I was in the neighborhood and saw we were on page 100 in volume 3, saw I figured what the heck, I'll open the new lounge.
Dave, can you please lock the old one and pin this one.
Thanks.
Good morning folks,
Curt, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast. Good luck with the new fridge purchase.
Larry, happy birthday to Ellie. Wishing you better sleep tonight.
Dve, good luck with the truck and wheelset choice.
Jim, thanks for sponsoring the forum and encouraging us to build something.
Ron, I'm looking forward to your continued build of the boxcars.
TomACL, glad you have a good time with family.
Karl, sounds mighty cold up there. Do you visit the northern compound in the winter?
Rick, safe travels today. That's some boring driving through the Texas panhandle and western Oklahoma.
Philip, what's on your bench?
What's on your agenda for the day?
It's a bright morning, warming to 61°F this afternoon. I'll be watching the Cowboys play their last game this afternoon. Tonight we are eating at our daughter's place and watching the Steelers (SIL's team).
Have fun,
mike
Several items as usual Mike.. ;D
Eyeballing the Big River Maru, which has been on the shelf 13 years. It needs all the steam stuff added to make motion! Such a thing of beauty!
Wow!! New diggs....thanks Rick.
New quarters, cool.
Dead a$$ Sunday here this, afternoon now. COld and clouds. 1/2" maybe of new snow.
The last football game today, for old times sake. LIONS at 4 on Fox.
Mike, we haven't been to UP the last two winters but could, if we can get in the road. We've not heard the conditions nor planned on going so far. My last trail cam from up there seemed like a bit of snow, more than usual for our area. 12-30-25
868032068525934-100-2-12312025234226-HD-SYFW4837.jpeg
Been making little detail parts today pallets, 2 sizes of crates, barrels and the facia of a storefront. Using up the last of a jug of printer goop to be technical... ;D
IMG_2989.jpeg
Dat be it fo' me...
Larry Happy Birthday to Ellie.
Good afternoon Crew from Wisconsin. Have not been outside yet but the ladies of the house have decided dinner is at Culver's!
The granddaughter is here till late afternoon tomorrow. The rest of her family are still doing hockey in Karl's UP. Finally after 3 ties they won another game 6-2 with the other team scoring 2x's in the last minute. The snow in Marquette per the daughter this morning is much greater on the ground than Calumet. She can't wait to get home. The team is 2-0-3 with the final game starting in a few minutes
Rick continue safe travels!
Mike, the Wisconsin Interstate is doing well and decided to spend some money. 3 ladders in the bottom of the gallon bags of Isopropyl Alcohol to strip the cars was an easy fix. I did a primer this morning as painting is not something I'm used to. Weathering and painting are so different and though my painter offered me a good price, I can do this.
TomO
Great stuff Karl! Looks like a perfect inside day! :o
A bit late but Happy Birthday, Ellie!
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is anything that doesn't need to be chilled. :-\
I didn't look but I think it's in the 50's with heavy fog heading to 80F today...so shorts weather again. Yesterday we delivered Lucas to his forever home, bought a new fridge and unloaded the freezer section of the fridge. What a mess. Since we got rid of all the 2 liter bottles we keep for ice during hurricanes I put frozen turkeys and ham to keep things slightly cool. No modeling
yesterday.
Today the delivery is scheduled for 9-1. Just before 9am we will unload the chilled section and not so patiently wait. I also have the normal Monday chores this morning. Oh, and son's car wouldn't start after work last night and needed a jump so that needs dealt with also-probably another jump. Wonder what the 3rd thing will be?
Rick safe travels. Driving cross country..Ugh!
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good Morning,
Curt I'll just grab a coffee this morning. Hope you get the new fridge on time and hopefully this one will last awhile. Sounds like you have your hands full atm.
Karl great looking 3D prints; you can save a tone of $$ making your own.
Thanks everyone for the B'day wished for Ellie.
What's on your plate today.
It's 18 with a high of 31; looks like rain tomorrow so I'll have to deal with the driveway later. Hope to do a thread update today as well after grocery shopping shortly. So that's my day ahead.
Have a great day!! Be well, stay warm, and travel safe.
Good morning everyone.
49 now, cloudy, windy and 72 later in IKC today.
I'm on the phone again and keeping it very brief because I want to get an early start today.
The goal is to get past Little Rock, AR.
Have a great day everyone.
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Curt and I see you have a very busy day. Of course, you know the fridge won't arrive until after 1PM.
I'm not doing anything today bench or layout related. I'm going to get caught up on my reading and chill.
Have a safe and happy day everyone.
Tom
Good morning folks,
Curt, thanks for opening, coffee, and the bagel. Hope the day has better luck in store.
Larry, I'm looking forward to your update.
Rick, safe travels.
TomACL, wishing you a relaxing day.
How goes the rest of the gang?
It's a hazy morning, warming to 63°F this afternoon. Last night was a fun evening watching football with our daughter and SIL. Work continues on the ladder. It's 48' long, and that's a lot of rungs. The outhouse is finished except for weathering. I have a haircut on tap this morning, which shouldn't take long.
Have fun,
mike
Quote from: friscomike on January 05, 2026, 08:45:59 AMI have a haircut on tap this morning, which shouldn't take long.
Yeah, barbers charge the same independent of how many actual hairs they have to cut!
dave
Blue sky and sun 8) brightening up the outlook here in Michigan this morning. LIONS won after a let down in the 4th quarter. Golf date for all thoses guys as they won't be moving along.
Projects for the day yet to be determined. It appears most of you are finding things to do today. Bench or layout? We'll see.
Enuf for me this morning.
Be Well!
KS
Morning Gang,Thanks for the coffee Curt.
It's been almost warm here. Spring like weather but I'm sure it is January?
Nothing but casting on my agenda for the day.
Later!
Good morning Curt, Larry, Rick, ACLTom, Mike, Dave, Karl, Philip and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt, hope the new fridge comes sooner rather than later.
Like Rick, I'm going to keep this short as it's the first day back to work. Current temperature is -15c (5f) and overcast. I didn't make it to the bench yesterday as the Mrs wanted a couple of other projects done. Not sure what tonight will bring, will have to see how I feel when I get home.
Have a great day everyone.
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
I mised yesterday we had company come early in the morning.
And then I just relaxed the whole day.
Still fighting this cold but getting better.
Haven't been to the bench in ove r a week so nothing to report.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Good afternoon from a mild Wisconsin day.
Back from 2.25 hours of cutting framing boards. Cut enough for the 7 frames being assembled today for the Wednesday session. Cut enough to do 2 more frames for Fridays work session. Many miscellaneous pieces cut for supports. Maybe 6 hours more cutting and the frames for the rest of the layout will all be cut.
My friend is meticulously accurate in his measurements and rounds off nothing and close enough doesn't exist in his frame building assembly world. A few months ago after a session at the saw that saw me realize he really wanted precision I made the effort to hit every line he had for cutting. Now he just hands me the cutting sheet. It's slower and you need to measure each and use a square for the line. But he'd do it and it's his layout so I follow his requests
Enjoy the day
Good morning everyone.
53 now and some clouds and some sun with a high of 69 in West Memphis today.
Coffee, sodas, OJ and hot chocolate are ready.
Basic two eggs any way you like, crispy bacon and/or sausage and home fries for breakfast today.
TomO, that's a lot of cutting and measuring.
Jerry, that's enough relaxing.
Back to the bench. ;) ;D
Ron, how'd you feel last night?
Philip, check with Jim about posting your URL here.
Karl, was it bench or layout?
Mike, that's a tall ladder I wouldn't want to be on.
ACLTom, hope you enjoyed your reading and chill.
Larry, rain today?
Curt, did they bring the fridge on time?
How's the rest of the crew?
Nothing exciting here except lots of driving that I'm not enjoying.
Trying to get as many miles in before getting tired so I can stop and rest.
Driving through Tennessee today.
Haven't done any hikes or taken any pictures in a while now, so no pictures again till that starts to happen.
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning All,
Rick thanks for opening and breakfast. Safe travels for you and Star. I bet neither of you like being cooped up all day.
Started out the day with a walk at 55F. Cold enough to bundle up but overly warm being bundled up by the end.
Yesterday the delivery folks showed up at 9:30 am ;D and we're gone by 10 so we now have an operating fridge.
Today I have some routine pool maintenance and I need to get chlorine. After that I should be able to finish up the kit. The display case for it arrived last night.
Not much else going on today.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Rick, continued safe travels. Good to see you back on the east coast.
Curt, I'm surprised the delivery was early, at least you got the fridge installed.
I had a nice day of relaxation yesterday. I read. napped, read an napped some more. Slept great last night.
Unfortunately, Pam has the chest cough again and sound nasty. I have an 8:20 Dr. app. for her this morning.
That's all from here.
Have a safe and healthy day everyone.
Tom
Good Morning,
Rick thanks for breakfast and coffee. Travel safely; pounding off the miles is never fun and tiring. The weather guessers said rain but the sun's coming up with clear skies.
Curt great news on the new fridge and hope it lasts a looooong time. Have fun at the bench.
Tom sounds like you had a great day yesterday. Hope Pam feels better soon.
What are the rest of you up to.
It's a clear 25 with a high of 37; calling for afternoon rain; hopefully that will help melt and settle some of the sn*w....I running out of places to put it. Making a trip to Wegmans this am for Ellie's Rx and some groceries. Maybe some bench time after that. Also need to start taking down the holiday decorations.
Have a great day!! Be well, stay warm, and travel safe.
Tom pls tell Pam I hope she feels better very soon.
Larry if you didn't put them up you wouldn't have to take them down. All we do is put up a table top tree.
Good morning Crew. Best wishes on everyone's health. I understand when the spouse or S/O is sick. Terry went through hell most of 2025 but has been doing tremendously better the last 3-4 months.
The cleansing rain over night has stopped. High today is mid 40's.
Some bench time today is expected around noon. Inspect, clean and fade some commission weathering. Hopefully done by dinner.
Safe travels Rick
Enjoy your day
TomO
Good morning Rick, Curt, ACLTom, Larry, TomO and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Rick, safe travels.
Curt, glad the fridge came early.
ACLTom, hope Pam feels better soon.
Larry, hope you make it to the bench.
TomO, have fun at the bench.
Current temperature is -9c (16f) and overcast, almost spring weather. ;D The drive home last night was fun, only took 2-3/4 hrs. :o Needless to say there was no modeling last light as after the stressful drive home I had no energy left. We shall see what tonight will bring.
Have a great day everyone.
Good morning folks,
Rick, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast. You must have had your hands full driving and making us breakfast... Safe travels.
Curt, congrats on the new fridge. Good luck mounting the kit.
TomACL, sending get-well-soon wishes to Pam.
Larry, good luck with the holiday take-down.
TomO, hope the bench time is for you.
Ron, the drive home doesn't sound like fun. Better luck out there today.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's a foggy morning, 65°F this afternoon. I finished the oil derrick yesterday. I don't think I'll mount it permanently on the layout until I finish the road and river next to it. The Mount Blue combine received some attention yesterday. I'm still perplexed about how to add weight to it.
Have fun,
mike
Right now it's cool (22) and sunny, but there's winter weather advisory for tonight & tomorrow for snow, sleet, wintry mix, etc.
I'm still pondering my next project. None of the current candidates would meet the requirements for the winter contest.
dave
Morning all,
Very dreary out this am.
Not sure what the day brings.
How many are participating in the 2026 Challenge?
Have a good en.
Philip
Hazy, drizzle with temp right @ freezing makes for poor outside conditions. Damp like this feels worse than single digits and sun.
Bench time yesterday, prepping diesel for paint and a couple more 3d runs.
Today, TRY to get to the paint shop, corner of the layout. I'm thinking of an America 250 paint scheme. Will need to make some decals for that and use the stars and stripes segments of a Montana Rail Link Veteran's diesel decal sheet I have. ::)
Best to all on sick call, word is a nasty flu is in our area so outside exposure is being limited. Not sure how the Doll is this morning, she's not up yet and it's going on 10:30, (she was breathing the last time I looked) ;) This damp stuff really fires up her achy joints.
Still thinking about the challenge, like to but not to the cost of progress, already slow, on the layout.
Have a good day all, with the West to East progression of the weather, LarryC, I'd imagine you might lose some of the snow in a few days.
Happy grey Tuesday all! ::)
KarlS
Morning everyone
Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Be safe traveling.
Curt glad you go the fridge in.
Tom hope Pam fels better today.
Larry & TomO have fun at the bench.
Ron hope the rive home tonight is a better one.
Mike looking forward to the final pitures.
Morning Dave.
Philip enjoy the day.
Weather in South Jersey cloudy/35.
My cold is getting better but still not not back to normal.
I'll take the outside decorations down today.
I have dust on my workbench!!!
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, OJ, and soda.
Starting out here at 60F and heavy fog. Yesterday was not a good day at the workbench. I dropped several small parts on the floor into the black hole. Even on my hands and knees with a flashlight was a waste of time. :-X After that I proceeded to bust the "beam" of the crane. At that point I had to leave the train room.
I was surprised yesterday when the mail came. There was a envelope from Brett with 5 or 6 3-D printed smoke stacks. I called him probably 7-8 weeks ago about a missing stack and he said he would mail it out in a couple of days. :o
Today is floors then hopefully the workbench time will go more smoothly than yesterday.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good Morning,
Curt as always thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Sorry to hear about your modeling woes; been there, done that. A couple of years ago while cleaning my bench, I placed a newly finished building on my chair. Not thinking I sat down and guess what....CRUNCH.
What's going on in your world.
It's 37 and that's it for the day with rain. Been hearing all kinds of rumbles with the sn*w and ice sliding off the metal roofs; sounds like a freight train coming through the house. Bench time today is a definite since yesterday it didn't happen.
Have a great day!!! Be well, travel safe, and keep warm.
Morning all,
Keeping it short today.
Pam tested negative for Covid and three strands of flu. She just has a bad head and chest cold with cough according to the doc. She gifted me the cough for good measure.
I'm going back to bed.
Have a healthy day everyone.
Tom
Good morning everyone.
Should be sunny and 61 in Bristol, TN.
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast and hope the bench time is much better today.
Only about 600 miles from the target now.
Traveling through VA. Today.
ACLTom, hope Pam and you feel better soon.
Have a great day everyone.
Rick...if you're traveling on I-81 you'll be passing by Wytheville, VA...that's where we spend much of the summer. In Bristol there is supposed to be a spectacular former train station
terry
Tom Ouch! I hope you and Pam feel better very soon.
Terry when are you coming back to town?
Rick safe travels. You seem to be making good progress driving cross country.
Good morning Curt, Larry, ACLTom, Rick, Terry and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt, sounds like a really bad day at the workbench, hope it goes better today.
Larry, have fun at the bench.
ACLTom, A triple whammy is not good, hope you both feel better soon.
Rick, you are almost there, safe travels.
Terry, have a great day.
Weather here is -3c (27f) and the white stuff is falling, it's supposed to fall all day. Because of the falling white stuff I'm working from home today. While I didn't accomplish any modeling last night I did spend some time on figuring out what I was going to do for the winter challenge.
Have a great day everyone.
Good morning folks,
Curt, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast. Getting down to look for dropped parts is how I get my exercise...
Larry, wishing you a great day at the bench.
TomACL, hope Pam and you get well soon. Pam's plague sounds rough.
Rick, safe travels.
Terry, howdy!
Ron, sounds like you have modeling weather.
Karl, the 3D printing looks great. Looks like you've mastered the process.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's a dense foggy morning forecast for 71°F later today. Yesterday I worked on the combine body and frame. The glue should be dry, so I hope to finish the roof today. Think I'll start work on the main street road on the layout.
Have fun,
mike
Bright sun and clear sky...maybe a 1/4 to 1/2 mile above this dense FOG, 100 yd vis if that. 45 shades less than a best seller... :o
The paint shop and loco prep crew remain in action today, unless, of course, something else raises up. Most of our snow has vaporized.
IMG_3074.jpeg
Bristol, TN/VA is one beautiful area. I used to go there a bit later in the year for NASCAR races. The scenery is spectacular in full SPRING regalia...Wytheville, VA is an area my cousin from Jacksonville, FL used to go on and on about where they RV'd in the summer. Travel safe
Tom. keep the cough under control, I've another Diet Pepsi for you if it'll help.
That's all I've got. Be well. Stay safe.
KSinMI
Good morning from foggy and gloomy So. Central Wisconsin. We will see low 40's today.
Went to the movies yesterday late afternoon. Marty Supreme, here's the theater's Synopsis: Marty Mauser, a young man with a dream no one respects, goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness. It starred Timothy Chalamet and because dad always said if you can't say nice things about something don't say anything at all. The Milk Duds were fresh and excellent, the free popcorn was good
Afterwards we hit up Jason's Deli a national but not too big a chain. We have not been there since the start of Covid. It's different as it's not fast service, it has a decent variety of really good sandwiches to choose from and the ice cream machine is free.
Yesterday prior to the movie I did inspect, clean and fade some commissioned rail cars. Today I will do the same for the 6 diesels that showed up yesterday. There's not a lot of commission work on the shelves but that was the idea when I started cutting back last year anyway.
I belong to 2 operations groups and have met guys at these sessions from across Wisconsin but also many other states. A guy I barely know from out of state texted last week me after I mentioned on my FB page I was having issues finding styrene structural pieces and some flat sheet. Asked me what I needed as he'd ask his group. Last night he texted he added 10% to what I needed and he'll bring it to an OPS Session he is coming to tomorrow night a few miles from me. Fearing the price I had to ask. Damn almost free! What a great group model railroaders can be
Be well
Badger TomO said:'What a great group model railroaders can be'
How true, we are in spite of ourselves. ;)
Good morning crew!
Looks like a grocery run today once the coffee kicks in!
Hoping you all under the weather get better!
I need a NWSL chopper....
Philip
Phillip...also consider an Ultimation Slicer..more $$$ than the chopper but more versatile (IMO)
terry
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Better luck at the bench today.
Larry have a nice day at the bench.
Rick drive with care!
Morning Terry.
Ron smart move to stay home if it's going to snow all day.
Mike be looking for an update.
Karl nice looking loco.
TomO sounds like you have some painting to do.
Philip don't spend all your money on groceries.
Weather in South Jersey is sunny/49.
My cold is just about gone thank God.
All the decorations are put away for the year.
We have a trip planned for the Mall Diane needs new slippers.
Maybe just maybe some time time at the bench later today.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, Publix cake donuts, OJ, and soda.
Started out the day with a walk at 59F. About halfway through the fog started rolling in. Yesterday was a mixed bag at the workbench. After about an hour I gave up on the supplied I-beam for the "beam". It was just too flimsy for my ham handed attempts. Instead I made it out of styrene I had, and left it to dry overnight. Fingers crossed.
Today with luck I will finish up the build. If I do, I'll do a last update in the build thread.
Tom and Pam I hope you are feeling better.
Jim good luck to your wife today.
Rick safe travels. You got to be getting close to NJ.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good morning everyone.
Hamilton, NJ weather: 36 now, partly cloudy and 50 later.
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
Hope the new beam works.
ACLTOM and Pam, hope you're feeling better.
I made it.
I'm in NJ.
Stopping at Walmart to get boxes to use for shipping my stuff back to AZ.
Then going to my friends house.
Have a great day everyone.
Morning Gents,
Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Hope the time @ the bench goes smoothly.
Rick glad to hear you made it to Jersey safely and hope the packing/shipping goes smoothly.
Tom hope you and Pam are feeling better.
Jerry get the cobwebs off the bench?
What are the rest of you up to.
It's 35 with a high of 40 here. The roofs are bare once again and the white crap is settling; calling for 50 this weekend....yippee. Took down the decorations yesterday so today the rest of the lights come down along with the tree then it's a done deal; I have RR projects to do.
Have a great day!! Be well, stay warm, and travel safely.
Rick, glad you arrived OK.
Hope Tom and Pam are feeling better.
I worked on a practice roof for my wood passenger car kit. That's going well, my plan is to finish that, and then use the custom-cut piece for the 'real roof'.
dave
Good morning folks,
Curt, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast. Good luck with the beam.
Rick, congrats on making it safely to NJ.
Larry, that's a chore taking down decorations. The bench time will be well deserved.
Dave, good luck with the roof.
TomACL, get wishes to Pam and you.
TomO, indeed!
How goes the rest of the crew?
It's another foggy morning forecast of 70°F this afternoon. Yesterday I was dead tired for some unknown reason, and I read instead of going upstairs. Maybe today.
Have fun,
mike
Good morning and wishes of better health to everyone in need.
Wisconsin weather is interesting. We are roughly 30 degrees warmer this week than what the pseasonal average says we should be. Right now it's 38f degrees heading to 48 and yes it is shorts weather for some.
I did my check list for the train room activities yesterday. I have 2 projects going on for a friend and when they get done, they get done. Some commission weathering has been worked on this week. Since I reduced the amount of weathering and just let my regulars know I'm still doing it the weathering has been pretty much stress free. I had some a couple clients that used to send 25 cars in for weathering. Those are what I cut down on, maximum is 10 at a time. It will be out within the 6 week lead time. My own stuff, yeah, it is there. I'm following a list but have been known to take a left when the notes say go right!
The wife mentioned something about getting away from this miserable damp weather. That means we might be going somewhere warm. I didn't pursue that discussion. If serious it will return without my prompting. I am very content staying home.
My 1st mandatory withdrawal from my 401k is tomorrow! Ridiculous they are making me take money out now! The feds will get the tax money eventually, what a F...ing joke
Rick, enjoy the packaging of whatever you are sending back to the daughter in Arizona. Be prepared for sticker shock at the post office or UPS.
Be well
TomO
Good morning Curt, Rick, Larry, Dave, Mike, TomO and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt, hope the new beam works and you get the build finished. Looking forward to the final update.
Rick, glad you made it back to NJ okay. So are you planing to retire in AZ, or will that be your new base of operation?
Larry, hope you get the rest of the decorations down so that you can get back to the railroad projects.
Dave, Good luck with the passenger car roof.
Mike, reading is good, maybe you will make it to the bench today.
TomO, sounds like you are getting your modeling goals in order.
Karl, that is a mighty fine looking locomotive you have there.
Current weather here is 1c (34f) and overcast. They are calling for a high of 6c (42f) and rain. Dur to the white stuff falling yesterday morning I ended up working from home. This gave me more time at the bench which I put to good use by constructing the ladders for the boxcars. If all goes well tonight, I'll cut them from there carriers and attach them to the boxcars. The end is in site. ;D
Have a great day everyone.
Morning Gang,
Yeah, I'm broke after the Kroger trip. Was $332.00 yesterday but we haven't been to the store for a month Jerry.
Thanks for the heads up Terry, forgot about that one.
Pondering the day ahead, glad to be in it!
Watched a bit of new tracks modeling and also see Rslaser sold and reopened with a new owner.
Old Shop (https://www.rslaserkits.com/)
New Shop (https://www.phoenixmodelbuildings.com/)
Philip
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Good luck with the beam.
Rick glad to hear you made it safely back here.
Looking forward to seeing you.
Larry good luck with talking the rest of the Xmas down.
Morning Dave.
Mike hope you make it upstairs today.
TomO most things the government does is a joke!!
Ron looking for the next update.
Philip I see you left some for the hobby!!! :)
Weather in South Jersey i sunny/49. Later on 54.
A few chores to do around the house than I think the day is mine.
Well maybe mine!!
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Early afternoon was sunny now still bright 8) in Michigan. Been at it early. Barbershop, ears lowered slightly and the PT were discussed discharge after next week. Much better, 60% better. I'll take it. See how the next 3 months go.
Took all day to decal one side of the C-415. The Circus City decals I used are for a Montana Rail Link Veterans SD70ace. The base material,is a bit tough and the red stripes seem to be on the verge of easy to crack. LOTS of decal solution, over and over... :o I had to cut each stripe out individually so there wasn't excess clear to try to fit over panel lines and door handles.
