Ken ... Great news from you! Glad things went well for Sue.
Mr. B .... Please tell Ulrich I miss his posts here next time you email him.
I'm busy here with company until Tuesday. ... Here for the total eclipse that will happen Monday .
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Ken,
Glad for your news---
Jan
Hello? Flo? Anyone one here?
Hum, guess it is serve your self! So that means no one keeping a tab! Now where are the mugs, Oh there they are. Hum, free taste the best!
17 hours and no one has been in, seems like my store.
Only thing to real post about is today a 1/2 hour trip turned into a 1.5 hour road trip! Highway 270 west to St Louis was shut down no matter which ramp I tried. Had to go to Alton ILL to Mo so I could I could get what I wanted. Never made to St Louis but on Mo side taxes saved me $20.00 on what I bought.
Stopped by K-10 Model Trains for the first time in around 4 months.Only thing I bought was some glue and got out for $2.08. That just not even sound right!
Sue is doing fine! She changed the gause from her groin and I helped. Everything looked fine with no infection. But her groin was all green. Brings a new meaning to My Favorite Martian!
Later, Ken
I hate Rust
Did repair on the Wife's car today, replaced the drive axles as the originals were clunking. Found the wheel bearing was also toast on the passenger side of the car.
It was close to failing catastrophically. ( well she wants to drive the car until the wheels fall off)
has 260,000 miles and 20 years on it.
all reapired now, just need alignment and new tires.
all eclipse ready here. nothing too bad so far.
field over near Hopkinsville kY filled with eclipse viewers.
It sure is lonely here. Even had to get my own cup of coffee. I think I'll just hang around a bit & see if anyone else shows up.
Ken - Glad your wife didn't have to have the stents implanted. Although it's not a completely risk free procedure, it's not that bad. When I had a couple put in some years back, they had me up & about in no time. No discomfort, soreness, etc.
We did our usual Saturday morning railfanning, but it was the slowest we have ever had at this location. Only 6 trains altogether. 3 intermodal, 2 mixed freights, & 2 engines running light. Lond delays between trains too, as twice we had meets right in front of us. The good part of the day was 2 other regulars showed up & we had quite the gab fest. Even so, the wife & I left early out of boredom. I guess we are spoiled & expect busy tracks all the time.
Had to have a plumber come to the house yesterday. Have a pretty good drip coming from the cold water pipe in the cellar. It's the 3rd or 4th time this pipe has developed a hole in it. He's coming back Monday & is going to replace about 25 feet of it with plastic pipe. He's also going to replace the saddle valve with a tee, a shutoff valve, & reducer to the little copper line that feeds the humififier on the furnace. I won't be sorry to see the saddle valve go as it's a real pain. I don't know how many I've had to put in over the years. That's one thing about old houses, they never run out of problems.
About an hour ago, some heavy thunderstorms rolled over us. Gave everything a good drenching, but more importantly, both the temperature & the humidy took a significan drop. And that's a good thing.
Yesterday was the wife's birthday. The old girl turned 78. I got her flowers, a nice gift card from Barnes & Noble & then took her out to dinner. I think she had a nice day.
Here's hoping everyone has a nice weekend.
Tom
Pittsburgh, PA
Hi all,
Have not been posted here in some time. I've had plenty going on in my personal life which I'll talk about a bit more below. I've taken a bit of a break from model railroading as it's summer and I'm spending more time outside. Also just taking a break for the sake of taking a break. Been spending more time at the gym, with my friends outside, and swimming, hiking and other things.
Had to replace my Ford Ranger recently. A 16yo truck with 163k miles and it has been starting to break down more lately. I spent 1200 in repairs in about two weeks. I decided it is time to buy another. I wanted another truck, but did not want another Ford Ranger though I liked mine a lot. I bought a 2012 Nissan Frontier from a Chevrolet dealer in Maryland. I had no trouble with an out of state sale, and the dealer had been great to work with. The truck is a big improvement over my old one but it also has a quarter the miles and is 11-years newer. I'm looking forward to putting it to work doing my side work of the landscaping and handyman work I do. It'll help with the payments and insurance. I'm debating getting an aftermarket warranty. The truck only has 42k miles on it, and a good reputation for reliability. A warranty is 90-150 extra a month for 2-years. I'll figure out what to do although I'm tempted to just try and save the money and pay for repairs out of pocket when needed.
