https://www.flickr.com/photos/124446949@N06/24120875807
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
NWP SWPI wonder why any parent would spend 50+ bucks on the same guns "new"
Because they're not broken
-Dan
Builder of Bowser steam! Railimages Site
NWP SWP I wonder why any parent would spend 50+ bucks on the same
.
Because Nerf guns lose a lot of performance after heavy use. New is the only way to go.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Good morning ....
Bear ... I suspect your photo, "give us a smile", is staged....
Ed .... Looking at the short video of the old Alco plant reminds me of some old abandoned industrial buildings in Detroit. They are ugly.
Everybody .... Have a nice Tuesday.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Afternoon Folks!
Meanwhile back in the Roundhouse.... Some more photos of Steamtown (from in the Roundhouse there).
And turntable.....
Enjoy!
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Heartland Division CB&QEd .... Looking at the short video of the old Alco plant reminds me of some old abandoned industrial buildings in Detroit. They are ugly.
Garry, I agree. I'm all for historic preservation but when I look at the Packard Plant it really makes my heart ache when I see such blight.
The last Packard rolled off the line here in 1959. There was no corporate responsibility to properly remove the buildings.
This is just one example, of course. Sadly, there are many, many more...
Regards, Ed
gmpullmanGarry, I agree. I'm all for historic preservation but when I look at the Packard Plant it really makes my heart ache when I see such blight.
I wonder if Natalia went to the prom with Danny.
I drove through Gary, Indiana when I was in Chicago two weeks ago. My wife grew up in Gary. The entire city looks like that Packard plant.
gmpullman I'm all for historic preservation but when I look at the Packard Plant it really makes my heart ache when I see such blight.
Looks like a war zone!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Good morning, it is a damp 13c on the coast.
Didn't get my bike ride in til noon today, not feeling great and my willpower took a while to kick in today. Took three minutes longer than usual to knock off the 20 Km. Tomorrows another day. My buddy just bought a new recumbent exercise bike and it has a big 20-inch monitor on the front, he can ride anywhere in the world that Google has done street view on and he moves along as fast or slow as he can peddle. I tried it out riding through the vineyards of Italy and hopped over to some of the nudy beaches in Southern France, however, the road was too far away to get a good view on the screen. I wonder if a stationary recumbent bike comes in Mtn bike versions to allow closer access to the actual beach.
Our Christmas dinner just went up to 22 so the dining table will be two 5' x 9' sheets of plywood end to end in the family room instead of the dining room, should be fun! I have a friend that is an aerospace engineer in Houston for the ICBM program. One year he came up last minute for Christmas as he was exhausted and needed an escape. Long story short is, he fell in love with the kid's nanny and they have been living happily ever after in Houston ever since.
Those old plants look well beyond repair, who owns them? I am surprised they are not ordered by the City to raise them and clean up the site. We had an industrial eyesore ( metal fabrication) that was quickly bought up by some investors when it closed who leveled the whole site in short order and put in about half a dozen soccer fields for the community, they even had great night lighting. That was about ten years ago, now they are just starting to redevelop it back to light industrial so it is goodbye to the soccer fields. I am surprised that there has not been any protest about losing them, I think everyone knew what the deal was and were glad for the time they had.
Time to hit the shower, I have stopped sweating.
All the best to all.
Whoops forgot this. A woman tries to gas up her Tesla!!!!!!
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
SeeYou190I wonder if Natalia went to the prom with Danny.
Um... Me too, I guess?
The internet is really acting up for me today! For some reason I can NOT open one thread on the MR Forum site, the one titled "Odd Work Find..." every time I click on it Chrome gives me an "Aw Snap, Something Went Wrong" and I have to close and restart Chrome Something in THAT thread is causing lots of turmoil? Any other thread is lightning fast for me.
Blighted industrial areas are the norm in the Rust Belt. How many steel mills have been mostly demolished and the parts that are too expensive to demolish are turned into Casinos or shopping malls.
Bethlehem Steel; Homestead Works and Sloss Furnace come to mind, although Sloss is mostly still there and is used more like a museum.
https://www.slossfurnaces.com/
I sometimes do a Google satelite view of former industrial areas that I used to see when they were viable and active. Today they are in ruins. Corporations are usually not held responsible for cleanup. Love Canal, anyone?
gmpullmanBlighted industrial areas are the norm in the Rust Belt.
