http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/showgallery.php/cat/500/ppuser/4309
Good evening again folks.
Gub- Thanks for the info. Our house is 100 years old, the downside is that the former owner openned the attic ( central bit ) finished the floors walls, carpeted etc and made an extra bedroom and office. Thsi is now my train room and office. They did the bat insulation and vents alright ( I crawled around inside with our home inspector ) the problem is they ran duct work up fromt eh basement ( we have a forced air natural gas furnace )This needs to be replaced as It wasn't rated for the extra sqaure footage. I have central air for the summer but it just doesn't reach the attic ( neither does the heat ) I'm thinking that the new high efficiancy will help ( the existing furnace is 32 yeasr old )We have a new roof and proper venting so I'm keeping my fingers crossed,I can bet a window ac unit if I have to but I'm hopping that I can avoid that.I did however see a floor standing columne air conditioner at Sears which has either a line for carrying away it's run off or it can use a bucket similar to dehumidifier, this is another option I'm concidering.
Well gotta run for now.
Rob
With forced hot water, we're not ducted for central air. So, we've put in permanently-installed, through-the-wall AC units. We got the first two dirt-cheap when a local department store went under one October a number of years back. This is a great time to buy these things. (For our Australian and Indonesian members, wait 6 months for the Southern hemisphere.)
I like them a lot better than window-mount units. First, they come in bigger ratings, because they can be bigger and heavier. Once installed, they don't have to come out every fall and go back in every spring, which is a load off my back, literally. They are better insulated than something that has to slip into a window frame, and, maybe best of all, you don't lose the window all summer. It's a bit of carpentry to install one, because it does need at least a 2x4 frame, but the frame then encloses a permanent metal "sleeve" that the AC unit slips into. We've never had to replace one, but if you do, you can find one with the same sleeve size and just slip it in.
Make sure, though, that it's not on the same circuit as your trains. When one of these babies kicks in, it drops the voltage enough to put your DCC system into Stop mode.
Finally, you will need an extra hand or two to get this thing up the stairs and into the wall. Make sure you've got a couple of brewskis on hand for a celebratory round when the job is done.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Good Morning to Everyone,
Just a little cream in my coffee this morning please and thankyou.
Inch,
I was just looking at some of your pictures and low and behold I came across something very interesting right off the bat - your pictures of the Chatham Depot. I grew up in Chatham, Ontario and although I would like to model the Chatham (Ontario) station, I think it is a little bit big for my needs. Your pictures of the Chatham depot looks like about the right size. Any idea what the size of this depot is ... Length ______________ Width _____________ ? Also, what is the height from grade to the u/s of the eaves? Although, I think I could figure that out from using the door and siding dimensions. Do you know if the road behind was always that close? The station in Chatham (Ontario) had from what I remember (4) tracks in front of it and a Freight Shed opposite to the station. Did yours have one too?
GUB
Good morning and top 'o' the day to all of ye. A large Coke and a bottle of Jack Daniels if you'd be so kind.
Being way down here in Louisiana has it's advantages during the winter. I can get away with all electric heat. That's one thing I'm glad of after seeing my neighbors propane bill. Wow! On my meager income I could never afford that. All last winter, my electric bill never went over $85. I think I'll stick with that. Of course, heating a 25 foot trailer is a lot different from heating a house. I know my parents electric bill last winter averaged around $170 for their 4800 square feet of space.
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
I never drink before noon. It's after 1 PM in London, though, so I'll have a Bass Ale from the tap, if you please.
Jeff, how's your electric bill in the summer? Do you spend more to keep your place warm in the winter, or cool when the sun is high in the sky? I think my electric bill is worse than yours in the winter, and I heat with oil.
I average about $60 in the summer and around $80 in the winter.
Looks like the drinks are on me this time. Here's the credit card, barkeep, and a fire extinguisher.
Thanks for the suds Jeff, going to have to wait until quitin time to partake!
Inch - Our elec. varies from $150 in the winter to $295 in the summer. Our propane gets filled about every three months and only runs about $75 - $95 each time.
Gasoline dropped another 2 cents to $2.13 a gallon. Kinda like playing a roll of the dice, I just gassed up yesterday at $2.15....
Beautiful day outside, sunny and low 70's, makes me want to play hookie from work....
