Elliott's Trackside Diner XIII

[howmus]

Mornin' Folks!

Went to bed early last night and slept in late.  Caught up on several nights in a row without quite enough sleep I guess.  Woke up feeling slept out for a change.  I was really dragging yesterday.

Barry, Millers does a comfortable business and is busy during the summer months with folks coming to town to visit the beach at the lakefront.  Mostly though it is people arriving by railcoach to visit friends and families.  That guy outback usin' the building is just James the handyman.  He is just a "farmboy" and modesty isn't one of his virtues.  He figures it is a hot day and if he wants his sinuses cleared out he'll go muck out the pen stabling........  He's been talked to by Rev. Miller more than a few times about that sort of thing.  If it wasn't for the crowd across the street, he would most likely be "watering" the tree.......

JimRCGMO

Ray, nice photo of the layout. I was trying to recall, have you posted any pics of your layout (vs. locos, freight cars, etc.) in the Diner before, or has it just been a bit of a while (and I need to take my ginko...)?

 

Jim I have only rarely posted layout photos in here.  I usually reserve them for the WPF thread.

Zoe just a bowl of raisin Bran cereal and some dark roast coffee in a FGLK Mug.  Thank You!

Jeffrey glad to hear your Mom is doing better.  My prayers for her continued recovery! 

Well, I have a bunch of things I should get done today so I'll see you all later! 

[edit]  Oh!  I was going to mention a congrats to DJ (Grampy's Trains) for his photo in the July MR. 

It is a great issue this month for me at least as on page 42 there is an article about Fruit Growers Express by none other than Harold W. Russell, MMR #14 who has become my mentor and friend in the hobby.  His is one of the finest gentlemen I have ever known and is just plain fun to hang around with.  I have had the pleasure of helping him do a couple of measurements of buildings.  I have the drawing of one we did together a year ago that will be a monster to do.  Every time Harold sees me now he asks if I have built it yet.  Benham's Elevator will be my next project after I finish with the scenery certificate.  It is also very cool that the photos in the article are of a car that we have at the Rochester and Genesee Valley Museum where I am a member (as is Harold). 

That's Harold handing up the Train Orders. 

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Good morning...

Ray...Thanks for introducing Harold to us. Tell him we were glad to meet him. Also, ray, I have been enjoying your layout photos.

Jeff... Keep us posted on your Mom. Prayers continue.

Paul... We continue prayers for May Ann with her kidney disease.

Good to see Sue stopped in. Uh Oh.... Outside stuff sounds like little progress by Sue and Larry on their layout.

John... Interesting story about the LED's .. have you heard from Fergie?

I have been working in the locomotive shops in recent days. I restored a pair of old Hobbytown Alco PA-1's and painted them to match another Hobbytown I had also restored and painted for the Katy. I have a Texas Special passenger train, and thse are perfect for it.

I happen to like Katy's paint scheme for its small fleet of PA-1's. It did not last long on the prototype unfortunately.

My fictional division of the Burlington connects with Katy (and other RR's).

History note: The old CB&Q was in the process of acquiring the Katy in the late 1800's which would have connected Burlington's Missouri lines with Texas. This would have provided a direct connection with CB&Q's Fot Worth & Denver line. The acquistion was not completed due to politics of the era. The US Congress was implementing the ICC and becoming hostile with railroad management. The phrase, Robber Barrons" was coined during that period.

Here is the photo. The PA-1 on the closest track is the first one I made.

 

 

 

 

 

[BamaCSX83]

Garry, the PA-1's look great!  Todd, you are exactly right about the southern part....I've had to knock the sense into people lots of times before, and thankfully haven't gotten in trouble about it yet.  Sue, great to see you stopping in, glad you're doing well.  Well guys I just spent the last two hours sweating my tail off here at w**k, I had to wash out some air filters for the injection machines we have and its a wee bit warm outside.  Oh well, supposed to get some rain in here at some point today, maybe it'll cool things down.  For now I'll cool myself down by the corner window with a RBF please...

