It feels good to be back. I am not yet up to speed, but feeling much better than a few weeks ago.
What happened yesterday? When I tried to log in again, the system would let me do so. System maintenance? I kept getting email notifications for posts awaiting moderation, but could not get in…
Spent the morning drafting up a plan for my friend Lothar´s new layout. His son will be moving out soon and he intends to use that room as a layout room, turning the basement into a workshop. I was able to persuade him to go for a change in system - from 3-rail AC based on Marklin´s infamous C-Track to regular 2-rail DCC.
With the site being down, I as well got something done that I have been putting off for sometime. I finally got the Big Boy back on the rails. No derailment on short problems but still cannot get the headlight to work? [banghead]
Well, I am going back to work today. Toe still looks a little fat but color is completely normal looking again. Can’t say I am looking forward to it.
I am feeling better. No fever for 2 days but still have a bad sounding cough. I continue to take my antibiotics. I have also been trying to catch up on sleep.
My son is still at the psychiatric facility and we have not heard from him so I’m not sure whats going on but I pray he is getting the help that he needs.
Our fridge sprung a leak last week along with everything else that happened. It stopped when we shut off water to the ice maker so I need to try and replace that hose today.
Ulrich- I am glad you are doing better.
Hope everyone has a good day and prayers for those in need.
Evidently, the Forum was on the RIP track all day yesterday.
Ulrich … Glad to see you! Of course, we were concerned about your absence. … I like the track plan. Do you live near Lother? If so, it would be nice if he wanted some help with construction. You do great work based on what you’ve showed us.
Curt … Of course, you and your family are in our prayers.
Vincent… I’m impressed with your work on the F-unit. I’m sure it will look great when you complete it.
Thanks for the ideas about the turn signal bulb replacement. Car Designers must not have thought much about maintenance. For those who asked, Shelley’s car is a 2004 Cadillac SRX. We’ve put well over 100,000 miles on it with many road trips. The computers in car the have acted up lately, and caused some very expensive repairs for the electronic stuff. Those issues are now corrected. Mechanically, it’s still in outstanding condition. Meanwhile, my vehicle is a 2002 Avalanche which has never had any problems at all for all 10 years we have owned it. We have no reason to consider replacing either one at this time.
Currently 59 with an expected high of 87 under partly cloudy skies.
Ulrich - Glad to see you back.
Curt - Keep up the anti-biotics and get well. Prayers for you and your son.
Ken - Keep an eye on that toe so it does not get worse.
Since the forum was down yesterday i did get some track weathered, will more in a little while. I do not want to do too much layout work, as I expect to move it downstairs, to one of the larger front rooms before the end of the year, so I can expand it, and do not want to do too much damage to what I already have done.[;)]
Spent some time at the hospital yesterday visiting my wife. The daughters showed up and we went out to dinner. Their treat.[:D] While we were eating, got a text from wife that they were moving out of CICU and back down to Oncology. Since she is almost stable, chemo will start again tomorrow if lucky.
Garry - Lothar lives a 10 minute walk from my place, but he is more of a lone wolf when it comes to doing modeling work. Nevertheless, he is a helpful guy, always around whenever I run into a problem with what I am doing. he is also the only one coming to see us. I´d say he is the only friend I have on this side of the Big Pond.
Well, I see I t’weren’t the onlyest one who couldn’t get into the forums yesterday!
That is good to know!
Well, I [#welcome] everyone back!
I said “ARRRRRGGGGHHH” all day long at this site, but I already enlightened us on the word “AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGHHH”.
Today I am so amazed at getting in, I will just let it go for today.
Well, See ya later!
It’s a chilly day out there,getttng that way here,…highs only in the 60s all week, a few days barely above 60. REsisting the urge to turn on the electric room heater to “take the chill off”. I want to resist tha urge until Nov 1st!
WEll, I have some paperwork to attend to and a nap to take. THe pain meds make me real sleepy.
Afternoon/Evening, Flo - I’ll have a BLT and a RBF please ‘n’ thankyouma’am!
Looks like a lazy afternoon - not many in here since this morning.
Ken, we expect you to keep yourself (and your toe) healthy (with or without VA’s approval/help…) and posting in here for a while, got it?[|(] We have enough MIA Diners to check on, as it is. [yeah] Good to hear the news on Sue’s (not-so-)stress(ed) test. [:)]
Jeff, hope you are taking good care of your sunburn. Didja put any aloe or such on it? I had heard of some meds that make a person extra-sensitive to the sun - NO fun!