IMG_3077.jpeg
Back at it shortly. ::)
KS
Karl what a great job you did on that loco!!
Jerry
Great job Karl.
Wow Karl she looks great!
Thanks...started the other side this afternoon... :o It's going slowly with various interruptions due to incoming rain and schmutzy stuff.(re) Design as you go is slowly getting done too.
Karl, That is one heck of a decaling job, well done doesn't quite cut it as it is much better than that.
Good Morning,
The morning beverages are ready. Breakfast is western omelet w/ cheese on your choice of bagel. Sides of crispy bacon and/or pan sausages; bottle of hot sauce if you want a little zip.
Karl nice decaling job.
What's your plans for the day.
I'd a mild 44 with a high of fifty. Errands to run this am then maybe some bench time after. Need to order a couple of items from SW for the challenge. That's about it here.
Have a great day. Be well, stay warm, and travel safely.
Good morning everyone.
29 now, 54 later with clouds and a chance of rain late in the afternoon.
Larry, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
I hope everyone is feeling well and isn't ailing.
Spent to do yesterday relaxing.
I bought a pizza for dinner for my friends and I.
Played cards afterwards and I lost bad.
Going to do some packing and then have dinner with high school friends at a restaurant tonight.
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning All,
Thanks for opening and breakfast Larry. I hope you make it to the workbench today.
Started out here in the low 60's and headed to 80 today. Yesterday I finished the build and posted what I thought was the end of the thread but realized that I forgot 2 photos. I added them this morning. I'm having issues putting together the display case but I'll get it together. I already have the brackets mounted on the wall.
Today I have a haircut mid morning and need to dig out and prep 4 pet carriers for MOH and daughter tomorrow. There's a rescue event in the Tampa area. Jan and Feb the calendar for the rescue is very full. I guess they think nobody has a life. One of us has to attend every event because we have a vehicle big enough to haul the needed equipment like tents etc.
Tom I hope you and Pam are feeling better.
Rick are you leaving NJ soon? I had to Google your location in NJ since I have only been in the state once in the late 70's, and that's a story for another time.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Larry. I'll add fresh squeezed OJ to the table.
Pam and I are doing much better now. As they say, "Better living through pharmaceuticals." I can honestly say I'm now on drugs. 8)
Bill is home now and recovering very well. Still a long road of rehab. He sounded great yesterday and was at his desk.
That's it for me. Not sure when I'll get back to the Doc Koontz build.
Have a safe and healthy day everyone.
Tom
Good news from Tom all around!
It's cloudy and pretty much seasonal temps. It should get above freezing again today before some rain starts, maybe I can scrape ice off the driveway. After the cleaners are gone, I should get downstairs to do some work on the passenger car practice roof, and also the 'farm bridge over the tracks' Those are a couple small projects after the marathon of the machine shop.
dave
Morning all, Great news about the Judge recovery. Good luck on the church Tom!
Empty house as Gena slipped out early to the dentist with our Son. Root Canal..
So I'm the King for a moment ;D The cat just walked in crying, so much for that King stuff.
Have a great day!
Philip
p.s. Someone need to unpin the old lounge?
Good morning,
Larry, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
Rick, the reunion with friends sounds nice.
Curt, good luck with the display case.
TomACL, glad you are feeling better.
Dave, the small project list grows when we work on the marathon projects.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's another hazy morning, rain later, and a forecast of 71°F this afternoon.
I plan to continue working on the combine today.
Have fun,
mike
Good morning from a really weather confused Wisconsin. High today might be 40. Yesterday it was 56f degrees. Rain started around 2pm and continued into the overnight.
I have not ordered my paints yet and need to! I have 1 go to place that is great pricing except for shipping. I need to get to around $150 and then shipping when amortized over the order is reasonable. But here and the other 2 places I buy from just do not my full order so I have been holding off. Our trip east to Racine Wi on the western shores of the Great Lake called Michigan next week will have a Hiawatha Hobby stop on the way down. Because Terry has stuff to do in the Chicago area we will also stop at DesPlaines Hobby and Lombard Hobbies on the way out of the city. My LHS refuses to carry Vallejo but doesn't carry enough of Mission Models for me to start switching over. The other (70 miles) LHS is Hiawatha and the Vallejo and Tamiya racks are short colors I need. The grandson has hockey in Green Bay next week and the Son-in-law said they can stop at Enginehouse Services there if needed. So I will figure my order and place them at the stores for pickup. I generally buy 3-4 times a year but based on my self imposed slow down maybe twice this year for the big orders.
Enjoy your day
TomO
Good morning Larry, Rick, Curt, ACLTom, Dave, Philip, Mike, TomO and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Larry, have fun at the bench.
Rick, enjoy dinner tonight with your friends.
Curt, sounds like you have a busy day planned.
ACLTom, glad you and Pam are feeling better, great news about the judge.
Dave, enjoy your time at the bench.
Philip, enjoy the quiet time while it last.
Mike, have fun working on the combine.
TomO, Good luck with the paint orders and you get everything you need.
Current weather is 3c (38f) and rain. Made it to the bench last night and installed the ladders on to the boxcars, I'll post an update later this morning. I'm getting near the end of the build as there are only small details to be added.
Have a great day everyone.
Philip said: "Gena slipped out early to the dentist with our Son. Root Canal..
Kid must get kidded a lot... :o
I spent much of the day doing the other side of the C-415. It turned out ok, modified my decal process, added a generous soak of Red to the Blue decal solutions, the decals softened a bit easier over the door handles and such. Still was tedious and time consuming. Will do follow up coats of clear gloss/flat as well as probably re-do the cab. The one side cab number got wrecked, Microscale soooo...much thinner and I really have a Just one little touch thing where 99% correct, no one would ever notice, still makes me poke and ruin the :-X thing...for some reason the paint was soft under it and now I have to sand and repaint half the cab... :'(
Wet, wind, temp at midnight was 510 and now, 1000hrs it's 440 and falling, the icon in the hour by hour is schizoid...shows clouds, rain, snow and high wind, then a tiny peeeeking sun late in the day just as the sun sets and we won't see it.. Another joyous day. ;D
Back to the battle, be well all.
TomO have you looked at Hobby Lobby for Vallejo? Our local store used to have lots but is cutting back on paint and REAL hobby supplies like we'd want, just more chinese pseudo farmhouse stuff any real farm family wouldn't put in the pig pen. They also appear to have dropped out of quality airbrush sales, I bought my Iwata there, when they had sales. LHS in GRapids said they quit selling airbrushes because cheap skates like me were waiting for the HL sales and getting them for 50-60% off. Guilty...of course Hobby Lobby doesn't do blanket %off sales like they once did. The store in GR has lots of different paints in the Vallejo style dropper bottle, but it's a 125 round trip. Maybe end of year tactic but I looked for strip wood at HL last week and they're supply isway down :-\ :'(
Enuf dribble from me, be well all, enjoy the day.
BTW good to hear the Judge is home. Our friend in FL that was hit by the car is reaaally slow in recovery, dizziness.
The Doll is fixin' oatmeal for me...better go, my ribs need something sticky...LOL
KSinGREY
Morning everyone
Larry thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Have fun at the bench.
Rick have a nice day and tonight with friends for dinner.
Curt good luck with the case.
Tom glad you and Pma are feeling better.
Dave have fun at the bench.
Philip keep the crown as long as possible.
Tom I hope you get all the paint orders today.
Ron I'll look for the update.
Weather in South Jersey P. sunny/48. Later on 53.
The cold is just about gone. Thank God.
After I see what is going on with the little lady...
Maybe some dusting of the bench!!
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
For all you machine shop affectionados; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BckZ4i1BzF0
Quote from: KentuckySouthern on January 09, 2026, 10:25:56 AMPhilip said: "Gena slipped out early to the dentist with our Son. Root Canal..
Kid must get kidded a lot... :o
I spent much of the day doing the other side of the C-415. It turned out ok, modified my decal process, added a generous soak of Red to the Blue decal solutions, the decals softened a bit easier over the door handles and such. Still was tedious and time consuming. Will do follow up coats of clear gloss/flat as well as probably re-do the cab. The one side cab number got wrecked, Microscale soooo...much thinner and I really have a Just one little touch thing where 99% correct, no one would ever notice, still makes me poke and ruin the :-X thing...for some reason the paint was soft under it and now I have to sand and repaint half the cab... :'(
Wet, wind, temp at midnight was 510 and now, 1000hrs it's 440 and falling, the icon in the hour by hour is schizoid...shows clouds, rain, snow and high wind, then a tiny peeeeking sun late in the day just as the sun sets and we won't see it.. Another joyous day. ;D
Back to the battle, be well all.
TomO have you looked at Hobby Lobby for Vallejo? Our local store used to have lots but is cutting back on paint and REAL hobby supplies like we'd want, just more chinese pseudo farmhouse stuff any real farm family wouldn't put in the pig pen. They also appear to have dropped out of quality airbrush sales, I bought my Iwata there, when they had sales. LHS in GRapids said they quit selling airbrushes because cheap skates like me were waiting for the HL sales and getting them for 50-60% off. Guilty...of course Hobby Lobby doesn't do blanket %off sales like they once did. The store in GR has lots of different paints in the Vallejo style dropper bottle, but it's a 125 round trip. Maybe end of year tactic but I looked for strip wood at HL last week and they're supply isway down :-\ :'(
Enuf dribble from me, be well all, enjoy the day.
BTW good to hear the Judge is home. Our friend in FL that was hit by the car is reaaally slow in recovery, dizziness.
The Doll is fixin' oatmeal for me...better go, my ribs need something sticky...LOL
KSinGREY
I haven't been to Hobby Lobby since we purchased and returned a big 3' diameter clock there 3 times in 1 day a few years ago or right before they discontinued the coupons. I now forget about them. They are close to Barnes and Noble and while Terry is there this afternoon I can check HL out. Thanks
TomO
Quote from: KentuckySouthern on January 09, 2026, 11:23:44 AMFor all you machine shop affectionados; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BckZ4i1BzF0
Very interesting to me, because it's a machine shop focused on the oil industry, at least in the beginning.
But watching the young'un running a lathe without any safety glasses bothered me!
dave
Very interesting Dave. Thanks for posting.
Jerry
Quote from: Jerry on January 09, 2026, 12:24:10 PMVery interesting Dave. Thanks for posting.
Jerry
Karl's link, not mine.
dave
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, OJ, and soda.
Started out the day with a walk at 63F. MOH leaves in a bit for the skunk rescue event. Daughter isn't going because she was exposed to Covid yesterday from one of her students. The only thing I accomplished at the workbench yesterday was starting to put things away.
Today I hope to finish assembling the display case and get it on the wall and finish cleaning up the workbench.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Curt. I'll just have some OJ for now.
I did get a little done on the Koontz build and will post an update later. Trying to decide if I want to enter the build challenge.
Pam and I are feeling much better this morning. Hopefully I'll get more bench time in today.
Have a safe and healthy day everyone.
Tom
Tom I'm glad you and Pam are feeling better.
Quote from: PRR Modeler on January 10, 2026, 07:01:47 AMTom I'm glad you and Pam are feeling better.
Thanks Butty!
Good Morning,
Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Hope all goes well at the event and at the bench.
Tom glad you and Pam are feeling better. As of yesterday there's only 3 of us doing the challenge so ya hop right in with something.
What's on your agenda today?
It's 36 with a high of 39 here. An early morning errand then I have one more rafter to build for the Challenge. If the lumber shows today then I'll keep going but if not I'll jump back on the Shop until it does.
Have a great day!! Be well, safe travels, and keep warm.
Larry I expect to join in also.
Good morning! Just coffee today.Thanks Curt!
Alright Tom and Pam, glad your both better.
I'm pondering the challenge, not sure yet. I need more scale real estate first.
Philip
Good Morning;
Curt thanks for breakfast, I'll put another pot of coffee on the stove, it was a long night yesterday. The Boss had her knee revision two days ago. She had it replaced the first time a year ago but the doctor had goofed the job. So after a year of pain and denial of anything wrong from the original doctor, a ortho specialist who is an expert at these revisions redid the knee in Gainesville. Doctors never throw stones at each other but this one did say he was disappointed at the quality of work displayed, nothing had attached and she was essentially walking on a broken leg. But it is fixed now so once she rests for a couple of days, rehab and recovery, as I am a lousy cook I can't wait! I got her home yesterday, she had issues with anesthesia so was a little sick to stomach yesterday but good this morning.
Today I will be cleaning house, taking care of my better half and perhaps doing some work on the bridge project. A nap is also in my future!
Jimdownload-1.jpg
Good morning folks,
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Good luck with the display case.
TomACL, good to hear you guys feel better.
Larry, good luck with the challenge build.
Philip, good luck with the scale real estate.
Jim, glad your wife's knee is on the road to recovery.
How is the rest of the gang?
It's a rainy morning, warming to 70°F this afternoon. The combine is coming along.
Have fun,
mike
Good morning.
It will be 51 and rainy here in Hamilton.
Going out for breakfast in a few.
Dinner last night was good.
Have a great day everyone.
Lots of youse guys got up early today! Nice to see all'a y'all!
Some record warm and wet here the last 24-36 hours will be replaced by 100% of accumulating snow and probably sloppy weather...just in time to go out this afternoon for grand daughter's birthday, delayed from the 7th due to folks that still have day jobs. ::)
Bench time, 3d time and paint booth time yesterday kept me at it. The diesel project is moving along at a snail's pace. UNDECORATED does not, for Bowser/English, mean all the itty bitties are lose, in a bag or easy if possible to get out of the way so one can then UN-Undecorate their model add in some paint and decal performance issues... >:( tends toward :'( Thought about a strip and restart but all the lights and such are in the shell and too complicated to remove without damage so I'm making a compromise or two but will be the only one that sees them, I hope. Not going to be ready for Monday's OPS.
Speaking of OPS, at the last session one of our guys is the shop manager, motive power, for the Ann Arbor, Michigan Interstate, now Great Lake Central out of Owosso. He says he is down to one active GP35 and new owner, one of the short line groups, is bringing in some SD-60s and starting to run more "modern" power and hiring folks if anyone wants to railroad in Michigan.
All I got today, best to all. Best, Jim, to your lady, hoping recovery goes well.
KSinMI
Jim so glad to hear your better half redo went well; couldn't even imagine trying to get through life with an essentially broken leg. That's one tough Lady.
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.Tom glad you and Pam are feeling better.
Larry its good to have choices.
Go for it Philip.
Jim glad the wife is feeling better. Good luck with her new knee.
Mike have a nice day.
Rick glad your enjoying the time here.
Karl thanks for that link yesterday.
Weather in South Jersey cloudy/45. Rain is on the way.
Today is Diane's birthday!!
One of the grandkids is coming down for the weekend.
Everyone have a wonderful day!! :)
Jerry
Good morning Curt, ACLTom, Larry, Philip, Jim, Mike, Rick, Karl, Jerry and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt, hope you join the challenge, I love seeing your work.
ACLTom, glad you and Pam are feeling better. Looking forward to your update.
Larry, hope your wood arrives today.
Philip, have a great day.
Jim, glad to hear your wife's knee is finally fixed, going through a year a pain like that is criminal.
Mike, your combine is looking great.
Rick, enjoy breakfast and your day.
Karl, sounds like you have a good handle in the locomotive.
Jerry, Wish Diane a happy Birthday for me.
After yesterday's thaw, everything is is now. :o Current temperature is -1c (30f) and overcast. Little late checking in today as I had to drop Gracie off at the groomer. She will look like a different dog when I pick her up. Did some more work on the boxcars yesterday, but it is getting harder to finish them as I'm currently excited about the winter challenge. I think I suffer from "squirrel" syndrome. The problem is that when I jump from one project to the next the forgotten projects sit on the shelf for years. I'm determined not to do that this time.
Have a great day everyone.
When my dogs get back from the groomers, they look different. Livia changes color from 'dishwater' to 'white'. But more importantly, with fluffy clean hair, they look like stuffed toys (with attitude!)
I'm back from the store, down to the train room in a bit. I'm working on 'farm bridge over the tracks', a quick project.
dave
Ron said: "suffer from "squirrel" syndrome. The problem is that when I jump from one project to the next the forgotten projects sit on the shelf for years"
I confess to that, but I call it being a 90%er, get 90% done and life intrudes and removes all the spark for -insert project- and replaces it with complacency. My house and layout are both full of 90% stuff. :-\
Jim great news about your wife.
Jerry Happy Birthday To Diane.
Good Morning All,
Breakfast today is coffee, cereal, bagels, freshly made banana nut muffins, yogurt, OJ, and milk.
Starting out here at 62F. By Friday the lows will be in the low 30's. Yuck. Yesterday I finally got the display case together and mounted after much colorful language.:( MOH made it home around 5 pm.
Today besides chores and the honey-do's, I think we are taking down the subdivision Christmas crap at the front entrance. That only takes about an hour.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good morning everyone.
42 now, some clouds and 45 later here in NJ.
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
Meeting a RR friend for lunch and then getting two boxes of my stuff out of his garage.
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning,
Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Hope the un-decorating goes quick.Glad you were able to get the case together despite the colorful adjectives.
Rick enjoy your lunch with your friend.
Jerry Happy belated Birthday to Diane.
What's the rest of you doing.
It's 32 with a high of 36 here. Daughter and a friend went to Buffalo, NY to watch a NHL Sabers game yesterday; hope they won. Some bench time in the forecast working on Hank's while I wait for my lumber delivery; hopefully tomorrow. That's about it from here.
Hope everyone has a great day ahead!!! Be well and keep warm.
Good morning Curt, Rick, Larry and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt, now that you got the case built and the model put away, any idea what the next project will be?
Rick, enjoy lunch with your RR friend.
Larry, have fun at the bench.
Current weather here is -2c (29f) with white stuff in the forecast. Worked some more on the boxcars, they are getting closer to the end. The goal is to get the assembly completed today.
Have a great day everyone.
Good morning folks,
Curt, thanks for opening, the coffee and breakfast. Congratulations on the display case assembly.
Rick, enjoy lunch.
Larry, hope you enjoy the bench. Where do you purchase your lumber?
How is the rest of the crew?
It's a bright but cooler morning. High today forecast for 58°F. Still working on the combine.
Have fun,
mike
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Curt.
We are feeling much better although we both still have the cough. IO made a short grocery run this morning and now feel exhausted. I'm headed back to the bed.
Hopefully some bench time later.
Have a safe and healthy day everyone.
Tom
Ron keep the white stuff up North. Hope you finish up the boxcars so you can get going on the Challenge.
Mike I get my wood from Northeastern Lumber. They're in Mass. so I usually get it in about 3 days from when it's ordered.
Tom glad you guys are feeling better but don't overdue; enjoy your nap.
Feel better Tom and Pam.
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Leave the decorations up then you won't be bothered next year!! ;D
Rick have a nice lunch with your friend.
Larry great job on that last engine!!
Looking for the update Ron.
Mike how's the combine doing?
Tom glad you and Pam are feeling better.
Weather in South Jersey cloudy/43. RF 36.
Diane thanks you all for the B-Wishes.
I started to frame a building yesterday so at least I got a couple of hours in at the bench.
Everyone have a wonderful day!! :)
Jerry
1-2" of new snow and 290of new cold in Michigan.
Dinner out was decent, we went to the much maligned Cracker Barrel and found their food to be decent, middle of the road and revised and rearranged menu a bit consternating ??? But, the food we ordered was good, warm and the waiter kept all 6 of us with the correct items.
I worked on a couple tinkery projects yesterday and will be close by the bench much of today. No plans to leave, not enough snow to roll the rigs... :o
10 am seemed to get here awfully early today. :-*
Be well all, stay well.
KSinMittens :D
Good morning everyone.
It's 30 now, sunny and 41 later in Kendall Park.
Coffee, sodas, OJ and hot chocolate are available.
It's cold so a steaming hot bowl of oatmeal sounds good this morning.
There are walnuts, chopped almonds and some fresh fruits out to mix in if you like.
Karl, tinkery projects still on going?
Jerry, I'll see you later and a very belated Happy Birthday to Diane.
ACLTom, I had that cough linger for a couple of weeks.
Hope you can shake it soon.
Mike, combine is looking very good.
Ron, keep having fun with the boxcars.
Larry, hope your lumber shows up today.
Curt, have you ordered a new kit from Brett?
Dave, bridge done?
TomO, what are you up to?
Jim, James and everyone else looking in, hope you are all well.
I finally plugged the Starling and have the laptop on so I can make a longer post.
Lunch yesterday was very good.
Today I'm meeting with Diane and Jerry for lunch.
The van is full of train stuff and don't have much room for anything else.
I'll head back to Hamilton tomorrow to my friends house and start packing this stuff up and shipping it out.
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning All,
Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. Enjoy your lunch with Jerry and Diane. I hope you don't need a bank loan to pay for the shipping.
Started out the day with a walk at a feel like temp of 46F. The wind was brutal. Yesterday was spent on honey-do's, taking down the HOA things, and errands to Harbor Freight and Aldi.
One of our water pipes has started making noises when water is used so the contractor is coming today to try to figure it out. The noise started about 2 weeks ago.
I've decided that my next build will be the SW Blue Sky Freight House. I believe it was Brett's first kit.
Tomorrow Dad has a VA appointment so I'll get a flu shot. I tried getting one before the holidays but the rash prevented it (immune system issues).
That's all I have today.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good Morning,
Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Hope the shipping from Jersey to AZ. doesn't put too much of a dent in your wallet; it ain't cheap anymore. Say hi to Jerry and Diane for me.
Curt sounds like you had a busy day yesterday. Hope the water pipes aren't a big issue. I've seen photos of the Blue Sky Freight House and it looks like a nice kit.
What's your plans for the day.
It's a cloudy 30 with a high of 35; had a little white crap hit th ground yesterday pm. An errand to run shortly then some bench time starting on the boiler build. Hopefully my lumber shows up today at some point so I can continue with the Challenge.
Have a great day!! Be well, keep warm, and safe travels.
My bridge is moving along well, probably 2 more days. Yesterday I did one bent, today I'll do the other. I also realized I needed to do the scenery underneath the bridge, so over the weekend I did the rock face. That didn't come out quite as well as others, so it'll be more overgrown with plants and vines :-)
dave
8) Upper 20s going to mid 30s with some sun this morning, warmish tomorrow then a week of mid 20s coming up. :P
Tinkery stuff at the bench, worked on making a jig for piling style Campbell bridge bents and woke up in the night with aching shoulders from the working with small parts. Did a wrap up on some of the C-415 decals and will get back to paint booth for an attempt to even out the paint. The gloss I used seems to vary depending on what the surface is. Decals much more than the painted surface. ::) I hope semi gloss can even out things. The Circus City decals were thick and resistant to decal solution.
Taking a break today, OPS at Keeneys will take my mind elsewhere. Nice to change the pace.
Weather appears to be mild most everywhere, maybe quiet is a better term. Enjoy what Mother Nature hands you I guess...
Be well, stay safe.
KarlS
Morning everyone
Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
See you later.
Curt looking forward to the next build.
Larry looking forward to the next update.
Morning Dave.
Karl have fun at the OPS.
Weather in South Jersey is sunny/32. Later on 43.
Like Rick said we are meeting up and going out to lunch today.
I did manage to get and hour or two at the bench yesterday framing a new building.
Maybe some more time on that later tonight.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Good morning,
Rick, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast. Good luck with the packing.
Curt, the Blue Sky looks like a fun build.
Larry, good luck with the wood and boiler build. Thanks for the reference.
Dave, building bridges and scenery sounds like fun.
Karl, wishing you a fun day at Andy's.
Jerry, good luck with the new building. Have fun with Rick.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's a bright and brisk morning at 28F, rising to 55F this afternoon. Winter is finally here.
