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

[Anonymous]

Here's what I saw in Harrisburg:

All units C40-9W's unless noted

37Q SD40-2 6176, 2 GE's 32 cars
21G 9340, C40-9 8839, 9393 92 cars
11R C40-9 8848, SD60 6672, 8926 69 cars
14G 9332, C40-8W 8348 (Conrail paint) 89 cars
20G SD60I 6756, UP SD70M 4169, C40-9 8845 76 cars
13N 9792, 9778 58 cars
25K 9555, C40-8 8714 69 cars
45/07T Amtrak P42 100 5 cars
42/06T Amtrak P42 99 5 cars (notice the #s on both engines)
21M 9610, C40-8 8735, 9706
I3M 9436, C40-9 8801, 9412 53 cars
23W C40-8W 8372, C39-8 8641, 9048 95 cars
12G 9182, SD70 2571 81 cars
21E SD70 2579 (Still in CR, second to last CR engine ever built), C40-8 8300, 9415 155 cars
unknown 9146, 8943 84 cars


Next the 538 stopped a few dozen yards infront of us waiting for a recrew and the 590 to leave the track infront of it, the old crew hopped on the 10N for Harrisburg

13G 9834, 9461 113 cars
10N 9339, SD60 6627, SW1500 2221 (still in CR) 85 cars
unknown 9708, 8950 96 cars
23Z 9395, 9094 179 cars
20T 9774, 9153 109 cars

The 20T's crew called the dispatcher and told her that some teens were shooting paintballs at the 590 and the 20T at CP Banks and were climbing on the equipment, after a while the NS police caught them

40/04T Amtrak P42's 125 and 194 21 cars, 6 passenger, 15 baggage, express, and RoadRailers
41/05T Amtrak P42's 18 and 123 27 cars, 6 passenger, 21 baggage, express, and RoadRailers
11J 9481, C40-8W 8321 (still in CR) 22 cars

The 538 finialy left

838 SD40-2 3354 (still in CR), SD40-2 3423, SD40-2R (rebuilt SD40) 3427 107 cars
18N C40-8 8303 (still in CR), SD40 3192 71 cars
unknown 9291, unknown C40-9W 105 cars (this trains locos passed 18N's tail end in sight of us)
22W 9203, SD60 6662, SD40-2 3205
unknown SD60M 6787 (still in CR), 9311 103 cars
21T 9781, 9351 154 cars
21A unknown C40-9W, ATSF C44-9W 631

[Anonymous]

Dan:

Why was your quote not on the yellow background?

When I reply to a post I always go down to "post new reply" instead of the box at the end of the post.

We're learning

Bob

[dharmon]

QUOTE: Originally posted by TEFFY

Dan:

Why was your quote not on the yellow background?

When I reply to a post I always go down to "post new reply" instead of the box at the end of the post.

We're learning

Bob

Bob,

If you use the "quote" function it automatically puts all the quote in the yellow box. However, if you just use reply, cut and paste the quote, it just come up as text, no box. There are a few other tricks too. Find a message, and hit reply. Look at the coding and you'll see at the beginning

QUOTE: Originally posted by TEFFY

and at the end,

. This is the code that puts it in the boxes. So you can actually respond to several people's quotes or split one to answer questions individually by putting the

QUOTE:
and

at the begining and end of each para.

[Hawks05]

well i'm up finally. got up about 5 to noon today. i don't think i'll do much of anything today. one of my friends is asking if i want to play backyard baseball today so i might do that. usually a pretty good time. i don't really want to because usually on saturday and sundays is when the longer trains come through so i kind of want to see those.

hopefully i can catch a train today. would be dissappointing if i don't.

[Noah Hofrichter]

Jim (hawks) I put the scanner on top of the cabinets in our living room/kitchen. it's about 9 feet off the ground all together, but I can't pull in much from more than 10-15 miles away. I take that back, I cna get almoast all of the Sauk county (where I live) cars, althoguh they probably have a stronger radio than some trains. I notice too that I can pick stuff up better at night and when it's cloudy. I think it's something called skip, where the signal bounces off the coulds or, well I don't know why it is at night. Just something I noticed.

