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

[Anonymous]

I am wide awake and didnt have any coffee.[#welcome]

[Anonymous]

I am up. Had 3 cups of coffee so far so I am now semi-awake. I went to bed early last night, around 2 am. Duchess was ready to start the day at 7 am. So between her barking at the cats half the night and a trip to "the room" I still only got around 4 hours of sleep. [:(]

Has everyone here taken my poll in the Classic Trains forum on "Favorite Railroad Decade'? I just was thinking about it since I haven't "been there" in a while and thought I should take a look at it. Last time I was there you could tell us "boomers" were voting for the 40s, and 50s. It seems the early years in life kinda influence your image of railroading. I wasn't born in the 40s but very much would have liked to have lived in that generation (the best generation this country has ever produced), it was a time of war, a time of self sacrifice, a time of family values and when families WERE "families" and of course a time when railroading was making its finest stand with much less than ideal conditions or decent equipment. If you have not taken the poll head on over there and take it and please leave some comments. Steam was long gone when I was old enough to begin my train watching but as a youngster of 5 playing in the backyard I bearly remember the black and yellow F units that Frisco ran. My grandpa (mother's side) died in the mid 60s and mother and I took the train down to Topelo (Mississippi) for the funeral. That was the first and last time I ever saw him. I remember the "outhouse" type shed where we caught the train. It truly was a "flag stop". I will never forget standing there by the tracks and waving the red flag at the engineer for him to stop and pick us up. I was thinking as the engine passed, "He is going to fast to stop", but he did stop and we got on. The train also had a bunch of cars carrying solders and the diner was closed to the public. The solders ate the railroad out of house and home and we never got anything from the diner. They even had to order us some sandwiches and we stopped somewhere to get them. People who have never ridden a passenger train before Amtrak took over have missed a very special time from our recent past. It is such a shame that we have so few choices in train travel now, here in the states anyway.

ok, time to get off the soap box and find something else to do. [;)]


I made a thread for wanted items, for sale items or items we might trade but it is going over like a lead balloon. A few people liked the idea but I just can't seem to get my message across that that thread was to help us modelers find things that others may have and not use but never sell. Items are thrown away and people are missing the chance to find them or give them away items they don't use. Everyone seems to say "Ebay" but many people won't list items, they just are thrown away or sometimes given away. A guy at work threw out his whole HO layout when he was moving. I wish I would have know it before he moved.

Well I think I am going to change the topics name and see if that might help.

Later all.

Have a super day.

[tomwatkins]

Good Morning Everybody,
It's about 8:30AM in the North Georgia Mountains, and it's going to be a wonderful day. The coffee was excellent, Louise left for work about an hour ago and it's about time for me to go start moving gravel. It's a dirty job but somebody had to do it.

Bill, welcome back to the Southland. This really is a wonderful place. I was born and raised in North Florida (Jacksonville Beach) and started coming up here for vacations and long weekends in 1990. Everytime I was here it got harder to go back. I've been here full time since March,1993 and I think I love it more each day. I was coming up to close on the house the day the Blizzard of '93 hit. We got stuck in Macon for 2 nights because there was 6 inches of snow on the ground and it was blowing sideways at what seemed like 60 mph. I-75 was closed. The next day we made it to just north of Atlanta and finally got into Blairsville the following day. Four days to make a 9 1/2 hour trip. I have the tee shirt - " I survived the Blizzard of '93. There was still about 2 1/2 feet of snow on the ground in front of the house when we got here. I think it was a test to see how badly I wanted to be up here, and I passed the test.

Enough Rambling, the Gravel Is Calling,
Have A great Day Everyone,
Tom Watkins

[Anonymous]

Jim, its ok in New Jersey. Boring as usually. Hope ya come back to MSN soon. I will tell everyone you said hi. Everyone have a fun day. [:)]


Nora said Hi.

[Anonymous]

All is quiet at 5AM, except for a couple of rumbles of thunder, in the northwest Georgia foothills just down the Zell Miller highway and I 575 from Tom Watkins. He is so correct in that the north Georgia mountains are beautiful, and I think, one of the best kept secrets in places to visit. I've lived all over the USA due to my prior semi- conductor career, (and as a kid, due to my Dad's job changes)- NYC, upstate NY, Connecticut, New Joisey, Dallas, both coasts of Florida plus Mickey Mouse's Kingdom, Silicon Valley and Orange County, California, Raleigh, NC and now where we just moved earlier this year. We are now residing where my wife and I wished we had moved years ago. It is so good to see the smiles on my wife's face every weekend when we discover something else to do, or a neat place to visit, or just meet really genuine folks, both locals and transplants as we are. It's good to call Georgia home, and this is from a Yankee family going all the way back to 1660 in Massachusetts, and later on in New York State, until my generation !

