Evening all. Sorry I haven't been in, I've been sick the last couple days.
Well, I will no longer be on the Santa train this Saturday.
BUT, I will be helping out on the Toys For Tots train on the Morristown & Erie on Sunday. I was planning on going to donate and talk with a coordinator for a while to help me with a Theology paper.
Then, my dad said that he was talking with his friend, who is involved in many local TFT collections through the Military Transport Association, and he invited me to help out collecting toys on the train!
I'll be meeting the train somewhere about 8:30 (from where my dad said, it sounds like it'll be at Lake Junction. Then, we'll be deadheading all the way down the High Bridge Branch to the first pickup site at the Flanders Firehouse. After that, we'll be collecting at Sleepy's in Ledgewood and Morris Marine in Kenvil.
My dad said I would have to get off after that, but I'm trying to convince him to let me stay on till the last stop in Rockaway. At the same time, my parents will have to be in Denville for my brother's basketball game, and Denville is right next to Rockaway. So we'll have to see about the second part of the day.
The train will be NS 3010, ME 1775 (a camo painted boxcar used especially for this event), Ohio River, an ex-EL bay window caboose, and ME caboose 100. NYSW power will likely be added on for that part of the train on Saturday like it was last year. M&E power isn't used because its is needed for Whippany Railway Museum's Santa trains.
Unfortunately, the weather on Sunday isn't supposed to be too great...
Oh well, I'll be sure to come back with a full report and PLENTY of photos, despite the rain!
Well, I have school and practice tomorrow, so I better get going. Catch you guys later!
My Model Railroad: Tri State RailMy Photos on Flickr: FlickrMy Videos on Youtube: YoutubeMy Photos on RRPA: RR Picture Archives
Good evening Diners:
Ken: thought you might be interested in this piece about job interviews. It's probably a time-limited article, so I hope it's still live. Best to open in a New Window.
http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/10-myths-job-interviews-fiftyplus-3398873351.html
Chris: Congratulations on the Official Hoodie!
FWIW, Harbor Freight sells a "lightweight wheelchair" for around $40 US Dollars...you DO get what you pay for however.
THAT said, Ulrich, it might be worth a look - the track run is, perforce, a tad longer than the tongue-in-cheek 10"! Those cuts of cars do take up some real-estate after all. I'd hazard a guess at 7" for the minimum radius BTW...and I think JR is thinking you are in true HO on this project, not HOn30 Your staging on the "getting near to it" plan would be a traverse?
Ray:
prior to the early Deacons Meeting tonight.
PC: Hope you are able to shake that cold. Rest and fluids - so why not take the Big (Lazy) Boy by corner booth, and I'll get Chloe to bring you the fluid of your choice.
That's pretty much it for me for today. We had another afternoon helping on the Community Art project for the Street-scaping. The 80 small mosaics installation was finished this morning, and installation of the 6 large pieces begun.(Kris' is #3) Won't be available for tomorrow or Friday - so that may be THAT for us. It depends how the rest of the install crew get on. I'll post some pics eventually. Mrr-wise just a bit of progress on the fibre optics for the signal. Now I've got to find the bi-colour LED I had drilled out to take the fibre. I had it a day or two ago - now it's gone AWOL. So I'm going to look for that a bit, and then call it a day. Good night all, and God Bless. Prayers for all in need of Healing, Comfort, Prosperity and Peace.
"There are always alternatives, Captain" - Spock.
(comes in singing....) "So, since we've no place to go...... Let it......" Evenin' folks!
Just got home from the party... Deacon's annual Christmas Season bash after our last meeting of the year. What? Oh, just a cup of decaf for me Janie...
The host of the party greeted me at the door with a metal tree ornament.... an 0-4-0 steam Locomotive. It is hanging here by my computer right now. I have just one more meeting of the board to preside over and then I take the mandatory year off. Actually my hearing is at the point where I will probably not go back on the active board again, but once ordained as a Deacon, you are always a Deacon!
I have to say, I am one of those nuts, ah, people who like snow. Guess it has something to do with getting a phone call very early in the morning now and then saying, "No School!" YES!
Hope you all stay warm and safe where ever you are, and this season, may the Bishop of Smyrna have your house on his route!
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
I love snow - as long as it's not here.
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
Yeah BOC, thats some snow! I'm with Chuck though.....the best snow is snow seen from a distance! It's just freakin' cold around here, with a hint of snow.
pcarrell Thats just a little bit of snow there BOC!
