Here's one more with Rick from 8 years ago.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Another Monday, already
BATMAN220 car "hotshot" Port Of Vancouver to Chicago. C.N. on C.P.R. tracks.
Now where did CP learn how to ballast track like that? Didn't someone tell them to use a brush and sweep up the excess! I'll bet they wasted ten bags just in this short section. Maybe it isn't glued down yet?
Really enjoyed the flight. I flew across Lake Erie once in a de Havilland Dove. A couple months later that same plane wound up at the bottom of the lake. Ouch!
Jim: I'm sorry to hear of their property loss. Glad they got out OK. Death toll is becoming (or already is) worst in CA history. Add this to the huricaine devastation this year and it makes for some very scary times.
Regards, Ed
This one is for our friend Bear.
Back when I use to fly I would take ladies for a ride up through the Glaciers in the Garibaldi mountains around Whistler North of Vancouver. They loved it.
220 car "hotshot" Port Of Vancouver to Chicago. C.N. on C.P.R. tracks.
This is for Ulrich if he can't sleep!
Just count the cars.
Good evening Diners,
Ed: I know what you mean about historic places. When I took my family to see Antietam and Gettysburg, I could visualize the whole scene and try to describe it to my family. They would kind of go "yeah, sure!" Oh well. I often try to imagine what the participants of any historical event like that were thinking At the time.
On a somber note, my BIL's parents lived in Paradise, CA. We found out that they had evacuated in time and are safe, but we're sure that they've lost everything.
Hello to everyone, and I hope everyone is OK, safe, and warm.
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
Like many of us, I had a father and several uncles who served in WW2. That generation is all gone from my family now, but my Dad was the last of 12 children, and his oldest brother fought in WW1. He was a fighter pilot who did not make it home.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
hon30critterMy brother, Wayne, is in France as I write. Last night (French time) he was in that exact location at midnight 100 years to the minute after our grandfather's entry was made.
That has to be an absolutely awesome feeling to have experienced that, Dave. I often think of all the souls that have "passed this way" when I'm in a historic place, say, Gettysburg or the U.S. Capitol building or even some of the sites of old railroad shops.
Hallowed ground, indeed. Some people choose to ignore history and the people who have made it happen. I embrace it.
Thanks for sharing that story. Regards, Ed
When WW1 ended my grandfather, Roy Warnica, was sitting in a trench making one of his last entries in his signals book. The entry included the exact location of course as well as the time. He was allowed to keep those books after the war. My brother, Wayne, is in France as I write. Last night (French time) he was in that exact location at midnight 100 years to the minute after our grandfather's entry was made.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Ken, it's AC - for HO, it should be about 14v RMS (about 30v peak-to-peak). However, it's something silly like 10kHz ... About 150x mains ac, so the meter may have trouble
-Dan
Builder of Bowser steam! Railimages Site
Eveing Diners
Flo, the gang and I will have a please and give Ed what ever he wants!
Is DCC AC power or DC power? I have a power problem on the diverging track on the B line by and on a turnout. When I tested the section I had power and I tested as AC Power with the meter set at ACV 200. Meter was up and down from a low of 2 something up to 15 something. Needle just back and forth?
Sometimes I think I have a pretty smart daughter then I dont ! Daughter took two resuce dogs in Friday. Mother 10 years old and daughter dog 8 years old and neither are house broken. I am fine with that part sort of. She makes dog dipares. But she asked the Resuce " How are they with cats"? She was told "They are fine with cats, they just like to chase them"! What was she thinking! Hum, like to chase Cats should have been a clue don't you think?
Later Ken and they do like chasing her cat around and around the house.
I hate Rust
Evenin' folks!
Spent the day at the Great Batavia Train Show. Great show as always and well attended. Talked to many folks about the advantage of joining the NMRA, and got home to an email from one who already has used the railpass to sign up. He plans to come to our meet next saturday in Rochester.
up831Ray: what was the program that the Rochester Phil played? It must've been very good to impress an old pro like yourself.
Well, I love most styles of music, but the concert had everything from Clasical period to 20th. Century late romanticizm... Program was:
Kodaly - Dances of Galanta
Schumann - Cello Concerto No. 98, Ahrim Kim, Cello (Awsome!!!) She is the principal cellist with the RPO.
Haydn - Symphony No. 98
F. Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsody No. 1
All pieces were brilliantly performed! Carlos Kalmar was the Guest Conductor. He is Music Director of the Oregon Symphony and the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago. He seemed to be having way too much fun all evening!
