Eveing Diners
Flo, Mike, Ed, Gary, Inch, Angelob, Brent, Jan and I will have a please. Give Steven, Rick and SteveO a RBF and leave a stein outside for Ulrich.
Bet someone that worked for the state of Hawaii is looking for a new job!
Sort of Work Front Had the first customer in at 10 minutes after opeing, had 4 customers in the first 1 hour! Nancy got there around 12:45 PM and had one customer that left at 1:06 PM and that was the day.
Train Front
1 All most have a new turnout wired up! Reason for only All Most? Got to find where I put the Atlas Switch's?
2 A I remember now why the BLI Hudson was on the RIP Track. Engine is not picking up power, just the tender! I had been meaing to call BLI to see if they still have engine to tender cables!
2B Bright Side? Seems the ATF on the rails is still working! After I cleaned the tender wheels it has yet to stall! It may all so be why it can only pull 3 short passanger cars as well. Either way it is nice to see and hear Steam again on the CKRR
Later, Ken
I hate Rust
Hey guys
At work tonight.
Cable: we got a deal that was $5 less than we were paying, but certain days theres still nothing to watch.
I bought a ROKU back about 3.5 years ago, but let my subscriotion to netflicks expire. My OH didn't like the ROKU for whatever reason. Sure beats only 10 cable basic channels, but we may go back to that again. NET, phone and Tv is in one package. We like having a landline boht of us can be reached on.
Cable bill from Dec is missing, so now theyve shut off the net, i have to go tomorrow to pay up. NAother bill is missing too, and my mailed car insurance PAYMENT went missing too. GUess the USPS can't handlle mail plus package deliveries at chirstmas. I mailed car insurance on 12/22, they claim they didn't get it, adn it didn't clear my account until Last thursday, they credited adn reisnstated the poloicy, Im going to complain loudly to them, that is ridiculous, if the payment center is closed for holidays, they need to adjust expectations for that.
Not much at work the university spring session starts tomorrow so people are here to drop off kids. That means we are booked. Yestarday day shift was a nightmare. the new night auditor doesn't even know the simple things, and I had a mess to figure out. when people come up wiht keys to a room that shows as vacant, there is a big problem! When i have no record of them staying, or the check in wasn't put through, and went in as a no-show, bad. so Im going to have a talk with managers. There is also a lot of apathy going on, and the regular night auditor has a firm "not my job" philosophy on almost everything. Certian things are everybody's job, certain things are shift related.
Her philosphy reminds of an old saying I once knew: "there was a job to be done, everybody thought somebody would do it so nobody did it, so it never got done"....
well, its heading for 10 pm, time then to lock the pool down for the night. College students used it tonight. Probably left a mess to clean up, which is technically night auditors job, Id help but with my cane in tow, Im sure I;ll slip on the noskid surface which isn't enough to prevent me from falling. not my idea of fun.
Have 5 check ins to do yet, one arriving about midnight. one arriving shortly from her estimate. they often call to be sure we don't give out the room, but are fine until midnihgt, technically they aren't a no show until 3 am when night audit is run.
well, I haven't been feeling well, but yesterdays ngihtmare at work took its toll, and i slept most of the day. I have the whole week off and only work next weekend. ugh.
well have a great night, and a good week if I don't pop in.
-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.
Hello fellow birders!
Dianne and I finally had some success today. We saw two snowy owls! The first one was almost pure white so it was obviously a mature male, and the other one was quite streaked so it was a female. We were able to park within 100 ft of the female and we watched for quite some time. As we drove away it opened its mouth as if to say "leave me alone!" We then went back to the male. It took off as we approached, but we did get a really good look as it flew away. Magnificent! I don't think we scared it up because we were quite some distance from it, and they are used to vehicular traffic. They are far less skitish than the hawks.
We did not see any snowy owls last year at all, so the drought has finally ended.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
I can imagine your surprize and excitement, Dave! What a rare treat!
You mentioned you were able to park within 100 feet. That begs me to ask, were you out on a bird-watching expedition or did you just happen to see this pair as you were driving along?
With the cold and snow-cover on this side of Lake Erie I have been filling the feeders every-other day and a new slab of suet about once-a-week.
Temperatures back around 0° F tonight. Hope you're feeling better, Galaxy.
I'm on my second bottle of Magnesium Citrate as I write this... many of you know what this means
Stay Warm and Safe, Everybody — for those in need.
Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Regards, Ed
gmpullmanYou mentioned you were able to park within 100 feet. That begs me to ask, were you out on a bird-watching expedition or did you just happen to see this pair as you were driving along?
Hi Ed!
