Hi Everyone,
Brunhilda, coffee with cream, please.
Kevin: Seems like just a couple of days ago you were in Taos. Now, with this most recent post you're somewhere in Alabama. You must be in a hurry to go home.
Thanks for the travelogue. It was very good and informative.
There is a book that somewhat chronicles the railroad in the area I grew up in during the final days of steam. I'd wanted this book for a very long time, but thought it was no longer available. Well, not so fast. Found out it is available on everyone's favorite internet purchasing service, so I showed the listing to my wife as a suggestion for Father's Day. A package from my SIL arrived yesterday and lo and behold it was the book. Even though I was very young at the time, I'm old enough to remember steam trains and locations in some of the pics. Plus, I worked on some of the trackage fresh out of high school, so this book has some significance to me. A great Father's Day!
Edit: top o' the page. Order your gastronomic pleasure on me!
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
Good evening all. A large coffee please, Janie.
Should have played cricket today, but the rain put a dampner on that.
Ran trains instead.
Bought a book. 'Model Railroading with John Allen'. Should arrive next week.
Cheese Burger with a load or 'trimmings'. Fruit Yoghurt Surprise to follow.
Stay Safe Everyone.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Good Afternoon,
Doesn't anyone have TF's name and location? Send it in a PM to me and I will try to get a phone number and give him a call.
I'm in the last hour of an auction for a U1d, a brass CN Mountain. Wish me luck. I missed the last one by seconds and a very high bid.
Nothing much going on here. I have to go out on errands shortly. I did finish the clean up on the car including a treatment of the leather. It still looks great. With the cold and very dry winter conditions we have here, leather can dry out and crack if you don't condition it.
Think we will wait until Oct to do the fence. Too much of the foliage would get damaged now during construction. Better to wait until it dies off and besides lumber prices have come down a lot so hopefully we can get it done in cedar.
Kevin, great photos. I don't envy a 700 mile drive in a day.
C N Charlie
SeeYou190 Good evening to my fellow diners. Today, we started in rural Arkansas. In Alabama I was lucky to catch this train in motion at a grade crossing.
Good evening to my fellow diners.
Today, we started in rural Arkansas.
In Alabama I was lucky to catch this train in motion at a grade crossing.
Thanks for the pics of modern railroading. Who says there is no variety?
I suspect that many railfans would be very impressed by your pic of the Class II or III railroad and the depressed flat cars. Probably an infrequent opportunity. Good hunting.
- Douglas
Good afternoon from the hot West Coast where it is North of 30c last I looked.
We have signs like these here as well. Once all the vegetation is burned off the slopes can become a torrent of mud that fills the creeks to non-existence and then where do the water and mud have to go? It can be a real hazard and mess. They hydroseed the area as soon as practical with aircraft and then get the tree planters in as well. It is a disgusting place to do tree planting after a fire. It gets stabilized quickly enough.
David, I really like your photos from your cruises out of sight of land. I remember taking a high-speed catamaran from Townsville out into the Pacific and we were quite aways over the horizon from land when we stopped to dive. Being out there at night was incredible. They turned all the lights off on the boat for a good spell so we could watch the stars while we were served our post-dive rum and cokes. A day to remember.
Kevin's photos will be missed, we need a volunteer to go on vacation for next month.
700 miles is about the distance from Vancouver to Calgary which I have done many times. I usually only stop once for gas at Golden plus the drive-through and eat on the road. It takes me exactly ten hours to make the drive. My biggest problem is the CPR mainline that is beside the highway almost the entire time. I always take my time for trains and scenery going one way at least. Plus a couple of nights at Banff is always enjoyable.
I was on the phone with the lawyer for ages this morning, still dealing with this Estate. Legal wranglings in Pennsylvania of all places, I wonder how many other vultures will rear their ugly heads before I am done.
One of our dogs got T-boned by one of our other dogs a couple of weeks ago and was still not moving right so the wife took her to the Chiropracter this morning. She is back to her young self again, her spine was really out of wack but is all straightened out now. She will have a follow-up and then should be fine.
Looking forward to the hockey tonight Tampa vs NYI in game seven, should be a barn burner. The winner faces Montreal starting Monday.
The wife has made some ice-coffee concoction that is to die for in this heat, time for another.
All the best to all.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
CNCharlieDoesn't anyone have TF's name and location? Send it in a PM to me and I will try to get a phone number and give him a call.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Eveing Dinners
Flo, give the gang and I a please abd Dirk a dog treat.
You know you are pampering your dog too much when you buy him breakfast! Yep, I am a idiot dog slave! We where out of eggs for breakfast so I loaded up the family (Wife and Dirk) to go too Red Apple to pick up a too go beakfast. We do let Dirk (he is a dog) have egg white when we eat. I had a Omelette with peppers and Sue got Biscuit and Gravy. So no Egg White for Dirk? So what does this Dog Slave do? I order him two egg's over easy? Got to keep the Master Happy!
