Steven OtteWe don't charge you anything to use this Forum, but it costs us money to host it, and to have paid employees administer it. So we have ads. If you block the ads, we don't make money from them, and the decision to not spend money hosting a forum inches that much closer.
So If I allow your ads that is better for you?
Maybe I will do that.
TOP OF THE LION TO YOU!
Wildebeests for all, harvested by gentle Lions, You will find minimal claw marks on these, and they are free of viruses since we iradiate all of our food. : )
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
My wife once had wildebeest biltong in South Africa. She didn´t like it very much, though!
Something to keep our minds of the virus:
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
Oh boy my favorite - rare glow in the dark wildebeast ! Lets follow it up with one of those blue drink concoctions that looks like a broken lava lamp. Yum. Can I get fries with that?
Got word, the next three races have been cancelled or postponed. What a mess and I hope all this does some good at the end of it. Sorting logistics to get our transporters to where they need to go has been fun. J.R.
If I choose to pick no ads I might as well not even get up in the morning Unfortunately that could become a reality soon
Lion, I will take my prime rib wildebeest medium rare if you would please
Thank you, I was getting pretty hungry
TF
Something to think about:
Track fiddler Kevin. My railroad host Gary would really love that piece of beautiful work for his model railroad we are trying to reconstruct after the cat he took care of destroyed it.
John, I have the freight cars boxed up and ready to ship to you for Gary.
However, I am not going to the post office for a while. As I have said before, my wife is in all kinds of the high risk groups for this infection, and I cannot risk bringing it home to her.
When things get back to normal(ish) I will get the package in the mail.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Thankyou.
Completely understandable Kevin.
Best wishes to you and yours, and the safety of your family during this uncertain time here.
Something will be on its way from here in time as well.
John
mbinsewiWell I'm not sure if it's oriole season yet, I may be a little early, I'm not sure, but here is the feeder I made from barn wood left over from a vanity I built.
The feeder looks good!
That reminds me, I'll have to get some grape jelly and a bag of oranges. It will soon be time to dig out the hummingbird feeder too.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Thanks Dave. Google told me late March and into early April for WI., so I guess I'm good.
Last year was our first year for orioles, as I was inspired by you and Ed. It was a make-shift board with a couple of screws for the oranges. I promised the wife that I would make something, so I had enough barn wood left to make 3, 1 for us, and each of our kids.
Just come back from the store, and everything seemed stocked, except potatoes. Potatoes? a run on potatoes? not one to be had, and plenty of shoppers looking and asking.
All I needed was some fruit, and water. The city water here has lots of lime in it, it taste OK, but it eventually ruins the coffee maker, unless you constantly use the coffee pot cleaner stuff. Using bottled water stops that.
I noticed lots of full shopping carts. One shopper must have had lots of kids at home, or else he's a cereal freak, or both, as the cart was over half filled with a variety of different brands.
We know lots of younger families here in town, and it's amazing to see how these moms are making things work, with the kids at home, and many dads wondering how long their job will last! Not all jobs can be done at home on a computer, and how the school systems didn't seem to miss a beat with having a plan, and devices ready for "schooling at home".
Mike.
My You Tube
mbinsewi how the school systems didn't seem to miss a beat with having a plan, and devices ready for "schooling at home".
Yeah, that is weird.
Lee County (Florida) schools are handing out over 10,000 Chrome Books for students to use at home this week.
Where did all those come from, and why are there no potatoes here either?
Mike, I showed my wife your picture of the oriole feeder. She liked it, so I will try to make something similar. I won't be able to do the rebar, but we will hang it from a tree.
By the time I retired, our school was a "Google School". Each student had a Chrome Book. At that time, the Chrome Books stayed at school, but I know now they are sent home.
We got ours through a series of grants and donations. We did not use any budget money, because we knew that probably would not sit well with some people.
I personally did not agree with the direction we were taking, and retirement came at a good time.
I'm glad I'm retired with all of this going on. It will be a headache no matter what. Graduation, prom, scholarships, school visitations, etc. are now all up in the air.
That's the new guy's problem. My problem is what I'm going to do next on the layout!
York1 John
The traditional St. Patrick's Day meal of corned beef and cabbage also includes potatoes, so there may have been a rush. Did you check their cabbage availability?
