Water Level RouteFully into the start of a whirlwind 6 weeks or so for the family.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Good Morning Diners. Flo, coffee and one of those croissant's Bear left. Thanks Bear!
When I bought my truck, there was a tonneau cover on it that was not at all my style. It's expensive and very heavy duty, but ugly as all get out. It's been high on my list to replace as soon as I can. Had to take it off the truck last night to get ready to load up my daughter's move back to school. I don't think it's going back on, but I have to come up with the $$ now for the one I want. First world problems.
Got the Niagara out last night for a spin around the rails. I need more train time.
Have a good day everyone.
Mike
Water Level RouteGot the Niagara out last night for a spin around the rails. I need more train time.
Gotta love a Niagara! I like to keep the wheels shiny on mine —
NYC_6008_S-1 by Edmund, on Flickr
Another 4-8-4, this time with smoke:
UP_8444 by Edmund, on Flickr
Question of the day: Why did railroad engineers do this?
Altoona_CR_Alto by Edmund, on Flickr
I've seen these 'loopy' sidings in several other instances. This one is in Altoona on the Pennsy/PC/Conrail main through town. I can't imagine they did all that additional track work just to make a little extra room for that little dwarf signal there.
Fall is just around the corner here in Ohio. It is 47° this morning... Brrr.
Cheers, Ed
Good Morning Diners. Janie, I'll have the special with bacon and wheat toast.
Ed, only thing I can think of is there used to be a signal bridge there that had to stay in place until the newer signals were put up in the background, after the tracks were installed?
Bear, I too have always liked the look of the German steam locomotives. As for the red/black scheme, that color combo looks good already. Having the running gear red makes it pop in my opinion. (shows all the details!) I always thought it would be neat to have a European themed layout, but I wouldn't do it in place of my primary layout. It would have to be a second layout.
I see CN & CPKC locked out their employees. I wonder how long this is going to last.
Speaking of Canadian railroads...
Happy Thursday!
Hello again diner staff. Quiet lately. Chloe, can I have a stack of onion rings and a chocolate malt please.
My truck is all loaded up with my daughter's stuff for her dorm. Makes me sad. Still, it's her last year and who knows, she might end up back near home after graduation.
Took Otis the dog for one of his walks this afternoon and saw a doe laying in a neighbor's yard just munching on grass and watching us walk by. Didn't seem to care that we were there at all.
Bad news on another thread this morning. I don't want to add to that thread, but I've been thrust into the decision-making role when my Mom was leaving us.
It still wasn't easy, but it was much easier because she had a living will that clearly asked us, if she could not tell us herself, not to prolong her life beyond any hope of survival. She was dying of cancer, and no longer conscious. I spoke to the doctor and he agreed. She probably had a few more days, so it was a blessing.
Think about a living will for yourself. It makes the call much easier when it's necessary.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
MisterBeasley,
I'm sorry to hear about your Mom. She did you a great favour by establishing her living will.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
hon30critter MisterBeasley, I'm sorry to hear about your Mom. She did you a great favour by establishing her living will. Dave
Thanks. It was 30 years ago, but I still remember it and still remember talking to the doctor about it. Knowing it was her will and not some sort of medical recommendation makes things like that easier. Medicine then could do no more for her.
MisterBeasleyThink about a living will for yourself.
Speaking of our MIAs, I just got an email from John York1 this morning. He's doing fine and wanted us all to know that. However, he cleaned out some stuff on his computer and, surprise, he's lost his ability to log in here. I also noticed his absence from this forum.
Good afternoon Diners. Afternoon Tea please, Chloe. Add an extra scone please.
Back home having a decent cup of tea and food.
Apart from some catching up to do not a lot going on.
Must go and see the train room, but Dawn has me 'taking it easy'?
I have been looking at some photographs of or daughter, SiL and grandchildren in Italy. Earlier in their trip they saw Amanda, our daughter's Godmother and spent some time with her and her family. That was good to see.