-Alvie
moelarrycurly4 all eclipse ready here. nothing too bad so far. field over near Hopkinsville kY filled with eclipse viewers.
MLC .... Family members are here from Ohio and Michigan for the eclipse including these three grandkids with eye protection in our family room. We'll go out on the boat for a while this evening.
....
Alvie ... Congrats on getting a new truck..
Tom ... Happy birthday to your wife. ..
Everybody .... have a nice weekend..
Garry,
Sounds like loads of fun. I will be on call for work, but me and a co-worker will go out on the roof or the top of the parking garage.
I got my Taco Johns eclips glasses. ( yes they are certified)
I'm up here in New England, so no eclipse for me. I've seen one (Nova Scotia 1972) so it's already checked off. For the car freaks, the clutch on my Triumph Spitfire (car) disintegrated on the way home in Truro. I had to take another day off to get home. Truro is a lovely place, and the blown clutch was a blessing, as we enjoyed the extra day thouroghly.
My layout is all taken apart. I've got three sections still standing, and tomorrow the legs will come off and two of them will be in the garage, with one waiting for a bit more manpower. Pretty much everything else is boxed up. Not sure when, or if, I will ever open the boxes again but I'm hopeful.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
MisterBeasley I'm up here in New England, so no eclipse for me.
I'm up here in New England, so no eclipse for me.
At least according to the map I have, New England will still have somewhere between 65-70%. My neck of the woods will be about 89%, so I have my glasses and the day off.
Won't stay for long. Watching the Bronco game and planning to paint the new hopper car as the paint for it arrived today.
I still have my #14 lense for my welding helmet, same one I used many years ago--Will change it out tomorrow, don't know what percentage we will have here on the Island. Two days of much needed rain, won't have to water the green growth tomorrow---
Prayers for those in need-
herinchoker
Gidday Chloe,Chloe,Chloe, Chloe, Chloe, Chloe, Chloe, Chloe
] on Flickr
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Afternoon Anyone?
Flo, Flo where are you? Hum, looks like I am my owen again. I like free . I will pour for any diners that make it in!
I was a bad boy last night! Wife made some spaghetti and around 1:00 AM I woke up hungery so I had a cup and half of spaghetti and a few slices of peaches. Woke you with a blood surgar reading of 219!
Now for some reson I felt good around 11:00 AM. Got the frontyard / weed farm cut. Drag out a good sizes fallen limb cut up and dragged around for pickup. Next I cut up about 184 feet of old fence in to car trunk sizes chunks and got as many as my trunk would hold in the trunk. Rest I carried out to where I park so I can load it Tuesday. By the time I was done and checked my blood surgar at 3:00 PM I was at 147.
So this leaves me some what confussed. I have real been watching what I eat and hoping for a good A1C next week. It is seldom I see a 200 reading now days. Normaly when my levels where tested at the VA I was in the 260 range. I was tired most of the time. With lower readings in the 80 to 164 range I am still tired? Today, I felt like working at 213?
ATF on the rails front. For some reason the section aginst the outside 's wall rails get dirty real fast? The Mighty CB&Q's F7's started to stall in one spot. Few daps of ATF and problem is gone! .
BBQ is done and so am I.
Evening all...
I spent the morning cleaning the front storm door. I have to do this every year for some reason. It appears to be mold all over the door. So I use straight bleach & a rag, which does remove it with some elbow grease. What puzzels me is that this door receives full sun, while the storm doors on the back & cellar doors do not, & I don't have any problem with them. All 3 doors were made by the same manufacturer. Just another one of those things that boggle my mind, & there's quite a list of those I'll have you know. Also cleaned off the work bench down in the cellar. I discovered wood that hasn't been seen for some time. But I don't harbor any thoughts that it will stay clean or organized for very long.
