Okay all you VW Bug lovers, are you sure you haven't forgotten some of the downsides to those rascals? A couple of us use to take turns driving to work. Two of the guys had Bugs, and I remember having frozen toes in those things because of the gasoline heaters that produced tons of cold air. The other thrill was driving on snow covered roads and having many exciting moments because the tires didn't fit in the ruts that normal size cars had made.
Hoping everyone has a very happy and safe New Year.
Tom
Pittsburgh, PA
Evenin' folks!
Zoe, just a decafe and a seat in the back by the fire......
What a day! It started first thing this morning....(well most days do, but just listen will ya...) Igot out of bed and made my way down to the littlwe room at the other end of the hall like always. Sat down on the throne and realized tha one of my arms felt very cold. Put my hand on the cold spot and found my hand got wet...... Washed up and went back to the bedroom nd took a look at the sheets I had just put on clean last night. I noriced that Manet was not in his usual place up by the pillow, so I checked iot out. Yup nice hairball right by the pillow on the sheet! The day has gone downhill from there.....
Had to go to my sisters house before driving to Rochester to pick her up at the airport. I feed the cats while I was there, locked up and headed for Rochester. Got to the airport and moseyed over to one of the kiosks where they tell the ETA of incoming flights and found her flight listed as Delayed.... I was an hour early, so I settled in for the wait. At the time the flight was due from Atlanta, I shuffled over to see what it said and it said, On Time (scheduled to arrive at 4;50PM). Half hour after that it said In Flight. About 2 hours later I checked it and it said Arrived. I looked around and there was my sister walking from the other end of the Airport over to where her luggage was going to come flying out of the chute onto the big merry-go-round thingy of 45 minutes or so after that. BTW they appear to have a rule that says which ever exit they let you out of at the airport, you will find your lugage at the complete opposite end of the airport. (Another good reason not to fly I think...)
So after she said all the goodbyes to the couple that run these "excursions" to the "Very Far" we made our way out to my car. Headed for the Thruway and home (her house). She got telling me all about her trip, so I drove by the Canandaigua exit of the Thruway and the next one after that, meaning we got off at Geneva and then I had to drive her back to Canandiagua..... Finally got home a bit before 10PM, ate a quick supper and saw that I had 4 phone messages that should have been dealt with hours earlier. Two of the messages were from my sister telling me her flight had been delayed and not to go to the airport until later.... (The call came 10 minutes after I left the house.) One was about the MLK Scholarship award second payment for a girl heading back to college early. Hope she doesn't haver to leave tomorrow morning..........
Oh well it was an "interesting" day I guess. Hope yours has been a bit better....
Jeffrey, I guess suggesting you run out and buy one of these might be out of place then? Apple Mac Pro
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Good Evening, Chloe, think I missed the dinner rush. I'll have a hot fudge sundae and a CAW mug of decaf, please. Thanks!
Garry, glad to hear that you had a good report, 'cause we wouldn't want you to need a transplant anytime soon... [whew]
All this talk about the VW Bugs lately - I'm kinda like Ulrich said (might be a bit cramped in one of them) but I've never driven one, though I have ridden in one. I'm just not wild about stick shifts, living in places where there are stop signs at the top of hills (and usually traffic crowding my car from behind...that, and I like my legroom!
NS Joe, we'll see about how your and my decals compare later this week - I didn't get around to trying mine out today. I'll let you (and the rest here) know
Jeff, sorry to hear about your computer problems. How old is the motherboard you have in there?
Ulrich - wonder if the doctors will let you know whatever they found out (if anything). Maybe they couldn't find anything wrong to explain your 'glitch.' Glad at least that you got to leave early. Hey, that new VW Beetle looks sharp - can't understand how come it isn't selling there, unless everybody's as tall as you are. I do recall when I was in my sophomore year of high school, there was a story about some guys from track practice who supposedly grabbed the four corners of the coach's VW's bumpers and turned it 90 degrees - IN its parking space. But I don't know for sure if that was just a fable, or if they really did that.
Robby, just in case, get that resume ready for a round of job apps, if it comes to that. And even with the sn*w tires, you'll still have to watch out for the idiots out there with you on the roads... Drive more carefully than they will, and you should be okay.
Uh, Todd, and how have you learned that pretty ladies have 'nasty toes'? Should we ask Brenda about that one, or not? Glad your utility bill is lower, anyway (now, how to get those others down, right?).
