Good Grief, how do I catch up here?
Brent, thank for taking care of the Dinner that you always do. I’m sure you seen the 50 year Edmund Fitzgerald dive teams. That other captain that was running abroad of her that day, said she did go into shallow water and may have scraped the bottom rupturing the bottom carriage.
God I love Gordon Lightfoot!
We just got back from up north celebrating the holidays. I hope all you had as good of a holiday season as we did.
I’m still thinking it’s still Ed’s turn to play the Jukebox. If you need some help with that Ed, with all your cats, they do have the Stray Cats band that have many good tunes.
Always good to hear from you too Bear!
And my best wishes is Her Indoors is as Well as you are!
Chris it is a Mach One. I dressed her up with accessories that were available on purchase. She does look like a Boss, but I don’t plan on selling.
Okay, I’ll play the Jukebox then. Mr. Peter Frampton…
I have a sad but true Frampton story. It was a double header with Peter Frampton opening up for Journey sometime around the early 2,000’s. The show was at the large grandstand at a county fair and we got lost on the way to the show. We got there just in time to hear Frampton doing that song as the encore. We didn’t miss Journey, it turned out to be one of those once in a lifetime things.
As it turned out, our seats were front row center and I’ve always felt bad for Peter that he had to look out at this enormous crowd but THE best seats in the house remained empty until the last 2 minutes of his set. Anyways after the second song of Journey’s performance that day security released us all and we ended up leaning against the stage for the show. And, as it was unusual at the time, nobody stopped me from taking pictures of the concert which they usually would have. Although even with a pass the security Nazis wouldn’t let us backstage after the show so I could try to apologize to Peter for our tardiness.
Good very soggy morning from the Pacific Rim where it is 8c.
My wife was the Vet for the big wild animal shelter for years East of Vancouver. I remember she had a beaver wandering around the hospital for weeks like a pet cat. It had a chunk out of its tail that needed fixing up.
Another time I was ripping South on Hwy 99 in my RX7TurboII and spotted a large bald eagle in distress on the side of the road It had obviously been hit by a car. I pulled over and backed up and grabbed one of my Gor-tex rain jackets and approached it and remembering saying to it, “lucky for you I came along, I know just where to take you”. He was alert but calm, which is never a good sign. I put the jacket around him and did up the zipper and put him on the passenger seat where he sat like a well behaved dog.I took him right to the hospital and we x-rayed him and he was way past being able to being fixed, so we put him to sleep.
TF, good to see you drop in, don’t be a stranger. It has been like Romper-Room around here lately with all the childish behaviour, but as we have done in the past, we will get through it.
I was past exhausted yesterday and my body made me spend the day on the couch watching the Smithsonian channel. Other than hockey I am not a big TV watcher, the fact I did that spoke volumes. I will be back at it today. as there is a lot going on.
Top of the list is the furnace filter, with six Golden Retrievers it does a yeoman’s work. It keeps the house and more importantly the layout almost dust free.
The wife came home with a 10lb prime rib, so we will feast tonight. Had steak the last two nights as well. I better get out for my 10km scoot today or the lard will start making an appearance.
The world juniors are on this afternoon, so it will be a large pour of GlenLivet and some great hockey.
Now where is my Gor-tex?
CPR Angus Shops only built two of these Northerns and they both survive today.
Good evening, everyone. It’s a quiet Sunday evening before a busy week.
We just had the house to ourselves for a couple of days, but now we have some relatives passing through and they want to stay with us for several days. We are glad to see them, but we are not caught up on rest yet. Because we live where we do right off I-80, just about any relative traveling across the country has our house as a stopping place.
I haven’t touched the layout for a while, except for running some trains while the grandchildren were here. Maybe I can get back to some house-building next week.
Not sure of the date of this Union Pacific locomotive in Wyoming:
Gidday Chloe, a wee dram would not go amiss. Her-in Doors and myself had a pleasantly quite Christmas and Boxing Day, then it was back to the grind stone! A bit hard when most ffolkes have at least three weeks off to enjoy the summer sun!
Anyhow, hope you all had a good Christmas/Holiday and New Year.
Came across this video, (I would suggest turn down the music though) …
York1Johns UP 4-6-0 photo intrigued me, and as I felt I deserved a small break from official paperwork, I found the following on the Utah Rails. Net site…
Sorry I’ve been a scarce commodity. Holiday and family stuff keeping me busy lately. Took time off around the holidays, but it didn’t help alleviate my schedule much.
Went to a train show on Saturday that ended up being disappointing. Small venue, not many deals. Honestly saw a lot of junk for sale, which surprised me. I would guess that 1/4 or more of the rolling stock for my layout’s era were missing trucks, axles, doors, or hatches, had broken coupler pockets, etc. What wasn’t in need of repair had top dollar prices attached. Bought one semi trailer and a pack of Woodland Scenics pigs. Far from my haul from the last show.
I got an order in the mail last night that included some tractors I wanted to use for a flat car load. I was so excited. Then, as I scoured the layout, I realized I don’t have an empty flat car to put them on. Guess that means more trains on the way!
