Good morning
Happy MRRing
Good Morning All,
I'll have a cup of Lucs' coffee, cream no sugar and one of Bills donuts please.
37F and partly cloudy out just now. A late start so I can see the sun already. High today should be in the low 40's with clouds then rain starting tonight. So much for sunny and mid 70's this weekend - it's supposed to rain. Anyway I'm off to Philly tomorrow am using the local to Stamford andthen the Acela to Philadelphia. The local from Stamford only takes an extra 20 mins so we will have some longish stops (probably New York City) but I did want to go on the Acela just to see what it's about.
I've been thinking about MTLs' dilema at the Maine Railway Museum and how it's similar to the one we have with our steam and other power, and also other museums such as the one in Chandler (Arizona Railway Museum). It is all well and good to hit the public up for funds especially for operations, but if we're to save our railroad heritage shouldn't there be some grant program in place for non-profits to tap to keep expensive equipment restored? Clearly letting the private sector do it doesn't work well as only a few people have the cash and patience to see a project though and then they have no place to run or even display the equipment. Mostly and this was the case for a lot of steam power, they end up stored outside unstabilized until they are really only good for scrap and the equipment becomes lost forever. One might ask how many pieces need to be preserved, but I think the more the better so that a long trip to a distant museum is not the only way to see our heritage and learn. There are so many programs now that surely another that actually benefits people couldn't hurt. J.R.
Hmmm smileys not working again on the work computer.
Forgot to mention earlier for Lee(LSWR), that Social Security offset wouldn't apply to every civil service job. Just the ones that don't pay full SSA taxes. Apparently Ohio has (or had) elected to have their employees only partially covered by SSA. I work for state gov't in PA (Social Security Disability in fact) and we pay full SSA taxes and will be fully covered for SSA retirement benefits. Best advice, check with your own retirement plan and SSA local office for your specific situation.
Good morning and top 'o' the day to all of ye. I'll be having the ham and eggs today.
Today's Weather for: Sundown, LA 71446-6114 1/12/2007
Sundown Fire Dept., Station 23
Wind Chill: 62°FHumidity: 100%Dew Point: 63°F So Far TodayHigh: 63°FLow: 62°FRain: 0.00"Rain Rate: 0.00"/hGust: 15mph SSE High: 73 °FLow: 59 °F
Now through 09:00 AM CST January 12, 2007
High: 75 Through 9 AM...scattered showers will continue developing over the coastal waters east of Cameron as well as south central Louisiana. These showers will move into eastern portions of central Louisiana with rainfall rates between a tenth and a quarter inch an hour. This area will cover those east of a line from Cameron and Lake Arthur to Crowley, Ville Platte and eventually Bunkie and Marksville and will include the cities of Lafayette and New Iberia. Movement of the showers will be north at 20 mph.
Today High: 75 Mostly cloudy. Patchy fog in the morning. A 20 percent chance of showers in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 70s. Southeast winds 10 to 15 mph.
Tonight Low: 62 Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Patchy fog after midnight. Lows in the lower 60s. Southeast winds around 10 mph.
I have my weekend project lined up. Building a new backdrop. I got new poster paper today for the back plate. The scene is printed but still needs to be cut out, that's a couple hours work right there. I have to take down the old back plate, as the backdrop on it is fading and is definately looking it's age. The new back plate will have to be assembled and attached to the wall. This will be done with wood glue, as before, and the back plate will be held in place with thumb tacks until the glue dries. The seams will be covered with masking tape, then the whole thing will be painted Nimble Blue. After the paint is dry, the printed sections will be joined together and attached to the back plate with a thin layer of white glue and allowed to dry. The last touch will be to add some clouds.
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
hey Cloe... you need a 50. cal?? you can barrow one from Never Ending Story on Jeff's forum..
lol
Morning all!
How is everyone on this fine, fine morning?
Mighty warm around here for this time of the year!
Just a Hobo wrote: Is this the lovely waitress standing at my table to take my order ? Stop her from eating all that dessert !!!
Is this the lovely waitress standing at my table to take my order ? Stop her from eating all that dessert !!!
Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiccccccccccccccccccccccccceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
SilverSpike wrote:
They should make the caps in a color so they do not sprout legs and disappear.
Guys, Glad that you like the open spaces. We do have deer, coyotes, and rabbits. We have some bald eagles and hawks that fly over daily. They hang out more when I have mowed one of the pastures. What a way to control the rodent population.
It only made it down to 20 last night. Brrrrrrr. JR, 70 degrees is sounding great right now.
Sue
Anything is possible if you do not know what you are talking about.
Hi Gang: I just got in to work. I Mary Ann and I both had to go get lab work done this morning and then we went and had breakfast. I had to go back to the doctors and get a slip saying that I had been there for the company. Whatever.