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
York1I'm glad I'm retired with all of this going on.<SNIP> My problem is what I'm going to do next on the layout!
And I am so glad I am unemployed/retired right now.
I cannot imagine what the person that inherited my responsibilities is doing.
MisterBeasleyDid you check their cabbage availability?
No I did not. I just saw on the news that all the potatoes are gone. We have not gone outside in five days.
mbinsewiThanks Dave. ~—~ Last year was our first year for orioles, as I was inspired by you and Ed. It was a make-shift board with a couple of screws for the oranges.
I'm glad to hear there are more folks enjoying feeding and watching birds! I'll take a half-hour of bird watching over anything called "entertainment" on the telly!
Oriole_GBx2 by Edmund, on Flickr
Oriole_feeding by Edmund, on Flickr
SeeYou190And I am so glad I am unemployed/retired right now.
Amen!
Ken, Mr. Sharky is on the way. Ordered yesterday and shipping will be direct to you from Bluford, Georgia. I'll send a PM§ when I get a tracking number.
{ § PM Sent}
We are holding our own here in NE Ohio. Things are quiet, although out here this is the norm. Nice and rainy so back to the layout I go
To all the folkks in need —
Cheers, Ed
Ed what is the bird on the left? I've only seen one oriole in my life, in the wild and one stuffer in the Smithsonian.
Audubon the colonial ornithologist and painter of birds, also was a hunter so he could have specimens to paint. You couldn't use a photo to paint a picture in the early 1800's.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
BigDaddyEd what is the bird on the left?
Ah! One of my favorites, Henry. A rose-breasted Grosbeak:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Rose-breasted_Grosbeak/media-browser/63733281
They have a very melodic song as well.
I'm amazed at how many birds were hunted in the late 1800s and some to extinction, like the dodo and the passenger pigeon!
Many beautiful birds were killed off to supply pretty feathers for M'lady's hats, too!
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/carolina-parakeet-removal-of-a-menace/
We went to the grocery store today and I felt a little silly wearing latex gloves. But hey, I'm 74 so for sure I'm not going to be cavalier about this crisis.
The store (an Albertsons) was reasonably stocked, but of course hand sanitizers/ cleaners, TP and PT were out of stock. They had plenty of snack foods, frozen foods, eggs, fresh meat, potatoes, fresh baked breads and pastries. Dairy and cereals were OK with some brands sold out. Fresh vegetables and fruit were hit and miss - lots of oranges, grapefruits, pineapples, tomatoes but produce like greens/lettuces were in short supply. We found what we needed.
Kevin, what do you think about the response of your governer to the blatant disregard of social distancing on beaches of the West Coast? I feel sort of like a native Floridian because I had a beach house in Destin for 14 years; what I'm seeing makes me sad and angry.
drcieselKevin, what do you think about the response of your governer to the blatant disregard of social distancing on beaches of the West Coast? I feel sort of like a native Floridian because I had a beach house in Destin for 14 years; what I'm seeing makes me sad and angry.
I don't understand all the legality, but the government cannot close the beaches. There are really strange laws in Florida.
The City of Cape Coral closed the Yacht Club and the City of Fort Myers closed the Franklin Locks, but these are freshwater beaches, so they can do that.
The Collier Coulnty Fair could not be cancelled due to legal reasons, but after the weekend, they ended it early because the minimum legal requirement had been met.
The kids (college students) are here on Spring Break. They are not going to leave the beach hotels, they cannot go home, so of course, they will be on the beaches. They are not having the great time they expected with all the restaurants, liquor stores, and bars closed. It would be completely unreallistic to think they would stay off of the beach when they are only 100 yards away with literally nothing else to do.
I love Spring Break, and this is the first time I will not be at the beach hanging out with the kids for any of it.
I am really worried about the mass amounts of middle and high school students that are stuck at home with nothing to do. It is only a matter of time before serious boredom with this groups sets in and they become restless.
Need to avoid politics so I will not discuss our governor.
SeeYou190 The kids (college students) are here on Spring Break. They are not going to leave the beach hotels, they cannot go home, so of course, they will be on the beaches. They are not having the great time they expected with all the restaurants, liquor stores, and bars closed. It would be completely unreallistic to think they would stay off of the beach when they are only 100 yards away with literally nothing else to do.
