Evening All, just coffee for me tonite.
-G; No need to apologize, we all need to blow off a little steam now and then. Two and a half years ago I was making more money than I had at any other time in my life, I was on the road from 10 to 15 days at a time and no matter how hard I hustled there was just not enough money coming in. On the days I was home it was one fight after another and allways about money. Then I started having some pain and fatique, cancer. I missed almost six months work the first year then in Oct. of 09 the Dr. put me out indefinatly. Our credit was already messed up, I had short term dissability and cancer inssurance but that was being ate up quickly.
So to make a long story short I started recieving dissability about six months ago, we turned our expensive suv back in to the bank, and we have pretty much given up on ever owning our own home. But the Wife and I are best friends again and I have reconnected with the teenage Daughter. Even though I am making less than a third of what I made working we have found that we not only have all the bills paid on time but have extra at the end of the month.
Just keep your head up and keep on pushing on, It will get better.
Ken; I like the ideas, there realy is not that much more I need. The wife let me get the hardware I needed and the 2x2",s to finish, I just need one more sheet of plywood and two sheets of foam. The real problem is that she did not realize the size of my little project and as the modules started to pull together she started seeing the space in "Her" studio being taken over. So I have scaaled back a little and will give her a chance to see that it wont be in her way, another beauty of going moduler is after she gets used to it I can start enlarging it.
Love the photos of the layout, I just hope that I can get as good as looking a railroad as most of all those here in the diner have.
Jeff; I hope everything is OK we are praying for You.
David: Keep us posted as you learn more.
Everyone I am calling it a night.
Here is another shot of the garden railway!
Night All
Ron:355:0]
I refuse to grow up!!!
Good Morning ! from Tipton IN.
Bill Tidler Jr.
Near a cornfield in Indiana...
Good Morning Folks,
only a short visit, as we will be driving up to the hospital in a few moments.
There are news about my mother, but they are not good news. One of her kidneys is infected to a degree, that it has to be taken out as soon as possible. She is running a high fever , which has to be brought down before the surgery. At 5´10", she is now weighing a mere 105 lbs, which is more than a third off her usual weight. She has difficulties recognizing people and is still unable to speak.
We have to get prepared for the worst.
My thoughts and prayers go out to Jeff and his Mom.
Good Morning Folks!
Cup of coffee please!
Have a great day all!
Steven
Good morning. This morning my temperature is down but who knows how long that'll last. I don't believe I'll be going anywhere or doing much of anything today. It was a battle just to get out of bed to get something together for some kind of breakfast.
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
Morning..
Ulrich: Our prayers go out to you and yours in this difficult time...
Jeff: We have your mother on our church's prayer list as well...
Found out from a friend of ours that their niece..all of 4 years old... has died of cancer yesterday...our prayers and condolences go there as well...
Going to be a partly to mostly sunny day today...with the high at 25F...
Got some grocery shopping to do today as well as some hd thingees...then it'll be off to my trainroom and see about getting some scenery work done there...
Flo, I'll have a coffee and a breakfast bagel please...I'll be at the RC for now...
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/
Good Morning,
Ulrich, not sure what to say other than you are in our thoughts and prayers.
Ken, very nice layout, thanks for sharing the pictures.
Jeff, I’m glad you’re taking the time to visit your mother; I know it’s tough but keep being the good son as long as you can.
Robby, no they are weather guessers, and nothing more. We got 3” of ice, then 6” of snow. Over 6,000 people lost power. The original forecast called for snow, then rain and 35-40 degree temps. Yesterday the high was 29 and today the high is 23.
I spent 6 hours yesterday building out the billboards. The picture I posted was too large for the Atlas billboards I had picked up. I had to reduce all the images and fit them to the billboards. My old paper cutter was having a hard time cutting straight lines. I build out 8 boards and had my girlfriend go through them for quality control. Not cool, her first question was: what do we hustle? Wholly cow the word caboose was missing on one. I had to go back a re-print 3 of the 8, and then I cut the SLOW crooked so I had to reprint that and do it over. I bought a new paper cutter yesterday just to save money on aspirin, LOL.
Billboards; if anybody wants a copy of the revised boards drop me an email and I’ll send them to you. They are scaled for HO. If you give me dimensions for a N scale billboard I can scale them down for you.
Lee
BM1 Lee Soule USCG (ret) L.S.&W Railroad Serving the Lower Great Lakes
Good morning.
