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

[james saunders]

just 3 pages to go, hey i have green stars now

[Cox 47]

Good evening all Just stopped in to say our prayers and thoughts are with you RT...Ed good to hear from you .....If PCarrell is buying I'll take a butterscotch shake to go...You all have a good nite...Jerry

[Anonymous]

Good luck RT, my prayers are with you.

[egmurphy]

Good Evening Coffee Clubbers

Another beautiful day down here in Paradise. Hot and sunny, but still nice. [8D] It’s been quite a while since we’ve had any significant rain, and we could really use some. Of course, with the rough weather some of you are having up north, I can’t really complain.

We went out to the orange grove today for another carload of fruit. We’re definitely on the downhill side of the season, but there’s enough oranges still left on the trees for a while yet. The FCVN still has its main products rolling northbound.

Getting close to the time for our trip NOB. This time we’re hoping to see Paul B, and stop by and see Teffy again. Sorry Trent, won’t have time to come through San Antonio this trip.

Glad you guys liked the photos, I sure enjoyed taking them. It’s tough when you live so far from any train action. I still need to edit and upload the shots of the bridge, this week for sure.


*** – best of luck to your #2 son on the upcoming wedding.

QUOTE: Are you in Texas to see the 1st game?? This is your big chance Ed, the Red Sox don't get much closer to you than this do they? And, Theo is talking with the Roger!!!! I think they are trying to get him as a closer. If they do, he would not be available until after the Allstar break.

Nope, still down here. But I am “watching” them through the ‘GameDay’ box scoring. So far this evening it’s not been as much fun as it was yesterday…..[:(] Yeah, wouldn’t it be great to see Roger end his career in Boston?! Maybe even beat Cy Young’s record. [tup]

QUOTE: derJohn: Thanks for the railroading fix photos. That narrow gauge steamer elegant! Nice to see the old switchers still going strong too. Makes purchasing choices from the LHS easier!

Not for me, they’re too modern.

QUOTE: JR: Out our way it is more and more dificult to keep steam running as the FRA seems to erect barriers as fast as you fix the last issue they raised.

Well that old steamer isn’t likely to ever run again (although it’s not totally impossible). I think they probably play a bit faster and looser with the regs down here than they do up north. If they had to do the same type of boiler inspections as the new regs up there require, I doubt we’d be running the #279.


Ouch, Ken, that’s quite the increase in your electric bill. But I suspect your place is a lot bigger than ours. Our rate per kwh is probably higher, but I’m running the a/c in a smaller space.

QUOTE: Ryan: On Wednesday this week at exactly two minutes and three seconds after one o’clock in the morning the time and date will be 01:02:03 04/05/06. And it will be another hundred years before that will happen again.

Actually, for those of us South of the Border (the Rio Bravo, that is, not the Medicine Line) this will happen next month. We put the day first, and the month second, so 01:02:03 04/05/06 for us happens on the 4th of May, not April 5th. [:D]


Jerry – hope you get better news on Sallie’s father.


Mike – hope J-Bird gets better and that they get a handle on what’s causing it.


RT – good luck tomorrow.


That’s about it from down here, see you guys tomorrow.

Hasta mañana

Ed

[pcarrell]

Alright boy's, you know the routine!

Ruin my credit!

Belly up!

[pcarrell]

Evening all,

inch,

You're probably right about the government / heat thing, but we can always pray.

RT,

Prayers go with you tomorrow.

All,

Gettin' mighty close to that 1000 page mark! Who's it going to be?

[Paul W. Beverung]

Hi Gang:

RT: I've got your back. Good luck tomorrow. We'll be waiting to hear from you.

Greg: I'm using Pronto from TSC. It's a whole lot cheaper and like you said a higher concentration. I didn't add the soap. I thought about after I had finished. It's tough getting old. A friend of mine mixes RU with diesel fuel. The diesel costs more than the RU now.

Inch: I hope that J Bird gets better. I'll be thinking about her and RT tomorrow.

I'm gong to sign off and hit the sack. I didn't sleep well last night so maybe tonight.

[rtraincollector]

well all will either call inch (this is if they let me use my cell phone there as its suposely a no no but they did last time) or davej611 and tell him to get on the internet and let you all know .