I'm within earshot of the Georgia Northeastern RR, although it's rare to see or hear more than one or two diesel horns per day, but it is a perfect inspiration for a modern shortline (you'd have to fudge on the traffic volume to heighten the operations potential - like a fast clock of a week every 4 hours. . .It is also perfect for the late '40s/early '50s I'm modeling - it was an L&N line back then - a less heavily traveled alternative to the more or less parallel L&N /NC&StL Atlanta-Knoxville Division.

But less than thirty minutes away I can catch heavy rail traffic on both the CSX and NS on their traffic from Tennessee (and points north) to Atlanta, and traveling just a bit further either East or South, a whole bunch more railroading is available for the railfan, in and around Atlanta. We've got the Civil War & Locomotive Museum in Kennesaw just south of me, and the Southeastern Rail Museum less than an hour away. And we have LHSs everywhere.

Contrary to the gloom and doom re: the current state of model railroading and railroading in general, so much the topics of hysteria on the Forum these days, the hobby is alive and well in the Atlanta area.

Ed - you'll thoroughly enjoy the narrow gauge in the Rockies. Awhile back, my son (9 yrs old at the time) and I visited the "Narrow Gauge Circle" in Colorado and visited narrow gauge sites in Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak, Georgetown, Boulder, up to Marshall's Pass, Ophir, Red Mountain, Silveron, Durango, and most all of the other sites, except the Cumbres & Toltec. It was an awesome trip for just a dad and his young son. The drive from Ophir to Durango thru Silverton is a white knuckler esp if you're going southbound, because you hug the outside edge of the precipitous drop-offs most of the way, until you start heading downhill to Durango. It was a forever memorable experience for both of us.

Got a lot done today, to be followed by more of the same tomorrow (actually later today), and for the foreseeable future, as we remodel, re-landscape, build my shop for my at home furniture business, the model railroad room, and now my wife wants me to make us new furniture and build a library room. . .Thank God for coffee !

Speaking of which, I've already had so much I haven't been to sleep yet, and I have to put on the morning coffee in less than two hours. One of my cats is dancing across the keyboard now and wants his breakfast, so it's time to say goodnite, so Goodnite. . .
BILL

[philnrunt]

Ed- try the local libraries, most have internet access now.
Did anyone else read James post on changing scales? I could see where it was going from the start, as I'm sure many could. I think we need to get those boys jobs with UP and BNSF and let them work off their frustration working 12 hours a day and 363 days a year.
One of the officers here received a half pound of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee as a gift, but she could'nt drink it because she was still nursing her new baby boy, so I got it. I think the last time I saw it in a shop it was around 18$ a half pound. I brewed some up tonight, and it does seem to have a kick, with only NO hours of sleep today I'm doing ok,at least right now. It's 02:24, only 3H 26M to go. It says on the package that the coffee should be consumed within an hour, but I'll make iced joe from the leftovers. Waste not, especially at streetdrug prices.
Hopefully this week I can renew my (meager) efforts of tearing down my old layout, I really didn't think it was built that well to begin with, but I guess it proves that 20,000 3" deck screws can hold anything together. Or was it 20 million? Seemed that way at the time. I think we're done working on my friends house for awhile, but now we have Noah's problem, driving rains each day. So before my dogs turn into mudpuppies, I need to drain their pen, and pump out my well pit.
No rest for the wicked.

[Anonymous]

ye

QUOTE: Originally posted by NJMike

Jonathon, I like your icon very much. It is fascinating.

From, Mike[:)][8)]

Hi Mike. [:)]

How goes it in New Jersey? [:)]

Hi Jonathon [:)]

I do miss my msn messenger family. One of these days I will be back. [:D]

Tell the gang hello for me. [;)]

[Anonymous]

Jonathon, I like your icon very much. It is fascinating.

From, Mike[:)][8)]

[Anonymous]

P.S. You guys like the 844 in my sig[?][:)]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by egmurphy

Okay, Ron played the railfanning jealousy card, and Mikey raised. I'll see you both and raise again. I may not have access to any trains within normal driving distance, but when we go north next month for summer vacation, we've got reservations on BOTH the Durango & Silverton AND the Cumbres & Toltec!! [wow]

DW thought that trying to do both in one trip might be termed 'excessive', but I said "Who knows if we'll get back that way again"? [:D]

Trust me, I'm counting the days until the trip north more anxiously than Junior (who officially still has 13 days of school, but we're going to pull him out 3 days early for the trip).

