Elliott's Trackside Diner XXIII: Moving on...

[TMarsh]

Roger the Shrubber.......ROFLMAO! Ray you're a hoot!

[blownout cylinder]

JimRCGMO

blownout cylinder

So JimRC, you do on-call for an entire weekend--me be doing the weekend seminars----what's a weekend off?

  For me, Barry, my 'weekend' will be Monday and Tuesday.

I just got home from my stint---I'll have tomorrow and Thursday off-----my other job claimed Tuesday and Wednesday

JimRCGMO

Jim in Cape Girardeau

(Can you see Monday from here?...)

It will be tomorrow----unless someone moved it on us----- 

So now the place looks nice and clean here----no cata-------- and no pie mangling either. This is a good thing. I was telling Chloe that if it kept up I was going to see if Vinnie could find a space with rubber walls that we could turn into a diner. That way all we would need was a hose so we could power wash the interior----Everything would be washable then--

As it was, it was busy. Everyone showed up and there all kinds of interesting things being discussed.

Chloe, I'll just have a RBF for now---I'll be over at the RC----seems that someone left a bunch of old MRR/RMC there----

[der5997]

Good evening all: Kris made Welsh Cakes  yesterday from a recipe in a book our daughter gave her a couple of years ago. Today it was Rock Cakes  from the same book, using up bits of left-over peel etc. from the Christmas baking.  So, Chloe, since there is a virtually limitless supply, I'll have some of each with my tea. Thanks.  I started this post on page 23, so if there is  an "old news" feel to it, that's why. Finally got around to putting decent trucks and wheels on a "train show special" 74' passenger car. Now it purrs along, although it found one spot on the layout that hasn't bothered anything else up to now....isn't there always something?

Todd:

I do however, type in word and cut and paste if I think it'll be long or is my main post of the day. Better safe than sorry.

  Better safer and maybe less sorry to copy rather than cut and paste? That way you've the entire file to go back to should the inconvenient happen - as it did with me Wednesday night!

RobbyP:

what I thought was a smaller cement company for my hoppers, was a cement plant for the cement trucks.  Well so much for that idea. 

  How about a kitbash/scratch of the part that loads the trucks into one that feeds hoppers?  On your benchwork project, painting the legs black...who would have thunk it would make such an outstanding difference in a totally retiring way! Amazing how the layout itself just seems to "hang" and be the entire focus.   About that new table...I looked at that and thought "there's enough room there for a decent Wye."  Why not? It gives you the facility of a turntable without the prototypical rarity of a return loop. A stationary decoder, BTW handles the polarity issues for you in each of those when you go DCC. 

The plastic spring thing that holds the removable hatch in the back of my printer cracked yesterday (why? I've no idea...plastic fatique?) Result, the print job fouled up, and immediate action was required to be able to continue, or ever print anything again on that machine. mrr supplies to the rescue - a quick application of liquid plastic cement to both sides of the cracked but not severed part, a short wait for it to take hold, and Presto! Back in business.

Keith:  Thanks for the kind words on the towers! They are Lineside Structures Kit # 602 Laser-Cut Basswood. Peel and stick technology, but there are some joints that have to be white-glued. I customized mine a bit to have a "family" look with a tower I already had built.

 I've just realized that one of the cut of passenger cars in my yet-to-be-repainted MT train is this ;if it is of interest, I wonder if we could trade something?

So aside from tearing out carpet.. wet smelly carpet.. I might get a chance to work on the layout.  As I've said before.."Ah the pride of home ownership"

  sounds like my Thursday last week at our daughter's. No heat  in #1 grandson's room turned out to be the washer in the bleed valve had crystallized over the years, and the resultant crud was blocking the pipe. The plumber had a "new" one from his box of spares-from-other-jobs. Fitted it, but didn't ask for anyone to watch it while he went to turn the supply back on. It wasn't a tight fit......