Calif.Tom, you're right about Crohn's - I have had two friends who had it, and they both lived in about the same area (smaller town outside of Cape area). I wondered if there was something in the ground water that might've been connected with it in their cases. Heckuva thing for a 16 year old, though (and not peachy for even an older person). On those 'City' cars, no problem - I'm sure your LHS would LOVE to pre-order the entire set for you, right?
Dick, I haven't seen Fergie in ages (maybe he's out there, frozen to an iceberg, or the polar bears have kidnapped him?), and haven't heard from Ed for many weeks. Duke's still taking his usual ROF naps in one of the back booths, unless somebody mentions Bershires, of course...).
Chris, I bet it'll be a while before you forget to put away the glasses at an accident scene, though, right? I've found my costlier mistakes tend to be the ones I usually don't repeat. So did you meet the Perfect Wife at the local VW dealer? Hope your mood fades away soon (or the PW cooks your favorite dinner or otherwise improves your mood...
Ray, is there anything that you can do about the MRR division's server, or is somebody else in charge of it? How did your MRR'ing time go today after you got back from getting your sis home?
Sawyer, it sounds like your industry setup will justify a lot of traffic on the ANRR. Good planning/designing, I'd say.
Hmm, Galaxy, I'll have to get back to you on next year's present. Lemme take this Walther's catalog to one of the back booths for a bit... I was kidding about being adopted, but said that because it sounded like you did a good job of figuring out something for the people on your list. Now, back to my browsing of the catalog... Oh, as for technology, my PowerBook is only about 9 years old, so who needs bells and whistles?
Rob, hope you get a good night's rest/sleep. The whole thing with getting the in-laws moved (and their gear) is - I'm sure - a drain.
Aztec Eagle - to the Diner, and fill us in on your layout (or your dreams/plans for same). Modelling a specific RR or freelancing, what era/time period, etc.? And have a beverage of your choice with your fiesta dinner there. I think your appetite could about keep up with Jeffrey's.
I started on painting the sacks, tools and stuff today. Got the first coat done on the sacks, and decided I will need to do some sanding/trimming/cleaning up some mold joint lines on things, since the off-white I'm using tends to show up the flaws really well... I got a late start today, too - didn't set the alarm (since I'm on vacation, right?). I did get my wiring and electrical items inventoried (wire, various switches - SPST, DPDT, momentary push-buttons, etc.). I finally got out my Jerome & Southwestern book to see, and yup - got all of them exactly as the listing read in the book. Some of you Diners who have been around a bit have heard me tell that about 20+ years ago, I had started getting lumber and other items (like electrical stuff...) for that layout design, but the separation and divorce sidetracked me until a few years ago, I was at my storage shed for something else and decided to take home a box or two of MRR items, I got started hanging around the Diner (called the Coffee Shop back then), and so here I have a completely different design going.
Anyway back to MRR'ing currently - I also decided that I had these Accurail kits yet to be assembled, and since a certain Diner needed something other than hornhooks, I'd just pull all the Accumate ones out and add them to the batch for him. That took a little while, since they were inside plastic bags with trucks and wheels (and I wanted to re-staple the bags back up after I got the couplers out).
Gee, about tired from all that talking! I'll finish my sundae and then head for home. See all of you in the morning!
Blessings and prayers for good nights' rest and healing,
Jim in Cape Girardeau
CNCharliePC, nice to hear you are working on your layout again and I was curious as to why you are changing your staging to Unitrack. I will soon start on my N scale adventure and am debating between Unitrack and Atlas code 55. I like the look of the code 55 but it seems a bit finicky to lay. What flex are you using?
I'm using Atlas code 55 for all the visible track and I love it......very easy to work with. I was using Atlas code 80 for the hidden staging yard, mostly because I could recycle it from my old layout. Thing is, it wasn't holding up well, so I wanted something that was rock solid, plus, the turnouts have built in switch machines, so it simplifies things. It's going to be a strange mixup down there, since much of the large turnback curve is perfectly fine. Oh well......it's all good!
As for laying the flex, it's a piece of cake. I use latex caulk and it works great. Personally, I like the "springy" flex better then the stiffer stuff. It makes much smoother curves I think, and transitions are textbook smooth.
tcwright973Okay all you VW Bug lovers, are you sure you haven't forgotten some of the downsides to those rascals? A couple of us use to take turns driving to work. Two of the guys had Bugs, and I remember having frozen toes in those things because of the gasoline heaters that produced tons of cold air. The other thrill was driving on snow covered roads and having many exciting moments because the tires didn't fit in the ruts that normal size cars had made.