Time to walk the Master.
Ken
I hate Rust
Bear, thanks for the reminder. I'II send Kevin a note when he gets home.
Well I missed out again on the auction. I was high bidder with 60 seconds to go but missed when another bid came in at $150 more than mine. He must have set a bid for the last second for the price he was wiĺling to pay. Not much point in entering an auction with the way ebay seems to be set up. Hardly an auction at all.
CN Charlie
Ken, What you did for Dirk seems completely normal to me. When we had the sailboat we would stop at the arches on the way out of town. A block away the 2 dogs in the back seat would start barking. They always shared a hamburger. A drive through ATM drove them nuts as they were expecting food to be dispensed. You are a good Dad.
CNCharlieI was high bidder with 60 seconds to go but missed when another bid came in at $150 more than mine.
Hi, Charlie
There must have been more than one bid for the final price to be $150 higher than yours. Click the bid history and you can see them as they came in.
From $250 to $499 the increment is $5.
From $500 to $1000 the increment is $10.
CN6043 by Edmund, on Flickr
Good Luck, Ed
Ed, I'm aware of the bid history. I did a little research and turns out there are sniping programmes that let you put in a preset bid at the last second before bidding closes so there is no way to beat bidders using them. Not likely I'll bid on brass again.
Good evening again to all my fellow diners.
Today we drove through a very small section of rural Southwest Georgia. I did see this neat train. The consist was two SD-40s and an ex-UNION PACIFIC SD-45 in the center.
I also found this nifty old depot in the town of Leary, Georgia.
Then I got onto Interstate 75 in Tifton, Georgia, and drove home.
I was greeted by a dead hibiscus plant.
On this trip we only stopped at three nobby shops, but I still purchased a pretty good haul of merchandise.
That is all for my trip. Tomorrow I need to return the Kia Optima, and life will be back to normal.
I will try to post a couple more updates with previously unshared trip details.
The World Is A Beautiful Place.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Glad to hear you are home in one piece, Kevin!
SeeYou190I was greeted by a dead hibiscus plant.
You should have assigned the Knight Light to water the ol' Hibiscus every knight.
Rusty water for sure, but still — water
I feel badly for you and your fellow Floridians to have to deal with the tragedy unfolding in Surfside. Beyond comprehension.
Cheers, Ed
Hello Railfans!
Top of the evening to yas! Hope everyone is well. Fair to middlin here.
Not much going on in this neck of the woods to tell about. Even the weather has been quiet. The south 40 is a 'pale'r shade of' brown.
And I dont see much a'do in the train room. The crystal ball (and chain) is fortelling weed eating and bush trimming in my near future. But hey, at least the grass needs not mowing. Not often the mower gets the week off during the busy season.
Id rather cut the grass!
Have a great night everyone!
Clear Ahead!
Douglas
Good morning Diners. Tea & Toast please, Chloe.
Another day of rain here in the UK.
Ken. Good to hear from you.
Charlie. There probably was something wrong with those items you were bidding on. You were not meant to have them. (That is the way I look at it on a personal level.)
Kevin. Loving the pictures, thank you. You are on the last leg of your journey. Take it easy and stay safe.
Brent. Glad you like the pictures. My main photography pictures are of cruise ships. Taking pictures of the sea, sun and sky is just an added bonus.
Evening in the Arabian Sea just before going to Dinner.
Red sky (and sea) at night
Not sure how the day will play out, so I shall see.
Thoughts & Peace to All who Require
JaBearJust don't over do it, Stay safe!
I am always safe. When driving, I take lots of breaks, leave the highways intemittently, and avoid stressful situations.
I am very relieved to be back home.
Heartland Division CB&QKevin .... Thanks for your ineteresting photos as you travel towards your home.
It has been my pleaure to share our trip with the diner this month.
up831Kevin: Seems like just a couple of days ago you were in Taos. Now, with this most recent post you're somewhere in Alabama. You must be in a hurry to go home.
When I make long trips, I try to drive mostly through these states. I have visited these states a lot, and I can go back anytime I want to.
So, when returning from a long trip, these are my long-drive states.
NorthBritBought a book. 'Model Railroading with John Allen'. Should arrive next week.
That is an excellent book, you should enjoy it a lot.
JaBearI’ve been thinking (which explains the burning smell!!) that John aka TF has, at least one of Kevin’s Stratton & Gillette Railroad freight cars, so perhaps when Kevin gets home from his road trip, try contacting him on his public email.
I sent him an email... I will let you know if he responds.
DoughlessThanks for the pics of modern railroading. Who says there is no variety? I suspect that many railfans would be very impressed by your pic of the Class II or III railroad and the depressed flat cars. Probably an infrequent opportunity. Good hunting.
It was pure luck. I was not going to chase that train, but when I saw the depressed center flat car, I had to get in front of it to get a picture.
gmpullmanI feel badly for you and your fellow Floridians to have to deal with the tragedy unfolding in Surfside. Beyond comprehension.