[Cox 47]

Good Morning All...Its 66 and rainy here...I'll have a diet Coke please..Thank You...Not much going on here on Pearl street..

Gary..Nice job on the PA's...

I am gonna slip into back booth and see who drops in...You all have a good day...Jerry

[Ole Timer]

 A cup of caffeine please ... then bring on the decaf ....

John .... good to see you ....

The third Cab Forward arrived today .... have to get busy on changing the numbers on 2 of them ... I swear this is the last one .... .... have been trying to find some containers to keep my weathering powders in .... that stay sealed . All the darn med bottles are colored now ... that stuff sneaks out of almost anything ... lol . Have to get new printer inks for sign printing .... wife and her sister printed a bunch of pics on MY printer and emptied all the colors ...  ... downloaded a bunch of high quality signs ... edited and shrank them to size ... throwed in the sticker paper ... printer said .... all colors empty .... ... was a real happy camper .... .... took that smile right off my face ... especially since I just bought and replaced them all ! Still trying to figure out best way to change those dummy couplers on the front of those Williams Cab Forwards ... any suggestions ???

[BamaCSX83]

Beat them with a hammer and call them dirty names?

[ns3010]

Afternoon all. Chloe, I'll take a coffee, thanks.

I HATE THE RAIN!!! When I got on the bus this afternoon, it was bright and sunny. The second I get off, boom. It starts POURING. After a long walk home, I was soaked. I think I would have been drier if I had been UNDERWATER... [/rant]

Last night, I printed more patches (this time, reporting marks). I was able to get one on 2201 this morning before I left, and I'm going to do the other one soon.

Jeff: Glad to hear that your mom is doing better. She is still in our prayers.

Sue: Good to see that you're back in the diner.

Garry: Great job on those PAs!

Guess that's about it for now. I'll be in the booth watching the switching.

[Robby P.]

Well the rains a coming!!!  

Weathered up a boxcar today.  Getting it ready to sell.  I'm waiting on the "rusting agent" to dry.  Then I have to apply the "rusting coat".  Turns to real rust.  Thats what I use on my roofs.

Before:

After:

 

 

Garry..........I agree, nice looking PA's.

Jeff........Good to hear about your mom.  

Sue......Long time no see

Well guys/gals, I'm going to run.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Went to Alexandria this morning while it was still cool (no AC in the car) and picked up two more covered hoppers at the LHS. One is a 55' Southern Pacific ACF center flow and the other is a Santa Fe PS 2003 covered hopper. Both are from Athearn. They will both be patched for the L&A.

Went to Wal-Mart after returning to Leesville and did my grocery shopping. I was on my way home when my sister flagged me down to tell me my mother has to have emergency surgery, NOW. She and my father are on their way there now. I told them to keep me appraised of the situation.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Here's the two items I picked up this morning.

[Robby P.]

Jeff...............Nice looking hoppers.  I really like the ATSF.  Just a good fade, and some load spillage will make that car look great!!

[ns3010]

Hmmm, seems slow in here tonight...

Jeff: Sorry to hear about your mom. Still in our prayers

I put the reporting mark patches on 2201 before, but I really don't feel like going downstairs to get pix (just one of THOSE days), so maybe tomorrow or whatever.

See ya later.

[Hoople]

Hey all, I'm back finally!

Just got out of school for summer today... the 8th grade graduation ceremony is tonight at 7:00. Then I'm done with that school.... I'm going to miss my teachers, and a lot of friends that are going elsewhere for high school, but next year is going to be fun... My classes are Honors biology, honors language arts, honors geometry, religion, concert band, and spanish 1. Should be fun, although I've heard honors LA is a hard class... But I was forced into it, so I'll try my best.

I should be on more, and post here more frequently, because I won't have much to do.