Strangely enough, my bug had good heat. It was way better then my dirt bike!
Well, hello everyone, again!!!
I think I am going to shelf my NH&I major layout design for now... got to get those MoW guys some experience laying track on a smaller territory first... I'm looking into some sort of modified 4'x8' or slightly larger table to attach to the little switching layout I currently have!? As soon as I unearth my layout drawing kit and get something on paper I will scan it into my 'puter and post it here for comments...
Lee- Love the landscaping!!! Keep the photos comin'! The deer are a cool touch! Hope there isn't anything "toxic" in those barrels, otherwise you might wind up with "DeerZilla"!!!
Chloe, can I have a RBF and a Large Apple Pie??? (hey, what's the glares for??? Can't anyone have pie in here anymore???) Sheesh!!!
Anywho, I'll be in the corner thinking about my layout possibilities...
Sam
May He bless you, guide you, and keep you safe on your journey through life!
I Model the New Hope & Ivyland RR (Bucks County, PA)
Ah yes the heaters...... The last one I had and the last couple my wife had (we had his and her bugs...) had heaters that worked quite well. They pulled the heat off the exhaust pipes and could get good and hot. The early were called "dirty air" heaters that simply blew the air cooling the engine into the car. On a cold day they produced no heat! The ones with the Gas heaters were pretty good, but it sure cut into your gas millage to have a gas burner lit in your car..... My first bug had a top speed of 71.5 mph and every morning when we drove from Canandaigua to Rochester (My wife worked in Rochester and I was at Eastman in Rochester) we would get to "Can of worms" on Rt. 490 and find the gas pedal frozen to the floor...... Not a good thing! We rigged up a short pole with a hook on the end that the wife would pull the gas pedal up with breaking the frozen situation... It also did not have a gas guage. On Friday as we would be driving home, the car would start to sputter and cough. I would reach over just above the gas peddle and flip over a metal handle to open up the reserve tank which would get us to the gas station when we got home. The real bad thing was forgetting to turn the lever back up when you refilled the tank. (Don't ask!) Used to cost a little over $3.00 a week for the two of us to drive 75 miles a day back and forth...... Course that was a lot of money to a poor college kid with a family back then!
As far as the ruts, I found it was usually we were the first car through and made it with no problem. The next car saw that we drove through it so they tried and ended up stuck half way through. The car after that just drove into the back of the car that got stuck trying to follow us...... It actually happened!
Jim, the server is part of a business the former division Super has. He also hosts the museum site. he deos this for free for us. Evidently there was a glitch as later this morning i recieved a whole slew of emails that were form the museum dating before Christmas. Problem has been taken care of. MRR time? You must be jesting! (See previous post!)
JimRCGMOI bet it'll be a while before you forget to put away the glasses at an accident scene, though, right? I've found my costlier mistakes tend to be the ones I usually don't repeat. So did you meet the Perfect Wife at the local VW dealer? Hope your mood fades away soon (or the PW cooks your favorite dinner or otherwise improves your mood...
Thanks, JIM. Actually Loving Wife and I went to the same college back in '91-'92. I got shot down by her on just about a daily basis. Roughly ten years later, we're w**king at the same community college (me in the EMS Education Dept., her in Graphics and Marketing Dept.). I was leaving my program director position, and she finally accepted an offer of lunch at the campus vomitorium for a "goodbye lunch." She later agreed to another lunch, then finally an offer of a night out. THAT "night out" turned into about a 2-1/2 day event.
As for bone-head moves and the repitition factor...the gals at the eyeglass place gave me a hard case "you can drive a combine over." I'm tempted to take some screws and my cordless drill up to the station and INSTALL the darn thing IN the "crash truck," since I'm pretty much always stuck riding out in it. They also rigged up a strap for the pair. I can't stand it, but might hang it by my helmet. IF I'm gonna keep 'em on (if I'm stuck on traffic control), I can quickly attach the "idiot strap" to them.