Chris:

( talking to Keith )Throw (OK, spray) some fade/weathering on the older phased stuff... SHAZAM! Compatibility problem...gone.

  Compatibility?   As Sam is too polite to say... "We don't need no stinkin' compatibility!" 

Ulrich:  Good to hear that your mother and father's situation is becoming more manageable . Let's hope she won't have to be in any hospital for long.  Pity about the Salt Lake Route plans - nothing is as cheap as it was, I guess. That stops me from getting what I'd really like for this layout - the cost of new equipment.

I have donated a little to the German Red Cross, as we will have a little surplus this month.

...what goes around comes around Ulrich, you never know...

On the Port of Seward layout, if you were to make the removable car float fit onto the interchange track on the right (there's about 6" to be chopped somewhere to get it allonto the 19' wall - and you could hide the marine look behind a building front maybe) you could have a "system" that rotates traffic..

but I doubt that all the cash being collected actually reaches the people in need. What a world!

...in the case of the Red Cross it goes to buy supplies that they deliver to the point of need. However, I understand your concern when applied to "Foreign Aid" in general.

From forced labor to forced labor camps to - we all know, what happened back then,  are only little steps.

....granted, BUT there is a difference I think, between then and now. The very "political correctness" that makes your life uncomfortable on the one hand, may also work to prevent - because of "human rights issues"- the return to former jackbooted policies on the other.

(by Garry ) Jeff ... that's a nice pix of the boxcars.

...and the depth of field along the side of the black one..

Joe:

Or, you could always go with at million percent grade between the first and fourth levels...

...wasn't there an article or three a while back on a vertical transfer table this chap had rigged up to solve just that situation in his train room? Sort of like a dumb waiter that lifted and lowered whole trains.

BridgeTom:  I'm with you on the Cilantro! Double yuk!

Krump: back! I know it's been a tough while for you, and it's good to see you in again!

Vincent:

I can push it back out from the inside, but it pops right back in. Maybe run some hot water over it or use a hairdryer?

  Sounds like it could do with both at the same time, heat to soften the plastic enough to stay "popped" .

I have testors clear parts cement and window maker that may work, but if a cast could be made clear that'd be great.

...I've tried the Krystal Klear for vehicle windows, and getting the curve in the windshield and rear window is the hard part, since it's a film in a rectangular frame, and tends to want to be flat. Also, I found it was thicker at the edges (no huge surprise, but not like any other windows you've seen!) Good luck with this.

 

JimRCGMO:

Jim in Cape Girardeau

(Can you see Monday from here?...)

 Barry - It will be tomorrow----unless someone moved it on us-----  

LOL

I'm off to see if the twin of that 75' car will run well behind it, or better in front. I find that some cars are tricky like that. Goodnight all, and God Bless. Prayers continuing for all in need of Healing, Comfort, Prosperity and Peace.

 

 

[Robby P.]

 Good late evening.  Just a sweet tea to go.

 Didn't do much at all other than watch some football.  I normally work on the layout during the week.  Kinda gives me something to do.

 Der......Thanks for the comments.  I agree that the legs painted black really helped.  I will have to look into "tweaking" the plant.  Maybe look at it tomorrow, and see what I can do.  As far as a WYE......I'm not the best at wiring things on the layout. 

 Vincent......I have a diploma in auto-body, and I wouldn't have any ide on what to do with the bumper.  Maybe you could sand the paint off around the dent, and fiberglass over the dent.  I know they have a lot of plastic stuff now, and I'm sure something will work.  Maybe what Der said might work as well.

 Well I will be hitting the hay in a bit.  See everybody in the morning.

[Packer]

evening ya'll

I actually watched the tube for once, and saw "human target". They actually have a nuclear powered train (in california no less) that has exlpoding brakes... I figure that stuff will be on youtube in a few hours... IT's crazzzyyy

Rob and Der, I've been searching and looks like heat is in fact the answer.