Regards

Ed

WOW! Both the Durango &Silverton and the Cumbres & Toltec!? You're a pretty lucky person, you know that? I've never been to an actual narrow gauge line.

Star Bucks, YUCK! That mocha whatever they serve is horrible! I practically upchucked after that![xx(][xx(] So,you guys have any donuts? Glazed, Jelly, Cinamon, Bavarian Cream filled? Ah, decisions, decisions. Put me down for a Gatorade. Nothing beats gatorade! Seriously! (In case you're wondering why I sound so hyper and imature right now I just had a Red Bull and I'm going crazy!!!!!!!!![:D][;)][:p][:-,][(-D][swg])

[tomwatkins]

Hey Everybody,
It's way too late for coffee. It's about 9:30PM in the North Georigia Mountains and we're winding down a really good day. Got up early, had really good coffee and then we went out and worked in the gardens a good bit. We got the daylilies and irises that we got yesterday in the ground. We put the little shrub roses in pots for now, until we get an arched trellis for them. We also transplanted some lilies and planted some herbs. This afternoon I made it down to the railroad room and started installing sidings. It made for a really good day.

Bill, I don't envy you, hanging drywall, etc, is hard work. I'd much rather be gardening or railroading. However tomorrow I'll be shoveling gravel.

Ed, we've all done stuff like that. I found out the hard way that regular Liquid Nails also devours foam. I just didn't read the fine print on the tube and pressed on. Big Surprise!
You may well be the big winner in the "Railfanning Jealousy" category. I'm envious. Enjoy it and take lots of pictures please.

Hope everybody has a good evening,
Tom Watkins

[egmurphy]

Yeah, guess this does slip off page one real easy. We were going great this morning, I slip out to go to the beach, and wham, page two. Oh well.

No model railroading this afternoon. Unanimous requests from family resulted in a trip to the beach with the whole extended family, including in-laws and nieces. It was a beautiful day for the beach, low 90’s, sun, gentle on-shore breeze, no crowds, water just the perfect temperature. And since we haven’t had any storms in the past week, the water wasn’t all roiled up and the waves were their normal selves, just right for the kids. Some decent food and a few cold ones (not iced coffee….) and it worked out okay.

Back here this evening the weather continues good. Very low humidity for here, decent breeze, probably mid-80’s but dropping slightly. Great evening to sit out on the swing on the terrace with a favorite beverage.

Thought about hitting the diorama with that coat of earth tone latex, but decided to leave it go until tomorrow. Probably was a mistake trying anything on the 13th.

Hey Noah, all you had to do was ask, we’ve jumped up to 17 posts today, highest since Wednesday (and we’re not through yet, I hope). You’ve got the magic, son. You could probably part the waters in your basement if you tried!

Okay, thought about this and the number is……………………

14

What number you ask??? The countdown to our leaving on our trip north!

Anyone know how easy (or hard) it is to find a place where you can get on the web with a public computer up there? Do they have 'Internet cafes' in most places? This will be my first time north in years without a laptop with me. Visioning going through 'forum withdrawal'.

Hasta mañana

Ed

[philnrunt]

Hey all you people- spent the weekend at my girlfriends, no access to the forum, no real joe( she makes instant by color, dosn't drink it herself) and -well, there were some good things, now that I think of it![:P][:P]
Checked out that layout Friday, (Thanks Ferg, for keeping me centered) and it was HO and N laid on flat grasspaper, not 1 switch anywhere, just concentric circles and figure 8's. Motive power was mostly AHM and IHC, a few Athearn, N scale was Bachman. I told them that on e-bay they might get 500$ for it all, they seemed happy, then my friend mentioned that his dad really enjoyed running trains and they thought he was building layouts for his g-kids. I jumped on that and I think I convinced them to keep it and let the kids play with it. [^]
The cancer walk-a-thon my girlfriend was participating in was rained out in a big way, 5-7" in a few hours, the firemarshal nixxed the idea of electricity running under water. She was her team[4:-)] Never thought I'd get to use that one.
Ed, I sure remember the ice coffee cubes day post, just finished 2 large mugs of iced joe with coff-cubes, DELICIOUS!![:D][:D]
[#welcome] codyr, glad to have you on board. Don't let these guys give you too much grief over the coffee, they just need a cupper before they get activated.
As for the jealousy card, you guys might see trains here and there, but I see them 24-7 in my head. Okay, so thats not so good, and the therapist says ...well, who cares what he says?!?! I can't hear him for the trains anyway.
Good to be back talking with ya'all.

