Elliot´s Trackside Diner - December 2011

[ChadLRyan]

What say Ray?
I like Shay!
Makes My Day!
In a Happy Way!
Hey Hey!!!

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Hello to Chad

Who is a fine Lad

Diner now has a poet.

We all know it.

makes us glad.

 

 

........... oh never mind.

 

 

 

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

JR ... I've been hoping to see pictures again of your layout before the houe fire. I see Elliott's Diner in that picture. Also, it's good to hear you are making some progress towards re-building the layout.

Curt, JimCG, Rob, and others remarked about the theft from the church here. I'm still bothered theives would do that on Christmas Eve. This church like other in our county is in a remore wooded area, and it was an easy target.

JimCG ... One of the pictures has Victorian Houses in the background. They are from a dollar store and are much smaller than HO. They are about N scale, and they help force the perspective. The roads are made to be narrow, and there is an N scale Ford on the road.

Not much done on the layout today, but I did work more on the passenger shelters where I am raisng the hieght of the roofs.

[galaxy]

GOOD MORNING!!!

Today is Tuesday December 27th, 2011!!!

The end is near!! The end is near!!!

{of the year, of course!}

I got top...Breakfast is on me!!!

[wetidlerjr]

 

Good Morning ! from Tipton IN.

 

 

 

 

 

[fec153]

Good morning to all. Today is my 1/2 year birthday. I am now 75 &1/2. Tomorrow is Debs 60th birthday. We plan to go out for diner and celebrate with Sweet Tea for her and Black coffee for me.. Deb is in Miami visiting her mother,a brother and some old time friends. I had to stay to look after our dog and attend a company meeting. Just as well as have not learned enough GOOD spanish not to get into a fight.  lol

Jim- My job has mentally gotten to me. When I get to the various A  L F,s and see the people in there,after 7 years, it has not gotten easier . ***, just writing this is tough. I needed this time off.    Sorry I confused you with someone else re- track-cleaning. Old timers must have kicked in.

For Hanukkah/Christmas my lhs owner gave me two Soo  cars. A gondola and a caboose. Both pristine units, that Jeff would have a good time with. I can hear them crying for weathering. [PAINT ME,PAINT ME] . Who or what R.R. bought the Soo R.R. ?  Oh, and I bought a BB kit of FGEX .

I continue to Pray for everyone and wish you all a Healthy and Happy New Year. 

Flip

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

\

 

[LSWrr]

Good Morning,

Winter Weather Advisory in effect today from 1500 until noon on Wednesday, winds 15 to 25 with gusts around 35mph.  Snow Accumulations 4-5 inches.  The high today will be 40f dropping to 26f.

I’m feeling much better now, not sure I passed the stone or not, I’ll speak to the doctor today and see what we he thinks.

Had a great visit with the kids yesterday.

I think I’ll sit back and catch up on posts…

[LSWrr]

Flip, the old SOO Line was bought by Canadian Pacific and Canadian National.  CN owns most of the line north of Chicago and CP owns several sections from the Milwaukee area west. ICE and one other grain hauler are owned by CP.

Track cleaning cars: I still love the centerline cars. Simple design, easy to pull, and the cleaning pad are nothing more than a disposable dish cloth you can buy almost at any store.  If you want to use clipper oil or rail zip, or goo gone it doesn’t matter.  If you want you can easily snap a box car shell over the track cleaner to hide it.

[blownout cylinder]

Good Morning

Going to  get the same thing as Lee....although here it looks like more rain be falling on our'n heads here with about 2-3" worth afterwards

Going to spend the day getting basic supplies for the house in here..then maybe some traintime later...

I'll be out and about checking the forum....

[fec153]

Lee- Maybe my thinking is bassackwards. If the track is dirty, how can the engine get power? I clean enough track to put the cleaning car on with an engine to PUSH it around the pike..

Flip

 

[Curt Webb]

Morning All,

At w**k today. Supposed to rain in front of approaching cold front. The low tomorrow is supposed to be around 47 F. Brrrrrr. Thats cold for here. Had problems sleeping last night for some reason, I tossed and turned for a couple of hours.

We have the family coming over to the house on New Years for dinner.

Have a good day. 

[TMarsh]

Good Morning!! Coffee and a Hot Roast Beef sandwich, mashed potatoes (found out they don’t come standard like I assumed.) and gravy over the whole lot please. Yuh know, how about a side of peas and diced carrots too. Thank you.

