grayfox1119JEFF: Power supply problems huh, Tiger Direct had a good sale on 650 watt PS for $29 last week. BTW Running Bear , where is Little White Dove ?
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
Hey folks. Chloe, I'll take some powerade and some fries; nothing too heavy though. Rugby practice will literally be freezing by the time it's over; projected to be 30 degrees F at 8, lol. Going to wear a long sleeve undershirt and soccer socks.Y'all have a good one!
Sawyer Berry
Clemson University c/o 2018
Building a protolanced industrial park layout
pcarrellThat is definately a 1970 Cougar! (The best looking year if you ask me!) And THAT is a VERY sweet one!
It WAS...
Must be the "new" turd brown one THAT is the '68 or '69. I'm not a muscle car expert so mix 'em up real easy. I just know the decedant had an AWESOME rumble to it.
ROBBY P: Mild summer = rough winter...sounds about right to me!
FLIP: Thanks! I'll have to check out THAT website, Loving Wife's birthday is only 8 months away...
Chris
The Cedar cRapids Industrial Branch: Proudly Shipping Yesterday's CrunchBerries Tomorrow!
AmanaMedic He had a wonderful blue Cougar, a '68 or '69.
He had a wonderful blue Cougar, a '68 or '69.
That is definately a 1970 Cougar! (The best looking year if you ask me!) And THAT is a VERY sweet one!
Forgive me, I'm old. Is it Chris who's wife likes VW's? Go to buckleshop.com , They have three VW buckles, diff colors. Also all kinds of other vehicles including trains.
Prayers and Blessings for warmer weather.
Flip
Good afternoon. Its still snowing, but on the light side.
About the only work I did on the layout was paint all of the wood legs under the layout. I painted them black, and what a difference.
The wife and I went to the library the other day, and the have several old editions of MRR, and the new ones. I can finally catch up. I got a few to pick up today. Didn't really know that the local library would have these.
I see some people are talking about "global warming". All I know is the older PA people say "a mild summer, means a rough winter". Well so far the older people are right!!
"Rust, whats not to love?"
grayfox1119As for Global Warming, tell us how you REALLY feel?
I'm just gonna say THAT it is my belief THAT there have been many "climate catastrophes" throughout the lifetime of this planet. THAT everything is cyclical...and THAT big ball of fire in the sky has a lot more to do with it than us mere mortals. Did "esss you a-Veeeeees" (as Al Gore would say) cause the dinosaurs to become extinct??? What happened to the impending ice age "they" (always "they") were warning us about in the 1970s? I think its a bit of a stretch to say THAT us mere mortals can destroy the planet. Yeah, I'm all for clean water and clean air, but I also think those things can be achieved without destroying business/industry/commerce/the economy. I also think there are some opportunistic vermin who are profiting from the fear factor of "climate change." I resent being told I HAVE to buy a certain kind of lightbulb "to save the planet." A lightbulb costing far more than the good old incandescent. Have you seen the guidelines for clean-up if a CFL breaks?? I keep telling Loving Wife to grab lightbulbs with each trip to the store so we can stock-up on them. I also fail to put much faith in "consensus" where it applies to science. Science is supposed to be based on fact, period. I also don't put much stock in the dire predictions of what's to come in 10, 20, 50, 100 years when the weather speculationists can't even nail a three-day forecast.
Am I in trouble yet?
Son of K0IXH "73"
And now...back to trains, well except for me... I've GOT to get something written for THAT before heading out into the arctic blast. Oh yeah, original predictions had this as a "mild" winter...now "they" are saying it will be among the coldest. Hmmmmmmmmm.
Good afternoon gents, just dropped in for a hot chocolate Cloe.
26F global warming degrees here under cloudy skies all day.
MRR: Took some photos of the trellis yesterday, and started installing risers and elevations to meet the track height, more of that activity today, I just hope I have enough risers.
CHRIS: Yes, this was "part" of the big storm, you see THREE storms all came together to form one BIG storm off the south coast of Nova Scotia, then it backed up south to the New England coast due to a blockinh High over Greenland. As for Global Warming, tell us how you REALLY feel?
RAY: Now that little engineer really looks intent at running those trains, so WHERE is her hat Ray??? Come ON Grampa, get with it !!
JOE: I dont envy you having driven in that big storm, many traffic problems everywhere.
BARRY: I didnt know that the last Ice Age had ended yet? LOL What did cause it to end and retreat, sun spot increase?
LEE: Just think Lee, if those Glaciers didnt carve out the Great Lakes, where would your ships be?
FOSSIL PHIL: Speaking of fossils from the last Ice Age ( lol ) , you had better get your garden hose out and water those Orange trees tonight.
JEFF: Power supply problems huh, Tiger Direct had a good sale on 650 watt PS for $29 last week. BTW Running Bear , where is Little White Dove ?
