Good evening Diners. Janie, give everyone a piece of Christmas Cake and some Wensleydale Cheese on top. Follow that with Yule Log and Cornish Blue Cheese. Charge it to my account.
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 morning, diners. Black coffee, please.
Dave, thanks for opening this month's diner. You posted some neat pictures of track side buildings.
David, your ability to be such a good cook must have been learned at your grandmother's side. I learned some cooking from my mother, but not the good stuff like you make.
Brent, pretty neat picture of the explosives shed. It's amazing more people weren't killed when building the tunnels and rock cuts using dynamite in the 1800s.
JR, that Hobbiton Mill and dock looks like something from a Lord of the Rings movie. I can't see my limited skills modeling something like that.
Rick, so sorry to hear about your dog. It's amazing how attached we become to our dogs.
Ed, that Allegheny Ridge tower is a really neat structure! I don't think we have anything like that around here.
TF, I think you can join some others with difficulty posting. I use a laptop and I very seldom have any issues. Not sure what the phone problems are. It sounds like you and your wife had a good Christmas trip!
Charlie, I thought of you this morning as I went to church. It was -10°F here, and I thought I was dying. I had to remember you're 30° colder than us! I don't think I'll be moving up closer to you at any time.
Jimmy, since this month's diner is a tour of trackside structure, have you printed any structures like that? I'd love to see a photo or two!
WilmJunc, watching the NFL games today sounds like a good idea. My Saints are playing the Panthers today -- maybe we can beat them.
SeeYou190It has been terribly hot here the last couple of weeks. We have also had (very unusual) thick fog and high humidity. This is not good at all. We are expected to get a break next week with temperatures only in the mid 70s, but back to the high 80s next weekend.
OK, Kevin, rub it in. Here is what our morning looked like:
I decided to leave some of the backyard sidewalks unshoveled. I made a path to the firewood, and that's about it.
For all of you whom I mentioned and everyone I didn't mention, have a good, safe, warm Sunday!
York1 John
I asked my doctor if I gave up delicious food and all alcohol, would I live longer? He said, "No, but it will seem longer."
Good Afternoon,
The cold warning has been lifted as it is only -8F right now.
NorthBrit David, thanks for the Wensleydale cheese. I buy it sometimes here for a treat.
I can't find the fluted lavatory windows in that kit I have started. If there are enough clear ones I think I will frost them. Privacy is important especially passing a station.
Have a nice day and keep warm.
CN Charlie
CNCharlie NorthBrit David, thanks for the Wensleydale cheese. I buy it sometimes here for a treat. CN Charlie
My pleasure, Charlie. Try it on a slice of Christmas Cake. I introduced it to Dawn over 40 years ago. Then to my children and grandchildren.
York1OK, Kevin, rub it in. Here is what our morning looked like:
OK.... Time for the news!
If all else fails....
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
York1Ed, that Allegheny Ridge tower is a really neat structure! I don't think we have anything like that around here.
The Pennsylvania Railroad had lots of really neat towers. I'd love to model at least the most interesting "top-twenty" but as it is I barely have room for the ones I do have. Here's a few more "neat" ones:
MG or "Middle Grade"
CR, Altoona, Pennsylvania, 1988 by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr
200621_10_mg by lmyers83, on Flickr
There's one in Altoona called "Homer" that sat right over the eastbound passenger tracks.
Then there was "JO" tower near me in Akron, Ohio squeezed in between a warehouse and a highway overpass.
Pennsylvania RR Akron Ohio - JO Tower 29 Aug 1971 001 by John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library, on Flickr
These are just a few that have that "modeler's charm" that just beg to be placed on a layout.
I'm making homemade sourdough bread today and there's a pot of Italian Wedding soup simmering on the woodstove. Plenty of extra helpings.
There might be enough snow on the ground to call it a dusting. I got that eleven-thousand dollar John Deere snowblower sitting in the barn all ready to go!
Cheers, Ed
This is just too true:
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Good Morning All.
A regular to go please Zoe. I hear you Ray and Kevin. On Rays weather map we are just above the totally part so no surprise it is 28F with s**w predicted today.
