Woke?
Good Saturday morning. Time for breakfast, so I’ll have bacon, eggs, and coffee, please.
I had to go to the dermatologist to get more skin cancer places removed. Normally, it’s not an issue. But this time it was a little more involved, and today it really hurts. I’m just a big baby.
I’ve noticed some of our long-time diner patrons are MIA. I hope everything is OK.
This is a BNSF diesel shop:
It’s amazing how clean these places are compared to most of the roundhouses we see in photos. Maybe those old places were actually cleaner than the photos show.
Have a great day, everyone.
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Hello all. I hope everyone is well. We just returned from two weeks in Brazil, including five days in their Lencois Maranhenses National Park. What an amazing place. The freshwater lagoons were still full, and completely crystal clear. The weather was perfect for the entire trip. We spent four nights in a canvas tent in the middle of nowhere. Truly paradise.
Now hopefully I can get some more structures built for the layout.
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Good Saturday morning from the West side where it is 14c and will be sunny once the Sun comes up and will be for the foreseeable future.
Driving a train or working on B.C. Ferries would be a great job out West where the scenery is in a constant state of flux. I was always going somewhere with my job. I would often have to pick up secure Government documents off a jet at the airport and drive them up to Whistler to a Government Minister. The drive up and back was so spectacular it was hard to believe I was getting paid to do it.
Mike, that ash pit contraption is great. I love ash pits as they are all so different and the one you posted was a first for me. Thanks for posting it.
No they weren’t 
In my 36 years I saw huge changes in the neat and tidy departments as work safety advances were made. I must admit that walking into an industrial situation now is more preferable than in the past. I was in a BMW dealer in the service area recently and I thought I was in the sterile room at NASA.
Well it is light out, time for my scoot. It has been a Spring and Summer of me falling off on my exercise and the results are showing, I am not worried as things are starting to quiet down now with my son all moved in to his new house. I dropped a new Bosch dishwasher off on Thursday and was going to put it in along with a new set off kitchen taps but he said they were going to get some other work done so I was off the hook. The contractor will do it.
My son is a super brain like his mother and a really good athlete like his father, however, he has difficulty changing a lightbulb. I ask my wife how that happened as she can also reno a bathroom like nobodies business and has been known to change a water pump in her car,. She just tells me not to worry about it because people like him make so much money they can just hire people to change their lightbulbs. 
Runnin ahead of the storm. Could you ever get tired of working in such an environment?
All the best to all.
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Yeah. That’s the way I did it. I only have the MR box checked, saved changes, but I’m still getting all of the forums on my main page. Don’t know what to do.
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I get garden railway/classic toy trains on my main page. I have zero interest in either.
Secret is just to ignore it. You don’t have to click on those links.
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On my computer, I have my main page directed to open on the Model Railroader index. I only see the other forums on the menu to the left.
The phone is a different story, but I very seldom use it when reading the forums. Again, maybe someone who understands smart phones better than me may know how to direct what page opens when you log in.
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Today, we visited ‘Locomotion’ museum in Shildon, Co. Durham and attended the Model Railway Exhibition that was being hosted by the Shildon M.R. club.
‘Locomotion’ is alongside the original ‘Stockton and Darlington Railway’, on the former Wagon-works site.
Locomotion No.1 replica, is on working display - judging by the Steam pressure gauge.
The Exhibits and Stalls are set amongst the real-life exhibits of Locos and Stock and it does become rather cramped - often impossible to take a good photos.
Since this month’s theme is Engine Houses, etc. here are a couple of photos I managed of an O-scale Diorama, depicting a “British Railways Blue era”, TMD - ‘Traction Maintenance Depot’.
Unfortunately, I forgot to photo the Fuel-pad, at the far end.
When I was walking towards the museum entrance, Rocket was there, with a redundant BR ‘Pacer’ unit.
Here’s a last look at Locomotion No.1 - the Loco that helped start it all, outside Beamish museum Loco Shed.
Paul.
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I went to my first ever train show today, and what was there? A large LEGO layout, and several vendors selling lego stuff. I think you’re fine.
The first train show was a success! I avoided checking out the layouts until after I had found my goodies. Got some good deals on some rolling stock and a very good deal on some Walther’s switch machines. There was a big downer today though. All the rolling stock I bought had boxes, except for two tank cars, one of which was a beautifully done P2K kit. I wrapped them up with what I had and placed them on top of the other goodies in my bags. Driving on the highway home, a real winner of a driver suddenly dove two lanes to the left where the highway was splitting so he could go the other way. I still don’t know how I didn’t hit him as I was in the process of passing him at the time. Even with ABS, my tires were squealing and squawking and my bags of goodies quickly made their way from the seat, to the dash, to the floor. The Bachmann tank car just had two axles knocked out of one truck. The P2K tank car had several grab irons broken and the staff for the brake wheel bent. Most of it is repairable, but still. So frustrating. It was pristine.
