The Coffee Shop (a place to chat) Est. 2004

[Anonymous]

Hello again, Clubbers! (Let me glance at the menu awhile before I order, thanx.)

QUOTE: Originally posted by siberianmo
kenlarsen

QUOTE: siberianmo, congrats on getting a real-time internet connection, you'll soon be wondering how you ever survived without it!

I wondered BEFORE getting it! Baltimore? One of my favorite places - I'm not "from" there, but have lots of memories, going back into the 40's, a couple of years after WWII. I can remember diving off the piers at United Fruit into the harbor!! Don't cringe - all the kids did it, and I think it added to our longevity!!

My first time in Baltimore was April 1968 - I remember seeing an SW1 pulling a few boxcars down the middle of Pratt Street. Spent many an hour at the B&O's North Avenue tower, waiting for trains to emerge from the Howard Street Tunnel. But alas, the city today is only a shadow of her former self[:(]...

QUOTE: Originally posted by TurboOne
...Many thanks to all the prayers for my son. He came through with flying colors, and he slept for the first time with no snoring. He also hears better...

That's good to know!
I remember coming home after a tonsilectomy (sp?) at age 7, my "get well" gift was a Lionel 'Fort Knox' boxcar with picture-window sides so you could see the gold bricks inside - great security for that type of cargo, huh? [;)][(-D]

About those RDCs: I rode a few of those while they were still being used on the MARC commuter trains, from Laurel (MD) to Washington DC. I remember seeing on the Channel 13 news when the last one was retired.

My LHS officially notified me today that the 4 Kato SD38-2 units I ordered have arrived, but I told him to wait until I get paid next week for two reasons:
1) If I'm going to spend beyond my means [credit card], it had better be on something that the family CFO wants; and
2) I would feel compelled to spend all day Saturday test-running them on my friend's layout, when I MUST get to work installing that fiberglass insulation in the ceiling above my future trainroom, a task I positively dread...no distractions, please!

[Noah Hofrichter]

Ed, I had once, and then I’ve seen it once since then. It was neat to see once, but it’s not worth going there again unless we’re in the area.

Fergie, do you remember the issue that the idea of making fish out of tin foil was in? Sounds like something I’d like to try.

Well, It snowed, and I had to work after school shoveling the walk, so I’m late. That and I have a lot of homework tonight. Good news is I got the last bit of roadbed for my layout today, so hopefully tomorrow night or this weekend I can get the rest of the roadbed laid down.

Guess I’ll go, see ya!

Noah

[Anonymous]

Hi guy's, sorry I haven't been posting much lately. I've been real busy. First off my cousin is staying with us, and I've been taking him back and forth to work. And he works different hours about every day. Either from 9am to 4pm, or 4pm to 10 or 11 pm. Next, my dad went into the hospital (Tuesday March, 8). He couldn't hardly walk. The doctors did an MRI yesterday (Thursday, March 9). Results of which will be tomorrow. He has been walking better yesterday, and today. Finally, I ask you all to pray for him. His name is Robert J. Leavings. Thanks for your prayers.

Robert

[Anonymous]

how they rollin?

[bjdukert]

Evening all,Chole,I would like a Pepsi please

Tim-Glad to hear your son is doing good,and it is a relief when the little ones are well and feeling better.

Siberianmo-When I was in the A.F. they always told us there was a girl behind every tree at Thule.Only problem with that was there weren’t any trees or so I was told. [:D][:-^][;)]

Steve

QUOTE: DUKE meet the DUKE

Thanks and it took the second time through to see it[zzz][zzz]

***-I would go with at least 2x3 for the legs

John

QUOTE: QUOTE: Luc-You keep saying
QUOTE: rabbitt, rabbitt, rabbit
and them thar DOGS will be at it again
Not if one of them is Snoopy

Sure hope so because I think you are like a few of us and can’t keep the pace up for too long[:-^][swg]

Ed-As with all of the other pics of the different layouts,yours is looking good as well[^][:)][tup]

Kenlarsen[#welcome]and

QUOTE: finally acquired some real estate for a layout of my own,

AS Ed would say,sounds familiar. [tup]
Fergie-The Pond is looking good and what more could you ask for in getting a loco. [[^][tup]

Matt-Congrats on getting the essay done early sure does leave time for other things now. [tup]

Robert-My thoughts and best wishes will be with your dad. [angel]

I have been working on my layout a little at a time and one of the things I have done is paint the sky and try to paint some clouds as JimCG and *** can tell you. Well the clouds have since been painted over with blue again and thanks to JimCG in reminding me, I checked out Backdrops Warehouse and found some clouds that you can cut and stick with the stickum that is on the back of them.I cut one out,put it on one of the block walls to see how well and long it will stay and then had the inspector (wife) take a look and it got the nod of approval. She said that it made it look like 3D.

Ok I’m outa here and see y’all(there’s that word again)
Talk to you later

Duke

[bjdukert]

I'll say Hi to Fergi and Flip on my way out

Duke

[bjdukert]

Started a new page[:O]Drinks on me
Duke

[red p]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Attaboy

Just popping in real quick for lunch with this warning for cat lovers. Fresh from FOX news.com under the heading "Michigan cat shoots owner"

BATES TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A man cooking in his kitchen was shot after one of his cats knocked his 9mm handgun onto the floor, discharging the weapon, Michigan State Police (search) said.

Was this really an 'accident'? I think not. Cat Tom, beware![:O]

Its too bad the cat wasnt shot[}:)]

Cat!..... the other white meat!

[egmurphy]

Good Evening Coffee Clubbers,

Another great day down here in Paradise. Beautiful morning, but the sun came out and it looked like it was going to really heat up. [8D] Then boom, clouds rolled back in and it wound up being comfortable. [^]

Very little progress on the layout today, mainly due to some unplanned errands. I did get what was left of loose ground foam swept up. Here’s a shot showing progress as of today:




Enjoy your new locos, Phil. Kato does make nice stuff (unfortunately, mostly diseasel).


[#welcome] Welcome to the Coffee Shop Ken L! Yes, I did recognize your name from other posts, and I had previously stopped in to see your website. Very nice work, btw. Congrats on acquiring real estate for your layout. I think we have another regular in the Coffee Shop who will be happy to have another ore dock modeler hanging out here, eh Paul?

