-Photograph by Kevin Parson
Good morning everyone. I need a banana and a cup of coffee please, Chloe.
I went to bed very early last night and slept for ten hours!
Needless to say, I am feeling really good this morning.
Bear: Have there ever been HO scale models made of those Rail Cars?
Kato made a model of a German railcar set called the "Flying Hamburger" that I like. I would someday like to add a model of something like those.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Good morning Diners. Tea and toast please, Brunhilda.
A busy day with a list of things to achieve.
On the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway, locomotive 'Northern Rock' in a 'one off livery'.
IMG_2223 by David Harrison, on Flickr
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Dee Ann's Honda CRV is a 2015 and when it comes time to pass it on to one of the grandkids we will be looking for an electric vehicle (besides Wilson's golf cart).
Here's the model I have in mind:
Electric by Edmund, on Flickr
Both Railway Express and Wells Fargo ran fleets of battery vehicles in larger cities. Here's some battery-powered ice cream delivery trucks in Johnstown, Penna.
Electric Ice-Cream by Edmund, on Flickr
Cleveland was a bit of a manufacturing center for battery vehicles back in the day. Elwell-Parker was a big one. We had many electric trucks and "scooters" at the GE plant where I was formerly employed. They were smooth, quiet and powerful.
One-of-a-kind paint:
Shamu by Mike Danneman, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Good morning everyone. Chloe, I am not hungry this morning, so I will just have a cup of coffee and sit for a while. I will still leave you my usual tip.
I had an emplyee in North Carolina that raised chickens as a hobby, a very serious hobby.
His chicken coop was magnificent, and those animals lived a pampered life. I'll bet each dozen eggs cost hime at least $25.00 total after expenses.
Saturday Night Live last night had a parody ad for an HBO show based on the Mario Kart video game in a dystopian future.
It was supposed to be a joke, but my wife and I both agreed that we would definitely watch this show if it was real.
York1Raise chickens? No thanks. As a boy on my grandparents farm, I got all desire to raise chickens out of my system. I killed and cleaned enough chickens to know that the best chicken is bought at the grocery store.
Hi John,
I know the feeling. When I was a pre-teen my older brother and my father went fishing for smelt (Lake Ontario sardines for those who aren't familiar). I never got to go fishing with them but it was my job to clean the buckets of smelt that they came home with. I spent hours in the back yard hacking the heads off and cleaning the guts out of literally hundreds of the slimy little things! I hated the task, and I never ate any of them!
Fortunately that experience didn't turn me off of eating herring later in life. I thoroughly enjoy sitting down with a couple of cans of herring in paprika sauce. The fact that the empty cans stink up the kitchen and give me bad breath is irrelevant.
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. Just coffee this morning, Flo. It's donuts today.
No NFL games today. I'll have to find something else to watch this afternoon.
Raise chickens? No thanks. As a boy on my grandparents farm, I got all desire to raise chickens out of my system. I killed and cleaned enough chickens to know that the best chicken is bought at the grocery store.
Have a great Sunday, everyone.
York1 John
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
GMTRacing Ray, That is impressive. my current Focus ST is listed at 3,223 lbs and if I don't get too enthused is at 24 MPG (93 octane only please). I get spoiled as all my race cars are under 1,000 lbs. The big thing here is battery technology which seems to be improving at a good rate. The next generation is supposed to get away from the easily combustible litium ion current state of the art. I don't see long distance travel going electric any time soon though. Time will tell.
Ray, That is impressive. my current Focus ST is listed at 3,223 lbs and if I don't get too enthused is at 24 MPG (93 octane only please). I get spoiled as all my race cars are under 1,000 lbs. The big thing here is battery technology which seems to be improving at a good rate. The next generation is supposed to get away from the easily combustible litium ion current state of the art. I don't see long distance travel going electric any time soon though. Time will tell.
Sodium Ion is supposed to be the next stop. I think Musk has alaready change assembly lions.
hon30critterSorry to hear about the rotting wood, but it looks like you have the problem solved. I am envious that you are able to do the work yourself. I used to do almost all of my own work but now I can hardly do anything. Ticks me off!
Back in 2008 I built a small pole barn for the goats. I doubt I had more than $1500 in material including a nice metal roof.
