Elliot's Trackside Diner....JUNE 2013!!!!

[Anonymous]

Good Afternoon,

I have been trying to calm down my nerves by developing a layout idea for young Gary in here. I have posted it in his layout thread, but I will show it here also:

I have been trying to catch some of the flavor of Stevenson, WA, where the tracks run right along the northern bank of the Columbia River. The view block to Pasco Yard also adds "distance" and makes it easier to come up with some nice looking scenery. I hope Gary likes it.

Edit. I got TOPS, so the bill for all those hungry folks will be having during the day is on my tab.

[pascaff*]

  Morning All,

     Currently it is 53 with an expected high of 88 under sunny skies.

    This is my weekend off, so I have lots planned. The weather looks good to finish glass bedding that rifle for my friend.  I also plan on making spaghetti saice today for a visit from one of my daughters and her husband tomorrow. Then the rest of the time will be devoted to model railroading activities. First off I want to finish the benchw**k to be able to complete the around the wall layout. I have several building kits that need to be completed, and lots of scenery w**k to do.

   It looks like an abitious day for me, I wonder how much I will really get accomplished.

   Ulrich   Good luck dealing with your brother. Keep coming up with layout ideas to help relieve the stress factor.

   Prayers to all in need.

    Paul

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Good morning. It's 82° with 78% humidity. And no, I didn't get those wrong. The high will be 92°. A small chance of rain.


This morning I put the new (to me) F3B body on a powered chassis and it's now running behind the F unit trio. It's still in UP paint but worry not, it'll be making a stop at the paint shop before long. First it needs to go to the machine shop to have the port holes drilled out.

I'll be doing a bit more layout cleanup later today.

[chochowillie]

Curt Webb

Dennis- Nice rock work. What did you use to make them?

Thanks Curt, I used Six woodland senics rock molds and plain old plaster of Paris  Nothing special. I've been molding rocks on and off all winter to build up a good supply since my mountain railroad is going to need a ton of them.

Dennis

[howmus]

Mornin' everyone!

Zoe, I'll have a couple of the sour cream glazed donuts to go along with a cup of Seneca Lake Blend Fair Traded Organic Dark Roast Coffee in my R&GV RR mug, please and thank you.

A bit cooler today here in the Finger Lakes.  Only 80°F outside at the moment with a high around 83° in between thunder boomers during the day.  I shall be spending this afternoon out at Boy Scout Camp getting what I can done on the Sound System install.  Should be up and running if I manage to bring everything I need with me....

Ulrich...  It is so sad to see what you are having to endure from your brother.  If he takes you to court, (I bet he is bluffing as I think he knows he would lose as you have your Father's signature which should be able to be proved is his) and you win.  Get a court order that will keep him from contacting you ever again.  then you would be done with him and your Mother!  Makes my family appear almost sane and friendly...  My two sisters barely talk with each other.  The one that is a complete nut case is convinced I love her more than my other sister....  Actually I love them both as is my duty to my sisters.  Think that line is found somewhere in King Lear IIRC.

Thank you to all of you who are praying and sending good thoughts to my oldest sister during this time.  I think the hardest part for her is not knowing what can be done for her.  If she gets the worst news, she will keep going and doing the things she loves and values as long as possible.  She is a person of deep faith and that will stand strong for her no matter what!

My prayers for those who were in the line of the storms again yesterday, and for the Fire Fighters who fell in the line of duty as well!

OK..  Best be getting moving.  I have to figure out what to take with me today and get the PiP packed.

Later!

73

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Good morning ... 

CDN Dennis .... I too am admiring the scenery work you are doing. 

Curt .... Thanks for commenting on my WPF post. 

Ulrich .... This is not good about your brother. There must be a way to reconcile differences. Wish I knew how so I could tell you. 

Jeff .... here is my plastic Varney shell on an Athearn chassis. I admit, I went overboard with too much weathering. I am posting so you can see painted portholes are worth considering. These looked better before the weathering. It was glossy black circles and the looked like flush mounted glass portholes. In particular, I liked the appearance of being flush with the sides of the locomotive. 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Heartland Division CB&Q

I am posting so you can see painted portholes are worth considering. These looked better before the weathering. It was glossy black circles and the looked like flush mounted glass portholes.