Ryan BoudreauxThe Piedmont Division Modeling The Southern Railway, Norfolk & Western & Norfolk Southern in HO during the merger eraCajun Chef Ryan
Thanks Inch,
I think you have given me enough info. Don't go out of your way.
Thanks Again,
The wife's cousin and her husband are showing up today, so I put the layout in "showoff" mode, no tools or clutter, and I won't do any work until they're gone on Monday. Then I took off to pick up some wine for the dinner I'll be cooking tonight - ginger-marinated swordfish kabobs, grilled outside. Of course, I got the cell call to stop off at the grocery for a few things, and while I was out I hit the Chinese grocery for some dumplings and straw mushrooms. You see, while we were away on vacation our freezer warmed up, and we lost a lot of "stock stuff" like that.
Ulterior motive - the LHS is conveniently located on the way to the wine shoppe. I dropped in and met a young guy with his even younger little boy, who were starting the train adventure. The Dad was a born-again model railroader like me. They were putting down a deposit on one of the Heritage Series Proto 0-6-0's with sound, so it was out of the box and on the layout for a demo. Wow, what a nice little engine! Beautiful sound, far exceeding my expectations for a short steamer.
I like my little Saturn - lots of interior room for a small car, and they designed the doors so that an average-height guy doesn't need a greased shoe-horn to get in. Even that will be hard to hold on to, though, as my 9-months-shy-of-a-drivers-license daughter has her eyes on it.
OK, time for one more cold-one before these in-laws show up. If any of ya drop by while we're out, the beer's in the basement fridge. Bud in the box on the shelf, Harpoon in bottles in the door. Cheers, all!
Evening Everyone;
It's been a long week needless to say I haven't had much time to do much of anything but work. Had yesterday off though due to a little procedure I had to have done. Was pretty uncomfortable for the rest of the day. Anyway, the Kitchen is trimed out finally. Finished the last door today. Looks great. Now it is time for a Scotch or perhaps two. Missed the Woodstock Wood Show today and in all likelyhood will miss the Brampton Model Railroad Show tomorrow. I figure I am making such good progress on the house and with Thanksgiving being next weekend I should probably concentrate on the Office Shelving and/or trim in the Master Bedroom. I will then be a step or two closer to starting in the Train Room. It's all a matter of choices, or so I have been told.
Speaking of Scotch. Anybody here a fan of Glendronach single malt? Very, very smooth!
Inch - I started some drawings of the Chatham Depot. I started with the trackside elevation. I think I will have to adjust some of the dimensions that you gave me. It seems a little ou of proportion. I think I will draw the plan next using the road side picture as a guide. I think it will be easier to determine the overall dimensions from that photograph. Once I get that done I think the trackside eleveation will look more like it should. I do have a couple of questions if you don't mind. First - Is there a door on both sides of the two story portion? I can only see the one side. I have made the assumption that there is a door and a single window on the right and a double window on the left. I would appreciate if you could clear that mystery up for me. Second - Is or was there a waiting room on either side of the two story section and assuming that there was can I also assume that there was a fireplace in each? It seems that this may be likely as the presence of two chimneys which appear to be centered on the building.
Any fans of Charles Dickens hear? Scotch and Dickens? Dickens and Scotch? It's quite a good combination if I do say so myself and I just did.
Jeffrey - I hope things work out okay with your car and don't feel to bad about driving a thimble. I would hazard a guess that my smart car is considerably smaller than your dad's Tracer. However, it is fun to drive and get's a whopping 85 miles to the gallon. On the down side it is only a two seater and does not have a lot of storage. It's great for going to LHS. Not so great at the lumber yard.
Mr.B - What kind of wine do you serve with Swordfish? The reason I ask is one of my other hobbies is cooking and of course eating after the cooking and along with the cooking there must be wine. It all goes hand in hand so to speak. How do you feel about sound and model railroading? The first time I heard a deisel with sound which wasn't that long ago I couldn't beleive what I was hearing. I was sold right then and there and then when I heard a steamer with sound I knew that all my locomotives will have to have sound.
Mike - Your twin girls are indeed very nice. I am more partial to Steam. Excuss my ignorance, but era to you model?
