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

[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

[Anonymous]

N2Mopac: the hay locomotive was neat, but watch out when you try to fire it....[:D]

And to Noah: the way to get more people posting here (and at the BRRM forums) is to give away a free locomotive every 1,000 post![swg]

Unpractical, very, but acceptable if you're on the receiving end of it! [^][8D]

[egmurphy]

Evening all,

Yeah, I can understand that the thread probably dropped off the first page several times, but since that isn't relatively identifiable looking back I could only definitely identify one time (when Noah commented about it in his post). That's why I said "..at least once..". Other memorable moments in "The Coffee Shop" history include:
9 May - Lupo posts pictures of wrecks and grafitti in Nederlands
20 May - after posts on previous three days had dropped to a season low of 6-4-5, Kevinstherrman posts the famous T&A post[swg], we climb to 13 posts that day, and follow up with 20 each day for the next two days. Of course this run also included our discussion on Nederlands cuisine[dinner] , Noah starting his countdown to school out, and my coffee ice cube tip.[C=:-)]
3 June - Emeraldisle passes 1000 posts.

Took the family to the movies today to see the latest Harry Potter flick. I always like seeing the shots of the trains as they travel back to school each year. This one also had a small cameo of a circle of track with a loco and a couple of cars running in one of the professor's rooms (iirc). Even junior noticed that, which I thought was okay as he's not really into trains yet. Upcoming previews showed an animated flick due to come out at Christmas time called The Polar Express. Okay, I know it's not real trains, but if you're starved for railroad content like I am down here you'll take anything you can get.[:D]

I ought to start my own countdown as we have only two more weeks until we head north of the border for our summer vacation trip, and I get to stop at my LHS.[yeah]

Honey! Where's that other Cuba Libre?? No, that's okay, hold off on the iced coffee until later.

Hasta mañana

Ed (heading off to the terrace to watch the sunset)

[tomwatkins]

Good Evening Everybody,
It's Saturday evening and we're winding the day down. This morning my wife and I went out to her Mom's family's old home place. It's way back in the mountains northwest of Murphy, NC, not quite to Tennesee but almost. The old house, which hasn't been lived in for about 50 years is still standing. It's a little bitty house in which her Grandparents raised 7 girls. Getting back there took some doing because once we got off the paved roads it was one lane dirt going up one side of the mountain and down the other, but it was worth it. We both really enjoyed it. We also found daylilies, shrub roses and irises growing wild all around the place. We just happened to have a shovel in the back of the truck, so we brought some of them home for our gardens. It will be really cool to have flowers growing here that were her Grandmothers. It will be planting time tomorrow morning. Tomorrow afternoon I hope to be laynig the track for the new sidings and spurs on the railroad.

Hope everybody has a good evening,
Tom Watkins

[Noah Hofrichter]

Noticed your star last night Ed, was glad you finally got it. One statistic I can add to, is It's actuall gone off the front page about 3 times. yesterday was one, when I posted, and there was one a few weeks ago, but that's still not bad.

To days a slow day. The ARK is back in business again, only this time there using there passenger cars to evactuate people. It's comming in faster and from more places then it has before. It's not real bad though, I'll live through it. I shouldn't be complaning as 30 miles south of here a couple of days ago houses had there basements filled up to within a couple of inches of the first floor. I've got to get working on my scratchbuilding project, so I better get going soon. I made another milestone yesterday, getting half of these little hand carved rib like things glued on to on end of the car. [:D] unfortunatly I've got a whole other side to go![:(]

Noah

[Anonymous]

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]

[lupo]

buenos noches ? ( or do you ROFL reading this Spanish Ed? )
congratulations [bday] on your first star !

cool statistics you gathered! do you also look at the amount of words posted? there were some very long contributions made ( at least I know I did )

Fergmeister, I saw the pictures of your turntable bridge you are building, and I saw something familiar from my days as an audio-engeneer: you use a " 6,5 mm jack plug "
( or is it 1/4 inch? ) as a center axle, did you make that piece yourself ?
great idea to get current to the tracks on the bridge !

Ron, cool pics! notice extra the "turbine" oil tender it is dragging along - or at least it looks much like the oil tenders the old turbines used!!
the only 3985 I 'll get to see is my Rivarossi!
ah well, after a busy week the weekend is started, so i can pop in the coffeeshop more than once a day !

now for tthe first cup of engergizer before i take the 300 ft trip to the bakery, across the square to pick up some freshly baked goodies !
the lovely smell that is coming across into the open window is mouth watering again today!

[egmurphy]

Noah was concerned and said "Haven't been too many post since the last time I was on yesterday in the Coffee shop, but eleswhere it seems like there's alot of action. We've got to figure out how to get more people in here instead of them just skipping over this shop. Ponder Ponder Ponder."

