PM RailfanOurs shifts one the fly too (but you have to shift to nuetral to do so). i usually come to a complete stop first when i drive it before pressing the buttons. Dad does it on the fly. It may be the best truck I personally have ever driven, but i feel no need to be harsh on the selectors, gears, or servos doing the work shifting from 2x to 4x.... or back again.
I never "shift on the fly".....my dad did that once on his Ford Ranger he had before he died.....and he got a good chastizing from me about that.
The only time I shift into 4wd is when I`m at a stand still.
Dennis Blank Jr.
CEO,COO,CFO,CMO,Bossman,Slavedriver,Engineer,Trackforeman,Grunt. Birdsboro & Reading Railroad
Hello Railfans! Flo - my usual please.
In General - concerning 4x4 bowtie branded trucks..... the parentals have a 2000 Z71. This one definately isnt a lemon because we just cant get it stuck in anything! No rust anywhere on it, single owners, and 160k on the ticker. To this day NO major repairs ever! (knocking on wood).
However, due to the fact we hardly use the 4x, when we do, and make tight turns.... from lack of use she does bind up a bit. You can feel it.
Ours shifts one the fly too (but you have to shift to nuetral to do so). i usually come to a complete stop first when i drive it before pressing the buttons. Dad does it on the fly. It may be the best truck I personally have ever driven, but i feel no need to be harsh on the selectors, gears, or servos doing the work shifting from 2x to 4x.... or back again.
Dont know if this helps or not, but i can state it certainly hasnt hurt!
Best of wishes to those under the weather. Will catch up with you folks later. Have a green light day!
Douglas
galaxyhhmmm...Dennis, here in NY you can transfer your registration,but not the inpestion, and your inspection adn registration MAY NOT be he same month due to that. I'd have gotten a king cab or what ever they call it, but nice truck. Miss my 87 silverado 4x4.
Here in PA we can transfer the registration...........but I still have the old truck.......one of my co-workers wants to buy it for parts.........I did not want to remove the tags as I have it parked in the street in front of my house........and I want to keep the peace with the neighbors and the township.
The new truck is a 2010 Chevy Silverado......4 speed automatic, 4 x 4, extended cab (4 door) power everything, plus 5 free oil changes ( 1 from the dealer and 4 more from GM since it is a GM certified pre-owned vehicle).
Also there is a switch on the dash for the following.....2H, Auto, 4H, 4L......this is for the 4 wheel drive......the auto feature is nice as is kicks in only when I need it.....and it does not bind up when I turn the steering wheel.
Good evening diners, It was a nice slushy afternoon in SE Ohio. Looks like the city's plan of not plowing our street will be okay. Reminds me of when I lived in Little Rock and we had a 20 inch snow. The city was overwhelmed and let people know most would have to wait on the sun for snow removal.
I smell cooking so it must be about time to eat. Plan on heading to the basement after diner for more work on the Homesote track bed.
Jim
Howdy!
Granddaughters were just here... #2 got to open her gifts from me, they each got one of PaPa's finest butterscotch toll house cookies, and then to check out some of the projects I have been working on in the train room. I had them climb up on a step stool so they could look inside the small engine house at the Quarry. Then I turned on the structure lights so they could check out the inside of the building. Granddaughter #1 got big eyes and said, "Neat!". They both liked the Octagon Blacksmithshop as well That was just being assembled last time they were down there. hopefully by summertime I will have trains running again and they can do some operating with me.
Cederstrand ***Ray, so what did you wrap up for her? A BigBoy (BigGirl) locomotive, or perhaps a Pacific?
***Ray, so what did you wrap up for her? A BigBoy (BigGirl) locomotive, or perhaps a Pacific?
Nah! Got her a portable doll house with furniture and people... Went over well, they both started playing with it as soon as it was opened. Also got her a 4X set of binoculars. I don't think she really knows what it is. I'm sure her dad will show her. He is into binoculars and telescopes.
Galaxy, I thought you said you have a viral cold.... If you have a virus, antibiotics won't help you. They don't work on viruses. The doc may have given you the antibiotic as a preventive measure so the virus isn't replaced with a bacterial infection. That would not be good with your recent surgery.
