Jeffreys Track Side Diner for February, 2022

[hon30critter]

Here are a couple of compelation videos showing the snow flying high! Click on the 'Watch on YouTube icon to see the full screen.

This one is a bit unusual in that it shows a plough with the flanger blades in action at about the 2:30 mark:

 

Dave

[gmpullman]

Thanks for setting up the Diner for February, Dave. 

Short month — short plow!

CN_Plough_55401 by Edmund, on Flickr

Cheers, Ed

["JaBear"]

“Well, it's finally done!  After nearly 5 years, I've finished pulling all my photos off from Photobucket (remember the 2017 photo ransom?), transferred to Imgur and edited as many of my old posts as I could find with new links.”  

 

Well done, Darth. While I may not comment on your actual posts, I do enjoy looking at your achievements.

Cheers, the Bear.

[SeeYou190]

Thanks for moving the Diner Dave.

Snow plows sound interesting, but I have never had the need for one.

I finished the new A/C return work tonight. Now I need to start on the main outlet. I hope the weather stays cool.

-Kevin

[NorthBrit]

Good morning Diners.   A busy day ahead,  so a full English please, Janie.

Thanks for moving the Diner, Dave.

Snowploughs.    

Here is one seen at 'Locomotion'  Museum,  Shildon,  County Durham.

 

IMG_2344 by David Harrison, on Flickr

 

IMG_2345 by David Harrison, on Flickr

 

Hopefully I get to the train room later  and post some pictures.

 

Stay Safe Everyone.

 

David

[Water Level Route]

Good morning everyone.  Chloe, waffles, eggs-sunny side up, sausage, and whole wheat toast please.  And apple juice.

February already?!  Dang!  That means Valentine's Day is upcoming.  Usually my wife and I will buy each other something very small, like a small box of candy as I'm blessed with a wife that realizes it is very much a hallmark holiday.  However, I might surprise her this year with some overpriced flowers.  I'll have to see how much they would set me back.

Snow plows (ploughs) eh?  In a little challenge to David (HOn30 Critter) who happens to be building a scale one......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NT6gEiqpWA

(After a great many attempts to get the video embeded like Dave did, I must wave the white flag and leave just the link.  Sigh)

Cheers!

[BroadwayLion]

 

 

OK, so your favorite LION has been AWOL long enough. Haven't been up to the train room in many weeks. I keep promising that I will drag myself up there but once I get there I am overwhelmed and do not know what I want to do. It is always one little nasty thing that defeets me.

Back in November (or maybe it was October or even September) I fell on the stairway while going down to Vespers and ever since then the Prior has required me to use a walker. And the elevator was out for two months which is why I was on the stairway anyway.

Elevator is fixed, and I fixed myself up with a computer in my cell (room for youse guys) so I do not knead to go down to the computer office. This works out well.

They got me a gnu lift chair which is comfortable. My sleeping is not watt it used to be. I go to bed at the right time, but then awake at 11:56, 1:42; 2:16; and then again at 0323 at witch time I get up and read the New Yoork Post on lion, and so here I sit.

And now it is 0516, sew I will head on off to the rain locker and start they day.

Youse guys in the norf-yeast seem to have gotten some snow or something. We have no snow and temps was in the 40s yesterday. The east end of the state got colbbered as usual, but we are in the banana belt of North Dakota, and so all we got was another six inche of drought.

 

Snow ewe say:

In Tashkent a woman tossed here three year old daughter into a bear pit at her local zoo. The bear came by, sniffed the kid and then went off to visit with the zookeepers while others went into the enclosure to retreive the kid. The kid is ok in the hospital and the mother is ok in the jail. Anyway, that is why we have bareclaws this morning.

[Track fiddler]

Good morning

Really good hear from you Lion.  I'm sorry about your nasty fall on the stairs.  I'm glad you're for the most part alright considering a rather unfortunate accident like that.

Relieved to hear the kid thrown in the Bear Pit was OK.  So much for a loving mother.  Quite disturbing what's wrong with some people these days. 

I used to bring my kids to the zoo many years ago.  I must admit I thought of throwing my dry PB&J sandwich into the Bear Pit once but the thought of my offspring never crossed my mind.  Besides that, the sign said Don't Feed the Bears

Hopefully your disruptive sleep pattern improves.  Those is some interesting night times to wake.  I had an awakening at 3:16 one time

People and their cell phones never cease to amaze me but that one was ridiculous.  Snap the shot and Retreat,  Not snap the shot and Repeat

You take it easy and I hope you fully recover from your fall soon.  Stop by more often if you would as you are missed around here.  And Thanks for the Bear Paws for breakfast

 

Thanks for moving the Diner as your frequent hosting is appreciated Dave.

I got a plough picture.

Northern Pacific taken at the Duluth Depot Museum around 1995.

Liked the Green on that Bridge Ed

 

Been a bit worried about the well-being of voracious carnivores lately.  Glad One stopped by

 

Enjoy your day gentlemen

 

 

TF

[CNCharlie]

Good Morning,

The Clipper arrived last night. I had to shovel 6 inches of snow to get the feeders out but it is very windy. There is a blizzard warning now as the wind is 30 gusting 50 mph out if the north. I expect the highways are closed as visibility would be very poor.

Lion, nice to see you in the Diner. Amazing you have no snow as we have plenty as do our friends in Thief River Falls. Guess you are having trouble catching wildebeest now. Oh well, beef is good for lions too.

My big plan for the day is to finish assembling that truck I started yesterday. 

I am trying to not look at the news as much as I have been. I just get angry.

I can see 3 house finches at the feeders from my perch on the sofa as I type this with coffee in my other hand. Now there's 8 of them. I will have to go out and refill in an hour or so. Can't have them go hungry on a cold windy day.

I have my 454 horsepower coffee to keep me charged up. Yes, it is actually called that.

CN Charlie

 

 

[hon30critter]

Hi Mike and gang,

Let's see if I can get your video to work:

Here's another model snow plough in action. Check out the trestles!

Dave

[up831]

Hi Everyone,

Brunhilda, coffee with cream, please.

February is here.  That means we're getting closer to spring. Yay!

Sorry, I don't have any plow/plough pictures to contribute.  Can you envision the photo shoot?  The suburban station backdrop, the disco music at volume 42, the continual flashes, the photographer saying, "Can we turn the rotor, yeah, that's it. Work it, work it.  Beautiful!"  
I think I need more coffee.

Tossing a 3 year old in a bear pit.  That child would be old enough to have some awareness.  Terrifying!  The mother gets off easy, she only has to go to the joint.  The child has basically had her life ruined or at least severely altered before she even starts it.  Really sad!  I just think of my little granddaughters and what a joy they are.

[DigitalGriffin]

Here's a goodie down at the Pennsy Railraod Museum.  They practically rebuilt it from the ground up:

 (Inside VR tour here: https://rrmuseumpa.org/QR/plow/)

[SeeYou190]

Good morning everyone.

I looked through all the pictures I have taken at railroad museums, and I do not have a single picture of a snowplow.

That was surprising.

-Kevin

[hon30critter]

DigitalGriffin

Here's a goodie down at the Pennsy Railraod Museum.  They practically rebuilt it from the ground up:

Hi Don,

Thanks for posting the interior tour of that plough. It is really interesting!

https://rrmuseumpa.org/QR/plow/

I love the patina on the plough blades. It has certainly had its fair share of knocks.

Dave

[Water Level Route]

OK Dave.  What was I doing wrong?  I tried pasting both the regular web address and the share address both directly in the email and in the insert video pop-up box, and even in the insert photo pop-up box.  I even clicked the embed tab from youtube and tried using that as well.  How are you getting them to show?

[hon30critter]

Hi Mike,

I start my post and go to wherever I want to insert the video. Then I open a second window and go to the video itself. Then I right click on the video and select "Copy embed code". Then I go back to the post, position my cursor, click on the video icon, and then select the 'Embed' option at the top. The next step is to paste the embed code into the box and then hit 'OK'.

You will get a gray box in your post initially. The video won't show up until you submit the post. You still won't be able to see the full width video. You have to click the 'Watch on YouTube' icon to get the full screen. I try to remember to mention that each time I post a YouTube video.

Hope that helps,

Dave

[hon30critter]

Here is another plough video compilation. Some segments we have seen before. Again, click on the 'Watch on YouTube' link on the lower left to see the full width video:

 

Here is a golden oldie in action:

Dave

[BroadwayLion]

Ah, Yess..... Snow Removal.

 

NYCT does not fool around!

 

That is a jet engine (From a 747--the little one in the tail)

Snow B Gone!  Also removes any trash and ballast that is not properly glued down.

 

ROARING

[York1]

Welcome back, Lion!

[gmpullman]

Glad to see LION checked in 

Snow:

Winter’s blue hour by Mike Danneman, on Flickr

Quite the “snowblower!” by Mike Danneman, on Flickr

Steam, snow and frost by Mike Danneman, on Flickr

Digging out at Pinecliffe by Mike Danneman, on Flickr

Today was one of those "hints" that spring-like weather is not too far off. We had sun and 47°F. Tomorrow will be different.

Off to the layout,  Cheers, Ed

[BATMAN]

Good afternoon from the sunny West Coast.

Just sitten here waiting to hear if the kid got the condo he bid on, there are plenty of offers, and he went 12% over asking, fingers crossed. He is excited and nervous at the same time, aren't we all the first time we go to buy a home. Now I consider it a necessary evil. I have bought and sold a few places through the years, some my home, some revenue properties, and some for Estates acting as Executor. I don't think twice about such transactions anymore.

howmus

Just popped in to send a message to Brent (and anyone else that might care???). I, as of today, since I purchased my first fitbit...  (that was 3 years and 9 months ago) have collected 6,000 miles of running and walking.

That's pretty cool Ray, quite an accomplishment, give yourself a pat on the back from me.

Since I have been wearing my Garmin I have come to realize that over the years I have been doing more than I thought I was, not that there is anything wrong with that. It tells me how rested I am and how much stress the body has endured throughout the day. Pretty amazing technology. 

When I sleep it tells me how much time was spent in REM sleep, deep sleep and light sleep, and moments when I have been awake. gives O2 sats and respiration as well. I breathe 7 times a minute while sleeping and my O2 is never lower than 98%, my heart rate is really steady at 42BPM. It tells me how many steps I take and how many calories burned. It has a GPS that is hilarious to look at sometimes like when you go through Costco or when I was taking down the Christmas lights the route looked like one of those squirrel crossing signs.

John, I just ripped up some track and a 1" chisel took the caulk right off.

Good to see Lions has dropped in, Don't be a stranger Elias.

I remember exactly where I was when the Challenger blew up, I was picking up some electronics for the military, to put on a flight to the far North. The receptionist came into where we were and told the guys to turn on the TV.

For years at a set time before every shuttle flight, I would pick up a truckload of onboard electronics at MDI Aerospace and get it on its way to Florida. I was told it was all the onboard computers that were at MDI to be checked and programmed for the next flight.  When the Columbia broke apart it kind of bothered me somewhat as I had a small part in the whole thing. Thinking that some of that stuff falling out of the sky I had actually handled. Another very sad day.

Well, the Canucks are in Nashville tonight, which makes me think of Garry. I still miss his contributions.

All the best to all.

 

 

[Track fiddler]

Good for you Ed.  That's rather beautiful weather for this time of year.  I bet you were outside more than inside today

 

 

What Snowplow?

https://youtu.be/6acPX_00M9Q

Must say I've never seen a bridge like that before

 

TF

[BigDaddy]

Lion I feel for you with your sleep problems.  3 hours in bed and the microfiber blanket sets my arm on fire.  Finally talked my surgeon into starting gabapentin.  Personally I neither have used or prescribed it.  He prescribed 300mg which I am told is a very low dose.  My friend with MS takes 2400 mg/day

[BroadwayLion]

BATMAN

I remember exactly where I was when the Chellenger blew up, I was picking up some electronics for the military, to put on a flight to the far North. The receptionist came into where we were and told the guys to turn on the TV.

 

Gee.... I thoughyt you were talking about a locomotive!

[CNCharlie]

Good Evening,

A very busy day. Bird traffic was crazy today with the storm. I was out every hour filling feeders and clearing snow. I'm tired now. 

This morning I woke up when the alarm went off and was dreaming at the time, don't remember what,  except Go Now by the Moody Blues was playing and then Nights in White Satin. I haven't heard either for many years. Strange.

Didn't get any RR stuff done today. 

Henry, hope that nerve problem resolves. Must be very upsetting.

Time for tea and tellie.

CN Charlie

[cats think well of me]

Hello all,

Sending good hopes for everyone, and wishing everyone good health.

I made significantly more progress on the shelf layout, but still working my way through the scenery. Having fun with it though it's at times messy, challenging, and takes some head scratching on what materials to get and when. I've been trying out some Scenic Express items and used their fine sifted dirt as ground cover which I like a lot. No one seems to have Super Tree material so I'll wait on that becoming available again. I had used the Woodland Scenics armatures and their fall loose leaf foliage and liked it a lot, but want to try the Scenic Express material and the firm's leaf flocking as those trees look great and not hard to work on.

Alvie

[Track fiddler]

Good night

Sounds like you've been having fun with your scenery and trees Alvie

 

I had breakfast at this great Trackside Diner one morning in Superior Wisconsin right across the border from Duluth.

The food was really good.  It's not too many who can say they ate at the Choo Choo

 

Nighty night Kids,  I'm hitting the Rack

 

 

TF

[SeeYou190]

This picture does not look like much, but it is a milestone... finally.

-Photograph by Kevin Parson

This is the door to my train room. I finally have made it to work that directly effects the upcoming new SGRR layout.

-Kevin

[gmpullman]

Well, Here it is —

     2 / 2 / 2022  at 2:22:22 am!

looks like I clicked send a few seconds too soon 

Bridge 57 in the snow by Mike Danneman, on Flickr

Plowing eastbound above Dalton by Mike Danneman, on Flickr

Still... time to play with trains!

Cheers, Ed

[NorthBrit]

Good morning Diners.  Tea and toast please,  Flo.

Dawn is fighting some kind of 'bug',  so I am playing 'Nurse'.

 

Just small snowploughs here. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS0hEx-dCzY

 

Back later (hopefully).

 

Edit!!   TOP OF THE PAGE.

 

A drink of their choice and put it on my tab please, girls.

 

IMG_5730 by David Harrison, on Flickr

 

David

[Water Level Route]

Good morning diners.  Flo, coffee and some cinnamon toast please.

Alright Dave, let me try this.

So far so good.  I always got a gray box, but not this big.  Hopefully this shows when I post.  Some neat (if a little slow) footage of a steam powered rotary, including several shots of inside of the rotary.  Incredible scenery (Switzerland).  These guys look busy in there.  The snow they are attacking must have had lots of time to settle and "thicken up".  Anybody else ever see locomotives that not only run on their own accord, but also had cog wheel action for increased traction?!  That's pretty cool!

Edit:  Success!!!  Thanks Dave!  Sorry I can't translate the subtitles.

[Water Level Route]

I think I found a way to make it smaller.  Let's see.

[Track fiddler]

Good morning

 

SeeYou190

This is the door to my train room. 

Did someone say Train Room  Looks good Kevin

 

I meant to complement you on your AC ventilation project but had forgot.  I understand you've been having a cool winter down there from your posts.  It's nice to get a project like that done when you don't need it, rather than sweating your Butt off working on it when you do

 

 

Have a good one gentleman

 

 

 

 

 

 

TF

[BroadwayLion]

 

[DigitalGriffin]

Morning all.

I'll just have some raisin toast with butter and coffee 10W40 weight.

It's going to be a busy day at work, but I'm looking forward to this evening.  I goofed up my trackwork so I'm ripping up large sections of cork and track and redoing it from scratch. *cringes*

Good to see ya up and about Lion.

[BroadwayLion]

DigitalGriffin

I goofed up my trackwork so I'm ripping up large sections of cork and track and redoing it from scratch. *cringes*

 

LION always rips out and replaces the tracks. So does BNSF or NYCT so I guess we are in good company.

[York1]

Good morning, diners.  Bacon, eggs, and coffee.

Even though I'm still not doing well health-wise, the world seems a little more on balance today, with the North Dakota Lion posting pictures of bacon and eggs.  

TF and Lion, I've got a lot of problems, but sleeping isn't one of them.  I normally don't even know what sleep is -- I lay down, and the next thing I know it's morning.  That is, if I don't drink anything after 6:00 p.m.

Charlie, I have relatives in Thief River Falls.  I've never been there, but we would meet at Otter Tail Lake.

Henry, I hope the medicine gets you some relief and you can get back to normal.

Don & Alvie, have fun with the layout work.  I'm tearing out scenery and track on my way to a bare flat table to start completely over.

Kevin, the door to the new train room!  We're looking forward to having you open the door and we see the S&GRR under construction.

 

gmpullman

Well, Here it is —      2 / 2 / 2022  at 2:22:22 am!

Wow!  I didn't even think of that.  I guess we wait 11 more years to hit 3/3/33.

 

BATMAN

I remember exactly where I was when the Chellenger blew up, I was picking up some electronics for the military, to put on a flight to the far North. The receptionist came into where we were and told the guys to turn on the TV.

I also remember it.  I was at school when my wife called and told me to tell all the teachers to turn on their TVs.  Sad day.  For those of us who grew up in the 1950s and 60s, rockets and space travel were so exciting.

David, I hope your wife feels better.

 

For everyone else, I hope everything is going well with you today.  Have a good hump day today.

 

This snowplow is in Breckenridge, Colorado.

 

Railroad Rotary Snowplow, Breckenridge, Colorado by Steven Martin, on Flickr

 

[howmus]

York1

gmpullman Well, Here it is — 2 / 2 / 2022 at 2:22:22 am! Wow! I didn't even think of that. I guess we wait 11 more years to hit 3/3/33.

Rochester, NY news has an article of a baby born at Thompson Hospital in Canandaigua, NY (my birth city about 15 miles down the road from me now) that was born today at 2:22pm 2/2/22. 

We are expecting a major storm to hit the area tomorrow morning.  Will continue through early day on Friday they say.  Luckily I have no place to go except to drive a quarter mile over to have a podiatrist appointment early tomorrow afternoon.  Wonder if it will happen?Talking 6 to 12 inches...

Saturday a lady I have just started dating is planning on taking me snowshoeing...  I haven't been on snowshoes since I was a kid.  Could be... ah.... Interesting?  She is 72 and I am 75.

73

73

[MisterBeasley]

Ray, is this the same young lady we've heard about before?  Or is it a different one?  I just returned from a dinner with the young lady I've been seeing.  She had steak and I had catfish.  She had wine and I had beer.

We bought a lot of food in case we got snowed in last weekend, so we've been cooking and eating at home for a week.  

[howmus]

MisterBeasley

Ray, is this the same young lady we've heard about before?

Nope....  The other lady and I parted ways (Friendly I might add) as we decided that we likely wouldn't have a good relationship over a long period (meaning our politics were not compatable....).  We never had an argument and did agree that we didn't have to always agree...... But.....

I have gotten together with this lady only twice to date, but I think it may be a much better match of personalities (meaning our politics and many other things may be more agreeable).  She is very into helping people needing help to make a better life.  She worked as an administrator for some government agencies and many other things.  I have no idea where things might lead, but so far I do like her.  Very cute little lady as well.... ;).  She has been out cross country skiing and snowshoeing almost every day while working with several groups in the city where she lives.  She retired from the city when she and her department were spending much more time getting the funding so they could do their job than actually doing the job.  Sound familiar these days?  In school she also played Oboe and in college started playing the cello.  She is getting back to playing cello and enjoying it very much.  What blew my mind is that my father was an oboeist (taught music before going back to the farm) and late in life taught himself to play......  yep!  The cello!

73

[hon30critter]

howmus

I have gotten together with this lady only twice to date, but I think it may be a much better match of personalities (meaning our politics and many other things may be more agreeable). 

Hi Ray,

Good luck with your new relationship. It sounds like it is off to a good start.

Dave

[BigDaddy]

Ray good luck with your relationship.

My new medicine is working, not as long as I would like, but better than on meds at all.

Derailment on youtube,,,,I've seen Youtube videos on the forum, what's the secret

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFLJvpwm52Q

 

[SeeYou190]

Track fiddler

Did someone say Train Room  Looks good Kevin

Yep, the 11 by 22 train room now has a "door", and real existance. I still need to finish the living room and the master bedroom before much takes place on the other side of that door.

Track fiddler

I meant to complement you on your AC ventilation project but had forgot.  I understand you've been having a cool winter down there from your posts.  It's nice to get a project like that done when you don't need it, rather than sweating your Butt off working on it when you do

It was almost 80 today, and the house got up to 76 inside. I hope it cools down over the next three days, or I might be sweating my butt off!

York1

Kevin, the door to the new train room!  We're looking forward to having you open the door and we see the S&GRR under construction.

When I FINALLY get the "full green" to start on the layout, I expect it to progress quickly.

-Kevin

[hon30critter]

SeeYou190

When I FINALLY get the "full green" to start on the layout, I expect it to progress quickly.

That's great Kevin! We are all eager to see your progress. (No pressure eh!).

Cheers!!

Dave

[SeeYou190]

hon30critter

That's great Kevin! We are all eager to see your progress. (No pressure eh!).

This is what will be on the other side of the door.

The 1/2 bath has beed deleted, along with the swimming pool. Instead we will have a caboose and fire pit in the backyard.

-Kevin

[NorthBrit]

Good morning Diners.  A full English please Zoe.   

Dawn is feeling much better today.  (Thanks for your concern, John).   

Kevin.   Glad to hear the S & G  is 'getting nearer'.

 

Snowplough in Normandy, France

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghj7VbIZGJA&ab_channel=calvacoca

 

Stay Safe Everyone.

 

David

[Water Level Route]

Good Morning Everyone.  So glad it's Thursday.  Tomorrow is my Friday off and I cannot wait to be able to sleep in, if only a little.  I've been really tired this week for some reason.  I didn't really get a chance to sleep in at all last weekend, so that's probably the issue.  I tend to fall behind on sleep little by little throughout the week and catch up on the weekend.  C'est la vie.

BigDaddy

,I've seen Youtube videos on the forum, what's the secret

Dave (hon30critter) lifted the curtain to this magic trick on page one of this thread.  His last post before the first video I successfully embedded.

I've got some apple tree branches I need to burn and was planning on that this weekend, but now I'm waffling.  I think it will be heavily dependent on how warm it is.  Problem is, I have to do it before spring.  The trees have some disease (I forget the name) and while they are dormant, you have to trim all fruit bearing limbs from the trees (done) and burn them (not done).  If this doesn't solve it, they're coming down, I'll wait a year, then replant.  They were here when we bought the house so I'm not really out anything if this doesn't work.  Still, hate to see them cut back to a bunch of nubs.

[cats think well of me]

Awesome plan Kevin! Looking forward to pictures! 

Alvie

[BroadwayLion]

 

 

Enough Said!

[DigitalGriffin]

BroadwayLion

Lion,

Going for the astronaut's breakfast?

Are we launching a Lion into space?

[York1]

Good morning, diners.  Bacon, eggs, and black coffee, Flo.  Please.

It was -1°F with a windchill of -15°, so I walked in the college field house this morning.  Not fun.  Sixteen times around the 200 meter track gets pretty boring.

 

Water Level Route

The trees have some disease (I forget the name) and while they are dormant, you have to trim all fruit bearing limbs from the trees (done) and burn them (not done).  If this doesn't solve it, they're coming down, I'll wait a year, then replant. 

I have just one apple tree, but I think it has the same issue.  My wife wants it cut down, and I think I probably will do that.  It seems to be more work than it's worth to us.

Not to break any copyright rules, I'll just link to this photo of the White Pass & Yukon RR snow plow.  It's a pretty neat picture:

 

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/393351/

 

I hope everyone has a good Thursday.

[Track fiddler]

BroadwayLion

I'll see your Prime Wildebeest, ...

And raise you one with mushrooms on top.

 

 

TF

[howmus]

Oooooooo!!!! Lion, just the way I lke my wilderbeast prepared.  Nice and rare!

Seems to be some little white thingies starting to fall out of the sky here in the Finger Lakes Region of NYS.  We call this condition "partly cloudy" this time of year.  Not going to amount to much, only predicting 12 to 15" of the stuff over today and tomorrow.  Hardly worth shoveling really.  (Happiness is being retired!)  I have a Podiatrist appt this afternoon just around the block from where I live and so far the roads are fine...  City has been by a few times with the salt shakers. 

I checked with a couple people on the Snowshoeing thing, my son and an old Scouter Friend who has been there done that.  Both have said "Go for it!"  They did say it is a bit of excersize! LOL  I will bring up the subject with the podiatrist and see what he thinks as well.  I should be fit enough to handle it, I think as long as we take a short trail for it....  :)

Stay warm and safe out there!

73

[NorthBrit]

Good evening Diners.   A glass of Pinot Grigio please, Janie.   A glass of their choice  to anyone else and put it on my bill.

 

A lovely picture, John.  Thanks for posting.

We were supposed to go out  for a drive today, but our son called in asking for some assistance  on a new job  he is applying for.

A change in what we were going to have for dinner.

   Now it is Pork with various vegetables.   Any left I'll leave in the Diner.

 

About 50 years ago I lived near here

Kirklees Light Railway Snowplough.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhgh3YHNPvU&ab_channel=KLROfficial

 

David

[SeeYou190]

cats think well of me

Awesome plan Kevin! Looking forward to pictures! 

Thank you. The plan is more of the room than the actual layout. I am not very good at computer stuff, so I drew the plan in MS Paint as best as I could. The track plan is suggestive of the actual layout, but not accurate at all.

As I get closer, I might need to learn how to draw something more accurate than what I have.

This is an easier to understand idea of what I am going for with the outer loop and some staging tracks not shown.

Willoughby has been renamed Centerville.

Port Mary has been renamed Port Annabel.

-Kevin

[Water Level Route]

Track fiddler

And raise you one with mushrooms on top.

I fold.  I'll take Lion's instead.  Fungus shouldn't be on food, much less eaten on purpose. 

SeeYou190

Port Mary has been renamed Port Annabel

Change in mistress?  Just kidding!

 

[SeeYou190]

Water Level Route

SeeYou190

Port Mary has been renamed Port Annabel 

Change in mistress?  Just kidding!

In John Allen's city of Port, the carfloat was named Annabel. I originally was going to name my carfloat Annabel as well, but it will now be the Miss Melody instead.

Thus Port Mary was changed to Port Annabel to strengthen the linkage to John Allen's layout.

More name changes could be coming. Nothing is set in stone yet.

-Kevin

[CNCharlie]

Good Morning,

A rather frosty -27F with a -49 winchill this morning, but it is sunny.

Northbrit Dave, I watched the French snowplow video and saw the next one was CN on the Lettelier sub. That line runs about a mile from my house. It starts at Portage Junction that appears rural but is actually right in the city. The landscape does look bleak in winter.

TF, that prime rib sure looks good!  I've seen a lot of Wildebeest but have never tasted one.  Lions are very partial to them though.

Another day with no plans. I have to look for a new laptop. Ours is working fine but it is old and the memory is near the limit. My wife has a lot of photos on it and has more to download. Not sure if we should wait for Windows11 or just buy one with 10. A 17" screen is a must. That is what we have now. 

I have been informed by the person in charge that we can no longer use our wood burning fireplace as her research shows the soot is very harmful, worse than cigarettes apparently.  

Time to do something.

CN Xharlie

[MisterBeasley]

SeeYou190

In John Allen's city of Port, the carfloat was named Annabel. I originally was going to name my carfloat Annabel as well, but it will now be the Miss Melody instead.

-Kevin

If I ever get around to it, my layout's carfloat will be named the "Walter Kelly" after the creator of Pogo.  They used to have flat-bottomed swamp boats with name like "Old Walt" and, since I always loved Pogo, I thought that demanded to be honored.

[SeeYou190]

MisterBeasley

If I ever get around to it, my layout's carfloat will be named the "Walter Kelly" after the creator of Pogo.  They used to have flat-bottomed swamp boats with name like "Old Walt" and, since I always loved Pogo, I thought that demanded to be honored.

That is a great idea!

I will be tempted to steal it. I loved Pogo.

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TOP OF THE PAGE!

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It is still a bit too early for the bubbly beer, so lets all enjoy some Rhode Island style Coffee Milk.

I love this stuff, but it is hard (impossible) to find in Florida. I still have a little bit stashed away from my last long road trip.

-Kevin

[BroadwayLion]

SeeYou190

I love this stuff, but it is hard (impossible) to find in Florida. I still have a little bit stashed away from my last long road trip.

 

There is a URL on the bottle, go to the website and order it direct. Either that or they will tell you where you can order it. (By the case no doubt)

 

 

(ROAR)

[York1]

My backyard today:

 

 

My daughter's backyard today, 600 miles straight south of me.

 

[SeeYou190]

BroadwayLion

There is a URL on the bottle, go to the website and order it direct. Either that or they will tell you where you can order it.

I can order it from Amazon for a pretty reasonable price.

Somehow, it is more fun to find it on a road trip and bring it home. Kind of the thrill of the hunt.

York1

My daughter's backyard today, 600 miles straight south of me.

It is so strange to see swimming pools without screen enclosures.

-Kevin

[gmpullman]

While not exactly a snow plow I thought I'd show this just to break the ice:

 

Thomas Underwood Coll B&O901 by John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library, on Flickr

But if you were really hoping for a plow —

Thomas Underwood Coll B&O857 by John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library, on Flickr

Cheers, Ed

["JaBear"]

SeeYou190

It is still a bit too early for the bubbly beer

Beer3 by Bear, on Flickr

[SeeYou190]

Sorry Bear, you are always free to help yourself to a beer from my refrigerator.

-Kevin

[Track fiddler]

I was bummed about that cake thing.  Perhaps some are a little more sensitive than others around here.  Never has been my intent to hurt one's feelings.  Perhaps I should tread a little more Softly.

"When you learn to walk on the rice paper without leaving a trace Grasshopper, you will have learned".

My little brother needs to learn all things are not perfect, even people.  Especially in the here and now when something flows out of your mouth is different than edited text that can't be fixed as well without facial expressions

 

 

TF

[Track fiddler]

 

[SeeYou190]

SeeYou190

It was almost 80 today, and the house got up to 76 inside. I hope it cools down over the next three days, or I might be sweating my butt off!

The temperture reached 85 today.

It looks like Winter is over. I will be sweating my butt off to finish the HVAC duct work.

-Kevin

[Track fiddler]

Hear today, gone tomorrow.

[BroadwayLion]

LION toast (French)

1) Take a loaf of bread and slice it the long way.
2) Take each slice, dip in egg and milk per usual
3) Spread with Cimminimineon and Sugar
4) Cut into 1 inch strips
5) Roll up like a stickee bun, place on baking pan (or fry in frying pan)
6) Continue until all bread is rolled up
7) Bake until it looks right
8) Eat with butter and syrup

[Water Level Route]

Morning Gents.  A balmy -1F when I got up this morning (4am). It's warming up quickly though.  5F now.

SeeYou190

In John Allen's city of Port, the carfloat was named Annabel. I originally was going to name my carfloat Annabel as well, but it will now be the Miss Melody instead. Thus Port Mary was changed to Port Annabel to strengthen the linkage to John Allen's layout. More name changes could be coming. Nothing is set in stone yet.