Just finished digging out. We got 8 inches of snow, and just yesterday the weather guys were saying 1-2 inches!! A lot of people aren't happy this morning!! Plus most if not everything is shut down this morning. Plus the DOT had its "skeleton crew" on shift. So you an imagine what the roads look like.
Ken..........I like the shots!! Very good.
Todd........I wanted something different, but that one is simple to move and to set up. I will probably just touch it up and keep it. A guy I talk to on "the rustbucket" has a diorama that would make your mouth drool. I just don't think I could do anything like that!! I guess I will keep what I have for now, plus my cars do sell with it .
"Rust, whats not to love?"
Good Morning!! Coffee please. I might try the neeeeew Subway uptown for a breakfast sandwich since I have to deal with the grocery trucks this morn. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 37. Back to winter today. At least it didn’t snow last night as the local guy said it might. Prayers an thoughts go out to Jeffrey. Rob- Now that you tell me what it is, it now looks vertical as opposed to horizontal. Odd the way eyes see things. Ron- Oh you sly man. Good job!
Good Morning!! Coffee please. I might try the neeeeew Subway uptown for a breakfast sandwich since I have to deal with the grocery trucks this morn.
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 37. Back to winter today. At least it didn’t snow last night as the local guy said it might.
Prayers an thoughts go out to Jeffrey.
Rob- Now that you tell me what it is, it now looks vertical as opposed to horizontal. Odd the way eyes see things.
Ron- Oh you sly man. Good job!
Lee- Sounds like the way things go for me. Sorry, laughing with you not at you. Been there many times.
Did get down and laid some roadbed last eve. I should have a lower loop completion soon and that means I can at least run a train around the lower part. The upper part is waiting on the bridge and my decision on the second bridge on the downslope.
Welp, best get to poking around and then to get something done before w**k tonight. I may lay a piece of track or two first thing this morn before I get going.
HEY! This is pretty short. Best get going before I think of something else to say.
Ya’ll 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.
Mornin' everyone!
Zoe I'd like a bowl of hot cream of wheat w/ brown sugar this morning to go along with a cup of your finest dark roast coffee in a R&GV RR mug. Please and Thank you!
Going to be another nippy day here in the Finger Lakes Region. Currently 11°F outside with a predicted high of 20°. Low tonight may break a record here for this date. Looking at 1°F THAT said the sun is shining for the moment and is melting the snow on the roofs in the neighborhood.
I have a dentist appointment this afternoon for the 6 month checkup and cleaning. Then a run to the Credit Union and to the post office to mail the newsletters. I then get to do the financial reprt for the MLK committee which meets tonight. Not much time will be left to do anything on the layout.......
Jeffrey, glad you are a bit better this morning, but don't let things go too long before you seek medical help! I remember your last rounds of infections.......... You are in my prayers.
Ulrich, so sorry to hear about the latest with your mother. She (and you and the rest of your family) are also in my prayers!
Later!
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Good morning. On top of all my other problems I now have another one. Seems I broke my ankle last night. I have it strapped tightly and while I have my walking boot on it's as good as in a cast. I'll have to get to the doc when I can to have it checked to be sure but when something that was fused together and couldn't move pops and suddenly can move It's not always a good thing. Consider also that any pain I would feel below the knees would be bone pain and I have a ton of that today. I have Oxycontin that I got from my doc to use in case of pain so I took some this morning with my usual morning meds. I can still feel the pain but it doesn't have it's harsh edge anymore. It feels more like a bad sprain right now. As to my mother, the reports my father and I have gotten is that she's showing advanced signs of alzheimers disease.Yesterday she called me a smart aleck for telling her what was good for her. I looked her straight in the eye and told her 'You should know. You've been a very good teacher'. She didn't get it. At any other time it would've gotten a rise out of her. This time, no reaction. And she's on no meds except those she usually takes. She's in the rest home so they can see that she get her exercise. She didn't eat yesterday so my father went there last night and spoon fed her at her bedside. Naturally I'm very concerned about her and though he puts a good face on it I can tell it's weighing heavily on my father. He continues to go to his job as it helps keep his mind occupied. I haven't tried to talk him into taking some time off because I believe work is the best thing for him right now. Until later, have a good day.
Good Morning All...Its cloudy and cooler here this morning..we got 1.75 inches of rain yesterday...I'll have coffee and toast please..Thank you..I been working on roof of scatch build shot gun house..been watching a oil rig on Ebay in n scale..
Prayers for those in need...
