Ken. ... Don't spend out all at the same place .
Ulrich .... You are welcome .
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Where is everybody today? Off to Richard's house to watch him change the water heater?
I'm pretty sure it was Monday the 13th yesterday. It was a very frustrating day both at work and at home. Just one thing after another out of left field. Today will be better. Positive thinking!
Mike
Good morning .
Mike ... Glad you are here. I don't know where people are. I hope they arrive soon.
Everybody ....... Here are photos taken a year ago today. We followed Big Boy 4014 and Northern 4-8-4 from Ogden Utah to Evanston, WY. .... Here are some of the photos.
Jeepers!
Good Afternoon!
The new printer I ordered a few days ago was delivered a couple of hours ago, after having been announced for tomorrow. I am glad I was at home!
Remember the days when hooking up a printer was a simple affair, involving two cables, one for the power supply and one for the connection to your computer. Getting it running was usually done in 10 minutes! Good old days!. It took me over two hours to install my new printer in my WiFi network and linking it up with my computer! It was a nerve wrecking affair with 4 failed attempts! I am getting too old for this!
Still mulling over ideas where to find a home for the two of us, as the move to Denmark seems to be getting more and more unlikely.
Stay safe, friends!
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
remember when turning a printer was just that? now it takes 10 mins to "boot"
remember when you had to boot your pc with floppies.
remember when your music play list was a stack of 45s on the record player?
remember when you could last remember?
remember when TF was a post hog? Oh wait that was yesterday
moelarrycurly4Remember when turning on a printer was just that? Remember when you had to boot your pc with floppies. Remember when your music play list was a stack of 45s on the record player?
Yes to all three!
I had a terrible morning.
I need to run to the hardware store for a small part that is holding up a a project. Ten minute errand tops.
I do not want to drive the truck. It was a broken exhaust pipe. I get in my wife's car... big red light on the dashboard, left rear tire has 0 PSI. Went outside and looked, sure enough, a flat.
Inspection found a big staple in the tire. Not from my house work, so at least it is not my fault.
I fire up the air compressor, raise the car, and remove the tire/wheel assembly.
A quick installation of a plug, and I shoud be on the road quick.
However, I cannot find my air chuck. It goes in the second full length drawer of my tool roll cab, and it is not there. I can't really get to anything because the garage is all jambed together while I put down tiles.
It takes me about 90 minutes of work to be able to move the shelf unit that is blocking access to the tool chests.
Then I go through the whole tool box, and I cannot find the missing air chuck... I am so frustrated now. I search the entire garage as best I can, but still, I cannot find it anywhere.
OK... I will hop in the truck and drive to Northern Tools and buy a new one. I hate replacing tools I know I own.
The truck will not crank over. Great. I check the battery, brand new, and has 12.3 volts. Nothing turns on, completely dead electrically. Must be either the key switch or a main relay. Oh well.. it will go to the dealer.
My wife reminded me that we have Roadside Assistance with Allstate. I called, and they will come out and air up the tire for me. The guy is there in less than ten minutes... Awesome.
But... He will not put air on the tire unless it is on the car... and he would not stick around for two minutes while I zapped the tire onto the car. I wanted it filled off of the car so I could verify the plug was sealing.
So now the tire is back on the car, I called Allstate, and they will not make a second trip for the same complaint. They will send a tow truck to take my truck to the dealer.
Now I am waiting for a tow truck. Hopefully I can tip him and get him to fill the tire on the Impala if he can. If not, then I guess I will walk to Northern Tool for an air chuck, it is about 3 miles away, so that will give me 2-3 hours to calm down.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
A couple of years ago, I was at the bus terminal to catch the airport bus. There was a guy looking for help. Apparently, his truck battery died, he had called AAA, they came out but all they had was a tiny roll-around battery, and that wouldn't do the job. Really? They show up in a truck, but they don't have jumper cables to go from their own truck?
