Good Morning Diners. Brunhilda, cinnamon toast and a coffee in a New York Central mug please.
My oldest is coming home from school for the weekend tomorrow and I can't wait. Usually I'm the one running down to get her, but since tomorrow is my Friday at work (I get every other off), my in-laws are going to get her. Yay! Now, I'll be taking her back Sunday, so I'll miss the NFC championship game, but will be home in time to watch my Chiefs in the AFC championship. It will be a good weekend, even if the Chiefs don't win.
Ed, thanks for posting the video. The thought occured to me, and maybe someone here knows, how were these distributed back in the day? Seems kind of long to be shown as a "preview" at a movie theater. Infomercial in the early days of television?
Also, sorry to hear about Whoopie. 18 is pretty good for a cat. I'm sure she lived a much better life at your house than if left at the plant. How did you get the photo with the mouse? That's incredible.
Have a good day everyone.
Edit: Top of the page! Breakfast is on me.
Mike
Good morning, everyone.
Mike, that's a great-looking breakfast. Bacon and eggs! I'm not sure how you knew what I wanted, but thanks!
Mike, I really worried last week when Patrick Mahomes went out, but Henne seemed to fill in pretty well, taking them 97 yards for a TD. I just read this morning that Mahomes said he is playing, hurt or not. The Chiefs are my second favorite team, and my first team when the Saints aren't in the playoffs.
I have only a couple of minutes -- I'm heading out to my yearly visit with the dermatologist, who will find more bad spots to cut off. I don't think I've ever gone to him and come out of the office without bandaids on.
We're having a little thaw before the storm. I think we will be above freezing for a day or two before more snow hits on Saturday. I guess it's winter.
Have a great day, everyone.
This is an unused trestle along the White Pass and Yukon Railroad. If you are ever heading to Alaska or norther Canada, this train is well worth the time. I didn't take this picture, though.
York1 John
hon30critterYou can post anything related to trains, real or modeled, that suits your fancy! This should be a very interesting month!
This is a very small Consolidation on display in Florida. According to the plaque at the display it was operational in to the 1960s.
-Photograph by Kevin Parson
Ed: I was sad to hear about Whoopie. What a beautiful cat.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
I also offer my condolences for Whoopie, Ed. Good long life for a cat. Our cats are both younger at under 2 and under 3. They are strictly indoor cats, and they don't seem to ever want to go out. They will probably outlive me.
It's been mid 40s in the daytime here in Delaware. We have had zero snow this winter.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Thats a tough thing to go through, as a pet is another member of the family. Sorry about your friend Whoopie, Ed.
John
Good morning from the cloudy edge of the Salish Sea where it is 6c.
Winter will be returning this weekend with temps dipping significantly, I will be putting an extra layer on for my daily scoot.
Ed, sorry to hear Whoopie has moved on, she had a good run in a good home. Needless to say, we have had to say goodbye to a lot of four-legged family members over the years and it never gets any easier. I have accompanied my wife sometimes when she has gone to people's homes to euthanize their beloved pets and we were soon shedding tears along with all the family members as they would say goodbye.
Mike, my daughter may be coming home this weekend as well, she needs a puppy fix. It all depends on her workload. I have dusted off the grand piano and look forward to the house being filled with music. Fingers crossed she makes it.
Mike, how long is the drive to get her? The things we do for our kids and for the chance to see them. I may put her on a float plane for the return trip as it shortens the travel time by quite a bit sometimes.
My daughter got sent photos of a larger bone sent to her from back East by the Feds to see if she could identify what it was. She also got a partial DNA workup that is proving a little strange, to say the least. She sent the wife the works to get an opinion, my wife has no clue what it is from. My wife did a lot of work identifying animal remains for the authorities over the years.
The boss has gone to Costco, I was supposed to go but I guess she saw how thrilled I was at the prospect and told me to keep an eye on the puppies. I'll take that trade any day.
The Vancouver boat show is coming up, I may go just to see what's new. I haven't been in years but still hold an interest in both power and sail as I spent a lot of time doing both the first 40 years of my life.
John, good luck with the Dermatologist. I worked and played outside my whole life so the scraper has been coming out for me on occasion. The worst part of getting the face frozen is it makes me sneeze nonstop for quite a while. The Dr. I see I know quite well as our sons are great friends and we would share a beer or two when dropping the kids off.
