Elliot´s Trackside Diner - December 2011

[Cederstrand]

Veggie plate and a coffee refill, please.

***Garry, I thought about removing the tin and even some of the lumber that the tree would hit if I cut it and then dealing with repairs after removing the tree. I do use that shed, especially when floods come. Although it looks old in the photos, that is just old siding put on a relatively new shed. The framework is in excellent shape, except where the tree is crushing it of course.

Got some errands done. Still have some farm chores ahead, after I rest a bit. Not much to report on. Rob

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Hello everybody.

Rob ... More thoughts about the tree and the shed. ... It's too dangerous to take down the tree by yourself. If friends can help with proper equipment while being safe, that is an answer. .... Another approach is to take down the tree and the shed. You should ask yourself if you really need it. ... If you use it to care for your "critters", do you really need the critters? ... If you need to keep the critters, can you find an alternative to this old shed for that? .......  Just some questions for thought starters.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Good morning. It's 64° and quite wet. The high will be 71°. There's an 80% chance of strong thunderstorms this morning decreasing to 50% this afternoon.

Wet and raining here this morning! I woke up to thunder this morning and could hear heavy rain pounding down on the roof. I'm glad the roof had been fixed and covered with an overroof after it got ripped up by Rita in 2005. FEMA paid for it as there was no way I could afford the materials. Back to the present. It's been raining all morning, heavy, light, heavy but never a break with one thunderstorm after another going through. I have a weather radar link on my forum that gives me quick access to the radar map for this area. It shows more fun stuff coming. Well, grin and bear it I guess.

I did more work on the Stoney Mountain castings this morning. There was quite a bit of flash on the white pieces that had to ne sanded off. They look much better now. I'm not sure how friendly the resin dust is but I'm not taking chances with it. I'm making sure to vacuum up any and all dust and debris. The castings are mostly car and truck bodies from the 40's and 50's. A bit old for my layout but you work with what you have. Of the car bodies, there's a 1950 Buick Super Sedan, 1947 Buick Roadmaster Sedan, 1950 Buick Roadmaster station wagon, 1950 Chevrolet panel truck, 1951 Nash Ambassador, 1937 Studebaker pickup, cab of a 1948-50 Ford COE truck, the front and cab of a 1950 Chevy truck, front, and cargo box of a 1937 Reo open box truck. There's also some assorted pieces. A steel liquid storage tank (2.5" wide by 1.5" deep), some assorted crates and tires.

[howmus]

Mornin' everyone!

Zoe I'll have a short stack of banana buttermilk pancakes, side of bacon, and lots of dark roast coffee in a FGLK mug this morning.

Currently 31°F under partly cloudy skies here in the Finger Lakes.  High will be 34°F, but all told a nice fall day....

Rob, what ever you do with the tree situation, please make sure you can do it safely!!!  I have had way too many close calls in my lifetime with trees.  The worst was one where I got knocked out of a tree by a branch that split.  Came down destroying the aluminum ladder I was on throwing me into a stand of saplings.  One of the saplings split and tore up the outside of my right leg a bit.  My wife took one look at it when I got home and drove me to the emergency room at Robert Packer Hospital where she worked.  It took 4 stitches and 7 butterflies to to close it up.  (The nurse that checked me in asked if I tried to saw off the wrong limb?  My wife thought that was a whole lot funnier than I did at the time!)  I hobbled around for the next few weeks.....  I have also had a few trees that were down decide to roll as I was sawing them (thought they would go the other way).  Managed to just get out in time!  A man who lived North of here wasn't as lucky last August.  The downed tree rolled and pinned him.  When he didn't answer his phone for a few days, his son came looking for him.  He had been dead for a while, and they figured he didn't die right away!  Play it safe!

I need to finish the recording today and make the label and CD cover for the lady....  She will need it in her hands by tomorrow to be able to get it out to some relatives before Christmas.

Guess I best get to w*rk!

Have a safe day all!

73

[cudaken]

 Bah Mu-bug. 

 Morning Folks.

