Elliotts Trackside Diner (est 1-1-07)

[GMTRacing]

Good Evening All,

    Just passin' through. No pics today as I spent the day doing track work at the museum. We had to strip the ties out from under a switch and cut a piece of track to length and fit it. Took all day and it's still not spiked or ballasted but we're close. Got home and watched The Amazing Journey on VH1 which was the story of The Who - my favorite band.

     Welcome Keith and hope you enjoy it here. Glad your son got some minutes PC when my wife coached elementary school basketball she got criticized because she played the whole roster every game but once everyone was used to it, they realized it was better for everyone and especially the primadonas some of whom came back years later to thank her for teaching them teamwork. Well time to get some sleep - chores tomorrow and then perhaps some more track work.

    Hope everyone weathers the storm all right. We had rain predicted all day but only got the wind and cold.  CUL,  J.R. 

[Fergmiester]

Fergie and der5997 hope all is well in that land North East of us called Nova Scotia and you come thru this Nor Easter in good shape.

 

Thanks Kevin

It's midnght here and the lights are still on... for now. News report says the lights are out in Musquodboit so John maybe in the dark. Storm will peak  in about 2 hours

Fergie 

[JimRCGMO]

Evenin', Janie - I'd like a cup of decaf and some strawberries with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on 'em, please.

Probably may be running out of the strawberries before too much longer, though. Yum!

PC, pass along my congratulations to your son on the good game. Got GAME, indeed!! (Oh yeah - and you're one proud Dad, too, huh? )

JR, the building's coming along nicely! I like the little farmhouse, too. Great work on those, especially given that they're in N scale.

Mike, that CCCStL/IC station looks nice - 'course, the freight station part need a bit of repairing... Don't wear yourself out on the chores, or you won't have any energy left for MRR'ing, though.

Rob, I guess you could "double-dog-dare" the storms, right? You all in the Southeastern US have gone for a lonnnnngggg time without getting enough rain. Has your Dr. said if there's something they can have you do/take/stop that'd help your Sarcoidosis (or at least tone it down enough for you to get some more sleep)?

to the Diner, Kevin! Sounds like you've been teaching cutie Mika well, if she can point out the steamers from diesels at her age. I know what you mean about the wet leaves, though we don't get them as often here as you may be getting soon enough. Hope you have everything tied down that you can, and keep the dogs inside until the storm gets past ya. I got back into MRR'ing myself just a few years ago (3, 4, whatever..) after about a 25+ year time of being away from it.

Ryan, that's a pretty good job for first try with the airbrush. I should be so lucky when I get ready to do some clouds for my backdrop (but that's a ways off just yet...).

Flashwave, about your benchwork - do you have your plans drawn out for your layout yet? If not, I'd start with that, and get a hold of a good benchwork book to help motivate you some. Getting the lumber for the benchwork (or at least the first section, if you have to stretch it as the money's available) and having it sitting there, staring you in the face sometimes can help. Having a pattern for the legs and bracing that you can follow also would be good, 'cause then you could build a few braces as you have time and get far enough along to start connecting some of them together on the weekend. Just my .

RT, good to see you back in again. You bump the Diner anytime you want to.

Fergie, take care with those tarps, so the storm doesn't blow you all the way to Greenland. Make sure you have several bungie cords holding you to something secure, just in case.

Paul, sorry to hear about Mary Ann and the wasps. It does sound like that tractor is getting easier for you to use, which should almost help pay for itself in the time you save (and can then use for MRR'ing or other enjoyable stuff!). Did you get the manual read before you started out today?

Jerry, Paul's remarks about hoping Sallie won't have to have the surgery done. You better take good care of yourself in the meantime. Don't want you having to do like your neighbor and go to the hospital, though. 