A 30 percent chance of snow before noon. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 40. Slush on the back porch this morning like tuh gave me a spill but othern at, no evidence of anything but rain.

Garry- No I have not been to Nashville since my niece is there, but we plan on it sometime. Depending on our schedule, I would like to meet you of course. And, Brenda is always up for spending more time away.

Chad- I really like that display! As far as I know, like J.R. said, as long as you didn’t “find” it attached to a larger piece spiked to the ground, or in a pile of to be used, it’s just a scrap piece of steel. One of the standard items on a farm around here by the way. It does make for a good anvil.

Jim- Brenda is well..., she claims Italian as does most of her family, however she is actually 1/3 Italian, 2/3 German with all 4 Grandparents being 1^st generation off the boat. ( now you see now why I'm a bit uh...., "concerned" with the reactions to some of the things I may do don't you)  Why they claim Italian I don’t know. I guess because her maternal grandmother, who was 4'10" of 100% fire breathing, bi-lingual spewing, broken volume control, better duck fast around her Italian,  lived with them all her life and then with her Mother until she passed, so when you had here around constantly maybe you just felt more Italian. Brenda don’t look Italian and she definately don‘t cook Italian. Unless you call Ragu in a jar with a pound of ground beef “homemade sauce. I don’t.

At this rate, J.R. started after me, is gone on the road more than me, still w**ks full time and will probably get his RR up and running before me.

Oh well, time to get something started. Or…finished. Or…oh who knows anymore.

Ya’ll have a Great Day!!!

[cudaken]

 Hello Fellow Dinners!

 Flo, Coffee and a Snow Shovel please.

 Yep, we got snow last night, only about 2 inch's but it is sure pretty. Won't last long with it going up to mid 40's today.

 Far as work yesterday, I did make it in on time but did not last the whole day. Around 4:00 PM I was going to take my lunch break and Bill told me just to go home. I looked like the walking dead as he put it.

 Today I close by my self, seems old Tim has called in and said he is sick. He was to close tonight, but Bill say's every time he is to close, he gets sick? Little worried about being alone but not a lot. I have fewer things that throw me on the computer, but still once's in a while I have something I never came across before and it stumps me.

 See you all later, Ken

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Good morning. It's 36 and sunny. The high will be 58 and it will be partly cloudy.

For how long it rained yesterday we only got a little less than an inch. The lake however is up higher and only lacks a foot of making it's normal level. My yard is all right as I'm on a hill and the land slopes away on three sides. My parents yard on the other is a soggy mess as the land slopes in only one direction. Toward the lake. Many years ago (1972) my father and I put in a drainage system in the front yard. It directs all the water collected in a ten inch pipe that goes to the lake. I was only twelve then and the house was 2400 square feet. The lot next door belonged to one of the neighbors and they kept cattle on it. When the lot came up for sale my parents bought it before a for sake sign could even be put up. That was in the mid eighties. In the early nineties we put in a drainage system for the upper half of that lot. Part of it would collect the rain coming from the roof of the new half of the house (still had to be built) and from the front walk, steps and patio. That would drain through a covered concrete trench (18" wide by 12" deep) that goes all the way down to the lake. There's a terrace wall that separates the front walkway from the rest of the front yard. We put in a concrete drain along the length of that wall to catch the water coming down the yard. This drain is covered by several large galvanized steel grates that are strong enough to to take the weight of my big van without bowing. This drains into a large PVC pipe (9") which opens into a central drain from the garage area. All that pours in an even larger 12" PVC pipe (I honestly didn't know they were made THAT big until my father brought it home in three long sections on his sixteen foot trailer. That pipe goes from the central drain to the ditch alongside the property. Only after all that was done was the new half of the house built. It was completed before 1998. Even with all that drainage there are still times (few and far between) when the rain  will flood the front walk and come in under the front doors (two pairs of French doors). Well my parents even thought that one out beforehand. The doors open onto the great room and the floor has a very gentle slope from both sides into the middle, neatly channeling the water to the back door where it drains out onto a small open porch. The amount of water that comes in is very small but is still enough to soak any rug put down in that area. This incursion only happens during the heaviest downpours, the last being when hurricane Rita came through in 2005. It take a lot of water to overwhelm the drains but it does happen on occasion.

Well, enough about that. Today I'll be applying some decals to a few locos that need them.

[gear-jammer]

JimRCGMO

Sue, when you were exercising your Mikado, did you have it on the treadmill with you? I bet you and Larry will be glad when this painting project is done and finished.