Dougal, you had quite a day! I don't think I've seen more than ten in one day in person.

I got the Transfer caboose finnished with exactly 1 hour and 46 minutes left in the contest last night, at 10:14. Pictures to be taken once the sun gets around to the driveway, hopefully in the next hour, and then posted proably tuesday, or maybe tomarrow. I'm really pleased with how it came out, it looks really good in my opinion.

Noah

[Hawks05]

thats what i noticed to. it was my grandpas old scanner so he has all these police channels programmed in. most are about 20 miles away so we don't hear anything. i'm trying to figure out the frequencies for our police and ambulance departments. all we have is the fire department.

last night had the scanner on this little shelf thing by our computer and i got the weather perfectly, we had some storms go through and had some warnings out. but i didn't get anything else.

hopefully it will pick up something.

[krump]

dharmon - thanks, until now I had no idea how to multi-quote in one reply
cheers

[Hawks05]

alright, with this whole scanner thing, this is mainly for Big_Boy, what should i be hearing? should somebody be talking or what? i've had the scanner on since the time i got up and haven't heard anything other than some static. is there supposed to be talking or what? this would help me out a lot so i wouldn't have to always ru***o get to the tracks.

[Big_Boy_4005]

Like I said Jim, if there isn't any reason for the crew to talk, you won't hear anything. Mine gets almost nothing here at the house. When I get within a couple miles of the tracks down at Dayton's Bluff, there's all kinds of talk. Down there, there are three railroads using at least 10 channels, and everyone is trying to use the same tracks. On a weekday there could be well over 50 trains on the mains plus yard traffic.

The problem on this line is that most of the time there is nothing to say. The trains just follow the signals, and since usually there is only one train, no conflicts, no talk. That's why hearing the detector would be so helpful. It should report when the train passes, if you can pick it up. Hand held radios with standard antennas don't have much range. I also just found out that not all detectors report if there are no defects. The ones on the BNSF do. Trains do run on the weekends, but not as many.

I wish I could just give you the answers, but I don't know when to expect any other trains. If you have some time on the way back from Winona, you would be welcome to stop by the house with your parents. Then maybe one day when you are bored, they would let you drive in, and you and my kids and Big Girl and I could all go down to Dayton's Bluff for a couple of hours, or maybe even run to Scale Model if you want.

[Big_Boy_4005]

Jim, I just heard a train 3 minutes ago. It is at Hudson requesting use of the swing bridge. He has to wait. Did you catch it ? It is heading west and is past you now.

[Hawks05]

i'll maybe see about that thursday. my visit is at 1 and we figure its about 2 hours down there. so i said lets leave around 9 or so so we can stop in Red Wing maybe or some place like that to sit and watch trains for an hour or so. then on the way back we were planning on coming home on the WI side and stopping in Alma or Pepin and watching the trains. i don't know if i said this or not but down at Winona the campus is about 9 blocks away from the yards. after seeing that the school went straight to the top of my list.

i'm so pumped for the visit down there because i think we'll stop on the way down then we might go over and stop by the yard or something and see if we can't see some action then on the way home stop again.

we have a hand held scanner so that might be why i never hear anything. i was sitting outside today and heard a whistle and forgot to grab the scanner when i left. but i did catch 3 SD40-2s pulling a string of about 40 cars. the engineers are really friendly to. yesterday the guy waved and said hello and today the guy waved and had a huge grin on his face.

i'm glad i found a cool hobby.

oh yeah, i'll talk to my mom but i doubt she'll want to go up to your place thursday, maybe next week or something. and about me driving up there alone, that will never happen. although if my parents wanted to go out or something some weekend i could maybe do it.

[Hawks05]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Big_Boy_4005

Jim, I just heard a train 3 minutes ago. It is at Hudson requesting use of the swing bridge. He has to wait. Did you catch it ? It is heading west and is past you now.

of course i got it. should be 3 SD40-2s with about 40 cars. the lead loco is a 3030. the last 3 cars are pretty cool. later tonight i'll get a picture up of the last car. its a Procor hopper.

i don't know if i'll be hearing many trains now. we have the AC turned on so it will be difficult to hear. hopefully nothing goes through tonight.