Thoughts & Peace to All who Require.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Good morning from a very wet Pacific Rim.
Had to make a run down to Oregon Thursday to get a dog bred, back yesterday. 700km each way. What a gong show traffic was, we drove to the border and saw maybe three cars on the way and there was no one waiting at the crossing with many lanes open. From then on it was bumper to bumper all the way there and all the way back. We listened to most of Luis Elizondo's book Imminent on Spotify down and back. It is a ten-hour listen. Also played tunes and the wife got a couple of long phone calls from people needing opinions on how to proceed with some medical issues. Those were on speaker and I listened intently with my high school education while all the time realizing how much knowledge and experience my wife and her colleagues have obtained over the years.
Bear, thanks for posting Ray's Blacksmith shop in WPF last week. I remember the build as he placed each shake on the roof and told us how many he got done in a day.
Hope Dave and David and any others are making positive progress with their medical issues.
I think it is a day in the trainroom as it is still pouring rain, but first, a pile of bacon and eggs is in order.
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."
Model boating by Bear, on Flickr
BATMANBear, thanks for posting Ray's Blacksmith shop in WPF last week
Good Evening,
Sure is quiet in the Diner.
A hot, humid day here but those are becoming in short supply at this time of year. A few trees are starting to drop leaves partly due to the heat and dryness for the past month. Our water bill will be insane.
Have seen a couple of warblers as the migration is starting for songbirds.
Nothing new on the RR front. I am running my Consolidation but will have to find out why it was stalling on a couple of turnouts. I suspect a pickup problem to sort out as other locos are running fine.
Keep cool,
CN Charlie
Good Morning Diners. Chloe, bacon and eggs please. Oh, and a black coffee.
I can't wait for this coming weekend. We have a wedding to go to Saturday, but otherwise that's it. It's the only sane weekend we're getting in September. Got the oldest daughter moved in to her dorm Saturday. Each year the process has gotten a little easier and a little quicker. Her new roommate seems nice. So far so good.
Also, my youngest had a soccer tournament this weekend. (Yes, I did a trainload of driving this weekend) Her team ended up winning the thing. Gave up 1 goal total across four games while scoring eleven. The incredible thing is, they still don't look like they are playing well. Half the girls are new to the team and it shows. If they can figure each other out and build a little trust in each other they could be scary good.
David, glad you are home from your stay in the hospital.
Bear, you've got me to talk to during the week here. No promises on the weekend, but I'll try.
Take care everyone.
Good afternoon Diners. A cloudy day with rain expected.
A coffee on the go please, Chloe.
After a number of good days, Dawn is struggling a little today.
I have to do a (quick) mini-shop then hopefully see the train room.
We heard yesterday that our daughter and family are on their way to Rimini; their next part of their tour of Italy.
Thoughts & Prayers to All who Require.
Hi gang,
I'm sitting on my deck watching a new roof being installed on our deck. The panels are clear polycarbonate so the light can come through.
This is the second set of polycarbonate panels. The first set was described by the manufacturer as being 'clear' but they were anything but. They had a coating on them to block infrared and UV light but what was not explained was that they also blocked 80% of the visible light! We were not happy at all so we decided to do it all over again with truly clear panels.
Needless to say, we are not too pleased with having to pay double for the roof but the improvement in brightness has been well worth it.
For York John, in case he's reading the forum even though he can't post.
We've had a good year for birds here. Our egret population seems to have rebounded and we've seen more of them all summer. We now regularly have two herons instead of just one. And, we occasionally see a flock of ibises, which we've never seen here before.
The weather has been what I consider oppressively hot all summer. Of course, the GF complains about how cold it is when the temperature drops below 80. Delaware has an annoying regulation that says cars can't have tinted glass, so any car that sits out in the sun all day like mine becomes a genuine hothouse. I sometimes have to open the doors and air it out a bit before I can drive it. C'mon, guys. I'm 77 years old and I'm not doing drugs or drinking a beer or talking on a hand-held cell phone or driving without a seat belt or even doing the hand jive.
