York1Lion, it's great to hear from you again. I'm headed to Theodore Roosevelt National Park in the near future, to do some hiking. I'll honk on I-94 when I go by.
Well, do more than HONK. Plan to stop by and we will climb to the third floor to visit the train room!
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Eveing Diners
Flo, give the gang and I a please and Dirk a dog treat.
Lion Good to see you again.
Weather is still sticky. Not as bad as yesterday but still sucks rail spikes!
Ed While I love the Thunder Tennis Balls (all so know as Rolling Thunder) I sure whish they used QSI decoders.
Later, Ken and Dirk says Woof, Woof!
I hate Rust
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Hi gang!
Is it too early to start talking about where to move the Diner to in September? I have a couple of suggestions. One place is New Mexico. When I was searching for railroading items for this month's Diner I got far more hits for New Mexico than I did for Mexico. There seems to be lots of railroading action there.
Another consideration might be to move to a state(s) which is famous for its fall colours. I love looking at a forest that is at its peak in the fall. Ontario is a great place to see fall colours but we were there quite recently. How about New England?
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
hon30critterAnother consideration might be to move to a state(s) which is famous for its fall colours.
Well, I guess that rules Florida out.
Our fall colours are green. Same as our Spring, Summer, and Winter colours.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Good morning everybody. Been busy lately so no time to post. Good to hear from Lion! Thanks for the beer Kevin!
York1Thanks for the Budweiser, Kevin! There are many who don't like that beer, and I remember Ulrich even saying it's not really beer. I don't care. It's my favorite, and nothing tastes better to me after a hot day than an ice cold Bud.
Cheers fellas!
Mike
Good morning
Welcome back Lion, glad to have you back and know you're okay in this world of uncertainty these days.
BATMAN TF, love the sign, it reminded me of a fishing resort we went to for years on Kootenay Lake. It was built and run by a German family and was always in pristine condition and they were a wonderful host. I went back to check the place out when we were in the area some 40 years later. What a heartbreak, it was totally run down, I wish I had not stopped by.
TF, love the sign, it reminded me of a fishing resort we went to for years on Kootenay Lake. It was built and run by a German family and was always in pristine condition and they were a wonderful host. I went back to check the place out when we were in the area some 40 years later. What a heartbreak, it was totally run down, I wish I had not stopped by.
Thanks Brent.
I felt the same way on my return visit so many years later. The old saying "you can never go back" definitely has its reasons. I was pretty much disappointed as nothing was the same as I remembered.
I just keep my memories now I sent the original sign picture to the current Resort owners. They were quite delighted in their reply.
P.S. I can enjoy an ice cold Bud. I don't always buy the same beer. I like to switch things up as different is a good thing. I actually enjoy the bitterness in the flavor of an IPA but tend to stay away from them. They are one of the highest in yeast content and tend to mess with your joints.
TF
Water Level RouteI love variety. Unless it's an IPA. Don't care for those.
I don't know how anyone can drink an IPA. Yuck!
I think people like to talk-down Budweiser the same way that many people talk-down Nickelback.
When something is wildly popular and appeals to the greater masses, some people think it makes themselves seem more worldly and intelligent to point out to us what is wrong with our perfectly satisfactory treat.
Budweiser is an excellent beer with unbeatable quality control, and Nickelback is a perfectly good sounding and marketable rock band.
This song went to #2 on the US Pop, #1 on US Adult, #1 on US Mainstream Rock, spent seven weeks at #1 on Canadian Pop, the album it is from went 4X/Platinum, and has been downloaded millions of times from iTunes, yet many people place this song at #1 on their "worst songs of all time" lists. These are probably the same people that say Budweiser is the worst beer ever.
Whatever.
hon30critterOntario is a great place to see fall colours but we were there quite recently. How about New England?
New England ! ! ! ? ? ?
New England is a city in S.W. North Dakota.... And the Train doesn't go there any more.
I don't recal that they had any trees either, but the grasses turn nice shades of red, yellow and orange.!