QUOTE: Fergie: Glad to see you're making progress but what's with the plastic drop sheet under the layout? Battle scars on the floor are what MR stories are made from…

Ah yes, but you forget one small detail MeisterFerg, my layout room is also known as The Master Bedroom. [:0] I’m trying to stay on the good side of the VP of Finance and Real Estate, who has been a real dear about letting me maintain it there so long.



Tom W, enjoy the train show. Sounds like it will be a good one, and worth the drive.

QUOTE: What was Ed saying about "Does it never end". I don't think it does, but it sure is fun.

Actually, I was just quoting Siberianmo, but you’re right.

QUOTE: TurboTim: He has been running his trains quite a bit the last few days, so we are replacing the green paper with green grass. Movin' on up.

Out of curiosity, what are you using to model the grass?

QUOTE: Tom(cat): …preparing for another marathon day on the Extension (LOVE retirement!).

Amen to that. [:D]

QUOTE: Why don't I ever discover these things when I'm PLANNING them, for cryin' out loud?

Easier to see in 3D. Plus, it would take all the fun out of retrofitting stuff into places.

QUOTE: Okay--new project. (Better get the latest finished first, right? Right?--C'mon, somebody say YES! PLEASE!)

Why? Strike now while the iron is hot!!! Now if it were Fergie I was talking to, I’d have advised letting the iron cool down first. Fewer burns that way. [(-D]

And I’m not too sure that Spooky is as sharp as he’s cracked up to be.

QUOTE: I don't understand any of it--I mean, how can a Frog be 'Insulated?' They don't have any fur!!

Hasn’t he ever heard “Fine as frog hair!”



Siberianmo, I’ll try to find time to post something about the Muskeg Mixed. Those trips happened before last week, so my memory isn’t all that clear on them.

QUOTE: Siberianmo: Our first Husky - FRED (that should get some comments, I would think)…

One of our dogs down here is named Fred, but that’s not FRED (as in Flashing Rear End Device).



Ryan, good to hear the camping trip went well with the scouts. Good luck catching up on forum posts. When are you guys heading out west?



LilRob, sorry to hear your Dad is still experiencing problems. Hope things get cleared up soon, and that he gets much better.

QUOTE: Tom W: Phil, I don't know of anything off hand about sites on copper mining, but let me check and see what I can come up with.

I must have missed the original reference. What are you guys looking for in regard to copper mining. A simple Google search turns up a ton of hits.



Think that comes close to catching me up. Modeling could take another hit tomorrow as we’re probably heading back to the orange grove. But with all the additional people stopping by, it’s been difficult keeping Zoe & Chloe stocked up.

Hasta mañana

Ed

[JimRCGMO]

Evening, Chloe, looks like we have the shop pretty well to ourselves this evening. I’ll have an OJ smoothie and a decaf, please.

Ed:

QUOTE:

Now it becomes painfully obvious that I need a few buildings. Does this never end???[;)]

C’mon, Ed, you know the answer to that one... (as TomW said) But on the other hand, we don’t have to get bored with our hobby, right?[:)] Congratulations on what you got done. One question: did you brush, or spray the base/paint before adding your first layer of the ground foam? Looked like you could have done it with a spray.[?]

QUOTE:

Down here, they refer to what we call the "Rio Grande" as the "Rio Bravo". Don’t know where a town of Rio Bravo might be, don’t know which state it's in do you?

Don’t know for sure, so I’ll have to ask someone at church this (next) weekend and post back here on Sunday. I hadn’t realized that was the name for the river (well, my minimal Spanish was good enough that - after you said it - I recalled that Rio = River).[:)]

My question on the glue gun was more about what kind of glue, actually. I know there are varying speeds of setup, and varying heat levels, and I wanted to know if it makes much/any difference for gluing the supports for scenery. Anyone out here know? Thanks!

Hey Bridge Tom, can you or someone else tell me which forum had the info on how to make the furnace filter trees? I gather from the posts that it was on one of the Trains.Com forums, but I don’t have the search engine figured out well enough yet - keep getting zero results so far. I did find some basic directions on the web about them, but those ones don’t look to be good enough compared to how the most of you here are raving about them. So, I figure the directions here (wherever they are) must be for more realistic-looking ones, right? Tom, have you considered that the cats may have plans to use that tunnel as a hiding place - their 'staging' tracks?[;)]

Paul, great to hear about the response to your request from the 6 Flags Mgr. “Ask and ye shall receive!” [tup][:)]

Phil, you rascal, you! By the time you and AmyJo get hitched, you may have a great layout and railroad (or you might be in hock up to your eyeballs, not sure which![;)] But you do appear to know how to treat her right, so she’ll probably forgive you... Yeah, Phil, those specialty tools will kill your wallet everytime.[swg]

I take it the Japanese during WWII didn’t take good care of their cats and so their cats refused to tip ‘em off about our cats’ progress? [;)] LOL!

Greg, after reading your description about your burnoff, it reminded me (my ex-father-in-law was a farmer who grew wheat) - anyone ever try to model a burnt-down wheat field? Guess if you couldn’t find dark enough ‘wheat’ stubble, you could dye it a real dark brown/blackish color.

Rob, thanks for reminding me about underworld’s post - I did see it at some point, just missed it when I went back looking for it.

Mutter-mutter [censored] trademark lawyers and certain railroads... [censored] Mutter-mutter... I think some of them need to get a hobby!!

[#welcome], Ken! Maybe if you wear an old long-sleeve shirt and gloves when you install the insulation you can minimize the damage. I know that stuff does itch (and my job I did wasn’t as big as that!). But it’ll give you a lot of usable room, just remind yourself of that.

And ouch! (double ouch!) on your plumbing problem. Forget telling our kids to go after being a doctor or lawyer - have ‘em go for the big bucks and get into plumbing! And I think Fergie’s been pulling your leg about buying the first round. Have a drink on my tab tonight! You are right though, a bunch of the ‘workers’ here will shame the rest of us into doing some actual work - if they show enough progress on their layouts.[;)] I’m trying to finagle someone into helping me get my plywood and some lumber moved this weekend to my apt., so I can get going! I don’t want to get left in the dust by all the busy beavers here. [;)]

TurboTim, very good to hear your young-un’s doing well. Also good to hear that GA Tom’s young un is healing up. Tom, good to hear Louise is feeling better and that your back’s better (may it get healed up the rest of the way ASAP).

