Good evening all.
Brunhilda - A hot cocoa please. Thanks!
ROR - Hope the new job will be a good one for you!
Cudaken - Is a spider cam anything like the NASCAR Gopher cam? Does your spider have a cool name, like Slinger? (Digger is the gopher who operates NASCAR's Gopher cam...)
YGW - Glad you didn't get affected by the protesting, that would have been a major bummer.
Ed - I know exactly how you feel about the weather issues... NW PA weather is very similar to yours.
Speaking of Weather - About 10-12 inches or so of fluffy white stuff, and a cold night. (10F or lower tonight.) Warming back up next week though...
W**k - Remodelling inside the store, in new paint, and updated displays and moved locations on the floor plan. Fixture parts came today, and we will start in earnest tomorrow.
Ankle - No, I never went to the local ER. I really refuse to go there... Last time I was there, for Asthma issues, they diagnosed double pneumonia, off of clear X-rays.... I could (and still can) put my full weight on the ankle, as well as move, bend, and twist it every normal direction, without issues. Just a big bruise, and skinned the one side of it. (Probably when I yanked it out quick when it got hit....) If I couldn't put full weight on it, or move it freely, I would have gone to the ER anyways, but at the rate they misdiagnose, I might have left with my arm in a sling!
Trains - Cleaned and lubed a couple loco's today, that will most likely be going to a friends son. Both are Tyco/AHM diesels. They will need some slight work first, as the AHM labeled one, a RS-2, the motor mount is broken, so the motor can rotate on its axis, not the way it is supposed too! The Tyco labeled one, a GP-7(9?) one the motor runs very warm (HOT!), so I will be checking it over a little more as well. Both will have the coupler mounts moved, as the couplers are way, way too low. So, it will be a few days of testing and modifying the units before gifting them.
Hope all are well, and all have a good night!
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
Hi all,
Keeping busy with a lot these days so I'm glad to drop back in for a minute.
I love this month's locale. As a kiddo I had a VHS on Australian steam and they had a segment on Puffing Billy. Hope to visit Australia one day.
On the life front: Going on a Disney Cruise with my family next week for a week cruising the Carribean. I've been busy at work quite a bit but it does pay the bills. And yay for extra train money.
At the roundhouse this week... I've sold a few HO models, and now have a handful of vintage American Flyer pieces and a lot of old parts up for auction.
I still dearly love the Pennsy but lately I've been more towards the Reading Company side. Bought a BLI T1 and a Bowser VO1000. As well as a Proto Northeast caboose to repaint, and six resin models of Reading freight cars. I'm still keeping my Pennsy collection, just complementing with Reading freight trains.
Alvie
The discussion about phones got me thinking, my grandfather had a candlestick phone with a rotary dial in the base, he kept it on top of an old Emmerson radio that had the deepest base sounds I have ever heard. When we first moved to the Island we went nearly a year before we got a phone, that was how long the waiting list was. Our first phone was a "POT" (plain old telephone-black) that did not have a rotary dial. All the numbers on the Island were two digit, to make a call you would pick up the hand-set and the operator would ask what number you wanted. We were on a 10 party line, our ring set was two short-one long. It was not at all uncommon to hear noise in the background when you recieved a call, washing machine-baby crying, radio playing-the neighbors were always well informed. During the Korean War my oldest brother called home from Tokyo on the military net, he had just brought a Chinese Communist Major that had been captured to McArthurs HQ for de-briefing, and wanted to let the family know he was going back to Korea, and not coming home just yet. Dad started laughing, and told my brother, "no son, the radio isn't on, one of the neighbors is sharing our conversation" At that point my brother asked the person to turn down the D-- radio as he could barely hear Dad. The radio was turned down, but the neighbor still listened in to the conversation. It was not uncommon to be using the phone and have one of the neighbors cut in asking to use the line as they had an important call to make. The day we recieved a private line,( akin to being two doiley Irish) we celebrated. Entertainment was listening to the radio on Saturday night, along with a large bowl of popcorn. Gang Busters, X-1, Jack Benney, Lone Ranger, Arthur Godfrey, Our Miss Brooks, to name a few. Our first TV arrived when my brother-in-law moved into the farm house after he was discharged from SAC in 1956, he had been a navigator on a KC-97 tanker. Before that he was a navigator/bombadier on B-26s in Korea.
It is strange what will trigger memories---
We recieved about 10 inches of snow out of this past storm, tomorrow will finish recovering the woodpile from the snow drift. The deer have hit my yew bushes hard, and then moved down the field to the cedar trees, and are in the process of trimming them up. Have close to 40 turkeys feeding around my deck, wife has been throwing corn over the rail into the driveway for them. Have to wax the snowshovel again and get ready for the removal project tomorrow.