I had to get on the bus to catch a plane, or I just would have given him a jump off my own car.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
MisterBeasleyhe had called AAA
Apparently, they did not come from the American Automobile Association, but the Anonymous Alcoholics of America!
Kevin - what a day for you! Old Murphy at his best!
Alright Kevin. You win. You've got my bad day from yesterday beat, hands down. Ouch! I'd offer to help you vent about it over a beer if we could.
Went to place an order last night for a couple things for the railroad, but no. The one part number of peco track I need is the one that seems to be out everywhere. Oh well. Guess I wait.
FWIW, the positive thinking must be working. Work has been much more tolerable today! My music playlist has been all over the place today. Coworkers who can hear it must think I'm nuts.
Kevin, that sounds typical of one of my projects. More time is spent looking for stuff than doing.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Well Kevin your bad day tops anything I've heard lately. FWIW, sometimes if you have a quick disconnect on the end of the air hose you can stick that right on the tire stem and get enough air in it for a trip to the filling station. I have done this successfully because even with three tool boxes and a seperate storage for the regulators, hoses and chucks, we've managed to have none at the track. Just a thought and I hope the rest of your day improves. J.R.
SeeYou190The truck will not crank over. Great. I check the battery, brand new, and has 12.3 volts. Nothing turns on, completely dead electrically.
I remember when my 2009 Canyon did that. Getting ready to go in to w**k on midnight shift. Turned the key, no click, no lights, all dead. Had to drive Mrs. Pullman's Ford in.
Got home next morning expecting to diagnose problem. You're right there are several relays in the starting system. Before going further I tried the ignition again and she started right up.
I hate problems like that. No clear cause and you never know when it can happen again I continued to drive the truck another five years and now sold it to a friend that has never had the problem, either.
When it rains — I hope you have a better day tomorrow, Kevin.
The snow finally melted and I was able to get the scaffold set up to get ready for my BIG spring project:
PRR_91908 by Edmund, on Flickr
All new siding on the caboose It is only eight years old but the soft pine has rotted in many places. Not a job I'm looking forward to.
PRR_91908_c by Edmund, on Flickr
My son is in the trades and he hooked me up with that sweet scaffolding
Speaking of scaffold —
Note some of the hard hats held on with #12 wire?
Regards, Ed
gmpullmanI remember when my 2009 Canyon did that. Getting ready to go in to w**k on midnight shift. Turned the key, no click, no lights, all dead. Had to drive Mrs. Pullman's Ford in. Got home next morning expecting to diagnose problem. You're right there are several relays in the starting system. Before going further I tried the ignition again and she started right up. I hate problems like that. No clear cause and you never know when it can happen again I continued to drive the truck another five years and now sold it to a friend that has never had the problem, either.
gmpullmanI remember when my 2009 Canyon did that. Getting ready to go in to w**k on midnight shift. Turned the key, no click, no lights, all dead. Had to drive Mrs. Pullman's Ford in. Got home next morning expecting to diagnose problem. You're right there are several relays in the starting system. Before going further I tried the ignition again and she started right up.
Mine is a 2008 Colorado... pretty much the same truck.
The dealer called, when they unhooked it from the tow truck, it started up with no problem, just like yours. I have had it for 12 years, and this is the first time it did not start for me.
There are no stored trouble codes, so they think it was something that tripped the "Passkey" anti theft system. Apparently it will reset after one hour.
Great... at least they will fix the broken exhaust pipe.
The tire is fixed on the Impala now, and I got the new piece of tubing for the tile saw. I will re-start where I left off when I get up tomorrow.
SeeYou190I had a terrible morning.
Hi Kevin,
'Terrible' hardly describes it! You have my sympathies.
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!
We had just a little rain during the night, but now it is quite sunny again - nice! Actually, it is far too dry for the season!
