Elliot's Diner, Mark XVI

[teen steam fan]

Thanks guys for the work welcome.

Blownout cylinder, I hope your basement doesn't flood out.

I model the british steam. Mainly freelance with some inspration from mainlines in Britian, Germany, and the good ol' US of A. If the diners are as busy as I hear, Chloe and Vinnie really have their work cut out for them.

 

Chloe, can I get a malt shake? Much appreciated

[Cederstrand]

Broiled Seafood platter, please & thanks. 

***Jim, thanks for posting the pics, and for the humour. It's a small bushhog with dull blades, but it has no quit in it.

Had a banger of a storm come through and a house in the next valley over got struck and caught fire. Practically everyone in that valley is related, so they will have plenty of support.

Took some leftover cans of spray paint (light green and dark green) and coated the silos & buildings that will attach to them. This represents the start of the Soylent Green Plant.  Also did some foam & tile adhesive work on the wife's HO layout to cover a large hole in the scenery near her farm.

 Rob

[blownout cylinder]

Good Evening---

A BIG T'underboomer came through here just an hour ago that had a couple of funnel clouds attached---notthing happened here but near Durham ON a tornado struck as well as one that apparently struck just outside Newmarket ON.

Todd: That was TOO close!!!

Our sumps are running 50 second cycles right now-----3 monsoons and a t'underin monsoon will do that I guess------just as muggy though

Tomorrow some more showers and boomers coming through---less sticky by the weekend --

[SilverSpike]

LSWrr

http://www.gatewaynmra.org/download.htm

Thought I would share this; download backdrops, vintage signs, and building interiors for free.

Lee

 

Yup, those are great signs and backdrops. That Domino Sugar factory is not far from my old house in New Orleans. And the refinery is the old Chevron one across the river (Mississippi River) in Chalmette. Used to take the ferry across the river from Algiers on the Westbank and ride right next to that place. The Chalmette Battlefield is only about a mile from there.

Zoe, Banana Smoothie for me....sliding on back into the far reaches of the booth...

[Cox 47]

Good evening...Its a nice cool evening...I'll have a double RBF please..Thank You...You all have a good nite...Jerry

[jeffrey-wimberly]

 We've been having one thunderstorm after another today. Soon as one moves out another moves in. Looks like we're finally getting a break though.

Been working on the backdrop today. I've got the background scenes up and now I'm cutting out some items (pics of structures, etc) to place in the foreground. Last night I had put the background sections together (2 sections per box) so I would have to line up only 3 sections on the layout instead of 6. Well, one got put together different from the other two. Guess which one got put up first today. That's right, the different one. By the time I noticed the wrong one was up it was too late. The glue had set and I wouldn't be able to get it off without destroying it. So I decided to leave it there. There's a very abrupt scenery change where it joins the next one. I can add in some elements later to soften the join line and make it less noticeable but right now it stands out like a sore thumb. I'll just have to avoid taking photos of that particular area for the time being. That's what I get for not paying strict attention when Murphy is watching. Pics later.

[LSWrr]

http://www.gatewaynmra.org/download.htm

Thought I would share this; download backdrops, vintage signs, and building interiors for free.

Lee

[JimRCGMO]

Oh, Rob, found a couple of pics for some inspiration on the wife's tar trailer for you/her:

Hope those give you a good idea to work with.

Robby, NOW that boxcar looks more like what we usually see from you. I just saw the 'before' photo in your earlier post, I guess, and was afraid you were changing your ways on weathering. The new one looks 'tastefully well-done' (And no, I'm not talking about steaks there...

Back to the back booth for me now.

Jim in Cape Girardeau

 

[JimRCGMO]

Afternoon, Zoe - I godda code or sumt'in, started yesterday, so I'll have a bowl of chili, a BIG box of tissues, and a RBF, please. I'd better set myself in a back booth (not too close to Ryan, though), so not much of anyone else gets whatever this is. Achoo!! Stupid udder respitary thing. Thanks, Zoe - I may finish off this box of tissues by myself. I'll bring another box in next time I come in.

