  First time I tried the "cure" I was a 18 year old Freshman at Eastman........  It actually did work!  (BTW, legal drinking age was 18 in NY back then) 

Got a bunch more line poles made and installed on the layout last night.  Photos later for WPF.  I hope to have the rest of the railbars installed and the track painted today as well.   I have to drive to Canandaigua this afternoon to feed my sister's cat and water her plants (I'll be glad when she gets back home from Guacamole or where ever it is she is right now).

Hope all of you have a great day!  Prayers for all in need and even for those of you aren't. 
 

[pcarrell]

blownout cylinder

I've used two methods of getting rid of the cold--both worked enough for me that I suggest these:

a) A shot of rum and wrap oneself up in a comforter or quilt and sweat it out or--b) make up what a bunch of us called Mattie's Killer Chile--make up the chile in the 'usual' way but then put in three Habenero peppers that were cut in pieces into a cheesecloth bag into the chile and let the chile simmer for a few hours. The heat from those peppers will do it everytime!!

 

Thanks for the tips, but.......

1)  I don't drink.

2)  Why would I want to make my chili WEAKER? 

[ns3010]

Morning all. Flo, I'll take pancakes and an OJ.

We've got the FINALS at 2. Yesterday, we beat the #1 team in the Semifinals, and today, we play the #2 team in the finals. However, the only game that Mville (the #1 team) lost was to PHills (#2 team). Should be an interesting game. We had a fairly big crowd yesterday, so there will probably be tons of people there today. It would be cool to win because we're a second year JV team, and we want to go Varsity next season. We'll see.

I'll play catch-up later; got to go.

Have a great day. Prayers for all.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

f-unit

if she's driving an Audi its time to go for the big bucks

Having an expensive car is not always a sign of wealth. I know people who own expensive cars and many of them make less than $10 an hour. Most of them were bought on 5 or 6 year loans.

[Cederstrand]

Strong coffee in an oversized UNION PACIFIC mug, please & thanks! 

***Jeffrey, nice lighting on the latest pic of your diesel. BTW, hows that foot?

***Bill, more wonderful historic pics. I look forward to seeing those and thank you for posting them. 

***Sawyer, I'll second the suggestion that it wouldn't hurt to have your back checked out. At least then there is a record of it, if it gives you grief down the road.

Have a good day all. Rob

[ewl01]

Sam, I ran the Spectrums on a test track using a train set transformer.  Out of the box it crept smoothly at slow speed. Imagine the performance on real track and a real speed controller The frame is obviously insulated with small copper tabs on either side of the motor. dcc should be a snap with a small decoder.

Eric

[blownout cylinder]

pcarrell

 Well, I'm quiet as a church mouse today!  I woke up and went to call the dogs to let them out and promptly discovered that I don't have a voice!  This darn cold!  Oh well.........Guess I should probably stay in bed anyways.

I've used two methods of getting rid of the cold--both worked enough for me that I suggest these:

a) A shot of rum and wrap oneself up in a comforter or quilt and sweat it out or--b) make up what a bunch of us called Mattie's Killer Chile--make up the chile in the 'usual' way but then put in three Habenero peppers that were cut in pieces into a cheesecloth bag into the chile and let the chile simmer for a few hours. The heat from those peppers will do it everytime!!

[f-unit]

Packers #1, sounds like a law suit to me,if she's driving an Audi its time to go for the big bucks. A back injury is good to have,because its almost impossible to disprove that you don't have one. Your looking at a easy $20.000 with your age and all, its like hitting the lottery.

[ewl01]

Packers#1

yeah, my back hurts today, not my shoulder though

Did you have it checked out?  Even if it's okay it's a good idea.  There will be a record of the possible injury should something happen..... The driver at faut is responsible for costs.  It's happened before, several days later an injury surfaces and the patient is responsible for Dr.s fees since it wasn't checked at the time of the accident.

Bacon, eggs, rye toast and a decaf please!!

I'll have to dig out the test track and try out those dc GP30s..

Eric

[Packers#1]

Cederstrand

 [a nice almost brand new Audi SUV rear-ends us. Felt like a fair ride.] ***Sounds like a pretty expensive ride. Glad you were all OK.