I think I will head down to the layout after dinner and spend some quality time down there. later!
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
hhmmm...Dennis, here in NY you can transfer your registration,but not the inpestion, and your inspection adn registration MAY NOT be he same month due to that. I'd have gotten a king cab or what ever they call it, but nice truck. Miss my 87 silverado 4x4.
COughing hacking and choking..i don't think the antibiotic is working, i don't ahve a choice, its what teh DR agave me.
Went to Lowes,the have pea gravel which it what I wnted to get for the ruts in hte driveway, but MOH said wants bigger stones, they won't be until end of march, so no choice have to get the pea gravel...about 8 if nto 12 bags..MOH wnats to "think about it.' tomorrow I say we go get them..abut $4 a bag.
Wnet to teh mall for MOH get hair done.The marble floor there is hard on my back, but so the concrete floor at Lowes..
wore out, dosen't take much these days.
later
-G .
Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.
HO and N Scale.
After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.
Hi,
I ended up having to buy another truck last week........the old one lost it`s third gear while going into work Tuesday morning last week......I was hoping I could wait until June for another truck....thats when registration and inspection runs out on it.
But no ....the old truck had other ideas and forced my hand......so now I have this.....
Mornin' everyone!
Zoe, I'll have a bowl of hot oatmeal and brown sugar to go along with a pot of Marrakesh Express dark roast coffee in my FGLK Mug! please and Thank You, Ma'am!
Currently 26°F outside on it's way up to 36°F later. A couple hours ago the temp was 20°F and the high was supposed to be 39°F.... Things that make you go Hmmmmmmmmm....... Actually a good slow melt would be the best thing we can get. I will soon go out and see if I can break up the ice out by the mailbox. mailperson hasn't left any mail for 2 days because it is not cleared. Have several important items I am waiting for. I will be glad to see Spring when it has sprung!
Been wrapping a birthday present for my sweet little Granddaughter #2. Birthday was last Thursday and the "party" was last Sunday. Of Course nobody told me about it until Saturday night.
Hope everyone is doing well today!
CederstrandRegardless which handheld I end up with, going to require a magnifier to see/use it.
That's one of the reasons I chose a Lenz system when I bought into DCC about 8 years ago. It has big buttons and a large, easy-to-read display. Unfortunately, Lenz really hasn't upgraded anything since then, and their equipment is starting to fall behind. They have announced a new "budget" throttle, but its operation doesn't look particularly intuitive. They don't have a wireless system of their own, so I went with CVP which does make one for the Lenz XpressNet protocol. Back to small buttons.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Good moring.
Mark H .... That is good news about the job.
Neighbors helped me get the truck back on the road this moring after two days stuck.
I heard about people returning here from Nashville in the storm. It was a cold overnigh trip of over 10 hours to go 125 miles.
We are attending a funeral for a neighbor man this afternoon.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Extra strong coffee in a Maintenance Of Way mug, please.
Watched a pretty good tutorial on both the Digitrax and NCE systems. Both certainly have features I like. Will watch again, as well as other vids on the subject. Regardless which handheld I end up with, going to require a magnifier to see/use it.
Any of you (with DCC) have two completely separate train lines (not attached electrically or physically) on your layout? Just curious.
Sure hope the starter fruit and nut trees arrive today. Have a hired hand available for tomorrow, but the trees need to get here first.
Enjoy your day folks.
Cheers! Rob
Thanks, gentlemen, for the mattress information. I'll pass it on to my wife.
To paraphrase Game of Thrones, "Winter is going." Good riddance. This afternoon the temperature will prarie-dog above freezing for a few hours, and with bright sunshine we should see considerable melting. No more single-digit nights in the forecast, either.
Ha. I clicked on an article called "See which TV shows have been cancelled." There were like 15 of them. I went through them all, and to minimal amazement I discovered that I'd never even heard of any of them. Sometimes, being totally detached from popular culture is a good thing.
the easist way i deal with the cpap slipping is not to wear it.the first time my heart specilist seen me the first words out of his mouth were " you have sleep apnea (spelling)" this was without any testing just going by my high blood presure. I told him to forget it i'm not putting up with the noise, hose's or the pain dealing with insurance to get supplies(deal enough with that on my medications).I know that some of you might say that I could become a fallen flag (to use a railroad term here) I'm perfectly aware of the risk,but until I notice a problem sleeping i'm staying away from the thing.Some times i think the doctors get paid for each one they prescribe for people.
cederstrand; I PM'd your PM.
