Coffee Shop Part 10

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Morning, Everyone.

Corey, a early happy birthday. Don't buy switches! They will just sit there and stare back at you and remind you that you have no layout. I'd get some building kits. They will keep you occupied and busy for a long time. I built some of my structures before I had my layout and I did a much better job on them since there wasn't an urge to slap them together to fill up empty space on my layout.

Ray, I hope you get that electrical certificate tomorrow. It sure sounds like you've done enough work to earn it.

Tom, happy birthday to your son. How old is he now?

Carl, I still like to watch construction machinery at work too. I hope the weather cooperates so you can get your car back in the garage soon.

Paul, hard to believe it ever gets warm in Buffalo again after going through such a long winter.

Another beautiful day down here with sunny skies and 86 degrees at noon. No rain in sight for us until maybe the weekend. I'm really hoping we get a normal summer this year with no drought so all the work I've done on the yard this spring doesn't dry up and die like it has the last two summers.
 
Jim, I think you're right about the turnouts being a constant reminder of my armchair status! I have my center piece kit acquired already. I just can't decide if I'll build it as is or try to modify it to more closely resemble the prototype. I have zero kit bashing experience so I'm a little hesitant to try. I think I could pull it off with a purchase of a second kit and combining the two. Now I need to decide if I want to risk wasting eighty dollars to have the one and only prototypical building on my layout.
 
Corey, pick up a few cheap kits off e-bay. You can generally get some pretty decent Model Power kits for less than $10. Practice your kitbashing skills on these before you tackle a bigger project. You'll find kitbashing is not as daunting as it first appears but you can prictice on buildings that, if worse comes to worse, you can always find a place tem for on the back of the layout. :)
 


Evening everyone!

Today I checked out everything that has to work right for the layout inspection tomorrow. Cleaned the track, for some reason the 2-6-6-2 could barely pull the track cleaning car????? I took out the springs that push down the cleaning pad and it worked better. That loco has always been able to handle that.... then I checked out the turntable and it decided to not work more than it worked (one of those walthers 90' pieces of junk). So I decided to see how the freshly cleaned track and the 4-4-0 pulling a "milk run" train (one milk car and 2 85' heavyweight cars). That decided to derail in the tunnel that is a return loop. since the 4-4-0 and the milk car came out of the tunnel I climbed down to access the other 2 cars and managed to knock one of them off onto the floor ripping off several glued on details and a truck....

I also got a box from UPS with a brand new pricey Cordoba Classic Guitar in it. YEA!!!!! Unfortunately the box was sitting on my porch looking like this:

CordobaBoxw.png


I was not, I repeat, I WAS NOT A HAPPY CAMPER!!!

I opened the box and found that the damage was not important as it was the small end of the hardshell case the guitar was in and the case and guitar were not damaged. I also found that the electronics on the guitar have a built in tuner that actually works..... I didn't know about that when I ordered it. Looks and sounds beautiful, and is very responsive and smooth to play. Couple shots of the "new arrival".

CordobaClassic1w.png


CordobaClassic2w.png


So, the day wasn't a complete waste after all. Can't wait to see what isn't going to work right tomorrow........
 
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Good morning.

It's a pleasant 66 degrees under a partly cloudy sky. Expecting a high of 84 with partly cloudy conditions.

Today's Weather for:
Sundown, LA 71446-6114 4/23/2008

Wind Chill: 66°F
Humidity: 86%
Dew Point: 62°F

So Far Today
High: 70°F
Low: 64°F
Rain: 0.99"
Rain Rate: 0.00"/h
Gust: 25mph SE

Today High: 85 Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 80s. Light and variable winds becoming south around 10 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight Low: 62 Mostly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after midnight. Lows in the lower 60s. South winds around 10 mph in the evening becoming light and variable.
 
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Good morning folks

It was 57 F on its way to 76 F. Maybe spring has finally arrived around these parts.

No modeling last night. My son had baseball practice and my daughter had a softball game. Tonight is Cub Scout Pack Meeting.

I hope everybody has a good day.
 
Good Morning Bill , Jeffrey & Tom !! After ten striaght dry days we finally had some rain tpday . Don't know how much more but at least I got my patio Awning down. So now I can go outside and enjoy my morning cup of coffee and be dry ! But first have to get to the hos[ital for monthly blood work. At leat I get to see some pretty vampires . Well have to get going . Hope all have a real nice day !
 
