yougottawantaMr. B - I must have missed the discussion. What ails you ? Hope nothing to serious.
Woe is me, it's my knee. I have a meniscus tear, or so it seems from the MRI I got yesterday. It's been months, and it's still sore. I can walk around with minimal discomfort, but it hurts playing hockey and I have no strength to push off on that side. I see the doctor tomorrow to figure out whether to try physical therapy, a shot or surgery right away.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Hi, Folks!
Welcome back, Steve. Thanks for the lox & bagels!
Heartland Division CB&QEd ... Thanks for posting YGW's photos. Shall we razz YGW for his lack of technology skills? .. LOL
From what I gather, Garry, YGW has been razzed enough from his daughters!
Bear, glad you enjoyed the Buster Keaton film. I'm ready to watch "The General" again!
Fun set of videos there, Ulrich. Seeing the Fairbourne Railway reminded me of this operation in New York.
There is a 3" scale railroad operating in upstate New York that has a New York Central Hudson on its roster. It's tough to find a decent video, or even photos of it, though. Near as I can tell, the lead man, Sandy Whittum, passed away in 2014 and I can find very little recent news. It is a privately owned railroad called the Hiawatha Live Steamers in Tupper Lake, NY.
The son seems to be the camera (?) operator and has less-than-ideal skills for the job. Still, quite an amazing locomotive! Green? Well, OK I guess... This has to be the closest possible experience to running a New York Central Hudson there is.
I would like to find out more about the builder of the locomotive. Where did the patterns for the castings go?
Ken, didn't you get this warning message before you did the deed?
I did the very same thing, almost. I still have NO idea how it happened!
I wanted to reduce the volume on my PRR turbine #6200. I called it up in Decoder Pro, program on main. Changed the whistle volume OK and did a save changes and exit.
The next time I ran the 6200 I had two-dozen, at least, locomotives all trying to run at once ! Now the wierd thing is, only some of the engines were affected. Like an A-B-B-A set of Fs with the same decoders, only ONE of them acquired the new address!
I still don't know what I did or how that glitch happened. So out of about a hundred engines on the layout only a quarter of them were changed. Still a pain! Thanks to JMRI resetting them was easy, although time consuming.
I've been nervous about programming on the main ever since. When I HAD to program my only MTH engine on the main, I made up a separate length of track and wired that to the command station to act as a temporary "main". Not taking any chances
I have a few chores waiting— gotta run. Hope to have time to stop-in later.
Thoughts and prayers for those in need...
Regards, Ed
yougottawantaHow expensive are these ?
Now I am going to be a spoil sport - they sell for $3,200 up to $4,500, depending on the model. For that price, you get about 30" and 14lbs. worth of one the finest hand-crafted engines you´ll find.
KM1 products in the US are exclusively available from Reynaulds.
Steven - AVG gives me a warning about that bagels-and-lox.jpg being not safe!
Slow day at w**k - Rain - usually slows construction down to a crawl...
Steve - Welcome back ! Glad to see you made it home safe ! Hmmm between the bear claws, Bagels etc... My doc is not going to be pleased with me ! Any model railroading adventures on this trip ?
Ulrich I cant wait to get home to watch the videos from my WIFI at home. How expensive are these ?
Rob - It was funny wasnt it !
CN - 7000 Photos ??!! Wow that is a LOT ! So when are you going to start sharing a few with us ? You still have snow there ? We are in our 80s here ! No sign of snow.
TTYL
YGW
Good Morning,
Sunny day here with a high of about 45F, 55 tomorrow! The snow is melting nicely and should be largely gone by the weekend. Then we get to access the damage over winter to our garden. So far we have voles that have attacked a few key shrubs. Luckily they didn't chew the bark all the way around the stems or the shrubs would be goners. I will be heading out to the pest control store to see what they have to get rid of them that doesn't harm the birds, squirrels, etc.
