Well, I took my final exam and did not do as well as I had hoped. I got an 87% on my mid-term, and figured I would do at least as well on the final. I felt more prepared and felt pretty good. There were four question, each worth 25% of the grade. They were all or nothing questions—no partial credit. I completely missed one of the questions so I got a 75% on the final. I finished the course with a score of 83%. I am a little disappointed.
The other piece of excitement was a massive increase in the price of one of my prescriptions. My Albuterol inhaler jumped from $1.50 to $55.00. Who knew that breathing could be so expensive.
Richard
NWP SWPWell I have been thinking it over and I'm considering building a small layout I'm not completely sure yet. My biggest trouble is I want mountain scenery which is hard to fit in smaller layouts.
Have a good look here....
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/188631.aspx?page=1
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
By George I think there's a connection between model railroaders and cats! Oh wait that's been discussed...
Well I haven't stopped to order anything for a while well I'll have a cheese pizza and a big coke...
Well I have been thinking it over and I'm considering building a small layout I'm not completely sure yet. My biggest trouble is I want mountain scenery which is had to fit in smaller layouts. I'll update you guys later...
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!
Speaking of cats, this is what we call "The Trio". All are neutered females. . ... Sassy has 100% white fur, and was acaquired from a cat rescue place in Cincinnati, Ohio. Tabi has long, thick, mostly gray fur, and was rescued in Paducah, Kentucky. Tori has a flat face and has mostly brown fur. She was rescued in Clarksville, Tennessee .
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Eveing Diners
Flo, Ed, Gary, Ray, Cat Otto, Brent, Jan, Inch, Angelob, Galaxy and I will have Give Rick Steven a RBF and leave a stein outside for Ulrich please.
Steven Nice looking Catzilla you have there. I would love to see some phots of your layout!
Ray I sure hope you don't lose Manet that soon. Blackie will take it real hard. Tiff (second American Eskimo) took it real hard when we lost Sonya my first Irish Wolfound pass away to Rainbow Bridge. While not liter mates they meet each other at 8 weeks. When we got Shaddy second Wolfhound it helped a liitle but Tiff was just never her old self.
Pet Names When Muff (first American Eskimo) had a liter of pups being a car guy I named them Holley, Mallory, Diana and Edelbrock. Ed was the only male of the liter. You have to be a car person to get the names.
Day Off Get to go to work at 8:00 AM so we can get a new breaker box installed. While I am not happy about it with Christmass coming I can use the Over Time.
Brent How long should I let the motor sit from the B&O F7A Split sit before I install it?
Ed Enjoyed the clip! My first Steam engine was a GS-4 Daylight Speical by Bachmann and it ran great, could not pull much but tracked well. Then I got into DCC and dis not feel like trying to install a decoder in a split Chassis engine, hum split chassis? So sold both the GS4 Warbaby and Daylight speical on E-Bay. Had less problems with them than any of my BLI steam engines!
Later, Ken
I hate Rust
Very sad when a cat dies same when a dog dies...
On the hobby front I went to the club tonight ran a 40 car freight with four SD40s in DPU two on the lead and two more 20 cars in... definitely needed two more on the lead to get over the helixes... record at the club for longest train is 48 cars and I'm not sure how many locomotives... On my way out I got about a dozen cars from Gary all of which are Athearn BB...
moelarrycurly4Ray: that looks like a Mackie small mixer board the cat is sitting on.
Very observant! Yep that was my Mackie CR1604VLZ I believe. I now have a Mackie Onyx 16 channel mixer sitting where the VLZ was. I actually use it about once a year these days. When I do a small DJ gig (about 2 times a year) I use the little tiny 12 channel Mackie I have on the sound and video set up down in the train room.
Yes, cats can live to over 30 years of age. 'tis very rare though. We think my mom's cat I inherited was 21 years when I had her put down. She had cancer as well, and got so she was strugling to breath. I was out at Boy Scout Camp for a week and didn't want to do it before I left because Manet was best friends with her and I was worried about Manet and Blackie to have both Sheila and I gone. Manet would sniff around the old computer where they used to sit and snuggle watching me work and then meow at me very sadly. They do grieve just lke people.....
Time for bed...
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Ray: that looks like a Mackie small mixer board the cat is sitting on.
My aunt an unlce had a cat that they got the year I was born and the thing died when I was 32 , so that was an old cat.
Garry, when I get further along in the project i will show you more. right now just gathering parts.
Evening Diners,
up831 Also, im partial to the "Be Specific...," one because when I was a kid, I'd see hundreds of boxcars lined up saying "Be Specific, Ship Union Pacific."