OK, I have been up since 4:30 am today and have to get a few more things done before bed, so I leave you with this thought:
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Good evening.
Hello Veterans. Happy Veterans Day. Sincere thanks for your service .
Mr. B .... Condolences for your GF’s father passing away.
Ed... sorry to hear your friend lost his son. Very sad when someone that young dies.
I did not get much at the train show yesterday. I purchased a Lionel box car to include the the Lionel trains under the Christmas tree. Also I purchased an HO flat car. That’s it. Definitely did not break the budget.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
It's that time again to also remember the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald — where did forty-three years go? (and I'm a day late)
I'm usually not the one to be posting music videos but in this case I'll make an exception.
Some of the 29 mates that died that night were from my neck of the woods.
http://ssedmundfitzgerald.org/crewtribute/
cudakenEd sorry to read about your friends loss. Did enjoy talking with you on the phone! When I saw you post around 2:00 PM I had to call! After thinking it over, let me know what you think of my idea of powering the blade on the turnout please.
I really enjoyed our conversation last night, Ken. We old goats have a lot in common
I'd like to know exactly what kind of switch you have that is giving you trouble. The newer Atlas switch points can NOT be soldered to, they are chrome plated pot metal. Power to the points is supposed to be fed from the pivot. Trying to tighten the rivet or the push-on spring clip is nearly impossible with the switch in place.
How hard would it be to replace?
Thanks to all the folks for your support for my friend, Paul's, grandson. The poor boy was playing around with a loaded weapon and, well, that's not a very good idea...
Good afternoon from the beautiful West Coast. Sorry to hear of the heartbreak going on for some of our friends here. That kind of thing seems to come in waves sometimes and puts into perspective how fragile life is.
The end of WWI has been getting a lot of coverage for the past few weeks here as it should. My Grandfather was a medic in WWI and I have a lot of his kit still, as well as Photos. He was right in the middle of it all on the battlefield and at some point was also driving an ambulance to and from the battlefield. At one point a convoy of ambulances was at the front and the one in front of him and the one behind him got direct hits from German artillery. How he survived he never knew is what he would tell us on the rare occasion the war came up. He suffered lung damage from the gas attacks that seriously affected him his whole life and took his life at too young an age in the early 1960s.
Just came in from cutting the front lawn, I will try and get the back done before dinner. We have about an acre in lawn and it is covered shin deep in maple leaves. Two passes with the Deere will have them all vapourized creating a good source of nutrition for the grass.
The wife and I and two dogs went out for a walk the other day and just kept walking and walking. We ended up doing 17kms. We were sure hungry when we got home, it was such a beautiful day we just kept going. Saw tons of wildlife of all sorts as well as lots of birds heading South. We breached the forest about 9kms from where we started and there was a TV shoot going on for a show called "Riverdale". The main cast members all came over to see the dogs (at least they said they were all the main Characters) and we then headed on.
The wife had a bad fall along the edge of a river but carried on like a trooper. I took her out for Sushi when we got home.
The kid wrote a major Law paper on when morality clashes with the law. He had been moved to a higher level than his 2nd year usually permits and this enabled him to give opinions on the subject instead of the usual sterile response afforded to the lower levels he had been in. He has been getting amazing responses as it is getting forwarded across the land by his Professors. I remember discussing the issue for a couple of hours with him when it was 0300hrs his time a couple of weeks ago on FB chat. Thought of Dave and his stack of Gordon Lightfoot records in University. The kid plays Lightfoot for hours all the time when he studies.
I will have to get on with the tour of the West, but for now, it is back to riding the Deere.
Quote for the day.
"The past is humanity's biggest asset".
All the best to all.
That's the font I'm using, the problem is I'm using Adobe Illustrator Draw on my phone to do it and can't import the font itself so when adobe capture converts the text image into a "shape" that I can paint it makes th font look wonky.
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!
Lunch time!
Not much going on here I got paged into w*rk at 5:15 this morning for something the "help desk" ( helpless desk more like it) could have handled. Then they paged me for all the tickets they had overnight. Atleast they waited to page. Again they were all something the help desk could have fixed.
Our Museum had a food drive yesterday. I don't know how much if any we took in as I was on call for work. ( free admission for donation).