Hope to finish work on the combine today and start working on the layout.
Have fun,
mike
Good morning Rick, Curt, Larry, Dave, Karl, Jerry, Mike and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Rick, thanks for coffee and breakfast, seeing as the van is full of train stuff, are you planing to build a layout in the van? ;D Enjoy lunch with Jerry and Diane.
Curt, hope the plumbing issue isn't a big one. Looking forward to your next build.
Larry, have fun at the bench working on the boiler build.
Dave, there is no bad scenery, have fun working on the bridge.
Karl, enjoy the ops session.
Jerry, enjoy your lunch with Rick.
Mike, hope you get the combine finished today.
Current temperature is -8c (18f) and white stuff is slowly coming down. Another successful day at the bench as I finished adding the details to the boxcars. I posted an update on my thread showing the progress. I will probably take a week off from the boxcars until I paint and add decals to them.
Have a great day everyone.
Late morning all,
Thanks for the breakfast Rick.
I'm still coughing my head off. Pam seems to be doing better but I have that nagging chest cough. Wears me out. I get up, do a few things and the back to bed. I'll be happy when this crap passes.
Not much else going on. Hope all are staying safe and healthy.
Tom
Good morning, all. Dave didn't mention the weather he, Dan and I share, but we've seen thin clouds and mid-30s. Rick, for me this is a week of meetings. Town Budget, Planning Board, Trolley Museum and Flying Yankee. Remains to be seen what of my own I can get done, but I'm working on plans for the next round of Downtown Newburyport structures. Karl, I remember Andy Keeney from RR-Line. Is his layout still the same basic project he was working on 15 years ago?
James, yes the layout is the same, but continuously updating and improving with a small group of 5-6 guys that meet Tuesdays to keep the behind the scene stuff going. Quite organic.
We had a dozen fellows there today and kept quite busy.
Good morning everyone.
31 now, 49 and sunny later in front of Jerry's house.
Coffee, sodas, OJ and hot chocolate are available.
Diane made an excellent coffee cake and that will be today's breakfast.
Karl, sounds like a good time was had at the ops.
James, hope there's some modeling time left in-between all those meetings.
ACLTom, feel better soon.
Ron, boxcars look great.
Mike, do any layout work?
Jerry, it was great sitting and chatting with Diane and you.
Lunch was excellent.
Dave, keep having fun with the bridge.
Larry, lumber show up?
Curt, hope Dad's VA visit goes well.
TomO, how are ya?
Had an excellent time visiting with Diane and Jerry.
I'll go back into the house after they are up and say my good byes.
Then heading back to Hamilton to start the packing process.
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning All,
Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. Safe travels today.
Getting ready to head out to the VA with Dad and MOH. I'll post later.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Morning all,
Thank Diane for the coffee cake Rick. And, thank you for the OJ. Happy you had a great visit with Diane and Jerry.
My cough is subsiding but still lingers. Slept like crap last night.
I'll try to post an update later this afternoon on the build.
Have a safe and healthy day everyone.
Tom
Good Morning,
Rick thinks for the coffee and breakfast. The temps must be quite the change for you. Safe travels and hope the packing goes well. NO the lumber ever showed yesterday; hopefully today.
Curt hope your Dad's VA apt. goes well with good reports.
Tom hope you sleep better tonight; nap time?? Looking forward to the update if you feel up to it.
How's everyone else.
It's a cloudy 35 with a high of 45 here. Getting Ellie out of the house this afternoon making a trio to the $1.25 store then stopping at Arby's for a few roast beast & cheddar sandwiches...yum. Maybe some bench time this am working on the boiler build.
Have a great day!! Be well, safe travels, and keep warm.
A mock-up of the bridge (same photo I showed elsewhere yesterday).
IMG_1346.jpeg
Today I'll install the NBWs on the other bent, and start figuring out how I'll assemble the bridge itself. I want the entire unit to be removable, the challenge will be getting the two ramps solidly attached to the rest of the bridge.
I'm also not happy with the rock strata, I'll work on that, too. (I want the strata to be more defined, so I need cleaner edges between the colors of paint.)
dave
Good morning folks,
Rick, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast. Safe travels to Hamilton.
Curt, good luck at the VA.
TomACL, hope you and Pam get over your coughs soon.
Larry, good luck with the boiler build.
Dave, hope you survive NBW Hades.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's a bright morning headed to 60F this afternoon. Worked on decals yesterday afternoon. I'll try them out today. Lodge tonight.
Have fun,
mike
Good morning Rick, Curt, ACLTom, Dave, Larry and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Rick, glad you enjoyed your visit with Diane and Jerry.
Curt, hope the visit to the VA goes well.
ACLTom, sounds like you are on the mend, hopefully the cough goes away real soon, looking forward to the update.
Larry, did your wood arrive? Have fun with the boiler build.
Dave, the bridge looks good.
Current weather is 0c (32f) and overcast with a 40% chance of snow/rain, could be an interesting drive home. I spent some time last night working on the challenge build. I needed to figure out the building locations and how long the loading dock needs to be. I posted an update on the challenge build.
Have a great day everyone.
"G'moanin' from the moderate midwest, upper 30s going to the mid 40s before a slow couple of days cooling then a plunge into double digit highs next week. :o The weather geek this morning had a snowfall chart labeled Sunday in his presentation this morning. :P
OPS went well, as I said. A slight ruffle of political bs as all were headed out the door took the edge off the day, for me tho. :-\ Some folks just can disagree a bit but need to poke fingers and raise their voices. :-X
Today I'm going to finish, hopefully, the bridge bent jig I'm making for Campbell piling trestles, I have a couple to try and build. Not sure how to glue parts without them sticking to the jig. Dave?Fortunately I have extra materials that will match. Close. ???
Hope all are well and improving, ACLTom maybe you could freeze that bug out if you trekked up here next week. I know a guy from Pepsi, get a case of diet for you to sooth that cough. No deals probably, tho, he might have a broken finger by then anyhow. :-X
I missed a B'day, many happy returns to Diane
Safe travels, Rick. Nod and grin to everyone else! ;D
Karl in the mitten.
Morning everyone
Rick thanks for the coffee.
We have some errands to do this morning.
Rick left a little while ago. It was just so much fun having one of our favorite friends staying here with us.
Time was to short though.
Rick just be safe driving back.
Everyone have a wonderful day!! :)
Jerry
Good Morning All Again,
Back from the VA. Dad's podiatry appointment went well. Myself and MOH got flu and covid boosters.
SIL is coming over to help replace the drivers low beam headlight. It's on a 2006 and requires 3 hands to change. Great design.
Tom I'm glad you're feeling better. I also slept poorly last night. :'( I'm drinking some OJ to get some energy.
Karl unfortunately there's a lot of that going around these days.
Ron be safe on the roads.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Karl, my preferred technique is to lay the jig on a piece of balsa, put a piece of wax paper on top of that, and then use pins and strips of balsa to align parts in the jig.
frame-and-jig.jpg
Sometimes I do a permanent jig (rather than the adjustable jig with those pieces of balsa pinned in place.) My rule-of-thumb there is to do a jig for wood parts in styrene, and a jig for styrene parts in wood. Here's a jig for doing car undercarriages from styrene:
wood jig.jpg
That way the parts are less likely to stick to the jig in a different material.
dave
IMG_3093.jpeg
My jig, need to learn gluing without sticking to it :(
Good afternoon from Wisconsin. It's 51f degrees now and heading to a high of 21f at noon tomorrow! Between here and Dubuque Iowa this morning other then a few piles on the north slope of hills there's no snow around. Even our parking lot piles seem to be gone.
Karl, too bad on the politics coming after the session. I ride with 2 other guys and we seem to agree politically all of us just a bit farther right than our wife's. At Ops and work sessions for maybe 18 months now there has been no politics or religious discussions. There was one right before that and the OPS session owner stopped the trains asking 3 guys to leave. No issues since and believe me there are some real left and right wings nuts in the 2 Ops groups I belong too. It has become harder though to stay in the middle
The son and g/f are on day 2 of 5 in Tokyo, Japan. She was able to turn Tokyo into a business trip as she will see 2 clients while there. She was originally going for the 3rd of 5 sessions on some ink being tatooed. She asked if he wanted come along. It's now Business, ink, 2 concerts, lots of sight seeing and some skiing. He says they are having a great time and so far he loves Tokyo. They are in Japan for 15 days
I'm in the midst of finishing a few projects as I need to clear the bench and paint booth.
I had picked up a new weathering client in October, did 1 diesel for him and 3 autoracks. 1 rack with custom graffiti plus the weathering and sent the week after T-Giving. He's having a bunch of autoracks sent to me direct from Scaletrains per a phone call yesterday. I'm surprised as he didn't seem that enthusiastic about what I did for him. I'll get his stuff out in my 6-8 week lead time but anything coming in now will probably be 12 week lead time. I'm trying real hard to stick to my limiting schedule. I put an email out to my regulars of the 12 weeks lead time so they are aware. I have a client's daughter who occasionally does custom graffiti for me. I now only do graffiti decals but still offer her custom services. She was happy this morning when I informed her she has at least 25 autoracks to do. That's an easy grand for her and she is very good and quick.
Staying off line is getting easier especially if I am in the train room
Be well
TomO
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, OJ, and soda.
Started out the day with a walk at 60F and clear. I think tomorrow morning and Friday will be in the 30's.
Once I got home yesterday there were some honey-do's and SIL and I replaced the headlight. I found out our trip to pick up the 2 skunks is delayed until next week. They are in Ft. Lauderdale at a nature center that's closing. One of the animals is getting dental work done and getting meds from their vet.
Today is floor day. Not sure what else is going on. Tonight son is grilling steaks (previously cooked for a steakhouse) for supper. ;D
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good Morning,
Curt as always thanks for coffee and breakfast. Grilled steaks?....yum,yum; I remember what those used to taste like. I'm sure you'll find something to occupy your time today.
What's the rest of you doing.
It's a cloudy 44 with a high of 45; tomorrow winter returns with 3-5 inches of white crap. It was nice to have a break for awhile. Finally received my lumber order late yesterday afternoon. Have a few pieces of siding set to go so today I hope to continue on with the Challenge.
Have a great day!! Be well, safe travels, and keep warm.
Good morning.
Good morning everyone.
It's 43 now, cloudy and 56 later.
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
I left Jerry's home after having a second cup of coffee.
It was a great visit and had some very good conversation.
Then went back to my friends house in Hamilton.
I packed up my stuff and it all fit into two boxes.
I took the other two I bought back to Lowe's.
Drove to UPS and there was a sign on the door that the place closed permanently in October.
I decided since there were only two boxes I'd keep them in the van with me.
Since it was still early I left town and started heading south.
I have an appointment with Storyteller to fix a couple of minor things on Jan. 28.
I currently in Northern VA. Just south of DC.
Since I have time I'm going to Shenandoah NP now and do a hike.
Have a great day everyone.
Good morning folks,
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Steaks, yum!
Larry, congrats on the lumber receipt. I ordered from there (thank you), and the order should arrive tomorrow. NE shipping was much cheaper than the other source.
Philip, good morning.
Rick, safe travels, and enjoy the hike.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's a rainy morning, with temperatures headed to a chilly 50°F. Today will be filled with 1:1 tasks, but I hope to try out my latest decal print on the combine.
Have fun,
mike
Rick..an interesting abandoned mill along I-66 near Haymarket VA
https://www.google.com/search?q=abandoned+mill+near+haymarket+virginia&client=safari&hs=QBAp&sca_esv=b9266a0addfdcf78&channel=iphone_bm&sxsrf=ANbL-n5-e5tM3jGekOMcKr15kFAbedx5pA%3A1768397772341&source=hp&ei=zJtnacTNEfXekPIP0dC4mA4&oq=abandoned+mill+near+haymar&gs_lp=EhFtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1ocCIaYWJhbmRvbmVkIG1pbGwgbmVhciBoYXltYXIqAggBMgUQIRigATIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKABSKS8AVDlOVinsAFwA3gAkAEAmAGxAaABhB2qAQQwLjI2uAEByAEA-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&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-hp#ebo=0&sv=CAMSVhozKhFpYy1nY213aUpRTG1DWThiTTIOZ2Ntd2lKUUxtQ1k4Yk06DlhJZEJoUnQwU3FsTjNNIAQqGwoEc3ZpbRIRaWMtZ2Ntd2lKUUxtQ1k4Yk0YATABGAcgrOGsuQIwAQ
Good morning Curt, Larry, Philip, Rick, Mike, Terry and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt, steaks for dinner sound great.
Larry, glad your wood finally arrived.
Philip, have a great day.
Rick, enjoy your hike.
Mike, hope the 1:1 chores get done soon enough so that you get to try out your decal print.
Terry, have a great day
Tom, sounds like you are going to be busy with the latest weathering commissions.
Current weather is 2c (35f) and overcast with rain in the forecast. Last night I made drawings for the loading dock and stained some scale 8" x 8" basswood for the loading dock stringers and posts. I used Hunterline's brown weathering stain but after looking at it this morning it is too dark for my liking. I think I can fix it by using pan pastels. At least I stained an extra piece of wood to experiment with.
Have a great day everyone.
:-\ Winter is back.
Snowing temp in mid 20s expected to drop and be cold for a week or 10 days.
PT this morning at 11. Coming home to hibernate afterward.
KS
There have been some proposals to restore Chapman's Mill. I don't think they went anywhere. But I remember being a bit startled by seeing it for the first time (back when we lived in Northern VA.)
dave
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Larry please keep the white stuff up there!!
Morning Philip.
Rick it was just great having you here for a couple of days.
Your missed already.
Just be safe driving my friend.
Mike looking forward to the update.
Ron looking forward to the loading dock.
Karl go easy on that PT.
Morning Dave.
Weather in South Jersey P. sunny/50. Later 56.
Tomorrow who the hell knows.
We have a trip to North Jersey today.
Maybe some more framing later today one wall is almost framed.
Everyone have a wonderful day!! :)
Jerry
Good morning everyone.
Harrisonburg, VA weather: 24 now, 36 and a mix of sun and clouds later.
Coffee, sodas, OJ and hot chocolate are ready.
I've got the Belgium waffle machine plugged in and warmed up.
There's a big bowl of batter next to it.
Help yourself and make as many as you like.
Real Michigan maple syrup and fresh churned Wisconsin butter along with crispy bacon and sausage are out too.
Jerry, safe travels and did you see the drones?
Karl, is the PT helping?
Any luck with the glue and jig?
Ron, I'll have to go look in on your challenge thread.
Terry, that would of been neat to see, but I was already past that area by the time I saw your post.
Mike, are the decals OK?
Larry, I need to look in your challenge thread too.
Curt, how were the steaks?
TomO, staying off line and working on your weathering sounds good.
ACLTom, hope Pam and yourself have stopped coughing.
Philip, Dave, James and everyone else looking in, hope you are all well.
I did stop at Shenandoah NP and did a hike.
I was very surprised that this park allows dogs on most of the trails.
Star and I hiked up to Mary's Rock.
7.6 miles and 1,467' of EG.
Not the prettiest time of year to visit this park.
Fall is the peak time to be there but it gets extremely crowded.
Today I'll travel just a little further south and hit the gym along the way.
Yesterday's view from Mary's Rock.
011426MarysRockTrailShanendoaNP01Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning All,
Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. I do like waffles. The steak was great but I only eat half of one these days. When did I get old? Safe travels today.
Woke at 0530 this morning so I read a bit before heading downstairs because I knew the critters would mob me until I fed them.
Today after chores I have more reading on weathering to do. On the next build I want to up my game especially with wood planking. We'll see how it turns out. ;)
Tomorrow MOH and hopefully daughter are doing 2 rescue events (sat and sun) in the Tampa area so they are getting a hotel. They will be back Sunday evening.
Not much else happening this way.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good Morning,
Rick thanks for the coffee and waffles. Beautiful photo and travel safely.
Curt animals have a way of knowing when you're up and about. Good luck with the weathering research; usually Brett has a section on that in the instruction booklets.
What's your plans for the day.
It's a cloudy 28 with a high of 35. Received a trace of white stuff overnight and more coming at some point. May need to make a trip to Wegmans since that's about the only place left around that will accept empty soda bottles. Hopefully some bench time as well.
Have a great day!! Be well, safe travels, and keep warm.
Good morning Crew from the cheese state! It is +1f degree feels like -9 and only heading to +10 this afternoon. The howling winds have slowed down from yesterday's regular breeze at 25mph but occasional 40mph gusts. Winds now are running 10 to 15mph. So, it's still not nice outside.
More time at the bench yesterday and some time will be spent there today.
Rick, safe travels. As you move west again I hope the weather is great. We are heading into a cooling wet snowy spell in my part of a Wisconsin.
The box cars and autoracks are faded. I need to drive these 30 down to my custom graffiti painter. That's 40 cars for her now to do. The rest I will do decals for graffiti supplied by the owner of the cars. My hands are too shaky to do custom paint graffiti and I let the guys know and no one has complained it's not my work. The weathering and clear coats are still my work just not the graffiti any more. Mora is now 23 and used to come to the studio with her dad's autoracks and 86' long hi Cubes, so 6 years at least. She'd pick them up too. She wanted to be a commercial graphics artist and her dad threatened to pull the college funds as he wants her to take over his hard landscapes (stonework mainly) and excavating business.She asked me to quietly show her how to paint the graffiti. Within 10 cars she was better than me, so with my hands getting worst I hired her. It's worked out for both of us and her dad finally seems ok with her career choice. Her graphics arts offices are in one of his buildings and she is also learning daddy's business. She's no fool as she know where the real money will be coming from.
At 6 we are heading to the Kohl Center on campus as the #2 University of Wisconsin's Men's Hockey plays #4 Michigan State at 8pm. We go see a Men's game every couple of years, this is one of those times. The #1 Women's team is in St. Paul Friday and Saturday and we were going. However with the ICE disruptions we cancelled the trip.
Enjoy the day
TomO
Good morning,
Rick, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast. Congrats to Star for tagging along the hike.
Curt, good luck with your new project.
Larry, hope you make it to the store.
TomO, good luck to your team.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's a bright morning with the wind howling and 27F. Hopefully it will warm to the forecast of 42F. The decals should be dry this morning, so I'll try them on a test piece of wood. They are hard to see on the decal paper, so I may need to intensify the color.
Have fun,
mike
Good morning Rick, Curt, Larry, TomO, Mike and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Rick, The pictures are back, YEA!!!!! Safe driving.
Curt, enjoy your research on weathering.
Larry, hope you make it to the bench.
TomO, enjoy the hockey game tonight.
Mike, hopefully the decals work out.
Current weather is -11c (12f) and the white crap is falling. I made a jig last night to install the posts for the loading dock to the stringers. I think this is the longest jig I have made at 24" long. Tonight's plan is to start fabricating the loading dock.
Have a great day everyone.
Morning, A beautiful 13 degrees today! :o
Cats are playing the in and out game.
Great pic Rick.
Cruising along with the kits. Sent one to a friend for a test building. He is suppose to write instructions.
Ironing out shortcomings..
Have a great day..15th already...
Morning everyone
Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Your moving right along.
It's been cloudy the last two nights here. But I will look again tonight.
Curt here's a link on how to do great weathering.
https://sierrawestforum.discourse.group/t/the-dr-grunge-advanced-wood-clinic-kkarns/205
Larry I hope you get to the bench.
TomO enjoy the hockey game.
Mike looking forward on how they turned out.
Ron that is a heel of a dock your building!!!
Philip sounds like your getting close to being done with the kit.
Weather in South Jersey is sunny/39. Later 42.
The trip to North Jersey going and coming back was very good this time around.
It's the best time we have ever made.
WE have a few things to pick up at the store today.
Then maybe I can sit back down at the bench for and hour or two.
Everyone have a wonderful day!! :)
Jerry
Jerry thanks for the link. I joined the site 2-3 days ago and that thread is what I was closely reading.
Thanks for thinking of me.
Close to done Jerry...but the detail labor on some parts is killing the bottom line.
Mo money needs to be invested ;D
TomO; it's a good thing your "arteest" has a fall back to the Graphics design plans. AI is killing the jobs. My 43yr old daughter Michigan State Arts Grad, left a high power GArts gig with an ad agency and is working for a commercial construction contractor doing pre build projects. She has started a part time consulting company working for a couple of her previous clients (state lotteries). It's a scary time for creative endeavors right now.
Best to her. Sounds ambitious.
Good morning everyone.
Waynesboro, VA weather: 18 now, 36 and cloudy later.
It is cold, but I'm nice and warm in the van.
I also have cold weather clothes so I'm ok outside too.
Coffee, sodas, OJ and hot chocolate are ready.
Huevos Rancheros for breakfast today.
Didn't bother setting up the Starlink yesterday so I'll be brief today.
I did go to the gym yesterday and also did laundry.
Today I'll drive a bit further south and do a short hike on a former B&O right of way.
Hope everyone is feeling great and have a wonderful day.
Good Morning,
Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast. You left the Northeast just in time; it's really brrrr here. Safe travels and hope you get South soon. How's Star like the colder weather?
What's on your agenda.
It's 16 with a high of 25 and sn*owing thru about 1pm. Errands to run this am then maybe a little bench time. Have to get things together this afternoon to take to Daughters tomorrow. Meeting her @ noon at a garage since she needs an oil change and new brakes. While that's being done going back to her place to start on the couch repair; should be interesting.
Have a great day!! Be well, safe travels and keep warm.
Good Morning All,
Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. Enjoy the hike and safe travels.
I got a solid 7 hours last night never getting up once. ;D I'm supposed to walk today but will wait until the temps are above 40F. Yesterday I spent several hours reading up on weathering and spent time practicing. I expecy more practice today. Around noon today MOH is taking off to Tampa. Daughter isn't going since she has had covid/flu type symptoms all week.
Not much else going on this way.
Tom I hope you and Pam are still ok.
MOH just told me Pensacola got 9 inches of s**w overnight.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good morning,
Rick, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast. Enjoy the hike.
Larry, good luck with the couch repair.
Curt, hope your Daughter gets well soon.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's a bright morning at 21F. I'll be glad when this cold front moves on. Decaling the combine was a disaster. I coated the decals after printing, but the color still melted when I dipped them in water. I was tired of fooling with homemade decals, so I used commercial white lettering. I'll post photos later. I don't like the way it looks, but it is what it is.
Have fun,
mike
Quote from: KentuckySouthern on January 15, 2026, 05:18:25 PMTomO; it's a good thing your "arteest" has a fall back to the Graphics design plans. AI is killing the jobs. My 43yr old daughter Michigan State Arts Grad, left a high power GArts gig with an ad agency and is working for a commercial construction contractor doing pre build projects. She has started a part time consulting company working for a couple of her previous clients (state lotteries). It's a scary time for creative endeavors right now.
Best to her. Sounds ambitious.
She is a go getter Karl. She does her graphic arts work from her studio about 45 miles from me and 1/2 way to Dubuque Iowa. Her main clients are in Madison, Dubuque and Davenport. She is working for daddy as she is doing all his artwork for his hardscape landscaping jobs as she learns the business besides my graffiti. But her main thing has been she does big landscape paintings and does the Summer weekend Art Festivals circuit in Wisconsin and some dates in Iowa. There she says she's doing extremely well. Gets lots of commission work from the Summer weekends. Good kid that finally understood daddy wasn't wrong just a jerk as to how he handled her.
When I delivered 10 cars Monday I asked her about Ai and she said it will take over but a human still needs to tell it what to do. She knows graphic artists are going to be dead end jobs but by then she'll be more into daddy's business that she does now want to run it someday.
Tom
Good morning from a very white covered So Central Wisconsin. Maybe 3-4" of the WGFA when we read maybe 1" predicted...
