Ray: Good article there...
Overheard at waiting room in the cardiac unit--little 6 yr old getting a pacemaker..."Dad? Where does Ice Cream go to school?"---father of said child..."I don;t know..where?" ---son---"To Sunday School!"
ok--i'll get my coat....
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/
last mountain & eastern hogger Chris and Jeff, Thanks, for all you guys do and have done in fighting fires and your EMS work. I did some EMS work years back and understand the stressors there. We have a great society with fellows like you and Gals too now, putting it on the line to fight, rescue and keep us safe. Glad you survived that flip Chris, that was indeed a close one. I am raising my double RBF in a salute to you both.
Chris and Jeff,
Thanks, for all you guys do and have done in fighting fires and your EMS work.
I did some EMS work years back and understand the stressors there.
We have a great society with fellows like you and Gals too now, putting it on the line to fight, rescue and keep us safe.
Glad you survived that flip Chris, that was indeed a close one.
I am raising my double RBF in a salute to you both.
Thank you Johnboy. Chris and I both know from hard experience that being a fire fighter is not a dream job. But it's one that must be done. I work with several people who do it as a profession and I do it as a volunteer. Yep, that's right. I do it for no pay whatsoever. Why? Again, it's one of those jobs that must be done. Why did I get into it? One of my best friends lost his life in a house fire. He was three feet from a window and likely never knew it.When you're in a burning building you can't see your hand in front of your face. I know. I've been there many times but not since 2003. That's when the chief took me off the front line due to my health. I can still help fight grass fires and woods fires but I can't go in the structures anymore. But that doesn't mean I can't train the new guys how to do it. No I can't move fast but I make sure to be very careful about what I do and how I do it. I can run the pumps, I can move equipment, I can move the trucks if needed. All this frees up an able bodied fire fighter to help fight the fire and my determination is an inspiration to the others. If I can do it there's no reason they can't do it. Now I better sit down and be quiet before somebody shoves a sock in my mouth. I'll have a big cup of that chicory coffee.
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
Chris , and Jeff: The Icelandic Viking Leif Eriksson was called "Leif the Lucky" after he rescued some fellow seafarers. It was considered lucky to do that. Seeing as how you have rescued your share of folks from various fires, you could both be considered Lucky - quite apart from having survived notable vehicle accidents and major injuries! ...reading on, Lee too!
Jeff: Drying the re-cycled ballast - Toaster oven on low? Great idea to re-use the ballast- does the ballast get grunged up (wrote this actually before I read Chris' post at the bottom of page 27!) with other things of about the same particle size - I'm thinking white plaster granules in particular? When I've done the same with ground foam that's been the worst feature.
Galaxy:
sometimes it feels like I can't breathe at all, other times when I'm off my night O2, I am inhaling/exhaling, but don't feel like i'm getting any air {oxygen}.
Ray: Very nice! Love the Hopewell Junction shot too - lotsa weeds in that yard!
Todd:
in trouble with the rail cops.
Barry: Good to hear it all went well. 120˚ rotation - that sounds like a lot. Does that affect the way the arteries and veins are routed? ....and on the Sundae School!
Ulrich: Now you've taken away that double platformed siding - any particular reason - apart from spoiling the local kids "confuse a conductor" games?
I now have to figure the wiring for the signals. I think individual switches on the fascia near the signal locations, with the default aspect being red. I've probably got plenty of amps left on the 12v AC feed that powers the block occupancy indicators for my hidden passing sidings. If not, then a different old power pack will be pressed into service. To do a complete automated interlocked signal set up is WAY beyond my capability - starting with a near total lack of knowledge of just how the prototype goes about THAT, coupled with a powerful lack of urge to find out! Here's what the installed signal looks like - powered by temporary hook up. The red is actually brighter than it appears here. I think the camera angle changed between shots.(I've figured out what it is. The signal head is not quite horizontal, and points slightly skyward. In the first photo I was a little more in line with it than in the second. On the layout, it's a fault in the right direction as the viewer's eyes are normally above, rather than on a level with, the signal head. It's a not-too-easy-to photo location.) I had to turn off the "light at the end of the tunnel" shadow box as it's light swamped the signal in the photo - it doesn't on the layout.!
Goodnight all, and God Bless. Prayers for all in need of Healing, Comfort, Prosperity and Peace.
"There are always alternatives, Captain" - Spock.