Prayers for those who need, hope all are warm,dry, and safe.
herrinchoker
Well, yes. our first telephone hung on the wall and had a crank on it. That was from the Richardton Telephone Company. Our number wa 15.
Our number is still 15, although over the years they added more and more digits in front of it. The Richardton Telephone Company merged with others and more, and then took over all of the AT&T / Bell accounts in Stark County. It is now called the Consolidated Telephone Cooperative. And, by the way, they have ripped out all of the copper wires in town, our little town of 600 people now is 100% optic fiber.
They wanted to compete with the cable company for TV accounts. The cable company but in heavier cables with more capacity, but eventually they raised their prices one too many times, and so now we have one big bundle with Consolidated which includes Telephone, TV and Internet, and our internet supports 4 servers and 30 workstations.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
herrinchoker - You mentioned listening to old radio shows. Being born in 1940 I remember doing the same thing before we had a TV. But I still get to do that. Here in Pittsburgh, one of our radio stations has old time radio beginning at 10:00 pm. Jack Benny, Fibber MaGee & Molly, The Shadow, Gunsmoke with William Conrad, Hopalong Cassidy, Lum & Abner & many, many others. Listen to these blasts from the past almost every night. Some go back to the late 30s.
Tom
Pittsburgh, PA
Good morning ...
Ricky ... It sounds challenging to fix up those old locomotive models.
Alvie ... Wow ... You acquired some nice stuff for your model railroad. I have a Stewart VO1000 from before Bowser acquied Stewart, and it has been great engine to me for several years.
Herrinchoker ... That is an interesting memory of the old party lines.
Lion ... You did a good job of summing up the technical advances for phone service. I know AT&T has been acquiring other companies including Direct TV to keep up with trends.
Tom... You have some interesting memories, too. I recall watching the old westerns on black and white TV when there was no color TV available.
John Boy ... I'm wondering if you were able to complete the 200' marthon during the time I was typoing this post.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Hey diners,
I tested the track plan. It looks good, but it looked different on Scram than real track. I noticed I can't add hills, or slope unless I want the road to look it. The backdrop will be mounted behind the layout, no room in the middle because of the road and structures.
I wished I did keep the 2x2 foot foam blocks but I believe the same problem occurs filling in the gaps to glue them together.
Since I have the track outline. I have the other fun part of designing something in the middle of all it. Placing the structures I have is starting to be a problem.
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
Hello all
Train front - Waiting to here from the inspector. May be in trouble. I forgot to leave out the approved plans this morning !
Tom - That is interesting. Do you know if many people listen to the programs ? Focus on the family used to do a radio program for kids. My kids LOVED to listen to it.
Herrinchoker - Are the turkeys Wild or the tame version ?
Alvie - Do you sell on Ebay ? How well are your products selling ?
Ricky w - We did get hit pretty hard by the protest. Many did not show up. Those who took off without permission I sent home today and gave them off Saturday too. They can return to on Monday. I will not fire them but give them Grace this time. I do not take kindly to men taking off without given me a heads up or recieving permission. We had a superintendent fired because he did not show up and did not call in. Very disrespectful to everyone else who have to adjust and cover for them.
Johnboy - Hey good to see you in here ! 200 FOOT ?
Ken - No I wish I had made that part of the building longer. Overall it is 50 feet long. Is that you in the picture ?
Steve - I think you are too hard on yourself.
ROR - What is the new job ?
Dave - I dont think the dial phones will work anymore without a special adapter
Angel - I approved your friend request.
Ulrich - Are you okay ?
History qoute of the day :
I regret that I have only a little bit of pocket lint to give to my country.
My name is Clark, and I have come out to see what you brave fellows are doing in Kentucky and to lend you a helping hand, if necessary.
If Parliament may take from me one shilling in the pound, what security have I for the other nineteen?
cats think well of meOn the life front: Going on a Disney Cruise with my family next week for a week cruising the Carribean.
I just got back from a Caribbean cruise a couple of weeks ago. It was on a 300 passenger boat, no kids. Absolutely great time, island-hopping from St. Martin to St. Lucia and back.
I went to the doctor yesterday to get rid of my cough. I've never gone to the doctor as an adult for a cough, but this one has persisted for a month. He said I should take Benadryl, which seemed so simple I should have done it myself. It sure worked last night and I feel a lot better already.
Of course, when I was a little kid, my Mom took me to the doctor all the time for my cough. He sat down behind his desk, lit up a cigarette and said I was allergic to dust. The fact is, I am sensitive to cigarette smoke, but they didn't even consider that a problem when I was a kid. My Dad smoked.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Garry - You are right, I do have many interesting memories. And the older I get, the more I enjoy them. Growing up in the 40s & 50s sometime seems to be almost a magical experience. Of course, for my Dad & all my uncles who served during the war, their memories were probably a lot different than mine. But the thing I enjoy most is seeing how far technology & our society has come. We had party lines too, as well as things like an icebox. The first refridgerator was a marvel. So many things that are just taken for granted today. Sometimes though I sit back & think faster & newer isn't always better. On the other hand, just look where medicine has evolved. So good for us.