[GMTRacing]

Good Evening All,

   Long day after all. Plan B entailed the CFO finding a solution that didn't involve swinging a hammer all day (look honey this takes the same size nails and weighs less than half the old one.) She came back from the store with a whole new nailer! God I love that woman. Framing is now nearly half done and this was the part that had to be plumb and true for the walls to hang right. Also was able to incorporate the old doorway where we recorded the kids heights while they were growing up. We saved the frame and door when we gutted the rest of the interior just because we might be able to use it. Probably not your idea of fun Ray, but a good day in my book. Tomorrow I will go on lline and order the trigger seal kit to fix the old unit. Each day doing the job list brings me closer to starting the shelf layout and ultimately starting the new full layout in the shed.

  Chris - not a 60 footer, but you can frequently find used trailers in the 45 to 53 foot range 8 feet wide and convert one of those. If you get an old gooseneck trailer you could keep it registered and the neighbors would never know . There used to be a character here that had a layout built into his motorhome and traveled with it.

Ulrich - I agree with Chris the idea is despicable. No-one has a problem with helping someone such as yourself that needs assistance after fate has turned on them. The issue here and probably where you are as well are those that have made a lifes career out of public assistance often with the willing aid of those who give the assistance. Layabouts I think is the best term I've heard.

Vincent - I will consult with the oracle who does our bodywork hopefully this week and find out what the solution is on the bumper cover. When you do paint it, it will need what they call flex paint so it doesn't just flake off. The flex paint allegedly also w.rks on model locomotive railings. On the car mold look at the Alumlite web sight to see how to cast a shell. The resin is also available in clear for windows though for transport you could be creative and decree that they were using the white plastic sheeting on the windows for shipping a bit earlier than they really did. That would allow you to do a simpler one piece mold and just add wheels and tires.

I did watch some bits of todays' football games. I knew if Favre was on his game they had a good chance - Jets not so much. I think the coach is nuts but his enthusiasm is contagious. I will be interested in how they approach the Colts game next week but that is going to be a tall order. The Saints and Vikings? Another toss up.

   Time to get some shut eye as next week is going to be busy again. Cheers, J.R.

 

[LSWrr]

UP Long Train 18,000 feet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdIzRFOaTCY&feature=fvw

 

 

 

[ns3010]

DerJohn---> Yes, I remember that now. But not worth it at all if you're running long trains, though.

Lee---> Thanks for posting that link!

Well, sorta kinda have no school tomorrow. It's reading day, where you can go for extra help, although it's not an 'official' day of school. I'll be going for Algebra.
And then we have a game at 12:30. I heard this team's not that good, but they're playing us, so I have a feeling it'll be good for them...

Imma gettin tired, so Imma gonna hit it.
Night!

[LSWrr]

Good morning all,

http://www.lswrailroad.bravehost.com/

I re-built my web site, I still have some work to do adding content, however positive and negitive comments would be appreciated.  I don't know if the new MS-Internet Explorer will read it, however I did use MS software to publish it but as we all know MS is like an octopus that dosen't know where it's hands are these days.  The picture page and the projects page are basicly place holders right now, i hope to fix that soon.

[blownout cylinder]

Good Morning

We are currently sitting at -5C in the fog. Just another dull day for us with the high at 0C. There are warnings of black ice out here and some roads are kinda dodgy but oh well I'm not having to run 'roun' doin' stuff today

Gonna actually get some train time today---for once ---- I'm checking out some wiring as I appear to have some dead spots on a reverse loop. Loop works OK but----?

Chloe, I'll have a full breakfast plate special with ham and sausage and home fries as well, Oh---and a large Burlington Northern  mug of fresh perked coffee please-----I'll be at the RC this morning---

[GMTRacing]

Good Morning All,

    36F and dismal outside this morning. Rain and s*ow showers predicted for today and tomorrow but at least the temps moderated a bit. I'll have a coffee and a blueberry donut please - yes - to go, please. Making more suspension repair pieces for the F-1 Theodore today so we can send them out for coating. After that I have a couple of rewiriing jobs and the Cooper Monaco to continue on. Catch y'all later, J.R.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

 Good morning. It's 35 and clear. The high will be in the upper 60's and it should be partly cloudy.