I had not even heard about this. I was listening to the iPod in the car and had no news.
I am reading about what happened now... terrible. This is really a tragedy.
NorthBritKevin. Loving the pictures, thank you. You are on the last leg of your journey. Take it easy and stay safe.
I am glad the pictures have been so well received. It has been a pleasure for me.
We are very relieved to be safely back at home.
Good morning, everyone. Just black coffee this morning, Chloe.
The out-of-town company has gone, so it is back to normal of doing nothing today.
SeeYou190We are very relieved to be safely back at home. -Kevin
Isn't it amazing that we can look forward so much to a trip, and at the end, we can look forward so much to getting back to normal at home? Thanks for taking us with you on the trip!
We had another night of storms, so the grass is too wet to cut. It's a shame that I will have to put it off until later...
Hope everyone has a good day.
York1 John
SeeYou190Doughless Thanks for the pics of modern railroading. Who says there is no variety? I suspect that many railfans would be very impressed by your pic of the Class II or III railroad and the depressed flat cars. Probably an infrequent opportunity. Good hunting. It was pure luck. I was not going to chase that train, but when I saw the depressed center flat car, I had to get in front of it to get a picture.
Kevin, if you can, please send me a message (conversation) through this site.
The GF was pulling out dead plants from the flower bed, and she unearthed a burrow with 4 baby bunnies. She carefully replaced the dead plant. This was a couple of days ago and they still seem OK, so we assume Mama Bunny is returning to feed them. We do have predators in the neighborhood, foxes and raccoons, so they'll need some good luck.
We keep the cats inside all the time. No sense in risking their safety.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Heartland Division CB&QAlso Der John ( Der5997 ) who posts in the Diner is a pastor or a retired one.
"There are always alternatives, Captain" - Spock.
Unintentional duplication. Text removed. Anyway, time for lunch. Western sandwhich on dark rye with black coffe. Thanks Zoe.
What is a Western sandwich?
going to see about mowing today if the rain holds off.
I repaired a Sega game gear hand held game console for a co-worker. it works good now. The thing is almost 30 years old. It was his as a small child.
My 3d printer is wokring great. i finshed printing out a hopper car, I will put it together and show it.
DoughlessKevin, if you can, please send me a message (conversation) through this site.
Done, as requested.
Also, if you click on my avatar, my email address is shown on the right side of the next screen.
Good morning from a hot (for us) West Coast. We normally get a day above 30c once every four years, this hot spell is giving us 4 days above 30c in a row. The wife bought an air conditioner for our room that cools 900sqft so we slept well last night. I am not sure what we will do with it if things return to normal. Just something else to collect dust.
I did not put the pool up this year as it does not get used enough since the kids moved into adulthood. It would have been nice in this heat, that's for sure. For the last two years, I calculated the cost at $104.00 per swim so that was not going to happen again. Plus it is a lot of work putting it up and down and looking after it. When the kids were younger it was the best investment ever, it got used more than I thought it ever would.
Pool in the summer.
Ice rink in the winter.
The ice rink is easy, just throw the hose on there for a couple of hours and shazam!
The wife just got back from the store with four fresh Fred Flintstone-sized bones for the dogs. They have gone to the far reaches and are laying under our giant Sequoias chewing away with tails going like crazy. That'll keep'em busy for hours if not days.
I think I will grab my guitar and go serenade them with some lunchtime tunes, it looks nice and cool back there.
MisterBeasleyThe GF was pulling out dead plants from the flower bed, and she unearthed a burrow with 4 baby bunnies.
When the girls were still at home, we had baby bunnies in the yard a couple of times. I am very glad they never saw a predator get one of them.
SeeYou190 Doughless Kevin, if you can, please send me a message (conversation) through this site. Done, as requested. Also, if you click on my avatar, my email address is shown on the right side of the next screen. -Kevin
Doughless Kevin, if you can, please send me a message (conversation) through this site.
Thanks to the forum software certain actions are not possible for some members. I don't know if it's a browser thing, an OS thing or a platform thing. Clicking your avatar just gives me an error. Clicking my own avatar givers me the same error.
SeeYou190I am very glad they never saw a predator get one of them.
That was a regular occurrence for our kids. Not to mention up at the ranch finding a calf that did not fare well against a predator in the night but was still alive when we would find it in the morning.
My wife would get a lot of off-hours requests to deal with injured animals of all types which usually meant putting them down. My daughter would go along with her to help from a very young age.
BillwizSeems like a lot of clergy are model railroaders (like Rev. Lovejoy on the Simpsons), not sure why.
I like my time alone whether hiking or in the train room.
37.7c is 100f getting close.
This is kinda like when you guys down South watch the temp to see if you hit freezing.
Moelarrycurly, a Western sandwich is also called a Denver in some places. It is fried egg with chopped ham and green onion, usually on toasted bread. They were popular here at one time especially in small town resturants. I've cosumed a few in my time but haven't had ine since I retired,