It just floors me, and...I'm 40, I'm not some naieve' kid; but it just floors me how everything revolves around money...and how I quite frankly just don't have any due to a plethora of choices and decisions I've made over the past 20-odd years. "This is the price you pay for the life you choose" was a line out of The Godfather 3. It is so true... I can't afford to keep working for THAT, but Loving Wife wants me to have a job I "enjoy" vs. hating every minute of it. She'd rather we be practically dirt-poor with me doing a job I like, than be "comfortable" financially with me suffering through every minute of w**k.
Some people are in a tough spot due to circumstances NOT of their choosing, not of their own doing...no fault of their own. I'm in a tough spot, and I put myself in it. I can't blame anybody else. It's not any politician's fault.
It's also NOT up to any politician to improve my situation.
So.....thanks again JIM, I appreciate your good wishes, but no...this mood probably won't pass for awhile. Heck, the ONLY food that even looks good is the virtual food here. Real food just isn't sitting well.
Stress....it's a wonderful thing.
It probably doesn't help THAT I haven't had a "puff-puff" as TODD might say since yesterday. I'm trying to stretch this pack out as far as possible...I just won't have any bucks to replace it when it's gone. I've also cut way back on my caffiene intake, trying to stretch our cola supply and give my stomach a break. Two addictions cut back suddenly...yeah, THAT'll irritate me.
But, hey...I didn't have a cat hack up on me this morning... I'm not dealing with doctors, not moving inlaws, the POS computer seems to be running OK....Rerun is securely snuggled-in on the bed.
The more I think about it, I really have no business complaining about a single thing.
THAT said, thanks guys, for letting me. This is a heckuvalot better than throwing something across the room, putting my fist through a wall, etc., etc., etc.
Like I've said before, cheaper than therapy...
Chris
The Cedar cRapids Industrial Branch: Proudly Shipping Yesterday's CrunchBerries Tomorrow!
AmanaMedic THAT said, thanks guys, for letting me. This is a heckuvalot better than throwing something across the room, putting my fist through a wall, etc., etc., etc. Like I've said before, cheaper than therapy...
Hey Chris, I've found that throwing something across the room is helpful but only if THAT thing goes SPLAT when it finally hits something... (Don't say I told you, but PIE'S used to be the "therapy" of choice around here! Lol!)
Anyway, I think quite a few of us know what you're going through. The Therapy/Catapult is here whenever you need it buddy!!! I'll be prayin' for ya...
Hey, I'd like your opinion guys... What do you think about the connection from the switching layout I have now to the new 4x8 (or larger) coming from underneath? I was toying with the idea that the track would start from an elevated "rocky" downgrade... But on retrospect, I am considering have it come up from underneath where it comes out of a "Tree" tunnel... please let me know what you think, I'll try to get a rough sketch together...
Thanks Sam. As for your design dilemma, I'm gonna have to see THAT sketch before I can give you any opinion, edumacated or otherwise. In general, I'm all for anything giving a longer run and/or more switching opportunities.
Have a good night,
JimRCGMO Garry, glad to hear that you had a good report, 'cause we wouldn't want you to need a transplant anytime soon... [whew] Jim in Cape Girardeau
Thanks, Jim. i'm good for a while. Each time I have this test, I recall being told if my condition worsens, I'll need a transplant. I don't want that, and so I become apprehensive until the results say I'm still OK .I'm thank for for doctors and othe medical professionals who kept me alive.... Thanks to others who commented.
Cal Tom ... Prayers for Robyn with Crohn's disease.
I had a little time for the model railroad today. I'm working on my Stewart FT ABBA set. It will be quite a while before I'm done.
About VW bugs. .... Did anyone see Herbie the movie? .. Also, I recall how everybody drove those things. Either the brake pedal was depressed all the way or the gas pedal was depressed all of the way. There was no inbetween.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Good Morning Everyone,
Zoe, coffee in my LKAB mug and a blueberry muffin, please. I´ll be at the window...
VW bugs - it was one of those love or hate affairs. Simple facts told you it was not a good car, bad fuel economy for a 34 hp car, no space for passengers or baggage, no heating, fogged up windows all the time. But it got you where you wanted to go, was inexpensive to buy and lasted nearly a life time with a minimum of care. Isn´ t it that, what we expect to get out of a car? Instead of giving the customer what he wants, the industry is producing cars with a power no one needs, loaded with gadgets no one needs, consuming fuel at a cost, no one can afford. Time to look back, folks...