Hobby Room *** UPDATE ***
We PASSED our slab inspection ( even though I forgot to leave out the approved plans !!) hate it when I do that. BUT we will be pouring concrete on MONDAY YAAAAAHHHHHH Fianlly !!! Next week we will be framing !!
cudaken. . .ROR Does the new job have health inscurance? Guessing you do not have to move. . .
It does have health care coverage. As it turns out, I am better off opting out of their coverage, taking their contribution, and applying it toward COBRA coverage from my previous employer. As a retiree under the age of 65, I have the option of getting COBRA coverage for 18 months after leaving.
No move required. Old and new position are home-office-based engagements so nothing changes there. I will need to travel 50-60% of the time, which isn't much different from before. I am really looking forward to working for a small growing company. The behemoth I have been working for is continually "right sizing" with layoffs every 4-6 months. I feel like I have been working for the Dread Pirate Roberts, "Good night, Westley. Good work. Sleep well. I'll likely kill you in the morning."
Richard
yougottawantaNext week we will be framing !!
I always thought you were supposed to let concrete cure for a while before putting a load on it. Has that changed? Just curious, I'm not questioning your methods.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
RideOnRoadThe behemoth I have been working for is continually "right sizing" with layoffs every 4-6 months. I feel like I have been working for the Dread Pirate Roberts, "Good night, Westley. Good work. Sleep well. I'll likely kill you in the morning."
When I worked for Sears Canada it was the same thing. The junior managers were to the point where they were scared of being called in for a meeting with their bosses, regardless of the supposed topic. When I first started with Sears in Peterborough in 1979 there were more than 40 Division Managers in the store. Now they have maybe five. Yes, computerization has eliminated a lot of the paper work but the amount of physical work hasn't changed much.
Ah,It's all about perspective, or the signs of life:
-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.
Steven Otte If any of you have ever wondered to yourself, "Exactly how potbellied and hunchbacked is Steve Otte, anyway?", head over to MR's Facebook page. I just posted a behind-the-scenes video of a promotional photo shoot that definitely shows the answer to be "very much so." https://www.facebook.com/ModelRailroader/
If any of you have ever wondered to yourself, "Exactly how potbellied and hunchbacked is Steve Otte, anyway?", head over to MR's Facebook page. I just posted a behind-the-scenes video of a promotional photo shoot that definitely shows the answer to be "very much so." https://www.facebook.com/ModelRailroader/
Ok, Mr. Otte, I will resist the urge to call you a pot bellied pig, Oops, I think I just did.
I hope your statement above was that you desire to lose weight, not to dimish yourself!
I'm losing my pot belly. I am actually regaining a lap!!!
I radically changed my diet when I became diabetic and lost 36 pounds in 2 months.
I then hit a plateau, but with spring and more excersize, I will reduce more I am sure, I could stand to lose another 36 pounds easily.
~I eat once every 5 hours at teh most, but it doesn't have to be a four course meal.
~I allow myself only 6 carb exchanges a day{15 grams is one carb, and you get to deduct the "dietary fiber" number from the total carb number as fiber is "free food"}. One slice of bread is One carb exchange.
~I eat only a piece of meat the size of a deck of cards at dinner.
~I eat more fruits and vegetables, for instance broccoli is a "free food"-eat all you want!
~I cover half the plate with veggies {and corn doesn't count {sugar}...green or yellow or orange veggies, please!}
Sugar? what's that? I use stevia, I grew it in my garden this last summer! The leaves are VERRRRRRRRRRRY sweet tasting, sweeter tasting than sugar,but NO Sugar. "free food"
My 5'6" frame is now happier not carrying all 276 around!!!
Typical day:
Breakfast: 1/2 cup oatmeal, 2 tbs unsweetened baking cocoa powder, 1 tbs stevia
mid mornign snack: banana
lunch: 1/2 sandwich on whole grain {NOT whole wheat crap} bread with 1 slice deli meat, one tbs mayo and 1 tsp whole grain mustard, one slice low fat cheese OR one serving of soup {usually 1/2 the can or ready-to-eat soup} with 6 crackers
afternoon snack: 1 orange, apple, pear, mango etc...jsut one
dinner: sensible: deck of cards meat; with 2 tbs of starch: one small- medium potato, 1/2 cup rice; 1/2 palte veggies.
snack: one cup popcorn or one 2" square sugar free cake with sugar free icing; one small sugar free fruit muffin, or one sugar free sweet, keeping to the one carb exchange!
You can see I'm not hungry as I am always 'grazing"!
Happy eating,
_g
Galaxy!
FWIW, I have long hair. It's below my shoulders. Unfortunately there is nothing left on top. I tell people that I grew taller than my hairline!