Also, im partial to the "Be Specific...," one because when I was a kid, I'd see hundreds of boxcars lined up saying "Be Specific, Ship Union Pacific."
I'm more into the Union Pacific slogan in the 90s. "We will deliver" to bad it lasted a year, but luckily the slogan is somewhat still on locomotives and freight cars.
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
Evenin' Folks!
We too got the first snowstorm of the season overnight last night. Not a whole lot but a couple inches worth.
Janie I could sure use a hot cup of decaf right now....
Interesting to see the cat photos today..... Beautiful cats (both Ed and Steven)! Here are my boys in a photo from several years ago. They are doing what they have always done best, snuggle with each other. Well, they are brothers. Litter mates that have been together their whole lives...
Above you see Blackie on the left and brother Manet on the right. They are both sweeties and very loving guys who like to snuggle with their human at night in bed. They have always been scamps as well. Especially Manet who always has liked to be right in the midst of whatever is going on. Here he is right after he arrived from my father's house. He was about 6 month's old then.
Anything to keep "Daddy" from getting his work done! Always at my side though....
They are both now 16 years and 8 months old. Getting up there in kitty years... (Somewhere around 83 years old in "Cat Years"). It looks like I will be losing Manet sometime way too soon.... A couple months ago I found a lump on his neck just behind his left jaw. It seemed to come and go. Right about the time I would make an appointment at the vet, it would shrink. And I always was way too busy to check him like I should have. Well, he has lost 4 and a half lbs. in the last 4 months or so. That is over 1/5th of his weight. They both went to the vet yesterday to check their blood sugar. Both have had Diabetes but Manet is in remission. His blood sugar was low for a cat yesterday (130). The vet thinks the lump is Lymphoma. She can't surgically remove it as she wouldn't be able to get it all (and that could make it spread faster). The treatment for it would be an injectable stearoid or a pill form of the same thing. Unfortuantely since Manet has been diabetic it could cause a blood sugar reaction that could kill him. So..... She is starting him on a milder form of the drug that is absorbed through the skin of the ear.... She said it may or may not be helpful but is worth a try. Now cats can live for up to 2 or more years with this form of cancer and as long as he is not in pain we will continue to treat him... (Average is 3 to 6 months I guess). Sure was a shock to hear from the vet though. I am going to really hate to have to say goodbye to him.....
Good afternoon Diners,
Brunhilda, I'll have an extra large coffee with lots of cream, please.
We got our first measureable snow yesterday. It's only about an inch, but it's still there today. I'm sure it's the harbinger of snows to come. Now, I can't wait for March 21st. Last night when I got off work, the CN freight was going nearby. It made me think of those poor guys outside switching in this weather. My hats off to them.
NWP SWP: I like the first slogan you listed. It is short, sweet, and conveys best what your railroad is about. "The Great Pacific Road." It is also inclusive of all the elements you want to adapt from the western railroads. Anyway, that's my opinion.
Whatever you decide, you want the most info conveyed in the fewest words possible.
Hello to everyone, and I hope everyone is OK, safe, and warm.
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
NWP SWPIf anyone knows of a DVD or DVDs on this please post here in the diner...
Hi, Steven
I recently added this worthwhile DVD to my collection.
https://www.pentrex.com/DVD-Southern-Pacific-Film-Archives-Combo-DVD_SPFA12-DVD
Shop around and you can find it at a discount. There are samples of the DVD on YouTube.
NWP SWPPS: I added some slogans to my signature please check them out and let me know what you think.
If you don't mind... I think it is getting a little "long-winded". Pick a favorite and stick with it, then change it every now-and-then if you like.
Good Luck, Ed
What about Chessie the original Choo Choo kitty... and on the subject of cats my Walter about half the time doesn't get that hands aren't prey so he'll let me pet him and then he might claw and bite my hand is this just him being a young male cat? Well in other news I'm trying to finalize my Christmas wishlist and I'm looking for some DVDs with vintage footage from 40s amd 50s steam and early diesel western railroads and I'd prefer mainline action. I prefer the SP but it could be about any other class I of the period... I'd love to see ones of Tehachapi, Cajon, Donner, and other such "big hills" If anyone knows of a DVD or DVDs on this please post here in the diner... Thanks in advance.
PS: I added some slogans to my signature please check them out and let me know what you think.
Steven Otte FRRYKid The expression that your cat is giving makes me think that he knows exactly what he's doing! (By that name, I take it your cats are named after railroads?) Yup. Train-themed cat names I've had so far include Pennsy, Miss Katy, (Santa) Fe, Frisco, and Clinchfield. At first we thought Clinchy was a she, so he was almost named Missabe.