[Anonymous]

Noah:

Since everyone else seems to call me Chris, I guess I don't care if I'm called that here.

And who WOULD pay for the engine give away?! Maybe MTH, from their $40 Million won from Lionel for copying that 4-8-8-4 Big Boy?!

Or maybe even the ARK, from all that evacuating they surely are making a profit!

[Noah Hofrichter]

Christopher, (do you mind Chris?), Now I like the idea of giving away an engine, the only problem is, Whose paying for it, not me?......?........?........?.......

Ed, I found that out the hard way as well, I was painting a project and used the wrong paint and...........

Jim, I saw that too, I'm still trying to figure out where Mayville WI is.......

Nother boring day. The ARK is still evactuating people, although the water seems to have crested, as it's not comming in as fast. Well, I've got to go suck up some more water so I'll see you guys later. You can see me right, because I can see you......[:D]

Noah

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by egmurphy

Okay, Ron played the railfanning jealousy card, and Mikey raised. I'll see you both and raise again. I may not have access to any trains within normal driving distance, but when we go north next month for summer vacation, we've got reservations on BOTH the Durango & Silverton AND the Cumbres & Toltec!! [wow]

Regards

Ed

NOW Jim is Jealous. [}:)] [;)]

I have NEVER been there, NEVER done that, DON'T have the T-shirt OR the Coffee Mug. [:(] [V]

Yes, very jealous indeed. < But you can make it up by email me lots of good train pics from there. Hint Hint [;)] >

[egmurphy]

Okay, Ron played the railfanning jealousy card, and Mikey raised. I'll see you both and raise again. I may not have access to any trains within normal driving distance, but when we go north next month for summer vacation, we've got reservations on BOTH the Durango & Silverton AND the Cumbres & Toltec!! [wow]

DW thought that trying to do both in one trip might be termed 'excessive', but I said "Who knows if we'll get back that way again"? [:D]

Trust me, I'm counting the days until the trip north more anxiously than Junior (who officially still has 13 days of school, but we're going to pull him out 3 days early for the trip).

Regards

Ed

[Mikeygaw]

QUOTE: Originally posted by n2mopac

QUOTE: Originally posted by egmurphy



Ron - I'm envious of your chance to see the 3985. We moved from Houston at the end of November, so I was just two months away from seing it there. Actually, I'm envious of all you guys who report going out train watching locally. The nearest operating trains to me are at least a 3 hour drive away.

Hasta Mañana

Ed

I hate to raise your jealousy level, but I live just 1/4 mile from a very busy UP mail, all west bound mostly empty coal drags and intermodal with some auto trains and mixed freight. A local runs through town a couple times a week and switches two local industries in our small town--an lpg distributor and a farm supply receiving mostly bulk fertilizer. Amtrak runs round trip daily through here on the KC to StL Missouri Mule. I literally put myself to sleep to the sound of deisel horns every night as over 50 trains pass through here daily.
Ron

that's nothing... i live about 3/4 of a mile from the Northeast Corridor... 3/4 of a mile in the other direction is the Conrail's Shared Assets Delair Branch.

Then in Center City I have CSX's Philly Sub and NS's High Line towards Harrisburg and the yards and lines into thirtieth street station.

and can't forget about mass transit... see both SEPTA and NJTransit.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by egmurphy

I should have waited for that coffee to kick in before resuming work on my turtle, I mean my diorama. Yeah, I know you're wondering if it's the same diorama and how I can still be working on something that small for so long. It's easy, I don't know what I'm doing.

Prime example, this morning I'm ready to bru***he earth-tone latex paint on to give it the base color. I think to myself, 'Self, how about painting the outside of the diorama black, like people do with valences and fascia strips?" Great idea, grab the nearest spray can of black (because I don't have a can of black latex paint at home) and start to give it a go. Fortunately I was sufficiently awake to notice how the foam started to shrink immediately!!![?] [:O] [banghead] Note to self, do not use solvent based spray paints directly on bare foam. [sigh] [:(]


Oh well, I stopped before any serious damage was done. The chemical attack on the foam seems to have stopped. A good coat of earth-tone latex over the whole shooting match ought to fix things up.


Ed

Sounds to me like you have a "new" construction zone now. Just add a bulldozer and a few men standing around with shovels. [;)] [}:)] [;)] Presto Chango, like magic, new diorama. [8D] [:D]

[egmurphy]

I should have waited for that coffee to kick in before resuming work on my turtle, I mean my diorama. Yeah, I know you're wondering if it's the same diorama and how I can still be working on something that small for so long. It's easy, I don't know what I'm doing.