On Sunday we finally downloaded the photos from our 2015 trip to Africa, all 7,000 of them. We hadn't done it earlier because Windows 7 didn't allow a photo sort in ascending order until recently. I guess they finally issued an update that fixed the problem. We will delete a lot of them as many are duplicates. We use the burst mode when taking photos of birds as that is the only way to reliably get a good shot. Birds have a habit of many quick movements so you think you have a good one and just as you push the shutter, it moves.
I finally finished planting the trees I had on the N scale. I will replace about 10 WS trees as soon as I can get something better. Their fall trees are far too bright and don't look very realistic especially next to the JTT trees I have. Unfortuantely I can't get more of the JTT trees so will likely go to a conifer. I'm pleased how the layout looks, just wish running was a little smoother. I think it just relates to N scale being very small and light.
Well time to get going on my errands.
CN Charlie
Good Afternoon!
Although it´s a fine day today, I feel a little bit down beat. Call it the Spring blues!
Zoe, coffee and one of the bear claws the Lion brought along, please!
YGW - the two 1/32 scale steamer are not live steam engines, just ordinarily powered by an electric drive, but equipped with a rather complex "Dynamic Smoke" feature which really beats all what I have seen so far.
If you put up a 1/32 scale layout in your hobby barn and let a couple of those beauties roam the track, I bet you´ll be the most poular kid in the `hood, bro!
The stuff may be shockingly expensive, but you won´t be spending more than a regular HO sclae layout filling the same space!
How I´d love to have one or two of those engines!
Extra strong coffee in a UNION PACIFIC mug, please.
***Ken, YGW wasn't the only one who laughed reading about all those horns going off at the same time. I'm sure it wasn't funny for you at the time, but....
Cheers! Rob
Morning or evening all depending on where you live : )
Train front - Went out to the Hobby barn after work yesterday and installed strapping around the fdn. I bought a palm nailer ($56 ) that worked out great for the small teco nails, to nail the straps to the building. Really pleased with that tool. Some of the best money I ever spent on a tool ! No more banged fingers
This morning I went to "The roof center" and picked up a thousand sq.ft. of ice and water shield" for the hobby barn roof. It was less than $40 a roll for 200 sq. ft. Lowes price was $70+ dollars for 105 sq.ft roll twice as much for half the amount ! When the rain stops I will install that and we will be dried in !!
Lion - Yummy THANKS
DC Jim - That is terrible ! Our youth leader gave his "testimony" on how his life has changed. In his former life he was into drugs. He lost EIGHT friends to heroin overdose. I read in the local papers that it is an epidemic out there. Very sad.
FRRYKid - I am not one for ink. My deceased wife talked about getting a tattoo. I asked her if one would paint a mustache on a picasso. She said no. I asked then why would you tattoo the picasso that is you ! I thought she was so beautiful with out tattoos. She never got one. Not condemning those who do. Just not for me.
Ken - Sorry ! But I laughed out loud when I heard that all 11 horns went off at the same time ! Must have been like sitting in a traffic jam ! Traffic jam on the Cuda railroad ! By the way I thought that a smart way to test the system !
Ricky W - Thats not bad $2 for a piece of rolling stock. Little elbow grease and presto you have a car for the RR
Dave - Better to be owed than having to pay !
Galaxy - May want to watch the discussion on marriage type. There are young viewers here who that may not be appropriate for.
Tin Can - if you do get to go please take some photos and share with us !
Ulrich - Live steam insode a building ? How dod they do that ? Must have one heck of a ventilation system.
Mr. B - I must have missed the discussion. What ails you ? Hope nothing to serious.
History qoute of the day:
The only way to be loved is to be and to appear lovely; to possess and display kindness, benevolence, tenderness; to be free from selfishness and to be alive to the welfare of others. John Jay
"Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall, when the wise are banished from the public councils, because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded, because they flatter the people, in order to betray them." Joseph Story, Commentaries on the Constitution, 1833
Here's to the red of it, There's not a thread of it, No, not a shred of it, In all the spread of it, From foot to head, But heroes bled for it, Faced steel and lead for it, Precious blood shed for it, Bathing in red. A Toast to the Flag – unknown
I'm back! Good to see the place is still standing.
