we have a HD a Lowes and a Menards, pop 21,000 ish. Not much going on Visited my Southern command this past weekend. on the way back stopped at the Goodwill bargain barn, found a full container of woodland scenics ballast. got it for 50cents. That is the first time I found MRR stuff at the bargain barn. For those who don’t know the bargain barn is all the stuff they did not sell at the regular goodwill dumped into large bins that you dig through. I have found tons of ebay resell stuff there. ( like 3k worth of stuff) I also scored a $3k trench coat for $7.50 there once. ( kept that one)
4 Likes
I have ‘survived the nurse’s visit’. She is recommending more visits per week.
At least I am still at home.
5 Likes
I’d say that is a win! Now you can retire to your train room instead of a hospital!
4 Likes
I couldn’t get the video to load before, so I’m going to try again:
4 Likes
Thanks for the deer video. Did you know deer eat holly? At any rate ours do here in Pictou, Nova Scotia. We have our holly bush covered in netting year round so as to have any hope of decorations come Christmas!
Not much consistent mmr time these days, but there has been some progress on the station for N30n section. Since it is at the front of the layout and more at eye-level I have added interior detail. The passengers enter via an elevator from the mainline level, and board the narrow gauge train through the opposite side. There are toilets, but not a great many other comforts. I may put in some vending machines…
5 Likes
Good Morning Diners. Janie, I know it’s early, but a butterscotch milkshake please. Some celebrating is in order.
First, my daughter’s freshman soccer season ended last night in a loss on penalty kicks. Bummer, but the other team deserved to win the game. They controlled most of the play. After her team got back to campus though, the coaches pulled my daughter aside for a quick chat. They want her to take over for the departing senior attacker next year, meaning my kiddo will be the centerpiece of their offense. So proud of her! 
Then, I had my appointment with the Orthopedic doc this morning. He doesn’t think the ER was right and believes I do not have a fracture in my elbow. He thinks the little piece of bone that showed up on the xray is old and said it is kind of in the wrong spot. He thinks everything I did was soft tissue damage, tear/strain to muscles, tendons, etc. I have a follow up with him in a couple weeks. Doesn’t explain my body’s reaction, as I’ve had worse injuries without the sweating and lightheadedness, but I’ll still take his diagnosis! (And I think he’s right. The pain is minimal) 
MIG-15 jet engine repurposed for snow removal!
Cheers everyone!
7 Likes
Good news, Mike.
Congratulations to your daughter.
2 Likes
Afternoon Diners, Flo please could I have just a mug of coffee, thankyou.
It has been a second day of rain, mist and heavy low clouds over here, but brightening-up for tomorrow and the weekend.
Hopefully tomorrow I’ll get out and help-out a bit in a 15" gauge Tourist line, that is now closed until the Santa Specials, ahead of Christmas.
I’ve just been spraying more Textured paint on my layout - to represent ballast, for the time being at least. Just need to give it 24 hours to dry and flatten-off.
I was listening to music on YouTube last evening and this popped-up. Lenham Heath is in Kent, England.
Snow Drift at Lenham Heath
We have been quite lucky with the mild Winters of recent years, I hope we don’t get a bad one like this, otherwise the UK just grinds to halt.
Paul.
1 Like
1963 was one I remember.
Visiting my aunt and uncle (who raised me when I was born) was an easy journey getting there. A picturesque small village of three streets, one shop and one public house. A journey I did nearly every weekend.
Upon arrival it began snowing. Snowing heavily. It was Friday evening, A cozy warm coal fire. A hearty dinner. Not a care in the world. Nearly midnight we looked outside and the snow was still falling. Thoughts of clearing the path in the morning.
Saturday the snow shone like falling diamonds in the hazy morning sunlight. As fast as we cleared the snow from the paths just as much fell from the sky and covered again. Journeys to the outside toilet were at a pace.
No buses made the trip to the village that Saturday. In fact nobody arrived from anywhere. A mini-shop at the local store was made. Fortunately it was well stocked with provisions.
The local public house was well patronised that evening.
Sunday was much the same as we were cut-off from the outside world.
Monday was no better. Nobody had their own telephone at that time.; the local telephone box was in constant use with people ringing their work informing of not attending. that day.
Tuesday it had stopped snowing and a bus arrived. I grabbed my holdall of clothes, said my goodbye and boarded it and headed to my home.
Happy memories.
4 Likes
Probably the craziest snow I remember is, funnily enough, this past January. I grew up in Oklahoma and while we saw snow, it usually wasn’t much (except for one Christmas back in 2008 or 2009 that we ended up in a ditch!). It snows much more consistently here in north Kansas than it ever did back in Stillwater. This past January, snowfall total records were broken; we received 15 inches where I lived and some areas received upwards of 20 inches in the course of 24 hours! That evening, I decided to take a look outside. The wind was howling, and not a soul was stirring. The parking lot of the mall I live next to was completely vacant. It was eerie how empty it was. This was apparently a “once in a Century” storm. Guess we’ll see how true that is given the La Nina that’s forming!
I will say the worst winter weather memory I have was the 2011 ice storm. THAT was bad.
3 Likes
Good morning, everyone.
Good news in the diner – both David and Mike with good reports from the docs!
I’ve just been reading through the latest Model Railroader, and I got stuck on the article on using Arduino to build a homemade DCC system. I just learned Arduino stuff about four years ago, so this article hit home. The problem is that at my age, the stuff I learned put me at the limit of my ability. I wish I had the materials and the article about twenty years ago! I would have been much more tempted to try something. Right now, I’m happy to turn on the NCE system, push a button, and watch a train move.