You all have a good one...Jerry
Good morning from AL.
My sister in western Michigan could not come down here to assist with these problems because of a problem with a retina in one eye. .... Tomorrow she has surgery in her eye to keep her from going blind in that eye. .... I'm concerned about her.
Meanwhile, my AL sister and I are working with Mom here. and it's still a very tough situation.
The new grand daughter in MI is doing very well.
Jeff.... prayers for you and your Mom
Ulrich ... Prayers for you and your Mom.
Galaxy ... I hope your back and your Moms are better. Prayers
Flip ... Prayers for the situations there, too.
Anybody here how Bridge Tom is doing?
Where is JimCG?
Model Railroading ....
Ken .... Nice photos.
Rob ... I like the hospital photo.
Take care, everybody.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Jeff, you need a vacation! I will shoot you a copy of the billboards tonight. There is a box in the mail, ETA 3-7 days, 4.5 pounds. Don’t drop it.
Garry, glad you have some back up coming to help.
Lee ... Thanks for your comment, but I said something else. My MI can not help here due to her surgery tomorrow in MI.
I thought your AL sister was helping you out on this one...
I hope the Eye Surgery goes well in Michigan. Friend of mine was struck in the head with falling ice and detached a retnia. Not cool at all.
Hi Zoe - yeah, I figure when even Johnboy notices I've not been in, I'd better stick my nose in the door a bit.
last mountain & eastern hogger By the way, have I missed him or has Cape Jim not been in for awhile??
By the way, have I missed him or has Cape Jim not been in for awhile??
I'll have a RBF and a bowl of chili with some grated cheese and diced onions on it, please. Thank you!
My apologies for all the news I've missed. Will add Ulrich's mother and Jeff's mother to my prayer list (and from the post by 'Young David", better add Jeff as well). Jeff, hope you're not overextending yourself - got the eats and rest that you know you need, please! Hope you other Diners haven't got any new ailments currently (and maybe none since last in, if you're fortunate).
Weatherguessers' maps lately have not been kindly to all of our more Northern (U.S.) Diners (and likely all of our Canadian Diners...) in the sn*w/sleet/ice departments. Hard to believe that a few days ago here in Cape G. territory, we hit the upper 60's (F)! I think that spring will not come soon enough for those NOTB and our Northeastern Diners.
Rob, great job with your chopper on the 'pad at the hospital - excellent! How's your layout coming along? By the way, is that "artistic stuff" that you see, like the kid in that one movie who "sees dead people"?
Robby, I like that 'Bulldog' hopper photo you posted. I was wondering how your classes and all were coming along. I guess your weather guy is either still remembering his old station, or hasn't got the new job at that other station yet?
Since the appears to be well-used lately, I won't comment on the latest 'bank series', except to say "Amen, brothers!" (Oh, and never trust a banker...)
As if I needed one more structure (NOT!), I have acquired from daBay the Downtown Deco Coil Laundry kit, which looks really nice. I've sent an email to the DD company asking for possible assistance, 'cause when I opened the shrinkwrap, it was missing the door and roof and acetate 'glass'. This will be my first plaster/Hydrocal kit. I also started putting together the old Magnuson power plant (the smaller Edison St. one) and have a beginning coat of 'brick' on it. I also got the Walthers steel coils kit, which I sprayed with a shiny silver spray paint from Hobby Lobby, and then I took a fine-tipped black Sharpie across the 'band' ridges. Looks pretty good for under $5! In the to-be-done-later department, I got the J L Innovative 'Jones Painting Company' kit - nice one, as it's small enough that I'll have several possible spots to squirrel it away once I build it. And I've already got painter figures and the W-S "Peter's Painting" van to go with it all. Still need to get the wiring bus runs for the layout put in and wired up.
CudaKen - did you do all the w**k you showed in your photos since the past few months ago when you were fiddlin' around with possible layout plans? Or was this a previous layout you had?
Garry, sorry to hear about your sister's eye problems. I'm guessing you are helping out with something to do with your mother? Will add about all of your family to my list.
And you're half-right on the model railroading being (part of) why I've been gone. But I also decided to give eHarmony a chance again, and have a couple of women I am now in process of getting to know via email. One I think I may not be a good match for, but the other seems of interest (waiting on an email back from her). We'll see about THAT whole matter...
Have moved the monitor from my older desktop Mac off its desk and moved the iMac over there, which opened up some space on the dining room table (AKA MRR'ing w**kbench). Slow but steady goes the de-cluttering progress.
