It is so darned hot in Nashville! It is not this hot down home in South Florida right now.
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Things are back on an even keel this week. This week should be stress free and smooth sailing.
Top of the page! Everybody have a cold one on me.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190Top of the page! Everybody have a cold one on me.
I've already had two cold ones. Can I have another?
York1 John
Have another John and Kevin too. It's winding down to the end of my day off and I will have another cold one too
TF
Jimmy_Braum Popping in real quick. I GOT THE JOB!
Popping in real quick. I GOT THE JOB!
Woo Hoo
Congrats!
BroadwayLion ROAR
ROAR
"put em up, put em up...."
Congrats Jimmy.
A couple fish stories. Someone caught a barracuda last week off Ocean City Md, in Baltimore canyon, which is where they go to fish for tuna, 60 miles offshore.
Barracuda are harmless to scuba divers. They hang out and stare at you. In some places in the Carribean they are edible in others, they are considered to have ciguaterra, a toxic poison. I had some in the Caymans and it was good. The guides cooked a mess of different fish, on a piece of tin over an open fire.
Another fishman, well fisherwoman, caught a 74 # Mahi Mahi off OC. Surpassing the 72 # record set 3 weeks before. These are considered tropical fish.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
YAY JIMMY! Congratulations!!!
Here's hoping that it is a good fit, and enjoyable.
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.
Eveing Diners
Flo, give the gang and I a please.
Ed Never mind the phone call, I got the layout running.
Jimmy Glad you got the job and hope you do well!
Ulrich my friend. Hope you get to move to Denmark very soon!
Steven Good to see you posting again. Far as woman? Good Luck, you will need it!
All most 3 months with out a cigarette! Think I am on day 115 but not sure right now.
Mighty CB&Q's F7's are on the main line agin so it is a good train night.
Later none smoking Ken still missing Sparkie again.
I hate Rust
Evening folks,
Ulrich happy birthday!
Jimmy congrats on the new job, good luck!
So big news I'm currently in the process of purchasing a 2004 Mercury Marauder for $5,500 I have a few financial details to work out but I have a really good feeling about this.
This is a marauder if you've never heard of them.
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
NWP SWPSo big news I'm currently in the process of purchasing a 2004 Mercury Marauder for $5,500 I have a few financial details to work out but I have a really good feeling about this.
Hi Steven,
Sounds like you are pretty committed to buying the car. Please allow me to offer some sober second thought:
Without knowing a single thing about the specific vehicle that you are considering, $5,500 seems to be a bit high for a 15 year old car. It should be in pretty good condition for that price.
Have you considered getting a mechanic to have a close look at the car before you purchase it? A 15 year old car will likely have some issues that might not be so obvious. Things like suspension bushings and weak springs come to mind. What shape is the exhaust in? If it has twin pipes that will cost mucho dollars to replace. How about the tires? That car wears big rubber. Putting decent tires on it will cost close to $800. What shape is the AC in? The list goes on. The point is to put your hopes and desires in your back pocket and do a proper examination of the car. Be more prepared to walk away rather than to drive away.
Steven, I'm not trying to criticize you or pick on you. I'm only speaking from my experience with older used cars. The bottom line is that, if you have to drive older cars out of financial necessity like I did for years, spend as little as possible to begin with, and don't get sucked into a money pit, like I did with my '86 Caprice.
Good luck!
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!
Another sunny day - nice!
hon30critterWithout knowing a single thing about the specific vehicle that you are considering, $5,500 seems to be a bit high for a 15 year old car. It should be in pretty good condition for that price.
That was my initial thought, too! After 15 years, a car is coming close to the end of its economically feasible life, unless it was always properly taken care of and has a clean and complete service history. My second thought is, whether you will be happy with a car which has a lot of appeal to the ladies of my age, but hardly to a young college student. Well, it´s your decision, Steven, just don´t rush in!