FRRYKid The expression that your cat is giving makes me think that he knows exactly what he's doing! (By that name, I take it your cats are named after railroads?)
The expression that your cat is giving makes me think that he knows exactly what he's doing! (By that name, I take it your cats are named after railroads?)
Yup. Train-themed cat names I've had so far include Pennsy, Miss Katy, (Santa) Fe, Frisco, and Clinchfield. At first we thought Clinchy was a she, so he was almost named Missabe.
Steven O ... I like your idea for cat names. Being in Wosonsin, you may wish to use the name, Hiawatha. for the next cat. ...
Morning diners,
Ed- That is a adorable little kitty.
Some how I decided to or maybe plan on a fold up layout. I don't know why it popped in my head but it did. I thought of track plan always brings me back to the Carolina Central. I thought it was a good choice, I would model New York Central and Conrail. Changing buildings shouldn't be difficult.
Earlier on I thought of expense of money for materials if it be more or less. If it's a normal standing layout.
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
Steven Otte Here he is, lounging nonchalantly where he knows darn well he shouldn't. (I've put up cat-proof barricades to the train room since.)
Here he is, lounging nonchalantly where he knows darn well he shouldn't. (I've put up cat-proof barricades to the train room since.)
Steven O .... That photo scares me. I don't allow our cats to be near the train room. .... Watch out when the cat starts pawing the ballast. LOL ... By the way: Feel free to show more of your layout. I like this part of it.
Ed, what a handsome cat. I'm sure he's grateful to have found you and your feline-loving family in his hour of need. I know what you mean about cats who "just showed up one day." We have a saying in our family that "Ottes don't adopt cats, cats adopt Ottes." I'm sure cats know good people when they meet them.
We have three cats at the moment. None of them are strictly rescues, though we did take our youngest (Clinchfield) from a friend who said she couldn't keep him and was about to turn him in to the shelter if we couldn't take him. So, he still counts in our book. Here he is, lounging nonchalantly where he knows darn well he shouldn't. (I've put up cat-proof barricades to the train room since.)
Howdy diners, I see that some of my posts were edited ahh well live and learn and I'm sorry if I offended anyone, enough about that... I personally am feeling much better in both spirits and in health... I have started watching my DVD collection of Abbott and Costello movies... Whos on First?! This time of year is very special because it's when I first discovered model railroading, it all started with a bunch of youtube videos about Bill Rogers "Southern Pacific in the Cascades" and I was hooked on western mountain railroading and the modeling thereof... Here I am 2 years later and I'm starting to pick up steam towards building a layout... just got the word from the joint chiefs (my parents) that we will begin construction of a cabin for me to hang out in and of course build a layout so that calls for a little celebration... construction will of course not begin until well into next year late spring early summer because thats when the land dries out... I plan for a 12x24 cabin with a 12x12 second floor shifted to one end... comes out to around 500 square feet. If I haven't said so yet I'm now a probie member of the MSMRC and will be full fledged in about 2 months.
Ed, that's a beautiful cat... I have a cat he's a rescue, spent about 6 months at the shelter before I adopted him it probably because he's all black except for his belly which is gray but otherwise he's a good cat and no bad luck yet. He's just not to that lap cat stage yet probably because he's only about 2 years old but I wanted a younger cat... he's very big and he'll eat a whole bag of food in a day if I'd let him... maxman that's pretty funny my cat is named Walter too. Not funny about the daffodils though glad the cats doing better.
Well off to post on other threads, good day.
Ed. ... good of you to take in abandoned cats. This one looks very sweet, and I can not imagine somebody dumping her. All three of our cats were rescued by animal shelters.
For all you cat lovers, daughter in law purchassed some cut flowers. Cat jumped up on her and my son's bed. They noticed some "stuff" around its mouth. They got suspicious and started looking around. Cat had got into the cut flowers, specificially some daffodils. None of us knew cats and daffodils don't mix well.
They called a vet, who told them they needed to call poison control. They had to email a picture of the flower to poison control so that the exact flower could be identified. Seems that there are daffodil look-alikes that are not poisonous.
Anyway, they got Walter to vet in time and he's home and doing well.
Evening Diners
Flo, Gary, Ed, Inch, Brent, Galaxy, Angelob, The Hammer Otto, Jan and I will have a Frosty B&O F7a Split and a Please. Give Rick and Steven a RBF as well. Leave a stein outside for Urlich.
The Hammer Otto, should have seen that coming, funny thing as a X Solider never really thought of war as something political? Yea, it was pretty stupid on my behalf. But in the Army if you where told to go there, you did. Well thanks anyway, you got me off of the top of page 7. Flo, give that bill to Mr Otto!