I got my shower faucet fixed, it had started dripping so it needed new seats and springs. 5 min job after I had to go buy new channel locks because all mine were missing ( there is atleast 1 mandatory trip to the hardwrae store on any plumbing job. )
I also put a new walking belt on a treadmill we bought at the thrift store for $12
Mrs MLC needs to be able to walk during the cold winter so we got a treadmill. Belt slipped after it warmed up so I got a new one off of Amazon for $64 with free shipping. so $76 for a nice treadmill is not bad.
Condolences for those who have lost freinds and love ones.
I may build a fireplace fire and be lazy the rest of the day.
Good Afternoon Folks!
A rather gloomy day here. More rain, but way to warm for the season. Despite the warm weather, nearly all the leaves have dropped by now.
Not my time of the year!
Ed and Mr. B. - I am sorry to hear about the losses. My prayers go out to families and friends.
Steven - I have been following up on your logo design ideas. For my taste, your latest creations lack a little railroad feeling. I can picture them on the doors of a truck, but not necessarily on an engine. The one shown here is a mix of styles, combining an art deco-like shape with modern 21st century style fonts. It not something that I would be going for. Actually, it is nquite difficult to judge a design without seeing how it is incorporated into the overall look of an engine.
Keep on trying!
Lunch was again a rather frugal affair - just bratwurst, mashed potatoes and red cabbage - very traditional. The mashed potatoes of course, freshly made, not that ready-mix concrete like tasteless stuff.
Nothing really doing today (again) and nothing planned for the evening - not even running my trains.
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
Ed and Mr B I am sorry for your losses.
A sunny but cold day in the Mid Atlantic.
Hardly any word on the morning news about the end of WW1 100 years ago. The last US soldier to die was from Maryland, a man of German extraction, who if you can believe the newpaper (a rare thing these days) decided to charge a machine gun two minutes before the war ended. Suicide?
This is how tributes to Unknown Soldiers came about.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Morning folks,
Just whipped this up in Adobe Illustrator Draw.
The fonts aren't size matched or centered perfectly but its close enough to show.
Brunhilda, I'll have an Earl Grey tea with cream and honey, please.
It is in the 20s F here. We got our first measure able snowfall Thursday night. 2" and it didn't stick. Ground still too warm. A little early, but not unusual.
We have a family tradition that I hang out MOH's snowman coffee mugs on the countertop tree on the first day of winter or the first measurable snow fall, whichever comes first. I know, it's a little dumb, but I do it every year. I suppose most families have dumb little traditions like that.
Steven: Nice graphic for your logo. Weren't your colors something like a forest or hunter green? I seem to remember something like that, but I could be wrong.
Ray: what was the program that the Rochester Phil played? It must've been very good to impress an old pro like yourself.
My wife and I are going to try to see at least one program by the Elgin Symphony this season. I'd like to see the Haydn symphony 94 "surprise", along with the Bruch violin Concerto in Jan. But we may have to wait and catch the Chopin Piano Concerto No. 2 in Feb. instead. Either way, it'll be good.
Nothing MRR wise to report.
Evening diners,
My condolences and prayers to those grieving right now.
Well I'm zeroing in on a shape for the NWP-SWP herald.
Same shape as this but different colors and text of course.
Ed, I'm sure you will think of the right words for your friend, if there are any. We lost our eldest son at 18. One of the worst parts was suddenly having a house full of people who were there to 'help'. People also brought tons of food, most of which got thrown out. Their kind hearted attempts to ease our situation just added to the stress. If I can suggest, keep in touch with your friend but don't smother them.
Mr. B, sorry for your girlfriend's loss. Sounds like he was a fine man.
Flo, give the gang and I a and Ed a Royal Crown. Give Rick a RBF when he shows up again!
Mr B, sorry for your GF lost.
Ed sorry to read about your friends loss. Did enjoy talking with you on the phone! When I saw you post around 2:00 PM I had to call!
After thinking it over, let me know what you think of my idea of powering the blade on the turnout please.
Later, Ken
MisterBeasleyIt's been a sad week here. My girlfriend's Dad passed away last night.
Tinplate ToddlerIt´s one of those days when you wonder why you got up instead of staying in bed.
Oh boy, when it rains it pours...
I found out my very good friend, co-worker and neighbor's 18 yr. old grandson was killed in an accidental shooting. I hope I have the right words to convey my support and feelings to them in the days ahead.
Mr. B and Ulrich, I hope there are better days ahead, soon. My condolences to your girlfriend and her family.
I hope that's the third leg of the bad news trifecta and we can get on to better days.
Hats off to all the Veterans out there — wherever you may be!