Britain has some of the quirkiest steam engines I have seen and some have become icons of the steam age. Within the next days, I´d like to present some of them, starting today with presenting the LB&SCR class A1, A1X, dubbed "Terrier", for ist rather sharp bark. The "Terrier" is one of the oldest steam locomotives still to be seen in operation on a number of lines in Britain.
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) A1 Class is a 0-6-0T steam locomotive. Designed by William Stroudley, 50 members of the class were built in 1872 and between 1874 and 1880, all at Brighton Works. The class has received several nicknames, initially being known as "Rooters" by their south London crews. However, the engines were more famously known as "Terriers" on account of the distinctive 'bark' of the exhaust beat. Later in their careers, some engines were known as "Hayling Billy" on account of their work on the Hayling Island branch line. A pub of this name on the island was briefly home to the engine which is now No.W8 Freshwater. The Terrier is a tiny engine, but with an excellent acceleration, which made it ideal for the southbound London commuter trains of the 1880s. Hard to believe that Queen Victoria had 25 years to go in her job as Queen, when Stroudley designed the engine!
The color of this Terrier isnknown as "Stroudley´s Improved Engine Green"!
A number of preservation lines have "Terriers" in their roster, like the Bluebell Rlwy., the Isle of Wight Stem Rlwy., the Kent and East Sussex Rlwy. and others.
Enjoy this video of a Terrier in operation!
A model of the Terrier is available in British N scale, OO scale and British O scale. The N scale as well as the O scale version is available from Dapol, the OO scale version from Hornby.
N scale:
The Dapol N scale model as "Hayling Billy" on the bridge between Havant and Haylig Island.
OO scale version:
And, finally, the O scale version:
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
Not much to report lately, finishing up some yard w**k, trimming the flower shoots off the hostas. When we planted the yard full of hosta I thought they would pretty much be a maintenance-free plant. No such animal (um, sorry, PLANT).
Bear can have his tag-along aircraft mechanic on the skids.
For me —
Flappers by Edmund, on Flickr
I carry this bevy of "Flappers", so named because at the first sign of engine troubles, they tie their scarves off and flap like the blazes to create lift.
Once on the ground they can tow the plane around like nobody's business.
Cheers, Ed
gmpullmanBear can have his tag-along aircraft mechanic...
[Beauties by Bear, on Flickr
Ja BearNot sure about your propeller, either!
Had to steal the one from the flight director's office fan The women complained about the big prop "mussing up their hair"—
For take-offs and landings the ladies hang their feet off the trailing edge of the wing. From flapping to flaps
Ed
NWP SWPSo big news I'm currently in the process of purchasing a 2004 Mercury Marauder for $5,500 I have a few financial details to work out but I have a really good feeling about this. This is a marauder if you've never heard of them.
Let me second what Dave (HOn30 Critter) said about this. This does not look like a good buy or a good decision. It is a 15 year old pseudo muscle car that, unless you are purchasing it from its original owner, was probably abused. The price seems high to me.
All those people that bought 15 year old Impala-SS cars 10 years ago can tell you their stories.
I hope you are not making payments on a 15 year old car, that is a terrible way to go. Repairs + Payments = Sadness.
My first "real" car was a 16 year old Mercury S-55, something somewhat similar to what you are considering. In the first two years I owned it the car needed a new engine and a new transmission. I spent the money to repair it, but I did not have payments. Back then a C-6 overhaul was about $500.00, and the engine kit was $400.00 plus $150.00 at the machine shop.
It was fun for a few years, but I am much happier with the current fleet.
Yeah I already did the research into a mustang, I simply cannot afford the insurance, I considered newer sedans like an Accord, nope can't afford the insurance.
The marauder is valued at 9k by KBB, this guy is the second owner, bought it directly from the original owner, hes worked for the local dealership for 26 years, all the wear items have been replaced, timing chain, tensioners, suspension bushings, Transmission is freshly rebuilt.
I thought chicks don't pay attention to or care about the car you drive? That's at least the advice you guys have me many moons ago.
Of course no money changes hands till all the questions have been answered.