 Flo, cup of Coffee and a rope please.

 I am off today but wish I was at work, the customers are less demanding than Sue. But it is the season to spend, even if you cannot afford it. Plus, with it being my day off, she wants me to do some running for her? Wasn't that the reason I bought the second car, so she could do the running?

 Any one ever cook a Turkey on a BBQ grill? Out oven is broken and I like to have turkey this Christmas.

 Later, Ken

 

[Cederstrand]

Coffee in a SOGGY & SOUTHERN mug, please.

Tree: My neighbor had looked at it and after much contemplation, opted not to try pulling it off with his trackhoe. His dad's old monster trackhoe might have stood a better chance, but it was sold some years back. He said "hire a pro". I'll wait for other estimates.

One idea that ran through my brain was to drop it, let it do it's worse to the structure, then hire a couple local fellas to repair the damage. Bet I could have that done for less than the cost of tree removal, considering I am still going to have to repair the damage already done. Especially if I did much of the work myself.

Sheetrock mud is drying nicely around the (HO) layout junk piles. Might be able to start painting and covering it up this evening. Rob

[Cox 47]

Good Morning All...Its cloudy with lite rain..temp is 41....I'll have coffee and Christmas cookies please.Thank You...Looks like I'm gonna be rolling cookie dough for Sallie's cookies this morning...Not much going on the layout till after Christmas...But Sallie is working on some new scenerey...She calls it Gift bag scenery...if it catches on she may do write up for Model Railroader...

Merry Christmas from the I&S and Illinois Central!....Sallie and Jerry

[galaxy]

TMarsh

G- Your meds were kicking in. Who is with YOH on thinking who is messing with schedule? Is the GM with Your Other Half, or is she the one messing with the schedule?

I DO have some GOOD drugs..but they don't really affect me in strange ways..except maybe make me sleepy.

The new Dept manager thinks the Store manager is playing withteh schedule and she will confront him on it!!!

[Curt Webb]

Morning All,

Flo can I have a cup of coffee please, oh and a plate of Christmas cookies.

At w**k today so no MRR time for me. I hope the new loco comes in Thurs or Friday. Man is it hard to believe it is Christmas on Sunday. The temps here will be in the high 70's to low 80's all week. 

Rob- When I was a brand new PM I had a call where a man was cutting branches off his parents tree and he fell landing on a cut branch severing his spinal cord. He survived but is now paralyzed. True story. Please pay the money.

Everyone take care and prayers for those in need.

[Stourbridge Lion]

Mornin Modelers!

It's 20F this morning with a light dusting on the white stuff on the ground.  Got the sound of little feet in the house last night; all 4 of them.

[Southern Traction & Power]

Coffee an bagel,

Looked at the tree,have an idea but would hate to be the cause of someone getting hurt.

Probably no RR work today, too many projects on the list  yet.

jerrold

[gear-jammer]

Good morning, I will have coffee in a NP mug, please. 

Rob,  What a mess.  Hope the tree didn't do too much damage.

If I disappear for a few days, it will mean that my moniter died.  I am trying to squeak every ounce of life out of my present one.

Later,

Sue

[TMarsh]

Good Morning!! Coffee please. Thanks.

Rain. High near 44. East wind between 5 and 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Christmas gifts? I’m not giving any this year. I usually only buy for Brenda anyway and I think, now this is just me thinking mind you, the floors and a new TV with a stand to be chosen later will be enough.  I think. It’s all coming out of my pocket and I would have been happy with just replacing the carpet, so …..Merry Christmas. Her gift to me sounds like she’s allowing me to do this AND…. I get to keep the air compressor IN THE LIVING ROOM until I’m done. Well, at least in the house anyway. When the living room’s done it’ll have to move I suppose. Though it doesn’t HAVE to, she’ll probably backstep on that part. Usual.

G- Your meds were kicking in. Who is with YOH on thinking who is messing with schedule? Is the GM with Your Other Half, or is she the one messing with the schedule?