Just got some wind and abunch of lightening last night all fine here .

inch hope j bird and the rest get to doing better mother of j bird is probally just run down from everyone else being sick at least hope thats all it is.

thanks to all for the thoughts ahead of time I'm sure all will be fine there is even a chance I'll be home tomorrow knight so if I'am and I'm up to it I let you all know.

take care all will chat with you all later

[bjdukert]

Evening all

RT Will be thinking of you tomorrow[angel][angel][angel]

[#welcome] to all the newbies and you have found a good place

Best to all on sick call and those recovering

That’s about it
Talk to you later

Duke

[james saunders]

inch: thats a shame to see some nice locos rotting away like that.

just a quick hello

catchya Ozjim

[inch53]

Afternoon all, coffee Cleo please,
Well bad news here, J Birds back in the hospital again, can't keep dinner down. Guess she's lost #3, and thats alot for her, only weighed #22. Hooked up to IV's and a cathitor now. they're going to run some more test. Best they figure it out this time or papa is not going to be a happy camper. J Birds mommy not feeling well, her brother an sister's been sick,but their better now. KC's sick also and papa's not feeling real well, but the doc's say it's all not related. I have little faith in the med system anymore.

On the STORMS that went through here. Jamie said there was another tornado in Springfield Sunday night. Hit part of the area that was hit before, they're having it rough up there .

Ryan , glad ya'll made it with storms ok. I'm still waiting on RT, he posted they were under a tornado watch and haven't heard from him since. May try an call him after bit

ROLLER RINKS, there is still one in Paris,ILL , a 30 min. drive, thats bout always busy. Skated there lots of times

ELECTRIC AND FUEL COST ; 6 years ago our power cost us bout $40 , now it's $150 to $200 [ depending on on weither the guy gets out of his truck and reads the meter or not.
Propane heat cost us bout a $100 per month. Now it would be about $700. It cost us bout $300 per month for the pellet stove. Could due it cheaper with wood, but mother and my health now has that out of the question
Any one who thinks that the goverment is going to help missed the last commitie invetigation on the matter.
Oil companies blamed wall street. Wall street blamed oil companies. Congrss decided there was nothing they could do about. Though I'm sure their relecution funds increased at some time in there
OK I'm done foir the moment , on to better things

Jessie , good to hear your doing OK and I agree on the coffee pot. The egg shells and that I've always used in campfire coffee. Works right fine

Gmt hope ya have a good trip down to Alabama, wish I was going. I haven't been that way for 35 years, luved it down there round Yellow Pine

Trent , i never had any luck with the grass mating. Tried it once and never used it again

Herbacides, most the weed killers you mentioned Greg, takes a farm or commerical license buy or use up here any anyway[ need to renew mine]. The concitrations are higher than than what walmart and such can sale over the counter. You might want to check with your county farm adviser before useing them.

Here's a couple 3 photos from the last trip. Found theres on a siding just east of Linton,Ind don't think their of much use anymore, both had been raied for parts







got chores to do
inch

[TrainFreak409]

Howdy howdy howdy.

Well, just about 20 more minutes to go, and I'm off to go ROLLER SKATING. Gotta love it.[8D]

GMT: I'll have to drop by a few places to see if I can find some Lothar and the Hand People. And yes, the Beach Boys did use the theremin in Good Vibrations.

Ah, early electronics. I love playing with them. Vacuum tubes, video-disk players, it's all good. I was actually looking for an Apple II on eBay about a week ago, but don't really have anything to spend on it. I didn't realize that Dave Brio came from the time period of room sized computers. He wasn't too far off from the ENIAC (1949) then, was he?

Almost time to go hit the road, I'll talk to y'all later.

[rtraincollector]

Well the only sugestion I have for you Ken is have you concidered solar power with the cost of your electric you could pay for it in about 8 - 9 years.

Well finally tomorrow is the big day and there is a small chance I'll be home tomorrow night even [:D]

Its getting better every day .

Will talk to you all later

[Anonymous]

BNSF is quickly becoming a one horse railroad. But I know their in for the money and not care what railfans like to see. And buy looking at their stocks lately they do know how to make the money.

[Noah Hofrichter]

SWdave, I understand what you mean with seeing too many GE's along the river on the BNSF. That's why I like the WSOR and CP over here, as the WSOR runs all EMD and the CP seems to scoot through quite a few EMD's too (although there are still too many GE's on the CP for my liking).