Went by our public library today and read the December MR issue today. Rod Stewart's layout looks great! From the drawings, description (and lack of pictures of the rest of it), I'm guessing he probably only has that one side built so far (maybe has the benchwork and possibly scenery foundation done/started on the other side of the aisle). He's been working on it for a long while, I'm guessing, since some of the kits they mentioned that he used I haven't seen in a Walthers catalog for a while (possibly since the late 1970's). I recognized some of the frame type buildings (from kits) that they showed. Beautifully done on what they showed, for sure!

Our LHS in town has re-arranged their store some (they also carry dolls, R/C stuff and other hobby stuff) and has also got in more MRR'ing stuff - more Accurail kits plus a few P2K kits. I may pick up a couple of those after payday (Wednesday). Oh, yeah - they also are having a (monthly?) coupon for 20 percent off any one regularly priced item. They had a similar special a couple of weeks ago when I was there, and they gave me the coupon (for November). Maybe feeling the pressure from Hobby Lobby's every-two-weeks coupons (though the HL ones are for 40 percent off)? Hmm... if I use the LHS coupon one week in November, and the Hobby Lobby ones their two weeks in November, I could save some $$$!

Well, better get myself going - some straightening to do before it's bedtime at home. Prayers for some sleep for our insomiacs, and healing and comfort for those ailing or hurting (or both). And prayers for safety to our Nova Scotian and New England neighbors/neighbours.

 

Blessings and a safe weekend,

Jim in Cape Girardeau 

[Paul W. Beverung]

Evening Gang:

Kevin: Welcome to the diner. Farmington Main, eh. I would think that you might be modeling the 2ft gauge stuff. So Mika is into trains. Nothing like getting them interested early.

Ed: Give your son-in-law my phone number and tell him to give me a call when he's in town. As far as I know it's still the last weekend of April so make it a plan. If it changes I'll let you know.

I got to work the new tractor today. Mary Ann and I hauled hay out of the fields to the edge for temporary storage. She used here old IHC and I had the new C-I. It went very well for me. I could get 2 bales at a time and had the job done in about 2 hrs. Mary Ann was on her last bale and ran into a branch that had a wasp nest in it. They got her on the lower lip, chin, and throat. Fortunatualy she's not allergic so a couple of Benydryl and a cold pact has taken care of it. She's in bed now and asleep.

Well I think I'll head for the shower and then bed.

Good Night All

[rtraincollector]

bump its pretty bad when I have to bump the page it wasn't on page 2 yet but about 2 post away lol

 Hi all just thought I'd drop by and get a glass of sugar free koolaid type stuff the girls make for us dieters (yeah right my diet went the other way when I was out of work ) lol well its starting to go right direction again at least

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I was out cutting down tallow trees in my neighbors yard today, seven in all. First cut them down then had to cut them up into two-foot pieces so David could load them on the trailer. They've taken up new residence on the burn pile. I don't know what kind of wood that is but the saw had a hard time getting through it. At first I thought the chain was dull so I took a swipe at a good sized branch on a sweet-gum tree. Went through it like a hot knife through butter. And they're really heavy. I weighed one two foot trunk piece about four inches through and it came up as over forty pounds. Put Round-Up on the stumps so they're shouldn't be any regrowth. That was almost like work. Since my father is laid up with a compressed disk in his lower back (it's really causing his sciatic nerve act up real bad), somebody had to do it. He can't bend over at all and he has constant pain from his lower back all the way down to the toes on his right foot. Now he has a good idea of what my mother and I went through with our back problems. The doc has given him medication for it but if that doesn't work, they'll have to go in and correct it. That's a last resort.

[Flashwave]

Good luck to our Mainers.

 hey, what's a good way to get me to build my benchwork as opposed to going to the Club and running?

[Canondale61]

Hello

Time for coffee break and thank you for all the welcomes.

 

Ryan definitely some great work with the clouds and the backdrop.

 

Rob you definitely have the system to collect the water great job.

 

JR love those house very fine job.

 

PC glad to hear your boy got some playing time it is always great when they get to contribute to their teams success. Always hated to see my boy go to practice every night when others would skip out and then on game day sit while the ones that skipped played it is not about talent but work ethic.