We were specifically looking for snowy owls. We go on a birding expedition or two almost every weekend throughout the winter (and often in the summer too). We have a favourite area that we go to for the snowys. The area is flat with wide open fields and very few trees, and there is very little traffic. That is a good thing because these are narrow rural roads, often with no shoulders and with deep ditches, so you can't get completely off the road most of the time. We typically drive at about 60 kph (40 mph). I don't get to do as much birding as Dianne does because I'm well under the speed limit and half of my time is spent watching the rear view mirror. We pull over and stop with our four way flashers on whenever traffic is approaching us from behind. On roads were the traffic is heavier we drive at the speed of traffic and we won't stop. I also won't stop just over the crest of a hill or on a corner where I can't see traffic coming up behind us. I'm very concious of doing the 'birding' thing safely. I have some aunts and uncles who are (or were) birders, but after a couple of trips with them behind the wheel we declined to go with them ever again. They were literally driving into ditches or crossing the center line when they saw an interesting bird. My uncle Dave took out a rural mailbox one day and he was more perplexed by losing sight of the bird than the damage to his car or the mailbox. There is no excuse for putting anyone at risk.
Cheers!!
Good morning everybody .... Hot coffee and hot oatmeal please. Winter weather persists.
hon30critter We were specifically looking for snowy owls.
We were specifically looking for snowy owls.
Dave .... It is good to know you give a hoot.... ..... and seriously, you are wise not to be unsafely driving while distracted.
....
Home alone in winter weather means I am spending time on the layout. I am continuing with my 1900-era scene.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
yep.....
After so many of our friends pestering us, my wife and I went to see the new Jumanji movie yesterday.
.
I am pleased to report that it is that good. I don't remember the last comedy movie I saw that was this enjoyable. We had a great time out.
The kitchen is painted and ready for tiles, then the new cabinets can be installed.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
We've seen quite a few movies recently, too. Seems like the studios cluster a whole bunch of good ones around the turn of the year.
Star Wars Episode VIII was excellent, though unrelentingly bleak.
Lady Bird is worthy of all the Oscar buzz it's getting.
Jumanji was a lot of fun, and better than the original, which I found dull.
Downsizing was disappointing. The trailers made it look like a comedy about people who have been shrunk to 5" tall, but it was preachy, with very little humor, and the shrinking bit could have been entirely left out without changing the plot much at all.
The Greatest Showman had great music, but like most musicals was very thin on plot and character. On balance enjoyable, though.
We're probably not going to get to see Coco or The Disaster Artist before they leave theaters.
Looking forward to Pitch Perfect 3, Black Panther, and A Wrinkle in Time. The wife wants to see Fifty Shades Freed, so we probably will, but not The Post, so we probably won't. Then maybe after that we'll get a break.
Oh, wait, no. The New Mutants in March, Avengers: Infinity War in April, the Han Solo movie and Deadpool 2 in May, Ant Man & The Wasp in June... OK, Hollywood, just take all our money.
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
The bad news is that I spent entirely too much money on home theater equipment (you've heard of 5.1 and 7.1 - how about 11.1?). The good news is that it gives me an excuse not to go to theaters.
I have the right to remain silent. By posting here I have given up that right and accept that anything I say can and will be used as evidence to critique me.
SteveO, Great list. I agree with everything you said except I think I was more disappointed in The Greatest Showman than you were.
Did you see The Shape of Water? That is one of the best I have seen recently.
Yes... so much good stuff coming up. Hollywood will make $$$ off of me in 2018 too!
I'm not a fan of movies.... After each time I watch one, I say to myself I just spent two hours of my life I will never get back..... My opinion is movies are a complete waste of time and money.... ... To each his own, I guess.
I think I'll go work on the layout now. I always have something to show for the time I spend with the World's Greatest Hobby.
SeeYou190 SteveO, Great list. I agree with everything you said except I think I was more disappointed in The Greatest Showman than you were.
It seems Hollywood has learned its lesson from Les Miserables: If you're going to let Wolverine sing, make him pre-record it in the studio so you can auto-tune him.
My biggest problem with The Greatest Showman was that they used the same two young actresses to play Barnum's daughters throughout the movie. Since they never aged, it made it seem like everything in the movie happened in the span of a very short time. He actually opened his museum of oddities in New York in 1841, Jenny Lind's tour of the U.S. took place from 1850-1852, and he didn't found the traveling circus (which it's implied he did at the end of the movie) until 1870. Those girls probably had children of their own by then.
Since I looked up Barnum's Wikipedia page, it seems that quite a bit of that movie was inaccurate...
carl425The good news is that it gives me an excuse not to go to theaters.
Agreed! The last movie I saw in a theater was Titanic (1997!) and even back then the distractions were quite annoying. I have also invested heavily, and worth every penny, for a decent home theater setup. I used to buy Laserdisks from Netflix back when they were a fledgling company before anyone ever knew the word Netflix.
moelarrycurly4 [gmpullman] I'm on my second bottle of Magnesium Citrate as I write this... many of you know what this means. yep.....