I actually got some of the junk cleared off the layout yesterday and I did some work on a few container loads. There's still more junk to be sorted however. Oh well, I don't have anything better to do today, yet. The foot isn't bothering me so much now since some bone slivers worked their way out last week. With three bones missing balance issues can become somewhat of a problem and my balance was somewhat precarious to start with. Today I intend to do some light work on the layout, mainly get the rest of the junk cleared and put some details back in place. There's also a road that need to be taken up but I'll have to do that slowly as it's on the far side of the extension where the extension meets the original benchwork. That means I'll be reaching across a three foot distance so I'll have to be careful not to damage anything in between while keeping my weight on my good foot. It should prove to be interesting to say the least.

[Robby P.]

 Good morning.  Its kinda nasty" outside.  Foggy, and rainy.  I rather have it that way than SNOW!!!

 I will probably work on the layout later.  The wife is off today, and  she will have the "soaps" on later.  Other than that, maybe do some work clothes.

 Hope everybody has a good day!!

[Anonymous]

 Good Afternoon,

an uneventful day at the GULAG - glad to be home. It is "warm" outside, + 2 C, and foggy. Really a dull day!

Chloe, as the guys are not playing with the catapult any longer, may I have a slice of that cream cheese pie and a coffee to go with it? Thank you.

My mom is on the way to recovery, but we know, that a few things will have to change in my parent´s household. It will be a tough one to persuade them to accept help in their daily chores. I am not worried as long as my mother is still in  the hospital, but once she´s out ...

I feel a little dull - no rest yet in sight. I urgently need to recharge my batteries

Lee - nice home page! 

Jeff - no need to put up a tombstone for me - yet

Chris - it would be my pleasure to draft up some ideas for you - keeps me out of trouble, you know !

[TMarsh]

Good Morning. Happy MLK Day. Sorry no card. Boy is it noon already!? Wow. Ok double Cheeseburger and some cheese fries, no make that Jalapeno Poppers. Cream cheese kind please and a Dr Pepper Thank you.

Der- Yeah, that's what I meant, Copy and paste, I just say Cut because...., well....., I don't know why.

I think I'll head to the basement before something raises it's ugly head before I have to work at 4.

Have a Great Day!!!

[Cox 47]

howdy all...Its cloudy and 32 here...I'll have a windy city dawg,drag it thru the garden.onion rings and a RBF please...thank You...Not much going on the I&S rails...gonna take my lunch and slip over in the corner...You all have a good one...Jerry

[LSWrr]

Thanks Ulrich.

Jeff, 3 foot reach.  Have you seen those steps for campers? It’s one step with four legs, I have one in my layout room and I highly recommend it to extend your reach.  If you have a friend handy with a welder and some angle iron laying around it’s a good afternoon project to build one.

Love the mounument BTW.

[Cederstrand]

A plain sweet potato, please.

Had the 24 hour virus thing my wfie had last week with uncontrollable shivers. Fever broke last night. Only took sips of water for 36 hours. It dropped me down to 12.6% body fat. Glad that is over. I can eat again.

Obviously nothing new to report on the MRR'ing front. This week should be an improvement.

Hope everyone is doing well. 

Rob 

[LSWrr]

Rob glad your feeling better.

[Trainman Sam]

Good afternoon on a beautiful Monday! (at least in PA it’s rather nice… hope the same for the rest of my pals!)

Chris- I feel your pain… I have now gone through about a dozen track work changes, half dozen configuration variables (say that five times fast, lol) and about fifteen different “what was I thinking when I started this mess” breakdowns. But HEY, it’s a passion, right!

Der- Very well put… Compatibility! Who needs it!!! Lol. On the home front, very glad to hear that your mother is recovering nicely… I know exactly what you mean about parents not accepting “change”. Too long to explain, but I do understand! I will be praying for you to find rest.