ED: Flannels??? You mean you cant keep Fran warm at 50F??????? WHAT ??????????????? Red Sox have new 3rd baseman, from Seattle.
JIM: The photos have been taken, now I have to get some time to download. The camera has many holiday photos so I need to get some time to do this in between shoveling and bringing in wood. As for the storm, it has finally moved north towards Labrador, but is so big that it has clouds still over us and snow in Maine.
WA1VEI "73"
Good afternoon... bucket of coffee to thaw me out please 'n thank-you...
JEFF: 33 and sunny??? I think we're maybe at 10 degrees, hard to tell with the sub-zero windchill... I can't wait until our temperature gets back to 33... 46? Sounds like paradise! T-shirt and shorts time for sure!!!
RAY: I looked it up...pretty clever My wife wants an old bug in a bad way...someday, maybe someday. In the meantime, she absolutely loves her 2000 new beetle. It has been pretty reliable. I've been passing on all the tales of Bugs you guys have been relating...the good, the bad, the ugly. She remains undeterred.
TODD: Cougar...sweet ride. A good friend has one he's playing with. He had a wonderful blue Cougar, a '68 or '69.
Had is the key. His "adult" son took it out for a spin while Dear Old Dad was away on vacation, and wound up destroying it. Now he's got a *censored*-brown one. I'm hoping he paints it.
LEE: Thanks for the "how-to" on the turnout throws... THAT's even simpler than I thought it'd be. Simple is good.
I've been fiddling with headline ideas for last night's school board meeting. It seems, I have to have "turn of phrase" or "word play" or "play on words" so THAT it is entertaining as well as informative.
Journalism is dead.
Now, in addition to "just the facts, Ma'am," you have to have witty insights, personal observations, and little "asides" to the reader as if you were reading it to them, looking up from your paper, and making a subtle (or not so sublte) comment to the reader; then continuing on with the narrative. Mr. Boss seems to think he's a witty cat... I read a LOT of his stuff trying to do the Year in Review project. I'm starting to wonder if he stopped being an editor at a daily on his terms...or theirs. THAT went from elementary school teacher to reporter/editor... maybe THAT's why she is so infatuated with her Iowa Newspaper Association awards...
Tonight, I get to be...a photographer, as I'll journey out to Tiffin and the Clear Creek Amana high school to cover girls basketball. It used to be a JV game followed by the Varsity match. Now, you have 9th grade, 10th grade, then varsity...with a number of the sophs playing again in the varsity game. Makes for a long night...good for the paycheck.
Back to the salt mine...I gotta get something written. I'm toying with a Cole Porter (I think) kinda thing...something along the lines of "beginning the beginning"... hey, you music guys, help a brother out!!!!
I'll be doggone... the radio news just had THAT story... The pencil-neck geek I thought was with a paper...is with a newsradio outfit in Iowa City (recognized the voice). They just played his story. Amazing...he had no "turn of phrase," he did no "witty asides," he...injected no wit, no humor. He nailed the info in a concise package lasting all of about 15 seconds. I liked it!
THAT would've hated it.
It's 33 and sunny. The high is supposed to be 45 but I don't think it's gonna make it.Got the computer back up. I had the power supply tested this morning an dit checked out fine so the only thing left to check for was a mainboard problem. I reinstalled the power supply then checked the mainboard connections over with a fine toothed comb. The problem was so simple and so small I almost missed it. The CMOS jumper block had come off! I put a new one on then pressed the power button and everything works. Needless to say my day greatly improved. Went to see the foot doc first thing this morning and he's very happy with what he found. The wound is now only about 12 millimeters deep and about 30 millimeters across. That's a big improvement from 50 and 146. My parent's have invited me over for chili dogs later and I accepted. I may only be able to eat one but I'm gonna enjoy it!
Mornin' everyone!
Zoe I'll have a big bowl of oatmeal and my dark roast coffee in a FGLK mug if you please. Oh, yes, need some brown sugar for the oatmeal. I'll go sit at the Rivet Counter for a bit.
It is currently 18°F outside here in the Finger Lakes with some little wite flakes hanging in the air. I say hanging in the air because they don't seem to ever really arrive anywhere, they just are floating around out there. Supposed to have an inch of the stuff today........ High of 21*F and the low tonight around 19°F. The rest of the week is supposed to be more of the same.
