RideOnRoad Today's bike ride was the fastest for the year--an average speed of 18 mph for 23 miles. It is always amazing to me the effect a clean, well-lubed drivetrain can make.
Today's bike ride was the fastest for the year--an average speed of 18 mph for 23 miles. It is always amazing to me the effect a clean, well-lubed drivetrain can make.
I'll just walk again today. It's too hot to bike, particularly on the road in the sun. We get a bit of a break after Sunday.
I do like my new anatomic bike seat. I seem to have a bit more power, too. The shape may be allowing my legs to be in a slightly more efficient pedaling position.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
No. 160812 : Euclid Avenue, NYCT
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Lunch time
Hey Flo wake up ! Where did everyone go ? Man the diver is empty today. Can I have a Philly steak and cheese with grilled onions, mayo, LOTS of cheese, salt and pepper, Yea a foot long sub!, An order of onion rings, BIG tall glass of ice tea made from black tea, lemon, sweetner please. Whne the tea runs out please refil it. It is blazing hot here. Heat index is around 105 ! If Reinhard makes it in here from the tarmac fill him up on whatever he wants too. I hope that heat out there on the tarmac hasnt caused him to have heat stroke of worse !
Wow where did everyone go ? Pass out from the heat ?
Ken - When do you expect your early Christmas gift ? I hope you share some photos.
Garry - Congrats on the positive anniversary. Glad you are still kicking !
Richard - 23 miles avg 18mph ? Is that straight and level or up and down hills ? Once when I was a kid I had a little three speed bike and I got on this long hill and I wanted to see how fast I could go. I was peddling with all I had, leaning low over the handles to cut down on drag. Next thing I know this car pulls up along side me and the guy driving said "hey kid do you know how fast you are going" He told me I was doing 25mph. He laughed, shook his head and drove off..
Mr. B. - I have a friend who hates riding a bike. He says " why would anyone peddle their legs off to give their butt a ride " of course he uses a little stronger langauge. I guess bike riding isnt for everyone.
Gotta run. Have yet another meeting.
TTYL
YGW
Is the lion on the rail ?
He could be, but it's hard to tell....
Can you see him?
Afternoon Diners,
I did it. I tried that dog to the tree yesterday for a good half hour on two separate times. Later on I was feeling guilty, so I went outside to check on him and he was laiding on the dirt underneath the tree. Charles showed some fear in his eyes not wanting me to be near him. When the day continued he's scared of going outside to go potty after being tired.
Train News: I don't know this happened of thinking about but I'll told you. Yesterday for some reason I decided to look up BLMA 64' reefer cars for the Union Pacific ARMN. After looking at pictures I would try to buy some first release series because I need the old reefer unit. Since I find the third release series on EBay, I just decided to buy two old reefer units.
I told you about I rebought the last two BNSF BX166 boxcars. They sent me two mystery cars instead. Yes I was disappointed. If you pre-order these first you should get first picking for the numbers you chosen over 8 months ago.
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
yougottawantaMr. B. - I have a friend who hates riding a bike. He says " why would anyone peddle their legs off to give their butt a ride " of course he uses a little stronger langauge. I guess bike riding isnt for everyone.
I'm sipping my third cup of coffee in the last booth, YGW. Thinking about a piece of Shoo-Fly Pie, maybe!
I love bike riding and I would do it more often if I could only convince Mrs. Pullman to join me but that's a tough row to hoe. We went on the old B&O r-of-w once for a 14 mile round trip ride. Maybe that was too much for a first time out?
A few years ago the plant I w**ked in bought some trikes for the maintenance people! Can you imagine? Having fun at w**k!!! Some of the guys were saying "You'll never see me on that thing" a week later they were griping when somebody else took "their" trike!
I hope Ken's fence project is working out better today. Are those fellows HAND digging the post holes! I have a 3 point auger on the back of my tractor you can borrow if you'd like. Just stop over and pick it up!
Yes, I think I'll go for that pie after all! Thanks, Flo.
Check in later, Diners...
Ed
ATSF - I can only enlarge to 300% so I am not sure.
Ed - Oh there you are ! Sorry I didnt see you. I have a suggestion if you dont mind. Make it a "romantic ride" You know at the end of the destination a picnic or some roses hidden away before hand. I bet she will peddle away for that !
Guys I heading west. Not feeling well. Going home to lay down.