That's a neat idea.  I hadn't thought about naming something on my layout after some of my modeling influencers.  

SeeYou190

Sorry Bear, you are always free to help yourself to a beer from my refrigerator.

-Kevin

 

Same here to all the diners, on one condition.  You gotta hang out and talk trains for a while. 

Lion, that sounds like a tasty twist on French Toast.

I tried to talk work into getting one of these years ago, but struck out.  Not exactly a plow, but certainly snow removal equipment.  Photo from RPM tech.

Cheers!

[up831]

Hi Everyone,

Brunhilda, coffee with cream, please.

We've had a go around with lake effect snow the last couple of days.  Parts of the area got dumped on and parts didn't get anything.  Now the sun's out and as usual, the temps drop like a rock.  Ugh!

John:  I'm taking a stab that your daughters house is somewhere in the general vicinity of Dallas Ft. Worth.  As you know, snow there isn't common, but it can happen.  Still looks goofy.  If you are where I think you are, I grew up about 100-150 miles south of you.

The DuPage train show is this weekend.  I'm planning to go for a couple of hours if all works out.  A few years ago, I picked up an Athearn yellow box PFE reefer kit There.  The kit was so old that the trucks weren't even sprung, but had those old rubber pads for springs.  Anyway, back then the doors on the reefer kits would open.  Athearn changed their molds to not have opening doors, but solid sides back around 1965. +/-.  This kit had opening doors and one was missing from the kit.  So, I'm looking to see if one of the dealers has an old junker that I can get a set of doors from.  It's a long shot.  Hopefully I can find one, otherwise I'd have to fashion a new one out of styrene and notch it out to clear the hinge locations.

[Track fiddler]

BroadwayLion

LION toast (French)

1) Take a loaf of bread and slice it the long way.
2) Take each slice, dip in egg and milk per usual
3) Spread with Cimminimineon and Sugar
4) Cut into 1 inch strips
5) Roll up like a stickee bun, place on baking pan (or fry in frying pan)
6) Continue until all bread is rolled up
7) Bake until it looks right
8) Eat with butter and syrup

Who could ever have thunk it but you?

 

Synonym toast french fries.

 

Perhaps sum drawn butter like fer crab legs, only width sum worm syrup fer dippin-dem

 

Incorrect Emoji does knife and fork un-kneaded purr only da napkin.

 

I'll have Ju-Ju Bear make sum Lion Toast nex-time we're at da Home

 

 

 

 

TF

[MisterBeasley]

Hi.  57 degrees here.  A week ago we got a metric boatload of snow.  We stocked up then so we still have plenty of food.  Fortunately we didn't lose power, so we could cook and maybe more important, microwave.

[Track fiddler]

Track fiddler

Perhaps some are a little more sensitive than others around here.  Never has been my intent to hurt one's feelings.  Perhaps I should tread a little more Softly.

"When you learn to walk on the rice paper without leaving a trace Grasshopper, you will have learned".

My little brother needs to learn all things are not perfect, even people.  Especially in the here and now when something flows out of your mouth is different than edited text that can't be fixed as well without facial expressions.

 

I have felt for several weeks I have hurt someone's feelings in New Zealand and just can't quite live with that.

 

Sorry doesn't always cut it but always worth a shot as I am

 

 

 

Have a great day gentleman

 

 

 

 

 

 

TF

[York1]

Good afternoon, everyone.  It's a great Friday so far.

 

up831

If you are where I think you are, I grew up about 100-150 miles south of you.

Yeah, she lives in a Dallas suburb.  I live in the middle of nowhere.  It's a great place to be, especially after spending 20 years in a large city.

 

CNCharlie

I have been informed by the person in charge that we can no longer use our wood burning fireplace as her research shows the soot is very harmful, worse than cigarettes apparently.  

Charlie, I hope that's not true.  We love our fireplace.  For that matter, I quit smoking 42 years ago, and I still miss it.  I think I was truly addicted to tobacco.  In the factory where I worked during college, we could not smoke, so I chewed tobacco.  I'm glad I didn't get addicted to that.

 

I've mentioned that I'm taking apart my layout to make a new one.  I've learned that even though Sculptamold is light and fluffy when you add water, after it dries it is hard as a rock.  I am chipping some of it off the table inch-by-inch.  That's amazing stuff!  Maybe my town could use some of it to patch the potholes.

 

Hope everyone has a good Friday afternoon.  For those of you not retired, only a few more hours until the weekend!

 

BNSF clearing track in Nebraska:

 

 

 

[Track fiddler]

It was my birthday night when I was blasted John

There's nothing like the steel guitar that my brother-in-law plays as the sound makes my day.

https://youtu.be/vWZ6hmHj2MA

Although the Original is never done better.  And none of them ever are.

 

Opera girl is a bit Pitchy unlike the original recording completely worthy as the only singer able to hit the high note.

 

 

TF

[howmus]

Afternoon folks!

Today has been cancelled here in the Finger Lakes Region of NYS!  There were over 200 closings due to a little white stuff out there....  I have run the electric snow blower this morning and it walks through 12 to 13 inches of heavy white crap very well.  The 4 foot high wall the city plows left at the end got taken care of by a neighbor who was out having fun with a much bigger machine.  And still....  I look outside and see more little white things coming down.  Will be back outside later and clear out the few new inches in the driveway.

Planning on going snowshoeing with a lady tomorrow early afternoon... Of course no local stores have any thermal underware!  None!  I threw out my old stuff, which would be 4 sizes too big for me at the moment, about 3 years ago.  Nor can I find my old heavy mittens.  Hoping I can borrow a pair from my son for the day.

Hey TF, I am a guy who always finds out I should have kept my mouth shut right after stuff comes out of it!!!  LOL  I am very good at saying the wrong thing.  Don't worry too much, most of us here have the same trouble and most have fairly thick skins!

73

[Track fiddler]

Thank you Ray as I know you're the type of guy that can understand.

And you hit the nail on the head that sometimes one should keep their cocky mouth shut even though something feels like it's funny at the time but sometimes only to the Sayer.

While it's freshly listened to.  Here is the original that can never be duplicated.  Even if the original Opera Singer is still available, Nobody can go back and do something to perfection as they did at the time that it gelled. 

https://youtu.be/cVBCE3gaNxc

Her voice is all over the place and she Boots the treble clef right off the staff but stays in key.

Sorry, computer videos didn't exist back in 1973.  Only VHS from reel to reel tape.

 

If only I was ever able to make Wifey sound like that at night

 

 

TF

[Track fiddler]

POST HOG!

I can't do any better than that!  Even with my many images of the pig versus this image provided by Ed is better than that.

Judy and I are at a hotel we checked in early Thursday night so we didn't miss the balloons at the festival in Hudson for Friday night.

It's colder than a (FFF) but I gave my Carhartt bibs and extra Western jacket to Judy and I'm wearing the other ones.

As we are speaking I'm getting scolded by Judy because it's time to go to the parade before the balloon launch even though it isn't no until 5 and I've learned to say "Yes dear".

It's close enough and they have the Lift Bridge beer down there .085  on the Richter scale so I'm okay with all that.

 

 

 

TF

[York1]

Track fiddler

I've learned to say "Yes dear".

 

The most important words any husband should know.

 

[Track fiddler]

Thanks John

I'm at the bar on the Wisconsin border with the stone wall.

I know it don't look like much seeing the red brick separating the glass picture window in front.

But the white paint was sand blasted off in the late 1800's wall separating the two buildings

They've hung a bunch of crap on it now and nobody knows the significance of that wall but me.

 

 

TF

[Attuvian1]

York1

 Track fiddler

I've learned to say "Yes dear".

  

The most important words any husband should know.

 

Well, there's some nuance I must be missing.  Following "yes" with "dear" is generally considered a bit snarky by my sweetie.  Even when it's not at all inflected.  She's quite attuned to context, you see.  

John

[Track fiddler]

I make it a point to stop by this place John because I think the wood is almost as old as the stone is.

Either that or someone did a better job than I could ever do and if I ever find that out I will give them credit for that.

 

 

TF

[howmus]

Attuvian1

Well, there's some nuance I must be missing. Following "yes" with "dear" is generally considered a bit snarky by my sweetie. Even when it's not at all inflected. She's quite attuned to context, you see.

Uh-huh!  Back when My wife was alive, my saying "Yes Dear!" was usually followed with her saying, "How good is your memory!!!"  If you catch the drift....  Luckily she didn't stay mad long and didn't follow through with the threat, but it did shut me up!!!

If the weather co-operates I am all set (I think) to learn how snowshoe tomorrow... By the lady I have started dating. The temperature is supposed to get all the way up to 18°F with an 11 to 16 mph breeze...  I hope we will take the trail with the quickest route back to the car....  My old winter clothing is not as good as I wish I had to be out doing stuff like this.....  But what the heck. 

73

[Track fiddler]

Off to the balloon show on a Friday night I hope

Judy drank all the craft beer made in this plac

 

TF

[gmpullman]

Winter Doldrums?

Pop over to the Tube and take a tour of the Empire:

Beauty Of The Empire by Edmund, on Flickr

The Wealth, Romance and Beauty of the Empire! 1933

Cheers, Ed

[Water Level Route]

Ray-Have fun and good luck!

[BATMAN]

gmpullman

Winter Doldrums?

Pop over to the Tube and take a tour of the Empire:

Beauty Of The Empire by Edmund, on Flickr

The Wealth, Romance and Beauty of the Empire! 1933

Cheers, Ed

 

What! No Canada? Feeling alone again.

Time for a song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_P-v1BVQn8 

Whoops! I have tops Glenlivet 12 all round. I seem to have plenty.

 

 

[Track fiddler]

I remember that one.

https://youtu.be/JnC88xBPkkc

But I always like this Canadian group better

Rare is the bass player as the leader and the singer.

 

 

TF

 

[hon30critter]

Speaking of international recognition, how many of you know about this. It happened last November in Toronto. Don't forget to click on the 'Watch on YouTube' link:

Apparently the honour has been returned by our American friends more than once since this happened.

Cheers!!

Dave

[BATMAN]

I go to quite a few Canucks games and always sing the American National Anthem as do most of those around me. Of course in Vancouver, we are well known for our anthem participation. 

The kid just sent me this, When he worked on Deadpool 2 he was sometimes the only extra called in some days and spent a lot of time talking to Ryan, Josh, and Julian. He still chats with Ryan on and off. The kid does a lot of volunteer work and that was a topic of conversation between the two of them. 

Steven Page of The Barenaked Ladies did a little tribute to Ryan, well deserved for the kind of guy he is, donating to so many good causes. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXulsCU1geg&ab_channel=RyanReynolds 

 

[Track fiddler]

Okay!  I can't compete or feel the need too with those ones Ah!

 

TF

[BATMAN]

Geddy Lee is 68 now. He is on the TV often talkin stuff. Makes me feel really old seeing him. RUSH!

[Track fiddler]

Yes, ..... My friend Brent

https://youtu.be/p0NJ71TMoII

 Geddy Lee

 

TF

[BATMAN]

Track fiddler

Rare is the bass player as the leader and the singer.  

Ya, I agree. I took up drums for a year or so as a kid before I settled on the guitar. 40 years later the kid then took up drums and took lessons for three years becoming quite good. When he was off at school I went in and cranked the stereo and started playing again on his pretty good kit. I could never sing when playing the drums, my tiny brain just could not handle both jobs. I have no problem singing while playing the guitar. I had a fender precision bass for 35 years, but don't remember singing while playing that. I was not talented enough to walk and chew gum at the same time.

[Track fiddler]

I ain't going to do the post hog thing but just want to tell a story.

The Rush concert had already been publicized and sold out.  My roommate Carl went down to the old Met and got two scalped tickets.

He lucked out with a scalper that day.  Front row center as I will keep it short.

I saw Geddy Lee play the keyboards and his bass guitar at the same time one hand on each.

He kept looking at me and I kept looking at him as he played.  In between songs he came over and leaned over the front of the stage and shook my hand.

 

When your a Kid there ain't no better than that.

 

 

 

TF

[BATMAN]

Track fiddler

When your a kid there ain't no better than that

I was 11 years old when my sister got the Gordon Lightfoot album "The Way I Feel" and I was an instant fan as it had "The Canadian Railroad Trilogy" on it. Gord came to town to the Queen Elizabeth theatre in 1969, I was 12. My sister and I were at the concert and she took an album cover to be signed after the concert.

We were inside the backstage door along with a mass of screaming young girls, I was getting crushed, my sister was first in line waving the album in his face but had forgotten the pen. He took the album and said to my sister do you have a pen? She did not. Of course, I am always the prepared one and had grabbed a very good pen out of my parent's desk before we left and proceeded to thrust my arm up between Gord and my sister while still getting crushed. Gord looked at me, took the pen and signed the album, and said wow this is a really nice pen, can I use it to sign all the autographs? I was really getting trampled by the frenzied lasses and pushed my way out and went and sat on the nearby stairs. Gord kept looking over at this 12 year with a grin and after he signed them all came over and said how ya doin, thanks for letting me use your pen, and shook my hand. 53 years later I still haven't washed it.

Some good video in this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O_qxJAmW4c&ab_channel=FeralLutheran 

 

[Track fiddler]

Gordon 

No more needs to be said

 

TF

[BATMAN]

Track fiddler

Gordon 

No more needs to be said

 

TF

 

Got the twelve-string in 1970 and the six-string a year or so later. Both over 50 years old and still like brand new. It was all Gords fault.

 

I know enough of his music I can play non-stop Gord for about 4 hours.

[hon30critter]

We have tickets to see Gord in July. I can hardly wait. He may be old, and his voice may not be what it used to be, but just seeing him in person will be a huge thrill!!

Dave

[Track fiddler]

Gordon's voice is what it has been and what a wonderful voice it is now.

Only thing I can say is lucky you Dave, I don't have concert tickets and I wish I did

 

TF

[BATMAN]

hon30critter

We have tickets to see Gord in July. I can hardly wait. He may be old, and his voice may not be what it used to be, but just seeing him in person will be a huge thrill!!

Dave

 

I feel the same way, for me, it is just finishing the journey with him. I go to the concerts by myself and end up seeing a lot of old friends I use to hang out with that were in the music biz in the late 70s and early 80s. We're all old now but reminisce about pickin till dawn.

I always wanted to see him at the house of Gord, Massey Hall.

Dave, did you see the documentary "If You Could Read My MInd?" It is really good.

[Track fiddler]

The lake it is said never gives up her dead when the Gales of November come early

[hon30critter]

BATMAN

I always wanted to see him at the house of Gord, Massey Hall.

Hi Brent,

You only want to see Gord at Massey Hall if you have front and center seats on the main floor. The seats in the galleries cannot be described as anything other than torturous! Peter Dinklage might be comfortable but anyone with legs of a normal length will not be! We saw Gord at Massey Hall many years ago when we were poor so all we could afford were the gallery seats. I couldn't sit down without propelling my knees into the shoulders of the poor person in front of me. Fortunately the couple next to us decided early on in the concert that they couldn't stand the seating, so they left. That left Dianne and I with two seats each which meant that we could force our legs sideways enough to avoid disturbing the folks in front of us. The concert was great!!! The seating was inhumane!!! Meanwhile the folks who could afford the main floor accommodation were seated in what looked like huge plush armchairs. Make sure you have front row seats!!

I saw Gord in Peterborough, Ontario many many years ago. He was so drunk he fell off the piano stool. I believe that he has corrected his ways. It was still a good concert.

Dave

 

["JaBear"]

OK, it’s possibly time for an Explanation. I’ll try to keep it brief but would you mind putting coffees on my tab for those may read it please, Chloe.

 

At this time of year, to use an Aussie saying, “I’m flat out as a lizard drinking” though there is a fair bit of hurry, hurry, stop!! involved. So, my “visits” to the Diner can be rather spasmodic, and require a fair bit of catching up regarding everyone’s happenings. Lack of Time is also a factor as to why I quite often don’t reply. (Embarrassingly I still owe Brent and York John replies).

 

However, as examples, I do know that Ray has achieved 6000 steps and is learning to use snowshoes, (this heavy snow business is alien to me, full stop! The New Zealand Railways never had any snow removal equipment),

I hope that Henry and Mikes daughter have speedy and full recoveries from their surgeries.

 Even as an advocate for wildebeests it’s good to see Br Lion back, sorry read about the lack of mobility but the sense of humour is definitely not lacking.  (Sleeping problems ain’t fun though!!!).

From CNCharlie I’ve learnt about an“Alberta Clipper”, having been brought up in the “Roaring 40s, it seems an apt name for a storm.

And though I don’t necessarily get the time to watch them I appreciate the effort that Ed, David, and Dave in, to share really interesting stuff.

 

So, as I think I’ve adequately established why I’m time poor, it is time to address the Elephant, or is it Bear, in the room!

 

Track fiddler

have felt for several weeks I have hurt someone's feelings in New Zealand and just can't quite live with that.

 

Mr.TF, I don’t know why you would think that, you’ve done nothing to upset me, though I was somewhat perplexed (?) over your, now deleted, comment last night! (The Bear has the reputation of being Undiplomatic so I’m glad I behaved and didn’t “shoot from the hip” last night!!) And having had time to think about it, now suspect that I inadvertently upset you with this…

 

Johnston 16 wheeler buillt in Invercargill NZ, 1910 by Bear, on Flickr

 

…. which was never intended.

 

I’m not sure whose tradition this actually is, but I was brought up that it was Bad Manners to visit or turn up at someone’s place “emptyhanded”. Depending on the time of day, length of stay, and Who, I am visiting, that involves bringing some form of food, and or, beverage. So, as I was late to your birthday and as it appeared that the Diners had already availed themselves of your delicious cake, it would have been extremely rude of me to turn up expecting cake, so I thought bringing another cake to celebrate your birthday would be appropriate.

Hope this sorts any issues, John.

 

Cheers, the Bear.

[BroadwayLion]

Track fiddler

The lake it is said never gives up her dead when the Gales of November come early

 

 

 

But this is February!   Yeah!  Only six more weeks of winter!

 

[BroadwayLion]

 

 

 

 

Breakfast is on the LION!

 

 

(ROAR)  : )

[NorthBrit]

Good afternoon Diners.  That breakfast looks delicious Lion has left.  I'll have some of tht please, Janie.

Eldest grandson is here.  We went to the Transport Museum.   It is not a big one , but is popular.  An interesting 2-3 hours.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzqRQr8tQPQ&ab_channel=dcarpine28

 

Those not feeling 100%  a speedy recovery.

 

Stay Safe Everyone.

 

David

[SeeYou190]

JaBear

At this time of year, to use an Aussie saying, “I’m flat out as a lizard drinking”

There is an Australian at work, I am going to try and work this one into a conversation today.

BroadwayLion

Breakfast is on the LION!

Thank you, it looks delicious.

-Kevin

[Track fiddler]

Good morning, ...What's left of it

Thanks for Breakfast.

Took out my litter and trash packing only my stash to set out on the road again. 

Left a tenor on the table for the maid.

Looking for lunch

 

Have a great day gentleman

 

 

TF

[ricktrains4824]

Good afternoon all.

Zoe - RBF's all around please. Thanks.

York1

 

 

Track fiddler

I've learned to say "Yes dear".

 

 

 The most important words any husband should know.

 

I was informed by a cow*rker once that this is important as I was (and still am) happily single.

See, there was a discussion going on, because a different cow*rker (female) told a customer we had someithing in stock, and asked me to help get it, only to realize in the back room that while we did have it, it was for a later planned display. (But could be sold at any point.)

I was saying that we needed to still take one out for the customer, as they were already informed we had it.

That's when the married cow*rker walked by, and informed me that the proper answer is always to smile and say "yes dear".

It did not go over well with the other cow*rker though.... So smiling and saying "yes dear" is not advised in all cases.

(It could not have been over my dripping with sarcasm "Yes dear, but you did inform the customer already we have it dear." )

Weather - We got around 18" of the white stuff from the storm. Not exactly fluffy though, more sand like. Getting more today it seems.

Car - Seems something on my car dislikes the snowy cold weather. Twice now I have had to jump start it. Battery is less than one year old, alternator (Supplies 14.4V at full load when running, 14.6V at idle) and starter (10.7V and .625 - .675 seconds to start) test fine, as does the battery. (Well, battery tested 3 times as "Good - Recharge", and at 3 different locations...) Have not been able to find anything drawing power when it shouldn't be, so am getting rather stumped.... While I could simply buy a new battery to throw in, the one installed is under warranty still, and should be free replacement if defective. Plus it is no sure thing to fix it. (And a new battery is about the cost of one high-end DC locomotive, so would rather not throw that kind of money around without needing too...) 

Plow discussion - Will have to upload a plow pic later.

Hope all are well, best wishes for those who are not, and hope all enjoy the day!

[Track fiddler]

After not much contemplation in the parking lot of the Hilton warming up the truck.

Texas Roadhouse it is because it's only 3 minutes from here for some prime wildebeest rib roast.

 

 

TF

[Track fiddler]

Post Hog!

A 25-minute wait with the round buzzer back to the truck is Worthy of their food quality just before noon

 

 

TF

[York1]

Morning.  Not good morning.

I am working on my income tax. 

Before retirement, I always waited until the last day to send in my tax return, usually with a check enclosed.

Now, my retirement plans withhold money, with the result that I get a small refund.  So ... I file as early as possible.  They have kept my money interest-free for long enough.

I could turn it over to the accountant, but I just don't want to pay someone to do something that I can do myself.

I'm now giving up for the day, and will continue tax work on Monday.  I shouldn't complain -- I'm alive and paying taxes.  The alternative is ...

 

Back to work on the layout!  It looks pretty sad right now.  But!  This week I should be able to start laying out the track design.

 

 

Hope everyone has a good day.

 

[Track fiddler]

You got this John

 

 

TF

[moelarrycurly4]

Greetings from the Northern Command. 

We got lots of nasty winter mix, started out with the freezing rain variety ( less than 1/4 inch) then 2 inches of sleet, followed by an inch of snow. Places to my shoutheast got more of the freezing rain. 

we did not loose power this time, like we did in 2009

[Track fiddler]

Worth the wait.

 

TF

[howmus]

Mornin' er....  Afternoon folks!

I do know that Ray has achieved 6000 steps and is learning to use snowshoes, Thumbs UpThumbs Up

Miles, Bear, miles!  That's 9656 Km to you.  I average over 10,000 steps a day... LOL

I did do about 1/3 mile this morning on snowshoes.  Was Fun!  The lady forgot to put her new snowshoes in her car so I only got to shoeshoe today.  She walked the path behind me on the way out and led on the way back. 

We are pretty much dug out here in the Finger Lakes Region.  Roads have been well salted which will give me a reasion to wash the car again soon.

73

Opps!  Top of the page.  Zero plus I guess... We just hit that wierd zone again.  Do wish they would fix that glitch.

[MisterBeasley]

howmus

I did do about 1/3 mile this morning on snowshoes.  Was Fun!  The lady forgot to put her new snowshoes in her car so I only got to shoeshoe today.  She walked the path behind me on the way out and led on the way back. 

  

The question, Ray, is were you warm enough?

I remember back in Massachusetts I used to cross-country ski a lot.  I still remember a nighttime run with a friend who complained that his brand new digital snow temperature thermometer must be broken.  I looked at him and said "No, it really is two below."

Cross-country skiing really keeps you warm. I hope snowshoeing did too.

[howmus]

MisterBeasley

The question, Ray, is were you warm enough?

Actually we weren't out that long that I got really, really cold.... Sun was shining which was a plus, but the temperature is hovering about 15°F with a 10 to 15 mph breeze.  So -0°F wind chill.  I did make good use of my old Scout Training and had 4 layers of clothing on the top half, wool socks (only items of wool I still have) And a good heavy scarf for around my face.  Legs and fingers were cold but no frostbite... ;)

I went to 6 different local stores a couple days back and none of them have thermal leggings in stock.  That is something I would like to have for this kind of weather.  Also do need some good winter mittens instead of my old winter gloves with holes in them too...  LOL  Back when I was doing a bit of winter camping with the Scout Troop I had all the right equipment.  Nothing like camping in tents when it 10° below zero with a wind chill around -30°F.  Yep!  Been There, Done That!  Of course I wasn't 75 then either.

So far there is a lot I do like about the lady I have just started seeing.  Time will tell what transpires, I guess.

73

["JaBear"]

howmus

I do know that Ray has achieved 6000 steps and is learning to use snowshoes, Thumbs UpThumbs Up

Miles, Bear, miles!  That's 9656 Km to you.  I average over 10,000 steps a day... LOL

10,000 steps a day is no mean feat in its self.

(I find to hard to do "steps" when I've got my foot in my mouth!!)

[Water Level Route]

howmus

I went to 6 different local stores a couple days back and none of them have thermal leggings in stock.  That is something I would like to have for this kind of weather. 

I'm sure they had plenty of bathing suits in stock though!  I hate how you have to buy things at least a season in advance, or go online.  It's annoying.

Well, I actually got out and tried to burn some of the apple branches today.  Key word being "tried".  It didn't go well.  I knew I would need a good base fire going, so I got some dry wood out from under the tarp covering my firewood, cleaned the snow out of the fire pit, and proceeded to prep my fire.  I didn't have good tinder, so I used my go to back-up plan of dousing it with charcoal lighter fluid (I had small stuff in there, but no paper/lint/really fine wood shards).  The lighter fluid went up, down, and out.  Hmm.  Grabbed some scraps of kiln dried lumber from the garage.  Placed the finest pieces in there, doused them with 2 cycle oil, and lit 'em up.  Burned the oil off, and the fire went out.  Nuts.  Grabbed a couple more clean kiln dried pieces and some mixed gas.  Poured the mixed gas on a couple fresh pieces and on the pile in the pit.  Did the same as the 2 cycle oil.  I finally grabbed my propane torch (which was struggling in the cold), and held it to the meager smoldering bits.  After much time, success!  Or so I thought.  The heat from the fire was melting the layer of ice across the top of the ashes in the pit, which would then kill any piece that would drop while it was burning, snuffing out the warmest pieces.  After an hour, I spread out the pieces that were still struggling along and dropped a shovel of snow on them.  Barely sizzled.  Put my stuff away and snow was all basically still there.  I was shocked at how little residual heat there was, or wasn't in this case.  Sadly the only thing I really accomplished was to make myself stink horribly of smoke.  I had a good dark hot chocolate to ease my frustration. 

["JaBear"]

“Bear, I've been wondering about your country.  I know that NZ gets quite a few international tourists who drop a lot of money there.  Has the virus really hurt some of your country's businesses?”

 

Gidday John, sorry about the late reply.

 

Simple answer, YES!!!

Pre Covid, tourism directly employed 9% of the work force, and was worth 20% of our international earnings, so it’s actually hurt the whole economy.

 

I find it sad travelling around seeing the number of cafes in small communities that have closed permanently, with not only local job losses, but often with economic hardship to the owners!  This also goes for small tourist business, and to a certain extent, businesses that served them. 

 

Without getting political, NZs strict border closure policy has also hurt business, big time, especially the agriculture / horticulture sector, which are our biggest export earners. It is estimated that we are some 25000 workers down, many of the seasonal workers coming from the Islands, and the others on working holidays.

 

Another loser is tertiary education having no International Students. This has indirectly affected my own business, the big flying school over the hill, who had decent contracts training pilots for overseas airlines has closed. Their maintenance company approached me to send them my outwork and then tried to get my commercial operators to use them for maintenance. As an ex-Union delegate, I’m sorry to say that they’ve had to let most of their engineers go, but then I didn’t like how the company had gone “Corporate.”  This has happened across the industry, for example, the local scenic flight operator is struggling to do 10% of their pre Covid hours and I’m not sure how they and a lot of tourism businesses are going to survive another winter!!

 

All I can say that I’m happy I’m at this end of my career, I’d not be a happy camper if I was just starting my business.

 

From different times...

 

NZ1889 by Bear, on Flickr

 

Pan Am by Bear, on Flickr

 

Thoughts and best Wishes to All that need them. Kia Kaha.

Cheers, the Bear.

[NorthBrit]

Good morning Diners.   A large coffee on the go please, Brunhilda.

Just  a quick visit as I am rather busy here in the U.K.

 

The locomotives in this film   have small ploughs infront of wheels.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G7rDj9PDjc&ab_channel=DRS37425

 

Try and be back later.

 

Stay Safe Everyone.

 

David

[BigDaddy]

Attuvian1

Well, there's some nuance I must be missing. Following "yes" with "dear" is generally considered a bit snarky by my sweetie.

You need to say it with maximum shame, and hang your head in shame,like the bad boy you are.

https://youtu.be/8jqO1fKqrWs

 

[York1]

Good afternoon, diners.  I'm just getting ready to start the cooking for this evening's meal.  Chicken, baked potatoes, and butter beans.  Actually, all of that is the preliminary food.  I go through that just so I can get my big bowl of Sunday night ice cream.

 

Pre Covid, tourism directly employed 9% of the work force, and was worth 20% of our international earnings, so it’s actually hurt the whole economy.

 

That's really too bad, Bear.  The bad part is that for your country, there probably won't be a fast recovery.  Tourism may take a while to build back up, and meanwhile, the small business owners can't afford to wait it out.  I did not ever believe that something like this could happen worldwide.

I feel a little guilty -- in my state, life goes on much as it did before the virus.  Farm life and the economy goes on pretty normally.   Except for the masks at the doctors' offices and the hospital, you would probably never know anything happened.

No layout work today.  My wife is getting a getting a break from the noise in my room as I take apart the layout.  Tomorrow morning back at it.  After she gets up.  Could be afternoon.

While this isn't a snowplow, the picture was from west of us on the Burlington RR, 1948.

 

From the collections of the High Plains Historical Society

 

Have a good Sunday, everyone!

[York1]

Henry, how's the pain?  You said the medicine seemed to work.  Hope so.

[BroadwayLion]

NorthBrit

Good morning Diners.   A large coffee on the go please, Brunhilda.

Just  a quick visit as I am rather busy here in the U.K.

 

The locomotives in this film   have small ploughs infront of wheels.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G7rDj9PDjc&ab_channel=DRS37425

 

Try and be back later.

 

Stay Safe Everyone.

 

David

 

 

Eh??? Even their trains run on the wrong side of the street!

[Track fiddler]

Sometimes Judy runs on the wrong side of the kitchen in the morning that makes the round-abouts later in the day seam easier.

But not usually.  Usually she's pretty nice!

 

 

TF

[SeeYou190]

Good evening everyone. 

The Olympics are on, and I am loving it. I am staying up until 4:00 AM or so, and I am getting to see a lot of the good stuff live.

I will miss the Superbowl this year for the first time in 40 years or so, and that makes me very sad.

-Kevin

[up831]

Hi Everyone,

Brunhilda, I'll have a glass of wine, please.  It's been a long day.

went to the DuPage train show today and the family came along with me.  I had hoped that there would be 2 or 3 modular layouts set up so my granddaughters could see trains run.  I must say that the show was a little bit disappointing today.  I assume that because of Covid and all is why they scaled the show back some.  There were only two layouts and one of those was for sale and had no scenery.  It was a 5.5'x16' N scale layout.  The other layout was a little S gauge layout and that was nice.  I saw a couple of things that were tempting, but I didn't buy anything.  Maybe next time.