Good morning folks. I discussed the options of building my station kit as is with my wife. She thought it would be a good idea to order another kit so I could build exactly what I want! Wouldn't you know, the kit is out of stock at Walthers. It's due in June with a price tag of $49.98. I could have bought the kit three months ago for $35. Oh well, at least her thinking about trains is coming around. Apparently, the fact that we don't have a failing business hanging over our heads has helped change the attitude about buying 'toys'. I almost forgot what it was like to have disposable income!

I hope everyone has a good day! Sunny and 72 here, not bad, not bad!
 


Good morning everyone.

Sunny and temps in the mid-40s now with highs to be in the 70s. Woohoo!!

Beautiful weather last night so I was able to get out for a 3 hour ride on the bike with some friends. All kinds of good fun. :D

No modeling last night though.
 
Morning, Everyone.

Howdy, Bill I always forget to say Hi to you.

Ray, isn't always the way? Your layout can run at 100% perfection until you have visitors or worse, an inspection for a certificate. All of a sudden, nothing will work right. I've read replyies from some modelers saying your layout should always run 100% perfectly and, if it doesn't, it your fault because you are an incompetent modeler. I always wonder what planet they come from. :) I was breaking in a new GP-7 and it had run for an hour with a 15 car train with a single problem. I called my wife down to see my new baby and sure, enough, everything went wrong. Engine started to derail at one switch and I had the train breaking in two at spots that have never given me trouble before. She wasn't impressed. Sure hope your inspection run goes better. Nice looking axe too, considering how bad the box looked.

Morning, Tom. sure looks like it's going to be a nice day up in PA.

Paul, I hope your day with the vampires goes OK and the results are good. Ten days without rain in upstate New York must be some kind of record.

Carl, sounds like the drifts are melting in Iowa and the crops must be going in.

Corey, having been self-employed, I know what you mean about disposable income, especially when it will be there next week. I'd still start with a few smaller buildings and make your mistakes with them than the expensive ones.

Sunny and beautiful again down here although we are going to need some rain soon. High yesterday was 91 and it looks like it should be about the same today. Hoping for some rain over the weekend but not enough to mess up the ig race at Talladega. They say 500,000 people are going to that race and I believe it with number of RV's I've seen going through town with NASCAR stickers plastered all over them. :D
 
Mornin' everyone!

Another nice warm day here in the Finger Lakes with some showers predicted later this afternoon.

Hopefully everything is in place for the layout inspection today and I just need to do some housekeeping (like running the vacuum, etc. Well, I always need to do some housework but usually don't....)

Have a great day! See you all later.
 
Evenin' all!

The layout was inspected today for the Electrical Certificate and passed with no problem. So at this point Harold Russell has signed the form and all the paperwork has been e-mailed to the Regional Achievement Program chair for his perusal and I hope approval. Just got an e-mail back fro him to the effect that all the files came through properly and he will look them over next week after the NFR Convention (This weekend).

So far so good. Just has to pass muster at the region and national.

I did learn one important thing though. Don't use a loco that hasn't been run lately and has given you trouble in the past as your demo loco for trackwork...... In section B of the requirements, you have to demonstrate that you have properly wired several different items (switches, crossovers, crossings, etc. I decided to to fire up my Bachmann Decapod that had the short in the internal wiring that drove me to almost give up the hobby a few months back!!! I had "fixed" the short (or so I thought) and had run the loco around the layout several times to make sure it was operating properly. Then I parked it in the roundhouse. That was about 3 months ago. Today, since it was in the roundhouse I fire it up to show that the turntable works properly and run through the crossing both ways after bringing it into the yard. I then run it up the main to show the crossover and the curved turnout I was using for the requirements. It gets just past the curved turnout and quits. The darned thing threw a short again.... After fooling with for a couple minutes I remember that this was the problem loco, take it off the track and replace it with a PK2 0-6-0 from the yard and continued down the track.... Embarrassing. Tonight I pulled it apart and sure enough the liquid insulation I painted on the offending wiring had been worn off from friction from the drive wheels. So this time I glued the wires down with Walthers Goo. After it set, I ran the darn thing with a load behind it for about an hour and it seems to be fine. I also found out that the width of this little thing is wider in curves than my 2-6-6-2s are and it was finding scenery too close to the track. It also catches the tender on the dock at some of my industries (all are at NMRA specs....) Interesting.
 