Sue: Are you in the cattle game? You mentioned moving pastures in your last post. That idea about coloring the caps for the X-acto knives is a good one. I think that I'll just paint mine. I'll leave enough clear so I can see what blade is in them.
Well I should get to work. Actually have to go take the doctors slips down to health services and turn them in.
I'll see you all later.
Paul, We just have a few beef and christmas trees. It is just a toy farm.
On the cap idea, hmmm, we have some of the transparent paint that would work if you have several knives. It seems like there is always one cap that is lost.
Hi again: It's about time to head for the house.
Sue: I was just out in the shop working on a couple of show light fixtures when I looked up on the wall and saw the selection of colored electrical tape I keep there. Red, yellow, green, blue, and white. A piece of that wrapped on the X-acto knife cap would do with out the mess of paint. Very quick and easy and reversalable. Just another thought.
Ouch! That's two today.
Good afternoon to all....just got in from out shopping with the CFO all day......LHS? ....of course silly.....went to Warren, Ma to Tucker's. Bob Buck, the owner, a 76 year old gentleman in every sense of the word, is a walking encyclopedia of Railroads, and very knowledgable of all the MRR products and mfgr's as well...I get there at least once a month, more if we can "adjust" the budget. Did I buy anything? Of course!!! All were Steam period cars from Atlas, two milk cars, a tanker, and two box cars. Also, a great book that I can't put down, " Titanic Railroad: The Southern New England......the story of New England's last great Railroad War, written by Larry Lowenthal.
Todays weather here started off at 29F early this morning then rose to 49F at 3pm before falling back to 44F now, under clear skies.
We stopped at the Apple Orchard in North Brookfield on the way home and they had a new hybrid apple there ( at least new to me ) called the Spencer, which is a cross between a Mac and a Cortland....what a great new flavor and very juicy. If you ever see it in your local store, try it !!
CHUCK & KATHY: That must really be something to see snow at sea level in Oregon...I can just see the cats walking outside and stepping into the snow then lifting each paw one at a time and shaking the snow off....our cat did this all the time. That is really great news about Kathy....way to go Kathy, that takes willpower and she gets Kudos from the gang here at ETD.
SUE: We grow some Christmas trees also in the back 40 as we like to call it ( actually only 9 acres ). We get seedlings each Spring from the Forestry, any kind of evergreen we wish, in bundles of 25 per same type ( $15 per bundle). We sell some and the kids all have one of course for Christmas, the Colorado Blue Spruces are best for landscaping purposes, and Canadian Hemlock are great for natural hedges if you cut off the tops at whatever height you wish and kept trimmed once a year.
RYAN: WHAT HAPPENED down there in NC??? We had a power drain up here in NE, from somewhere down south...all the lights dimmed, the generators at the pwer stations were whining, meters were pegged.......good Lord what are you doing Monsieur Ryan?
A trivia question for you RR buffs....up in Donner Pass, there are snow sheds that cover the tracks in several locations. During the Winter, large icicles form inside on the roofs and pose a hazard to the locomotive windshields. How do the track crews remove these hazards?
Good afternoon, Diners! Chloe, I think I'll have a small order of the ham and eggs, if you still have some of that ham from this morning, please.
Hey, Paul - whatcha going to build with that PVC sheet, a backdrop, or cut it down for some buildings and stuff? I must have missed one of your earlier posts where you explained it.
Chuck and Kathy - good to hear from you two (and your no-doubt-puzzled cats, trying to figure what to do with that cold, white stuff...) Not exactly the usual seaside weather, I'd guess.
Sue, nice backyard there (even if it is a 'toy farm'... )
And Ryan, what are you doing with your lights down there? Must've missed that post, also. Ah, the fun of missing a few days in the Diner here... Liked your Cajun joke, BTW.
I've decided I need to straighten up some around the apartment, so I have more room for getting to and working on the layout. Also need to get some buildings started on putting together for my town(s).
Almost time to slip out from work, so I'm out of here!
Blessings,
Jim in Cape Girardeau
Paul, You are going to solve my lost cap problem before I even get back to the layout room.
Dick, I planted a few Colorado Blue Spruce, thinking that they would be great as wreath material. Wrong. They are so stickery that my hand must have been the receiving end of a pin cushion. We have noble fir. Our site is north facing which is well suited for them.
Jim, It is easy to identify with clutter. The tools get cleaned off the layout and wham it is buried again.
Chuck and Kathy, Is your white stuff hanging on like ours?
jeffrey-wimberly wrote:Mark: You'll have to get the starting voltage on that down a whole lot lower before you put a decoder in. The way it is now, it'll smoke the decoder.