Thats just a little bit of snow there BOC!
Yep. Just a little. Our local paper, The London Free Press has a series of pix showing on their website. It is a bit ridiculous here...http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2010/12/08/16477581.html
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/
I did some decal work on two locos today. First the GP38-2 then one of the GP30's.
Barry - those 25 cm we have here make me feel humble. Even that small amount us sufficient to create havoc on our roads. We had many a winter without that funny white stuff.
Chuck - I like your attitude on snow Good to see you here!
It´s back to bed for some more
Reminds me of the story of one of my high school classmates who went to Syracuse for her first semester of college. She was a very slender young lady who was unusually susceptable to changes in temperature.
After final exams - and 176 inches of snow - she transferred back to New York City. Graduated from Columbia a few years later.
Here in the Dessicated Desert, any time I want to see snow I can step out into the yard (in shirt sleeves) and look at Mount Charleston - thirty miles away, and close to two miles higher. That's the way I like it; snow up there, me down here.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - two months before snow season)
Welp, we got told our 'official' amount here was a total of 135cm--or 54" of new snow since Monday morning--on top of the 45cm we got on Sunday. To the north of us--in Lucan the amount is over 170cm--or 67"--or 5' 7" of new snow--right now they are sealed up tight--no way in or out...
So---the great dig out was today--we spent all day doing the actual work of claring out the driveway--remember neighbour with Power Wagon? He did all that and I went out back and cleared BBQ of snow and made us all a big rib dinner....heeheehee
They are already singing the song of doom for our area--as we could see another 'snowpocalypse' forming over the city---again...
Evening all!
Still fighting this nasty old cold! I've had this thing for over a week! Last night my sinus's were so plugged up I couldn't hardly sleep. I'm wiped!
Prayers for those in need. I'm outta here!
Hey guys. Flo, just a cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows.
Just a quit stop after work and before school. At least this is the last week before finals. After that I'm gonna take a few days off work to get the goodies installed on my car. I was gifted a rear-end rebuild kit (new traction lock and clutch packs) with a 3.55 pinion gear. So that'll go into my car. I still have to get a throwout bearing and urethane bushings for the front. (all told I think it's around $60)
Maybe it's a good thing they didn't move the diner to Florida. It's 4pm now and the temps is 35. The weather guessers said it would snow yesterday, but it was clear all day. Today it's been cold and cloudy all day. There was supposed to be rain (while it was around 32; the radar showed a system moving this way with rain and snow) today, but nothing. Maybe the rain is disappearing before it hit the ground? But there are dark clouds on the horizon headed this way *crosses fingers for snow*
Lee, Chris, and Duke: Thanks for the help with the tank loading info. Chris, is it just me or does that flat look like it has 6-axle trucks?
Garry, Welcom back. I used to live by the same line in San Antonio. It was very busy back in the day (I was there between 92 and 96), but the last time I went there (June) there wasn't much going on.
Vincent
Wants: 1. high-quality, sound equipped, SD40-2s, C636s, C30-7s, and F-units in BN. As for ones that don't cost an arm and a leg, that's out of the question....
2. An end to the limited-production and other crap that makes models harder to get and more expensive.
(Limps into diner, leans on counter...) Howdy!
Zoe, I'll have the "Left over Rotisserie Chicken Salad" sandwich, potato chips, a cup of hot chocolate, and a couple of those Butterscotch toll house cookies for lunch. I'll be in the back booth by the stove keeping warm......
Well (water well THAT is...), Granddaughters have left, and Grandpa is ready for a nap! The one year old doesn't need any toys to keep her occupied. She has a lot of fun pushing buttons these days. Anything with a button is pushed, and she is upset when the button doesn't appear to do anything. She shut off the TV (I have had my weekly quota of Dora the Explora) several times, and even turned it back on after trying several other buttons first. My blood pressure machine was particularly fascinating as every time she pushed a button, something different happened. So. she decided to run out into my office here, and by the time I caught up with her she had turned off my computer for me.......... She accomplished THAT by pushing the on/off button on the battery backup.... I restarted the computer after she left (with fingers crossed). No damage! When the other granddaughter and their Dad showed, we got our Thomas. Emily has learned how to take apart Thomas as quickly as Livy can put it together, but she did properly park Thomas in the engine house for us..... Livy finally gets up, runs through the kitchen and stands by the cellar door. "Grandpa! Come her, follow me!" So she and the others got a quick tour of what is new on the layout. Livy was not happy we couldn't run trains, but busied herself throwing turnouts (with permission of course).