Well I need to refill the Scotch, neat of course and get back to my movie - Bleak House by Charles Dickens. Hope everyone has a good evening and a great weekend! Will check back tomorrow.
Cheers!
91rioja wrote:GUB:Any 12 YO Single Malt from the Highlands is Ok with me. It is also cool that there is another closet chef in the house.Ginger Swordfish? Hmmm, I would probably go with a Zinfandel or a Spanish red of some sort (I'm not a big white fan).Chris
Right you are Chris. Any 12, 15 or 18 year old Scotch is good. The Glendronach is especially smooth of being a 12 year old.
So you are a closet chef? Great! What are your specialties? I have two ourderves that I do which are incredible if I may say so. The first is a Shrimp and Sausage done in Olive Oil with Garlic and Red Pepper Flakes. A stick of French Bread for dipping is a must. The second one is a Panchetta Melt with a combination of Mango and Tomatoe Salsa top with Asiago Cheese. Absolutely scrumptious!
Mike Rotate the front truck slightly. You'll see a small screw hiding under there. There's one on either side. I had the same battle with the shell of a GP30 that had a bad light board.
91rioja wrote:My wife would say everything I make, but I would have to go with sesame and cracked black pepper pan seared Tuna (rare of course) with Chinese Mustard and Wasabi, or my Basalmic Chicken. Better yet just give me a grill, some flame, a beer, and some kind of meat and I'm happy.It's starting to get cooler here, so I finally get to break out the cold weather stuff (roasts and chili). Speaking of which, I guess it's time to go and work on dinner.Chris
That's funny my wife says the same thing. I agree, now that it is getting colder Chilies, Stews and Roasts are the best! Tomorrow, I will do a Pork Roast on the the BBQ in n a Cast Iron Pot. Let it cook slowly for a few hours. Drive the neighbors crazy.
We have to be carefull here. Afterall it's all about the trains you know and the beer and the wine and of course the Scotch. But mostly trains.
Evenin all, think I'll grab a cold out of the box.Got 2 granddaughters this evening, granny's reading Mr. Brown can do it, how bout you. Thank the lord it's her n not me.Jeff,, know what you mean bout small cars. Me n mother neither ones like them much. Drove pickups and vans most the time. Although did have a 78 Mecury Lynx we liked.
Mr. B,,, I do a lot of cooking too, only outside. Heres a photo of my most wanted from campground AHam n Beans in a renderin kettle
But I also make fancier stuff too. I like cooking down to the campground, here's why
Great rail fanning also.
Mike,,, like the twins, don't think they look much like you yet
GUB,,,These's 2 doors on the street side side and one along the track. It was a segrageted station. When it was built, women waited in one room , while the men waited in the other. Was told that later on [hate to say it] it became black n white. No fireplaces, pot belly stoves. I've gotta photo of another segrageted station I can post, just have to find it now that might help some, maybe tomorrow. Bleak House is a good movie with or without scotch.
Also Gub, get ya smoker, takes a while longer to cook, but there's nothing like. our favorite is turkey. Been know to smoke a pork shoulder or beef roast all day, just to make BBQ .
Well just got rid of kid and the others napping. I know it's late, but she's not spending the night, so it's her dads problem. Time for britcoms on PBS, catch ya'll laters.
inch
GUB wrote: Mr.B - What kind of wine do you serve with Swordfish?
Tonight, it was a Cuvee Blanc. No big deal, it was from a 1.5 liter on sale. Gack, it even had a screw top, but it wasn't bad. I think a nice woody California Chardonnay would have been better, but the wife doesn't like woody Chardonnays. There were also peppers and small ball onions on the kebab. I did little tomatoes on a separate skewer, cooked less so they wouldn't fall apart. My trick for the night: microwave the ball onions before you even peel them. For the 2 dozen tonight, I gave them about a minute, minute and a half. Then peel them. They're soft and easy to skewer, and they only need about the same time as the fish and peppers to cook to perfection. Everyone wanted seconds tonight. I love it when a plan comes together.
Then, I got to take Mr. Guest up to see the trains, while Mrs. Guest and the wife yacked about family matters.
Tomorrow night, we get serious. New England clambake - steamers and lobster. And this time, I'll assign the broiled garlic bread to someone else, so it doesn't become "New Orleans Blackend Garlic Bread" like it did tonight.