Opppsss! Another new guy in the place and I missed you! Sorry!
Welcome aboard snagletooth! And hey Joe, put that Bud on my tab tonight..OK?
Slappy: Of course you are welcome here...as is anybody else!
And, as long as I'm buying (hoping to get those opinions regarding my job dilemma) I'll buy one for you too! A root beer? Or a ginger ale...Whatever you prefer!
BTW, you opinion is also welcome, even if you are a youngster. I've learned from young people too!
Welcome Snagletooth. The Beer Barn's hours are as follows:
PA Belt: Enjoy yourself.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
Deleted due to change in copyright (01/17/07)
Evening all....I'll have a tap and set the house up too, Joe. And hey let's, keep everybody "wet" until the opinion pole is in.
Mike, how has taking on a full time job (out side of you own business) effected you life? This is why I ask....
Sooo... In a nutshell, here is my life at a glance, what is happening and why I am questioning.
In the winter of 1974 (after two years in the Air Force as an aircraft mechanic and two years in collage) I started work as a maintenance man (maintaining chair lifts, grooming and snow making equipment.........and so on) at a ski area. The following spring I started a job at a children's home. This position was an "over all", covering everything necessary for operation of this facility, from plant operations to supervising staff, to budgeting and contracting and beyond. To help with some scope here: The facility housed fifty two children and also included operations of a group home housing twelve adults.
Over the course of the next fifteen years I continued to work in this field for a number of employers, one of which was a 225 bed long care health facility, until taking a job as the pool operator for the school district here in Grand Rapids seventeen years ago. For the most part this took me out of the maintenance component, which was a welcome change.
In conjunction with the maintenance background, I have also been involved with aquatics since first teaching swim lessons in collage in 1972 and coaching an age group swim team in 1974. From that point forward, I have taught, coached and officiated swimming and diving.
Here is my dilemma: At present, along with the time I spend working as the pool operator (evening / night shift), coach, official and teacher....I am the "house herr" keeping the homestead running. I am the chief cook and bottle washer, wood cutter, financial officer, carpenter, gardener, maintenance man (I'm sure I've missed something here) and also run the taxi. With all of this said, I have come to the conclusion that I need to cut back some and have given up my coaching and teaching duties...to be finished up by the first week of February.
But...Just last week I was recruited for a county maintenance job that is, for the most part, a day job, Monday - Friday. The "pros" of this job are that it is a day shift and the retirement benefits are really good. The "cons" are that it is the same pay rate as I get now (except for more hours per week), I loose four weeks of vacation, I'm back in a maintenance and supervisory position and I would be away from home in the time frame that I have traditionally been home being the "house herr".
This would have an impact on family life, as others would need to step up, performing more of the daily chores (not all that bad, but...). The other down side that I see is, at least at the onset and for a number of years to come, is less time for "me"...Regarding vacation time and Trainroom time. OTOH, working an early day shift wouldn't effect the activates (the arts / community theater and so on) that Raeanne and I are involved with, which is also a major concern, and I can make more money (not all that important, but still something to think about). Sooooooooooooo.............Help!
Is looking at, perhaps, a better retirement ten years down the road worth the sacrifice now?
Good morning. I'll have a coffee too, for starters....Then I'll need some major fuel.
We are pretty warm (0), calm and sunny this morning (it was -14 yesterday morning at this time) so it should be a good day for skiing. Our cut off for teaching a class is -10...Something we live with but that's too cold for this old dog anymore!
Chuck, my "day job" isn't all that bad, just a lot of different stuff going on and I don't mind keeping the home fires burning. The problem that I see, comes when I couple my daily routine (yes, some of that is for sure, demands outside the homestead) with my job as the CPO for the school district at night. This makes for way too long of a day! This is why I'm going after the county job....But then I'm not sure about that move either, because in that scenario I would be gone from home at least nine hours during the time frame that I now most usually keep those "home fires" burning. More on that latter, and I will ask for opinions from you good folk here at the Barn. We'll call it a fact gathering opinion pole!!??!!
Well...I'd better get out to the Trainroom if I hope to get anything done on the RR this morning. Then it's off to Mount Itasca to teach for the afternoon. See you all latter....Have a great day.
'Morning, Joe. Coffee, please. Too early for alcohol - and the good Reverend wouldn't be happy with me if he thought I needed a beer to blunt the force of his fire and brimstone...
Temperature is 23 this morning, definitely a record low for the date. Water pipes are freezing up all over. (Folks here are never ready for sub-freezing temperatures!) Even with snshine predicted, the high won't be very!
Actually got some more ties measured and placed in the 20 minutes or so before my fingers got too numb yesterday. Not fastened down, though. The temp in the freezer garage will have to get above 50 before I can spread the caulk. According to the weather weenie, that won't happen before Wednesday, if then. Bummer.