PRR_GI-coach by Edmund, on Flickr
I've got the wood stove fired up and it is toasty in here. Time to visit the train room and try to stay busy to keep my mind occupied.
Are you planning to try to call again, Ken? Been waiting
Cheers, Ed
It's been a sad week here. My girlfriend's Dad passed away last night.
He's been slowly fading for a while, in and out of it the way Alzheimer's is once it sets in, but he still was generally lucid and remembered those who came to visit. At 93, his mobility was limited, but he still went to happy hour with us each Friday and enjoyed a glass of wine.
Wednesday he took ill with a perforated duodenal ulcer and was hospitalized. They could do nothing for him. He was simply too weak to survive the surgery they could have tried.
This was a guy to admire. He lied about his age to join the Navy in World War 2, and fought in the Pacific as radio man on a carrier-based torpedo plane.
His two daughters and two granddaughters were with him at the end. One of the guys who was why his was the Greatest Generation.
Good Afternoon Folks,
It´s one of those days when you wonder why you got up instead of staying in bed. It´s a grey, wet and windy day - one of the kind that coined the phrase "Schietwedder". Nevertheless, November is much warmer than usual and also has been less wet than acoounted for in previous years.
Not much doing these days. I seem to lack any drive. This may be caused by my insomnia, which again is caused by the not so subtle threat we live under.
Found this interesting video on SR´s famous 4501 Mikado:
Enjoy!
Good morning .... Coffee to go. ... In a rush.... Leaving with friends in 10 minutes for Evansville, IN where there is a train show. .... I rarely attend train shows anymore, but it should be fun.
Cheers.
hon30critterI did a quote for a fireplace insert a few years ago and what the customer showed me was pretty scary.
It is a wonder more houses haven't burned down, blown up or people asphyxiated.
I used to do side-jobs, kind of a handyman thing. Somebody called me once to look at their gas water heater, they couldn't get the pilot to stay lit. Thermocouple, I thought.
I got to the place and looked things over. Looks OK at first and I do try to light the pilot but it goes out as soon as you let up the safety button.
As I'm looking things over I see soot at the top where the draft vent hood is and there's soot all around it? I tapped on the vent pipe and it sounded like a solid oak log!
More snooping reveals that the homeowner installed a wood stove next floor up and chiseled into the furnace chimney. All the wood ash had fallen into the chimney and plugged up the water heater The gas furnace would have been next but it was cut in about two feet above where the water heater went in. Back then it was OK to share the two.
I politely told the lady of the house that this situation requires more work than I'm capable of. "But we don't have any hot water!" she says. Sorry, no can do but you had better get somebody here right away because you have a dangerous situation. This was the 1970s and I don't think there were any household CO detectors then.
I hope they got it straightened out but I wasn't about to assume any responsibility for that mess. People gripe about paying for permits, inspections and professionals but when you see stuff like this? and they had two young children in the house
Another time I saw a gas dryer piped up with about two-dozen 1/4" x 6" nipples and couplings, then a water stop & waste valve coming off the main, no valve at the appliance! I asked the homeowner what he was thinking. He says at the hardware store the half-inch nipples are three times the price. That isn't fair, says he. 1/2 inch is double 1/4 so the price should be double NOT triple.
Sheesh!
Just amazing what a little bit of knowledge can do.
Enjoy the weekend, everyone!
gmpullmanThe fireplace must have been built by amatuers. No combustion chamber or smoke shelf and the firebrick lining stops just above the lintel and the rest of the "combustion chamber" if you want to call it that, is a sloppy mess using cored face brick. No way to build a fireplace.
I did a quote for a fireplace insert a few years ago and what the customer showed me was pretty scary. They knew something was bad when the chimney fell over one day. It had been added to the house by a previous owner and whoever did it didn't pour a base for it and didn't tie it into the house wall. It was only dug into the ground about six inches and the only thing that was holding it up was the eavetrough where it went past the chimney. All it took was a wind storm to topple it. I was shaking my head. The customer laughed and told me that that was nothing.
He took me downstairs to look at the fireplace. From a distance it looked normal but then he told me to have a look up the flue. There was no flue! There was no smoke box or liner either! Just brick up to the ceiling. The floor above had been cut away so that the smoke could get up to the level of the bottom of the chimney and it was left just like that! The perimeter floor joists were exposed and charred somewhat but the fire had never spread!! The owner said he had tried the fireplace once and all it did was fill the rec room with smoke so he never lit it again, thank goodness.
I don't know if he had a home inspection done when he bought the place. Looks can be deceiving!