Dump Mountain/Denver and Rio Grande.
All the best to all.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
gmpullmanOur cat Whoopie just passed away at age eighteen.
Hi Ed,
Sorry to hear about Whoopie. Our last pet passed away in 2005 and we still miss him. He was a beagle/shepard cross. Looked like a shepard but was only 2/3rds the size and his ears drooped.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Good Morning Diners. Chloe, coffee in a Rio Grande mug please.
York1I really worried last week when Patrick Mahomes went out
BATMANhow long is the drive to get her
BATMANMy daughter got sent photos of a larger bone sent to her from back East by the Feds to see if she could identify what it was. She also got a partial DNA workup that is proving a little strange, to say the least.
We're going out to dinner tonight as soon as my daughter gets home. I can't wait. We rarely go out to dinner anymore. Since Covid hit and more sit down type restaurants started offering take-out, that's what we usually end up doing when we're not cooking. My wife is a bit of a home body and would rather just eat at home. This will be a welcome change in my book!
Hope everyone has a great Friday!
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Here is some very nicely maintained trackwork.
This picture was taken in October, 1991 in Canada just across the border from Mesena, New York.
Good morning, diners. Pancakes for breakfast today.
It's a beautiful day outside -- sunny, no wind, temperatures in the 30s. Of course, snow is predicted for the weekend.
I just noticed that the Lincoln, Nebraska Area Railway Historical Society Show is coming up in several weeks. It is a nice show to attend. It's not as large as many shows in major cities, but for out here on the sparsely-populated plains, it's a good place to see trains and visit vendor booths.
York1 Good morning, diners. Pancakes for breakfast today. It's a beautiful day outside -- sunny, no wind, temperatures in the 30s. Of course, snow is predicted for the weekend. I just noticed that the Lincoln, Nebraska Area Railway Historical Society Show is coming up in several weeks. It is a nice show to attend. It's not as large as many shows in major cities, but for out here on the sparsely-populated plains, it's a good place to see trains and visit vendor booths. Have a great day, everyone.
York1Good morning, diners. Pancakes for breakfast today.
York and I are deliberately trying to confuse the other patrons. I'm having his eggs - and bacon. There can never be too many Johns in a diner, especially when it's busy.
I recall a college-age Bible study group that coalesced at my church in Michigan almost 50 years ago. When we are mostly all in attendance there were seven Johns. The girls certainly appreciated it.
Good morning from the cloudy Pacific Rim where it is 6c.
My daughter can't come home this weekend as she just got slammed with work. We are two weeks away from reading week where she comes home for a week. Can't wait.
Water Level Route My daughter also plays piano and I too can't wait to hear it again. My mom played piano, so hearing a piano playing in the house just seems right. It's good for the soul. Our piano is not quite the same as yours though. It's an over 100 year old Hobart Cable upright that spent a good portion of it's life as a church piano. It's old and was well loved and shows evidence of that, but it still plays beautifully.
Mike, we have a 1970 Yamaha G-2 in excellent condition. It was my mother's and it will be my daughter's when she settles down and is not an on-the-move student. I get it tuned a couple of times a year and the piano tuner says that he will buy it from us in an instant if we ever want to sell it. I can't see my daughter ever selling it as it means too much to her.
When my daughter comes home I pick her up at the ferry and we always pick up sushi on the way home at our favourite restaurant. I may just go get it tonight anyway.
Water Level RouteWell that sounds interesting. A Chupacabra that wandered too far north? Do keep us posted if they figure out what it is.
When it comes to the stuff she has been presented with, there have been some interesting samples. They can run a lot of tests, but in the end, they can say what it isn't, not what it is if no one has ever seen one before. Interesting work.
I am also going to have a huge feed of bacon and eggs this morning, but first I will hit the trail with my Bud. I usually burn about 700 to 1000 calories on our scoots, that is a lot of bacon and eggs. I have been back at it with the exercise after taking time off. My BP is back down a good 10+ points and my RHR is back down around 40 and I feel great.
Another mug of Tims first.
Dave, here is your next project. It looks a little easier than the plough.
Attuvian1This is a great photo! I'm immediately intrigued by the gizmo in the lower left corner diverting exhaust into the hopper, presumably to capture particulates of some sort. But just how efficient could this process have been?
