So this is mid-April eh?!? We had better weather in February!!!
I don't usually complain about the weather but after two days of ice pellets and freezing rain I've had about enough. The ice is getting thick, the trees are sagging and by mid-afternoon there were about 100,000 people in Ontario without power. What happened to Spring????
I know we don't have it nearly as bad as many in the northern US or in southern Ontario, but when my BBQ is frozen shut I get pretty fiesty! This is the worst weather that we have had all winter, for several winters in fact!!
I'm supposed to be driving Dianne to work tomorrow morning so I can have the car. Oh joy!!! We'll see if I can even get the car doors open!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
BigDaddyThere's a reason most of us do not live in Minnesota
Morning DJ on SiriusXM channel 6 calls it Minna Snow Ta.
Eveing Diners
Flo, give the gang a please and give Steven and Rick what they like. Yes Flo, leave a Stein outside for Ulrich as well.
Work Front, where did they all come from? Yep I was busy all day? 7 customers in 5 hours? Yesterday I had 3 in 8 hours? It was a good day for me and the company, company got $4033.00 in sales and I made a extra $250.00 in spiff money.
Train Front
Daydreming about a new layout! This one has served me well over the last 10 years and I like it! But it is to darn wide with it being against the wall at 44". Plus it is blocking the garage door. Reason my 68 Road Runner is at a friends house. I am thinking about 18 to 30 inch aginst the wall max. Lift out sections will me a must have!
Later, Ken
[Admin: Sorry, we don't allow links to the competition here. Video deleted.]
I hate Rust
Good Evenin all,
Back from the South from week end of the Blues......
we spent the weekend in Clarksdale MS for the Juke Joint Festival
Made it back this afternoon. we drove down Friday morning we had to use the car AC, drove back having to use the car heater.... Boy that was some wind down there and a gully washer to boot. ( That is a Texas term) we were woke up at 3am with flash flood warnings alerting on our phones. I was just glad it was flood and not Tornado.
I will have the super gas special bean burrito....
Good afternoon from the pleasant Edge of the Pacific.
My dirt pile is so saturated with all the rain I gave up trying to move it. Being nothing but a mucky mess. So continued to purge and get rid of stuff.
The insurance company offered $.25 on the dollar for a cash settlement on contents so it looks like we are going shopping. I lost about $1500.00 in R/C stuff, so I will go to the local R/C shop that sells a little bit of train stuff. Give him my order for all the airplane stuff, get a receipt and return it for a store credit and order up two or three new engines.
Henry, sorry to hear it is a hassle to turn off the water. I can turn it off under the sink, or in the crawlspace where it comes into the house, or on either side of the water meter out by the road. If we want to turn it off at the main every firehall has the long tool to do it that we can borrow, or we can borrow one from the City works yard. Definitely, overkill in the shutoff department. Our firehalls will also refill our fire extinguishers for free if needed and recertify them.
Kevin looks like he had another fun day.
Talked to the kid on video Facebook for three hours last night. So much going on for him I get tired just helping him out. He has three final exams this week, he gets on the plane right after his last one. He and the movie company (they wrote a nice letter) asked the Dean if he could defer two of his exams so he could make the shoot, surprisingly he agreed, so he had two of his exams deferred and will write at the University Of British Columbia next month. He gets home at 0300hrs Friday morning, has to be at Bridge studio's early Friday. I will drive him so he can sleep on the way just to be safe. Plus you never know, I might get discovered. Of course, I'll be tired as well from picking him up. Maybe I'll send the wife and she can get discovered.
I hope my Daughter will lead a less hectic life after High School. She is a much quieter bookworm type, so I think we're good.
Well, I bought myself a nice "T-Bone" steak to cook for dinner and still have a really nice bottle of wine to go with it, so I will enjoy the peace and quiet before the wife returns with the other half of the canine fleet tomorrow. Could life be better!
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."
I have had a good time this weekend in Roanoke, Virginia.
.
This of course included a trip to the Virginia Museum of Transportation. The J was off in Spencer, but the rest of the locomotives were amazing.
I loved looking at all the early diesels they had, I really wish I could have opened up the doors and had a look at all the mechanicals.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Heartland Division CB&QI certainly miss the pre-Amtrak trains.
Garry Right you are. I remember the myriad of cars at the old Penn Station in NYC.
Fiddler There's a reason most of us do not live in Minnesota, where are the men are strong, all the women are good looking and all the children are above average.
