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

[SilverSpike]

Good morning all!

A tall hot coffee and a doughnut please Chloe! Thanks Jerry!

Only 5 days to Christmas, and 12 days to the New Year!

Anyone have a resolution(s) for next year?

I want to exercise more and loose 40 lbs.

I want to finish the lower level track laying and electrical wiring on the layout by April 2007.

Hey Duke, what's happening over there in the back booth?

Philip thanks for the Christmas lights and the tree. The Coffee Shop is finally starting to look a lot like Christmas.

Did you know that the average age of new grandparents in the U.S. is 47?

I think that when I become a grandparent I will be skewing that figure up a bit by 15 years or so....

Ed, any new culinary treats coming out of your kitchen?

You all have a great day!

Cheers,

Ryan

[pcarrell]

Philip thanks for the Christmas lights and the tree. The Coffee Shop is finally starting to look a lot like Christmas.

No problem!  The stuff came in on last nights train!

The girls and I stayed up all night decorating (despite the missing bathroom!).

[grayfox1119]

Good morning guys, a chilly 32F here at 10:20am, we had a heavy frost last night, so for about 3 hours we had a "white" Christmas look about the area. Clear skies today too, but the wind chill has it feeling like 20F.

Today, had an early dentist appointment for quarterly cleaning ( have to keep these choppers until I'm at least 101). Just waiting for the wife to get back from decorating the church, then we are off to the Stove store. I need to get an air feed kit. Homes built after 1965, especially those built for elctric heat like mine, are real tight, no air leaks, so when you burn a wood stove, which of course needs a lot of air, where does it get it's supply of air? From the house!!! And if you have a tight house, no what? Poor draft for a good fire, and less O2 for us to breathe also. I have a Dutch West stove ( Vermont Castings ) and it needs a good supply of air.

  THEN, we head to Warren, Ma to one of my favorite LHS's....YES! Later we will head south to Sturbridge and eat a nice dinner at Cracker Barrel ( yes, for you southerners, they are up here in the northland now...great food, plenty of it, excellent service, and very reasonably priced.

JR: Yes, I figured that something must be going on over at that area. I think it may be at the transistion section of track between Bachmann and LifeLike, I am picking up a LifeLike section today to have everything the same.

RYAN: 40 pounds huh!!!!

 Here is something for all the other young men in the CS, and us older bucks also: After age 40, our metabolism rate drops on average about 2% a year. That means that if you eat the same amount of food, and exercise the very same every day, you will gain weight!!! It is a tough battle. Our bodies adjust themselves as we age to actually require less food. The problem is, we still have great appetites, so we eat and eat, and usually too much of the same crap that is not good for us. I know, I know, stop crying now...I know you love Pizza, beer, candy, pasta, etc. but you need to start changing your habits and eat more fruit and veggies. Remember, Adam lived to be about 900 years old, but he could not run out for Pizza, or a beer, nor Pasta, or candy, etc.could he? He had plenty of fruit and veggies. Fruits and Veggies work!!! It's just that "we humans" don't LISTEN very well to what we are told is good for us. ( Ohh but we love the bad stuff !! )lol

DER JOHN: Ok John, here is plan 3. Get yourself one of these new Video Cameras that has anti-shake......the picture will be rock steady. Mount the camera on your shoulder or head gear and have a ball.

See you guys later,

[SilverSpike]

RYAN: 40 pounds huh!!!!

 Here is something for all the other young men in the CS, and us older bucks also: After age 40, our metabolism rate drops on average about 2% a year.

I do believe that my current metabolism is a - 10% at this point. Everything that I currently eat goes straight to my waistline...

And...... for those of you with snow and wish you could haul it away, and for those who do not have snow, but wish they did......

"Special Snow Load" Courtesy of Norfolk Southern

 

[JPowell]

Afternoon all -

  Glad to see/hear from some of the fellas! ON the CSX thing, I have not seen anymore on it. But, on a unrelated CSX note, there has been some construction activity going on in the yard for the last few months from replacing ties and rails with newer ones, to some actual earth movment. I'm going to try and get out Friday w/ my camera and snap some pics from the overpass that goes over the yard. I think they may be in the process of removing the hill the 'hump' sat on during the ConRail and prior years. I think I can understand why, but I still hate to see it go, if that's what they are doing as I used to go and watch Conrail sort cars with it back in the mid 70's whne I was a kid. Oh well. Such as life.

  Ok guys and gals, time for work again!

Take care!

[Hoople]

Good Morning!

Sorry I havent been here in a while, because my sister got her Nintendo Wii on sunday. That is pretty fun.

YAY! todays my first day of Christmas vacation!