That looks good. The thing with mine is the body will be black.

[TMarsh]

Good Morning!!!

Just coffee please, and make it to go. Make it two, one for the moose out there. Thanks.

A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 77.

Got another  2” rain last night. That should put the total rain fall for May at aboooout 8 feet.

Ray- Though it may mean little to others, I'm sure her faith is of great comfort to her knowing where she will end up if things go for the worst. I sincerely hope that is not the case but she will remain in my prayers as wel as your whole family as you all deal with this.

Gonna zip out and fire the old Cub Cadet up and roll the yard again before it rains…again. Then, well, can’t put it off any longer, gotta finish installing the dishwasher. Brenda said though it’s very pretty, she wonders how long she gets to look at it before she can use it. She’s in a good mood today so no point in ruining it. She also wants to paint our closet. The only closet she’s ever wanted to paint. Now it’s a walk in, not a huuuge walk in but a good sized one I guess with plenty of racks and more of her clothes than was ever intended to fit so that means…..a real pain. As per tradition. Can I get a hug . Thanks Zoe.

I did get quite a few berry bushes removed yesterday before it rained and to my friend so she’s happy, and I just gave Missy her Oinky soshe’s happy. All the important women in my life are happy so life is good.  At least for now.

The day is young and things can change in the blink of an eye .

Ya’ll have a good day, ya hear!!!!

[TMarsh]

Garry- I like your short trestle. I wish I had seen it before I made mine. I see I could have made it better looking now that I see a good example. I did copy the photo so I can add some foliage to help spruce it up though. Hope you don't mind, but even if you do....I'm doin it anyway!

[Anonymous]

Thanks, folks, for your comforting words.

Unfortunately, my brother is too much my mother´s son, the same character. He is extremely jealous, that Petra and I love each other so much and are happy together, even in dire times. He also probably hates himself.

What a family!

[Packer]

Afternoon guys

Went to the trainclub this morning. I ran all 51 of the coal cars I'd been working on in 1 train, with just the 3 engines I keep at the club. The engines can easily handle the train, they were barely slipping on the inside loop of the helix. Just a few truck adjustments (to compensate for the sloppy trackwork) and I was good to go. I just need to pick up some wood for the bracing in the Walther's gons. Someday I'll see about getting the exactrail gons too...

[Burlington Northern #24]

Ulrich, I hope everything gets better for you. I also will name a car after you, do you want a Heavyweight or a smooth side, or maybe one of the SP&S's budd cars? 

Gentlemen meet #750, 

[bjdukert]

Ok,this is where it all started as the Coffee shop until the bandwidth got too big for the forum and that is when we started calling it Elliot’s Diner in honor of him and moving it every month.     Got the thread from Flip and he got it from RT so thanks Flip and RT.

http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/forums/t/15409.aspx?PageIndex=1

Ulrich     Hope everything works out for you.

Best to all on sick call and those recovering

Duke

[chochowillie]

TMarsh

Gonna zip out and fire the old Cub Cadet up and roll the yard again before it rains…again

Ok Todd, so what's the story about rolling your lawn all the time.  I've been wondering about that ever since you started doing it. 

Speaking of wifely painting requests.... remember the yellow kitchen project I did during the winter.... Yup, you guessed it..... now she wants the living room/front entrance painted a "lighter color". It's summer sort of for pete,s sake. It's convertible weather sort of if it ever quits raining every day.. 

When I mentioned that little fact all MOH said was Ïf it's raining that would be a very good time to paint then wouldn't it"

After 42 years you'd think I'd have answers for her logic but I don't Sheesh.

Cheers

Dennis

[chochowillie]

Sir Madog

What a family!

Ulrich, not that it's much consolation but the old saying of "You can choose your friends but you can't choose your family" kind of fits in your case. I sure does for me and my family. 

Hang in there Ulrich.