Traffic has been down a bit today and yesterday, but overall we're not doing badly for a non-rail thread. Since the first post back on April 29th we've averaged over 13 posts a day. Not as good as NES's 35 post a day average, but look at the length of our posts. For the four day period June 5-8 we averaged about 18 posts a day, so we're still pretty active. Other little known facts about this thread:
- never had a day since the start without at least one post
- fewest posts was 1 back on May 29th. Arkansas Jim saved us that day (jhhtrainsplanes)
- most posts in one day was 40 on the first day of the thread
- slipped off the front page at least once (Noah bumped us back) on May18th
- most posts since the first day was 33 on May 30th (mainly reaction to the Darth anti star post)
I've got a lot of other useless facts about the thread if you're interested. Don't ask me how, let's just say when you're retired you have time available for all sorts of stupid studies.

Speaking of Darth and his aversion to stars, anyone notice I finally got my first star?? Okay, I know it's no big deal among all you 500-1000 post veterans but it's a start. Don't tell the Star Police. They'll check and find out that most of my posts have been here and take it away.

By the way, I did check and find out how to make those Spanish punctuation marks, so now I can say mañana correctly, see!!!

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

[Noah Hofrichter]

Your First worked perfect. I love that hay engine, it's really neat. I can't say I've ever seen anyhting like it before.

Noah

[n2mopac]

Hey guys. I know I mentioned this in a thread a few months ago, but I am just now getting around to getting up the pics. I am going to make a separate topic for this one, but I thought I would give y'all the first peek.

Last January I was driving home from Springfield, MO north on US HWY 65 somewhere south of Warsaw (Lake of the Ozardk/Truman Lake area) when I saw this "haytrain" in a pasture along the road. Obviously I HAD to turn around and take some pics. It's a 4-10-0 with tender. I was back through there in March and the loco was gone, so the guy must have sold all of his hay. Anyway, I thought It was pretty cool and quite original.

The other pic is one I took when UP 3985 came through my town in January on its way to Houston for the Super Bowl. The original was pretty good, but it didn't scan the best. Oh well, here it is. Enjoy.
Ron

(p.s. This is my first attempt posting pics on this site after 4 years of membership, so we will see how many attempts it takes me to get it right [:)] )

[Noah Hofrichter]

Haven't been too many post since the last time I was on yesterday in the Coffee shop, but eleswhere it seems like there's alot of action. We've got to figure out how to get more people in here instead of them just skipping over this shop. Ponder Ponder Ponder.

Noah

[tomwatkins]

Good Mornin' Everyone,
It's another beautiful day in the North Georgia Mountains. The coffee was excellent this morning. It's about time to switch over to sweet tea, though. I've got some chores to get done this afternoon so in a little bit I'm going down to the railroad room and run some more trains over the new stretch of mainline. It's working fine so far, so I'll probably start installing the sidings late today. Great fun! I really love being retired. Time is the best luxury of all. I spent better than 30 years in the car business, most of it involving heavy travel, (Pretty much all week every week) so being home with time to do what I choose to do is wonderful.

Bill, thanks for the info on the rendering plant. That will be useful. I think the tannery with it's incoming and outgoing traffic is going to be a fascinating industry to model. If I get good information on the depots in Murphy next week I'll let you know.

Good information passed along on radon, mold and ventilation. We do spend a lot of time in basements so it's important. I like the comment about being bottom dwellers rather than bottom feeders. Thats good.

Well folks, that's about it for this morning. It's time to go run trains.
Have Fun Everybody,
Tom Watkins

[Fergmiester]

QUOTE: Originally posted by philnrunt

If you can keep the fans that you use for venting the bleach fumes going on the hottest and most humid days, that can also help. Adequate ventilation is death to mold.
Tomorrow, I'm going to look at a friends late- fathers layout, and give him an idea of what he should do with it. I HATE this kind of thing, but if people know you like trains, suddenly you become an expert .His father was a local businessman, who did quite well for himself, I have this vision of a room full of brass Shays and Challengers, me being seduced by the dark side and trying to get it all for 55$ and some McDonalds coupons.
If anyone out there knows of a REPUTABLE person I can talk to about the value of what I might find, let me know. I'm hoping that it's all Tyco and Model Power.
Enjoying iced coffee, even tho today is not to bad, weatherwise. I think we are getting Missouri's rain from the other day. Seems we run about 2 days behind them.
Take care, folks.

"Luke I am your father come with me to the dark side!"

I'm sure you're a man of integrity Phil and if you're honest with the people it will be appreciated and you'll reap the benifits.

morning all. What can I say, how about three days of excellent weather! well almost. It started off with the first day of "summer" where the temps went from 7C the night before to 28C witha humidex of 37C. I know stop complaining.