Rob- I’d leave the tree to someone with a crane or bucket capable of holding the tree parts being cut. Not worth it. Oh, Seems Ray and JR are on the same sheet as I am.

Because I’ve been kinda busy here lately, I’ve kinda sorta skimmed through some posts. I’ve noticed a few new folks and wanna say!. I know it’s no excuse for a proper welcome, and I hate to admit, but in my haste I fail to recall a couple names, BUT, I’m still glad ya’ll dropped in and hope you stay a spell so's I can get to know you better when I get the chance.

Gotta get back to the grind stone.

Ya’ll have a Great Day!!!

[blownout cylinder]

Good Morning 

It will be a mix of sun and cloud today with the high at 30F ...as we prepare for a raining kind of day at 50F tomorrow...oh...with lotsa wind.

Today we are finishing, HAH!!, the decorating of our'n house as we have to put some decs under the tree..namely the Lionell set we got from last Xmas..this oughta be fun...lets see how long the train lasts with Spring ...

Remember Springzilla?

He has been awfully curious about the Lionel box we got by the tree lately..picking at the box and all...

Anyways..tomorrow I'm going also to pick up the turket and all that other stuff then see about getting some work done on my layout..that is if Murphy will allow one day off from his onslaught of stuff to do ...

Anyway, Flo, I'll just have the full breakfast platter with all the fixin's..no, I am NOT gaining any weight here..sheeesh..when was the last time I bought a huge platter anyways? People think I'm on a tear with my eating ..sheesh....oh no..not the frying pan!! NO NO!!!...

CLLLUUUUNNNNNNGGGUUUNNGGUUUNNGGG!!!!!!....oh wow, nice reverb....

Oh look at the pretty birdies!!

[wetidlerjr]

 

Good Morning ! from Tipton IN.

 

 

 

 

 

[galaxy]

GOOD MORNING!!!

Today is Tuesday, December 20th, 2011!!!

[GMTRacing]

Good Morning All,

   Haven't been in much though I have driven by a few times and looked in the window, Lots going in the shop and I've been sleeping a lot but not feeling rested. Some seasonal thing most likely,

   Rob - if you can't slide the tree off the roof to the ground without losing the rest of the building, a pro is the only safe bet. Dropping the tree as is will likely take the structure down and there appears to be no safe practical way to get to a point where you could cut it in pieces. As Ray said you'd need a bucket truck at a minimum and more than one person to run lines to swing stuff out of the way. That is one big tree and most of it seems over the shed roof. It would be too risky to even try to climb the tree to afix a rope to the upper part and try to winch it off. Just not worh the risk I think. Hope you get some better bids.

   Layout news is slim, I did finally break down and repaint the walls a light bluish/gray. Looks better I think. Have started trying my hand at painting hills and trees on the backdrop but have painted over any tries at painting structures. Just can't cut a straight enough line to suit me. I'll probably go back to cut out pictures for the urban areas. No progress on track laying until I get more backdrop done.

  Tried earlier to add pics to my Trainboard gallery but this new puter doesn't get along with their site yet. If I ever get the hang of it you'll finally be able to see what little I've been up to.

   Hope the rest of you are doing well. I'll try to keep up and stop in more.    CUL, J.R.

[Mr. Dispatcher]

Rob - Have you thought about using your tractor ( or your friends backhoe ) with a chain attached to the upper part of the tree to pull the tree back away ( or at least rotate it away)  from the shed to clear it before starting to cut up the tree ?. It might be an option.                           

                                                                                                                Otto

[howmus]

Evenin' folks!

Janie just a cup of decaf....  The pie looks great, but the sugar is elevated just slightly so I think I will just stick with the decaf....

Rob....  From the looks of the photos, I wouldn't try to take that tree down without a bucket truck.  I'm sure the roof is not safe to go up on, and I don't see a way to safely drop it.  At least wait until you get the other estimates.  Hate to see you lose the shed and your life at the same time.........  I have done enough messing around with trees like THAT to have them scare the "you know what" out of me.  I'll cut up a tree on the ground, or drop one that I know will go the way I want it to (if I have multiple routes of exit).  But no way would I attempt to take down a hanger like what I see there.  Leave it to a professional who has the right equipment!