[Big_Boy_4005]

Well it isn't like I live in the middle of the city, I'm just over the river off the freeway. I would do the city driving, and you could just park here. Another option if it would make you more comfortable, would be to meet you at your DQ. I don't think I would have to twist too many arms around here to take the extra ride.[swg]

Winona is a nice sleepy little river town. My ex wife and her brother both went to school there. Of course compared to where you live, it will seem like the big city. I actually own some apartment buildings down there, but I've never seen them even though Big Girl and I were in Winona a month ago.

I didn't run out to catch the train, but at least I heard somethng on the radio. I'll have to look at your pictuers later. [:)]

[Hawks05]

i'm getting ready to post them now. i have one from yesterday where the front bell? on the loco has a sad face painted on it, and today i got one where it shows the engineer perfectly waving and smiling, kind of.

any place will seem like a big city compared to where i live now. i'll have to see about the going to your place though. i don't know how they would like that. we'll have to see though.

[Anonymous]

Hey guys, isn't the line you have been talking for a while where Jim lives along called the Altoona Sub?

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dharmon

QUOTE: Originally posted by TEFFY

Dan:

Why was your quote not on the yellow background?

When I reply to a post I always go down to "post new reply" instead of the box at the end of the post.

We're learning

Bob

Bob,

If you use the "quote" function it automatically puts all the quote in the yellow box. However, if you just use reply, cut and paste the quote, it just come up as text, no box. There are a few other tricks too. Find a message, and hit reply. Look at the coding and you'll see at the beginning

QUOTE: Originally posted by TEFFY

and at the end,

. This is the code that puts it in the boxes. So you can actually respond to several people's quotes or split one to answer questions individually by putting the

QUOTE:
and

at the begining and end of each para.

GOOD MORNING GUYS:

This is a test as i'm still trying what you have told me.

Fergie:

If you keep talking that long on a Saturday morning (honeydo time) to a guy about trains, the super is going to be unhappy. If I can swing it I thought I might bring a Zephyr and a chief and a couple of locos with me and we might be able to get a DCC demenstration on the MESS. I have no trouble bringing the Chief as that's what I own but, we've only got one guy in our group that has a Zephyr and I don't know if he'll let me take it for that long.

Some people get upset when you bring one of your locos to their railroad to run so, if this idea offends you let me know before I leave TEXAS.

One of the things that I like about Digitrax is the up-gradeability, no matter what you've got and how old it is it always works with the latest product.

Well let me see if this post prints OK.

Have a blessed day and remember SANTA FE ALL THE WAY

Bob

[Anonymous]

I'm so proud of myself, it looks like I did it right. Now I just need to play with it a little bit and then I'll have it down pat.

Ya'll have a good day
Bob

[Fergmiester]

Good Morning Teffy

No, By all means bring up as many steamers as you like. I can't promise you the track can handle all that weight though. Right now I'm still working on wiring and ballast. the main line wich is 50' is working, the yard, is not . I'm just preparing you so your not disapointed. The M.E.S.S. is a take off of the Sydney & Louisburg (see attached link) Basically Beg, Borrow and lots of Steel and Coal. I run a bit of everything, though it's getting a bit of a C&O flavouring as of late. I've also attached another link with all the Rail Museums of NS. So enjoy!

http://www.novascotiarailwayheritage.com/bridgewater.htm

http://fortress.uccb.ns.ca/historic/s_l.html

Hawks05

I liked your Webpage. When designing it did you have to have any special software or was designing the page all part of the package provided by the website provider?

Have good morning everyone

Regards

Fergie

[tomwatkins]

Good Mornin' Everybody,
It's a gray, foggy, muggy morning in the mountains this morning. It's going to get really hot today. But It's still going to be a great day. I finished the decoder installation in the F3's last night and test ran them this morning. Everything works just fine. They've got plenty of pulling power, excellent low speed performance and really good sound. All I've got left to do is add the crew and dirty them up just a little bit. The Genesis drive is a litle noisier than the the Stewart or P2K drives, but not enough to be objectionable, and the Highliners shells are superb. They're not as cool as a steam locomotive but that Southern Rwy. green sure is pretty.

