Evening diners,
Went to the op session everything went smoothly, (Un)Peasant Hill wasn't a issue because we had a "footboard yardmaster" to handle all the pickups and setouts, I ran four, yes FOUR trains, the Little Rock-NOLA Runner, the Marshall-Coldwater Turn (Coal Loads for Empties), the Flyash Turn (Marshall-Marthaville Turn (Flyash Empties for Loads), and the Entergy Turn (Marthaville-Bunkie Turn (Coal Empties for Loads) the last three are "unit trains" picking up loads (or empties) running then exchanging them for empties (or loads) and running back and returning the cars to the appropriate track. The Runner was a bit more work.
Not much else going on.
Here's some tunes. I have been slowly growing my music tastes, I have found that Indie Pop/Rock really appeals to me, the mainstream stuff not so much.
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!
Good Morning!
It has cooled off considerably - outside! It will take some time to get the warm air out of the house though! Those brick buildings keep the heat well.
I hope my BP will improve now - at 110/60 with a heart rate at 95 my old engine seems to be out of tune, resulting in elephant´s feet that won´t fit into any shoe. Normal values are 130/80 at 75.
On the subject of tattoos - I have yet to see a tasteful tattoo! Justified or not, a tattoo puts people into a drawer which is not on the upper region of life´s cabinet. What´s a fashionable craze today, may cause grief and regret later on. For myself, I have decided I am not a member of the Maori people and I have accumulated a large number of "life´s battle scars" to be already sufficiently disfigured.
Janie - it´s Sunday, time for a big breakfast! So here is my order of crisp fried bacon, scrambled eggs, buttered toast and jams, lots of coffee, but hold the OJ, please!
Some "fresh" pictures from my toy train set:
Have a good one!
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
moelarrycurly4Uhhh......... Dave you might want to edit the post that contains the Quote from Steven that you asked him to edit.
That's a 'Catch 22' if there ever was one! I'll have to think about that. Maybe Mr. Otte will make the decision for me.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
SeeYou190When I was young, tattoos were a good way to identify people you needed to stay away from. It is not that way any longer. Some of the greatest people I meet are covered for some reason, and the wrapping rarely matches the contents.
I try to mentally block out individuals totally covered, so they pretty much don't bother me any more. Except for one individual who tried to convince my daughter that she needed to have one.
But really bothers me are piercings. Very hard deal with any one who seems to have a speach impediment because they somehow need to have a pearl looking thing stuck in the middle of their tongue.
The first girl had something that looked like a spider web but different, lots of straight and curving intersecting lines. There wasn't one crooked line as far as I could tell. I would have needed masking tape if I was her tattoo artist.
There are piercings and then there are extreme piercings. I can't imagine getting my tongue pierced. I don't live in the big city, and I have only seen two or three people with these wedding ring sized piercings in their ears and lips. That is seriously weird.
Changing subjects, James Wright has a youtube video on MRC's new lighting decoder. It changes effects and intensities. It was not one of the more polished youtube videos for a potentially interesting system. The MRC spokesman should have rehearsed what he had to say and shots of the manual should have been edited in later.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Good morning ..... A donut with coffee , please.
Here is my HO replica of a sign that was next to I-65 south of Louisville for many years. It is no longer there. .... I think it was humorous. ..
My 2 cents ..... In general, I think all tattoos are ugly no matter who has them.
Ulrich .... It's fun for me to just look at your Marklin trains. You must be enjoying them. You might be re-living old memories.
Of course, here in the USA, we had mostly Lionel or American Flyer trains in the 50's and 60's. As kid, I visited the huge Lionel display in the Toy Department of Marshall Fields Department Store in Chicago each Christmas. Of course Santa Claus was there and I would give him my long wish list.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Heartland Division CB&QUlrich .... It's fun for me to just look at your Marklin trains. You must be enjoying them. You might be re-living old memories.
Garry - actually, I am enjoying myself more with this build than when I was working on my Swiss layout. The reason might be that this layout is less challenging to build and thus more fun to me, given my limitations now.
It´s never too late for a happy childhood!
Morning diners,
Went to the early morning "traditional" service so up early this morning, well early for the weekend.