The roads were terribly greasy as we came home at 10:30 last night from campus. The UW man ranked #2 nationally and #4 Michigan State played. We lost in what Terry and I both believe was a boring 3-4 loss. The Badgers looked uninspired and the Spartans, holy crap, they are big men who can skate! That's our every other year Men's game we go to. For college I do prefer the Women's game and of course I love the NHL. The Badgers looked uninspired, the Spartans big
I'm supposed to deliver another 30 cars this morning to my graffiti artist. I may wait to drive until this afternoon because of the road conditions but If not today it will be Sunday.
I'll head to the train room just because as I had no plans. The work session planned today was cancelled Wednesday due to weather. All those who work on this layout drive at least 45 minutes. The owner didn't want anyone taking chances so re-scheduled to Monday
Fish Fry Friday a Wisconsin Tradition like no other is a new place to us. Been in business a couple years and I've read it's good. Our Reservations are for 7:10pm. If the weather is bad and that's very possible according to the WeatherChannel app we will drive down the hill 1/2 mile to our back up FFF place.
Be well
TomO
Good morning Rick, Larry, Curt, Mike, TomO and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Rick, enjoy you hike today.
Larry, Hope the couch repair goes well.
Curt, glad you got a good nights sleet, have fun practicing your weathering techniques.
Mike, Sorry to hear about the decal disaster, I know when I make decals I use a laser printer, then spray them with a flat matte finish. I then let them sit for a couple days before using them.
TomO, enjoy your day.
Current weather is -21c (-6F) and cloudy. Spent some tome last night cutting wood for the loading dock. Probably won't get any more done on it this weekend as ore On30 group have a setup this weekend. Need to load the modules in my car and set up this afternoon. I promise I'll take some pictures this time.
Have a great day everyone.
Morning everyone
Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Have a nice hike dress warmly!!
Larry keep the white stuff by you.
Good luck with the couch.
Curt make sure you keep the snow down there!!!
Mike sorry to hear about the decals.
TomO you have a very talented daughter.
Ron make sure you take the pictures this time!
Weather in South Jersey sunny/25. Later on 35.
Well the wall I was working on needs to be done over.
For some unknown reason it's a 1/4" taller than it's suppose to be.
I know why it happened just stupid on my part.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
I wrote late yesterday, so little to add this morning. Cold and snow is the forecast for the next few days here in MI. LOTS of snow closer to the Lake than me.
I did get the jig made and glued up some bents for the bridge project. Sort of a test build for a future, bigger project.
IMG_3097.jpeg
I used yellow carpenters glue, the dried bents popped right out.
Indoor plans here today.
Yes TomO the SPARTANS have been playing great hockey. I had a friend that used to take us to the games but he's gone and my hockey bug is as well. Now, our HOOPS team is something to behold as well. Best on TV. All the good seats are Lonnng gone at the Breslin.
Mike, I feel your pain on the decals. I've had varying success with DIY decals, from great to floating turds... :o
Enuf...be well all.
KS
Good morning, all. Sunny and may reach freezing on the NH seacoast. I've got the rest of the day for modeling, and a list of projects to work on.
TomO and Karl, I'm not betting on imitative ai. It looks great to the moneymen as long as it's cheap or free, but the financials of AI companies are far enough beyond comical to make me think 'fraud'. Ai won't be cheap/free or nearly as popular once it has to earn its keep.
Breaking News
The Soo locks have closed for the season. The last two vessels through had quite the venture traveling from Duluth on the big Lake, Superior aka Gitchee Goomie.
IMG_3410.jpeg
IMG_3408.jpeg
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It's "ice in" here for Lake Winnipesaukee https://www.wmur.com/article/ice-in-lake-winnipesaukee-new-hampshire-2026/70010527 But with last week's warm weather, the ice isn't very thick.
On bridges: I need the trestle bents for the farm road bridge to fit against the rock cliffs. Clearance there is tight, I'll probably have to sand/cut away some more plaster. I built an inverted U shape wood template to use for clearance from 1/4 plywood, so it's good and sturdy. I also have an approach for how to do the two approach ramps, but I'll wait until I show that works before I talk about it. :o
dave
Quote from: Jerry on January 16, 2026, 10:09:29 AMMorning everyone
Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Have a nice hike dress warmly!!
Larry keep the white stuff by you.
Good luck with the couch.
Curt make sure you keep the snow down there!!!
Mike sorry to hear about the decals.
TomO you have a very talented daughter.
Ron make sure you take the pictures this time!
Weather in South Jersey sunny/25. Later on 35.
Well the wall I was working on needs to be done over.
For some unknown reason it's a 1/4" taller than it's suppose to be.
I know why it happened just stupid on my part.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Jerry I do have a very talented and stubborn daughter. Thank you! She takes after her mom...
The graffiti artist is the daughter of a weathering client and she also is very talented and stubborn.
Quote from: jbvb on January 16, 2026, 11:21:07 AMGood morning, all. Sunny and may reach freezing on the NH seacoast. I've got the rest of the day for modeling, and a list of projects to work on.
TomO and Karl, I'm not betting on imitative ai. It looks great to the moneymen as long as it's cheap or free, but the financials of AI companies are far enough beyond comical to make me think 'fraud'. Ai won't be cheap/free or nearly as popular once it has to earn its keep.
People forget that James. All that's being seen now is the CEO or founders pay and those Data centers they want to build with tax incentives. Wisconsin landowners, those who pay the utility bill, have finally started asking for accountability and the State has lost a few possible Data Center projects. The water use is IMOO criminal abuse of a utilities' authority. I'm NOT against the data center but why, why should I have to pay ur electric and water bills?
TomO
Quote from: KentuckySouthern on January 16, 2026, 10:42:48 AMI wrote late yesterday, so little to add this morning. Cold and snow is the forecast for the next few days here in MI. LOTS of snow closer to the Lake than me.
I did get the jig made and glued up some bents for the bridge project. Sort of a test build for a future, bigger project.
IMG_3097.jpeg
I used yellow carpenters glue, the dried bents popped right out.
Indoor plans here today.
Yes TomO the SPARTANS have been playing great hockey. I had a friend that used to take us to the games but he's gone and my hockey bug is as well. Now, our HOOPS team is something to behold as well. Best on TV. All the good seats are Lonnng gone at the Breslin.
Mike, I feel your pain on the decals. I've had varying success with DIY decals, from great to floating turds... :o
Enuf...be well all.
KS
Spartan hockey is good no doubt! Big friggin boys especially on defense. I know the Badgers beat them twice in East Lansing in early December. Today's game should be a good one to watch but it's on BigTen+ and that's the Big Ten Network's streaming service
Be well
TomO
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, OJ, and soda.
Starting out here at a chilly 45F. Yesterday I did my 3 mile hike around 10 am then after getting home finished packing up the van for MOH. After she left I pretty much ran out of motivation and sat on my backside for the rest of the day.
We had a warning on our digital thermostat yesterday about aux heat being on so we called the ac company about it (installed along with new system in Aug.) They checked the system but the problem was a thermostat setting. The damn thing is smarter than me. :-\
Today nothing is planned other than workbench practice.
Rick safe travels.
Tom I really hope you and Pam are alright.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good morning,
Curt, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast. Glad the heating problem was correctable.
How goes the rest of the crew?
I finished the combine and posted a few photos. My next structure build will be a stone sheriff's office. Yesterday I designed it on paper. Hope to get to it this afternoon.
I'm off to a Masonic forum this morning and should be back home by 3:00. Forums are always fun and good for catching up on the Masonic doings in Georgia.
Have fun,
mike
Good morning everyone.
32 right now in Troutville, VA, cloudy and 46 later.
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
Glad the heating problem was an easy fix.
Mike, I look forward to following your next project.
TomO, IMHO, data center owners need to pay for small nuclear reactors to power their systems.
The government needs to get out of the way and let these reactors be built in a much more timely manner.
Dave, any more work on your bridge?
Karl, I shivered when I saw your pictures.
James, hope you made lots of good progress at the bench.
Jerry, hope the new wall build goes better?
Why not make the whole building 1/4" taller?
Ron, have fun with the On30 group.
ACLTom, Philip, Larry and everyone else looking in, what's happening?
Star and I did 4 1/2 miles on the old B&O mainline.
It was cold but I was comfortable.
Star prefers the cold weather over hot weather.
So far just driving further south is planned for today.
This was last month at Lake Havasu.
121125PilotRockTrailLakeHavasuAZ08Small.jpg
have a great day everyone.
Beautiful scene Rick.
Good Morning,
Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Nothing wrong with giving "your backside" some exercise. Enjoy you day.
Mike I'll check out your combine after this. Have fun with the new build.
Rick nice to hear you managed to get a hike in and nice photo. Safe travels to warmer climates.
What's the rest of you doing.
It's 25 with a high of 36 and light sn*w. Going to meet up with my Daughter @ noon at the garage then going back to her place and start getting the broken springs removed from her couch. Hopefully I can rebuild it like I planned; a 1:1 scratch build. Maybe a little bench time first.
Have a great day!! Be well, keep warm, and travel safely.
Morning all,
Just checking in this morning. I thought I was getting better but the cough came back with a vengeance four days ago. Came out and posted to the Koontz build Tuesday. That was probably a mistake. I'm now on my second round of meds and am feeling a little better, but not much. I now have a head cold to go with the cough. Tested negative for Covid and the 3 types of flu. If this isn't the flu, I don't want to get it.
Doc says it may take another week+ for my body to get rid of the cough.
If you call this good news, I've lost 12 pounds from lack of appetite over the past month.
Later, my mattress is calling.
Please stay safe and healthy everyone.
Tom
Tom
Tom 😖😖😖🤬🤬🤬
Terry
Well, we woke up this morning to no heat. The oil tank ran dry. So we should get an emergency delivery today. I'm glad it didn't happen yesterday, when it was at least 10 degrees colder. House is currently at 57, and wife took off to her exercise club. There's also an inch of new snow on the ground, which seems to have caught the city road crews by surprise.
Today's plan is to work on the farm bridge. Once I confirm the center piece fits, I'll work out the approach ramps. Rick pointed out they're kinda steep, so I'll look at building a dirt ramp up to each side to reduce the slope.
dave
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Mike I'll check out the update in a minute.
Larry good luck with the couch build.
Tom hope you feel better.
When I had my cold it took over 10 days to get rid of the dam cough!
Morning Terry.
Dave better keep you eye on that oil level!!!
Weather in South Jersey is cloudy/39. Later on 37!
Rick I'm using stone walls on the ends!! It was a stupid mistake on my part.
One of the kids are coming down and we are going out tp dinner with them.
Bench time after they leave tonight.
Everyone have a wonderful day!! :)
Jerry
Tom it's good to see you posting but sorry that you continue to be sick. Get well soon.
Bright sun, 220 and wind in the teens. Makes for a great day for Well Diggers :o We're on the East fringe of the Lake Michigan lake effect so we'll not get the "up to a foot" caveat left off our guess. Cold stays and more snow.
We drove to town and picked up another bag of sunflower seeds as the birds are really flocking around the feeder.
I had some bench time yesterday, clear coated the assembled the C-415. Not a great pick it up and count rivits but overall it looks pretty good. I hope it runs ok. Lots of fumbling of parts in the process. >:(
IMG_3100.jpeg
Grand daughter is coming over to entertain the Doll. Bench time my plan. Clean the 3d printer among needed tasks.
That's my bit for today. Be well all, safe travels for the "roadies" amongst us.
Dave; I had the oil guy over fill my basement tank years ago. They busted their buns to clean it up and neutralize the odor. Was really aggravated. We're on propane here.
KSinMi
Excellent job on the diesel Karl.
Oil guy just left. He confirmed they're short delivery drivers. After filling the tank, he bled the line, and now I have a small dish of oil, that I'll pour back into the tank. It's red :o
dave
Inquiry from a city boy. Isn't red FO designated for farm use?
Karl that is really a fine looking diesel. Outstanding job.
Jerry
Quote from: PRR Modeler on January 17, 2026, 03:18:18 PMInquiry from a city boy. Isn't red FO designated for farm use?
Not positive, but I know the road diesel I buy for my tractor is Green
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, OJ, and soda.
Started out the day with a walk at 58F. Tomorrow it's supposed to be in the low 30's. :o The rescue cancelled today's event because it's supposed to rain in Tampa most of the day so MOH made it home about 2030 last night. I continued practicing weathering techniques yesterday.
Today after chores I need to clean out the van and straighten up the rescue equipment which looks like everything was just thrown into the van.
This coming week we have a trip to Ft. Lauderdale to pick up the 2 animals TBD.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good morning everyone.
Currently 26 in Abington, VA, 34 and cloudy later.
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
Hope the van cleanup isn't too bad.
Karl and Curt: Red dye heating oil is essentially diesel fuel dyed red to signify it's untaxed for road use, designated for off-road purposes like home heating, agriculture, or generators, and illegal for highway vehicles due to tax evasion penalties. This red-dyed fuel is chemically similar to on-road diesel but cheaper because it lacks road taxes, with the dye acting as a visual marker for enforcement.
Karl, that diesel is beautiful.
Dave, glad your heat is back on.
Jerry, how was dinner?
ACLTom, get well soon.
Larry, how'd the couch repair go?
How's the rest of the crew today?
Nothing exciting to report on yesterday's activities.
I did see an area that had been dusted with s@#$ and saw some flurries later.
Heading to Costco in Knoxville today and possibly a gym visit too.
Still haven't taken any new pictures so here's another oldie.
Sorry, having technical difficulty's and there won't be a photo today. :'(
Have a great day everyone.
Technical difficulty resolved.
This is from a hike I did at Cathedral Gorge SP in NV.
110325DrawLoopTrailCathedralGorgeSPNV05Small.jpg
Rick pretty picture. Thanks for the info. I never realized it was colored for tax purposes.
Morning Gents,
Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Temps are going to 30 in Florida? dang keep warm. Hope the equipment unloading doesn't require too much time.
Rick stay warm in the Van and hope Costcos doesn't eat up too much $$$$. Nice photo, looks nice and warm there. The couch repair is coming along. After making a trip to Home Deport for 1 8ft. 2x4 and some shims we managed to get the the old springs removed and the couch inside framed out. I did take a bunch of left over lumber from home so that helped. The strapping is suppose to arrive today from Amazon so maybe next Saturday we can finish the couch.
What's the rest of you up to.
It's a cloudy 25 with only a high of 27 here. Going to cut a piece of 1/2" x 4" x 9" green foam for the base of the Challenge diorama and get the building glued down so I can start doing the detail work.I have 2 items coming from SW Tuesday so in the meantime I can start painting/coloring some of the details I have on hand.
Have a great day!! Be well, keep warm, and travel safely.
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast. I'll just have some OJ today.
Last night was the first in two+ weeks where we didn't cough. I believe we are both on the mend.
I'm gong to sit at the bench today and get something, anything done.
Karl, nice paint job on the diesel.
Have a safe and healthy day everyone.
Tom
Good news, Tom
Terry
Rick, thanks for the explanation on fuel oil coloring.
Tom, glad to hear you're finally over the hump.
More fiddling on the farm bridge and its scenery/approaches today. Plus I should shovel the driveway, we got about 4" of fluffy snow, with more 'wintry mix' due today. The truck is parked outside, so wife can park her car in the working garage (door) bay. Door repair guys due tomorrow first thing.
dave
Good morning everyone,
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast curt.
Going to keep this short as I need to get back to the setup. I did take some pictures this time. Here is one of them.
SM-001.jpg
I'll post some more pictures tonight.
Have a great day everyone.
Great looking setup, Ron, looks interesting to operate.
Oh so cold here the next few days, shivering just thinking about it :-[ I have to go out later, it's trash can to the road day.
I cleaned the 3d machine and wash tank while the Doll and grand daughter went off to town yesterday. I also set up a print to run and removed lettering from a New Haven heavyweight Pullman car to reletter SOUTHERN to run behind my Green Pacific steamer. I tested the diesel, it runs on the test track. Need to recall changes to make to get it to go the correct direction ::) .
Daughter, Son in Law and teen mind numb geek coming for a bit this afternoon. Means fresh cookies ;)
Little to add, glad the ACL is recovering.
Enjoy the day.
KSin Mittens... ???
Good morning folks,
Curt, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast. Good luck with the van cleanup.
Rick, safe travelling. Wow, what a photo. Thanks.
Larry, good luck with the couch. Looking forward to your diorama.
TomACL, sitting at the bench all day sounds like fun.
Terry, howdy.
Dave, good luck with the garage door repair.
Ron, the layout looks great. Wishing you a fun time.
Karl, you've got a lot going on in the hobby world. Sounds like fun to me.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's an overcast morning, snowed overnight, but it melted since the temperature was 33°F. In addition to the sheriff's office, I started work on the main street retaining walls. They will be a combination of stone and wood.
Have fun,
mike
Glad you're feeling better Tom.
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Have fun cleaning.
Rick a very nice picture.
White stuff doesn't sound very exciting!!
Larry sounds like you have the couch almost finished.
Looking forward to the next update.
Tom glad you and Pam are feeling better.
Morning Terry.
Dave go easy with that shoveling.
Ron that's a nice looking setup.
Karl don't eat to many cookies!! ;D
Mike looking forward to the Sheriffs office.
Weather in South Jersey cloudy with little white flakes coming down.
Dinner last ight with the kids didn't happen.
Roddy got called into work for snowplowing.
I have half my frame rebuilt the other half today.
Pictures will follow I hope!!!
Everyone have a wonderful day!! :)
Jerry
What a great day!
Shay moving a Carter boxcar out of the shop.
MJinTN
Good morning, all. Calm with thick overcast and 3" of snow on lawn and trees here in the lower Merrimack Valley. Once I close the computer, I need to make building footprint templates for the 3 houses I'm queuing up, install baseboards for them and start roughing in the scenery.
Good afternoon from Wisconsin. +10f degrees now feels like 0. Much nicer than it was @ 6am when it was -4 real but felt like -21.
Spent most of the daylight hours yesterday at a OPS session normally 50-60 minutes north of us. Yesterday's snow fall was all day and everywhere so 93 and 89 minutes on the drive to and coming back. I'm now a Wisconsinite and talk in travel minutes instead of miles.
The grandson's hockey team has on a slide recently. This afternoon's game will be #64 but #63 this morning was a good one. A team they lost 1-5 to yesterday they beat 13-1 this morning. I didn't see yesterday's games but the grandson called me to report in. He said he was tired. The last 17 games they are 7-8-2. Sorry as I know I've said this before but a 80 game schedule for traveling 12/13 years olds is too much. Because last weekend was somewhat a disaster per the coaches Thursday night's practice was strictly skating drills which are always tiring! I watched this morning with one of the other granddads who also is the hockey association president. His granddaughter plays on my grandson's team. Said she never mentioned it just said it was a tough practice. Grandson told me he was just tired and that was last night. Never mentioned the practice. It seems one of the parents watching the practice was talking about it between games yesterday. He said quietly to me if I believed it and I said yeah I do because you know how I feel about these coaches. They are bad and are holding these players back from reaching their potential...
Fun to be a hockey parent and grandparents
TomO
MJ that is a great video. Got to love that Shay!!
Jerry
WOW!! That's a lot of games for kids that young!!
Jerry
TomO, I've had some questions about the athletic program at my son's private HS. Pushing the kids hard in practice and competition, many more injuries and different kinds of injuries than I remember from the 1970s. Kind of horrifying to hear of a football player dislocating his shoulder, trainers on the bench putting it back (everyone in the stadium heard the kid), then back in the game for 4th quarter.
Good evening everyone,
Another great day running trains and working on models.
Below are some pictures of the setup this passed weekend.
SM-002.jpg
SM-003.jpg
SM-004.jpg
Have a great evening everyone.
Ron thanks for the pictures. It looks to be a fun RR to run.
Jerry
Good morning everyone.
Right now in Harriman, TN it's 26, sunny and 37 later.
Coffee, sodas, OJ and hot chocolate are ready.
A bag of assorted bagels on the counter.
Butter, cream cheese and lox are there too.
Toaster is plugged in if you like your bagel toasted.
Ron, that's a great looking layout.
Thanks for the pictures.
Marty, nice video of the shay that runs slow and smooth.
See you in a few hours.
TomO, 80 games sure sounds like too much.
James, did your list of layout to-do's get finished?
Jerry, is the other half done?
Mike, nice job on the retaining wall.
Karl, cookies!!!
Dave, how's the bridge coming along?
ACLTom, very glad you're felling better.
Larry, more progress on the couch repair?
Curt, how's the weathering coming along.
Hope everyone is doing well.
After hearing about Waffle House I made my first and last visit there.
Food was OK except the eggs were a bit greasy.
There are other places I'd choose to go to for breakfast.
Costco was visited and because my space is limited I can't buy too much so it's not an expensive trip.
Also hit the gym yesterday for a shower.
Today's plan is to drive 1 1/2 hrs. to the home of Marty Jones (labdad) for a visit.
This was taken back in October and it's Mt. Hood.
100325OakRidgeTrailOR01Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning,
Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast; you're up early. Safe travels and enjoy your visit with Marty. If his work looks that good in photos I can only can imagine the treat you're in for seeing his work in person. The couch repair is going well and maybe we'll finish it Saturday depending on the weather.
Ron great looking modular setup and love the group name.
What's your plans for the day.
It's 19 with a high of 26 here. Grocery shopping this am then my 6 month checkup at the Docs this afternoon. Maybe some time at the bench before hand. That's about it from here.
Have a great day!! Be well, keep warm, and travel safely.
Good Morning All,
Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. I occasionally go to WH (when traveling) but all I get is the waffle. MOH likes the biscuits and gravy. Safe travels.
Starting out here at 41F with a feel like of 36F, so no freeze to die from if you listened to the warnings of the weather guessers. Yesterday I did chores, honey-do's and dropped books off at the library.
Today MOH has an oil change. Later this week will be a trip to Ft. Lauderdale and Dad has a GI appointment at the VA
Thursday afternoon. Fun times.
Larry good luck at the doc's today.
Ron that is an impressive layout.
Tom I hope you continue to improve.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Rick.
Very slowly getting back my health, cough is still here but less each day.
Taking Emee to the vet for nail clipping. I can do it but Pam prefers the vet.
We are going to try to go out to eat late this afternoon. We've been in the house for the past two+ weeks.
Have a safe and healthy day everyone.
Tom
Good morning folks,
Rick, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast. Safe travels today, and wishing you an enjoyable visit with Marty.
Larry, good luck at the doctor visit.
Curt, glad you didn't die from the cold front. Good luck with the oil change.
TomACL, good to hear you are better enough to venture out.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's a bright morning at 28F, but warming to 48F. I have an EGD follow-up appointment this afternoon. Not sure about the workbench today.
Have fun,
mike
Quote from: Jerry on January 18, 2026, 05:33:47 PMWOW!! That's a lot of games for kids that young!!
Jerry
Yes it is, sad but true and maybe 4 or 5 play in high school. But these parents have expectations.
Morning everyone
Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Say hi to MJ for me.
I'm making this short this morning.
We have to go back to North Jersey today!!!!
Hopefully the drive will be a good one.
Maybe some bench time much later tonight.
I never did get there yesterday.
Everyone have a wonderful day!! :)
Jerry
The garage door guy has come and gone. Fortunately the track was OK, he just rebent the bracket and reinstalled the track and the door. He says they oil the parts with plain old motor oil. "No WD-40/no aerosols!" And this was cheap, $147 for about 40 minutes work. NO complaints.
Now that's done, I'll head to the basement for some time on the exercise machine and a run to the grocery store. We got another couple inches of fluffy snow last night, I asked the plow guy to come early today to make sure the driveway was clear for the garage door truck. Then back to the farm bridge. This weekend at Springfield I'll look for farmhouse and barn kits for the other side of the bridge.
dave
Quote from: jbvb on January 18, 2026, 05:41:50 PMTomO, I've had some questions about the athletic program at my son's private HS. Pushing the kids hard in practice and competition, many more injuries and different kinds of injuries than I remember from the 1970s. Kind of horrifying to hear of a football player dislocating his shoulder, trainers on the bench putting it back (everyone in the stadium heard the kid), then back in the game for 4th quarter.