Brent Three attempts at repacking the valve above and it still leaks. Doesn't look like rocket science to me, but it still leaks, worse than my other attempts. I have successfully repacked valves before. To turn off the water, I need a socket shaped like a pentagon to open the county water valve cover then a really long extension to reach below the frost line to turn another nut. My neighbor had a plumber turn off the water at the street and cap a water line..$345 !!
Steven I'm sorry to bust your chops in your other thread. I realize you are in the spectrum, and you are still a kid with no money. MR is all about imagination, which you have plenty of, you just need to harness it into output. Maybe a job at MR is in your future. They don't just think about things that could be built, they build them and show people how in the mag an on their video series.
Don't expect your first kitbash to look great. It may not even look good. Everything has a learning curve, even brain surgery. A bad outcome in kitbashing won't wake you up at night or even be a memory for the rest of your life.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Good afternoon.
Track Fiddler ..... Your April showers are heavy and white, apparently.
Keeping up with the Deep South theme ..... Here is the KCS Southern Belle train that went to New Orleans from Kansas City.
I certainly miss the pre-Amtrak trains.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Hey how y'all doing.
I'll have the usual, you got it, the Canadian walleye fillet. Give an order to Wayne too and put it on my tab.
Yuck day in Minnesota. The biggest snow storm for April in Minnesota History. Predicted 12 to 20 inches. But it gets worst.
I don't mind a little snow. I have a 4x4 Dodge Ram so I went to my usual Breakfast Club to see my friends on a Saturday. When I was done and went to leave my truck wouldn't start. My buddy Jerry had a plug in diagnostic unit. Plugged it in, bad fuel pump. The part alone cost between 500 and $1,000 depending on which one my vehicle wants.
My independent mechanic I've been with for years is plowing snow, so no go till Tuesday.
I am blessed though my friend Mike gave me a 4Runner vehicle to get home and figure out what I'm going to do.
My AAA said they may be able to get to me by Monday to tow it but it's not for sure.
What are you going to do though. I just hope you all had a better day than I did.
Take care. Track Fiddler
Officially, it's been spring for almost a month, but I think we had our first day of that yesterday, and today we're back to The Endless Winter. It was warm enough to grill outside, though, so I did a couple of small tenderloins and broiled just a few big sea scalloprs for surf & turf.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Good afternoon, folks!
The weather here in the good ol' Golden State has been odd. Monday and Tuesday were burning hot, while the rest of the week was obscenely windy. I don't know why this has been happening.
So... the Walthers George Washington cars came in two months earlier than I expected, so I'm getting my 10-6 sometime in the next month, so that's nice. I'm also getting my Highliner F3A kit in two weeks(?), so I'm preparing for that. I just got my hands on a BLMA handrail drilling guide. I wasn't not freehanding a row of holes, so I'm happy I snagged that.
Let's see... what else do I have going on?
I have the basic idea of what I want that F3 to look like:
I imagine that it'll look like your standard F3A. Chicken wire grilles, ladder grabs, Nathan M5R24 and Leslie A-200 horns, Great Northern-styled snowplow, and so on. But, there's a little curve ball I'm throwing.
I found a picture of Amtrak E8 430 (ex-UP 957), and it had two Pyle headlights in place of the standard nose and door light.
So, instead of the nose light being the gyralight, I'm intending on getting a Details Associates DA-101004 Pyle Dual Headlight and stick it on the door. I am also on the fence about getting an SP-style Emergecy Light to put underneith the de-facto Gyralight, so I'll think about it for a while.
Ultimately, I want it to be as unique as I possibly can make it without staying too far from the realm of possibility.
The thing that I like about having a freelanced road is that I can do whatever I want when it comes to details, so my imagination tends to run wild.
Afternoon diners, I went and found a sleeping berth after I stopped in earlier took a little nap, there wasn't much else to do this morning with all the rain.
Yesterday I planted 4 Privet Hedge clippings around the property hopefully they'll root up.
I've been bidding on two locomotives, the first was a Bachmann Spectrum SP 2-8-0 with DCC/sound it was at $100 now it's up to $150 so I gave up, the second was a Athearn SP U50 with DCC/sound, it went up to $220, way too rich for me. Ehh I'll save my money for something else...
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!
Good soggy morning from the West Coast. It has been April showers in the extreme this week. I have company this morning.