We had a nice dinner this evening of a Delmonico roast, baked potatoed, roaster vegatables, a bottle of Reisling from Seneca Lake, & a piece of the wife's birthday cake. Now I'm ready for a nap. That's not going to happen though as I have a couple of more chores to finish up for the weekend.
Now that everybodus well rested from the weekend & ready to face Monday, let me say "Good Luck".
Man, I wish I could just drag stuff to the curb and make it go away. We're limited to 1 big garbage can per week. Stuff like old fence wood needs to be contracted out. We get an unlimited amount of "recycling," but that is stuff like bottles, cans and papers. I have lots of old refuse that I will never use, even if I end up setting up my trains again in parts unknown. I wish I could just put it in garbage bags, but if I do that they will not take it.
All that's left standing of my layout now is the original Phase 1, a 12x5 foot table. The other sections have all been dismantled, and all but one have been stored in the bike room next to the garage. There's one big section that's ready to move, but it's too awkward for one person, so I'll grab one of the painters who show up tomorrow to help me move it.
I've got lots of trains in boxes, too, but I'd like to get the layout sections stowed first before I move them to the garage. Such a huge job.
Evenin' folks!
Janie, another slice of the cake for the Eagle and a cup of decaf would be great right now..... Yep I got to shake hands with an Eagle at suppertime today! Young man from our church but is a Scout in Penn Yan, NY where he lives. I used to volunteer with the kids Grandfather for our church camp many years ago. Wonderful family and I am very proud of kid! He did a couple of Merit Badges with me. Railroading was one of them. In the slide show playing on a screen during the celebration he had a few slides from the R&GV RR Museum when the troop visited out there to do the merit badge.
I am just about out of steam...... Spent the last 4 days out at the Museum working with the Viscose #6 loco. I am train crew, but not running or working on the loco. I have learned a lot of odds and ends about how the Steam engines were handled and what has to be done to run them. The sound of the steam whistle echoing through the hills out there sends chills up my spine. We are also using our newly (re)built open air flat car for the trips, and the museum has installed a viewing platform on the hill by the restoration shop for watching our trains pull the (3%) grade up from the depot to the mainline. Had a huge crowd on Saturday and today looked to be starting out great as well. (I was only there for two runs before I had to leave to get home and changed for the Eagle Ceremony.)
Here is the little teakettle, Viscose #6:
Inside of cab:
First fire just lit.... No real draft as of yet.
Used air from the brake line of the train ahead of it to create the needed draft to hurry up the process:
Drawing on its own and building a head of steam:
The kid on the right is the son of our track foreman. He is 12 years old and going into 8th. grade. Just earned his Railroading Merit Badge last Spring (I was the councilor). He was learning how to do the job of fireman!
The kid hand fired the locomotive for about 2.5 hours Saturday Morning. Should have seen him at lunch time when his "shift" was done. He was completely covered in coal dust and soot and could barely move. He road the rest of the day laying on a bench in my caboose... I think he now nows that Manual Labor is more than just the president of Spain. Biggest grin on his face though!!! He has quite a story to tell his classmates when school begins in a couple weeks!
The loco was very smooth starting the train. Actually less coupler slack than with our diesels. We did have one bad move though... The train pulled up about 15' short of its mark on our second run on Saturday, and when the conductor had the train back up to the right spot, there was some problem with the train brakes not being able to overcome the steam pressure in the cylinders and the engineer couldn't stop the train before we lightly rammed the 45 tonner stitting behind the train... Nothing terrible, but very embarassing with a couple hundred people standing there and riding the train at the time. A major conference of the Engineer, conductor, several other "big Wigs" and the folks from Viscose ensued with some exacting direction of how the conductor could have stopped it. (Throw the train brakes into emergency on the caboose, which he couldn't have done because he was standing on the ground directing the train back at that point.) I was just inside the door of the caboose and when I saw what was taking place, I yelled for everyone to hold on tight! There were no injuries or damage to any equipment, but still something that was embarrasing and just shouldn't happen. We tested the process on the way down to the yard this morning with no one on board except the crew, so we know what to do...... Steam is a bit different!