Noah

[pcarrell]

QUOTE: Originally posted by trainwreck100

PC: Corn's a lot cheaper than wood. It has a lot more BTU's per unit, and you can get really good stoves. The really expensive ones that tie into the ductwork instead of being just radiant.

Yeah, but where on earth am I going to find corn in central Indiana...........[:D][:p]

[Anonymous]

Hey y'all (southern for good morn'in) Is this "coffee shop" thing something we have to vote on or am I the first to use it. Seems like a good idea Big_Boy. I've just returned from the hospital for major surgery performed by the staff of the 4077th MASH unit so I've been out of the loop for the past week. I dont know whats worse, the pain or the pain killer pills I have to take. Seems like someone has changed the keys around on my keyboard and Bubba (>^..^<) thinks my mouse is the real deal. OK, now I've always said to the new people that there are no dumb qwestions, but I have one. What is the DOS topic that was closed, or what does DOS stand fore? BTW it is good to be back among friends here again and so far everything has been going fine, all my pluming is now all hooked back up and functioning like an old steam engine beltching smoke and fire.
--------------------
Life's a short trip, so have fun on it. Play with trains.

In the beginning, God created trains with steam engines and caboosesThanks all, I really missed y'all while at sickbay. Lupo, The pot shouldn't become sticky if it is maintained correctly. You never (NEVER) wash a good coffee pot, just rinse it with cold water, and when you brew a new batch you throw a little salt on top of the grounds and add an eggshell to it and let her brew. (old Navy trick) I really like this idea here, so thanks Big_Boy for bringing this to us. No topic to adhere to, just let her rip with whats on your mind. OH-OH, Bubba (>^..^<) just stopped by to see whats goin on and he got that cat demon look in his eyes!!

[Anonymous]

Paul: Quick chemical lesson: The Round-Up generally takes a couple days to work unless you get the super-fast acting stuff from Wal-Mart that has Piclotran in it. Round-Up is way to expensive from Wal-Mart or HD or Lowe's though. If you get it at Tractor Supply (not Round-Up brand) but still glyphosate it's a WHOLE lot cheaper. You get a lot higher percentage glyphosate (I'm thinking in the 60% range) in a 2 1/2 gallon jug for about the same price as a 1 gallon (about the 1% range) at the other places. Grazon P+D has a good dose of piclotran (that's where the P comes from) and is mostly 24D (the D) and it kills in a matter of hours, but only gets broadleafs (2-4-D is selective). Round-Up kills it all, but takes a lot longer. If you really wanted to get fancy, get some Prowl (turns your yard pretty yellow) or Surflan (kind of like Pepto-Bismol only orange) pre-emerges from a feed store. That'll keep stuff from coming up if it hasn't yet. Also, there's always Atrazine (a systemic that comes up from the roots instead of through the leaves) that is cheaper than any of these, but it's high solids, so you've got to spray it within a few hours after mixing. If you're using a systemic, it doesn't need any dry time, but everything else needs about 10-20 minutes before rain, so your Round-up should be fine. You also might want to consider some Induce (or similar product) surfactant to start the reaction quicker. You can use dish soap, but it foams up really bad.

PC: Corn's a lot cheaper than wood. It has a lot more BTU's per unit, and you can get really good stoves. The really expensive ones that tie into the ductwork instead of being just radiant.

Ken: We heated a 40x40 barn last year on 50 gallons of propane. It's got a heavy dose of polyurethane foam in the ceiling, and 3.5 inches of beadboard foam in the walls. Kept it up to 65 or higher all winter.

Y'all have fun, I've actually got some school stuff to do in class today, so I'd better get off here.