Something I'm a bit confused on, were certain models, like tin plate and stuff, equipped with working cantenaries? Working as in live, or powered?
NWP SWPSomething I'm a bit confused on, were certain models, like tin plate and stuff, equipped with working cantenaries? Working as in live, or powered?
I can´t comment on US brands, but as catenary was not common (other than some routes of the Pennsylvania RR, the Milwaukee RR and the Great Northern, AFAIK), I think it is unlikely that live catenaryv systems were offered by the likes of Lionel, AF and others. I may be wrong, though.
Marklin of Germany offered a live catenary system right from the beginning of HO trains in 1935, and so did other brands like Trix or Fleischmann. Electrification of railroads started early in Europe, namely in Switzerland, where a severe shortage of coal during WW I brought rail services nearly to a standstill.
Germany started mainly in Bavaria and the mountaineous regions of Silesia, where hydropower was available.
On my little layout, my electrics get their power from above!
At the train show in Tampa yesterday I ran into a very old friend, Bruce, who I had not seen in probably 25 years.
.
Bruce was the founder and first president of Scale Rails of Southwest Florida in 1983. I met him when I was 15. He was very influential in my teen years, kind of kept me out of trouble and put up with me when I am sure I could be annoying at times.
He taught me how to build and repair live steam locomotives when very few people understood how they worked. He was at the train show displayijng his 1 1/2" scale (7 1/2" gauge) live steam Atlantic. When I was in high school we were working on the valve gear of this locomotive. I remember when he taught me how the eccentric established vlave timing.
Since I ran into him I have been having all kinds of memories coming back to me. He is 75 years old now. Wow. My youngest daughter is older than I was when I met him.
I can't believe I did not get a picture.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Before today's travel installment, one quick comment. The disparaging comments about women with tattoos may be offensive to some.
Today's Flagstaff trivia involves the extended solar system. Flagstaff is the "home of Pluto." (The planet, not the Disney dog. And, yes, in Flagstaff it is still a planet.) The Mars Hill location of the Lowell Observatory is located in Flagstaff and it was at this location that Pluto was discovered in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh. In addition to the Mars Hill location, the observatory has some additional "dark sky" locations including the new Discovery Channel Telescope on the Happy Jack peak.
Richard
Eveing Diners
Flo, give the gang and I a pleas. Give Rick and Steven a RBF as well.
Had a longer post going, the power went out, heard a small boom then power came back on?
Replaced a #4.5 turnout with a #6 leading to the passenger station thinking it was the problem with the PRR M1a. Well looks like it was not the problem! I have better idea tonight what the real problem is. Steam Engines can be such a pain in the Caboose! But, when they are tracking right, I love them!
Later Ken
I hate Rust
Afternoon diners from the deep south, land of great humidity!
When I say HUMID, I mean HUMID! There is so much humidity in the air it's takes the wind out of you, it soaks your clothes to a nice state of sopping wetness, when you look around you can see the haze caused by the humidity! It's truly opressive!
Did I mention that the weatherman is calling for rain over night! We need the water for the ground, which is so dry it's literally dust, but the air can't take anymore moisture!
RideOnRoadBefore today's travel installment, one quick comment. The disparaging comments about women with tattoos may be offensive to some.
Yup.
Terry
Terry in NW Wisconsin
Queenbogey715 is my Youtube channel
Last week there were two instantly famous insults directed toward women that made the news, less than wholesome wasn't in the running. However if there are any of our waitresses or female lurkers in the diner, I apologize. PM me pictures of your tattoos and I will say something nice about them.
While waiting for my cork road bed, foam and elmers glue to dry, I am watching drag racing for the first time.
These guys need a jersey barrier between lanes as they become unstable and start swerving. Far more women in the sport than Nascar. The father of a father daughter team bounced off the wall 3 times as hitting the wall shifted the car body and stuck his throttle open, accelerating as he went. Afterwards he told the reporter his shoulder hurt and he was going to get it checked out, then hopped on a motorbike and drove himself away!
Should have used caulk, the elmers isn't drying.
Hail storm in Chama turned the ground white this afternoon. I was hoping the train would return in the midst of the storm, but it came back after the sun came out.