Chris so you named your truck Tori, huh? Sounds like a good name. Not sure I would want a truck named "Trusty Rusty"........ Well maybe. My late wife had a little VW bug that she insisted on buying (our first 2nd. car) that had been sitting in a farmers field for several years....... Should have been a red flag right there, but she was told the radio still worked (Or would as soon as a working battery was put in it) and THAT was a major selling point for her. Two tires were completely flat but the farmer insisted they would be fine with a bit of air put in them.... Let's just say we made the 10 mile trip home with it before they were flat again. Car only cost us $100 dollars. After putting in $600 or so into immediate repairs to get it to pass inspection, she had a almost drivable car. As a rule something either broke or fell off it on a weekly basis, so she finally named it "Tinker Toy". I ended up driving it more than she did. Ended up taking out the rear seat and used it to haul wood for my old wood stove back then. My pickup truck also has a name. I have called all my pickup trucks "Anacrusis"................ (I'll let Tom explain.) (I mentioned the name of the truck at a Music Dept. meeting years ago and I thought the HS Band teacher was never going to catch his breath...... Most of the rest of the dept. didn't get it.)
Actually should get to spend most of today down in the layout room...........
I will catch you all later!
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Todd,
Was that a town with no name or a horse with no name??? Or was the horse's name Town?
BM1 Lee Soule USCG (ret) L.S.&W Railroad Serving the Lower Great Lakes
Morning. Bowl of hot oatmeal please and coffee. Still colder than a Well Diggers....patootie out there. But hey, it's supposed to be sunny and 15 today. Got THAT going for me. Of course the wind chill will be between -4 and -14.
Boy it sounds like there is a lot of scheming going on in here to get Ulrich some real estate! Reminds me of Fred Flintstone planning how to get to go bowling when he's not supposed too!!
Jim- About the time it took to plug it in and wait for the TV to auto program the stations and we were watching TV. Wife happy. I don't know about how good this TV is. I got mixed reviews. We're Zenith people ourselves. Have had Zeniths for years and aside from a lightning strike, they have performed flawlessly for decades. Well, except for the one with the cold solder joint. Kinda annoying. But it works and works well as long as it's not too cold in the room when you want to turn it on. The Bigscreen was also a Zenith and the only reason we replaced it is because of the color bulbs. We need one replaced or filled and then adjusted, or something like that, and the estimate was $300 to $700 depending, 2 years ago. PLUS we have to get it to them or pay $50.00 for them to come get it. The new TV cost 548 saved up dollars and it's digital HD. Not much of a choice there. And you are correct. I only allowed myself one well chosen moment to mention the fact that it was the first place we went and the first choice of the selections there. And I did say I don't think we'll find a better one at a better price. Of course we didn't. I don't believe I mentioned that we wasted 3 or 4 hours driving and shopping for nothing. I might have credit should I want to mention it again!!
Vincent- Cougar Eliminator. Now There's a car you don't here to much about anymore. Used to be you could build a Cougar for a fraction of what a Mustang cost and have, in my opinion of course and don't be offended because we're talking late 60's here, a better looking car than a Mustang. Boy I thought them Cougars were sharp. (sorry Mustang guys, just my opinion and judging by the numbers, I'm in the minority)
Johnboy- I am friends with a lady who works for the Feds in the Airport security for the airport in Springfield. I shall print this and present it to her. She'll get a kick out of it!
DerJohn- Glad you're still kickin' up there. And about the work bench, shoot, I can't even get the thing cleaned off. Funny story too. Sounds like the U.S.
Wow! I'm sure feeling lucky on our lack of snow.
Well, on the MR front. I have decided what I'm going to do..... Take a nap..... NO! I am going to remove a section of the layout that is a loop and is constructed per layout drawing from MR magazine however their is no room for structures as was drawn. So, it's gone. Or soon will be. This will allow for an extended peninsula, and will hopefully allow for the large City With No Name. I want to get another passenger station in there and a couple more industries. We'll see how that goes. I also think if I move my Beer Distributor to the other side of the tracks I could have a residential area also. After listening to the talk about Ulrich's door, I do believe I will remove the door, casing and all and turn it so it opens out instead of into the room. A luxory an owner has that a renter does not. This will solve the "open door while swing out, or up, is in place and I didn't think to lock the door wide eyed horror look on my and the person who walks through said door look on the faces."
So let's see, Grocery truck at 10:30ish. Can't do the bookwork for the Church until after noon. Hmmmmm. I do need a turnout or two and a code 100 to 83 transition track and it is Tuesday............
Have a Great Day!!!
Todd
Central Illinoyz
In order to keep my position as Master and Supreme Ruler of the House, I don't argue with my wife.
I'm a small town boy. A product of two people from even smaller towns. I don’t talk on topic….. I just talk.
Good morning. Its still snowing, and maybe all week. Just a inch or so each day.
Worked on the layout for several hours yesterday. I haven't done that in awhile. Tried to upload a video, but the computer didn't want to work right. Maybe I can get some shots later. Might head back in the basement again.
Not much planned other than that.
Hope everybody has a good morning.
