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Jeffery’s Trackside Diner for August 2023 Locked

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  • Member since
    March 2017
  • 8,173 posts
Posted by Track fiddler on Saturday, August 26, 2023 4:47 PM

Evening

Thanks Mister B.  Iko was one of those six toed cats.  Over ten years, it took that old boy a while to warm up to me.  He was a scaredy cat.

The last four times up there, he came out over coffee in the morning, and brushed shins with me, to tell me he loved me.

Probably cuz one time years ago, he fell in between the wall of the bathroom, climbing across the suspended ceiling. 

We made a special trip up there for that one, to cut him out of the wall.  That was okay, cuz we always like going up there to spend time with family anyway.

 

He was a good kitty.

 

 

TF

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  • From: Bradford, Ontario
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Posted by hon30critter on Saturday, August 26, 2023 4:51 PM

Hi Tin Can II,

Bench work soon!! Sounds exciting!! It is wonderful that your wife supports your hobby. Mine does too.

Too bad about the game loss. There is always a 'next time'.

Cheers!!

Dave

I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!

  • Member since
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  • From: Bradford, Ontario
  • 15,797 posts
Posted by hon30critter on Saturday, August 26, 2023 6:19 PM

Who wants to move the Diner for September? Where should we go?

Cheers!!

Dave

I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
  • 21,483 posts
Posted by MisterBeasley on Saturday, August 26, 2023 7:28 PM

Track fiddler

Evening

Thanks Mister B.  Iko was one of those six toed cats.

TF

We had a six-toed cat when we were much younger.  His name was Sassy.  We had just lost a cat then, too, and some friends' cat had just had a litter, so we adopted him.  He lived to be 18 or 19.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

  • Member since
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Posted by OldEngineman on Saturday, August 26, 2023 9:25 PM

Hopewell Junction, NY.

Display at operator's desk:

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  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
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Posted by SeeYou190 on Sunday, August 27, 2023 8:49 AM

The World Is A Beautiful Place

-Photograph by Kevin Parson

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

Good morning everyone. Chloe, please bring me three hard-boiled eggs and three strips of bacon. I will also be needing a lot of black coffee.

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

Dave: How about we visit Washington State? My baby/baby just moved there.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Sunday, August 27, 2023 8:41 PM

Crazy day at work today.

Everyone is expecting this new storm to hit us in three days. We sold out of bottled water and generators. Everyone is angry and scared.

Too much panic for a minor storm.

I'm ready. I am always ready.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: North Dakota
  • 9,592 posts
Posted by BroadwayLion on Sunday, August 27, 2023 11:13 PM

Are we close to Br. Lion territory?

 

 

Yup.... I live right there in Richardton. Just turn to the left and you will see our towers...

I moved here in '83, so 40 yeara a monk, and since I am 75, that is now more than half of my life....

 

The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.

Here there be cats.                                LIONS with CAMERAS

  • Member since
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  • From: Ludington, MI
  • 1,862 posts
Posted by Water Level Route on Monday, August 28, 2023 5:50 AM

Good Morning Diners.  Flo, coffee and an english muffin please.

What a long last few days.  I'm ready for the weekend.  Moved my oldest in to her dorm last Thursday.  Kiddo is having a tough time, but still better than last year.  Still, spent the weekend calming her down regularly.  She'll be okay, but it will take some time.  Classes starting today will help.

Then spent the rest of the weekend doing the soccer thing with my youngest.  She played in a tournament about 100 miles from home.  Too close to stay in a hotel, but too far to be convenient.  It was after 11:00 Friday night before we got home, after 11:30 Saturday night, and about 7:00 yesterday.  She is still having tendonitis in her knee, but making progress and actually showed flashes of her old self on the field this weekend.  It was great to see.  Overall a good weekend of soccer, but the Saturday night game was rough.  Had a poor ref who let the game get way too physical.  We ended up losing two girls to injury in that game.  One a concussion the other a torn ACL.  Near the end of the game after yet another poor no call on a penalty, our assistant coaches were protesting with the ref and asked for clarification on why he didn't call the penalty.  He said there was no penalty and our head coach chuckled at him.  The ref red carded the coach for it.  It was ridiculous.

Tin Can & Kevin, exciting news on layout construction hopefully starting soon for the both of you!

Later gents.

Mike

  • Member since
    February 2018
  • From: Flyover Country
  • 5,557 posts
Posted by York1 on Monday, August 28, 2023 9:22 AM

Good morning, everyone.  Flo, I'll have bacon, eggs, and coffee, please.

I've been busy for the past several weeks, with much of the action unplanned.  We had relatives visit, but the visit took a turn when one of them had emergency surgery.  We had houseguests for two weeks until he was able to travel.  Several other things have come up to keep us very busy.  This week doesn't calm down, either.  I was hoping to get some time on the layout, but that isn't happening.