Just the right place to hunt wildebeests!
ROAR
SeeYou190 Water Level Route I love variety. Unless it's an IPA. Don't care for those. I don't know how anyone can drink an IPA. Yuck!
Water Level Route I love variety. Unless it's an IPA. Don't care for those.
Well, I have become mostly an IPA beer drinker. We visit a lot of local breweries and the beer fridge in the garage is full of IPAs. We got a bunch more yesterday, and for a quick refill there's a well stocked liquor store just down the street.
German beer law specifies what a beer is, and the American ultra lites don't qualify. Budweiser, in particular, is made with rice, not barley which is the proper ingredient.
Some Germans are actually jealous of the more more relaxed American ingredient lists. The American micro-brew business is far more creative than what's being done in the traditional beer-making countries of Europe.
I love a good IPA, but the trend of making sour beers and fruity beers to appeal to young drinkers who haven't quite graduated from their teenage soda pop years is tying up too many fermenters.
And yes, I do have a brewery on my layout, and a bunch of ice-bunker billboard reefers from Greenway, which are just simple Athearn BB models they've repainted. I even did a repaint for my own Strumpet Brewery.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
MisterBeasleythe trend of making sour beers and fruity beers to appeal to young drinkers
I have tried two sours, and I did not like either one of them.
I do not believe I will be trying a third.
My favorite beers are the Belgian Tripels.
Good morning, everyone.
Another blank day today, but tomorrow is exciting. I have a dentist appointment in the city (50 miles away), but after that I have time to go to Menards and Home Depot! I will put up with the root canal if I get rewarded with shopping at my favorite stores.
Lion, about a month ago my computer quit saving passwords. Just like that. It happened after a Windows 10 update. I've looked online and followed what they say, but nothing worked.
I finally decided to use my virus protecting software which has a password manager. It works great. It generates long random passwords, and I only have to remember one password.
You're a computer expert, so this probably doesn't mean much for you, but for me it was the best thing to happen. My complete computer knowledge is I know where the "on" button is.
I also don't use a phone. I like seeing and reading things on a large screen.
Have a good day, everyone.
York1 John
Liked the Nickelback video Kevin. Don't know if I ever heard it but I could definitely relate as I'm sure anyone could.
Just got done cleaning up the evening slop in the kitchen. Now I'm waiting for Judy to get back from the doctor so we can go do round 5 of the Storage Shuffle as I call it. We're getting there!
Today I'm bringing down two wet-dry aquatic systems that have never been used to Mike who owns an aquarium store. Also I have a barrel of about 200 pounds of Fiji live rock that was extremely expensive. Mike is taking this stuff on consignment as my aquarium hobby is a long gone thing of the past.
Aquarium stores are starting to suffer just as bad as the hobby stores did. I'm just hopeful this will help Mike out as I'm sure it will me, taking it off my hands.
After our chore today will be time for a patio lunch and a beer
Have a great day guys
SeeYou190This song went to #2 on the US Pop, #1 on US Adult, #1 on US Mainstream Rock, spent seven weeks at #1 on Canadian Pop, the album it is from went 4X/Platinum, and has been downloaded millions of times from iTunes, yet many people place this song at #1 on their "worst songs of all time" lists.
"Let them be little" by Billy Dean never bothered me until I had kids. Now I still like it, but can't listen to it.
"In Color" by Jamey Johnson I loved until I lost my grandpa. Now that one is tough to listen to as well. Still, wouldn't place either of them in any worst song category. Maybe I just have a different perspective.
Water Level Route"In Color" by Jamey Johnson I loved until I lost my grandpa.
That one kills me.
All I have of my paternal grandfather are some black and white photos that show him in the depression, serving in World War 2, and with my dad and uncle when they were little.
I imagine life was much harder than those old photos make it look.
He passed when I was 1 year old, so I do not remember him.
I, too, never met my grandfathers, as they were gone before I was born. I have one photo each of my paternal grandfather and my paternal great-grandfather.
