It’s a sunny 60 now going into the 70s. A perfect day weather wise. I’m not getting into this union thing, had enough problems the last time I voiced MY OPINION here. Jim no family man could live on $8.70 an hour but as you know good paying jobs are hard to find. Many workers have to take management guff just to keep their jobs. No employee likes that kind of treatment. I’m going to enjoy this beautiful day…S.J.
Kev I’m not a union person either by choice. They claim they got us a big 2% more raise well I sat down and figured that there 2% at my pay rate was less than my union dues wold be. in-fact my union dues here would = about 3.5% of my pay. I needed there help one time and the little they did I could of and would of done the same so they were not really any help to me. They didn’t get anything reduced So there so called help defend you that I have seen was useless. I’ve seen others get dismissed with there help but reinstated once they got a lawyer involved.
I honestly agree that in today’s work place for the most part unions are worthless. back 20 years ago maybe but not today in-fact in my opinion unions are part of why this country is in the shape it is in as it has rose the cost of living so high because of these so called great pay increases back in the 60’ & 70’s and pension packages that these a lot of these companies went over seas to get away from them so it cost us jobs. It almost put GM,Dodge, and Ford out of business because of the pensions made back in the 70 now needing to be paid.
I have seen both sides of the union also as I was with a company that after I left informed it employees and the union 2 choices union goes or we close our doors and guess what employees saw the business side and said good bye to the union. They offered a reduced package the employees where happy with some of the bennies that went was double time after 7 pm on saturday and triple time on sunday it was reduced to regular time unless it was over 40 then you got time and a half. And for this type of business it makes sence as it would cripple and grocery store . Yes it was a grocery store.
Happy Hump Day CTTFans!
It’s 60F and Sunny heading for the seasonal mid 70’s today. As excepted, we broke the record high yesterday as we got into the low 90’s which is about 20 degrees above normal for this time of year.
Good morning. It’s 73° and partly cloudy. The high will be 92° and it’ll be partly cloudy.
Got an email from a trouble maker. He claims that the first F3B in my F unit trio was stolen from him. It took him many hours to put together from all new parts. That’s real funny considering I built it right here on the edge of my layout from a pile of parts from my junk box and a motor that I pulled out of another loco I picked up in a trade. Some of the parts are over thirty years old. He says he knows every piece in it yet he likely couldn’t even tell me what type of motor it has or what company made the trucks. This guy is so full of crap. I treated his email accordingly by feeding it to the monster at the bottom of the SPAM file.
No plans for today. I may run some trains later. Running the two big Atlas units (Trainmaster and U30EM645) is at the top of the motive power roster.
My biggest objection to unions is they all belong to, and believe in, the wrong political party. That my get me deleted.
Great weather day. Plan to bush hog and move the cows to a new field. Then pick the garden and grill on the deck. Life is good!
Pat
Okay end of rant.
how you all doing today. Doing fine here. plan on finally getting some stuff moved around here in the den. Playing with ideas for a temp layout seeing I have switches now lol using two tables one is a drop leaf the other wasa home made kitchen table which is like 54" x 48" .
Talk to you all later
Sunney 90 windy was real windy last night. I always have to sweep my driveway after the wind. A lot of leaves and debris.
California is wholly owned by the public employee unions.
Why is it so difficult to find things on Amazon site?
A 3 year old mountain lion wandered into downtown Santa Monica, yes this is very odd, a big city. They tried to tranquilize it but wound up shooting it. A crying shame it was a beautiful l anamal.
I found this on a Fiero site and wanted to print it but it was on a dark background with white lettering. So I hand wrote some of the cars most interesting to me. Of cars that at least 10,000 were produced within the last 40 years. If Hagerty insures less than 25 there Threatened. Less than 15 Endangered. Zero Extinct.
Threatened 75-80 Monza. 71-77 Toyota Celica. Endangered 84-85 Ford EXP turbo. 71-76 Mercury Capri. 79-81 Toyota Supra. Extinct 85-86 Chrysler Laser XE. 83-86 Isuza Impulse.
Lunch time:
Very busy morning. Those “Union Guys” wanted their trucks so they can get to work. I have nothing but praise for the guys that I supervise. They are Union, work hard, take pride in what they do and are very productive.
V8 Vega: Definition of Rare Car: Nobody wanted it then and nobody wants it now. [:-^]
AF53, Ray, notice 71-76 Mercury Capri is there. I wonder who had one of them? [:-^]
Brutus, WOW, I work with one of them also. When he screws up he tries to shift the blame. The manager has his number.
Dennis, Congrats on your son’s accomplishments.
Laz, Short timer, Almost. 191 for me.
Have a Great Day
John
Lunch break - nice day here. Breezy and headed to 92.
Hmmmmm…that might work…[#welcome]
Weather for next 5 days is low 90’s and very windy (20+). Rain has stopped so May has been drier than normal. All but 2 of the lakes are full so should make it through summer with the water restrictions. But my house might not make it.
Last HS event other than graduation ceremony is tonight [yeah]
Unions - I have also been on both sides - I think a union is only as good (or bad) as its leadership. Hey - that is true for everything! Note that a lot of white collar benefits at most large corporations with unions (and large non-union corps that compete against large corps with unions due to competition for employees) are due to the union annual negotiations. Over the years - Christmas and New Years when I started working was 1/2 day each for Christmas and New Year’s Eves and 1 day each for Christmas and New Years’s Day. Now the entire week between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day is a holiday due to the union negotiation carrying over to salaried employees. Same for improvements in health and retirement benefits.
Have a great day all!
Done with gravel for today we are up to over 73 tons laid. Lunch time.