On the railroading front, having two kittens and their mother in the layout room isn't going so well. Momacat likes to itch her face on my trees and buildings, and knocked all the trees over. Little baby kitties enjoy knocking over boxcars... Nothing too major, but I'll need to re-do some scenery. I need to fix up the branchline up the hill anyways, so no harm done.

On the musical front, I learned Hell's Bell's intro and verses last weekend on guitar. I also learned a bit of The Rover, but it isn't sounding quite right to me. Any of you guys know what guitar/effects Page used on that song? Or if it isn't standard EADGBE tuning? Thanks in advance. I also got some headphones that I can actually hear while drumming after my last pair broke, so I've been able to drum to songs again. Oh, and not to mention I figured out Highway to Hell's guitar solo last night in about an hour and a half... I can play that song all the way through as lead or as rhythm guitar now.

And finally, I've decided on what airsoft gun I'm going to get. I'm going to get the good ol' service rifle, the M16A4. Well, the A4 is used by the marines and the Army, but the A3 is used by the Navy... Some divisions of the Army still use modified A1's, as well... But that's straying from the point. I'll be getting the DMR (Designated Marksman Rifle) version, which has a rail interface system all over it so I can mount accesories like lasers, scopes, grenade launchers, etc.

Well, that's it for now.
Mark

[blownout cylinder]

Hello people ---

Got home to find out a SIL we thought became MIA is with us again. She moved awhile back and apparently is getting married to a fellow she met a few months ago. We now know where she went to! And I ended up adding to the rolling stock by finding a bunch of 'em at our local Goodwill again just in time for increasing the numbers of stock I have!! LOL!! So, now I have some more that need couplers changed out---wheelsets oddly enough not so--

Work was kind of slow. Another client was signed up and I get to do the out of town thing with this one as well. Lots o' fun And our dog and pony show---AKA meeting is for Friday(!?) with an even crabbier chair than me!! He told me that he was going to read the "Riot Act" to the members--"of this fine board--" and basically tell them what he expects to see---Here's hoping----

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

 Jeff-These things are always tricky--we'll pray for your family.  BTW--nice rolling stock collection you're building up

Ray--Thanks for introducing Harold to us!! He must be a happy camper with the views---

Sue--Nice to hear from you--started wondering where you vanished ---

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

So, I'll be in the trainroom doing up some more wheelsets and shtuff like that there----

[twhite]

Afternoon all from Can't-Make-Up-It's-Mind-Cal.  The Coast is getting rained on, the Sierra is getting royally pounded by thunderstorms, and here in the middle of all of it, we're partly cloudy with a Delta Breeze.  I finally got it figured out--the Central Valley is so BORING that even the weather stays away, LOL!

Jeff:  Glad to hear your mom's doing well.  Especially glad to hear that she's getting the feeling back in her body.  I had a buddy whose mother had brain-bleed last year, and she recuperated very well.  She's 89 and bouncing around like new.  My prayers for her and your family.  You've certainly had to go through a lot, lately. 

Garry:  OOOOOHHH!  Those PA's are gorgeous!   Leave it to Katy to come up with an attractive paint scheme.  Of course, part of it, I think, is the general 'look' of those locos--almost every paint scheme looked distinctive on their handsome lines.  But Katy sure did a neat job on them. 

Ray:  I LOVE that 4-6-0 of yours in the photo.  It kinda/sorta looks like one of the Utah Rio Grande babies from the early part of the 20th Century.  I'll have to give that Spectrum a closer look the next time I'm over at Roseville.  I know they've got several.  One HANDSOME little lady!   Oh, and I read that FGEX article, too.  Believe it or not, during the great reefer glory days out here in Calif, it was possible to see blocks of those FGEX reefers traversing the Sierra mixed in with the PFE's, so that company was all over the place.   Of course, it was possible to see cars from Burlington, Great Northern, Northern Pacific and Milwaukee also, so it was kind of 'reefer heaven' for us kids watching those VERY frequent extras waltzing over Donner Pass.  It wasn't just PFE's behind those big, hunking Cab-Forwards, LOL!