 

Track fiddler
But not too bad for a city lake, three minutes from our humble abode.  They say we have 10,000 of them up here in Minnesota eh

You guys are lucky to have all those lakes.  I'd love to have a small cabin beside one of them.

 

Tin Can II
Got home and found my wife finishing the painting project in the train room. 

It's great you can trust you wife with a paint brush or roller.  When my wife helps out with painting, it takes me days to clean up and repair the damage.

 

hon30critter
Who wants to move the Diner for September? Where should we go?

SeeYou190
Dave: How about we visit Washington State? My baby/baby just moved there.

This sounds good to me!

 

MisterBeasley
We had a six-toed cat when we were much younger.  His name was Sassy. 

Is this common for certain types of cats?  I've never heard of this.

 

Water Level Route
Moved my oldest in to her dorm last Thursday.  Kiddo is having a tough time, but still better than last year.  Still, spent the weekend calming her down regularly.  She'll be okay, but it will take some time.  Classes starting today will help.

I'm sure she will settle in and enjoy her time.  This takes me back many years when I took our daughters to college.  My wife and I did not think about having three daughters all so close together.  At one point, all three were in college at the same time, and my bank account when down and down.

 

After the diner's breakfast, I get to perform my worst homeowner's job -- cutting the grass.  I hope the winter comes quickly so the grass goes dormant and I get a vacation from yard work.

Have a great day, everyone.

 

 Rock Island E-6 at Blue Island IL April 1975 by Mark LLanuza, on Flickr

York1 John       

  • Member since
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  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
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Posted by MisterBeasley on Monday, August 28, 2023 1:08 PM

York1

 

I always hated it when the ex-wife tried to paint.  She always got paint all over my unrelated tools, like screwdrivers or a cordless drill.  She wouldn't patch holes before painting, either, and liked to actually paint over electrical outlets.

 
 Is this common for certain types of cats?  I've never heard of this.

 

Cats like that are called polydactyl.  I don't think it's a breed-specific thing, but it is genetic.  It doesn't seem to offer either advantages or disadvantages.  Sassy was a long-haired, gray tabby.

[/quote]

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

  • Member since
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  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
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Posted by MisterBeasley on Monday, August 28, 2023 1:19 PM

I saw a strange article elsewhere online this morning.  It was an article, basically a sales pitch, for an RS11 produced by MTH.  The article was dated today.

I thought MTH was completely out of business.  Are they still making O-scale stuff, and do they still provide DCS electronics and support?

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

  • Member since
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  • From: Collinwood, Ohio, USA
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Posted by gmpullman on Monday, August 28, 2023 4:48 PM

MisterBeasley
I thought MTH was completely out of business.

I think MTH committed itself to follow up on any projects that were in the pipeline when Mike announced his retirement. I saw the HO Little Joe recently hit the market. Once these last few projects are done I believe that will be the end of MTH.

Regards, Ed

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Monday, August 28, 2023 10:47 PM

INSANITY!

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

I worked almost 14 hours today.

Everyone is now completely panicked-attacked over this hurricane.

We are out of tarps, generators, gas cans, extension cords, propane, fans, and air conditioners.

WHY does everyone wait until the last minute. I am so glad my preparations are completely nothing.

Then... On top of all that... they decided today was to be the day we would start selling Halloween decorations. Seeing people in a panic to find bottles water suddenly decide they need a 12 foot tall animated skeleton is hilarious.

I opened three credit cards today for people to buy halloween decorations. If you are financing $1,000.00 worth of halloween decorations I would bet you are not heading for a comfortable retirement.

Then... As I was leaving... I found out they are taking down the patio furniture display tonight to put out the Christmas Trees! WHAT!!! It is 120 days until Christmas. There is a storm in the Gulf. What is going on???

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    August 2011
  • From: A Comfy Cave, New Zealand
  • 6,250 posts
Posted by "JaBear" on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 5:19 AM

SeeYou190
Seeing people in a panic to find bottles water suddenly decide they need a 12 foot tall animated skeleton is hilarious.

 Huh by Bear, on Flickr

What’s struck me regarding this month’s tour of depots is the architecture and especially the varied roof lines. Single gable?? Boring!! For what was / is a functional building, at times the architects excelled themselves, though to be fair the depot was often a sign of prestige for both the railroad and the town.
 
 
Sir Gordon Troup ((21 October 1863 – 4 October 1941) was the New Zealand Railways Chief Architect and as such was responsible for the design of bridges, viaducts, and railway buildings including stations. He standardised many of the designs, so at the appropriate location, the identical building could be seen anywhere on the NZR network.
 
Here is an example of his “Standard Class A railway station.
 