[NorthBrit]

Good morning Diners.  Tea and toast please,  Chloe.

Having some work done on the house today, so a busy few hours.

 

No snowplough, but I love the snowy scenery.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF2Cx53FNCc

 

David

[BroadwayLion]

 

 

 

 

[Water Level Route]

Good Morning Everyone.  Chloe, I'll take the special with a black coffee please.

Got a mix of snow and freezing rain overnight.  The drive skate in to work was taken nice and slow today.  I actually got my truck to slide a little sideways backing out today as I wanted to see how slick it was.  I was barely moving in reverse (1-2mph?) and when I hit the brakes, everything locked up and the front of my truck slid a bit to the right as the whole thing slid backwards a foot or two.  My street wasn't any better, but the city was out salting things.

That's all for now.  Stay safe out there.

[York1]

Good morning, everyone.  Bacon, eggs, and coffee for me this morning, Chloe.

As soon as the person who lives in my house wakes up, I will get back to work on the layout.  I love looking forward to something.  I'm very glad I decided to scrap the old layout and start over.  It has kind of reinvigorated my love of the hobby.

 

SeeYou190

I will miss the Superbowl this year for the first time in 40 years or so, and that makes me very sad. -Kevin

That's too bad.  To tell the truth, I probably won't watch it, either.  I love games, but I really don't like either team playing this year.  I really hate the Rams, so I guess I hope Cincinnati wins.

 

up831

I had hoped that there would be 2 or 3 modular layouts set up so my granddaughters could see trains run.  I must say that the show was a little bit disappointing today.  I assume that because of Covid and all is why they scaled the show back some.

That's too bad.  I'm headed to the Lincoln, NE, show in two weeks.  I hope it is better than what you experienced.  You are lucky to be able to take your grandchildren to the show.  Mine all live so far away.

 

David, good luck with your house repairs.

Mike, be careful driving and watch out for the stupid drivers who think ice means you can drive faster.  I remember being a teenage driver and going to a wide open parking lot and seeing if the car would slide on the ice.  Lots of fun.

Everyone else, I hope you have a good day today.  

 

Another none-snowplow picture.  In my 20 years in New Orleans, we had snow twice.  It lasted several hours, but we were very excited.  Here is the St. Charles streetcar in the snow.  Fun times!

[BATMAN]

Good morning all from a sunny West Coast.

The grass is starting to grow, the weather people say we are having April temps, very unusual. I'll be dusting off the Deere early this year.

Taking a week off from working out to let the body rest. I am up three pounds from having a rum and Pepsi a little too often, so no booze for a while, although Scotch or wine is okay I'll just take a break. I usually only have one drink at happy hour or two while watching hockey. Green tea is also good.

I have really bad arthritis but can live completely pain-free if I avoid carbs, so I only eat meat, veggies, and low-sugar fruit. I did misbehave on Saturday as I had two rum and Pepsis and a large hunk of cheesecake. I was in pain and my hands would not work yesterday, a wasted day except for running trains. I will now behave for the next six months. Even if I don't work out my weight will return to normal just by eating healthy unprocessed food.

I have enjoyed watching women's hockey at the Olympics, tonight Canada of America plays the United States of America. Super G is also high on my list, I use to do the Super G course at Whistler hurling myself down the mountain as fast as I could, it was the most fun I could have on skies. I was fast for an amateur but no threat to any serious competitor. In addition to your lift ticket, it cost a dollar a run back in the day to get timed. I had a few wipeouts but only remember one really spectacular fall when my ski popped off. I bounced and rolled and got some serious air time in the process. When I finally stopped several hundred metres down the hill I lay there taking inventory for damage and sensing none proceeded to get up to vast numbers of people applauding that were going up the chairlift. 

I had gone to a house that belonged to a friend's mother as she had passed away and he was overwhelmed in dealing with the Estate and needed some advice. It was a 5000sqft place built by his Dad in the 1950s and all the 1960s era furniture still looked to be in really good shape. I told him to call the movie people and they cleaned him out. Most of it went to the Superman series for set decoration. He said his Dad spent $12000.00 on the lot and building the house which he did himself in 1953. My friend just put 5.6 million in his pocket from the sale 69 years later. He is my age, has a nice house and quality of life, and has no idea what he will do with the money. 

Ray, we use to do a three-week ski trip every year hitting three or four mountains along the way. We would always spend a week at Chateau Lake Louise and would take time away from downhill and go cross country skiing or snowshoeing. I was never a fan of cross country skiing, it was too slow for my liking, however, one trip I did love was heading out across the ice and up into that valley at the far end of the lake. When we would be coming back across the lake it would be in the dark under more stars than you can imagine and seeing the Chateau and all the ice castles on the lake all lit up was an amazing sight. Then the well-deserved prime rib dinner followed by ice skating through the ice castles on the lake. Good times.

My Great-Grandfather was brought over from England as the chief carpenter in the construction of the joint and built the grand staircase himself. 

Playing hockey on Lake Louise was a lot of fun as well. You can see the tracks the cross country skiers have made in the snow heading across the lake. Absolute splendor those days.

Time to move I guess, I need to put new strings on one of my guitars as I have been asked to lay a track down for someone. I even have a new mic for the job.

All the best to all.

 

 

[MisterBeasley]

Brent, when I used to ski at Sunday River in Maine, there were several chairlifts that were just off the side of expert slopes.  Mostly, it was just fun to watch good skiers on tough slopes.  Once in a while, there would be a spectacular wipeout, and people on the lift would yell down Olympic scoring numbers for the fall.

One skier who got rated by the folks going up was apparently disappointed in his score, and shouted back, "Russian judge!"

Other times, I've seen falls and skied down to make sure they got up.  Sometimes they were struggling, not willing to admit they were hurt enough to need a sled ride down, or really not advanced enough to even be on that slope.  I would talk to them, told them I wasn't the Ski Patrol but I had their number on my cell phone.  Some mountains were charging a fee for a sled ride down, but Sunday River didn't do that, so I was always able to get them to wait and eventually get taken down.  I did my good deed for the day.

 

[saronaterry]

York1

I'm very glad I decided to scrap the old layout and start over. 

Pictures, Please!!

Terry

["JaBear"]

York1

I feel a little guilty -- in my state, life goes on much as it did before the virus.

Gidday John, thanks for the thoughts but please don’t feel guilty over something we have no control over, life’s too short!! Besides someone has a layout to rebuild!!

 

For the birdwatchers amongst us, I had an unusual visitor the other day, NZs smallest native bird, a male North Island Rifleman, (Titipounamu) came right into the house and perched on a curtain rail. Even though the ranch sliders were wide open he couldn’t find a way out but I managed to gently pick him up, popped him by some bird seed, which he had a pick at, then flew off. It is unusual to see them in built up areas.

 

Rifleman by Bear, on Flickr

Rifleman1 by Bear, on Flickr

 

Scenes on a Coastal Southland winters day.

Waipapa Point by Bear, on Flickr

Foveaux Strait by Bear, on Flickr

 

Thoughts and Best Wishes to All that need them. Kia Kaha.

Cheers, the Bear.

[hon30critter]

I had an unusual visitor the other day, NZs smallest native bird, a male North Island Rifleman, (Titipounamu) came right into the house and perched on a curtain rail.

Wow Bear! That's amazing! I'm envious. I love seeing the wee beasties up close.

I take it that you don't have screens on your doors, or at least you weren't using them when the little fellow dropped in. We need screen doors from mid April until mid November. Otherwise the house would be full of flys and mosquitos (and probably chipmunks).

Cheers!!

Dave

["JaBear"]

hon30critter

I love seeing the wee beasties up close.

Gidday Dave, the Rifleman is small enough to be cupped in one hand but I did use two because of my ham fists.

While I don’t wish to give the impression that we are insect free, I don’t need screen doors though if I lived down at the lakes edge we probably would have because for the amount of very small trout flies that get attracted by the light at night.

Cheers, the Bear.

[SeeYou190]

York1

That's too bad.  To tell the truth, I probably won't watch it, either.  I love games, but I really don't like either team playing this year.  I really hate the Rams, so I guess I hope Cincinnati wins.

Ho John,

I thought I shared my "Super-Bowl Party" story in here before, so I appologize for being repetitive.

When my wife and I were first married, 30+ years ago, we were the only people in the family that did not like sports, and did not drink. So, on Super-Bowl Sunday, we always watched all the little kids in the family while the "adults" partied.

As the years went on, all my little nieces, nephews, friends, neighbor kids, etc, just kept on coming to my house every year for the Super-Bowl Party. There were 20-30 "kids" that grew up, and still held the tradition of the Super-Bowl at "Uncle Kevin's" house. So lately, I would have these young adults show up with their new husbands and kids, and we still kept the tradition going.

I remember one family friend, Courtney, who had been coming to Super-Bowl at my house since she was two years old, bringing her husband for the first time, and he just could not believe how many people that didn't give the first tinker's damn about football would meet up every year for a Super-Bowl party.

Now too many of these kids, in their 30s now, have moved away. It has been five years since one of my own daughters has been here. Covid-19 pretty much drove the last nail in the coffin of the parties. in 2019 only a handful of people showed up. There was no party on 2020 or 2021.

A tradition like that was priceless. So many of the best days of my life were Super-Bowls.

-Kevin

[NorthBrit]

Good morning Diners.  A large coffee and blueberry muffin please,  Janie.

The Heavenly watering can is working overtime.

Bear.   Lovely pictures.    Thanks for posting.

Kevin.   Party Traditions.

When I married Dawn  we would go to her parents house for Christmas Eve.  It was virtually 'open house'  with family and friends visiting.

When my In-Laws died we 'took over' the tradition.   Seeing family from London and Scotland  at the same time was great.

When Dawn came down with 'Novichok'  our daughter took over the Christmas Eve tradition.  The past two have been 'muted' affairs due to Covid.  Hopefully this years party will be much better.

 

Sit.  Relax.  Have your favorite drink in hand.   A trip on the Flamsbana.

I remember it well,  both in Summer and Winter.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygjw-n1bOnE&ab_channel=RailCowGirl

 

Stay Safe Everyone

 

David

[Water Level Route]

Good morning all.  Flo, a raspberry danish and a black coffee please.

Kevin, what a sad story, but isn't that just kind of how life goes?  Some of my favorite memories involve getting to see my extended family around holidays/birthdays/etc.  We lived 3 hours away from the rest of my family, and while it may not seem like much, it hinders how often family can get together.  In 2020, one of my cousins organized a "cousins only" series of skype calls and while it was wonderful to get to talk to them all again (it had been years since I'd seen most of them), after it was all said and done I came to the realization that while I missed all of them, I missed what we all once were even more.  If that makes sense.  I wish I had more time with my extended family while I was young.  

Our Super Bowl gathering will be the usual group of us and my wife's family.  10 of us in total.  Only 3 of us even care about football.  In the past, I've done some a number games with prizes to help keep everyone engaged in the game.  Things like football bingo or super bowl trivia (non-football related facts mostly).  Last year, the bingo game got rather heated for some silly reason, so we will only be doing squares this year.  I even always made sure to have enough so everyone won a prize.  Not this time.

 

[BroadwayLion]

LIONS, TIGERS, and BEARS...

 

[howmus]

I don't know Brother Lion...  If those were your breakfast, no wonder you can't climb the stairs anymore...  LOL  They look delicious, I gained a couple lbs just looking at them.

73

[York1]

Good morning, everyone.  Just black coffee this morning, and I'll eat some of Lion's donuts.

My layout tear-down is almost finished.  I'm going to drive the 50 miles to a Menards to get some stuff.  The next day, I'll drive 60 miles to Spring Creek Model Trains to start buying some track, turnouts, etc.  As I mentioned, this is putting some fun back into the hobby for me.  I'll try to get some photos.  I love this store:

 

 

Kevin, that sounds like a wonderful time with the parties.  I wonder if you put the word out, that some of those people may find their way back to your house over the next years?

In the 1970s, the Super Bowl was in New Orleans.  A friend was going to the game (at that time, normal(?) people could still get cheap tickets) and he asked if I wanted to go.  I just didn't feel like it.  Ever since then, I have regretted my one chance to go to a Super Bowl.  If tickets were available, I wouldn't dream of paying the prices they now cost.

Bear, those are really neat photos of the bird.  I'm not going to show my wife -- she loves birds so much she will want to move to NZ on the chance some bird would fly into our house.

 

Thanks to everyone for posting in the diner!  I hope everyone has a good day.

 

[York1]

Post Hog!

What was:

 

What is:

 

Edit:  Top of the Page!

It's late morning here.  Time for a brunch buffet.  Brunch is on me.  Do Lions eat lobster?

 

[up831]

Hi Everyone,

Brunhilda, coffee with cream, please.

Kevin:  that's a neat story of your super bowl traditions.  Yeah, time and circumstances change, but you have some wonderful memories.

I think it's interesting how what started as a game on TV has grown into a full blown family affair complete with the spread of food and drink and it being an all day event.  Funny thing, the game itself, the focal point of the whole event is often anti climatic.

Brent:  Your picture of Lake Louise is beautiful.  The entire Banff area is beautiful.  The Canadian Pacific was smart to develop it for tourism.  However, I just can't get used to the idea that people can walk across or even drive across a frozen lake.  Is that a Zamboni in the picture?  Where I grew up, lakes and rivers can briefly freeze over, but one could never trust the ice to walk out on it.  

[MisterBeasley]

I stopped eating donuts years ago.  I like to think I did it to lose weight, but it was really because Dunkin' switched to a no-trans-fat baking policy, and to be honest, I couldn't tell where the donuts ended and the cardboard box began.

Dunkin' was the dominant donut place in New England.  They drove out the Krispy Kremes completely.  I was on a business trip to Huntsville, where KK still existed.  I remember getting a phone call from my daughter, then about 12, asking me to bring home a box of donuts for a party she was having.  I carried the box of donuts to the airport, and I was walking to the gate, I heard a voice behind me say, "I'm sorry, but we'll have to confiscate that."  I turned to see the whole TSA laughing.  In small airports, anyway, the TSA are just normal people with unpleasant jobs to do.

And no, I won't be watching the Superbowl.  I don't care about either of the teams and the GF and I have gotten kind of tired of the posturing of the NFL in recent years.  And I still long for marching bands and championship cheerleader squads at halftime.

 

[BroadwayLion]

York1

It's late morning here. Time for a brunch buffet. Brunch is on me. Do Lions eat lobster?

 

Sorry, no. LIONS do NOT eat lobster, but will be happy to eat your server!

Now, about your layout... That village looks like it is flooded. On OoooToob there is a series, come out about two or three times a week highlighting all of the disasters of the week. Big floods all over the place.

    (ROAR)

[BroadwayLion]

MisterBeasley

I stopped eating donuts years ago. I like to think I did it to lose weight, but it was really because Dunkin' switched to a no-trans-fat baking policy, and to be honest, I couldn't tell where the donuts ended and the cardboard box began.

 

Best donuts on the planet come from BEARSCAT. Light, fluffy, very tasty.

 

[BATMAN]

Good morning from the not so wild West where it is a nice day.

Spent a few hours doing yard work yesterday, spring cleaning which involves moving branches and filling holes the dogs and other animals dig. The local wildlife can also make a real mess digging for rabbits and moles and such. Moved a couple of branches that had come down out of the tall firs, these branches were 11 " in diametre and probably 25' long and were very heavy so did not move them far. After falling well over a 100' one of them impaled my lawn some 3'.  I will hook up the Deere and pull them into the bush at some point.

 

 

howmus

I don't know Brother Lion...  If those were your breakfast, no wonder you can't climb the stairs anymore...  LOL  They look delicious, I gained a couple lbs just looking at them.

73

 

Two donuts a week, calories alone is good for 7 pounds a year. It would take running at a fast pace for 44 hours to break even. However, processed foods can play real havoc with the liver and this must be taken into account as well. Kevin's coffee additive is toxic waste which is high in the worst kind of calories and the ingredients are not nice to the liver which prevents it from doing its job of flushing the coffee additive out of the body so the calorie count in that is not a true picture of what will be added to the waistline. 

Gatherings around sporting events before covid were a regular Saturday night event at our house. The guys would watch hockey on the big screen in the movie room, the wives would watch on the big screen in the kitchen/family room with no sound so they could yak and the kids would put down the electronics and play board games all evening, good times that will start again soon. Except the kid part, they are all grown up and moved out now.

MisterBeasley

Brent, when I used to ski at Sunday River in Maine, there were several chairlifts that were just off the side of expert slopes.  Mostly, it was just fun to watch good skiers on tough slopes.  Once in a while, there would be a spectacular wipeout, and people on the lift would yell down Olympic scoring numbers for the fall.

One skier who got rated by the folks going up was apparently disappointed in his score, and shouted back, "Russian judge!"

Other times, I've seen falls and skied down to make sure they got up.  Sometimes they were struggling, not willing to admit they were hurt enough to need a sled ride down, or really not advanced enough to even be on that slope.  I would talk to them, told them I wasn't the Ski Patrol but I had their number on my cell phone.  Some mountains were charging a fee for a sled ride down, but Sunday River didn't do that, so I was always able to get them to wait and eventually get taken down.  I did my good deed for the day.

 

 

Good story Mr. B, I like the Russian judge thing. I remember often asking people if they were all right when riding up the lift and seeing a wipeout. The kindest thing a fellow skier can do is bring you your skis and poles. I was up at a resort called Big White once and it was deserted. Of course, when the mountain is empty that's when you can really let loose and fly. That is where I had my second worse wipeout ever. There was no one there to bring my skis and poles down as no one saw me wipe out. It was a long hike up a very steep slope in ski boots to find my skis and poles. Standing there scanning the slope for them hoping you spot them can be a little disheartening.

Two of my lifelong friends remained ski bums well into adulthood and were on the ski patrol and instructed at Whistler. When they were working patrol I would often ski with them as we got to cut the lift lines which was a real bonus.

Got all my track realignment done and tested thoroughly. I will ad feeders, paint the track, and put new ballast down. 

I have to take the wife and one of our bitches down to Portland for the mutt to be bred this week. The wife takes blood from the girl daily and when the numbers are right we hit the road. Likely tomorrow or Thursday. We had to order in covid test kits so we can cross the border. If we test positive we don't go and the wife will get the sperm from the same dog sent up FedEx.

I just realized I missed doing a piece of molding in the laundry room after our huge remodel last year, I'll do that today, it is a real finicky cut around a cabinet that will require the table saw, mitre saw, oscillating saw, and a good old fashion mallet and chisel. I did a similar cut for my sister that lives 20km away, I had to get it right as there was no running back to the saw for some fine-tuning. Fit perfectly when I took it back.

John, looking forward to the rebuild, please post lots of pics.

All the best to all.

 

 

 

[gmpullman]

Mrs. Pullman [AKA Dee Ann] has been helping her aunt who is a senior living alone. She recently fell in her home and broke a few ribs and punctured her lung which required two weeks of hospitalization and rehab. So while taking care of her house which is at the intersection of two busy state highways Dee Ann saw several cats in the yard.

We set up some traps and so far have captured three of the little felines. We're finding it difficult to locate a vet or spay and neuter site around here. Our regular vet is close to retirement but she will take care of two of them for us but we'll have to wait until next Tuesday. We have a few other sources trying to track down a way to get them spayed and shots, etc. The several local rescue groups say they're "booked" through March 

Molly_Smudge by Edmund, on Flickr

These are the two youngest ones and this long-hair gray one seems to be a little older and she is very friendly and begins to purr anytime you even get close to her.

Whisp by Edmund, on Flickr

There may be more! I can't tolerate the thought of these cats being out in this weather. There's no barn or shed on this lady's property for these cats to find shelter. It was minus 3° F the other night and the close proximity to the busy highway didn't sit well with me either. Hopefully we'll get these guys into a safe home.

---

 

Trains in the Cuyahoga Valley:

CVSR 6771 by Todd Dillon, on Flickr

Cheers, Ed

[York1]

MisterBeasley

I like to think I did it to lose weight, but it was really because Dunkin' switched to a no-trans-fat baking policy, and to be honest, I couldn't tell where the donuts ended and the cardboard box began.

I know what you mean.  In New Orleans, the best donuts were Tastee Donuts.  Their buildings all had bright yellow roofs.

Over the years, the fat in the deep fat fryers changed.  I haven't been back to NOLA for a few years, but I think there are very few Tastee Donuts left.

I love donuts.  For all the years my daughters were growing up, we would go to Tastee Donuts every Saturday morning, sit on the stools at the counter, and have donuts and chocolate milk.  Fun memories.

There was still a Tastee Donuts on the layout until last week:

 

[BATMAN]

Thanks, Ed. You get the forum hero badge this week. Hopefully, these cuties can be reunited with their owners or have a happy life in a new home.

You said there were two highways close by. Sometimes wandering animals get across a highway and can't figure out where they are and/or can't get back across the highway.

We are down near the border and my wife's hospital was quite large, because we are rural there was no city-operated animal shelter. She had the contract to handle whatever animals the RCMP or bylaw people or others would bring in. People would try to cross the border with their dogs and/or cats and would not have a rabies certificate for their pet and you would not believe have often people would find this out and just throw their (so-called) pet out the door of the car and then cross the border. Of course, the poor animal would often run after the family car to the point of exhaustion and could end up on either side of the border at some point. It was quite sad to see how people would treat these supposed family members. But you know what they say, how people treat animals is usually how they treat people.

Thanks Ed.

[BroadwayLion]

York1

The next day, I'll drive 60 miles to Spring Creek Model Trains to start buying some track, turnouts, etc. As I mentioned, this is putting some fun back into the hobby for me. I'll try to get some photos. I love this store:

Eh??? LION used to get tracks from Tainworld in Brooklyn, NY.  I guess I could call that my 'local hobby shop'. Mostly I shop on-lion, better selection on lion than it the store. The store and several buildings adjacent to it are their warehouse, but you cannot wander through it to look at stuff.

Tracks: I bought Model Power flex tracks in one meter lengths, they are sold in boxes of 100 tracks, and in those days that cost just a little over $300.00 LIONS go for PRICE, because Lions are Cheap, have no job, and no money. If I want to get something, I have to gete permission from the Abbot. I eventually used 900 peices on my layout, so you can see why price is an issue.

    (ROAR)  : )

[gmpullman]

BATMAN

You get the forum hero badge this week.

Thanks, Brent! 

We found a non-profit callet Pet-Fix that is first come-first served so the two little ones will be seen to first thing tomorrow morning and Dee Ann's cousin is going to adopt the long haired I already named Whisp (of smoke).

All our pets have been rescues in one way or another. Our place at the end of a cul-de-sac seems to be a favorite dumping place. These animals know who their rescuers are and they thank us many times over.

My son looks after the cats that show up at his construction yard:

Bob-Cats by Edmund, on Flickr

BATMAN

It was quite sad to see how people would treat these supposed family members.

It got really bad during the 2008 real estate turmoil when people were walking away from their homes and leaving the pets behind.

---

 

up831

However, I just can't get used to the idea that people can walk across or even drive across a frozen lake.

The Coast Guard just rescued about two dozen people from Lake Erie near me that thought they could drive their "gators" out on the ice. Happens every year, often with expensive vehicles "parked" on the ice that somehow wind up on the bottom of the lake.

---

 

Winter wonderland by Mike Danneman, on Flickr

Big Boy on the Belt Line by Mike Danneman, on Flickr

Cheers, Ed

[MisterBeasley]

Thanks and purrs to those who help care for abandoned and feral animals.  We have two rescue cats and a rescue dog, and our cat who crossed the Rainbow Bridge earlier last year was another rescue.  Yes, they seem to understand their plight, and appreciate their saviours.  Thank you all.

[hon30critter]

up831

However, I just can't get used to the idea that people can walk across or even drive across a frozen lake.

Hi Jim,

Here in southern Ontario the lakes freeze pretty hard by this time of year. That encourages a lot of people to drive out onto the ice. Usually things are fine in February, but by late March it can get pretty risky. Every year there are pictures of tire tracks leading to big, square holes in the ice! What really amazes me is that many of the adventurous types (read 'fools') will park on the ice as though they were in a regular parking lot, i.e. all nicely lined up and close together! I guess their actions can be described as naive at best, but 'stoooopiddd' is much more accurate.

The good thing is that these naive adventurous soles have to pay not only for the recovery of their vehicles, but also for any environmental damage that the oil and gas leaking from their vehicles has done. That can run into tens of thousands of dollars. Also, their insurance companies will likely tell then to take a hike.

Humanity, especially its lower eschelons, can be a fun thing to watch!

I hope that doesn't get me in trouble!

Cheers!!

Dave

[SeeYou190]

York1

The next day, I'll drive 60 miles to Spring Creek Model Trains to start buying some track, turnouts, etc.  As I mentioned, this is putting some fun back into the hobby for me.  I'll try to get some photos.  I love this store:

I love it too, I just wish it was a little more convenient for me! 

-Kevin

[NorthBrit]

Good morning Diners.   It is nearly lunchtime here, so a large coffee please, Zoe.

Last night I showed Dawn a picture of the cats.   One reminded her of one we had.  Dawn wouldn't look at any more..

Later I told Dawn that 'Whisp'  had a new home.    She was ever so pleased.  Looking at the others   the middle one of the three black and white ones  was a spitting image of another cat we had.   (All the cats we had came meeowing at the door over the years.)   

 

Snowploughs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xjp9_6usMhY&ab_channel=EpicCompilation

 

Stay Safe Everyone

 

David

 

 

[BroadwayLion]

LIONS and TIGERS and BEARS...  I keep stray LIONS out in the back yard. But so far, none have come to use my service.

Breakfast...

Would you believe a Cherry Almond Breakfast Bun???

 

Or is a Cranberry Peacan Bun more to your liking ?

 

Come aand get them (the LION is waiting for ewe!)

[Water Level Route]

Lion, I'll take a piece of each!   Thanks!

Mike Danneman sure takes some incredible photos, doesn't he?  Thanks for posting those Ed!

How is it only Wednesday?  I'm a day behind this week for some reason.  I could have sworn it was Wednesday yesterday.  Feels like Thursday today.  Bummer.

[MisterBeasley]

Lion, you should know better!  You're not going to attract lions with pastries.  That's the thing to use if you are running a Mobel Railroader Rescue.  For lions, you need Wildebeest 'n' Eggs.

My daughter has two Tuxedo cats like the ones sitting on the business end of the front end loader.  Again, they're grateful and affectionate rescue cats.  My sister had a cat she found stuck in a pile of snow after a bad storm n Rhode Island.  She guesses that it actually got caught up in plowing operations and couldn't get free.  That cat got some veterinary care and a forever home, plus about a half dozen cat sisters.

[gmpullman]

Dee Ann is on her way to her aunt's house to bring back cat #4. The two little short hairs are in hospital as I type. We pick them up at 3:30 today. The PetFix clinic is in my old neighborhood of Euclid, Ohio and right next door to Wojita's bakery but this morning the place was crazy with cars lined up in the street to drop off all sorts of animals. No time to wander over to the bakery 

The pretty gray long-hair has roundworms real bad. We're getting medicine later today and she will go to the regular vet on Thursday to get her blood checked. Worms will cause anemia.

Here's Penelope, another rescue from about five years ago:

IMG_7794_fix by Edmund, on Flickr

Otis was another, dumped off in the middle of winter:

Otis_woodpile2 by Edmund, on Flickr

And of course, Mr. Wilson, dumped at GE and he worked a 12 hour shift with me and has been by my side ever since.

Wilson_blog by Edmund, on Flickr

He's going on fifteen years now... a devoted companion.

---

CPR_Lake-Louise by Edmund, on Flickr

---

 

 

 

Cheers, Ed

[York1]

SeeYou190

I love it too, I just wish it was a little more convenient for me! 

-Kevin

 

For those of you who have never been to Nebraska, this photo of Kevin in front of a blank gray wall is just about the best scenery you will find in this state.  Unless you like flat corn fields.  Hundreds of miles of flat cornfields.

[moelarrycurly4]

Goat afternoon all,

 

Nothing much going on, finally he ice has melted,I don't know if I have ever seen 2 inches of sleet before was quite the show.

I want to visit that there spring creek models, but it is a ways to drive. 

Prob be heaidng to my Southern Command tomorrow. 

  

[Tin Can II]

I have been gone for a while; had a cornea graft (transplant) done two weeks ago in Wichita.  This was my third; the graft on my right eye lasted for 32 years before it became unviable in September.  Three months of recovery/healing before it can be corrected; but I am use to being one-eyed.  Back to the office this week.

Good to see the LION back.

John:  I love Spring Creek Trains.  They usually made the Texas show circuit, and I was a regular customer.  Now that I am in Kansas, I think they were at Garden City last year; hope to see them next month.

Bear:  New Zealand is on the bucket list; hopefully, when I retire, we can stimulate the economy down there.

Kevin: Look forward to seeing what goes on behind the door.  

Ray:  I have never snow-shoed, but I enjoy reading about your expoits.  Glad to see you have a new lady friend in your life.

I don't have any snowplow pictures; until last year, never lived anywhere where it snowed long enough to require plowing of the rail lines.  As we have had 3 significant snowfall events in western Kansas this year, I might get to see some sort of snow removal.  My wife has had to shovel the drive way twice since my surgery; I am not allowed to lift, strain or sweat.  I think we will be purchasing some sort of snow removal equipment for next year.

I normally don't watch the Super Bowl, either.  I will this year as the Cinncinati defensive coordinator recruited my son to Purdue in 2011 - 2012.  Makes the game a little more interesting if you know one of the participants.

 

[BroadwayLion]

Tin Can II

My wife has had to shovel the drive way twice since my surgery; I am not allowed to lift, strain or sweat. I think we will be purchasing some sort of snow removal equipment for next year.

 

My parents long ago decided to hire people for snow and lawn care.. WTH, you are retired, have someone else deal with the snowflakes.

 

Tin Can II

I normally don't watch the Super Bowl, either

 

The supper bowl. That is what we bring to the cat!

Foosbol... Sunday Vespers is sacrocanct, and so we cannot allow a foosbol game to compromise that. So we watch up until the bell, then go to church. After Vespers we go back  to the community room and some to the TV room, and the kitchen master brings up a cotilion for our supper. Some watch the half time show, and then go away, others come in to watch the ball game. I have five donuts on the Raiders to win!

[York1]

BroadwayLion

I have five donuts on the Raiders to win!

 

100% sure you're going to lose that bet!

[BigDaddy]

Tin Can  I did not know corneal transplants could fail that late.

Lion:  good to see you actve in the forum again.

We stayed in that hotel in Lake Louise on our Rocky Mountaineer vacation.  It was of the most spectaular views I have seen.

My father was a football fanatic and we went to every Colt home, from the game before "The greatest game ever played" to a year or two before the owner moved the team to Indianapolis, in the dead of night.

The first Olympics I remember was Lake Placid 1958.  I immediately liked bobsleding.  In those days, TV cioverage wasn't 100% of the course, and the course was constructed in a manner that allowed sleds to go over the wall.  They also turned over more than they do now.

You would watch a sled go thru a turn, then the camera would show the turn after the next turn, and the sled would never appear.  Next you would see safety people looking for the sled.

Somrwhere out west, maybe Park City, they gave a "take a bobsled ride."  I never had the guts to take it.

My nerve pain, post total shoulder, continues and medication isn't doing much.  The physical therapist is trying laser therapy.  I didn't know that was a thing. The pins and needles stopped, but if I touch it, it feels like when you were a kid and sklned your knee and then you touched it.