Sparrows Point in Baltimore employed 43,000 workers in WW2. After steel companies went bust, it was sold to a couple different companies, including a Russian company. It mostly has all been leveled.
I went looking for drone pics of Bethlehem Steel in Johnstown. It has been repurposed into a theater and a blacksmith school. Not very efficient use of space, but at least it isn't abandoned.
Found a video of our Stephen testing out his truck repair.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Eveing Diners
Flo, the gang and I will have a please.
Down in the dumps again, it is just this time year. Sales suck rail spikes. I have had 3 customers in 2 days and they all Bought! Yet the sales total for the 2 days is less than $600.00? My commission total for two weeks is a mer $60.00?
Company is down to 3 stores now. When I started 6 years ago we had 6 stores. Our Flouasant store has been sold by our owner and we will have to be out by Dec 31st. My store has been for sale going on 3 years now.
I am beat, so later.
Ken
I hate Rust
Howdy everyone,
Woke up with an ear infection so I went to the doctor, well funny story, I know I'm long winded but do read on...
So the doctor (not my regular doc but one I've seen before) takes my BP, temp, checks my breathing, yada, yada, yada... she says "Alright Dr. (Whatever) my resident is going to do your examination.
By the way all the doctors at this office are female, so the resident comes in (she looks to be about 26 ish, but shes a doctor so shes probably around 28-30) says hi and all that, she then says how she remembers meeting me a year ago and starts saying what the appointment was about and blah, blah, blah...
At this point I'm slightly impressed and flattered that this then med student and now doctor remembered briefly meeting me once, it gets better!
So she asks why I'm there and I explain my symptoms and so on, she checks both ears and finds that the "infected" is slightly inflamed and has some flakiness on the canal (dermatitis), while shes checking mu heart and lungs with the stethoscope she compliments the shirt I have on and asks if I have ever been to Colorado (my shirt was a graphic tee that said COLORADO on it) I say no I just got the shirt from Old Navy, but I like the mountains, she finishes the exam and says let me get the other Dr. Because I don't know what this is...
So I'm like ok sure as long as I don't end up like the guy from "Its a Wonderful Life", that's me at the doctor's office, I'm always cracking jokes with the docs, the nurses, everybody.
So I'm expecting her to go get the other doc, instead she starts making small talk with me, asking every question imaginable! Where I went to high school, what college I'm going to, on and on, ect, ect..
So she finally leaves the room and my brother and mom are just looking at me, I said "well she was talkative" and they in unison said YEAH!
After I get my diagnosis, prescription, ect... we're getting in the car and we start talking about how the resident was well "flirting" with me.
See I either get girls far too young flirting with me, now college, correction past college girls, or a girls in relationships already flirting with me!
Then again she could just have really great bedside manner!
I had a great day though, no winter blues that that's good!
Brent, I cant see your video of my "test drive", I think it's on my end though!
My truck "hopefully" will be fixed tomorrow afternoon or Thursday, I'm calling the shop in the morning to see what's up.
Tomorrow evening is the church youth group Christmas party.
Saturday some of the guys at the club are going to Metairie to a guys storage locker for a bit of a train sale, he sells like new stuff for like more than half off, he's leaving the hobby so he's clearing out his collection, I'm thinking about making the trip to see about some Athearn UP GTELs I saw, if I could get one that'd be a good gift for myself.
Sunday is the senior class Christmas party at church.
The girl that drives a mustang supposedly is coming if shes there I will go up and talk to her, at least going to get her name!
The MSMRC doesn't meet for the text two Tuesdays! So I'll be having train withdrawals!
I bought a 1/87 scale 1970 Maverick and 1971 Mustang for 6 bucks total form one of the guys, I'm going to stage a "drag race in progress" scene at the club along with a few state trooper crown vics waiting at the finish line ready to cuff and stuff the offenders.
And today Bruce Willis finally settled the argument on social media whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie or not, he says it is and Yippee Kaye Yay *CENSORED*
I just got off Ebay I ended up buying like 7 Nerf cartridges/clips/magazines for my brother for Christmas and I just bought a IC tee shirt for my friend Jr.
Well I think that's everything from me.
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!
Good Morning!
I was in the doldrums the last couple of days, confined to the darkened bedroom. My old enemy paid me a visit - a bad case of migraine, which usually lasts for a couple of days. It´s not completely gone, but I feel much better.
Once in a while, you see or meet people with extraordinary talents. I was touched by watching the 12-year old ventriloquist Darci Lynne perform Gershwin´s "Summertime".