Finished the last of the Christmas Shopping today.  I am sending a few bottles of wine to my youngest son from a winery on Seneca Lake  (Fox Run).  Picked up a toy for the youngest granddaughter at the LHS along with a few odds and ends I needed, and bought a half a dozen half pound bags of Organic, fair traded, coffee for some others for "stocking stuffers".  Now I just have to get busy wrapping everything.

Spent quite a bit of the day w*rking on the recording for a friend.  Her first husbands Mother was an excellent pianist!  Some of the tapes were made in 1977 when she said she was 71 years old.  The Christmas Songs I transferred over the past couple days were done in 1989.  THAT would make her 83 at the time.  The ones I have left to do were done in 1991 at the age of 85!  Too bad the originals weren't done on a good recorder.....

Did make it down to the train rooms as well today.  Made the last siding I need for the new mini yard and glues ties in place for both of the new sidings.  Painted the first coat on the PC ties on the rails.  Tomorrow i should get the second coat on them and get them installed in place.  Probably will get the electric feeders done for them as well.  Then on to more replacement with more turnouts to be made.....

Hope everyone has a great night!

73

[BroadwayLion]

Cederstrand

***Garry, hope you can get that computer fixed up OK. As for insurance, none of the outbuildings are covered. That is why I repaired the other shed and part of the barn roof myself, among other damage. That amount of money though has me seriously thinking of trying this last one myself. At worst, the shed would be cut in half. Regardless, there is already much repair work to be done to it. Guess it depends how much added work I want to risk making for myself. Ugh!

Time to hit the hay here. Rob

I built my train tables from a building like that! We *do* have insurance on our outbuildings. Just enough coverage to clean up the site if something happens to them.

ROAR

[Cederstrand]

***Garry, hope you can get that computer fixed up OK. As for insurance, none of the outbuildings are covered. That is why I repaired the other shed and part of the barn roof myself, among other damage. That amount of money though has me seriously thinking of trying this last one myself. At worst, the shed would be cut in half. Regardless, there is already much repair work to be done to it. Guess it depends how much added work I want to risk making for myself. Ugh!

Time to hit the hay here. Rob

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Good evening.

Long day in Nashville yesterday and long day here catching up on stuff.

One of our computers went haywire last evening. Am apparent malware virus sent a strange email to everbody on my email account list. Some were Diners here. Sorry about that. That's not how I normally extend Christmas greatings.

Jeff, I had fun with those Stoney Mountain vehicles this year. I included some in my scrap yard, and I also have four model trucks of the 1940's and early 1950's from thise kits. Enjoy your fun with them.

Welcome new diners (New to me anyhow) ....Southern Traction & Power and Goodness181, ... Feel free to tell as much as you want about yourselves, your layouts, and whatever.

Rob ... I hope the tree can be removed soon before the building suffers more damage. Does insurance cover this expense?

Lee ... I know what you mean about DCC. Right now my focus is on building my city, and I don't want to spend much time installing decoders at the moment.

Not much layout work to report. I had a few minutes, and I used the time to replace wheelsets on a Proto 2000 GP7... Another locomotive with cracked axle gears.... Also, I did some tidying up of the layout room.

 

[Cederstrand]

Here are a couple pics of the tree. Been thinking, what if I take much of the scrap lumber I have laying around and try reinforcing those parts of the shed that would take the biggest hit from this tree coming down and then cut it? It's bigger than it looks, so not sure if this idea would work or not. I know there is no way I'm climbing that tree to cut it in sections, that's for sure. Thoughts?