Lee- The new site is fantastic… can’t wait to see some photos!

Jerry- that billboard looks great! I, unfortunately, am not old enough to know that ad campaign, but definitely like the look of it! Have to do a search on it! Keep the cool projects comin’ my friend!

Bridge Tom and Der: Don’t let my wife hear that. She LOVES cilantro, not by itself, but add it to Salsa, and almost any soup, and it is like a magnet for her! Lol

Robby P.- I understand the “not great on wiring” issues… I have them myself, which is why I bought a book. Which, subsequently I no longer am in need of (since I went to DCC and have the book for THAT)…

Rob- Hope you are feeling 100% better today!

Well, news for me was that I moved almost all of my stuff out of my Uncle-in-laws house… which included a ton of model railroading stuff… I found my graph paper notebooks and the corresponding HO track planning template! So I spent a lot of time yesterday jotting down some of my previous sketches into a more definitive plan… here are a few links to my NH&I 5’x10’ layout ideas:

http://i644.photobucket.com/albums/uu163/Wee_Ply_34/Layout%20Ideas/NHI5x10Idea0001.jpg

http://i644.photobucket.com/albums/uu163/Wee_Ply_34/Layout%20Ideas/NHIAlternate10001.jpg

This is an alternate idea for my existing table, comments are most welcomed:

http://i644.photobucket.com/albums/uu163/Wee_Ply_34/Layout%20Ideas/WorkInProgress0001.jpg

I hope this post finds you in a better place than before!   I am still so thankful to have a group of friends who share my interests in this hobby!  My wife doesn't, as of this moment, share the same enthusiasm or enjoyment of the hobby.  Thankfully she does support me in my hobby endeavors!  Thank heaven for the little perks in life!

Well, I'll be sitting in one of the boothes attempting to create a  usable layout plan!!!

[AmanaMedic]

Good afternoon everybody...

Trainman Sam

I feel your pain… I have now gone through about a dozen track work changes, half dozen configuration variables (say that five times fast, lol) and about fifteen different “what was I thinking when I started this mess” breakdowns. But HEY, it’s a passion, right!

Yeah......... I'm hoping to "get it right" the third or fourth time.... Seriously, whatever plan I finally settle on, and commit finances and resources to...I'm sure there will be hundreds if not thousands of "WHAT was I THINKING?" moments...which will be reduced down to "WAS I thinking???" I am probably the quintessential arm-chair model railroader. I've got a bunch of stuff sitting on shelves, I've got sketches, notes, research material, "givens and druthers" pilled up; but its just "safer" (and cheaper) to hold-off on banging lumber together, etc.... until I'm "sure" I "know" what I want.

In tough finances...THAT seems like a "smart" idea too...and helps to keep Loving Wife a) "loving," and b) supportive of this perversion we call a hobby.

Oh, and SAM: I see some real potential in those sketches... I could stay busy switching them.

THATs one thing whatever I end up with has to have: switching. I see a layout as the opportunity to be the brakeman/switchman I wanted to be once upon a time. The chance to w**k Job 22, 23, 24, 25, the Extra Job 89... Yes indeedeedoo....take me back to the much simpler days of my late teens/early 20s when yellow and green Geeps, GP-15s, and MP-15DCs reigned. Take me back to long strings of blue QOCX (Quaker) boxcars being pulled out of the plant. Return me to the days when North Yard had TOFC tracks (pulled on the second trick, like clockwork), and the "job" had to pull down 22 Track, right alongside the trail. Pretty cool to be legally walking alongside a Geep-7 making a long pull.

*Sigh* Chloe? Any Hamm's back there???

JEFF: LOVE that memorial!

ULRICH: I'll see what I can put together, for your consideration. Sometimes a little "mental exercise" is a good thing to negate the negative thoughts THAT are so pervasive...