Sounded like it didn't it.  Sounds like you are still going crazy with trees.

We are painting in the kitchen now.  There are gobs of can lights.  It looks like a bunch of eyeballs hanging from the ceiling.

Later,  Sue

[Seamonster]

Well, I hope everyone had a good Christmas.  It's over with for another year and so is the Boxing Day madness at the stores.  Now New Year's is fast approaching.  Time sure flies.  Or as Kermit the Frog would say, "Time's fun when you're having flies."  I'm convinced that, despite what Albert Einstein would say, time is non-linear.  The older I get, the faster time seems to go.

Mother Nature just reminded us that it's still winter here.  We have very little snow on the ground, what the weather guessers are calling a brown Christmas.  Normally there's a foot or more of snow on the ground and it's cold.  We've been having exceptionally warm weather for weeks now.  On Christmas Day my thermometer showed 38F.  Boxing Day, we got a mix of rain and wet snow around supper time with strong winds.  This morning it's -1F with strong winds and a windchill of -20F.  Tomorrow it's supposed to be sunny and 28F.  Crazy weather.

 

[GMTRacing]

Good Morning All,

    Back at the shop to do some w..k this morning. I have a couple of deadlines looming early next year and would just as soon not miss them.

   Todd - No worries mate. You're miles ahead of me and I've only reallystarted putting any track down. Until then it is only some sort of bizarre diorama.

   Speaking of dioramas, you've picked a good project to obsess over Chad. If the trucks and chassis length are doable, the long hood looks fairly straight forward. The cab and short hood are another subject though. I've never even seen a brass MK so I don't have an easy answer. How about one of the Canadian safety cabs as a start and then cut and shut the two angled parts of the short hood and add the hatch? The glazing could be problematic it it's way different as cutting the surround and gasket by hand will take mad skill and patience. If you get close you could make a mold then cast a cab in hydrocal so carving and contouring details is easier then make a second mold of the finished product with a core and cast in two part resin. I was afraid of castings until I got the Micro mark starter kit and found out how easy mold making really is (though I was making walls and portals not cabs and hoods). Just a thought. Or just swipe the cab and hood off a later Sante Fe GP60 declare victory and head home.

   Really Ray you can be such a hillbilly. The mighty and majestic New Haven had electrics running by the 1920's and diesels on the property 10 years after that (some of which were still in use when they went under in 1968 LOL). What do you  mean they don't  fit your period? And most ALCO diesels will give your steam a good run in the smoke department as well.

   Garry, thanks for the kind words. In truth I don't visit those old pics too much as I just get depressed seeing again what was lost. As I make progress on the new layout it gets easier though.

   Lee - glad the Centerline cleaner functions well. I have one somewhere packed away still in its' box...  

   Gotta run - lots to do still and hopefully the museum tonight.    CUL, J.R.

[howmus]

Mornin' everyone!

Ah....  Smells good in here this morning Zoe!  Oh, I see.  Ken caught the Croup and so you had to use the three French Hens to make some Chicken Soup.   I'll have a short stack of buttermilk pancakes with lots of pure NYS maple syrup (Dark Amber if you have it) to go along with a few cups of dark roast coffee in a R&GV RR mug.  Thank you Ma'am!

Chad, I do hope you know I was pulling your leg last night.  I do like those diseasally thingies, just don't know much about the new stuff (anything like after 1960.....).  my favorite old diesel is this old girl:

She isn't what she looks like though.  It is an Alco RS3 on the outside, but inside she sports an EMD 567B Prime mover.  She is now an RS3m, one of the last still in existence (There may be one more of the rebuilds still saved?).

We have a unique collection out at the Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad Museum.  We will have this lovely lady doing service for us next season:

http://www.youtube.com/rgvrrm#p/u/0/NmgjwaKQKPg

She was built in 1941 and spent most of her life shuffling coal cars at Beebee Station for the Rochester Gas and Electric Company.

I best get moving.  Lots of stuff to do today as always.

73

[Cederstrand]

Extra strong coffee in a SOGGY & SOUTHERN mug, please.

***Jeffrey, is that the conductor's well trained pet following his hand signals, giving him a push to work?

WInd is still gusting here this morning. Power went off last night for awhile. No knew trees down, that I know of. Would be nice to have those few remaining giants, which could cut the house in two, taken down.

Have a good day all.