I believe they are cleaning the flues by forcing sand into the firebox, and the sand is drafted up into the flues. It's then collected in the car alongside.
Maybe someone with more knowledge than me can give a better answer.
Good evening Diners. A quick visit as we have grandchildren here visiting.
Serbia.
Old railway signalling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhFVQFnOltY&ab_channel=dulevoz
Enjoy
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
York1I believe they are cleaning the flues by forcing sand into the firebox, and the sand is drafted up into the flues. It's then collected in the car alongside.
I think that is exactly what they are doing. I saw a Youtube video of them doing it once.
My Bud and I knocked off 7.64km average pace 6.56km/hr.
After three large mugs of Tim Hortons, the trees come in handy, the dog is not the only one watering them. Good thing I am not in the city, someone would call the cops. Did not see a soul today, it was perfect.
Bacon and eggs coming right up.
Best Bud in the world.
BATMANMike, we have a 1970 Yamaha G-2 in excellent condition.
My first good guitar which I bought after my first year teaching was a Yamaha Classic. They were at that time considered to be some of the very best and were being used by many professionals. I used that guitar for over 35 years and litterally wore it out. I had worn the frets down where the strings touched them almost to the finger board. That guitar lasted me my entire teaching carreer. Played it in school daily and also professionally. That said, the guitar that made my get goosebumps when I played it was a 400 year old spanish hand made one that is at the Smithsonian Instituion in Washington. Happened to be in the right place at the right time, asked a question of the guy demonstrating lutes and guitars. He asked me if I play. I said yes, and he handed me the guitar and I played a piece by J. S. Bach. Bach, BTW played Lute more often than Pipe Organ in the church back then. (It took three people to use the organ. One to play it and two to pump air for it!) He wrote many Lute Preludes for use in church.
Yamaha, at least at that time made excellent instruments. I have played on several Yamaha pianos which were also very beautiful tone and felt good under the fingers.
A lady I go places with from time to time was a Special Ed teacher but at one time owned a Steinway Concert Grand. She ended up selling that to a piano professor at the Eastman School of Music (where I studied). He lives not far from where she lives and he lets her visit his home and play "her" piano!!!
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Well, the first twelve feet of the new soffit is up.
I will work on it more tomorrow. Now that I have the templates and measurements all made, it should go faster now.
I decided to add ten LED lights in the soffit along the back of the house.
SeeYou190I decided to add ten LED lights in the soffit along the back of the house.
Are the wires easy to run to the lights, or will you have to get into attic space to run them?
York1Are the wires easy to run to the lights, or will you have to get into attic space to run them?
I am linking them to the lighting in the ceiling fans that are on the back porch, so the wires are very easy to run.
I just had to remove one ceiling fan and the mounting box, then fish the wire about five feet to the soffit eave. Since there is no insulation over my back porch, this was a piece of cake.
I am using 14/2 UF-B wiring to connect all the lights in the soffit. The wire is run along the inside of the eaves and fastened every 24 inches.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
The Diner's looking a little sparse lately:
Free Continental Breakfast by jgurbisz, on Flickr
Thank you to all who have shared condolences for Whoopie. Eighteen years is a good run of love and companionship with her.
Water Level Route How did you get the photo with the mouse? That's incredible.
Whoopie chased and played with that mouse for over an hour one morning in November of 2005. Eventually the mouse made a run for a nearby tree and scooted right up.
Whoopie and Friend by Edmund, on Flickr
For years we easterners were told "You can't have dome cars because of the clearances". So take a look at this old film taken right on the east slope of the PRR's main line and witness not only a dome car but a brand new Budd Empire Builder Great Dome!
All those Budd domes had to get from Philly (Red Lion) to the western roads somehow! Keep rolling to see a Wabash F unit, too!
Cheers, Ed
Good Morning All,
Coffee, two eggs over medium, rye toast and sub fruit for the home fries please.
Another day in the shop getting ready for the first Florida trip. I also have a customer coming in to look at another car.
No progress on the layout and I was to have gone to Springfield for the train show today but it is more important to be here for the customer so....
Bear - hope you are far enough south to have avoided the deluge that hit Auckland this week. People wading around in water above knee deep looks like no fun at all.