I kept trying to drop in but as soon as I put my hand on the door of the joint another "Mayday" would go out and my services were required. Took the wife and trailer to a dog show about an hour and a half away on Wednesday morning and Thursday she had a fireworks display at the 30 amp plug where the trailer plugs into the power at the dog show, fried it. I guess water leaked in somewhere and poof! So Friday morning I loaded up the truck with tools and the generator in case I couldn't fix it, stopped and bought a new cord for $80.00 and was on my way. It was pouring rain but I got it fixed with no issues, however, they never make it easy. I have to pick her up Monday night. I could have gone and stayed but I have some paint to watch dry. Dog shows are sheer torture for me. That Tex-Mex sure looked good, any leftovers? I'll pass on the Beano though, with five Golden Retrievers by my side it is always the dog. Lion, my belated condolences on the loss of Momma Lion. I think Moms are the toughest to lose. My parents and I were close as I am with my kids. It was/is like we are best friends. Nothing left unsaid and no regrets made their passing easier to take I think. Ken, dryers are very easy to fix, not a lot to them. I have waved the white flag on washers now though as the electronics in those things are beyond my capability. Kevin, cool find on the restaurant car. It always made my travel day to find something unique that I was not expecting. Big Daddy, Valves are as easy as light bulbs to change, just make sure the water is off, drain the pipes and change it out. When I venture into repairs where I am unsure, I do it in the morning on a weekday in case I need professional help. I can call for help and it won't be at premium prices. Ray, Glad to hear your lunch date went well. Every relationship I have ever had was started by just being friends. You never know what can happen down the road. I was friends with my wife for fourteen years before we actually hooked up. I don't think I could ever do the dating thing. Oil and engines! Don't get me started, Lawn tractor, pressure washer, weed trimmer, chainsaws I will not lend to anyone. I am on pressure washer #7. For some reason, people don't think pump oil is their responsibility. My neighbour came over and asked to borrow my lawn tractor once, the reason being his engine seized due to lack of oil. I said I no longer lend out anything with an engine as people don't look after them. I change the oil in all my equipment every Spring and it serves me well. Kid is home from Ottawa late Thursday and early Friday morn I will take him to Bridge studios for his wardrobe final. Then Monday they are taking him out of town for a two to three-week shoot. Everything is top secret about this one, much like Deadpool 2 was. We have been wondering how much of all the things we have planned to do together will actually happen. We usually buy all our Vancouver Whitecaps tickets for the Summer, but not this year. He does hope to make the big annual multifamily camping trip this year. I still have about two yards of dirt to move out of the twenty they brought, so that will be the project for today. I bought myself a couple of bottles of really nice wine last night and I hate to drink alone so drinks on me today. All the best to all.
I kept trying to drop in but as soon as I put my hand on the door of the joint another "Mayday" would go out and my services were required. Took the wife and trailer to a dog show about an hour and a half away on Wednesday morning and Thursday she had a fireworks display at the 30 amp plug where the trailer plugs into the power at the dog show, fried it. I guess water leaked in somewhere and poof!
So Friday morning I loaded up the truck with tools and the generator in case I couldn't fix it, stopped and bought a new cord for $80.00 and was on my way. It was pouring rain but I got it fixed with no issues, however, they never make it easy.
I have to pick her up Monday night. I could have gone and stayed but I have some paint to watch dry. Dog shows are sheer torture for me.
That Tex-Mex sure looked good, any leftovers? I'll pass on the Beano though, with five Golden Retrievers by my side it is always the dog.
Lion, my belated condolences on the loss of Momma Lion. I think Moms are the toughest to lose. My parents and I were close as I am with my kids. It was/is like we are best friends. Nothing left unsaid and no regrets made their passing easier to take I think.
Ken, dryers are very easy to fix, not a lot to them. I have waved the white flag on washers now though as the electronics in those things are beyond my capability.
Kevin, cool find on the restaurant car. It always made my travel day to find something unique that I was not expecting.
Big Daddy, Valves are as easy as light bulbs to change, just make sure the water is off, drain the pipes and change it out. When I venture into repairs where I am unsure, I do it in the morning on a weekday in case I need professional help. I can call for help and it won't be at premium prices.
Ray, Glad to hear your lunch date went well. Every relationship I have ever had was started by just being friends. You never know what can happen down the road. I was friends with my wife for fourteen years before we actually hooked up. I don't think I could ever do the dating thing.
Oil and engines! Don't get me started, Lawn tractor, pressure washer, weed trimmer, chainsaws I will not lend to anyone. I am on pressure washer #7. For some reason, people don't think pump oil is their responsibility. My neighbour came over and asked to borrow my lawn tractor once, the reason being his engine seized due to lack of oil. I said I no longer lend out anything with an engine as people don't look after them. I change the oil in all my equipment every Spring and it serves me well.