Cheers

Dennis

[jeffrey-wimberly]

chochowillie

After 42 years you'd think I'd have answers for her logic but I don't Sheesh.

My father had ways of spiking my mothers guns in situations like that. When she told him she wanted this wall that color and that wall this color he'd get the paint, brushes/rollers, drop clothes, etc and tell her to have at it. She wanted it done, she could do it. When she wanted an addition designed for the house and told him she wanted this way and that way he handed her a sketch pad and a pencil. When she had the sketch done to her satisfaction she gave it to him and he gave it to a contractor with the instructions that they contact her, not him. She wanted it done, she could take care of it.

*

I think I found one of the problems with my van. It wasn't wanting to start today. I checked to see if there was any spark from the coil with the old tried and true method of holding the end of the coil wire close to a bolt head on the intake manifold. I observed a weak orangeish yellow spark perhaps a quarter on an inch long. That didn't look good. I put my my hand on the coil and it was so hot it almost burned me. That in my experience screams shorted coil. So I changed it out with an old coil I had. I did the test again and this time got a big blue hot spark that jumped an inch or more. Not bad in a breaker point system. So I plugged it into the distributor cap and cranked the engine and it fired up. Maybe that was the whole problem all along. Maybe it was just part of it. Time will tell.

[kbkchooch]

Howdy gang! 

Oh my it's hot out there! Flo, can I get a tall sweet tea please!

Staying in the basement today,,cept we had to go to the Verizon store this morning. JR's cell phone wont take a charge. He tells me the receptacle for the charger fell into the case when he plugged it in. So the verizon guy looks at it,,,see's some scratches on the case and states they can fix it,,,for 350 bucks!! WHAT!  Yeah,,scratches on the case means abuse to Verizon. He's only had the phone a few months!  he had to have a new Droid Razr Maxx, now he gets to deal with it.  The phone is actually on the EX wife;'s plan,,,so I'm going to let her deal with it on Monday. I kinda feel sorry for the poor guy at Verizon,,,,he's gonna think a pit bull got him!! If she has no success I can get it fixed for less than $350 bucks,,,but it wont be cheap.

Modeling wide,,the shortened hoppers got paint this morning,,and 1 has "data only" on one side already! Still have to make LEHX reporting marks,,,,all done on the PC,,I'm just waiting for SWMBO to get  back with fresh cartridges for the printer! 

Ulrich.  for you and Petra. I've got a sister much like your brother,,I feel for you. My other sister is normal.....Hey Ray,,,I think there is a theme here!   

Next years Christmas present for bad sisters??? 

Jeffrey,, don't grab that wire unless you want to dance the Watusi!!

Well Mikey and Kevin (sons 3&4 ) are coming over to play a twisted card game. (Cards against humanity) Gotta get ready.

Cya!!!

[rdgk1se3019]

Packer

I've since removed the protomax couplers from all but the A-end of one car and the B end of another and replaced them with the remaining dummy couplers I got from Dennis (speaking of which, where is he?, and "That editor"?)

Somebody looking for me?

[BroadwayLion]

jeffrey-wimberly

My father had ways of spiking my mothers guns in situations like that. When she told him she wanted this wall that color and that wall this color he'd get the paint, brushes/rollers, drop clothes, etc and tell her to have at it. She wanted it done, she could do it. When she wanted an addition designed for the house and told him she wanted this way and that way he handed her a sketch pad and a pencil. When she had the sketch done to her satisfaction she gave it to him and he gave it to a contractor with the instructions that they contact her, not him. She wanted it done, she could take care of it.

In our home, it was always mom who did the painting and the papering. She liked doing it. House always looked nice too. Well ok, not that early 1950s dark green living room, but then I did not know that it looked bad at the time, only when we looked at the photos of it.

The LION is the one on the left. The couch, and all of the other furniture of that era are still in my parent's home, but the cushions have been recovered every five years, and completely replaced about every 15 years.

ROAR

[jeffrey-wimberly]

kbkchooch

Jeffrey,, don't grab that wire unless you want to dance the Watusi!!