If i wear a short sleeve shirt it isn't much of a problem, but at night the arm has to touch something.  A microfiber blanket is the worst, I think I figured out a way to rest my hand on a pillow and minimize arm contact.

Sorry to bother you all with my problems, we have dinerswho have it much worse.

[BroadwayLion]

York1

100% sure you're going to lose that bet!

 

So you will give me good odds, eh?

[CNCharlie]

Good Evening,

I finally finished that Branchline pullman kit. It turned out well but was by far the most complicated piece of rolling stock I have ever assembled. It won't go around my 22" radius without major surgery to the under frame so I will likely sell it. I have another pullman kit but will save it for another time.

Ed, good for you to rescue and care for those cats. We have never had stray cats around our place. Years ago I had an Afghan Hound that didn't mix well with cats and then we had terriers. Cats avoided our place.

Expecting another Clipper tomorrow. Supposed to hit 35F briefly but another 5" of snow may come too. Was at my MIL's house on Monday and the snow is about 4' deep in her yard. Haven't seen snow like this for a few years. We need it though as last year there was a drought.

Lion, nice to see you in the diner.  

Wife and I have been watching Escape to the Country. Getting to see a lot rural England. Wife wants to move to the Welsh border area. 

Nothing really new here. I seem to be in the dog house again.

Time for a brew as in a really nice tea I got at Christmas from Fortnum & Mason. 

CN Charlie

 

 

[up831]

Hi Everyone,

Doughnuts are tastee.  . My favorites were always the cake donuts with chocolate frosting on them.  Nowadays I won't eat either donuts or chocolate.
 There used to be a house in Manhattan, Kansas where the owners ran a bakery in the basement.  There was no signage or any indication it was a bakery.  If you didn't know about it, you'd never know it was there.  They supplied the local convenience marts with donuts. We would sometimes go there at 2:00 am just after they finished baking the donuts and buy a sack of them.  You'd have to stand at the top of the basement stairs and they would bring them to you.  They were fresh and still hot and sooo good.  Good memories.  I haven't been back to Manhattan since the 70s, so I don't know if Vern's Donuts is still around or not.

[NorthBrit]

Good morning Diners.   A large coffee   on the go please,  Brunhilda.

A quiet day here.   A calm before the storm as grandchildren are visiting tomorrow.  

 

After 40 years in a Museum in Switzerland  the firing up and test of a steam snowblower.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKEaniu5vr8&ab_channel=Sch%C3%B6neggbahn

 

Near the Swiss-Austrian border

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyTXerc7UCo&ab_channel=ReneFischer

 

Stay Safe Everyone.

 

David

[Water Level Route]

Good Morning Diners.  Flo, all this talk of doughnuts makes me want one...or three.  Better bring me some with some black coffee.

BroadwayLion

I have five donuts on the Raiders to win!

In what year?

up831

They were fresh and still hot and sooo good.

The first time we ever went to a Krispy Kreme, the "light was on" but we had no idea what it meant (free, hot, fresh off the line glazed donuts for the uninitiated).  We were standing in line waiting to order and looked down and our kids each had a donut in their hands.  Where on earth did you get those?!?!  Then the next worker came out with more and handed one to my wife and I.  WOW!  Easily the best I've ever had.  Nothing like fresh off the line.

My favorites, in order, are bavarian creme longjohns, regular glazed, and raspberry filled jelly donuts.  Oh, and blueberry cake donuts.  And cherry fritters.  And......sorry.  I need to stop! 

Last "warm" day of the week forecasted for today, then temps are going to drop again with lows in the high single digits.  Just in time for us to travel Saturday for an indoor soccer tournament my youngest is playing in.  Hope the roads are okay.

Henry, so sorry to hear about the troubles with your arm.  I hope the PT can help.

Tin Can, I've not heard of the eye procedure you had.  Is your vision clear and 20/20 afterwards?

CN Charlie, sorry to hear your completed car won't navigate your layout.  Are you sure you want to sell it?  I would be tempted to alter the underbody that you aren't likely to look at much anyway to make it work, but that's just me.

Have a good day everyone.

[gmpullman]

Well, if you folks are keeping score at home we're up to FIVE cats rescued from Mrs. Pullman's aunts house. The call came in at nine PM last night, another occupant:

Churchill by Edmund, on Flickr

This poor guy looks pretty beat. Cloudy eye to boot. We just got back from dropping him, plus one other at the PetFix clinic. The gray long hair is going to our usual vet tomorrow. She (the cat not the vet) has a bad case of roundworm. This is the friendliest cat I've met in a long time. 

The PetFix spay and neuter clinic we found has a first-come, first-served daily service for any cat or dog dropped off and one day service. Yesterday we took in the first two cats for spay, rabies, general exam and the charge was $31.00 each. We gladly gave them the fee and then some.

I'll be fixing up a place in the goat barn for the two most recent guests. They're definitely outdoor variety barn cats. I'll set up a heating pad for them.

---

I came across this neat, detailed steel-mill railway the other day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTG9WMOcSl8

I really admire this level of detail!

There's a lot of ethnic neighborhoods around Cleveland and during this time of year there are lots of places selling paczki pastries. These are more of a cake treat sort of like a beignet but with filling. I like the Bavarian cream variety.

Paczki by Edmund, on Flickr

Top-O-The Page! Does everyone have their Spam filter working???

Spam_Yum by Edmund, on Flickr

Belly-up folks!

Cheers, Ed

 

[York1]

Good morning, diners.  Bacon, eggs, and black coffee, please.

I finally have a whole day stretching before me with nothing to do and nowhere to go.  The layout is calling.  After fighting to get the plywood base smooth, I gave up.  Yesterday a trip to Menards, and I came back with these:

 

 

I'll cover the entire layout with foam. It will also give me the opportunity to do what Brent suggested about some inclines.  I'll be able to start an incline a little smoother by taking out some foam to get below the surface.

All the stray cat stories reminds me of after we were first married.  The elderly lady next door would make a large number of crabcakes and give them away.  The cooking smell attracted a large number of cats.  The cats would stay around because she felt sorry for them and would feed them.

At one point, she had over 20 cats that stayed between our two houses.  Our driveway was covered with cats.  Those 20 cats had 20 million fleas.  When you went out our back door and came in, your legs were literally covered with fleas.

I used to like cats.

I know we have some diners with ill health.  I am thinking of you and I hope everyone has a good Thursday.  For all you poor working stiffs, you're on the downhill slope of the workweek. 

 

While I typed that, it reminded me of my working days.  Thursdays were always my worst days.  The kids were getting tired of the week at school, but in their minds, there was no end in sight.  Thankfully, I had good teachers who normally handled things themselves, but Thursdays were still days where if you walked by my office, you might see a kid or two sitting, waiting to see me.  By Friday, they knew they were at the end of the week, and things were better.

 

 

[up831]

Hi Everyone,

Brunhilda, a quick coffee to go with cream, please.

Mike:  I moved to LA in 75, so my experience with Vern's donuts would put it at 1974 - early 75.  When I moved to LA, the big donut shop there is Winchell's.  They're ok, but not outstanding.  I never stopped in at Randy's donuts, so I don't know if they were good or not.  
Ed:  Those paczkis look delicious.  Is that pronounced "patch-key?"

John:  Hope the foam does what you want it to.

Well, gotta run.  Maybe I'll stop in later.

[gmpullman]

up831

Ed:  Those paczkis look delicious.  Is that pronounced "patch-key?"

I guess it's more like "pownch-key"

You should be saying “paczki” like “pownch-key,” which is how the word is pronounced in its native Poland.

There were quite a few Polish families in my elementary school. I kind of had a "thing" for one of the daughters of a Browns player, Dick Modzelewleski and she tutored me in the fine art of Polish pronunciation 

I love the diversity of the old neighborhoods and all the customs that go along with them.

Cheers, Ed

[BroadwayLion]

York1

While I typed that, it reminded me of my working days. Thursdays were always my worst days. The kids were getting tired of the week at school, but in their minds, there was no end in sight. Thankfully, I had good teachers who normally handled things themselves, but Thursdays were still days where if you walked by my office, you'd might see a kid or two sitting, waiting to see me. By Friday, they knew they were at the end of the week, and things were better.

 

So ewe was a principal... I remember that office well, but was not one of the roudy ones. mor frequently the roudyee. Anyway I eventually went to work for the school district. Same school and principal as when I was a kid, but now as one of the five night-time custodians. One of the best jobs I ever had. Onion wage, limited responsibilities and seldom any kids underfoot.

[Tin Can II]

Henry:  When I had the original transplants, I was told they would last a lifetime.  Current opthamologist told me that cornea transplants average 20 years; so at least I was ahead of the curve there.  As my left cornea has made it 33 years, I guess it is on borrowed time.

LION:  My wife is retired, I work full time.  I have been trying to find a plow attachment for our lawn tractor, but they have been out of stock since we bought it last summer.  

[Water Level Route]

Tin Can II

I have been trying to find a plow attachment for our lawn tractor, but they have been out of stock since we bought it last summer.

Good luck.  I've been wanting the snowblower for my lawn tractor, but they're harder to find than hen's teeth the last couple of years.

[ricktrains4824]

Good afternoon diners.

This month was snow plows - One was promised. Now I am delivering.

CR 64568 MOW Plow by Richard W, on Flickr

This plow is now on display in a small park in Meadville PA, near a small ERIE loco, Bessemer box car, and a few large machinery pieces. It is right alongside the former ERIE main. (Now WNY&P Main, home to ALCO locomotives.)

Hope all are well, best wishes to those not, and hope all enjoy the day!

[MisterBeasley]

Tin Can II

Henry:  When I had the original transplants, I was told they would last a lifetime.  Current opthamologist told me that cornea transplants average 20 years; so at least I was ahead of the curve there.  As my left cornea has made it 33 years, I guess it is on borrowed time.

Depending on how old you are, the cornea may have lasted a lifetime as promised, but you actually lasted more than that predicted lifetime.  Congratulations!

I had a water heater with a lifetime warranty for as long as I owned it.  Yes it failed.  They honored the warranty, but I had to send them a copy of a current real estate tax bill to prove I still owned the house.

Lifetime doesn't even mean what it used to.

[BATMAN]

Good afternoon from the drizzly West Coast.

Going abroad tomorrow, heading down to Portland for some hot lovin for the mutt. However, there are supposed to be anti-vax protests at the crossing or crossings. I think it will just be the commercial crossing but who knows. We have four places we can cross the border so hopefully, we can get across at one of them. My wife booked us in at a Best Western down there somewhere. So they will do a breeding tomorrow when we get there and then one the next morning and we head home. The first trip of any length in the Toyota, it steers itself and also keeps distance when on cruise so will be interesting. 

Ed, that poor kitty looks pretty rough, hope things have now turned around for it, That Cockerill 80 layout is amazing.

John, this is how I started my inclines, smooth as can be. That is the only bit of ply on the layout the rest is open grid.

 

BigDaddy

We stayed in that hotel in Lake Louise on our Rocky Mountaineer vacation.  It was of the most spectacular views I have seen.

Henry, my GF, and I stayed there many times over the 8 years we were together. The first time we did not have a reservation as we were not going to stop there at the time. It was January and -30 and the place was booked up. I pushed the check-in guy a bit and he said to hang around and wait for a cancellation. We went for lunch and a long walk around the area and came back. He said no cancellations but we have one room on the sixth floor overlooking the lake we don't usually fill. He said we get complaints it is haunted, I said we'll take it. We stayed in that same room several times over the years hoping to have a ghostly encounter, nothin or no one from the spirit world ever dropped in. we were both disappointed

Whistler has an awesome bobsleigh track, it is on my bucket list. We go up quite often for a couple of days to get a break. However last time it was closed for maintenance. GRRRR! Hope your arm starts feeling better soon.

Check out the video.

https://www.whistlerreservations.com/winter-activities/whistler-bobsleigh?keyword=bobsled%20whistler&gclid=Cj0KCQiAjJOQBhCkARIsAEKMtO3JhWQN0MrC4zPmD-bzxaXPIrzRn-wQjOXN19d7AkkUZkOZAu_tU3QaAhdkEALw_wcB 

 

 

That Spring Creek Trains looks like a great place, I was checking out the pics. Vancouver has one good store that I sometimes visit when I go into the big city which is not often. PWRS is not to far away and though they let you in to look around it is just a warehouse and not conducive to browsing so I don't usually bother.

Lake Louise is also gorgeous in the summer, a spectacular place to watch the rails and all that lurk there. The kid and I spent a great day together in several spots watching these monsters grinding their way up to the continental divide.

 

 

 

Of course if locomotives could talk, they would be looking at those mountains saying "there they are boys, lets getter done".

 

 

[Tin Can II]

Mr. B:  I was 30 and 31 at the time of my first transplants. I am 63 now.

When I was first diagnosed with kerataconus (sp, cone shaped corneas) at 15, and told that at some time I would have to have transplants, my Dad asked our opthamologist how hard it was to get corneas.  His response, "as long as there are motorcylists in Houston, we will always have an ample supply of corneas."  I am very thankful for the gift of sight I have received now, three times.

[BATMAN]

The wife and I had to take a covid test to cross the border. I didn't realize how tiny my brain was until I stuck that swab way up my nose. It passed a vast expanse of emptiness until it touched my brain.

The things we do for our wives.

 

 

[maxman]

BATMAN

The wife and I had to take a covid test to cross the border.

Getting here is easy.  I hope you looked into what is required to get back.

[moelarrycurly4]

Greetings from the Southern Command

Was a warm day here today and will be tomorrow, then the bottom drops out.

I can tell there is a low pressure coming as I have the massive headache today.

usually have one about 3 days before the event.

well off to bed, see you laters

[BATMAN]

maxman

 

 

BATMAN

The wife and I had to take a covid test to cross the border.

 

 

Getting here is easy.  I hope you looked into what is required to get back.

 

The land crossing is no problem, they have to let us in, we live here. Flying is another issue. I would not risk it.

[maxman]

BATMAN

The land crossing is no problem, they have to let us in, we live here.

I guess they have to let you in...eventually.

A lot of the normal Canadian vendors and visitors were no-shows at the recent Amherst Train Show not because they coulnd't get there, but because of whatever Covid testing requirements they were afraid they couldn't fulfill to get back.

[BATMAN]

maxman

 

 

BATMAN

The land crossing is no problem, they have to let us in, we live here.

 

 

I guess they have to let you in...eventually.

A lot of the normal Canadian vendors and visitors were no-shows at the recent Amherst Train Show not because they coulnd't get there, but because of whatever Covid testing requirements they were afraid they couldn't fulfill to get back.

 

 

There is no "eventually" about it. 

If you travel by land and test positive you still get let in and are required to Quarantine at home. If you are flying and test positive before you fly, you have to wait 11 days, test negative before they will let you get on an airplane. It is about getting on a plane and infecting fellow passengers at that point, not crossing the border. Simple and straightforward. A lot of people are getting infected while away and cannot get back on a flight for a couple of weeks. They just better have the money to go to a quarantine hotel, miss an extra couple of weeks of work and then rebook a flight. As usual, it sounds like people were just too lazy to read how it works and decided to stay home. The test we took was easy and straightforward, not rocket science.

If they were flying to the Amherst show and flying home, then I wouldn't go either. Traveling by land will cause no issues if you know how to read.

[maxman]

Ah hah, I see.  The old if you test positive you self-quarantine at home and you’re on your honor to do so trick.

Out of curiosity, which test do they give you, in either direction?  No, not that direction.  I mean north and south.

I didn’t have much faith in those go to the testing place and they give you those swab up the nose and text you the results in a couple hours places.  But when I got back from the show I started to feel crappy and the boss convinced me to go.

So I went and was happy when the test came back negative.  Then I read the fine print.  Seems that if the result is positive that means that one is infected.

However a negative test does not necessarily mean one is not infected.  I don’t like tests where the answers are yes and maybe not.

["JaBear"]

maxman

I don’t like tests where the answers are yes and maybe not.

There’s nothing quite as reassuring as a “Positively Maybe”!!!

[gmpullman]

Almost exactly 

---

 

 

A little roughed up here:

Jordan Spreader Ashtabula by Edmund, on Flickr

Seen in Ashtabula, Ohio, back in '99 or so.

Wabash in Ohio:

Follow the Flag Through the Snow by Craig Sanders, on Flickr

Cheers, Ed

 

[BroadwayLion]

maxman

So I went and was happy when the test came back negative. Then I read the fine print. Seems that if the result is positive that means that one is infected. However a negative test does not necessarily mean one is not infected. I don’t like tests where the answers are yes and maybe not.

 

That is to be expected. If you are infected, then you are infected, If the test is negative it could mean that theses cells were not infected, but others, which they did not find might be.

 

If you drill for oil in your back yard and do not find any, does not mean that there is no lil in your front yard.

[Water Level Route]

Good Morning Diners.  Zoe, a western omelette, english muffin, and grape juice please.

Got a couple inches of heavy, wet snow overnight.  Enough for local schools to cancel in person and go to virtual instead.  I'm so glad I didn't grow up in an era when this was even a possibility.  It sounds like a real PITA. 

Got a message last night that there was a last minute alteration to the soccer tournament schedule tomorrow, moving my daughter's first game back by 90 minutes.  That's okay by me as I wasn't looking forward to waking up at 5:30 on a Saturday to make sure we got there on time.  The tournament is about 2 hours from home.

Haven't done much with the trains since my flury of activity a couple weekends ago.  Some of the track is covered in tape right now to protect it, so I haven't even been able to run a train.  Yeah, I know I could pull the tape and the put more on later, but I've already done that twice.  I need to just find the time to push through and get it done so I can at least run something again.

Happy Friday guys.

[hon30critter]

Hi Gang,

Here is some snow removal action on the Donner Pass. Remember to click on the 'Watch on YouTube icon to get the full view:

Dave

[York1]

Good morning.  Bacon, eggs, and coffee, please.

We actually did not get under freezing last night.  However, the wind is blowing from the north right now, and by tomorrow, we won't get above freezing.  No snow predicted.

I'm getting some of the foam glued onto the layout.  It will be nice to have a good, flat surface to lay new track.

I hope everyone has a good Friday today.

 

Union Pacific snow plows:

 

World's Heaviest Snowplow by Chuck Coker, on Flickr

 

UP snowplow by David Brossard, on Flickr

[BroadwayLion]

 

Just for fun!

 

[York1]

OK, Lion.  That's one of the strangest videos I've seen.

[maxman]

Strange doesn't even begin to describe it.  I think some of that date stuff got into the ceremonial wine.

[gmpullman]

C'mon, confess. You know who you are 

Flour_Sugar_Hoard by Edmund, on Flickr

At the end of the day:

Plow_Crew by Edmund, on Flickr

So, like overnight, we have eleven cats amongst us! The two barn cats are happy to be occupying the old goat barn. Dee Ann's son happened to be getting rid of an old chest of drawers and that made a nice cat nest for them.

This little one, so far named Swiffer since she looks like an old feather duster, seems to be having a tough time getting adjusted:

Swiffer by Edmund, on Flickr

This was Wilson's bed right next to the wood stove that he graciously gave up for the new kid. 

Brrrr—

GTW, Michigan, United States by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr

Have a great weekend, Cheers, Ed

[hon30critter]

Is that plough supposed to stand out. To me it looks more like camoflage, i.e. like a zebra. Don't let Lion get too close to it or he might bite a chunk off!

Dave

[hon30critter]

Hi Ed,

Speaking of hoarders, we discovered in 1971 that my great grandfather had been guilty of hoarding during WWII. We discovered a 100 lb. sack of white sugar buried in a corner of his farmhouse attic. After close to 30 years in an uncontrolled environment it was as hard as a rock, but nothing had been chewing on it. My parents, having been raised in the 'Dirty Thirtys' wouldn't throw it out. It lasted several years as we dutifully scraped the block down to turn it back into crystals.

Cheers!!

Dave

[hon30critter]

Here is a recent video of the Cumbres and Toltec OY rotary plough in action. Click on the 'Watch on YouTube' icon to get the full width video:

Dave

Edit:

I didn't realize that I had the top of the page. Lions post should cover the Diner offering. I'll pick up the tab.

[BroadwayLion]

Breakyfaste is on the table!

Or it will be as soon as you put that box car away.... Sheesh... Boys!

Come and JOIN the LION for Breakfast.

No veganbeasts left around the LION's table!

[York1]

Good morning, diners.  Saturday!  Just like Friday, or Thursday, or Tuesday ...

I'll have bacon, eggs, and coffee, just like Friday, or Thursday, or ...

Dave, that's pretty neat about your hoarding ancestor.  I'll bet that happened more than we can guess.  My parents lived through the depression, and it colored how they lived the rest of their lives.  It was a crime to them to throw anything away.

Ed, I'm glad you like cats.  I don't think I could live with all the cats.  I had a hard enough time living with one for many years.

No offense, Lion, I'm just not a big cat fan.  As a kid on the farm, it would have been unthinkable to have a cat or dog in the house.

Mike, I remember those days of driving the daughters to tournaments.  For several years, that was about all we did on weekends.  Enjoy your time with kids -- it goes too quickly.

Maxman, I agree with the confusing test results.  I don't like tests that say, "Yes, you positively have the virus, but maybe you don't."

MLC, with your headaches, you could probably do better at predicting the weather than our local TV weatherman.  "It might rain, but it might not."  Kind of like the Covid tests.

Tin Can, good luck with your eye issues.  It's great you out-lived your "lifetime" corneas.  The alternative is not as good.

Brent, hope your trip to Oregon went well.

Bear, your report on the bad tourist economy came up when I read a newspaper letter that said the person was hoping NZ would open up again so they could take their long-postponed trip.  They were scheduled to go two years ago.  I would love to go with them, but I don't think that will happen.

MisterBeasley, you were lucky to get that water heater with a lifetime guarantee.  My next car is going to have a lifetime warranty, but only because of my age.

Ricky, that snowplow sounds like it's in kind of a neat display park.  I love those small kind of places with interesting things that many people drive by without stopping.

Jim, how long were you in LA?  I took several trips out there in the 1970s.  At that time, you could see the dark dome of smog over the city as you got closer to it.  Thankfully, I think that's pretty much gone now.

Kevin, I thought of you the other day.  When I go to the Menards, there is a Lowes, a Home Depot, and a Menards within a ½ mile of each other.  If you can't find what you want in one, you have two other chances to find it.  They all three have help-wanted signs.  You could move up here and get three jobs.

 

No layout work today.  I used some caulk to attach the foam to the plywood, and it will cure today.  My old layout was on plywood.  I cleaned off the old as best I could, but it still was not completely smooth, so I was going to replace the plywood.  Then I thought, why spend that much on new plywood?  I'll just cover it with foam.  Menards had these ½ inch 4x8 foam sheets for $13 each, so it was easy to cover the old wood.

I haven't completely finalized how I want the track to run, but this whole process has kind of remotivated me with the hobby.  For months, I knew I was satisfied with my old layout, but I didn't know if I really wanted to start over.  But once I took the first step, there was no looking back, and I'm actually so happy I'm doing it.  It's fun!

For those I haven't mentioned, I hope everyone has a good Saturday.

 

[MisterBeasley]

Good morning!  We went out and had a delicious steak dinner last night.  It's a new place, and we have finally found a good steak house here in Delaware that we like.

We still have toilet paper in the closet from two years ago.  We had a problem back then with Poddy Pirates, I guess.  We are in a summer resort community that has very low full-time residents, but we quickly discovered that our normal stores were being raided by lean and hungry barbarians from Philadelphia and DC, who made the trip here just to buy out our stores.  So, we began to hoard, or as we called it, "stock up."

 

[York1]

MisterBeasley

So, we began to hoard, or as we called it, "stock up."

Two years ago, when the shortages appeared, I thought it would be neat to have a year's supply of food and products stored up.  I just don't have the organizational thinking to do something like that.

[hon30critter]

Hi Lion,

Thanks for providing breakfast! Looks yummy!

I didn't realize that I had the top of the page so I didn't offer up any goodies. Thanks for filling in.

Cheers!!

Dave

[hon30critter]

Next week we start work on installing a new pantry cabinet with roll out shelves. It is replacing a converted broom closet that has served as our pantry for 33 years. We were never happy with the awkward access and poor lighting.

The new pantry will have five 24" x 22" roll out shelves so access will be a breeze. We figure that we will actually gain some shelf space, but perhaps more importantly, we will be forced to deal with the clutter of pop bottles, shopping bags, rarely used appliances and other miscellanea that littered the floor of the closet. We tried not to open it when we had guests. It was embarrasing!

Another benefit will be having all the same types of products grouped together. In the past, we had been in the bad habit of shoving new purchases wherever there was space. That meant that we could have canned tomatoes on three different shelves with half of them buried behind different products. Hopefully the additional space will prevent us from falling into that trap again. We shall see.

Our son Cole is going to tear out the old closet walls and do the necessary drywall work. I have decided to have the cabinet supplier install the new cabinet. I'm a bit of a believer in warranties in situations like this, plus they will have oodles of experience with getting things like the alignment and miter cuts correct. Cole could do it, but I don't want to ask him to use his time anymore than necessary. He is a busy guy.

Hopefully everything will be done by March 3rd.

Cheers!!

Dave

[gmpullman]

hon30critter

We discovered a 100 lb. sack of white sugar buried in a corner of his farmhouse attic. After close to 30 years in an uncontrolled environment it was as hard as a rock, but nothing had been chewing on it.

Why couldn't it have been some tasty Canadian Maple Syrup? 

Mistrust of banks caused many depression-era families to stash money in odd places, like coffee cans buried in the yard. Here in Cleveland a contractor doing a remodel on a bathroom found $182,000 stuffed in the wall cavities.

So he claimed the money was his but the homeowner had other ideas. Since the money was from the '30s and earlier it actually had a putative value of over half million dollars!

https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2008/02/woman_whose_contractor_found_c.html

When my aunt passed away back in 1980 I helped my mother in removing her belongings from their apartment. It wasn't long before my sisters and I began finding small packets of tissue paper wrapped in rubber bands hidden in the most obscure places. Inside the vacuum cleaner, indide a seldom-used coffee percolator, and yes, even in a hollowed out book. Each of these wads had about a thousand dollars in paper bills tightly wrapped . We have no idea if we ever did find it all.

I recall that W.C. Fields would open bank accounts in cities all over the U.S. and perhaps other countries, all in assumed names. I doubt he had time to reclaim all these accounts before his demise.

Lionel_Bobsey-Twins Hudson by Edmund, on Flickr

Oh, yeah — speaking of hoarding. Back when the big Y2K "panic" was going around one of the electricians at GE was not about to be left high and dry so he gathered up a half-dozen 55 gallon drums and proceeded to fill them with gasoline. Ah, yes, right on top of things.

Six months later he was grumbling about having all this gas on hand and it was starting to turn into jelly. (I wonder how well he cleaned out the drums? They had contained hydraulic oil.) 

Come to think of it, I now see so many parallels to that big "scare" of 1999 to what we are witnessing today.  

One for The Bear 

Greymouth,  New Zealand, 1996 by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr

Where's TF? It's been almost a week.

Cheers, Ed

 

[hon30critter]

Hi Ed,

I do have to admit that my family benefitted right after WWII as well, and although there wasn't any hoarding involved, there were a few eyes winked.

As one story goes, my great uncle Laur Peck owned a garage in Little Current on the Manitoulin Island. Right after the war ended the military was selling off all manor of vehicles, so Laur decided he would buy a six wheel drive heavy duty truck and convert it into a tow truck. He recruited my dad to help him drive it home from whatever base in southern Ontario it was stored at. My dad, having only been home from the war for a few days, decided to wear his uniform to pick up the truck, and it was also decided that dad would use his 1937 Mercury sedan to drive to the base. The Merc's tires had never been replaced and they were as bald as I am.

When they got to the base my dad was instructed to leave the keys in the ignition when he parked the car. It took a couple of hours to sort out the paperwork for the truck but eventually they were on their way. However, when my dad went to get into his car he discovered that there were five brand new tires in the back seat and the trunk. The Sergeant who had ordered him to leave the keys in the car told them to get off the base immediately! They didn't argue!

Cheers!!

Dave

[maxman]

gmpullman

Six months later he was grumbling about having all this gas on hand and it was starting to turn into jelly. (I wonder how well he cleaned out the drums? They had contained hydraulic oil.) 

It wasn't Fyrquel was it?

[gmpullman]

maxman

It wasn't Fyrquel was it?

Pretty close to the same thing, Houghto-Safe:

https://fireresistantfluids.com/products/hfc-water-glycol-hydraulic-fluids/houghto-safe-620-series/#:~:text=HOUGHTO%2DSAFE%C2%AE%20620%20is,or%20in%20high%20temperature%20areas.

Probably wouldn't take too much of this stuff remaining in a drum to contaminate gasoline.

Regards, Ed

["JaBear"]

gmpullman

One for The Bear 

Thanks, Ed. Due to our latest Covid lockdown, we didn’t get to the South Island West Coast, we were at Hamner Springs due to cross the Lewis Pass to the Coast, but instead had to scarper for home, luckily managing to catch the last ferry back to the North Island!

The hills behind Hamner Springs, taken from the door of the motel.

 

Hamne r Springs by Bear, on Flickr

 

And on the subject of tank engines, this Manning Wardle & Co 0-4-0ST, built in Leeds, England in 1914, shipped to NZ where it was in service with the Canterbury Meat Co for 61 years, now at the Ferrymead Heritage Park.

 

0-4-0ST by Bear, on Flickr

 

YorkJohn, our illustrious Leader has indicated that NZs borders may be open to tourists in October. Suffice it to say, I’m not holding my breath!!!

 

From, I guess, the 1920s, a travel poster depicting the North Islands winter resort at Mt Ruapehu.

 

Chateau by Bear, on Flickr

 

Thoughts and Best Wishes to All that need them. Kia Kaha.

Cheers, the Bear.

[NorthBrit]

Good morning Diners.   A full English and large coffee please, Chloe.

A very wet day today here in the former  land of the North British Railway.

I grew up at a time when we did not throw anything away.  'It will come in useful one day'.   Anything we wanted we saved money up until we could buy it.  The only thing we did not buy outright was our first house.

 

Snow Plow at Train Mountain

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBq8jtqnfj8&ab_channel=TomWatson

 

Stay Safe Everyone.

 

David

 

[gmpullman]

     A friendly smile —

            A timeless pose:

 

BN, Belton, Montana, 1970 by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr

Cheers, Ed

[BroadwayLion]

Big Crew in this Dinner...

Breakfast from the House of the LION!

 

 

[York1]

Good morning, diners.  No breakfast yet, Lion.  I'll have donuts later.

My parents saved everything.  My wife and I also did not buy anything unless we saved up the money first -- except the house.  It was a very good feeling to pay that off.

I'll check in later when we come home.

[howmus]

Mornin....  Well it is still morning here in the Finger lakes for a few more minutes....

Thanks Brother Lion!  I now can't button a new shirt I put on this morning after looking at what you served for breakfast here in the diner!!!!  Well, I need to get back on the stick and lose a couple lbs. I have put on and the new shirt is a size smaller than I normally wear, but!!!