Fergie, nice pond/lake - reminds me of an old abandoned quarry near here. But I’m sure yours will look better once you scenic it more. Looks good, and will look even better once you stock it! [;)][tup]

Si, that’s a dream I’ve never had (and hope never to have)! Let the cable guy install the network card - and if it doesn’t speed things up, guess you could switch back to the earlier setup, right? Oh yeah, that was a Dino song all right. I recall it when I was still fairly young (imagine that!). And does ViA Rail have a website for info, schedules, etc.? You got me wondering about a trip (though it’ll be many months before I can even start serious planning for a trip).

[:O] Fergie, say it ain’t so! Diesels on the MESS? Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!! You realize that you won’t be able to stop with just one, don’tcha? Although I understand diesels are simpler to paint pink than steam locos are. [}:)]But RDC’s are neat - I have 2 or 3 myself (Athearns - need to replace the rubber band drive with something better). I understand the P1000 versions look great.

Attaboy, that was one strange story ‘bout the man and his cat. Wasn’t a Cat Mafia hit, was it? I’d told a co-worker yesterday about Spooky’s post , so I told her today about the cat story. She got a chuckle out of it. She has a sign by her desk that says:
“May I become the person my dog thinks I am.” with a handwritten note under it that says “...and not the person my cat thinks I am.” [;)]

Welcome back, Ryan! Sounds like a really good campout, even if it did wear you out.

Luc, good to hear Gloe’s improving. Your doctor own stock in any of those pharmaceutical companies?[;)]

Careful, Steve, in my line of work, if someone says their engine is talking to them, the word “commitment” comes to mind... (tee hee)[;)]

Okay, we need a call from Elliott on the Spooky business - if Spooky’s posts kick Tom above the 1000 mark on posts, who gets the star? Spooky, or Tom? Of course, I know what Spooky’s vote on that would be.[;)]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Grubby

Hey all, a large coke and ice please..... Hey Turbo, glad to hear all it well, those "little" operations are still stressful...

Last night saw another trip to JJ's last night to buy supplies, 5 more turnouts and some roadbed (Trackrite)....that cut a hole in $150.00... but I have a confessionto make , I was unfaithful..... on the way home from work I stopped at another model shop (which I didnt know existed), found they had the largest range of MR stuff I have ever seen and I bought stuff.....

I know, bad bad Grubby, but they had a New River Mining and I needed it [:P] and a heap of MR back issues and an April that came in that day... they all came home with me.....wow that was a crazy MR day but now I can really make some progress on the revised layout (just got another little 8'x4' extension) and maybe even lay some track this weekend. [:D]

Well I hope Jim from JJ's doesn't find out about my other adventure [:P]

Off to work now, catch you all later

Grubby, I think you might be able to claim an addiction - it overpowered you! - tell JJ that. [:)] And enjoy your new goodies. At least you went by JJ’s *first*, before the ‘new affair’ stopoff.

Noah, great to hear you have the roadbed done - that will help things move along (once you get your homework done) this weekend. Hopefully you’ll have all the track laid by Sunday!

LilRob, will be praying for your Dad and that the test results help the doctors find out how to help him. Hadn’t heard from you about him for a while and had thought he was better. Hope you and your cousin can help each other out while you’re dealing with your Dad’s trip to the hospital.

Hi Railjunky! Welcome to the Shop - have a beverage of your choice on me, just tell Zoe to put it on my tab. [#welcome]

Well, I'm about done for tonight. See everyone tomorrow![:)]

Blessings,

Jim in Cape Girardeau

[der5997]

Good evening everybody: Chloe, a Chinese tea please.

Ed: Isn’t it amazing how quickly things change with a bit of paint and a sifter full of ground foam [tup] [^] Looking good! Is that masking tape on the tracks? Do you find the tape glue stays behind on the rail head?

BridgeTom:

QUOTE: I'm still salivating! Yummy!!

That’s rust, not chocolate, Tom![(-D] Glad you liked them. The pics are very grainy because the original video was copied to make the video from which these shots were copied onto a camcorder, and then captured into my computer, and put on railimages, and thence to the forum……
Didn’t see the film. BTW, there’s some film about the Vietnam war that showed a long rail bridge in Hanoi. It was a N scale bridge, and the city was built to match it. Doubtless Ed will come through with the results of his Google search and tell us all about it [:D]

NorthernPhil:

QUOTE: In local news, lost a Lawrence, In. officer last week,

Are you able to pass our condolences on to the families? That news is close to home in Canada right now. 10,000 officers from all over were at the memorial in Edmonton today.

QUOTE: (by TrolleyRob)Phil congrats on the SD's.

[#ditto]
Greg:

QUOTE: Rosie-the-dog: Don't let Spooky get ahold of you, my dog will tell you cats are baaaaad news.

Our late cat Pampas George’s first meeting with Rosie was to take his claws to her nose! Now any cat is to be chased and eaten if possible! [(-D]
Thank you for the kind words. Closer examination not possible with those photos would have revealed the tall stone bridge pier to be a piece of 1x2 covered with printed stone paper, not even textured, and the wood at the top not even painted to look like stone[:O]

KenLarsen [#welcome] First from MD, I think. If you’ve lurked long enough, you probably know how to get Zoe’s attention (and Chloe’s too Isee!) [(-D] Glad to have you aboard. As to inspiration, I’ve been really encouraged by the pics of other people’s layouts here too [tup]

Fergie: That fishing hole is deep! Coming very nicely.[^]

TomW:

QUOTE: that is a beautiful scene.

thanks, I’ve just realized that the hand and arm is that of our daughter as a high school student (now mother of a 12 year old and 2 others!) making it all the more beautiful [insert smilie of glowing pride]

Tim: Glad to hear your boy came through just fine.[angel]

Ryan:

QUOTE: Great progress on the layout! I wish I had the time like you have to devote to the hobby, been too busy to much of anything MR wise the past few weeks.

All is not as it seems! I do a little here, and a little there, like yesterday total mrr time was 15 minutes carving down a curved ramp of foam that will take the road from my upper level station “over the hill “ at the backdrop (aka wall ) between two bits of mountain. 15 minutes for the entire day.[V]
The finished layout pics are of railroads that are now history, destroyed when we moved.

Luc: thanks for the many emails.

QUOTE: Gloe is progressing well, doc keeps adding to my meds....

and you two continue in our prayers. Get well soon [tup]

Spooky, glad you liked the cream. Pampas George went off it in his declining years. As a kitten, he would kill for ice cream, and also for French fries[:O]

Rob: Your Dad’s situation is on our prayer chain.