TODAY'S WORD:
Ken: the pain lessens every day.
How's the job hunting going? how about a secnd part time job? In food?
howmus galaxy RAY: 2 things aobut the CPAp I have learned: First, try LOOSENING your straps, that MIHGT make it not leak. Second, yur insurance may cover a new gel inser tif you have a pop-out one once a month like mine does. The gel loses shape over tiem. The gel insert is the only part renewable every month, the rest is every 3 months for renewal on my medicare. Way ahead of you my friend... My CPAP Supplies are ordered and delivered every three months. The nose pillows I use get replaced every two weeks as does the air filter. When the wood stove was acting up, you should see how dirty the little filter was.... Head strap and tubing are replaced every three months, and the tub for the water every 6 months. This last time I told the rep that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the water tub and it can go another 6 months without replacement. It is all covered between my insurance and Medicare. What happens is that when I roll over or move my head, the strap at the back works its way up over the top of my head and the whole assembly comes off. That wakes me up, but most often it just gets in a position where there is some leakage on one side or the other. Doc is not at all concerned about it as long as I am breathing OK.
galaxy RAY: 2 things aobut the CPAp I have learned: First, try LOOSENING your straps, that MIHGT make it not leak. Second, yur insurance may cover a new gel inser tif you have a pop-out one once a month like mine does. The gel loses shape over tiem. The gel insert is the only part renewable every month, the rest is every 3 months for renewal on my medicare.
Way ahead of you my friend... My CPAP Supplies are ordered and delivered every three months. The nose pillows I use get replaced every two weeks as does the air filter. When the wood stove was acting up, you should see how dirty the little filter was.... Head strap and tubing are replaced every three months, and the tub for the water every 6 months. This last time I told the rep that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the water tub and it can go another 6 months without replacement. It is all covered between my insurance and Medicare. What happens is that when I roll over or move my head, the strap at the back works its way up over the top of my head and the whole assembly comes off. That wakes me up, but most often it just gets in a position where there is some leakage on one side or the other. Doc is not at all concerned about it as long as I am breathing OK.
Ok, RAy I have the same problem...I used to use sports sweatbands around my ears adn covering my eyes to help hold it on, as mine slips up up and away too.
BUt,they would also stretch out as they aged, becoming non-effective as they were made of terr cloth-type stretchy stuff.
I then found some nice wide ladies solid looped headbands {for hair holding} that work the same, but don't stretch out! They come in "pretty colors" like pink, brown, baby blue, white and black, and are about 2" wide. In the ladies hair section.
Again, i put it around my ears/eyes OVER the CPAP straps and it holds firmly in place!
I don't scare the putty tat away, aso I must look "pretty" expecially in the pink one.
Hey were like $1.99 or $2.99 for the set of 5 at Price Whacker. Also at Waly World for like $1.99 PER. good they are!
Evening Dinners
Flo a JSTL and a for me and the Buick guy if he shows up.
Mr B I have never seen a Queen mattress that was the so called correct sizes.
Rob I went with the Digitrax SEB for three reasons.
1 LHS layout is all Digitrax so when there is a problem, they might be able to help.
2 I have a good sizes layout and thought I might like switching (I don't) but I can run the layout from different points.
3 I have two main lines and they are a fair sizes. I like to run 2 trains at the same time on each line. I start out 1 train on each line, then start the other two on the other line. By controlling 1 train on each line it is pretty eazy to keep them from hitting each other.
Other benafits. If you switch from 1 engine to another the speed settings stay the same! Has more power! I like more power! But, I was a Tim Allen while he was still in prison and started is act.
Digitrax PR3 Far as I am concern best money I ever spent on model trains. If you want to know why, I will explain Saturday.
Galaxy Hope things are going better with the tooth and other pains.
Latter Ken
I hate Rust
Evenin' again...