Oh yeah, done had my hair curled before. That's why I was wearing a rubber glove AND holding the wire by the thick rubber nipple that pushes down onto the distributor cap. Most powerful one I got hit by was on my Century. Around 100,000 volts. This old van is point fired so is probably 50,000 to 60,000 volts at the strongest. Electronic ignition? What's that? Oh, that's what it used to have. Somebody disconnected the electronic system years ago and put in an older distributor and changed out the electronic feedback carburetor with a standard 'dumb' carburetor. All the electronic stuff works, it checks out as good. I'm told that if the proper distributor is put in and some wires are connected it'll run on the electronic system. But I can't imagine why I'd want to do that. Chrysler's 'Lean Burn' electronic system was great for starting fires.

[AmanaMedic]

"...speaking of which, where is he?, and "That editor"?"

THAT Editor is, more than likely, sitting in her temporary home in North Liberty, Iowa with her feet up and a drink in her hand. THAT's where she probably is. 

Good evening, 

ULRICH: I don't suppose a knuckle sandwich delivered swiftly and forcefully would do any good? Perhaps knock a little sense into him? 

Well (still clear full, toads nowhere to be seen but got a postcard from them today, will look at it later), I got a bit of a (pleasant) surprise today. It would appear for once my Flickr account is attracting people other than terminally confused (and sick) men who like to look at pictures of high school wrestlers.... A gentleman with the Iowa Firefighters Association went rummaging around for pics of Iowa firefighters, found my page and several pics he wants to use in a video presentation to be delivered during a candlelight service at the Iowa Firefighters Memorial! I am honored beyond words by this request. 

I'm not sure what pics he wants to use, but he said it was for a "Faces of the Fire Service" compilation. Here's a link to my page, have a look sometime. You'll see how I make part of my paycheck.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisumscheid/

In other news, I've been doing w**k stuff today and will again a little later after a State Championship soccer match finishes up in Des Moines. I was there Thursday for a Class 3A quarterfinal round match, and THAT Editor OK'd having Big Boss's hired gun go today for the possible "trophy shot." 

Tomorrow, one way or another, I WILL get into the RR room and get something done, even if it's wrong.

Break time! 

Chris (in Iowa) 

[chochowillie]

jeffrey-wimberly

Not bad in a breaker point system. So I plugged it into the distributor cap and cranked the engine and it fired up. Maybe that was the whole problem all along. Maybe it was just part of it. Time will tell.

JEFFREY  Isn't it great when some of the "stuff" a person hangs on to forever actually turns out to be useful at some point. We moved from a big house that we lived in for just about 30 years to a house about 1/3 of the size with no garage. I didn't have anyplace to put "my stuff" when we moved so 90 percent of it got chucked out.  Now 4 years later and I'm still needing some of the long gone stuff.

Sometimes life sucks

Cheers

Dennis

[chochowillie]

AmanaMedic

'm not sure what pics he wants to use, but he said it was for a "Faces of the Fire Service" compilation. Here's a link to my page, have a look sometime. You'll see how I make part of my paycheck.

Chris, beautiful work  Back in my days with the fire service, I took a ton of On Scene Pictures of both fire and EMS personnel doing what they do. I still have them around somewhere but to post them, I'd have to digitize them because they were all shot on slide film. Remember that stuff, film that is...

Cheers

Dennis 

[AmanaMedic]

Thanks DENNIS! Yeah, I remember film very well. I started fiddling with cameras in the late 80s, got serious about it in the early 90s as a freelance photojournalist, w**ked for a weekly from '94-'97 then went into EMS and a variety of other things before falling back into it (the newspaper world) almost five years ago. I never shot anything on the scenes where I was with Fire or EMS...I was too busy doing the fire/EMS stuff. THAT's part of why I feel so honored by this: I was a firefighter, EMT and Paramedic, and some of my stuff is going to be used to help honor the fire service I so proudly was a part of. It's also special as I almost ended up on the LODD wall, and if I had, I'd be among the fallen being recognized. 