….and finally, Ed, that ground cover is looking better and better[^][yeah]
That’s the whole lot caught up, and it only took 3 days! Next time, I think I’ll just do a krump, and start in at where-ever the conversation is[(-D]

It’s later than I thought, better get to bed. Sign outside a church in Dartmouth “Dates in the calendar are closer than they appear”
Goodnight all, and God bless.

[Paul W. Beverung]

Rob; Sorry to hear about your dad. I'll be thinking about him.

Well tonight I'm worse off than last night so, Good Night all.

Paul

[twhite]

Good evening all--just got in from a frustrating day on the layout.

Jim--that post on furnace filter pine trees was started by Aggrojones about two or three months ago. Probably if you connect on one of his threads then pull up his profile, it'll list when the post was made. They really work, but make sure you get the 'natural' furnace filter material, not the fibreglass air-conditioning filters, or you're going to have more painful tiny cuts on your fingers than you know what to do with. I got my furnace filter material at Home Depot, it's bright torquoise blue--REALLY looks wierd on those bamboo shishkabob thingys before you spray-paint it!

Lil'Rob, your father's in my prayers, I'll add his name to our Parish intentions for this weekend. I hope his MRI shows nothing serious and it's just a little virus they can kick out with medication.

John: I saw that film you're talking about--the one with the N scale models. I think it was called FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER or something like that. Anyway, the detail in the models was pretty fantastic--they even 'bombed' an N-scale railyard. I think there was an article about building the N-scale set in Model Railroader the year the film was released. But I sure like the set-up you had on those bridges, grainy film or not!

Ran into my first Sinohara turnout electrical problem today, and for the life of me, I can't figure out how to cure it! Seems I have a couple of spur tracks running in opposite directions off of the main line on the new extension. I isolated the spurs (the turnouts are selective, not insul-frog), wired them up to the main panel (in correct polarity--I double checked) and my locos short out in reverse everytime I flip the turnout to the spur. I've got a big yard wired the same way, no problem. I don't know whether it's a couple of bad Sinoharas, or the fact that it's a reverse loop has anything to do with it, or whether or not I should take out the Sinohara's and use Peco InsulFrogs instead. The reverse loop doesn't lead back to a single track (my mainline is double) so I can't think of any polarity tricks there. And if I go Peco, how do I find out what is the equivalent of a Sinohara #6? All I see in Peco is Small, Medium or Large. Eh? oh well, I'll sleep on it tonight, maybe some kind of solution will find its way into my mind by morning.

Zoe: Spooky thanks you for the cream (she never mentioned to ME that she likes cream, just Tuna and Chef's Blend). I presume she used it in her Vienna Roast, right? I have to wean her off that stuff by noon, or it makes her cranky.

Well, I'm off to feed the cats, then out to the garage to make a few more pine trees. One can NEVER have enought pine trees, right? Unless, of course, you're modeling Death Valley.
Later,
Tom

[:P][:P]

[trolleyboy]

Good evening everyone. Chloe could I have a sleepy time tea please.LilRob our thoughts and prayers for your dad. Ed and John great progress guys,don't you find that scenery is the most fun part?I've been wanting to post some pics of the museum for you guys but I've only got prints,I don't take slides anymore too expensive to process,and I've not bought a digital yet. How if anyway would one post prints.[#welcome]Ken and any others I may have missed.Well i'm off to the rest of the forum for now. Talk to you all later. Rob

[Anonymous]

Zoe, how about a root beer float - A&W if you got any?

Guys, I'll try to respond to each of you, but I might not have seen your message [to me] so please don't interpret it as a 'snub' if your name isn't in the list...

QUOTE: Originally posted by egmurphy
[#welcome] Welcome to the Coffee Shop Ken L! Yes, I did recognize your name from other posts, and I had previously stopped in to see your website. Very nice work, btw. Congrats on acquiring real estate for your layout. I think we have another regular in the Coffee Shop who will be happy to have another ore dock modeler hanging out here, eh Paul?

Thanks Ed, I'm happy to have found this nice li'l cafe! BTW, it appears that Paul's ore dock is on the loading end, whereas mine is at the un-loading (steel mill) end --- sets the stage for a different 'flavor' of point-to-point operation...[:D]

Duke:
I see your location is SE Michigan. I grew up in Farmington (I think it's now called "Farmington Hills"?), lived there until I was 13. Fantastic state, love those tractor-trailer rigs with 13+ axles...and the 75mph speed limits![}:)]

QUOTE: Originally posted by der5997
KenLarsen [#welcome] First from MD, I think. If you’ve lurked long enough, you probably know how to get Zoe’s attention (and Chloe’s too Isee!) [(-D] Glad to have you aboard. As to inspiration, I’ve been really encouraged by the pics of other people’s layouts here too [tup]

Hi John, I see you are a member of the well-represented Nova Scotia contingent. I'll have to try to get jrcbal and some other Marylander's to join me here![:)]

QUOTE: Originally posted by JimRCGMO
[#welcome], Ken! Maybe if you wear an old long-sleeve shirt and gloves when you install the insulation you can minimize the damage. I know that stuff does itch (and my job I did wasn’t as big as that!). But it’ll give you a lot of usable room, just remind yourself of that.

And ouch! (double ouch!) on your plumbing problem. Forget telling our kids to go after being a doctor or lawyer - have ‘em go for the big bucks and get into plumbing!

Jim, that's a good point about plumbing - at least I don't think they can outsource THAT line of work to China or India![:D] Two additional fiberglass safety items on my list: dust mask and swimmer's goggles.
--------------------------
Guys, I really need to catch some [zzz] since I have to get up at 5:00am (it's now midnight). C-ya!

[grayfox1119]

Just stopped by bbefore going to bed, long day working in the train room assembling some storage units to get organized a bit...I almost flipped when I got online tonight and saw how many pages flew by in just a day....a lot of reading to do..

see you all tomorrow.....oh yes, two storms tomorrow, the 1st will give about 2 inches, the next one Friday night into Saturday will give us another 6 inches, and Maine will get clobbered with the biggest storm of the season for them......Der John, Fergie, Luc...get ready boys,thar she blows!!! We have received 99.5 inches so far this season, we are headed towards our record of 122 inches.