Janie, a hot cup of decaf would be great right now... By Hot I mean just off boiling.
I just got home from an interesting Crew meeting. Very good meeting run effectively by trhe Crew President (just the way a crew is supposed to be run). The adults present even waited to be called on by the President before speaking (just the way it is supposed to be done). I enjoyed it and will be giving a good report on them to Council in a few minutes.
galaxyRAY: 2 things aobut the CPAp I have learned: First, try LOOSENING your straps, that MIHGT make it not leak. Second, yur insurance may cover a new gel inser tif you have a pop-out one once a month like mine does. The gel loses shape over tiem. The gel insert is the only part renewable every month, the rest is every 3 months for renewal on my medicare.
I managed to get the PiP buried in the driveway on my way out to the Venture Crew meeting. Dark behind me and the back up camera was dirty. I drove it into the 2 foot high packed sn*w and ice. Took me about a half hour to get enough dug out, with the help of a neighbor across the street, to fianlly get it out to the street. Of course having the driveway be pretty much a sheet of ice at the moment didn't help much. First time I have done anything like that in 20 years.... Hopefully tomorrow I may actually get to see the pavement under the cleared part of the driveway... The snow pack melted just enough in the sun to ice the driveway over nicely!
Be blessed and stay warm out there!
Hello everyone,
Breathing a little easier now...job wise. Some of you may recall my complaints here from last summer of an extremely unsafe and very abusive employer I've worked for over the last 13 years. That, for the most part is now behind me. Starting Sunday morning, I'll be working for a diaper supplying subsidiary company who uses Kiva robots for the much heavier and more dangerous jobs, that PIT operators currently do in the Reno building.
No more Reno freeways and their kamakaze drivers to deal with!
This diaper facility is 22 miles closer to home than Reno...38 miles one way instead of 60. And in less than 18 months that drive will be reduced to about 16 miles one way upon the completetion of a highway (USA Parkway...near Reno) which will connect to Highway 50...4 miles from home. That highway was part of the criteria for Tesla to come into the area. It also pays a little less since I'm going dayshift and there is no shift differential. Hopefully the trade off will be worthwhile.
Even commuting to the new job, I'll still be able to enjoy passing by and pacing 65 mph freight trains along Interstate 80...for now, going to and from work.
Well. Back to the layout and some liquid indulgence.
Take care everyone
Mark H
Modeling in HO...Reading and Conrail together in an alternate history.
V8VegaThe TV here goes on and on and on about that movie star that crashed his airplane.
Well, what do you expect, journalism? TV is an entertainment medium. It shouldn't surprise anyone that news about entertainers is a top priority.
Actually, Harrison Ford did a very good job on that, according to knowledgeable sources. He had a genuine in-flight emergency (engine failure) and did everything right. And, as they say, if you need a doctor in southern California on a nice afternoon, the best place to go is a golf course.
And, the plane is a classic model from the 1930s. That alone makes it an interesting story to me.
ok let see,
I have a few comments:
MR. B. they ARe all different. we just bought a new queen sized mattress, and I immediately found out the flannel queen sheets no longer fit the width of the new one! i put them in teh Sally house bag, maybe someone can use them. The FIt the old queen mattress. SIde effects? I have none, I already take the good meds for my back! In fact other than the shots after the surgery, teh surgeon didn;t give me any as I have them already!
RAY: 2 things aobut the CPAp I have learned: First, try LOOSENING your straps, that MIHGT make it not leak. Second, yur insurance may cover a new gel inser tif you have a pop-out one once a month like mine does. The gel loses shape over tiem. The gel insert is the only part renewable every month, the rest is every 3 months for renewal on my medicare.
GARry: I've had 4x4 truck before and know they are NOT infallible, expecially wiht ice underneath. This winter i have been perusing and lookign at a cheap AWD or 4x4 for those "iffy' days when MOH or I have to be out in the weather. MOH says"not necessary" I say "adds surer footing". I Finally I said ' I've HAD 4 wheel drive, I know the difference, YOU don't!' {another "arguement in our household"} I think I am winning the arguement, but we will wait til next year..it doenst' have to be new, or even recent vintage, just reliable and not to expensive...like an older subaru Forester or any subaru AWD{which never last on CL}, YOU may have read MOH's car is stuck in icy ruts in the driveway, maybe AWD would get it out! I may win after all! I've got to point that one out!