James, lost my 1st response.
That is so sad to read but High School sports is a big money maker for the school districts here.
Parents here have expectations their player is going to school on a full ride and make money with NIL. Name, Image, Likeness is killing sport in Wisconsin High Schools and big time in College. We had a local student sue the WIAA which is the ruling athletic body in Wisconsin High School sports and win. But his suit wasn't settled until he was a junior in college. Now high schoolers not just athletes can do NIL. Our local school does it but with open enrollment for schools the better players, band members and even debaters are transferring to a school whose program offers them the best visibility but also a free ride with possibilities of good earnings
TomO
Good morning Rick, Larry, Curt, ACLTom, Mike, TomO, Jerry, Dave and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Rick, enjoy your visit with Marty.
Going to keep it short today, as I have a busy day at work lined up.
Current weather is -9c (16f) and sunny, a nice winter day. I spent last night unloading the car and putting the stuff I brought to the set-up away. I did manage to find time to paint the boxcars between running trains so that is a plus. Next step for the boxcars is the decal them.
Have a great day everyone.
Good morning from So. Central Wisconsin. It's -6f degrees and -28 wind chill. So Rick stay south of the Mason Dixon line as you head out West.
I watched maybe 5 minutes total between the 2 playoff games. No interest and I grew up in Chicagoland and was a personal not business season ticket holder with the Bears for years
With today being MLK day the schools are closed here. The grandson, then his mom texted asking if I could supervise a few slot car racers this afternoon starting at 1. I said yes, originally 8 kids now 16 but I'll have 2 helper grandparents along. Plus these kids have been excellent in past race sessions.
I'll spend maybe an hour at the bench this morning just getting reorganized. Not sure which direction to turn to, so maybe a reshuffle will help my thoughts
Be well
TomO
8) Bright sun at the moment after 2-3 inches of snow overnight. Temp is 11-12o that is the high for the day, with wind. Big COLD is setting in for the next 2 weeks it seems, with today being the last warm day. A fair breeze, in the teens just adds to the joyous time.
Did little yesterday, the visitors helped me eat all the cookies. Son in Law helped the Doll with some computer issues. I felt a bit punk most of the day.
We did watch and enjoy the Rams-Bears on TV last night.
Today, test bridge assembly, decals(?) and who knows..
Be well all.
KSwrapped up in a blanket in da Mitten... :P
Good afternoon, all. The lower Merrimack Valley is above freezing with occasional floods of sunlight as clouds pass. The tops of my orchard trees (which I couldn't reach earlier) are shedding snow on their own.
Rick, none of my layout projects got finished, but several show visible progress; much better than I managed for most of 2025.
TomO, you've mentioned NIL before, but AFAICT, that isn't enough of an incentive to change much in this area. The private HSes seem to be pushing their students because sports achievements draw donations and parents of 8th graders seeking prestige.
TomO
Did you see text msg from Pennman on this forum?
Good morning everyone.
It's 15 in Dunlap, TN now, sunny and 35 later.
Brrrrr.
Coffee, sodas, OJ and hot chocolate are ready.
Omelette station with all the fixings is set up.
James, hope you get the time to work on those projects this year.
Karl, how'd the bridge test go?
TomO, did all the racers behave themselves?
Ron, hope work is less busy today.
Dave, good news on the garage door.
Jerry, hope the trip north was uneventful.
Mike, hope the EGD follow up was all good news.
ACLTom, hope you were able to get out of the house and have a good time.
Curt, any bench news and did you order a new kit?
Rich, hope you recovering well.
Larry, I do get up early, but I also go the bed early and get 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night.
I keep going south with hopes of warmer climes, but it's just not happening.
Had a fantastic time with Marty, Denise and Katlyn.
Denise made a delicious lunch, then an excellent dinner followed by homemade pound cake.
I wish I could have eaten more but my stomach issues limit how much I eat.
Was nice meeting the dogs too, Lyliah and Beethoven.
It was Lyliah's 1'st birthday yesterday.
I'll stop back into the house in a bit and have breakfast and say goodbye.
Then Star and I will do a hike that's nearby.
Marty and me sharing some Tennessee whiskey.
011926MartyJones&MeSmall.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning All,
Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. Yesterday sounded like a fun time. Great photo. I do have a kit selected from SW. It's Brett's first one the Blue Sky Freight House. Terry is selling me his but between our two schedules we haven't met up yet. :-\
Starting out the day here at 39F and a feel like of 35F. Too darn cold for me to do my walk. After it warms up above 40F and the sun is up I'll do it. I didn't accomplish much yesterday.
Today I need to replace the batteries (2) in my DCS-200 command station. The oil change at Wally World did not go well for MOH. After about an hour she was told they didn't have the tool to do it, then listed it as a customer cancelation. :o She stopped at a quicky place and was told it wasn't needed!
Well that's enough blabbing for now.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good Morning,
Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Nice photo and Tenn. whiskey will get your blood pumping. Enjoy your hike and travel safely.
Curt sounds like the oil change was a nightmare and glad it wasn't needed. Sounds a little chilly down in Florida. we're going in the negative digits by weeks end.
What's on your agenda for today.
It's 13 with a high of only 17 today. Taking Ellie for a blood draw this morning then some phone calls about car/home insurance along with a few others. Maybe some bench time later on.
Have a great day!! Be well, stay warm, and safe travels.
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Rick. The hot chocolate will work for me this morning. Glad you had a good visit with Marty and family. Enjoy the hike.
Pam and I had a good time out yesterday. We went to a restaurant for dinner and their heat was out. We started to leave and the manager set us up with a tower heater. That was fun as we were the only ones in the place with a heater. I guess they wanted our business.
We also have bowling today. First time in three weeks we've been able to go due to being sick. Hope I don't fall on my face! 8)
Didn't get to the bench yesterday but plan on doing an update later this afternoon.
Have a safe and warm day everyone.
Tom
Darn cold in MI. :o Haven't left the house. We had several deer sleeping under the pine trees overnight. 40 at first peek this morning. :P The lake effect has been brutal along the lakeshore but for the most part fizzled out before reaching us. Huge crash on the Interstate just SW of Grd Rapids, :o
Screenshot 2026-01-19 at 11.26.56 PM.jpeg
My bridge project worked out fine. ;) Pix in a bit when I get back to my iphone. IMG_3112.jpeg I also did one side of the now Southern Rwy Sleeping Car, old CHAMP decals went on with no issue. Flip side today. Then some clearcoat to blend it all together.
Little new here, otherwise.
KarlS, chillin' on the SouthCentralMiddleWestLowerPlainsofMichigan :( Glad we had a fill of "profane" on the 12th. :)
Good to see the Purple Gang out on the town! Hope bowling goes well. :D
It's 'winter postcard' here right now. There's snow on the ground, snow stuck to the tops of the tree branches, and a bright blue sky. It's a bit chilly, but it'll be colder this weekend. (That includes Springfield MA, weather for the big show will be single digits both days.) The dogs are at the groomers, so the house is unnaturally quiet.
I'm making slow progress on the farm bridge, and I'll look for farmhouse/barn kits at Springfield.
dave
Good morning crew!
A chilly 7° here.
The better half has an MRI this am.
Have a great day!
Good morning,
Rick, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast. Hope you find some warmer weather.
Curt, that's weird about the oil change.
Larry, good luck with the insurance calls.
TomACL, I hope the lanes treat you well. Glad you feel like bowling.
Karl, I'm looking forward to photos of the bridge and the car.
Dave, good luck with your barn quest.
Philip, now that's cold. Reminds me of Fort Knox days, so so long ago.
How goes the rest of the crew?
It's a bright morning and cold at 27°F. It's not warming much later. I hope to get to the workbench today.
Have fun,
mike
Morning everyone
Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Sorry I missed the bourbon.
Great picture of you two.
Curt that's a great kit build.
Larry don't spend all your money on insurance.
Tom glad you and Pam feeling better.
Karl hell of a crash.
Nice looking bridge.
Morning Dave.
Philip hope your wife's MRI goes as planned.
Mike I hope you get to the bench.
Weather in South Jersey is sunny/19. Later on 22.
The drive up and back to North Jersey wasn't to bad yesterrday.
But we got home later than expected.
And I was tired.
Today we have a home day.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
I'm 25 minutes west of Fort Knox Mike. Hwy 60.
Her MRI went well. It was a breast MRI with IV contrast. Hopefully normal.
Good morning everyone.
Gadsden, AL weather: 28 now, mix of sun and clouds and 55 later.
Coffee, sodas, OJ and hot chocolate are ready.
With all the cold weather a big pot of steaming hot oatmeal sounds good this morning.
Assorted nuts, fresh fruits and spices are available to mix in.
Philip, I would of loved to visit with you but with the bad weather moving in and the need to get to Birmingham prevented that this time.
Hope your wife's MRI went well.
Jerry, hope you enjoyed your home day.
Mike, hope your weather is warming and you had some bench time.
Dave, how often do the dogs go to the groomers?
Karl, I saw video of that crash and wasn't sure if it was AI or real.
Hope no one was seriously hurt.
Bridge looks good.
ACLTom, hope you bowled well.
Larry, hope you got a good price for the insurance.
Curt, strange story about the oil change.
Walmart wouldn't be my first choice for an oil change in any case.
How's the rest of the crew today?
One thing I didn't mention yesterday was Marty gave me a tour of his house and shop.
Besides being an outstanding modeler he is also a first class furniture maker.
His house is filled with things that he's made.
His wood shop would be the envy of many wood workers.
And as good as his models look in pictures here, they look even better in person.
Didn't go hiking yesterday.
With the threat of some bad weather moving in I decided it would be better to head south and hope to dodge that mess.
It will be a pretty nice day today and Star and I will do a hike today.
This was on a hike at did in California at Sierra Butte.
102225GoldValleyRimTrailCA21Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning All,
Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick, I'll just have the coffee though. The idea was that MOH would get the oil changed while grocery shopping.
Starting out in the mid 50's and getting to the mid 70's today. I recieved my order of Rembrandt chalk sticks yesterday. I normally don't get that brand but they have some hard to find colors in chalk.
Today is floor day...ugh, but it needs done with all the animals. Still nothing about our trip down south.
That's it from this way.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good Morning,
Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Safe travels and hope you dodge any nasty weather. There was an older gentleman I knew as a kid who had a wood shop in garage; the items he made for folks were gorgeous and would probably last a lifetime.
Curt you wanna switch temps? I think you'll be very pleased with the chalks; I know I am.
What's on your agenda.
It's a clear 13 with a high of 26 in N.Y.; going to be a bitter cold weekend with temps dipping to around
-10; hopefully the air is calm and no air movement. The quotes I received from my insurance agent were surprisingly low compared with what I currently have; I even received $50 off for paying for the year all at once. Never made it to the bench yesterday with 1:1 stuff taking front and center. Today I hope to spend some quality time there.
Have a great day!! Be well, stay warm, and travel safely.
Chilly start this morning, it'll be a dry run for the weekend weather at Springfield. It was about +5 when I took the dogs out. Rick, we get them groomed about every 6 weeks, more frequently if they get 'fragrant'.
A lot of interesting texture on that photo, Rick.
I won't get too much modeling done today, it's our monthly Lunch Bunch meet. Yesterday I actually regressed, I broke some stuff loose so I reglued it and will try again to set at least one of the ramps at the correct angle to the center span.
dave
Thick overcast and light snow that's been falling for several hours. It's a heat wave today being the warmest for the next several days, well thru the weekend in minus territory at times. I need to get out, clear the driveway and bring up the trash bin before some neighbor calls in a check for us as there aren't any tracks since Sunday's visit from the geek squad. Well, if we HAD real 'neighbors' not just blank faces that come and go and barely acknowledge you.
Bench time and reading yesterday. I did the decals on the obverse side of the sleeper. Need to get a clear coat on soon. I poked into ChatGPT for a few minutes yesterday. just dipped my toe into the shallow end. :-\
Be well all, keep a weather eye out....gonna be a crap fest in the weather department. Dangerous conditions out there. Today's 20s will seen like a spring breeze.
Careful out there!
KSinBrrrr...
The slushy snow man stuff on the ground this am.
Temp is hitting 40 with added rain. Yuck!
Drop by anytime Rick & Star! The next week is looking like a mess in the giant radius of S ~no~. Hope the weather folks are wrong~
Walking to the PO and mailing out an order today.
Have a great day!
P
Morning everyone
Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Have a nice hike today.
I hope that weather gets warmer for you!!
Curt have a nice day. Your a good man to do the floors!
Larry hope you make the bench today.
Morning Dave.
Karl enjoy the Spring day!
I meant to ask you do you ever go to the Northern command post this time of year??
Philip how close are you to the PO? That you can walk?
Weather in South Jersey is sunny/14. Earlier this am it was a brisk 4.
Thank God no wind.
Well yesterday's home day turned into a day of grocery shopping.
Today will be a home day!! Sure it will be!!
Hopefully I can get back to my bench.
Everyone have a wonderful day!! :)
Jerry
Good morning folks,
Rick, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast. It doesn't look like anywhere is warm on the East Coast.
Curt, hope the floor day passes quickly.
Larry, congrats on the insurance savings.
Dave, good luck with the repair.
Karl, congrats on the decal finish. Do you have a project using ChatGPT?
Philip, you are close to FN. We lived in Elizabethtown during the winter of 1970.
Jerry, good luck getting a home day.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's cold here at 27F, but reading about the north and west, I am not complaining. It looks like rain the rest of the week, culminating in a "we're all gonna die" alert for .5" of sneaux is the northern part of the state.
Yesterday, I finished assembling the sheriff's office. Today, I hope to fill in the gaps between a few stones with acrylic putty. Lodge work this afternoon and into the evening makes it a busy 1:1 day.
Have fun,
mike
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Rick. I had hot chocolate this morning and oatmeal Pam fixed.
We both bowled our averages yesterday and won all eight points. My energy level was down from the heavy coughing and still feel low energy today.
I hope to get some work done on the Koontz build and start the challenge build. Doc Jeff has the same kit for his challenge, a interlocking tower.
That's it from me, have a safe and healthy day everyone.
Tom
Good morning Rick, Curt, Larry, Dave, Karl, Philip, Jerry, Mike, ACLTom and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Rick, enjoy your hike with Star.
Curt, sounds like you got what you need for your next weathering project.
Larry, hope you get to spend some quality time at the bench today.
Dave, enjoy your lunch group.
Karl, ChatGPT? you're braver than I am. ;D
Philip, enjoy your day.
Jerry, Hope you make it to the work bench, I'm looking for an update soon. ;D
Mike, hope the the lodge work goes well.
ACLTom, A dueling interlocking tower build for the winter challenge, this is going to be fun.
Current temperature is -7c (19f) and overcast. I wrote a whole posy yesterday and hit post, but it appears that it slip into the either never to be seen again. The drive home last night was uneventful so I got home at a reasonable time. That gave me time at the bench and I worked on the loading dock for the winter challenge. Hopefully tonight drive home will be uneventfull so I can post an update tonight.
Have a great day everyone.
Jerry, we have gone to Northern Command in the past, this year's weather and 1:1 stuff at home have prevented that...so far.
RE ChatGTP, I've only taken a peek, :o and not sure I'm really ready yet, but honestly it scares the hell out of me. The AI stuff I've known was AI on U-toob for instance gives me the willies :o ...
Good morning everyone.
Currently 46 in Leeds, AL, rain all day and a high of 50.
Coffee, sodas, OJ and hot chocolate are ready.
Eggs the way you like them, crispy bacon and/or sausage and home fries for breakfast.
Assorted breads are next to the toaster if you want.
Karl, AI is a very deep rabbit hole.
Ron, nice start on the loading dock.
ACLTom, congratulations on the 8 points and have fun with the challenge build.
Mike, I hope there's less 1:1 today and more 1:48.
Jerry, hoping you get to stay home today.
Philip, sorry, but visiting won't happen this time around.
Next time I'm in the area for sure.
Dave, hope you had a good time with the Lunch Bunch.
Larry, glad you got good prices.
Curt, Rembrandt chalks are excellent.
You'll like them.
TomO, I know you've been busy at the bench.
Hope everyone is feeling well.
Star and I hiked 8 miles and 1,775' of EG at Guntersville Lake State Park.
Pretty park and it would be much prettier in the fall.
Since today will be a rain out, only a gym visit is planned so far.
I was able to move my appointment at Storyteller from Wednesday to Monday.
Another view of Sierra Butte in CA.
Star and I hiked to the top two days before we did this hike.
102225GoldValleyRimTrailCA22Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning All,
Thanks for opening and breakfast today Rick. Doesn't sound like fun weather. Nice photo.
Started out the day with a walk at 53F. I inadvertently walked 3.9 miles instead of the normal 3.1 by losing track of my times around the subdivision. Yesterday I turned the weathering sticks into powder. Talk about mindless work.
There was something I wanted to do today but can't remember what it is. Sigh. I did get some good news yesterday. Dad's appointment today is a phone appointment. Now I don't have to drive home in rush hour.
I'm done blabbing.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good Morning,
Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast along with another beautiful photo. Hope you find some things to do today.
Curt driving in rush hour ain't fun; done that many, many times when working. Interesting you turned your chalks into power all at once; I do mine as I need them. Each to his own.
What's your day look like.
It's 30 with a high of 32. Tomorrow we go into the "deep freeze" for the weekend. Not much on tap for today except for a appliance repair person coming to fix our 2 year old washing machine> Normally I don't bother but this time I bought a 3 year extended warranty so we'll see if that was worth it or not. My time window is 8am - 12pm so waiting for a call.
Have a great day!! Be well and stay safe.
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Rick. The Sierra Butte photos are great.
I'm in the train shed today so I should get a lot done.
Have a safe and happy day everyone. Enjoy the day.
Tom
It's the temporary thaw before the big freeze tomorrow, and then snow Sunday/Monday. I've been checking my shopping list for Springfield. Don Tichy sent out a note he's cancelled because of the storm. I don't blame him, he'll have to drive through the worst of the accumulation to get back home Monday. But that's disappointing, talking to Don and stocking up on Tichy parts is one of my show highlights.
Back to the bridge today, I think I can lock in the 2 ramps today, and let that glue thoroughly set, before doing the railings.
dave
Good morning folks,
Rick, thanks for opening and breakfast.
Curt, weather on!
Larry, good luck with the washer repair. Wow, only two years old.
Tom, wishing you a fun day in the shed.
Karl, hope the northern command isn't too northern.
Ron, good luck with the drive home.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's a rainy day in Georgia. Yesterday I finished one section of the retaining wall. More work on the remaining two sections today, plus painting the sheriff's office.
Have fun,
mike
Wind ~18 per and temp in the teens as well. :o No plans here for venturing out. Took care of that yesterday. It looks like a windswept plain out across the state hwy to the east :o ...new snow blowing around. looked a bit later, 2-3" of new stuff blowing around
Screenshot 2026-01-21 at 11.14.23 AM.jpeg This photo was taken at the harbor entrance to St. Joseph, MI on Lake Michigan just NE of Indiana. It looks like frosting. (No not my pic, Dolly had in a newsfeed)
Bench time for sure. ;D
Lay low everyone, it's not going to be a fun weekend. :-\
Be Well Stay SAFE
KS
The Doll just made me some corn bread, time to feast!
Good morning Rick, Curt, Larry, ACLTom, Dave, Mike, Karl and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Rick, enjoy your easy day.
Curt, have fun with the chalks, I think you are really going to like them.
Larry, hope the washer repair goes well.
ACLTom, have fun in the train shed.
Dave, have fun working on the bridge.
Mike, hope you finish the retaining wall today.
Karl, that is one dramatic photo, have fun at the bench.
Current temperature is -3c (27f) and overcast with a little bit of the white stuff in the forecast today. Spent a little time at the bench and posted an update on the challenge build. tonight's plan is to stain some more wood for the loading dock and maybe start adding decals to the boxcars.
Have a great day everyone.
Morning everyone
Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Curt have fun playing with the chalks.
Larry I hope he fixes it so you don't have to do it by hand!! ;D
Tom sounds like a good plan for the day.
Morning Dave have fun at the show.
Mike looking forward to the painting of the jail.
Karl that is a great picture thanks for posting it.
Ron looking forward to that build of the deck and buildings.
Weather in South Jersey sunny/48. Later on 52.
The "Weather Weenies" are predicting a sn*w storm here of 10" to 24". There really going out on a limb on this one.
One wall is framed. Today we will try for wall number two.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
More photos from St Joe
https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/2026/01/22/elaborate-ice-formations-make-michigan-lighthouses-fun-in-winter-too/88066173007/
:o KS
OK you O Gauge crazy's as part of this years Winter Challenge I am creating detail parts for all participants. In the past I've heard a few voices saying the prizes were geared towards HO scale. We heard you, this year prizes are gift cards along with detail parts for all in O gauge and HO gauge, your choice. Below are pictures of first item Adirondack Chairs. The person in picture is O gauge 6 foot tall.
So no excuses you crazy oversized O gaugers, show your talent and join the challenge!
Jim
IMG_2581.jpegIMG_2579.jpeg
Good morning everyone.
42 in Birmingham now, cloudy and 53 later.
Coffee, sodas, OJ and hot chocolate are ready.
Blueberry pancakes for breakfast today.
Sides of crispy bacon and sausage are out too.
Of course fresh churned Wisconsin butter and real Michigan maple syrup are available.
Jim, those are some good looking prints.
If I lived in a house I would definitely join in on the challenge.
Jerry, Philip, Marty and everyone else in the path of the storm, sty safe and be prepared.
Ron, staining and decaling get done?
Karl, that is a frosty but beautiful photo.
Mike, any progress on the sheriff's office?
Dave, safe travels to and from the show and have fun.
ACLTom, thanks and have fun in the shed.
Larry, hope the wash machine fix went well.
Curt, maybe do 3.9 miles every day.
TomO, all good in Wisconsin?
James, what's new?
Greg, haven't heard from you win a long time.
Because of the rain nothing happened outside yesterday.
I did get motivated and edited and posted my video at the Tonopah Historic Mining Park.
There should be some good inspiration for a mining scene to build.
A 5 mile hike planned for this morning.
My video at the Tonopah Historic Mining Park: https://youtu.be/O2qw7ccy4iI
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning,
Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast this am.Frrom what I've seen about this Nor'easter coming I hope you're far enough south to avoid it. The washing machine repair took a whole 20 minute from start to finish. The Control computer was shot which was a "plug & play" scenario; works like new now and didn't cost me any $.
Jim nice prints.
What's your plans today.
It's 19 and that's about it for the day. Taking our trash shortly then planning on staying put for the weekend. Some Lake Effect after 10am into tomorrow and cold. Sunday night into Monday we get hit by the storm; they're not giving any snow totals yet BUT could be 12+ inches; going to be a frigid and nasty weekend with wind chills around -14; yikes!! Some bench time later today.
Have a great day!! Be ready for what's coming, keep warm, keep your pets inside, and hunker down.
Good Morning All,
Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. Great video. I can't do that every day because of my knees. In a previous life I jogged every day and ran half marathons and even one marathon (photo to prove it).
Starting out in the 50's heading into the 70's again. I believe it's supposed to get in the 80's this weekend.
I hope everyone stays safe and warm in the coming storm.
Here's a photo of my weathering endeavors. The 3 planks were done yesterday and the 2 planks was done several days ago.
20260122_101421.heic
Just in, MOH wants to go to Costco. My poor wallet!.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Rick, nice video of the mine and surrounding area. Thanks for sharing.
Curt, hold tight to the wallet.
Larry, that's just way to cold for me. It will be in the mid to high 30's next week here and that is plenty cold for us'ins.