Tom: Interesting commentary on mold and Radon. Though I'm aware of the Radon problem I've never concerned myself with it. As for the mold issue yes this is a problem especially in a maritime climate. My house is 14 years old and had a Venmar system installed and from what I can tell it was installed incorrectly as there is only one vent per level. The upper story windows will have to be replaced this year as rot is setting in.

As for the basement it is a real concern especially as there is lots of money tied up in the RR. I have a Humidex installed which will keep the air circulated however there is mold in the corners which I have put down to poor circulation and the fact the dryer vent had a leak in it and moist air was being pumped in behind the walls for a period of time. One of the down sides of going to sea is when something goes wrong nothing is done until I get home. Moister also gets into the basement via the wood stove chimney. As heavy rains will drip down into the basement which creates creozote. No Win situation!

Anyway enough ranting today as I will take advantage of the weather and do some more planting. If anyone is interested I'll post pics and maybe you can tell me where I can put that Garden railway! If I did put one in it would be On3

[Anonymous]

And everybody remember President Ronald W.Reagan today, even if just for a moment or two.

[Anonymous]

Too tired tonight to really read much or post so I guess I will just say "Hello" and go to bed. It is just after 4 am and Duchess usually has me up by 9 at the very latest. [:(!]

Good night/day everyone.

Have a good Friday and remember me this weekend as I have to work all weekend again. [V][:(][banghead][banghead]

[philnrunt]

If you can keep the fans that you use for venting the bleach fumes going on the hottest and most humid days, that can also help. Adequate ventilation is death to mold.
Tomorrow, I'm going to look at a friends late- fathers layout, and give him an idea of what he should do with it. I HATE this kind of thing, but if people know you like trains, suddenly you become an expert .His father was a local businessman, who did quite well for himself, I have this vision of a room full of brass Shays and Challengers, me being seduced by the dark side and trying to get it all for 55$ and some McDonalds coupons.
If anyone out there knows of a REPUTABLE person I can talk to about the value of what I might find, let me know. I'm hoping that it's all Tyco and Model Power.
Enjoying iced coffee, even tho today is not to bad, weatherwise. I think we are getting Missouri's rain from the other day. Seems we run about 2 days behind them.
Take care, folks.

[Anonymous]

hey Tom Watkins-

Welcome back. Sorry to hear about your Mother-in-law's illness. Hope she has a speedy recovery. Awhile back there was a discussion on another thread about a 'rendering plant' on a topic you introduced - I think. I had posted that I had heard of one in Canton, GA where I live, and I had committed to let you know when I learned more about it. The site that I was told about is in fact a Pilgrim's Pride poultry rendering plant right on the Georgia Northeastern between exits 14 and 16 on I-575. (If you need specific directions email me) The facility appears to be '60s / '70s modern style and quite tidy. A couple of rr spurs were evident, as was a wierd industrial "loco" not unlike the ones you see in intermodial yards. The facility is quite large, and far larger than most would want to model in HO or even N, unless they really love chicken. . .
Inspite of the rumor I heard from the person who told me of its existence, their wasn't any smell present on a warm and humid work weekday. That isn't issue if you're modeling it, but could be if you live downwind of the facility, as I do ! Hope this helps. I'll advise you if I learn of another facility or get any info on what the place looked like years ago.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Another point to consider if moisture, and esp. mold is evident -- diluted household bleach will kill mold. An inexpensive 'mold detection kit' is available at home centers. (Some molds are very serious health hazards, while others are harmless to humans but will cause long term structural decay to your house's framing.) Wear a respirator !!! And, have a fan going directing fresh air into the basement at one end of the space, and another fan, if possible, at the other end of the space, to exhaust the bleach fumes. Wear eye protection and suitable gloves, a long sleeve shirt, and something on your head unless you've always wanted to be a blond. Spray the diluted bleach w/ a plastic sprayer used more commonly for spraying insecticides and fertilizers, and discard it after completing the job. Wear old clothes and plan on throwing away when done, as they will be all stained by the bleach, and give you that instant hippy look, definitely passe today. Leave the bleach on and allow it to evaporate. The area will smell like a community swimming pool in a bad neighborhood for weeks, but the mold will be gone. I had to do this on another property and it worked like a champ. I repeated the process several years later due to an unusally wet year. (That was in a crawl space, and not a full basement.)

Another point worth noting -- there typically is an open, running seam between the basement walls and the poured floor. This is both an expansion seam and one created when the floor was poored after the walls were constructed. Anyone spending a fair amount of time in a basement should consider filling this seam in its entirety. I use a waterproof, flexible construction adhesive such as one of the products offered by Liquid Nails, and just apply it into the crack, after the crack area has been cleaned of loose debris, greese, etc. A high powered shopvac w/ a thin nozzle attachment works great. The construction adhesive will remain flexible over a great range of temperatures, and will tend to collect concrete 'dust' blending in over time You could substitute one of the new polyurethane water proof adhesives that expand when in contact w/ moisture, but I haven't tried them yet in such an application. (Their expansion may exert side pressure on the seamed area and that may cause cracks, although unlikely.) You do want a flexible seal, and perhaps a caulk will work, although they can discolor and often get mildued.