Hi all,
I'll order a 32oz cafe latte as I'm loading up the Ranger and leaving town late tonight/early morning. I'll be driving about 9.5 hours to get to New Bern NC to visit relatives and drive to the beach.
On the MR front, ordered two more Walthers 53' milk cars lettered for H.P Hood as I really like those particular milk cars. I probably have enough milk cars, but I like them, so I'll order plenty. I also ordered decals to start painting the four undecorated ones I have on my to-do list. I've heard the Broadway Limited P70s are close to shipping soon, so I'll be looking forward to them. I ordered a dozen. I'll finally have passenger cars that carried passengers. Plus, I have a bunch of Preiser figures waiting to be painted and placed into the cars.
Wishing everyone a great weekend
Alvie
yougottawantaYou know at the end of the destination a picnic or some roses hidden away before hand.
Roses!
How about a basket with Motrin, J.R. Watkin's Horse Liniment, a high fiber granola bar and a tub of epsom salts?
We're not as young as we used to be—priorities change
Good plan, though!
Mr. B: Good to hear the saddle is working out for you. I think after correct frame size, the saddle has more impact on comfort and endurance than any other component.
YGW: That was 23 miles of varied terrain, with a total of 730 feet of vertical gain. There was virtually no wind, which helps keep the speed up. I had a similar experience with a car, but mine was a car full of punk-looking kids. They slowed and were driving right beside me and I thought, "Oh cr*p, what are they going to do!?" They rolled down the window and called out, "25 miles per hour--Nice!" and drove off. I was reminded to not judge a book by its cover.
Ed: Pretty funny about those guys and their trikes. There is definitely a sense of freedom that comes from riding.
I am pretty lucky--Mrs. ROR also enjoys riding. A few years back, we rode the El Tour de Tucson together. As we came up to the finish line, I decided I would let her finish ahead of me. All of the sudden, she took off like a shot, and I pedaled with everything that was left and she still pulled away from me. After we finished, I noticed my rear tire was nearly flat. That's why she dusted me. (That's my story and I am sticking with it.)
My Versa is in the shop today. I have had the car for a little over 7 years and it only has about 62,000 miles on it. A couple of days ago the "Check Engine" light came on. The diagnostic code said that the #3 cylinder is not firing as regularly as it should. Here's to hoping it is a simple (cheap) fix.
One last thing. My assignment at w*rk has changed and I have a whole new set of accounts. One of the new accounts--BNSF.
Richard
yougottawanta Is the lion on the rail ?
LION is NEVER in an unsafe place. No Him is not on the tracks.
ROAR
Afternoon Diners.
Flo, I will take a and give Ed and Douglas one as well.
Did not feel great today. Not sick, just beat. Good thing I gp back to work Saturday, I need the rest! Did get some of the junk out of the back yard. Use to have a burn barrel back there and lot of junk that never got burned. Got some planters in the storage shed and threw away lots of old junk.
While the temp was not that bad, the humidity was awfull! Not really working hard, but after 5 minutes I was soaked!
Fence Front Well all the post are in and most of them are 3 foot down. Couple they could only get 30" down but with all the roots and gravel they where hitting I sort of understand. When Lowes calls after the fence is up, I will leave a mixed review.
Main thing I did not like.
1 Never asked me where I wanted the old post they pulled left. You would have to be blind not to see where I had the old fence lumber.
2 Left my new post laying in Dewight yard yestrday. (not today)
3 Did not install the contruction fence Thursday. They did today, think they got the hint when they saw it up when they got here today.
4 Knocked some stuff I had holding the pool cover down in the pool while using my hose and power cord. While they are easy for me to get, I should not have to.
5 Span they left due to the tree I need cut down is 12 foot, well so they say. I was told the widest they could go was 10'? I will see if that is a problem when the tree is finally down!
Good points?
1 They where frendily and answer questions.
2 Worked hard.
3 Post look straight!
With just a tad more effort I would have gave them a . They will be installing the pickets Saturday while I am at work. Hope I see them before I leave.
YGW My early Chistamas depends on the USPS, so who knows! When I sent you the coal cars, you got them like a week later than what there tracking said. If the USPS smiles on me, I may have the when I get home Saturday! Now if only you have time to get to the post offices I will have B&O out the Caboose! That is a good thing!
Any up dates on you father?
Ulrich for you.
Gary Glad you are still with us for 8 more years. Hope it is as long as you want.
Ed Sure glad you have imbraced the dinner folks. I enjoy your post and what you know about are hobby. Far as the long term lease.
