TF, thanks for your kind words. I know that like most people, I look at my work and see mistakes, while others look at the same thing and don't notice anything.
I guess that is part of what makes us strive to become better rather than just settle for 'good enough'.
When I was younger, an older carpenter tried to explain to me how to measure and cut roof angles using a roofing square. I didn't understand any part of it. And when he started telling me about cutting compound angles, my brain burned out. I guess my problem continues with building roofs for buildings on the layout. The roofs are the hardest part for me.
Take care of yourself! It's not good to do with too little sleep too often.
Edit: Top of the Page!
It's after 8:00 p.m. here, so it's just the right time for a big bowl of ice cream. The treats are on me.
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 morning Diners. A full English breakfast please, Flo. Save me some of that ice cream that John left. I'll have it later. Thanks, John.
TF Thanks for your kind words on my layout. Originally for one reason and another I 'threw' the layout up. It had many mistakes, but I wasn't bothered. I just wanted to run something.
Now I have been given 'extra time' I have rebuilt most of the layout to what I want (and the grandchildren).
Two views at the same Railway Station -- Leeming Bar Station.
Note that although it is the same station there is different styles of fencing. The NER style lamp post lighting. Barrows on the platform.
The locomotive is 'Tornado'. Note also how the middle of the buffers are becoming worn.
IMG_2283 by David Harrison, on Flickr
IMG_2291 by David Harrison, on Flickr
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 guys. Flo, even though it's early it's always time for ice cream. I'll take some of that.
Kevin, John, & John, thanks for the kind words. Fingers crossed and prayers being sent up helps.
Experienced a new one this morning. Schools are being cancelled in my area based on the weather forecast. Ever see the weather guesser get it wrong? Already this morning we have not gotten the snow we were supposed to (only have a dusting at this point as opposed to the inches we "should" have gotten by now) and the forecasted radar now shows it trying to push away from us instead of heading directly toward us like they were thinking originally. I don't know, maybe I'm too old school in this regard. I get they are trying to walk a fine line between getting the required days in and keeping the kids safe, but cancelling school because we might get winter weather in an area where we should be used to it? Crazy to me. Sorry about the rant!
Ed, what a great opportunity to get some neat memorabilia. Envious.
Have a great day everyone!
Mike
Mike. Sorry I missed your post.
Dawn and I send our thoughts and prayers to your daughter, you and your family.
Good Morning All,
I'll have a regular to go please Zoe. 25F and raining this morning so a fun ride in on glare ice. Days like this I appreciate the front drive with proper snows though studs would have been even better.
Mike - good luck to you and your daughter. Hope the second time goes better.
I texted the rest of the crew and told them all to wait before attempting to come to the shop. We front Rt84 and it is dead stop in both directions. The mess Monday south of DC was another expected zoo. I don't think there is any snow removal equipment south of Washington. I believe this weather we have now is the tail end of the edge of that mess.
Back to the shop, lots to do and in a month we will be back on the road to Florida and racing. Best to all of you and hope you're staying out of trouble.
Ciao, J.R.
Thanks guys. I appreciate it.
GMTRacingI don't think there is any snow removal equipment south of Washington.
Good Morning,
Another day with an extreme cold warning. Look out TF because it is coming your way.
As far as the name for the fish called walleye goes, many caught in Lake of the Woods are actually saugers. When I was home for the summer of 1970 recovering from mononucleosis, we fished a lot and much of the catch was sauger. They are very similar to walleye but smaller, no more than 2 lbs., and darker without that yellow hue. They possibly taste even better. I filleted a lot of fish that summer. Our record catch was 30 fish( 6 each limit) in less than an hour. We ate them all at one go.
No plans for today. I'm still working on that sleeping car but my wife is complaing about the glue smell so I can only do a few parts at a time. Same glue I have used for years. It is Faller's that comes with a nice needle applicator bottle.
Mike, hope your daughter gets well soon. My friend in TRF, whom I call Sis, had back surgery early in Nov. and the incision hasn't completely healed yet. There was an infection and she has to get the wound cleaned and bandaged daily at the hospital. She has type2 diabetes which may be a factor.