Isn´t she just adorable?
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
NWP SWPYippee Kaye Yay Mister Falcon
Fixed that for ya.
And yes, Die Hard is quite the Christmas movie.
NeO6874Die Hard is quite the Christmas movie.
I think the original Lethal Weapon is a better Christmas movie.
SeeYou190Lethal Weapon is a better Christmas movie.
I think I am in the wrong movie.
Punny by Bear, on Flickr
Bear...... Actually, I have an o-pun mind.
NeO6874NWP SWP Yippee Kaye Yay Mister Falcon Fixed that for ya.
Yippee Kaye Yay Maggot Farmer works too. I actually saw an on-air version of Die Hard where they dubbed "Maggot Farmer" into the line.
Good morning from the damp West coast. Another storm warning has been issued for tomorrow morning, this has been a wacky weather fall so far. We usually get two bad wind storms through the Winter, however, it has been one after another this year. I am glad I went with the steel roof when we replaced it. Apparently, it is good for 250kmh winds, hopefully, it won't get tested. Seattle had a tornado! What's next?
Speaking of Seattle, I am so glad they are getting an NHL team. We have such a great time at the soccer games when Seattle is in town and their fans come up to watch. I think it will be the same with hockey.
Our front hall was looking like Costco for a number of days as we were filling orders for the hampers that the kid's school puts together for the needy. Fifteen years ago when #1 son started in kindergarten we spent about $300.00 on our share of the orders, then the Daughter entered the school and that doubled. This year with the #1 son now in University and only the Daughter at the school we are around $1500.00. I just tell myself that it is about the same as the two Royal Hudsons I soon hope to be getting and it is for a really good cause. Can't take it with me.
Today is present wrapping day. I'll admit I spoil the kids rotten, but I love doing it. Both of them are incredibly generous with their time volunteering and fundraising for good causes. In fact, my son still holds the record for the amount raised for one particular disabled sports charity the second time he ran a marathon for it. My Daughter spends a lot of time at the soup kitchen. Usually, she cooks, however, one-day last week she spent ten hours doing dishes as the dishwasher had packed it in.
Young Steven, nothin wrong with chasing an older Doctor around. I am just a blue collar guy with a high school education and have been married to a Veterinary surgeon for 23 years. She also has degrees in agriculture, nutrition, and genetics. She is a super brain and I am glad my kids got that part from her and not me.
Has anyone seen "Once Upon A Deadpool" yet? Apparently, they had to cut so much of the original out to make it PG that the extras had a lot of screen time added to fill the void. The kid had a whole scene filmed with just him and one other guy that they spent hours shooting. It never made the final cut in the movie but he is hoping it makes this one as a time filler.
Well, my wrapping fingers are getting itchy, time to get started.
We were talking about Rolls Royce Merlin engines a little while ago. Check this out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYcKdK7hmEo
I found the video a bit frustrating because Jay wasn't able to open up the throtte much beyond an idle.
The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is actually at the Mount Hope airport in Hamilton, Ontario. The last time I checked the flight in the Lancaster was $2000.00. That was in 2012.
https://www.warplane.com/
The current going rate for a flight in a B17 is $450. My son and I did that a couple years ago and it was one of the best father son things we have done.
My interest in B17's came for the movie and TV show 12 o'clock high and my best man's father who was a pilot, got shot down in France and escaped.
My son's interest came from learning that a B17 crashed in the Big Horn Mountians in Wyoming, near a friend of mine. The best father son experience we had was when we returned, my friend dropped us off in the national park and we hiked for 2 days to get to the crash scene and then another day to get out, the other side.
That was my only experience with wilderness back packing. Another 50' and the poor souls would have missed he mountian top.
Evenin' folks!
Zoe, I could use a pot of decaf for the moment. What? Oh real half and half and bring the packs of stevia to sweeten...
BATMANWell, my wrapping fingers are getting itchy, time to get started.
Well Batman, it is getting to that times, isn't it. I got all my shopping done and finished the wrapping of presents yesterday. last night I went to the Waterloo School Auditorium for the Middle School Music Program's Holiday Concert. It was done well all around. The only thing I chuckled a bit about was that the new vocal teacher had a couple girls singing a duet at the end of the 7th. & 8th. grade chorus part. She didn't teach the girls how to use a Shurer SM58 mic and they were not singing in the field of the mic and the sound person turned the mic up and got feedback a couple times..... Of course I would be the only person there that knew what was going on having spent 18 years running a sound company.... I felt sorry for the young ladies who had beautiful voices.