 

Rob and Phillip working shift work (12 hour days or nights) my sleep pattern gets really messed up. I spoke to my doctor and told him I did not want a sleeping pill that made me groggy or I became addicted to and he gave me Rozerum (sp) one of the Japanese designer drugs. I take one just before I go to bed and about 20 minutes later I drift off I can get up during the night and after 8 hours I wake up with out a problem or a hangover. I use once or twice a month just to reset my clock if I have worked a lot of hours or my body just does not feel rested.

 

We have had the little girl we are adopting since she was 6 weeks old. Her name is Mika. We have a wooden train set that she loves to play with , last night she learned the difference between a steam engine and a diesel really love how it comes out. My wife could not stop laughing when she took MRR mag to her and pointed out the pictures for each.

 

I guess that everyone is getting prepared for a real strong windstorm, CMP (Central Maine Power) and its affiliates have everyone on call.

 

Fergie and der5997 hope all is well in that land North East of us called Nova Scotia and you come thru this Nor Easter in good shape.

 

Kevin

[der5997]

Diners, and a blustery one it is here on Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore as post-tropical storm Noel approaches.  The rain hasn’t started yet, and landfall isn’t expected until 9:00 this evening, well south and west of here at Shag Harbour, site of a famous UFO sighting in, I think, the 1960s.  At any rate that’s what last night’s news said.  We are supposed to be on the eastern edge of this storm, and so should escape the worst winds and rain.  Updating this (because I didn’t get it posted before having to take Kris’ mom into the Harbour for her weekly hairdo) it’s now just starting to rain, and the weather channel says to expect it to be more of a hurricane (but that’s the imbedded gusts, not sustained winds.)

BTW, Dick:

Tsk, tsk, when are they going to learn to listen to the right weather forecasters ...LOL

last night the US hurricane center adopted the Canadian (Halifax) hurricane centre’s estimate that it wouldn’t be hurricane force by the time it made landfall.

I’ll have a JR Regular and a couple of Voortman no-sugar-added chocolate chips cookies please Chloe, as we had lunch in the Harbour…

 

Fergie:

I'm thinking 20 X20 foot tarps and Duct tape, may also use the bungy cords.

…Even Gorilla tape doesn’t stick that well to tarps, if you’re thinking of using the woven plastic kind.  I found this out in repairs on a frayed edge of the tarp covering our drying wood stack.  I’ve reefed that right back for this blow, BTW.

 

JR: Those two houses look very good to me.  Don’t forget that in Normal Scale any detail that can’t be seen within three feet is redundant!

 

PC:  Good news on your boy’s sports.  BTW, how’s it going as your wife comes off her meds?

 

Mike: I wonder what mountain railroad they took that rail from to make the crossing signal guard!

 

Kevin: You’ll have seen that it’s pretty laid back in here, and is kept clean, so enjoy!  Congrats on the new family, and do you have any specific mrr plans?

 

 

Did manage to do the major part of the rock staining last night.  Not totally happy with the result, and Kris has suggested some changes which I shall attempt today, all being well.  With any decent luck I’ll get it all resolved by tonight.

 

In case I don’t get back in today, don’t forget Daylight Savings  

Time ends this weekend, so set those clocks back before bed. Enjoy the extra hour sleep time.

 

TTFN

 

 

[Cederstrand]

in a Southern mug this morning and please keep it coming. Thanks!

***Kevin, welcome aboard & CONGRATS on the new addition to your family.

***Philip, I can sure relate to your internal sleep clock waking you up. Recently I could use a complete replacement of my own clocks inner workings (or non-workings).

***Ryan, those clouds look fine to me. They are a challenge to do well, as is anything painted.

I woke up just past 9:00am and caught Trains & Locomotives on RFDTV. Had seen that one before so dozed off before it was over. Almost out of hay again.  Rob 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Don't ya just hate it when you have the chance to sleep in, but you can't because you normally get up at a certain time, so thats when your body just wakes up?  I could be fast asleep right now.....a chance I rarely get......but NOOOOOOOOOOO, my body says it's slept late already, and it's time to get up!  (stupid body!)