Well, good morning all! No hunting for me, due to the now 2 page long HD list I have.....*grumbles, gripes* Oh well, I've still got the rest of January to go hunting. You were right Jim, I didn't get to use my .30-06 all of '09, but I do plan on using it this year! And JR, I DO laugh about the air matress incident, however; Amy doesn't! Well, I'll start the day off right with an order of cheese grits, scrambled eggs with cheese, biscuits and gravy, and a tall glass of milk. I figure if I hurry through my list I might be able to hit the woods this afternoon by 2-ish. On the MRR front, I recieved the email from MB Klien that my SD40-2 has shipped! Checked the status this morning, and its in Laurel, MD, currently in transit. I might be able to check back in on it about lunch time and see what its progress is. I expect the loco to be here late tomorrow afternoon or Thursday. I'm really happy about it.
Well, I see breakfast is coming towards me, so I'm going to go and occupy the window booth and enjoy it.
Good Morning All,
It's 16F and cloudy with the high today predicted to be 27. At least no sn*w or wind today. I'll have a regular coffee and a bowtie please. Just lots going on in the shop today then the museum tonight so I'd better gert to it. CUL, J.R.
Good Morning
We'se be getting nuisance snowsqualls today---another 4" today, another 4-6" tonight and another 4" or so tomorrow-----west of us is even more snowed in
Gonna do the work from home thing today. Which means that I'm gonna get a bit of time to redo an elevator that 'Spring' found on a shelf and thought it to be a toy for him
Chloe, I'll have a coffee and a breakfast on a bun please---I'll be at the RC for a bit
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/
The push-pull rods are stained dowel rods and would require a hole drilled through the layout at the center of the turnout or under the head ties where the ground throw would be located. A hole would need to be drilled in the fascia board and 2 conduit clamps would need to be secured to the bottom of the layout (glue and screw is recommended). Basically that’s it. A small finishing nail is inserted through the turnout like a under table switch machine and into the dowel rod (must be glued into the dowel) under the table.
When the operator pulls or pushes the dowel rod the switch is thrown. Resistance to hold the turnout in place is a small rubber o-ring placed on the fascia where the dowel comes out.
The lighted indicators can be added at any time. A dual color DC LED mounted in the fascia with contact strips glued to the dowel rod. When the turnout is positioned for straight or pass through position the light is green, when you throw the turnout to the siding the rod moves the contact strips to reverse the polarity on the LED and it shows a red light. The Caboose Industries ground throws can cost $2.50 each this method can cost around 25 cents each + the materials for the lights.
If you don’t want to use the lights you can buy window wedges. The dowel rod is installed as noted above with a spring added behind the fascia board with a pin through the dowel. When you pull the dowel to position the turnout you drop a small wedge over the dowel to hold it in place. A furniture knob is secured to the end of the dowel for the wedge to rest on. Or a cheaper method is to find a thick section of tube and glue it over the end of the dowel rod to keep the wedge from passing over the end.
Good Morning,
another nearly sleepless night - not to good if one urgently needs a good rest. Well, gives me time to think about my layout plans.
No time to rest - it is back to the re-education GULAG. What a waste of precious time!
My layout plans still need a lot of tinkering around and about. What I do not like about the set-up is, that the layout would require a lot of preparation to get it into operation mode. Just to let some trains run will take a lot of time and work - plus an additional pair of hands to "install" the removable sections. I also have to leave the wardrobe where it is - I need the room undeneath the layout shelves to store the books currently stored in the two bookcases and, of course, the inflatable bed, when Christian is with us.
So it will be back to the drawing board...
You all have a good day!
Good Evening, RBF please 'n thankya,
Welp...it was an expensive day, but not as bad as initially feared/fretted about. I got TORI (my truck, well...Rerun's truck ) back from the vehicular hospital, and she looks like new, drives a heckuvalot better, and isn't as apt to self-destruct as she was. It is amazing what new shocks, new "shackle brackets," and getting all the back-end bits back to where they're SUPPOSED to be will do for an older unit. After scraping up every availible dime, we came out with some bucks left-over! I still have some stuff to do on the front end...but the wrench-turners say THAT can wait a few months...which is good, it'll take at least THAT long to save up for the next round of w**k. But hey, for 203,000 miles and counting....not too shabby!
Yes, I named my pickup. I got her brand new in '97. She's torreador red...so "Tori" seemed only appropriate! I love my little truck. Hey DER JOHN, yeah..."Trusty Rusty" counts...maybe someday my Tori may need a name change to something like THAT! Especially with all the salt and salt solution they dump on the roads around here.
LEE: Eventually, I'll be needing THAT push-pull turnout throw you were going to tell Mr. SAWYER about. If it's what I think it is...it's perzactly what I was cogitating doing rather than using the clunky in any scale ground throws.