Occasionally this crack may be a source of moisture intrusion, but more importantly, a major source of Radon gas infiltrartion, as is any crack in below-grade walls or the floor. Although there is a lot of info re: Radon on the internet, very little has been addressed in the model railroading press, and it should be, since we tend to be bottom dwellers, (not bottom feeders, unless we one is a model railroading attorney). Some locales are very seriously impacted by the presence of Radon - a naturally occurring radioactive substance all over the world. Two things must be done if Radon is present- adequate and constant ventilation - a simple fan and a vented window may suffice, and to seal up any potentilal paths where it can gain entry.

An inexpensive test can be performed by an inspection company to determine if Radon is a problem for you. As in mold abatement, Radon abatement can be unnecessarily costly, and there are lots of very eager firms out there ready to dive deep into your pockets, when you can achieve much the same results for pennies on a dollar, if you elect to do it yourself.

[Noah Hofrichter]

Christopher, I went down shortly after I posted and the train was just getting ready to leave. They must have fixed what ever was suposedly wrong, if that was the case, because they looked fine as they left. The engineer was the same guy that runs the locals up here, so next time the WSOR runs there local up here, which should probably be tonight or tomarrow, I'll see if I can get a chance to ask him about it. I'm curious to know too.

It's been a slow day around here, ranning all day. there's a UP/run by a WSOR crew ballast train over in Rock springs, about 15 minutes away, but I'm too lazy to have my mom take me over there, plus it's to bad of wheather for getting any pictures of any kind. I'll just be around here, I might go work on my project for the Scratchbuild off, who knows. These are the days when I wish I was back in sc--, haha, caught myself. I must be depresed to almost say what I almost finished saying. But oh well. I was "driving a train" with Microsoft train simulator this morning, but I've got a problem I've got to go post about on the Train simulator part of things, but I'll be back, I think any ways.

[sigh]

[egmurphy]

Buenos dias amigos del norte (or, in your case Lupo, ‘amigos europeos’),

Suppose I can start off with an old lawyer joke too before the p.c. police come down on us and stop the fun.

Joe: Did you hear about the planeload of lawyers coming back from their convention? It crashed and killed all on board!

Fred: What a tragedy!

Joe: I’ll say, there were 3 empty seats!


Bill M – I’d guess (without trying to recheck) that those hurricanes happened around 1955 or ’56. I recall that my father (who worked as a construction supt for a regional contractor that did a lot of bridge work, wound up in Naugatuck doing some quick repairs to a railroad bridge after the first hurricane. Iirc it did withstand the second one. I actually got to see it (although I only vaguely remember the occasion) and the river just a couple of days after the storm, but while the river was still quite high.

That lot in Old Greenwich would be worth a large fortune today. Darien is another beautiful place. Have a friend who lives up there in an old (genuine) colonial house on a couple of acres. I don’t want to even hazard a guess as to its market value.

Aaahhh, the Yankee Silversmith, I knew it well. Great place, you’re right. From the late 50’s through the mid 60’s we probably ate there once or twice a year. That was a big deal for us to go out there. I don’t recall the Pullman car being there back then. I think they were either part of a small chain or a small association of early American style restaurants. I remember that their matchbooks (for example) carried the names of several other restaurants in the general area with the same theme. The Yankee Peddler is the only one that comes to mind now, I don’t remember exactly where it was. I’ve run into popovers up in Mass and in upstate New York also. Yeah they were unique and good. [dinner]


Keep them waterproofing ideas comin’ in folks. In our case were not trying to stop a flow of water as much as a general very slow seepage that leaves the wall (solid brick, stuccoed and painted) damp and prone to growing a mold on the surface. Dehumidifiers won’t cut it down here (the climate is very humid in general and we have the house windows open most of the time (except where I’m huddling with my computer and a/c). We’re also built right to the property line on that side so we can’t control the water flow over there. We’re going to get one of the recommended products next time up north (next month) and give it a try.

JimZ – You mentioned the amount of railroading you can get in a small space with Z scale. I agree, that’s why I responded in the “If you had to change scales” thread that I’d probably go to Z.

We used containers a lot for temporary field offices on foreign construction sites. Many times the freight back out is more than the container is worth, so we cut doors and windows and presto, instant field office or mini-warehouse.

Yup, we’re here in Mexico mainly because my wife is from here and had a lot of family here. I didn’t have much close family left up north, and after traveling around all during my career in refinery and petrochemical construction I didn’t really have a place to call home. It wasn’t that hard a decision for us.