Snore, snore...[zzz][zzz][zzz][|)][|)]

[trolleyboy]

Good evening again I see *** and Ken are here at the moment so I'll sit and have a joe with you. I actually met another forum member over the weekend.Heather and I were manning the museum's tables at the train show in N Falls on on Sunday. I was having a conversation with a gent interested in one of the museums PCC cars (TTC 4000) This car is the original air electric prototype bought by the TTC in 1938 and the gent. was interested in getting more info on it. He hasn't seen it in action much as it's a car we don't run regularly. Turns out he's one of the forum members that lives in TO so it's a small world.[^] Has anyone seen the new walthers modular building sections?I'm wondering if they are better or the same as DPM sections. I'm contemplating picking up a lot more wall material for some flats etc for the layout.So far DPM's been the cheapest but i'm wondering if any of you have seen or used the new walthers product. well it's late I'm going to turn in before two I think today[|)] Nite all. Rob[zzz][zzz][zzz]

[TurboOne]

Thanks guys all the messages cheered up my son. He says train guys are cool.

Ed, we update green crepe paper with the life like grass mat. Much better, his Thomas layout is a temp layout on an extra dining room table in the living room. He has been running his military train a lot.

LilRob prayers for your dad. Hope all comes out well on tests.

Paul, prayers for health.

*** and John (nova scotia) take care during the next storms. Lets be careful out there.

Ryan, thanks some cajun spiced out might have fixed him as well, at least it would taste great.

[#welcome] Ken, enjoy a smoothie on me.

Tom, take care of them cats. My favorite cat is from Galleger, he said a flat cat is best, they can slide under door so you don't have to let them out. [:D][:D][:D]
My best friend for 17 years was a black cat with two white spots. He fetched, played ball, and slept with me for 17 years. Great friend.

Jim in CG, how is the weather treating you, seems as if the middle is better than the west and the east this year.

Fergie thanks for the wishes.

Take care all

Tim

[philnrunt]

Wow- lots 'o' posts! Here we go-
About the Bridges of Toko Ri- the straight wing F-9s were beautiful, and that is a great movie, it dosn't candy coat a pilots life. IIRC, that was USS MIDWAY used in the film, but I could definitely be wrong here.
Twhite-( East coast nazi fighting cats) Ah yes, the famous 9 Lives Squadron. Little known but nothing less than inspirational seeing the cat crews loading up into their Liberators, didn't they account for about 6 U-boats? They snuck up on them so well....stealthy critters that they be! On a serious note, did you see The Earthling with Holden and Rick Schroeder? One of my favorite movies. Holden was great! Oh yeah.
KenLarsen- Welcome, I've read your articles for a long time. Sorry to hear about your SDs being put on hold, even temporarily. (got the e-mail that mine have been shipped, can't wait to see them) Congratulations on the real estate, I know you'll put it to good use.
Tomwatkins- Glad to hear you're doing better, and I wish we could have met Louise and Shawna. Maybe next time. Amyjo said today that when we go back to Kennesaw we all need to eat at the BBQ place at the intersection just off I-75. Amen to taking care of the women, they tend to make sense of our otherwise chaotic lives. Amy also mentioned that I needed to get going on the next layout. Sure do love that girl!
Siberianmo- So you have those dreams too?!?! They sure can mess you up, huh? The only way i can tell they were dreams, I don't get super tired here at work. As for buying something or taking a trip, just did all of that a few weeks ago, so now I'm just gonna hunker down and wait it out, the SDs are supposed to be on their way. Of course, so was your P Express! The good thing is 1st place hobbies is only about 20 miles up the road, so if they mess me around, I'll camp out on their doorstep! And what was it about FRED's caboose area that made you name him that? Or do we really want to know?
Fergie and der5997- Thanks for the good thoughts on the officer. I'll check to see if they have a site, if they do, I'll forward your condolences. And Fergie, route a boxcar of fresh NA cod to Muncie Indiana, via the MIDWest route! Tomorrow a bunch-about 18 of us- are eating -all you can - fish at a local cafe, so they will need to repleni***heir stock!
Turbo one- Great news on your son, wish I had had that done when I was his age. Give him a hug from all of us.
Lil Rob- give your dad our best wishes, and maybe a hug too. Never hurts.
Silver Spike- Man, you have me in the camping mood. Our 4WD and camp trip to Va is about 6 weeks away, but I want to go now. Isn't it amazing how something as -wild-basic-rough- as camping can get into your blood? Sounds like you had a great time. Glad to have you back.
JimRG- There is only one heat setting on my glue gun- White Dwarf! I had no idea the first time I used it they got sooo hot. I have that idea firmly rooted in my psyche now! If there had been a video camera in the room, I would have been a shoe-in for the 10,000$ funniest vids award. Actually, just about anytime I touch a tool, someone should grab a camera. As for Amyjo and me having a great layout or being broke- I didn't realize there was a choice there! The only difference between my layout and Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry's, is they spent 3million$ and somehow got it to WORK! Well, we'll just try harder this next one. Plan your work, then work your plan!
And now, number 45 on our list but number one in our heart
Ed- That layout looks great. You are doing a yeoman's job on getting stuff done! I might have to dig out my RS3s and head your way, just to get some run time. Of course, gallons of fresh OJ and 80F temps have nothing to do with it! The copper mining Tom and I were talking about is just north of his place, in N Carolina. Until he mentioned it, I thought copper mining was a western and northern venture. I had no idea any major mining went on in the east.
Well ok, I think that covers it, to the new ones I forgot (I actually ran out of space on my note pad) , come on back and get to know us, this is a friendly little group. And welcome to all. Plenty of room, great food, not a bad table in the place, and lots of trains going by.
From SD90MACS with coal drags to steam pulling varni***o 44tonners poking in and out of alleyways.
Ain't this a great hobby?!?!?!

[egmurphy]

Okay, just a quick visit before we take the kids to school and take our morning constitutional with the dogs.

Last time I did this I made a fool out of myself. Never being one to let something like that stop me, here I go again. I'm pretty sure that we have a Coffee Shop birthday today, March 11th.

[bday] TurboOne!! Have a good one Tim.




Hey, someone has to keep up with this stuff since jhhtrainsplanes is still awol with computer problems. This was his job.

Hope I got it right this time.

