Live from the Monongahela Valley in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
Welcome to Jeffrey's Trackside Diner. It's a place where you can come in, relax and talk about most anything except religion, politics, immigration, or any other hot button topic that may ruffle feathers or is deemed inappropriate for a family-oriented hobby. Please see forum rules if you have any questions.
RIP Track
The staff here is very friendly and able to serve. There's Zoe, Chloe, Flo, Janie, and Brunhilda. They'll serve up plenty of virtual food with a smile and a friendly "See any nice trains today?"
Southwestern PA has a rich history of railroads, which is why I couldn't nail down one exact location. As Trains Magazine said several years ago, Pennsylvania is one of the best states in the USA to railfan on, and the western side of PA is great. We have the class ones of course, NS,CSX, and the occasional CN train on the Bessemer. We also have several shortlines and industrial railroads such as the Wheeling and Lake Erie, Union Railroad, Alleghany Valley Railroad, Southwestern Pennsylvania railroad, the occasional Buffalo and Pittsburgh train, and we used to have the Monongahela railway. The Monongahela valley was first reached by rail in the 1860s under the Pittsburgh, Virginia And Charleston. By 1905 it was merged into the Pennsylvania Railroad. So here's a few of my pics from around the area. If you are in the area, come visit it in the real world.
At one point, The Monongahela Valley had, the Pennsy, the P&LE, the Pittsburgh And West Virginia Railway, the Montour, The Monongahela, the B&O, the Union and a trolley system. As time as gone on, these railroads have been merged (Pennsy became conrail, P&LE became CSX), absorbed (Monongahela railway absorbed by Conrail, Pittsburgh and West Virginia was absorbed by Norfolk Western), abandoned (Trolley system, Montour railway), and some remained (Union). Eventually some lines were reactivated by new owners (Wheeling and Lake Erie took over the old Pittsburgh and West Virginia Connelsville Extension, the B&O line to Washington PA became the property of the AVR, Conrail took over the MGA). etc. Pretty much, we've lost several railroads, but gained a few in the process. The ghosts from the old railroads still exist, if you know where to look.
(My Model Railroad, My Rules)
These are the opinions of an under 35 , from the east end of, and modeling, the same section of the Wheeling and Lake Erie railway. As well as a freelanced road (Austinville and Dynamite City railroad).
You misspelt Jeffrey's!!! I am not the only one!!! I madeven the same mistake last month and I just figured it out, with the help of another forum member...
Whew, coast to coast in one day?!
No modeling projects today...
Please check out my "History of the NWP-SWP System thread in the General Discussion forum...
Well since I'm the first visitor, put everybody's drinks on my tab...
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!
"misspelled"
Who took the XML file earlier?
Not much going on this morning, It is supposed to be cold again this weekend with a chance of snow showers. I have to go to Chicago tomorrow.
The spelling error has been corrected.
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
Good morning .....
A few things.
(1) ... Thanks to Kalmbach for hosting this site and to Steven O who administers the MR Forum ...
(2) ... Jimmy .... Thanks for starting the February 2018 edition. I am looking forward to Keystone State railroading.
(3) ... EVERYBODY IS WELCOME !.... Those who have not previously posted in the Diner are more than welcome to come aboard and tell about themselves and their model railroading.
(4) ...OBEY the RULES ...... Please take time to read the Forum Policies posted by Steve O at the top of the main page of "General Discussion (Model Railroader)". ... Reveiw them from time to time. .... Contact Steve O if you think a rule needs to be better explained. ... Always remember Steve O's job is to enforce the rules if necessary. Don't argue with him. ... EDIT ... I just re-read Steve O' s forum policies thread. It took less than five minutes to do that. I encourage everybody to do the same.
(5) Jeffrey .... I used to call him Jeff, and that was fine with him. That way I did not accidently type "Jeffery". He liked using his Native American name, "Running Bear" and he was very proud of his heritage. .... (My spelling is terrible)
(6) HAVE FUN ! ........ I hope February 2018 is fantastic month for each of you.
HAPPY MODEL RAILROADING !
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Good morning Diners,
Brunhilda, I'll have an extra large coffee with lots of cream, please.
Pennsylvania is an excellent choice this month. Of course, one of the most famous RR attractions in the world is Horseshoe Curve near Altoona. And there's lots of other things as well.
We're supposed to get back into single digits again. Just in time for Super Bowl Sunday, which is often the coldest day of the year. Oh well, it's February. Whaddya expect?
Jimmy: Thanks for starting this month's diner.
Nothing to report MRR wise today.
Hello to everyone, and I hope everyone is OK, safe, and warm.