Coffee time again,
CN Charlie
S
I
O
Good morning, everyone. I'll have bacon, eggs, and coffee. My normal breakfast is starting to drain my bank account with the price of bacon lately. You would think that living in the middle of the corn belt with all the cattle and hog farms, we would get the stuff a little cheaper.
Water Level RouteSchools are being cancelled in my area based on the weather forecast. Ever see the weather guesser get it wrong?
Mike, I know what you mean. One issue we had here was that we have a lot of gravel roads out in the county that the school buses travel. For many years, we didn't ever call off school. But, just like everything in today's world, the fear of lawyers and lawsuits changed that. We left it up to the bus driver director. He would hit the county roads at 3:30 a.m. to see the conditions. If he thought there was even a remote possibility that a bus may have trouble, we called school off. Again, a fear of lawsuits. As a principal, I dealt with more issues on school buses than on anything else.
GMTRacingThe mess Monday south of DC was another expected zoo. I don't think there is any snow removal equipment south of Washington. I believe this weather we have now is the tail end of the edge of that mess.
JR, when I lived in New Orleans, there was a winter that we had some rain and then it froze. The news stations kept warning people that the ground was warmer and the roads wouldn't ice, but the bridge surfaces would have ice. They warned and warned people that if they were driving over ice, they should not panic and step on the brake -- just let up on the gas and slow down. However, you wouldn't believe how many cars were in the ditches and medians of I-10 right past the bridges. It's like they decided to try out their brakes just to see what would happen.
I'm off to do some errands. I'll try to check back later. Have a good Wednesday, everyone.
I don't think we have much snow removal equipment here in Delaware, either. It took them over a day to plow us out, although with the 4 inches of snow we got I could have easily driven through it. Somehow, the trash collection company cancelled two days of pickup over this.
Virginia fared far worse. People were stuck on I-95, which is 8 lanes wide there, for over 19 hours. An Amtrak train is just getting started now after two days stranded in the middle of nowhere, no food and the toilets overflowing.
I still remember a storm back in Massachusetts where the Governor was doing a press conference from his flashy "command bunker. ". In the same conference, he urged everyone, mostly people trying to get home from work at that time, not to drive but instead take public transportation. Then he announced that the MBTA, Boston's fabled subways and buses, would be shutting down almost immediately.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Good morning everyone.
I woke up to a lot of noise outside. I went and investigated.
It turns out they are tearing down two houses on the next street over. These were houses similar to mine. About 1,200 SQFT of living space and built in the 1980s on oversized (for Cape Coral) lots.
There was a house that burned down on that street last year. These two houses are directly South of that one. That street was recently rezoned for multi-use, so I have a suspicion that four duplexes or two apartments are going to go up in those lots. Time will tell.
Rents in this part of Cape Coral are insanely high. Not because it is a nice neighborhood, but it is desireable because it is so close to Fort Myers. If you live here it cuts 30-45 minutes off of your commute time to work. I imagine investors are exploiting opportunity.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Good evening Diners.
I did make some more Sausage & Cranberry Rolls. Members of the family 'called in'. No rolls left. Sorry.
I am cooking Beef Stoganoff with Wild Rice and Stir Fry Vegetables. I'll leave some in the Diner for anyone.
If you modeled Santa Apolonia Railway Station, Lisbon you could have Queen Mary 2 and Mein Schiff 3 on the backscene.
SAM_0942 by David Harrison, on Flickr
Hi Everyone,
Brunhilda, coffee with cream, please.
Dropping in to say hello and wish all the best for this coming year.
How Walleyes ever got to be called Pikes I'll never know. Pickerel, Northerns, and Muskelunge are in the same family. Walleyes are of the Perch family. They don't even look like Pikes. Maybe they are adopted.
When I was an Explorer Scout, our post went on a canoe trip into Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario. One of the guys caught a Walleye and a Northern in a small lake up there. That night we all had them for dinner. As I remember they were both pretty tasty, but then that was over 50years ago, so the memory may have faded.
Someone mentioned on another thread that they were glad men no longer wear coat and tie to everything including ball games. Perhaps back in the day they were a little overboard with it, but I find that when someone dresses a little better, they are showing respect. Back in the day, one would go black tie at a minimum to a symphony or opera. I myself wouldn't dream of going to a symphony without a decent shirt and sport coat out of respect for the music. A lot of people don't think that way. Maybe that's something we've all lost. I dunno. Ok I'll get off the soapbox now.