Ray, thanks for the link - I hadn't been to that site in a while (but it's still very useful!). I'll dig out the directions for my gauge and look over that page later today. Sniffle.. Sounds like you're gonna inflict that Timesaver on a few kids, eh?

to the Diner, Teen Steam! As Nik.n and Sawyer, said, fill us in a bit on yourself and your layout (time period modeled, following a particular prototype or freelancing it, any special area of the country, etc.). And have a beverage of your choice on me - but watch out about getting the first post (AKA top of page/TOP) on a page. We'll cover the first time you get a TOP honor, but after that, you get to cover the (virtual) tab for the others on that page (and boy, do we have some chowhounds in here!).

Ulrich - good to see you in for your daily dose of RBF. That Busch backdrop is a good one, alright - now, if only they had one for desert country also, I'd definitely be taking a look at it... (Pssst! Better not mention that competing with the Diner too loudly if Vinnie's in here. He, uh, takes care of 'competition' in his own way. Just say that Petra's thinking about starting up her own shop, and don't say where....) And did you bring another load of her struedel again? Great! Oh,

Corey, that train trip sounds like a really good one - great time of year for it! Better make sure you have enough film or memory for your camera, and we will be awaiting the photos after you return.

Todd, just one word on your town's weather: !!  Good that nobody got really seriously hurt, though from the photos and the videos, a lot of damage was taken by the buildings. Hey, I know those Instant Horizons backgrounds - I have the desert ones (and the tall timber one, too). Wish I'd seen some of those Details Associates or other ones first, but I'll do whatever I can with them.

Garry, good to hear the doctor's got Shelley started on antibiotics (and that you have a couple of doctors who'll be at the birthday party (you didn't mean DVM's instead of MD or DO's, right? ).

Rob:

Cederstrand

Wife is out bushhogging between rain clouds.

 

And just how tall is your bushhog?? Oh, you didn't mean literally between the rain clouds...

Got in one of my two smaller orders today - another soda machine and a Gulf Oil gas/fuel oil tanker truck (Classic Metal Works). Gotta have a soda machine outside of each gas station, general store, and probably even all the depots, right?

We had a bunch of rain yesterday (but not like Todd or Inch or Jerry had), and may still have some this afternoon. Then tomorrow, it's supposed to turn nice for the weekend. Yay! Actual decent weather again! 

Hoping this nose and sinus thing disappears pronto. I have a low tolerance for runny, drippy, sinus headaches with some fever - don't like them at all! Could stand for somebody to light a prayer candle for me (even though, I know my stuff is much lesss severe than many others). There's a praise & worship night at church tonight, and I would like to feel up to going (without having to fear I'll infect those around me). Been a bit bummed the past couple or three days, I think, too.

I'll be back here a while - Zoe, could I have a D&RGW mug of hot cocoa, please? Thanks.

 

Blessings,

Jim in Cape Girardeau

 

[Cederstrand]

Coffee in a UNION PACIFIC mug, please & thanks. 

***Todd, glad you dodged the tornado. Good you were able to pitch in afterwards, too.

***Jeffrey, seeing how nice your backdrops look, you have me re-thinking the idea of painting my own. Those look great.

Wife is out bushhogging between rain clouds.

Have a good day all.

Rob

[SilverSpike]

GMTRacing

Good Morning All,

     Just a coffee to go please Zoe. Lots to do again today and I need to get the hard stuff done before it gets too humid. Right now there is a nice cool fog out so the shop door is wide open.

Ryan - you're up early, no?

 

Up early every day, just not on the forum that early most days. WFH today, so no commute.  

 

Chloe, I will have the Niçoise salad for lunch!

 

Scoot into the back booth......

[Robby P.]

 Good afternoon. 

 I would have been in this morning, but I had to get and get a DOT physical for FedEx.  

 I finished up the "EACH" boxcar, and here's a few shots.  I also believe I might take a nap.

 Before:

 

 After:

[howmus]

Mornin' everyone!

Zoe the Butter Rum Muffin over there in the case looks lke it has my name on it....  I'll have the muffin and a cup of dark roast in a FGLK Mug Please and think you.  I'll go over and occupy my seat at the Rivet Counter.

Ulrich!  Good to see you this morning (or afternoon where you are...)  Hope you had a great day yesterday!

Mostly odds and ends around here that need to get done today.  probably should start to clean the house again as I have a pet sitter lined up to take care of the boys this weekend when I will be "Training".