Alas...time to yield the floor, see if I can do something with a story I covered today for THAT. The North Liberty Library is accepting food items in place of money for overdue book fines this month. For MLK Day, the library staff delivered a load instead of having the NL Food Pantry come and get it. Of course, knuckle-heads had to taint the effort. A jar of pickled watermellon somethings was found. The lid was rusty, the label looked to be about 20-30 years old...even the price sticker looked antiquated. Oh, and the contents were BLACK...like tar. Some other clown "donated" a half-a-jar of popcorn, and an OPEN jar of some kind of paste stuff was found too...the lid wasn't in the box. Nice. At least one canned item was at least ten years old...it was store brand from Eagle Foods. They flew out of Iowa at least a decade ago... Nice.

Of course, there was also a guy who stopped in with bags of new stuff...not to pay a fine, just to donate "to the cause."

Somehow it all kinda ballances out.

Chris

[fec153]

This is very strange. I'm not working and it is a monday. Joy to the world.  Sat. TV, RFD has Trains and Locomotives at 6 and I'll be able to watch.   Spoke to my friend at the Texas State RR last night. They are rebuilding their #400, aBig A$$ Mikado. Built in 1917, still has the builders plates. 174 boiler tubes that are 5 in.diam. and 18 ft. long. Anyone want to work?

Rob and all others,ill and in pain, best wishes and Prayers.

Flip

p.s. Prairie Rails is the episode.

 

[blownout cylinder]

Good Evening

It has been an "interesting" day so far---the watermain that supplies our side of the crescent had broke sometime early this morning and left the corner down near our house with a foot of ice, water, snow and assorted guck---they finally turned the water back on after several hours of patch that pipe. Found out from our ward member that this street will be tore up this spring and new main put in--they think that the bust pipe thing will go for a while yet-------SO. My day was spent doing a few extra things

My RR empire will have a new yard at Exceda Wye---I got into this yard construction destruction thing and decided to tear the dang thing apart and start from scratch there----I may even go further than that--

Chloe, I'll just have 4 extra big honkin quadruple greaseburgers with the fried mushroom and onion rings slathered on top, a platter of fries with gravy, and a chocolate milkshake please-----I'm going to the corner booth  and be with my comfort food

[howmus]

Evenin' folks!

Flo just a decafe for ..... well actually maybe another slice of the Sweet Potato Pie with a bit of whipped cream on top.  I'll be in the back warming up and resting.  Nope nothing else, had a huge dinner at the church this afternoon.  Lets see, Fried Chicken, Ham, Candied Yams, Green Beans, Collard Greens, Corn, Corn Bread, Potato Salad, Macaroni Salad, and then Sweet Potato Pie for desert!  Yep I'm still full.

I am officially exhausted!  I got to the Church where the Festivities were held at 9AM.  This year we were at Trinity Episcopal Church here in Geneva.  I got a couple hundred photos which I will have to sort out over the next couple of weeks.  We have a March then a 2 hour service, and then a feast.  Geneva has been celebrating the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday this way for 39 years.  Of course we heard from the politicians.......  First our Mayor who has been a Human Rights activist for many years, Member of the Board of education, is now on the board of the Boys and Girls Club, is retired as an executive of a corporation that used to be in Geneva.  He talked about the future and what we need to do as citizens to create a better community for all our people.  He got a rousing ovation.  Then a Representative in the State Legislature got up and talked for well over the time he was given to talk about nothing in particular.  He got a nice round of applause.  Then our local Senator in the State Legislature told us how he is single handedly making everything wonderful because he got us money for this and that and isn't he just the most wonderful.......... For way over his allotted time.  (Must be an election year coming up....)  He got kind of a pathetic clap, clap, clap.  (OK done with anything about politicians.)