I guess I better apologize to any guys out there with 1" in diameter holes in their ear lobes too.
Hello again,
I'm currently uploading 49 pictures to Imgur from the op session yesterday, they're all of the trains I ran, I also took pictures of the manifests to give you guys a sense of what it involved.
It might be a while by Internet is going really slow!
Good evening all.
Janie - A slice of that pizza sitting there, and a Coke please. Thanks.
Jimmy - Hope the interview goes well.
Ken - From the weather? Or some other kind of "boom"? Sorry to hear your VA is just as bad as the one in my area. (They are notoriously slow, horrendous with bedside manner and absolutely atrocious when dealing with family members.)
Steven NWP - Sounds like the op session was fun.
Tattoo discussion - I myself do not have any, and do not get the trend at getting them. However, I won't put you down for getting one. Just remember, some lines of employment do not appreciate the "self expression" craze. Nuff' said.
Weather - Cooler than it had been, but some nice thunderstorms rolled through today. Not a major threat, but did have lots of rain, with some wind included. I do like it cooler than the hot and humid weather we had earlier this week. (90F with a humidity index of 80%+...)
W*^k - Not so sure how the new department will be w*^king out... My availability does not change just because some other department needed people in it. If it don't fit what I am available for hours, then I do not wish to help. Now if only the boss will get that...
I will say I had the best ever question from a customer. I dare say of all time. (From a adult customer anyways...)
While ringing their purchase, I was asked, "What part of Pittsburgh are we in, exactly?"
(I work in Erie Pa... About 2&1/2 hours north of Pittsburgh.....)
Scary thing is, the customer was holding their car keys...
So they made a 6ish hour round-trip, for paper... Yikes!
Yep... At least in my retail experience, best ever question by a customer. (Other than a very young boy, but that's another story...)
You want to hear the young boys question? Ok, fine.
I should state, upfront, he was between 2-3 years old.
He walked up to me, all on his own, no parent in sight, and said "Hi. Are you wearing underwear?"
Yes, I have been asked some doozies in my experience in retail!
Arizona - Flagstaff this month, huh? Ok. Lots of BNSF action there. With all the leaders and pool power, it will still look like what I am used too for rail action, I'm sure. At least it's not humid here.
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.
Evening Diners,
I don't care for tattoos, and piercings. I'm not really attractive to them. I might learn to like them but that's a challenge altogether.
We cut your tree today since the neighborhood society say it's dead. The problem was that tree was dead a decade ago. He made us wonder if somebody called him to complain about it.
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
Jimmy Braum,
Are you still 26 years old? Can I borrow your time machine please? I'm at the other end.
http://southcoastrail.blogspot.com/
I'm back, Imgur is still uploading the pictures, it will be a while yet.
Good evening Diners,
Brunhilda, I'll have some sleepy time tea, please.
MOH and I volunteered to work a NHRA race with our church group today. Frankly, it was easier than working the Indy race. Oh, I'm tired, but not exhausted like last year at Indy. This was our first drag race. All of the cars are very loud. The nitro burning top fuel cars are something else. They go up to 330 mph, cover 1/4 mile in well under 4 secs, the sound is 150db or more. But what can't be conveyed on TV is that when they go by, they not only shake the ground, but they shake the air as well. When they go by, it physically hurts in your ears and your chest. They also have fire coming out of the header pipes. Quite the spectacle!
Tatoo discussion: not a fan! I just don't see the point, nor the attraction. Same for piercings.
Hello to everyone, and I hope everyone is OK and safe.
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
Back again,
Down to the last photo to upload, should be done in the next few minutes, I will post a link to album.
ricktrains4824 Just remember, some lines of employment do not appreciate the "self expression" craze. Nuff' said.
Just remember, some lines of employment do not appreciate the "self expression" craze. Nuff' said.
In my case that's why I got mine where my sleeves will cover them. (There are people that don't know I have them. They are quite surprised when they find out. I surprised my eye doctor about a month ago with them. I had one of my sweatshirts on with a muscle shirt underneath. It was a little warm and I had taken the sweatshirt off.)