These pics do not do it's size justice. -Rob

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Today I spent the afternoon with my parents. We were on the road most of the time going from Leesville to DeRidder looking for some new furniture. To be exact, two new couches. There were plenty available but my mother didn't like most of them. Too soft, too long, too thick, wrong color, doesn't like the cushions, arms are too big, arms are too small, etc. After nearly two hours my father and I both were ready to kill her. I had already done plenty of walking today (have I mentioned the walking is difficult and very tiring for me?). She finally settled on a combination of size, color, and feel that she liked on one of the couches. We ordered two, identical! We got back to their home and started on preparing dinner. Pinto beans, home fries, cream corn (yick), onions and french bread. It was a good meal. But now, as a result of today's activities I'm very tired and I'm having a hard time making my fingers move. I'm making more spelling mistakes than a dyslexic first grader (and believe me, having been a dyslexic first grader -with ADHD and speech/hearing disability yet!- I know how many can be made) so the spell checker is very, very busy.

It's time for me to call it a night. See y'all tomorrow.

[Cederstrand]

Decaf coffee, please.

***Ken, that sounds promising. Check your messages.

***Jeffrey, those castings look good to me. Look forward to seeing what you do with them.

Got the first quote for that tree removal. $1,500. For $1 in gas, I could try to chainsaw it in sections and pray it doesn't come down before I get off the roof. It could cut through the roof even if it did come down slowly. Probably don't have much of a choice if I want to save that building, which I certainly do. That is a lot of dough for 1 tree. Ouch!

Rob

[Curt Webb]

Evening All,

Not much happening this way. I ran trains for about an hour today. Ran my Dad's WM 2-6-6-2 and was surprised that it ran with no issues on the inner loop, probably because of the articulation. I also cut the wire lengths that I need in 5 colors for the PL signals and tinned one end of each. This is a classic case of OCD on my part:

White-Center Common yellow

Red- other 2 horizontal yellow lights indicating stop

Yellow- other 2 diagonal yellow lights indicating approach

Green- other 2 vertical yellow lights indicating proceed

Black- ground

The color codes will help me when I am wiring under the layout.

Everyone have a good night.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Today I received a package from Stoney Mountain Classic Castings. It's a bunch of clear and white resin castings that are seconds or flawed castings, mostly old car and rucks bodies. Once the flash and extra material is removed and they're painted they should make good background fill and a small line of junk cars. A bit old for my layout but on a freelance layout anything can happen. The clear castings had a bunch of excess material on their bottoms but I sanded that of with no trouble. Gave me an excuse to use the shop vac.

[cudaken]

 Evening Fellow Dinners!

 Flo, Please.

 Rob I am being to think you have way to many trees! By the way, did you order the Amp you PM me about?

 Keeping The House! Had the wife call ILL Hardest Hit Program and I guess it is sort of Official that we won the appeal. Again, I am not holding my breath till I sign some paper work. Sue was told I will need to sign the paper work in apx 3 weeks again. I have heard that before, but maybe this time it is real. Todd, we still might meet faces to faces yet. I will give you as much notices as I can. Sue will be coming as well, Marcia (My Rep) wants to meet her. Boy that is going to make a long drive longer!    

            Ken

[Cederstrand]

Can't believe it's getting so dark out and it's only 5:30pm. Guess I'll go ahead and have one last coffee refill, please.

That tree leaning into one of the long sheds is now doing some real serious damage. I'm waiting to hear back from several tree removal companies. The middle of the shed is bowing outward under the weight, and it is not a small structure by any means. There are 4 horse stalls with a tack room in the middle (which is where the tree hit) plus an open drive in end. Getting rather concerned now. Yikes!

Rob

 

[blownout cylinder]

Good Evening

mmmpph....ended up getting a phone call earlier this morning about a meeting this afternoon..get there and...nothing    Turned out that the supervisor had left a message for the secretary to phone me up on Friday..changed hiis mind then forgot to tell the secretary about the changed plans....oh well, gave me an excuse to go to a LHS to pick up a few styrene sheets again....

As for the woodstuff I ended up getting it without rain be falling on our'n heads..so now I have the framework necessary for the expansion..heeheehee

Chloe, I'll be having a cofee for now please..I'll be at the RC for a bit..