I did know both grandmothers, but my paternal grandmother had dementia by the time I was old enough to know her.
I have two male cousins a couple of years older than me. Other than them, I am the oldest male on either side of the family. At some time many years ago, I realized that none of the smokers got much past 70.
SeeYou190 My favorite beers are the Belgian Tripels. -Kevin
There's one Belgian Trippel here called Noir et Bleu. It's 9% ABV. It's one of my favorites. It's made with blueberries and has that taste in the background.
I was the oldest of two young parents. When I was born, I had all of my grandparents and four great-grandparents. One great-grandmother lived to be well over 100 and had many great-great-grandchildren. My parents now have 15 great-grandchildren and my father is only 80. I would say the chances of great-great children are pretty good for them.
Richard
Hi Everyone,
Brunhilda, coffee with cream, please.
I thought Nickleback was a country trio featuring Chris Thiele, who is a superlative mandolinist. Had no idea they had gone rock, or is this a different band? I think I even have a CD of them.
I had never heard that Bud was a rice beer. I thought they used barley and hops. I was a Bud drinker for several years until I discovered Olympia Beer. Yes, I know it was low rent, but I really liked it. Funny, we had Coors available since before I was born, but I never liked it. It had a bouquet reminiscent of stale barf.
After Oly kind of became extinct, I started getting into craft beers preferring medium to full bodied amber ales, malty not hoppy. Deschutes Mirror Pond and Bass Ale were good choices. Then in the mid 2000s, I discovered I could no longer drink any beer. It will put me to sleep, involuntarily. Too bad! Hasn't diminished my ability to enjoy wine, though. I think the beer thing has to do with wheat, but it could be something else. Anyway, about 6 or 7 years ago, I went gluten free and that has helped in a lot of areas. I do miss pizza though.
What if we postpone New England for the October diner? That's when the foliage is in peak season. For September, New Mexico might be nice. It has the UP/SP, BNSF, Raton Pass, Gallup, which is a big BNSF facility, Hatch - the chili capital, White Sands, Roswell, Taos, and Santa Fe for starters. Santa Fe is the home of absolutely ridiculous real estate prices, worse than SoCal.
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
Jim you are thinking of Nickle Creek
MisterBeasleyMisterBeasley wrote the following post 3 hours ago: I, too, never met my grandfathers, as they were gone before I was born
I was similar. I had a grandmother and grandfather (opposite sides) that died before I was born. I saw my other grandmother once when I was 3. She was sent by my great grandfather to live with us, because she was alcoholic and he didn't want to deal with it any more. She stayed about a week then dided shortly after.
My other grandfather was a missionary in Mexico. I saw him twice, once when he was fund raising, I was 3 at the time. When I was 15, my father and I went to see him. He lived in a small town of Guadalupe which was about 150 miles up the coast mountains from Acapulco. He died a couple years after that. I heard he spoke and read 7 languages and wrote over a hundred books (missionary books) in Spanish and English.
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
Both my grandfathers died before I was born as well. On my mother's side her dad, Charles, was a stone mason and brick layer, shown here (top row, far right) on a 1930s Cleveland, Ohio, construction site.
Charles Laws_fix-1 by Edmund, on Flickr
My mother always said I got my skills to build things from him. When he was furloughed he would build houses and sell them for extra income. My mother said they were always moving for that reason.
My dad's father, Frances, was station agent, first for the Boston & Maine then the Boston & Albany in Barre Plains, Massachusetts on the Ware River Branch:
Francis X. T., Agent by Edmund, on Flickr
I have that station sign (and his pocket watch) in my collection of memorabilia.
Both grandmothers lived until 1963 (mother's side) and 1984 (dad's).
I hope everyone is well and in safe harbor from the approching hurricane!
Cheers, Ed
Guys,
I may be absent a few days form here as there are issues I need to tend to. Just keep my and family in thoughts and prayers, I will be peeking in but maybe not posting.