Hello everyone! Getting busy again after the holidays and testing the limits of my printer. Ended up printing 7 cent catenary poles last night, gonna try some containers today. also might go for some tanks and i’m working on a Schnabel Car i’m rescaling from G.
Good morning, diners. Small americano to-go please.
Today is supposed to be a rather nice day in Kansas before a cold front bringing some much needed rain comes in early tomorrow morning. Not sure how much of it I’ll be spending outside. I can say with certainty I’ll be running some of my trains this afternoon or evening - depends on how much work I have to do in the lab today.
Really looking forward to Thursday, as I’ll be attending a model railroad club meeting in Augusta. The business meeting part will most likely be boring, but there might be some time to run my equipment if I’m lucky! Plus, I’ll get to meet some new people.
Whoops! You could always put them in gondolas for the time being while you wait. Hope to see photos of the loaded flats when they arrive.
That’s unfortunate, but that’s how it goes with small train shows sometimes. Great deals one year, and a distinct lack the next.
Ah yes! I had forgotten those early daffs. Lived for some years on Vancouver Island, and now on the Right Coast in Nova Scotia. It eill be a while yet before we see sprouting bulbs. Hope you avoid a frost…
Was pleased with the look of the scratch-built station for my N30n line. Just a few more details such as flashings for the roof ridges, and it will be ready to install. I do have lighting to arange, I’m thinking just a single 12v bulb powered from the pack which controls the track (Tech II) That’s purpose of the hole in the floor.
Here in northeastern Ohio it seems we live inside a cold, wet cloud for 3 months a year (when it’s not snowing): overcast and dreary just about all the time.
It reminds me of the tourist in Ireland who, on a typically rainy evening went for a walk, and by the quay tried to strike up a conversation with a young person. “Tell me,” he said, “does it rain here every day?”
“How should I know?” was the reply. “I’m only 14.”
I found some decent deals at the Greenberg show in Monroeville back on Saturday. It helps that I mostly tend to buy older used stuff like Athearn and Roundhouse blue box cars. I know some of dealers I’ve seen in the past who sell brand new stuff weren’t there this time around but there was still plenty to buy for me. I wish I could find some smaller shows around me too but they’re few and far between anymore and it’s mostly large scale which since I’m in HO it doesn’t help me any. Also, the western PA model railroad scene is pretty clannish. You gotta know somebody since yinz were born otherwise you’re out in the cold. I’m one of the ones out in the cold.
Good morning, diners. I’ll have bacon, eggs, and coffee, Flo.
Spring is over and winter is back. The temps won’t be so bad, but rain, then snow today. I’m going to try to walk Cookie the Deaf Dog before it gets too bad.
I’ve lived in this town since 1991, and we’re still the newcomers here.
Our out-of-town company left yesterday and we are now back to normal - two old people with a dog. Kind of nice being alone again.
After WWI, my great-uncle worked in the Northern Pacific shops in Tacoma, Washington. Fun guy, and one of the reasons as kids that we took so many family trips to Washington. It’s also where before WWII, my mother, staying at her aunt’s house, met my father, stationed at Fort Lewis.
We did not get a flake of snow last year and so far this year it has not reached freezing once. I like to have at least one good dump of snow each year, could be another shutout in that department.
I have yet to get in the trainroom since before Christmas, my train loot from under the tree still sits in the boxes.
My layout is nineteen years old and the trackwork has been mostly flawless. When we got a gnu furnace ten or so years ago the furnace guy said that the HE furnaces tend to make the house a lot dryer and sure enough I got a couple of speed bumps in the track work a couple of months later from the wood drying out and shrinking. They were minor and the trains did run over them without derailing, however, it was when they went over the bumps that I noticed the bumps. All it took was cutting a gap in the rails of both bumps and the track went flat again, easy fix.
Now, all of a sudden I have a large 34"R curved giving me grief. I already ripped up a 4’ long section and replaced it and things were back to perfect. That lasted about two months and it popped again. Honestly, I think it is just 20 year old lumber having another old age moment and shrinking, kind of like me.
We had some good friends stay with us for a couple of days, they are ten years younger than us and obese. The medications they hauled out at the breakfast table was quite something. Blood pressure pills, cholesterol pills, medication for blood sugar issues, something for Gout. Watching that self inflicted gong show sure makes the decision to eat right and exercise easy. I am 69 this month and have never been on maintenance meds and can pound off 10kms in short order.
It was hoody temps on Monday for my scoot with the dogs, however, a jacket is required. Then it is train time!
This was the start of a 48cm dump three years ago. Fingers crossed, for some snowshoe action this year.
Good evening all and a Happy New Year.
My good lady wanted to see Strasbourg and Cologne which we did at the end of 2025.
New Year was with our very good friends we have known for nearly fifty years.
We visited Coriano Ridge War Cemetery, Italy. My father told me (a tiny bit) of the battle there. Some of his comrades are still Resting in Peace.
Guess that means more trains on the way! 
Honestly, I think it is just 20 year old lumber having another old age moment and shrinking, kind of like me. 