 Waikari Stn by Bear, on Flickr
 
However, he is best known for the Dunedin Railway Station, which I try to visit on my infrequent trips to Dunedin. A marvellous building.
 
 Dn Stn by Bear, on Flickr
 Tickets by Bear, on Flickr
 Floor by Bear, on Flickr
 Stairwell by Bear, on Flickr
 Window by Bear, on Flickr
 
Speaking of marvellous buildings, (and looking online), the Assumption Abbey looks pretty impressive, Br. Lion.
Thoughts and Best Wishes to All that need them. Kia Kaha.
Cheers, the Bear.Smile

"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."

  • Member since
    February 2015
  • From: Ludington, MI
  • 1,862 posts
Posted by Water Level Route on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 6:00 AM

Good Morning Diners.  Chloe, scrambled eggs and sausage please.

Bear, the Dunedin station is beautiful!  

SeeYou190
Seeing people in a panic to find bottles water suddenly decide they need a 12 foot tall animated skeleton is hilarious.

Made me laugh out loud with that one!  Incredible!

SeeYou190
I opened three credit cards today for people to buy halloween decorations. If you are financing $1,000.00 worth of halloween decorations I would bet you are not heading for a comfortable retirement.

That's sad, but you are right.

SeeYou190
they are taking down the patio furniture display tonight to put out the Christmas Trees!

Alright.  I love Christmas, but it needs to come after Thanksgiving.  I would prefer that stuff not come out until after the big feast is over, but I can take a week or even two before, but AUGUST!?!?

A little something for GMPullman.  I assume Ed recognizes it.

 

Mike

  • Member since
    February 2018
  • From: Flyover Country
  • 5,557 posts
Posted by York1 on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 8:55 AM

Good morning, everyone.  Brunhilda, I'll have my regular breakfast.

Christmas in August.  Last night I walked into the living room and my wife was watching, "The Man Who Came To Dinner", a great old Christmas movie.  I think it was Ann Sheridan day on Turner Classic Movies.

Kevin, I hope the storm doesn't affect you too badly.

I hope everyone has a great day.

 

 Belton Station | West Glacier Montana | BNSF Hi Line Subdivison by M.J. Scanlon, on Flickr

York1 John       

  • Member since
    October 2020
  • 3,604 posts
Posted by NorthBrit on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 11:37 AM

Good evening all.   A glass of Bushmills, no ice please, Chloe.

A busy few days  with a holiday booked.

Bear.  Love the station.

 

I remember travelling by train to Wemyss Bay Station to catch a ferry to Rothesay.   The station was, to put it politely,  a disgrace.  Virtually falling to pieces.

Now,  after serious restoration and modernisation,  such a delight.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW4aWbvJ8pw&ab_channel=TheList

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jovt1hM3znA&ab_channel=TrainsTrainsTrains

 

David

To the world you are someone.    To someone you are the world

I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 11:47 AM

The World Is A Beautiful Place

-Photograph by Kevin Parson

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

Good morning everyone. Chloe, I would like a grilled ham and cheese sandwich and a bowl of soup today. Any soup you have, thank you.

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

The very first feeder bands are now striking this area.

We had four houses left on this street with tarped roofs. Those tarps are gone with the first wind gusts. I hope those houses can survive the heavy rains we are going to be receiving.

York1
Kevin, I hope the storm doesn't affect you too badly.

This one should not be too bad. The eye and strong winds should well miss this part of Florida.

It looks like we will get three feeder bands on the East side of the storm. Lots of rain, but not much sustained wind.

My only concern are the baby Clusias I planted a few months ago. I hope they will be OK. They are in the wide-open right in the direction of the predicted winds.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 12:30 PM

York1

 

hon30critter
Who wants to move the Diner for September? Where should we go?
SeeYou190
Dave: How about we visit Washington State? My baby/baby just moved there.

This sounds good to me!

 

 

If we all decide Washington is a good choice, I will move the diner for next month.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    December 2008
  • From: Neenah, WI
  • 235 posts
Posted by sschnabl on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 12:34 PM

Kevin,

My family and I were just down by you two weeks ago.  We spent a week in Indian Shores.  I just couldn't get over how warm the gulf water was, probably upper 80s to 90 degrees.  It felt like bath water.  I'm from the upper midwest, so I have no knowledge of hurricanes, but I've heard the warm water tends to fuel them.  It was always in the back of my mind that one could be coming...  Best of luck, and I hope you are right that this storm won't be anything like Ian.

Scott

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 12:36 PM

sschnabl
I just couldn't get over how warm the gulf water was, probably upper 80s to 90 degrees.

The Gulf water temperatures have been record-breaking this year.

From what I have read on the N.H.C./N.O.A.A. weather site. This is causing the rapid increase in storm strength.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    August 2003
  • From: Collinwood, Ohio, USA
  • 16,367 posts
Posted by gmpullman on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 12:56 PM

Water Level Route
A little something for GMPullman.  I assume Ed recognizes it.