I'm not in the mood for sweets this morning, so as a reward for everyone's good behavior, I brought a tray of bagels and lox. (That's smoked salmon for you uninitiated.) Dig in!
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
Mr. B. - I have used Turbo Tax products for years; going back 20 years when I owned a hobby shop and used TT to file my subchapter S return for the shop. Did not have any issues this year, but I am not sure what version of Windows we are running at home; that computer is over 5 years old. I did use H&R Block one year about 7 years ago because it was cheaper. Never again; let's just say it was not up to TT standards.
Anybody want BEAR CLAWS for breakfast...
Opps...
at ur own risk of course!
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Evening Flo,
I've got a bad case of the munchies tonight, so I'll have a linebacker size plate of nachos with extra bacon bits.
Been semi slow at w*rk the past couple of weeks, but that ended tonight. Been going continuously since we came in. Over 200 miles on the truck, and the shift isn't even halfway over.
Volunteered on 911 over the weekend and was busy there also. Good weather so we had a good collection of sports injuries, but when nightfall hit we had two Heroin overdoses. One was long gone by the time we got there, but we got to the second in time to save him. Very sad to see people do this to themselves.
Started to head in to Lowes to pick up wood for the bench work, but that came to a screeching halt when I got pulled over for an expired inspection sticker. Oops! I normally only use the pickup for runs to the dump, and just plain forgot about the inspection that was due in February. Luckily I know the deputy, so he let me drop the truck off at the garage and then gave me a mile ride back to my house.
Mr. B. - I switched to H&R Block a couple years ago after TaxCut wanted me to pay extra to get the same functionality that I had the year before. So far, it's done what I needed it for.
Ricky W. - Maybe you should do like our local hardware store did. End of the season and they had a snow blower out front. Owner noticed my father looking at it, and asked if my father was interested. He was, but with a brand new house and toddler (me) running around, the money just wasn't there. Next day my father gets home from work and here's the snow blower sitting in the driveway. He heads up to town and says that he didn't want the blower because he couldn't afford it. Owner says "Son, you admitted that you want it. When you can afford it, you come up and pay. I trust that you are good for it. Until then, it can take up space in *YOUR* garage." That was back in the 60's, and that snow blower is still going strong with one of my cousins in upstate NY.
Oh well, the radio is beeping again, so I'll take my nachos and hit the road.
DC Jim
Evening all! Flo (or whoever's handy), could I get my traditional breaded mushrooms with blue cheese dressing? Thank you so much.
Hobby Front: Got ambious and got the the Adair weight kits installed on the five coal hoppers that I am building. Next step wil most likely be to get the weights on the inside of the cars painted. I have mentioned them before, but the Adair weight kits are very easy to work with and put the right amount of weight on the cars. On these, the breakdown is such: Stock is 2.4 oz, NMRA is 4.5 oz, and the Adair kit takes it to 5.0 oz. Much easier to go this route than trying to get the weight built in via other means and is designed for these cars.
On slightly different fronts: 1) I ordered a vacuum type fan for my laptop to see if that will solve the overheating problem. Having to remember to turn the AC fan on and off gets annoying at points. 2) While many older people would grumble about this next item, I find they let people express themselves: I dropped a couple of ideas I had at our local tattoo shop for price estimates. I have two already and these two have been sitting in my computer for a few years. (Yes, they are somewhat addicting.) Of course, it is to the point that somewhere around 1/2 to 2/3 of the people where I work have ink of some sort. (Some more extensive than others, but they still have them.)
Good night to all.
Evening Diners
Flo, Ed and i will have Royal Crown and give Rick what ever he likes.
yougottawantaWhat is going on at w**k that is so awful right now ?
YGW Nothing is going on, meaning no sales. As good as last month was, this month is equally bad. Way things are heading the next Spiff check might be $45.00?
Far as the mishap with changing all the engines address to the same. No, they did not all take off at the same time, thank goodness. What tip me off something was not right was when I wrote a address on the programing track and all the engines on the main line stopped? I knew I ash pitted up. Changed a address to the one I was programing and blew the horn and all the horns went off, I knew I stepped on it big time.