Currently 79°F here in the Finger Lakes with a high this afternoon of 82°F.  Calling for showers and thundershowers most of the day.  Same is on the docket for tomorrow.  Nice thing is that it actually looks like it might turn out to be a sunny and pleasant weekend.  Which since I will be outdoors most of the time will make things much more enjoyable!

I finally ordered the MicroMark paint booth to replace the old homemade one.  After reading sites by people who paint models professionally, I decided to spent just a bit more and get the downdraft style that most websites are touting.  I love it that when I posted a thread asking about two styles of hoods, several people come on and say "if your handy with tools, you can make your own...."  Uh, yeah....  But I just told you that I have a booth I made myself 25 years ago and wnat to get something better......??? One of the big reasons I am going with the MicroMark booth is a multiple stages of cleaning of the air.  Should trap most pollutants before the exhaust goes outside.

Catch you all later!

73 

[edit]  Looks like lunch is on me today.  Order up and eat hearty folks! 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Sir Madog

We do have tornadoes now and then (more often, lately), but they don´t do as much damage here, as houses are built a lot sturdier.

Oh yeah. I remember one of those German twisters that hit back in the 60's. Some brain-trust decided it would be a great idea to send the kids home from school with roofing slates sliding off some of those 3 and 4 story apartment buildings in the housing area. I got a real close look at one of those slates! Quite upsetting for a 6 year old.

[Anonymous]

 It is starting to cool down a little, only 34 C right now, top was 38 C! Most unusual for this region, remember, we are on the same latitude as Anchorage! Now we are waiting for the thunderboomer to come

Zoe, I take a burger and some fries, plus a beer to wash it down!

Todd - that is awful! I looked at the pictures and cannot believe the amount of devastation. And all you can do is wait and see what happens!

We do have tornadoes now and then (more often, lately), but they don´t do as much damage here, as houses are built a lot sturdier.

Everyone of you - take care!

 

[pcarrell]

Mornin' all!

Got some nasty storms last night, but strangely enough, no service calls from it! We even had sections of Indy that lost power, but no calls for phone service. I expected today to be brutal, but I guess the Lord spared me!

[Cox 47]

morning all..Storms and rain last nite..weather guesser says more today..Its partly cloudy and 69 ...I'll have coffee and a sweet roll please..Not much going on here on Pearl Street today...You all have a good one...Jerry

[TMarsh]

Hooo weee! Mornin everbody, glad to be here. I'll have Scrambled eggs, bacon , hash browns and 2 flapjacks with maple syrup please and a mug of coffee in a T&P mug thank you. Just leave the pot.

My town was hit by a Tornado yesterday afternoon. No sirens no warnings just WHAM! Oh the sirens went off about 3 for about a minute then all was quiet. We heard over the scanner that they set them off to test them in case they needed them. 20 minutes later it hit and no warning. Apparently started to rotate and dropped all in a matter of seconds. I was upstairs watching the local news about the storms, ( I just had an unusually bad feeling of uneasiness about this and now I know why.) and all they said was the South side of Springfield has a severe cell (the Loami storm that had just happened a few minutes before.) and it was tracking to the east etc. Just talking about that and no problems anywhere else. Little did they know about 15 miles to the north there was a Tornado just zeroing in on Williamsville. The power went off and a wind gust made the house creek like I'd never heard before, not horrible or anything just enough to make you look outside. I looked out the window and saw the trees bending over and then the rain came like a thrown bucket of water that wouldn't stop. My house, on the east side about mid way North and south of the thickness of town even though at my end, north of Main Street is a field, faces West and the kitchen (behind the garage which obstructs any view Northwest from the front door) window looks right into the side of the neighbors garage, if the neighbors house was not there, on my way to the basement I would have seen the Tornado as it passed about oh I'd say, streetwise it hit 2 blocks north but the direction it was moving by the time it got even with me maybe 4 blocks, ¼ mile tops. No damage here in my part of town, just lost power which after they disconnected that part of town cleaned trees around the power lines elsewhere in town, we got power back about 11:30. Brenda had taken off early so she was home and after the wind stopped about 2 minutes she called the elevator to see if all was ok there and they said yeah but they went to the Casey's and it was gone and so was the Christian Church. We left real quick and headed up there to the sound of sirens from all over and when I saw the section that was hit I just felt sick because I couldn't imagine people surviving this with no warning. Luckily, the "test blast" of the sirens sent people to their basements and to shelter. If They hadn't check the sirens by pure chance, something I've never heard them do other than when they are worked on or the 10:00 am first Tuesday firing, I think more would have been hurt in their homes or maybe not even inside. Spent most of the evening helping out until the fire dept's from seems like everywhere including Springfield I heard, but didn't see, started clearing people out after they accounted for everyone. That was my night. How was yours?