I got a lot done on the Koontz build yesterday and will get it finished today. Updated post later this afternoon.
Have a safe and warm day everyone.
Tom
Curt...perfecto on the weathering (IMO)...well done
terry
Nice weathering indeed....moving into the weather, it is -5 and the wind reported to be 14 per... :o but the SUN is Shining! Chill in the negative teens... We have about an inch of new snow that fell the last 24 hours with off and on lake effect bands. Forecast shows the warmest day in the next 8 as a 16 a week off. TomO in Wisc will report much colder.
I'm working on trestle bents today, going along ok. I hope I don't bend any. ;) Sure lots of sticks.
Unless something urgent comes along today is one you can list us as Shut Ins but no pity please, we're just fine.
KSinMI, Brrrr...
Morning everyone
Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
I'll save the video for the snow storm thanks for posting it.
You could put a board on your lap and sit in the front sit and model?? ???
Jim there some nice looking details.
Larry glad you can wash the dirty clothes now!! ;D
Curt the wood looks fine.
Tom looking forward to the finished build.
Morning Terry.
Karl looking forward to updates on the Trestle.
Weather here in South Jersey is sunny/35. Later on 41.
The outlook for the big storm is "Weather Weenies" have no idea !!
First it's snow than a mix than it's anywhere from 1" to 24" so who knows????
Maybe some time at the bench which I say everyday but never works out that way!!
Everyone have a wonderful day!! :)
Jerry
Good morning Rick, Larry, Curt, ACLTom, Terry, Karl, Jerry and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Rick, thanks for the coffee and breakfast, will have to check out the video. Enjoy your hike.
Larry, hope the storm bypasses you.
Curt, those planks look great.
ACLTom, Looking forward to the update later this afternoon.
Terry, have a great day.
Karl, hope the trestle bents stay straight. ;D Enjoy the modeling.
Jerry, hope today is the day you get to the bench. :)
Jim, those prints look great.
Current temperature is -16c (3f) and sunny. The white stuff is supposed to hit Sunday. No modeling last night as I got a call from my buddy who is in a band who was playing at a pub near by so I ended up drinking beer and listening to great music. No work today so I should get some time at the work bench.
Have a great day everyone.
Karl, did you see my notes on a curved trestle from Thursday's lounge?
dave
Quote from: elwoodblues on January 23, 2026, 10:03:18 AMGood morning Rick, Larry, Curt, ACLTom, Terry, Karl, Jerry and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Current temperature is -16c (3f) and sunny. The white stuff is supposed to hit Sunday. No modeling last night as I got a call from my buddy who is in a band who was playing at a pub near by so I ended up drinking beer and listening to great music. No work today so I should get some time at the work bench.
Have a great day everyone.
A perfect way to end the day!!!!! :) :D ;D
Jerry
Nothing wrong with that Ron.
Afternoon all! All is peachy cold. Another provisional trip and just waiting in the Ohio Valley.
Looks like 8-12 of the snowman stuff. The fear is the sleet and the brutal cold blowing in from Karl's outpost.
Great video Karl BTW!
Philip
Good evening folks,
I wasn't up to much today, so I am late to check in.
Rick, thanks for opening this morning. Nice hike for you and Star. I love it that you two can hike together.
Curt, your morning walks are an inspiration for me to hit the bike. Nice job weathering the planks.
Larry, hope you stay nice and warm up there. Brrr...
TomACL, I hope the train shed was fun as well as productive. Congrats on the Koontz completion.
Dave, the farmer's bridge looks great.
Karl, what a photo! Stay warm up there. The trestle bents looks great!
Jim, nice 3D prints.
Terry, howdy!
Jerry, our weather forecast keeps shifting like yours. In any case, it's cold.
Ron, the music and beer sound fantastic.
Dave, howdy.
Philip, that weather sounds brutal.
Looks like most of us are in for some real winter weather. Wishing safe travels if you are out and about.
Today was a non-day, except that I am still here. I kept the recliner from hitting the ceiling. I just didn't feel like going upstairs. I finished the Sheriff's office steps to completion in my head, so I know what to do tomorrow.
Have fun,
mike
Quote from: deemery on January 23, 2026, 10:40:22 AMKarl, did you see my notes on a curved trestle from Thursday's lounge?
dave
I did, pardon my failure to acknowledge my appreciation.
I'm finding that those Campbell kits are full of various sizes and variations of sticks that lead to some interesting confusion in which is which. :o Most were originally packed in bundles wrapped in no longer elastic rubber bands but not labeled or described in the directions. Luckily my Constructors License has wide latitude. No nit pickin' sommamabeeches checking my work.
I did find one bundle a prior owner had labeled as being 1/16" x 2/16" :o
(better if you do it right the first time)KS
I bought my first set of cheap digital calipers to measure batches of stripwood from a kit where all the rubber bands had failed. :D
Glad you found my notes useful, they were a late post so I wasn't sure you caught them.
dave
Quote from: friscomike on January 23, 2026, 07:01:17 PMI finished the Sheriff's office steps to completion in my head, so I know what to do tomorrow.
Mike, this is an excellent way to model! ;D
Now why didn't I think of that?? LOL
Rich
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, frozen waffles, yogurt, OJ, and soda.
Started out the day with a walk at 59F and light fog. I think it's supposed to get to 80F today. Monday and Tuesday are supposed to be in the 30's. :'( I accomplished nothing yesterday except chores and Costco although we only spent about half of what we normally do.
I did recieve the sanding wand from Micromark that I ordered and ordered the Scott Bulldog truck kit from SW. I figure to use it in the diorama of the next kit.
Nothing really on tap for today.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good Morning,
It's currently -11 with a high of only 9!!!! Any slight bit of wind and we could see -14 or worse. Our Governor has issued a "state of emergency" for the entire state and encourages for people to work remotely from home on Monday...yikes. Not much happening today except keeping warm, maybe cleaning the driveway, with lots of warmups and some bench time.
Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast. and enjoy your day.
What's the rest of you doing.
Have a great day!! Be well, keep warm and watch the temps & time IF you have to be outside.
Good Morning;
Curt thanks for breakfast, I am on my second cup of coffee. These are the days I am glad to be living in Central Florida. 55F outside now going to 77, I don't think much of the country is going to see anything like that this weekend outside of CA and Florida. I hope everyone stays warm.
We bought a new stand for the TV and it arrived yesterday so that is today's project to assemble and put in place. Hoping for a little bench time as well. Well off for third cup of coffee and getting the day going. Best of luck to all in path of the storm. Here is a photo of the train you can catch to get out of the snow!
Jim
download.jpg
Good morning everyone.
Currently 33 in Birmingham, cloudy and 53 later.
Rain will start late in the afternoon.
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
Have fun building the truck.
Larry, stay safe.
Rich, looks like you're feeling better and hope that trend continues.
Mike, some days are like that.
Philip, stay safe and indoors.
Ron, sounds like a great evening.
Jerry, hope you stocked up on bread, milk and toilet paper.
Karl, how's the bridge coming along?
ACLTom, Koontz build looks amazing.
I hope everyone in the path of the storm stays safe.
I hope all of you have backup generators because it sounds like many will lose power.
Went to Oak Mountain SP yesterday.
Star and I did a 7.27 mile hike with 1,086' of EG.
Nothing planned for today.
Here's a picture from yesterdays hike.
I was surprised that some trees still had leaves.
Thank you everyone that watched my video, hit the like button and left a comment.
012326OakMountainSPHikePelhamAL06Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Good morning Jim and hope the stand assembly goes well.
Morning all,
Thanks for the breakfast and cold OJ Curt. Keep those kits coming.
Jim, good luck with the new TV stand. Enjoy our weather today. Next week it will be in the 30s and low 40s all week.
Larry, your weather is perfect for bench time.
Rick, the video was very interesting.
I finally finished the Koontz build and started the '25 Winter Challenge.
Have a safe and warm day everyone.
Tom
Good morning Curt, Larry, Jim, Rick, ACLTom and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt, the SW truck should be a fun build.
Larry, sound like the best thing to do is stay indoors. Have fun at the bench if you make it there.
Jim, hope the stand assembly goes well.
Rick, really enjoyed the video, gave it a 2 thumbs up.
ACLTom, looking forward to your 25' Winter Challenge.
Current weather here is -26c (-15f) but at least the sun is shining. The goal today is to stay inside. I spent some time at the bench yesterday preparing the wood for the deck. It's been cut to size, distressed and stained. Update later. Not sure what today's plan is, either start decaling the boxcars and/or start planking the deck.
Have a great day everyone.
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Morning Jim good to see you here visiting this am.
Why is it winter pictures look so nice but in real life there so cold?
Rick that looks like a Fall day. I'll watch the video today I got busy yesterday.
ACLTom be looking for the start of your winter project.
Ron it's always good to have choices!! I's go with finishing the boxcars.
Weather in South Jersey is sunny/16.
Last night we were at 0.
My room is a little on the chilly side this morning but I hope with the small heater I can get to the bench in an hour or so.
Everyone have a wonderful day!! :)
Jerry
Great video & mine tour Rick, thanks for posting and safe travels..... 8)
Good evening! I'm back from Springfield, about an hour or two earlier than usual. A couple quick observations: 1. I think crowds were down significantly from last year. 2. But I think it's mostly families that stayed home. The Scenic Express booth was cleaned out by 1:00 PM. I said to Jim Elster "Seems the people who showed up brought full wallets." He agreed. 3. Several people I wanted to talk to were not there, but most booths were occupied. 4. I had a good talk with a guy at the Athearn booth about marketing early rail stuff and reaching out to the right audience. I did get to see their truss rod freight cars (gons and the tank car.) I'm particularly excited about the tank car, it's easy to scratchbuild flatcars and gondolas. 5. Other than that, I don't recall seeing anything particularly new & surprising, with the exception of a new Deluxe Materials matte finish. (I bought some to try.)
I did come home with everything I was expecting to buy. I'm still disappointed no one is bringing stripwood to Springfield any more. B&B Hobbies reports they have good stockage of the HunterLine stains. Bill said "It's a bit of a challenge to work within the current shipping and tariff rules. We don't want to buy too much if the tariff will be reduced. But we have a case of Driftwood, the biggest seller, due in to refill our stock. It'll probably be waiting for us when we get home."
dave
Good evening,
Curt, thanks for opening. Congrats on the new toys.
Larry, hope you stayed warm up there.
Jim, wishing you success with the TV stand construction.
Rick, I really enjoyed the Tinopah video.
TomACL, congrats on the Koontz build completion.
Ron, did you purchase decals specially for the boxcars, or did you make your own?
Jerry, hope your room warmed up for hobby fun.
Greg, howdy.
How is the rest of the crew?
It' was a dreary day in the 40s, but nicer than the frozen north and west. One of my hearing aids broke off in my ear, so I went for a repair. They fixed the hearing aid, but would not take the end out of my ear. So, I found a pair of blunt medical tweezers from my hobby desk and fished the half-inch-long speaker out of my ear. I slept most of the afternoon since I only slept six hours last night.
Have fun,
mike
Good morning everyone.
In Birmingham it's 51 now, all day rain and 58 later.
Coffee, sodas, OJ and hot chocolate are ready.
Those of you that need to go outside and shovel will need some good fuel to do the job.
This mornings fuel are belly buster sandwiches.
I hope everyone in the storms path is staying warm and safe.
Mike, sorry about the hearing aid but glad you were able to get the broken one out.
Dave, thanks for the show report and have fun with your purchases.
Greg, thank you.
I appreciate you taking the time to watch.
Jerry, did your room get warm enough?
Ron, did decaling or decking happen?
ACLTom, have fun with the challenge.
Jim, pretty picture.
I stopped in at a Barnes & Noble where I had a coffee and thumbed through some magazines.
That was about it for yesterday.
Today I'll hit the gym and then go to a Buffalo Wild Wings for a late lunch and the early football game.
Last year at Yosemite.
102625GlacierPointSunsetYosemiteNPCA01Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone and take it easy shoveling.
Good Morning All,
Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. Beautiful landscape. Enjoy your day.
Started out here at 63F and heavy fog. It's supposed to get to the high 80's today before taking the plunge into the 30's.
I just helped MOH load up the animals and she is on her way to Tampa. To say she is getting fed up with the every weekend events is putting it mildly and volunteers are burning out. Hopefully Kathy talks to the head person today. As of now there is a event every weekend until the end of February. The problem is that we have the vehicle that transports all the gear so Kathy has to be at every one. :-X
Nothing really planned for today again, but I will putter around the workbench some. Tuesday afternoon I'm meeting up with Terry (Vietnam Seabee) to pick up my next SW kit. The Deer Creek Mine was purchased from him also. ;D
That's enough blabbing and venting for today.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Rick, haven't had a belly buster in some time. Oh wait, I had a hernia in Dec. '24. Rick that is a great photo this morning.
Curt, I learned many years ago that being a volunteer is a pain. Not saying it isn't a good thing but, one can be taken advantage of if you are a reliable one.
Pam wants to go practice bowling this morning. I'll go but not sure I'll bowl. Just not in the mood for that this morning.
Bench time for me later.
Have a safe and warm day everyone.
Tom
Morning Gents,
Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast; I'll need all the energy I can get. Nice photo and enjoy the wings and the game.
Curt send some of those warm temps up North. Sadly the "workers" for events get taken advantage of; it's the same with any group. Have fun at the bench.
Tom you can just coach Pam instead of bowling. Enjoy your bench time later.
Mike glad to hear you were able to get the broken piece out of your ear. They probably refused doing the extraction for insurance reasons.
What's on your agenda for the day.
It's currently 5 with a high of 11 and that's it for the day. The Nor'easter is supposed to kick in sometime between 10am & noon thru Monday afternoon. With 12-18 inches I'll have to clean out the drive way a couple of times; not sure the snowblower could handle that much all at once. Some bench time this am and I want to clean the Escape off and back it up closer to the road before the crap starts.
Have a great day!!! Those of you dealing with the storm stay safe and dress in layers to keep warm; be well all.
Good morning, Rick, Curt, Tom, Larry and later arrivals. I'll put a box of paczki on the counter (there's still enough of a Polish community and tradition in the Connecticut River Valley that local grocery chains like Big Y make them seasonally), then I'm off to see what's going on at the Amherst Club train show at the Eastern States (home of what's effectively the State Fair of all New England). Didn't buy anything yesterday, but did see a lot of old friends. The B&M Modeler's Get-Together attendees were mostly on-line but I saw a lot of good work and didn't get rotten tomatoes over my "computer/network tech" work.
Good morning from a stilled chilled but warming So Central Wisconsin. Currently -2f feeling like -19 but oh so much nicer than the last 3-5 days. It's like a heat wave!
Been down at the bench destroying styrene and emptying paint bottles via airbrush for basically the last week. I need to hit up the LHS this afternoon and empty out his styrene supply, again
Went on campus for a hockey game yesterday afternoon and will again this morning. The last game for the 6 Badgers Women who are playing in the Olympics. They will be back the 1st weekend in March. Missing players will make conference play tough but it is what it is. They are #1 now but expect to lose a few games over the next 5 weeks. But they still should make the NCAA playoffs and when the Olympians return will return to #1
Now to go back and read what I missed
Be well, stay safe
TomO
Good morning Rick, Curt, ACLTom, Larry, James, TomO and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and hearty breakfast Rick, going to need it today. Enjoy the wings and football game.
Curt, have fun puttering around. In the "old" days I used to volunteer a lot but ended up suffering burnout so I volunteer a lot less now.
ACLTom, I bet you change your mind and end up bowling. ;D Have fun puttering around in the shed this afternoon.
Larry, Be careful shoveling the snow today, have fun at the bench this morning.
Mike, My decals are white so I had them custom made by Precision Design Co. I supplied the artwork and was very happy with the results.
James, have fun at the show.
TomO, enjoy the hockey game today.
Current temperature is -22c (-8f) and overcast with 10-20+cm (4-8+in) of snow expected between this afternoon and tomorrow morning. Looks like tomorrow will be a work from home day. Bench time yesterday was spent planking the loading dock. Got about a third of it done, it is a slow process but I'm very pleased with the result. I also managed to spray the boxcars with a gloss cote so they are ready for the decals.
Have a great day everyone.
Up to 60 in the lower mitten this morning after a record setting -200 at a nearby University associated Ag Weather reporting station, just SSE of me a half dozen miles. We are getting 2-3 or 3-6 inches of snow depending on the path of the Super Storm. As it's trash to the road day, most likely I'll fun the Deere this afternoon.
I was at trestle bents most of the day yesterday, finished up 8 of varying height. I need to engineer layout placement in the next phase of the project.
SPARTY beat Maryland 91-48 in a clinic on Natl'll TV yesterday. Nice to be able to have them on an accessable outlet for a change. The current state of college sports viewing is disappointing to go easy on my feelings.
TomO, sounds like you're at it big time. I had bet myself after a couple days of missing your sprightly commentary of all things Wisconsin that you might show up suddenly reporting from some place warm and tropical. ;)
Football has no interest for me spiritually any more this season but may watch one of the games, most like the West Coast teams just for a time filler.
Enuf from here.
Rick, travel safe. All you folks in the Mason-Dixon areas are on our thoughts here. STAY IN!
Be Safe, stay well.
KSintheMitten
Well, the dogs have been out twice and completed their business, so that's A Good Thing. Snow should start early afternoon. Dogs won't be happy this evening. I just dug out some ground meat (beef, pork, sausage combo) and will do a batch of chile tonight.
First order of business in the train room will be unpacking the stuff from Springfield. With the exception of 2 BESTTrains kits (house and barn for my farm area), I didn't spend much. But that doesn't mean I came home empty handed. Then I'll do the handrails on the farm bridge.
dave
Still hunkering down. The weather folks were wrong from the get go. Maybe 3" so far.
They got the cold part right.
misery.jpg
Morning everyone
Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Great picture.
Weather here in South Jersey is wintery 26 and heavy sn*w!!!
With all this cold weather I haven't been able to use my room. It just to much for my small heater to keep warm.
I'll post a picture of the wall I have framed later. I did start the second before the cold.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, OJ, and soda.
Started out the day at an unbelievable 72F with it being breezy trying to rain. It's supposed to be in the 30's this time tomorrow. :o
Didn't accomplish much yesterday, mainly picking up and arranging the workbench area in preparation for the new kit. MOH made it home about 6 pm.
Another slow day after chores. I may get chlorine so I don't have to deal with it tomorrow when it's colder.
Larry when are you going to write another chapter?
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good morning everyone.
19 now in Birmingham, mostly sunny and 33 later.
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
I look forward to you getting the SW kit and following your build.
Jerry, I guess the 'Weather Weenies' were mostly right this time.
Philip, what was the final total?
Dave, chili on a cold s#$@y day sounds good.
Karl, so how much did you end up getting?
Ron, enjoy your working from home day.
TomO, you staying warm?
James, buy anything yesterday?
Larry, how's the s$#@ removal going?
ACLTom, did you end up tossing the ball down the alley yesterday?
I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe.
Although BWW has pretty decent wings, I usually get their triple bacon cheese burger and that's what I had yesterday.
After leaving there I headed to Storyteller and stayed in their lot.
Later at night I got an email saying they'd be closed today and I can have the work done on Tuesday. >:(
So, I'll hunker down here and probably work on the video from the Nevada Northern RR.
Another photo from Oak Mountain SP, AL.
012326OakMountainSPHikePelhamAL04Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning,
Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast. I usually clean my bench before I start a new project; I like things more on the tidier side. I'll be posting another chapter soon; it's written I just need to prove read it first.
Rick the sn*w removal will take a few hours including warm-up breaks.
What's your plans today.
It's 12 with a high of 18; that will be 3 times warmer than it's been the last 2 days. It finally stopped snowing and from what I can tell we have a good 12 inches maybe slightly more but not the 18 they had predicted; which is fine by me. In a little while I'll go deal with the sn*w and get the cars and driveway cleaned out Bench time ?????
Have a great day!!!! Keep warm and if you're dealing with the weekend's aftermath be careful outside and be well. Oh ya, there are 279 closings in Central NY including ALL the schools.
Good morning,
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
Rick, good luck with Storyteller.
Larry, hope clearing the driveway goes well.
How is the rest of the crew?
IT's cold here, but no precipitation. High today forecast for 40°F, tonight 19°F. I'm covered up with 1:1 tasks today, so doubtful about any bench work.
Have fun,
mike
The plow guy came about 7:00 this morning and pushed the powder off the driveway. Because it's so fine and tends to compact (particularly with the wind gusts last night), it's a bit hard to measure. Weather app says we got 23", I'm guessing we have maybe 15" of snowpack. The dogs are happy the driveway is cleared, the path I shoveled for them last night was barely adequate and I got some stink-eye when they were doing their business.
Today's German class is fully remote, as planned. (Teacher is laid up for ankle replacement surgery.) Then it's back down to the train room. I'll try to finish the railings on the farm bridge, and work more on the farm building placements.
dave
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Curt. I'm also looking forward to your next build.
Raining here with temps dropping by the hour.
I'm warm in the train shed.
Rick, I did bowl yesterday. I bowled 187, 222 and a whopping 139. Actually, I lost interest in the third game. A bunch of screaming kids came in and bowled next to us the last game.
Time to work on my challenge build.
Have a safe and warm day everyone.
Tom
Good morning Curt, Rick, Larry, Mike, Dave, ACLTom and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt, enjoy your day hopefully the chores won't take too long.
Rick, looking forward to the video about the Nevada Northern RR.
Larry, be careful shoveling all that snow.
Mike, hope the 1:1 tasks go easy for you today.
Dave, hope the time in the train room is productive.
ACLTom, have fun working on the challenge build.
Jerry, looking forward to the update.
Current temperature is -14c (7f) and the white stuff is falling, I'm working from home today. No modeling yesterday as we had a pet emergency to take care off. It seems that Gracie found some chocolate and decided to give it a try. Not sure where she found it as we are very careful where we store food that is harmful to dogs. We ended up rushing her to the emergency animal hospital where they took care of her. Fortunately she didn't each much and we got her to the hospital quickly. They ended up inducing vomiting, gave her an IV and kept her for observation for a couple of hours. She is a little out of sorts but otherwise fine today. That was an experience I would not wish on anyone. Working from home today so should make it to the bench tonight.
Have a great day everyone.
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Rick nice picture.
At least you'll be the first one in line tomorrow!! ;D
Larry go easy with the sn*w removal.
Mike have a nice day sorry you can't fit the bench in.
Morning Dave. Remember the dogs come first.
Tom looking forward to the update.
Ron glad the puppy is okay!
Weather in South Jersey cloudy/23. RF/18. High today 34.
Today will be a day of shoveling we have about 16" of the white stuff.
So it will be shovel a little then rest then shovel a little then rest.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Positive numbers in the temp dept, 8o with 14 per gusts. 8) Sunshine makes it LOOK nice.
I watched the 2d half of the snow bowl and all of the W Coast games, both had their highs and lows.
Snow, hmm, make 5-6" total over the weekend. For some reason going out and dealing with it kicked my butt yesterday, today's respite is appreciated.
Layout engineering on tap, we'll see.
Later y'all.
Be Safe and WARM
KSindoorsin the Mitten
Good morning from chilled So Central Wisconsin. -4f degrees feeling like -20 but 7 degrees warmer than the 6am wake up temperatures. The real temperature will break zero today but the wind chill will still be - double digits.
Last week I noticed the train room seemed cooler than the rest of the lower level and had in retrospect been cooler for awhile. Turns out one of the radiant heat segments was in a semi closed position. After trying a new thermostat I called the HVAC guys who said I needed a new valve. The cost was roughly the price of 3 sound equipped DCC diesels. But of course they didn't have one. They could install it over the weekend for another sound equipped diesel but with a hoodie on the train room wasn't too bad. They are here now installing the new valve.