I'm on my second bottle of Magnesium Citrate as I write this... many of you know what this means.
Misery loves company
The good news is that I'm now on the "ten-year" plan so I don't have to give it another thought until 2028!
I hope all you good folks are doing fine
Movies?? Casablanca, Rio Bravo, were two of the last ones I watched, some of the Star Wars, prefer history films/documentaries on the computer.
herrinchoker
Good afternoon all.
Havent been posting lately, but have been "peeking through the windows" still. Been busy.
Chloe - I will have the BBQ rib platter, with "smashed taters" and a side of corn please, and a Coke. Thanks.
SteveO - I don't normally see many movies in theaters, as it takes too much time in my area. (35-40 minutes to drive there, ticket purchase, popcorn and drink concessions lines, finding seats, then movie, takes up a whole afternoon all said and done.) So, ones I wish to see, we get on BluRay, and play in our "mini home theater" we have. (Nice set up with a 55" flatscreen, and some nice sized speakers/subs/tweeters, with black-out curtains.) And, I will put my popcorn up against any movie-theaters with their "fake buttery flavor" any day. (Real butter tastes much better, IMO.)
NWP Steven - Dont worry if some are grumpy. Just ignore them. If their patience is so small that they can't be nice too you, or others, then that is their problem, not yours.
I have had a few friends with autism and/or aspergers, so I somewhat understand that it is sometimes difficult. One, Ed, was the best violinist you would ever hear, and I really think his aspergers made him better at that. He even was privileged to play for the NY Philharmonic for a while!
Jimmy - I know all about retail being tiring w*^k sometimes.... Hang in there!
Weather - Cold again. Snowing today as well. I did find out some interesting tidbits about our road conditions recently though... PENNDOT has made it a rule, that plow drivers can not scrape the pavement with plows. So, snow and ice sits on the roads until it melts, which is forever at this point.
W*^k - Boring today. Should have brought that rail car kit to finish, now that I finally remembered to get some glue...
Trains - Plan on finishing the assembly of the car kit I started a couple of weekends back.
Car - Ever break the rear window hinge(s) on a hatchback or SUV? Take my advice, don't do it... Especially in this weather!
What is real aggravating about it? I just had gotten the latch fixed so it could be opened/used, about a week before this other part broke... Grrrr.....
Hope all are well, and all enjoy the day!
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.
Oh, I almost forgot -
Herrinchocker - If you go with a pellet stove, save yourself the headache and get a Harmon pellet stove.
They are built real well, and put out a ton of heat!
Not affiliated with them, but a very happy customer who would never buy any other brand of pellet stove again.
cudaken It may all so be why it can only pull 3 short passanger cars as well.
I have one of those engines. It started running intermittently and then would not move at all. So, I took it apart, and found that the gear on the drive shaft of the motor was slipping. A drop of CA took care of it, and it's been fine ever since. You may have the same problem causing it not to pull.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I took Steven and Kevin's recommendation that Jumanji was a good movie and went to see it today with the wife.
I only go to a movie once in a blue moon. It was the funniest action comedy movie I have seen in years. I agree it was better than the first one.
Thanks for the good referral.
Track Fiddler
Good afternoon from the West Side of America. (the Canadian part) It was beautiful and sunny and 15c today.
Had the cable guys in today as our service is horrible, it keeps cutting out. Wife won't change providers even though the other one has fiber optic, already installed right up to the house. Also called ADT as our alarm is on the fritz. Just one zone. I negotiated full lifetime parts and labour into the contract when we signed up, I still need to remind them every time there is an issue. They tell me very few still have that deal and I am lucky. I tell them I am getting tired of having to argue with them about it every time I call them.
Spent a couple of hours pricing all my R/C gear for the insurance claim. GRRRR, this will be a long process.
Speaking of movies, we saw Wonder and managed to see both kids in it. My daughter was clearly visible in about half a dozen shots, my son not so much. My daughter was in about seventy shots when she was on set and none of the shots where she was next to Julia Roberts and/or Owen Wilson made the cut. It was a good movie.
We are looking forward to Deadpool 2. The kid is an X-man in it and he had his own scene. They filmed different versions of it, spending quite a bit of time doing so. After him being chopped out of so many other things he's done we no longer hold our breath.
He was in Legends Of Tomorrow and was in tons of shots where he was told to stay glued to the main characters. In the end, all we saw was his legs and arms and elbows. They paid him about $3000.00 for that.
He is in two episodes of "The Man In The High Castle" airing soon. They called him in Ottawa for his second appearance. He just happened to be coming home the week they needed him.
My Daughter has had three driving lessons and is very good at it. More so on the spatial awareness than control. This means she should see anyone that is going to hit her and do something about it before it happens. That's a good thing.