Rob- I didn't think it would matter what the proto was, wouldn't really matter to me either if I liked the way it looked. No you didn't need a spoon to drink the coffee, but you did wonder who was missing their boots! Oddly enough it smelled like bacon, and not even good bacon at that. Only in the Army.

Bama- That Vette looks like my car models, in need of a bath.

Jim- The desert scenes were Walthers Instant Horizons backdrops. However they were not photos like Jeff's. They were paintings and about 3 ft long. You would need a lot and it would look repetitive I would think. Maybe not. I haven't forgot you on the photos of the gage. Still no battery charger and I have to figure out the turnout ones. I've tried it and it doesn't make sense to me that some would be different than just the track width. Besides that, they are not checking right and it doesn't make sense why not. Must be me.

Garry- Shelley is in my prayers the Brown Recluse can be nasty. I've known some people to have been bitten and luckily they received medical attention like she has and it was nothing like the horror pictures you see. They must not have sought help soon enough.

Teen Steam Fan- 

Ulrich- good to see you back! I agree the backdrops are excellent and that line of trees they put in front really does wonders for bringing real and picture together. The one you guys are referring to is not too European to be noticed by most. I'm contemplating that one myself.

Have a Great Day!!

 

[secondhandmodeler]

Good morning folks.

I've had a busy week getting caught up at work after being gone for five days. We had a great time at the lake with no major problems. There may be a little family fatigue, but that's nothing that a little time can't fix.

I was having problems with the way my Athearn heavyweights were tracking around the layout. I decided to replace the wheels with metal ones. Well, the wheels were a tad too short in length and made the problem worse. Then I found Athearn replacement trucks with metal wheels! I bought six sets off of ebay and couldn't be happier. They run like they've never run before. My only problem is having a bunch of 36" wheels from the first attempt. I put a few on some freight cars to see if it looked ridiculous, nope! Since most of my old rolling stock is Athearn BB kits from the eighties, they'll never be perfect anyway. They may as well roll better. I'm a happy man!

On a different note, I just purchased two tickets to ride on the Milwaukee Hiawatha train in October. This year the Southern Pacific 4449 will be running in the Milwaukee 261's place. The trip starts in Minneapolis and runs down the Mississippi River bluff to Winona. It's a three hour run down, two hour layover for lunch, then three hours back. If you've ever seen pictures of the river valley in October, you know how excited I am.

Anyway, that's what is new in my world. I hope you all have had a great week.

[BamaCSX83]

Morning all!  Gotta make an "emergency" run to the dentist this morning, Amy had a filling fall out last night and its killing her this morning, so off we go!  Don't have to leave for about another half-hour, so, I'm up and at 'em.  Since its breakfast and I'm in the diner, I'll take biscuits and gravy, side of sausage, and a bowl of cheese grits, with a big glass of milk.  Looks like I won't be going to work today, but that's all right, part of me really didn't want to have to go and fight low-hanging tree limbs. 

Still keeping my eyes open for a "permanent" job, along with something that better matches my skills set (mechanic and/or auto parts sales).  I'm keeping my eyes open.  I'm also hoping that somoene (perhaps the rich Texas oil-magnate cousins in our family that don't speak to us anymore) will give me a big infusion of money and I can get a shop built and get it going as a business.  Oh well, I see my breakfast has gotten here, so I'm going to inhale it and see whom else shows up.

Again Jeff, the backdrop is AWESOME!!!

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Sir Madog

Jeffrey. - I like that backdrop by Busch - I used it on my last European layout I built some years ago.Coating it with some matte medium is a very good idea. Taking away the shine adds to realism. I liked that backdrop a lot, because it created a real depth when looking at it. Can you tell hci of the trees more to the front is a miniature tree and which one just a picture?