Holy sheet...I have spent the better part of the day snow blowing my driveway. I cannot believe how much I have spent in gas so far. We have got at least...just today alone...over a foot to almost two feet at my house!!!..(on top of the 2-3 plus I already have)..It is coming down at a constant rate of about two inches per hour at the moment. I am right outside Syracuse N.Y. where we get "lake effect" snow from Lake Ontario. Big fluffy huge flakes. Perfect Xmas snow!! Makes the house all lit up with lights look like a Norman Rockwell picture. The problem with this snow is that it can dump several inches to feet of snow in a short time while your neighbor two miles away gets only an inch. Ya know it's deep when the kids can't sled in it and your snow blowing paths for the dog to do his business in. My street sounds like a day at the tractor pulls with almost every neighbor out snow blowing or even worse...our roofs. For those of you in snow areas PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep the hydrants near your house clear. Being a volunteer here in Liverpool N.Y keeps us very busy on hydrant details. Some people just plain suck when you knock on their door and ask them to "pitch in" and shovel the hydrant that's in their FRONT YARD!!... They will say "That's your job...or better yet....let it burn...I need the insurance money". Frozen hydrants are a nightmare at three in the morning when a house is burning. Decaf to go please...gotta go outside again shortly!!!!...Stay warm...Tim
A true friend will not bail you out of jail...he will be sitting next to you saying "that was friggin awesome dude!" Tim...Modeling the NYC...is there any other?
der5997 Jeff: Drying the re-cycled ballast - Toaster oven on low? Great idea to re-use the ballast- does the ballast get grunged up (wrote this actually before I read Chris' post at the bottom of page 27!) with other things of about the same particle size - I'm thinking white plaster granules in particular? When I've done the same with ground foam that's been the worst feature.
Evening all. Just about to head off to bed, as its been a fairly busy day. Just wanted to check in with everyone and especially see how Barry was doing. Glad to hear that you are doing well sir, very glad.
Thanks to all those whom are first responders, y'all know whom you are and what you do.
Another thing, y'all please keep a few families in your prayers down here in Bama, they lost their two daughters in a traffic accident this morning, bridge was iced over and their vehicle lost control and slid into an 18-wheeler.
Welp, guess I'm going to check one or two more things, then off to bed for me!
Later taters!
Good Morning ! from Tipton IN.
Bill Tidler Jr.
Near a cornfield in Indiana...
Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood Evening, bucket of hot cider please 'n thank-you....
JOHNBOY and a multitude of others: Thanks for the very kind words! I haven't had to pull anybody out of a fire...yet. I'm 0-10 on CPR runs... not really sure I can say I "saved" anybody. I know there are some trauma patients who survived because a team of us were there when they needed us. Not sure I can claim any "saves" myself though.
I really don't know why I fight fires, or why I did EMS. I do "blame" Johnny and Roy (EMERGENCY!) though!!! Seriously, Randy Mantooth and Kevin Tighe, in their portrayal of firefighter/paramedics, set a lot of us on the path. There's a thrill in answering the alarm, but there is always the heavy realization THAT the alarm means somebody is having a very, very, very bad day. I know I've helped a lot of people and THAT is a great feeling. I know I've helped to save some houses (one is just a block away from mine). I've also watched people die. I've seen people lose their homes. I've fought floods, I've watched for tornadoes.
I don't know why... it's just what we do.
JEFF: You and I are on the same page when it comes to safety. THAT's why I walked away from the Troy Mills Fire Dept. After being railroaded into the Fire Training Officer's role, I started a training program. They didn't have one before. "What do we need training for? We've always done it this way" was all I heard. The dept. was founded in 1963, and still operating in 2002 like it was '63. I got non-stop bitching about a 1-hour training meeting. This from guys who had no problem arguing for THREE HOURS about what type of sandwich should be served at the annual soup supper! On a "good" evening, I'd have maybe 2 guys show up. Safety? Not there! I walked so I wouldn't get hurt/killed from somebody else's ignorance or stupidity. Central City was strict on training and safety, Springville too. Here in Clarence...it's a bit looser, but nowhere near as bad as Troy Mills. We have two "training officers," who don't really do very much. I don't want the job, but if asked...I'd take it if only to ensure "training" means "TRAINING" and not "sit around and BS for an hour or two." Iowa mandates 24 hours of training each year now for anybody wanting to go interior. But for some creative accounting, I don't think many of us would meet THAT. As it is, I think my days of being a combat firefighter are numbered. I'm just not in the shape I used to be...still healthy (as far as I know), but not really what you'd call "fit to fight." Fortunately, we just put on some younger guys who are chomping at the bit. 41 and fat...not a good interior combination!
BARRY: Glad they got you wired-up OK! It should bring a tremendous "peace of mind" for you.