And yes, I love the second looks I get from the prim and proper crowd. My theory is that I towed 'The Man's' line for all of my life until I retired. Now I can do my own things, and letting my hair down is one of them.
YGW,
The turkeys are wild, until they see the pail half full of corn--at that point they become 1/2 wild in that they beat the snot out of each other as they run/fly up the driveway to be the first to feed on the corn that has been left.
Ha, I grew my hair shoulder length until my late 20s. I just got tired of it. It was taking to long to get it clean and dry. I had a local woman who cut hair do it the first time, but she was out of town the next time I needed a cut. I went to the local barber shop, and that's the only place I've had my hair cut for the last 40 years.
MisterBeasleythat's the only place I've had my hair cut for the last 40 years.
When I was a teen,I would have killed for long hair, it didn't grow very long as it is thin and fine.
Now, I CAN'T be bothered with hair more than 1 1/2 inches long!
Thats is what's left!
I get mine cut at Cost Cutters for $10 on wed. $10 deal day.
-g
Terriers have won the show more than any other group by a significant margin.
What is a Kato V4 ?
Der - How in the world do they keep the water from leaking into a house when you have snow piled up against it and it starts to melt between the snow and house ? Wouldnt that create a gieant "ice dam" ? Here we only have a few places where a house will ice dam. And we build very differently in those locations. What do they address that up North ?
(By YGW) I am sorry for your loss. Very painful. I take my hat off to you and YOH. Many couples do not survive the loss of a child. I am glad you made it. You can be very proud of your son Glenn, He sounded like an outstanding individual. Good job raising him.
My theory is that I towed 'The Man's' line for all of my life until I retired.
Ulrich Are you and Petra doing OK?
Do you remember the last time you dialed the telephone?
It looks good, but it looked different on Scram than real track.
The backdrop will be mounted behind the layout, no room in the middle because of the road and structures.
We were on a 10 party line, our ring set was two short-one long. It was not at all uncommon to hear noise in the background when you recieved a call, washing machine-baby crying, radio playing-the neighbors were always well informed…
"There are always alternatives, Captain" - Spock.
Evening Diners
Flo, Ed and I will have a please.
Pretty Lack Luster Day Again. Had 6 customers and 3 bought but nothing big.
Nice day with the high being around 70.
Guess that is all I have to say tonight.
Ken
I hate Rust
Thanks to those who offered condolences on the loss of our son Glenn.
I was just thinking of the my layout. I thought of buying some people, vehicles a bridge, leftover structures.
I could buy two or three building kits and probably kitbash them, but then I thought maybe I shouldn't because it's a little train set. Then I rethought of it again and maybe I should because it is little. It will be more unique that way.
I hoping the construction of this layout will start in the beginning of March or early April. I have my fingers crossed. For the first time in 30 years I'll have a working train set that's not on the carpet.
Evening Diners,
That was very funny, thanks for sharing, Galaxy.
Alvie- I hope you have fun on that Disney cruise. I sometimes hear it's not great for adults. I hope that's not the case.
Ulrich- I hope you and Petra are being safe for her recovering.
YGW- Thanks for accepting my friend request.
Dave- Sorry about losing your son Glenn.
I estimated it will take two years for hair to grow pass my shoulders. One year it reaches on top of my shoulders. I try to get a haircut twice a year.
I made some paper templates of switches and track so I wouldn't ruin the clean track. To figure out where to place structures, roads, and track has been a tedious process. I had found out three different types for a single track plan with one side being charged. Mostly the roads and buildings change and very less room for industries.
I'm very close to finishing the final design. This is what happens when you don't build a your industries and towns first before the track.
Hi (cough, hack,snort) all.
Dealing with the first (and hopefully last) head cold of the year. Not bad as head colds go, as I'm only using kleenex boxes at the rate of one per day. Had to skip class today, but I should look and feel human enough to go to w*rk Sunday night.
Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Afternoon Diners,
jlehnert All too true! The movies we think are classics (in one way or another) they’ve never heard of.
All too true! The movies we think are classics (in one way or another) they’ve never heard of.
If you watch TCM, Ben said he's no longer surprised on how many young people watch very old movies. But I believe some young people don't watch them at all. I never heard of Blazing Saddles, but my dad has.
Bear- In the first video of the Australian ore train. I created that particular paint scheme but with a scarlet red instead of blue without the logo. You can see within 1:03-1:09. I made a switcher version for it too, it's a good paint scheme.
hon30critter MisterBeasley that's the only place I've had my hair cut for the last 40 years. Thumbs UpThumbs UpThumbs Up Dave
Thumbs UpThumbs UpThumbs Up Dave
I get a great haircut from Jack every time. In contrast, the wife raves about a hair place, but then the next time she goes somewhere else and ends up complaining about it. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."