I had a Yamaha drum set for a time when I was stationed in Okinawa. It was ok. My favorite though was a fairly old Gretsch kit I had. Great sound and kept adjustment really well. It got stolen along with most of the rest of the bands gear when we were attending our lead guitarists funeral. None of it was ever recovered and we figured it was someone who knew us which made it worse.
All for now. Ciao, J.R.
Here is the wreck crane from the North Carolina Museum Of Transportation outside of the roundhouse.
I hope all are well this morning.
Good morning, diners. I'll have bacon, eggs, and black coffee, Brunhilda.
I learned an important lesson yesterday. I did not have bacon and eggs in the morning, and nothing went right the rest of the day. Trains derailed and uncoupled, glue wouldn't dry where I wanted, my wife disliked me more than normal, and I slipped on the ice while getting the mail. I may have bacon and eggs for both breakfast and lunch to make up yesterday.
Our house no longer has a piano. My daughters all learned on it, and we have shipped it to Texas for our oldest granddaughter. I don't mind not having it here. I haven't played the piano in years.
Brands of pianos -- when our daughters took lessons in Louisiana, we had to have the normal recitals. It was nice listening to my kids play their pieces, but it was torture to sit through all the pieces played by other people's kids.
For one of the recitals, it was at a piano store, and the teacher had me and one of the daughters play a duet. It was on a Bösendorfer, which I had never seen before. I honestly could not tell a difference between any of the brands I played. I've always heard that Steinways were the top of the line. I'm sure the diner's musician, Ray, can fill us in.
It's good to hear from everyone. Hope y'all have a great day.
Notice this engineer is not coming down off the locomotive:
York1 I honestly could not tell a difference between any of the brands I played.
Same here. If a piano was in tune, it sounded good to me.
I learned to play on a light brown upright. I have played dozens of different pianos, and they all sound the same. None of my daughters ever became seriously interested in studying music.
Wooden accoustic guitars have tones, but the expensive ones do not always sound the best to me.
My imported Squire Strat is the best sounding electric guitar I have owned. Selling my mid-60s Tele was an easy decision when a buyer came along.
York1It was on a Bösendorfer, which I had never seen before. I honestly could not tell a difference between any of the brands I played. I've always heard that Steinways were the top of the line. I'm sure the diner's musician, Ray, can fill us in.
Mornin'!
Yes the Bösendorfer is considered one of the finest piano makers out there and has been for a long time. I have played on a couple and IIRC they had a quite heavy touch which is liked by those who play a whole lot better than I.... LOL They are wonderful in tone.
I started piano lessons when I was about 4th. grade... I might have done well if I had "practiced", but.... At Eastman I was known as one of the few that actually played worse after two years of private study (had to pass an entrance exam to qualify - I was a Voice/Education Major) Hated my teacher with a passion!!! Oh well... I did manage to get passing grades from her so I guess I did well enough. She was very good at rolling her eyes when she told me maybe I should try practicing!
I was a Church Organist for a couple years at one point (glad I didn't have to sit and listen to my "renditions").
About a decade ago I had the thought that maybe I could get back into Classic Guitar and spent a small fortune on a Cordoba 45FOE. Found that my hearing was so bad I couldn't even tune it..... It sits in its case in one of the spare bedrooms here.
Good Morning,
A frosty -30 here with a -40 windchill but it is sunny.
John, a Bosendorfer piano is regarded as the finest piano made at least by some. They are manufactured in Austria. The price is very high. There was a dealer here many years ago and I remember the smallest grand was about 30k, the price of a large Mercedes back then. My wife had a Heintzman grand for many years that her fathet bought her. They were made in Toronto and were compared to Steinways. Hers was built in 1934. It had a fabulous deep tone and sounded great when she played a Rachmaninoff Prelude. Sadly it wore out and 25 years ago we were faced with an expensive rebuild or a new instrument. She bought a nearly new Baldwin baby grand as she always loved the sound ahd action of Baldwins. I learned a lot about the differences between piano makes from her as she had played on many. She has very acute hearing and sense of smell and taste.
Today I plan on painting more of the bait shop. I am using Humbrol paints. I like the way they brush. Same little tin pots as they came in when I was a lad.
Time for more coffee.
CN Charlie