June 12 Morning Walk 001 by Edmund, on Flickr
Today, I just wrote a check for $5,600 just to have some of the rotted siding repaired and new siding applied over the 1 x 8 T&G. Sometimes writing a check is less painful that doing the work. Yes, I could have done it but it would have been an all-summer job — no thanks. I resided the caboose three years ago and that was enough for me
Some of the media are reporting that people are buying up egg-laying hens so they can get "free eggs" and beat the high prices.
Yeah, OK. I just ran some numbers and NOT counting the cost of the chicken coop and estimating the cost of utilities (heat lamps, water) our "free" eggs are running us about $5.75 a dozen! Feed alone runs $140 a month.
Free eggs...
Hen and baby by Edmund, on Flickr
A buddy of mine at GE wanted to keep chickens so he could enjoy "free" eggs and asked me to stop by his place so I could see his setup. He had just bought some chicks from the feed store.
Well, I stopped there one evening after w**k and looked at his nice setup. All good I told him. Don't expect too many eggs anytime soon. Yep. — he had four roosters.
Fancy paint from Wisconsin:
WC Marinette, WI 07-17-1990 by Hiawatha Rails, on Flickr
GMTRacingRay, True. It's not that much different than driving cross country in a truck and trailer. Most times stations are close enough you can just get on with it but there are surprisingly still areas where diesel is dificult unless you plan ahead or go far off the highway. Modern smart phones have made this all easier so long as they keep up with closures and changing hours of operation. J.R.
Hey J.R. Being in the race car business, you just might like this video of the S Plaid.... I especially like the reaction of the woman riding in the passenger seat about half way through..... I think if I was in that car I would have had to go change clothes when I got out of the car... That is 0-60 in 1.98 seconds....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctZORiCCPwc
Ray, True. It's not that much different than driving cross country in a truck and trailer. Most times stations are close enough you can just get on with it but there are surprisingly still areas where diesel is dificult unless you plan ahead or go far off the highway. Modern smart phones have made this all easier so long as they keep up with closures and changing hours of operation. J.R.
GMTRacingRay, That is impressive. my current Focus ST is listed at 3,223 lbs and if I don't get too enthused is at 24 MPG (93 octane only please).
A fact I ran across the other day. It actually takes 7.5 kW of electric to make a gallon of gas. A kW of electric will take my car about 4 miles (if I don't show off too much, LOL). So the electric it takes to make a gallon of gasoline will take my car about 30 miles. Hmmmmm????
My son, back when he was at Argonne National Labs, said they were working on a system using Capacitors. They were hopeful but never found a way to control the discharge for use. He is in the UK and is a writer. Most of his current work is teaching and writing about current tech for electric vehicles. There are some amazing possibilities being explored at the moment.
Oh... I, a couple years ago, did check out if I could drive from my house to visit some guy we know who lives on Vancouver Island. Yes it was very doable. I would have to cross over into Canada just after Chicago though. Canada has the infrastructure already in place to get me charges all the way. The US??? Nope! BTW, for trips you plan your route and charge when you stop for lunch, bathroom breaks, etc. I took a lady friend to Niagara Falls a few years ago. Charged to full before I picked her up near Rochester, NY, drove to the Falls, spent a few hours there, and then drove to Cheektowaga for lunch. They have the new Tesla superchargers there. I had 61 miles of range left when I plugged in, we were in the place having lunch for 20 minutes, and when we came out I had 210 miles of range.
You just have to think ahead and plan differently with EVs....
Thanks for the beer, Kevin.
Took me back to when I visited Koln - Cologne. Love the city.
Railway bridge with the line turning to the right into the station. The beautiful cathedral not far away.
IMG_2485 by David Harrison, on Flickr
How about a Goffel Kolsch? This is a delicious brew from Koln, Germany
Everyone enjoy yourselves, I will join you for a round after work tonight.
howmus Actually my Model 3 is about 3,600lbs. That is about the same wieght as most other vehicles the same size.
Vehicles are much heavier than they used to be.
My 1989 full sized short cab Ford F150 with 5.7L cast iron V8 and eight foot bed weighed several hundred pounds less than my 2008 compact short cab Chevrolet Colorado with an alluminum four cylinder and a six foot bed.
The weight increase is primarily due to safety requirements. This trade off is worth it. I am a big fan of safety.
Another part of the weight increase is because cars are expected to have a longer service life now. A lot of parts are heavier for durability.
SeeYou190I hope to get some soffit framing done today before work.
Nope, I did not do anything.
I made a long response in Weekend Photo Fun instead.