Later, Ken
I hate Rust
Good evening Diners:
yougottawantaATSF - I can only enlarge to 300% so I am not sure.
I heard from Ulrich by PM this morning (9:49 am Atlantic) and it's a recurrence of his heart issues which has him sidelined again. At home but not feeling like computer stuff - perhaps watching his train navigate that jewel of a layout...but then his one well running loco is also playing up...
Dancing in the streets time here as it has rained for about 2 ½ hours. Enough to re-fill most of our rain butts. (Relax Vinne, just Google it! LOL) More due Sunday, so
I've just a few solder connections and tie replacements at joins in the Staging tracks (upgrade from Fiddle Yard because track realignment yielded two extra sidings!) and I'll be ready to take some photos and so forth. Painting the track and Gleam cleaning follows - then it's on to wiring. I'm under orders to wear my hard hat while beneath the layout - too many scars on the pate from not having done so in the past! SWIMBO says! The feeders are in (except a few in staging). The layout is two layers of 1" foam insulation on hollow core doors. Drilling through that needs a long drill bit, and a regular drill bit coughs up little shreds of static-charged foam dear to all who use this medium! To avoid that, I ground down the shank of a spare chain saw file to a sharp point. (Use eye protection, seriously, the resultant tool is dangerous!)
Here’s the thing in operation:
Hole being bored whilst bore-hole lining straw ready for installation
Note near total absence of dust / debris.
Bore casing insertion:
I white-glued the final inch or so of the straw – but that proved not very effective and less necessary than I had anticipated.
Feeder wire slides down straw effortlessly:
I’ve a couple of similar construction “photo-essays” filed. This layout is utilizing some techniques I’ve not tried before – and the realignment of major curves and the point-of-entry of the interchange track gave me the opportunity to take photos of those which I had forgotten to do as I went along in the construction.
"There are always alternatives, Captain" - Spock.
Evenin' Diners
Just stopping in to cool off (Thanks for keeping the A-C set at 72° Vinnie!) and grab a quick appetizer. I'm going to see if the cuisiner de chef can make bacon-wrapped pickled watermelon rinds for me, and Flo has a Heineken hidden in the back of the cooler for me!
cudakenYGW My early Chistamas depends on the USPS, so who knows!
Ken, my boy—I sent you the tracking numbers linked in the PM! Supposed to be tomorrow. Better keep an eye on those contractors... they might fence them!
I hope you get the rest you need and feel better ASAP!
SO in the wee hours this morning I was hauling a string of empties out of the staging yard. This cut of cars had been down there for quite some time (I call it Sydney Yard 'cause it's "Down Under") and what should appear!
An old blue-box reefer. I think it may be one of those Greenway Products paint jobs.
Anybody here ever milk a LION? ...and live to tell about it? I hear you have to be F A S T !
Well I smell the bacon! Yes! Then it's off to the shower, then dinner— and finally... to the trains!
BIG doings on my retirement front! My official retirement date is 1 September. So yesterday, GE decides to announce a plant closing at my location IF I choose to stay on for another year I would receive a severance package that would buy lots of trains, or at least one BIG one. Many things are up in the air right now.
This news just leaves me all fuzzy-headed
I'll check in just before closing-time...
Evenin' folks!
Janie, an ice cold glass of lemonade would do great right now.
At 10PM this evening here in the Finger Lakes it is still 83°F outside and I think the humidity has to be about 110%. Definitly a sauna out there. No rain yet for us yet, although they are predicting isolated thunderstorms all night, all day tomorrow, and most of the day on Sunday.... Isolated means they won't bring us any rain here in Geneva, but we will see flashes and rumbles every now and then.... Or... We could get a couple inches of rain in an hour..... Anyone want to place any bets? Oh, I know, no gambling in here, that was a retorical question.
I got to watch my granddaughters again today. They are are at wonderful ages, and are a pleasure to have around! The older one mostly played games (wii) in the living room and the younger played with, cuddled, and petted the kitties, and talked with Grandpa. They are both interested in the aquariums and had many "fishy" questions. I took them to the gardens and showed them the Cicada Killer nest in the raised bed. Then showed them what they look like and some interesting things about them on the iMac. They have been watching, birds, Deer, foxes, and snakes out at their house since they were very little. Their dad has a degree in fish and wildlife, so they come by it naturally...