Later

Ed

[JimRCGMO]

QUOTE: Originally posted by trolleyboy


...<snip>...
I've been wanting to post some pics of the museum for you guys but I've only got prints,I don't take slides anymore too expensive to process,and I've not bought a digital yet. How if anyway would one post prints.[#welcome]Ken and any others I may have missed.Well i'm off to the rest of the forum for now. Talk to you all later. Rob

Rob, if you have (or know someone with) a scanner, have them scan it in and save it as a JPEG, then post that to railimages or your pics hosting site of choice and link from there. HTH![:)]

Jim in Cape Girardeau

[JimRCGMO]

Good morning Zoe and Chloe (guess I came in early enough to catch that *other* change of the shifts), a cup of joe in a go-cup, please. Looks like the regulars aren't up yet (of course, nightowl ***'s probably just starting to snore, since he was in pretty late)[;)]

Had a call out to County jail (about 3:40 call, got there about 4:30 - decided to shave first since it already was a new day...). Didn't have to commit the person (that always takes longer), but now it's too close to when I take the van back by work. I'm thinking about 'fudging' and dropping my laundry off 'on the way' (they open about 7), and then I only have to pay taxi one way back home after laundry's done. Still awaiting my federal tax refund to get some wheels. Supposed to meet with friends (have a ride) tonight - fish dinner at a local Catholic church. Don't tell Spooky, but I think it's probably gonna be catfish dinner.[}:)]

I see Ed was through here a little ahead of me, huh? Ed, if I could access my MIA drive, I had the birthdays on it, but ....[:(] (another thing on my own todo list)

TurboTim, our weather's been fairly good. Turned cold earlier in the week when the front went through (probably the one that's out sucking up Atlantic water before it comes back into Maine and NS). But it's been dry and warming up to the upper 40's/lower 50's (F) in the day, with a little breeze. Kind of a cool breeze, but not with the nasty, wintertime bite to it.

Well, about time to go haul laundry to the laundry and drop the van off at work. Will probably write more later (after laundry and a catch-up nap).

Blessings,

Jim in Cape Girardeau

[Fergmiester]

QUOTE: Originally posted by twhite

Good evening all--just got in from a frustrating day on the layout.

Jim--that post on furnace filter pine trees was started by Aggrojones about two or three months ago....

I just bought 2 sets of filters as they were on sale ($1 each) I would really like to find those instructions.

QUOTE:
John: I saw that film you're talking about--the one with the N scale models. I think it was called FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER or something like that. Anyway, the detail in the models was pretty fantastic--they even 'bombed' an N-scale railyard....

Ran into my first Sinohara turnout electrical problem today, and for the life of me, I can't figure out how to cure it! Seems I have a couple of spur tracks running in opposite directions off of the main line on the new extension. I isolated the spurs (the turnouts are selective, not insul-frog), wired them up to the main panel (in correct polarity--I double checked) and my locos short out in reverse everytime I flip the turnout to the spur. I've got a big yard wired the same way, no problem. I don't know whether it's a couple of bad Sinoharas, or the fact that it's a reverse loop has anything to do with it, or whether or not I should take out the Sinohara's and use Peco InsulFrogs instead. The reverse loop doesn't lead back to a single track (my mainline is double) so I can't think of any polarity tricks there. And if I go Peco, how do I find out what is the equivalent of a Sinohara #6? All I see in Peco is Small, Medium or Large. Eh? oh well, I'll sleep on it tonight, maybe some kind of solution will find its way into my mind by morning.

Tom: I think your solution to the switch problem lies with the Movie. But before you start your "Bombing Run", Take some pictures for us please[:D] as it's better when it's someone elses layout. Seriously though. Talk to Teffy before you do anything as Bob is an electrical Engineer by trade and has a lot of experience with Shinoharas.


On the Subject of Weather and Hot Air I see Ed is claiming bragging rights again. Layout in the Master Bedroom?! If it were my house the plastic sheet would be there to protect the floor from blood splatter as it would be a crime scene[:0] Lisa would have a fit! Hence the basement. (It was promised to me before we got married as Lisa didn't want Nautical artifacts cluttering "her" living room).

Jim: Technically the Diesel is a loaner to the MESS as it belongs to Dad, or that's what I will tell Lisa when one of the two dear children go.... "MOM, Dad has a new enginnnne"! Little rats, Lisa's trained them too well and they can't be bought![:(!]

Phil: Quiet night? You went and wrote a novel! It will be a few weeks before the fish will fry as I'll do the decaling onboard as I don't have the ventilation in the house and the garage is too cold. BTW I probably won't be shipping Lobster, shrimp, Cod or Haddock as my service is just for the "Halibut"[:-^]

***: Thanks for the thought I've got my shovel plugged in and warming up[:D] I wish I could find photos of last years snowfall in St. Anthony's, Newfoundland as the first picture was a guy using a snow blower on the side of the road, the second picture showed the same guy, taken from a distance, except he wasn't clearing the road he was clearing the roof of his two story house. I'm NOT pulling you're leg, honest. The front of the house was "clear" but the top and back of the house were snowed under.

Duke: Why is it that you buy after I leave? I suspect this is a Time zone things and thanks for the Kudos. Yes the Loco is right at home right now but feels threatened by Diesel. With the impending storm Saturday I intend on dressing her up. Pics to follow.

Noah: I'll see if I can find the fish for ya.

Rob: Hope all is well and turns out for the best.

Steve: Nice pics of the British Steam. I've been to York many years ago and got to see the Railway Museum. Well worth the trip!

Anyway If I've forgotten anyone, sorry, it's getting crazy here, time to expand that or we'll have to wait till spring and sit outside for a yarn.

Later Gents

Fergie

[Anonymous]

Chloe - a java, OJ, and two 'over-easy' for me this morning please...

QUOTE: Originally posted by philnrunt
KenLarsen- Welcome, I've read your articles for a long time. Sorry to hear about your SDs being put on hold, even temporarily. (got the e-mail that mine have been shipped, can't wait to see them) Congratulations on the real estate, I know you'll put it to good use.

Hi Phil, I see from your profile that you are an industrial modeler. By 'articles', are you referring to the stuff on my web site?

QUOTE: Originally posted by TurboOne
[#welcome] Ken, enjoy a smoothie on me.

Tim, thanx for the smoothie, it really hit the spot.[:)]
Enjoyed your earlier comment about camarderie here. Just wanted you to know, I'm glad you made that photo of you and your wife part of your signature, it immediately tells me we have something improtant in common - commitment to family (I'm M+4 myself). Maybe I'll follow your example and put a self-image in my profile - as soon as I can scan and upload a recent portrait of myself and der frau.
. . .

trolleyboy, sorry I missed you here last night - must have gulped down my last swallow just as you entered![:D]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Fergmiester

QUOTE: Originally posted by twhite
...
Jim--that post on furnace filter pine trees was started by Aggrojones about two or three months ago....