I was on-call last weekend, so will be out of the office (off w**k) this week. Hope to get a few things (including MRR stuff) done.
Blessing and prayers,
Jim in Cape Girardeau
Chicken Taco Salad, please.
***Jim, I would love to see those kind of people, but never have. My wife has a few hospital stories though.
***Jeffrey, sorry you're having such a challenging time of things.
What a day: On 3 hours sleep, took 2 cats to "Cat-Snip" (just what it sounds like). Helped out with the Inlaws. Ran errands. Retrieved "new" cats. Then the fun began...
Came home to find a Bull in our back pasture. Grabbed a couple 3' pipes and headed on down there. He was HUGE and one of our cows was obviously in heat (behind an inner fence). That was the most "challenging" (in every sense of the word) bull I've ever had to move, about 20' at a time. He was sizing me up and considering options each time I pushed him, so to speak. Timing is EVERYTHING. It's a good thing they are slightly less intelligent than myself, eh!) I've been reading critters all my life and this time, I would have preferred to have on a sidearm. Got it done of course and will add more barbed wire tomorrow to the only spot he could have come in from. With the sarcoidosis, my lungs were/are shot tonight. My wife couldn't help but think of that bull "Harold" from the show, Fatal Attraction. Sorry wife, better luck with that Life Insurance thing next time.
Then I cleaned the barn and did a hay run to our cows.
Going to go rest now. Have a good one y'all.
Rob
Evenin' folks!
Flo just a decaf for me tonight. I'll go sit by the stove in the back.
It is cold outside!!! Currently 6°F and still dropping.
I see Jim was here! Good! We were just about ready to send the search party out after you....... Sounds like life is being good to you. Two lady friends...... Good luck!
Rob, sounds like a lot of Bull to me..... Have any idea who it belonged to? Think i would have brought the shotgun along just to make some noise, and, well maybe fill the freezer for the year... So the cats are now Sopranos?
I got all the errands done that were needed, but no layout time today. Have a meeting tomorrow night, but hope to get some serious modeling time during the day.
Hope you all have a good night, and prayers for those in need (and there seems to be quite a few around here).
Cederstrand ***Jeffrey, sorry you're having such a challenging time of things.
My father called me a little while ago to tell me about my mother's condition. He wanted me to go with him tonight but I told him there was no way that was happening. The hall she's at the end of is over four hundred feet long one way! Now unless they can get up off a wheelchair for me to use the answer is no. Please excuse me if I sound a bit *** off. The oxycodone makes my already microscopically short temper even shorter and more volatile. I'm not the best company tonight.
Evening diners!! Just a coffee please in a NYC mug please...and a slice of pumpkin pie with some scratch whip cream. Went to my friends house today for our usual weekly operations session. He has an accurate layout depicting the CSX line from Binghamton N.Y all the way to Montreal. And it also interchanges with the Fingerlakes line. The trackwork is very accurate as he has modeled it on satelitte photos. It is multideck with as many as 12 of us operating as many as 20-30 daily train movements. It is a lot of fun as operations is something I truly enjoy lately. I also dropped by another friends house as he wanted some help with ideas for his layout. Little did I know he demolished his current layout and as built all new benchwork around the walls with 2 islands. He has a pretty neat track plan and is looking for scenery ideas from me as that is my strong point. I need to go into business for myself as it seems I do more on everybody elses layouts than my own!! I have a few things to get ready for our club show this weekend. We get a decent crowd each year and the income pays for our rent and utilities for the year and also leaves extra for supplies and what not. It keeps our dues to 10 bucks a month which isn't bad for access to two huge layouts to play on. Well...time to say goodnight and get some sleep if I can. I should be getting the CPAP machine this week that I had to do sleep studies for as I am told I stop breathing an average of 720 times a night which makes me feel like crap the next morning since I get about 20 minutes of actual sleep each night. They tell me 1 in 4 people have sleep apnea. Anyone else have this that can share some experience with the machine?? Everyone have a good night!!!.....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?
Chips & salsa, please.
***Ray, this new bull belongs to our neighbor across the creek. It doesn't happen often and is usually a calf or heifer. Haven't delt with a mature bull trespassing in years. Forgot to mention, by the time I was done, one of those pipes had a pretty decent bend in it. I was slamming them together overhead with near maximum effort. Still, next time I may just call the neighbor. I'm not exactly a healthy young guy anymore.