Spent the day yesterday scraping, sanding and painting my front door. When we moved in,both entry doors were freshly painted purple. The original colour for the trim and doors was baby blue. By the time we moved in, the window trims were forest green which we really like and ordered our replacement windows with the same green trim. So now both entry doors are forest green with the glass surround white. Much better.
John, that is the mill from the Hobbiton movie set. They kept the set as a tourist arrraction in New Zealand and I've visited twice now. It's a nice hour walk around the paths of the set and I have enjoyed it immensely.
New Zealand 279 by J.R. Mitchell, on Flickr
The best part of course is the included in the admission beer at the pub on the way out.
New Zealand 350 by J.R. Mitchell, on Flickr
Got up early and wide awake so I'm in the shop for an early start. Not even a New Years resolution. Ciao, J.R.
Good morning Diners. A large coffee please, Zoe.
John. I do enjoy cooking. Nothing fancy. Just good wholesome food. I taught myself from the time I had to live by myself. As for baking, both my Grandmother and Aunt (who was like a Mother to me) I learned such a lot.
My son is the one for cooking different meats, whereas my daughter is the one to make birthday cakes etc.
My granddaughters' like baking pies and pastries. Whatever we bake there always is a few jam tarts made at the end.
A simple scene at the end of the line. Dalegarth Station turntable on the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway.
Note the safety railing around the turntable.
Though not railway related the Cumbrian Mountains giving a pleasing, quiet serenity. The telegraph poles with two wires heading towards the house ahead.
The locomotive is 'Northern Rock'.
IMG_2223 by David Harrison, on Flickr
Good morning
Cold streak of 15 below zero and wind chill of -30. I'll have to thank my Canadian friends for that Eh! You know who you are
Your troubles in Paradise temperature wise sound utterly delightful to me Kevin. We are waiting for a Tropical Heatwave of +30°, This morning it warmed up to +5. The progress on your backyard is looking great by the way
We did have a great Christmas getaway John. We may have regressed to a couple of teenagers in the Festivities Department I think my birthday spilled into the next day or two and it took two days to recover Not quite our Norm but could have something to do with this lockdown world we've all been in too long. It felt like we finally got out of jail for a few days.
I think we may have been bass ackwards, ...For New Year's Eve and New Year's Day we were on the wagon but we sure had fun enjoying our seafood and steaks
I got some of my phone posting problem taken care of. My daughter informed me I have to log out of my Imgur site periodically just like rebooting your phone.
That seemed to work wonders but my phone screen is still glitchy on this site and my post preparation will disappear or say 403 Forbidden frequently when I try to submit the post... Posting links isn't working to swell either.
I've been craving fresh fish as I have not been ice fishing yet. Do you have any spare Canadian Walleye Charlie? If not, maybe Brent or Dave has a few extra If not, I bet Charlie's friends in Fergus Falls has some
Have a great day gentleman
TF
TF We are having smoked salmon for lunch. Join us if you wish.
Sounds good to me David. I love smoked salmon so I'll find one of those high-speed cigar boats and skip across the pond this morning
All that good cooking you do over there, I'm thankful for the invite.
Track fiddlerThe progress on your backyard is looking great by the way
Thanks. We decided to add so many features that construction will be several more months. I have no choice, I have stacks of material purchased already. No turning back!
Track fiddlerFor New Year's Eve and New Year's Day we were on the wagon but we sure had fun enjoying our seafood and steaks
On New Years Eve I was asleep at about 9:00 PM! I am normally awake until 3:00 AM-5:00 AM, but on the one day it mattered I was out very early.
Snow today. We don't get much snow here, and this 3-6 inch thing is shutting down everything. We did extra shopping for food yesterday so there's no need to even leave the house. They were already announcing school closings last night. Even trash pickup has been delayed a day.
Just a reminder not to believe this forum's name tags. I live in Delaware now, have for years, but I can't change my profile.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Good morning from windyville. It has warmed up a lot and the snow is almost gone and the furnace has gone quiet after days of not turning off.
Our visitor student from Singapore arrived yesterday, he is a good friend of my daughters that was given a great opportunity for some work with a tech firm here as part of his studies, the only problem was finding a place to live on such short notice, so we are helping him out. He is an absolutely delightful highly intelligent young man. He is working in a very specialized field having to do with the medical field which is how he knows my daughter.