Mister B., I really like the way you 'personalized' those store fronts - not to mention the quality of the modeling. Having dealt with several generations of teenage girls, my evil mind can't help wondering if the psychic really knows all, or simply thinks she knows it all .
Colvin, I wouldn't have your day job if it was covered with whipped cream and shaved chocolate! Me 'at's off to ye!
Well, it's off to church. Then I can watch the football game with a clear conscience .
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
I'll have a tap Joe...Looks like you and me again tonight!
After teaching this morning, doing household chores and making dinner...I got out to the Trainroom for a little while. I finished mudding in the TT and getting everything cleaned up. Then...I gave it a test. It wouldn't work!
I have two motor drives for the Atlas tables and choose to put the belt drive unit on this installation because it was quieter. Well...It seems that once I had everything in place and mudded, I got things a bit too tight, or something. The drive would continually "stick" and throw the belt...Even though I could turn the mechanism by hand! I did some trimming and cleaning around the deck, checked it out again (turning free, by hand) but still the belt would come off.
With major frustration I moved on to "Step Two": I pulled the belt drive unit off and replaced it with a gear drive unit (having to do a little cutting and fitting to make things fit) and the darn thing works great!
I'm going to do some painting tomorrow and will send out the latest, greatest pictures too.
One more Joe, and keep the change!
Howdy, everyone. Joe, I'll have Anchor Steam, and check to see what the others are sippin'.
I had as my weekend plan the completion of my staging yard throat (puzzle palace specialwork, not available in stores, or online either.) Then Mother Nature threw me a curve. The temperature dropped to a level more typical of southern Montana than southern Nevada, and the layout space (garage) feels like the frozen tundra. Looks like I'll be spending the weekend in the heated spaces, dabbling in Science Fiction.
By the way, Sue, did you get the E-mail I sent. Of course, 'the other Sue' would be more comfortable at the controls of a starship than jockeying the brakes and throttle of a locomotive. (I wonder if there are railroads in the 36th century. Monolith has a tube system..)
Mister B, I, too, am interested in how your turntable works out. I'm thinking of putting an Atlas mechanism in a pit and using it to drive a typical Japanese turntable bridge. (No ties, just a plated-over deck girder barely wide enough to hold the welded-on rails.)
The Boss just announced dinner, so I'd better mosey along.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - weather permitting)
MisterBeasley wrote: My birthday isn't until March, but I don't want Trainworld to run out of those engines at that price before I get one.
My birthday isn't until March, but I don't want Trainworld to run out of those engines at that price before I get one.
Mine too. I am dreaming of a Challenger. Since NP is our main focus, we have been having trouble finding one that is phototypical. Dream. Dream.
Sue
Anything is possible if you do not know what you are talking about.
JB, please keep the pictures coming on the turntable. I'm hoping to make the track ring over the weekend, and start playing with the bogie mounts. I've got the false floor cut and the "roadbed" part painted, and I've built up the mounting blocks on the original gray turntable ring in each of the track slots.
Jeffrey, I wish I could have a backdrop, but that's the trade-off I made when I got a comfy room with carpet, heat and AC. Instead, I have a piece of foam board that I painted like the sky, and I move it around when I take photos.
During the week, I don't seem to get much "concentrated" layout time, so I've been working on little projects like the panel trucks, decals and another structure, IHC's "Painted Lady House." There are 5 of them in that series. I bought #3 and #4, but when I opened the boxes I found I really had 2 of the #3's, plus a complete extra sprue of windows, doors and trim. Gee, a sheet of Evergreen clapboard, some Campbell shingles leftover from Coal and Oil company, and I've got another building...
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Mr. Beasley...Good to see you! I'll have a tap, Joe. And how about another Molson Mr. B? It's on me! BTW, is it TOO early to wish you a Happy Birthday?
BTW, your buildings are looking pretty darn good there Mr. B! I like the personalization...I do a lot of the same thing and have all sort of fictitious places named for friends and relatives. It's fun!
I spent about 20 minutes in the Trainroom today and finished mudding up the TT! Now if all goes well tomorrow, I'll do a bit of sanding and painting of the pit floor. Hope to get out there early, before daily chores and a trip to a neighboring town, about an hour W. of here, to officiate a swim invite.
Today was mostly spent in town with a pre-interview, interview...(I've being recruited for a building engineer / maintenance supervisor position for the county court house) and then running Raeanne around, getting her to orchestra (then some food) before getting her to dance! After all of that, it was time for work at the pool...
All this working and running around sure seems to get in the way of building a railroad!
One more Joe...Then I've got to go.
Hey, Joe, just you and me for the last 24 hours, eh? In honor of "eh?," lets make it a Molson Golden tonight.