I have promised the trains will be running by Christmas, so now I have a deadline!!!
Better get busy with a few items that have to be done prior to the early Deacons Meeting tonight. Tonight we pack the bags for the "shut-ins" and others before the meeting. We will also be electing new officers tonight.... One more meeting and I turn the gavel over to the new Moderators!!! Hopefully this will result in a bit more time to spend on the layout.
Later!
Good Morning All!
Not much to report from the land of Buckeyes on this 15 degree Wednesday morning other then I threw another log on the fire and cancelled my hobby shop trip due to the cold.Modeling wise yesterday I stated a note pad list of my freight N Scale cars and locomotives.I been meaning to do this for weeks.
No plans for today so,I might set up a 3 track switching yard on the dining room table which brings me to Slate Creek..I am redesigning Slate Creek to more modern ISL design thoughts where less is definitely better.
I shall have a cup and look over the forum.
Have a good'un!
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Morning guys,
COld out there like Feb, only early Dec. Bummer. posta b cold all week. Lake effect drifting snow is over it appears for a bit. Sore and achey from the cold.
Not much planned today. Already did some grocery shopping at walmart very early. That way I can get in and out before the crowds set in and it turns into a zoo.
Tomorrow we got Lowes to get humidifier wicks and air purifier filters. Will also pick up a new board for the seat of my couch {the springs busted so a board takes their place}, and a board fo the xmas tree layout! WHOO HOO! Need to get some rebar short pieces to drive into the ground to put the reflectors on top of. Now if the 7 little brats across the street don't steal them or break them off like they did this spring...
Well, I shall have a and look over the forum and see if I can contribute to anything....
-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 37 and cloudy. Today's high will be 51 with a 40% chance of rain.Didn't get much done yesterday as my back, knees and ankle were yelling at me for doing too much walking Monday. My back still hurts but the knees and my right ankle have settled down. I'm going to be making the patch decals for the new GP38-2 today, barring interference from Murphy. I also have to go through some stuff I intend to get rid of that's serving as layout clutter at the moment. Here's the list:BLI sound module. This hooks up to a DC power pack and the track. It has buttons for a horn and a bell. It's supposed to work the horn and bell on BLI DCC sound locos on a DC layout.Life-Like N Scale 5th precinct police station.Atlas 9" plate girder bridge with NS track. A separate track section from another bridge is included.Bachmann EZ-Command control station with power pack. No track connector wires or instructions. Instructions can be found on the Bachmann site.Athearn SDK-789 Trainpack power pack. Output: 19V AC 0-16V DC. Total output 7VA.Bachmann Santa Fe wide vision caboose.Mehano NS curve track. 12 sections, 18" radius.More to come later.
Mornin' everyone!
Zoe, I'll have a bowl of hot oatmeal and a cup of dark roast coffee........
Another cold one here in the Finger Lakes today. Currently at the high for the day of 22°F. Sun is shining for the moment.
Tim, I bet the Cross Country Skiing is great over in Cleveland, NY...... There is a Camp over there my church has a yearly retreat at. They usually have 8 or so feet of snow on the ground by mid January.
Just waiting for Granddaughter #2 to come over to Grandpa's house for a little bit while #1 granddaughter goes and gets her Flu shot....
Catch you all later!
Morning gang!!...Just a quick cup of coffee for me...We have over 3 feet of snow at my house and it just keeps snowing!!!!...Gotta run and get more gas for the snowmobile and sled....talk to ya later....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?
Garry - welcome back. Both the UP and BNSF lines through Az. seemed to have constant traffic when we were visiting there. More eastbound than west but lots of very long consists - mostly unit trains I'd guess as there were only infrequent mixed freights. J.R.
Good morning.
We flew back home from AZ yesterday.
Our AZ daughter lives in Casa Grande which is in the desert south of Phoenix and northeast of Tuscan. It is located on the former Southern Pacific's Sunset Route. Now, it is a Union Pacific line. UP trains run continuously on the line. It's a good place for train watching. The typical train has 2 or 3 units on the head end and 1 or 2 pusher engines on the rear. The visit with our daughter there was truely great.
Now, I have tons of stuff to do to catch up after being gone a week.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Good morning all,
25F but sunny out just now. It'll be cold for the foreseeable future (predictable future?) butno precip until Sun per the weather guessers.
