Hi Gang!
It's June already! Time to move the Diner, but to where? I can't remember if there were any reccommendations in addition to the roundhouses and turntables that we did in May (thanks for all the contributions!).
Perhaps we could continue the repair shop theme by touring othe types of facilities like machine shops, paint shops or car shops. It might be interesting to see how things are made.
On the other hand, we could change direction completely. Have we ever done control towers and signal towers?
Let's hear your suggestions.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Thanks for a flawless opening of the June Diner, Dave!
I think signals, signal towers (boxes) and similar structures would be something of interest. I can recall at least a dozen times when I was taking pictures around the railroad in those bygone days when the tower operator would holler "Hey kid! You want to come up and have a look?"
Several of my dad's brothers and his father were agents and operators on the Boston & Albany and Boston & Maine railroads. Fun Stuff.
I had been asked up by the operator at 'CT' tower here in Cleveland back in the late '60 when there were people actually working in these buildings before everything became remotely controlled.
At one time the largest built:
CUT_GRS by Edmund, on Flickr
Sadly, as these things go...
CT Tower, Cleveland by Edmund, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
Hi Dave
Welcome to June too, and thanks for starting us out like you always do
Judy and myself, strolled down to the VFW to have some broasted chicken in the lovely town of Spicer.
It didn't get funny until the way back. There was this chain link fence area around a Gulch.
Judy asked, what's up with that?
Told her, Don't know, but do you want to go in there?
She said no! And as we were walking by, she was told, it's probably not to keep us from going in there, but more importantly, to keep what's in there from coming out
TF
gmpullmanI think signals, signal towers (boxes) and similar structures would be something of interest.
Hi Ed,
I agree, but let's wait a couple of hours to see if there are any other suggestions. Is that fair?
I still don't have my roof replaced.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190First day of Hurricane Season 2023!
Hi Kevin,
I hope that you survive the next couple of months without damage.
hon30critterI hope that you survive the next couple of months without damage.
Me too. I am supposed to get the "dry in" completed in three weeks, then the new roof installed five weeks after that.
York1I know some of you are Wordle fans. Today's almost broke my string. I got it on the sixth line, mainly by luck. I really had trouble visualizing what it was.
My 88 day streak came to an end when the word was "GRIEF", my sixth guess was "BRIEF"... loser.
I am back up to 13 days now.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
A signal primer, courtesy the New York Central System:
Happy June!
Good morning Diners. Tea and toast please, Brunhilda.
Dave. Thanks for moving the Diner. Signals and signalling is okay wth me.
A Ground Frame at Irton Road, Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway.
IMG_2224 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
SeeYou190 Me too. I am supposed to get the "dry in" completed in three weeks, then the new roof installed five weeks after that.
Kevin, I hope it goes well for you.
Question, do you think your situation is the same as a lot of others in the Cape, or do you think you somehow got slighted and put behind others.
I'm wondering if the entire area is backed-up or is having labor/materials problems.
- Douglas
Good morning, Folks. Zoe, could I get a black coffee, please?
Last month, someone asked what brought me to Our Fair City, school or work? School brought me, but inertia kept me. I wanted a PhD, but while getting the BA, I realised I couldn't support my wife and family as a student. So after graduation, I got a job at the school helping people use the computing systems. I lost that job during a bout with depression. As I recovered, I took up driving a cab. Thus the moniker: I never knew where my next trip would take me. And since there are at least three ways to get anywhere (the easy way, the short way, and the fast way), I didn't know how I would get there, either.
When the cab company went belly-up, I took a job at a company doing wheelchair transport, so I still don't know where my next trip will take me.
DoughlessQuestion, do you think your situation is the same as a lot of others in the Cape, or do you think you somehow got slighted and put behind others.
My roof had no leaks and was secure, so I am way down on the priority list.
I did my own soffit repair/upgrade, and roofers wanted that, and the electrical service entrance, finished first since I am not in am emergency situation.
Also, I am getting a custom steel roof, so there is a delay on material.
And, I want to deal with an established local company, not one of the hundreds of roofers that came in out of nowhere, so that was an additional wait.
Lost in A2Last month, someone asked what brought me to Our Fair City, school or work? School brought me, but inertia kept me.
I often get asked how in the world I have lived in Cape Coral for 40+ years.
We moved here in 1982 when I was in 10th grade. At the time Cape Coral was a small retirement community. I got a good job with General Motors in 1986, then went to work for Cummins in 1990. This kept me here.
I met my wife in 1987. For decades it seemed like we were the youngest people in Cape Coral. Now as the city changes into a bedroom community for workers in Fort Myers, we are the "old people" on the street.
It sure is not a retirement community anymore. This change happened in the past 10 years. The current group of retirees are the worst people I have ever seen. The fewer the better.