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
Did ya' ever notice when you're standing by the curb in the rain you can never find a cab...
USER8033 (2) by Todd Dillon, on Flickr
Then when you don't need one they seem to be everywhere
We bought a side of beef last week. Tonight I'm making a beef brisket. I was going to smoke it but the weather turned against that idea so it's in the oven at 275° — got about an hour to go. Potato pancakes on the side and Brussel sprouts, carrots and onions cooked in the braising sauce.
Get your orders in soon!
Cheers, Ed
Had something interesting happen at work.
One of the forum members came in to see me. He never let on that he lives in SW Florida, so it was kind of a surprise. He waited in line at the service counter, then introduced himself to me. His first words were "Do you model the Stratton and Gillette?" That was a surprise to hear.
Now I can add one more person to the forum members I have met in the real world... the list keeps growing.
Looks like this guy took a trip to the floor of the layout room!
I see lots of super glue in NS's future.
211231_8_trafford by lmyers83, on Flickr
One for the bridge guy —
Soaring above the Snake by Mike Danneman, on Flickr
Stay warm! Ed
Good morning
I'll put in my order for that beef brisket meal Ed. I'll put my Scottish Tam on for that one even though it sounds a bit more Irish. Later I'll have some of David's beef stroganoff and wild rice he left in the Diner. Thanks
Judy gets the hand-harvested wild rice from her family in Wisconsin. That long grain rice has a blue tone to it with some orange and I can't eat the store-bought stuff anymore.
One of my daughters packages got stolen off the doorstep for Christmas. I just found out recently because she hasn't called me for a while thinking I didn't get her anything but I got something for her sister for Christmas. Daughters are sensitive little things you know
Try checking what the Postal Services insurance is all about, and then decide if you want to jump through all the thier Hoops and Ladders My advice is don't waste your money buying it.
My other daughter came down with the covid. She's going to be all right cuz she had the shot. Still in my thoughts your surgery goes well and your daughter gets better Mike.
It was always nice to find where the Saugers were biting on Lake Kabetogama. They were a better eating fish Charlie, a sweeter tasting meat of the perch family.
That was me when Dick (my dad) and I finished the resort sign. My brother did the loon and I made the walleye. My dad said it looked more like a sauger because it was more brown than gold. I hope Sis in Thief River Falls recovers soon from her back surgery and infection.
Oh I almost forgot. Thanks for sending the Tundra down my way again. ITS HERE!
More coffee's done, Make it a great day Rail fans
P.S. Thanks for the silver bridge Brisket Master Fades back into almost a vanishing point. I like that one
TF
Good morning Diners. A late breakfast, so toast and tea please, Zoe.
A busy morning running around for family. Hopefully start to repair the bridge on the layout, this afternoon.
Tunnel Portal.-- Villefranche-sur-Mer, France.
One of my favourite tunnel portals.
SAM_1101 by David Harrison, on Flickr
Stay Safe Everyone.
Good morning everyone. Flo, a ham & cheese omelette and some wheat toast please.
Well, schools are cancelled again today, but at least we got enough snow yesterday afternoon and overnight to justify today's cancellation. I feel better about this one. I'm loving finally having snow on the ground. I'm one of the weird ones who loves it. I don't even get out in it much anymore, but I still love to see it and don't mind driving in it, cleaning it from the driveway, etc.
Kevin, that had to be startling and yet pretty neat too. Not something most people probably even could experience. At my work, you aren't getting in unless you have a reason to be here. John Q Public isn't getting past security.
Good morning, everyone. Lots of black coffee this morning, please.
I finally admitted it was too cold to walk the creek and walked at the college field house instead. They have a nice 200 meter elevated track that looks down on the indoor field. If the college soccer or softball teams are practicing, it's not so bad because you can watch them while you walk. But if they're not there, I don't like the field house. It's circle and circle and circle. At least on the trail I can look for birds.