 

Thanks. yeah, my back hurts today, not my shoulder though.

It was seriously crazy, b/c one second it's all good, we're all talking and such, next second, boom, we're all bouncing around in our sits and wondering what in the heck just happened.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

 I've had that happen many times. Only thing you can do is let it pass.

[pcarrell]

 Well, I'm quiet as a church mouse today!  I woke up and went to call the dogs to let them out and promptly discovered that I don't have a voice!  This darn cold!  Oh well.........Guess I should probably stay in bed anyways.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

 Good morning.

It's 30° and sunny. The high will be around 50 and it will be partly cloudy.

Didn't get much done on the layout yesterday. I was out looking for a tool to remove the spindles in the bathroom faucets without much success. The local hardware store is ordering a few sets of them though. They;ll have them in a week from Monday. Guess I'll have to put up with leaky washers for a little while longer. Replacing the fixture is out of the question. To access the back of it the kitchen cabinet must be dismantled and the water heater moved and that ain't happening. Today I will probably be working on the observation car again. I still have to drill out the broken pins that held the trucks on and tap the holes for screws. Not a project to be taken lightly with even slightly shaky hands.

Today's Weather for:
Sundown, LA  71446-6114      3/1/2009

Wind Chill:  21°F
Humidity:  65%
Dew Point:  20°F

So Far Today
High:  35°F
Low:  30°F
Rain:  0.00"
Rain Rate:  0.00"/h
Gust:  30mph N

Today  High: 52    Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 50s. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight  Low: 32    Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 30s. North winds 5 to 10 mph.

[blownout cylinder]

Good Morning People--Current Temperature is at -12C with the high forcast at -6C. A mix of sun/cloud and a 40% chance of flurries this afternoon. Low tonight of -16C. A mix of sun/cloud tomorrow with a high of -8C forecast--

Going to do some cleaning in the train room. Need some space for atrium buildup heeheehee

I'll have 3 eggs over easy with sausage and a coffee please---I'll sit by the window and watch Sunday unfold---

[LSWrr]

Good morning all.

Rob, great pictures of the new train room; I look forward to watching your progress there.

Sam, glad to hear you’re making progress on the DCC projects.  I would go for it on the coupler swap.

I love the ATLAS flex track, durable and flexible.  The Model power flex track is good, durable but not as flexible IMHO as the Atlas.

Lee

 

[wetidlerjr]

 Good Morning from Tipton IN !

[Cederstrand]

Tall glass of cool lemon water, please.

 [a nice almost brand new Audi SUV rear-ends us. Felt like a fair ride.] ***Sounds like a pretty expensive ride. Glad you were all OK.

Well, dang near finished the benchwork tonight. Tomorrow there is non-mrr'ing stuff I need to work on, but one more evening should finish up the framing. For some odd reason, my mouth tastes like industrial adhesive...yuck!

Have a good night all. Rob

[Packers#1]

OK, so went to a basketball game w/ my buddy and his dad, and also had my gf megann there (just thought I'd mention that)

well, about 5 mins. after we left (megann and her brother weren't in the car, thank the lord), we had to stop for a red light (my buddy, his dad, and me). my buddy and his dad were in the front seats, i was in the middle. we were driving a Frod explorer from the 90s. We had to stop at a red light, long line of cars. Well, low and behold, a nice almsot brand new Audi SUV rear-ends us. Felt like a fair ride. then we rear-ended the car in front of us (a Chevy HHR, i think). Driver of the Audi may have broke her foot, otherwise, no serious injuries. One thing I can cross off my list of things yet to experience. Was both fun, and scary, and weird. Also, I've been hit ahrder in football (once).

[gear-jammer]

 

Glad everyone enjoyed their RBF's today.

JR,  Our version 7.10 of 3rd PlanIt worked fine with Vista.

I will check in tomorrow.

Sue 

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Good evening...

I am wondering if Nik left out the rest of the story with the first joke pertaining to a duck. It seems to me that after the final time the duck asked for grapes, the bartender grabbed the duck and threw it under the bar. ...........That resulted in the very first duck under.

JR ... regarding your foot injury, it reminds me of when I was in my upper teens and was helping my dad work on the car. We had the transmission on the work bench, but it fell on my foot shaft first. I was wearing tennis shoes, and I definately felt the impact.