Chris - I am sorry to read about your "mood". Don´t let it get you, my friend. Life is so much more than just money - it is love, faithfulness and friendship. One can run on very little money ( I am just learning this ), but you cannot live without love.
Tom - my cousin is also suffering from Crohn´s Disease. It was found out, when he was just about the same age as your step granddaughter is now. Keeping a strict diet can do miracles, especially when the disease is discovered in a young age. My for her ...
Garry - I know exactly how you feel - my doc keeps telling me the same for the last 10 years. It is not a pleasant thought, though, to maybe need a new pump. Just take care, willya?
I see that we have some new folks frequenting this place - a hearty from snowy northern Germany. It seems, as if the weather guesser were correct in their prediction - lotsa that white stuff again. I´ll better take the train home tomorrow, instead of asking Petra to drive me home.
You all have a good day - will drop by later in the day.
Christmas and traveling around Ohio was detrimental to working on the layout as usual. I did install the Northern Light & Power plant with some minor kit bashing it is defiantly a unique building. Once the plywood and the substation is installed I’ll get some pictures up.
BM1 Lee Soule USCG (ret) L.S.&W Railroad Serving the Lower Great Lakes
/Good Morning
-15C right now and with enough wind earlier that made the windchill down to -21C---just lovely. We's going to be getting some more snow today/tomorrow with a chance of rain showers tomorrow as well. Probs just enough to make for icy conditions New Years Eve....
Funny thing that. The VDub---if one got the low hp one--one had trouble getting out of its own way! My dad had one of the late 1950's versions---his was 40hp--and I remember that it felt like it took about a minute just to get across an intersection, for pete sake. The thing sounded like it was going to bog down and stall but it never did. But I do remember that we never got stuck in the snow---and we did have some drifts to go through at times. I think that the powerband for it must've shown that it was a torquey little thing though. Mine was a little newer--and just as torquey with more hp--. As for heat----remember the aftermarket heaters?
Then, of course, there seemed to be a lot of odd little cars around then as well. A friend of ours had a Renault 2CV---the interior of which was kinda funny--2 'lawn chairs' pretending to be car seats and a shifter that came out of the middle of the dashboard. The Renault was also a high sitting car that you could easily put on its side if you were a little TOO frisky with it--- We had an autoshop teacher who had a little Mini-Cooper----we actually got it on to the roof of the high school, turned it upside down and took the wheels off of it. He saw the car after he went out looking for it-----he gave us a BIG lecture for that----but he also laughed about it---
Got to do some picking up of those New Years Eve supplies---having a few of the neighbours over then--so I better go do dis--
Chloe, I'll have a coffee and a toast with jam please---I'll be at the RC for now---
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/
"Coffee please"
Hi all~ remember me... well I dont'. Seems the past week has been one big blurr. Aside from fixing the furnace three days ago, I have a garage door to fix today. No work on the layout, not until payday.. tomorrow. When the pilot light on the furnance went out.. well we woke up in the morning with a chilly house of mid 40's. The houses built out here.. have stucco... chicken wire.. and tar paper... thats it. I guess though, these cheap houses.. all stay together during an earthquake.
Tom, for what its worth.. your 16 year old daughter... ever consider a heating blanket for her? I don't know why this works, but for some reason.. a sore abdomen feels much better with a very warm blanket on the tummy. I have done x ray exams on many doctors in the very same field of abdominal disorders..such as Chrons.. and they dont' know why either..but it does help. Oh they have some general idea's.. but heck.. it might change the trip to the hospital.. to just being maintained and monitored at home. The last thing you want is for it to flare up. I believe the word is 'exacerbation' .. to make things worse. Some illnesses just have a 'downward spiral effect' and if you can just catch it in time.. before it starts... its a whole lot better. Think back when you have ever had the flu, why is it.. you place a pillow on your abdomen.. it just feels better.
Now concerning a good heating blanket. There is a 'moist heating blanket' by Themaphore.. Battle Creek, Mich. You'll find one at some hospital supply for the public, usually right next to a hospital.. or close by. I prefer 'Moist Heat' because it goes deeper.. by a factor of 15 times.... as oppose to dry heat, which is a factor of 2. Last time I check.. those big moist heating blankets run around 80 bucks a lot less than what we all pay for some train/engine. But aside from her abdominal aches, this blanket is also great for a sore neck.. and or a sore back. The big one.. the 80 dollar one.. is large enough to cover most of your back.. from shoulders across.. to down to the lower waist. People have come back to me later on, to thank me. I hope this helps. I have worked so long in a hosital, I still have empathy for any patient. I just want her to live a normal life and I sure.. you do too. Keith
Good morning. Its a cold morning. Its about 10 degrees right now. Maybe some snow late tonight.