Brent now you tell me! Well it was quite frosty when I took the F7a out of the frezzer and the screws where still stuck. So I made a F7a Split out of the mess and motor is out.
Rick Thanks for the link. When posting a link on the site first click on the chain looking like link above then paste the link.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyper-Tough-44-Piece-Precision-Screwdriver-Set-with-Case/17190613?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222227018575915&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=t&wl3=40875801272&wl4=pla-78766447592&wl5=9006426&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=17190613&wl13=&veh=sem
Ed Glad you saved the little furry guy! He is cute as a B&O switcher. Far as the RDC passanger light being a LED, sure looked light a bulb with the warm yellow glo. Want to oil it anyay so might as well crack it open. Just hate to mess with perfcetion!
Cute kitty Ed! He/she probably hasn't figured out how lucky they were to be dumped next to your place. You are a good person!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
gmpullman A few days ago I looked out to the back yard and saw another pair of eyes staring back at me. Sure enough, there was an animal of the feline persuasion looking back at me! Mrs. Pullman and I kept an eye on him for a few days and came to the conclusion that he was dumped at the end of the cul-de-sac — not the first time this has happened. Yesterday we were able to coax him into the garage where it is out of the weather and considerably warmer. Tonight he finally trusted us enough to let us pick him up and look him over. He was purring in appreciation. Opie by Edmund, on Flickr Like hobos, cats must have a system of symbols to show where they can get a safe haven. We have adopted over a dozen that just showed up one day.
A few days ago I looked out to the back yard and saw another pair of eyes staring back at me. Sure enough, there was an animal of the feline persuasion looking back at me!
Mrs. Pullman and I kept an eye on him for a few days and came to the conclusion that he was dumped at the end of the cul-de-sac — not the first time this has happened.
Yesterday we were able to coax him into the garage where it is out of the weather and considerably warmer. Tonight he finally trusted us enough to let us pick him up and look him over. He was purring in appreciation.
Opie by Edmund, on Flickr
Like hobos, cats must have a system of symbols to show where they can get a safe haven. We have adopted over a dozen that just showed up one day.
That is a cutie! There should be a special place in whatever underworld one believes in for anyone who dumps a feline. Over the years at the ranch we have gotten a few that were dumped. Even the cat my Mom & Dad have currently was a foundling many years ago. (We figure she is about 16 years old and Mom got her when she was about 1 or 2. She was found at a local retail establishment. She bit the person that managed to catch her!)
If Opie had nine lives you just gave him one. I think it's a beautiful thing you do.......I thank the man upstairs for people like you.
Thank you Track Fiddler
Brent .. Thanks for the refreshment.
FRRY ... Yes it was a typo. Posting with a cellphone. The tiny N key is next to the tiny B key. LOL
MLC. .. I’m impressed . I don’t know anybody else building a homemade DCC system. Feel free to tell more about it.
Track Fiddler ... we are also mailing packages to other states . ‘‘Tis the season.
Thanks, Track Fiddler!
I have no sympathy for anyone who would dump an animal. We're glad to do our part to help the little critters out when they need us.
Tomorrow we call the vet to arrange for his check-up.
Regards, Ed
That's really cool Ed. What a cutie. I can see how it would be really hard to say no to a sweet little face like that.
I do think it's very admirable the kind things you are doing.
Best wishes Track Fiddler
Hello, Folks
I hope you are all doing well and keeping safe and warm.
cudaken Ed Why do you replaces the QSI decoders in the BLI engines? Is it better sound, speed control or more F buttons? Other than the dang sleep function I really like the QSI decoders.
Most of these were either Broadway "BlueLine" or "Stealth" so I didn't have any problem ripping their little guts out, Ken. I have an A-B set of BlueLine NYC F7s that I bought new directly from BLI and could never get them to program properly even with the suggested motor decoder. One of them had a bad sound file in it anyway. The prime mover would constantly rev up to max then cut out, then rev up again, over and over. I put in Loksound Select in both and they are excellent engines now.
I don't know what could be the problem with that RDC interior light. It is an LED. You can replace it with a couple of those that I sent you before that already have the resistor soldered in.
Thanks for the tasty beverage, Brent! I like your Holiday-themed avatar, too!
Well, I'm raising a glass to all you good folks, and to you Mr. Otte, for keeping things on an even-keel here in the diner.
I'll check back in a day or two and maybe have time to sit down to a nice hot meal.
tn44 by Edmund, on Flickr
Cheers, everybody!
Ed