Vincent ... congrats on your new SD 24's... I'll tell you a little bit. I grew up next to the CB&Q mainline west of Chicago, and I could see the mainline from my house. EMD built its locomotives near where I lived in La Grange, IL. I saw the SD24's when they were new. Burlington had worked with EMD to develop the SD 24's. They were basically SD9's with turbochargers, and they could be considered to be the first of the second generation locomotives. They were the first Chinese red CB&Q locomotives. Originally, they were assigned in 4 unit sets to haul hotshot freight trains between Chicago and Denver. Crews called the new SD24's the "Red Devils". Cool name to me because that was the name of the sports teams at the high school I attended. I have two of the latest Atlas SD24's. I replaced the plastic couplers with good Kadee couplers because the locomotives would sometimes seperate from each other before I did that.

Everyone .... My class went well last night. (I'm instructing a personal finance class). There were 10 people which was a good amount in our small county.

This area continues to clean up broken tress from last month's ice storm. Unfortunately, there was an acidental death this week when heavy equpment backed over  a worker. As of last week, I heard many people still are without power. Our phone cable is still laying on the ground instead of being on poles for a length of about three poles. It still works amazingly.

Thanks to those who complemented on my kit bashed baggage cars. It was fun, and I hope others will be inspired to kit bash some cars themselves.

Happy Model Railorading

[LSWrr]

Evening all,

 

Well I installed a Soundtraxx LC decoder in Berkshire #759 and all is well, now I have sound on the layout.  I have the IHC mountain apart waiting for it’s Tsunami decoder and the other Berkshire waiting for its LC decoder.  I hope to do both locomotives Sunday.

 

I hope all is well with everyone. 

 

I guess we know now ducks are smarter than monkeys!

 

Lee

 

[blownout cylinder]

Hello----just passing through---catch people later----

[Trainman Sam]

ewl01

I opened one of the Spectrum GP30s I bought in San Antonio.  I don't recall seeing split frames in HO.

Eric, the EZ command, DCC equipped GP-30 that I currently own is a split frame, I found that out when I was searching the info in the box to see how hard it would be to convert it to sound, but with as lousy as it runs on my layout (loud motor, and sputters along at slow speeds) I am going to see if the "Spectrum" loco I had set aside for my at LHS is any quieter.  Have you run either of yours to see how they run?  I am hoping the Spectrum series employes a better quality motor...  Please let me know? Thanks!

    JR: Glad to hear you aren't experiencing too much pain!  Hope the trend continues!

Jeff:  I have installed the DH163PS into my F40PH and it runs so quiet and smooth, the C30-7 that I have I bought the board replacement from Digitrax, and they both creep along at almost a snails pace without a herk or jerk!  I am duely impressed with Digitrax, even though I am only running on the B'mann EZ Command system... 

Has anyone used a fiberoptic system in their modeling?  I am thinking of using one in my Step Van, thus cutting down the number of LED's I will have to install,  I remember someone recommending it for the head and tail lights on it, but I can't recall who... Thanks.

Chloe, I'll have a coke and some popcorn please?  Thank you!  Well, I'm off to read PSALM 105 v 1-22, my fiance and I are the scripture reading leaders for our church service tomorrow, and I don't want to stutter through it in front of the congregation!!!  How embarrassing THAT would be!!!

Have a good night my friends!  Stay safe!  Don't do anything I wouldn't!  (or at least, don't get caught!!!) 

EDIT:  Looks like I got honors... Eat up and enjoy my friends!  Chloe, I'll settle up tomorrow when I come in, if that's alright with you?  Thanks guys!

[Robby P.]

I'm coming and going.  Just to see whats happening.  I will have to catch up tomorrow.

 

[nik .n]

Milk in a two quart mason jar. (A blue one preferably, with Erie Lackawanna on it)

 My brother figured out he wanted his locomotive painted in the Conrail quality scheme. Once he pays me so i can get the supplies, off to my LHS to get an airbrush (On my tab), decals, paint and painting supplies, handrail kits, styrene, detail kits, White LEDs, fans, wire, strip copper, locomotive repowering kit (my tab also), Glue and applicators, Number boards, and whatever alse is needed.