You asked “I've heard about entire developments filled with retired military folks living the Life of Riley down there. I don't think I could stand the corruption and bureaucracy.”

I haven’t heard specifically about communities of retired military, although I’m sure there are many among the retirees who live in Mexico (there are very few, as in less than 5 that I know of, living in my area). There are supposedly around 50,000 retired Americans and Canadians living just south of Guadalajara in what is generally called Lake Chapala (although there are really several towns in the area). There is also a large community (a few thousand) over in San Miguel de Allende. There are always a lot along the Pacific coast down through Baja and on the east side of the Sea of Cortez. The central areas have a very desirable climate. There are a ton of expats living in Mexico City, but almost all of them are working, not retired. On a day to day basis you don’t notice corruption. Bureaucracy is something you deal with when you have to do something official, which isn’t everyday. Yeah, things in general move slowly down here, and patience is very necessary, but if you’re retired down here why would you be in a hurry? [zzz]

Just to be sure there’s some railroad content in the post, I’ll note the following. For anyone who is interested in reading about current day railroading in Mexico (after privatization of almost all the lines) there was a great article in the Nov, 2003 issue of Trains magazine.


Warning, what follows for the rest of this post is just my opinion, and a bit of soapboxing. It has nothing to do with model railroading so feel free to skip it. [soapbox]

Immigration is, and always has been, a fact of life in the States. It’s probably a bit different now that we don’t enforce the old “melting pot” theory that required immigrants to abandon their old language entirely, but we’ve profited by absorbing wave after wave of immigrants. I understand that there are always two sides to every issue, and that some get hurt by immigration. I believe that more benefit, but that’s just my opinion. I think it’s easy for us to forget our immigration roots once we are third or fourth generation Americans. Since I’m a naturalized US citizen, the concept is still fresh with me. I’m also sure that the fact that I spent half my career working outside the States, and that I’ve married into a Mexican family, and that I now live outside the States gives me a different point of view on the subject. Certainly one can see from the amount of coverage of all types of immigration questions in the press that there isn’t an easy or right answer.

Arkansas Jim rightly commented that: “We may live in a country where everyone (somewhat anyway) may speak the same language but there are many problems between certain groups of people and of course there is still much prejudice left. I truly believe that as the baby boomers depart this world that the race problems will actually improve. I am a baby boomer and I have noticed that the kids in my neighborhood all play together. As they grow up they will be more tolerant of different skin color and different languages. It is too bad that so much prejudice does still exist but it does.”

I think things change gradually over time, and I don’t think it’s the baby boomers departure that is causing the change. I remember that years ago (like back in the early 1900’s) my Aunt Tillie (1st generation American – Irish parents) was forbidden to go out with the guy who became my Uncle Marty (1st generation American – Italian parents), not because they were of a different race or even a different religion, just because he was from a different nationality (his parents, he was American). They ran away and eloped and were married well over 50 years when he died. By the way, he was the car inspector on the NYNH&H that I mentioned yesterday. Her family disowned her and she couldn’t go home for years, so she hung around with my uncle’s side of the family. (I guess being Italian immigrants, they were slightly more newly arrived in country that my aunt’s Irish immigrant family, so they weren’t as choosy). When I was growing up I thought she was Italian. I mean, she wore her hair in a bun, spoke all the Italian slang, her name was Gennaro, and she always cooked a huge pot of spaghetti sauce (from scratch) on Sundays. What did I know, I was just a kid. Until someone pointed out, hey she’s your aunt on your mother’s side, how could she be Italian. Duh, slow kid, what can I say.

I know when I was in school, interracial marriages, interfaith marriages, or even marriages between whites and latinos (just to pick an example purely out of the air) were definitely a no-no. Maybe Lucy & Desi started to change all that. Maybe they were just part of the continuum of change. I know it’s still a problem in some areas, but it’s becoming much more accepted that I ever remember it being.

Okay, political/philosophical rambling over. I now return you to your normal programming. Anyway, I’ve got to go check out that website for Spanish keyboard characters.

Hasta luego,

Ed

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jimmanley

QUOTE: Originally posted by egmurphy

Yep, good ol' 6911 is a DDA40X Centennial, and I have no idea why it wound up in Ciudad México. See this link for the disposition of all the Centennial prototypes (including 6938 in Little Rock, Jim [:)]:

http://www.railfanusa.com/info/locos/dd40-x.html

Hasta luego, and All Z BeZt,
Jim

Whoever made that website DIDN'T do their homework. [}:)]

North Little Rock and Little Rock are two seperate cities separated by the Arkansas River. The Jenks Shop and DD40X # 6938 are NOT in Little Rock, they ARE in North Little Rock.

