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Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Saturday, December 20, 2008 5:48 PM

Well, it took some doing, but I am back!! I had a password issue with the web site of Trains Magazine, and one thing that did help me was that I downloaded Mozilla Firefox as my web browser.

It's cold here in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the last I knew the temp here was 2 degrees below 0, and the wind chill was about 27 degrees below 0. We got some fresh snow here during the night, and my sidewalk is ankle-deep with it. I think I will wait until tomorrow morning before I take my shovel to it though. The weather here could get ugly by early tomorrow morning.

I hope the rest of you out there are all doing well. Stay warm!

Ray

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Posted by rvos1979 on Saturday, December 20, 2008 6:30 PM

jeaton
Randy

When you get up this way, you will appreciate the view from the seat as you will be able to see over the snow banks.  We had just under a foot Thursday night/Friday and Delavan is running out of room for the piles.  I think the official measurement in Racine was 14".  Home is still Burlington?

On the strength of their road condition policy, I'd say you are hauling for a decent outfit.

 

Jay:

NWS in Milwaukee is predicting 2-6 with the latest storm, then another 3-7 come Tuesday.  Believe the official amount in Burlington was 11.5.  Heard from family some municipalities are short on salt already, guess they may not have learned from last year.....

Company figures its cheaper to reschedule a load than have a wreck, and I agree.

Dad had fun with his ATV plowing snow, untill he got it high-centered on a snow pile.....    

Randy Vos

"Ever have one of those days where you couldn't hit the ground with your hat??" - Waylon Jennings

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Posted by Modelcar on Saturday, December 20, 2008 7:47 PM

Mookie
Q - we had the Dumont Network here - probably out of Omaha

For sure....DuMont was a big name in early TV....I mean real early.  Our first set was in 1948 and the brand name was "Air King"....All early sets, as I understand it had the RCA designed chassis, until  that patent ran out.  That first TV had a 10" screen. 

DuMont was actually the worlds first TV network....Beginning in 1946.

Quentin

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Posted by Mookie on Saturday, December 20, 2008 8:01 PM

Q - watched my girlfriends folk's tv until around '51.  They had a magnavox and you are right. the screen wasn't very big, but the whole tv took up a good share of the room!  Around '49, they would sign on early afternoon - after school.  Never got to stay past Howdy Doody, so don't know what the rest of the day was like....

Wow - that was a day or two ago.

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Posted by jeaton on Saturday, December 20, 2008 8:11 PM

A couple more inches of fluffy here, but it is just about over for this one.  This year a D-9 Cat might be more practical than an ATV.

"We have met the enemy and he is us." Pogo Possum "We have met the anemone... and he is Russ." Bucky Katt "Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future." Niels Bohr, Nobel laureate in physics

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Posted by Modelcar on Saturday, December 20, 2008 9:07 PM

Mookie
Never got to stay past Howdy Doody, so don't know what the rest of the day was like....

And right before Howdy Doody the test pattern would be televised for a half hour or so...

Quentin

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Posted by Mookie on Saturday, December 20, 2008 9:11 PM

That's right.  There was an afternoon cowboy movie as I remember.  Was that the era of Bob Steele or was he later.  And Stoney Brook.  Tom Mix was getting a little long in the tooth by that time.  My girlfriend and I sighed through all of them. 

Jay - I think you are on to something - just talked to daughter in Bemidji - doesn't sound good there either.  Eh...

She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw

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Posted by grampaw pettibone on Saturday, December 20, 2008 10:04 PM

Quentin and Mookster, when I was in College, I was  a hotshot top 40 DeeJay at WNOK in Columbia, SC. We shares studios with WNOK-TV. They had Dumont B/W cameras serial numbers 48, 49 and 50. That was some old stuff even at the time. I used to watch them wheel those monsters around during the 11 oclock news.

Tom

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Posted by grampaw pettibone on Sunday, December 21, 2008 1:49 AM

Mookie, Tom Mix was long dead by 1950. He was killed in an auto wreck on 12 Oct, 1940. He had a suitcase made from aluminum, and in the wreck, the suitcase flew from the back seat and hit him in the back of his head, killing him instantly. How well I remember Howdy Doody and his menagerie of friends, Clarabell, Mr Bluster, Dillydally, Princess Winterspring Summerfall and of course, Chief Thunderthud. I have always wondered if the F105 fighter -Thunderchief-, which was nicknamed the THUD was called that because of THUNDER(chief)thunder(THUD).... Something to spend some time in thought over. Any ideas?.