Curt, I’ve added your son to my [angel] list, and it was good to hear that your ailment is ‘only’ bronchitis (and not somet’in worse). [tup] On your fridge, hopefully that hose is not a speciaized part, but easier to locate (and pay for).
Ray, do a search on the internet and you can probably find a brief synopsis of that show. And should I feel badly that I don’t feel that badly for the phone-yakkin’ drivers behind you and their mishap? [:-^] Even when (for w**k only) I am driving and have to take a call, I am first of all checking traffic ahead, beside, behind my car, and only secondly worrying about getting every detail from the phone call. I figure I can - if absolutely needed - stop by the side of the road when I get a chance and call the person/whoever back. Your story sounded like “Smart phones - dumb users”…[:-^] Hey, I wish our city/town had a hazardous materials trash day (but if they did, I don’t think apartment buildings get in on that). We did a couple of years ago have a thing at the fair grounds where you could drop off computers, monitors, etc. (and I let them dispose of my ancient 17" Trinitron behemoth which no longer w
Ooooohhhhhh! Long day out at the museum… I sign on duty at 0935 this morning and w*rked straight through the day and then signed off duty at 1655 this afternoon. Got to sit down and gobble lunch during a 15 min wait at Midway Station. Good ridership and a mostly nice crowd. Only a few complete idiots! Most of them parents of kids who were just fine. Go figure?
Flo, I could use a nice big plate with some of the pot roast Jim has with all the timings and lots of hot decaf coffee to warm me up!
Nice day today, but on the verge of being downright cold! Was in the low 50’s this morning when I left for the museum and got all the way up to 60°F out there. Currently back down to 55°F
Jim… Feel bad? Not me! I loved it! Justice served…
Ulrich! Good to see you back my friend! I was very worried we wouldn’t hear from you again! Had us real scared, you did!
Nice to see the place open again after the housekeeping yesterday.
I’m going to just take it easy tonight. My back is killing me after standing all day on the caboose and walking around on the ballast.
Gooooooooooood Evening, I’ll take a plate of cheeseburgers and a bucket of Coca-Cola please 'n thank-you.
I heard JIM in the Cape Giradeau area was looking to see if I was/is/are still around. Yup. Just haven’t had much of anything to say…not THAT THAT has ever stopped me before…[:-^] Very glad to see ULRICH back among us, and am hoping for the best for several others and their family members going through a multitude of troubles.
VINCENT: Your crack patching on those shells looks good…I’d hit 'em at least one more time and sand with the finest sandpaper on the planet. I agree THAT the fuel tank on your model seems lower than on the prototype. Any way to shave down the girders/beams you installed? You may have to fudge things for appearance there.
Think I’ll go hang-out in a corner booth somewhere. I’m tossing stuff up on my Flickr page. Why? I don’t know. The odds of somebody looking at the 1,658 photos on there and saying “my God! I NEED to hire this guy to be my ace full-time shooter” are somewhere between slim and none. I think I saw Slim getting on the train, so…
Just finished pork chops and scalloped potatoes for supper.
It amazes me how much like a family we are even though we have not met each other in most cases. I want you all to know how much I appreciate your support. There is still no word from my son so we are in standby waiting.
Well the fridge turned out to be more than the hose. The solenoid valve was actually leaking not the hose or hose connection. It is a Kenmore so I had to drive to the other side of Orlando to get a new part (no parts stores open on Sunday any closer). Replaced the valve then the water valve in the wall started leaking so I had to take it apart and use some Teflon Tape inside the body and that stopped the leak. So a 15 minute job turned into a 4 hour job and a cost of $43.
I really felt like doing something on the layout this afternoon so I made longer track pans, glued them down and painted them.
Oh I almost forgot. I have started installing building lighting on the layout. I have finished the RH extension and I will try to do some on the main layout tomorrow. I figure to do a max of 6 at a time so I don’t get burned out[(-D] doing it.
Paul- I’m glad it sounds like your wife is doing better.
Hope everyone has a good night and prayers for those in need.
SolarCaine burn relief with Aloe Vera. At least one of the meds I take causes sun sensitivity. I used to tan. Now I just burn, even with sunblock. That’s just one of about forty-five possible side effects.