Ed, I don't think there would be a problem using Goo on an open car. I think the problem occurs when the fumes are trapped inside a closed shell.

Fergie, MR did an article several months back on Lynn Johnson's husband's railroad and company. It's very cool. "For Better or Worse" has been one of my favorite comic strips for a long time. It's very well and lovingly done, and very true to life.
If you're thinking about DCC, take a good look a Digitrax. It's an excellent system. It's very reliable, easy to install and use and their support is superb. If you call with a question, they answer the phone and walk you through it. I started with a Big Boy system probably ten years ago, and upgraded to a chief right after they brought it out. I've had two problems with hardware. I dropped a throttle and broke a knob off. I sent it down to them and they fixed it for free. I'd told them how it happened. A few weeks ago the command station went out after about eight years of use. Sent it back and they repaired it for $35.00. There are a lot of good systems available, and it's a personal decision, but take a good look at Digitrax before you make your decision.

Dougal, you must be in a wonderful area for train watching! I'm envious. You really see some good stuff and lots of it.

Chris, It sounds like you have lots to do to keep you busy. Have you planned your layout yet? Is the Mike a BLI unit or another brand?

It's time for one more cup of coffee and then time to get the day going. I need to paint 2 more "Test panels" of color on the wall in Shawna's room. We're still looking for the right wall color. That's OK, it's out there somewhere and we are going to find it.

Have a great day everybody,
Tom

[Anonymous]

Tom:

Where are you in Ga and do you do layout showing? We are going on vacation the last of Sept through the first of Oct and will be comming back through Ga. We used to live in Albany. I wanted to be a ramblin' wreck but we moved to Texas when I was in my senior high school year. They said that I'd have to pay out of state tututin (SP) and we couldn't afford it so I went to a local college here in town. Dad even went so far as to call Herman Talmage (who ruled Ga at that time) but to no avail. Our argument was "we lived and paid taxes in Ga for over 8 years and we deserved a break"

My e-mail address is: [e-mail]

Have a blessed day and remember SANTA FE ALL THE WAY

Bob

[Big_Boy_4005]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dougal

Hey guys, isn't the line you have been talking for a while where Jim lives along called the Altoona Sub?

Bingo Mark, and a very sleepy stretch of track it has been for many years. This was originally part of the C&NW's route of the 400's. UP has now teamed up with NS to bring Triple Crown service to the Twin Cities, which has given this old line some new life. By the way, Jim lives near mile post 40, and I live near mile post 16. Do you have a timetable? It would help you decipher this slightly cryptic conversation.

Nice pics Jim.[:)]

[Anonymous]

Mornin" All [:)]

I friend of mine at worked scanned a pic of me and one of the Coast Guard ship and emailed them to me this morning.

When I opened the pic of me it about scared my socks off. I am not sure what he did but the pic turned out so large that in the normal sized window all you could see was this one GIANT eyeball. Talk about a monster looking through the keyhole, I thought I was going to have to call 911 for an ambulance. But the heart has calmed down and I think I will survive without any long last nightmares of the terrible ordeal. When I clicked on the box to go full screen then the second eyeball was visible and my nose. Talk about needing a nose job. lol.

It is a good thing I was not drinking hot coffee at the time or I might have spilled it all over myself. It was just such a terrible sight. However, I could use it to make scary posters for Halloween. Let me tell you that "eyeball" could derail a speeding freight in a heartbeat. Now I am going to have nightmares just thinking about it.

Well I will talk to him and see if he will scan it and make both pics a little smaller. No one needs to see a larger than life pic of king kong. [;)]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by TEFFY

GOOD EVENING EVERYONE:
...I painted the bathroom in the house next door (the one that we moved out of) and then this afternoon I had to go to Lowes and get another roller cover. When I drove past one of the themometers it read 104 F. I thought it was wrong so when I got home I took our inside themometer outside and it read 105 F.