SeeYou190 Doughless Question, do you think your situation is the same as a lot of others in the Cape, or do you think you somehow got slighted and put behind others. My roof had no leaks and was secure, so I am way down on the priority list. I did my own soffit repair/upgrade, and roofers wanted that, and the electrical service entrance, finished first since I am not in am emergency situation. Also, I am getting a custom steel roof, so there is a delay on material. And, I want to deal with an established local company, not one of the hundreds of roofers that came in out of nowhere, so that was an additional wait. Lost in A2 Last month, someone asked what brought me to Our Fair City, school or work? School brought me, but inertia kept me. I often get asked how in the world I have lived in Cape Coral for 40+ years. We moved here in 1982 when I was in 10th grade. At the time Cape Coral was a small retirement community. I got a good job with General Motors in 1986, then went to work for Cummins in 1990. This kept me here. I met my wife in 1987. For decades it seemed like we were the youngest people in Cape Coral. Now as the city changes into a bedroom community for workers in Fort Myers, we are the "old people" on the street. It sure is not a retirement community anymore. This change happened in the past 10 years. The current group of retirees are the worst people I have ever seen. The fewer the better. -Kevin
Doughless Question, do you think your situation is the same as a lot of others in the Cape, or do you think you somehow got slighted and put behind others.
Lost in A2 Last month, someone asked what brought me to Our Fair City, school or work? School brought me, but inertia kept me.
Its good to hear that you are secure. I hope others that are less secure got their roofs fixed before the season starts again.
In the midwest like Indiana, we'd have hail storms that ruin roofs. Within days I'd see signs in the neighborhoods of roofing companies that offered to do work. Its like there are mobile roofing crews that follow storms around.
Not disparaging them as companies, and some of my neighbors used them, but I do get your point about getting somebody local.
I got my roof replaced and State Farm handled the claim and the work. I don't know who they used. It went very smoothly, credit to SF.
Good morning, diners. I'm getting a late start this morning -- had several errands come up early. Since it's later, I'll just have some bacon, eggs, and black coffee.
SeeYou190My 88 day streak came to an end when the word was "GRIEF", my sixth guess was "BRIEF"... loser. I am back up to 13 days now.
I lost my 43-day Wordle streak today. I won't give the word away, but I wouldn't have gotten it with ten guesses.
Lost in A2When the cab company went belly-up, I took a job at a company doing wheelchair transport, so I still don't know where my next trip will take me.
It sounds like you've had an interesting time -- at least you probably meet some very interesting people.
DoughlessIn the midwest like Indiana, we'd have hail storms that ruin roofs. Within days I'd see signs in the neighborhoods of roofing companies that offered to do work. Its like there are mobile roofing crews that follow storms around.
That's exactly what happened in our town last year. We have 7,000 people in our town, and there must have been 30 different roofing companies with signs within a week of the storm.
Most of the roofs are now done, but even a year later, there are still a lot of houses with holes in the siding and windows that are broken. We keep hearing about supply problems, but people are now wondering if these will be fixed before the next storm.
Not much else going on on the plains. We keep hoping we will get some rain, but the lines of storms always break up before they reach us. This has been a long dry spell. If I didn't care about the lawn, I wouldn't water it, and then I wouldn't have to mow it.
I've lived near the Union Pacific line for a lot of years, but I don't remember ever seeing one of these:
Everyone have a good day!
York1 John
Good morning
Hold the pickle, hold the lettuce, special orders, don't upset us, all we ask, is that you lettuce, have it your way
No two and a half, three hour drives today. We're on a stay over, and we're going to catch the lunch boat pretty soon.
Maybe a beer around noon!
Have a great day gentlemen
Track fiddlerNo two and a half, three hour drives today. We're on a stay over, and we're going to catch the lunch boat pretty soon. Maybe a beer around noon!
Sounds like a good time! Have fun.
York1 Doughless In the midwest like Indiana, we'd have hail storms that ruin roofs. Within days I'd see signs in the neighborhoods of roofing companies that offered to do work. Its like there are mobile roofing crews that follow storms around. That's exactly what happened in our town last year. We have 7,000 people in our town, and there must have been 30 different roofing companies with signs within a week of the storm. Most of the roofs are now done, but even a year later, there are still a lot of houses with holes in the siding and windows that are broken. We keep hearing about supply problems, but people are now wondering if these will be fixed before the next storm.
Doughless In the midwest like Indiana, we'd have hail storms that ruin roofs. Within days I'd see signs in the neighborhoods of roofing companies that offered to do work. Its like there are mobile roofing crews that follow storms around.
When I dealt with the SF claims guy 10 years ago, he said that a person should always phone their claim in right away. Don't wait. (I happened to actually phone it in while the hail was still falling, LOL.)
He said the big insurance companies set aside funds every quarter for claims as part of their budgeting process. But if you happen to file a claim late, the budgeted money could run out and then the companies become more stingy once claims exceed their budget for the quarter.
I filed my claim right away. One wall of siding needed replaced too. The nice claims guy said that he couldn't find siding to match, so he just resided the entire house.
York1I lost my 43-day Wordle streak today. I won't give the word away, but I wouldn't have gotten it with ten guesses.