Rob

[Anonymous]

Good Afternoon,

Christmas is finally over! Just took the young ones to their train back home and now it´s time to clear up the mess they left behind Was good to have them with us for two short days. We will probably feast on the leftovers for the rest of the week

I will spend the next days searching the web for a possibility to fulfill our dream of moving away from Germany. With the job opportunity gone down the drain, we start right at the beginning again. A German pastry shop in the Canadian wilderness, a German pie place in Kentucky, beating Colonel Sander´s famous burned chicken? I wish I´d knew a way to get moving into that direction. I am too young to do nothing and live in poverty.

Well, just a cup of coffee, Janie - I ate way too much over the holidays.

CUL

[BroadwayLion]

I remember the German Bakery in my home town.

Best donuts and breads in town!

Alas, that was 50 years ago!

 

ROAR

[Curt Webb]

I remember that as a high schooler going to school in Frankfurt during the early 70's there was a bakery next to the school. They made wonderful breads and pastries. I have to say that one of the things Germans do very well is baking and cooking.  

[last mountain & eastern hogger]

Hi Gang, is it too late for Brunch ?     OK, That's great Chloe.

I'll have a double Denver with home fries and a Dr.P.

Day after Boxing Day and things are getting back to normal. Our youngest Son from Springfield Missouri has been here for about ten days and left this morning for Spokane to check on his real estate there and also his girl friend. He'll be gone a week and then back here for another week before leaving for home and back to Grad School at MSU.

We had a great time here and a great Christmas with family and friends. About thirty people in the house on Christmas eve.  Lots of great food and laughs.

Some people weren't so lucky.  I just read this article on the Weather channel,  our prayers go out to all involved there.

Floodwaters swept away a freight train in northern Australia

 

December 27, 2011 — Katherine, Australia (Reuters) Floodwaters triggered by a tropical cyclone sweep a freight train off a bridge near the town of Katherine in Australia's northern territory, sending carriages down a river and stranding passengers.

Large sections of highway have been washed out

Floodwaters wreaked havoc in the area around the town of Katherine in Australia's Northern Territory on Tuesday (December 27), paralysing transport and sweeping a freight train off a bridge.

The area was flooded due to tropical cyclone Grant, which turned into a rain depression, dumping torrential rain over the region.

Witnesses told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that the train was attempting to cross a bridge over the swollen Edith River in darkness, when the bridge collapsed, sending many carriages downstream.

The two drivers of the train were stranded, and later rescued.

“One sustained minor injuries to his back. He's been conveyed to the Katherine hospital, and is being treated. He's not in a critical condition, and the other driver wasn't injured at all,” said Sergeant Freson from the Northern Territory Police.

The train was on its way to the city of Darwin, and the ABC reported it was full of toxic minerals. Carriages and a large amount of debris were washed into the water, it added.

“There's not much we can do at the moment until the water subsides, and once the water subsides we can then go on and assess what we need to do,” said Robert Easthope, a manager with the train's operating firm, Genesee & Wyoming.

Officials must wait for the floodwaters to recede before they can assess any environmental damage

Large parts of the Stuart Highway, the main road out of Darwin, were swept away, with floodwaters ripping off sheets of bitumen.

“I don't think we'll get through for a long time yet. It's going to be a while,” said a stranded truck driver.

Others were resigned to the fact they could not reach their destinations.

“What can you do? I mean, mother nature. You can't beat mother nature, I suppose,” said a motorist.

Dozens of people were stranded on farm properties, with some having to evacuate to their roofs awaiting rescue.

Local television warned people to beware of crocodiles in the rising waters.

The town of Katherine has been warned to be on flood alert, with the possibility of floods getting worse.

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology warned that the tropical cyclone may reform and intensify in the coming days, and issued a cyclone watch for more areas that lie in its predicted path.

More heavy rainfall is forecast, the bureau said. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

  Have to let the dogs out, we have our two and looking after my Son's Wheaton Terrier as well.

  We have had no snow to speak of this year and very mild temps.  We woke this morning to snow falling but not a lot and it seems to have stopped now.

No train stuff for me this year for Christmas, but on the other hand I really don't need anything. I have enough kits to build to keep me going for two lifetimes, my wife tells me.  I think she is right.

Did get a couple of great books that I'll read while at work.  Two novels, one by Dean Koontz and the other by Clive Cussler.  My two favorite Authors.  and then lots of regular items, clothing and such.