Prime example, this morning I'm ready to bru***he earth-tone latex paint on to give it the base color. I think to myself, 'Self, how about painting the outside of the diorama black, like people do with valences and fascia strips?" Great idea, grab the nearest spray can of black (because I don't have a can of black latex paint at home) and start to give it a go. Fortunately I was sufficiently awake to notice how the foam started to shrink immediately!!![?] [:O] [banghead] Note to self, do not use solvent based spray paints directly on bare foam. [sigh] [:(]

Remember boys and girls, it's been a tad over 20 years since I last tried doing any scenery. That was back in the days of hydrocal hardshell and 'zip-texturing'. Anyone remember zip-texturing? I actually thought it worked okay. Maybe I ought to go back to what I once knew.

Is there any wonder why I just post over here instead of trying to reply to other threads and give advice?

Oh well, I stopped before any serious damage was done. The chemical attack on the foam seems to have stopped. A good coat of earth-tone latex over the whole shooting match ought to fix things up.

Honey, could you bring me another cup of coffee please? Yeah, the residual stuff from the bottom will be just fine, thanks.

Shaking his head......

Ed

[Anonymous]

Morning everybody, even if it's 12 noon. Today it's drywalling, painting and installing lighting fixtures fun and games, as well as removing some old fencing. Same thing yesterday, followed by Monday and more of the same.

Problem is that all this is for the wife's "living quarters" upstairs over my shop and model railroad room.

Ron - enjoy your new baby because before long they turn into teenagers, and then the fun really begins. Think you don't get much sleep and quiet now ! ? !

Definition of "child Abuse" - it's what kids inflict on their parents. . .

Need more coffee to keep me moving along. Have a great day everybody.
BILL

[Anonymous]

Coffee is a Nector of the Gods, Beer is the other Nector, Don't muck wit da cwoffee[:D][:D]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by egmurphy

I'll post something more coherent once I've had my third or fourth cup.

Hasta luego,

Ed

Man do I know that feeling. Like everyday, since I usually get around 4 hours sleep, 5 if I am very lucky.

[egmurphy]

"Coffee is nothing to joke about, we here in the diner take our coffee very seriously. The coffee takes us very seriously too. Just ask it."

I will, just as soon as I can find it. Oh yeah, opening eyes and heading for the kitchen might help......... Good smells coming from that direction (DW is already up!) , bacon frying, coffee perking, toast burning (only slightly). Yeah, another Sunday morning. I'll post something more coherent once I've had my third or fourth cup.

Hasta luego,

Ed

[Anonymous]

Hey Noah [:D]

Newsflash.

THE Boxcar is headed your way. I found this in the "I Found It" thread.


Arrived in Buffalo, loaded, today at 7:06 billed to Mayville, WI.


Everyone keep an eye out for it. [;)]

[Anonymous]

HI codry [:D]

Welcome to the coffee shop.

Noah will be pleased to have someone close to his age. You are close to his age right? [;)]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by codyr

i was joking you do reliaze that

Coffee is nothing to joke about, we here in the diner take our coffee very seriously. The coffee takes us very seriously too. Just ask it. [}:)] [;)] [:D]

[:D] [:D] [:D] [:D] [:D] [:D] [:D]

[Anonymous]

i was joking you do reliaze that

[Anonymous]

where is the coffee?

[n2mopac]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jhhtrainsplanes

Hi all [8D]

Many times when I get on the computer and in the forums the Diner is on page 2. Since many people are not up when I am I "save" it and put it back on track (pun) [:D]

Yall JUST HAVE to go to the Humor Thread and see the cutie I posted about. Here is a link to it.

http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=84&TOPIC_ID=7594

Ya just never know about ol Jim here. [:D] [;)] [:D]


Ron [8D]

The pic of the hay was interesting. Most farmers wouldn't have done that. I hated hauling hay when I lived on the farm. But when PA says jump, ya jump. Know what I mean? [}:)] [:)]

My parents live at Bois D' Arc, Missouri. Several of my "Photo of the Day " shots have come from my parents farm as the train passed by.

How is the "new one" doing? Good, we all hope. [:)]

Everyone have a good day. See ya later. [:p]

The young one is doing great apart from sleeping days and staying awake nights. His most active time is midnight to 4 a.m. Needless to say I am suffering from serious sleep deprivation.[xx(] Oh well, that goes with the territory. After three of them you would think I would be used to it.
Ron