Greg

[grayfox1119]

Good afternoon gents.....cloudy , very raw 36F today.
Speaking of electric rates.....when I built our present house in 1967/68, we decided to go with total electric. The electric company at that time, called Mass Electric, was pushing total electric homes, with electric heat of course. Well, the rate then was $0.016 per KWH for total electric rate ( special rate). Things were just great up until about 1990. It was very efficient heat, very clean, no maintenance whatsoever. Then, in 1990, some people got p..off and decided that a law suit was in order to have everyone pay the same rate, and of course they won!!! Gee, surprise, surprise. So the rates climbed and climbed and people with total electric really got mad and told the utility companies, " you sold us a bill of goods". So the electric companies offered all kinds of free home inspections for ways to save money. They gave us more insulation in the attic, florescent lamps, hot water saving fixtures, everything they could to halt the angry crowds. By 1996, my electric bill for a 1500 sq. ft raised ranch ( split level as some call this style ) had risen from $35 average per month to $120 average, with no end to increases in sight. At this point, I reluctantly converted to forces hot water, oil fired furnace. Now I have high oil prices $2.14 (contract for 800 gallons this year ), furnace cleaning and annual maintenance contract of $100 per year ( increasing every year of course ) a furnace making noise and taking up space where trains could run, and a oil tank under the deck!! Gone is the nice clean, effiecient $0 maintenance electric heat, but also is gone the $400+ bill in the winter months.
So, I installed a pellet stove in the Family room on upper floor, and a Vermont Castings wood burner stove on the lower level. I also have 3 solar hot water panels on the roof that heat 120 gallons to 180F for free via Mr. Sun, even in January at 72 degrees north latitude!!! I also installed 2 solar electric panels on the garage roof 4 years ago that have produced over 3800 kW during this time. So my hot water is free, I have 9 acreas worth of hardwood to supply the wood stove, and this has cut the oil use to 600 gallons during 2005.
So Pete, get a woodburner for your garage, or better still, buy a Central Boiler that burns 4' pieces of wood, like LOGS. This unit goes outside your house, up to 100 feet or so away from the house ( or garage ), and can be tied into your home heating system to heat your house and your garage, and supply your domestic hot water also. A unit for the average size home goes for about $5000 and they last over 30 years, they are built like the wall of China. Solar hot water panels go for about $250 a piece, and with pumps, tank and piping, can be installed for about $2500. And, you get Federal and State ( in many states ) tax credits so it pays for itself in as few as 5 years. The same with solar electric panels.

Ok, time to do some train layout planning......no, no, the mailman just brought TRAINS and MRR!! Yes.....I will do some reading instead !!! Talk later gents ,

[pcarrell]

QUOTE: Originally posted by KenLarsen

Phillip, I think this whole thing started with politicians [and the lobbyists pulling their strings] saying that deregulation would spur competition among suppliers, a "good thing" for consumers. Trouble is, nobody did the math to figure out that there are way fewer suppliers [of electricity] than consumers. So we now have a free-market-run-amok situation....![:(!]

You're right on the mark!

And in a mildly related topic....

Curious thing I noticed the other day; did you notice that the new Fortune 500 list was released yesterday and WalMart was knocked off the top spot for the first time in four years? Guess who was on top? Exxon! Matter of fact, oil companies held three or four of the top ten spots. Nope,....no price gouging going on here! [X-)] Man, Katrina was the greatest thing that ever happened to fuel suppliers!

Looks pretty fishey if you ask me. [?][?][?][?]

[JPowell]

Afternoon all -
Just a quick stop in for a 'to go' cup 'o joe! [:D]

RT / Inch / JimCG -
Thanks for the well wishes. I'm sure I'll do just fine. It happens to be a 50question, multiple choice exam, in which we need to score a 70 or better to pass. If we fail, we get 1 more chance and then, by state law, the instructor is required to 'drop' that student from the course. I'm aiming for a 100, but anything 70+ will be just fine.

Other than that, not much on the MRR front. Still anxiously waiting for MRP 06 and the new book due out later this year.... Realistic Layouts??? something along that subject.

Take care all!
JP

[Anonymous]

John - believe it or not, I do have a wood stove in my downstairs familiy room (I live in a split-foyer) - though I only use it on really-cold winter nights!

Phillip, I think this whole thing started with politicians [and the lobbyists pulling their strings] saying that deregulation would spur competition among suppliers, a "good thing" for consumers. Trouble is, nobody did the math to figure out that there are way fewer suppliers [of electricity] than consumers. So we now have a free-market-run-amok situation....![:(!]