ULRICH: Pal, if I knew more than one language, I'm sure I'd switch-off mid-sentance from time to time too...especially during periods of stress, lack of sleep, etc. Heck, sometime I should learn German just so I could! Just think of the fun I could have with THAT if, while discussing a story idea or whatever with her, I slipped into a burst of German! Probably make her head spin... Seriously though, glad the real doctor agreed with us arm-chair physicians...now we gotta figure out a way to get you some rest, relaxation, and mental rehabilitation (stress reduction). I'm not sure how you're going to do the removable sections, but I'm sure liking those yards . As for the door...what if you pulled the hinge pins and just removed it when it's "the RR room," and stuck it back in place when it's the guest room??? I agree, I'd hate to have you on the wrong side of it IF something were to happen. I'd hate to hear the local feurwher (sp??) had to bust-in, and bust-up the RR to get to you.
JIM: I toyed with the idea of sitting in the sub-zero cold by the River Valley Co-Op (former Land 'O Lakes feed mill), where there is some light, and popping the strobe (flash) for a shot. But, I figured a) all I'd get would be all the reflective striping, and b) the crew probably wouldn't appreciate me momentarily ruining their night vision. Now there was a guy, O. Winston Link or something like THAT, who set up huge banks of flash units for some legendary night shots. My little pop-up just wouldn't compete with THAT. On the other hand, those heritage units should be headed back west in the next day or so. Of course, they'll probably do so in the early morning, with the sun directly behind them.... The UP 1995 used to be a frequent visitor to these parts, running on MPRCB (Manifest, Proviso to Council Bluffs). The SP 1996 has been through along with the UP 1988 (MKT), the UP 1982 (MoPac), and whatever the D&RGW unit is. I just have never gotten them on film...I mean, in pixels.
Speaking of pixels, time to see what I got from an Iowa City School Board meeting this evening. THAT told me it was to be a "...public forum to get input on what criteria the board should use in hiring a new superintendent." What it was, was a special meeting where the board tried to figure out HOW to go about searching for a new superintendent. The only "public" there was: me (North Liberty Leader), a pair from The Daily Iowan (U of I newspaper), and some pencil-neck geek from the "Depressed Citizen" (Iowa City Press Citizen). Some "public forum," NOT! They pretty much spent 2-1/2 hours going around in circles brain-storming, contradicting each other, correcting each other, then finally agreeing they don't really know what the h**l they're doing! 2-1/2 hours of jaw-flappin' to be converted into roughly 700 words of concise insightful content.
And people wonder why I just wanna be a photog....
Have a goodun'
EDIT: Ok you Nighthawks in the Diner...late night eats are on me and Rerun....uh, courtesey of the expense account with THAT...
Evening all. No thanks, Chloe, nothing for me.
I was kinda busy, and everyone kept stealing my computer, so I never got a chance to check in, but I promise to tomorrow. I have practice at 4, so I'll definately be home by 6, so I should easily be able to slide in.
Later
My Model Railroad: Tri State RailMy Photos on Flickr: FlickrMy Videos on Youtube: YoutubeMy Photos on RRPA: RR Picture Archives
Good Evening All,
Long but productive day in the shop. Got home to do a bit more rearranging now in the basement. Every day in every way it's getting better and better!
Der - Glad you made it through the storm ok. Haven't heard from mom in Lockeport yet but she and my sister were prepared when I spoke to her on the first. She also is right on the water but about 25 ft above it and behind the harbour breakwater and a beach. I could have applied for subsidies here as well but they've already given all the $$$ to bankers and wall street types for not doing their jobs.
Ulrich - If you need to beat fatigue so you can recover does that mean you can ditch reeducation class for a bit?
Jim - I have the shelf layout book plus the usual Armstrong 101 layouts and several others as well as 3rd Planit. Doesn't make it any easier when I actually have to plan something.
PC - Glad you're feeling better. With the track and routing you already have, and an interest in steam and coal plus the fifties for an era, I have only two words for you - Norfolk & Western. Think about it all steam and lots of coal drags plus some really trick passenger equipment pulled by the second prettiest streamliner ever (next to the New Havens I-5).
BAMA - hair dryer and air mattresses are not a good mix. We camped out on mattresses on the first floor for nearly a year when we did the first big renovation on the house. We also have a few air mattress masacree stories but I'll spare you, Some day you'll be able to look back on all this and laugh - really.
Time to get some I'll catch you all tomorrow. Cheers, J.R.