***Tim, make sure you get a comfortable mask and keep it clean. Use distilled water. Other than that, once you get use to using one, it becomes like a good friend, indispensable. I was slated for a bi-pap, but opted out. Those can cause serious harm. I do use a cpap most every night these days.
Good night y'all. Rob
Rob: Good thing you knew how to handle a critter like that...I certainly would have known nothing of what to do about it being there!!
Good Late Evening!
Busy day today...they had a visitation for Amy, the niece of my one friend in town here. She was 4 years old and died of cancer.....such a young age...
We went after the visitation to check on a new house he was in the process of buying...he's going to have a big enough basement for his layout he is going to be building ...all 65' X 45' of it....
Todd: I'm hoping to get something posted piccy wise this week...if not over the weekend...fuzzy or not....
In the meantime...a little something...
Evening Folks!
Flo, that chili sounds like a good idea, extra onion and cheese and throw on some sour cream. Could I all so have a please?
Guess what I got in change from the bank today? 1926 P Buffalo Nickel! Talk about dumb luck. Retail it is worth 48 cents, I am rich! May just rekindle my coin collecting hobby.
Work Front Had yet another good day today with $2700.00 in sales. In the last 5 days I have had $13,783.00 in business, a new record for the store. Ben, my sales manager dropped by today and seems happy with how the store and I am doing. Store is on track for a $48,000.00 plus month, yet another record for the store. OK, I am breathing easier about job security.
Pictures I posted. Glad you folks like them, all of them where posted in Weekend Photo Fun over the last few years. Only reason I posted them was to show Ron what could be done with foam with when I thought he was questioning the use of foam on his layout.
Lee The K-10 mining section (pictures) is 9.5 X 5 foot section of my current layout. While it is far from being great, I learned a lot from doing it. Whole bench is 174 square feet, and most of it looks like what a 11 year old would do if they had money. I have not touched it for the last six months. If I get to build the new layout, it should look better with what I have learned. I hope to be able to use some of the rock faces from the K-10 mining section.
Jeffery, Ulrich, Galaxy, Ron and others. Best wishes to all of you and your love ones. With me belly aching about worrying about keeping my house then reading about your problems it reminds me of the story about a man complaining having no shoes. Then he saw a man with not feet.
While my health is not great, it is still good. I have a loving wife, Mon and Dad are doing well, have a job, 16 year old American Eskimo and 8 year old Wolfhound are fine and all the cars I drive run. So I guess I am doing pretty good.
Jeffery Should have the box shipped Wednesday or Thursday.
See you all latter.
Ken
I hate Rust
Jim, a really good glass substitute is those thin clear food containers. Not the ones you get Chinese carry out in, the ones you get cookies, cakes, or a chicken taco salad in, that snap closed. Most of my buildings or cabooses have this glass in them and it looks really good.
Rob, sorry you had to put up with all that bull last night.
Ken, I think my scenery skills rival a 10 year old sometimes, but visitors are impressed. So I just remain in a confused state of mind when working on the layout.
Bama, this is where most of the guys out here go to get their DCC stuff: http://www.tonystrains.com/
Good morning. No snow, but its still cold.
Worked on a hopper yesterday, kinda to get back into the swing of weathering. Maybe later this wek I can get some pictures up. Depending on the weather.
Jim........School was put on hold. Had somethings going on here. maybe soon I can see about going back. Yeah the weather guy had a lot of people mad . Can't really blame them, but they could have done a better job.
Good Morning All,
Sorry to hear of all the recurring problems here. Ulrich, Jeff, and Garry you and your Moms are in our prayers Galaxy - hope you w..k out some solution to your financials. Good to see Jim stopped in and that Kens doing so well at his job. Sounds like Todd and Brenda are still battling the bank along with Ken - good luck with all that (we need a coffee shop lawyer on call here). We just have a little chain link fence at home, I don't envy you guys your barbed wire. Rob if you call your neighbor to come retreive his bull will he then charge you for services considering the reason the bull paid you a visit?
The shop has just been nuts as we scramble to get ready to go to Sebring. I did get my one big goal done in the basement and got a bit of framing up and the first piece of benchw..k in. Just a 3' x 8' expanse, but a start none the less. I leave tomorrow for a couple of weeks but when i get back the next step will be to drag out the old bits of layout I was able to salvage from the fire and flood and see if they still fit what I'm doing now. Gotta get back to it in the shop, I'll see you all later, J.R.