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!
I'll have the usual, prime rib with sour cream and horseradish with a loaded baked potato.
You know I don't post here too often. because I never was invited.
But I would like to share something with you.
Did you know most people live their whole life not knowing the difference between a cricket and a tree frog.
When you wonder why you have that feeling of fall while your driving down the highway and that z sound sound from the ditch sounds the same at 60 miles an hour during the day. That is a sign of fall.
The z sound is crickets. I never understood why they sound the same driving 60 miles an hour down the highway but next time pay attention, they do.
Crickets sing all year, only at night, except during the day only in the fall. Thier song, just a buzz z sound. You only hear them during the day in the fall.
With that said next time you're enjoying your night and solitude. Listen to the night sounds.
If you focus you only hear the Z buz sounds coming from the ground. Those are the Crickets that is the only sound they make.
If you pay attention and look focusing on the tops of the trees you can hear an ink ink ink ink. Those are the tree frogs they are very colorful and beautiful I caught one once when I was a kid.
Then if you listen to the chorus of the whole thing you can hear a wheat,..... .......wheat,........wheat, at a slower pace. These are bigger tree frogs and rarely found or ever scene because as well as the other tree frogs they are nocturnal and only come out at night.
With that in mind next time you're out at night before this winter. There is still time with my given information. Check it out. You'll be glad you did.
herrinchoker I still have my #14 lense for my welding helmet, same one I used many years ago--Will change it out tomorrow, don't know what percentage we will have here on the Island. Two days of much needed rain, won't have to water the green growth tomorrow--- Prayers for those in need- herinchoker
If my map is right somewhere between 55-65%, depending on what island you are on.
Hobby Front: Got the parts of the hopper painted that I wanted to. I plan to finish getting it assembled and painted this evening. The decals will have to wait as I will need another set to finish the lettering. If I feel like it, I might also get some of the lettering of the gon done as I have some of what is needed. However, I also need another set to finish the drop end gondola. Both of those sets will be ordered later this week.
Bear. LOL ..
we have more out of town guests for the eclipse than we expected. ... the exact location where the eclipse will have its longest duration is only 25 miles from here ( between Hopkinsville and Princeton. ) .
We are very busy with guests. weather is hot and one of our AC's quit. I was able to fix the AC fortunately . Should be good weather to observe the eclipse.
The ZZZZ i hear in the late summer and fall are Cicadas not crickets.
its total eclipse day, we shall see what craziness ensues.
Will the ER fill with lunatics....
Good morning, one and all, and welcome to Eclipse Day at the Diner! Today, I'm told Brunhilda has whipped up something really special for lunch, a Total Eclipse Burger. Let's take a look...
OK, I'll let someone else do the taste test on that one.
Anyway, if you, like me, aren't in the path of totality, or, also like me, live where it's likely to be overcast all day, remember you can follow the eclipse LIVE on the website of my colleagues down the hall at Astronomy magazine. Check it out! (And remember to wear your special glasses! )
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
Steven Otte Anyway, if you, like me
Anyway, if you, like me
I'll take a pass on that burger.
Rich
Alton Junction
Morning diners,
Well my layout plans for this weekend didn't happened. My box I was expecting from walthers is still in transit. I remember yesterday that I needed some isopropyl alcohol to sit the scenery sand together when it comes.
Next month I decided to finish my NS coal train to bad I couldn't find another locomotive. I'm modeling it as you will see it with bethgon coalporters, top gons, and 100 ton 3 bay hoppers (NS&CR). But it was 18 cars long and it looked like the prototype but it didn't have the feel of it.
Ray- I would loved to be that kid shoveling coal.
Steven- I will pass also on that burger.
I will check the internet to make my own solar eclipse box made out of cardboard.
