Forgot to save my reply before going off to look for a photo! So, I'll get back to that later. For now, happy to report at long last success in getting a Digitrax DN163A4 to talk nicely to me. Should soon be able to restore CBNS 1563 a GP-15 to service.
"There are always alternatives, Captain" - Spock.
THANK YOU to all the Diner patrons who have made the May Tribute to Randy tour of the Reading Company and associated railroads of the Anthracite region a bittersweet, yet enjoyable gathering of his friends.
Regards, Ed
I'm grateful to all of you who have contributed to this month's diner, our tribute to our friend Randy. It's kind of fitting that it ends on Memorial Day.
May we meet again in the roundhouse in the sky.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
ATLANTIC CENTRALI'm still fascinated by this idea of renting a car to go on a trip?
I would rather put 10,000 miles on someone else's car, and if it breaks down, they just bring me another one.
ATLANTIC CENTRALNot sure I could do it. Not sure I could spend that much time in something as small as a new Malibu?
The Malibu is very comfortable for me. There are about a dozen cars I find very comfortable.
ATLANTIC CENTRALI remember you once said something about using travel points to rent cars?
All my car rental credits are long gone. I burned up the last of them in June, 2020.
ATLANTIC CENTRALWe never fly anywhere (my wife won't get on a plane)
I won't get on a plane again unless I absolutely have to.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190 Heartland Division CB&Q Kevin ..... I'm glad you have a fuel efficient vehicle. Even so, the amount of miles will affect you bank acoount considering gasoline prices are very high now. It looks like gasoline will be 850-1,000 dollars for the trip. That is quite a chunk. I am also glad for the smaller car this time. -Kevin
Heartland Division CB&Q Kevin ..... I'm glad you have a fuel efficient vehicle. Even so, the amount of miles will affect you bank acoount considering gasoline prices are very high now.
It looks like gasoline will be 850-1,000 dollars for the trip.
That is quite a chunk. I am also glad for the smaller car this time.
I'm still fascinated by this idea of renting a car to go on a trip?
Not sure I could do it. Not sure I could spend that much time in something as small as a new Malibu?
I'm really spoiled with the 5 second 0-60 time of turbocharged FLEX.....
But is does only get about 23 mph on the highway......
I remember you once said something about using travel points to rent cars?
We never fly anywhere (my wife won't get ona plane), we don't have credit cards with travel points.
Guess it is just a different lifestyle?
Sheldon
Heartland Division CB&QKevin ..... I'm glad you have a fuel efficient vehicle. Even so, the amount of miles will affect you bank acoount considering gasoline prices are very high now.
Dave .... We use grapeseed oil in our popcorn machine. Popcorn tastes better without burned oil.
Kevin ..... I'm glad you have a fuel efficient vehicle. Even so, the amount of miles will affect you bank acoount considering gasoline prices are very high now.
Ed .... Thanks for agreeing to open the June diner.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
SeeYou190Ed: Do you mind opening the June diner, and I will take over from there?
OK, Kevin. No Worries
Cheers, Ed
York1Dave, you mentioned Grape Oil. I don't think I've ever used that (or tasted something cooked with it). I may have to try it.
Hi John,
It's actually Grapeseed oil. It barely smokes and doesn't burn even at very high temperatures. It has very little flavour.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Ed:
Do you mind opening the June diner, and I will take over from there?
CNCharlieKevin that is a great idea! By the way, what kind of car did you rent?
I have a gray 2021 Chevrolet Malibu. When I went to get the car, Enterprise/National had 60 cars on the lot, 45 of them were Malibus. I went through each of them looking at the oil change monitor. I found one with 80% oil life remaining, and took that one.
It has a turbocharged 1.5 liter engine (less than 100 cubic inches), and this thing can merge into traffic with no problem, and got 37 MPG on its first tank of gas.
It has a bare bones interior and few if any options, but it is good enough. I think I am going to put about 10,000 miles on it. Still a bargain at the extreme price I paid to rent it.