BroadwayLionEh, not impressed, are we?
Gee, I'm impressed! Several years back there was an experimental Battery Electric Switcher in the Rochester, NY yard. Unfortunately it didn't pan out. It had some interesting abilities though. IIRC, at the end of it's workday it could drive itself back to the parking shed and plug itself back in to recharge. ;) The major lack it had was that the batteries didn't last long because they had to discharge way too much to start a train. The reason for Diesel Electric Locos is that you can't make a clutch that would be able to not tear itself apart trying to start a heavy train. Using electric motors solved that problem.
There, this is a locomotive. Battery Electric Diesel Hybread.
Eh, not impressed, are we?
Mornin' folks!
GMTRacingRay - you are still driving the Tesla? I just have a conceptual issue with a 4000 lb commuter vehicle.
Hi J.R., Actually my Model 3 is about 3,600lbs. That is about the same wieght as most other vehicles the same size. I have the small battery (240 miles range). If I end up buying another I would get the large battery pack, which of course is heavier...). If your usual daily driving is what you listed the small battery would be very usable for you. For me the last month, my cost of electric to drive the Tesla was $39. If I was buying gas for the same weight and power car, I would have spent $149 at current prices. So I saved $110 over driving on Gasoline. (Actually I could make a case that it cost me nothing as I make more electric on the roof of my house than I use in the car.... The panels have already paid for themselves! That wouldn't be quite honest as I would be paying that much less buying less from my ESCO. My cost of buying electric is all of $.12 per KWH. I buy 100% wind and solar. Oh... And before someone tells me I'm wrong, I got $.12/KWH by dividing my total Electric Bill by the number of KWHs I used!)
This table lists the curb weights for some of the most popular models for 2020.
3,708 pounds
That said, there are a lot of electric cars out there these days that you may want to check out. Take Care and best wishes!
The World Is A Beautiful Place
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Good morning everyone. I hope to get some soffit framing done today before work, and then get a couple more soffit pieces cut out tomorrow after work. Sunday is an "early" day, so working on the house before work is out of the equation.
Steven OtteKevin, send us some of that 90-degree weather, please. It's -8 here today, -26 with the wind chill.
I wish I could. We had a bit of a cool-down last night, so it should be liveable today.
I work with a woman from Green Bay that is moving back when Summer comes. She decided she cannot take another Summer down here.
hon30critterI am envious that you are able to do the work yourself. I used to do almost all of my own work but now I can hardly do anything. Ticks me off!
That is one of the reasons I am building everything so heavy this time around. I am pretty sure that when the next storm hits I will not be able to do the repairs myself. All the landscaping and house repair needs to last my lifetime.
York1Kevin, you have mentioned playing Wordle. Yesterday I lost a pretty long streak on the word tasty. I had ta**y. I really thought s was there, but every other letter I tried with it wouldn't work. I keep forgetting about using the same letter twice, in this case the t. I was upset with myself when I lost.
I don't remeber the word when I lost my streak of 131.
I am more than 50% of the way back.
I had a hard time with the word today.
My head could not wrap around this one and figure it out until the end. I had to rule out all the unused letters with my fifth guess.
Good morning. Bacon, eggs, and black coffee, Chloe.
JR, I sympathize with you on the vertigo. I had a bout when I was in my 30s after a bad cold. It lasted for several weeks, but finally cleared up. About the only help the doctor could give was advice: "Don't climb a ladder." For that he got paid by my insurance company.
Kevin, you have mentioned playing Wordle. Yesterday I lost a pretty long streak on the word tasty. I had ta**y. I really thought s was there, but every other letter I tried with it wouldn't work. I keep forgetting about using the same letter twice, in this case the t. I was upset with myself when I lost.
We are having a warmer day and week ahead, with our first days over 32°F in a while. We should get to 38° this afternoon. Some of the snow and ice should melt a little.
Have a great day, everyone.
Good Morning All,
-11F here with the wind chill -25F and todays high may hit 15F. Light dusting overnight but no more predicted for now. Not what you out in the middle of the country get but as cold as it's been this winter....
I'll have a regular to go please. Still wrestling with the new desk top op system as it won't link the way i'm used to soooo no pics for now. Also trying to retreive my photo files from the previous tower.