Chris (in Iowa) 

[Packer]

Evening guys

Home computer has been acting up all day. It's working now...

Finger is a lot less tender, but it's kinda developing a crust. It cracks if I fully enclose the finger, and it bleeds a little in some spots. I guess it's the beginning of a thick layer of scar tissue... I won't post the pic of it cause this is a dinner and it's kinda gross.

Dennis, yup. I haven't seen you here, but have seen you on the DD forums

Chris, Neat pic with the CNW SD-something (SD40-2 with a light out?) and the LMX 8-39B. Nice pics too, but I'm not the photographer in my family. My brother is and he does some of the pictures for Ohio State's sports programs.

Jeff, So a point-fired car is a car that doesn't have an electronic module for the distributor? My 94 mustang has one, and until the other day I had the coil from an '84 LTD LX (I thought mine was bad, but the coild from my car works on said LTD). I changed it to an Accel and have an Accel iginition system to wire-in.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Packer

Jeff, So a point-fired car is a car that doesn't have an electronic module for the distributor? My 94 mustang has one, and until the other day I had the coil from an '84 LTD LX (I thought mine was bad, but the coild from my car works on said LTD). I changed it to an Accel and have an Accel iginition system to wire-in.

Mine has a standard Chrysler coil that'll work on many models right up until the time distributor-less ignition came along. Electronic or not.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Looks like a 50% chance of rain tonight and tomorrow. A pretty fair chance of getting wet. So far today the van has started every time I needed it since I changed the coil. Hopefully I nipped the problem in the bud.

Time for me to call it a night. See y'all tomorrow.

[CNCharlie]

Good Evening,

Well the rain has finally stopped but one could hardly call it warm.  At noon is was 50F and peaked at 58 with a strong north wind. Risk of frost tonight. Good thing we haven't planted any of the flowers yet but hope to get started tomorrow. Wife had the heat on this morning as it was chilly in the house. Ah the joy of living in Winterpeg.

Ulrich, sorry to hear of your family problems. Do you know who is the executor of the will? I was afraid I would have trouble with my sister when our mother passed away a few years ago but as I was executor there really wasn't anything she could do. In the end she was fine which did surprise me.

On Friday I got the new tire installed and it was no charge!!! That warranty the 'gave' me when I bought the car covered the full cost. Feels good when that happens.

Today we went out for lunch at a spot we have been going to for over 20 years. It is a small place that serves really good food. We both had the beef and portobello mushrooms. It is served with a pepper sabayon on greens with garlic toast. Really good!! Then it was off to the mall, garden centre, grocery store, etc. Now it is time for not much.

I did run a train for about 5 minutes this morning and may actually do that again tomorrow hopefully for more than 5 minutes. I did finish my rolling stock weathering. I just put on a little AIM rust here and there as I really don't like it heavily weathered. Back in the '50s the cars might have been faded but really weren't very rusty at least not on the CNR. I wonder at the heavy rust you see now and if the leaded paint used in the past stopped the rust from forming so easily or was maintenance that much better.

Chris, how is Rerun?  Still chomping down those cheeseburgers? I was wondering if your wife has bought one of the new Beetles. See a few of them around and they seem quite nice.

Well time for TV.

CN Charlie

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

CNCharlie

On Friday I got the new tire installed and it was no charge!!! That warranty the 'gave' me when I bought the car covered the full cost. Feels good when that happens.

Feels good when the warranty is actually worth more than the paper it's written on. I've seen some that wouldn't cover something unless certain number of highly improbable things had happened. I had a 4X4 vehicle from a very well-known US automaker that never learned how to do anything other than destroy it's transfer case no matter how precisely the operating instructions were followed. Care to guess what part of the drive train WASN'T covered in the warranty?

[blownout cylinder]

And a good evening to all herein!! 

Weather here be warm and sticky...not much else....

Moore OKL seemed to be in another Tstorm's sights again....we had something go over here a few days ago that looked to about come here and do us in as well...thank goodness it did not... continue for those effected by the tornadoes...keep safe!!!