To whomever it was who said surviving the wreck was proof HE is with me... some have suggested He was trying to get my attention. To THAT I always ask "well, couldn't HE have just tapped me on the shoulder? I mean, did HE really have to drop a fire engine on my head???" Or, it's like my favorite Uncle said: "Heaven didn't want you...and Hell wasn't ready for you yet!"
Oh, and JEFF, you mentioned getting blown all over the road today. Coming back from a school board meeting in Oxford, I encountered "2-4 inches of s**wfall." I had to guess where my lane was for much of the journey.
I
HATE
WINTER
RAY: NEAT!!! I'm impressed with the S*L*O*W, but I also gotta give a tip of the fedora to the guy with the SD-45s and the wood trestle. Good stuff! Of course, for me, the "article" on Eggert's CNW layout was a real treat. I'm a real fan of his w**k. He's put out some articles on modeling CNW freight cars, and I'm impressed with how he's really captured the "look" of the Cheap and Nothing Wasted. His diesel house looks like a twin of the shed at Beverly Yard. I keep hoping he'll do an article sometime on how he built it.
ULRICH: YES! You SHOULD be getting paid to design layouts. You've got a knack for it Pally!
I should go package up some hedgehogs...Rerun is gifting his sister Sally and Tobey the Schnauzer with the small, furry creatures this year. Tobey was the subject of a service dog/therapy dog article I did some weeks back. His parents were so thrilled with my efforts, they've since become my biggest fans.
A good and SAFE night to all, and best wishes to all in need...
Chris
The Cedar cRapids Industrial Branch: Proudly Shipping Yesterday's CrunchBerries Tomorrow!
Good Morning,
Chris, I bought my first Metro 660 in 1984-85, before that we were wearing the traditional “bump” hat with the long bill in the back. We had black for rookies, red for Fireman, yellow for equipment operators, and white for officers. If you wanted to buy your own you could buy a purple for the HazMat Team and Blue for the EMS. I just stuck with red even though I was a Fireman/Operator/EMS/HazMat I didn’t see the need to be color coordinated when stuff fell out of the sky, LOL.
Just cold today, no snow and very little wind, we will reach a blistering 28F by this afternoon. There is ice on the lake but only stretches out maybe 150 yards.
BM1 Lee Soule USCG (ret) L.S.&W Railroad Serving the Lower Great Lakes
Good Day Folks!
Cup of coffee please.
Hope everyone has a great day! Looks like we might be getting some more snow, at least its a little warmer out.
Steven
Good Morning
After an interesting night trying to get comfortable with a BIG lump of a compression bandage set on my upper chest I actually managed to get some sleep...Now comes the fun part--I get to do some work in my trainroom moving a couple of small shelf units and get rid of some stuff--in my own time of course...
Chris: Don't I know it
Neighbour is out with the big plow now--another foot of snow fell on us overnight
Flo, I'll have a coffee and some pancakes with maple syrup please, I'll be at the RC for a bit...
*Pulls up in a Rotary*. Sheesh, we's getting white stuff in Indiana. I pity those of you in true Snow Country. The ones who say "Hah! That's NOTHING" will be able to prove it to me here very shortly.
Something warm for Dinner please. It's cold. I do wish I had the big rotary uit I want to model. That will be after the Cabby I think.
-Morgan
The door to the Diner flings open and a snowy creature enters it. Is it man or is it beast?
Good Afternoon,
Mother Nature is playing tricks on us - we right in the midst of a snow storm. Got 6" of that stuff within 2hrs and there is more to come!
Flo, I´ll have a big mug of hot cocoa to warm me up, and a slice of that pecan pie, please.
I am not up to much today, other than doing some research on how to build the benchwork for my little layout. I am inclined to try the L-girder method, bolted to the wall and supported by two legs left and right from my desk. Now this will not be a true modular design, but it seems the most efficient way. Will do some more reading on this.
You all have a good one!
mourning not awake yet
HAve the CPR {Center for Pain Relief} today. They will do cortisone injections, which will cripple me for a few days before ti feels better. Oh goody!
WE have other errrands to run today too. Lots of them and I am not awake yet!
A cup of Kona coffee from Hawaii will do that.
well ahve a great day!
-G .
Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.
HO and N Scale.
After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.
Good morning. It's 63° and mostly cloudy with a south-southwest wind of 8 mph. The high should be around 70° with a 6 mph west wind and it will still be mostly cloudy.Sent out some packages yesterday as I'm sure the people I sent them to were glad to learn from their PM's. Still have more to go out in the near future. I spent a couple of hours in a training meeting at the fire dept last night and it was also a surprise birthday party for the chief. Today I have more layout clutter to clean up. Surprising how much of a mess can be made while getting stuff out to be put up for sale. The list of items will be up until the 24th of this month. Those who are interested can contact me by PM.
