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Jeffrey's Trackside Diner for September, 2023

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Posted by maxman on Saturday, September 2, 2023 8:37 PM

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Posted by gmpullman on Saturday, September 2, 2023 9:20 PM

I live just north of Middlefield, Ohio which has a rather large Amish contingent. There were a few Amish members of our model railroad club and, yes, there was great interest in battery power for supplying DC to throttles. One of the members made several of these throttles.

One of the Amish businesses I deal with, a metal roofing supplier and installer use a gasoline air compressor outside his shop and all the machines inside are air powered. Many of the Amish construction workers here use both air tools and battery cordless tools. I just had an outbuilding resided by an Amish crew.

Presently there's an Amish group clearing and logging land across from me. They have two, two-horse teams and a skidder on each team. They work as every bit as efficient as any diesel-hydraulic machine.

Some of the younger Amish teens have some 'boom-box' sound systems in their buggies that would envy any tecno-nerd. After the teens officially enter the church they give up all those 'trappings'.


One of my favorite Washington state structures, the bridge-within-a-bridge (pretty clever engineering):

 BN, Rock Island, Washington, 1974 by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr

Overland once offered a brass model of this little guy. I'll see if I can recall what the price tag was on the little toy.

Here it is, a mere $7,500. 

https://brasstrains.com/Classic/Product/Detail/120396/HO-Brass-Model-OMI-3386-1-3387-1-GN-BN-BNSF-416-6-BRIDGE-IN-A-BRIDGE-250-Pratt-Deck-Truss-Bridge-F-P

 

Regards, Ed

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Posted by drgwcs on Saturday, September 2, 2023 10:51 PM

Doughless

 

 
SeeYou190

 

 
BigDaddy
That's the most amazing thing I learned this week.  Personally I don't know any Amish, but I see their horse drawn carriages, plows and riding bicycles uphill from town to home.

 

I used to read the corporate newsletter when I worked for my previous employer.

One of the articles that stood out was about an electrical application sales team making a multi-million sale to the Amish community of back-up generators, transfer switches, and paralleling/load-sharing devices.

My first thought was that was like selling snow shoes in Columbia. What did the Amish community need back-up electrical power for? I honestly assumed they had no primary power.

I have since learned a lot about how wrong I can be when I make assumptions.

-Kevin

 

 

 

Back when I was more involved with banking and lending, it was my understanding that the various parish's? of the Amish Church have slightly different rules about things.

One of the more common unknowns is that a lot of the no-electricity stuff doesn't apply to their businesses.  Some Amish are known as high quality cabinet makers that make it difficult for some high volume manufacturers to compete with. 

And no, the Amish aren't out-competing other busineses by using hand saws, hand screwdrivers, and mule-powered sawmills. 

Your order may have been for an Amish owned businesses. Some are known for being pretty shrewed and ruthless competitors.

They also have access to telephones, but the phones can't be inside the building, or something like that.

The rules have something to do with their personal houses, farms, transportation, being connected to the outside world via electricity and electrical wires. But many have normal jobs and go to work in normal factories...so the rules are a bit different when they are "on the clock" so to speak.

 

 

 

Years ago when I ran an Ace store in Indiana we were told by our rep that the store with the highest power tool sales in the state was the one in the very heavily Amish town of Shipshewana.

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Posted by Attuvian1 on Sunday, September 3, 2023 1:11 AM

gmpullman

 

One of my favorite Washington state structures, the bridge-within-a-bridge (pretty clever engineering):

 BN, Rock Island, Washington, 1974 by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr

Overland once offered a brass model of this little guy. I'll see if I can recall what the price tag was on the little toy.