I am somewhat at a standstill on the layout until I get my shipment of 1" x 4" (HO) lumber from Kapler. I did cut out the last large chunk of plywood I will need in the new section tonight. I can't take the final measurements for one side and get it in place until I finish the scenery behind where it will go. I can put in some more tree trunks in the area across the track from where I am working, but can't do the "forest" in front of the pasture until I have the fence in place. I think I will work on cleaning up and putting away all the stuff that is out I don't need right now. That way I can at least get a train or two running on the old part of the layout when company comes in a couple weeks. I can run an "Out and Back" format in the old room. I have gotten a lot of the outdoor items done this past week. Cutting the last chunk of plywood tonight will let me lean the rest of that sheet of plywood against an outer wall and retrieve the sawhorses under it. I will be using the sawhorses to hold the serving tables up on the deck for the party. Will have to borrow my son's or buy another set to get it all done....
Quote for the day:
“The reward of a thing well done is having done it.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson
Have a great night!
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Evening all. Just stopping by to say "Hi". Don't need anything this evening, Flo. Maybe just a glass of water.
Hobby Front: Got the new gondola car this morning. It's a P2K RTR (or supposedly) car. A few minor problems and one major one. Minors: No ACI or lube decals (easily fixed. Always have those decals on hand.) Major: Trucks couldn't be screwed down tightly. Fix: drill out holes to #50 (tap for 2-56 screw) and use a modified .010 Kadee coupler shim to fill the hole gap. (It's what I had on hand.) The truck I managed to get done this (Friday) morning seems to be good.
Off topic: I'm watching some Australian Football (FS2) as I type this. The AFL is quite interesting to watch.
FRRYKidI'm watching some Australian Football (FS2) as I type this. The AFL is quite interesting to watch.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
FRRYKid. . .Off topic: I'm watching some Australian Football (FS2) as I type this. The AFL is quite interesting to watch.
I don't think there is such a thing as "off topic" in the diner.
Another glorious morning in the saddle. Not as fast as yesterday, but fast enough.
My daughters get back from visiting my son today, so we (mostly Mrs. ROR) are done pet sitting. Pet sitting 3 cats, 4 dogs, and 8 reptiles. No typos there. All but two of the dogs belong to one daughter. To say that she is an animal person would be an understatement. The cats and dogs are almost all rescued animals, and the reptiles, well, that's just a wierd obsession.
Mornin' everyone!
Zoe, I'll have a large bowl of organic raison bran cereal and a large pot of Marrakesh Express Dark Roast coffee to keep my R&GV RR Mug full for a while...
Hot out! Currently 88°F outside. Got all the way down to 75°F overnight. AC has been running almost constantly for several days now. Just glad I have it! The weather people are promising some Thunderboomers this afternoon. Around the neighborhood you can see where the water from the roofs drain on the lawns. We have patches of new green on the dead brown... Hoping some rain materializes!
I have decided to clean up the layout and n ot worry about getting trains running in the new section before the picnic. Still haven't heard anything on my order of lumber (excvept that they have the order). I do want to have a train to run while people are here. guess I'll concentrate on cleaning the house.
Hope you have a great day and a place to stay cool!
Still morning? Yeah, for a little while.
We did the car swap yesterday. Back when I was still working, I traded in my Saturn in for a new VW Jetta. After I retired, I swapped cars with my daughter for the 99 Corolla she'd been driving since she was 16. I figured she needed a reliable car, and I wasn't driving that much anymore. This week she (now 25) bought her first car on her own, a brand new Subaru Crosstrek. So, the Corolla is now sitting in her driveway for sale, I've got the VW back, and my little girl is absolutely in New Car Heaven.
When they built the Minuteman Bikeway through our town, there was some concern among homeowners along the path that there would be crime issues along it. That never happened, but some of the towns responded by putting police on bikes. Not only was it a brilliant public relations move, it became very desirable duty among the local gendarmes. My favorites were the officers from neighboring Lexington, who went all out with calf-length socks that had "Lexington" spelled out vertically. I asked where they got them, and they said, "From the football team." Perfect.
RideOnRoad My daughters get back from visiting my son today, so we (mostly Mrs. ROR) are done pet sitting. Pet sitting 3 cats, 4 dogs, and 8 reptiles. No typos there. All but two of the dogs belong to one daughter. To say that she is an animal person would be an understatement. The cats and dogs are almost all rescued animals, and the reptiles, well, that's just a wierd obsession.
My parents have quite the collection themselves. Two cats and one dog.