Kid is home from Ottawa late Thursday and early Friday morn I will take him to Bridge studios for his wardrobe final. Then Monday they are taking him out of town for a two to three-week shoot. Everything is top secret about this one, much like Deadpool 2 was. We have been wondering how much of all the things we have planned to do together will actually happen. We usually buy all our Vancouver Whitecaps tickets for the Summer, but not this year. He does hope to make the big annual multifamily camping trip this year.
I still have about two yards of dirt to move out of the twenty they brought, so that will be the project for today.
I bought myself a couple of bottles of really nice wine last night and I hate to drink alone so drinks on me today.
Steven OtteGood morning, everyone! Today's lunch special is the Tex-Mex Combo Platter. Dig in! Beano is extra.
LIONS do not eat cheseey, beany stuff...
LION went to Applebees (not a fav place) 'ad a rare steak, him did.
Told the server that undercooked was OK, but the slghtest amlunt of pink was not.
STEAK was PURRFECT!
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Howdy ..... Coffee and a pecan roll, please.
I hope everybody has recovered from Steve O's Tex Mex food by now.
Yesterday, I did more outside work. Today is a rain day, and I hope to have model railroad time today. .... The shipping channel is re-opened under the new bridge, and barge companies have resumed operations. I can hear and see the tow boats from here. ... The piers for the old brdge are still up, however.
Steven NWP-SWP and everybody else..... Feel free to post more photos of Deep Southe railroading ...
Cheers.
GOOD MORNING!
EVERYBODY WAKE UP!
I woke up this morning to my family doing the tornado terror bit, I have gotten pretty laid back when it comes to weather because where I live if a tornado comes there's not much you're going to do about it.
Well it may not be Sunday morning quite yet!
Just stopping in to get the Tex-Mex combo platter to go! Thanks Mr. Otte and thanks for the beverage Steven SWPNWP.
cudakenDryer Front But down a $100.00 deposit on a used dryer today.
Ken, did you try a decoder reset? I think Whirlpool is CV8 = 8 and Kenmore is CV8 = 30. Try that first!
I went through the whole dryer thing a few months ago (two of them, actually) and they are pretty straightforward to diagnose and fix.
On one of them I replaced the thermal switch (3 for $5 from Amazon) The vent was plugged so the heater got too hot and tripped the thermal cut-out. Is yours gas?
Have a great weekend, everyone! We survived Friday the Thirteenth (I hope you all did, anyway!)
GTW_3734_sm by Edmund, on Flickr
Cheers! Ed
In hindsight I should've checked the oil, the guys brother said he holds me at no fault, his brother should've had everything checked and good to go, I offered to buy it off him to do a motor swap on it to get it running, he said it's probably 30 years old or older!
Ken, sounds great! I am really looking forward to the package, thank you again!
Top of page, drinks are on me.
Eveing Diners!
Flo, the gang and I will have a please, give Rick a RBF and Steven a Quart Of Oil! All so leave a Stein outside for Ulrich!
Steven I am with Ray with checking the oil before starting a mower, wood chipper and such.
Thrid Time Was The Charm! Package was fanlly sent! I hope you can use what I have sent. I did keep the bridge, day dreaming about a new layout where I can use it! I will PM you the tracking number in the next few days.
Dryer Front Put down a $100.00 deposit on a used dryer today. With installion and tax cost is $202.00. Boy I could have bought a new engine for that!
Train Front Got the Monon 50 foot box car for free! I am helping Ken (ower) with meeded parts he does not have. Still want the Pen Pullman cars he has! I will add he is all Ed's Fault! After I got the RDC with lite interior I have been hooked!
Evenin' folks!
Been a good day for me, I guess. I did my 3 miles over at the Fieldhouse. Today I did 7 laps (1.6 miles) for the first leg, rested 10 minutes, then did 5 laps (.895 miles), rested another 10 minutes, then did the last 5 laps to total 17 (3 miles). Managed to cut a few minutes off the time as well.
NWP SWPBecause the guy had NO OIL in it!!!
Ah.... Steven, if that was a gas engine, always, always, always check the oil before you start it!!! Especially for small air cooled motors. Don't ask how I know about that........ LOL Back on the farm running old worn out tractors and trucks, etc. we always checked the oil before starting. Always! Just a part of the prestart process at the beginning of the day. BTW, that is done on all RR Diesel Engines before you hit the starter as well. All part of a normal prestart process. You will be lucky if the guy who owned it doesn't tell you you owe him for the repair!