Sorry, that's lame. They can be told to go home NOW. Beaches closed. Period.
Good evening all.
Steve-O - Understand the situation. Curious if they have you in your home, or the actual office right now with the virus issue? I know at least a few places in my area have done that with those who do a lot of computer based activities, such as insurance agencies, and newspaper reporters.
Weather - Went from a downright warm 22F this morning to a nice 55F, but it's now raining.
W*^k - Very slow now.... Very slow indeed.... I had enough time today to redo the calipers and brake pads isle, resetting both by removing old sku's and placing the new sku's into the correct positions. (This meant shuffling items around. Almost all 500 sku's were moved. Some one or two spots, some by as much as 10 feet away.) Not good when my normal duties are making deliveries out of store....
Covid-19 - Well, it's official - It's now here. Erie County PA has its first "official" case. A 35 year old. (Not me!!!!!!!! I'm only 34.) And PA now has over 130 cases confirmed, with over 200 test results still pending. And one confirmed death in PA due to Covid-19.
All restaurants, bars, and similar are now required to be carry out or delivery only. No food may be sold for on site consumption. It was a suggestion prior, but is now mandatory.
Stopped at a nearby Wal-mart tonight after a chiropractor appt and it was a outright ghost town there. Yet they were sold out of milk, bread, some cereals, and the fresh food departments (meats, produce, dairy) were very slim. They did however have TP and PT on the shelf.
Birds - Caught sight of a bald eagle near my home, so the family in the back woods must have returned. That means there are now a few different families of eagles in the area. Unfortunately, I didn't have my good camera with me, and it was too far away (in flight) by the time I had my phone ready...
Hope all are well, and all enjoy the night!
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.
drcieselSorry, that's lame. They can be told to go home NOW. Beaches closed. Period.
Well, that is the way the law works in Florida. All the beaches in front of the hotels are private property* and the government cannot close them down. The people paying for the rooms in these hotels have the right to use the beaches.
The State Park and County Owned beaches are closed.
*Florida has "common use" statutes for a lot of the beaches up to the high tide line. It is 100% convoluted and impossible to explain. Each County can change the Common Use rules to meet their local definition. Don't even try to figure it out, your head will explode. Basically all the beaches in Florida are private property, but the property owner cannot kick people off. I know that is a complete over-simplification, but it is the best I can do.
SeeYou190 I know that is a complete over-simplification, but it is the best I can do.
Thank you for taking the time to explain this, Kevin.
Regards, Ed
Maryland's Govenor has threated to close down any business that violates his guidelines on large gathering with the National Guard. Is not a night club a private business? What if Jaws came to visit the beach?
BTW Great white sharks are hanging out off Morehead City, NC right at the moment
Trading on the stock market was halted after a hedge fund manager Bill Ackman went on a fire and brimstone rant on financial TV on how the country was headed for down under and I don't mean Australia. These guys talk their book, the book is what they own or have sold short (stocks they borrowed and sold thinking they will go down).
They want the crowd to follow along. He did sound genuinely panicked, except he said he was buying stocks today. Maybe he was buying after he spoke.
I ran across another article, that I won't link to, because it might be deemed political by someone. It asked Do we really want to create a depression and drive companies out of business for a disease that might be like a really bad flu season?
It is no small thing for the government to pay everyone thier salary and pay the rent for all the restaurants, bars, car dealers, airlines and every other business you can think of.
Good evening ....
Kevin .... You mentioned not being able to go to the Post Office. Have you considered having USPS pick up from your home. If you buy Priority postage online, USPS will pick up the package at your home. Just pack up the item, and weigh the package. Then you can buy postage and make a shipping label for your package. My wife does that often with her eBay stuff.
Ulrich ...... I definately like the two videos (Illinois Railroads and Passneger train 1954). .... They brought back good memories of growing up in the Chicago area where I could watch trains continuously. Also our family traveled by train. Some of the travel was on Santa Fe as was the train in the video.
Here I am on the dome of the Super Chief with my sisters in 1957. People used to dress up for traveling then. Yes, I was a bit of a nurd. Parden poor quality of old black and white photos. Pictures were taken in either western Kansas or eastern Colorado.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
BigDaddyWhat if Jaws came to visit the beach?