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
Garry: Thanks for the gentle reminders. Your comments are spot on.
Richard
Good morning from the wet gloomy West Coast.
Steven is buying so I will have a really expensive, aquarium sized, hoity toity Moca with sprinkles, thanks, Steven.
I am on puppy duty today as the wife has many medical appointments today. They are going to rebuild her right hand as it did not heal properly. She gets lots of scar tissue when she heals and that pushed all the bits out of place. There will be lots of new parts going in. They think March may be when they do it as they are still waiting for it to settle down.
It is a good thing I told her to retire years ago as the injury would have ended her career as a Veterinary Surgeon, that's for sure. That being said, she went in to supervise a rather intricate reproductive surgery that someone else was performing a couple of days ago.
I never thought I would say it but Facebook is a great way to communicate. I had a long video chat with the kid in Ottawa last night and just now he called while I was typing. He has a lot going on this summer and is getting lots of calls for movie and TV work. That pays so well he cannot turn it down. I think last year he did nine TV shows and three movies. This will likely be his last summer doing it as he will get work in Ottawa the following summer in what is likely to be in international affairs of some type. Last night he told me all about his day spent at the U.S. embassy. Unfortunately, this is not the place to be discussing policy on world affairs. He loved it though. He could end up working there or at another Embassy.
Enough yap from me, time to go glue something.
All the best to all.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Good afternoon all.
I see we got the diner's "pesky handbrakes" released so she could be moved again.
SteveO - Incase you wondered, your fine job as from admin is appreciated. Thanks!
Janie - A nice slice of that brownie sitting under the counter, and a glass of milk to go with it please. Thanks.
Grammer topic - Can I play the Jeff Foxworthy joke? "If you think Grammer is who's married to your Gramper, you might not be smarter than a fifth grader."
I miss that show....
The best line ever from that show, in my opinion, was when he once said this - "I like that answer. (Long awkward pause.) It's wrong, but I like it."
Ok, ok, enough with the Foxworthy stuff, as that's another thread.....
W*^k - Emergency meeting held today, and it did not go well. (The owner is ticked off big time...) The building owner is breaking the lease with the store owner, so we will be closing no later than March 4th. (Move everything out no later than the 6th.) Nevermind the lease is paid up through August and runs through Dec..... Seems to me there should be a law somewhere about that...... Oh, right. There is.
So..... Yippee. Job hunt 2018 is officially started.
There goes my plans to attend the next railfest show....
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.
ricktrains4824SteveO - Incase you wondered, your fine job as from admin is appreciated.
.
Yes, a well deserved Thank You to SteveO.
I am leaving in about an hour for a four day SuperBowl Weekend! I am looking forward to this.
Maybe even might do some model railroading.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190I am leaving in about an hour for a four day SuperBowl Weekend! I am looking forward to this.
Your coming up here to the game? OK, just some shorts, a couple of T shirts and your flip flops, and you'll be fine.
Mike.
My You Tube
Anyone notice the forums went down last night/morning at about midnight?
Eveing Diners
Flo, the gang and I will have a , give Rick and Steven a RBF and leave a Stein outside for Ulrich.
Rick Sorry to hear about job search 2018. Any chances the owner may open a new store? I know my self it will be coming up sooner than later. Company I am working for is dying. Thank goodness SS starte kicking in on April 3rd!
Glouse Levels Not sure what is going on! I pretty much eat the same thing day after day. For about the last 6 days when I get up I have been in the 200 range with a high of 246? More than likely to much Sweat Baby's Ray BBQ Sause! Had not been a problem before?
Last night I had baked salmon with fresh vetatables and had a 126 GL. Guess I will be eating more salmon.
Steven Don't worry about spelling mistakes! You don't have anything on me! One of my freinds on a Mopar Sight posted he was selling Cuda Ken Decoder Rings!
Later, Ken
I hate Rust
Afternoon all!
Hobby Front: When I got home from work this afternoon, I discovered that I had parts for a couple of projects waiting for me. (The pair of spark arrestors that I had ordered for the SW1200. I had started to wonder where they were. They have been glued into place and will be painting the shell this evening. The other project is yet another freight car. Found it via an online forum. Looks like an older Walthers car but I could be wrong.)
The weather looks like I'm not going to get anything dome on the layout next week as it will be too cold. I, however, will need to grab one of my drywall screws so that I can get another box when I get the lumber and the rest of the hardware. (I'm pretty sure that I don't have enough to assemble all the pieces for the expansion.)