I had many hours in the trainroom over the weekend and it put a smile on my face as it has been a while with all that has been going on.
All the best to all, stay safe.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Good evening Diners,
Brunhilda, I'll have an Earl Grey tea with cream and honey, please.
Ah, movies. Well, my son and I are keeping the tradition alive. We went to see the most recent Star Wars movie. I did like it. However, I really don't care for most movies made say after 1965 to pick an arbitrary date. I find there is more meaningful dialogue in one minute of Casablanca than entire movies made recently. I really liked Close Encounters, Amadeus, Blue Crush (although parts were a little hokey), and Braveheart and Platoon were interesting. And, of course there's the Star Wars epic. Endless Summer II was fun, but only relevant if you saw the first one. MOH and I did a short time of seeing "art films" (like the type seen at Sundance), but we tired of that. No, I'm not a real movie fan and would rather watch old Gene Autry type two reelers than go out to theatres. Besides in some of those, you get to see SP steam. To me, that's win win.
Hello to everyone, and I hope everyone is OK, safe, and warm.
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
well our "less than one inch" snow forcast was busted 6 inches ago...
So far 7 inches and still snowing. I went out and shoveled the driveway tonight becuase it is 28.F in the morning when I go to work it will be 3F. we night get 4 more inches . The upgraded our "advisory" to " Winter Storm warning".( about 6 hours too late)
Good evening all.
Flo .... I have a craving for pancake's . Can you throw some Strawberry's on top ?
It was a comfy 71 here at the Hollow today ( please dont hit me with that switchstand. )
If my wife can put down the "to do" list, I'm going to try to run power to my modeling shed this weekend. No .... really..... I'm going to do it ..... this time .... (fingers crossed )
From the window on the right ,to the wall is my workbench area. from the door's to the wall on the left is where the layout will be. 12 X 12 feet. havent thought about the track plan yet ..... at least one wood tresle .... and 5 or 6 blocks of a town. something simple ..... no reverse loops ... no DCC.
Rust...... It's a good thing !
Good evening ....
Timmy ... Looks like a nice sized building for a layout...
MLC .... I know what you mean about the snow... It is forecasted to continue until 4:00 am... We have plenty of it. ..No vehicles have moved at our end of the road since last Thrisday evening just before Friday's storm. ...
I continue staying indoors, and I am working on my 1900 era scene. Here are photos of progress. ..
First is what I showed last week.
Second is how it looks now.... I aligned the track and nailed it down. ... I am working on ballast and ground cover.
Third is at a different angle. You can see some rock work I did in recent days to connect two levels.
Soon I will place buildings, trees, and details on the layout.
Flo, Give the gang a nice warm it is cold outside. Give the none beer folks what ever they want and leave a stein outside for Ulrich.
Nancy The Infectious Diease showed up today! She was sick yesterday coughing her brains out! She said she was not sick something went down the wrong way that's all. Showed up again today hacking her brains out, later she said her joints hurt, hum? All for one customer that did not buy!
Mr B Been down those rails with BLI Steam. Hudson drive wheels where spining, just not moving.
Rick So some folks where picking on Steven again. Guess I am not surprised Folks at that the dinner are more understanding than the main fourm.
Steven Come on back in the dinner, you are more than
Garry
Nice clouds, nice everything.
I like it.
Goodnight diners, thought I'd stop in and say hello!
Last movie I saw in theater was "Going In Style" theater was empty the night we went! If the "Expendables" or another "Die Hard" or "RED" came out I'd probably go to see it in theater...
I havent been in the diner because I've been busy... but I thought I'd stop in before everyone thinks I abandoned ship...
Went on eBay and searched for an Athearn U50 DCC found three SP units each listed for 99 cent starting bid, came back a while later one is at 50 and the two others are at 20 and there's still over four days left... I'll keep an eye on them but not getting my hopes up...
Modeling front, have settled upon a plan for a 2x4 diorama and I've posted a picture of the plan below...
Also please stop in my thread "2x4 diorama" to get all the facts...
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!
Forgot to mention snow is in the forecast for tommorow!
Coffee is good this morning Happy New Year All
Staten Island West has made it too its new home. I will begin re-assembly once all the junk sitting on top of the bench work is removed and legs are raised a bit to allow for my new bus wire. Went shopping over the weekend and picked up the suitcase connectors I need. (Also bought a new bed and sofa and other “minor“ purchases)
I really like the new flooring in the train room no more parts getting lost in carpet and the new rollator I picked up will serve as my operator chair.
Oh well time to go to work.
Joe Staten Island West
Good Morning,
Garry its looking good. I would come stay inside in the train room with you but, I don't think I could make it. I had a hard enough time going 10 blocks to work.