Yesterday my bud, Charlie came over. He recently got an IHC 0-8-0, and it ran real smooth and quite. Only problem was my little brother stuck some cars on the track like we told him not to do, but he didn't listen. The 0-8-0 jumped the tracks and had a nice trip to the floor. He kept it here, because its wires came out of the plug, which happened to my 4-8-2, and I fixed it, so I guess I'll go get out the soldering iron...

I can stay for a while. I might be having a friend come over, but I might not.

Mark

[pcarrell]

Yesterday my bud, Charlie came over. He recently got an IHC 0-8-0, and it ran real smooth and quite. Only problem was my little brother stuck some cars on the track like we told him not to do, but he didn't listen. The 0-8-0 jumped the tracks and had a nice trip to the floor. He kept it here, because its wires came out of the plug, which happened to my 4-8-2, and I fixed it, so I guess I'll go get out the soldering iron...

Isn't that one of Murphy's Laws in action right there? 

The law states that, and I quote, "either the newest or the most expensive piece of equipment you have will, when derailed, take an immediate trip to the hardest piece of floor in the area, thereby rendering it parts."

In your case you have the added bonus that all of this mayhem was caused by something out of your control and probably involved the least expensive piece of rolling stock you own (which was unaffected by the incident!).

Hope you get it fixed!

[Cox 47]

Good Afternoon All....Cloudy and colder here more like what December should be....I'll have a Windy City dog with the works, Onion Rings and a Egg Nog shake..all the diet talk make me hungry...Thank you and thanks JR.....I got a N scale magazine in mail yesterday tryed to read it but feel asleep in old blue......Trainlover...whats your vacation plans? maybe some more train time? what ever you do I hope you have a good one...Ryan..Good luck on the diet thing..anybody who says its easy never tryed it!Dick....as Sallie says everthing is broke on me but my appetite......JR..how big is Exhibet you are working on for museum? thanks for keeping me in mind on Nscale.....Well you all have a good evening......Jerry

[PA Belt]

hey all, whats up?

well, im taking the big plunge after Christmas...thats right, DCC!!   what yo tou all think of the MRC Prodidgy Express for a starter set, its in my range , and its expandabke like its big brother.

i have also done some more senery on the layout and im organizing a way bill system to night. 

[JimRCGMO]

Good Afternoon, Zoe - Could I have some cheese fries and a Dr. Pepper (oops, I mean a salad and a diet Dr. Pepper, Ryan!)

Ryan, I bet modeling that N&S load would be rather interesting... But could make for an interesting thing on RR's that cover more northern areas.

Fairly good day at work today - getting somewhat caught up on my paperwork. And the corner of the lobby out front no longer looks like Uncle Harry’s Used Office Furniture Warehouse today. (They’ve been moving some people’s offices from one end of the building to another - so that admin. can each have their own private offices) admin. types who think they’re better than the ones who actually provide services around here...(s'cuse the rant)  [/rant off]

Hoople, sorry to hear about your buddy’s wreck - hope it’s an easy fix for you to get him up and running again. Guess it’s not just cats that we have to watch out about letting in the train room, huh? Enjoy your vacation!

PA Mike, I can’t tell you anything about MRC’s digital equipment. For whatever reason, most everyone in our local MRR club uses Digitrax (maybe they like their radio control..), and appears pretty satisfied with their stuff. I’ll be watching to hear what you find out so I can learn, since I probably won’t be going DCC just yet (maybe six months to a year away). What kind of waybill setup are you using? I’ve downloaded some forms and have seen the setup that Micro Mark sells, but I’m a little ways from operations yet (got to get that track and wiring down first).

JP, you reminded me of one of the kits I got on eBay a few days ago - the (formerly Suydam) yard tower (the one with the sloped windows like an airport tower); I’m looking forward to building that one. Your talking about that hump yard made me think of the kit. There also was an old MR article that talked about making a working hump yard using small air hoses (between the rails) and some compressed air to slow down freight cars. Don’t know that I still have that article, but I do recall it.

Besides the other reasons, I like this time of year for getting Christmas cards and letters from friends (some of which are almost as humorous as some of the jokes in the CS here!).