Tom

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Posted by JoeKoh on Sunday, December 21, 2008 5:11 AM

good morning

juice coffee and hot chocolate are ready to go.we also have cinnamon rolls for breakfast.we are at our high temprature right now.Mother nature is going to open up the freezer.Just hope most of the ice is gone from the trees.matt has his sunday school Christmas program as part of the service today.

stay safe

joe

Deshler Ohio-crossroads of the B&O Matt eats your fries.YUM! Clinton st viaduct undefeated against too tall trucks!!!(voted to be called the "Clinton St. can opener").

 

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Posted by grampaw pettibone on Sunday, December 21, 2008 6:11 AM

Good morning and thanks for breakfast. We too are at the days high. Currently at 64 and cloudy with rain expected, on the way to a low tonight of 29. Gonna be a cold night in Carolina. Everybody stay warm and safe

Tom

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Posted by cherokee woman on Sunday, December 21, 2008 6:31 AM

Good Sunday morning.  Yeah, Joe, we're at our high for today, also.  It's about 28 degrees here, and the temp will be slowly dropping all day.  With the wind, feels like 21, and tonight, the wind chills will be down in the single digits they say.  

Joe, thanks for getting breakfast this morning!!  Give Matt our best for his program this morning.  

Sunday Dinner will be late today:  I'm fixing a pre-Christmas dinner this morning:  turkey, dressing,  green beans, dumplings, cranberry sauce, corn, mashed taters w/gravy, fruit salad, and dinner rolls. 

You all have a good morning, and be sure you bundle up real good before going outside!! 

 

Angel cherokee woman "O'Toole's law: Murphy was an optimist."
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Posted by Modelcar on Sunday, December 21, 2008 7:19 AM

grampaw pettibone
They had Dumont B/W cameras serial numbers 48, 49 and 50

I just did a little reading about the beginning of DuMont enterprise and it seems they had a rough time finnancially and even though they are considered to be the first TV network, they eventually had to back out of that part of the business.

Seems the station in Pittsburgh that I mentioned earlier, {WDTV}, was pivotal of getting the signal from the east on out to a more westernly area.

There was a Coaxial cable put through {east - west}, underground...back in Pennsylvania within less than a mile from my home about 1949 or 50, and I always understood it was for network TV use, and now I'm beginning to think it most likely was for the DuMont expansion, etc....There was a small concrete block building at the cable site where it passed through, perhaps some relay station, etc....and  it is still there.   Brush and weeds are grown up around it now and it can hardly be seen.  I understand that line {or lines}, haven't been used for decades.

By the way, a few years after we got WDTV.....Johnstown, Pa. put WJAC TV on the air and they would say:  Serving millions from atop the Alleghenys.  Pretty sure the microwave towers were used to beam network programming into their transmitter location up on top of Laurel Hill elevation.  That station is still on the air.

Later, Microwave towers were built on the mountain ridges about 25 or so miles apart and I understand they are now defunct.  But they are still there.

Weather:  Wow, what a change from last night when I retired.  It was 30.9 then and it's 10.9 right now with very blustry wind.....That should cut through one being outside without enough protection this morning.  Clear skies, and of course no snow.....and no ice.  Lucky in that respect.

Quentin

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Posted by rvos1979 on Sunday, December 21, 2008 7:20 AM

Okay, it's cold outside......

A whopping 5 degrees outside, just came back in after starting the truck, and making sure it stayed started.  It turned over a little slow, but fired right up, and will not be shut off till I go home, except for a fuel stop in Bloomington, IL.

Blizzard warnings up for most of northern IL today, thinking of running through Chicago and Milwaukee, just so I can see the roadway.  Jay, revised forecast for Burlington now predicting snow Tuesday and Wednesday, and dont give my dad any ideas about the D-9 Cat, mom already freaked when she found out how big his proposed toy barn was going to be!!

Everybody stay warm, and all the diesel truckers out there, treat your fuel.

See everyone at the house.....    