Museum last night - got the H16-44 broken in and hooded to a freight consist on the iNvisible display. Fixed a couple of items as well - one section of loose track (more latex caulk please) and the station platvorm had come adrift fouling the passenger consist and causing havoc with the cars. All seemed to be in order there so I turned my attention to the Horribly Oversized giftshop layout (4 x 6 double loop - traffic in two directions) and tried something new and daring - gluing the couplers together so they won't part on deceleration. Unlike the other displays which w..k off timers, the giftshop w..ks off simple on/off switches, one for each line. The locos' don't have any momentum and the cars try to pass them on the over-run invariably resulting in the loco emerging from the tunnel pushing one or more cars with predictable results. I'll let you know if it w..ks out.
Ulrich - there is a web site with mutiple small shelf layouts (all switching) and I'll try to find a link when I get home tonight. With your talent surely you can improve on them. I would think the 15" radius preformed track would be ok for short wheelbase locos and cars, and some of the trolley layouts have radaii as close as 12". Best to try to see how tightly you can get flex track to curve and go from there with the actual intended stock.
Ken - good luck with the interviews and hang in there.
Gotta run - stuff in the shop and all. CUL, J.R.
Ulrich - nevermind - what you just posted beats the pants off the rest of it already! Kudos to you.
Good Afternoon,
I am feeling a little miserable, as my ribs are again screaming at me. Called the doc, because I was getting worried, but he told me to be patient - cracked ribs just hurt and it´ll be much better by Christmas.
Flo, coffee in an IV bag for me, please.
Lee - we have plenty of weather right now - temps are at 25 F and it is sn*wing. Not the time to go outside.
Just to get my mind set on other things, I played around with some track plan ideas, still in search for the "ultimate" no cost, no space, but lotsa fun layout. I am getting nearer to it:
Here is the little loco you see on the 2-D view:
All done in WinRail aka RTS. Amazing what you can do with a little exercise!
Blessings!
Good cold morning.
Not much planned for me today. I did work on the layout yesterday, and a boxcar. I will probably do the same today.
Der John.........Sounds like you had a interesting time just getting the mail. Plus it sounds like you get what I get....BILLS and JUNK mail.
Well I guess I will pop back in later.
"Rust, whats not to love?"
Good Morning,
Ray, this storm hitting us is coming over Lake Superior, then Lake Huron, then Lake Erie. It’s interesting that it is going over my house and dumping everything just 2 miles south. I might have 5” of snow in my yard and the zip code behind me has almost 24”.
Ulrich, how’s the weather on your side of the pond?
BM1 Lee Soule USCG (ret) L.S.&W Railroad Serving the Lower Great Lakes
Good Morning ! from Tipton IN.
Bill Tidler Jr.
Near a cornfield in Indiana...
Good Morning Folks,
it´s been a short night again - the lack of sleep start to show effects on me.
Janie, a strong coffee for me, please.
Chris - , they must be happy with your coverage - now you´ve got to wear it to every game . I agree with you on those switching puzzles. Running a loco plus a car 10 inches forward and backward is also not a cup of schnaps I´d like to be drinking, although I have designed many of this type of layout in the recent past. Maybe this "slight" dislike is one of the reasons I have not yet started to build one of them, aside from my financial issues. What I am looking for is a layout idea, which is unusual, allows for some prototypical operation as well as continuous running, has some spectacular scenic features - and all of that on a board not bigger than 1´by 5´ (and at no cost)! You may call it squaring the circle... I have yet to come up with an idea.
Does anybody have an idea, what the absolute minimum radius would be for my Westside Model T-12 to be able to negotiate? Its rigid wheelbase is about 2", with the middle driver being "blind".
Will be back later!
Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooood Evening, bucket of hot apple cider, plate of cheeseburgers, and some of RAY's cookies if any are left.
CN CHARLIE: Very sorry to hear about your loss. Those few words sound cold, and look rather impersonal on a computer screen, but know they are offered with heartfelt sincerity.
CHUCK: Welcome sir, and thank you for your service!
I missed who it is THAT is asking about shipping tanks by rail, VINCENT maybe? Here's an oldie from my files. This was a grab shot in...'91, I think and has an M-1 Abrams and an M-109 taking a ride eastbound through Beverly Yard.