Blessings,

Jim in Cape Girardeau

[PA Belt]

JIM:im not to sure about what kind fo set up, im jujst winging it 

[grayfox1119]

Good afternoon gents, just got back from the trip to the LHS. I needed only a few small things like some CA and misc small stuff, HOWEVER, there was ONE Proto 2000 Heritage 0-8-0, New Haven RR remaining, decoder with sound installed, for $250, $100 off the reg.price, that I spotted near the counter. The owner of the LHS, Robert Buck, one of the most knowledgable and nicest guys you could ever meet, who incidently has written many books and whom you will see his name mentioned in many RR books, told me that Walthers had a overstock of certain RR' names, and gave the dealers a good break, so we get some of the benefits also passed on down the food chain. This 0-8-0 is really right on the money for design, a real beauty for accuracy and looks. I just couldn't pass it up, they had a couple of other road names but were all sold out, I can see why. The New Haven RR ran their line up to Worcester, Boston, and Springfield, Ma, so it will fit just fine in my NE RR layout. Hey, how many 0-8-0's do you need in a big yard, certainly more than 1 right guys ?

COX47: Yes, we ALL have nothing wrong with our appetites......I just get outside and cut brush, bring in wood, walk, etc. to keep my weight in check at 185# for my 5-10 frame.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Good evening, wet and dismal here and getting wetter by the minute. Been raining most of the day. Had three people working today and got 66 boxes done. That's pretty good! 34 to go and the contract will be complete. 500 boxes in all!

[bjdukert]

Hey Duke, what's happening over there in the back booth?

Huh,What,Someone say something???? OH,hi Ryan Caught me dozing off again but I have been watch'n and listen'n and as for the dozing off. I am practicing and easing into retirement,even if it is 3yrs away(I hope) and then I will be ready to join Paul and the other ORF's here in the CS.

Talk to you later

Duke

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Duke: It's good that you have a hobby like MRing. I've found that one of the biggest parts of retirement is boredom. If I didn't have my MR layout to keep me busy between work contracts, I'd have gone straight up the wall.

[Anonymous]

FARGO,  I know that you are new to the forum, but we leave the trash outside. We have young people and ladies in here and we try to watch what we say. Your joke is really not COOL at all.

[Anonymous]

Hey guys be gentle with my credit card. This is the second time this week.

Well discussed the menu with Zoe and this is the lunch menu for tomorrow.

Roast Pork Loin

Potato salad or stuffed potatohalf with crawfish etuffee. Your choice.

three sides

Navy beans with ham hocks

Mustard greens

Smuthered corn in tomato sauce

Cornbread and for desert

Keylime Pie.

Enjoy.

[Hoople]

and probably involved the least expensive piece of rolling stock you own (which was unaffected by the incident!).

Yep. The least expensive piece of rolling stock went to the floor. It was undamaged. I plan to have it fixed by tommorow.

[cleo]

I will be getting my 3rd loco soon, an Atlas trainman GP38-2 in the CPRail pacman scheme within the next couple of weeks, and also with that will be a Digitrax Zephyr and  might buy some more rolling stock soon

[JimRCGMO]

Good Evening, Chloe - just a quick cup of hot cocoa tonight - thanks, Neal!

Yep. The least expensive piece of rolling stock went to the floor. It was undamaged. I plan to have it fixed by tommorow.

Yeah, Hoople, PC had it nailed - Murphy's Law works like that! Now, had that been the most expensive item, it wouldn't have landed in such nice condition. Or, if there were a sturdy side and a fragile side, the fragile side would've been the one it landed on... (Maybe I should go post that on the Murphy's Law forum topic?)

Still drizzling rain tonight, but at least we're not having the ice that Nebraska is getting (or the snow that Denver got). They're saying more rain for us tonight (about 51 F currently). The weather-guessers are still hedging their bets as for whether we'll get any snowflakes to look at on Christmas Day.

Today, a crane was unloading a tracked vehicle (looked like some type of APV) at a military display not far from Cape, and the crane halfway lifted up (until the tracked vehicle settled on the ground and the crane operator got the crane to level back down). Looked a bit scary on the news tonight, but luckily no one got hurt in the incident. Guess nobody checked on the comparative weights of the APV vs. the crane's load limit...

I went and got some painting accessories for future buildings tonight - cosmetic sponges! I'd read in one of the Information Station pdf's about using them for painting a building to more closely look like stone. So maybe this weekend or while I'm on vacation next week I'll try them out.  

'Bout it for me tonight. Prayers for those who are ailing or in need of some

 

Blessings,

Jim in Cape Girardeau

[grayfox1119]

HOOPLE: That is why you place guard rails around your layout.....man that can really ruin your day...Can't you see a 2-6-6-2 hitting the floor at 4 feet!!!! Ohhhhh Noooooo!!! Weeping and gnashing of teeth!!!

[wetidlerjr]

Good morning ! from Indiana.