[pcarrell]

QUOTE: Originally posted by KenLarsen

I got some dreadful money-related news yesterday. It seems that because of the 'budget billing' payment plan I'm on with my electric company [BG&E], it took them an entire year to figure out I was using more electricity per month than a year ago. They just recalculated the monthly bill, and it is now $200/mo higher than before![:O] I never dreamed that heating a 24x24 garage would cost that much! As if that wasn't bad enough, BG&E plans to raise their standard rate by 72% in July because that's when the artificial rate freeze expires - so I may end up being charged an additional $300/month over what I have to pay now!

Does this whole thing with the rates rising over the last couple of years strike you as "slightly" outrageous? Two years ago my largest heating bill for my modest 1400sq.ft. ranch was a "rediculous" $140.00! Fast forward two years to this past winter and I got a bill for $700.00 for the same house kept at the same temperature! If rates continue to go up at this rate we'll all have to switch to wood! It's insane! [:p]
Well, maybe Uncle Sam will step in this summer and say enough is enough?

[der5997]

Ken L: that’s a real shocker about the power rates.[:O] We are having rate increases, but yours leave us in the dust! How does a wood stove sound for the garage? You may have to look for a different solution to the humidity problem. Is there any hope in the varnish / Shellac approach?[(-D]

Jerry: Please let Sallie know we are thinking of her, and her dad’s situation.[angel]

Luc: Love the

Where do you find all these? Lupo’s old site doesn’t have that sort of thing, as I remember, but I haven’t been there in a while.
And thanks for the Brand Specific [tup]

Fergie: Thanks for the history lesson. It seems that the stars thing is very much on the wane now anyway, I’m glad to say. That we have had the Coffee Shop for 705 days speaks to the need, I’d say.[^]

Must get on. TTFN

[Anonymous]

Looks like another nice day for .

While CFO is resting I thought I'd drop in for a cuppa.

Paul - That is an 0-8-0 CN steamer.

Jim in Cape - Thanks a lot for your comments, greatly appreciated. I just wish I had more time to do more on Gloetown and learning the camera...

*** - Glad to hear the good news about your son. (Irish???? Better run for the hills )

Originally posted by der5997
I think Luc may have installed it a while back[(-D]

Who did that? Me? Are you sure? Naw! Couldn't have been!!!!

Originally posted by der5997
That camera is really showing up you modeling skills to great effect.[bow]

That can also take short moving pictures, up to 5 minutes. My next experiment will to secure the cam on a flat bed and run it around the tracks in Gloetown. Should prove to be interesting....

Ryan - Good to see you again and more often. We all missed you around here.

Jessie2001, hope you dop in often and have fun with us.

Well time to refill

Happy MRRing

[Fergmiester]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Jessie2001
What is the DOS topic that was closed, or what does DOS stand fore? BTW it is good to be back among friends here again and so far everything has been going fine, all my pluming is now all hooked back up and functioning like an old steam engine beltching smoke and fire. Thanks all, I really missed y'all while at sickbay. Lupo, The pot shouldn't become sticky if it is maintained correctly. You never (NEVER) wash a good coffee pot, just rinse it with cold water, and when you brew a new batch you throw a little salt on top of the grounds and add an eggshell to it and let her brew. (old Navy trick) I really like this idea here, so thanks Big_Boy for bringing this to us. No topic to adhere to, just let her rip with whats on your mind. OH-OH, Bubba (>^..^<) just stopped by to see whats goin on and he got that cat demon look in his eyes!!

Good Morning Gents

Jessie your twang has a familiar twang to it, I take it you've been in theis neck of the woods before? If not then welcome, if so then Welcome back!

DOS: Discontinuance of Stars, truly one of the classic threads that became a run-a-way Train Wreck. It was started by a gentleman, who's whereabouts are unknown to us now, as he quickly became imbroiled in a tussle over people posting purely for the sake of stars count. DOS became a hangout for those of us who took great enjoyment in babbling about nothing. It was a childish yet happy go lucky look at the dark side of Model Roading and those who frequented threads instead of doing constructive MR'ng[V]. Things changed when a new Sherrif came to town by the name of Bergie and cleaned up the Street corner and from that it had been decided that we needed a hangout to discuss Non or quasi-related MR items amongst MR'rs.

On that note make mine a Large Double single and to keep it topical...

The new 2-10-2 and four Tsunami decoders are now on order!