Ol' Timer:  Speaking of Cab-Forwards--whaddaya mean just THREE?   I mean, heck, SP is the SECONDARY road I model and I've got FIVE!   One AC-5, one AC-6, and 3 AC-8 through 12.  Where I grew up out here in the Sierra, you had to head down into the Valley to see anything BUT a Cab-forward, LOL!   Beautiful locos.  And they worked like a charm for SP, otherwise there wouldn't have been around 250 of those critters running around system-wide.  Seriously, wish I could help you on the coupler replacement for those Williams models of yours.  Do you think that Kadee O-guage might work with a little adjusting?  I've retrofitted Kadee #5 HO couplers into my Sunset and Akane models without too much problem, hopefully their O scale couplers might work in your case. 

Well, I suddenly found out that my new Genesis F-3 A/B set shorts out in reverse.  This is WEIRD.  Runs beautifully in forward, but suddenly now it decides to just hum when I hit the reverse switch on my controller.  Which means, of course, that I can't back it into the station at Deer Creek if I over-run the platform.  I've never torn into a diesel before, so this will be a completely NEW and interesting project.  I know it's not the couplers shorting, and I've separated the units to see if its just one of them--uh, uh, it's both.  These are pure DC, not dual-mode.  Got me stumped.  Oh dear, I hope I haven't run into my first 'new' locomotive Quality Control problem.  I mean, with my brass steamers, it's easy--undo three screws, lift the boiler off and find out what wire has decided to touch a place where it shouldn't.  I just hope when I lift the shells off I'm not confronted with something that looks like the inside of a computer.

Tummy troubles are still here, but getting regulated with the new drug.  At least I don't have any 'surprises' suddenly popping up when I least expect them.  But every time Jamie Lee Curtis comes on the TV to advertise ACTIVIA, I want to yell, "Try the STRAWBERRY, it tastes less like Baby Barf!" 

Got my new contract from the high school.  Wow, I should take a year off more often, LOL!  Public Schools going under here in California right and left, teachers losing their jobs right and left, both Senate, House and Guv don't know what to do about it--we're absolutely BROKE!--and I get a raise!  Of course, it's a private school and not regulated by the State, but it's still a surprise.  Oh, and BTW, if anyone out there has the LEAST idea of moving out to California, DON'T.  Not that I wouldn't want you to, but right now, we're broke, we have no money, we have no credit, we are the financial laughing stock of the country--you name it, we've got it.  In Spades. 

So when you see my bumper sticker: WELCOME TO CALIFORNIA, NOW GO HOME!   I am not being nasty or facietous--I'm just telling you how it is, LOL! 

Best to all, prayers to those in need. 

Tom  

  

 

 

[JimRCGMO]

Evening, Chloe, I'll have a grilled chicken Caesar salad please, with a nice glass of the house (Finger Lakes) wines. Thank you.

[Edit] Well, guess who has the dessert and evening tab. Okay, Chloe, start the tab...

Some rain storms moving through earlier today, and maybe another episode of that later tonight/tomorrow a.m. The front's moved past us and it's cooled off (supposed to drop to about 60 F tonight). Those of you east (and northeast) of Cape G.-land, expect some dampness to be moving through your area next.

Good to see Sue stop by the Diner again, though as Garry said, all that 'outdoor' stuff likely means the logging branch isn't getting too much further along.

Ray - well, now I'm gonna have to spend my weekend both in WPF *and* in the Diner. And when am I gonna get some progress on my layout and cars?  Thanks for intro'ing Harold to the Diner crew. Is that diesel in the photo an HH series? Doesn't look like any EMD units I know of... And I think that's the first 'portable' trainorder device I've seen - only have seen the fixed ones (usually with steps on the side away from the track so they can get to the 'V' that holds the orders).

Garry - that's a different paint scheme on the CB&Q/MKT pre-merger PA's. About as fun-looking as the SP/ATSF 'Kodachrome' scheme.