Hobby Front: Finally got the engines and all the caboose brought into town. At least one of these engines I have had so long that I don't think it ever "lived" in town. (The one I know is the brown Proto. It is a BN GP18 that I bought in college. Somewhere around 1999-2000. It was purchased because the road number is 1994, the year I graduated from high school, back before I offically decided what and when I wanted to model.) I had forgotten exactly how many engines and caboose I have until I had them stacked like this. (One box is a cleaner boxcar.)
Without further adiue, I present my album of pictures from the op session at the MSMRC.
http://imgur.com/a/iLBJZNe
Both those pictures were of the same train, the Coldwater-Marshall Turn, one on the way there, the other on the way back, both are at the same spot by Ajax Refinery.
I included pictures of the manifests, the last two trains (Flyash Turn and Entergy Turn) did not get photographed because my phone was dead.
There's a few pictures of four CBQ SD40-2s running together, those are from a few weeks back but I included them anyways.
Also just to clarify, the locomotives are not mine, they belong to a club member, I run them a lot because they all have sound and lights, some of the other club locomotives either don't have sound or in a three unit lash up only one has sound.
That's "Sprach Zaruthsta" (improper spelling I knoe)
I goes along with this.
As the son of a man who earned his tattoos during 22 years in service to our country, I would like to say that the decision to tattoo or not to tattoo is a personal one, and none of anyone else's business. So let's drop the topic before anyone gets their feelings hurt.
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
Good evening!
No, I am not having a good day today. The unpleasant temperatures we had and the lack of sleep are taking their toll now. My body is yelling insults at me. It´s one of those days you regret having gotten out of bad, but what else can you do when insomnia strikes?
No MRRing for me today, but a little bit of daydreaming of an electric locomotive I´d like to see on my roster.
The prototype is DRG class E 91, a 1927 built C´C´electric, which saw service on the mountain lines southwest of Breslau. The Märklin model sports a cast metal chassis and body and should be a great puller! Ebay has a few on them on offer, but that´ll have to wait - sigh!
Don´t you agree it would look great on my layout?
Ulirich: I hate when I can't sleep. I woke up at 4 am this moring and tossed and turned.
Steve O: I was going to make a Fantasy Island character reference but I won't :)
not much going on here. My solder roll holder came in form the bay. It is much sturdier than the old one. The old one broke a peg off the roll spindle. This one has a metal spindle instead of plastic.
Tinplate ToddlerDon´t you agree it would look great on my layout?
That is a great looking machine. I think it would look great on your layout, on a shelf, in my display case, etc!
Afternoon Diners
Flo, the gang and I will have a please and give Rick and Steven what they like.
Rick te boom was not from the weather, souded like a transformer blew.
UP 831 Far as to Fuel Cars, you feel them more than you hear them! When I was drag racing my 68 Road Runner when I started it up in my body shop it would shake dust off the rafters. Looked like Gray Snow.
Ulrich Why don't you and Petra buy a small window A/C? A 5000 BTU unit will cool a 400 foot bedroom. In the US they are around $150.00.
Ever not understood how to use the NMRA rail gauge for turnouts? I know it was greek to me! I have some #4.5 turnouts to cross from one side of the station double track to the other. That is where the PRR M1a is derailing and the turunout is not thrown! This is the best video I have found on using the NMRA gauge!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA27Ij5QYuI
Before I cut them out (I have never used them anyway but look cool) I wil see if I can find the problem.
Steven Ever get the T-1 running? I would love one, just a great looking engine and it is a PPR as well!
Grants Wars! I feel like battle ship row on Dec 7th 1941. This is the worst infectsation I have ever had! I am using the tip Jeffery gave me using Vinger and Dish Soap. I have got around 150 of them. Any other tips?
cudakenUlrich Why don't you and Petra buy a small window A/C? A 5000 BTU unit will cool a 400 foot bedroom. In the US they are around $150.00.
Ken - window A/C units like you know them are not marketed over here, as you wouldn´t be able to fit the to our windows, which are tilt and turn windows. A tilt and turn window can both tilt inwards at the top or open inwards from hinges at the side. This is the most common type of window in Germany, its country of origin.