I've been doing that since I got out of the army back in '81, over 25 years ago.

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Hello everyone....

I like Ryan's Sky, Inch's photos, and JR's model house.

Welcome Kevin. Best wishes on the adoption. Please let us know her name. Wood trains are great for little kids if you are looking for an idea.

Happy Model Railroading!

 

[gear-jammer]

Good morning.  I will be in the back booth if anyone wants to sit for a while.  Coffee and one of Bill's chocolate donuts will be just great.

I guess that the weather will go to the north of us, so possibly another nice afternoon here.  We should get some layout time tomorrow.

Ryan, Looks like you had a fun time with the airbrush.  We got ours when it was on sale, and haven't used it yet.  Larry had an old one, but it will be a new skill for me. Your clouds  are a fun addition to the layout.

Sue

[egmurphy]

Don't ya just hate it when you have the chance to sleep in, but you can't because you normally get up at a certain time, so thats when your body just wakes up? 

I feel sorry for you, P.C.   Even when I was working, I needed an alarm clock to get me up on time.  Now that I'm retired, Fran's main project has been to gradually get me to sleep later and later each morning.  Sometimes I get up with just enough time to have a cup of coffee before my morning nap time.    Retirement is great.

Welcome aboard, Kevin.  Returning to the hobby after being away, huh?  Sounds like a familiar story.

Nice job on the clouds, Ryan.

Later guys.  Have to finish my coffee so I can feel free to take a nap.......

Ed

[SilverSpike]

Morning folks!

Just a quick stop in today...heading off to the 23rd Annual Neuse River Model Railroad Railroad Train Show.

Got some train time on the layout yesterday:

The first attempt at using the Badger airbrush was a success, of sorts. The acrylic white paint was used with a stencil cut-out in the shape of clouds to form the first attempt at clouds on the backdrop. The paint was too thick at first so I thined it out with the addition of cool tap water. The ratio was about 60% paint and 40% water to get the correct flow. Using the fine tip these clouds are okay, but I know they could be better.

Funny thing is they actually look better in the photographs than in person. Go figure! These images have also been added to the header banner rotation on my Piedmont Blog!

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Good morning.

Today's Weather for:
Sundown, LA 71446-6114 11/3/2007

Wind Chill: 58°F
Humidity: 80
Dew Point: 52°F

So Far Today
High: 62°F
Low: 58°F
Rain: 0.00"
Rain Rate: 0.00"/h
Gust: 5mph ENE

Today High: 78 Partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 70s. Light and variable winds.

Tonight Low: 48 Partly cloudy in the evening then clearing. Lows in the upper 40s. Light and variable winds.

This just in from Lewiston, Maine. That's where our friend Colby is:

Warning: High wind warning in effect from 1 PM edt this afternoon to 5 am est Sunday.

A chance of rain this morning...then rain this afternoon. Windy with highs in the mid 40s. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph... Increasing to north 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph this afternoon. Chance of rain near 100 percent.

Have a nice day.
  

[fec153]

---Welcome Kevin and big congrats on your little girl.

Hope the storm blows itself out. You folks in N.S. please be careful Prayers for your safety on the way.

Flip

 

[pcarrell]

Mornin all!

Don't ya just hate it when you have the chance to sleep in, but you can't because you normally get up at a certain time, so thats when your body just wakes up?  I could be fast asleep right now.....a chance I rarely get......but NOOOOOOOOOOO, my body says it's slept late already, and it's time to get up!  (stupid body!)

Hey Kevin, welcome to the coffee shop!  You live in Maine, huh?  I have relatives in Maine, though they're a ways from you.  They're in Thorndike, Belfast and Palermo.  Anyways, good to hear from another Mainiac!   And congrats on being a new daddy!