I found a subscription offer on the dubya-dubya-dubya to MR for $14.95 for the year. Seemed pretty fair to me, so I snapped it up. But dang it, I missed closing time at Trainworld again. The wife doesn't know it yet, but she's getting me a BLI Hudson for my birthday. Hey, it's the big Six Oh, so I deserve it.
The train room has been occupied by opposing forces all day, so I grabbed a structure and applied the home-made decals I've been working on over the last few days. I was finally able to get decal paper at my not-so-LHS in Tyngsboro, Mass., after waiting for months because my LHS just couldn't get Microscale to ship them any. This time I wised up and got a half-dozen sheets so I'll be set for a while.
I've had fun putting my daughter's friends' names on my local businesses. First it was Katie's School of Dance and Max's School of Rock, and now I've added Suzanne's House of Beef and my personal favorite, fortune teller Madame Adrienne (Sees All, Knows All.) Unfortunately, my Annie just broke up with her Scottish boyfriend, Hamish McPhail, because he would have been a natural for the House of Haggis restaurant.
A toast, Barkeep, to all the young folks just starting out in the business world!
Howdy Joe..Geeee, just you and me tonight? I'll have a tap, maybe one of those Swishers too, if you don't mind.
All is right in my world thus far today. I do have another union meeting regarding a bumping of 9 or 10 people tomorrow, but oh well, that's why they pay me the big bucks (.15 maybe .16 cents an hour lately) and after tomorrow this ordeal will be over.
I did spend a little time, an hour and a half or so, working on the TT project recently. I now have the wheels, support logs and bridge all attached to one another. Still wanting to add some additional supports and maybe more skirting too.
And, the Atlas TT is attached to it's plywood base, additional plywood spacing has been glued in place to fill in the extra space around the mechanism and I've started "mudding" it in.
I've used a thin aluminum flashing, slipping it into place between the rotating and stationary sections of the TT to keep the mud where it belongs. I also put a layer of waxpaper in there as a release...But I really don't think it was necessary. As a matter of fact, it was difficult to get out and didn't use it while mudding the next section. It still worked pretty well. Of course, I will have to "touch up" making it as smooth as possible before doing the painting.
I'll have one more Joe...And keep the change!
Good morning...A tall coffee, please Joe.
Mike, I've got to agree with Mr.B regarding a shelf in the kitchen. For what ever it's worth, my kitchen is the dirtiest room in the house. Of course it gets cleaned most often also, but it's basically the "entry" to the house, I cook a lot and if there is a family gathering it becomes the hub of operations!
On the other hand, it looks like you would have a great place to run a train...Maybe even a large scale, to really catch the eye.
My dentist is a MRR guy and has an around the room, at ceiling level, in one of his exam rooms. Pretty cool to lay back in the chair and have your mind distracted by the trains!
Gotta' get. See you all later.
I'll have a Summit Extra Pale Joe...And howdy everybody!
It's been a long day working with union matters (I read five contracts going back twelve years, to prepare), holding a meeting this afternoon (two, is as many days now) before going to work! So, no playing in the Trainroom today!
Speaking of work: How did the first week go for you Mike? Hope it finished out as well as it started out for you.
Squeaky, if your missing the old coffee shop...check out the new diner. I prefer the Barn and really didn't spend any time at the coffee shop only checking it out once, but I did recently check out Elliot's dining car (or something like that) and I'm thinking they are one in the same!
Mr. Beasley, good to hear that you have the TT all lined up! Hope it wasn't too much of a problem getting it tweaked into shape! BTW, thanks for the clams...Good stuff Joe! Maybe we could do another plate and a round for the house? Put it on my tab this go round!
OK SO I DROPPED THE BALL
Here are the pics
Mr B. I haven't thougut of the greese, but the dust wouldn't be any worse than anywhere elece that is rairly cleaned. I have got the entire upstairs that could be turned into a nice size trainroom. about 10 times what I have now. Joe set us up again. Mike
Pics?
One thing I always notice whenever I climb up on the kitchen counters and look down at the top of the cabinets (yeah, like I do that a lot) is that everything up there is covered with greasy dust, particularly anywhere near the stove. I don't think it's a great environment for trains. I suppose it wouldn't be so bad if I went up and cleaned it once in a while, but, well, it's just one of those things I never get to.
So, did you get any other spaces to build a huge layout in?
Evening all, Joe How Dry I Am. Thanks Does anyone here remember me? Seems like a long time ago, I have been checking in a couple of times a day but seems never time to reply, let alone go in the train room.
Mom and Dad moved to Dallas Tx. last Sat. and left the place to me, and I have been busy taking my things from storage and cleaning them, getting everything ready to use again.
Take a look at these pics, I was in my kitchen last night and looked up and imagined I saw a model RR around the room above the cabinets.
What would be wrong with that? Might be kind of a neat conversation piece. I plan on redoing the kitchen when I get done with the living room, and could build a real neat railroad around the walls about a foot wide or so. What do you think?