Kevin you could've had some serious fun with that merc, engine swap here, blower there, woulda made a helluva drag car.
Nice thing about the marauder is its basically a crown vic which are everywhere in the upullit yards so parts are easily available, another plus is a few well thought out mods this "psuedo muscle car" becomes a frickin muscle car.
I get what you guys are saying, I will make and educated decision, right now I have no wheels, my truck has more problems than I can afford to fix right now and when its running I spend almost 400 in gas a MONTH! that's how bad of gas mileage I'm getting!
I ate something last night that completely disagreed with me. My stomach is very uncomfortable right now.
NWP SWPKevin you could've had some serious fun with that merc, engine swap here, blower there, woulda made a helluva drag car.
Um, no. I needed it to be reliable. It was my daily transportation back and forth to work and weekend transportation for fun. It became the Family Car for the first year of my marriage.
It had a "Super-Marauder 428-4V", same as a Cobra-Jet, and was plenty fast enough in the stock configuration.
I had a 1978 Monte Carlo for bracket racing for about a year. That was fun, but it was a toy.
Modifying your daily driver is plain stupid. It increases the total cost of ownership, effects your insurance, and decreases reliability. It also increaes the interest from the local law enforcement agencies. You can find out the hard way just like all my buddies who had 1970s Camaros in the 1980s. The story tends to end the same over and over again.
By the way, I did have A LOT of fun in that car. It was the car I drove when I met Holly, Mickey, Paula, Gina, Sheryl, then ultimately... Mary. I guess it was the perfect car for teenage Kevin!
NWP SWPI thought chicks don't pay attention to or care about the car you drive? That's at least the advice you guys have me many moons ago.
Chicks? I assume you meant to say "Young Ladies".
They do notice the car you drive. That Marauder sends a certain message. It looks like you are trying to impress other guys, young ladies will receive that same message.
It also looks like you probably drive like a bit of a jerk. Young ladies like to feel safe in cars with their companions. They will pick up on that too.
It could attract certain females, and repel others, you never know.
A good Camry or Altima will get you further with more young ladies, and cost less to own.
Always drop the biggest template you can. A (fakey) muscle car will shrink your area of direct impact, but increase the effect. I learned all about this driving that S-55 back in the 80s.
It is ultimately up to you how you present yourself.
I cannot afford a camry.
Literally insurance is 500+ a month, with a clean record, no tickets, not even been pulled over yet.
And no I don't drive like a jerk, I am a driving enthusiast.
Good Morning All,
A regular and a blueberry filled donut please to go Zoe.
Still beavering away at the back wall of the layout. If I get ambitious I will take some pictures. Now that summer is drawing to a close, the basement is starting to heat soak so combined with the normal humidty this time of year, even the dehumidifier doesn't keep things pleasent. Not complaining, just sayin'.
Steven - cool car but let me echo the cautions of the others who have been there. You need to have the car checked over by a mechanic on a lift. Most of the high performance cars you find used have had a hard life. After all why buy a high performance car if you aren't going to use it ? We can all recite chapter and verse on our misadventures over the years. The one rule I always used was to buy outright and not finance. Being able to do most of my own repairs/modifications also helped a lot but owning the car outright from the purchase was a major benefit. That finally changed when I started commuting around 100 miles a day and just couldn't keep up with maintainence on an older car and work. And yeah, I ended up driving a Fiesta, and Escort, a Focus, back to the series 2 Fiesta and now the series 2 Focus but it is an ST. You really need to noodle it out and get something reasonable and easy on the wallet until you are more established. Hondas have high insurance up here in the northeast because they are stolen more often than anything else. Used Toyotas and most Nissans have silly resale values but the Korean cars often don't. Some are built on the international Ford platforms and offer good economics and safety. I don't like the way most "bowties" drive so I don't drive them and can't offer any advice there.
Sermon over - time to pick up tools. Ciao, J.R.
Our first Mecury was a 2001 Mystique, and with regular service, we put over 210,000 miles on it, than sold it for $2500, and the guy (buyer) asked "why so cheap?".