Track fiddlerWe are in Rapid City South Dakota now and arrived at about 2:30 which was their 1:30 because of the time zone. ... I guess we're both just resting up to see Mount Rushmore tomorrow
I love the Black Hills. I wish I was there with you. Enjoy the vacation!
York1 John
Evening again
It would have been nice to watch Vancover tonight if that was at all possible but it wasn't.
I know that many of you do not know their Ice Age History here.
Shortly after the Crow Magna Man survived the first ice age, Neanderthal Man evolved and the two did not get along very good. They fiercely started fighting on the ice with sticks and one grabbed a puck flipping it in the opponents face as a defensive edge.
Hockey became a sport shortly after that and is now the great game that it is.
For those that don't know, it was developed in Canada in those prehistoric times. That's why it's such a rough sport and they still let them fight on the ice to this day.
Football is a rough sport too but became a sport way after hockey. Both the Romans and the Greeks of Pompeii let Lions out onto a round Coliseum field to eat the prisoners and football was developed shortly after that.
It is no mystery in modern-day history that everyone that knows sports, knows hockey came first and is the meanest of the sports
Just think and chew on that the next time you play a peaceful game of golf
Track Fiddler
Evening
We left Mandan North Dakota at 8:30 this morning after saying goodbye.
I did it again
I thought traveling the back country roads would be much more better scenery. And it was!
Normal people would never take a 260,000 mile mechanically weathered truck through the back skirts of cattle country. My mechanic Damian just serviced my truck and said it's all good. And I never said that myself or Judy was normal
350 miles of cattle country. The scenery was beautiful. I wish you could have seen some of it with me
We are in Rapid City South Dakota now and arrived at about 2:30 which was their 1:30 because of the time zone.
I just tuned in Toronto and Montreal and comfortably watching the hockey game in my hotel room eh!
Judy's on Facebook talking to friends doing all that and a bag of chips. I guess we're both just resting up to see Mount Rushmore tomorrow
P.S. I'm all for Kevin taking the reins of the diner and running with it. I thoroughly enjoyed the other road trip. I think another one would be a good idea!
Have a good evening my friends
TF
Hello Railfans!
Top of the morning to yas! - While it still is anyways. A large, retina singeing day it appears to be. Just ripe for grass cutting. Temp aint too bad, i could tolerate another 10 degrees for a nice round 80F.
Hard to believe... here it is almost middle of the year (summer time) and my furnace is STILL running. Growing up in the flatlands sure gives this mountain living a pause for thought. Tis very mild, and the humidity (which we all love) isnt that much. Sure beats the scorched earth summers of Va. This place is 90 years old, i can see why in all that time no A/C was ever installed.
If i get industrious enough, theres a good chance i might be found rolling around underneath my truck. Been sometime since i checked the lube in the gearbox. Tis a good day for it. Im pretty sure the trans is still there, just need to make sure the lube is too.
About a week or so ago i yanked out the old distribu-tater (yep, she has one of those. Remember them?) and replaced the oil ring. Much like my backside - it was stiff, worn out, and irritable. Shes all good now, my truck that is.
Looks like i have a few bushes out back that have gone woolly on me. Spose i could add bushwackin to the list of "things that keep me away from MRing". The dishes are done and so's the laundry.... i aint been a total Van Winkle.
Getting to the all important part - MRing. Been slogging out that tender project. Along with fighting that dang commy printer. You know i couldnt leave well enough alone so i had to take it a bit furtha. Enhance my pisstivity level since things were going too well.
For all the printing ive done, i havent made a one piece shell, until now. Figuring an MDC tender shell wouldnt be too burdonsome. Im still trying to master the art of 'printing to thin air'. Ill try it i thought. Turned out well - but WOAH! Those things are like a 6 hour print! S-I-X hours - whoooo-weee!
So just for giggles, I loaded up a 55' Pullman Diner i been working on into the software. Without printing the interior (just the shell walls) it was gonna be a 10.5 hour print. Im not even gonna venture to speculate about what an 80' car would do to my day. Though, its for the hobby.... there are other worse ways to blow 10 hours. It would take me way longer to cut all those windows and the rest by hand. Spose its a good thing my print bed can only print up to 50', huh?