Fergie/Tom/Jim, I bookmarked that thread, here it is if you haven't already found it:
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=26674

My workday has started, C-ya tonite!

[tomwatkins]

Good Mornin' Everybody,
It's going to be a beautiful day in the mountains today. Everybody is doing a bit better now. Louise is feeling a lot better than earlier in the week, Shawna's vision out of her right eye is much clearer, and my back, though still sore, is much better than yesterday.

I didn't get much done on the light mountain yesterday. Kinda wimped out and just took it easy. There are several chores to get done this morning and then I'll see how much piping I can get hung on it. The major chore for today is to replace the headlight bulbs on Shawna's car. It's a '97 626 Mazda and lighting technology has improved considerably since it was new. I just replaced the lamps in my '93 B-2600 pickup last week, and the new ones make a huge difference.

Fergie, diesels on the M.E.S.S.? What's the world coming to? Actually, as much as I like steam, I'll have to admit to also liking and appreciating diesels too. They are less tempermental and cantankerous than steam, and take a lot less time to detail and get up and going. And the Soundtraxx decoders for the early EMD units sound awesome.

TurboOne, I'm glad your son's surgery went well. There is no such thing as "minor surgery" when it's being done on your child. It's big, serious, scary stuff.

BridgeTom (Spooky's Human), we'll keep your secret. Spooky won't find out from us.

LilRob, I hope your dad's OK. We'll keep you all in our thoughts and prayers.

Der, the movie was "Flight of the Intruder". Not a bad movie, but a much better book. The bridge is the Paul Doumer rail and highway bridge. It and the bridge at Than Hoa were designed and built by Andre Eiffel. They were very strong bridges.

I'd better go for now and get some stuff done.
Have a great day, everybody,
Tom

[siberianmo]

Good AM all - I've been finishing my decaf, listening to what has been said, and came to a conclusion: one should not miss even one day, let alone several, at the 'shop,' otherwise playing catch up can be a royal pain in the "pa-toot."

Well, this morning started off a heck of a lot better than yesterday - at least I was able to keep pace with Juneau - the lead sled dog -on our morning trek. It's a twice a day routine - next departure is after dinner. Carol joins in on that one - so we all get to exercise a bit ........

SilverSpike

QUOTE: siberianmo,
Great stories from the OA and the train ride! Yes, fond memories of Boy Scout summer camp and the "Blast from the Past" factor gets kickin in too. I remember our Troop won a watermelon for coming in first place in the "Critter Crawl" race contest. We had found this huge grasshopper, and it out ran the competition.

Boy Scouts was a huge part of my childhood - never was a Cub though. Joined at 12 (which was the age back then) - followed the program through Explorer (15 was the age) and continued as an Assisstant Scoutmaster well into my military career. Of course, with two sons - I had my "share" of camp outs, etc. - all in all, a very positive and rewarding experience. Three Eagles in our family.

KenLarsen

QUOTE: My first time in Baltimore was April 1968 - I remember seeing an SW1 pulling a few boxcars down the middle of Pratt Street. Spent many an hour at the B&O's North Avenue tower, waiting for trains to emerge from the Howard Street Tunnel. But alas, the city today is only a shadow of her former self...

When I was a kid, my father used to sail out of Baltimore (he was a mate aboard a frieghter). I used to ride the train, either B&) or Pennsy, from NYC to visit with him. So, I recall Baltimore from the late 1940's. Then as my career in the military progressed - I made it back several times in the 60's & 70's when my ship would go to the yards (Curtis Bay, MD). In the late 70's I was heavily involved in federal law enforcement and visited there frequently into the mid-80's (based out of Portsmouth, VA and St. Louis, MO). So, I too have seen the changing face of the city. Fortunately, I'm able to keep the postive side from being blighted out by what has happened in may of the places I used to know.

By the way, we visited the Inner Harbor a couple of years ago - marvelous thing to see. Really had a good time. Oh, yes - I really enjoyed those Baltimore Colts of the NFL and the Orioles of the American League when they had Brooks at third! What teams!

bjdukert

QUOTE: Siberianmo-When I was in the A.F. they always told us there was a girl behind every tree at Thule.Only problem with that was there weren’t any trees or so I was told.

Only been up there once - but knew the area quite well once upon a time. Where I spent many a month, trees were replaced by ice bergs! Somehwere in my archives of photo slides, I have a shot of a polar bear on an ice flow somewhere southeast of Greenland - may have been a girl. She wouldn't have stood a chance around you AF guys, from what I've been told[}:)]

egmurphy

QUOTE: What was Ed saying about "Does it never end". I don't think it does, but it sure is fun.Actually, I was just quoting Siberianmo, but you’re right.[/

So, perhaps then - all addictions aren't bad? Just say yes to trains - lots and lots of 'em!

egmurphy

QUOTE: Siberianmo, I’ll try to find time to post something about the Muskeg Mixed. Those trips happened before last week, so my memory isn’t all that clear on them.[

Thanx - we'll be looking for your post! That CANADIAN PASSENGER RAILROAD topic has some real good stuff from several "regulars." I have my doubts about its continuance, though - too many topics - so little time!

QUOTE: Siberianmo: Our first Husky - FRED (that should get some comments, I would think)…One of our dogs down here is named Fred, but that’s not FRED (as in Flashing Rear End Device).

Ed - My wife named him, and I know it had nothing to do with railroading.

JimRCGMo

QUOTE: Si, that’s a dream I’ve never had (and hope never to have)! Let the cable guy install the network card - and if it doesn’t speed things up, guess you could switch back to the earlier setup, right? Oh yeah, that was a Dino song all right. I recall it when I was still fairly young (imagine that!). And does ViA Rail have a website for info, schedules, etc.? You got me wondering about a trip (though it’ll be many months before I can even start serious planning for a trip).

I've left the USB connection as is - cable guy never showed up! Go figure - not even worth following up on. If I need a board, I'll purchase one for a couple of bucks at CompUSA or Best Buy, etc.

VIA Rail has a great web site - www.viarail.ca - drop me an email around the time you are planning your trip and I'll pass some info to you that may be of assistance ......

philnrunt

QUOTE: And what was it about FRED's caboose area that made you name him that? Or do we really want to know?