Well I got a guys phone number from work, in case the roads are bad. Yeah the guys number that we wrecked together. I will let him damage his car.
Gotta make a appointment for the dentist again. This is the tooth that might have to be root canal or pulled. I hope not.
Today is my anniversary. Three years. Never thought it. Not much planned for the evening. Maybe go out to eat.
One thing about the VW is..........................Its all done by a cheap cord (gas and clutch). Sitting at a red light, and you hit the gas to go.....and POP. Now your stuck. Same thing with the clutch. I really hated that about them. Plus I agree with the heaters. Half the time you are "sky high" by the fumes.
Keith....I was wondering what happened to you.
"Rust, whats not to love?"
" Keith....I was wondering what happened to you. "
Ah~ your not missing much..lol. Ok.. this mornings topic~ ElectroFrogs verses Insulfrogs. And I only come here to present it.. because I feel like one big dope.. and quite frankly am afraid to post it on the main forums. I'd probably get blasted.
Ok. Concerning Electrofrog verses Insulfrog turnouts. I'm looking for separate lines, this is, when a train comes off the main line, Can it jump onto another hot line from another transformer? I wish to have separate lines.. for even my very long Yard Lead.. verses the yard.. verses the A/D line.. and so on. But it seems to me.. I'd have to buy a few more electrofrog turnouts..to accomplish this. What am I getting at? I dunno~
But lets think this out. If you wanted to come off the main.. jump over an insulfrog..with cuts in it (Dremel) and then it is supplied by another transformer. This layout is so long, I'd be guessing I could run almost two on the same line. One train passes by on the main (express) While the other is in the A/D area, the engineer is unhooking and picking up another line of liners.. and taking off on a very long yard lead.. (which is basically the 3 main I had planned. So without getting this so confusing. Are there pitfalls using Electrofrogs in certain areas.. using DC? From what I can tell, these electro frogs might be just what I need to separate certain lines from others.. also using the cut insulfrogs. In the meantime... I am reading up on Electro verses Insulfrog. Keith
Good Morning ....Its cloudy and 30 here..weather guesser on TV says posta start snowing this afternoon maybe another 3 inches...I'll have coffee and dougnut please...Thank You...
Robby...Congrats Happy Anniversary!...
Keith...Glad to see you back...
Gary...You are in my prayers..
This is my Christmas present to myself..I finnaly got an Con Cor F 3 on Ebay..I picked up a Monon shell a few years ago at a train show when I first got into N scale..Darn thing didn't have a pilot so I cut one off a scrap shell
You all have a good one...Jerry
JimRCGMOJeff, sorry to hear about your computer problems. How old is the motherboard you have in there?
Galaxy: Check your PM's.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
Mornin' everyone!
I slept in this morning and feel good and rested for a change.... Zoe I'll have the #2 special, over easy on the eggs, bacon, homefries, and a double order of sour dough toast to go along with a pot of dark roast coffee in a FGLK mug. Please and Thank You! I'll be at me seat at the rivet counter.
Currently 18°F outside with a high around 29°F later this afternoon. "We're havin' a Heat Wave..... Tropical Heat Wave........"
Nice thing is I haven't had to mow the lawn in some time now....... Love Winter!
Robby I had a good many of those cables rot out and break on me. It almost always happened when you were 50 or so miles from home...... Only good thing was in the old 36HP Bugs, you could pull out the choke and get a "high Idle" setting just before the choke set in and still drive the car. Drove home that way several times. On the "improved auto choke models" you had to get out of the car, open the engine hood and using the screwdriver for the tool kit (which consisted of the screwdriver and a crescent wrench) and manually increase the idle speed to just off "blow up the engine" and then drive home. The clutch was the same type of thing and I drove home starting the engine in first gear and crawling to home or the dealer in first or second gear. When you had to stop you just turned off the key and added brakes........... What I loved best about them was that that there was almost always a "work around" for all those little things, which added to the fun. Today I doubt I would consider it "fun" .....
Have about 3 days of w**k to get done this afternoon, so i best gett moving. Later!