I got it in four. My wife and middle daughter both needed all six. My youngest daughter has not checked in yet.
It would appear that folks are in favour of using signaling as the theme for June. So be it!
Bring on the red, green and yellow, and of course the non-lit systems too.
Sounds good to me!
I just finished my marathon of all three Godfather movies.
What a great way to spend eight hours.
Last time spending eight hours was slept, and it's raining now
Track fiddlerIt's raining now.
We are in our daily rain cycle now.
The sprinkler system has been turned off. for the season.
Good Morning Diners. Happy Friday! Brunhilda, I'll have a stack of blueberry pancakes please.
While working on a variety of projects, like the patio, I totally lost track of the fact that we haven't had rain in a long time. The sprinkler system was ready, but I didn't have it on. Now I'm paying for that as much of the grass out front is toasted. It's always harder to bring it back to green than it is to keep it green.
Lost in A2, sorry to hear about how things have shaken out for you so far. I hope you have the depression under control. Stuff like that can be a difficult bear to wrestle.
Most of the claims I've had to make with insurance were pretty straight forward so they generally went off without a hitch. Except one. I was driving on the highway one day in a wicked windstorm. The winds were blowing across the highway and the gusts were strong enough that they were somehow catching the drivers door on my truck and during the big gusts the door would actually flex enough that I could see light out the top. During one of the gusts I heard a pop/knock sound that sounded like a tire had kicked something up. When I got to my destination I discovered that wasn't the case. A crack had appeared in the door at the base of the B pillar. The adjuster came out and said that insurance would not cover it. He said that the door had been previously repaired (he showed me how to tell at least) and even though the technique used had previously been an approved repair technique by insurance companies, it was no longer approved as they see issues down the road with it, like cracks at the base of the A/B pillars. I was furious. I called my agent about it and he said he was shocked they weren't covering a failure of a previously approved repair (even though I didn't have the truck when it was done that didn't seem to matter) and would see what he could do and would call me. After a few weeks of radio silence, I started calling him and kept getting excuses about why he hadn't gotten anywhere with it yet. Eventually, he stopped taking my calls. I dropped both the agent and the insurance company. He was a local agent with Citizens Insurance, so it wasn't like I was using a fly by night insurance company. My wife's family had been with him for decades, we had been with him for at least 10 years, and we still were ultimately simply ignored. He ended up losing my wife's parents and her sister as customers because of his "response" to us as well. If he had simply said he tried but couldn't get the company to budge, I probably would have only changed insurance companies as he was an agent for several different ones. His loss.
John/York 1, neat center cab!
Cheers guys!
Mike
Thanks, Mike.
Yes, the depression is under control. I've been driving almost 20years, now.
Good morning, everyone. Well, we wait all year for this day: It's National Donut Day!
One of my favorite traditions after work or on a Saturday morning -- go to Cafe Du Monde in the French Quarter. Chicory coffee that is dark and thick, and freshly made beignets (we called them donuts) covered with powdered sugar. It was a treat every time.
I have another funeral to attend today. I've lost count, but the number of funerals the past year must be over 12. I've said before that I don't think it's the number of people dying, but that I'm now at the age when people I know are dying. Isn't there an old joke about reading the obituaries each morning to make sure I'm not there?
I'll check back in the diner later today after I get home.
I'm looking forward to seeing different kinds of signals. It's a part of railroading that I know absolutely nothing about.
John: Love beignets & Cafe Du Monde coffee; always a treat when we are in New Orleans. Growing up, a Texas based flour company, Pioneer, made a "french donut mix" that I know now to be a beignet mix. We don't get anything Pioneer in Kansas, but I don't recall seeing french donut mix in ages.
We are having a thunderstorm as I type. We have had more rain in the last six weeks than in the whole two and a half years I have lived in Dodge City. Our lawn has come back nicely. It doesn't hurt that my wife and I have become quite proficient in fixing leaks in our sprinkler system. If the truth be known, I would prefer that we not use it, as it only makes the grass grow, which then needs to be mowed and edged. However, that would annoy a couple of our neighbors who keep immaculate front yards. My wife is trying to keep up with them. Not really my thing (gardening), I'd rather be in the basement working on anything model railroad related.
York1 I've said before that I don't think it's the number of people dying, but that I'm now at the age when people I know are dying.
Unfortunately, this always comes to mind:
Hi Everyone,
Dave: thanks for doing the diner this month, flawlessly I might add. I think signals, etc is a good theme.
It's been warmer than usual here, high 80's low 90's F. A couple of weeks ago it was in the 60's F. I don't mind the heat at all, but I've noticed that as I've gotten older I don't respond to it as well as I used to. I'm a little more sluggish in the heat. Definitely drinking more water.
The kids just came back from a short vacay to SoCal. They sent us a pic from the beach just on the north side of Huntington Pier. The wind was gusting, but the surf was virtually flat. I'd say a foot if that. They looked cold. I think they had a good time though.
Nothing to report MRR wise at the moment.
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)