Sorry to you guys I have got upset on the union, non-union issue. Like everything there is good and bad in all things. There are things about unions I don’t like as well. “Pat” I think my main point was well put by Roy.
JimProbe, I am sorry you have had a bad experience with a union but I am sure that many have had good stories as well. It is a good thing you got your cert. Things can only get better. You never know where life will lead you. Sometimes you just got to go with the flow.
Enough on this subject. I think I will move on. [:S]
DougM I think you will be fine with the middle son. I love the train pictures and the happiness in Ben. [:)]
RT Calm down buddy. [:-^]
Got the spark plugs replaced and the oil changed in the Dakota yesterday so I am off to get it a good wash job. I was surprised at how nice the old plugs looked with 101,000 K on them. [^o)]
Good morning all,
Starting on my prep day for the colonosopy tomorrow. Nothing but clear liquids today. First thing out of the gate this morning nothing for first two hours then I had a small glass of apple juice which irriatated my ulcer. I have some jello and broth for later. Hope I can handle that. Just hope the radiator flush I have to drink this afternoon doesn’t bother my stomach. I still think they are checking the wrong end of my G.I. System. My problem seems to be an upper G.I. one, not lower but I’m not the doctor.
Re unions, I have been on both sides as well. I had no choice when working for the railroads. Over all, my life is much better now than it would have been in a non union job. Don’t know how present day unions are but there are bound to be some abuses like anything else. All I know is that the railroads would have eaten us alive without a union. They are doing a pretty good job of it now even with a union. i.e. no cabooses, one or two man crews as opposed to four, remote controlled helper engines and remote controlled engines on yard jobs controlled by some dude wearing some kind of controlling device who does everything. Runs the engine, couples the cars, makes the air (couples all the air hoses) makes air test. Only thing is since no one is on the engine, he can’t tell if he is about to run over something or somebody. The latest thing I heard was that they just tore down the old tower in one of L.A.'s main yards where the yardmaster would controll the operations and could see the whole yard from the tower. Now they control it from another yard a few miles away with T.V. cameras mounted on high poles I guess. Last I heard they moved the yardmaster back to the yard and put him in a trailer. That’s progress!
Ray
Kev,
101K on plugs? You’re braver than me.[;)]
I was going to preorder a new MTH Turbine, but Brady’s had a 30-1149-1 Turbine with PS1 from 1999 on ebay. It is used, but looks great from the pictures. Need to go get it. Might upgrade to PS2 when $$ permits.
HMMM thought I replied to this once but don’t see it. [banghead]
Kev I could say the same about you yesterday. lol okay enough said lol
Afternoon all just taking it easy today.
been playing around with the trains some.
Not much else going on here talk to you all later
Probe when I took my truck in to the dealer they told me my truck was like 63,000 miles past due for major tune up ( there done every 100,000 now ) [:-^][(-D] I should of asked them to see the plugs hey they had 163,000 miles on themI think thats great the wires also where original
Howdy all! Busy, busy day - lots of meetings and lots of combing through code in between. Just saw a few minutes ago that UPS finally delivered my RMT goodies. Tracked them from Newark to Secaucus to Harrisburg to Richmond to Charlottesville to “Out For Delivery” at 6:04AM this morning. So I’ll get to see them when I get home, hopefully. They were delivered at my Maw-In-Law’s house, so Linda should have picked them up when she picked up the kids.
Finally getting back to the gym this week - did heavy legs and lower torso on Monday morning (got permission from the foot doc to start back on that), and chest and back this morning. Hopefully will get back Friday morning to do shoulders and arms. I hate when I fall off my workout schedule: starting back up is painful.
That’s it for me - hoping to run trains tonight with my co-engineers if Tyler is through with his project.
Oh, yeah, one last thing - will be going into Corey’s class next Friday, a week from tomorrow, to do a train setup and demonstration for his class. I set up while they’re at recess, then they come in, we run some trains, switch 'em around a bit, let them hold some of them to feel the weight, then they head off to Spanish class. Just set that up with the teacher - should be fun.
Good Evening
Well, we got lotsa sun…enough to get more tanned…more lobsterized by the looks of things…
and because of that am spending the rest of the day indoors running trains…
Got the vampire visit done for the CBC and the other stuff…and have appointment to start treatments next Friday… oh frabjious joy…
DJ: Have fun on that class!!
Roy you must of missed the part where I said the truck got less than 11 MPG [:O]
Guys,
If a gravel pit’s usage is a measurement for the economy. From what I see we are in deep do do. How can two guys and a ¾ ton pick up truck with a 6-ton gooseneck trailer be the only ones in the yard? Been that way all week. [^o)]
Something is wrong here. [:S]
Well the night before last I shot a coon right between the eyes out front. He dropped like a ton of bricks so I put the gun away and when I looked for him, WTH he was gone. I looked all over and could not find him but I knew I had a good clean kill shot. Well I found him today kind of rotten in the wood shed. [xx(] [+o(]
Have a good night all,
[zzz]
Hey, something that gets worse mpg than my van. I was feeling rather lonely. It gets about 11, maybe 13 with a good tailwind.
Jeffery, that is pulling the loaded trailer. Most times it is from 13 to 15 without the trailer.
Still NOT GOOD. [:|]
Mine is still carrying a pretty respectable of fire fighters gear. That stuff is plenty heavy. Most of it’s outdated and quite worn and not good for much besides training. I may hand it over to the fire dept in which case it’ll end up in a pile of unused stuff as they don’t really want it or I may relegate it to the burn pile and be done with it. The air charged extinguishers may still work. I’ll have to check them out. If not they’ll be turned in as defective and scrapped.