Cederstrand: watch trying to do without those crutched too early! I have been using my arm more than I should, need to slow down on that, i tell ya,wnat it to heal correctly!
Well, long day nad the dentist fixed the tooth. Other erarnds too, for got the stons at lowes for the ruts, MOHs car still stuck. Tired.
Evenin' folks!
Actually made a bit of electric today. Nice bright and sunny day out tyhere. Only 12 of the panels are cleaned and operating. so the others are a major drain on the power, but I know it was actually making a few watts. That should have melted some of the sn*w on the other 6 panels. Tomorrow be in the upper 30's and then some forties for a few days. That should get all the panels cleared and finally producing power again.
ENT Doc appointment went well this afternoon. No problems except the CPAP mask is leaking at times. He said it wasn't really a problem as long as I am sleeping well with it. He checked my ears, nose, throat, and lungs while I was there. They all appear to be in place where they are supposed to be and are working.... (More or less.....)
yougottawantaHowmus - why do you not like MTH ?
YGW, this is a topic that gets locked very quickly by "Vinnie" so I won't go into it other than to say I don't like their products nor their business model.
I will be heading out shortly to do my commissioner's role at the Venture Crew I am working with. They don't meet very often and seldom let me know when and where, so this is only the second visit this season.
Got up to around 20 today and will drop to 13°F overnight. Then tomorrow the temp will start climbing for several days! YES!
Oh, forgot to mention yesterday that the old (no longer used) firehouse next to city hall here had a roof collapse yesterday. Combination of sn*w and ice falling from an upper roof onto the lower one. Geneva also has a gas leak downtown (right out in front of the firehouse and city hall) somewhere under the street. Street has been closed off and NYSEG crews have been digging in spots. They have yet to find the source of the leak. They checked all the businesses on both sides of the entire block and they are all OK. Businesses are open, but the block is completely closed off due to the problem.
Catch you all later.
Coffee refill, please & thank you.
***YGW, off crutches (not sure if I am supposed to be or not) and taking very calculated, most careful steps when out on the farm. Shoulder is still giving me much grief. Trying not to use that arm for anything.
Ran a few trains. Finally got the Bachmann Spectrum (HO) 70 Ton 3 Truck Climax off the shelf and tried it on the loop today. It has a bad hitch in its git-along. Moving forward it is binding somewhere and even stops, while the chuff sounds continue. In reverse it runs OK. Going to send it in to Bachmann and hope for the best. Guess there is no hurry since I bought it on 2/5/14, so it's no longer under warranty. Perhaps I should just wait until the new layout is built and I am ready to really work it? My own fault for not running it sooner.
Watched some interesting vids of engines being hoisted by cranes and other devices on you-tube.
[/quote]
yougottawanta Garry how much white stuff did you get ? Must have been pretty deep to stick a 4 wheel drive truck ! Many moons ago I had a Bronco II, Best vehicle for snow I ever had. We had twoo feet of snow one winter and myself and some friends hoped in that little mini bronco and went driving on roads that had not seen plows. The snow and drifts were so deep we had snow up to the head lights. It went through the sno like a hot knife through butter. Loved that vehicle.
Garry how much white stuff did you get ? Must have been pretty deep to stick a 4 wheel drive truck ! Many moons ago I had a Bronco II, Best vehicle for snow I ever had. We had twoo feet of snow one winter and myself and some friends hoped in that little mini bronco and went driving on roads that had not seen plows. The snow and drifts were so deep we had snow up to the head lights. It went through the sno like a hot knife through butter. Loved that vehicle.
YGW ... We had 15" of snow on top of a 2" to 3" layer of ice. (freezing rain and sleet prior to snow) Snow drifts on the road were about 3'. ... Warmer weather is coming.
Howmus - why do you not like MTH ?
Rob - how are you doing ? Are you still on crutches ? Is teh shoulder still bothering you ?
Galaxy - see that you are doing pretty good with one handed typing ! Pretty impressive. Hope you are feeling better.