The hockey was good yesterday. With 4 of the 6 top scorers heading to the Olympics the next 5 weekends should be interesting for the now #1 ranked Badger Women. #2 and #3 Ohio State and Minnesota are also sending players so I expect an Eastern school to magically become #1 over the next few weeks.
Yesterday I hit up the LHS for supplies and later this afternoon it will be HomeDepot for adhesives.
My few weathering commissions are waiting for payment. Have a great day as I am heading to the bench
Stay warm
TomO
Quote from: KentuckySouthern on January 25, 2026, 10:20:27 AMUp to 60 in the lower mitten this morning after a record setting -200 at a nearby University associated Ag Weather reporting station, just SSE of me a half dozen miles. We are getting 2-3 or 3-6 inches of snow depending on the path of the Super Storm. As it's trash to the road day, most likely I'll fun the Deere this afternoon.
I was at trestle bents most of the day yesterday, finished up 8 of varying height. I need to engineer layout placement in the next phase of the project.
SPARTY beat Maryland 91-48 in a clinic on Natl'll TV yesterday. Nice to be able to have them on an accessable outlet for a change. The current state of college sports viewing is disappointing to go easy on my feelings.
TomO, sounds like you're at it big time. I had bet myself after a couple days of missing your sprightly commentary of all things Wisconsin that you might show up suddenly reporting from some place warm and tropical. ;)
Football has no interest for me spiritually any more this season but may watch one of the games, most like the West Coast teams just for a time filler.
Enuf from here.
Rick, travel safe. All you folks in the Mason-Dixon areas are on our thoughts here. STAY IN!
Be Safe, stay well.
KSintheMitten
Karl, stay warm! No plans to head to warmer climes as I type this. We do have credit on airline tickets as we were going to fly to Austin and house sit the son and his girlfriend's places while they were in Japan. Their house sitter was supposed to have surgery the 2nd week but it was cancelled the last minute. We thought about Florida but like Maui it holds no appeal to me after a couple days.
Too many issues on Maui since the Lahaina fires and even the brother is thinking of relocating and has finally started looking. When you are the support network for the Island economy but are not openly welcomed there, why stay or visit?
Be well
TomO
One problem with the Springfield show is no one brings stripwood or Evergreen styrene. So I have a list of those things that I need to order. But I did fill the rest of the stuff on my shopping list.
dave
Bulletin
This just in
IMG_3563.jpeg
-30-
😂😂😂
Good one, KS
terry
Karl you're too much! ;)
Ron I'm glad Gracie is OK.
Karl, that's funny.
Ron, glad Gracie is home and resting.
I was looking forward to editing and posting the video from the Nevada Northern RR but I can't find the video clips.
They must of gotten accidentally deleted.
Don't know how, since I'm careful with that stuff.
Everyone with a dog/cat at home: Keep a bottle of hydrogen peroxide handy. That's a great way to induce vomiting after the dog/cat eats something they shouldn't. Bookmark this page, or at least look up how much to give your pet and write it on the peroxide bottle: https://dogscalculators.com/toxicity-safety/dog-hydrogen-peroxide-vomit-calculator/
dave
Cats puke enuf already... >:(
Quote from: KentuckySouthern on January 26, 2026, 01:23:20 PMCats puke enuf already... >:(
But, being cats, they will refuse to puke when you want/need them to!
dave
Quote from: Jerry on January 26, 2026, 10:04:11 AMRon glad the puppy is okay!
Puppy? She is 11 years old. ;D
Good twilight, everyone. Left BigE about 1PM. Purchases were the White River book on the Chicago, Missouri & Western and a brass scale rule. Appears the General scale rule most of us grew up with is out of production.
Took 3 1/4 hours home from Springfield, 1 hr longer than normal. Only saw one accident; the dry snow was building up in lots of places but not much trouble driving through. I managed 45 MPH on segments of I-90 where I wasn't following plows. Visibility maybe 500 feet. Snow got heavier the last 20 miles; visibility just before I got off I-495 down to 300'. And then the town roads with plows hurrying toward me on the plowed side while the edge of the pavement on my side was hidden. Finally, parking the car outside my barn cellar driveway - it's short, and family can't run my tractor to do the long driveway.
Today I snowshoed out to the tractor's home, then 3 hours breaking plow berm and doing driveways for family. Pretty much done when I got the shear bolts on the lower auger. Family tired too, nobody else tried the snowshoes and I'm the only one with X/C ski boots. Driving again tonight, delivering son's friend back to her school.
Just to add to James' narrative: It started snowing again about 3:30 or so. It's not snowing hard, but this time it's big fluffy flakes, which pile up faster than the powder we got last night. Looks like we'll get another 2-3 inches. I was able to measure the snow on the back porch, about 13" - 14"
dave
Good morning everyone.
16 in Birmingham now, sunny and 42 later.
Coffee, sodas, OJ and hot chocolate are ready.
Two eggs the way you want, crispy bacon and/or sausage along with home fries for breakfast today.
Dave, 13"-14" is more than enough.
James, hope last nights driving was completed safely.
James, Star will always be a puppy to me.
TomO, did you get all the hobby supplies you needed?
Karl, hope you got some good rest yesterday.
Hope all the other shovelers and plowers finished clearing the s$%# safely and got some good rest afterward.
One of the bosses here showed and invited Star and I inside.
I was assured everyone would be here today and the work on the van would be completed.
I already mentioned it, but I can't find the videos I shot at the Nevada Northern RR.
I can't imagine what happened to them.
Depending on what time the work gets done on the van, if it's early enough I'll move west a bit.
This was taken on one of my hikes at Yosemite.
102625PanoramaTrailYosemiteNPCA04Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning All,
Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. It was nice of them to let you inside. Good luck with the repairs on the van. You should be heading to FL instead of west.. just saying.
It's starting out here at 38F and a feel like of 31F. While this feels warm to most of you lately, I assure you for a FL resident of 31 years it is darn cold. Tomorrow is supposed to be slightly cooler.
The only thing planned for today is meeting up with Terry to pick up the next kit, drink some coffee and BS some. I was told Thursday supper will be Chinese buffet with daughter's family.
Rick interesting perspective in the photo.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good Morning from the "Winter Wonderland" called New York. Spent 3.5 hours yesterday snow-blowing the 18+ inches we received. Since they were kind enough to drop a couple more inches of Lake Effect last night I have a feeling I'll be back at it later today...ugh!! It's 11 with a high of 17; Curt I'll take the 30's anytime. Not sure about any bench time today.
Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Hope you get the Van seen to today so you can move along; safe travels. Nice photo btw.
Curt great news on getting the kit and have fun BS'ing with Terry. I added another Chapter yesterday to my blog; enjoy.
What's on your agenda?
Have a great day!! Be well, stay warm, don't overdue on the s*ow removal, and stay safe.
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Rick. The hot chocolate is perfect for today. Nice photo and along with the carvings, probably not petroglyphs, it appears there was a structure between the trees. Hope you get the van fixed today.
We have bowling at noon and late lunch/early dinner with bowling friends after.
Probably no bench time for me today.
Have a safe and warm day everyone.
Tom
Good morning folks,
Rick, thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Good luck with the van. Nice photo.
Curt, enjoy your meetup. Congrats on the model purchase.
Larry, hope you don't have to get back out and shovel. Brrr.
TomACL, good luck on the lanes.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's a bright morning in the frozen place. It's 14°F but warming to 40°F later today. We didn't have any precipitation during this storm. Yesterday was spent working on lodge stuff. Lodge tonight. My workbench will stay lonesome.
Have fun,
mike
Warmer than Georgia here!, it's 15o with a early sunny break in what is warned will be all day long snow, hopefully not as much as LarryC reported.
Rested, 3d printed and studied a couple U-toob videos yesterday. Fed birds, boy are they hungry! Enough Cardinals to elect a new Pope. The Doll just said they all flew off and there is a big hawk sitting under the crab apple, that scares them off for sure.
I did dull coat the decals on the sleeper, pic to insert from my iphone in a bit. As promised—- ;)
IMG_3132.jpeg
Snow and cold to last much of the rest of the week. We're far enough East inward from Lake Michigan that the lake effect usually tapers off a bit from double digit levels.
Thas all I got...stay warm. The sunshine is gone already and the snowfall has begun. :o
:o
KS
Good morning Rick, Curt, Larry, ACLTom, Mike, Karl and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Rick, hope the van work goes well and you get away early.
Curt, enjoy the coffee and BS'ing with Terry today.
Larry, you got a lot more of the white stuff than we did. When it was all said and done we got about 6 inches.
ACLTom, good luck bowling today and enjoy the late lunch/early dinner with your bowling friends.
Mike, good luck at lodge tonight.
Karl, sleeper looks great.
Current temperature is -14c (7f) and overcast with a little snow in the forecast today. I did make it to the bench last night and did some more decking on the loading dock, about 2/3 done now. Tonight I think the Mrs has plans for me.
Have a great day everyone.
Morning everyone
Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Safe travels for you and Star.
Curt have a nice day with Terry and keep the BSing to a minimum.
Larry you have more white stuff than I do but ours is just a frozen mess.
Tom & Pam good luck bowling today.
Mike have fun at the lodge with the guys.
Karl nice job on that coach.
Ron looking forward to you updates.
Weather in South Jersey is sunny/16. Later 24.
We have a top coating of ice over the snow I can walk on it and it doesn't even break.
Shoveling is a real slow process here.
I took a picture yesterday but never posted it so I will post it today!!
Everyone have a wonderful day!! :)
Jerry
Karl, nice looking car!
dave
Good Morning Folks;
It is chilly out, was 32 when I got the paper, cold for Florida. Rick great photo same for you Karl, thanks for sharing.
I grew up in a small Village in Western New York. Three churches and no stop lights. The recent snow they had is unique to the folks there now but was just a normal winter when I grew up in the '60's. That little town is like a snapshot of the past, not much has changed but the car models. It is a pretty main street. Here is the library that is located dead center on Main Street.
IMG_4886.JPG
Enjoy the day.
Jim
Good afternoon from Wisconsin. ++9f degrees at noon(1 minute ago) with the wind chill at -8. No snow though received in the last 10 days. The airport about 12 miles north of us says there is 16" of snow cover still on the ground.
My shopping list yesterday at the LHS was completed plus a couple things not needed somehow jumped into the basket! Adhesives I was planning to stop at Home Depot for but life got in the way. With all sorts of medical appointments this afternoon I might just buy online tonight. It's a re-supply so the timing is not crucial.
Stay safe, stay warm
TomO
Good evening to anyone looking in this late. Just got in from putting another 0.8 engine hours on the tractor (over 2 hours wall clock) in the dark.
After a roughly 18" fall, our Town plow contractor had the roads barely two cars wide this morning. Late today he got worried about next weekend's forecast. His trucks came around "winging back" after sunset and did a thorough job of filling in all three of my driveways. Just what I ran the 7' snowblower along 1000' of road shoulder hoping to avoid. He came back and offered to fix it, but I said I'd take care of it myself. I added if he sees I've shaved the banks, but haven't left it so he can just pick up his wing, tell me how.
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, lots of coffee, cereal, bagels, toaster waffles, yogurt, OJ, and soda. Did I mention coffee?
Slept very poorly last night and up early because I could here the animals getting into stuff they shouldn't be. >:( Of course once I was up they were like a cloud of mosquitoes around my feet until I fed them.
Yesterday I met up with Terry and did the money and kit under the table exchange. ;) We had coffee, split a very good cookie and BS'ed..er, I mean socialized for about an hour before going our separate ways.
Today I planned to start the build thread, but I discovered Dad needs to go to the DMV to deliver some paperwork. The only way I'm sure it will get done is if I go with him, so... He has a appointment late morning. I will probably do floors before it then afterwards do my walk since the feel like temp is 34F this morning and too damn cold. Sunday and Monday the actual temps are supposed to be in the 20's. :o :o The guessers are saying they will be the coldest mornings in 14 years.
Anyhoo,
I hope everyone has a good day.
We're having a tropical heat wave in lower MI, 11o headed to a high way up there at 140 and more of that white mess falling out of the sky. Wind will help stir the mess. Drivers West of us played dodgem cars on the expressway again yesterday near GrdRapids and elsewhere.
I also had a poor night, awoke at 0400 after some sort of jarring mental exercise in my sleep and an inability to regain the Zzzz's that came to a sudden halt...then got congested :-[ laid there for a while then exercised my senior card and got up. iWatch needed an update and was jiggling and I just sat down to look online... :-*
I'm getting real tired of YOO-TooB inserting nasty ads in the videos, women talking in the coarsest language :o about their old guy(50+ old?) rocking them til their legs were shaking...good for you honey now get off my porch...let me continue my train video... ::) If at age 50 my lady de-jour talked like that SHE would need a good washing out of her mouth with soap, then a ride home...
Worked on the layout a bit yesterday, managed to draw blood within 2 minutes :o ...got that out of the way early ;) and then made some progress(well, lots of sawdust) on my project. Yes, a sawzall was involved, (not in the blood letting) as well as other power tools. The power UNscrewdriver is what bit me.
The 3d machine made a couple things yesterday, as well.
Today? Hmm, back at the layout.
KS geesh it's early.
Good morning everyone.
30 now in Toomsuba, MS, sunny and 50 later.
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast and have fun with the new kit.
Hope the VA visit goes smoothly.
Van got finished around 12:30.
There was a very small leak at the fan and water fried the electronics.
The fan works perfectly again.
Headed west afterwards and made to just over the border into Mississippi.
I'll drive an hour west today and do a hike with Star.
ACLTom, yesterday's picture was one tree that was heavily damaged by fire.
What's in the photo is pretty much all that was left of it.
What looks like a burnt building is part of the tree.
Sorry, no picture today.
Hope all are well and have a great day.
Good Morning Guys,
Curt I'll take a coffee, thanks.
Same 'ol stuff here, I'm being polite, with the added wonder of more S*OW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Have a great day. Be well. stay warm, and safe travels.
Had a great meet up with Curt yesterday. Coffee and a shared Kitchen Sink cookie at Panera Bread.
Some train BS, some Navy BS
(Blue water sailor and a dirt sailor)
Finally just some general BS
terry
Quote from: jbvb on January 27, 2026, 10:35:35 PMLate today he got worried about next weekend's forecast.
There's discussion on the national level of a 'bomb cyclone', but the two weather sources I use, Apple's Weather.app (which correctly predicted heavy snow for Springfield Sunday from the start of their 10 day window) and Weather Underground, both show minimal snow on Sunday. We'll see... 11 years ago, the storm on Springfield Sunday was the start of Snowmaggedon where it pretty much snowed for the next 30 days.
Anyway... I thought I had an open day today, but I have to pick up my wife after she drops her car off for service. No big deal, but it does break up the time. Goal for today is to paint the barn walls, I'm after a weathered whitewash look.
dave
Good morning folks,
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Good luck with the 1:1 stuff.
Karl, hope your sleeping improves. That sawdust is good for absorbing blood on the layout...
Rick, safe travels to Star and you. Congrats on the van fix.
Larry, wishing you a warm day up there.
Terry, yesterday sounds perfect to me.
Dave, good luck painting the barn.
What's on your agenda?
It's a hazy morning and cold at 28°F. I'll be glad when January and February are over.
Yesterday at the bench, I put another layer of paint on the sheriff's office. Today, the plan is to drybrush with several colors and apply pigments.
Have fun,
mike
Dave I've seen craft paint in chalky white if that's the effect you're looking for.
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
Have fun with the kit.
Making this short today I have shoveling to do again!!
At my age it takes a long time to move snow.
I still need to post the picture I know.
Later today I promise. ;)
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Morning all,
Not much to add this morning. Lots of errands to run with Pam, maybe some bench time later.
Have a safe and warm day everyone.
Tom
Good morning Curt, Karl, Rick, Larry, Terry, Dave, Mike, Jerry, ACLTom and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt, have fun at the DMV. ;D Looking forward to your next build thread.
Karl, sounds like you had a busy and productive day yesterday. Have fun on the layout today.
Rick Safe driving and enjoy the hike with Star.
Larry, enjoy your day.
Terry, glad you had a great visit BS'ing with Curt.
Dave, have fun painting the barn, weathered whitewash is not a look we see very often here.
Mike, Have fun at the bench today.
Jerry, Picture later today? I'm going to hold you to it. ;D Be careful shoveling the white stuff.
ACLTom, hope you make it to the bench after all the errands are done.
Current temperature is -16c (3f) and blue skies but it's supposed to get cloudy later today. The drive home last night was later than usual so by the time we ate and cleaned up it was almost bed time, so no bench time. I think I'm going to take a couple of days away from the bench, just to have a break and spend some time on my other hobbies.
Have a great day everyone.
Good morning everyone.
Currently 27 in West Monroe, Louisiana, a mix of clouds and sun later with a high of 55.
Coffee, sodas, OJ and hot chocolate are ready.
Pork roll, egg and cheese on an everything bagel for breakfast.
Ron, enjoy your modeling break.
ACLTom, maybe less errands and more bench today.
Jerry, thanks for your update.
Mike, how's the sheriff's office coming along?
Dave, barn walls look good.
Terry, good morning.
Larry, hope the white stuff has stopped falling.
Karl, I watch a lot of YT and haven't seen any adds like that.
Curt, have you opened the box and smelled the resin?
James, hope all the s$#@ is where you want it now.
TomO, hope the medical appointments went well.
James, that was a pretty picture you posted.
Philip, what's new?
Currently in Louisiana.
Very happy to be west of the Mississippi River.
Today's plan is to visit Caddo Lake SP on the Texas/Louisiana border.
Hope I can get a couple of nice pictures there.
From last years visit on the Outer Banks, NC
042024BodieIslandLighthouse01Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning,
Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Best of luck with your photography endeavors. Yes the s*ow has finally stopped; my lower back needs a day of rest. Nice photo.
What's your plans for the day.
It's 9 with a high of 17. The Arctic air needs to go back north; the cold temps start wearing on you after awhile. Like I mentioned I need a rest day when I'm not "playing" in the white crap. Some bench time shortly and maybe an update later on. That's about it from here.
Have a great day!! Be well and stay warm.
Good Morning All,
Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. I believe one of the old pawn store shows was filmed there. Safe travels. Are you headed back to you're daughter's?
Currently 38F with a feel like of 35F. Yesterday after DMV where Dad had to get a new license I did my walk. The rest of the chalk sticks I had ordered came in so I ground them up.
Today after chores I plan on cracking open the new kit and start a build thread. This one I may put on the layout replacing either 1 or 2 current buildings. I'll determine that later in the build.
I think one day very soon I'm being drafted to drive MOH to Sarasota (about 3 hours away) to replace her broken sewing surger. She wants a specific type and model. $$$ :-*
Larry rest your back. I'm sure it will s**w there again soon.🤫
That's it for me.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Low of -1, currently +8 heading to 22. We'll be in this pattern for the next 10 days, with the chance of temps above freezing still predicted for early next week. Looks like the weekend storm will go out to sea.
I have to pick up some Rx, otherwise the day is mine. I should start assembling the barn walls today. There will be some challenges with some of the laser cut parts that warped laterally (in ways I couldn't fix with weights), so careful gluing and clamping will be required.
dave
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Rick. Nice photo of the Outer Banks Lighthouse.
Like Curt said its 38 here going to the low 50s. This weekend is going to be brutal for us Crackers.
No bench time yesterday but today I'm in the train shed working on the challenge build.
Have a safe and warm day everyone.
Tom
Good morning folks,
Rick, thanks for the coffee and pork roll. Safe travels to Star and you.
Larry, glad you have a rest day.
Curt, the new kit sounds like fun.
Dave, good luck with the barn walls.
TomACL, a day at the bench sounds like fun. Stay warm.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's another bright and cold morning at 26F. Yesterday I worked on the sheriff's office door, windows, roof, and porch. I hope to have an update later today.
Have fun,
mike
Warmer , not that one would notice, temps on the + side, 9o currently nd going to low double digits. Wind is reduced as well.
Went with the Doll out to town yesterday and did little hobby stuff. Baked a couple of 3d prints in UV and checked the power on a new Atlas U30B w/Loksound I bought on a whim over the weekend. Lombard canceled their trip to the train show so was selling $300 locos for about the price of the decoder and speaker, $129. Sank their hook in me. That's all I needed, more engines. It ran well and sounded fine, needs the volume turned down but ok other wise.
Back to the layout later, maybe. I have a kitchen project to look at, too.
All I've got...
Another nice shot, Rick. Love lighthouses.
KarlS
Good morning Rick, Larry, Curt, Dave, ACLTom, Mike, Karl, and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Rick, have fun at Caddo Lake SP.
Larry, enjoy the time between the white stuff and have fun at the bench.
Curt, have fun building the new kit and I'm looking forward to the new thread.
Dave, have fun assembling the barn walls, will have to check out your thread on it.
ACLTom, enjoy your time in the shed working on the challenge build.
Mike, looking forward to your update.
Karl, Hope the kitchen project isn't too complicated.
Current weather is -15c and cloudy with no white stuff in the forecast. Received my latest stamp order yesterday so spent some time updating my collection spreadsheet. In case anyone is interested I collect Mint Canadian, US, Germany and British stamps. I have a cousin in England that also collects stamps who sends me the newest British stamps and I send him the latest Canadian stamps. My grandmother bought me my first stamp album when I was young and it is a hobby that I have been involved with ever since.
Have a great day everyone.
Morning everyone
Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Nice picture it looks warm there!
Larry your right it gets old playing in the white stuff.
Curt looking forward to the new build.
Dave take your time you'll get them together.
Mike looking forward to the update.
Karl flip a coin heads for trains tails it's the kitchen!! ;D
Ron that sounds like a full time hobby. I use to collect then somehow stopped doingit. I should have kept it going.
Weather in South Jersey is sunny/16. A blazing 22 later.
I think my shoveling is done for this storm.
But there talkin another 5" on Sunday.
I hope to see if my room is a bit warmer this morning so I can turn on the heater and get my second wall going.
Everyone have a wonderful day!! :)
Jerry
Great way to ruin your day
https://youtu.be/ulIOJkvQiwE?si=JTmx6yJhmdbVKl2S
Quote from: KentuckySouthern on January 29, 2026, 11:06:39 AMGreat way to ruin your day
https://youtu.be/ulIOJkvQiwE?si=JTmx6yJhmdbVKl2S
Looks like a job for the 0-5-0!!!
dave
Afternoon all. Staying warm Rick!
My fiber optics line had to be serviced. Lost my internet last night about 2100hrs. The server repair man was scratching his head. Seems it was shining to bright.....whatever that means?
Stay save crew! That thing with the blade and handle will wear ya down! snow.png
Good morning everyone.
Currently 32 in Longview, TX, mostly sunny and 49 later.
Coffee, sodas, OJ and hot chocolate are ready.
A light breakfast today.
A basket loaded with assorted muffins and bagels.
All the usual smears are out too.
Philip, I'm warm, it was 60 here yesterday.
I hope you're warm when you have that blade with a handle in your hands.
Karl, that certainly ruined a few people's day.
No sooner did I post yesterday, I saw the ad you mentioned on YT.
Haven't seen it again.
Jerry, I think you posted the second wall is done.
What's next?
Ron, my Mom collected stamps.
I wish she collected precious metals instead.
ACLTom, I hope you have some cold weather clothes.
Mike, the Sheriff's Office is a knockout.
Dave, barn walls assembled?
Curt, I guess your wife figures since you got a new kit she can get a new sewing machine. ;D
Yes, I'm heading back to Arizona to my daughters.
Larry, nice job on your scenery.
Hope the rest of the crew is doing well.
I did stop at Caddo Lake.
Didn't stay long.
Took some pictures and continued west.
I called Brett at SierraWest to ask about stopping by for a visit.
Unfortunately my timing wasn't good and he already had other plans.
Maybe next time I'm in the area.
Hitting the gym early then continue on my way west.