Hi everyone:
I just got an email from Photobucket offering me 3rd party hosting for $99.99/year. I guess their $500/year fee didn't go over too well. I sent a note back asking if they were planning on restoring all the photos that they blocked on previous posts. The address on their website didn't work. I'll try again and let you know what happens.
EDIT: I seem to have been able to send an email to another Photobucket address. I might start a thread on this to see what peoples' response is to the $99.99 offer. I suspect it will go over like a lead balloon.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
NWP SWPAnyone notice the forums went down last night/morning at about midnight?
Yea, the original post that moderator Tom, (Tstage) is gone, but yes, the web site, and all their other web sites worked, just NOT the Model Railroader forums, as I was in the Trains forum, no problem.
It all came back about 7:30 or 8 ish, CST.
Good evening all.
Yes, I'm still hanging out over in the corner.
Zoe - I will take that RBF Ken got for me. Thanks.
Erie PA Snowfall record watch - Only about 5" to go before they hit the all time record for snowfall in a single season, and it is only February 1st. (And it is snowing currently.......) Forcasters say the record most likely will fall before the end of the game Sunday.
So, a few more details about Job search 2018 -
The owner is totally not happy with the landlord, as he is paid in full through Aug. He also has the franchise contract through Aug of 2019, so, if he can't open elsewhere, he will be forced to pay a huge (just shy of 6 figures) penalty on closing a franchise location early. He is currently looking at a location west of here, but too far west for me to travel there. (It would be almost 70 minutes one way if the location works out.)
He is also seriously considering a full legal response against the landlord. (I have given my support that he does just that, as this is totally not right.) He has decided, either way, he will not stay where the location is now, and I do not blame him one bit! It's a "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." type thing.
The owner has offered to transfer me to his other location south of me, as he would really like to keep me. While it is a bit closer (50 minutes travel time, compared to the 70 minutes above, give or take) than where he is currently looking, it is still quite the travel.
I told him we will have to discuss it, as at my current pay, it would not be worth it. (Almost 4 times the distance mile wise, and adding 35-40 minutes to what I currently travel.) He did say he will put a package together to offer me, so I will see what he comes up with.
I did tell him, and my stores manager, that I would stay on as long as possible, but, as I am unable to collect on unemployment compensation due to a prior mix-up (on their end, not me.) I will be looking for a job right away. (I will see first what the owner offers, but will also consider the time traveling factor.)
The owner has said that if we stick with him until the stores current location is fully closed, he will make it well worth our time. So, while I am planning on looking for work, I am also going to try to stay and help out as much as I can.
They took a flyer on me, so to speak, and I feel that the least I can do is help out until I no longer am able to.
If I find a good place that will fit what I need in a job, and in pay, I will take it, but I will be picky about where I will go. It will have to fit what I need, or I will decline it.
Although I do feel that retail is comfortable, I am getting tired of the issues, none of which were created by me, causing me to look for other jobs. (2 situations which were "no-win" choices, so I went with what I could live with myself for choosing, and either choice I would have lost the job, and now this one.) So, I am not yet sure where I will look for employment.
My "other hobby" is photography, and, as I have most of the equipment needed to "go pro" (pun intended), I have considered that before. (I just don't want to lose interest in it by making it less hobby and more w*^k.)
I also know quite a bit about computers and networking, and I have a friend who owns a computer and networking construction and repair business, so I might see if he needs an extra hand for a while.
So, I guess I am keeping all options open for right now.
On the bright side, I no longer have to worry about that stupid displayer issue I mentioned before!
Hope all are well, and all enjoy the night!
EDITED - Clarified a point above on travel time.
Rick do hope you get your employment figured out, I have a friend that has lived in Louisiana for 11 years and her dad has worked for a company 10 years last year they told them they might be moving his position in about 3 or so years maybe right after the new year they told them that they are moving his position this year to NC and he can either keep the job and leave or quit and stay right now they're planning on leaving, my friend isn't too happy about it but she's going to college anyway so it won't change her plans too much... (and no all those snickerers <is that a word? She is not my girlfriend just a friend right now )
Ricky:
I have some very simple advice for you - put your future first!! It's nice that you are considering helping your current employer but putting "I stayed to the bitter end" on your resume won't do you much good.
There was a spectacularly nasty example of misplaced loyalty here in Canada recently. Sears Canada just folded. Everyone knew what was about to happen, but a few brave and loyal employees stayed until the end. What did they get out of it? They got (imagine the act of turning a screwdriver). They lost their pensions and severance payments outright! They got nothing!!
Look after yourself! If you want to stay on that's fine, but start looking for a new job now, and explain to your current employers that you will be taking whatever time off that you need in order to find a new job.