Jim - Hello and welcome to Jeffries diner
Ken - That must have made your day ! That is a lot for a mattress.
Wasnt able to post yesterday. For some reason couldnt pick up a siganl and also spent the day shoveling white stuff off of teh drive, cleaning off snow off of the vehicles and doing honey do projects around the house . I am so sore today !! Had to take soem pain meds just so I could sleep last night ! Well tomorrow is teh girls last basket ball game of teh season HURRAY ! Not that I dont like doing this for my kids but teh season is so LOOONNNGGGG. It seems at times like it will never end. Now soon on to more fun stuff like modeling !!!!
TTYL
YGW
A good High Noon to all...
I have already been out and about running some errands and other stuff. the other stuff was I had on my computer an appoinment with the ENT Doc. for 11:00AM this morning. Went down there and the recpetilnist starts checking and says, "Ah.... I have you down for 1PM this afternnon." I assured her I had a whole lot of other stuff to do and I will be back at 1PM. The appointment got changed about 3 times over the last couple of months and I think I changed the date and forgot to correct the time on the computer. Oh Well!
The Solar panels are fired up and producing electric today. Well, nothing to write home about, all of 33 watts when I just checked down cellar. But, that is the most power they have produced in almost 2 months. The snow pack on the ones I couldn't clean is now solid ice so it will take a while for them to clear. The next several days are all supoosed to get up into the high 30's and low 40's so I figure by next Tuesday they should clear themselves. The only part of my drivway I haven't been able to shovel is right by tghe mailbox. The mailman couldn't get his truck through it yestareday so didn't leave my mail. That pile from the sn*w plow on the street is also solid ice. Ii tried chipping it down with my sn*wshovel but couldn't even make a dent. I took a can of salt ice remover out ther and hit it pretty good. Will see what happens.
Rob, I don't have (and will never buy) any MTH anything, but... There have been several threads at the NCE Yahoo group talking about MTH Locos. They should (at least the newer ones) be able to be run on DCC. You won't be able to access all 4,535 whistle sounds and some other stuff Mike has on his toys, but you should be able to at least run the locomotive. There should be some documentation that comes with the loco???
I gotta grab some lunch and head back down to the Doc soon. Later!
My dad ran a F7 AB Western Maryland set when he first got them just to test them on our NCE power cab setup and was happy with how they worked. Hope this posts ok, using dads phone since he's shoveling 10" of winter. Since purchase he dismanteled setup to make way for new layout an work has interfered big time, but will be back up by summer we hope,at least running again.
Shanny10
B&O, C&O, PRR
Just lovin trains
Extra strong coffee in a MOUNT RAINIER SCENIC RAILROAD mug, please.
***Garry, stay safe there. That drive sounds a bit treacherous. I think you had a valid point about loco size. Only larger loco that has me hooked is the Beyer Garratt. The way it snakes well around curves, it looks great. In hindsight, the other beasts I could have done without. Maybe the touch of buyers-remorse I feel will go away when the new layout is up and running!?!
***MisterBeasley, I have several queen-size mattresses here (both guest bedrooms have them) and one is different than the other two. I have also found the same thing to be true with queen size sheets, some fit tighter than others.
A dusting of snow this morning, but it melted away not long after sunrise.
The last shipment of tree starts (4 hazelnut, 2 peach, 2 apple) is scheduled to arrive today. Fingers crossed my occasional hired hand can make it out here to plant them tomorrow. Will be a good while before I can do this kind of work again.
After some farm chores, going to run a train or two around the loop and try to program a few loco numbers.
Will ask again, anyone here have any MTH locos you run on regular DCC systems?
Goodmorning diners, It was a cool -2 in SE Ohio this AM. So far the city is boycotting our neighborhood for snow removal. Haven't seen a snowplow since Wednesday evening about an hour after it started to snow. I guess the city must have more important things to do than snow removal in our area. And this time the snow is actually kind of deep with about 10 inches in the street.
Time to head to the basement and kerf some more homesote for curved roadbed. Sure want to thank everyone for the good advice I have received on track laying and handling the homesote as I am definetely a newbie at layout construction.
Galaxy, keep on healing and getting better. Best of luck with the dentist.