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
moelarrycurly4 The ZZZZ i hear in the late summer and fall are Cicadas not crickets.
Perhaps you are correct and I was misinformed by my late friend Leo. I would still like to believe most of what he told me was true.
Good morning all.
Happy Eclipse Day!
Flo - While I appreciate the gesture, I will pass on the eclipse burger... I will take a nice blue plate breakfast platter though. Scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, bacon, a couple of flapjacks, whole wheat toast, and a nice big tall glass of milk. Thanks.
Ken - Glad that it worked out well for Sue!
Eclipse - While I will miss totality, we will be about 75% obscured here. (Without having the proper glasses, as everyone was sold out in my area when I looked, I will be using a couple of live-stream feeds too view it.)
Weather - Nice, bright, sunny day. A bit on the warm-ish side, but still, nice.
W*^k - Busy weekend, sold to several customers. (And, I sold 3/4 of our stores toatal between Friday and Saturday...)
Trains -
First, real (AKA 1:1 scale) -
Caught the Wabash unit yesterday, leading 22K. Got a couple of pics, and a vid. (Might share some pics later...)
Models -
The boxcar issue is still frustrating me. I (finally) was able to get the floor loose, and added weight to the car, centered side-to-side, and balanced end-to-end. Long story short, it still derails, still to the inside of curves, and still only when there is weight behind it... (Although I have noticed it is always the trailing truck {even when I flip the car around} that jumps first.) So, other than trying longer-shanked couplers, I am out of ideas... Except to install a FRED on one end and make it a mandatory EOT car.
Hope all enjoy the day, and all enjoy (safely!) the eclipse!
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.
Steven Otte. . .Anyway, if you, like me, aren't in the path of totality, or, also like me, live where it's likely to be overcast all day, remember you can follow the eclipse LIVE on the website of my colleagues down the hall at Astronomy magazine. Check it out! (And remember to wear your special glasses! )
Cool! You need special glasses to look at the website!? Are they like 3-D glasses or something!? (Sorry, couldn't resist. Just for that, I will eat the eclipse burger...)
Richard
RideOnRoad Steven Otte . . .Anyway, if you, like me, aren't in the path of totality, or, also like me, live where it's likely to be overcast all day, remember you can follow the eclipse LIVE on the website of my colleagues down the hall at Astronomy magazine. Check it out! (And remember to wear your special glasses! ) Cool! You need special glasses to look at the website!? Are they like 3-D glasses or something!? (Sorry, couldn't resist. Just for that, I will eat the eclipse burger...)
Steven Otte . . .Anyway, if you, like me, aren't in the path of totality, or, also like me, live where it's likely to be overcast all day, remember you can follow the eclipse LIVE on the website of my colleagues down the hall at Astronomy magazine. Check it out! (And remember to wear your special glasses! )
Knowing the average age of model railroaders, I'd say, use your bifocals.
If the Astronomy.com eclipse livestream I posted earlier is too busy, here's another from our friends at Discover magazine.
I don't think the eclipse is a big thing where we are in Texas. My daughter is in the path of the total eclipse in NC, but there is a chance it will be obscured by cloud cover.
MB: we have curbside pick up of large stuff every week, even old fencing. There are scavengers who go through the piles, even though it is against city ordinance. Anything metal is picked up, for sure. At the end of a semester, the college kids throw out furniture deluxe.
Train front. I actually did a tiny bit of work on a BB GP38-2 I am detailing and painting. I haven't done this kind of work in a while, and my eyesight has really deteriorated. Readers and an Optivisor helped, but I may look for a magnifier on a stand. Ended up drilling 6 holes for grab irons before I broke a #79 bit. I could not find the beeswax I normally coat the drill with before I drill. Will pick some up today before I start again tonight.
I can say that the total eclipse was awesome. we had 2:20 of totality.
I was at work but we stepped ouside a 1pm local. watched.
saw corona and 2 planets. looked like a sunset all around us.
we lucked out with no clouds. and I did not have to drive anywhere to see it.