Track fiddlerI've been craving fresh fish as I have not been ice fishing yet. Do you have any spare Canadian Walleye Charlie? If not, maybe Brent or Dave has a few extra
We eat a lot of fish and we get it fresh right off the boat. A farmer down the road a km or so owns a couple of fishing boats and when he comes in with a fresh catch most of it goes to the commercial interest but he always brings a few hundred pounds to the farm, hangs a sign out at the end of his very long driveway that says "fish" on it, nothing else. To the locals that means just off the boat that day and we swing in and grab whatever is going, usually a fresh salmon.
Ricky, so sorry for the loss of your friend. It is never easy but the pain we feel is the price we pay for the joy they brought.
Ray, loved the "Dog Rules For Humans" list, it is pretty accurate.
The wind has been howling for two nights and we are all tired as a result so I don't think I'll be doing much today. Ran some trains yesterday which was fun, unpacked my new Jordan Spreader but not the Rapido Dome Car, maybe today for that.
Santa brought me this Garmin Vivoactive4 health monitor for working out. You wear it all the time and it tells you a whole ton of stuff about your health as you go through the day. The thing I like best is it tells me how much younger my biological age is from my calendar age. It knows how to make me happy. It reports that my fitness level is on the low end of excellent. I now have the challenge of getting to the high end of excellent, but with the way, these old bones hurt that could be a tall order.
I think it is time to sit down with the guitar and the third cup of coffee. I feel like having a nap and it is only 0948hrs.
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."
Good morning, diners. It's too late for breakfast, but I'll have bacon, eggs, and coffee for lunch, please.
It's been a busy morning. There are other things scheduled all day, so we won't get to sit until about 8:00 p.m.
Tomorrow, most of the roads will be cleared, so I will head out with a camera to see if I can find any interesting railroad structures to post.
Have a good day, everyone.
Good Morning,
TF, happy to share the cold with you. Since you seem to like it so much I can send more your way for at least a week. As for the walleye, that we call pickerel here, I can get it anytime from a local fish store. There is a cojmercial fishery on Lake Winnipeg that operates in winter. They set nets under the ice. I don't think I can send it to you though. Our friends in TRF don't have access to any walleye. There isn't a commercial fishery on Lake of the Woods anymore. The last licence was held by a family I knew very well when I lived in Rainy River 45 years ago.
I installed the windows in the sleeping car kit. They were all set in place individually and the ones for the vestibule doors had to be trimed to fit. This kit will take a long time for me to assemble as I only like to work on kits a couple of hours a day.
Keep warm,
Ricky, I'm so sorry to hear about Dozer. That's always hard. They are truly family.
Everyone else, I hope you are doing well. No time today, so gotta run.
Mike
BATMANSanta brought me this Garmin Vivoactive4 health monitor for working out. You wear it all the time and it tells you a whole ton of stuff about your health as you go through the day. The thing I like best is it tells me how much younger my biological age is from my calendar age. It knows how to make me happy.Laugh It reports that my fitness level is on the low end of excellent. I now have the challenge of getting to the high end of excellent, but with the way, these old bones hurt that could be a tall order.
Hey Brent! That sounds great! I used to think all these health watches, etc. were very hokey. Have changed my mind big time as I find my Fitbit keeps me on track and I end up working out even when I would rather sit and stare at the Puter, or sit and wonder what I ought to start doing on the layout to finish my MMR (hope to do that this winter, but.....)
Just checked where my levels are and I should easily be able to finish 6,000 miles of running and walking by my 4 year anniverary of getting the Fitbit (April 1st.). Have 5,991 miles logged so far. The college fieldhouse was closed over the Christmas/New Years holiday for a week and a half. Just opened up again this morning. so I got my 5k in with no problems. I think I may be a bit sore tomorrow as I pushed myself a bit..... (grin). Have found that my blood sugar has been up a bit as I have not been running and the Holidays provide way too much sweets that I just can't stop eating..... Grrr..... So back at it, and hope my sugar gets back where it should be!
howmusHey Brent! That sounds great! I used to think all these health watches, etc. were very hokey.
Ray, the ones I have looked at over the years have not impressed but this Garmin has really changed my mind, it appears to be so dead on with what it tells me.