I was thinking the trip to Wales was a great idea. Never been there ofcourse, and we know Dave would do it justice. (Plus wed get a whole months worth of town names I will never be able to pronounce or understand. ).
Then again, the virutal tag along idea with Kevin isnt bad either. And Im sure considering the last year..... wed rather be in Kevins shoes getting out n about.
Either way, im still here and looking forward to it. Have a great day everyone!
Clear Ahead!
Douglas
Good morning ! CN Charlie ... Uh what ?! Bear making bad jokes ???? ! Imagine that . LOL
John York 1 ... Thanks for comments about my coal and coke in my thread .
Kevin ... Thanks for willing to host June with pictures of your travels.
Good Morning,
Kevin that is a great idea! By the way, what kind of car did you rent? I want to vizualize you driving along so I can imagine I'm riding along. I will be quiet in the back seat unless Bear starts up, poking and making bad jokes.
CN Charlie
gmpullman SeeYou190 So, what do you think? Is this idea worth risking the June diner? I'm all for it! We can entertain ourselves while you're "on the road" in between stops! Doesn't alway's have to be trains, ya' know. We like to hear of your restaurant encounters, too! Bon Voyage! Fun idea! Cheers, Ed
SeeYou190 So, what do you think? Is this idea worth risking the June diner?
I'm all for it! We can entertain ourselves while you're "on the road" in between stops!
Doesn't alway's have to be trains, ya' know. We like to hear of your restaurant encounters, too!
Bon Voyage!
Fun idea! Cheers, Ed
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Good morning, diners. Bacon, eggs, and coffee, Brunhilda.
Happy Memorial Day for the U.S. citizens in the diner today. I grew up when it was still called Decoration Day. There are quite a few parades and events in my part of the country.
SeeYou190I have an idea for the June diner. I am willing to host as travels go across the USA. I can post daily pictures of trains seen along the way.
This sounds good to me. We can have a travelogue of your trip. If this is OK with everyone, we can have David save Wales for July.
DerJohn, that layout looks neat. You've done a lot of work.
Ed, at first, I thought that photo was a barbell on a model car.
David, glad you got to see your grandchildren.
Garry, your work on the coal and coke handling is really neat. I didn't realize that the two were actually different colors. I know close to nothing about coal, coke, and the steel industry.
Charlie, I'm glad you're close to getting fully immunized. Maybe things will be calmer after that.
Brent, you're waiting for your hockey team to win it all reminds me of my life in New Orleans waiting year after year for the Saints to win. It happened, but only after I moved away from there.
TF, I thought the same thing. At first glance, I thought that sandwich shop was a model train store.
Dave, you mentioned Grape Oil. I don't think I've ever used that (or tasted something cooked with it). I may have to try it.
Bear, Douglas, Lion, Ken, and any others I've missed, I hope everything is going well for you.
My own trip keeps getting delayed. It looks like it now is two weeks away. I was anxious to hit the highway, but family obligations changed things. If this gets delayed any longer, we're going to end up with two major trips running back-to-back.
Our area is basically completely back to normal. The restaurants are all open, events are being held, church is full, and the only place that still requires masks is the doctors' office. Freedom feels wonderful.
Like many places, our biggest issue now is employment. We have a huge labor shortage that is hurting business. Our unemployment rate is near zero, and the restaurants, hotels, and businesses are unable to hire enough people.
I believe the diner has customers from several countries -- Canada, the UK, New Zealand, and the U.S. Are there any others? Anyway, whatever country you're from, we all can be thankful for the sacrifices made by the soldiers and sailors before us that secured the freedoms we enjoy.
Have a good day.
SeeYou190So, what do you think? Is this idea worth risking the June diner?
[Top-of-the-Page! Everyone's breakfast is on me ]
Lyme_Regis by Edmund, on Flickr
I have an idea for the June diner.
I am willing to host as travels go across the USA. I can post daily pictures of trains seen along the way.
Their is risk involved... I might not see anything worth sharing every day, I am not much of a railfan, and there might be days I just do not have time.