I am not picking at any individual here in the forums but you would expect someone making a website to get "their ducks in a row and provide correct info".

I am not making a mountain out of a mole hill but should someone actually want to see this loco they at least need to be in the correct city and Little Rock is not the correct city.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by egmurphy


JimZ - would I be right in thinking that 6911 is also a Centennial? It was donated by the U.P. and is on permanent display in a museum in Mexico City. I have no idea why they picked Mexico City, since I never knew of any connection (other than the old SP line that ran down the west coast) betwen UP and Mexico.

Bueños dias, Señor Eduardo!

When I can't figger out how to type foreign characters on the 'puter, I just do a translation in Google's translation tools:

http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=en

then, copy and paste - no fuss, no muss!

Yep, good ol' 6911 is a DDA40X Centennial, and I have no idea why it wound up in Ciudad México. See this link for the disposition of all the Centennial prototypes (including 6938 in Little Rock, Jim [:)]:

http://www.railfanusa.com/info/locos/dd40-x.html

Maybe somone thought it could provide a nice warm place for a few hundred people to live comfortably. Has anyone seen what they're doing to convert containers into offices and homes? I've seen four-story office buildings made up of containers stacked and bolted together. One of our Z manufacturers, Harald Freudenreich in Northeastern Germany, has four 20 foot containers bolted together horizontally and furnished quite nicely for his office and manufacturing facility:

[img.nr]http://www.fr-model.de/images/information/frshop.jpg [/img.nr]

If you want to see the cutting edge of Z manufacturing quality, check out his site:

http://www.fr-model.de/english/productlines_us_models.php

So, how did you decide to live in La Tierra Del Muerte (Da Land Uh Da Dead)? If I interpret the demographic comments correctly, is your lovely lady of Mexican descent? That would definitely sway my decision on where to settle my load over the long term. Our company has the stuff we sell via our web site manufactured at a maquilladora somewhere just over the border (Guadalajara?), and I've heard about entire developments filled with retired military folks living the Life of Riley down there. I don't think I could stand the corruption and bureaucracy, though - I have enough trouble with our government stomping on individual rights without bothering to do some basic background investigation (I know a lot of good police and intelligence folks, but there are some bad apples who are making the majority look pretty bad, like the Iraqi prisoner fiasco, f'rinstance).

I've got a mandatory meeting with my pointy-haired boss in a few hours (assuming he ever shows up, which is under 30% of the time, but that's actually OK, since he's the ul-dumb-it micromanager). So, I'd better get some shut-eye (well, in addition to the siesta I accidently took after getting back from Marie Callender's and settling into the ol' recliner - always a bad idea if I want to stay awake and get something useful done [zzz] I had the new grilled citrus chicken and shrimp over rice - it was OK, but the Mandarin oranges were definitely canned. It did give me a good idea for a BBQ recipe, though! I have to admit I've enjoyed the cooking discussionZ here as much as the train talk [dinner] Now, look and what I made myself do - I'm starvin' again - time for some hotcakes with real maple syrup, snausages and a large orange juice (I have a confession to make, coffee makes my tummy ache, so the strongest I can take is hot cocoa - but it has just as much caffeine and comes with a built-in sugar high to boot, so it works)!

Hasta luego, and All Z BeZt,
Jim

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by bill mathewson

lupo - Things are a changin' however as Spanish is quickly becoming not just a second language for some, but the only language spoken by many in the Southwest and in pockets of the Southeast.

At the Kroger Grocery Store nearest me if you DON'T speak Spanish YOU are the minority. This is in Central Arkansas not Texas and not New Mexico. Many of the former English speaking customers are now shopping at other Krogers and avoiding this one. Even the employees now speak Spanish, not as a second language but as their native language. It is making shopping there VERY difficult as my Spanish class in high school was longer ago than I would like to admit. [B)] One of the most popular restuarants in Central Arkansas makes authinic Mexican food. But again there is a language problem. Should the Border Patrol ever visit the restaurant I would wager that only the customers would be left in the restaurant. The food is pretty good but they are pretty expensive too.

We may live in a country where everyone (somewhat anyway) may speak the same language but there are many problems between certain groups of people and of course there is still much prejuice left. I truely believe that as the baby boomers depart this world that the race problems will actually improve. I am a baby boomer and I have noticed that the kids in my neighborhood all play together. As they grow up they will be more tolerant of different skin color and different languages. It is too bad that so much prejuice does still exist but it does.

<Time for bed, putting the soapbox up now.>

[krump]

Hi All
Ron - congrats on the Kidlet, an engineer hat and coveralls might be in order
Bill M. - still praying for you and the family at this difficult time
now for the joke: first a disclaimer - I heard this from a lawyer friend...
Q- what's the difference between a mud-shark and a lawyer?
A- one's a scum-sucking-bottom-dweller, and the other one's a fish...

good day all.