It has;
Heart rate monitor, which tells me resting, average and maximum heart rate on the day, week, month, year. My resting heart rate has been 44BPM since I put the device on. The max I could get to was 136BPM going flat out on the bike for two minutes.
It has a body battery monitor that looks like a gas gauge that tells how much fuel you have in your tank, I think it is dead on with what it says.
It has a stress level indicator that tells how hard you are pushing yourself.
Step measurer.
GPS.
Calorie counter that I can't take full advantage of because my recumbent bike is too old to have blue tooth. However, the bike does have a computer that tells me calories burned and I just add those to the Garmin totals.
The sleep monitor tells me how much time was spent in Rem, deep, light sleep or awake through the night.
It has pulse ox which I really like as it shows no obstructing when I sleep. Don't want my heart blowing up on me like happened to two of our friends.
Respiration rate. The average for people is 12 to 20 breaths per minute with the lower number for fit people, I am at 9 when I sleep and 11 on average, with pulse ox@99%.
I just love this thing, especially watching how the numbers change just by the crap I eat. A couple of rum and Pepsis and I am on the downward slide to doom as alcohol really move all the numbers in the wrong direction. Even with booze, my BP is 110/65ish.
Of course, it also has the wallet, music, forwards all FB messages from the kids and wife. It tells people where I am if I do not return from a hike.
I have been eating too much crap over Christmas but today I start back to my good habits. This guy is always good to remind me what to eat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjYDnqjKVcw&ab_channel=KenDBerryMD
A new addition. Not much like a real Canadian Pacific one but will have to stand in until I can get my hands on the Overland brass one.
Hi TF,
Dianne and I do not eat a lot of fish. We like fish, but it just doesn't seem to get onto the grocery list very often. We have a large Portuguese population so of course there is an excellent fresh fish store right here in town. We should make more use of it.
Cheers!!
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 Diners. It is icy cold, so a full English please, Zoe.
Yesterday afternoon the temperature fell 12 degrees C within five hours. Jack Frost has been having fun overnight.
Out and about locally today.
Leyburn Station on the Wensleydale Railway. It is a Heritage Railway run by volunteers.
Plenty of signage and notices to read. Obviously we can read the direction of where the stations on the line are. Underneath are the times of the next two trains. The first one will be steam hauled, the second a diesel train.
A notice with an appeal for donations of money to build a new footbridge.
A General Notice Board
Not only is there a notice pinned to the post offering sandwiches and cakes in the tea bar, but there is also a blackboard stating homemade sandwiches are on sale .
Another sign is stating other amenities on the platform - waiting rooms and restrooms.
The obligatory Station Clock. Finally, flowers in bloom in their tubs.
All to be seen within a few feet of the exit.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/190575792@N07/51798653916/in/dateposted-public/
Thoughts & Peace to All who Require.
Good morning diners. Flo, a coffee and an english muffin please.
Well, for those that remember, my daughter continues to have issues from her surgery back in July that the doctor has decided she needs to go back under the knife for. Next surgery scheduled for next Thursday. Hope this one works.
NWS issued a winter storm warning for our area that is supposed to hit in the wee hours of tomorrow morning. Was already planning on heading to the grocery store tonight and this will probably make it crazier than normal. Great.
I'll have to dig for some non-station trackside structure photos. I think I have one or two, but not positive. I'm enjoying what we've seen so far. Thanks to those who have shared!
Water Level RouteThe doctor has decided she needs to go back under the knife for. Next surgery scheduled for next Thursday. Hope this one works.
You and your daughter will be in my thoughts and I am pulling for the best possible outcome.
I cannot imagine how stressful this must be for you.
Good morning, everyone. I'll join David for the full English.
Water Level RouteNext surgery scheduled for next Thursday. Hope this one works.
Mike, that's not good news. I also will be keeping your daughter (and you) in my thoughts and prayers.
I have a later morning today -- meeting last night went late. I really don't like meetings.
When I went out for my walk this morning, the entire sky was a brilliant red. Not just the east, but the entire sky. It was a very amazing sight. I know that is supposed to mean bad weather coming, and the forecasters say it should come this evening.
I hope everyone has a good, healthy day today.
Greetings,
Happy Gnu Year
Just checking in. I have not been in , in a while.
Have a massive headache today, but I know why, A weather front is approching.