The MLK Choir was wonderful as usual, the speaker, Dr. Arlette Miller Smith, an Associate Professor Dept of English, Adjunct Professor, Executive Leadership doctoral program, and Co-director of African American Studies (and an accomplished singer and director) at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY delivered a fantastic address.  And the meal.......  Well all I can say is Mmmmmmmm-mmmmmmm-mmmmmmm!  Good!  We also this year got  lot of volunteer help from the local college and from kids from the Boys and Girls Club here in Geneva as well as the usual great support form the African-American Men's Association.

I, of course stayed and helped with clean-up.  Got all the Art and Poerty down and helped the President of the MLK Committee take apart and move the kiosks we use to display them.  

So.....  I'm tired!

Prayers for "under the weather" and in pain of all kinds!  Hope you have had a great day.

73

[Trainman Sam]

Hello again all,

Lee- Your website got me to thinkin'... Ouch, I know, call the fire department, the smoke'll be comin' in thick now!!! Lol

I want to be able to transport this thing, just in case I ever have to move..  the way I am looking at building now, unless I put in an exterior basement access,(EDIT) I will NEVER be able to get it out without tearing it in half (run on sentence, I know, so take THAT!!! Lol)

SOOOOOOooooo, back to the drawing board, darn... sketches to follow...

(edit)  I spoke too soon.  If I make the table in separate pieces, End Tables 2 ft x 5 ft, and Middle Tables 1.5 ft x 6 ft,  THEN I would be able to separate it to transport... AND in the event that I decide to change the layout, I can rearrage the tables as needed!  Woo Hoo!  Love when an idea comes to fruition! (Not sure if that last one is a real word, or correctly spelled but what the heck!)  Thank you Lee for the genesis of the idea!

 

 

[ns3010]

Evening all. Chloe I'll take an RBF, thanks.

WE FINALLY WON!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, that's right! We actually won a game! Final was 2-1, and now our record is 1-12, so we are no longer "defeated!" AND, we play them again, so maybe we'll get a second win.

Chloe, I'm buying PIE and RBFs for EVERYONE for the rest of the night.

I'll be over at the RC catchin' up.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

LSWrr

Jeff, 3 foot reach.  Have you seen those steps for campers? It’s one step with four legs, I have one in my layout room and I highly recommend it to extend your reach.  If you have a friend handy with a welder and some angle iron laying around it’s a good afternoon project to build one.

I have something similar to that but it's under the layout an dI can't get at it at this time. It has to be stored under there because there's nowhere else to put it.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

 Had to go to my parent's place just before noon today to wait on the AT&T guy to come out and service the phone box out back of the house. They could call out but nobody could call in. They'd just get two busy tones and a bunch of static. The repairman showed up at 2:45 and was there til almost 4. So much for my plans for the day. My parent's arrived home shortly after and I explained the repair work to them. The problem seems to have been a block that's wired in on the phone company's side. It has a modular jack that the house block line plugs into. The thing was so corroded that it would short out when a call came in. We watched a couple of Mythbusters shows then headed into town for dinner. My favorite place, El Giro's.

[ns3010]

Well, I didn't get to catching up, cause I was studying instead, so I'll just do it tomorrow.

Got the first two exams, Algebra and Spanish, tomorrow. We get out at 11ish, so I'll be home pretty early.

Imma be hittin' it. Night all

[JimRCGMO]

Good Evening, Chloe - I’ll have the potato soup and a roast beef sandwich, please, with a Dr. Pepper. Thanks!

Joe, is that your new pulpwood car (the intact or repaired one) there in the video? Looks good. Best wishes on the new layout once you get things rolling. And HEY! Congratulations on your team winning!

Chris - thanks for the photos of the 'boneyard'. From the photo of the town, I'm guessing that Flush, Kansas (sounds like an Ohio Chamber of Commerce comment...chuckle..) isn't out in the great flatland of Kansas - they even have a small ridge outside of town! As for locating the cemetery across from the church, the one idea I had for where the church could be located, has across the road from it... the aisle! Think it might be hard to fit the cemetery there, unless I widened that section (which is about two feet as is). The widest part of my layout (guessing on the 11' X 11' size) will be about 3' (and that'll be where the turntable, roundhouse and main yard will be located). I'll keep fiddlin' with the plans for now.