Good Evening,
Zoe, I´ll have a steak sandwich and a tall glass of Coke, please.
Folks, I am at home! I could persuade the docs to skip the last test until next year. No more reason to stay in this horrible place. My neighbor came and drove me home, as there is too much of that white stuff on the road for Petra to feel comfortable.
Still no clue what made me pass out. Not that I am worried, but there still is that hitch in my gitalong when talking. The docs say it could stay for a while. As I don´t have to give a speech in the near future I don´t care. Communication with Petra needs no words
John - I received your e-mail. Will contact the people you mentioned in the next days. Thank you for helping me in this matter.
Year end is showing up quickly and still no sign of my Jan issue of MR . When my subscription runs out in April, that will be it. Our local library does not have any German mag, let alone MR! Maybe I can talk my Dad into sponsoring the coming year
Will go to early today - I am sleepy and tired from doing nothing.
See you tomorrow!
Robby P.Today is my anniversary. Three years. Never thought it. Not much planned for the evening. Maybe go out to eat.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!!
I'm still working on the sketch for my "small" layout idea... hopefully have something to post later tonight...
To Robbie & his Bride................
Zoe how about a RBF to tide me over to supper time? I'll be at the front booth watching all the goings on for a while.
Robby! I'll third that! Happy Anniversary and many, many more!!!
So far today I went to the "Money Changers" to make a deposit for the Martin Luther King Scholarship Fund, printed, stuffed, stamped, and mailed a bunch of flyers for the upcoming combined NMRA Meet, and went grocery shopping. The day is about finished and I haven't been down to the layout in 2 days.... Maybe later tonight for a while.
Guess I'll spend the time before supper typing out an invoice for the stuff I am selling the school. I have to get the trailer packed with all the items and get it over to school sometime early next week I hope. Feels good to get some of this equipment sold and out of my house!
Catch you all later!
Good Afternoon All,
Back in the shop today w..king on the Focus - new drive shafts (one was damaged in the collision), New swaybar drop links (ditto). New struts (ditto) new stiffer springs (because why not) and mods to the coilover kit we made (lower is better). Just about done there and in between I'm making resin pieces for the O turntable we're kitbashing at the museum. Ordered two gallons of resin from Alumilite so I can make enough pieces for both the museum and the future new layout.
Keith - the electrofrog turnout has a frog that you can route power to. They are particularly useful if you run short locomotives that stall in turnouts all the time. I believe they require extra electrical switching in addition to whatever you use to actuate the turnout. The insulfrog type has an electrically insulated frog. In addition, these are "power routing" turnouts. The power is routed when you actuate the surnout and only powers the track you are going to, not the one that you've turned away from. This can be handy on sidings and yards so you can tie up your locomotives and depower the track they are on by hitting the turnout. The power is routed through the switch points so if you have a long run off the turnout, you can have issues with voltage drop. On my late lamented layout I had used power busses with drops every three feet and this bypassed the routing on the Peco turnouts so both tracks were live all the time. This did not matter as I was using a MRC Prodigy DCC system and the locomotives were controlled by the DCC throttle, not by the transformer powering the tracks. If you are using mechanical or 5 finger actuators, the insulfrog will work fine. If you have a bunch of sidings and short yard tracks you can use them to store locomotives by not hooking them to a power buss if you choose to use one. DC or DCC. Does that help any or did I (as usual) confuse the issue some more?
On the subject of Beetles, of course I had a 55 but with transplanted 40hp motor and being the ace mechanic I am, it never had a working starter. No problem, I became adept at finding the slightest incline to park on and could usually start the car by opening the door enough to push off and pop into second gear - off we go! If there was no hil, you just pushed the car and hopped in - usually no trouble and the same result. Finally backed it through a stone wall in the middle of the night demonstrating my cornering technique to a friend and have regrettedf it ever since. True to the end, the car took the hit and we walked away. J.R.
JR.. Thank you... yes it helps. I now want more sidings!... lol.
As far as VW Bugs go.. I still have mine. About 15 years ago, I told my wife Jeanne, I was going through a Mid-Life Crisis~... lol. And, And~ I don't want a sports car or a cheerleader... just an old VW bug I can fool around with. Its a fun car, I work on it myself and its basic auto repair stuff that most ppl with any knowledge of a car engine .. can work on it. I usually don't want to drive it in the winter... but summertime.. its nice. I don't have to worry where I park the thing. What I like about it.. it has a 1600 cc engine in it. Yeah.. yeah.. slightly modified.. but the size of the engine is on the pink slip. One time I threw a hubcap, and some guy kept trying to catch me... it wasn't til I was in the gas station that he finally caught up with me.. and he said.. in so many words.. "I was beginning to think I was never going to catch up with you!" Its a fast one, as far as 65's go, most other bugs think they can beat me. Little do they know...lol.