Tonight I will at my son's house watching my once a year sit and stare at the idiot box to see the Stupor Bole thingy...  My team (Bills) are not playing but I guess I will sit and endure who ever is doing that this year (not even sure who that is...  Tells you how into that I am...).  Nice being around family at least.  DiL says they will start to serve pizza and chicken wings about 5:30 and I'm sure I will over over eat on the side stuff of chips, dip, desserts, a couple beers (early so I don't get nailed in the expected police traps that will be on the roads when I drive home...), etc.

I am one that would far rather do stuff than sit and watch other people do stuff. 

Hope all of you have a great and safe day out there.

73

[Water Level Route]

Good afternoon diners from beautiful snowy northern Michigan.  

Well, my daughter's soccer tournament went OK yesterday.  Didn't look like it was headed that way though.  Our first match was against a team that played physically dirty and the ref (looked to be about 18) wouldn't call anything.  Our girls won't play a physical game for the most part, but if pushed far enough will retaliate.  Our coach finally lost his temper and started yelling at the ref to do his job.  Yellow card.  Continued to yell at him (and ritefully so I might add).  Red card.  He pulled our girls off the field with 50 seconds left in the game.  It was tied 2-2.  I absolutely support his decision.  By the end of the game we had a girl out with what was later diagnosed as a lisfranc sprain in her foot, our best defender walking with a very concerning limp and holding her stomach (from getting elbowed when she had the ball, which wasn't called even though the ref was staring right at them and watched her crumple to the turf), and another with a gash in one knee bleeding rather steadily.  Out of 9 girls we were down to 6 healthy after 25 minutes of play.  The tournament club host representative ended up going over and having a talk with the ref who appeared absolutely disgusted, but finally started calling the rough stuff.  We ended the tournment 2-1 (with our one loss being the forfeit of that tied game).  We would have played that dirty team again in the final had we finished that first game out.  If we hadn't have walked off though, I doubt there would have been a change in his calling of the games, and a lot more girls from all the teams would have ended up hurt.  Watching the other games, that one team played dirty in all of them, but at least they started getting called for it, which slowed it down some.  The behavior of one of their parents following our walking off showed everything one needed to know about that team.  The apples don't fall far from the trees usually.

I for one am excited to watch the Super Bowl.  Snacks cooking away in crock pots right now.  Family coming over in a couple hours for pre-game board games and a little social time prior to kick-off.

howmus

I'm sure I will over over eat

You are supposed to!  It's like a second Thanksgiving!  It's wonderful!

Have a Super Sunday guys! 

[MisterBeasley]

We're having home-made chili WITHOUT the football.  The GF won't watch football for political reasons.  I don't like the political nonsense either, but these teams really don't interest me.  And there's no Kitten Bowl this year!

I recall my daughter's lacrosse games fondly.  She started in middle school, in what was then a brand new program.  We even had volunteer coaches.  I was one of them, actually more of just an adult presence although I played one season my freshman year in college.  Her first year, there had been a lot of snow and the fields didn't dry, but we got a few practices outdoors.  This showed early, as other teams had only practiced indoors and our team of newbies were beating other girls by scores like 10-1.  Then, of course, reality hit when more veteran teams who had practiced outdoors ended up beating us by scores like 10-1.  Still, it was a lot of fun.

When they got to high school, they had a real program and even a real coach.  I was still adult presence, but mostly I was sitting on the sidelines with Band-Aids.  I still remember a practice where our goalie forgot her mask, so she couldn't play.  I filled in, maskless, and I saw my own daughter put a whizzing shot right by my ear.  From then on, when I coached, I made sure I had my hockey goalie mask in my car, just in case.

["JaBear"]

Super bowl by Bear, on Flickr

[York1]

Good afternoon, everyone.

I've seen there are some petitions out there to convince the NFL to move the Super Bowl to a Saturday.  I think a lot of people call in sick on the following Monday.  In the early 1990s, I remember the NFL moved the game from afternoon to evening, which didn't help with the Monday hangovers.

Look at the nice, flat, smooth surface I have to play on starting tomorrow!

 

 

Have a good rest of the Sunday, everyone.

[up831]

Hi Everyone,

quick note.

John:  I was in LA just shy of 10 years.  Why did I move away?  Long story!

Your train table looks smooth enough to have some Olympic ice skating on it.  Hope the track locating and laying goes well.

I can't imagine the NFL would acquiesce to moving the game to Saturday.  It's not their problem or responsibility that people have next day hangovers.

[Track fiddler]

Evening

Digg Inn Kids!

I spend more time pulling beef nachos every year then I do watching the halftime show or their souped-up commercials.  

By the way.. The "Back in the day" ones were better!

Take a couple if you wish.. They're on the dish

 

Enjoy the rest of the game and have a good evening gentleman

 

 

 

TF

[Track fiddler]

POST HOG!

A little later I got the heavy artillery out to dip my Nachos.  Judy had her lotion out because it's been colder than the tolerated FFF consideration and Ridiculously dry.

I almost feel if I gave it a little more attention... I could do an Ortega set for a Magazine on top of my old 1800's shipping trunk coffee table

 

If I did do that... I would just hope nobody would complain

 

It's always good to see you Gents

 

 

TF

[York1]

TF, I'm surprised there're still nachos left in that bowl.  I could have had that entire bowl empty by the end of the first half.

[Track fiddler]

Didn't make the beef nachos till half-time after those two big beef sandwiches at the beginning of the game that were (ALMOST) like a Po-boy mimic John

... 

 

 

TF

[Track fiddler]

Tonight I'm going to be Frank.

I had two good friends through life named Frank so tonight you can call me that but usually I prefer to be called TF

Both Franks I knew never complained.  That's why I always enjoyed my time with them.  They were Always a joy to be around

My little get well message doesn't apply to everyone here at all but my Grandmother always told me over and over through her life raising me. 

"If you don't have something nice to say about someone or something, ... Don't Say It At All!  ....."Never complain because nobody wants to hear it"!

 

Never 'Dog' a place you rode your horse to hang-out with friends or you might as well just keep riding.

 

 

Thanks for listening

 

 

 

TF

 

[CNCharlie]

Good Evening,

Another cold day here with a little snow.

I think I will dismantle my N scale layout and sell off what I can. I rarely run it and just prefer HO. I did enjoy building it. I have packed up the Trainmaster, some rolling stock and a few buildings to sell. I just have the RS18 and a little rolling stock left.  I also plan on selling my HO BLI mikado too. It runs well but isn't a CN loco as it is the USRA version. I have a consolidation and light mountain to haul freight. Lately though I run mostly passenger or mixed trains. 

Time for rea and some blueberry pie

CN Charlie

Another quiet day here. 

[BroadwayLion]

MisterBeasley

We're having home-made chili WITHOUT the football. The GF won't watch football for political reasons. I don't like the political nonsense either, but these teams really don't interest me. And there's no Kitten Bowl this year!

 

LION doesn't have a horse in this game either!

 

[Track fiddler]

Yipidee Yap and all of that.. Don't waste the time of day.. but Mister Ed will never talk unless he has something to say

 

 

 

TF

[Track fiddler]

POST HOG!

The super bowl was basically background noise while I ate good food and worked on a bridge.

Had either team been a little more of significance to me.. I may have had a better attention span of a two-year-old

Anyway here's the bridge I'm working on because I want to make the bottom look Mint.

You have no idea how hard that prefab crap was to cut out and even worse the diagonal members I installed that had to be cut out too so I can get to the non-yield Sub- surface -Way they go

 

 

 

 

 

TF

[SeeYou190]

York1

Kevin, I thought of you the other day.  When I go to the Menards, there is a Lowes, a Home Depot, and a Menards within a ½ mile of each other.  If you can't find what you want in one, you have two other chances to find it.  They all three have help-wanted signs.  You could move up here and get three jobs.

After all the work I have put into this house, I don't think I will ever move. I have everything almost exactly the way I want it from surround sound to garage door opener controls. 

I just had a heart-break on my train room. I will fill you guys in tomorrow. This is really bad.

-Kevin

[Track fiddler]

My stepdad the marine sergeant had a cartoon on the wall in the dock house by the outboard motors.

It said "I'd like to compliment you on your work, When's the last time you did any"?

I of all people know what work is and lately I've been pulling a Kevin

I have to put this stuff back so do you think you can e-mail me your cement mixer? 

 

I'd hate to mix it in that bucket in the photo and the Winter gets wickeder because I have three more of them to do

 

I like it

 

 

TF

[Track fiddler]

Did I forget to mention to say that I enjoyed my slow work Winter until recently

 

Follow the gray brick road

 

 

TF

[Track fiddler]

You know you can't breathe in those condo units working while making lots of dust because it's 10 below outside and you can't open a window

I deserve a little compassion here

 

 

TF

 

[Track fiddler]

I forget to mention to say that it's on the third floor of the east side of the building and the dumpster is just below that but you have to go to the middle towards the west to go down to the basement to go back up to the dumpster and then you can dump it after you haul it.

 

Oh well I'm going to hit the rack as it's late and I hope you all have a great night Kids.

 

 

TF

[Track fiddler]

A horse is a horse of course of course unless it's a horse that you endorse.  

If Pullman Cars or an Iron Horse, I would talk to Mister Ed

 

 

TF

 

P.S.  Mr T, ..I don't know why you continue to delete my posts.  If you continue I will be going away for a long long time.

 

Humor Italian, as my last name is about as Italian as it gets as my great-grandfather was adopted by an Italian family.

Scottish my blood but my Italian last name.  It's about time every one of the world quits being so stuck on being offended by humor of orientation or derivative of ethnic background.

Nobody's has ever offended me by a deco joke

And I don't remember the last time I was with my Italian friends that were offended by anything else like that either

[Track fiddler]

Well Alrighty Then

 

I've seen your beef for a long time Tom

You achieved your objective

[hon30critter]

Hi TF,

I love your coffee table! Is that an old chest?

Dave

[Track fiddler]

Yes it is Dave and thanks for asking

It's a shipping trunk from the 1800s that was given to Judy by a family that befriended her.  It was passed down through their family.

They had five of them and did not have room as they downsized and Judy was honored by taking one and they would be glad that it remained in family because they considered Judy as that.

 

 

TF

[Track fiddler]

She was told that the wealthy did not just go on vacation but they would go on somewhat of a crusade and leave for months so they needed big trunks to take all their things.

 

 

TF

[hon30critter]

TF,

By the way, the nachos looked pretty good too!

For Valentines dinner we are having Filet Mignon that has been dry aged in our fridge for 5 days as well as grilled lobster tails with insane amounts of garlic in the butter. You can never have too much garlic! (That is unless you are going on a first date or a job interview). We will top that off with double baked cheese potatoes, a Boston lettuce salad with marinated onions, and some vegies. I can hardly wait!

Dave

[NorthBrit]

Good morning Diners.   A bowl of porridge please,  Zoe.  No whisky in it.  I shall be out driving the car in the pouring rain a little later.

Glad you are back TF.   The handing down of the trunk is really great.   In our family it is the handing down of names.   The boys born Dawn's side of the family are nearly all called John  and the girls born my side of the family are (nearly all)  called Julia.  Great fun  (or confusing) at family get togethers.

Charlie.   It is always sad (to me)  to hear of breaking up a layout.   Do you have a HO layout already?

 

No snowploughs, but snowy scenes.  Note how grass still peers through the snow.  The indistinct shapes in the distance as the snow softens the scenes

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfrWHs5iG5s&ab_channel=TJBRoad%2CRail%26Racing

 

Thoughts & Peace to All who Require.

 

David

[hon30critter]

This video is a great example of how hard the rotary ploughs have to work to clear heavy snow accumulations:

Dave

[York1]

Good morning, everyone.  It's a bright, crisp, cold morning outside.

Bacon, eggs, and black coffee, and then a trip to the train store.  I'm not sure how the day could get any better.

Dave, that video was taken about 20 miles west of me.  There are several places like that along the BNSF tracks that get deep snow whenever the wind blows.  There is another spot like that about 5 miles west of us.  Thanks for the video.

TF, I'm glad I live far enough away from you so that, even though I will offer to help you carry all that broken concrete, it's impossible for me to get there to help!

David, that's an interesting family tradition with names.  My family doesn't have anything like that, although I am actually the third John.  The jokes about two johns not being enough for my family all grew old a long time ago.

I hope everyone has a good day today.  If I get bored later, I'll check back in after the drive.

[SeeYou190]

SeeYou190

I just had a heart-break on my train room. I will fill you guys in tomorrow. This is really bad.

This is my disaster.

As I have combined the four rooms that will become the train room... I have discovered that the door wall will not be straight. The wall is going to be offset by 6 inches.

This was absolutely not the plan, and that lost 6 inches is critical. The model building desk is 6 feet long, and I needed a five foot layout width to turn 180 degrees 4 tracks at that end of the layout. Dropping the layout width by six inches will make the inner loop less than 18 inch radius, and I will lose at least three staging tracks.

The only solution seems to be to cut the model building desk down by 6 inches, but that is nearly unaaceptable because then the paint drawers will not fit beneath it.

This offset also ruins the backdrop behind Port Annabel and reduces the waterfront scene by a few square feet.

Oh boy. I had no idea the walls were out of alignment.

-Kevin

[MisterBeasley]

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

We'll be celebrating with sushi tonight at one of our new favorite places.  Then, Wednesday night we will get a bit fancier, but that restaurant has taken its usual winter break and is just re-opening that evening.

Dining out in a summer resort community can be an exercise in planning.  Smaller places just don't take reservations, and everyone is crowded all summer, so we do most of our dining out in the winter.  Besides that, parking anywhere near the beach is next to impossible, and they're talking about raising the rates again.

[BroadwayLion]

Im not sure what this has to do with a train, but I will chew on this and see what comes of it!

[howmus]

Track fiddler

Did I forget to mention to say that I enjoyed my slow work Winter until recentlySad

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqzpQPDSr2s

73

[Water Level Route]

SeeYou190

This was absolutely not the plan, and that lost 6 inches is critical. The model building desk is 6 feet long, and I needed a five foot layout width to turn 180 degrees 4 tracks at that end of the layout. Dropping the layout width by six inches will make the inner loop less than 18 inch radius, and I will lose at least three staging tracks.

Kevin, that really stinks.  Is there any possibility to have the model building desk slightly lower than the layout so the last bit of it could tuck underneath the layout and allow the paint drawers to fit as intended?  Maybe bump in just the section by Port Annabel to maintain space there?  (I know, your aisle would be narrower there, but unworkably so?)

[CNCharlie]

Good Afternoon,

Another cold day here. It is -21C right now but the wind is light so not too bad. I have to make a bird seed run as we are nearly out. We are going through about 75 lbs. a week now and that is shelled sunflower seed so it is expensive. Oh well, they are struggling this winter with the cold and snow. It is mostly the large flock of Redpolls but there are quite a few sparrows and house finches too.

Northbrit Dave, I have an HO layout and built the N scale on a door as we were planning on moving to a condo on Vancouver Island after I retired in 2013. The move was cancelled but I finished th N scale layout anyway. It is fully sceniced. I still have one train left and may just leave it at that as it isn't in the way. More just a reminder of a failed plan. 

Time to check the feeders again.

 

CN Charlie

[York1]

Hi again, diners.

Kevin, I wish I was more creative so I could give some design advice.  I'm sure you will be able to figure something out somehow.  It might not be what you planned.  Earlier, when you said there was a major disaster, I thought the worst and that your train room was no longer going to be a train room.  Good luck.

I just returned from a trip to the train store.  What a great place.  I talked a while to the owner who had just returned from a major trip to Massachusetts, Maryland, and then Colorado.

This is all HO stuff as far as you can see!  Behind this stuff, at the far end of the building, is aisle after aisle of N scale stuff.  And, he sells most of this under the prices you can find online, and there's no shipping fee.  I bought N Atlas flex track and Peco turnouts both for less than I found anywhere online:

 

 

Like a kid in a candy shop!

 

[Tin Can II]

Kevin: That has to be disappointing.  However, I would bet that you can come up with a solution that will work for you.

I have a similar problem in my basement.  My train room is 19' x 40'.  However, 5' x 40 feet nearest the center wall, with two entrance doors, has a ceiling that is about 6' 4" tall.  I am 6' 7' tall, and I have to stoop to enter the room regardless which entrance I use.  The lowered ceiling is part of the return air system for the HVAC system, which is housed in a room on the other side of the wall between the two entrances.  I guess I could widen and shorten it, but that would be a whole lot of work.  I could make that area a long workbench, but that cuts the width of my layout down considerably.

[Attuvian1]

York1

Hi again, diners.

Kevin, I wish I was more creative so I could give some design advice.  I'm sure you will be able to figure something out somehow.  It might not be what you planned.  Earlier, when you said there was a major disaster, I thought the worst and that your train room was no longer going to be a train room.  Good luck.

I just returned from a trip to the train store.  What a great place.  I talked a while to the owner who had just returned from a major trip to Massachusetts, Maryland, and then Colorado.

This is all HO stuff as far as you can see!  Behind this stuff, at the far end of the building, is aisle after aisle of N scale stuff.  And, he sells most of this under the prices you can find online, and there's no shipping fee.  I bought N Atlas flex track and Peco turnouts both for less than I found anywhere online:

 

Like a kid in a candy shop!

John,

I just had to Google the location.  100 miles to Lincoln, 160 to Omaha, and over 200 to Kansas City.  No offense to the locals, but it's really out in the tules.  How does a place that size stay in business in a small town like Deshler?

John

[Track fiddler]

Good early evening

I always liked Gilligan Ray.  I I can't even remember his real name at the moment.  His character in Gilligan's Island was he came across kind of slow but was a likable happy-go-lucky kind of guy.  What was funny is, about 9 times out of 10 he always knew what was going on more than the skipper ever did

This drinking for the Super Bowl thing is way overrated.  Judy and I got ripped last night  Actually I don't drink very much anymore, in fact the last time was my birthday back in December.

I don't know?  Every Blue Moon we play hard over here.  We are responsible though and I brought Judy to work early in the morning and got to my job too.

I decided to build dams kind of like when you were a Kid and made dams in the street early spring from what was left over from the salt sand trucks all Winter.  It was amazing how long those dams in the street lasted back in the day but these boards sealed with caulk we're much more funner

I used that high dollar self-leveling RS mud at $33 bucks per bag $600+ dollars later because Kevin wouldn't borrow me his cement mixer  The stuff was great because you just put 5 1/2 quarts of water in the bucket, dump the whole bag in there and mixed it with your paddle in a 1/2" drill

I did every other one like leapfrog and then a couple hours later I could knock the forms out and pour the mud in-between.  It worked like a Champion man, ...and I barely had to break a sweat

 

Have a great evening gentlemen

 

 

 

TF

[York1]

Attuvian1

John, I just had to Google the location.  100 miles to Lincoln, 160 to Omaha, and over 200 to Kansas City.  No offense to the locals, but it's really out in the tules.  How does a place that size stay in business in a small town like Deshler? John

 

It's pretty amazing.  He started this business by traveling to train shows.  He was honest and trustworthy, and built up a reputation.  Then, he bought an old grocery store in this little town of 800 people.  It became his brick and mortar store.  Even more amazing, it's eight miles off a highway.

He and his wife continue to travel to shows each weekend.

While in the store today, I looked through his guestbook on the checkout counter.  He has had visitors to his store from everywhere.

His Internet presence is not real large.  He does some business online, but mostly it's people calling the store.  They have a huge supply, but if they don't have something, they will get it.

I think it shows that hard work, honesty, fairness, and helpfulness are still important in building a business.

On Google maps, check out the reviews.

[Track fiddler]

hon30critter

TF,

By the way, the nachos looked pretty good too!

For Valentines dinner we are having Filet Mignon that has been dry aged in our fridge for 5 days as well as grilled lobster tails with insane amounts of garlic in the butter. You can never have too much garlic! (That is unless you are going on a first date or a job interview). We will top that off with double baked cheese potatoes, a Boston lettuce salad with marinated onions, and some vegies. I can hardly wait!

Dave

 

Man that sounds good Dave.  I think we are getting due for a dinner like that and thanks for reminding me  My mouth started watering just hearing you talk about it 

I'm with you on there's no such thing as too much garlic.  Onions as well.  Sometimes you luck out on either one, in regard that you get the best and can't get any more like that for a while, so you enjoy it when you do.  Judy found some onions that were so sweet it was almost like eating an apple.  Those didn't affect your eyes when you were cutting them

When Judy and I lived south of the river we went to the Garlic Festival every year.  These farmers in Hutchinson took their garlic crop very seriously and I don't know why they wouldn't  It was a really fun day.  It was a huge Farmers Market and we would get this dark colored hand harvested honey that was so good.

At that fair we would get a full clove of garlic every year that was doused in butter and eat the whole thing.  Perhaps my imagination but Judy said the same thing.  We were full of energy and almost felt like our hair was standing on end for a couple of days.

I don't know why we haven't gone to that festival for quite a long time.  I think we're going to have to re-visit that this year

 

 

 

TF

[Track fiddler]

BroadwayLion

 

Thanks for the breakfast pastries and such lately brother Elias

Hopefully the sad look on your face in this picture passed quickly.  I feel confident that it probably did as you are well-liked around here

 

 

TF

[maxman]

And now for something completely different......

when I go to look at TF's last post on page nine, I get a warning that the site contains suspicious format.  TF, what did you do?

[maxman]

And now for something completely different......

when I go to look at TF's last post on page nine, I get a warning that the site contains suspicious contentt.  TF, what did you do?

[SeeYou190]

Hello Everyone.

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

Top O'The Page!

Drinks are on me!

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

It is 10:30 in the evening here, so a cold bubbly beer it is. Tonight I am enjoying Blue/Point Brewing Toasted Lager. Please help yourself.

-Photograph by Kevin Parson

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

Good times for all!

-Kevin

[gmpullman]

maxman

when I go to look at TF's last post on page nine, I get a warning that the site contains suspicious contentt.  TF, what did you do?

I get that warning too. Something about "In Jennies Kitchen" is a phishing site and my Malware software is blocking it. I make every effort to be sure, as much as possible, that any links I post here are "safe".

CN Snow plow  extra at Genoa IL 2011 by Mark LLanuza, on Flickr

Thanks for the toasted lager, Kevin! I may have to chase that with a bit of Crown. It's 4°F here. Supposed to be 52° on Wednesday! 

I remember seeing "Blue Points" on the old railroad dining car menus. Wasn't until recently I figured out what they were 

Cheers, Ed

[SeeYou190]

gmpullman

Thanks for the toasted lager, Kevin! I may have to chase that with a bit of Crown.

I am glad you were able to share and enjoy.

My favorite chaser has been a good Kentucky Bourbon, but I have not had any of that in the house in years.

-Kevin

[NorthBrit]

Good morning Diners.  Tea and toast please,  Brunhilda.

Kevin.  Thanks for the lager.   A bit too early to have just yet.  I'll have a bottle later, thanks.

 

Snow  =-  1963.  (I remember it well.)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl4pJwcE7JI&ab_channel=BFI

 

Stay Safe Everyone.

 

David

[BroadwayLion]

Breakfast is on the LION.

[hon30critter]

NorthBrit

Snow  =-  1963.  (I remember it well.)

David,

That video was very interesting up until the 4:30 mark. After that it started to drive me nuts with the rapid scene changes! I had to stop watching it.

Don't misunderstand me, I'm not complaining about you posting it. I'm glad that you contribute as much as you do. Unfortunately, this video left me dizzy.

Cheers!!

Dave

[York1]

Good morning, diners.  I'll have Lion's breakfast this morning, and save Kevin's lager for later today.

I'm mapping out the layout track today.  I'm laying out several ideas to see what I like the best.  I'm also including a train crossing another track, so I need to check on the grade to do that.

After seeing TF's bridges, I had hoped to put in more, but it looks like I will have only one bridge (unless I can do something else).

I really miss seeing Garry's posts each day.

Have a great day, everyone.

 

Abandoned Russell Snow Plow by Nicholas Erwin, on Flickr

 

Old Train Snow Plow at Pioneer Village Museum in Hot Sulphur  Springs, Colorado by Peter  Ciro, on Flickr

[NorthBrit]

hon30critter

That video was very interesting up until the 4:30 mark. After that it started to drive me nuts with the rapid scene changes! I had to stop watching it.

Don't misunderstand me, I'm not complaining about you posting it. I'm glad that you contribute as much as you do. Unfortunately, this video left me dizzy.

Cheers!!

Dave 

 

Sorry Dave.    It does go crazy.    I just had a few minutes to choose a film.   BFI are generally good films to watch.

 

David

[York1]

NorthBrit

Sorry Dave.    It does go crazy.    I just had a few minutes to choose a film.   BFI are generally good films to watch.

 

Dave and David, it's just some film editor's idea of interesting video.  I'm sure they thought it would be interesting, but instead it's very distracting.

Recently, I watched a program called Mansion Global.  I called my wife into the room just to watch the very upsetting video work.  They switched camera angles and scenes so fast, it was next to impossible to even see what the images were supposed to be.  The only scenes that were on the screen more than one second involved the beautiful woman hosting the program.

I tried hitting the pause button at each scene, but that got so aggravating that I just quit watching.

At first, I thought it was because I'm an old man.  But I ruled that out!

[gmpullman]

York1

I'm sure they thought it would be interesting, but instead it's very distracting.

I recall all the hubub over that Blair Witch Project film. I never saw the whole thing nor ever cared to but it seemed to usher in the "nervous, jittery hand-held point-of-view" camera technique. Baaah! DeMille would be rolling over in his grave. I guess they refer to it as the "Run and Gun camera style" you can keep it, unless you're on Omaha Beach.

Another technique that bugs me is the white flash between some scenes. Back in "the day" scenes faded slowly to black and a new scene would fade in, or if it was the same thread it was a cross-disolve.

---

 

It looks cold in Fargo!

AM, Fargo, North Dakota, 1972 by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr

Sun is shining here and we're up to 15° F 

Have a great day and thanks for the morning grub, LION!

Regards, Ed

[SeeYou190]

I watched a documentary on PBS about a group of girls trying to create a competitive dance group from nothing. 

The first 1:45 was a lot of interviews, practice sessions, and personal shots with long single takes.

Then... they finally got to perform.

Their three minute dance recital had over 100 shot changes, and most were close-ups of hair, feet, hands, etc. They showed almost none of the dancing these kids had practiced. It was one of the worst cases of film editing I have ever seen. It was like watching the movie crash through a brick wall before driving off of a cliff.

The short shots they showed of the competition were much better.

-Kevin

[MisterBeasley]

SeeYou190

My favorite chaser has been a good Kentucky Bourbon, but I have not had any of that in the house in years.

-Kevin

The GF is the Bourbon drinker in our household.  We are hoping to hit the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky this summer, lockdowns permitting.  I will be the designated driver, since I seldom touch hard liquor.  I'm more of a beer and brewpub sort of guy.

[Track fiddler]

maxman

when I go to look at TF's last post on page nine, I get a warning that the site contains suspicious contentt.  TF, what did you do?

 

Nothing.  Nothing different from the normal realm of posting from my phone Maxman. 

I don't know but I get that message 403 Forbidden or whatever it is and I have to repost over and this site is getting very glitchy and freezes up  on me quite frequently again.

That's why I disappeared for a week because it gets to the point where it's not worth the effort trying to post something.

Interesting.  This is news to me and at the same time I'd have to say I'm not surprised.

 

Sorry, but it has nothing to do with me on my end.

 

 

TF

 

 

[gmpullman]

One of my all-time favorite wintertime railroad films:

 

Railroaders, Guy L. Coté, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Cheers, Ed

[CNCharlie]

Good Afternoon,

 Snow and cold again today. We have a heated birdbath that sits about 3' above ground that now sits in a depression in the snow.

I fixed an electrical problem on the layout. I lost power to the 2 tracks in the engine house due to power no longer going through a turnout. I should have done power feeds from each stub track when I built the layout. That has now been rectifed. 

No plans for the rest of the day. I recorded 5 episodes of Escape to the Country so that should do. Have a nice brie and some french bread to bake. Sounds like a plan.

CN Charlie

 

[Track fiddler]

Evening

Hi Ed, I'll get to watching that winter time video in a few minutes here.

First off, I hope that you will be proud of me as you have been the Pullman passenger car inspiration guy over the years here

I have always loved this Pullman Green on Black old school classic Great Northern set.

The small Pullman emblem just didn't quite cut it for me.

It was a bit of a gamble as I was worried if the dialect of color would match so many years later.  They matched perfectly. 

They just arrived this afternoon Ed and I'm delighted with them.  I was thinking of you when I stepped up to the plate and forked it over to win the auction.  

I almost like the one that doesn't have a car name on it better.  Pullman on its own is good enough eh

 

By the way,  I wouldn't have the foggiest notion where you found it, but the clock on the corner of that building of yours looks Great

 

 

TF

[BroadwayLion]

HEY... Its SNOWING here!

[Track fiddler]

York1

After seeing TF's bridges, I had hoped to put in more, but it looks like I will have only one bridge (unless I can do something else).

I really miss seeing Garry's posts each day.

 

You put a great big smile on my face and I thank you for that John.

 

I've been following along and saw the Great job you did dismantling your layout.. Nothing like starting over new with a fresh slate  You did that so fast it darn near made my head spin

 

If you want more than one bridge John, it's all about taking your time with the planning.  1/4 inch per foot as you know gets you up to to an overpass.  Your layout is much bigger than mine is and you have plenty of room to do whatever you choose.  Just take your time in the planning as it's not a race

 

 

I'm looking forward to seeing your progress down the road and I know your gonna have fun.

 

 

I'm with you as I really miss Garry around here too

 

 

 

 

 

 

TF

[BigDaddy]

Mr B My sons took me to a bourbon festival at National Harbor, the name National, is just a name, it's on the Maryland side of the the Potomac River at the Capital Beltway.  I don't remember who drove home.

Not much good news here. Physical Therapy is happy with my range of motion, but my ability to raise my arm is as expected at this point, but minimal.   My arm is still in pins and needles mode.

Motorbike adventrue   https://youtu.be/chraXC5Y3XY

An orthopedic surgeon and an OB-GYN that I knew since college both have cancer.  I believe the old wives tale that things happen in 3's so I am waiting for the next one.\

Forgot this, a near miss

I still can't get youtube videos to show

[Track fiddler]

Hay is for horses and it ain't SNOWING here  Perhaps I'm not as fortunate as my brethren friend in North Dakota even though I live right next door.  I still enjoy whipping fishtails in my truck when I can though

 

You've been added to my discussions with the Man Upstairs at night Henry.  None of that sounds good and I'm hopeful things get better

 

 

TF

[gmpullman]

You are correct about the Pullman green being a classic choice, TF 

 I've got a soft spot for the Empire Builder, too. My nephew has one of the lightweight Pullmans from the train:

IMG_2775 by Edmund, on Flickr

 

This was kind of the clock I was hoping for —

Marshall Field Clock by Craig Sanders, on Flickr

But I'll sure settle for the one I used. It is much better suited to the size of the structure, too.

Bank_Clock by Edmund, on Flickr

Seek and ye shall find:

https://www.trainz.com/products/brawa-5361-ho-baden-baden-illuminated-historic-wall-clock

Thank you, Ed

[Track fiddler]

I really like those clocks that stick out from the corner of the building too Ed.