Our last Mercury was a 2010 Mariner, traded it in with 228,000 miles, with $4200. trade-in value.
In between we had a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis, traded that in with 205,000 miles and a trade-in of $3500.
We've always had a good experience with Mercury's.
Good luck with your car, Steven, it looks like it's in sharp condition. Keep it that way, along with regular service, and it will do you well, along with trade-in value.
Mike.
My You Tube
Post edited!
Steven - When I was your age, I was all about buying an old Mercedes 4-door sedan, but I was glad I didn´t! The cost of ownership would have killed me.
I don´t know the US used car market well enough, but isn´t there a more economical, maybe smaller car around, which is still fun to drive and doesn´t cost an arm and a leg to own?
Wasn't shouting... at least not at you.
Will edit to remove shouty caps.
Ulrich, I appreciate advice when its given, but when it comes across as "this is the only right way to do it" and "you are completely wrong" I get a little annoyed.
My grandfather always said "opinions are like a**es, we all have them..."
And to quote M*A*S*H "if I had all the answers I'd run for god"
Steven NWP SWP, allow me to offer you some advice...
If you don't want advice from a bunch of busybodies who think they know everything better than you, don't talk about your life in the Diner.
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
Good morning ..... I'll have coffee and a donut, please.
Steve O .... Good advice.
Let's talk about trains.
Ulrich ..... Thanks for the photos of the old 0-6-0.
Here is an older photo of my P2K Santa Fe E6.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Mornin' Gents!
Zoe, I could use a refill for my dark roast coffee, please.
Well, young Steven, lots of good advise been given here.... Yeah, as has been said, don't start a conversation if you don't like the opinions of the rest of us...... LOL Just roll with the punches, so to speak. We do enjoy having you around. It's good see you when you post!
Now, back when I was your age and a bit younger...... (Man does that sound like an old guy talking!) My father bought a few "old Ladies" type of car that I was quite embarassed to drive, until...... I found out that the girls, LOVED those cars! I can't tell you on here why, but they were a great car for... ah, Dating, shall we say. You can look up why! The car was a complete dog for racing, certainly not a cool car for drag racing down Main Street after school and such. But..... the girls seemed to really like them! The car? It was a Rambler American!!! Oh Yeah! Do some research about them, and it may change your mind about what is a great car... (Huge, huge, Grin!!!)
12
28
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Good morning, everyone. Black coffee, and lots of it.
The two-mile trail walk this morning was instead a two-mile swim through hot, humid air. These days in August are usually our most hot and humid of the year.
On the layout front: I'm just about finished with the Psycho house and motel I've been scratch building. I soldered in some lights yesterday, and should start some of the foundation today. My wife thinks I'm nuts for building it. (Not just because I'm building the Psycho motel -- she has other reasons, too.)
On a serious note, I have been reading and posting in the diner for less than a year, but I have really enjoyed it. I look forward to reading the comments each morning. I find it amazing that we can tell about our layouts, our lives, our issues, and our interests to a group of people, most of whom have not met each other in person. I appreciate all of you taking time to write about things.
Allow me to share one exciting development in my life I found out about yesterday... I'm going! Nosebleed balcony seats, but even so, I'm going!
CAHS??
We seldom ever buy a new car.
We will buy low milage used cars, but for the past ten years or so, we have been having cars donated to us.
Some we keep, and run them into the ground, and others we sell. Some we sell before they are almost used up, and then sell them to a kid who is looking for a deal.
There are for or five cars that are parked outside by the porch. We leave the keys in them. They are called run-around-cars. The rule is do not travel any farther than you want to walk back from.
Fleet cars are mostly parked in the garage, these have to be signed out with mileage and use recorded for the business office. The nice blue van is also parked outside just north of the ramp, That one is my favorite, and I do not like walking all of the way to the garqge to fetch a car.
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
SteveO: I am so jealous!
I hope you have a great time. I have not been to a musical in a couple of years.