Here it is, a mere $7,500. 

https://brasstrains.com/Classic/Product/Detail/120396/HO-Brass-Model-OMI-3386-1-3387-1-GN-BN-BNSF-416-6-BRIDGE-IN-A-BRIDGE-250-Pratt-Deck-Truss-Bridge-F-P

Regards, Ed

 
To me, the most amazing thing about the Brasstrains posting is not the price, but the "Item Sold"! Whistling
 
John of Attu
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Posted by gmpullman on Sunday, September 3, 2023 2:21 AM

Attuvian1
To me, the most amazing thing about the Brasstrains posting is not the price, but the "Item Sold"! Whistling

   — and I'd be willing to bet not a single one ever made it into a layout scene. Most are probably still in the box on a closet shelf somewhere.

Regards, Ed

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Sunday, September 3, 2023 7:20 AM

Attuvian1
To me, the most amazing thing about the Brasstrains posting is not the price, but the "Item Sold"! 

Brass trains really does an excellent job knowing what the market will pay for some of these items.

They had a brass model of the USS Missouri for $10,000.00 that was made by Fine Art Models. That was the most expensive item I saw on their site back when I used to browse it thoroughly.

gmpullman
I'd be willing to bet not a single one ever made it into a layout scene. Most are probably still in the box on a closet shelf somewhere.

I would bet that is true of 95% of all brass models.

As I have collected my fleet of models imported in the 60s through 80s, not a single one of them looks like it has ever pulled a train.

Brass models really seem to appeal to collectors.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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Posted by York1 on Sunday, September 3, 2023 8:40 PM

Good evening, diners.

Seattle is an amazing city (as long as you know where you are going).  At the foot of the Space Needle is the amazing Chihuly Glass museum.  It is worth the wait in line and admission price.

 

At the time of the 1962 World's Fair, a monorail seemed like such a great image of future transportation.  I loved it at the time.  Now it doesn't seem like such a great thing.

 

 Seattle Monorail by Bela Lindtner, on Flickr

 

Have a good Sunday evening and if you're in the U.S., a wonderful Labor Day holiday.

York1 John       

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Posted by MisterBeasley on Sunday, September 3, 2023 11:00 PM

I got to go to the 1964 New York World's Fair and the 1967 Montreal World's Fair.  New York was just a train ride and a subway from where I lived, so I was there several times.  By 1967 I was in college and I went with some college buddies to Montreal.

These were great events, but I guess they got to be too expensive to put on.

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

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Posted by gmpullman on Sunday, September 3, 2023 11:00 PM

Things that go bump in the night:

 MILW, Hall Creek, Washington, 1979 by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr


 

Cicero loved his holidays!

 Cicero by Edmund, on Flickr

Happy Labor Day to those folks who celebrate it. Every day is a holiday for me Smile

Cheers, Ed

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Posted by BroadwayLion on Monday, September 4, 2023 6:30 AM

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

Here there be cats.                                LIONS with CAMERAS

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Monday, September 4, 2023 8:29 AM

Washington Is A Beautiful Place

-Photograph by Kevin Parson

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

Good morning everyone. Chloe, please bring me two ripe bananas and a cup of coffee. Thank you.

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

There are no empty houses around me anymore. The new neighbors all seem like good people. Rents are coming down. The landlords could not get tennants with the prices they were asking for.

There are still way-too-many rental properties around for my preference, but there is nothing I can do about that.

gmpullman
Happy Labor Day to those folks who celebrate it.

I am working today, but every day at work is no problem at all. I get an extra days pay in all weeks with a holiday.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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Posted by York1 on Monday, September 4, 2023 8:42 AM

Good morning, diners.  Chloe, I'll have bacon, eggs, and black coffee please.

The new dog is wearing me out.  When I sit down to watch TV, she constantly bothers me to get up and do something with her.  I wonder if my doctor had anything to do with us getting a dog.

The Tacoma shops for Northern Pacific:  My great-uncle worked there during the 1930s - 1950s:

 

 

Have a good day, everyone.

York1 John       

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Posted by gmpullman on Monday, September 4, 2023 3:13 PM

Here's an excellent look at the labours of railroading in a snowy Canada:

For any modeler interested in 'ops' this film has some good insights. Get a load of that dispatcher's 'model board' in Wellington tower at Montreal! (24:20) Looks like it is from a spaghetti-bowl train layout!