Ole Timer - maybe you should talk with BridgeTom about that thought of "Only one more articulated" (, right...) BridgeTom, s'plain it to Ole Timer! Bummer for sure on YOUR printer being 'run dry', as I know how expensive replacing the whole set at once can get. [ouch]

Robby - looking good on that boxcar (again) - what are you using for the rust? That Instant Rust (or whatever they call it)? I sorta recall someone making a 2-part 'ruster' (maybe via MicroMark or someone like that - but I've never tried it or known anyone who has).

Jeff - better for them to get your mother patched up ASAP than having to wait months for the surgery. Extra on the way. Like both your covered hoppers, and I think I have one like your Santa Fe one (different number, though).

Mark, since you're in those honors sections next year, I'd guess that you did great this year. Remember that next year, keeping your grades up will still be a priority for you (and I know, you're smart enough to figure that out...). What are your MRR'ing plans for the summer?

Bama, sounds like you need a good breeze there to help in addition to any shade that you have at w**k.

NS Joe, maybe once this rain front moves past your area, you'll get a chance to dry out better.

Barry, I have the poster for you:   Meetings  By the way, when do you expect to be finished with those wheelsets?

I got in a new MRR book today - Iain Rice's new one on 'Shelf Layouts'. It's pretty good, and I like his style. Has HO scale, N scale and even an On30 (? O scale and narrow gauge, at least) one. If I did better on the actual drawing of layout plans (with pencil and paper), there are a lot of potential ideas I could steal out of this book.

Speaking of plans, I decided to make a design (based on my spare-room-sized plan) for a 3 X 3 corner section for the turntable I have (but have yet to build). I've decided that I want to build the basic section with the turntable, and then figure where to connect the tracks to it when I get ready to attach the rest of the layout to it later. I've also been wanting to get the Como-style roundhouse going, and for that it'll help a bunch more if I have the turntable and the section on which I'm gonna build it.

I'll grab a seat at the window with NS Joe and see how the switching's going.

For those who have a H-L store close enough for shopping, this week's coupon is 25 percent off any one item, and the ad has diorama and train stuff for 30 percent off. So time to stock up on paint, and get the discount on MRR'ing items.

Prayers for those (especially including Jeff's Mom) needing healing, comfort and peace.

 

Blessings,

Jim in Cape Girardeau

[JimRCGMO]

BridgeTom - or should I say, ReeferTom? - good to hear your contract was 'nicely worded'. I was thinking along your "New California Tourism Board" lines when I was still talking with the California woman a while back. Sorta on the order of 1) "Can I actually get a job out there if I moved?" and 2) "With all the state's financial problems, do I WANT to move out there, and maybe have my taxes going through the roof?"... (No offense intended toward anyone from the fair Golden State).

Jim in Cape Girardeau

[Robby P.]

Jim.......... Its a rusting agent called "Sophisticated Finishes".  

http://www.modernoptions.com/

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Good evening....

Thanks all of you for the remarks on the Katy PA's.

Here is a link to an old pix of the prototype.

http://www.katyrailroad.org/images/mktpasspaunits154a_1950s_wagoner.jpg

Yes, they were good looking when new. Katy had its share of financial problems however, and this paint scheme did not last long.

[blownout cylinder]

JimRC The meetings poster I have at home!! I've got the smaller version in my cubicle. As for the wheelsets with the amount I've already done I'm pretty much completed. i'm going to do the rest as I need them -----

[Packer]

Hey all, long time no see.

I had been weathering on a trio of boxcars, but keep having problems with sealing them with dullcote. I'm trying to figure out how to seal them as well as I did on my PC and UP hoppers and a caboose (IIRC, that was actually matte-finish)

Jeff, hope your mom's alright. I didn't have any AC in my car until a few weeks ago. That's fun after the car has been out in the sun for 10 hours while at work. It went out in the fall and didn't bother to fix it since it wasn't enough to bug me. I had forgotten how cold it can get with it, so I only use it intermitently.