[philnrunt]

JimZ- Indeed, Runtzpunkin is my pupperdog that I bring to work with me, she is the official K8 of the department. Shes working on becoming a K9. She has 8 neices and nephews and sons and daughters at home. Also 10-count em, 10- new kitties to deal with.
OK, you have me interested-how are you powering the DD's, are all going to be powered? Where do you get scratch building items in Z? How much do you have to fabricate?
I have 3-4 boxes of old N, 2 engines and 20 cars in G, and a blue zillion wrapped up in HO, so I AM NOT going to go into another, even more expensive, facet of this hobby. So no matter how you tempt me, don't expect me to start looking at ad's for those great looking F's. Or GP's and SD's. And don't expect me to sit here thinking about how much Z would fit into a 24x30 train shop. Mein Gott, I could model Chicago to St-NEIN...I...must...regain...control....MEIN FURHER-I CAN VALK!!!
Boy, if they come out with C-630s in Z, I'm fried.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by philnrunt


JimZ, in Z scale, how big is a DD?

Hi Phil (is there someone there named "Runt", like a dog, I hope? :)

A DDA40X, at 98feet 5inches at the extremities of the front and back of the body for the prototype (not including the couplers), is 5 3/8 inches in Z scale (1:220). It can negotiate curves of a radius of at least eight inches, but it looks horrible with the body hanging out over the outside of the curves that much - it looks better on curves of at least 10, preferably 12 inches in radius. As you can imagine, you can get a lot of railroad in a little space with Z, with 12 inch radius sweeping curves! I'll post pictures when I show off this loco for the first time in public at NTS in Seattle in July (it looks pretty ugly right now without any paint, decals, horns, grab rails, etc.).

More to come in response to further interrogation from otherZ - gotta go eat din-din, or go hungry (and it's Marie Callender's restaurant discount dinner week - pies are only $5.99, too! YUM! [:p]

All Z BeZt,
Jim

[tomwatkins]

Hey Everybody,
I've been out and away for about a week and a half. My wifes' mom was very sick and in the hospital in Murphy, NC, so there just wasn't any time for railroading or computing. It's nice to be back. Seems like there has been a lot going on in the coffee shop lately.

Ron, congratulations on the new baby. Boy or girl? If you said, I'm sorry, I missed it. One of the good things that happened last week was our niece brought her baby, a seven month old boy in to see his great grandma. He's a beautiful, bright happy baby. That really lifted everybody's spirits.

Jim, I enjoyed and was moved by your story about your dad. Please tell him thank you for what he, his buddies and all the others did. My dad, and most of my uncles also fought in that war. Our debt, and the world's to them is immeasurable. I missed the coverage of the 60th anniversary of D-Day this year, but I remember watching it 20 years ago when President Reagan went to Normandy for the 40th anniversary.

There was a question earlier about sealing and waterproofing basements. I used a product called "Dry-Lock" right after I built my house 11 years ago. I'm very pleased with the results. It's an extremely thick pigmented sealer which does go on the inside of the basement walls. It's about as much fun as trying to paint the walls with peanut butter and a roller but it's worked well. You have to be careful to get really good coverage at the seam between the floor and the wall because that is a real potential trouble spot. I put 2 coats on the walls and 3 at the seam. I agree with Bill Mathewson that more than that needs to be done. I run 2 dehumidifiers, one in the railroad room and one in our daughter's dance studio. I also make sure the gutters are kept clean so water runs through them and the downspouts into the pipes that carry it away from and below the house. Installing those pipes was a huge amount of work but it was worth it to minimize the amount of water that goes into the ground adjacent to the basement.

Tomorrow should be a back to normal day. There's some yard work and gardening to be done in the morning. The afternoon will be spent on the railroad, finishing up the new mainline through Andrews and over Red Marble mountain. The sidings and spurs are still to be done but I should be able to run trains over the main tomorrow night.

Next Tuesday I have an appointment to meet with the mayor of Murphy,NC. His grandfather was stationmaster for the L&N in Murphy for years. He has pictures of both depots, the L&N 's and the Southern's. He's also an armchair model railroader. I'm really looking forward to it.

Well, I've rambled enough for one evening. It's good to be back.
Night Ya'll
Tom Watkins

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Noah Hofrichter

JimZ (you earned yourself a new nickname) Glad your here in the coffee shop with us, And congrats on your new child, hope he/she takes your same interest.