Good luck! Your work ethics are extremely good. You will do fine!
Good morning all.
Flo - I will take a nice Apple Danish and a glass of OJ please. Thanks.
Dave (hon30critter) - I am starting to look already, and have informed them that, if need be, I will be leaving prior to closure date. While I trust that the issue you referenced would not occur here, as I work for a independent owner, I also realize that I can't wait to start looking for employment this time of year.
Clarification of a couple points -
I did edit above on a point on travel time, as the south of me location is about 50 minutes from my home, compared to the 70 minutes where the owner is looking at moving too, give or take a few minutes on both.
Another point I should clarify, is on the unemployment comp mix-up. It was made by the unemployment compensation office, not my employer, nor me. (Seems they think that I was over-compensated on a prior claim, but in that instance I had filed due to loss of employment, and was initially approved. They have stated that it was "non-fault over-payment error", but also that, until that is corrected, I am "ineligible to collect unemployment compensation benefits." So.....)
Well, off to w*^k.
Morning everyone. Hope all is well
glad to start the diner this month, and this corner of PA really is beautiful in Fall. Plus we are in a cool situation. We have thr second biggest city in PA to the north of us (Pittsburgh), but if you're not a city fan, just drive 10-30 miles south and you have woods, farmland, rolling river valleys,etc.
well, went to the doctor Wednesday, She was pretty happy I lost a couple lbs, only have to lose about 50lbs now to get to the 140-150 range. we also talkef about the anxiety I'm having. Since it's only work related, she said it wasn't the time for me to get medication for it. Let's hope the vacation I scheduled this week helps-provied they decide to approve it....
train front- the show went well on Sunday, 361 people through the firehall doors in 6 hours. The dealers were happy mostly, and everyone who came bought something. Also of note, there were A LOT of young kids, teenagers and people in 20-30s. So, we have young people interested in the hobby. I gave myself a budget of 100 bucks and stayed to it, and got a lot of stuff. My big deal was, an undecorated fox valley models undec boxcar for 12 bucks, it normally runs 25 bucks.
I hope to start building my small switching modules next week
Happy Groundhog's Day !....
Ken .... You should keep a decoder ring available here in the Diner for us to sue. ... LOL
Ricky ... If your boss likes you and wants you at the other location, it would be wise to go there. It is a good idea not to change employers if you can help it. My 2 cents.
Richard ... Thanks for your remark. .... I think I heard MR does not make any money with this forum, and therefore, we should be grateful to Kalmbach for continuing to provide it. So I hope people will respect our hosts. So sometimes I speak my opinion on stuff like that.
Jimmy ... I'm glad it was a good trin show. Apparently, you have interesting plans to build modules.
I posted a few more photos of my 1900 era scene. I'm moving on to other model railroad activities in the train room. After several weeks I will get back to adding to the layout.
mbinsewiYour coming up here to the game?
Not this year, but I would like to attend a SuperBowl before I kick the bucket.
A coworker in the office is going to Minnesota next week for a training conference. I schedule my northern trips for August and September.
Good lunchtime from the dreary but dry West Coast. It is 10c and a good day to be gluing things together in the train room. I actually got a set of doors mounted properly, only five more to go.
Garry, your 1900s scene is giving me a lot of inspiration to get going, it is really nice work.
The wife and Daughter are both going riding tonight so I get to stay home. I am at an age where I find it cold, dusty and dirty. I always get stuck picking out the hooves as well. A nice glass of wine while I cook dinner is a better option any day.
I see the city (suits) is outside inspecting the area of the storm drain backup. Both ourselves and the insurance company have made a claim against the City for cost. Ours is around $6500.00 and I would guess the insurance company is up around $25,000.00. It will take a while to see the $ anyway.
I have talked to the kid on video conferencing four times in the last 24 hours. There is a hockey tournament in Alberta in March and his team is paying for his flight from Ottawa to play for them. The team is having management/coach issues and I can see myself getting drafted to go as well. I am really not up to it anymore but when duty calls. I will get to see the kid if I do have to go. I would rather give it a pass though as I have done my bit for King and country.
The kid was freaking out about a high mark exam he had to take today. They had a map of the world given to them and had to write the name of every single country in the world on it. Google says there is 195 countries in the world. He got a 100% right! He also got a 100% on his economics exam. To celebrate he ran the stairs up a 26 floor building 5 times to get in shape for the hockey tournament and then had a pitcher of beer to cool down in the -17c cold. Ah to be young again.
Getting training to be show dog already with Grandma looking on. 33 days old today. This one may just be going back to Norway, not sure.
Best go glue something.