Cats: a little 7 pound Siamese. She's an elder stateskitty. Fourteen years old and she doesn't look or act like it. She's still very spry. The other is a 16 pound orange tiger stripe. No, he's not a Garfield (ribs can still be felt). He's just a big cat. Both of them are rescue kitties. The Siamese showed up in '02 at one of our stores in town. Someone took her home. She didn't fit with the tribe that the person already had. She later moved and wasn't taking her with so Mom took her. The tiger stripe just showed up. Took Mom a good year to get him calmed down to where he wouldn't run when someone moved. We figure that he was either and abandoned cat or an abused cat or possibly both
The dog is a 5 pound mini Cheweenie. Rescued from a puppy mill. Sticks to Mom like glue.
Bear,
During our 0300 break we would watch Austrailian Rules Football in the crews mess on a DLG that had come back to the shipyard for upgrades, and boiler tube replacement.
We all agreed that none of us could figure out the rules, other than, biting, eye gouging, and use of clubs was forbidden. All the same we enjoyed it.
If it was televised here I would watch it, more to it than American Football.
( The ship had a satelite hookup, thus we could watch--I believe an old Navy Chief figured into the mix somewhere)
herrinchoker
It's miserable here 98 with a heat index of 129. I don't feel like doing anything. Wake me in October.
Here is the Ma & Pa roundhouse in Baltimore now owned by the highway dept
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
As promised a picture of Jackie's dog Charles. That was taken today.
Charles is one very active 10 month dog with no signs of slowing down.
This one is a picture of Anthony's dog Murray.
This picture was taken two weeks after I got my phone. Outside by the park on the right, not shown.
Afternoon
My caboose is dragging. Cold chills and fever. Woke up in a pool of sweat this morning. Someone stuck a giant needle in me and sucked the energy out of me.
Had to get someone else to sit with my father tonight I don't dare go around him.
Good news from he rehab center they actually had my dad up on a walker hobbling along. I didn't expect to see that for weeks. He is a legend in his own time. Stops a car with his body and up and walking in three/four weeks ! He has been my hero so many times in my life. Have been blessed with an amazing father.
Going back to bed.
Janie, ice cold lemonade to go, please...
As I thought this morning all the predictions of major severe thunderboomers during the day were off base for here in Geneva....... Possibly not so later tonight. We are under a Severe Storm warning at the moment, but that is more for those to the West of Geneva. Canandaigua is included by name so it could just nail us too. As a matter of fact.... The sky is getting very dark outside and the light should be what we get in a hour and a half from now.
We DO need rain, but we don't need 70mph winds and inch sized hail....... I best shut down the 'puter I think!
Later...
Good Evening Diners!
A slow day here, didn't do much at all, just changed the flapper in a toilet and sat in the yard drinking coffee. Yes it was that cool and cloudy too.
I hope to get down to our friends in Minnesota soon as they are holding a few parcels of stuff for me from MB Klein. Nothing really special but they had a few deals I couldn't resist such as True Line Trains box cars for $19. I ordered an Ontario Northland car and a CN Through Baggage. Not that I need more rolling stock but I will sell off a couple of pieces as part of my upgrade programme. At least that is my excuse. I spent too much money so selling off a few things will help defray the expense.
I can't think of anything else to say, except I hope everyone has a good night.
CN Charlie
Evenin' once again folks!
What's that Janie? The lights were out for a bit? They were here in the Finger Lakes too... I have reset the clocks 3 times this evening so far... I could use a refill for my lemonade, please. I'll have a seat in the back and listen to the thunder outside.
I'm using my MacBook right at the moment. I the lights go out again, I don't have to worry about a power spike on the iMac. Looking at the weather map for the Finger Lakes Region of NYS, this could be a noisy night I think. Now that the line of storms has found Geneva, they will be moving long ways right over the area for a few hours. I had just turned off the main computer and gone outside to move a chair under cover when there was a "FLASH....BOOM!!!!" I checked to make sure I was still in one piece then made a bee-line into the house. I made it in about 5 seconds before the heavens opened up and the wind roared. Rain came down hard for about 5 minutes. It has now tapered off to a nice gentle sprinkle. Will pick up again soon as the line of red stuff on the map is headed right toward my house.
I was planting some more tree trunks and cleaning up some old spilled junk down cellar when the lights went off again. I have several safetylights that come on if the power goes off so I mozzied upstairs to se what was going on outside.
It is rumbling pretty good again outside so I better hit submit and get doing something else for a while... catch you all later!