I’m finishing up a scratch build building for an odd-shaped section of the layout. At times like this, I really wish I had gone with HO instead of N. Making tiny parts of buildings is pushing me to the limits of my patience.
der5997, that’s a nice building and interior you’re working on. Be sure to let us see the finished project when it is finished!
I love the snow and cold weather. I’ve got a large supply of seasoned ash firewood ready to go. I’ve mentioned before that we have a regular fireplace. They are somewhat out of favor since they are not really energy efficient, but I love the smell and heat while the snow flies outside. The kids and grandkids all come for several days during Christmas, and they all demand the fireplace is going the entire time. The grandkids all get up early and sit by the fire while I cook breakfast and all the other adults sleep late. Good times!
When we moved to the prairie in the early 90s from New Orleans, the first time it snowed the storm hit about 1:00 a.m. My wife got my daughters out of bed and they were all running around in the dark street yelling. They had never seen snow before. I’m sure the neighbors thought some crazy southerners had moved in.
We see these machines every-so-often on our BNSF double track coal mainline through our town.
I need one of these to help my clumsy attempts at ballasting my layout track:
Have a good Hump Day.
8 Likes
Seems like it’s been a bit of a quiet Thursday. I don’t have much to report, either. Hope everyone is doing well!
6 Likes
It’s lunchtime. Chloe, I’ll have bacon, eggs, and coffee, since I didn’t get to eat earlier.
Retirement is great, but busy. I wake up in the morning with nothing to do, and by bedtime that night, I’m only half finished with everything.
My wife has been trying to eat only certain foods that don’t bother her. The problem is that the only foods she likes are also foods I don’t want. Since I cook a lot anyway, I have been making only foods I want. That means I’ve been trying some new things.
When we moved from New Orleans, we missed not only the great restaurants, but also grocery store foods that had local Louisiana foods (mainly the fresh seafood). I did order some Camellia Red Beans and I made our New Orleans version of Red Beans and Rice.
Speaking of New Orleans grocery stores, I read an article recently about some grocery stores that allowed people to buy and drink beer in the store. It reminded me of Schwegmann Brothers Giant Grocery Stores. They had a bar inside the store. I always was amazed that the bar had men sitting in there drinking while their wives did the grocery shopping! There were people who would get a beer and drink it while they walked the aisles shopping. I don’t think anyplace in Nebraska would stand for that.
Time to get to work on the railroad. Have a great day.
MOW Train by Bruce Fingerhood, on Flickr
7 Likes
Good evening Diners. I really fancy a glass of Scotch, but the Vampire Nurse is coming tomorrow. Got to have my blood looking okay.
A green tea please, Chloe.
Posted a parcel to Missouri at a cost of £29.55p. Last time it was £12.95p Tariffs were mentioned as the reason for the increase?
Younger granddaughter has asked to stay over the weekend.
2 Likes
Good morning, everyone. It’s a cool morning, but by Sunday our high will be in the 30s. Winter coming.
Nearly a disaster yesterday with layout work. I had just finished some painting and gluing of parts of the new building. Everything was sitting on the plastic cutting pad. Without seeing it, I had moved the pad so about an inch of it was over the edge of the desk. I stood up with my hand on the edge of the pad and … everything went flying. Luckily, nothing was broken. Even more strangely, no tiny parts were lost – I found every single piece.
Have a great Friday, everyone.
I used to see cars like this all the time when I lived near the UP mainline. At one time, there were dozens of these parked on sidings near the roundhouse. As a kid, I always dreamed of living in a train car like this. Then I found out the work these guys did. No thanks.
MP X131, X792, MOW Cars; November 1982 by San Diego Model Railroad Museum, on Flickr
7 Likes
1 Like
Well, you could have lived in a similar, but much better car, if you worked for Ringling Bros.! One of my former students played in the Ringling Bros. Band and did just that for a number of years.
6 Likes
Good afternoon Diners. A warm day at 15c.
Zoe. A large coffee on the go please.
A young Vampire Nurse ‘struck’ this morning. (They are all young to me these days - pretty too 
)
Younger granddaughter is visiting after school and staying the weekend.
3 Likes
Afternoon Diners. Janie, how about a nice Porterhouse, medium rare, and a pint of Guiness.
Spent the day doing what I could around the house. Elbow is feeling a bit better each day. Wednesday evening while I was cooking dinner, something almost fell off the counter, but I reached quickly with both hands to catch it and heard (and felt!) a couple snaps in that elbow. I think some things were out of place that snapped back in during that event. Unfortunately, the actual snapping of things back into place hurt something fierce, but only for a few moments. Immediately after I have full range of motion back without pain. I’m still trying to stay smart about what I do to prevent any setbacks.
Really? I find that hard to believe to be true. We pay for the tariffs here. In fact, my recent Rapido order had a line item for tariffs on the invoice. They are truly a tax on a country’s citizens for buying products made elsewhere.
Right. When I was in my mid 30’s I went in to get an xray of my knee. The gorgeous young xray tech had me strip down to my underwear and put on the stupid hospital gowns. Then she had me sit up on the xray table, stood between my knees, and asked “Now where does it hurt?” It took everything I had to remind myself I was married!
4 Likes
Inspirational quote: “Someone with half your IQ is making 10x as you because they aren’t smart enough to doubt themselves.” - writer and professional boxer Ed Latimore
3 Likes