Cheers, Ed

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Posted by BroadwayLion on Monday, September 4, 2023 7:26 PM

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

Here there be cats.                                LIONS with CAMERAS

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Monday, September 4, 2023 10:35 PM

Good evening everyone.

So, it seems that Labor Day is the unofficial "bring your kids to Home Depot" day!

I have never seen so many children in the store.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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Posted by hon30critter on Monday, September 4, 2023 11:21 PM

SeeYou190
So, it seems that Labor Day is the unofficial "bring your kids to Home Depot" day! I have never seen so many children in the store.

I never liked seeing children in the store when I worked at Home Depot. There are enough things that the adults can do wrong like overloading carts and ignoring the forklifts, but when you add in kids running and climbing all over the place and riding on the carts etc., things can go south fast.

Same with dogs. I witnessed a very scary situation where a German Shepard got separated from its master and the dog went berserk! It was growling and snapping its jaws at everyone. We had another incident in another store where a lady brought in a miniature dog. One of the staff went close to it to snuggle and it bit off a large chunk of the end of her nose!

Cheers!!

Dave

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

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Posted by Track fiddler on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 6:17 AM

Good morning

Been busy with the rehab down the hall and just got back from going out of town.

So we're in Washington this month eh?  Beautiful, Thanks everybody for all the contributions here. 

 

BN, Seattle Washington  Image courtesy of Pinterest.

Rocky  Image courtesy of RailPictures.net 

This one has my stamp of approvalWhistling

 

gmpullman

One of my favorite Washington state structures, the bridge-within-a-bridge (pretty clever engineering):

 BN, Rock Island, Washington, 1974 by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr

The dual posts of Green Machines were enjoyedStick out tongue  Thanks Ed.

The Bridge Within a Bridge has always been one of my favorites as well, ever since you first introduced it to us years ago.  Never grow tired of looking at that one I'll tell ya!

Yet it makes me wonder if there was a second concrete pier on the other end at one time?  Perhaps it was deemed unstable when they doubled the weight with that extreme reinforcement for heavier loadsHuh?

I'd love to build a model of that one for sure.  Not that there's any place to put it, but just for the sake of building it would be fun.  One would certainly need a few more views or specs.  It would look great in a shadow box on the wallBow

 

One for Ohio Guy.

  Image courtesy of eBaumsWorld at Pinterest

Thought you might get a kick out of this one.  In this situation, WM may stand for Why MeLaugh

 

Have a great Taco Tuesday gentlemanSmile

 

TF

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Posted by BroadwayLion on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 8:41 AM

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

Here there be cats.                                LIONS with CAMERAS

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Posted by Doughless on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 10:20 AM

Got word that my oldest daughter passed her medical boards on her first attempt.  She can now be a licensed Physicians Assistant in Washington, and will be establishing permanent residence in Seattle.

Who knows, maybe Kevin's daughter will be one of her patients some day.

- Douglas

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Posted by hon30critter on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 10:29 AM

Hi Douglas,

Congratulations to your daughter for passing her exams! I'm sure she worked hard.

Cheers!!

Dave

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

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Posted by York1 on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 10:42 AM

Good morning, diners.  No breakfast this morning, just coffee.

Congratulations to your daughter, Douglas.  She will enjoy Seattle.

It hasn't been a good day so far, so I hope things get better as the day goes along.  Just a series of setbacks that have kept me hopping.

Aong the Columbia River in southern Washington:

 

 1998-09-17 0825 BNSF 4854 Towal, WA by jimkleeman, on Flickr

 

Have a great day, everyone.

York1 John       

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 11:29 AM

Washington Is A Beautiful Place

-Photograph by Kevin Parson

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

Good morning everyone. Chloe, I will take a double-patty cheeseburger and a side of hashbrowns.

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

I slept more than ten hours last night. It has been a while since I slept like a rock for that long of a time. 

hon30critter
Same with dogs. I witnessed a very scary situation where a German Shepard got separated from its master and the dog went berserk!

I have seen a couple of very scary incidents with dogs myself. I will never get used to seeing them in the stores.