Good evening
Hi MLC. Good to see you back. I trust that you're well and enjoyed the Holidays. Your trigger is a headache huh? My surgical knee aches to high heaven when the weather changes abruptly.
I hope your surgery goes well Mike. I'll be chatting with the man upstairs at rack time.
Something fishy going on in here, did I create that?
Dave, I think you and the better half should go to that fish store. Something to do and doesn't a big fresh fillet, asparagus and a loaded baked potato sound good
I think you've said that once before Charlie but I don't know if I could get used to calling walleye pickerel. It makes me think of pickled fish
Even though the fish thing is just kind of a funny, I do know why you could not send it to me. Oh I'm sure it would stay frozen in the mail
I do remember we would pick up walleye on the way back from our fishing trips in Canada because our limit wasn't quite enough to tide us over. It was probably the same commercial outfit that got their walleye from Lake of the Woods that you know. I remember we had to pay Duty on it at the border. Later on I think you could purchase some kind of certificate that made it duty-free and it was cheaper. That was a long time ago though.
We used to have our fish fry for the guests on Thursday night every week at the resort. At that later time there was a commercial supplier in International Falls that I do believe got the walleye through that Lake of the Woods outfit. I was kinda sorry to hear that isn't around even though I ain't up there anymore, but times change, I guess.
You give new meaning to Fresh Off The Boat Brent That fresh salmon just keeps sounding better and better since David invited me to lunch. That's cool you have a farmer that puts a sign on the end of his driveway when he gets the fish in. You must all enjoy that frequently I bet.
Well, I was in and out doing a list of a few jobs in the building today. It's getting a little milder out. I think Charlie is easing up sending the cold down here. I prefer cold over the heat any day but not that much in the morning.
Have a good evening gentlemen
Well now. When I was younger we used to fish for pickerel (grass pickerel) in the Wepawaug River. Once in a while we succeded but usually we caught small mouth bass or sunnies (sun fish).
When we went to Brainard Minnesota to race in the 70's we could get wild walleyed pike which was delicious. The fish they called walleye was much bigger than the pickerel so I had to look it up and here you go.
https://northernwilds.com/pickerel-vs-walleye-setting-the-record-straight/
All nicely explained and everything. Y'all have a good evening, J.R.
Hello —
Back in my "Wonder Years" of railroading in the early 1970s I was hanging around with some fellows that were owners of railroad passenger cars as well as being involved with a RR club that had a pretty good roster of cars.
One day I found myself with them on a "road trip" out to Ashtabula, Ohio, where the Luntz scrap yard had just recieved a group of Pennsylvania Railroad passenger cars along with a bunch of the older New York Central electric MU commuter cars.
The Luntz scrap yard was located on the property where the old Lakeshore & Michigan Southern car shop was located. THIS building was still standing when I was there:
New York Central Ashtabula Car Shops by Ashtabula Archive, on Flickr
Oh, what I wouldn't give to go back to those days. I recall there were at least thirty PRR diners, Pullmans and lounge cars all of which were recently taken out of service. Sometime during the day I heard some vehicles approaching and through the tall grass could see three Ashtabula Co. Sheriff cars pulling up the gravel road.
Oh boy! The gig is up now
I hear some conversation and went out to see what's up. George, the guy I rode with tells me, "We're going to help these deputies gather up some Pullman mattresses and blankets and load them into their cars".
Turns out the deputies were there to get some nice Pullman linens for the county jail! George had a letter from Luntz giving us permission to be there and "loot" any goodies we wanted.
Since I was only along to help and didn't have my own vehicle my "take" for the day was a few Pullman blankets, some hardware and a PRR dining car table lamp.
Sad to think that a short while after we left the cars would be torched and cut up for scrap but, alas, this is the norm for these things.
Those NYC MU cars all had headlights, bells, whistles, marker lamps, etc. All gone
Not all operators were grumpy old men
rr4917 by George Hamlin, on Flickr
So it goes... Cheers, Ed
Man! I wanted to make a serious statement. I've been not sleeping well for so many nights in a row I think I've been somewhat delirious lately.
Just re-read my compliments I wrote this morning in WPF and that wasn't even me. I had to edit every thing that I wrote. Hope I start sleeping better.