They don't always have to be clocks to be enjoyed either

I have over 3,500 pictures in Imgure.  I amaze myself sometimes how fast I skim through and find one

There are two Railroad Station offices in downtown Minneapolis that have those Corner Clocks.  I will make it a point to go down there this spring when the weather gets nice and take those pictures for you

The problem is I don't remember exactly where they were when I stumbled upon them.  Perhaps I will put a few miles on my feet on this lovely upcoming Spring field trip

 

 

TF

[Track fiddler]

Yep, those ones are NICE!

I'm going from recollection here but I think it's Omaha Orange with the Pullman Green.  They didn't have a sophisticated name for the yellow, it was just yellow  On the later cars I think they added it.  I might have called it Sunny Day Yellow or something like that  It did do a good job separating the drab green color that I do prefer.

Ironically this picture was on the page previous of the Great Northern corner sign.  I think I must have been in Railroad Mode for a few days

I was at a train show not many years ago and they had the Omaha Orange Great Northern passenger car set that I passed on because it had repito couplers.

Micro trains makes knuckle couplers to replace those that I didn't know about at the time and I have regretted passing on that set for years.

 

 

 

TF

[Track fiddler]

POST HOG!

 

Hey!

When I post I post I guess

How's that Caboose Cabin of yours?  If you wouldn't mind posting a more recent picture of that I'm sure the guys would appreciate it just as much as I always have.  Especially after all the hard work you did on it some time ago.

 

 

TF

[York1]

Ed, your buildings and the clock look great!

 

Here's one from a bank in New Orleans:

 

[gmpullman]

Track fiddler

If you wouldn't mind posting a more recent picture of that I'm sure the guys would appreciate it just as much as I always have.

Thanks, TF

We haven't been down to the caboose since the "Big Blow" of mid-January. We're overdue. A nice fire, maybe some chili or soup and a nice old movie for the afternoon.

Wilson_91908_2k by Edmund, on Flickr

Newer photos don't have the lettering. I've got to get that done this summer.

Here's a nice look down from the "crow's nest":

91908_interior-cupola by Edmund, on Flickr

Did you know I built a modified Howe truss bridge for the foot path a while back?

IMG_3846 by Edmund, on Flickr

IMG_3886_fix by Edmund, on Flickr

IMG_3981 by Edmund, on Flickr

Of course Wilson is sure I built it just for him...

IMG_5416 by Edmund, on Flickr

She still stands back in the woods as solid as, well, a Howe!

Those were the days, John, when a store or business would give a little something back to the community by installing a fancy clock like that. Thanks

Cheers, Ed

[Track fiddler]

Delightful!

Not to mention the Caboose as it has enough going on on its own, is the bridge you built, ...SWEET! 

I must admit I'm quite partial to Wilson the cat as well

Made me smile quite well.  I have a pet story that I will share at a later time and I did get the meaning of the clock but not until just now

 

Thanks Ed

 

 

TF

[gmpullman]

Track fiddler

I must admit I'm quite partial to Wilson the cat as well

I know he'd like you, too, TF. He's a construction genius!

Wilson_Laborer by Edmund, on Flickr

He was with me for every operation at the construction site along with my granddaughter Damia.

Wilson_Damia by Edmund, on Flickr

But when that break whistle blew he was the first to catch some Zs! 

Wilson_Tuckered by Edmund, on Flickr

Yeah, I'll have to get Dee Ann's nephew to cut some new lettering for me this summer. Looks too plain without that NYC oval on her flanks!

Cheers, Ed

 

[Track fiddler]

Too Cute!

Reminds me of when my daughters were little.  Almost got the old weathered tear ducks starting to flow

Ironically enough that's what my pet story is about is when I was doing construction wrapping the deck around the house with Nellie the construction inspector

 

 

TF

[BroadwayLion]

 

[Water Level Route]

Track fiddler

Too Cute! Reminds me of when my daughters were little.

Agreed! I've got a photo somewhere of my oldest daughter, then about 2 or 3, helping me with the addition I put on our old house.  I was running wiring and would strip wires as I ran them to boxes and it was her job to put wire nuts on the ends of each wire, for no other reason than to give her something to do.  (Home runs weren't made until everything was installed so there really was no point in it)  She was tickled pink.  I love the picture.

Been a rough couple of evenings at home lately for my youngest-and by extension my wife and I.  Boy troubles.  That's two nights of not getting to go to bed early enough.  Oh well.  Sounds like the trouble will be dealt with today.  Out of everthing I look back on in my childhood and smile and wish I could go back and experience again, those first loves are not on that list.  Something to be said for being happily married. 

Anyone been watching much of the Olympics?  We normally do, but just haven't much this time.  Not really sure why.

Have a good day everyone. 

Edit: Top of the Page!  I see as I was typing my post, brother Lion offered up some fantastic looking breakfast!  How about a tequila sunrise or two to go with.

 

[Track fiddler]

Good morning

Looks like a rather scrumptious breakfast  Thanks for that

Nothing like waking up to the rarely seen Ghost Leopard either

 

 

TF

[Water Level Route]

Dang.  Now I have the song stuck in my head.  So I'll share it...Track Fiddler style!

[Track fiddler]

Morning music  Thanks for the good tune.

I remember my daughter Kaylee really liked to do the balance the silverware off the side of the glass trick Mike.  When you finally get it to work it looks physically impossible.

I'm going to have to confront her next time I see her because I don't remember how to do that anymore

She just couldn't stand to leave a restaurant without the silverware left like that.  Better than the salt cap left loose I guess

 

 

TF

[NorthBrit]

Good afternoon Diners.  We are having a few days away this weekend, so being packing a suitcase.    Therefore some of that breakfast, Lion has left and Tequila Sunrise  TF has left.  Thank you both.

 

Pictures of pussycats, big and small,  great.  I have always liked cats.

 

The grandchildren are always visiting.  

I do not know what we are doing right,  but they all say 'they don't want to go home.  It is such fun here.'

 

Snow and Snowploughs

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA06hL4VemA&ab_channel=YesEpicYes2.0

 

Stay Safe Everyone

 

David

[York1]

Good morning diners. 

I'm writing this sitting in the dentist office waiting room. Not exactly one of my favorite places. 

I'll try to check in later if I make it out alive. 

[Tin Can II]

York1

Good morning diners. 

I'm writing this sitting in the dentist office waiting room. Not exactly one of my favorite places. 

I'll try to check in later if I make it out alive. 

 

 

Good luck.  Something I need to do as well.  I had a ton of dental work done at the start of the pandemic in Texas; but I have been in Kansas for a year, time to find a dentist here.    

[Track fiddler]

BroadwayLion

 

One for Brother Lion

 

https://youtu.be/JfjkiTB1fHQ

 

 

 

 

TF

[up831]

Hi Everyone,

Now I have that song stuck in my head, too.  It was a good one, but I'll have to try to purge it with some Debussy or Beethoven, or else it'll be going on all day.

The picture of the sunrises look appetizing, which gives rise to the question.  Does anyone ever make tequila mixed drinks with reposado or anejo?

Last day of the work week for me.  Since January, I've been on a schedule of four on and three off.  Works well for me.  Hope they don't change it.

Ed:  I think your caboose cabin and Howe truss bridge are really neat and well done.

Well, later guys.

[Water Level Route]

up831

Now I have that song stuck in my head, too.

Sorry Jim.  What usually works for me is to listen to the song, and then listen to some others.  So that's what I did.  I plugged my phone in to the speakers on my computer and fired it up.  Now I no longer have Tequila Sunrise stuck in my head.  Now it's this instead. 

Oh well.  At least it's good music and not something really annoying.

[hon30critter]

NorthBrit

Snow and Snowploughs   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA06hL4VemA&ab_channel=YesEpicYes2.0

Hi David,

Another great snow plough video!

Even though I have seen several of the scenes before, they are still very entertaining! My devious self would love to see a bit more footage of the aftermaths of the bystanders getting blasted! The moderators might object.

I'm also enthralled by the truly 'blind' faith that those brave souls riding in the ploughs must have in their equipment. It's like driving into a whiteout at full speed on a major highway without having much in the way of quick braking. Scary! I guess that one major saving grace is that they don't have a bunch of idiots tailgating them!

Dave

[SeeYou190]

Water Level Route

Kevin, that really stinks.  Is there any possibility to have the model building desk slightly lower than the layout so the last bit of it could tuck underneath the layout and allow the paint drawers to fit as intended?

No, the model building desk is huge! It is my favorite (and most expensive) piece of furniture. Three daughters and I did homework at that desk every night for decades. It is one of the most treasured possessions I have.

There are so many memories tied to this desk.

I even spent some time there with friends.

It has received several upgrades through the years. The most cherished is this wonderful Dazor desk lamp!

Water Level Route

Maybe bump in just the section by Port Annabel to maintain space there? I know, your aisle would be narrower there, but unworkably so?

I can do that, and it will not be unworkable. I wanted a 40" wide straight aisle so the layout could be run from a wheelchair is necessary. I think I can maintain something close.

-Kevin

[York1]

Good evening.  The diner's waitresses are all standing around bored.  No customers.

I'm still drawing some plans for the layout.  Everytime I get what I want on paper, I change my mind.  This time around, I want to be sure I'm getting what I want.  I have found the Peco N turnouts I bought the other day are better than the Atlas I used on the last layout.  I believe I will switch to all Peco turnouts this time.

Mike, I had three daughters.  I feel your pain.  The good part for me was that most problems were handled by mom.  They grew up fast.  They all married great guys.,

Charlie, I've never seen Escape to the Country.  It sounds like it was the model for several programs we get here on HGTV.

Henry, that video of the bike-train collision was amazing.  I can't believe how close that guy came.  I know what you mean about friends and illnesses.  Lately, my college alumni magazine's obituaries have had a lot of people from my class.  Every day is a gift.

TF, those Great Northern Pullman cars look great.  They're going to look nice on your new layout.

Ed, I know I said it a while back, but that caboose is about the neatest thing I've ever seen in someone's backyard.

Kevin, it sounds like you want to build something like Ed's caboose.  I wish I had tried something like that 20 years ago.  You will have a nice advantage -- you can buy supplies at work and bring them home each day.

David, you are fortunate to have your grandchildren close.   You and your wife must be wonderful grandparents, and it shows because the grandchildren want to stay at your house.  A real compliment to you!

Tin Can, I may have read it already but have forgotten.  You said you are in Kansas.  Did your job bring you there from Texas?  I go through Kansas often on the way to Texas.  Highway 81 changes into I-35, straight through the state.  My father used to drive miles out of the way, just so he didn't have to pay the $2.00 toll on the Kansas Turnpike.

Jim, I've never had reposada or anejo tequila.  Tequila is the only liquor that I like.  I'm a beer lover, and I never developed a taste for anything else.  My doctor says I can have two cans of beer, but not three.  Not sure why.

Dave, I also wondered what it's like to hit those snow banks without being able to see ahead.  Kind of like a pilot flying through heavy clouds?  I would be nervous.

I know I have missed mentioning some people.  I hope you all are doing well.

 

I probably shouldn't complain when I have to clear our driveway snow.  These guys are on the Chicago and North Western "Cowboy Line" at Chadron, Nebraska, in 1949:

 

[SeeYou190]

York1

Earlier, when you said there was a major disaster, I thought the worst and that your train room was no longer going to be a train room. 

Oh no! If that would have happened none of you would ever hear from me again.

I have five years of planning into this layout project... it is going to happen!

Tin Can II

Kevin: That has to be disappointing.  However, I would bet that you can come up with a solution that will work for you.

Now that the initial shock has worn off, I am sure I can find something that will be acceptable.

The big disappointment is that I built the whole layout in 1:1 scale out of cardboard already, so I knew exactly what it was going to look like. Now I need to change some plans.

-Kevin

[NorthBrit]

David

[hon30critter]

Hi David,

Thank you sincerely for the story about 'Grandma's House'. It brought back many memories of long ago. When I was a kid we went to 'Grandma's' house almost every weekend for many years.

My grandparents had a farm with a big barn. There was no end of things to explore, both in the huge barn and around it. There was a cow's skull beside one of the ramps up to the main floor of the barn. When I was little the skull scared me half to death.

I did a lot of growing up there, and they allowed me a lot of liberties. I had free roam of the farm. How many kids at the age of 10 were handed a 12 gauge shotgun and told to go kill the groundhogs?!? I admit that I had mixed feelings about that but I managed to do the job. When I was in my very early teens my dad allowed me to drive the family car across the fields! I was thrilled despite the fact that the ploughed fields left a pretty rough surface to negotiate. I couldn't go more than a couple of miles per hour because of the bumps. I guess that's why my dad wasn't too worried.

Thanks for rekindling lots of great memories!

Cheers!!

Dave

[Water Level Route]

Good Morning All.  Flo, a large coffee in a New York Central mug please.

Ah yes, to be able to go to Grandma's house.  Sign me up for that when time travel arrives.  I'll be the first in line.

Kevin, I forgot about that desk.  For some reason I was thinking a simple flat top.  Looking back at your rough track plan you posted, it appears there are straight sections of track in the turnback curves.  Could those be removed, and have the curve continue coming out of your staging yard so you clear your desk (with a bit of wiggle room) then gently angle out to your intended benchwork width so you preserve enough width to have the number of staging tracks you wanted?  Dunno.  Just a thought.

There is a guy in town here with a homemade caboose in his front yard.  It's okay, but nowhere near as nice as Ed's.

Have a good one fellas.

[hon30critter]

Here is another Russel plough in action. Note the F series locomotive in the consist! You will be forgiven for skipping through the narrative a bit:

Dave

[SeeYou190]

York1

Kevin, it sounds like you want to build something like Ed's caboose.  I wish I had tried something like that 20 years ago.  You will have a nice advantage -- you can buy supplies at work and bring them home each day.

The caboose project will be entirely my wife's. She fell in love with Ed's, and she always wanted a she-shed, so that settled it.

I cannot build one nearly as beautiful as Ed's. In my area of South Florida, all outside sheds larger than 8 by 8 must meet the same building codes as the primary structure, and withstand Category-5 Hurricance force winds.

So, I will basically build a 10 by 18 shed with a cupola on top and paint it to look like a caboose. I can meet code and accomplish this, however, it will not look as perfect as Ed's. Plus, I don't have the beautiful scenery to surround it like Ed. Mine will look like it is coming out of the Areca Palms.

I cannot have an open space beneath it, so that will ruin some the the effect as well.

-Kevin

[BroadwayLion]

Top or Not... Lion caught some lemon-poppy seed sticky buns for breakfast.

 

Yes, I know, this is a snow leopard... But is friend of LION and so deserves a bite of your time!                Go ahead... CLICK on the Leopard!

[MisterBeasley]

Grandma's house.  Well, not houses exactly, actually third floor walkup apartments in Brooklyn, NY.  My paternal grandmother was quite elderly, and suffered from what we then called senility, but from the symptoms she had Altzheimer's.  There was no yard, no farm, no tractor, no animals.  But, there was warmth and familiarity, and good food.  Both of my parents came from large families, so there was never any shortage of aunts and uncles.

When she was growing up, Grandma had a cat named Big Bum.  He loved to stock his head in a paper bag and run around the apartment complete blind.  One day, he ran right out an open window and fell three stories into the alley.  He was a tough old cat.  They fixed up his broken hip, and from then on he walked with a loud thump to accompany his permanent limp.

[moelarrycurly4]

sigh

[York1]

Good morning, everyone.  Bacon, eggs, and black coffee.  I love it.

hon30critter

When I was a kid we went to 'Grandma's' house almost every weekend for many years. My grandparents had a farm with a big barn. There was no end of things to explore, both in the huge barn and around it.

 Dave, that sounds a lot like my situation.  My grandparents' farm was an amazing place to explore.

Their old farmhouse had a propane furnace but they never turned it on.  Grandma cooked on a wood stove in the kitchen that heated the house.  During the winter, I slept upstairs.  There was no heat, but my grandmother had about a foot thick set of quilts on the bed.  In the morning, when you stuck your head out from beneath the covers, you could see your breath.  You finally worked up enough courage and ran full speed downstairs to the kitchen to sit by the stove.

Of course, the worst was heading to the outhouse.  You did not want to drink anything after supper, or you would have to go out in the middle of the freezing night to the outhouse.  No bedpans at grandpa's house!

Nothing on the schedule today -- that means I can devote today to trying to finish a plan for the layout.  Of course, that's the goal, and I fully expect not to finish the plan.  I am going to start laying down some mainline cork roadbed on the part of the layout I know where I want it.

I hope everyone has a great day today.

[BroadwayLion]

Ah... My paternal Grandmother lived in Jamacia, NY, a single family house, it used to be heated by coal, I guess they switched to oil. The back yard was ragged and without grass. The garage was dark, unlighted, too small for a car, which they did not have in any event. I was afraid of spiders, which I was told were in there. The Subway was a few blocks away, as was Hillside Avenue. And over they years I watched them build more and more six story apartment buildings, now called Lefrak City. As they were being build, and I must have been about eight years old when I climbed into the buildings and walked around on the bare concrete floors.

[moelarrycurly4]

So My Grandparents lived in rural Missouri

My grandpa on my dad side owned a gerenal store as well as farmed.

We only got to visit once or twice a year because we lived so far away. 

Barns to explore, creeks to fish in ( and swim) The store was a trasure trove.

They had indoor plumbing but it never worked right so out house. 

Who went to the out house at night for #1 ? you just either went off of the porch or the yard ( I mean who could see you in the middle of nowhere) 

Mom's parents lived on a farm 5 miles away. their indoor toilets actually worked, they originally had wood stove heat and it got changed one year to propane heat. 

 

 

[York1]

Lion,  that's an amazing background you have, now that you're living on the sparsely-inhabited plains of North Dakota.

What a change for you!

 

moelarrycurly4

Who went to the out house at night for #1 ? you just either went off of the porch or the yard ( I mean who could see you in the middle of nowhere) 

You were lucky!  If grandpa or grandma caught us doing that, we were in trouble.  The closest you could do that and get by with it was behind the barn.

[Track fiddler]

Good late morning

Taking a little break from chipping away at the stone for lunch.

Grandmother and Grandfather are the best that I have ever known and everything that I am today.  I learned no better from anyone else. 

The best gift they both instilled upon me through the years was a high level of confidence.

 

https://youtu.be/5B90-CMgYuQ

 

 

 

TF

[SeeYou190]

Water Level Route

Kevin, I forgot about that desk.  For some reason I was thinking a simple flat top.  Looking back at your rough track plan you posted, it appears there are straight sections of track in the turnback curves.  Could those be removed, and have the curve continue coming out of your staging yard so you clear your desk (with a bit of wiggle room) then gently angle out to your intended benchwork width so you preserve enough width to have the number of staging tracks you wanted?  Dunno.  Just a thought.

That is a possibility.

I am going to wait until the room is done, and assemble the desk. Then I will build a temporary table-top in the narrow area and play with the full sized components and see what will fit.

I am so bad at track planning.

BroadwayLion

. My paternal Grandmother lived in Jamacia, NY, a single family house, it used to be heated by coal, I guess they switched to oil. The back yard was ragged and without grass. The garage was dark, unlighted, too small for a car, which they did not have in any event.

My uncle has a three story single family house up the hill in Riverdale, Bronx. The garage is too small for any real car. For years he had a Dodge Omni, then a Ford Festiva, and now he has a Chevrolet Spark.

$1,000,000.00 house that can only hold a subcompact car!

Welcome to New York, NY.

-Kevin

[BroadwayLion]

York1

Lion, that's an amazing background you have, now that you're living on the sparsely-inhabited plains of North Dakota.

Yes, but then everybody is interesting.

My maternal grandparents are even more amazing...
They had an apartment in Irvington, NY, third floor on a 'new-law tenement'. Actually, a very nice building. Irvington has only one main street that runs from the river (and NYCS railway station) up to US route 9 (aka Broadway) Only a few dead end streets branched off of it, for the land along the river (Hudson River, aka  the North River) was purchased and occupied by the uber rich of their day (circa 1600s) and has never been sold or sub-divided, but they did need housing for their servant class to live.

Halfway betreen Broadway and the River there was the Aquaduct that brought water down from the Adorandak mountains to New York City. It is called the Adorandak State Park, but most of its watershed is owned by New York City. State Park status keeps it clean and free of industry.

Ir was fun to walk along the aquaduct, and in one place it crosses over a county road or something. The road is only a single lane road there with only a few inches to spare on either side, and that was back in the 1920s when cars were much smaller. Maybe only pedestrians can use it now. That would make an interesting feature on a model railroad, especially if you are pressed for space.

The apartment had a dumbwaiter, and those were the days before fire regulations sealed them all up. It was fun to pull on the ropes to make the thing go up and down. Two apartments on each floor shared the same dumbwaiter. People could open both firedoors and gossip to each other across the shaft.

We could go up on the roof. There were clothes lines up there where the women could hang their laundry to dry. There were board walks on the roof to protect the roof from the trampeling of feet.

As we walked down the hill, (grandma's place was at the top of the hill with the 'B" side of the building on Broadway) there were shops in the various buildings, and while the sidewalk followed the street level down the hill, in front of every shop was a level sidewalk, even on the up hill end, but requiring several steps downb tio the new sidewalk level only 25 feet away. There were several shops, but as I recall it, there was only one that could sell you some candy or a soda pop. My brother, we had to be about 14 or less at the time, bought a pack of cigarettes, and we walked down to the railroad tracks to smoke them.

The New York Central was nlt the same as the Long Island. For one thing they had an under-running third rail instead of the over-running third rail that was used on the LIRR or on the subways. The crossing gates were hand lowered by a gateman with a crank. All that was on the river side of the railroad was a parking lot and then a little lower a boat basin with its own parking area and a few platforms that extended out over the water for fisherpersons to practice their affliction.

My grandparents worked as teachers in the local school. My mother was in a class of 26. But in those days teachers did not get a pension, and so in their mid 40s or so, each had gotten a job with a company that did provide pensions. Grandma at the "Foundation" up the hill, (It is still there to this day, although I never found out what the foundation did.) and grandfather at "Lord and Barnum" a firm that designed greenhouses. Grandfather was a draftsman and a very fine shop teacher. That firm is gone but the buildings survive transformed into new apartments.

Another time I will tell you more of these amazing grandparents, although on grandmother's side tghe family coat of arms was granted by the Emperor Barbarosa.

 

ROAR

[Track fiddler]

BroadwayLion

Yes, but then everybody is interesting.

I agree. 

Especially when you talk to those interesting people

 

 

TF

[Track fiddler]

POST HOG!

My floor experiment got complete the day after my day off.  I'm not under any kind of a schedule in my life anymore

Finished up with dependable skim coat today.

The squeaks are gone and I'm glad I'm not the floor guy crawling around on his hands and knees applying the different floor coverings now.

 

Prep guy may be a bit smarter than the average Bear after he takes most of the cookies out of the cookie jar

 

More locomotive money?

 

 

TF

[Track fiddler]

Remember when you were young and you shone like the sun, sliding down the slide at the park.

Here's an old guy making boatloads of money doing what he does best, sliding down the Hawaiian.

https://youtu.be/z-11zoVnHSQ

Of course you have to hold your mouth a certain way and stick your tongue in the side of your cheek to play it just right

Just another old guy having fun

 

 

TF

 

[gmpullman]

My dad was from Barre Plains, Massachusetts. I remember family trips back to his boyhood home with great fondness.

Barre_0001 by Edmund, on Flickr

Barre_Plains by Edmund, on Flickr

That's me in the back yard walking by the clothes line. This would have been 1971 or so. My mom's mother died in '63 and I only remember a few visits with her. She lived in a city apartment in Lakewood, Ohio.

My dad's father was the B&A agent at Barre Plains and four of his brothers worked for the railroad so there was plenty of "train talk" around the dinner table. Here's grandpa walking with my sister at the Barre Plains depot:

Barre_Plains-1955 by Edmund, on Flickr

No idea what the excitement was all about. Maybe a retirement? There were a few passenger extras on the Ware River Branch back then.

Thanks for all the happy comments about the caboose. We're sure fortunate to be able to have it. Some of my friends owned real cabooses but to me that seemed like too much bother. I like my "reproduction" which has all the pluses but none of the negatives.

Kevin, every time I see that Dazor I get the Debby Boone "You Light Up My Life" song in my head! 

Matching fireplug:

CVSR 6771 by Todd Dillon, on Flickr

Cheers, Ed

 

 

[SeeYou190]

gmpullman

Kevin, every time I see that Dazor I get the Debby Boone "You Light Up My Life" song in my head! 

Great... now that you suggested it... I will too.

In fact, it is in my head right now!

 

-Kevin

[gmpullman]

SeeYou190

In fact, it is in my head right now!

I remember in classic FM radio days the crazy song played over-and-over... no use changing the station, same bat song, same bat channel!

Well, at least it's not "Be Happy" or "Tie A Yellow Ribbon" 

Ear worms!

Have fun— Ed

[hon30critter]

York1

 Dave, that sounds a lot like my situation.  My grandparents' farm was an amazing place to explore. Their old farmhouse had a propane furnace but they never turned it on.  Grandma cooked on a wood stove in the kitchen that heated the house.  During the winter, I slept upstairs.  There was no heat, but my grandmother had about a foot thick set of quilts on the bed.  In the morning, when you stuck your head out from beneath the covers, you could see your breath.  You finally worked up enough courage and ran full speed downstairs to the kitchen to sit by the stove. Of course, the worst was heading to the outhouse.  You did not want to drink anything after supper, or you would have to go out in the middle of the freezing night to the outhouse.  No bedpans at grandpa's house!

Hi John,

Yup, been there, done that! I remember the weight of all the quilts, and having 'bed warmers' which were nothing more than bricks (I think they were bricks) that had been heated on the stove and placed into quilted bags and stuck under the quilts at the foot of the bed. They kept you cozy warm until you were asleep and then it didn't matter anymore. I recall sleeping very soundly!

We did have bed pans! Yuck!! Most nights I would go to the outhouse which actually wasn't outdoors at all. It was built onto the back of the enormous attached garage so all you suffered were cold feet and a cold toilet seat.

So many memories!!

Cheers!!

Dave

[hon30critter]

Post Hog!!

Further to our pantry replacement project, things are finally moving along. For those who may have missed previous posts on this, we are replacing our old, dingy, awkward pantry (former broom closet) with a new pantry with roll out shelves.

I managed to get some of the old pantry removed down to the wall studs. I found the construction to be very interesting. It was built like a bomb shelter. There were 5 2x4s in the front wall alone. The wall is 29" wide. The walls were not supporting anything except the narrow pantry door.

In fact, it was exactly the way a door would be framed, but what was interesting was that they had used really solid, good quality 2x4s. That contrasted greatly with what we found a couple of years ago when we exposed a support wall between the living room and the dining room. The 2x4s in the support wall were absolute crap! Some of them were cracked almost top to bottom, and they had so much bark that they hardly qualified as 2x3s. Did I say that they supported half the roof?!? We built a double wall to give the roof proper support.

The next step will be to darken one side of the new pantry cabinet where it will be seen above the fridge. We could not get an exact match for the other relatively new kitchen cabinets, and the cabinet that we chose is quite a bit lighter in colour. The doors are okay but the side walls are way too light. I purchased some polyurethane spray stain to darken the wood slightly. I did a test on the back of the cabinet and it turns out that it will take multiple coats to get the desired effect. Neither of us are too happy about that because the stuff stinks! Oh well, we will have to open the front and back doors and allow the winter breeze through while we get the spraying done. I'm quite disappointed with the spray because of the lack of pigment in it.

It will all be over by March 2nd. We can hardly wait to fill the new pantry.

Cheers!!

Dave

[York1]

Good Friday morning, everyone.  Bacon, eggs, and black coffee, again.  Will I ever get tired of that?

Not much planned today, so that means more time to work on the layout.

I have my income tax return almost finished.  I'm always glad to have that finished.  Last year I loaned the government some interest-free money (they actually took it), and I expect to get some of that back.

I hope everyone has a good day today.

[BroadwayLion]

Ifs ewe want more pancakes, just click on them!

[BroadwayLion]

York1

I have my income tax return almost finished. I'm always glad to have that finished. Last year I loaned the government some interest-free money (they actually took it), and I expect to get some of that back.

 

Watt are these taxes ewe speak of?

 

 

 

 

 In ancient of days, the government did not collect taxes directly. A district was put up for bid, and the highest bidder would pay the 'tax' then and there and in full, and then had the right to collect the taxes from the people, keeping what ever they collected.

 

 

LIONS do not pay taxes!

We EAT tax kolecktors.

 

ROAR

[up831]

Hi Everyone,

Lion:  The taxes you refer to are the ones we render unto Caesar, or whoever is in control this week.  You have a nice situation in that you can just eat the tax collector and not have to listen to their excuses as to why they are entitled to it.

Just joking in general terms Vinnie.

we got dumped on with snow yesterday.  Wasn't as much as predicted, and the temperature didn't drop below zero.  I'm thankful for that.

When I was a kid, we would go out to my grandparents farm for visits.  My cousins and I would explore and play on the old implements there.  They had an old horse drawn combine that became our pirate ship, tank, bomber, and probably a host of other objects.  Great fun.  Great memories.

[CNCharlie]

Good Afternoon,

We have a blizzard warning here. The snow we got last night is really blowing around. It is powder snow so it does blow around easily. Expecting more snow tomorrow. I did a grocery run yesterday so we can just stay home for a few days.

My grandparents all lived in Winnipeg. My paternal grandfather died 6 months before I was born. My maternal grandfather passed when I was 5. I do remember him well though. He was with CN police and I remember him taking me to the Transcona roundhouse and seeing him in uniform. He was a big man for the age he was born at 6'2" and 210 lbs.  Tied my shoes too tight. He drove a grey '47 Ford.

Last night I pre-ordered a Bowser CNR boxcar. It is the version that was painted silver. Felt I should have one on the roster as it is very different from the usual red version.

We need some new major appliances. The fridge is 40 years old, dishwasher 32, washer and dryer 11. All are working but for how much longer? Complicating replacement is my wife's refusal to let delivery people into the house due to her covid fear. 

CN Charlie

 

 

 

[Tin Can II]

John:  I "retired" in Texas after 20 years in higher ed for a promotion in Kansas; I am working for a President that I had worked for in Texas.  I have been here for a year; absolutely love the job, the town, and our house (what's not to love with a basement)?  My wife was able to retire completely, and she is renovating our home and training a Weimaraneur puppy.  She has her hands full!  Adjusting to the cold and the snow has been a challenge, but that's ok.  We have had 5 significant snows since January 1st.  We don't see the kids as often as we like as they are in Texas, but American flies to Garden City, and both of them have utilized that service.

I should add that I worked in banking for 17 years and owned a hobby shop for 3 years before embarking on my higher ed career.  I did work for 40 years in Texas before moving to Kansas.

[hon30critter]

Here is a compilation video showing the Ontario Southern Railway in action getting some snow out of the way. The first few minutes are interesting but the rest is a bit lame, although there is an interesting following view towards the end. As always, click on the 'Watch on YouTube' icon.

In addition to the snow action, what I found very interesting were the variety of locomotives that the OSR had in service. Obviously they were running second hand stuff and in most cases apparently they didn't go to a lot of effort to hide the original livery. They were also quite willing to use whatever locomotives were available. The mix in some of the consists is actually very entertaining.

Cheers!!