Thanks, Mike! Yep, that was my 'hangout' in the late '60s through the 1970s. I stopped by there once in the late 1990s after the 'renovation' into a shopping mecca, Tower City, and wasn't impressed. I prefer to keep my memories of when this was a rail-served station!

 CUT_from Canal Rd by Edmund, on Flickr

 CUT_GRS2 by Edmund, on Flickr

I hope everyone is getting along well...

Cheers, Ed

 

  • Member since
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Posted by MisterBeasley on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 1:07 PM

gmpullman

 

 
MisterBeasley
I thought MTH was completely out of business

I think MTH committed itself to follow up on any projects that were in the pipeline when Mike announced his retirement. I saw the HO Little Joe recently hit the market. Once these last few projects are done I believe that will be the end of MTH.

Regards, Ed

Yeah, I looked up the Little Joe and it looks like it came out in April.  I'm surprised that they decided to put DCS electronics into it.  The demise of MTH means no more support for DCS, so any controls that aren't compatible with DCC will not be available.  I suppose they made these for the modelers who still use DCS in HO.  As a Milwaukee modeler, I was hoping the engine might rise like a Phoenix by Scale Trains with DCC.  I might have thought about it.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: North Dakota
  • 9,592 posts
Posted by BroadwayLion on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 9:04 PM

 

I guess this is as close to a lion as I can get.

 

The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.

Here there be cats.                                LIONS with CAMERAS

  • Member since
    August 2003
  • From: Collinwood, Ohio, USA
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Posted by gmpullman on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 9:12 PM

One for the LION:

End of the line.

Cheers, Ed

  • Member since
    October 2020
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Posted by NorthBrit on Wednesday, August 30, 2023 7:15 AM

Good afternoon Diners. A large coffee on the go please, Janie.

Holidays are calling.  Cruising the Medterranean to be precise.

Before we go,  Railway Stations.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLJpgf0srxw&ab_channel=RailwaysExplained

 

David

To the world you are someone.    To someone you are the world

I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought

  • Member since
    February 2018
  • From: Flyover Country
  • 5,557 posts
Posted by York1 on Wednesday, August 30, 2023 8:06 AM

Good morning, everyone.  I don't have time to eat -- just coffee, please.

Another long, busy day, doing many things but not working on the layout.  I haven't been able to do anything train-related in weeks.

At Chicago' Union Station, when passenger trains looked great:

 

 CB&Q E8 9947A by Chuck Zeiler CB&Q Pass, on Flickr

York1 John       

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Wednesday, August 30, 2023 9:31 AM

The World Is A Beautiful Place

-Photograph by Kevin Parson

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

Good morning everyone. Chloe, I will have scrambled aggs and hash browns to start another day. Thank you.

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

Did anyone else notice that 15-20 posts disappeared from the diner yesterday?

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

Yesterday was the slowest day at work I have ever seen. We did not even sell $100,000.00 gross yesterday.

We did sell out of these 12 foot animated skeletons. 20 of them at $250.00 each. That was 5% of daily sales right there.

-Photograph by Kevin Parson

We got in two trailers of generators for the storm. Sold 4 of them. We also got two trailers of bottled water. I think those will be heading to Tallahassee today.

-Photograph by Kevin Parson

Schools and day care centers are still closed today, so we are expecting a lot of call-offs. I expect another slow day.

Another storm has passed. We are fine with absolutely no damage. Three feeder bands passed over us. The highest sustained winds we had were 30 MPH with gusts in the 50 MPH range. Total rain fall was about 3 inches.

I have not heard from my friends in the Tampa area yet.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    March 2021
  • 260 posts
Posted by Tin Can II on Wednesday, August 30, 2023 10:57 AM

Kevin:  Glad you are out of harms way.  Hope that everyone else in Florida stays safe as well.

John:  I learned to paint interior & exterior houses as a teenager; just part of the chores maintaining our houses and my grandparent's houses.  I was scraping and painting the exterior of my high school house on five levels of scaffolding.  I have two of those levels in use at my current house.

I taught my wife to paint when we bought our first house together 36 years ago.  We have painted the interior of every home we have owned (four) and the exterior/trim on three of those houses.  Our current home is the biggest we have tackled; 2200 s/f on main level and 2200 s/f in the basement.  She painted all of the walls upstairs; about she is 1/3 of the way through the trim.  She has painted two big rooms in the basement and is working on the guest bedroom now.  I have helped some, but working full time cuts down on the time when I can paint.  I am proud of the job she has done, she has really added value to the house.

Once we save up for it, she wants to lay carpet in the train room and basement hallway.  I am not going to say no.

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