Dare I mention that it is close to the end of August? Here in Southern Ontario we still have about six weeks of nice weather left, but then......more train time!
It's the end of the month. Where would you like to take the Diner in September?
August was a good month! We got lots of smoke and steam. Thank you to the contributors!
Good Morning Diners. Zoe, waffles and sausage please.
Baby it's HOT outside. We're under a heat advisory today, which doesn't happen very often. Honestly, should have been yesterday as well. It was miserable. My new tonneau cover came in for my truck yesterday and I was outside from about 7:00-8:30 putting it on. I was drenched in sweat when I got done. I still have to sell my old one, but that will happen soon enough. I just need some time with the wife to talk her through the details to have her post it for sale on facebook.
As for the next Diner destination, I don't really care. We could go back to a destination instead of a theme. We could also do an era as the theme. We could pick a major railroad and use its predecessor lines as the theme. Interested in hearing other's thoughts on what to do.
Just a little steam and smoke!
Here's a neat photo of some carloads of 'smoke pellets' ready to ship out. This coal processing plant and mine were right near downtown Pittsburgh.
Coal Goes To War by Edmund, on Flickr
Pittsburgh Coal Cleaning by Edmund, on Flickr
Click to enlarge the photos. Anyone remember the Donora Death Fog?
https://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/literary-cultural-heritage-map-pa/feature-articles/cloud-silver-lining-killer-smog-donora-1948
An inversion trapped the hot gases and smoke in the Monongahela Valley. I remember reading that the mills saying that it wasn't their fault yet years later after they installed scrubbers (mandated) they bragged that they were removing a hundred tons of soot and particulate from the stacks each day.
More here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_Donora_smog
I seem to recall a suggestion to visit back shops, roundhouses and servicing facilites for a Diner locale? Just one possibility...
Good afternoon Diners. A cloudy day with showers.
Afternoon tea please, Zoe.
Spent the morning in hospital. Heartbeat skipping more than usual. Not that anyone can do anything about it. Back home. Dawn is worried for me. She says she is okay, but ----
The good news is I can run trains this evening. Yeah!
Wherever the Diner is in September is okay by me. I remember when I took the Diner around Italy. That was a good time (for me).
I hope TF (and others missing) return.
Favourite song at the moment
YouTube Music
It's a sunny morning after 24 hours of major monsoons and wind. It's supposed to be sunny and warm until further notice. This part of the world is well-washed and very fresh-smelling.
Ed's suggestion of roundhouses and service facilities sounds good to me as there are plenty of photos on that subject.
Had a phone appointment with the Doctor yesterday about something that has been nagging me a bit on my 10km scoots, he wants me to see a specialist. Talk about quick, I see him September 4th. If I have to be laid up for a repair fall is good. Just thinking back on my 67 years, there have been a lot of broken bones and soft tissue injuries. Sure have had my money's worth out of the medical system.
Think I'll continue painting the garage today.......Oh boy.
Good evening diners. Flo, how about a Gunpowder gin with Fever Tree tonic.
Good to be finally able to get into the forum. Let's see how long it lasts. I guess this is the new norm until the new software gets installed. Just glad it still kinda works! Not much new here. Getting ready for Fall here in Massachusetts. Replaced my old John Deere in the spring. Converted the old bagger system to fit the new one by buying just a new lower chute kit. Saved close to $800. JD pricing is ridiculous! I only bag in the fall after the leaves start falling. I blow them into the woods but you don't get every one. Plus there's always acorns, pine needles and pine cones. Can't believe summer almost gone, but will be good to get cooler weather. But then again that means the Corvette is ready for winter storage. Bummer. Wishing all the best for those here with various health issues.
Regards, Chris
Good Morning Diners. Ladies, I'll have what the Bear posted. Looks tasty!
I dunno know Chloe if I can get Mr. TF to “bite,”
I'll try as well.
Somebody forgot to move the train when they demoed the tracks!
Cheers everyone!