J.R. Believe it or not J.R., they use a shotgun!!!! I was watching a DVD last night, Donner Pass in the bad snow year of 1993. They had a workman walking ahead on the tracks, loading and firing a blast of pellets at the icicles.......they also used primer cord along the track inside the shed, after cutting long grooves in the ice, then setting the primer cord in the slots and blasting the ice build up away. This DVD is really worth getting from Pentrex...on sale right now for $19.95
SUE: Good Lord no....you can't use Colorado Blue Spruces for wreaths etc. the needles will pick you death!!! Balsam is Ok to use ( nice scent too ), or Fraser Fir, Canadian Hemlock, Douglas Fir also. Many people feel that Douglas Firs make the best Christmas trees.
grayfox1119 wrote: SUE: Good Lord no....you can't use Colorado Blue Spruces for wreaths etc. the needles will pick you death!!! Balsam is Ok to use ( nice scent too ), or Fraser Fir, Canadian Hemlock, Douglas Fir also. Many people feel that Douglas Firs make the best Christmas trees.
Dick, Our cadillac of trees would be the Noble Fir. Frasier, Balsam, Grand, Shasta and Doug grow here, but most people use Noble.
Well, back to my log retaining wall. I may get to do some water this weekend.
Evening Gang: It's raining and the temp is getting near the freezing mark. We're under a winter weather watch and an ice storm warning. Oklahoma is a mess already. I guess we won't be going to the train show tomorrow. I'm waiting until tomorrow morning and I can see what it is like before making a final decesion. If I had to go to work tomorrow I would have allready decided to stay home, a train show is another thing.
Jim: The PVC sheet is for stock for making whatever. I finished the Cliffs headframe. It's made from 3mm pvc. I really like working with the stuff. I got 2mm the other day and have a piece of 1mm coming. A couple of 4ftx8ft sheets should be a life time supply. I'll get Ryan to post pics of the Cliffs headframe soon.
Well I guess I'll head for bed. We're listening to the weather guessers and they aren't at all encouraging.
What are we doing on Page 2. Lets get going here gang.
Good Night All
PAUL: Check out the Weather Channel.....this cold wave is spreading south all the way to the Rio Grande, you guys in TX are going to get over 1/2" of freezing rain if they are correct!!! Bad news, that will bring down power lines. We have the same headed for us here in Southern and Central New England for Monday......Winter is here!!
SUE: Noble Fir ??? I have never heard of that, I must look that up on Google. What are it's characteristics? BTW, are you using WS water for your water features? I have heard good things about it.
jeffrey-wimberly wrote:Good morning.
Good morning Jeffrey! what is happening in lovely leesville?
James, Brisbane Australia
Modelling AT&SF in the 90s
Good morning ! from Indiana.
01-13-07
Bill Tidler Jr.
Near a cornfield in Indiana...
BM1 Lee Soule USCG (ret) L.S.&W Railroad Serving the Lower Great Lakes
Mornin all, coffee and a couple sweet rolls Janie,
Hope ya'll staying dry, raining here still. Weather guesser's talking like winter going to show up finnaly tomorrow with some ice, snow and colder temps next week. Talked to Jamie last night and it was icy up in Springfield then. So far it's still north of us.
Nothing much been going on here, got some wood working projects going and some more road bed, track down on the layout. Maybe next weekend I'll get to run some trains on one main line anyway. Haven't got any rail fanning done, rainy, cloudy and glummy bout every weekend.
Best get n to chores if I want to get any train time in today. Mothers gone bout all day, so I'll get some time with out to many honey-do's. Hope ya'll has a good day.
inch
http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/showgallery.php/cat/500/ppuser/4309
Good morning and top 'o' the day to all of ye.
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Today is the first day of Operation Backdrop. I'll be keeping you updated with pics and descriptions as I go along. Time to get started.
Today's Weather for: Sundowm, LA 71446-6114 1/13/2007
Sundown Fire Dept., Station 23 Wind Chill: 68°FHumidity: 90%Dew Point: 65°F So Far TodayHigh: 68°FLow: 67°FRain: 0.00"Rain Rate: 0.00"/hGust: 12mph NNE High: 73 °FLow: 65 °F
Now through 09:00 AM CST January 13, 2007
High: 72
Through 9 AM...widely scattered light showers will continue to develop and move north across portions of central Louisiana and inland southeast Texas. Showers will also be isolated across southern Louisiana and extreme southeast Texas from Interstate 10 south to the coastal waters. Rainfall amounts will be just a few hundredths of an inch in most locations.
Today High: 72 Mostly cloudy. Isolated showers early in the morning... Then showers likely and isolated thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 70s. South winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent.
Tonight Low: 62 Cloudy with showers likely and isolated thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 60s. South winds around 10 mph. Chance of rain 60 percent.
I'll be having the cheese and mushroom omelet today.
Hi Chuck and Kathy. Remind your Dr. that there are now male and female knee replacement models. Good luck.
Flip