Randy Vos

"Ever have one of those days where you couldn't hit the ground with your hat??" - Waylon Jennings

"May the Lord take a liking to you and blow you up, real good" - SCTV

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Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Sunday, December 21, 2008 7:38 AM

And a good, cold Sunday morning to everyone out there. Right now in Sioux Falls, South Dakota we have a temp of -8 degrees below 0 and the wind chill is about 30 to 35 below. And the wind here is blowing the snow around quite a bit. I'm not looking forward to going to work this morning, the working conditions at the one Wendy's store where I am working can be downright miserable. To start with, the drive-up window is always open, so it doesn't do any good to turn up the heat, and last Monday most of us who were working in the kitchen or behind the counter were wearing our coats. And then we always have cold air coming in through the exhaust vents above the grill and deep fat fryers.

Thanks for fixing breakfast, CW, and I look forward to the turkey dinner later this afternoon.

Ray     ooo    ooo ooOOOOOo

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Posted by grampaw pettibone on Sunday, December 21, 2008 8:13 AM

Ray, I meant to welcome you back yesterday. Take care of yourself and try to stay warm. In your situation, it will be difficult, I know, but please take care.

Tom

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Posted by jeaton on Sunday, December 21, 2008 8:59 AM

Although weather.com says -9, my thermometer says -15.  Went out and opened up a one car path in the drive, not because the snow is deep, but didn't want the car tracking out to leave packed and frozen snow.  Got the job done in about 10 minutes.  I had dressed for the weather, but if I had stayed out much longer, I would have had to get a scarf around my face to avoid possible frost bite.  I am soooo glad that I have no need to go out for any extended period.  Those who do should take great care today. 

Way it looks, any ice on the driveway may stay until mid-June or thereabouts. 

 

"We have met the enemy and he is us." Pogo Possum "We have met the anemone... and he is Russ." Bucky Katt "Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future." Niels Bohr, Nobel laureate in physics

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Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Sunday, December 21, 2008 9:04 AM

Thanks, Tom. I have learned to dress in several layers, I will be wearing a heavy cotton t-shirt, a flannel shirt, a sweat shirt, my work shirt, a pair of cotton athletic warm-up pants underneath my slacks and a pair of wool socks, plus if I need it, a hooded sweatshirt which has a wool lining. Our South Dakota winters can be bitterly cold, and others who live in this region, such as Brian and Mookie would agree with me on this point. Yesterday was not too bad though!

Ray     ooo    ooo ooOOOOOo

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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, December 21, 2008 10:34 AM

For Quentin and anyone else who may be interested:

Here is an interesting site that covered the history of the development of television sets.  I am linking in particular the history of the development of DuMont TV Sets from the late 40's through the 50's.

Enjoy:

http://www.tvhistory.tv/1946-49-DUMONT.htm

http://www.tvhistory.tv/1950-59-DUMONT.htm

Also Quentin, here is the "Air King" set that you refered to in an earlier post:

http://www.tvhistory.tv/1946-49-AIR-KING.htm

http://www.tvhistory.tv/1950-59-AIR-KING.htm

Murray

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Posted by blhanel on Sunday, December 21, 2008 12:20 PM

CANADIANPACIFIC2816
Our South Dakota winters can be bitterly cold, and others who live in this region, such as Brian and Mookie would agree with me on this point.

 

No kidding- we're currently at -3.8 degrees, and today's high won't be much higher.  And the wind is BLOWING LIKE CRAZY.

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Posted by tree68 on Sunday, December 21, 2008 3:10 PM

Got past the storm on Friday (despite a really lousy drive over roads that were barely passable), had a decent Saturday (enough so that the roads at midnight Saturday were clear and dry) under starlit skies and a low of -8.  By dawn this (Sunday) morning, however, there was about 6" of new snow in the driveway. That little disturbance is past us, but there is lingering snow and some wind.

The yardstick shows 16" in the back yard, and that's settled.  I figure 18-20" here at the house.

CSX and Amtrak were running pretty normally all weekend through Utica.  We did pretty well, despite many folks not making it to the Polar Express Friday night.  The biggest problem then was the wind.  Rather than make some folks walk over 200' in that mess to board, we moved the train...

Some pic's over in the Lounge.

LarryWhistling
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Posted by Modelcar on Sunday, December 21, 2008 3:41 PM

Murray
Also Quentin, here is the "Air King" set that you refered to in an earlier post

Murrary:

Thanks for sharing....very interesting.  Not too many out there remember this stuff....