I didn´t catch much sleep last night. There are just too many thoughts in my head, that need to get sorted. Not knowing where a place for us will be in the near future is really eating me up. I have been thinking of Norway, which is rather an expensive country, if you want to live close to where there are more than just a handful of folks in your neighborhood. I actually wouldn´t mind a certain solitude, but I am afraid that´s not what Petra would go for. It is too far up north and too far away for our son to come for a visit. I don´t think this would be much of an issue, with all the modern communication things like Skype or Zoom or whatever. He is earning good money, so he could afford a flight to Norway once a year or so.
I am getting quite anxious to know where the tide of life will sweep us to!
Good Morning All,
I'll have a regular to go please Zoe.
Ulrich, I sympathize with you. Eventually something will open up and you will see a path forward. For what it's worth, I'd have thought Norway had way too much winter to deal with.
Not too much to report on the train front. Still piecing together the representation of the Sperry Rail building - making walls and such with the big industrial windows and little glass panes. I am using clear plastic sheet behind the windows since it is a backround building and I may or may not extend the lead track into the building though I think it is far enough back that I could get away with not having an interior. No pics yet - nothing recognizable to show yet.
Shop is still limping along. No racing before the end of the month and that is in doubt as well as we are not opening stuff yet. There will also be the issue of food as dining in a building where you are exposed for an hour or more is problematic. Still working out the logistics for that. In the mean time I am reworking our primary trailer fitting a bigger generator so we can bring a smaller tig to the track and it has involved stripping the genset closet to bare and starting over. After that I have another dozen or so items I want to address but with the work load in the shop light I can keep at it. Rain doesn't help though and this morning it is 32F again.
Kevin I hope today goes better for you. As long as you have construction going on you might want to sweep the driveway daily. Amazing what you find that way. When we put the solar panels on the shop roof, I ended up with a lifetime supply of small fastners. Nothing useful though, just enough to go through tires. We rent lot space to a construction dumpster company at storage and every spring we roll a large magnet through the path to their area and find even more treasures.
I'm enjoying the pictures from Ontario. Thanks to all that posted. Ciao, J.R.
GMTRacingFor what it's worth, I'd have thought Norway had way too much winter to deal with.
J.R. - not much more than the New England States, although the place is way up north from those places. I don´t mind the cold, as long as it is dry! That wet and cold weather we have is worse for me!
After receiving a document from our friend down south, I was able to submit the application for approval of a property purchase to the Danish Department of Justice. It took me a while to figure out how to process a scan, but eventually it worked somehow. The application is out - now we have to wait and see what will become of it. I don´t give it much hope, though. Needless to say that the whole procedure defies EU law!
I´ll be going for a nap in a few moments. I can hardly keep my eyes open.
Good morning ....... What is new in Ontario today ?
Ulrich .... I hope the application is approved.
Kevin ..... Like JR said, I hope today is better for you than yesterday,
JR ..... I have heard bout racing being closed for the virus as are other things. Hopefully, things can get back to normal soon.
Model Railroad .... Yesterday, I cleaned up some of my messes in the train room. Then, I ran trains, and that is always fun.
Heartland Division CB&QYesterday, I cleaned up some of my messes in the train room.
I had a wonderful surprise yesterday.
While I was going nuts over all that was messing up, my wife completely cleaned and dusted my model building workbench. It was a terrible mess from all the contruction, and I really appreciate her doing that for me,
She is the best, and I ended the day with a smile.
SeeYou190my wife completely cleaned and dusted my model building workbench. It was a terrible mess from all the contruction
Good luck finding everything she moved.
Afternoon Diners.
Flo, give the gang and I a please TF a tire chuck and Dirk a dog treat.
TF boy I have had some of those days!
But one day I knew someone had a worse day than ! I was going into St Louis and I knew I had to deal with a pain in the caboose customer. I was not looking forward to it!
While driving across Poplar Street Bridge at 55 MPH I had a wheel with it's tire pass me, bounces off the bridge on to interstate 70 down below! Boy someone or maybe two people had a worse day than me! After that my day seem easy!