Onward into the day...

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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Posted by MisterBeasley on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 11:49 AM

I'm glad the GF does not bring the dog when we go out.  We try to do shopping all at once, so she couldn't take the dog into every store anyway.

I think it's too hot here anyway.  She complains that it's "not that hot," but 92-feels-102 is definitely too hot.  She thinks I should be fine with the heat, but she won't even walk the dog in this weather.

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

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 12:19 PM

MisterBeasley
She complains that it's "not that hot," but 92-feels-102 is definitely too hot.

My daughter just checked in from Washington, and it is in the 50s. She is freezing to death! She was not expecting this in September! That is Christmas weather on a cold year.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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Posted by hon30critter on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 4:43 PM

I am tired of going to appointments and social events!!

Dianne and I sat down today and made up a calender of all the things that we have to do before the end of September.  We have 20 events that we have to attend. Almost all of them will be enjoyable, but the sheer number has us both feeling exhausted already!

Retirement is not for the faint of heart!

Cheers!!

Dave

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

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Posted by BigDaddy on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 5:52 PM

Doug, congratulations to your daughter.   Not sure about her choice of locations.

My Niece-in-Law is a PA in the ER.  None of her colleagues are taking covid tests because they have to be off 5 days without pay.

My grandmother liked going to funerals, but neither my father didn't like it nor do I.  Joe was a college and medical school classmate and colleague died of pancreatic cancer.  I figured out I knew him for 50 years and his wife for 48. 

That's why I have to go this Saturday.  He was a two years younger than his brother, Ed, who was in my year in both college and med school, we all practiced in the same hospital.

When the priest showed up for the Final Rites and asked are you all Catholic?, Ed said 'Partially'. 

The Priest said "What do you mean?"  Ed: "We were raised by Jesuits"  The Priest and Joe and Ed went to Loyola High School and College and his sisters and Ed and Joe's daughters went to the same Catholic girls' high school during almost the same time.  That gave them some comfort.

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

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Posted by BroadwayLion on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 10:40 PM

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

Here there be cats.                                LIONS with CAMERAS

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Posted by Track fiddler on Wednesday, September 6, 2023 5:35 AM

Good morning

The hot streak in the 90's, with the heat index in the low 100's is over for awhile here.  A high of 71° is forecasted today, ...NICE!

 

SeeYou190

Washington Is A Beautiful Place

-Photograph by Kevin Parson

 

You may have forgotten where you were at the time of your photo on that trip Kevin.  That photo isn't from WashingtonWink

  Pic taken by TF 

That's the I 94 rest stop between Fargo and Bismarck, North Dakota, going across the Dakota Plains about two hours East of Br. Lion's neck of the woods.  We stop there every time we visit our Son and GrandKids.

It's where BNSF goes through the sunflower fields, and cuts through the center of the small farm lakes on the man made railroad berms.

  Pics taken by TF

Those berms must have underwater culverts, otherwise the water level on the side of the lake with more runoff, would get higher than the other sideHuh?

 

 

One for feline/subway guy

 

Happy Hump Day gentlemenSmile

 

TF

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Wednesday, September 6, 2023 9:01 AM

Washington Is A Beautiful Place

-Photograph by Kevin Parson

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

Good morning everyone. Chloe, I would like a bowl of scrambled eggs with some shredded cheddar cheese on the top. Please do not forget to have the cook add black pepper to the eggs as they are cooking. Thank you.

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

hon30critter
Dianne and I sat down today and made up a calender of all the things that we have to do before the end of September.

That is too much! I have three events we need to attend in September, and it seems like an awful lot to do.

Track fiddler
You may have forgotten where you were at the time of your photo on that trip Kevin.  That photo isn't from Washington

Hmmm. It was in the Washington folder, but I know there are some pictures in that folder from Theadore Roosevelt National Park, so errors have happened.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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Posted by BroadwayLion on Wednesday, September 6, 2023 9:55 AM

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

Here there be cats.                                LIONS with CAMERAS

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