Dave

[hon30critter]

Here is something a bit different from the usual ploughs bashing through the heavy snow at speed. In some ways I think that this is a better illustration of how powerful the ploughs actually are. You are probably getting tired of hearing me say this, but click on the 'Watch on YouTube icon for the full view:

I think I'm starting to get a bit tired of seeing all this snow! Please, let's have an early spring!

Dave

[hon30critter]

Here is more snow flying! The banter between the crew and the dispatcher is interesting:

Dave

["JaBear"]

hon30critter

I think I'm starting to get a bit tired of seeing all this snow! Please, let's have an early spring!

It may be cold comfort, Dave, but our days are noticeably drawing in!!

Cheers, the Bear.

Mt Cook. by Bear, on Flickr

[hon30critter]

It may be cold comfort, Dave, but our days are noticeably drawing in!! Cheers, the Bear.

I take that to mean that you are experiencing the first of your Fall weather. Right now I would gladly take a bit of Fall weather!

Actually, I find it very interesting to see how most of us adapt to the seasons. In just a few weeks we will be sitting on our deck commenting on how warm the weather is! When we experienced the same temperatures last Fall we would have been complaining about how cold the weather was!

Unfortunately for us, warm Spring weather remains in our future. We had another significant snowfall yesterday so the grass is still buried under about 18" of snow. Patience. patience, patience! The warm weather will come, and then we will be complaining about the darned bugs!!

Cheers!!

Dave

[Track fiddler]

Bridges

 

 

TF

[York1]

Good morning.  I'm headed out for a walk, although I'm not really feeling up to it.  Have not felt real well for quite a while.  I keep hoping.

Bear, I love those old style posters, along with the old train ads that Ed posts every so often.  I often think our modern ad designers have gotten too 'tech' or too 'sophisticated'.  Those simple old ads appealed to everyone.

I watched an ad on TV that really confused me.  I rewound and watched it again.  There was no product name mentioned -- I guess people smarter than me would know the product.  I thought about watching it a third time, but then decided that, even if I found the product, I wouldn't consider it anyway.  I wonder if age has anything to do with this?

I hope everyone has a good Saturday.

[Attuvian1]

York1

Good morning.  I'm headed out for a walk, although I'm not really feeling up to it.  Have not felt real well for quite a while.  I keep hoping.

Bear, I love those old style posters, along with the old train ads that Ed posts every so often.  I often think our modern ad designers have gotten too 'tech' or too 'sophisticated'.  Those simple old ads appealed to everyone.

I watched an ad on TV that really confused me.  I rewound and watched it again.  There was no product name mentioned -- I guess people smarter than me would know the product.  I thought about watching it a third time, but then decided that, even if I found the product, I wouldn't consider it anyway.  I wonder if age has anything to do with this?

I hope everyone has a good Saturday.

 

Age probably has a lot to do with it, John.  Those ads drive me nuts, too.  Amazed at the proliferation of them - particularly seen on "big event" occasions - that carry a message other than the advertser's product line.  Much more like "we identify with this or that".  Kind of like a Madison Avenue version of virtue signaling.

 

"Dudes, most of us are still old school.  We don't particularly need to feel good about your company, let alone it's peripheral values and agendas.  If you've got a good product, throw it up there and crow about it.  I ain't buying nothing until you convince me I need it."

 

My quarterly rant is done.  Having disgorged it here, I won't get "the look" from my sweetie!  

 

John

[CNCharlie]

Good Afternoon,

John, sorry to hear you aren't feeling up to par. 

Dave, only 18" of snow. We are are at about 40" now and the next blizzard is about to start. It is expected to last until noon tomorrow and we will have another 6" of snow. The banks at the end of my driveway are about 6' so I have to be very careful backing out in the car. 

Soon time to check the feeders again. 

CN Charlie

 

 

 

[Track fiddler]

Kick the tires and light the fires! 

https://youtu.be/FS1vHfhZNJs

 

 

TF

[Track fiddler]

 

 

TF

[hon30critter]

CNCharlie

Dave, only 18" of snow. We are are at about 40" now and the next blizzard is about to start. It is expected to last until noon tomorrow and we will have another 6" of snow. The banks at the end of my driveway are about 6' so I have to be very careful backing out in the car. 

I guess all things are relative. 18" of snow isn't extreme for us, but it is more than usual. We don't have full snow cover through the winter most years as well. This year we have only seen the grass once since mid December. Our temperatures are also going nuts. Normally we would have a few days in January and February where the temp drops to below -20C. This year it has been that cold for weeks on end.

I am so happy to be retired and not having to go outside very often!

Cheers!!

Dave

[hon30critter]

Here is a BNSF rotary plough hard at work. If I counted correctly, there are five locomotives pushing the plough. Note the snow and ice buildup on the plough and the first engine. Click on the 'Watch on YouTube' box for a full view:

Seeing all this snow flying has started to give me the chills. We'll have to go somewhere warm and cozy for the March Diner.

Dave

[gmpullman]

Hello, folks —

For the past week I've been on a sleeping schedule that I don't care for. I need to "reset" and move up my pattern about six or eight hours or so. Usually I hit the rack about 5-6 am and I'm up by noon. These days I can't fall asleep until after 2 pm and sleep until 9 or 10 pm. 

York1

I watched an ad on TV that really confused me.  I rewound and watched it again.

I've seen lots of these, too. Years ago I remember the really wierd ones were for perfume, now it seems like all the products they're pushing have some kind of "way out there" theme attached to them.

One thing I've always griped about are the car ads promoting aggressive driving. IF you don't have a 400 HP engine, well, you're just left in the dust.

Don't forget, those old ads were the cutting-edge technology back then. The best artists and illustrators were hired, four-color print process etc.

One thing I notice is that so many old ads had several paragraphs of text. People took the time to READ back then. Things seemed to change around the late '50s early '60s when the bigger push was to sell the SIZZLE not the STEAK.

Remember those eye-catching VW ads?

VW_1963 by Edmund, on Flickr

It is still bitter cold here and the snow we've had lately is the light, fluffy stuff. Supposed to be in the 50s this week 

PRR_Just-folks by Edmund, on Flickr

I hope everyone is doing well these days.

Cheers, Ed

[hon30critter]

Okay, more snow flying!

At about 34 seconds into this video you will get a very brief idea of what the view from inside a Russell plough looked like when it was in action. The rest is a bit mundane so you might want to skip through it:

Dave

[BroadwayLion]

No Snow down here!

 

[York1]

Good morning -- Donut Day!  We out the door right now, I'll check in later.

We've had the cold, but not the snow.

Hope everyone has a good Sunday.

[gmpullman]

A cold morning in Elgin, 1977:

Milwaukee Rd SD-10's at Elgin IL Dec 1977 by Mark LLanuza, on Flickr

Funny being nostalgic for 1977. I miss some of this stuff.

If you modeled that cantilevered crossing shanty visitors to your layout wouldn't believe it.

---

A hearty English breakfast for those lucky enough to visit the top of the page!

Lyme_Regis by Edmund, on Flickr

 I had a blue-eyed lion like LION's:

Otis_woodpile2 by Edmund, on Flickr

Regards, Ed

[CNCharlie]

Good Morning,

Thanks for breakfast Ed. That looks like a full English that would go down a treat right now. I was out a 7 to shovel the paths to the feeders and clear the spaces for the ground feeders. The snow was about 10" of powder. Now the cold has set in with highs of -20C all week that is 13 degrees below normal.

There is a large flock of birds out there right now. Not sure if anyone else around here is feeding them. The 100 lbs. of shelled sunflower seed I bought last Monday will be gone by Wednesday so about 75 lbs a week.

I had hoped to get to the LHS this week to take in some stuff to sell but think I'll wait a week as the roads won't be good. Too much ice and hard packed snow that is slippery. I will likely get 2 months out of the last tank of gas. 

Coffee time again,

CN Charlie

 

 

 

 

.

 

 

 

[CNCharlie]

 

 

 

 

 

.

 

 

 

[BroadwayLion]

CNCharlie

There is a large flock of birds out there right now. Not sure if anyone else around here is feeding them. The 100 lbs. of shelled sunflower seed I bought last Monday will be gone by Wednesday so about 75 lbs a week.

 

Boids of a feather all flock together.

 

But there IS A PROBLEM with birds!

 

 

 

 

[York1]

Good evening, everyone.  It's been a long Sunday afternoon, and it went quickly because I missed about three hours while I sat in my rocker-recliner.  Anyone with insomnia should try my recliner.

I have a major victory to announce -- I think I've finally got a finalized track plan laid out.  As much as I wanted to plan on paper, the end result was actually drawing it out on the table.  There is still some work with passing tracks and a yard, but at least the basic double mainline track is mapped out.  It's amazing how much this bothered me over the past several weeks.

Brent, it was nice seeing your four trains running, and TF, your bridges look great.

I hope everyone had a great Sunday.  This was a nice day here, but the weather will be turning down starting tomorrow.

Time for a big bowl of ice cream.

[SeeYou190]

Happy Sunday evening everyone.

We went to a train show yesterday. Real Rail (formerly the Sarasota Model Railroad Club) has their annual train show over two days on the weekend of President's Day.

In the past, this has been a huge show with dozens of sellers and usually about a half dozen operating layouts.

There was no show in 2021.

This year, the show was very small. There were only around ten dealers, two operating layouts, and very few people in attendence. This was heartbreaking for me.

Scale Rails of Southwest Florida did not have a show in 2020 or 2021, and they will not have one in 2022 either.

Maybe the time of train shows in South Florida is over.

-Kevin

[hon30critter]

SeeYou190

Maybe the time of train shows in South Florida is over.

Now Kevin, stop that negative thinking right now!!! (he says with tongue firmly in cheek)

I think there is a lot of pent up demand for train shows but many people are still wary of going out in public thanks to the Covid issue. I'm crossing my fingers that by later this year things will have returned to some semblance of normal and people will want to start doing things again. I could be wrong but I sure hope not.

The number of people in Ontario hospitals with severe Covid is dropping rapidly. A couple of weeks ago we were above 5,000 hospitalizations due to Covid. Today we are just over 1,000.

Have faith! The train show wheels will be rolling again soon!

Cheers!!

Dave

[hon30critter]

Here is a Jordan Spreader at work on the Wisconsin Southern. It is really rockin' and rollin' down the track!:

Here is a CN Jordan Spreader doing its thing. Starting at about the 5:20 mark you can get a close up view of the spreader navigating around signals and switches:

Dave

[hon30critter]

How much snow does it take to stall a train? In this video it doesn't look like it took much, but I suspect that the train is on a graded curve. NOTE, you will initially get a black screen. You have to click on "Watch on YouTube" to see the video:

This is what it looks like from inside the cab when you are punching through snow drifts. Listen to the banter from the crew after they get through the heavy parts. It sounds to me like their laughter is a sign of relief:

Dave

["JaBear"]

Not wishing to further derail Batman’s thread here…

 

https://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/291507.aspx

 

… but in response to one of Batman’s comments, I’m wondering if this chap was one of his serious influences?

 

https://youtu.be/wMbQsKJ64S0

 

Ed, hope you get that sleep schedule sorted, if I had to w**k shifts, my body clock definitely preferred night shifts.

 I can see why that the Canadian Pacific film, on page 10 is your favourite “winter” railroading film. IMO, ffolkes back then were far more enduring, but amongst a film chock full of interesting stuff, I was struck by the amazing calligraphy practised by Dispatcher Harry. While I have reasonably legible hand writing, it;s a scrawl compared to his!

I had to laugh about the lack of privacy at Glacier with their party line telephone setup. It reminded me of chatting on the phone with my first girlfriend, knowing that there were “nosey parkers” listening in!

 

YorkJohn, I’m glad you are enjoying, not only Eds “posters” but the ones I’m posting as well. The quality (?) can vary, but I generally like the artwork though to be fair I appreciate a well-executed technical drawing, especially if it’s of a subject that interests me. No accounting for taste, I guess!

 

This one has the speculative date of the late 30s pre-WW2 but personally I think it’s post WW2.

 

Tourist by Bear, on Flickr

 

And another one with the Chateau Tongariro and Mt Ruapehu in the background, circa 1935.

 

Chateau1 by Bear, on Flickr

 

Thoughts and Best Wishes to All that need them. Kia Kaha,

Cheers, the Bear.

[hon30critter]

Hi Bear,

Tiny Tim! What a laugh! I remember him on the Ed Sullivan Show and how I grinned ear to ear when he came on. Even though I was just a kid at the time, IMHO it was British humour at its best. I don't think my parents got the joke.

Bear, did the Ed Sullivan Show play on New Zealand television? It was one of the most popular shows in the history of live television in North America.

Cheers!!

Dave

[GMTRacing]

Good Morning All,

   A coffee and a blueberry bagel with cream cheese please. 21 F this morning and I think yesterday hit the high 30's. Trucks (3) left for Sebring yesterday after a quick turn around from Palm Beach International. Once we get through this we should have a month before we go back out but we are still waiting on several engines to return from rebuild so we aren't out of the woods yet. I can report that the Yardhouse has as many beers on tap as ever and the Jambalaya is still delish.

   My Navy enlistment was all watch standing with rotating shifts on shore and in port usually 2 days/2 mids /2 nights-48off and onboard ship we did 12 on 12 off from the time we weighed anchor.I picked up a copy of The Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club but it is set aside until I have more than an hour here and there to read it.

   IIRC Tiny Tim was actually discovered in a New York club by The Who's Pete Townsend who promoted him. He was a popular novelty act as evidenced by his Rowan and Martin appearance though he was also obviously made fun of. Townsend also promoted (and produced) Thunderclap Newman later in the 60's.

   So much for trivia. I have a Lotus 11 waiting on stands in the shop. Ciao, J.R.

   

[BroadwayLion]

Maple Pecan Sticky Buns are for Breakfast this morning...

 

Snowing it is out side, and all of our faries (farenhiets) have gone south for the week.

So windy it is that the snow-people are trying to sneak in under the weatherstripping.

 

[York1]

Good morning, everyone.  Guess what I had for breakfast this morning.

It's much colder now than when I walked this morning.

 

gmpullman

A cold morning in Elgin, 1977:

Milwaukee Rd SD-10's at Elgin IL Dec 1977 by Mark LLanuza, on Flickr

Funny being nostalgic for 1977. I miss some of this stuff.

If you modeled that cantilevered crossing shanty visitors to your layout wouldn't believe it.

Regards, Ed

 

Ed, that's a pretty amazing structure!  This narrow ROW doesn't allow much room for someone in a car to see down the track.  You'd better trust those crossing arms.

 

CNCharlie

The 100 lbs. of shelled sunflower seed I bought last Monday will be gone by Wednesday so about 75 lbs a week.

 

Wow!  I thought we went through a lot of seed!  We will go through about 40 pounds a week, but that is seed in the shells!  I hope my wife doesn't decide to buy the shelled stuff -- my retirement plan can't afford that!

 

Kevin, that's too bad about that train show.  They seem to be doing better in my part of the country.

Dave, I also remember seeing Tiny Tim on Laugh-in.  The next day at school, that was what all the kids were talking about.  Remember the marriage on Johnny Carson?

JR., it's good to hear from you again!

Everyone else in the diner, I hope you have a great day.

 

Not a train or snowplow, but a neat Bugatti:

 

 

They do have a rail connection:

 

 

 

["JaBear"]

My Word, did everyone over indulge on Br. Lions Maple Pecan Sticky Buns and are off for a quiet lie down???

 

If I won the lottery, an impossibility as I’m too mean to purchase tickets, but I still wouldn’t mind one of these…

 

Bugatti type  35 by Bear, on Flickr

 

And from the mid 1930s, another travel poster. I’ve discovered that most of these were either commissioned by either the New Zealand Government Tourist Bureaux, or the New Zealand Government Railways.

 

Wanaka by Bear, on Flickr

 

Thoughts and Best Wishes to All that need them. Kia Kaha.

Cheers, the Bear.

[Attuvian1]

My Word, did everyone over indulge on Br. Lions Maple Pecan Sticky Buns and are off for a quiet lie down???

 

 

Aye, Bear, the silence is rather deafening.  Even a snore would evidence someone's presence.

 

John

["JaBear"]

Gidday John, would you care for a lamington, pink or chocolate.

 

Lambingtons 1 by Bear, on Flickr

Lambingtons2 by Bear, on Flickr

[Attuvian1]

Gidday John, would you care for a lamington, pink or chocolate.

 

Lambingtons 1 by Bear, on Flickr

Lambingtons2 by Bear, on Flickr

 

Well, Bear, seeing that we're apparently alone here in the diner, and can therefore suspend some measure of guilt in not sharing, I would indeed be interested in lamingtons.  If only for a first exposure.  HOWEVER, they appear to be coated with that bane of personal culinary appeal - coconut.  Since my days as a wee lad, I have never acquired the necessary appreciation of its qualities.  In that regard, it is much like a few other things, beer being one.  Tried it once and immediately recalled an item from the life and adventures of Tom Sawyer: spunkwater!

Now, if I might be allowed the impertinence of gently scraping away some of that outer coating (or the greater impertinence of asking if they are avilable with just the chocolate or strawberry base), I'm on. 

My dear wife has regularly chided me for my lack of any sense of adventure when it comes to new foods.  At least now I can appeal to my being an "old dog" resistant to "new tricks".  An argument that goes absolutely nowhere with her!  

John

(I can feel a particular response coming on . . .)

[NorthBrit]

Good morning Diners.   A coffee on the go please, Flo.  With all this food around I shall have to call back later.

Been away for a few days holiday.  The free wifi was useless  at best.

 

Snowplough Compilation

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma_VVXbZH5s&ab_channel=FailTube

 

Back later 

David

[hon30critter]

Gidday John, would you care for a lamington, pink or chocolate.

Hi Bear! I'll take three of each please (and probably suffer a sore tummy as a result).

My diet has been somewhat restricted recently. Dianne is on a diet and it is working very well for her. She has lost a lot of weight over the past four months. Unfortunately for me the diet eliminates almost all carbs so I am suffering a bit. Pasta is my favourite dish. I made a huge batch of bolognese sauce a few weeks ago but alas, it's all in the freezer! I feel guilty when I eat bread!

I shouldn't complain because I am losing weight too. My belt is at its last hole and my pants are still loose, and I am enjoying salads more than I have in the past. I am now down to less than 300 lbs. I have been well above that for more than 30 years.

I think I'm going to treat myself tonight to some of that bolognese. Dianne can have hers on a bed of lettuce (which she actually doesn't mind).

Cheers!!

Dave

[BroadwayLion]

 

Real New York Crumb Cake...   : )

 

 

[hon30critter]

BroadwayLion

Real New York Crumb Cake...   : )

Hi Lion,

That looks like it would be really good with some Canadian maple syrup on it!

I hope you guys are not getting tired of all of the snow plough videos that I have been posting. There seems to be no end of them on YouTube.

This one has some scenes that we have seen before, but the first minute or so really shows some action! As always, click on the 'Watch on YouTube' box:

Dave

[Water Level Route]

I'll take some of that crumb cake.  And some of the lamington's if there are any left.  

hon30critter

I am now down to less than 300 lbs. I have been well above that for more than 30 years.

Good job Dave.  Keep it up!  I too have come to appreciate a good salad, and we somewhat regularly have "salad night" for dinner.  With the right bits, it's good eating. 

Not much going on in my end of the woods lately.  I've been checking in, but not posting a hello like I should.  I'll try to be better about it, but no promises.

Have a good day everyone.

[gmpullman]

Attuvian1

Now, if I might be allowed the impertinence of gently scraping away some of that outer coating

You can just scrape your undesirable coconut right into my Piña Colada over there 

Have I posted this one? Pretty colors 

LMS_Coronation_Scot by Edmund, on Flickr

She looks fast even standing still!

Yep, this poor kitty sure is having a tough time adjusting here!

Swiffer_2-22-22 by Edmund, on Flickr

Anytime a new box arrives it usually gets turned into a cat house 

Warmer today and up to an inch of rain. It has turned all the snow into ice...

Great job on the girth-reduction, Dave 

Haven't heard from Douglas, PM Railfan, lately?

Cheers, Ed

[NorthBrit]

gmpullman

Have I posted this one? Pretty colors 

LMS_Coronation_Scot by Edmund, on Flickr

She looks fast even standing still!

 

Cheers, Ed

 

Don't know if you have posted before.  Still a good poster though.

 

Here is  a model of 'Coronation'   on her way to Leeds Central via Leeds Sovereign Street Station.

 

IMG_1996 by David Harrison, on Flickr

 

David

[BroadwayLion]

NorthBrit

 

 

gmpullman

Have I posted this one? Pretty colors 

LMS_Coronation_Scot by Edmund, on Flickr

She looks fast even standing still!

 

Cheers, Ed

 

 

 

 

Don't know if you have posted before.  Still a good poster though.

 

Here is  a model of 'Coronation'   on her way to Leeds Central via Leeds Sovereign Street Station.

 

IMG_1996 by David Harrison, on Flickr

 

David

 

 

Eh... I liked the Hogwarts Express better!

Of course, I can apparate.

 

[CNCharlie]

Good Morning,

A frosty -32C with a -40 windchill here but it is sunny. We officially have the third most snow on record for this winter at 156 cm. and winter has at least another 5 weeks to go. 

Another exciting day planned of picking up more birdseed!  There is a wine store next door I plan on visiting too. 

John, I share your disdain for coconut. My Mother tried for 30 years to get me to eat it but finally gave up. She loved it so naturally I should too.

Dave, nice weight loss. I used to work with a fellow who told me his knee pain went away when he lost weight. 

Looking at a brass CN loco on eBay but will likely pass as I have to buy more birdseed. It is $55 for 25lbs of the shelled sunflower seed.

CN Charlie

[York1]

Charlie, my wife pays $20 for 40 pounds of sunflower seeds that are unshelled.  But 39 pounds of that ends up on the ground.  It's like walking on a bed mattress out there.

[CNCharlie]

John, that is why we buy the shelled seed. There was too much mess with the shells and the shells are toxic to plants.

CN Charlie

[MisterBeasley]

I had to go back to Sunday to find a post I recognized.  It seems that a big chunk of Internet disappeared on Monday, and we were affected.  We have, unfortunately, become rather tied to this beast of twenty thousand routers.  I couldn't get the gas pumps to take my credit card and had to pay cash.  Fortunately, it came back later that day but we went out for Sushi and then my GF had a medical appointment this morning she couldn't drive home from because of the anesthesia hangover, so I've been busy doing nothing for a day and a half.

[York1]

Mister Beasley, that's a little scary, isn't it?

A year ago, someone dug through some fiber cables here, and our town went back to the 1980s.  It's kind of worrisome that we are so dependent on something like that.

[gmpullman]

We've had a few of those, too, where a backhoe operator was merrily digging away and chomped big bundles of fiber optic cable. Fortunately there's some redundancy built in but it may take a while to get back up to speed.

Duck and Cover by Don Kalkman, on Flickr

Back to cold and snowy here in NE Ohio. So it goes in February. Yesterday it was 56°F, today 27.

Outbound by Don Kalkman, on Flickr

Kowabunga!!!!! by Robby Gragg, on Flickr

Cheers, Ed

[York1]

Good morning, diners.

I didn't check back last night, but saw this morning that I was top of the page.

How about my favorite breakfast:  An omelet with sausage and bacon.

 

I love all the old travel posters encouraging people to travel by train.  Two years ago I hiked in the Grand Canyon, and found this poster on the wall of the Grand Canyon Lodge on the north rim.  The UP built lodges at Bryce Canyon and Bryce Canyon to encourage train travel to the parks:

 

Then I found this online:

 

Hope everyone has a great day today.

[Water Level Route]

York1

How about my favorite breakfast:  An omelet with sausage and bacon.

Thanks, but you can't fool me John.  You always order bacon and eggs.

[York1]

Water Level Route

York1

How about my favorite breakfast:  An omelet with sausage and bacon.

 

 Thanks, but you can't fool me John.  You always order bacon and eggs.

 

That's just because I'm too lazy to make an omelet!

[MisterBeasley]

York1

of

That's just because I'm too lazy to make an omelet!

The difference is the time spent slicing some mushrooms and onions, for me.  The bacon is the same, and I've still got to break some eggs and toast some English muffins.

And before that I'm out on the prairie rounding up and herding those cats.  (Not really.  They're right at my heels whenever I go into the kitchen.  I don't need an alarm clock when I've got an alarm cat.)

[NorthBrit]

Good evening Diners.   A bottle of Samuel Adams please, Janie.

Grandchildren visiting and staying over all this week. They'll keep me busy.  

 

A John Deere working as a snowblower.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGb8j55VNJc&ab_channel=BackyardMaine

Stay Safe Everyone.

David

[up831]

Hi Everyone,

Brunhilda, coffee with cream, please.

Just stopping in to say hello.

im really enjoying all of the rail travel posters everyone is posting.  I think it started with Ed, but several others picked up the ball and ran with it.  What we have then is a truly international perspective on travel posters.  
A person can learn a lot from these forums.  I am grateful to our host that we are able to have them.  Yes, the promotion doesn't hurt their business and I'm fine with that.

Well, the Olympics are over and we're back to a normal routine.  I know I would be in a fringe minority, but personally, I think they should scale back the games.  They've finally added surfing as an Olympic sport.  Why?!  Let's say the games are in someplace completely landlocked. Where would the surfing events be?  Probably a couple a thousand miles away.  Most of the major team sports have their own international championships, with major compensation involved.  What do they need the Olympics for other than an ego stroke.  Sorry, I'll get off the soapbox now.  

[BATMAN]

Good morning from the sunny West Coast where the Daffodils are up a good 6 inches. Went to Costco and the mountains were lookin good on the drive in.

Started up again on the master bathroom, my life is H...E... double hockey sticks. This is the last one of four in the house and I have done the powder room twice!

I told the wife I was going to hire someone to do it as I hate doing renos. We got a few quotes all in the $40,000.00 range. I decided to do it myself as I don't like other people working on my house anyway. I figure it will be $15000.00 for the bits at most and the rest is labour. The three I did were rated stunning and beautiful by all those that have seen them including a couple of real estate agents, so here we go again. I had taken the shower out a while back but stopped because of supply chain issues, but things are becoming available again. It is long overdue as you can see. I am on hold today as I need help to carry that huge mirror out. I may just take a hammer to it.

It is going to be a slow process with all the other stuff I have going on.

hon30critter

I shouldn't complain because I am losing weight too. My belt is at its last hole and my pants are still loose, and I am enjoying salads more than I have in the past. I am now down to less than 300 lbs. I have been well above that for more than 30 years.

Cheering for you Dave, I have seen lots of people change their lives around. Joints are not built to carry a lot of extra weight, hopefully, your back will see some relief. Show this video to your wife. Eating real food usually means not having a weight problem as the body tends to be able to regulate itself better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjYDnqjKVcw&t=5s&ab_channel=KenDBerryMD 

Had a good trip down to Washougal to breed the dog. This lady lived up on top of the mountains some 30 miles East of Washougal in the middle of nowhere, Her place was stunning, you could see forever and it was so quiet.  It was the first long trip in the Toyota I set the speed to 124kmh and let it do the rest. It steered and maintained spacing, took away the fatigue factor big time.

Had a great dinner at a Mexican joint in Camas that was highly recommended. We stayed at a Best Western that had a buffet breakfast included. Watching so many people eating a week's worth of calories in one meal was a little disturbing, especially seeing the young kids being told to go get more because it was free. Many of them were not ten years old and already obese.

Had a good chat with the border guys on the way back. One of them was telling us how so many people crossing the border were incapable of doing the covid test and having the documents to show they took it, ready. He goes how hard can it be? And they let these people vote.

Here is an old plow built by the Helca Torch Lake mining company.

 

One for Dave.

 

Might have to go to Vancouver tomorrow, the mountains are covered with a fresh coat so may need to enjoy lunch while we enjoy the few.

All the best to all.

 

 

 

["JaBear"]

Gidday Attuvian John, white sponge cake is the basis of lamingtons, so feel free to scrape of the outer coating, if it’s not to your taste.

My Grandma was a young woman at the time of the Great Depression, she worked in a chocolate factory, and boarded with a couple with a large young family and her board money was the only steady income for that family, so she had a very dim view if you didn’t eat what was put in front of you, no excuses!! I guess I’m pretty lucky as I like most things, though before ffolkes get the idea that she was a hard old lady, she did excuse me from having to eat tripe and onions!

 

My Grandma was also the only one in the family who also appreciated Monty Python. It was on TV, late on Sunday night, and she and I would stay up and laugh!! The rest of the family thought we were weird.

 

Dave, I don’t recollect seeing the Ed Sullivan Show, but do remember the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, though my TV viewing was limited to my Grandmas as my parents never owned a TV.  This tune certainly takes me back…

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvSXdO7SDCE&ab_channel=GreatestShowsOnEarth

 

I deal with a lot of ffolkes who don’t understand why my day job is not my hobby, which is not to say that I don’t retain an interest in the subject, and am frequently on the computer looking for parts etc. So, as a result of my searches which also includes old rail travel posters, the search pixies came up with this, from the 1930s…

 

IAir by Bear, on Flickr

 

Also from the thirties…

 

Night Scot by Bear, on Flickr

Lehigh by Bear, on Flickr

 

Now to be fair, it was only thirty years prior that the Wright Brothers got airborne at Kittyhawk, and that rail had a 60+ year head start, though travelling over large stretches of water is a limiting factor, but to me the juxtaposition is rather great, and somewhat amusing!!

Thoughts and Best Wishes to All that need them. Kia Kaha.

Cheers, the Bear.

[NorthBrit]

Good morning Diners.  Tea and toast please,  Chloe.

Younger randdaughter's birthday today, so a little birthday party for her this afternoon.

John.  I hope you are feeling much better.

A few members are missing.  I hope they are well.  If not,  they are on the road to recovery.

 

Japanese train in heavy snow

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LGnM8A2aBg&ab_channel=%E8%AC%8E%E3%81%AE%E3%81%A1%E3%82%83%E3%82%93%E3%81%AD%E3%82%8B

 

 

David

[gmpullman]

 

We all pull together:

Dehavilland_Canada by Edmund, on Flickr

Thanks Pal...

---

 

Mrs. Pullman's aunt called again last night, one more kitty! This one's jet black and, has a belly full of babies!

So, our total population at home here is twelve, plus two of our own strays hanging around outside! We didn't ask for this but we're doing everything possible to keep the little critters warm, fed and safe.

This latest one, Ebony, is sure friendly and thankful to have a place near the stove to keep her warm. Plus plenty of nutrition to help the young ones along. We'll call the vet tomorrow to get the new mom checked out and maybe get an idea when the kittens may hatch.

Life sure gets interesting in a hurry!

---

 

Not snow but sure a neat photo just the same:

BnA_610_J2b by Edmund, on Flickr

New at Lima, Ohio, April 13, 1931.

Cheers, Ed

[BroadwayLion]

up831

Well, the Olympics are over and we're back to a normal routine.

Oilympics... LION never watched the oilympics. LION does not watch TV. Why watch TV when you can watch this!

 

Interesting it is. LIRR NYP to Ronkonkoma takes the same amount of time as the (A) train takes to get to Far Rockaway from its terminal at 207th Street.

 

 

[moelarrycurly4]

Good morning from ice covered W KY. This is our third ice storm of the season. 

not too bad I made it in to work as the roads had cleared over night. 