The WSOR ran an inspection train up here these past couple of days, so I'm happy. The stayed overnight in another town down the line Monday night, and then stayed here last night. They've been being "friendly" with the customers on the line, having dinner with many of them. I got some good pictures for the contest the WSOR is holding for there calender. You get 500 bucks for the cover, 250 for the inside cover, and $100 for each month. This tarain is big though, I have a feeling the President of the company is on it. I was on my best picture taking behavure for taking pictures of it. I know the engineer, or at least I have fot the past two months, so he let me climb up in the engine quick and get some pictures of the interior. I had a good day altogether. I thought they had left, but the engineer, who is all I can pick up, just said on the scanner "oops" and a few minutes later "did it over heat or what" so that's not a good sign. Might go see if I can convince my mom to take me down to find out what's going on, so I got to go.

Noah

Wow, you're lucky you live on a branch line of a regional road, the KCS barely ever even has a local or a switch job thru town here unless it's the fall grain rush. I just found out my parents are probably going to stay at Galesburg for Railroad Days both Saturday and Sunday, but not Friday, so I won't get to see the Milwaukee Road steamer (DRAT!). Oh well, if I'm lucky, maybe I'll get a glimpse of the BNSF Executive F's?!

BTW Noah keep us updated on what hapened to that locomotive if you get to go see what's wrong.

[Anonymous]

Ed Murphy - When I was a kid (in the early '50s, my parents vacationed in the Canaan area at a lake that I can't remember the name of. We'd take the New Haven from NYCity and eventually get on a bus for the last few miles. I recall the vacation when we went for two, rather than one week, and that year two hurricanes hit Conn. approx a week apart, causing havoc w/ the railroads and highways. Our nice, real close-to-the-water cabin resembled a house boat by the second week, and we had to camp out in the main lodge and eat cold food, since all the power was out, along with the roads in and out. The New Haven was apparantly very hard hit, losing bridges, tresles, and a lot of roadbed. We had to take a series of buses back to NYCity in order to get home.

We also had friends that lived in Darien and used to take the New Haven there on occasion, and one weekend my Dad bought a building lot in Old Greeewich, which we never built on, and sold some years later. When I worked for Norden in Norwalk, I lived in Milford, giving me the opportunity to also observe the NH when sitting in traffic on the Turnpike. The New Haven was an extremely unique railroad with its diverse motive power, and the mystique, at least for me, of all its catenary, commuter stations, complex trackwork and heavy traffic. And the New Haven had some of the neatest paint schemes, esp during the McGinnis era.

Had you ever eaten at the Yankee Silversmith Inn in Wallingford? They have an old wood sided Pullman Dining Car on the premises, or at least they did have the last time I was there. That was, and hope it still is, one of the finest and friendliest restaurants I have ever been to, and whenever in that area I make a point of going there. They have the most incredible "pop-overs" - a type of roll that is unequaled anywhere I have ever dined.

[n2mopac]

First let me say [#welcome] to Jim. Good to have you aboard.

Thanks again to everyone on the arrival of our new little model railroader. At six days old the little guy sleeps most of the time but is quite awake alert and active from midnight to about 4:00 a.m. every night. Needless to say, I'm EXHAUSTED!!! [zzz] [xx(] [zzz]

Hope everyone is enjoying better weather than we here in central MO. Gentle rain all day and general blah. Someone please pass to coffee pot. Keep it strong, black, hot, and coming.
Ron

[egmurphy]

Gosh, busy day on this thread. I'm probably going to wind up at the bottom of page 29....maybe I ought to just wait for a couple more posts so I can be at the top of page 30?? I'm not even sure if I can remember all the comments/answers I thought about while reading through today's stuff.

Bill M - where in Conn did you vacation? I grew up in Hamden, just outside New Haven. My uncle was a car inspector for the NYNH&H and they lived out in East Haven with a back yard that bordered the NH mainline. We used to spend time over there during the summer watching trains.

JimZ - would I be right in thinking that 6911 is also a Centennial? It was donated by the U.P. and is on permanent display in a museum in Mexico City. I have no idea why they picked Mexico City, since I never knew of any connection (other than the old SP line that ran down the west coast) betwen UP and Mexico.

Si senor, soy jubilado y ya no trabajo mas. Pues, un poquito con mis trenes de escala o en proyectos para la casa.

Nice photo of your engine, pleeeeaaassseee don't put in wide mode again! I spent all morning scrolling back and forth to read each line. My monitor won't handle wide screens like that, unlike Lupo's.

Like lot's of older (ahem) Americans, I'm not totally metricated yet. I manage by knowing 5 major points of reference on the temperature scale.
0c = freezing
10c = cool
20c = comfortable (for me)
30c = hot
40c = let's not even go there (we were there a week or so ago and it was not pretty)

Sun's over the yardarm, it's cocktail time. Wine and cheese for me this afternoon guys. Iced coffee later. By the way, the stuffed jalapenos last night were just right, spicy enough to let you know what you were eating, not so hot that they killed the taste buds.

Hasta manana

Ed (who needs to figure out how to make n's with tilde's ~~ over them if I'm going to try to write stuff in Spanish)