Rick Good to see you in the dinner again! How are sales going for you?
Galaxy Well good for you with a speical friend, I think? What goes around comes around so your wife, well she started it.
Train Front Sad to say I lost the Blessemer SD 7 Ed sent me, BBQ the decoder. Decoder was not totally smoked. Decoder pro will still read it. Pull the tape off and saw a pin point hole in the wrapping. Tested to see what amp's it was pulling using a DC plug Ed sent. Hum, multi Meter said 0.01? Stalled at 0.02? Then I tested a Sound Engine and got the same number? Changed the battery tonight and got the same readings. Guess I need a new meter.
Later, Ken
I hate Rust
Good evening all.
Zoe - I will take a slice of apple pie, with a generous scoop (or two... ) of vanilla ice cream, and a Coke please. Thanks.
Galaxy - Car issues are never any fun.
YGW - They will be moved to the back, and grills brought out into their place. Just trying to finish up the salesfloor remodel first, as the DM is coming Wednesday to take pics.... We are not close to done...
Mr. B - I dislike Windows 10 as well, but HR Block software is a very close third,(Second is Kaspersky) on my "hate it" list for computers. (Getting to be Windows period.....) Did you check out Credit Karma's free tax service?
Ulrich - Now if they could only do the steam effects from 1 scale in HO scale, and actually be steam.... Boy wouldn't that be so cool!
Weather - Warmer again, 60 today and tomorrow. Rain chances though.
W**k - DM is coming on Wednesday to take pics of the remodel work.... Hope he wants "in progress" shots....
Trains - Found a couple more railcars for my friends son, will switch them over to kadee's and gift them to him. Also picked up a boxcar for me from the LHS "junk" box. It's an old, assembled, Athearn BB 60' boxcar, in UP red. New couplers, and metal wheels, a little weathering, and she will be good to go on the layout. (It was in the "junk" box because it had no couplers, and was missing a wheelset.) Not a bad deal for $2.
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.
Howdy.
Mr B ... we have used HR Block on our Mac in recent years and have been pleased with it. (Except the part where we pay taxes ). .. we use the version that includes calculating small business taxes.
Galaxy. .. I bet that was not your best day .
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Hi Mr. B.
I'm in Canada so your experience may differ.
I have used H&R Block's 'free' software for a couple of years. This year they got tricky. In previous years the free software had included a detailed report of all the tax amounts and calculations form by form. This year they dropped that. All you get is a brief summary. It contains few references as to which forms were used and what was on those forms. If you wanted the details you had to pay for an upgrade. That didn't seem to matter, that is until I went to set up an account with the Canada Revenue Agency. As part of setting up that account I had to tell them what the amount was on a specific line in my return. It cost me $20 to retrieve that from H&R Block.
Also, you need to read the forms very carefully before submitting. I guess that goes without saying. When I did our returns the first time, the program put my income under my wife's name. No doubt I caused the error but it didn't show up until the returns had been completed. The first attempt suggested that my wife owed a bunch of money. That just didn't make sense. She only had one source of income and the tax deductions are always greater than they need to be. She had never owed money in the past. I had to dig through the filings to where it showed my wife's and my total incomes before I realized that the figures were wrong. IIRC the income figures were not part of the summary. The corrected returns showed that the CRA owed us!
Have fun!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Well, today was not my day.
First I was expecting to get my back injections today, he decided to only do a consult. Meh. Bah. SO I have to wait til thursday.
Then on the way home, I decided to veer off to BK to get a chix sammy. Guess what? as I turned the corner,I broke the right front axle on my minivan! Then whnenI got out to inspect, I crashed to the gorund on my bad knee slipping in the mud on the pavement! FOrtunately it was near a towing/repair shop, so I had them fix it,. they were fast, done in 2 hours.
JUst spent $500 on MOH's car for brakes adn such to pass inspection. We were expecting to do the brakes, but hoping for the fall to do them.I have one more payment on the brakes for my minivan last fall. TG I have "lifetime "free" alignment at FIrestone, as the van now needs it of course.