Milwaukee's been hotter. [swg] I drove by the bank a half-mile from my house 2 years ago and it said 139 degrees. Now it was hot, but I'm reasonably sure that was a malfunction. It was only 98 at the bank across the road...

[Hawks05]

you hit the nail on the head dougal. and what Big_Boy said as well. i don't see much action along this line at all. today i'm hoping to go down to Altoona and see if there is any action in the yard today. Bridge Road is at mile post 42, found that out last week while i was waiting, thats where some of the bridge shots i have came from.

i don't know who asked about the site, but yes, what is there was part of the package when i signed up. no software neccessary in creating freewebs site, unless you do freewebs premium.

well i'm off to the post office and bank to get a $80 money order for poker chips then off to Best Buy and hopefully the Altoona yard.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jhhtrainsplanes

Bob [:)]

I have a feeling the was too big and got bounced into hyperspace. A 12 minutes upload at dial up speed indicates it was a fairly large pic. I will see how big the file is...

Is it a BMP file? If it's a JPG, try upping the compression by 5 points until you get a suitable size. You'll lose a little bit in sharpness, but if it's not going to be printed in a huge pic, it shouldn't be too noticeable. You can also try a TIF format.

[dharmon]

JIm,

Take a looksee here..... http://www.uscg.mil/datasheet/dataindx.htm

If it is a 378' High Endurance Cutter (WHEC) or a 270' Medium Endurance Cutter (WMEC) the gun is a 76mm.

If it's an older one it's a 3" or 5". What's the hull number?

[Noah Hofrichter]

Hawks, try going to your local Radio shack and ask for a list fo the local frequencys. that'll get you off the ground for the basics. The ambulance is a little ahrder to find, at least in my case, as here the Ambulance talks on the county data channel. Took me a while to find it, but finnally did a few weeks ago. Oh and by the way, mines a hand held too. Were looking into getting a desk top one, so i can pick up the dispatcher in madison, about 50 miles away. Again, early in the morning I can get scratchy stuff that I can half understand, and I can always get the beeps, but never his voice clearly. I'd like to hear them give the track warrents and what not, so I'll ahve to figure that out.

The transfer caboose pics may be a while. I've got to figure out my camera. I've never tried to snap lettering this small before, and it's comming out really blurry. I hope I cna figure it out, or I may not be able to get pictures for the contest. [:(]

Noah

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jay_c

QUOTE: Originally posted by TEFFY

GOOD EVENING EVERYONE:
...I painted the bathroom in the house next door (the one that we moved out of) and then this afternoon I had to go to Lowes and get another roller cover. When I drove past one of the themometers it read 104 F. I thought it was wrong so when I got home I took our inside themometer outside and it read 105 F.

Milwaukee's been hotter. [swg] I drove by the bank a half-mile from my house 2 years ago and it said 139 degrees. Now it was hot, but I'm reasonably sure that was a malfunction. It was only 98 at the bank across the road...

That's what you silly people get for living in the middle of the continent. If you were living by the ocean, like God intended, then you'd only have 89°F and 98% humidity, like I'm sweating in.

[Hawks05]

well today was a pretty boring day for trains. they were working on the tracks in town today so i don't know if there will be anything going through town tonight. i'll have to take a look in a couple minutes then go around 8 and see if i can find anything.

we went to the Altoona UP yard. there were only 4 locomotives that were at the yard. UP1241 and UP399 were hooked up sitting waiting for something. UP366 was sitting alone. UP906 was connected to a few boxcars but nothing really moving. we saw a bunch of hoppers being moved. but when we got towards the end there was no locomotive so i guess the loco was on the other end.

we also picked up Adobe Photoshop. that will be a lot of fun to play with.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Big_Boy_4005
Do you have a timetable?

No, I just guessed since I have a Plets Express tape (they are out of Altoona, WI) that mentions it and I remember seeing it in the Twin Cities Trackside Guide in Trains.