Garry, The PAs look nice. IIRC, that's why BN got the Frisco. So BN was a local road for a little bit.

Robby, how'd you get the paint on the roof to crack like that?

Mark, Sound like a good gun. I want to get rails on my R72 but I don't think there is a way to do that. I have an M4 that I might cut the default sights off (they are crooked and not adjustable) and add a scope like my bro did with his shotgun to get a long-range gun. (It was good at long range the 1 time I borrowed someone else's scope)

[jguess733]

I'll have an Arnold Palmer please.

 Sue it's good to see you back, I just got home myself after being out to sea. I left and it was cold and came home to the sun. I have to say, after the winter we had, and several months underwater that ball of light in the sky hasn't looked better. You and Mark are my closest neighbors so I wish you a happy summer in the Pac North West.

Garry, great looking Alco's.

Robby, once again your weathering is top notch.

 Mark enjoy your summers while you've got em. I wish I had mine back. That rifle sounds sweet. I recently aquired a Rock River M4 just before going to sea so I haven't had much time to play with it. I'll post a pic when I'm don't "fideling" with it.

 Jeff give your mom my best, I'll keep her in my prayers.

Nothing new around here, I had planned on getting out this fall, but with the economy the way it is, i just re-enlisted for another 5 years. I'll be at 9 years in September, 11 more to retirement, and then I'll move on to a job that'll let me enjoy my kids AND my trains a little bit more.

I just got my July issue a couple of nights ago. Half way through the article about the South Shasta lines I started thinking about what is going to happen to the layout when Godfrey Humann passes. I was saddened to learn at the end of the article that he had passed away before it got published. Does anyone know what the plans for the layout are? It would be a shame for such a gorgeous layout that was so painstakingly and lovingly built go away.

I just received a couple of books in the mail from the Southern Pacific Historical and Technical society. One is Serving the Golden State Branchline Style, a look at the SP's Friant Branch, and the other is Southern Pacific Steam Pictorial vol. II. So I'm gonna go read for a bit.

 

[BamaCSX83]

Well y'all, I've got my daughter in my lap and doing the one-handed typing thing here, so any typos, I apologize in advance.  Nothing special happening, still got my locomotive body soaking in 70% alcohol, still nothing happening, but hey, I'm going to give it time (not like I can really do a whole lot else right now).  I do have a question for youse guys though.  I checked Kadee's website and they recommend converting my Athearn GP40-2 to a #38 coupler, which I guess would be fine, but I was thinking of using either the #148, or the good ole #5, so how compatible would it be to go from what they recommend to something like the 148 or 5?

[Cox 47]

Evening all...Just stopped in for a RBF before bed....Reds are beating the cards 7-2 in late innings..I worked on 3 hopper cars from the junk box today.....You all have a good nite...Jerry

[jeffrey-wimberly]

BamaCSX83

I do have a question for youse guys though.  I checked Kadee's website and they recommend converting my Athearn GP40-2 to a #38 coupler, which I guess would be fine, but I was thinking of using either the #148, or the good ole #5, so how compatible would it be to go from what they recommend to something like the 148 or 5?

The 148 or 5 will be too low. The coupler won't be at the proper height and the coupler pin will snag at turnouts and crossings. The 38 is a low shank coupler so the head will be at the proper height.

[Paul W. Beverung]

Evening Gang: I am still here. Well here and there. Mostly there.

We are doing fine. We got rain last night, about 1 1/4 inches. Not to be ungratefull but it can stop now for about 5 days while we get the hay cut and baled.

One of our old cows had a calf the other day about a week ago. She was a real walking skeleton. I told Mary Ann that we needed to sell her before she died and we got nothing again. Well she had the calf and then died that night. Now we have a bottle baby on our hands. Fortunately she lived long enough for the calf to get the cholestrum in the first milk. Anyway the calf is a boy and doing fine.