But thanks again JR. Keith
Jerry.. nice~ I always wanted one.. but the bidding on ebay was way too high for me. Seems alot of ppl like that one.
I also noticed your town in the background... nice also. Keith
Good Evening, Chloe - I'll have a small ribeye, medium, a baked potato (yep, with all THOSE fixin's), side salad, asparagus, some peaches, and a glass of your Finger Lakes wine please. Thank you!
CN Charlie, how'd things go with the vet and Pippa today? Hopefully she'll be healing up okay. Will the vet keep her overnight, or send her home with you and some medication?
Uh, Jeff, I'm surprised that Ray didn't suggest a Mac XServe for you - with one of those, you could build it into a cabinet and just have the monitor, keyboard and mouse out in view... and then network a laptop back in your bedroom. Heck, I like Macs and I don't think I could find justification for an XServe!
Ray, you'll have room enough for the next Diner party, with all that space you're clearing out!
Chris, I might get handed my head for asking this, but I think I read you say - shortly after you implied you were w**king THAT job because it was something you enjoyed (or enjoyed more than other alternatives?) - something about being over-stressed? Aren't being stressed and enjoying one's w**k kinda incompatible? 'spain it to me, friend... (Or is it that the job ain't the problem, as much as the boss? (Now, THAT I can relate to) Ah, I see - quitting the tobacco stuff AND caffeine - that is a much more likely candidate there. Did you know that our DSM manual at w**k (and mine at home) include a description of caffeine withdrawal as one of the diagnoses? (Oh, no reason, just mentioning that in passing).
Uh, I did hear Chloe mutter something about your patching a hole in the virtual wall over there, Chris. I understand that Vinnie is getting the patching 'mud' and some fiberglass screen or something for ya on that.
Sam, I think most designs I've seen where they connect another layout part to a 4X8 usually run it in from one of the corner curves (and a turnout from the rest of the main into the curve on the 4X8).Maybe it wastes less real estate on the 4X8 that way? I'm with the others, show us the sketches!
Lee - seeing the photos reminded me, how'd you do the 'broken wall' pieces beside the icing station? That's a nice touch, and could be used in other ways on my layout (or others here). Does the running/jumping deer come with a pin to hold it up in that position, or how'd you get it to stay up there?
Keith, I'm hoping your furnace wasn't a gas, forced air type, or that can get dangerous! But with your weather out there, you may still be sleeping with the windows open, right? You and Barry...
Robby, even for the third anniversary, better run by the store and get a card. Something as simple as a single rose would score you even more points.
Oh yeah, and Congratulations!
Jerry - nice present for yourself! Will you keep the shell with Monon?
Ulrich, good to hear you escaped got to go home earlier than expected. I'd say go with getting your father to sponsor this next year's subscription for you. It'll keep your creative juices going.
Another late start for me today - you'd think I was on vacation or something... Got to fix that before it's time to go back to w**k... Also started putting on the decals, but it turned up I had one thing I'd not expected. See if you can spot it:
and I painted the upper rail on the SW1200 (will need to clean up the other side some). I found out the stripes I'd made were way too thick once on the loco. Have revised and printed with thinner stripes, and will spray them next week at MRR club meeting.
Yep, as you've likely noticed, somehow the carrier sheet appears to be white (or close to it). I got them from MicroMark, and will have to be super-careful about trimming the decals before I soak them in the water. I might want to reduce the size of the logo for freight cars a little, I think.
I'll be having my dinner at the window booth for now. Then time to head home and see about clearing some of my own space off (like the infamous dining room table). Stay warm, including you, Barry and Keith! Prayers will continue for healing and other needs mentioned.
Blessings and prayers,
I remembered couple'a things I wanted to mention - on the boxcars, I'm thinking I'd like the logo better on the right side instead of where it is in the photo. Also, I am thinking I may like reversing the logo to white with black lettering. Any comments/suggestions?
Robby: Happy Anniversary!!!
back into my grain studies------