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We’re all glad you weren’t hurt.
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Good morning, everyone.
Mike, thank goodness you had good reaction skills of the outcome could have been tragic.
Brent, I’m in the same boat as far as exercise. With my knee, I haven’t been walking as much, and I can tell it in my energy level. Weight stays the same, but I feel drained by afternoon.
Doc_Fowler, that sounds like an amazing trip to Brazil. Any good photos?
It’s time to a quick coffee and then out the door to church. Hopefully I’ll have time this afternoon to check in and see if we here from more diners.
The BNSF Northtown Locomotive Diesel Shop in Minneapolis:
More from the North Platte, Nebraska, UP yards and shop. The tower is open to the public for viewing the trains:
Have a great Sunday, everyone.
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Unfortunately, you can’t have anything nice in this world because of stupid people. One of the things my father always taught me growing up is assume every other driver on the road is stupid. They usually are. He spent 50 years working in a collision repair shop and I’ve worked in them off and on too. He was right.
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Another good practice is to drive defensively at all times.
Rich
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I actually sat behind the guy waiting to see if he needed to go the other direction (he had just come on the highway) until I figured it was going to be too late for him to make the split in the road. (He ended up running across a bit of paved median.) That’s when I went to pass him. I wasn’t blowing people’s doors off either. The speed limit was 70. I was doing 72 when he decided to make a break for it. Sure made life exciting (in a bad way) for a moment.
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Just glad that you are OK, Mike.
Rich
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Good morning from the just getting light out West Coast where it is 8c going to 20c in the sunshine.
Back when I was working for the Feds, they paid for endless driving courses for me for driving anything you might find on the road because of the sensitive things I had to move while working. It was a really fun part of the job out on the skid track going crazy.
At some point I was asked to sit in on accident investigation panels. We would not assign blame in an accident, however, we would determine whether an accident was preventable or not. We had some real doozies come through and I still shake my head thinking about them.
Some people on the road do not possess the intellect to operate any type of vehicle or any kind of equipment period, yet somehow they get their drivers license.
It is also known that too many professional driving instructors do not engage with their students but rather just sit there while the student drives around for an hour. I watched a show once where a hidden camera showed the instructor dozing off during the lesson. Good driver training is an investment that can save lives. Once your kids get their licence get them to a professional driving centre where they will learn the physics of driving.
Glad Mike dodged that bullet with only minor damage to the cargo.
Getting back into good shape shows in my heart rate and blood pressure. Two weeks ago my BP was averaging 118/75 and my resting HR was 50. After two weeks of increased time pounding through the forest my BP is back down to 108/63HR44. I tell all my friends and family that it is playing with trains that lowers my BP. They just give me that look afterwards. 
I need to lose 3 more pounds to be perfect but my wife said the six pack is starting to show once again. Everyone already has a six pack, no work required to show it off other than to remove the goo in front of it.
All the best to all.
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A HR of 44 is getting near pace maker range, if you were to talk to my doctor. My HR has always been naturally low and was recently 38 resting on the doctors table. He recommended I see a cardiologist. It’s normally in the low 50s so I haven’t bothered.
If it were me, I would bother.
Rich
Not if you are really fit.
Google heart rates of athletes, especially of the Tour De France cyclist.
After my last blood panel my Doctor said to me, “how is my 20 year old 68 year old”. 
At my age it is a good idea to monitor BP and HR a little more closely because of my exercise routine but the Doc says I have an incredibly strong heart. A low heart rate for an athlete means it is incredibly efficient.
Not bad for 68.
An average scoot. Beats BP meds, Cholesterol meds and/or diabetic issues.
I do this four times a week.
Four hours a week to be in excellent shape is not much of a investment in time, especially when one thinks about how much time is spent looking at screens.
My resting heart rate is in the low 50s after years of exercise. I get a checkup each year and the doctor seems happy. A year ago I had a stress test and the radiologist said everything was excellent.
Of course, I could fall over dead this afternoon. I’ve heard of marathon runners who are in great shape, run many marathons a year, and then die at age 40 of a heart attack.
ITM3579677 C16 CLASS LOCO No 615 IPSWICH ON TURNTABLE OUTSIDE IPSWICH W-SHOPS ROUNDHOUSE Dept No.QSA0219 X031 no 289 by Queensland State Archives, on Flickr
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