JR, I think when a woman gets the right (whatever) from a hardware place, it about guarantees her a special spot in her man's heart!

Lee - 18,000 feet?? I think that one would be too long for me to watch... That's one heckuva "long train comin'..." Like the new site - sent you some comments that I hope will be helpful. If not, just disregard them.

Yep, Barry, we had frozen fog on the car's windshield this a.m. (and some fog to drive through, as well). Nuisance (the frozen stuff - the other just required extra caution). Sounds like you had a good turnout over your weekend.

Jeff - I like that memorial/monument; did you make that, or somebody else? Looks good. And good idea to not overdo until your foot is healed up. At least you got a good meal in exchange for babysitting the AT&T guy.

Rob, heckuva way to trim down, there. Build your nourishment back up, fella. Almost sounds like the two of you might've had some kind of flu bug. Glad you're both over that!

Ulrich, I'd agree with you that sometimes our parents (particularly the ones who've been used to doing everything for themselves - and others - are the hardest to get to slow down and let anyone else help them as they get less able to "do it all." My Dad was like that, and it was a blessing that when he went, he didn't have to be in a nursing home. He would NOT have been good at cooperating there (come to think of it, I may be no better than he was...).

Sam, that last layout plan has a TON of switching potential to it! On the second one, the 'yard' tracks seem a little short, but that may just be the rough sketch, too. First one is good - was that like the idea you mentioned a while back? (Or was it somebody else who had the 'track under and off' idea?)

Ray, somehow when you described which politician was starting to speak, I kinda guessed close to your description of what they said and what response they got... Sounds like a pretty good day, other than the political types... Y'know, you could name your Bridge to Nowhere the 'Senator XYZ Memorial Bridge' (assuming everyone will add the 'T.N.' onto the end)...Whaddya think?

Today I stopped by the office to turn in my paperw**k from the weekend's on-call, and I noticed my co-w**ker wasn't in yet (that's unlike him). I was wondering if the fog was slowing him down, but finished up and left (before they tried to rope me into covering until he got there). This evening, I was wondering about him, so called him at home - turns out, he had a presentation (for a project he got dragged into doing, and that he's NOT at all wild about) in one of our outlying offices. Apparently whoever set him up to cover that, forgot to schedule it on a week when I am in the office, so they were without anyone but supervisors to cover. He said about 10 a.m., our supervisor was calling and asking him how much longer he would be ("about crying", I think, was his description). Serves them right to forget about the impact on everybody else...(Hmm, maybe I shouldn't be so hard on them)

This afternoon, I got to going through my box of locos, and noticed that I have my RDC’s project still to get going on. I have several (too many, but I got them at a good price) of the Athearn RDC's - RDC-1’s (both powered and 1 dummy unit), RDC-3’s (1 shell and some powered), plus a couple of the Ernst gearing kits for the RDC’s (besides one kit for an Athearn GP7 I have). I’d found an older MR article about kitbashing some of the Athearn RDC’s to more prototypical length and appearance, and was thinking about making an RDC-2 out of the shells (which would involve some chassis w**k as well...), and maybe even an RDC-4. Prototypical? Well, more or less. In an earlier version of the Diner, we had what was called “Teffy’s rule” - it's sorta like Todd talking about being king of Toddland. A lot like DerJohn's comments about 'compatability?...'

Tonight at MRR club, it was just me and the LHS owner/club member. I ordered some board and batten sheets for my scratchbuilt church, plus some 41' Rio Grande gondolas and a PS2 2893 covered hopper (ATSF). I am waiting for some figures I have coming in, perhaps later this week.

Welp, about time to finish up and head for home. Good to see that some of you got some MRR'ing time in, and that others are healing up. Prayers will continue. And thanks, Chloe - that was great soup!

 

Blessings,

Jim in Cape Girardeau