I all so think your truck problem is from the key. My wife Firdbird 350 had the same problem.
Ed Seems like the Mighty GG1 need's some oil. I have been running the heck out of it. Any tricks or tips to getting the shell off?
Time to sit out with Dirk, so later Ken and Dirk says Woof Woof!
I hate Rust
Ken, I had one of those "being passed by a loose tire" incidents once. Unfortunately. It was my own tire. I was driving my MGB. I slowly made my way over to the shoulder, found the tire and pulled one lug nut off of each of the other tires. Fortunately, I was close to Sears (remember them) and I was back on the road within an hour.
Yeah, I've seen some of the damage done by semi tires popping off. I saw one that was a dual tire, the retainer nut must hagve come off the end of the axle. It was embedded into a snow bank still steaming, brake drum and all! About a half-mile up the road was a trailer with a coil of steel on the bed! Big gouges in the pavement.
cudakenEd Seems like the Mighty GG1 need's some oil. I have been running the heck out of it. Any tricks or tips to getting the shell off?
I seem to recall it was pretty easy, Ken. Four screws. I forget if the pantographs had a wire to them or if they used a bronze clip? There's TWO motors in there
Today was the first run of the riding mower. Once the battery was charged and the tires inflated she was good to go. Now I turn the machine over to Mrs. Pullman. Grass cutting is her baliwick.
I hope everyone is well,
Have fun! Ed
Howdy .
Speaking of wheels coming off vehciles reminds me of an incident on i-75 in Ohio. It was one of our trips to Michigan, and we were northbound somewhere between Dayton and Lima. Across the median, I saw a car with its front end bouncing up and down. Its front wheel has come off. In an instant, I saw the wheel bounce ahead of me on the pavement. It then flew over our car. In the mirror, I saw it bounce beween our car and the car behind us. Next, it bounced harmlessly off of the road. ... It happened too fast to be scared. However, when I recall the incident, I realize it could have killed us or the people in the car behind us.
...
Meanwhile, who is working on their model railroads ?
My brother-in-law had a wheel come off his van a couple of years ago. All the wheel studs had snapped off. Fortunately nothing serious happened. I urged him to go and get the other studs replaced but he didn't bother.
Wheel studs break because some jockey with an air gun drove the nuts down too tight. Whoever did it on one wheel likely did it on the rest of the wheels as well.
One time the wheel nuts on my MGB were so tight that the 'X' wrench I was using rotated one full turn before the nut popped loose. I put a full 360 degree twist in the shank!
My son uses a torque wrench.
Happy Birthday, DAVE!
I hope your wheels don't come off during your celebrating! Keep your nuts snug but not too tight
Anybody remember the goofy Chrysler products with the left-hand nuts on the left side? I think it was my first truck with aluminum wheels. The lug nuts corroded something fierce. Wound up taking it to a shop that had a 1" drive impact wrench running on 150 PSI air!
I always use anti-seize on my nuts.
Where's Track Fiddler been since Monday???
Cheers, Ed
gmpullmanHappy Birthday, DAVE!
Jeez Ed, your keeping too close track of me!
Seriously, thanks for remembering! My birthday will be a bit special this year because I will (supposedly) be receiving the wood for the benchwork the same day. After 18 years of farting around with model trains I'm actually going to have a layout! I'm like a kid on Christmas Eve!
hon30critterMy birthday will be a bit special this year because I will (supposedly) be receiving the wood for the benchwork the same day.
My layout is going on 26 years old and I still remember the satisfaction of building the benchwork. I think I had a Sears 9" Miter saw which could barely cut a 2 x 4 but, by golly, it did a fine job on benchwork joints. Fortunately, drywall-type screws were just becoming popular so I had plenty of those on hand which made assembly go along quickly.
HO_1995_0002 by Edmund, on Flickr
IMG_mine-fix by Edmund, on Flickr
Glad to hear you'll be making sawdust soon Ed