Here is a little Canadian humour:
Montreal police protesting stalled contract negotiations:
Canadian Christmas tree:
Canadian Parcel Delivery:
Lining up at Tim Hortons just like everybody else:
Neighbourhood patrol:
up831I had never heard that Bud was a rice beer. I thought they used barley and hops.
As far as I know, except for Sam Adams Boston Lager & Miller High Life, all the top American beers are brewed with water, hops, barley, rice, and yeast. Sam Adams Boston Lager has no rice (and too much hops).
I am sure there must be others.
From what I understand, most any grain can be brewed into beer, barley just got the good reputation.
There are some excellent wheat beers out there. Corn is used by a few microbreweries in Florida, and I am sure elsewhere.
moelarrycurly4Just keep my and family in thoughts and prayers
You will be in my thoughts. Good luck.
One grandfather died when I was 4 the other when I was 9. I only have one mental image of the former. The later was born in Croatia and would let me ride on the back of the tractor.
Whenever he asked me something, he ended with no? It's a nice day, no? You are having a good time, no? Did that mean he thought I wasn't having a good time? I couldn't figure it out, no one else talked that way in my small world.
He used to go in the woods and find genseng, which he would sell, make his own wines, knew how to graft various species of apples on to one tree. And of course mine coal in western PA. Black lung did him in and I remember he had an atomizer that he used to help him breathe.
It's sad that after the 3rd generation, unless you are someone famous, that people write books about, your existance is all but erased. My grandchildren are afraid of my mother, because she looks older than anyone they have ever seen. She is 91 and she looks it.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
up831I had never heard that Bud was a rice beer.
From Wikipedia:
Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, Budweiser has become one of the largest-selling beers in the United States. The lager is available in over 80 countries, though not under the Budweiser name where Anheuser-Busch does not own the trademark. Budweiser is a filtered beer, available on draft and in bottles and cans, made (unlike the Czech lager) with up to 30% rice in addition to the hops and barley malt used by all lagers.
It looks like Laura is headed right to where young Mr. Steven (NWP SWP) lives. I wonder how he's doing? Hope he gets through this OK.
Good Evening,
Well I'm not much of a beer drinker but I do like Alexander Keiths IPA.
As far as grandfathers go, my paternal grandfather died the about 6 months before I was born but I did have my maternal grandfather for 5 years. I remember him fairly well as he was a very jovial fellow and to me he was very big. He tied my shoes too tight. He was the real CN Charlie as he was with CN police and his name was Charlie.
I took the car in for a tie rod end replacement. The steering is tighter now so I guess it did need it. It cost $500 with a 4 wheel alignment. I can't really complain too much as the car is 10 years old and I've spent very little on it other than routine maintenance. It is the best car I've ever owned.
Got the brass J4e Pacific. It has a really nice paint job that looks far newer than its age. The model was built in a run made in 1975. I was going to try it out on the test track but found that the pin on the tender is too close to the front axle to allow the drawbar to fit over it. I'll have to remove the tender truck to get it on. Might just wait until I take it to my brass technician as it will need a can motor installed plus a decoder.
Glad to hear Lion is ok.
Garry I sent you a PM.
Good night all.
CN Charlie
My paternal grandfather died when I was seven. I liked him a lot and I really missed him when he was gone.
I never met my maternal grandfather but he was still alive long after I was born. What happened was that he picked up syphillis during WWI and by the late 1940s it had taken its toll. He was committed to a veterans' hospital before I was born. Nobody ever spoke about him and I was too young to have any questions. He just wasn't there. I'm not even sure when he died.
Both my grandmothers lived long into old age so I knew them well. My paternal grandmother managed her own farm into her late 80s and had all her marbles when she passed on. My maternal grandmother unfortunately suffered from dementia in her last years. She was still living on her own but managing her became a full time very demanding job for my mom.
up831What if we postpone New England for the October diner? That's when the foliage is in peak season.
I'm fine with that!
up831For September, New Mexico might be nice.
Any other opinions?