Good evening Diners: Took our daughter and the grandchildren home a day early (Friday) so as to avoid the storm on Saturday. Good thing we did, it was vicious. Very high tide because of the phase of the moon coupled with a wind easily as bad as Hurricane Juan was here (which is to say, not as bad as Juan was in Halifax). We had rain instead of snow, but even so lost power for over 12 hours Saturday night into early Sunday. We had taken the precaution of having "Sunday Lunch" on Saturday before the storm hit. The barrier beach in front of our house has moved some what towards us. We've not seen such a storm surge and wave action before. The duck board path we built for our canoe started life looking like this: and by Sunday morning looked like this
Spent some of the time "Gleaming" the layout. All done except the tracks in the tunnels - and since they don't seem to get crudded so quickly as the open air sections, I don't plan on taking the time to do them yet awhile. Jeff, the lighter touch on the polish certainly eliminated any carry over of polish onto the sides of the track, thanks. I've some spare bits of the blue stuff I used for polish application and buffing. If you'd like a piece to test for yourself, send me an email. Ran some trains while doing the Gleaming to move tings around without using the 0-5-0 switcher. That was fun.
Todd:
(from Garry's layout thread) Wow Garry, always love to see pictures of your layout. You could, however, clutter up the work area a bit to make me feel somewhat better . Just kidding. Looks fantastic .
Ulrich:
Ray - I like the pictures of your granddaughters, especially the one with you on the pic! Told my son during his visit over Christmas to take his time in turning me into a grandpa - who wants to be in bed with a grandmother?
Maybe I should apply for EU funding as well...
A NEW BUSINESS VENTURE... This is a supposedly true letter sent in response to UK policy on gov't payments to pig farmers. I thought it was nicely put.Only in England NIGEL JOHNSON-HILL, PARK FARM, MILLAND, LIPHOOK GU30 7JT Rt Hon David Miliband MPSecretary of State.Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA),Nobel House17 Smith SquareLondon SW1P 3JR16 July 2009Dear Secretary of State, My friend, who is in farming at the moment, recently received a cheque for £3,000 from the Rural Payments Agency for not rearing pigs.. I would now like to join the not rearing pigs business.In your opinion, what is the best kind of farm not to rear pigs on, and which is the best breed of pigs not to rear? I want to be sure I approach this endeavour in keeping with all government policies, as dictated by the EU under the Common Agricultural Policy. I would prefer not to rear bacon pigs, but if this is not the type you want not rearing, I will just as gladly not rear porkers. Are there any advantages in not rearing rare breeds such as Saddlebacks or Gloucester Old Spots, or are there too many people already not rearing these? As I see it, the hardest part of this program will be keeping an accurate record of how many pigs I haven't reared. Are there any Government or Local Authority courses on this? My friend is very satisfied with this business. He has been rearing pigs for forty years or so, and the best he ever made on them was £1,422 in 1968. That is - until this year, when he received a cheque for not rearing any. If I get £3,000 for not rearing 50 pigs, will I get £6,000 for not rearing 100? I plan to operate on a small scale at first, holding myself down to about 4,000 pigs not raised, which will mean about £240,000 for the first year. As I become more expert in not rearing pigs, I plan to be more ambitious, perhaps increasing to, say, 40,000 pigs not reared in my second year, for which I should expect about £2.4 million from your department. Incidentally, I wonder if I would be eligible to receive tradeable carbon credits for all these pigs not producing harmful and polluting methane gases? Another point: These pigs that I plan not to rear will not eat 2,000 tonnes of cereals. I understand that you also pay farmers for not growing crops. Will I qualify for payments for not growing cereals to not feed the pigs I don't rear? I am also considering the not milking cows business, so please send any information you have on that too. Please could you also include the current DEFRA advice on set aside fields? Can this be done on an e-commerce basis with virtual fields (of which I seem to have several thousand hectares)? In view of the above you will realise that I will be totally unemployed, and will therefore qualify for unemployment benefits. I shall of course be voting for your party at the next general election. Yours faithfully, Nigel Johnson-Hill
This is a supposedly true letter sent in response to UK policy on gov't payments to pig farmers. I thought it was nicely put.Only in England
NIGEL JOHNSON-HILL, PARK FARM, MILLAND, LIPHOOK GU30 7JT
Rt Hon David Miliband MPSecretary of State.Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA),Nobel House17 Smith SquareLondon SW1P 3JR16 July 2009Dear Secretary of State, My friend, who is in farming at the moment, recently received a cheque for £3,000 from the Rural Payments Agency for not rearing pigs.. I would now like to join the not rearing pigs business.In your opinion, what is the best kind of farm not to rear pigs on, and which is the best breed of pigs not to rear? I want to be sure I approach this endeavour in keeping with all government policies, as dictated by the EU under the Common Agricultural Policy. I would prefer not to rear bacon pigs, but if this is not the type you want not rearing, I will just as gladly not rear porkers. Are there any advantages in not rearing rare breeds such as Saddlebacks or Gloucester Old Spots, or are there too many people already not rearing these? As I see it, the hardest part of this program will be keeping an accurate record of how many pigs I haven't reared. Are there any Government or Local Authority courses on this? My friend is very satisfied with this business. He has been rearing pigs for forty years or so, and the best he ever made on them was £1,422 in 1968. That is - until this year, when he received a cheque for not rearing any. If I get £3,000 for not rearing 50 pigs, will I get £6,000 for not rearing 100? I plan to operate on a small scale at first, holding myself down to about 4,000 pigs not raised, which will mean about £240,000 for the first year. As I become more expert in not rearing pigs, I plan to be more ambitious, perhaps increasing to, say, 40,000 pigs not reared in my second year, for which I should expect about £2.4 million from your department. Incidentally, I wonder if I would be eligible to receive tradeable carbon credits for all these pigs not producing harmful and polluting methane gases? Another point: These pigs that I plan not to rear will not eat 2,000 tonnes of cereals. I understand that you also pay farmers for not growing crops. Will I qualify for payments for not growing cereals to not feed the pigs I don't rear? I am also considering the not milking cows business, so please send any information you have on that too. Please could you also include the current DEFRA advice on set aside fields? Can this be done on an e-commerce basis with virtual fields (of which I seem to have several thousand hectares)? In view of the above you will realise that I will be totally unemployed, and will therefore qualify for unemployment benefits. I shall of course be voting for your party at the next general election. Yours faithfully, Nigel Johnson-Hill
John - do I detect a Fleischmann Class 50 steamer with a string of German passenger coaches on the right side of your Campbell River layout picture?