We bought the house and closed the day before TG in 2015, we will have it paid for by June next year. Not bad.
We will then concentrate on other debt and get it paid off quickly. Then in 4 years we will be totally debt free. Yay.
MOH front, no change, never is. My "special friend {AKA lover}" came up last week, we had a great time. MOH can't say anything about it as MOH caused this problem wiht the desire for the "open marriage". No other new news there.
well, I will go soak my knee I thinK. It has a BIG red "strawberry" on it.
GRRR.
-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.
Anybody have much experience with tax software? I've always been happy with Turbo Tax, but this year they decided to abandon Windows XP and only run the CD version of their software on Windows 7 and above. Those later versions of Windows, particularly Windows 10, are a source of frustration for many. To me, they've dropped support for "gameport" devices, so I can't run my Flight Simulator yoke and pedals.
I can run the "online" version, but having tried it a bit I find it very frustrating. Way more expensive than the CD version, even though they don't have to provide any media. What's more, the old "deluxe" version I've always used no longer supports things I need, and instead of being able to do returns for me and my daughter, it's strictly one return per package. I can't even use "forms mode" and instead have to used the incredibly inefficient "interview mode" for everything.
Anyway, I'm thinking of switching to H&R Block's package, which will run on XP and even import my old tax data that was written in Turbo Tax last year. Has anyone used this?
Just a quick drop by. Like RoR, I was at a conference last week, but I was in Orlando. I was presenting, which was fun, but I was the only one from my college who went. Didn't do any of the theme parks as there was lots and lots of walking throught the Orlando convention center; was too tired to do much else when I got back to the room.
I normally go to this conference every other year; however, next year is San Diego, and I really want to go to San Diego, primarily to see the model railroads at Balboa Park.
yougottawantaI clicked on the link. That is a strange set up on the 45 mm scale. The company seems to have an English name, with a few of the products being english and then Japanese writing. Is that a kit build or do they come assembled ?
In the link, they mention Aster and Accucraft, both are Japanese companies, if I recall it correctly.Both produce live steam engines, while accucraft also has a range ef electric powered engines.
No mention is made on companies like Marklin, KM1, Kiss, Dingler. They produce 1 gauge models of German prototype. Add to that a few businesses in the live steam segment!
You need a lot of hard earned $$$,$$$ for that scale!
Edit: Just found a video showing how impressive or even intimidating 1 gauge steam engines can be!
Good afternoon!
I got a phone call this morning asking if I wanted to reschedule my 10 PM MRI appointment to noon. Easy call for me. I brushed my teeth, put on boots and a coat and went on over. I was out by 1. Now the wait for the doctor to tell me what's wrong with me, and hopefully fix it.
Rob wrote "That is quick compared to my own much smaller project, unless I can find a framer to hire. Just not up to doing that kind of work myself anymore."
What are you building ? Good luck finding a decent framers. They are very hard to find. 95% of the framers out there now are nothing more than hacks. A good framer will be expensive and very busy. If you hire one ask to look at his tools. A qaulity framer will have qaulity tools such as Dewalt, Rigid, Milwaukee, Porter cable, Paslode, Hitachi ...Stablia levels, lasers etc... If he has black and decker, sears craftsmen etc.... he is more of a handi man than a true professional framer. Look at how his vehicle is set up. A good framer takes pride in organizing his tools and taking care of them. If he doesnt take care of hist tools he will not do a good job on your project. Look at his hands and notice when he shakes your hand if they are calloused especially on the inside/side of his thumb...
Ulrich - That is abit pricey. In US dollars it is over 17k. But it looks like you could get your moneys worth of fun out of it !
I clicked on the link. That is a strange set up on the 45 mm scale. The company seems to have an English name, with a few of the products being english and then Japanese writing. Is that a kit build or do they come assembled ?
Extra strong coffee in a SOUTHERN PACIFIC mug, please.
***YGW, that is not long at all. That is quick compared to my own much smaller project, unless I can find a framer to hire. Just not up to doing that kind of work myself anymore.