We are expecting an ice storm tomorrow afternoon through Sunday morning. Talking about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch of build-up. That could cause some major problems around the area... Likely trees being downed and power outages! Time will tell.
I found a list of quotes I had stuck away... Doesn't say where they are from, but you may enjoy some of these...
"Does your train of thought have a caboose?"
"I'm not crazy, I've just been in a very bad mood for 30 years."
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
I need to cut the foam for my turntable but I got side tracked repacking valves. I had my water turned off outside and when I turned it on .....drip drip dirp. Fixed that and then I looked at the main valve. Turned it off to replace the packing and it leaked turned off!!! Carumba as Bart would say. Now I need a real plumber to replace the valve. At least it's not leaking at the moment.
Here is a NS heritage unit. Brasstrains.com is soliciting interest in brass models of the heritage fleet if any of you are interested.
Howdy folks,
Today is a regular PITR day!
Why am I so "derailed" ?
I went to hotel B to conine the pressure washing I started yesterday, the guy that broke the machine that the hotel owns brought his personal machine in for the hotel to use) well everything went fine yesterday, but today... oh boy, I started it up within 5 minutes it stopped! I went to restart it, no compression! If threw a rod! Why did it throw a rod? Because the guy had NO OIL in it!!! The hotel is going to rent a pressure washer Monday so it's not a complete "wash".
Sorry for the pun.
I need a strong drink, I'll take a tall glass of lemonade please, thanks!
I'll pop in again later if I get around to it.
Still Friday morning, I see, for a few minutes. You guys are reminding me it's lunch time.
As many of you know, I'm getting a divorce, selling the house, moving elsewhere and generally rebooting my life. The layout has been packed up since last September. Earlier this week there was a full-price offer for my house. It's a big step in the right direction, and I hope all goes well. Now, if the divorce lawyers can get off their loathsome spotty behinds and do their jobs, I can really get going. (No, I don't know what their behinds look like, but it's a Monty Python line I think is appropriate, nevertheless.)
Anyway, the home inspection was yesterday and there were no major issues, according to the real estate guy, so here's hoping it's another hurdle conquered.
Good morning, everyone! Today's lunch special is the Tex-Mex Combo Platter. Dig in! Beano is extra.
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
Good morning everybody ..
Flo ..... Don't give Dave any Mexican food with refried beans today.... LOL ... I'll just have coffee and a donut, please.... Thanks..
We actually had warm weather yesterday and there is more for today. It's windy however. I did some outsdie work yesterday and have more for today.
Cheers!
up831up831 i got my new BLMA drill guides in the mail today.
Thanks for the info. I only see the 4500 item on the website. Looks like that's for diesels. Is that what you have? I thought they also had a template for cars.
Thanks again.
Hey Kevin! Nice find! The carved seat backs are really neat.
I love things like tacos and natchos and stuffed jalapenos, and Dianne makes a mean jalapeno/cheese corn bread. Unfortunately some Mexican foods like re-fried beans don't agree with me, and I'm not just talking gas! Something about "....through the eye of a needle at 50 ft....." I know, I know, too much information!!!
maxman up831 i got my new BLMA drill guides in the mail today. That was prompt service. They're tiny little things, but I suppose they're supposed to be. I don't know if Kalmbach allows us to plug our suppliers, but it was a train guy. I've been looking for that item. If you got them from a commercial vendor, how about letting us know where? Thanks
up831 i got my new BLMA drill guides in the mail today. That was prompt service. They're tiny little things, but I suppose they're supposed to be. I don't know if Kalmbach allows us to plug our suppliers, but it was a train guy.
I've been looking for that item. If you got them from a commercial vendor, how about letting us know where?
Thanks
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
Well Kevin, what a camera hog! How about a selfie with both of you enjoying the day.
Mike.
My You Tube
gmpullmanAah! I'll bet this is the fellow. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaster_Bates
You the man Ed!! That is indeed the fellow I was referring to. I'll have to spend some time listening to him on Youtube to see if he is still as funny as he was in 1979. Thanks a lot.
As for Fred Dibnah, I was quite uncomforable just watching him climb the ladder(s). There was a time when I could walk along a roof's edge without any worries. Now I don't even like to do step stools because I can barely feel my feet anymore.
Cheers!!