12-21-06

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Today's Weather for: Sundown, LA 71446 12/21/2006 Sundown Fire Dept., Station 23 Wind Chill: 54°F Humidity: 88% Dew Point: 52°F So Far Today High: 57°F Low: 55°F Rain: 0.01" Rain Rate: 0.00"/h Gust: 11mph NNE High: 66 °F Low: 54 °F Now through 07:00 AM CST December 21, 2006 High: 68 Through 7 AM...scattered showers with a few thunderstorms will continue to develop and move northeast across the area. The bulk of the activity will be found across central and southwest Louisiana...as well as coastal southeast Texas. Rainfall amounts will average a tenth of an inch...although higher amounts exceeding a half-inch will be possible in the heavier showers and thunderstorms. Over the coastal waters...showers and storms will be numerous over the waters from Marsh Island to the mouth of the Atchafalaya River out to 60 nautical miles. Showers and storms will be more widely scattered west of Marsh Island. Today High: 68 Mostly cloudy with numerous showers and isolated thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 60s. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain 70 percent. Tonight Low: 48 Decreasing clouds. Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 40s. North winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

[Fergmiester]

Good Morning All

 

It's a warm one here as temps have raised above the 0 C mark (upper 30's F) but weather is good for remainder of the week and... the House will be roof tight by the end of the day and...

Dad came home yesterday! Saying that it will be a long hard road to reovery as he is very weak still. Hopefully I'll get in the mood for some MR'ng!

 

Fergie

 

Thanks for for all the support, prayers and well wishes guys! 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Fergie: Good to hear that your dad is home.

[GMTRacing]

Good Morning All, Just a quick runthrough as I have a ton of stuff to get done today. Fergie - great news having your dad home for Christmas has got to be a boost for everyone. Hope his recovery continues (maybe even faster now he's home). Dick - let me know how the Proto works once broken in. I have an old IHC version which doesn't get stuck at turnouts but won't pull worth beans either. All for now, have clients and people to deal with. CUL,J.R.

[pcarrell]

Good Morning Everyone!

Well, I took a leave of my senses last night.  More on that in a minute.

First, a look at the weather.  It's not a real pretty sight, but it's a darn sight better then out west!

OK, now that we have that taken care of........about the temporary insanity.

Seems that my Christmas bonus this year was bigger then expected.  I recieved it yesterday and found myself (I'm not quite sure how this happened.  The details are a little foggy you know! ;) ) at the local hobby shop with a large wad of money in my pocket.  "Somehow", in the course of events, I ended up walking out the door with a new Digitrax Super Chief Radio setup.  I awoke this morning to realize that this was not a dream!  So,.......I guess it's to the test bench with the Bachmann setup, and hello bells and whistles!

Yeah, Hoople, PC had it nailed - Murphy's Law works like that! Now, had that been the most expensive item, it wouldn't have landed in such nice condition. Or, if there were a sturdy side and a fragile side, the fragile side would've been the one it landed on... (Maybe I should go post that on the Murphy's Law forum topic?)

It may already be there!

Fergie, glad your dad is home.  That was a scare for you guys I'm sure.  It's good that he's doing better.

[ModelTrainLover]

hey guys! well I'm working again on the layout at home. I'm at school now. I'll try to get pics of the construction, and I got a HO water tower kit lastnight!!!

[Attaboy]

Morning everyone.

I have a question for all the computer geeks gurus here.  I'm supposed to get my broadband installed tomorrow morning but ran into a bit of a problem last night.  I was having some problems with my sound card not working quite right so ran a repair function from the disc that came with the card - a Soundblaster Audigy.  When it said to restart the computer everything was going fine, it booted all the way up and I reached for the mouse to check the sound card.  Before I even touched the mouse the screen went blank and it started to reboot again.  It seemed to be caught in a loop with rebooting all the way up then starting over again.  Any suggestions on a fix?  I'm thinking of putting the MS XP disc in and running the repair program for that. If I can get windows working right, I'll worry about the sound card later.

[JimRCGMO]

Good morning CS'ers! I'll have some of that breakfast casserole, Zoe. Smells like you put a little maple syrup in the mix. Yum!

 

PC, maybe you were sleepwalking when you went to your LHS? Congrats on the DCC and I hope you have fun getting it up and running. 

Fergie, good to hear that your Dad's home. I'd agree with JR - hopefully, being with family (and eating home-cooked food) will help him on his recovery! 

Grey and almost foggy today in Swampeast Missouri here - 57 degrees (F), and I think we got a bit over a half inch (about 1 cm.) of rain last night, with more to drizzle in today. Should be a good day for paperwork. Let's see, about four and a half weeks to catch up on...

Actually, Zoe - I think I'll also have one of those glazed donuts that Bill T. brought in, please. Need Want that sugar rush.

 

Blessings on your week and preparations for Christmas,

Jim