Remind me of when I was 15, I was on Tetracycline for acne. Over the summer, between being outside for the farm, and maintaining my parents pool, I got dark, real dark. When I returned to school in the fall, some kids barely recognized me ! Clear skin ,I was tall,dark and handsome, so the ladies say!! [;)]Shame I couldnt bottle it…I could use a little now![(-D][swg]
Just got back from racing at Fountain, and I had a few passes in with slicks. I got a 8.60 at 81 mph as my best (previous was an 8.7-something, but that was in the winter) with most of my runs being in the range of 8.64-8.72. As per usual best run was the first, but I know I can get into the 8.5 second range while it’s still summer. The 8.60 run I “granny-shifted” instead of speed shifted and spun a bit. I got it to hook a few times, and speed shifting almost got me a new best on a hotlap. The highlight of my day was running .1 second behind a 2012 Mustang GT that has a new exhaust, intaks, and tune. So I could be a stock one (even with them having close to twice the power, 425 vs. 275) Somehow, I think JR, Todd, and Ken are the only ones who understand what I’m talking about.
Chris, Thanks for the compliments on the crack patching. I could probably go again and finish with some 2000 grit sandpaper. As for the tank, I kept everything in the stock place. and shaving down the girders would bring the tank up, but may require modifying the frame. I’m thinking some .06 quarter round styrene glued to the top of the tanks would help the tanks and give it some semblance of a tank profile. But then I’d have to move the piece of the skirt (something for the battery box) I cut off and glued to the tank up by about the same amount so some .06x.06 stip would be needed as well. I think I have some .06x.06 laying around though.
Garry, Thanks. Hopefully I’ll finish them by the end of the year. As for the light bulbs, some cars they are a pain. I remember the 2003 expedition my mom had, it was kinda tricky to replace lights too. All the plastic “dress up” pieces seem to get in the way on the newer cars. My car requires some contorionism to extract the bulb from the car. Removing it is easy, is just getting the buld out of the car itelf is tr
Work Front, Lets say it was pretty dull. Highlight was while we where bored and Eric stated they where going to get rid of Brad. “He calls in sick a lot”. I then asked if he need to see my Doctors Note, he said “NO, we are getting rid of you too”! I wish, well sort of. I priced a pair of brake pads for a car today, our cost $24.99. Computer marked it up to $75.00 and that is with out install labor?
Toe Front Got a good look at it today out side in the sunlight. Left side of it is Yellow and looks like a big Callus! That is what started this whole mess in the first places. I hope I see my Surgeon this week, she seems to have a brain! I hope! [:-^]
Ulrich Glad to see you back! What happened, heart attack?
For a short day I feel pretty beat up. Will see you all later.
Ken
PS Vincent JR and I are not the only Drag Racers here you know! [(-D]
True to my word I have just sat around and done nothing tonight. I am pretty much tuckered out for the day.
Checked the Electric Meter when I got home tonight. at sundown. It was 10 Kwh less than it was yesterday at that time. i also went down cellar and checked out the solar panel output for the day and found it had generated 18.74 Kwhs today… Since I wasn’t home there wasn’t much of anything running all day. With it being cold, the air conditioners are off as well. According to my calculations it has been up and producing power for 10 days. The meter is read the 26th. of each month (usually). It also looks like the next 3 days should have a reasonably good amount of sunshine and should at least break even on electric production. So… Last year in September I used 765 Kwh of electricity here. So far this September I have used 348 (and that is with only 10 days of saving from the panels…). (Grin, Grin) [:D]
Oh, I was going to tell you earlier that we almost had to bring out the 45 Tonner Beebee Station this morning to fill in for power. One of the student Engineers who is almost finished with his formal training hours was told to start up US Army 80 tonner #1654 for service. He got in the cab, did all the usual start up sequence, pushed the start button and it only went “click!” So he started checking it out and after 10 minutes of looking found the bolt on one of the cables connecting to 6 batteries (8 volt deep cycle marine batteries) was sheared off. The Vice President of the museum was up at the shop and looked around and found another bolt to repair it while I got a step ladder so they could reach the battery compartment to fix it (the sum total of my contribution except for making a lot of wisecracks about who broke the loco). After THAT the engineer pushed the start button and she cranked right o