***Alvie, did you receive the T-1 pics?
Off to do morning critter rounds. Have a terrific day all.
yougottawantaUlrich - What scale would 45 mm be ?
That´d be 1/32 or 3/8th" to a foot, commonly known as 1 gauge - look here if you´d like to get completely confused!
1 gauge is enjoying a tremendous comeback in Germany, with Marklin marketing a full range of locos, cars and track. The stuff is outrageously expensive - a steam loco is in the region of $3,000! For that money, you get a superbly detailed behemoth with lots of functions, like steam coming from the cylinders, the safety valve an the whistle, when sounded. The sound is fantastic - no wonder the tenders are big enough for a decent speaker!
Back again, for some coffee and some sweet bits to munch on!
Looking for an alternative for your individual transportation needs but not yet prepared to follow the Edison route?
Here is your answer!
The Lykamobile!
Available in kit form from: Lykamobile
Though not cheap, still a bargain compared to what you have to lay out in cash for a Volt, a Prius or a Tesla.
Fun to build, and more fun to drive!
Morning all
Well at w**k back to the usual routine of Production and out of the crazy stuff of "delivering units" geez I am so glad that is over with.
Hobby front - went out a few hours yesterday and nailed on some "strapping" metal straps that connects the house to walls, ban to the bottom plate. Real pain in the butt, takes a thousand little nails. After a while your arm gets tired and one starts hitting the wrong "nail" after that I spread some construction entrance stone in front of the hobby barn with the tractor.
Ken - What is going on at w**k that is so awful right now ? Did all 11 locos take off at once ?
Rob - It all depends on money. I borrowed enough money to get it "closed in" With the intention to install electric, insulation as I get the money. The drywall I will scrounge from the site. Every house the drywall/paint comany hangs there is always four of five sheets left over which they will cut up and throw away. So I will get these (before they cut them up and toss them ) as we deliver units and hang and finish as they become available. It may be a few months to a six months...?
Ulrich - What scale would 45 mm be ? I couldnt see your video. There is something wrong with my "puter" it says "The connection has timed out" on many videos and lots of everyones photos just dont show up..??
Garry - No cars. I am a terrible mechanic. Give me wood and I can do wonders. The three bays are for my old "pick em up truck", tractor, finish mower and bush hog. I do light duty stuff like change my oil, grease, swap out an alternator battery that type of thing. Beyond that I am not mechainically inclined. I wish I was it would save me a lot of money.
JaBear - Oh please tell us about BBQ and such it gives us hope and somthing to think on other than cold weather and snow removal ....What is "Rabbit tucker" ?
Alvie - I recieved your mail last week loved it. Thank you very much. How is your Aunt ? Did you have a good visit ?
Ricky W - Do they leave the snow blowers out or do they move them to the back room storage ?
History qoute of the day :
I have been for some time in Retirement, and shall not probably return again to public Life; yet my Anxiety for my Country, in these Times of Danger, makes me sometimes dabble a little in Politicks, and keep up a Correspondence with some Men upon the public Stage.
That in controversies respecting property, and in suits between man and man, the ancient trial by jury is preferable to any other, and ought to be held sacred.
That no man, or set of men, are entitled to exclusive or separate emoluments or privileges from the community, but in consideration of public services; which, not being descendible, neither ought the offices of magistrate, legislator, or judge to be hereditary.
Good morning .... Coffee and a donut, please.
Ulrich ... There is much creativity in the video !
Lunchtime coming up!
So it´s only a short visit here to share a video showing some awesome modelling work!
https://www.youtube.com/embed/NNqAYPtKMTo
Enjoy!
Eveing Diners
Flo, Ed and I will have a Crown Royal and a chaser.
This weekend sucked Rail Joiners!
Work Front Lets just say I rather carry boxes for a living!
Train Front Ever change all your engines address to the same number? Well this is the second time I have done it! Tried something I have never done before, and I will never do again! Thank goodness I only had 11 engines on the rails. Trains are running fine so not all is lost.