Good morning.

It's 69 and cloudy. Expecting a high of 84 and partly cloudy skies later today.

Today's Weather for:
Sundown, LA 71446 4/24/2008

Wind Chill: 70°F
Humidity: 88%
Dew Point: 66°F

So Far Today
High: 72°F
Low: 69°F
Rain: 0.00"
Rain Rate: 0.00"/h
Gust: 5mph NNE

Today High: 85 Partly sunny. Highs in the mid 80s. South winds 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight Low: 65 Mostly cloudy. Lows in the mid 60s. Southeast winds 10 to 15 mph.

P1010001-56.jpg
 
Good morning folks

It was a brisk 59 F as we headed out this morning. High today will be 79 F.

Notice I said we this morning. The kids are with me today as it is Bring Your Child to Work Day. In the morning they will tour the building and do a group activity. In the afternoon we’ll take them out to look at a wetlands creation site.

No modeling last night. We had Cub Scout Pack meeting.

I hope everybody has a good day.
 
Good Morning Bill , Jeffrey & Tom ! Another nice day here in Buffalo , Suppose to set a record for April around here . Ten days straight above 70 . Holy cow can you beat that a real tropical heat wave. Jim hope that big race goes off with sunshine . Gotta get going so hope all have a real nice day !!!!!!
 
Morning, Bill. Seems as if we have a breakfast buffet today. I don't know if Flo is going to go for that - it will probably cut into her tips. :)

Ray, I'm glad that all the paperwork is done for your certificate. You should have known better than run a locomotive that's given you ANY trouble in the past after our last discussion. Whatever failed last time has done so again and just at the wrong time. I could get a locomotive with 50 hours of runtime without a derailment and it would go flying right off the tracks if there was someone doing an inspection like you had.

Jeffery, that is the ugliest boxcar ever made. Not that it's you fault but that all-door concept looks more like a Pod on wheels than a proper freight car.

Tom, I hope the kids enjoy a day at work better than you usually do. If you were like me, you can say "See, kids, this is where daddy sits all day and types things into a computer than no one does or cares about." - project planning in a nutshell. :)

Paul, 10 straight days in April above 70 must be the sign of an impending blizzard. Don't put the snow blower away yet. :D

Up early today to take the oldest daughter to work. She starts college in a month and I guess we'll spend tomorrow looking for a car. She saved her $1000 for the down payment and I'll cosign a loan for her to help her build her credit. I'm paying for half her tuition and books but she has to work to pay the other half. I'm a great believer in teaching your children that nothing in this world comes free. I didn't start college until I was 25, with a wife, two kids, and working full time as a deputy in LA. Consequently, I'm pretty immune to either of the girls whining about what they think is "fair". :)

Another beautiful day here with a low of 60 and a high somewhere around 88. Looks like the front is slowing down so the bulk of any rain should be Sunday night with just some hit and miss thunderstorms during the day. The race should be able to go off without any weather problems. I did see a big black motorhome going through town this morning. No markings but I recognized it immediately as the FBI's hazardous material monitoring bus. We used to work the big races at Sears Point and that thing was always there. It can apparently sniff out radioactive, chemical, or biological contaminants. I never did get chance to see the inside because we common peon deputies weren't allowed back in the federal area. There was always the big black bus and an ATF van there along with some other federal vehicles that I still have no idea what they do. They take the terrorism thing seriously at big events like this. :eek:
 
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Morning all.

Raining here......again. :( Should get another inch or so today and more in the forecast for Friday too.

Jim - I am totally with you about teaching the kids that they have to earn their way through life. I started college when I was 26, worked 40-70 hours a week, took 12-16 credit hours per semester, and a had to foot the bill myself. I hated listening to all of the crying little brats whose parents paid for everything so that their kid did not have to work more than 10 hours per and they still never had time to get all of their work done. My gratification came when professors began asking me to explain time management to my fellow classmates. The look on their face was priceless when they heard my story. :D
 
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