Brent ... Thanks for commenting about my 1900 era scene. .... Evidently, your kid is an over-achiever.
There is a secret memo about that, but I doubt Vinnie will #ReleaseTheMemo.
Somebody mentioned last month about surgery on their eyebrows to help their vision. Wouldn't a barber be better or is it a King Kong thing going on?
I would do horrible on a geography test today, they went and changed the names of half the countries, Czechoslovakia, Ceylon, Belgian Congo all gone.
Sorry about the people with w**k troubles. Sears is a ghost town in the US. Kmart (also owned by Sears) too.
Christmas eve, my parents would pawn me off on my grandmother because Dad owned a men store. We went to downtown Baltimore, where there were 5 department stores, 4 on a single intersection and the sidewalks were full of people. All those department stores are closed and I wouldn't dare walk down those streets again.
She was a public transportation expert and we rode trackless trollys (electric buses that used cantenarys) dead quiet, street cars, pretty quiet except for wheel noise and buses smelly diesel.
Timonium show tomorrow, I'll get to say hello to Howard Zane. I need a turnout or two and some flex track. I have been looking at Detail Assoc. roundhouse on Ebay. I doubt I will find one there. There are custom built structures like Howard's and then everything else looks like it was built by an 10 year old with a toothpaste size tube of testors glue and a 2" paintbrush.
Modeltrainstuff is about 2 mile away so I will probably stop there too.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Eveining Diners
Flo, give the gang a and RBF for the none beer folks. Leave a stein outside for Ulrich.
Blood Surgar Front Had salmon again last night. Was rewarded with a GL of 96 this morning. 14 day avg was down to 162. Having salmon again tonight but I want the GL level down! Bought some cooked shrimp, clams and sardines today. Hope eating more sea food will help with the GL levels.
Boy did I mess up today, wife went with me to my LHS! She asked if she could go to the grocery store with me. Like a fool I said yes. I needed some track spikes and rail connectors so I could work a turnout so I went to K-10 Model Trains. She said she was going to waite in the car because her knee's where hurting her, Yea Right! I was looking at a used Proto 2000 2-8-8-2 with sound for $250.00, BLI Class J with sound for $200.00 and a pair of BLI F7's with sound for $150.00 when she walked in! Said her leg was cramping, but really she was just cramping my style! She saw I was looking at $200.00 steam engines and said "they cost a lot"! Yea, this is from a woman that has $200.00 purses!
All I walked with where rail spike and track connectors!
Ed Thanks for the nut sizes answer I posted o the main page! I will buy a set as soon as I see if the teader soloves the power pick up from the engine.
Later Ken
Photobucket, for those of us who don't have accounts, we are bombed with one pop up ad after another. I hope it goes the way of the dodo
Kevin, I went to Superbowl 3, where our team the Colts, lost to Joe Namath. We ate dinner in the airport restaurant and next to us was Howard Cosell, Dandy Don and someone else. It was interesting because ease dropping was no problem as they were all 3 sheets to the wind. I lost most of my interest in football just before Irsay moved the team to Indianapolis and the rest when taunting, and break dancing in the end zone became popular.
The average face value of a Superbowl ticket then was $12 ($83 today adjusted for inflation) This year the lowest price is $950 and you can buy one right now on StubHub for $3,000
Evenin' Folks & Fellas'
Things cooled off around here, presently 15°F and snow predicted over the next few days. I guess the furry one came out of his burrow and saw his shadow!
Did anybody take a side-trip over to Punxatawney today?
Thanks for setting up the diner here along the Monongahela, Jimmy. I've spent some time along these river-towns looking at the old steel mills and, one of my favorites, the old Mesta Plant in Homestead.
Here's photos of the young 'uns born during the blue, full, blood moon:
Mom_kid by Edmund, on Flickr
With mom looking protectively from above...
Luna_Star by Edmund, on Flickr
and the two Kids, Luna and Star, for their official portrait!
Ken, my offer is still good for the two little nut drivers that came with my BLI Hudsons. I have spares of both the 2.5 and 3 mm.
cudaken BLI Class J with sound for $200.00
I love the gutsy looks of my PRR J class. A real brute, and good looking, too.
So — here we are back in Pennsylvania!
Here's a photo taken near Monessen back in 1975. I was fireman on the 4070 on one of these trips from Pittsburg to Brownsville on the P&LE!
4070_P&LE_9-75 by Edmund, on Flickr
...Off to build a roundhouse!
Prayers to those in need,
Regards, Ed
Evening diners, I thought I'd stop in and say hello! The J class is a nice locomotive I'm curious what the T-1 would've looked like sans streamlining...