I have no idea. I am a fair-weather beach enthusiast, so I would be the first one out of the water at the authorities first suggestion regardless of the law. I am not going to the beach now.
I am not even leaving my house.
Heartland Division CB&QHave you considered having USPS pick up from your home.
I might look into that if this continues. Right now the only package I have waiting is the one for TF.
Thank you for sharing the pictures of you on the Super Chief.
My parents used to make me dress up to ride Eastern Airlines back in the 1970s.
Good Morning!
Garry - that´s a smart looking young man on that picture! My father did not have a car until 1966, so all our vacation trips were done by train, which was always a great adventure for us kids! We also were dressed up in our best Sunday attire. Most of the time, we went south, down the beautiful Rhine Valley with its many castles and lovely towns. Our eyes were glued to the windows! When we passed the Loreley, we sang that famous song we all learned in school:
The first time we went to our vacation place by car (in 1968) was a complete disappointment! Three kids on the back seat! We felt like being in a cage and the tune we sang was a different one!
Petra just came back from trying to buy some food and TP. There is no TP available in our entire community of over 25,000 people! We have enough to last us for the next two weeks, but it would be good to have a few rolls extra. Food is getting scarce, hardly any fresh meet, no bread, no veggies! Our government is a bunch of incompetent nincompoops, who do nothing else than scaring people into hoarding stuff. The situation is really getting serious over here - not in terms of the virus, but the idiotic measures imposed on us!
We currently have 12,327 reported cases, out of which 105 are recovered and 28 people have died. That makes a mortality rate of 0.23% - less than any ordinary flu! All of the reported deaths were people having been treated for other serious illnesses in hospitals. In Itality, the mortality rate is 8,34%, which is even higher than in China! I don´t want to play the threat of this pandemic down, but all imposed measures so far have proven ineffctive in stopping the virus, but are very effective in destroying our entire economy. What it means to the world when Germany has 8 to 10 million unemployed we have seen in the 1930s and 1940s!
Yes, I am scared, but not by the virus!
Edit: I have - for the first time in my life - ordered toilet paper online, for about double the price we normally pay at Lidl´s or Aldi´s. Just to be on the safe side. With our current stock and the incoming order, we should be good for the next three to 4 months! How ridiculous is that?
Well, since we are sharing kiddie photos, here's one of your's truly taken in 1960! I was scanning some slides that were hidden in a closet and I dusted off.
EJT_Eddy by Edmund, on Flickr
About a quarter mile behind me is the main line of the New York Central. The four - story brick building in the distance is the Ohio Bell Telephone Company central station. I remember getting a tour of the place when my sister worked there. They passed out little Princess, 701B telephone key chains at the end of the tour. Still have it.
It wasn't until years later that I learned that the phone was designed by the same fellow that brought us the streamlined Hudson of Twentieth Century Limited fame.
IF you wanted the dial to light up on your Princess phone you had to RENT the transformer for 50¢ a month! I recall my dad saying what a crazy idea it was to pay extra money like that for nothing more than a gimmick
Plenty of rain here today and tomorrow. Back to the basement for me
Good Morning All,
37F and a steady cold rain this morning. I'll have some blueberry pancakes with syrup and butter with my coffee please Zoe. Didn't go to the grocery store early today though they now open at 6am for us seniors. I figure I am working with 8 other people of various ages (social distancing is easy in a 20,000 sq ft shop) so I might as well take my chances at the store with everyone else and leave the early shopping to those who would benefit from it.
A little ground foam and a few desultory trees and you have todays progress photo. I even tried a little realistic water in the ditch. We shall see.
crossing progress 4 by J.R. Mitchell, on Flickr" alt="crossing progress 4" />
crossing progress 3 by J.R. Mitchell, on Flickr" alt="crossing progress 3" />
All for now - time to pick up tools. Ciao, J.R.
Here is another gem from the days, when traveling was a delight!
Good morning, everyone.
It's raining right now, but is supposed to turn to snow tonight.
The grocery store is completely restocked again, so I think the initial panic buying has calmed. I have made sure to keep a good supply of beer in the basement refrigerator just in case there is panic buying.
Since others have posted pictures of themselves as kids, here's my offering. I'm on the top of the loco, and my father appears in his overalls in one of his few photos. He did not like to stand and pose for pictures. I think it's because my mother always took about ten minutes to get the camera aimed.