So, what do you think? Is this idea worth risking the June diner?
Good morning everyone.
Memorial Day in Connecticut:
Southington, Conn. The Memorial Day parade, 1942 by Edmund, on Flickr
Don't forget to raise your flag at noon!
Summer is here when the girls start wearing their white skirts on the sidewalks of Lincoln, Nebraska!
Sidewalk in Lincoln by Edmund, on Flickr
We are all the way up to 40° F right now but at least there is a hint of sun on the eastern horizon.
THIS is interesting — enjoy:
I wonder what the tabulated cost would be for all the machine and welding work on that whistle would total? There needs to be more sound of the final repair included in the video...
Good morning Diners. My usual tea and toast please, Janie.
I hope those on journies are having a good trip.
We saw two of our grandchildren (yesterday) 'properly' the first time in 14 months. Other times have been 'passing the door' or in photographs. It was emotional to say the least.
A day at home for us, so I shall manage to run a few trains.
Those missing from the Diner for whatever reason, a speedy recovery.
Thoughts & Peace to All who Require.
David
SeeYou190I am in Central Florida now, this is the first night of the journey. We are just barely underway.
Have fun!
Ed ... i like your photos of the coal minining and the " salt shaker ".
Der John ... Your layout progress photos are amazing I'm looking forward to seeing more.
Kevin... Good we will get updates from you.
CN Charlie.... I also miss Ken's visits to the Diner.
Heartland Division CB&QKevin ... I hope you can keep us updated of your travles. Be safe and enjoy!
Update #1:
I am in Central Florida now, this is the first night of the journey. We are just barely underway.
There are good plans to keep everyone updated next month. We bought a new computer to help with updates from the road. My wife is setting it up right now.
We will see how this goes!
The caption says this is a nuclear cask car but I know better:
210423_2_altoona by lmyers83, on Flickr
See those little holes on the right end? This is the salt shaker. The pepper only has about six holes.
Coal mining, Anthracite Region of Pa. Loaded cars being placed on cage to be raised to surface by Boston Public Library, on Flickr
Coal mining in Anthracite Region of Pa. by Boston Public Library, on Flickr
Memorial Day ceremony at the American Cemetery at Suresnes, May 30, 1920
Cérémonie du "Memorial Day" au Cimetière Américain de Suresnes, le 30 Mai 1920 (LOC) by The Library of Congress, on Flickr
I hope everyone is having a fine day today!
Good Evening,
John, nice progress on your layout. How are things in Pictou? Does the ferry still operate from there to PEI?
We stopped the planting to do a little birding and were rewarded with an indigo bunting at a bird bath only 15' from our lawn chairs. We bird in our back yard from our lawn chairs and the bunting is number 95 for our yard.
I follow the listings of old cars(49-59) and there is a nice '56 Tbird for sale in Toronto for a very reasonable 22 grand. I have wanted a 2 seat Bird since I was 16 but I guess the window of opportunity has passed by. That sailboat bug got in the way for 35 years.
We picked up a really interesting chocolate bar recently. It is a Cadbury milk chocolate with dynamite. It has popping candy in it so that if it melts in your mouth you get popping action. Appeals to my jeuvinile side. I have always liked Cadbury bars since I was 5.
I guess Kevin hits the road tomorrow. Have a safe, great time.
So, it's been a while since I was here on anything like a regular basis. Some progress has to report. For instance, this has become this and this become this I'm Freelancing the CBNS kinda-sorta in Cape Breton Nova Scotia in N Scale. Had to design the decals and have them printed off at the local newspaper. After years of no protection, the road up from a station now has signal protection at the grade crossing; but the road markings are a work in progress. The decal film I'm using keeps breaking before I can apply it. I scratch built the signals (which don't bear too close an inspection - there's touch up work pending...) Too lazy to get a train in the shot as the nearest one is on the far side of the layout and I can't see from the camera position if the turnouts are aligned to move it in frame! More to follow., but I have to load a bunch of photos onto Imgur before I can show them. Stay Safe...ttps://imgur.com/aOwp5ZH