Joke Time!

 "A duck walks into a bar and asks, "Got any grapes?"

The bartender, confused, tells the duck no. The duck thanks him and leaves.

The next day, the duck returns and asks, "Got any grapes?"

Again, the bartender tells him, "No -- the bar does not serve grapes, has never served grapes and, furthermore, will never serve grapes." The duck thanks him and leaves.

The next day, the duck returns, but before he can say anything, the bartender yells, "Listen, duck! This is a bar! We do not serve grapes! If you ask for grapes again, I will nail your stupid beak to the bar!"

The duck is silent for a moment, and then asks, "Got any nails?"

Confused, the bartender says no.

"Good!" says the duck. "Got any grapes?""

  Sorry about the swearing in this one, but its funny as heck, so i edited it from my friends version.

"A guy walks into a bar with his pet monkey. He orders a drink, and while he's drinking, the monkey jumps all over the place, eating everything behind the bar. Then the monkey jumps on to the pool table and swallows a billiard ball.

The bartender screams at the guy, "Your monkey just ate the cue ball off my pool table -- whole!"

"Sorry," replied the guy. "He eats everything in sight, the little b*****d. I'll pay for everything."

The man finishes his drink, pays and leaves.

Two weeks later, he's in the bar with his pet monkey, again. He orders a drink, and the monkey starts running around the bar. The monkey finds a maraschino cherry on the bar. He grabs it, sticks it up his a**, pulls it out and eats it.

The bartender is disgusted. "Did you see what your monkey did now?" he asks.

"Yeah," replies the guy. "He still eats everything in sight, but ever since he swallowed that cue ball, he measures stuff first."

 

See ya!

[GMTRacing]

Good Evening All,

   Still struggling with the sketches for the new layout.  I'm starting to come back towards a simpler round the walls setup where I can have some room in the middle and maybe even a workbench. That might also make the CFO happier as it would free up more room in the basement for the woodworking projects.

Eric - I haven't done a GP-30 but i soldered the decoders into my 44 tonners and an IHC 4-6-4 Hudson. Look around the web and you'll probably find a guide for the specific engine you have. Tonys' Train Exchange is another good source along with searching here.

Jerry - the foot is doing better, swelling down and the bruising not so bad. I've only taken one of the pain pills today and probably another when I turn in. I go back to see the Doc Tuesday and hopefully I'll be able to go back on limited duty then. I can hobble around pretty well now with my cane and I just thank the Lord this didn't turn out as badly as it might have. They were all amazed I only broke my toes. Thanks for asking.  J.R.

[f-unit]

So whats up in this place tonight. I have been gone for awhile. Its so easy to pop up on this forum again and again. still haven't figured out what I did wrong last time, i guess I *** off one of the good ole boy's here. I will try to behave myself for awhile anyway.

[Cox 47]

Evening.....Just stopped in for a bowl of chili and a RBF please...Thank You...Sallie and I have been napping all afternoon we baby sat with Our Son's youngest and Her new puppy last night and Grandma and I are all tuckered out today but it was great fun..My son brought me a bunch of Atlas track and switches for new layout..I got my hospital bed after a month and a half of trying yesterday!..Rob..I like your table work looks like a good start..Keep us updated...JR how is foot come along? Your in my prayers...You all have a good saturday night...Jerry

[ewl01]

Evening all.  Zoe, corned beef on rye with mustard and a Pepsi please.

I opened one of the Spectrum GP30s I bought in San Antonio.  I don't recall seeing split frames in HO.  Well, I haven't opened too many Bachmann or Atlas units, I have mostly remotored Athearns and the old stuff is DC. There is a light board tucked inside the roof. Guess I'l have to hard wire the decoder.  At least it looks like a can motor.  I remember my Spect.GE70 tonner with the two open frame 3 pole motors hanging off the frame......

Expecting a big snow Sunday night into Monday.

Blessings and prayers to those who need.  Eric

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Trainman Sam

I remembered the letters that I used in the original post for the B'mann Step Van that I purchased, and you are right, the Z scale decoder is the one I will be getting for that application, much easier to install in tight spaces...

I recently installed a DZ125 in a loco for one of the diners here. He's quite happy with it. To use his words, 'It runs very well'.