Kevin, it's neat to hear you met a forum member. I don't think I've ever met any member personally. That might be for the best -- they might think I'm stupid after reading the forum, but if they met me in person, they would know it for sure.
I think today might be the day! I finally decided that I am going to start the layout over. That means tearing out most of what I've done over the past four years. I will save the scratch-built structures, and as much track as I can. It's nerve-wracking for me, but I know I will enjoy working on a new layout.
I admire those of you who have done this several times.
I hope everyone has a good, healthy day.
gmpullmanTonight I'm making a beef brisket. I was going to smoke it but the weather turned against that idea so it's in the oven at 275° — got about an hour to go.
Your post inspired me Ed! It is just too darned hot to deal with the smoker outside.
So... I bought a big Port Butt and put it in the oven at 225 last night. It has been in there about 10 hours, only 5 more to go!
Two degrees and two inches of snow on the ground. Second snow since New Year's; we actually had to shovel about 100' of driveway on Sunday night so I could go to work on Monday. Glad we bought snow shovels before Christmas.
The dog hates the cold, but he loves to eat snow.
Work on the house progresses slowly. Great room (combo dining room/formal living room) has new texture/paint on ceiling. We tore out dated built-in cabinets and the facade of a gas fireplace; new cabinetry for the fireplace is built. My wife has to decide on stone for the new facade. She is also tearing out carpet and linoleum on the main floor as floor installer comes Monday to install vinyl / wood floors. The carpet isn't hard to remove, it is the underlay and the tile that are glued to the subfoor that is a problem.
Nothing new on the train front. My train room is a disaster, as it served as a Christmas present wrapping station and storage room for castoffs from upstairs. Of course, there are tubs and tubs and tubs of trains; along with a couple of work tables, a love seat, and a TV.
Water Level RouteKevin, that had to be startling and yet pretty neat too. Not something most people probably even could experience. At my work, you aren't getting in unless you have a reason to be here. John Q Public isn't getting past security.
At my current role, I am the first person you see when you walk through the main entrance.
York1Kevin, it's neat to hear you met a forum member. I don't think I've ever met any member personally.
I have met over a dozen of us now in person. It is really great to put faces to the names.
Frosty lay there like a slug!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zwd0HDuSCkU&ab_channel=BATTRAIN1
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Makes you wonder what he hit. Donut Ed? Whatever he hit somehow I don't think it was his fault but you would think he has Insurance anyway
Frosty sprung a leak Brent?
I've had my Frosty coffee cup I take out for the Holidays for at least 25 years. See the upside down Y crack in the back? They're starting to appear on the outside of the cup now. I'm going to be sad when the side of the cup falls off
An inflatable snowman??? Isn’t that a waste of perfectly good snow!!! Cheers, the Bear. 60°F@ 0851
You don't expect me to go make a real one when all I have to do is push a button on my phone to blow up Frosty do you? I also have a 16' long inflatable train and an inflatable Golden Retriever! No poop to clean up with the dog. I am thinking of marketing an inflatable layout for those that have to move a lot.
-4c here.
Track fiddlerFrosty sprung a leak Brent?
Nope, we had a good blow last night so I hit the snooze button on the front yard inflatables. Had a foot of snow last night.
BATMAN
Better you than me. On the snow part. Haven't had any for a while, just the windy cold.
126' of driveway shoveled. According to my new Garmin Vivoactive4 my heart rate was 138max and I burned 604 calories while shoveling. That got me to 177 minutes of intense exercise already this week and I still have two days left! BP this morning was 103/62HR44. Time for the guitar for a couple of hours and then it is train time. It was deathly quiet out there today, so nice.
Took the new AWD Toyota Hybrid out and really put it through its paces in the snow, not bad.
An old childhood friend that I grew up with still lives in the old neighbourhood and went out with the skates and stick. This is one of two ponds we lived on as kids playing hockey, but back then in the 1960s and 70s, it was pretty remote with a long walk through the forest to get there and those walkways were not there and there would not be many people there at all. There were always snow shovels piled up on the side of the lake and we would spend the first hour clearing the snow off.
I am tempted to go back for a skate but I think I would be disappointed by the throngs of people there now, sometimes you can just never go back.
On the weekends the Dads would show up and have that entire lake cleared off. Best times ever.