Later Gents

Fergie

[Cox 47]

Good Morning all....Sunny but cool here this AM....Coffee and a Krispy Kream please...Still havn't got any train time in ...Sallie didn't get back from Dr. till after 7 last nite and then this morning she got word her Dad is not doing well he is 89 years old..I'll try to check back in tonite...You all have a good one...Jerry

[pcarrell]

QUOTE: Originally posted by SilverSpike

We had a tornado scare last night, the storms that ravaged Tennessee on Sunday made its way through the east coast in the early evening. Warnings were posted until midnight, and we escaped unharmed… That was a close call; and we were starting to worry again. Having lived through Katrina we are still a little gun shy about major weather events these days. My son and I even scoped out what rooms we could hide in should we need to seek shelter from the winds.

Glad to hear that you're OK. We have to deal with them where we live too. Indiana in the spring can get quite interesting sometimes. Sounds like it gets that way in your neck of the woods too.

QUOTE: I got an interesting email the other day about useless information, or as some may call trivia:

On Wednesday this week at exactly two minutes and three seconds after one o’clock in the morning the time and date will be 01:02:03 04/05/06. And it will be another hundred years before that will happen again. BTW, I will not be staying up to see it happen.

That is, without a doubt, the most useless piece of information I have gotten in a long time! I LOVE IT!!!!!! [:D] It's beautiful!!!!

I'll be sharing that with a few folks!

All,

I include you all in my prayers and I hope that they find you well. God Bless!

[SilverSpike]

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Good Morning Fellow CS imbibers…

I’ll have a tall OJ and some fresh brewed Java today!

We had a tornado scare last night, the storms that ravaged Tennessee on Sunday made its way through the east coast in the early evening. Warnings were posted until midnight, and we escaped unharmed… That was a close call; and we were starting to worry again. Having lived through Katrina we are still a little gun shy about major weather events these days. My son and I even scoped out what rooms we could hide in should we need to seek shelter from the winds.

I got an interesting email the other day about useless information, or as some may call trivia:

On Wednesday this week at exactly two minutes and three seconds after one o’clock in the morning the time and date will be 01:02:03 04/05/06. And it will be another hundred years before that will happen again. BTW, I will not be staying up to see it happen.

Hey Ken, you have most likely been more of a regular in the CS than myself lately. We are going to visit the Beaufort, NC area around the July 4th holidays, and I think the Outer Banks are about a 4 hour drive from our house, I would love to see Cape Hatteras too. There is so much to see and do here in terms of visiting geographic sites (beaches, mountains, etc.); we are still learning the area.

Jessie2001, [#welcome] to the CS! Hope your recovery from the re-plumb goes smoothly and fast.

Hello Ed!

Hello Paul, better late than never is fine with me! Thanks for thinking of us, and yes, “put through the ringer” is an understatement. Glad to hear from you again.

Trent, I saw that Redi-Grass a few weeks back at the LHS in Cary and it looked interesting. Have you tried working with it yet? It almost looks like sand paper, huh!

Well, back to work for me. I owe, I owe, so its off to work I go…..

Cheers,

Ryan

[Anonymous]

Hi gang,

Thanx for the [sort of] welcome-back Trent/Phillip/John/Paul/* - I never really thought I'd been "disowned". You guys will always be my friends. But let me provide some background info on why I landed on the "dark side".

[* - anybody else I might not have mentioned]

It seems that a half-dozen members who hang out in the MRF coffeeshop are from the Birmingham, Alabama region - a place where I regularly visit at least every other summer. So I have a built-in network of my own friends to see whenever Vicky wants us all to spend a week with her sister's family.

I got some dreadful money-related news yesterday. It seems that because of the 'budget billing' payment plan I'm on with my electric company [BG&E], it took them an entire year to figure out I was using more electricity per month than a year ago. They just recalculated the monthly bill, and it is now $200/mo higher than before![:O] I never dreamed that heating a 24x24 garage would cost that much! As if that wasn't bad enough, BG&E plans to raise their standard rate by 72% in July because that's when the artificial rate freeze expires - so I may end up being charged an additional $300/month over what I have to pay now!

I remarked that I'll probably have to tear down my layout, but Vicky said 'No don't do that just yet' - but I don't know where I'm supposed to find the extra money to support my hobby if BG&E is taking it all from me. And I can't have the extreme temp/humidity fluctuations that existed in the garage before I installed the heat pump.

Enough from me, don't want wreck anybody else's day...