You are correct.  We first had the Air King table model...10"

It developed some trouble and the dealer took it back and we brought home the console 10" model...Believe it cost about 420 dollars.

We purchased a 17" magnifier and used it on the console model later....

Weather:  It's now 8 degrees here and wind gusting to 40 mph.  Skies have been rather clear today and a partly cloudy sky now....A few snow flakes at times but radar shows nothing in the state.  {as of an hour ago}.

Ground bare.

Update:  Temp now 2 degrees and wind continues.  Saw on 6 news from Indy we {Muncie}, have been getting gusts of up to 45 mph.  Serious stuff.

Quentin

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Posted by JoeKoh on Sunday, December 21, 2008 4:35 PM

Hi

wind was whipping the powerlines here today.Our church light went on and off during matts program but we made it through.Thankfully we haven't lost power.Cw thanks for supper tonight.going to be a chilly night at work.

stay safe

joe

Deshler Ohio-crossroads of the B&O Matt eats your fries.YUM! Clinton st viaduct undefeated against too tall trucks!!!(voted to be called the "Clinton St. can opener").

 

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Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Sunday, December 21, 2008 4:37 PM

Well, I survived another shift at Wendy's, I got home about 20 minutes ago and I am thawing out my feet and enjoying a cup of hot chocolate. We have 0 for a temp here in Sioux Falls and the wind is out of the NW at 21 miles per hour, which leaves us with a wind chill factor of -23 below 0. The wind here was blowing much stronger this morning when I shoveled a path from my front door to the curb, and it was brutally cold then!

Ray     

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Posted by spokyone on Sunday, December 21, 2008 5:01 PM

I have seen semi trucks from Canada that had sanders in front of the driving axles. Also saw school buses in Spokane WA with sanders. I have not seen any around here. Has anyone seen those?

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Posted by Mookie on Sunday, December 21, 2008 5:14 PM

Well, I feel really bad.  We haven't had any more snow.  We missed the brutal wind, so a temp of 4 above isn't all that bad.  Especially if you stay inside! 

Tree - great pictures!  You need a small box for Santa to stand on....Shy

Been one of those days.  Is it bedtime yet?

She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw

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Posted by cherokee woman on Sunday, December 21, 2008 8:11 PM

Well, we finally got through our Christmas Dinner here at home.  Sarah leaves in the morning, to go back to Philly, to spend Christmas with her Mom and Grandmom.  That's why we had our Christmas today.  We finally ate around 7 p.m. (same time I had it all on the warmer bar here in the the Cafe), and then Sarah and I got the kitchen cleaned up.  

As far as the temps go, our current temp is 10.4 degrees outside, and you can hear the wind really blowing.  I do know the wind chill is to be in the minus category:  just don't know, right off hand, exactly what that minus # will be.  Guess I'll find out in the morning.  I have stayed very warm andcomfy in the kitchen, with the oven going most of the afternoon, cooking the turkey, dressing, and with the other sides on the burners. 

You all have a good evening, bundle up very good if you have to go out in this awful cold, and take care and be safe!!!!

Angel cherokee woman "O'Toole's law: Murphy was an optimist."
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Posted by cherokee woman on Monday, December 22, 2008 5:30 AM

Good cold Monday morning.  We have 6 degrees with a wind chill temp of -11 here in Louisville this morning.  

There's plenty of hot coffee, hot chocolate, hot cider and hot water for tea this morning.  And on the warmer bar:  turkey bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, hash browns, tater tots, biscuits & gravy, bagels and bear claws.  And if none of that suits your tastes this morning, how about some nice hot oatmeal w/toast.

Everybody keep warm today, and have a good day.

Angel cherokee woman "O'Toole's law: Murphy was an optimist."
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Posted by grampaw pettibone on Monday, December 22, 2008 5:41 AM

Good morning, and thanks for breakfast. 31 degrees and clear in Carolina. Everybody stay warm and safe

Tom

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Posted by tree68 on Monday, December 22, 2008 5:51 AM

The ol' home weather station is reading 5.7 degrees....

Packing up the truck this morning and heading for MD.  Looks like some lake effect north of Syracuse, but the rest of the trip should be OK.

I think I packed everything!

Time to get Mom up and get going.

LarryWhistling
Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) 
Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you
My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date
Come ride the rails with me!
There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...

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