I can see at least one miniature tree there but only because it's casting a shadow. I love the detail in these Busch scenes. It's great for the price. Your temp there. 30C? If my calculations are right that's 86F, that would be a somewhat cool day here this time of year, cool compared to 96 that is.

[Anonymous]

 Good Afternoon, All!

Zoe, I´ll have my daily RBF over at the window, while I watch that switcher getting ready to move us again...

It is the hottest day of the year, temperature around 34 C and still rising. Houses don´t have A/C, but if you keep your windows closed and the shutters lowered, than it stays pretty cool inside. During the night there is a thunderstorm expected and temps to drop by 15 C! 

Jeffrey. - I like that backdrop by Busch - I used it on my last European layout I built some years ago.Coating it with some matte medium is a very good idea. Taking away the shine adds to realism.

Here is a pic of it:

 

I liked that backdrop a lot, because it created a real depth when looking at it. Can you tell which of the trees more to the front is a miniature tree and which one just a picture?

So you folks all like my wife´s strudel? My wife and I should move to the US or Canada and open up "Petra´s Strudel Place" and compete with "Elliot´s Diner"....

 Have a good day, everyone!

[GMTRacing]

Good Morning All,

     Just a coffee to go please Zoe. Lots to do again today and I need to get the hard stuff done before it gets too humid. Right now there is a nice cool fog out so the shop door is wide open.

Ryan - you're up early, no?

Bama - does the local historical society have a web site? That would be one place to start. Also the gov't has extensive photo archives from the thirties through the 50's. Might not feature Troy, but it's worth a try. I'd try google or ask out in the big room. I've seen several posts about the gov't archives - just didn't save the links where I can find them.

   Gotta run - lots to do again today.   Catch y'all later, J.R.

[SilverSpike]

Good morning!

Just stoppin' in for a quick bite! 

Coffee and an Almond Parfait for me Chloe! 

I'll slide in over at the back booth....catch up on some readin'...

[jeffrey-wimberly]

 Good morning.

It's 77 and partly cloudy. The high will be in the mid 90's and there's a chance of rain.

I spent most of yesterday doing prep work. I drew and cut out eight 11"x17" stencils which I'll use to make clouds. I sprayed down all the Busch background scenes with Matte Finish to take the gloss off them and I rolled out and weighted down the Detail Associates scenery rolls so they'll lay flat instead of trying to roll up. If I have the time today I'll join the first two scenery panels together. Once the joint is dry I'll glue the scenery panel to the backdrop. The rate of progress will depend on what problems I encounter along the way.

Today's Weather for:
Sundown, LA  71446-6114      8/20/2009

Heat Index:  82°F
Humidity:  99%
Dew Point:  76°F

So Far Today
High:  78°F
Low:  76°F
Rain:  0.00"
Rain Rate:  0.00"/h
Gust:  8mph NNE

Today  High: 94 with a heat index of 110.    Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 90s. South winds 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight  Low: 75    Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 70s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph.

[nik .n]

  Teen Steam Fan! Sit on down and tell us about yourself, your layout, and anything else that comes to mind.

[BamaCSX83]

Welcome!!  Just popping back in for the evening.  Hamburger Helper for dinner was a great idea, seems no one else really wanted to cook either, so it was something simple that could be thrown together quickly and it passed as sustinance.  I'll have a RBF and wish a very Happy Birthday to Ulrich!  May you have many more and hope that things get better for you on that side of the pond. 

I've got a bit of a "stupid" question, but does anyone know where I could find pictures of Troy, AL from say the 40s-70s, I've seen a couple on rrpicturearchives.net that are from the 70s-80s, but I haven't seen anything older.  I have searched the internet, but have come up blank so far, just wondering if anyone had an idea.

[Packers#1]

 Welcome teen steam fan! Naw, I prefer the bacon cheeseburger

[teen steam fan]

Hey,

Best wishes to everyone on the layout and otherwise.

has anyone the saurbraten?

[teen steam fan]

Hey,

I'm kinda new to the Elliot's Diner thing, but glad to be here.

I'll have the bratwurst and a coke.