PC: Glad you are feeling some better - enough to actually do layout work! Wow!
but I'm having a hard time with the idea of having "D" word loco's on the layout.
ED: Good to see you dropping in again. Be warned however, there is currently an epidemic of layout building fever!
Jerry: I see you were very diplomatic with that "someone" slammed the front door! I agree 'though, there is a world of difference between a busted brand new item and the same damage to a second or third hand re-built.
If Flashwave is anywhere around...
This is turning into a novel...I'll sign off and go and watch Big Bang Theory. Goodnight all, and God Bless. Prayers continuing for all in need of Healing, Comfort, Prosperity and Peace.
"There are always alternatives, Captain" - Spock.
My computer is down again. It was working fine earlier then I shut it down and went to town to mail some packages. When I came back I tried starting it up but nothing. Couldn't even get an LED to light. Tried another plug socket, no joy. Switched the power and reset leads to see if it was a bad switch. Nothing doing. Switched out the memory chips and the drives to see if there was something jamming bios. Nothing. Nearest I can figure is the power supply conked out. I'll find out when I replace it, whenever that is. The new hard disk and the drive enclosure ate up my Xmas money. Looks like it may be next month before I get the replacement.
Middle of page 2?????
LSWrrGood morning all, Sawyer, I can help you out on the homemade ground throws. Friend of mine used push pull rods under the layout with LED indicator lights to show the switch position. It’s easy and affordable. If you skip the lights each ground throw will cost you 25 cents.
thanks for the tip Lee! I'm not sure how I could build that though; does it involve drilling tot he bottom of the layout?
Vincent, yeah man. It's Packers cardinals again at the same field, Dallas and Philly at the same field, and New York-Cincinnati in Cincinnati. Something tells me Arizona didn't show much in that game, but then Green bay probably didn't either. I think we'll have something in the playoffs this year.
lol Jim, school went pretty good today. Can't wait for 6:30 tomorrow though; rugby practices start again!
Good Afternoon, Zoe - I'll have the grilled ham & cheese sandwich, and a bowl of potato soup with some shredded cheese and a few chopped onions and real (Kentucky) bacon bits tossed in, too. Oh yes, and a RBF, please. Thank you, ma'am!
ns3010This just shows how cold it is... Have a nice, warm night!
This just shows how cold it is...
Have a nice, warm night!
, Joe, that'll frost your pumpkins (if you still had any outside) - nice shot, too! And great to hear your heat got back on quickly. I mean, not every home is built with heating-only-by-stove in mind.
We're not quite that cold (or maybe just not enough moisture in the air around here for something like that) - only 16 F this morning when I got out of bed (around 7 a.m.). Supposed to reach 23 F / -5 C this afternoon and we're already at 21 F. Of course, supposed to drop off to 10 F / -12 C tonight, I think that's a degree 'warmer' than last night's low...
Duke, you'll have to bug them at the next live steam meet to get a Berkshire to go along with that 2-10-4. Even if you have to go build/buy it yourself, eh?
Got my Feb. issue of MR at the post office today, and have been checking it out at our library and using their WiFi hookup. Like the looks (if not the price) of the Paragon2 SW7, and the Athearn 2600 covered hopper. Wish I knew the build dates on Athearn's cars - I gave them that as a suggestion for \'s (paid) reviewers (from those of us not modeling multi-decade era RR's on our layout). I still have more looking to go. Don't think I'll build a moving car-ride for my layout, though.