Carol used to call him "Fuzz Butt," and I'm positive she never heard of FRED when she named him Fred. So, his caboose area was of more interest to her than to me[xx(]

Hope the wait isn't too long for your SD's. I suppose some of the fun is in the waiting -
=============================================
Hope I didn't miss anyone! Thanx for including me in your conversations[:D]

[egmurphy]

Nice layout, Siberianmo!!! Wow. It shows very nicely when you click on it to enlarge the photo. Looking forward to seeing more. Quite the forest you have there.


Ed

[SilverSpike]

Good Morning Coffee Club Gang!!!!!

I'll take a tall OJ and a hot cup a Joe!!!!

Another weekend is upon us and I hope to start the grouting of the tile tonight. Another busy weekend planned ahead, taking the boys for haircuts Saturday and then Cub Scouts, and I hope to work on the tile again in the afternoon. Should be a great weekend weather wise, the prediction is for clear skies and cool temps in the mid 60's.

I have been reworking my layout design plans to eliminate the duck-under or pullout bridge on the lower level. Juggling the plans around is a real challenge to keep all the same features and industries in the same areas. The one advantage of the "reworked" plan is that it extends the main line about 20 feet and provides more distance for the grade climb to the upper level, therefore, reducing my grade to about 2%. The benchwork frame will be about the same, just the track and industry placement will change. I still have time to figure that out, hopefully still trying to time the start of benchwork construction for the middle of April. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Tim,
That is great news! I am so glad that your son is feeing better. Yep, a pinch of cayenne pepper will clear up any clogged up nasal passage. Keep that sunshine coming, we enjoyed it last weekend and this weekend looks great too!
Also, Happy Birthday!!!!

TrolleyBoy,
Gotta watch out for those felines, they are a rowdy bunch sometimes! Remember, "nine lives" is not just a cat food!

Robert,
Our prayers are with your dad for a succesful recovery.

Ed,
Thanks! And, the count down is underway! Two weeks from today we fly out to Las Vegas and rent an SUV for 9 days of driving, 12 national parks, 27 restaurants, unknown number of pit stops (how much is gas out west?), and plenty of tours, and hiking (glad we broke-in our boots last weekend), and plenty of photo ops (did I hear "Kodak moment").

Jim,
Yep, the campout was great! All that hiking took it's toll, but we all had a blast! Once you stop for a minute and rest, you just want to take nap, got to stay active to prevent the sleeps from creeping in!!! Hopefully it helped to get us in shape for all the hiking we will be doing in a few weeks out west.

Der John,
I have been working on my track plan, so I guess that counts! Just don't have anything to show for it at this point! You are so right, 15 minutes here, half an hour there does add up, and sometimes the best thing when balancing what life throws at you sometimes.

Spooky,
Have you ever tried Cozy Kitten? My feline friend "Kitty" loves that stuff, but she only gets that if she's been good! That means letting us sleep all night without waking us up!

Siberianmo,
Wow! That is great, three Eagle Scouts, you must be very proud! My son just earned his Webelos badge and is now working on his Arrow of Light, the highest rank in Cub Scouts. We already have our sights set and pick out a Troop to cross-over next year. These guys are very active and have many Eagle Scouts, looking forward to that next year. When I was in Boy Scouts I made it to Star and was a Junior Assistant Scoutmaster, then moved to Explorers and became so involved that I stopped working on merit badges, but had a great time on trips. We did a lot of canoeing and backpacking, including trips to Arkansas (Buffalo River), Mississippi (Okatoma Creek), Florida (Ocala), and Colorado (Rocky Mtns.).
BTW, great photo at the bottom of you post, is that the Matterhorn?

Well, time to get back to work! The projects never stop and help desk calls are starting to kick in!

Happy Weekend Everyone!!!!

Ryan

[der5997]

Good morning all: Bright and sunny, but due to change with a nasty on it’s way for this evening through tomorrow [V] O large black coffee please Zoe. Thanks.

QUOTE: I got my furnace filter material at Home Depot, it's bright torquoise blue--REALLY looks wierd on those bamboo shishkabob thingys before you spray-paint it!

I forgot my manners, Fergie, and Luc. Kent’s @ Mic Mac Mall have the blue filters on special clearance “True Blue” 3 Pack for about $2.95 …Oh, I see Fergie found them[:D]

BridgeTom

QUOTE: I think there was an article about building the N-scale set in Model Railroader the year the film was released.

I think that’s where I saw the info. They showed the set, and this long long bridge. Bombing an N yard would be tricky to make convincing, since scale debris is so very small, and doesn’t have the mass to carry well. Maybe they used depleated uranium.[(-D]

QUOTE: Seems I have a couple of spur tracks running in opposite directions off of the main line on the new extension. I isolated the spurs (the turnouts are selective, not insul-frog), wired them up to the main panel (in correct polarity--I double checked) and my locos short out in reverse everytime I flip the turnout to the spur.

From what I’ve experienced, and heard, of Shin turnouts, lovely to look at, delightful to hold…etc., I’d go Peco, and try Medium. Others will have a more accurate take on this, but I think Peco long will be too long for a S. #6.

Ken:

QUOTE: Hi John, I see you are a member of the well-represented Nova Scotia contingent. I'll have to try to get jrcbal and some other Marylander's to join me here!

Sounds good to me, the more the merrier![:D]


Siberianmo: that is some layout, and a clean trainroom!!!!!. The mountain is very impressive, how tall?

[bday] Tim…hope you have fun[:D]

Must get on. I’m due to spend time on hold with a website techie finding out why certain data won’t show on their pages…Oh joy[V]
TTFN

[steveblackledge]

Good morning / afternoon / evening to all
JOHN

QUOTE: Do they still have "wakes week" in Lancashire mill towns? Do they still have mill towns?

not any more, all the mills closed for the annual holiday at Blackpool, now mills don't close as it would bankrupt them, all the works going to China like everything else, some small mills left but they are dying a slow death
[:(]

QUOTE: Careful, Steve, in my line of work, if someone says their engine is talking to them, the word “commitment” comes to mind... (tee hee)

try telling that to the lads who drive the Steam loco's on the "east lancs railway" if a loco don't talk to you it's a Diesel [:)][:p][:)]
DUKE, glad you like the picture
FERGIE, the museum at york has changed a lot lateley, some of the exhibits have gone to another museum, same owners different town