 

[York1]

Good morning, everyone.  Bacon, eggs, and black coffee, please.

It's warmed up here to 3°F, but I still didn't feel like walking outside, so I took to the elevated track at field house.  The college women's softball team was practicing, so at least the walk was not as boring as normal.

The team had music blaring in the field house.  At least, I think it was music.  There wasn't any kind of tune you could hum.  Another sign I'm old.

It's a good day to stay inside and work on the layout.  We will get some more snow today, but just a small amount.

If you drive south from us through Concordia, Kansas, you will pass this on the side of a building.  They claim its the largest brick sculpture in the U.S.  It's pretty neat, but we don't ever slow down to look at it.

 

 

I hope everyone is doing well.  I will try to check in later today if I can tear myself away from working on the railroad.

[Water Level Route]

Good morning all.  Flo, how about a big glass of chocolate milk.

We've been getting more and more views of the sun here lately.  A sure sign spring is on the way, even if it doesn't feel like it.  West Michigan is notoriously cloudy, especially during the winter, due to Lake Michigan.  I like winter, but I'm ready for spring.

[Tin Can II]

John:  That is an impressive sculpture.  Thanks for posting the picture.

We have two fireplaces in the new house, a gas one in the big dining/living room, and a wood burning fireplace in the den.  As it has probably been years since either were used, we wanted to have them inspected/swept before they were used.  The chimney sweep came yesterday, and we are really glad we had them inspected.  The gas fireplace vents through a 3" outlet (code is 8") and then tees into the chimney of the wood fireplace.  Not a good thing; not to code, and a definite carbon monoxide producer.  The chimney for the wood fireplace has a broken section near the roof; which during use, would vent hot gases into the attic.  Lots of mortar has deteriorated and is missing.  To top it off, there is a huge nest of brown recluse spiders in the broken tile.  The good news is that they are all currently dead.  The bad news is there are sure to be viable eggs up there.  

Bottom line, we will probably pull the gas fireplace and replace it with an electric insert.  We can put a wood burning insert into the existing fireplace, and put a new liner up the chimney, so we can get a functioning wood fireplace.  The good news is that the wood fireplace inserts can heat a room, and the cost can be offset by a partial tax credit.

 

[York1]

Tin Can II

The chimney for the wood fireplace has a broken section near the roof; which during use, would vent hot gases into the attic.  Lots of mortar has deteriorated and is missing.

 

The timing for your comment!

My daughter called just last week.  She said they had their fireplace going and her husband went to the attic for something and could smell the fireplace.

She called me the next day and told me.  I said no more fires!  She called the guys with the camera, and they found the same thing you describe.  Missing mortor and a broken liner tile.

 

At my house, we have a wood burning insert with a metal pipe going through the chimney.  It looks and works just like a regular fireplace.  It is very nice and we like it.

[Tin Can II]

John:  Glad your daughter had her fireplace checked out.  We will eventually get the insert and the chimney liner; just another extra expense that we hadn't budgeted for.  Always something.

 

[hon30critter]

BATMAN

Show this video to your wife. Eating real food usually means not having a weight problem as the body tends to be able to regulate itself better. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjYDnqjKVcw&t=5s&ab_channel=KenDBerryMD 

Hi Brent,

I watched the video but I won't bother Dianne with it. She already has an excellent understanding of what healthy food is. Oddly enough the diet that she is following (the Gina Livy diet) allows her to eat carbs and unhealthy foods, but only in moderation, and it explains very clearly that the more you eat of that stuff, the longer it will take to lose weight. As a result, she rarely indulges in baked goods, pasta, potatoes or sweets, and we don't eat a lot of the heavily processed foods that were talked about in the video. If she wants a tuna salad sandwich she will use a lettuce wrap instead of bread. She had a burger at our local diner today, but without the bun. I can count on two hands the number of times we have dessert in a year and still have fingers left over.

Her diet is influencing me. Last night we had bolognese sauce but, instead of noodles, we used julienned zucchini and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I bought a julienne slicer a while ago. It was inexpensive and it does a great job. Much easier and safer than a mandolin.

I would like to clarify my 300 lb. weight a bit. I am not a butterball turkey. Yes I have a belly, but my arms and legs are positively skinny. My weight is partially a factor of my bone size and density. When I had my back surgery in 2009, the surgeon said that I had the densest bones that she had ever seen in her 25 years of practice. Her assistant surgeon couldn't drive the screws for the fusion into my spine without having to straddle my back. Yes, he climbed right up on top of me on the operating table! Even then he couldn't get the screws driven in all the way.  This guy was the size of a football linesman. The surgeon said afterward that they had used the largest screws available but they still weren't big enough to match my bone structure. I'm not making excuses. I could lose another 50 lbs., but even then my BMI would still declare me to be obese. I'd have to get down to 160 lbs. to be in the 'healthy' BMI range. That is just not realistic.

Enough anatomy lessons.

Cheers!!

Dave

[hon30critter]

Hi folks,

Where do you want to go with the Diner in March? (It's hard to believe that February is almost over!). I had suggested a while ago that we might consider going back to our old practice of choosing a location instead of a theme, and more specifically, that we choose a warm location! Us northerners are all getting a bit tired of the cold, at least I am anyhow. When was the last time we were in Florida?

So, any ideas? Please don't be limited by my suggestion. Let us hear all of your thoughts.

I will move the Diner unless someone else would like to do it. It takes all of 10 minutes or less. All that is needed is a bit of image copying and some minor editing.

Cheers!!

Dave

 

[MisterBeasley]

For a new diner location, I would not recommend this state, Delaware.  We used to have a lot of railroads, but now the few that remain are packed in the northern few square miles of the state.  There are only a couple of lines here in the south, now, and they just serve the chicken business.

One side of our community is bordered by Railroad Avenue.  I biked along the entire road.  It's straight and flat, an I expected to find remains of old roadbed, broken ties and perhaps old spikes.  Nothing.  Internet searches show no railroads here, not now or in the past.

[York1]

hon30critter

I had suggested a while ago that we might consider going back to our old practice of choosing a location instead of a theme, and more specifically, that we choose a warm location! Us northerners are all getting a bit tired of the cold, at least I am anyhow. When was the last time we were in Florida?

 

Florida sounds good to me, Dave.  They even have the new Brightline RR being built.  Thanks for doing this.

[BATMAN]

Good afternoon from the sunny West Coast.

I'm kinda pooped but have a glass of Glen Livet 12 so that ill help the old man aches and pains.

The wife said she wanted a bathroom with no ugly closet in the corner, my job here is done, back to trains.

I think we should go to Tahiti next month and if they don't have a railroad there we can build one just so we can stay. Tahiti is the most beautiful place on Earth IMO.

Dave, BMI has too much importance placed on it on the internet, and bathroom scales cannot possibly give an accurate reading. It needs to be done by a human with calipers. However, a quick and dirty way to check to see if one is obese is to measure height and waist. If waist measurement is not less than half one's height then one is obese. I get ridiculous BMI measurements on our bathroom scale, especially when I put on muscle. The scale tells me I am getting fat. It should look at the six-pack under my shirt.  It's not jaw-dropping but it is there and Meryl likes it.

I went through an eight-year stint while my spine was fusing and was living on Oxycocet and tylonal. Once the spine was fused up the pain was tolerable but still left me not wanting to do anything that required moving. I really started to look into diet and stopped eating carbs (sugar) and I was pain-free in a week. I rarely take any pain pills now and only eat real food as the video says and feel great. I had a giant piece of cheesecake last weekend and woke up in pain. Stupid is as stupid does. 

The daughter is on her way home for a few days from University, she has been doing some interesting work for the Government on the ET file and will likely go to Ottawa for the summer.

Canucks are on tonight, wife is cooking a gourmet dinner as she always does. Life is good for now. Told the kids to get cash in case of a cyber attack. Real money still works at the grocery store.

All the best to all.

Lapped turnout yard

  

 

[BroadwayLion]

Lapped turnouts? WHO makesa those in HO?

Guessyou gotta custom build them.

 

[hon30critter]

BATMAN

a quick and dirty way to check to see if one is obese is to measure height and waist. If waist measurement is not less than half one's height then one is obese.

Well, according to that I should be 8 ft. tall! I'm not denying that I need to lose weight. I do what I can and I don't particularly worry about it. All my other medical stats are well within the normal range.

Dave

[BroadwayLion]

Chimblies???

We got Chimbley

 

Only our coal boiler is connected to it these days, and at the moment gas is cheaper, so we are using our gas boiler. About half the size of the 100 year old coal gobbler, but twice the BTU

Upon a time once, we ran three of those big coal boilers and provided elektricity to the whole town. When the utility company came to town people abandoned us for that new fangled AC power.

If burning the coal we are, we gotta send one of the kids into the chimbley to clean out the fly ask that falls to the chimbley floor. The chimbley is repaired about every ten years or so.

I was talking to our maintenence monk and refered to the chimbley as the "flue" and he tried to correct me. I had to correct him back. The chimbley is the pile of bricks, the flue is the hole in the middle of the pile of bricks.

The flue begins at the air intake of the boiler and ends where it exits the chimbley.

A flee and a fly in a flue

were imprisoned so what could they do

the flee said lets fly

the fly said lets flee

so they flew through a flaw in the flue

Each fireplace must have its own flue. You can see some old chimnies, especially in Europe with several flue pipes rising from each chimney.

Keep em clean and maintained.

[NorthBrit]

Good afternoon Diners.   A coffee on the go please,  Brunhilda.  Just popping in and out again letting everyone know I am still around.

Played a little indoor cricket,  then had coffee and sandwiches after.  A little social event.

 

David

[howmus]

Mornin' from the snowey Finger Lakes Region of NYS.  Yep!  Lots of little white "stuff" coming down today.  Partly cloudy we like to call it here.  Will be heading out to remove about 4/5 inches that have accumulated so far in my drive way soon.

"Dave, BMI has too much importance placed on it on the internet, and bathroom scales cannot possibly give an accurate reading. It needs to be done by a human with calipers. However, a quick and dirty way to check to see if one is obese is to measure height and waist. If waist measurement is not less than half one's height then one is obese."

Even that is off for me.  According to the BMI index At 5'6" I should not weigh in over 160 lbs.  I told my former Doc that and he forcefully told me NO!!!! Said that would be very unhealthy for me.  We settled on 170 or a little more. (195lbs. at the moment) I have very little fat around my waist now (can't even "pinch an inch" anymore).  I am short and stocky build.  I am all of 5'6" now (down from 5'8.5" way back when) with a 38" waist.  I look at my heart rate after I sprint the last 1/3 lap of the 5k I do and now it is about 140 bpm and within a minute falls to under 90.  I'm told that is excellent, so I am satisfied with that.  Will not be getting the 5k in today as I need to remove the "white stuff" in the driveway......

Catch you all later!

73

[Water Level Route]

Good(?) afternoon diners.  Flo, a grilled ham & cheese, a pepsi, and a side of aspirin please.  I can't wait for quitting time today. 

My big plans this weekend are to take my daughter to her indoor soccer games and get my taxes done.  Around that, who knows.  Would like to think I would get some train time in, but who knows.  I promise nothing! 

I hope everyone has a good, fun, safe, and healthy weekend.  Talk to you guys later.

[York1]

Good afternoon, diners.

Mike, I hope your afternoon goes better than your morning since you needed aspirin.  I've been meaning to ask if your daughter made a full recovery?

Brent, Dave, & Ray,  I've also found BMI to be a misleading indicator unless it's done by a professional.  I've never had an issue, but it is one of the things listed as normal on my chart for my yearly physical.  So far, the doctor has not said to cut out happy hour or the nightly bowl of ice cream.  Brent, have fun with the bathroom remodel.  When I put a bathroom into our basement, it took me forever -- lots of coffee (!) breaks.

Bear, I would bet I'm not alone in thinking your job is very interesting.

MLC, I normally think of Kentucky as south, although latitude-wise, it's not.  What's strange is that you've had more ice and snow this winter than we have.  We also live in what used to be Tornado Alley.  But I think that has now moved, and you get more tornadoes than we do.

Ed, I don't know how you put up with that many cats at your house.  One cat has always been enough for me.

David, have fun with your grandkids.  I've mentioned before that sometime I'm going to sit down and watch a Youtube video of a cricket game.  I've never understood how it's played.

Bear, my grandmother was the same as yours.  If it was on your plate, you ate it.  My mother was the same, but at least my mother let me put the food on my plate myself, so if it was something I didn't like, I wouldn't take much.  Not with grandma.

Talking of my grandma and food, as a kid, when I stayed with them on the farm, we milked cows.  Every-so-often, my grandfather would set a bucket of milk on the back porch covered with a cloth.  After several days, they called it clabbered milk.  It had turned to a kind of solid mix.  We would eat that with sugar on it.  At the time, I thought it was great, but now it sounds not so good.

Jim, I agree with you about the Olympics.  I think they must be trying to get more TV viewers by adding sports that they believe will appeal to more viewers.

The issue I have with Olympic sports are the sports that require judging, like figure skating and snowboarding.  Sometimes the scores seem too arbitrary, and remind me of years ago when the Soviet Union judges always gave high scores to their own athletes.  I'll watch timed races or hockey games, but anything with judging I try to avoid.

 

My new layout is coming along.  Tomorrow I'll try to post some pictures.  I have most of the foam laid out with some of the ramps for the bridges.  I will need to take another drive to the train store for some more track and turnouts before I start actually laying track.  I've decided not to use the old track I picked up.  I ended up messing some of it up, and I don't want to lay new track just to find out I've created more problems.  I'm also buying Peco turnouts, and I'm remember to put in more rerailer tracks.  I'm sure when I'm finished laying track, I will find out that I didn't add something that I should have.

 

For the diners I haven't mentioned, I hope you are doing well.

I'll try to check in later tonight to see how everyone is doing.

 

Edit:  As if this post isn't long enough, I see I hit the top of the page again.

It's a little early here for happy hour, so ... I've switched brands for my coffee I make at home.  Lately, I really like this.  I know McDonalds coffee may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you want some, the coffee pot is still hot at my house:

 

 

[Tin Can II]

I have lost 15 lbs. since the eye surgery.  I have cut out most carbs and lots of sugar from my diet; trying to get my blood sugar under control.  I weighed 365 lbs. 3 years ago (vs. 6' 7" tall); this morning I was 320.  I cannot excercise for a while, but will start walking again when cleared by my surgeon.

We didn't watch much Olympics.  I am not a fan of judged sports; I think there is a lot of bias and unfair competition.  I don't understand why slalom and downhillers get one run, but the fancy trick folks get the best score out of three runs.  When I found out about the World Cup events that happen annually, the Olympic competition really isn't that big a deal.

[howmus]

Tin Can II

(vs. 6' 7" tall)

 

Well "Tin Can"  you are certainly someone to "look up to"!!!   I should introduce you to our local "new" Scout District Executive.  He is, I think 7' 1".  I don't even come up to his shoulders.....

73

[Water Level Route]

York1

Mike, I hope your afternoon goes better than your morning since you needed aspirin.  I've been meaning to ask if your daughter made a full recovery?

Thanks John.  Luckily my afternoon did go better.  As for my oldest, she is still in the healing process.  At her doctor appointment on Tuesday, the doctor said it looked really good, but she did find one tiny pocket of infection that she didn't seem terribly concerned about given how good the incision as a whole looked.  Still, was a huge frustration.  My oldest was certainly frustrated, but taking it in stride and is in good spirits.  I think that's a good thing.  Positive thinking has more power than we realize.

[MisterBeasley]

howmus

Well "Tin Can"  you are certainly someone to "look up to"!!!   I should introduce you to our local "new" Scout District Executive.  He is, I think 7' 1".  I don't even come up to his shoulders.....

73

A friend who is about six foot four was visiting my layout, and I had a minor derailment in the back where it's awkward for me to reach.  He just bent over a bit and fixed it.  I remarked that sometimes it's nice to be tall, and he replied, "Yeah, but not on an airplane."

On the other side of the ledger, I remember flying with my daughter when she was a little girl.  She just was as comfortable as could be in a skinny little coach seat on a bargain airline.  Back then, they even served her a hot dog and potato chips.  Those were the days.

[gmpullman]

And now — a word from our archives:

UP_All-play by Edmund, on Flickr

Not to be outdone...

ATSF_El-Capitan by Edmund, on Flickr

Everything here is covered in light, fluffy snow with plenty of sunshine to illuminate it all.

Cheers, Ed

[York1]

How about this ad for El Capitan?  Dressed for dinner:

 

[York1]

Good morning, diners.  Donut Sunday today.

I will get to the layout this afternoon.  I'm going to temporarily lay some track to try some locomotives on several different grades.  One grade is pretty steep, and I will see how it goes.  If it's too bad, I can change it now.

I'm looking forward to the diner moving to Florida.  It's still pretty cold here.

We're headed out the door right now -- I'll check back in later today.

The diner's waitresses are standing around with not much to do.  And no tips.  Maybe business will pick up later today.

[BroadwayLion]

Let the LION make some lunch for youse guys!

 

 

[York1]

Tiger Meat!

I've never had it, and I think I probably won't ever have it, either.  I know some people who like it.

I had never heard of it until I moved to the midwest.

[BroadwayLion]

York1

Tiger Meat!

I've never had it, and I think I probably won't ever have, either.  I know some people who like it.

I had never heard of it until I moved to the midwest.

 

 

This is steak tartare, properly done it is very different. Tiger meat is seasoned raw hamburger, and if the teruth be told, I use raw hamburger when I make steak tartare, but REAL steak Tartare starts with a real steak and a very sharp knife, the meat is cut, not ground (Less celluar damage to the meat) and is served with a raw egg with other seasonings on the side.

Steak Tartare is on the menu of many New York City restaurants.

Tartare comes from the French and comes from the word Tartar, refering to the invaders frome the east (The Tartars) who were in such a rush they did not bother to cook their meat.

 

(ROAR)

[Water Level Route]

Good morning fellas.  Hope everyone is having a good Sunday morning.

I tried steak tartar at a very nice restaurant in Turino (Italy).  Haven't seen it offered yet in the States.  I liked it.  I still prefer my steak medium-rare though!

Getting ready to head out the door to take my youngest to her indoor soccer games today.  One plus is that the town we are headed to has a Sam's club that we have a membership to.  It's the closest one, so we don't make it there often.  When we do, we stock up on things that will keep in the pantry. 

It's chilly out, but the sun is shining! 

[MisterBeasley]

Water Level Route

I tried steak tartar at a very nice restaurant in Turino (Italy).  Haven't seen it here though!

I had steak tartare decades ago at a sidewalk cafe in Boston.  It was good, but honestly I would have preferred a good burger.  This was one of those avant-garde places that served butterfly livers on wheat toast points, and nobody left with a full stomach.

I had alligator with a very spicy sauce in Texas once.  That was good.  I remember a place in Virginia that had "alligator bites,"  but I suspect it was just overcooked chicken.  I had octopus in Greece, on a little island in the Mediterranean.  They cleaned it right in front of me in the sea.  I think that was after I had recovered from Agamemnon's Revenge or whatever it was called there.

Later in life, the family and I were visiting California.  We saw a friend of the ex's.  She was the honey supplier for the Culinary Institute of America, a top-end grad school fo chefs.  We went there for lunch, and were actually assisted in ordering by the head chef.  His selection for me was sweetbreads.  My daughter, about 10 at the time, wanted a grilled cheese sandwich.  It came out on fresh-baked sourdough bread with sliced Gruyere cheese.

[gmpullman]

When my kids were little I would make Tartare Tots for them —

tater tots. by Rex Roof, on Flickr

Quick & easy, 375° for 25 minutes 

Last night we visited my sister in the "city" with my son and his wife. We had a smorgasboard of Indian food from a restaurant in their neighborhood. I didn't even bother to try to identify every dish I had but it was all good!

Still burping curry!

Tonight it's filet mignon, baked Idaho potato Northern Pacific and Brussels sprouts.

 

Speaking of Tater Tots, where's TF? (I'm thinking of his tater-tot casserole)

Here's a bridge to bring him out of hiding:

Soaring above the Snake by Mike Danneman, on Flickr

Still haven't heard from Douglas (PM Railfan). Any more MIA? Everyone should check in by the end of the month.

Gotta sweep those points!

Blizzard at Butler by Mike Danneman, on Flickr

Cat updates:

Presently we have TEN in the house! Not exactly by choice but we couldn't leave these poor animals out in the elements. The four we recently rescued are not strays but they had to be someone's pet that got dumped. They are exceptionally friendly and housebroken.

Now the little furry gray one is in heat and our vet can't take her in until March 14! Then there's a head-to-toe jet black one who has at least three, maybe four babies in her!

Again, not what we planned but we couldn't let them suffer outside. There's another pair that are definitely outside cats and they're taking up residence in the goat barn with a heated pet bed to keep their paws warm.

John, I've got that photo as a post card:

RR_Postcards_0003 by Edmund, on Flickr

 

Cheers, Ed

 

[howmus]

BroadwayLion

Let the LION make some lunch for youse guys!

Ah....... 1  (wait a moment)

I think you forgot to cook it!

28  (Do you get my writing?)

73

 

[BATMAN]

Good morning from the sunny at this particular moment Pacific Rim.

Had the usual Saturday night hockey crowd in last night, first time in two years and the boys got the 4' x 8' mirror down the stairs and out of the house. It is just over a hundred pounds but very awkward, I was amazed at how much a mirror bends. I outfitted them all with goggles and big rubber gloves. Now to get rid of the thing.

It is 4' x 8' maybe I should build a layout on it.

 

Went for a 9.2 km walk through the woodland yesterday, the Garmin said we averaged 5.5 kmh that's a pretty quick pace and faster than usual and my heart rate max was 69BPM, resp 12. I like the GPS that shows where we went exactly as well as when we went up and down. Not much elevation change maybe 25 metres up. The dogs were mudballs and got hit with the hose afterward.

Mike, I think some of the best beef dishes I have ever had were in Italy. I lick my chops just thinking about them.

One of our kid's Nannies is from Slovakia and she is a real sweetheart. We have kept in close contact since she left 19 years ago. Slovakia is just a little too close to the action over there, so we told her she could get on a plane and stay with us as long as need be. She has become very successful after her stay in Canada and became a landed immigrant. She only returned to Slovakia to look after her aging parents.

Just can't get going today, my shoulder is killing me, I want to get the bathroom finished before I go see the Doctor as I am pretty sure the surgeon will whip me into the O/R which will put me out of commission for a while, especially if he puts in a new shoulder.

When I was working, one of the coolest things that I got to do was work the Antonov a couple of times when it came into Vancouver. I heard it was destroyed in the conflict in Ukraine. It is only an airplane but being an aviation buff I was saddened to hear about its demise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rkSLjSeW9c&ab_channel=DafyddPhillips 

Time to go for another long walk in the woods, the quiet is good for the soul.

Snowplough month is almost over.

 

All the best to all.

 

 

[MisterBeasley]

Brent, sorry about your shoulder.  I tore my rotator cuff skiing about a quarter century ago.  When the doctor called me at work with the results of the MRI, he said I needed an operation.  I said, "When?" and he said "How about tomorrow?".  My answer was "Book it" although he ex-wife had something on her schedule so I had to wait a week.

The surgeon and two of his brothers were orthopedic surgeons and also hockey players.  How many guys can say one of the attending surgeons at his operation actually came out and shot pucks at my repaired shoulder?

After the surgery, he went to the game and was asked if I'd make it back.  He shook his head.  That was the kick I needed, and I played for another 20 years.  And the night I came back, he never could beat me over that shoulder.

[BATMAN]

Mr. B. Yep, mine was a rotator cuff tear about 35 years ago. Had surgery on it maybe 12 years back. Saw the Doc on a Tues, the Surgeon on a Thursday had the MRI on Monday, and Tuesday a Procedure where he took this giant syringe and injected a white liquid right into the joint to see if that would solve the problem, it did not. The next week I was booked in for the operation and I felt like a new man the minute I opened my eyes on the gurney. It has been great up until recently.

I am definitely a high mileage unit, I have broken so many bones I can't remember them all. Leg, tailbone, ankle(s) ribs, foot twice, 3 neck vertebrae, two concussions, wrist, cracked chin, teeth, and more, I would bet on it. Then there are stitches.

Model railroading and playing the guitar at this stage of my life is about all I can handle. I am in excellent shape though sometimes limited by the pain of arthritis when I misbehave on the diet front. Sugar causes inflammation which translates into pain. Too much rum and Pepsi and I am on the pain train. It's sugar(carbs) that causes pain. When I only eat meat, eggs, dairy, veggies, and low-sugar fruit I feel great.

My resting heart rate averages 42BPM, resp when I sleep is 8, I am 65 and my VO2 max rate is superior for an 18 to 25-year-old, Superior is better than excellent. Blood sats average 99. I can push North of 400 watts on the recumbent bike for an hour on a good day, which is also superior. I never ever nap.

When I woke up from my last shoulder surgery both the surgeon and anesthesiologist came to see me and said what a treat it was to operate on someone in such good shape and said they wished all their patients were like that. I was supposed to stay overnight in the hospital but they let me go home saying other than the big incision on my shoulder it didn't even seem like I had surgery.

I was flying down Whistler mountain on my mountain bike and had a spectacular wipeout. I wish there had been a camera around. My back was a scraped-up mess. Years later I was getting this pain and a scan revealed a foreign object embedded deep inside. Here I  am thinking COOL! The aliens have implanted a tracking device. So I had surgery with a local and was getting a play-by-play from the surgeon and nurses and we were cracking jokes which made me laugh, which made them tell me to hold still. The surgeon said it was a real pleasure not to have to cut through six inches of fat to get to the site like his last patient. It turn out to be a little tiny rock that I never got cleaned out after the wipeout, it had worked its way deeper rather than out over time. He stitched me up told me to get my wife to take out the stitches in a couple of weeks unless he really wanted to see him again.

 

Canucks vs Rangers on now, where did I leave that Glen Livet 12. Life is good.

 

All the best to all.

[gmpullman]

BATMAN

Snowplough month is almost over.

Here's another view of the Alco rotary view that can be "blowed-up" —

ALCO_rotary (2016_08_17 08_08_12 UTC) by Edmund, on Flickr

I've got a 1911 booklet from American Locomotive Co. with all the info on these machines.

ALCO_rotary_0005 (2016_08_17 08_08_12 UTC) by Edmund, on Flickr

Cheers, Ed

[hon30critter]

Hi gang,

Here is one last snow plough video before we head to warmer climes. This is a BNSF rotary plough working its way through 10' drifts. I'm guessing that the snow is really firm based on the way the railfans can walk around without breaking through the surface. The snow plumes are pretty impressive!

Click on the 'Watch on YouTube' box to get the full width screen. Try not to get any snow down the back of your neck while you are watching!

Okay, enough of the chilly stuff. I want to be sitting on some warm sand sipping a pina colada tomorrow!

Cheers!!

Dave

[Water Level Route]

Good morning fellas.  Chloe, scrambled eggs & bacon please.

It was a good day yesterday.  Got to relax a bit when I got up, took my youngest to her indoor soccer games (won one, lost one), then came home and made wet burritos using beef I had smoked and shredded Saturday.  About the only thing that would have made it better would be train time, but all in all I can't complain.

I can't remember who suggested the topic of snow plows, but Thank You!  It has been neat seeing all the photos and videos.  

Well, I'm off to the races.  Catch up with you guys later.

[Track fiddler]

gmpullman

Speaking of Tater Tots, where's TF? (I'm thinking of his tater-tot casserole)

Here's a bridge to bring him out of hiding:

Soaring above the Snake by Mike Danneman, on Flickr

Good morning

That's quite some Bridge Ed!  I like how it's so long that it darn near disappears into the vanishing point.  I think I'm due to make some of that Tatertot Hotdish comfort food now that you mention it  It's always nice to hear of a good pet owner.  Those are some Lucky Cats to have you

I've been In-between trying to avoid too much masonary dust intake and ironing out the bugs in-between two separate bridges that run consecutively.

 

Hopefully everyone is faring well.  Judy sent me this photo this morning of some rather large Dreamcatcher snow art she found.

Apparently crops aren't the only areas to make circles but the Aliens didnt take credit for this one

The aerial images were taken by pilot Matt Robinson over McElmons Pond, Debert Nova Scotia.  The only information said "It took Sheldon and I seven hours to complete". 

The artists must have spent plenty of time with their Spirographs as children unless they just took the credit and the Aliens really did do it 

Nah, ...I seen the footprints to and fro on the top left side.  Unless someone just walked out to it out of curiosity

Yet it makes me wonder if Sheldon took a holiday to Nova Scotia eh? 

 

Have a wonderful Monday gentleman

 

 

 

TF

 

 

[York1]

Good morning, diners.  Bacon, eggs, and coffee, please.

It's a busy day here, so there may not be any layout time. 

I wanted to go to the train store today, but it will have to wait until tomorrow.  I'm ready to buy some track.  Exciting times in my house.

It's good to hear from everyone and that it seems everything is going well.  I know Kevin has been missing from the diner -- I wonder if he is spending lots of hours at Home Depot?

It's the last day of snow pictures!  I assume tomorrow morning we'll wake up in Florida!

My last train and snow contribution, although it doesn't involve any plows:

 

 

[up831]

Hi Everyone, 

One last "hello" to the folks in the diner, and "goodbye" February.

John:  I had no idea that Union Pacific invented ski lifts.  That's interesting.

Someone suggested Florida for March.  That sounds fine.  Don't know much about railroading in Florida.  But, I'm also open to just about anyplace.  If we do Florida, does that open the diner to Disney vacation pics? 

Everyone enjoy!

[CNCharlie]

Good Morning,

We had about a inch of snow last night and a few flakes are falling now.

I was following an ebay auction for a cn brass mikado but didn't bid as it went for more than I was prepared to pay. I have noticed that brass seems to have gone up from what I paid 2 years ago at least for CN steam. I paid $395 US for a K5a with a superb paint job from BrassTrains. They want $495 now for one with poor paint. 

Brent, sounds like you had fun in the woods with your dogs. I have never had a breed that you could do that off leash. A Westie will chase anything and not stop for commands. My Afghan Hound was even worse and good luck trying to keep up with a dog that needs a 7' fence to keep it in.

A move to Florida sounds good. Last time I was there was a Feb/86 visit to St. Petersburg. Sailboats and not trains was my passion then.

Think I need to buy more birdseed.

CN Charlie

 

[BroadwayLion]

[MisterBeasley]

BATMAN

I am definitely a high mileage unit, I have broken so many bones I can't remember them all. Leg, tailbone, ankle(s) ribs, foot twice, 3 neck vertebrae, two concussions, wrist, cracked chin, teeth, and more, I would bet on it. Then there are stitches.Laugh

Yup, me too.  Oddly, I think in 50 years of hockey, cycling and skiing I've only broken one bone. That was on my foot, when a hard shot came in from the right point.  I stopped it easily, but it hurt.  After the game, I discovered that my brand new hard-sheel goalie skate had cracked.  They gave me a new pair, but those cracked, too.  It was ruled a bad batch.  I got a third pair that lasted 30 years or so.

[MisterBeasley]

BroadwayLion

 

March comes in like a LION!  We expect you tomorrow!

[gmpullman]

 

Goodbye Snow!

 

A Snowy Day At Dunn, Indiana by SE Delmar tower, on Flickr

 

Cheers, Ed