So, now I'm sitting here contemplating coffee.  What about you guys?

[Canondale61]

Good morning

Thought I would stop by and say hello, and try a second breakfast (got up at 4 am to come to work). Been following the diner thread for awhile and thought I would join in for a change and introduce myself. I live here in Maine 45 minutes north of Auburn in a town called Farmington. I run a paper machine and have come back to model railroading in the last two years. Kind of follow the northeast roads and the Pennsy. My family originally comes from Altoona and worked in the shops there. Big joy right now is adopting a little girl (18 months old) should be finalized by Christmas or the first of January. And she loves reading PaPa's railroad magazines with him and looking at the websites with everyone's awesome work.

 

As far the hurricane is concerned the high winds will bring down the remaining leaves and driving on wet leaves is as bad as driving on ice. Being in the western foothills we should be all set but from Bangor straight down and along the coast are expecting to get hit the hardest at least the temp. is not freezing yet so the trees are not brittle. The temp at 4 am was 32 deg clear and calm.

 

Kevin

[Fergmiester]

Good Morning All

Just a quickie before the storm hits. Calling for Hurricane force gusts come late tonight but that shouldn't be a problem.  Picked Redskins over Jets for this weeks NFL Suicide Pool so keep your fingers crossed. Looked at the Chargers over the Vikings but thought it would be a close one as well.

Anyway I have some securing to do outside so later All

Fergie 

[wetidlerjr]

Good morning ! from Indiana.

11-03-07

[Cederstrand]

Just a glass of cool water please.

Bad insomnia again. Wife wants me to see the Doc but there is nothing he can do, other than offer drugs which I am not interested in taking. It's partly the Sarcoidosis thing acting up again. Oh well!

***inch, must have been a heavy duty bender to make that signal guard. Would be a challenge to model something like that in N scale.

***Flip, thanks for the heads up on Trains & Locomotives. Will likely sleep through this time. Wish they aired these shows more often.

Rob

[egmurphy]

Good Evening Coffee Clubbers,

Nothing of consequence to report from down here in Paradise.  I'm hoping we've seen the last of the really hot weather for the year.  Now we seem to be into "balmy", and that's just fine.

Paul - my son-in-law was up in Weatherford today.  He's an area tech for some outfit that deals with instrumentation on gas compressors.  But I found out about it too late to ask him to look you up.  Maybe next time.  In any case I suppose you were too occupied with your new toy.  Enjoy.  There is an outside chance we may make it up there for your live steam meet next year.  Last weekend in April you say?

Scott - glad to hear that life is going well on both fronts for you. 

JR - I think the house looks great, especially for one in Normal scale.

Phil - good news about the addition, especially if it winds up getting you some space for a layout.

Some heavy duty flooding down in southern Mexico.  Not the result of any particular storm, just too much rain up in the mountains.  They say that over half of the state of Tabasco is under water and over a million people evacuated.  We lived in that area back in '99 when they had the last serious flooding of this nature, but this is even worse.  And the flood waters there don't go away after a few days.  The whole area is one large swamp with scattered higher ground, very little drainage.  Those people will be out of their houses for months in some areas.  Like New Orleans, but spread out over a much larger area and with much less government help.  Sad.

Rumor has it that the weekend is coming up.  You kind of lose track of that kind of thing when you're retired.  I'm going to see if I can get my lazy butt in gear and motivated to something model railroad oriented.

Hasta mañana,

Ed

[Cederstrand]

Wow, those are steep winds. Stay safe!

Here in North Georgia, we're under a Red Flag Warning = "high potential for fires". Sure wish we could get a hurricane, or at least a major tropical storm to hit us. "THAT'S RIGHT MOTHER NATURE...I'M DARING YOU!" 

Very tired tonight. Going to lay down for a spell. Rob

[gear-jammer]

I hope that you guys in Maine are ok.  Out here, they are saying 80 MPH winds from Noel in Maine.  They are concerned that your trees have not lost their leaves and might topple power lines.

