Good Afternoon,
Another cool day here but it is supposed to get above freezing on Friday.
Yesterday we had a Piliated Woodpecker at our suet feeder. We do get them from time to time. It was reported on the news that a coyote had been spotted near our house. We live near the river and an old golf course(now owned by the university) so there is a lot of bush near us despite being in the city. I was wondering how wide the river is near us and I estimate it at about 400 ft. It might be a little wider but who knows.
Yesterday I ran the N scale a little and 'planted' some fir trees I bought some time ago. It looks better. I was running the RS18. A nice little loco. I might give the HO a go later.
I have started going back to the gym. It is long overdue. Yesterday I did 2 miles in about a half hour which isn't too bad but not up to Ray's 4 mile pace. I also did some work on the machines as I want to improve the strength of my back. The plan is to go 3 times a week. I won't be there tomorrow as I have to go in for my semi-annual glaucoma check. That means taking the bus downtown to the clinic as they will be dilating my pupils so no driving allowed.
A very quiet afternoon here. My wife is out with a friend of hers so just Robbie and I doing not much.
Sure hope Track Fiddler stops in soon.
Not much else new.
CN Charlie
Evening, all. Just popping in to let you know that I'll be out until Monday. Behave, OK?
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
You can trust us. Have a safe holiday.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Steven OtteBehave, OK?
No Worries Mate!
My Kroger truck has the shiny side up...
GE_Warehse by Edmund, on Flickr
Cheers!
Ed
Good evening diners.
Thanksgiving forecasts are a high in the low 30's and to hear the weathermen carry on, you would think we will all freeze to death faster than Lott's wife turned to salt.
Painted some of my layout today, flat areas where I haven't decided exactly what to do, but it needed some sort of tan color. Also did some weathering on one of my DPM buildings with Hunts' Weathering Mix
https://hunterline.com/t/weathering-mix
Alcohol based, @ $9 a bottle seems kind of expensive, but it comes in a variety of colors.
Steven OtteEvening, all. Just popping in to let you know that I'll be out until Monday.
We're being left here all alone ????
Rust...... It's a good thing !
Steven OtteEvening, all. Just popping in to let you know that I'll be out until Monday. Behave, OK?
.
Wow, the cat just announced to the mice that he is leaving the house!
BigDaddyThanksgiving forecasts are a high in the low 30's and to hear the weathermen carry on, you would think we will all freeze to death faster than Lott's wife turned to salt.
We are supposed to be in the mid 80s for Thanksgiving. Might cool down into the 60s for Christmas.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Good Morning, Folks!
It´s currently a rather uncomfortable 34F outside, cloudy and quite stormy. The wind still blows tons of leaves about one´s face, so the time spent outside will be minimal again.
I woke up early this morning - just in time to operate the morning commuter train to Schaffhausen . I hadn´t run a train for a while now, but operation was as smooth as ever. Those tinplate tracks and the 3-rail AC minimize track cleaning work a lot - all I do is run a track cleaning car now and then and clean the wheels. Märklin locos have up to 4 traction tires which leave quite a bit of gunk on the rails and the wheels.
Petra is already in the kitchen, starting to prepare our lunch. We will have a very traditional German meal today. It´s called "Königsberger Klopse" - the descriptin to be found here and the recipe on this page.
Today is a very special day for Petra and me. It is the 35th anniversary of our first date. It was actually a kind of blind date for both of us, as we had never met before. I still remember seeing her for the very first time. It was as if lightning had struck me. She must have felt the same way. Only a few days later, I moved in to her place. The following New Year´s day (a few minutes past midnight) I popped the question and surprisingly received that "Yes, I do". Only business trips and sickness have separated us since - unfortunately too many times. The only thing I regret is that we only have one child. I always wanted to have a big family, but by the time we should have thought getting started on #2 child I had my first heart attack. The thought of maybe leaving Petra behind with two little ones to care for put that idea on the back burner - for ever.
Petra and I sure have a life which is coined by the phrase "for richer or poorer, for better or worse". We had many years which were of the richer and better kind, but since a few years, it´s the poorer and worse determining our days. But we still have each other!
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
Ulrich,
I swear if I ever make it to Germany, I'm stopping by for dinner! It doesn't matter what time of day I see your posts about food, they always make me hungry! Your's and Petra's story reminds me of my Grandparents, although they were a little too young to move in together that quickly (She was 16, he 18, and at that age in 1943, it would not have gone over well!). They both knew right away and were married within a year.
Regards,
Mike
Mike,
the two of us were close to 10 years older than your grandparents and we both had a "previous life". While I was hitched up with a girl in Paris for 3 years (which meant drivinbg down to Paris each weekend - 600 mile round trip), Petra was engaged to a psychiatrist who appeared to be his best patient. We both knew what a relationship means and what we have to do to keep it up. Hard work, I say, especially in bad times!
Good morning, everybody ....
Our Thanksgiving visitors are on their way here. I might not have much time to post in the next few days.
So everybody; Happy Thanksgiving !
Ed .... Nice photo of your Kroger truck.
Timmy ... LOL at "home alone".
Ulrich .... I'm envious of the German meatballs you are having. They look tasty.
Cheers.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Heartland Division CB&QUlrich .... I'm envious of the German meatballs you are having. They look tasty.
They were, Garry - and they will be, as we have plenty of leftovers!
I bet we´d alrewady have a regular customer if we were to open a German restaurant in your neighborhood
"Petra´s Kleine Deutsche Küche" - serving traditional German Food and deserts - how does that sound?