I concur about the perils of becoming "senior". I had had a bout of vertigo (at the track of course) but have recovered though I still get the occasional moments. I don't do as much on the house as I would have 40 years ago but I still enjoy what I can do. Last weekend I helped #1 son demo his basement walls and that was fun. The former owner had made a grow closet from scraps for his wifes flower garden at the end of the projects he did and no piece of drywall was more than 1' x 1'. The rest was easy with a large crow bar.
Ray - you are still driving the Tesla? I have decided my next car will be electric since I have access to the fleet of pickups here for when I need more hauling capacity and am for the most part only driving the 30 miles to and from w..k each day. I am holding out for a smaller vehicle though. I just have a conceptual issue with a 4000 lb commuter vehicle.
All for now. I'm in the shop getting ready to leave for Homestead, Fla in a little over a week. Ciao, J.R.
Good morning Diners. A coffee on the go please, Janie.
A busy day ahead.
Some U.K. liveries aroundin 2016.
https://transportdesigned.com/train-many-colours-10-best-uk-rail-liveries-since-privatisation/
SeeYou190My house has 7 outside corners and 3 inside corners on the roof. So far, every one I have exposed has been rotted.
Hi Kevin,
Sorry to hear about the rotting wood, but it looks like you have the problem solved.
I am envious that you are able to do the work yourself. I used to do almost all of my own work but now I can hardly do anything. Ticks me off!
My house has 7 outside corners and 3 inside corners on the roof. So far, every one I have exposed has been rotted.
Repairs to these corners are taking forever, but it is getting done. All this needs to be done before the roof can be replaced.
-Photographs by Kevin Parson
I have added enough bracing that I should be OK for whatever hurricanes of the future are bringing.
York1Life is so short when you view it from near the tale end. I've begun thinking about vacations, knowing that if I don't go soon, I won't be able to ever go. Germany, Austria, and Italy with the grandchildren is now planned for summer.
Yes, I know of this. I hope to get one more trip into New York City. As it is they might not let me go because of ballance issues. I cannot stand or wlak for more than six minutes without my walker. With the walker I am good to go. We usually get two weeks vacation each year, but we can get more on our Jubilee year. My 40th Jubileewill be in two years, but I am fairly sure I will be out of the vacation beuniess before then. The abbot will sign any vacation slip I give him, but still the prio might not let me go becauswe of my dizzness and fall risk.
I was trying to fix a problem with the outdoor christmas lights, but fell over in the snow drift and it took three people to pull me out. I have to tell him that there will be no snow drifts in New York at the end of August.
I will stay at a Catholic guest house at $94. per night over $1300 total. Nobody is going to get a bettter price then that in New York. That is the Clergy price, other people get to pay more.
I cleaned up my desk, and now it beautiful, but I cannot find my ear pisk, I will have to look for that.
Locomotive?
Will you settle for a cat?
Ed, I wonder if any of those old PCC cars ended up in San Francisco. Their transit authority rescued many old streetcars, restored them and the streetcar system is a living and functioning museum. When I was there, the conductors were like docents and were happy to tell us about the cars we were on.
Here in Delaware, we do enjoy our chicken wings. A lot of places have good wings, mostly with a lot of different sauces. The best ones bake the spices in, while a lot just give you generic wings with sauce on the side.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Some special paint (or wrap) jobs just don't seem to have eye appeal, well, IMHO this one doesn't for me anyway. Just too busy?
Amtrak Century Express, Oshkosh, WI 06-14-1999 by Hiawatha Rails, on Flickr
I remember when the USPS Amtrak "Century Express" special visited Cleveland. There were some first-day covers released that day. I visited with my two boys.
All Aboard Trains by Gary Thomas, on Flickr
Friday night? How about a hearth-baked pizza?
pizza by Elika Mendelev, on Flickr
We used to enjoy an occasional basket of chicken wings. Somehow the price of wing parts has surpassed the boneless tenderloin prices so we skip the wings. The days of 10¢ wing night at the local tevern are long gone...
One of a kind PCCs:
PAT, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1982 by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr
BroadwayLionIs there a Locomotive at the end of that rainbow?
LOL! No Locomotive... That photo was taken by my sister as I was driving her to the Airport last year. We had pulled off the road while a terrible thunderstorm passed through. We had just gotten on the road when we saw this and pulled off again so she could take the photo.
What blows my mind is the bright sun shining on the trees with the rainbow (and storm) as a backdrop.
BTW, Don't know if you saw my question for you at the end of last month. Has your path ever crossed with a gent named Ray Repp?