Hope you all had the best Christmas that you could. Did the tummies all get filled along with the stockings hung by the fireplace ??

Well my Wifey has some lunch ready for me, so, Chloe cancel my order for today or stick it in the cooler for tomorrow.

Prayers and blessings to all on sick call or in other needs.

Have a great week.

Johnboy out.....................................Later, Taters

[galaxy]

Sir Madog

I will spend the next days searching the web for a possibility to fulfill our dream of moving away from Germany. With the job opportunity gone down the drain, we start right at the beginning again. A German pastry shop in the Canadian wilderness, a German pie place in Kentucky, beating Colonel Sander´s famous burned chicken? I wish I´d knew a way to get moving into that direction. I am too young to do nothing and live in poverty.

Well, A Germany pie place in Binghamton, NY would be welcome. Its a nice area of Upstate NY where the pace is not at all hectic, kinda relaxed and laid back.

MOH has always said "the Germans build it/make it better than anyone else!"

 

Well, I did the pharmacy run, the errands run, did two loads of laundry and the dishes.

Now my back is KILLING me. I think the wear off of the nerve-frying thing is worse than the orignal pain that started years ago before the two tumors were removed. I HAVE found a little extra relief with Aleve {naproxen Sodium} but not much...and I have to take a few days break from it or it looses it's "potency"'.

I think I might have to make an appointmnet with the dermatologist soon. I have a "pimple" on my stomach taht has been there for aobut 3-4 months and isn't healing. THe skin cancer basal cell carcinoma I had removed from my forehead started the same way- as a "pimple" that wouldn't heal and kept coming back. It's a small bugger but annoying.

We are getting all that rain that Jeffrey says didn't give them much down there...It may turn to snow if hte temps drop to quickly before it moves out of here. Not ready for snow yet and we've only had about 3 inches total form all traces of snow this year. The green grass looks pretty good this time of year!

Well about time to go get teh mail...good thing is all the bills are now paid for the month so i have aobut a two week reprive and chance to build up reserves to pay next months!! First will be the cable, then the Firestone then the phone. starting about the 6th.

Well, dinner will be steak with au jus gravy, herb & buttered rice, and asparagus. Oh, and Croisant rolls.

i will say g'nite now.

Good nite Gracie.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

galaxy

We are getting all that rain that Jeffrey says didn't give them much down there...It may turn to snow if hte temps drop to quickly before it moves out of here. Not ready for snow yet and we've only had about 3 inches total form all traces of snow this year. The green grass looks pretty good this time of year!

Don't blame me for the weather. I have to suffer through it like everybody else. We got half an inch from it yesterday but over the previous few days we got close to seven inches. So there. And please excuse me if I get a bit short with anyone. Being off my meds for the past couple weeks is starting to show it's ugly side. I helped put the 'anger' into anger management in my younger years. All these problems making themselves felt is putting it to the test. Now I'll go rest while the room stops turning.

[Cederstrand]

One last coffee refill, please.

***Ulrich, always wishing you the best. Would be great if you could make it to America.

Had to take care of a fraudulent charge which showed up on my account. Lady at the bank is always so kind and helpful, she made the process very easy for me. Funds have been returned to my account.

Parts for  the Polaris 6x6 carb still have not come in, so it continues to sit in the driveway. With all this mud, sure could use it right now. Oh well.

Not much else to report on. Kinda tuckered out, so doubt I'll make it down into the train room tonight.

Rob

[blownout cylinder]

Ulrich:  Woodstock, Ontario has a wonderful little deli right downtown that I've been haunting for years now...

Good Evening..

All seems rather quiet right now..cain't see a dang thing..snow be falling on our'n heads..so far 4" has fallen and more to come....

[LSWrr]

We had snowflakes the size of softballs, very wet snow so nothing on the paved surfaces, but about 6” on the grass.

Flip, if I go a while without running the centerline you have to push the car ahead of the locomotives.  I do have a snow plow on a gondola car that has a section of Masonite on the bottom of the car and a magnet to plow through areas of construction ahead of the centerline.  You would be amazed at what the magnet finds.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Good evening. It's 42° and clear here. Low will be 35°.

Nothing happening here unless you count some anger management issues I've been contending with. I'll be glad when I can get my meds started up again. So far I've managed to avoid any confrontations with anybody, online or off. Well, time for me to call it a night. See y'all tomorrow.

[wetidlerjr]

 

Good Morning ! from Tipton IN.