Good morning.
Just another cold day. Maybe some snow flurries later.
Not much planned for me today, Maybe go by the library and take some books back. Train wise.........Maybe go mess around in the basement.
Ray..........That was a good article, and some great shots!!!
Lee.......Some way you can speed up the process of the lakes freezing. Getting tired of the "lake effect" snow .
"Rust, whats not to love?"
Morning all. I'll have biscuits, gravy, sausage, eggs scrambled with cheese and the tallest glass of milk you can find, girls.
Not a whole lot happening, about to head off to w*rk. Its warmer here, expected high of around 60 today, but with rain showers likely today and tomorrow. Then its going to turn off colder again, right in time for Christmas, whoo hoo!
I may have found a fellow MRR'er down here in the Troy area, a lady that we met a few weeks back in the Dr's office whilest the youngest was being immunized, has a husband that also MRR's, and he was looking for a partner in crime, so I may have one, yippeee!
Welp that's about it for me, I'm going to sit here at the RC and enjoy my breakfast (haven't been in here to do this in a while, so I'll enjoy it). Other than that, later taters!
Good Morning! Coffee please. Thanks. Making it quick while I can. Glad Barry’s doing well. Congratulations Ray on the pictures. Once again, the SLOW looks fantastic! Lee- Saw a picture on the news of the lake water ice covered lighthouse in or near Cleveland. Nasty looking weather. Luckily we had not much of the predicted freezing rain last night so very little actually showed up. Hopefully it stays that way until noon when the threat is over. Boy Garry and Ray published in the same month That is great. Gotta run. Mom’s up. Y’all have a Great Day now ya hear?!!!
Good Morning! Coffee please. Thanks. Making it quick while I can.
Glad Barry’s doing well.
Congratulations Ray on the pictures. Once again, the SLOW looks fantastic!
Lee- Saw a picture on the news of the lake water ice covered lighthouse in or near Cleveland. Nasty looking weather.
Luckily we had not much of the predicted freezing rain last night so very little actually showed up. Hopefully it stays that way until noon when the threat is over.
Boy Garry and Ray published in the same month That is great.
Gotta run. Mom’s up.
Y’all have a Great Day now ya hear?!!!
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, Zoe, I'll have a #2 special, scrambled, with wheat toast, blackberry jam, glass of Ed's OJ, glass of milk and a Rio Grande mug of your TH, please 'n' thankyou!
Hey, hey! We have a published MRR'er here (twice!) - Ray has TWO pics of his layout on the RMC website - And when's that issue gonna be, Ray? (I have a subscription to RMC in additon to MR).Kudos, Ray!
Chris, I was kinda wondering if THAT switcher was more modern. I was a'thinkin' that the SW1500's had four lights on the front (so I guess I was right on that). Better watch yourself (and where the exits are) if you're covering school board meetings, after that recent Florida incident. Getting downright dangerous just to go places nowadays, almost. Hey, on that '41 and...' comment, are you saying you might not make it through the door? Ouch! Hey, I was kidding, quit whacking me with your helmet, I'll stop!
Jeff - did you at least have a tailwind on the way home from your bank and shopping trip? From your posts, it sounds like you're making progress on your layout re-do. Hey, it's that time of year when the weather ain't so nice outside, so we may as well stay in and do layout stuff. And I am NOT wanting any sock in your mouth; as you said, you can teach the younger guys in the department that the safe way is the ONLY way to learn how to fight the fires. That is every bit as important for them and for the department in the long run (IMHO - my ).
Vincent, best wishes on good scores on your finals! C'mon back later when you have some time (during semester break, maybe).
Barry, hope your ache/pain fades away, and good to hear that your defib is in place. Does what you said mean that your heart's turned around, or what? (If I got that correct...)
Ulrich, with the change(s) on your friend's layout plan, they should be able to ship more freight in and out. Hope your sleep gets better (more consistently sleeping, that is).
DerJohn - I like what you've done there (both the signal in place, as well as how you have the scenery in that section)! Yeah, I can understand that reluctance to fiddle with a fully automated and w**king signal system (and THAT's not counting the expense for all the circuitry to run it...). But somehow, I seem to be picking up signals when they're on sale... May need to reconsider just what I buy in that category...
Bama, good to hear you found a local MRR'er - as Garry or others can vouch, having somebody else to come by our layout is good for 'egging' ourselves on to get more done on our own.