Hey, Dick, let us know when you catch that layout designer, okay? And I'll be looking forward to seeing the bridge - I've heard good things about how the Micro Engineering bridges look (once they are finished, that is...).[Sounds like you have a doozy of a storm there. If it keeps backing up, Ray may even have to watch out.
Aw, Ray, a scrumptuous meal like that, AND getting to play with your cute granddaughters? I think I am jealous! Okay, so I'd rather get some time with grandson Drew, but y'know...
Chris, tough luck on missing THAT railfanning opportunity (would've been awesome, I'm sure). Did you stop and consider whether you might go in the dark of night with several flash units for the one closer to home?
Jeffrey, take care of yourself - you don't need any new reason to go to the doctor/ER!
Best wishes for Joe and Sawyer and our other 'student' Diners who are back at the books again today. Time to hit it again, and remind yourself that it's only about five months until summer vacation time.
Hey! I see Ed's been by with the orange report - and it looks like you have some nice additions for the layout, too, Ed. I'm sure you've been busy with tending to "Junior" and his college. How's he been doing? Has he developed his railfanning skills in his 'college' place? (Oh, goody, another train of reefers with orange juice and fresh oranges from Ed's grove!)
JR - if you get a chance, also check out Iain Rice's 'Shelf Layouts' book Ulrich mentioned. I have it and it's good, too. Good to hear things are shaping up around the house for you.
Rob, good to hear you got some time in for the layout. How cold has it been in your area, by the way?
Lee, you've been busy lately on your layout (and probably will for several days more, from the sound of it). I'll have to keep that in mind if I get the chance to build a bigger layout (allow plenty of time for ballasting...) I'd agree with Todd's comments on real economy of your time vs. the funds to fix your truck. (Amen!)
Todd - good that you got a great TV (Note: it's not very wise to repeatedly remind CFO's that "Honey, I told you that the one at XYZ store was the best we were gonna find" - Ya can get yer head handed to ya that way...) So, how long did it take you to get the new TV all set up and hooked up? You DO have it already up and running, right?
Ulrich, good to hear that your doctors even agreed with our resident Diner diagnosticians, Chris and Todd, and now they just need to give you some helpful suggestions for that R&R you mentioned. I think it's a good sign if Petra is reporting you're mostly speaking one language at a time. It sounds like you have an excellent electronics dealer there close by you. Around here, I think they'd deliver and hook up, but the programming you'd get left to do yourself. I like the changes on your track plan. The single mainline parts will make your running more interesting to operate, too.
Bama, I'm guessing you meant your 30-06 hadn't been used in 2009, right? 'Cause otherwise, you do have a bit of time still left to make use of it. Good luck on your hunting!
Vincent, that's some good horse-trading! (So to speak, I mean, you know...)
Johnboy, you naughty fella...
TwoTruckShay - a few pages back, some of the Diners mentioned some activities that spooked their felines away from the train room (blowing the horn when said cat is not expecting it, or on DCC layout turning it on when Hobbes might be standing on the track...). (Of course, NONE of those would be sanctioned by the ASPCA, nor by your local Humane Society, but they just might do the trick for you!)
Ulrich, on Lee's idea for more RR space, you could figure on building the clothes cabinet underneath 'sort of' first (and to see how w**kable the space was for the layout). I'll email you a scan of one page from a layout, which might be helpful for you. May be this evening (your tomorrow a.m.) or so, though. I need to get some more photos of what I've been doing on the MRR, so Rob can feel better about his.
(Rob, I'm probably no further along with mine than you are with yours. )
Time for me to finish up lunch and head out now. I'll be back later today, hopefully.
Blessings and prayers,
Jim in Cape Girardeau
LSWrr Also if you raise the benchwork high enough you could use closet shelf brackets that hold a clothes rod. Thus increasing the closet space by hanging clothes under the layout with appropriate shelving built in for sweaters/shoes the Misses may grant an extension to your public transportation costs (just don't mention the layout on top). A curtain type front would protect the hangng items. Lee
Also if you raise the benchwork high enough you could use closet shelf brackets that hold a clothes rod. Thus increasing the closet space by hanging clothes under the layout with appropriate shelving built in for sweaters/shoes the Misses may grant an extension to your public transportation costs (just don't mention the layout on top). A curtain type front would protect the hangng items.
Lee
Excellent idea, Lee , I will look into this. Cost maybe a limiting factor, though...
Afternoon All...Its sunny and 21 here...I'm ready for spring!...My granddaughter tootie is here and she helped me get the Railroad set back up..Someone slamed the front door yesterday and knocked about a dozen cars off shelf..broke some steps and couplers but when most of your rolling stock is rebuild stuff anyway it doesn't hurt so bad..just gonna have to rebuild it again..You all have a good one...Jerry