Morning folks,
Ulrich, talk about a whirlwind romance! Congratulations though!
Started watching a new show on the Smithsonian Channel, America in Color, it's quite fascinating, and I'm learning things that were never in my history books!
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.smithsonianchannel.com/shows/america-in-color/1004516&ved=2ahUKEwiCu_qn_uXeAhVBRqwKHdLbB9YQ5OUBMAx6BAgAEAE&usg=AOvVaw1iD-pN19T_WSObhYbdoba3
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!
Tinplate Toddler (which meant drivinbg down to Paris each weekend - 600 mile round trip)
Obviously you never heard of the 45 minute rule.
I told my girlfriend that I would never drive over 15 minutes to have lunch or 45 minutes for a date. Since she lived 44 minutes away I married her.
maxmanObviously you never heard of the 45 minute rule.
Distance doesn´t matter when you travel with the wings of love - in my case it was a Mercedes 250 with a perky 6 cyl. engine, capable of doing speeds in excess of 125mph, which I did quite often - at least until I found out that there is a speed limit of 75 mph on motorways in France. Finding out had cost me dearly ...
Howdy .... Our company arrived. So will be busy with them until Sunday.
Tinplate Toddler Heartland Division CB&Q Ulrich .... I'm envious of the German meatballs you are having. They look tasty. They were, Garry - and they will be, as we have plenty of leftovers! I bet we´d alrewady have a regular customer if we were to open a German restaurant in your neighborhood "Petra´s Kleine Deutsche Küche" - serving traditional German Food and deserts - how does that sound?
Heartland Division CB&Q Ulrich .... I'm envious of the German meatballs you are having. They look tasty.
Ulrich..... It sounds great to me. .
Again, everybody .... Happy Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving to all...
Remember when Amtrak had dining cars?
Amtrak_TG by Edmund, on Flickr
I sure miss those days...
Cheers, Ed
gmpullmanRemember when Amtrak had dining cars?
Yes, I do.
But, by the time I was ready for my train trip, Amtrak had reduced it's menu to a choice of .....
Slightly burned Macaroni and cheese,.... heated in a microwave. They called it " Choo-choo Chewie's" .
OR,
A small Pizza.... also heated in a microwave.
This was in 1993. My last vacation, from Portland OR. To Denver CO..
( My "pilgramage" to Caboose Hobby's. )
This one's for you Ed.
Thank you for that sentiment, Steven. That's a nice tune to dance to but I was thinking more along the lines of Ms. Streisand's soothing timbre.
Or perhaps... Bob Hope's (a Clevelander) Thanks For The Memories?
By the way,
Wilson wanted to mention that today is his tenth anniversary since following me home from GE.
Wilson_crop by Edmund, on Flickr
Here he is in the namesake bag he was transported home in. November 22, 2008.
Regards, Ed
Eveing Diners
Flo, get the gang and I a and a space heater.
Not much to talk about till a few minutes ago.
Work was slow but with it the day before thanks giving I knew it would be. Read 250 pages of a Clive Clusser novel so that should give you a idea of how many customers I had.
Reason for the As I was posting heard a poping and then no hissing sound coming from the gas furance that heats the garage. Just great, I now only have a 1500 watt space heater to heat a 500 sq foot garage. That is not going to work this winter.
Happy Turkey Day Folks
Frozen Ken Posting Again.
I hate Rust
It ain´t the time to be a turkey!
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
For those of you outside of the US, a bit of Thanksgiving humor is circulating on Twitter that doesn't involve cussing anyone out.
Hmmmm.... microwaved turkey? Ah, no thanks.
It was -21C this morning (-6F).
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone south of the border.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Happy Holidays Diner's. I thought I should stop by and drop a line.
Sorry I've been a little scarce lately. I'm alive and well, just fine. Thanks for the concern. I've just had a lot dumped on my plate lately, some good, some bad but such is life.
The Bad..... Serious bacterial infection from dental work that didn't want to go away... T-boned by a texter almost totaling my truck... Too much work lately.
The Good.... Got to help with two shows with my Railroad Club, one in town and one a little out of town.
The Ugly.... There is no ugly, this isn't a Clint Eastwood thing
I have my daughter over for Turkey Day and some family time, should be fun.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone, Have a wonderful day
Seasonal Wishes Track Fiddler
Track fiddlerT-boned by a texter almost totaling my truck...
That would make a nice line for a song lyric! Would almost have to be a Country-Western song.
Glad you weren't hurt — hope you get on the mend soon, TF!
Thanks to all for the Thanksgiving wishes
I see Amtrak had some coupler-height problems* near Albany last night with the Adirondack. Real-life imitating our models. Glad no one was hurt there, either.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/22/us/amtrak-cars-disconnected/index.html
Some say two cars uncoupled, others say the locomotives separated from the train. One guy was the "savior" because he pulled the emergency cord. Well, the train-line was already separated? Smoke and sparks reported was from the 440V. HEP, I'm sure.
*Or did somebody leave the Kadee magnet energized?
In other weird railroad news:
https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2018/11/plastic_wrap_causes_major_nj_transit_amtrak_delays_on_busiest_travel_day_of_year.html
Hey track fiddler!
Good to hear from you, truck problems must be going around, my truck is down and out, shes going into the shop next week, I would work on her myself but my dad (who still technically owns the truck) does not trust my "mechanical" skills.
Out of the hospital. I've got a pacemaker now. It's a bit larger than a decoder. And, I'm a Craftsman kit now! They put me back together with CA. Really.
I think the dessert topping was caulking, too.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.