Well (surely collapsing in on itself), I must be doing something right in my coverage of the Clear Creek Amana school district...or at least of the football team. While shooting the varsity boys basketball game this evening, the head coach comes up to me and asks "what size hoodie would you like? XL? 2XL?" I'm in the middle of shooting a drive up the lane so I just shoot back my size without really thinking about it. He dashes off. I hollar back "how much??" "Don't worry about it!" he hollars back. A few minutes later (again the action is on my end of the court), he tosses me a 2010 football playoffs hoodie. Not sure if he sprung for it, if the Booster Club did, or just who/how it all came to be. I never had a chance to really talk with the guy about it. It's a true "limited edition," and somewhat controversial. I caught a slight hint of a rumor late in the season THAT the Booster Club had shirts the school "wouldn't sell." Seems on the back is a *GASP!* prayer... a warrior's prayer modified for football. It starts "Dear Lord." The coach is/was a Capt. in the Iowa Army National Guard, truly a man of faith, morals and charecter. He's already taken the Army's "Warrior's Creed" and tweaked it for football. I know the guys do a team prayer...and I think THAT's absolutely A-OK...
No Flo, I won't be needing the soapbox... 'nuff said. Other than to add I'm grateful for the coach's gesture, and darned proud to be wearing this...even though I never figured myself for the "hoodie wearing" type.
And now, to catch-up on a few things here in the Diner...
DER JOHN: Glad the Invacare information was helpful! Most of our rental fleet was Tracer SX5 chairs...rugged, lightweight, durable. IF I was in the market, I wouldn't hesitate to buy one. The SL9000 (I think it is/was) is a bit more "heavy duty" while still light weight/rugged/easy to maintain, etc. Again, I would recommend measuring the "must pass through" doorways, and talk to "in-home healthcare" experts. FWIW, Harbor Freight sells a "lightweight wheelchair" for around $40 US Dollars...you DO get what you pay for however.
CUDA KEN: Best of luck to you on the job offer!
JEFF: Man, I'm liking THAT Christmas tree! You're giving me ideers for next year's loop of Lionel track under the tree.
ULRICH: I had a thought about your blackouts... my FIL had one resulting in him parking his new car inside his neighbor's house. Turns out his Potassium level was off...I want to say it was too low, but can't tell you for sure. This was shortly before Katrina blew him, the MIL, the BIL and his family, and a bunch of other charecters to Iowa...so it's been a few years. I hope you find some relief with the ribs...and, we're still pulling for you! Also, seems to me a handful of turnouts and some track could make one of those maddening "timesaver" switching puzzles. Not my cup of schnaaps, but maybe something you'd enjoy??
Best wishes to all in need, regardless of the "need"...
Chris
Ladies and gentlemen, we salute our Armed Forces, Police Officers, Firefighters, and EMTs/Paramedics
The Cedar cRapids Industrial Branch: Proudly Shipping Yesterday's CrunchBerries Tomorrow!
Good evening Folks:
Galaxy:
I have top Honors! People have been forgeting about that! {maybe because they don;t wnat to pay the bill}..
Robby:
I did go by the post office,..
Ken:
After I saved the Video I wanted to copy to the hard drive and was prompted to insert the blank DVD, it kept saying I need to insert a disk. Did I buy the wrong kind?
Ray: Thanks for the cookies!
Barry: Ah, the winter of 77!...I remember now; we were living in Conn (east of Mount Forest on the 89). DOH lost (as in couldn't find and had no contact with) one of those 6 auger snow plows up a side road a bit over from there towards Alliston. And now you have a third as much again - already!
Chuck: to the Diner, and thanks for your thoughtful reminder. Please tell us more about your Central Japan layout. Scale, for instance, Freight or Passenger, that sort of thing.
Duke and Johnboy: I don't think I'm alone in finding this new format Forum less user friendly. Some things weren't broke in the old one, didn't need fixin'
Time to call it a day if I want to progress the multi-fibre experiment with that signal I'm trying to adapt.
So, Goodnight all, and God Bless. Prayers for all in need of Healing, Comfort, Prosperity and Peace. Heads up Barry
cudaken Jeffery sorry it is taking so long to get you a prices! I was out of strapping tape, have some now. But, Sue is taking the car Wednesday so I may or may not have time to get the prices of shipping.
Jeffery sorry it is taking so long to get you a prices! I was out of strapping tape, have some now. But, Sue is taking the car Wednesday so I may or may not have time to get the prices of shipping.