Mary Ann is doing well with her dialysis. Sometimes the staff get on her nerves but she is taking it all right.

Jeff I'm happy to hear that your mom is doing allright. Tell her I said hello.

We went by U.P.s Davidson yards yesterday and they had at least three tracks full of dead locomotives. The number of trains coming through our place is way down also. 

Well tomorrow is an early wake up so I'd better get out of here.

Good Night All

[howmus]

JimRCGMO

Is that diesel in the photo an HH series? Doesn't look like any EMD units I know of... And I think that's the first 'portable' trainorder device I've seen - only have seen the fixed ones (usually with steps on the side away from the track so they can get to the 'V' that holds the orders).

 

Hi Jim!  I may be mistaken but.......  I think that loco has a Fairbanks Morse Prime mover.  It was a US Army switcher possibly used at the Seneca Army Depot at one time......  But to be sure, I would have to ask one of the "historians" out at the Museum.  My understanding of the "Train Order" thing is that if a Semaphore had a "caution" position or a "slow" (yellow) marker, the orders could be picked up on the fly as the train passed.  That way the train didn't have to completely stop and have the engineer or conductor leave the train and go into the office to pick up the orders. Yes that pole was used for those type of train orders way back when.  Probably on the Erie which is the original line that served the Industry Station.

I spent the rest fo the evening after Deacons tonight (Short meeting, done in 45 minutes) updating the Division Membership information for my NMRA Division.  Not the easiest thing to try and figure out.....  Now I have to learn how to update the email client from our website so that I can have an updated listing to send info to our membership.  Fun and games.

Hope all of you have a good evening!

Prayers for all in need! 

[edit] Jim that loco is a Fairbanks Morse H12-44.  You can see her in action here: http://www.rgvrrm.org/about/railroad/usa1843/index.htm 

[BamaCSX83]

Thanks Jeff, that answered that question.  I'm still old school and all my stuff has horn-hooks on them (just never got around to converting them all before I put the "train stuff" away when I was younger).  So I guess that I will be asking a lot more questions on them, but at the same time I can always use the conversion list on their website.  Oh well, back to compiling my "to-do" list on this locomotive as it seems I have lost my former parts list.

[AmanaMedic]

*yawn*

Good Evening,

JEFF: Hoping the surgery went well, sounds like it's still a dicey situation...

ROBBY P: As usual, NICE job on the boxcar, and thanks for posting the link to your magic solution. I've been using Mountain Modelcraft's "Rusty Steel" weathering wash for several years. My bottle is about out, and I don't recall seeing it listed on their website the last time I looked. I may need an alternative...and you may have just provided one.

We had a special training session tonight for helicopter ground ops. The crazy pilot was flying tonight...and we were all highly entertained as he educated and enlightened us. This guy is by far the BEST EMS pilot I've ever known. He got his start (as many have) by flying choppers in 'Nam. IF I ever need 'the bird' he's the guy I want flying it.

In other news of the day, I interviewed "The Bug Man" today in North Liberty. Neat guy. He's running his own pest extermination business out of his house. He started out in Las Vegas, and battled scorpions, fire ants, and killer bees. YIKES! Should be fun writing up the article on him.

*YAWN*

Oh, found out another one of our firefighters is a UPRR guy. He's on a system rail gang, working a week or two at a time, then off for a week or two. The other guy is the section forman based out of Lowden, about 5 miles East of Clarence. Apparently, the ballast undercutter is working the Clinton Subdivision, so might have something interesting to look at yet this week/next week.

I think that'll do for tonight, so will yield the floor and head for the rack.

Chris

[jeffrey-wimberly]

AmanaMedic

JEFF: Hoping the surgery went well, sounds like it's still a dicey situation...

At last check (half an hour ago) the surgery hadn't even started. My father is pretty well steamed and he and my sister are on their way back. My niece and her boyfriend were still at the hospital last I heard.