Speaking of presents..... a month ago I decided to get a present of myself to give my family.... Yep, a present of myself. I contacted a highly respected local Photographer and set up a photoshoot. That resulted in several photos that I purchased for familiy and friends. My sons and their families will be getting two 8" x 10" color glossies (with circles and arrows on the back to be used as evidence in a court of law against me...). My sister will be getting one of the 8" x 10"s as well as she being an art teacher helped me make the final decisions. I also ordered a pile of wallet sized ones that went out in my Christmas Cards this year.
I decided to do this because of the transformation that I have managed to have as I have lost weight and gotten a bit more fit. My father had a photoshoot done about 10 years before he died and I treasure the photo I have here of him and know the rest of the family treasures the ones thay have as well. So I will share if any of you might be interested (since none of my family ever comes to this site).
Twenty plus years ago, my sister got a shot of me at her retirement party. Back then I had gained a lot of weight after my wife died and tipped the scales at 325 lbs. No wonder ladies avoided me!
I lost some of that weight, but back in 2015 when my son Matt and I went looking for furniture at a local store, I was about 260 lbs. still.
Needed suspenders to keep my pants up as the belly hid any trace of a waist line....
So.... Here are a few of the photos taken a month or so ago:
Several people incliuding the photographer, my former minister, my current minister, and some other close friends say this one is ME!:
I have now lost (since the first photo) 13 lbs. more than my late wife ever weighed! I now tip the scales at 198. That's a total of 127 lbs. since the first photo! Still want to remove another 20 or more lbs.!
Enjoyed the video, Dave. My Uncle was shot down twice in his Lancaster. He was a group commander and was a double member of the caterpillar club. What is the caterpillar club you ask? Well anyone that bailed out of their airplane became a member. My Uncle was one of only a few that had done it more than once and lived to tell about it.
The really interesting part of the story is what happened to him after he safely made it to the ground on both occasions.
BigDaddyThe current going rate for a flight in a B17 is $450. My son and I did that a couple years ago and it was one of the best father son things we have done.
We were all set to take my dad up in the Lanc but unfortunately he had a stroke so that ended that.
I think it is amazing that it is still possible to fly in one of those beasts. Regardless of the price, the money goes to a good cause.
What is all the more amazing is that there are only two operating Lancasters left in the world. I don't know how many B17s are still flying but it can't be very many.
Dave, it looks like we will be getting one of our own.
https://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/historic-avro-lancaster-bomber-heading-to-north-saanich-museum-1.23382846
Then there will be three!
Ray, it is amazing what you have accomplished, you should be very proud.
My BIL was over 300lbs and looked just like your "before" photo. He lost it all and started running marathons and now does 200 kms every week on his road bike as well as mentoring people to lose weight.
Ray ! .... Fantastic about your weight loss. ..... Just watch out for ladies now.
BATMANDave, it looks like we will be getting one of our own. https://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/historic-avro-lancaster-bomber-heading-to-north-saanich-museum-1.23382846 Then there will be three!
Hey Brent,
I saw that Lancaster on display on the Toronto waterfront several times when I was a kid. It's great that someday it will fly again.
I saw the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum Lancaster a couple of years ago. Dianne and I were crossing the street to enter Ripley's Aquarium when I heard the sound. I stopped right in the middle of the street to look up to see the Lancaster doing a low bank to the east. Dianne had to pull me off the street. There were lots of people around but I only saw one other person who bothered to look up.
Thanks!
BATMANRay, it is amazing what you have accomplished, you should be very proud. My BIL was over 300lbs and looked just like your "before" photo. He lost it all and started running marathons and now does 200 kms every week on his road bike as well as mentoring people to lose weight.
I don't know about "proud" but I sure feel a lot better about myself, and many people have noticed a difference in the way I seem. If I was younger, I would start running myself, but my doctor says not yet anyway. There is a fellow music teacher I see over at the Fieldhouse often. He is 4 years older than me and is now running mini Marathons...
Heartland Division CB&QFantastic about your weight loss. ..... Just watch out for ladies now. Whistling
Actually I have noticed a lot of difference in the way Ladies I don't know are now "checking me out...." Can't say as I mind, but I am still the same old picky type guy. But nice to have some attention....... Hoping the right one will find me though!