Your will be in our prayers.

Sue

[inch53]

Evening, a barley pop Cleo please.

From the way the weather guessers are talking, you folks along the east coast are going to be for a big storm. We'll be thinking of ya'll

Not much going on round here, just busy with chores, yard work and kids. I see a PHILRUNT back it back in, and every one else seems to be doing ok. JERRY sorry to hear bout Sally and hope her knee clears up on it's own.  SCOTT, seems to be on cloud nine with the job and a fine lady. PAUL  got his new toy [I mean tractor] now. JR. those building are looking good. PC,, glad your boy had a good game

Here are a couple pics from last weekend of the CCC&StL/IC station and a freight building in Pana. Not in the best shape, but still restorable I think.

Found this crossing signal guard made from old rail in Girard on the old CB&O tracks.

I've got a couple more station pics from up in Paris that just found some interesting history on to post laters.

Best get my shower then bed, we've got a bust day tomorrow. I've got an eye doc appointment, then a trip to Effingham, and back home to yard work [leaves]. Hope to get some train pics from over that way too. Hope ya'll has a gooden n stay safe

[pcarrell]

Guess what!

My son got game time!  Thats right, he got court time in the game!  He caused a turnover that got his team the ball too!

He's psyched!

(So am I.....can ya tell?)

He was good, and he didn't let those guys run him over either!

He got game!

He got Game!

HE GOT GAME!!!!

 

 

I celebration, I'm buying!  'Cmon, order up!

[GMTRacing]

Good Evening All,

    I'll have a root beer float please. And a foot long with cheese and diced onions too if you will. Remember going to the A&W when we lived in Hanford, Ca and getting just that. What a treat!

New tractor, new shed makes sense Paul. Out here the shed would run more than the tractor but then there's no room for the "Great Plains combine sized" tractors on the little postage stamp farms here either.

More progress on the buildings and yes Jim the full length porch and porch roof do look much better. Should I use wire for gutters and drain spouts? At any rate here's to date and I'll slip back in tomorrow.

CUL, J.R.

[Paul W. Beverung]

Evening Gang: The new tractor was delivered today, a day ahead of time. That kind of caught me by surprise. I didn't put it to work right away as it's got more gadgets then a Huey Cobra. I've got to read the manual before I really work it. I did use it to take the air tank down to air up the tires on the swather. I had the A/C on and nearly froze. I took the old International and the swather and cut the last 2 acres that we couldn't cut because of the water. I brought the new tractor up to the front yard and took the keys out and locked the doors on the cab. I'm not taking any chances with that baby. The bad part is I now have to build a new shed for the new equipment. If it isn't one thing it's another.

Philnrunt: It sounds like you have been busy. What ships did you tour? I've been on a couple but they were all in the UP of Michagan. The Valley Camp at the Soo and the one in Duluth. I was also on a ship that was being cut up in Duluth. I can't recall the names of those two. Halfheimers strikes again. Do keep in touch.

Jerry: I hope that Sallie doesn't have to go through that knee surgary. I'll be thinking of her and you.

My best wishes to everyone. I see that Mary Ann and Daisy the Dog are both in bed so I'll do the same.

Good Night All

 

[Fergmiester]

Hope that DerJohn, Luc, and any of the rest of our Nova Scotians have done like Fergie and laid in the supplies for their storm parties. You guys do have those - like the hurricane parties down South in the States - right? Dick may have the supplies list pretty well described from the looks of it.

I

Actually When Juan came through a few years back I came up with a new Extreme Sport. Called it Bungy Cording... Yep take several bungy cords strap it onto the belt buckle and stand in the wind! Quite  the ride. Works better if you use the 2 footers. Have to work on a new sport for this one. I'm thinking 20 X20 foot tarps and Duct tape, may also use the bungy cords.

 

I'll get back to ya

Fergie