Garry or Todd - I think I missed the post about Garry getting published (or forgot already...) - what (Diner) page was that post on, so I can go find it?
We had a (very) slight coating of ice on the roads last night, but lucked out, in that the temps are warming up today, so the schools in town didn't even call off for today. Now, north of us the temps are lower, so I expect that up Todd's and Inch's way, it may be mighty slippery today (unless they got that fluffy white stuff instead of ice). Wherever you Diners are, drive careful (there's some idiots out there on the roads, likely) And no, I'm not calling you that!
Since Garry might call in the HazMat crew on me, I'll skip the chili today. (Hey, I warn everybody if it feels like something's gonna happen...)
I'll be at the window booth, looking at that white stuff coming down. Looks purty (so long as I'm not out driving in it, at least!).
Blessings,
Jim in Cape Girardeau
Forgot to leave the diner I guess.
Jim- Garry is in Trackside Photos in the Jan issue of MR. Page 92.
Todd, most of the Aids to Navigation on the Great Lakes get frozen up now and then due to the fresh water. I’m really surprised that one made the news.
Robby I’ll see what I can do, but remember Lake Ontario is too deep (133 fathoms) to freeze over so I think you might have to deal with the Nor’ Easter Lake Effect weather for a while.
Call me confused. My apologies to Galaxy, but never the less I wish you all the best with your breathing problems. I have had similar problems most of my life only not so severe as yours and well controlled to boot. I really struggle some in the winter with scraping, shovelling and blowing snow. I have to stop often and let the breathing (catch-up) then continue.
Barry, I don't understand how I mistook you or Galaxy, you don't even look like brothers. Lol. However my thoughts are the same for you. I am very glad all went well and look forward to your continuing progress.
I hope this one doesn't get posted twice like my last couple. Don't know whats with that either.
Johnboy out......................for now.
from Saskatchewan, in the Great White North..
We have met the enemy, and he is us............ (Pogo)
Hi Guys,
it´s me again!
What a boring afternoon! I watched an old Western movie "The Lawless Breed" and added a few more finishing touches to my UK friend´s layout, which now looks like this:
I guess I am done with that now (and have to look for a new "victim").
As I cannot buy a new loco, I decided to draw one, just for me . This is my version of a D&RGW C-18:
Next time, I will try my hand at a K-27.
Ray - congrats on getting your pictures published in RMC!
Jim - that sleep issue is getting serious - I am down to my knees by now. Sleeping pills are not the answer.
I hope everyone is having a good day!
Afternoon folks!
I started this 3 hours ago and got sidetracked with other business THAT needed to be attended to (NMRA stuff).
Thank you to those who have commented on the online article. BTW Ron's scenery is simply the best I have ever seem anywhere! He only has about 20% of it finished at this time, but it just blows me away to see the quality of his work! He is one of the people who judged my layout for the NMRA Scenery Certificate.
I have to get to a hearing center appt., so I will catch up on things later today.
Have a good one!
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Just a quick stop.
Made it to the library and forgot the movie at home!!!!!!!! Good thing was I found a few hoppers, and just how I like them.................................NASTY!!!
Ulrich...........Good looking layout/loco.
Lee......I guess I will have to deal with it then .
70° here, cloudy with a 12 mph SW wind. Low of 45° tonight with a 40% chance of a shower or two. I received a Proto 1000 F3 in the mail today. I'm going to change out the couplers with Kadee Whiskers and Install a Digitrax DZ125 decoder.
Here's a video of the KCS Chrostmas Special.
http://www.rail-videos.net/video/view.php?id=10124
Jeff ... I have some of those F3's, and really like them. One exception, the axle gears will break. I purchased new wheelsets from Walthers to correct.
JimCG .. Whew!. No chile today! .... Yes, I have a picture Jan MR Trackside Photos. Ray has a pictures in Dec RMC, and his look fabulous.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
[quote user="Robby P."]
Oh my!!! I'd love to find something like that...!
Good afternoon.
I just finished some work on my layout--using one hand, mind you...can't lift anything with the left hand over my head here--otherwise the leads will come out from where they are nestled in my heart.
We aalso discovered that the other side of our crescent--remember all that wonderful new pavement we got last summer?--got tore up again due to an attack of 'brokenpipe-itis' So that side will be pot-holed and just about as chewed up this Spring as it was before they put the new asphalt in... I'll get off my now...
Heartland Division CB&Q Jeff ... I have some of those F3's, and really like them. One exception, the axle gears will break. I purchased new wheelsets from Walthers to correct.