Caddo Lake
012926CaddoLakeSPKarnackTX05Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning All,
Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. Pretty picture. Safe travels.
Started out the day with a walk at 45F. I broke down and wore gloves. It's amazing how much warmer you stay! Yesterday I started on the next kit and will continue today after chores.
Rick in all fairness to my wife, her old unit was broke and wasn't worth fixing. I just like to grouse about things. ;)
Tom are you going to be open for visitors tomorrow?
That's it for me.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good Morning,
Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Safe travels and enjoy the warmer weather; it hasn't hit 20 here all week. Thanks trying to up my scenery game.
Curt have fun with the kit; looks like a good'in.
What's your plans today.
It's -2 with a high of only 11; this cold is getting really old. The usual Friday am errands then some bench time afterwards. Also need to get a few things together for tomorrows trip to Daughters to hopefully finish up her couch rebuild.
Have a great day!! Be well, stay warm, and safe travels.
Good morning folks,
Rick, thanks for the coffee and muffin. Good to hear it is warm out there.
Curt, congrats on the new kit start.
Larry, good luck with the couch rebuild.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's a bright morning but still cold. Not much on the agenda today. Several 1:1 chores, then upstairs to finish the sheriff's office.
Have fun,
mike
We stayed positive last night, down to +2 and up a whole degree at 8:30. High of 15 predicted, and no signs of the Nor'Easter/Bomb Cyclone they've been talking about. Guess that will track much further east.
Today I'll do the trim on 3 of the barn walls, and I might even get them assembled. I'm making good progress on this.
dave
-3o but sunny 8) here this morning. Deer that were asleep under the pines have just run off. It appears pretty, but the single digits are getting old. My son says his auto repair shop is "slammed" with 2-3 weeks of work piling up.
I saw a followup video to the derailed locomotives, they're building a new bridge across the "slough" that must be costing tons of money. Solid looking structure that looks permanent. I'm sure there have been some overlooking of permitting to get that done in Oregon so fast, or much of any place these days. -just found it- too much music. :o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBtkR44pULk
Layout and bench time may come my way today. Hoops tonight, SPARTY against a very good team from A2 so it should, hopefully, be a barn burner. :-\
Wasted my day making bean soup, good the Doll said but not too enjoyable to me, I wasn't overwealmed and then, it didn't seem to like me much :o ::) and no dogs to blame it on... :P :-X
Yeah Rick, gotta love lighthouses
IMG_2732.jpeg
Crisp Point on Lake Superior.
Most likely you'll need a snow mobile to get there today. Winter snow has been brutal up there. They don't plow the road. It's a challenge in the summer time.
That's all I got. Be well.
KS
Morning all. Yet more what stuff. 2" so far but clear again.
Stay safe crew!
Morning everyone
Well this will be short as we have to go the bank to figure out what they did a 5000.00 deposit!!
Weather here sunny/14. Later 18.
Maybe some bench time if I can my room somewhat warm.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Good afternoon everyone,
Checking in real late today due to circumstances beyond my control.
Current temperature is -a5c (5f) with blue skies. Day started out normal enough with a trip to the barber (long overdue) and while there the Mrs called me about the house being cold 16c (61f) and dropping. Called are heating and cooling guy and they had someone show up within the hour. A limit switch needed to be change and now we have heat again. Only cost me $180.00 for the service call, money well spent. Now I get to go out once the Mrs gets back and complete the days errands. Tonight we plan to visit my Mom so I'm getting the feeling that the bench will have to wait another day. Tomorrow is the SLD meet with clinics in the morning and modeling in the afternoon.
Have a great day everyone.
Good morning everyone.
Currently 18 in Wichita Falls, TX, sunny and 31 later.
Coffee, sodas, OJ and hot chocolate are ready.
Fresh out of the oven coffee cake to enjoy with your beverage.
Ron, glad they got the heat back on quickly.
Jerry, hope they found your deposit.
Philip[, hope there wasn't more white stuff.
Karl, excellent lighthouse photo.
Dave, keep making good progress.
Mike, the Sheriff's Office is a prize winner.
Larry, hope the sofa rebuild goes well.
Curt, I'll be wearing my mittens today.
TomO, ACLTom, James and everyone else looking in, hope you are all well.
I hit the gym early yesterday and then hit the road to continue west.
Driving past Dallas and Fort Worth wasn't fun.
Mike, do cars in Texas come equipped with turn signals?
It will be cold but I think today I'll visit Caprock SP and do a hike with Star there.
One more from Caddo Lake.
012926CaddoLakeSPKarnackTX02Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning All,
Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. We have the same turn signal issue in FL. Safe travels westward. Another nice photo.
Starting out at 60F then slowly falling through the day until this time tomorrow it will be 27F (actual). Midday we start seeing 30-40 mph winds that will last up to 6 hours. Brrrr. The 20's will be on Sunday and Monday.
Yesterday I applied a diluted A&I to the front of the clapboard walls and black on the back. After that I read, re read and re re read the next steps to understand what I'm supposed to do. I think I have it but I'll start out going over them again.
Today will be spent trying to stay warm and coloring strip wood for the barn.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good Morning,
Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Couldn't even imagine trying to drive through those areas. N.Y. drivers have the same turn signal problem....they're standard equipment people. Safe travels westward.
Curt welcome to my world; we're finally going to be in the 20's next week; time to break out the lawn chair and the sunscreen....of course after I snow-blow the back yard. Have fun with the kit.
What's on your agenda.
It's 5 with a high of 13 here. Today is couch day at the daughters so hopefully that goes well. Probably zero bench time today and pizza for dinner later.
Have a great day!! Be well, travel safe, and keep warm.
Headed to OPS at Keeney's this morning, it's 4o but supposedly will be sunny today. 8)
Little to add, SPARTY fell flat last night, couldn't hit their shots, came back and led 10 min into the 2nd half, had been down 13. They couldn't hold it. Refs didn't help them much. Spoils the game when it takes 5 minutes to "Review" tv and then confer over a call....kills momentum. Oh well, it's only a game.
Time to run.
Be well all.
KS
Quote from: Rick on January 31, 2026, 06:43:05 AMGood morning everyone.
Currently 18 in Wichita Falls, TX, sunny and 31 later.
Coffee, sodas, OJ and hot chocolate are ready.
Fresh out of the oven coffee cake to enjoy with your beverage.
Ron, glad they got the heat back on quickly.
Jerry, hope they found your deposit.
Philip[, hope there wasn't more white stuff.
Karl, excellent lighthouse photo.
Dave, keep making good progress.
Mike, the Sheriff's Office is a prize winner.
Larry, hope the sofa rebuild goes well.
Curt, I'll be wearing my mittens today.
TomO, ACLTom, James and everyone else looking in, hope you are all well.
I hit the gym early yesterday and then hit the road to continue west.
Driving past Dallas and Fort Worth wasn't fun.
Mike, do cars in Texas come equipped with turn signals?
It will be cold but I think today I'll visit Caprock SP and do a hike with Star there.
One more from Caddo Lake.
012926CaddoLakeSPKarnackTX02Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Rick, I don't mind the traffic in Houston. But Dallas! OMG what were the road engineers thinking of when they designed the roadways there. I grew up and still travel lots through Chicago. and la traffic sucks too but Dallas IMOO is the absolute worst.
No turn signals, that's mostly a Texan thing because as the signs say drive the Texas Way!
TomO
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Rick, much appreciated. I had OJ this morning but tomorrow it will be a couple of cups of hot choclate.
Rick, yes, I'm fine just haven't had much time to sit at the bench lately.
I'm spending the day with Pam, you know, trying to keep the weeds out of the marriage garden. This is her day, get her hair done, roam through the antique mall and then early dinner. Tomorrow the day is mine. ;D
I talked to t he Judge and he is doing fine. They now have a chair lift and he has been walking further each day with the walker.
That's all from me, have a safe and warm day everyone.
Tom
Officially, it got down to -4 here, so this was our coldest night so far. (My recording thermometer said -7, but it's usually a bit colder than the official temperature.) But no wind, so for me at least, it's not too bad.
Scotch Club has been called for 3:00 this afternoon, so that gives us 2 hours before sunset. High of 23, so that should be OK.
Today's goal is to look at the foundation pieces against the wood structure, to see what adjustments are needed. I might need to fiddle with the front of the barn that hangs over the plaster foundation, it has a bit of warp and I'm not sure there's room for bracing.
dave
Good morning folks,
Rick, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast. The lack of turn signaling used to make me crazy. I grew up 60 miles north of WF. Safe travels west.
Curt, good luck with the strip wood.
TomO, there are simply too many people in the DFW area. Lots of people from rust belt and Cali settled there in waves over the years. The transportation system designers had no idea it would grow so much. They sure missed that one.
TomACL, good news about the Judge. Wishing you a fun day with Pam.
Dave, good luck with the foundation and walls.
How is the rest of the gang?
It's an overcast morning at 28F with winds gusting at 35 mph. I think we dodged the sneaux bomb, but I wasn't going out anyway. Today, I hope to finish the signs for the sheriff's office. I'm trying to decide on layout work or starting the post office...
Have fun,
mike
Good morning from OPS Saturday day. I totally spaced this one out forgetting I signed up for it. Thank goodness for my calendar alerts I have setup. I get picked up at 12:15pm.
Yesterday I spent most of the morning and early afternoon dropping feeder wires for the resistance soldering guy rolling behind me. What a great tool that is, so quick, so neat and small. I cut the feeders, trimmed one end, made a 1/8" L, drilled the hole and dropped it. He came in behind me and did his thing. I finished the drops and went back to the beginning and attached the feeder to the bus lines. Feeders on every 3' section of rail, double main and yard on one level. Way too many drops to count. There was another crew of 3 on the other end of the layout doing the same thing. We were 2 wiring guys short so instead of me doing scenery forms I was the wire guy and connector guy. We will do it again Tuesday with the 2 resistance soldering guys working the 2- 40' long staging yards. There will be 4 guys laying track today as yesterday they were putting down cork roadbed for the mainline. Rolls of cork sheet has been drying in the staging yards. Today nthey will do the staging and then the mains if they get that far
So Central Wisconsin temperatures are nice, +12 feels like -1 but heading to +24 and +10 wind chill.
Have a great day
TomO
Good Morning Folks;
I posted this on the other daily topic but the photo of the day is worth sharing again given the weather. Somebody left the door open and the cold air is moving into Florida. I guess we have a couple of days of this ahead of us.
Today I will definitely being staying inside, good time to clean the work bench then make it dirty again. Today's picture is a load of wood cuttings that filled railcars during the orange grove clean ups of one of our past freezes. Frankly I don't think there are enough orange trees in Florida today that you will see these pictures ever again.
Hope everyone enjoys the day.
Jim
IMG_3187.JPG
Afternoon everyone
Rick thanks for the coffee cake.
I'll put on a fresh pot of coffee.
Larry good luck with the couch.
Karl have fun at the OPS.
Tom have a nice day with Pam. Yes killing the weeds is a good thing.
Morning Dave.
Mike looking for the update.
TomO sounds like you guys are wired!! ;D
Jim always good to start with a clean workbench.
That sure is a lot of kindling.
Weather in South Jersey sunny/20. And that's it for the day.
Turn signals is something new in cars?? :o Someone should tell the seniors here about them. ???
My room is at 48 so there is no sense in trying to warm it with a space heater that will eat more electric than I want to spend.
I need to make a jig so maybe I'll work instead the homestead today!!
Everyone have a wonderful day!! :)
Jerry
Good evening everyone,
Seeing as it is cold outside (at least for most of us) there is some 18yr old Glenfiddich scotch as well as a bottle of Rare Eagle, help yourself.
Had a great day at the SLD (NMRA) meet where there was a couple of great clinics in the morning session and some progress on the challenge build, got the 4 walls blued together as well as started on the roof. After the session I stopped at my LHS and picked up some supplies.
Have a great evening everyone.
Hey Ron I'll join you.
Make mine a Eagle Rare neat!!
Jerry
Ron,
I'll surely have one too!
Make mine a Eagle Rare neat!! I can use something strong about now.
I've been in a personal battle the last two weeks. Not a health battle,
an Estate settlement. It's taken a toll on my mind. Best way to avoid it
is not to die. ;D
Rich
Good morning everyone.
24 currently in Tucumcari, NM, sunny and 64 later.
I see Curt is here and hope he's getting breakfast going.
A brief post from me today.
Didn't do a hike yesterday because it was too cold and windy.
Decided to get some miles in instead.
Definitely warmer here in NM.
Will try to do a hike today.
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, hot chocolate, cereal, sugar donuts, bagels, yogurt, OJ, and soda.
Starting out today at 27F with a feel like of 14F.🥶🥶🥶 The high today will be 45F. Tomorrow will be a repeat, but there is a full moon out. MOH says there is snow on the ground about an hour west of me.
Yesterday I spent an hour sorting wood strips from just 1 bag :( I started coloring the end bracing of the barn walls and feel comfortable with the next steps.
I was going to do a walk later but that probably won't happen until Tuesday. They say discretion is the better part of valor. ;)
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good Morning,
Rick glad to hear you're in warmer climates. Hope you and Star have a good and safe hike.
Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Right about now I'd happily take 27 with a high of 45. enjoy the time with your kit.
Rich I feel your pain. We spent 3 years getting Ellie's late Sister's Estate settled; it was a case of "hurry up and wait" which drove us nuts.
What's going on in your world.
It's a whole 7 with a high of 17. The good news it's going to be up in the 20's for most of the week; I'll take it. Managed to get all the straps on Daughters couch from back to front installed yesterday, Ordered 3 more rolls which will do the length straps with a weave over and under the other ones. Next Saturday should finish it up then it's a few 1:1 things to do here. Did manage about an hour bench time yesterday and more today.
Have a great day!! Be well and keep warm.
Good morning Rick, Curt, Larry and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt. 27f here is short and t-shirt weather at this time of year.
Rick, have a great hike with Star.
Larry, sounds like you have mage great progress on the couch.
Rich, estate settlements are no fun, hope it gets completed soon.
Current weather here is -17c (1f) with bright blue skies. Today's plan is to do a grocery run and dinner with my mom this evening. Plan to get some bench time in this afternoon.
Have a great day everyone.
-3 up from -8 here in Michigan. Sunny totally clear sky makes it look nice outside, little if any wind and it might actually feel ok, as well.
OPS went well yesterday. I used the C-415 I bragged up on this outlet and it performed quite well and was favorably commented on by the crew. I think a bit more keep-alive function could help in some places but it managed to do quite well. Only real issue was one of the KDs lost a knuckle spring but I was able to work with it. It took me a whole capsule of the damned things before I could keep track of one long enough to replace it. :o Damn they disappear quick. :P
Tucumcari, Rick, watch out for Ringo and the Outlaws prowling the streets...what a name for a western location. I think I passed thru there when the Doll and I drove out little Nissan Cube out to AZ to see her son and grands. What a box of tin. The CVT (transmission) puked on us in Tennesee in the mountains on the way home, what a last day of a trip that was. We had taken the low route across AZ and NM through TX, Ark, and Tenn to avoid a early spring snow storm that had closed down the upper route that paralleled US-66 in places. What an adventure...drove thru Tuscon and headed East in a nasty snow! All the week we were out there it was in the 80s back here in Michigan. We got in time for one day of it before winter returned.
Back to now, easing into today. See what comes along.
Be well all, enjoy the day.
KS
Good morning folks,
Rick, thanks for opening. Glad you are in warmer places.
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Good luck at the bench.
Larry, congrats on the couch work. It's going to be like new.
Ron, sounds like a great day.
Karl, glad the ops session was fun.
What's up with the rest of the crew?
It's another bright morning at 14°F, but no worries, it is warming to 38°F. We are headed to brunch, then The Da Vinci Code at Springer Opera House in Columbus. The kids are driving, so I'll just sit back and relax.
I finished the exterior of the sheriff's office (https://modelersforum.com/index.php?msg=200079) yesterday. I'll work on the interior tomorrow. I haven't decided what's next: rolling stock, a post office, or layout work. I've been thinking about pulling out a porter to get it ready to run to the local mines.
Have fun,
mike
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
You must be freezing down there!!
Rick glad you made it warmer weather have a nice hike with Star.
Larry sounds like the couch is almost done.
Ron have a nice dinner with Mom.
Karl sounds like you had a good time at the OPS.
Mike have a nice day with the kids.
Weather in South Jersey is sunny/13. Later on 23.
We have a few errands to run this morning.
I did manage to grain the wood for the studs and firebreaks last night.
Today I'll stain them and then hopefully finish the second wall.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Good morning from a slowly warming So. Central Wisconsin. +15f degrees now though it feels like +2. Heading to maybe 30 this afternoon. The sun is bright.
I ended up missing yesterday afternoon's OPS Session as I was not feeling good. The chills, sneezing, cough plus some other issues. I decided not to take the 2 hour ride and subject my fellow riders and then the operators at the session.
Still not feeling the best today but much better than yesterday. We are doing nothing outside the house I was told so I may go down to the bench. If I sneeze and cough there it's fine! The chills are gone and that was the most worrisome of the ailments yesterday to me.
Friend told me in a text this morning he has 123 pairs of 6" feeders cut and the 1/8" L is stripped for Tuesday. He wanted to give the feeder guys a head start for when they come Tuesday morning. He was pretty anmazed how quick the resistance soldering works on the track. He said he tested my portion from Friday all all was good.
Enjoy the day
TomO
No question, if I were starting over again, I'd pay someone to do my trackwork! I still remember the chapter in Dave Frary's "Pennsy Middle Division" book where he Tom Sawyers Bob Hayden to come and do the track. I still have a lot of switch machines and turnout tuning to do, in case anyone's looking for a job :o
dave
I actually enjoy doing the trackwork...hand laid ties, rail snd turnouts...but for me, it's just another model build. Track is a model too
When it gets up to 85 degrees in your neck of the woods, give me a call, Dave
terry
Good morning, all. The storm went out to sea well South of the NH seacoast and it's 20-ish and shadows are visible through high clouds.
I've been curious about Tucumcari ever since I first read about the Golden State Route. But I was too young to ride that train, Amtrak didn't take the route on and I never had any business within 200 miles. Now the Rock Island has been gone 45 years. I remember my more-or-less S scale Rock Island E7 A-B-A set from my O tinplate cays.
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, OJ, and soda.
Starting out at 32F with a feel like of 26F. It should start warming up a bit, but later in the week it's supposed to be in the 30's again. Yesterday I realized I hadn't colored enough wood so that's what I did.
I forgot to mention yesterday that Dad managed to slice open his leg on the car door corner (Saturday) not paying attention getting into the car (again), but this time it required 11 sutures and a trip to the Urgent Care followed by the ER. That's about 5 hours I'll never get back.
Today MOH and I have the Ft. Lauderdale run to pick up the 2 animals, so it will basically be a wasted day for anything
else.
And so it continues.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good Morning,
Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Sorry to hear about your Dad's leg; hope it heals quickly. I've had those days where modeling is the last thing on the agenda if at all.
What's your plans for today.
It's currently 0 with a high of 26; ya right. Grocery shopping soon then early afternoon taking Ellie for her 6 month checkup then probably a stop for subs before returning home. I most likely won't see the bench today but it's not going anywhere.
Have a great day!! Be well and keep warm.
Good morning everyone.
I'm in the ER here in Albuquerque.
Pretty sure it's a kidney stone again.
30o warmer :o this morning, it's a fine blistering 20o with a snow front moving in for most of the day, dull grey sky completes the turn around from yesterday's clear but COLD. Today will still be cold. :(
I spend a couple hours on the lay out yesterday, took the cutting tools to a large 180o loop and moved it all 6-7 inches straight out to, hopefully give the trestle room to contribute. I wasn't aware of the width of the 'footprint' of the bents when I got into the project. In order to accomplish the slice and dice I had to remove the base and support for the roundhouse and turntable I had roughed in. Plan on more work on that project later.
Enjoy the day all, be safe.
KS
Best with the stones, Rick...you posted while I was composing. Not fun I'm sure. This too, shall pass....(poor pun, sorry)
Aw geez, Rick! Hope you get over that quickly (and I hope someone is taking care of Star for you.)
dave
Get and feel better Rick.
Good morning,
Sorry for your Dad Curt.
Rick, ouch hope it passes.
Another cold one here. Feeding the hungry wild birds have been the highlight of my days.
Philip
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Curt, but I've already had a bowl of oat meal with honey. The OJ is nice and fresh though. Safe travels to The Dale. Very sorry to hear of Tim's leg and hope the recovery is smooth. I know you know that it will get even more trying as the time goes by.
I'm in the train shed this morning working on the '25 Winter Challenge. Update later this afternoon.
Rick, sorry to hear of your ER visit, hopefully something can be done.
Have a safe, warm and happy day everyone.
Tom
Good morning folks,
Curt, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast. Safe travels today. Hope you Dad, heals quickly.
Larry, hope your 1:1 goes well today. Good luck to Ellie.
Rick, yikes, hope the stone passes, and you get some relief.
Karl, good luck with the trestle installation.
Dave, good morning.
Philip, I'm sure the birds are thankful.
Tom, the train shed all day sounds good.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's a bright morning at 20°F, but headed to 50°F. I have lodge tonight, but otherwise I'll be upstairs.
Have fun,
mike
Good morning Curt, Larry, Rick, Karl, Dave, Philip, ACLTom, Mike and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt, sounds like your dad dot quite the gash, hope it heels well.
Rick, hope the stone passes soon.
Current temperature is -15c (5f) with bright blue skies. I did managed a little time at the bench and started the roof for the tool shed. I also posted an build update, so I'm calling it a successful day. :)
Have a great day everyone.
Rough idea of my curve move...
IMG_3160.jpeg
The RED indicates cuts and movement.
The GREEN is rough idea of trestle.
The BLUE Arrow the area the Turntable base will return to.
The different elevations don't translate well in the photo. :-\
Someday I'll, hopefully, shut off the mind and fill in the landmasses and run trains. ???
KS
The buffet is open...
IMG_3136.jpeg
Good morning everyone
Well the groundhog "Punxsutawney Phil" saw his shadow so 6 more weeks of this cold weather!!
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
I hope Tim is doing better.
Larry have fun with those 1:1 things.
Rick feel better I hope the stone passes quickly.
Karl sounds like you have your work cut out for yourself.
Morning Dave.
Philip the birds have to eat to.
Tom I'll be looking for an update.
Ron I saw the update great work as usual.
Weather in South Jersey sunny/23. Later a scorching 34.
A few errands this morning.
Then maybe with the warm weather my room can be heated later in the day.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, OJ, and soda.
Starting out here at 36F. I'll wait until around 9 a.m. to do my morning walk when it's supposed to be in the 40's which is cold but bearable bundled up. Yesterday nothing was accomplished beyond the transport. We have 2 very unhappy skunks in our dining room but at least they are eating. They should be going to their permanent home Saturday.
Today I hope to finish the bracing on the barn walls. No other plans.
Rick I hope you are feeling better and out of the hospital.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Curt. How is dad doing with the leg laceration?
Rick, I hope the ER was able to help you. Any better today?
I'm off to give blood and then get a hair cut. As Curt mentioned, it is cold here for us Crackers.
Have and safe, warm and healthy day everyone.
Tom
Good morning folks,
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Good luck with the barn walls.
TomACL, hope the visit to the vampires goes well.
Jerry, warm weather would be nice. Good luck.
Karl, wow, that's a lot of work on the trestle. Great cardinal photo.
Ron, the rafter tails look terrific.
Rick, hope you are feeling better.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's still cold here, but warmer weather is coming. I'm off to the car dealer for a service. Then it's back to the workbench to start 3D printing a few details. The sheriff's desktop needs some papers and a lamp, so I'll work on those, too.
Have fun,
mike
Good Morning,
Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Enjoy your kit.
Tom make sure they leave you some of the "red stuff".
Rick hope the ER was able to help you; get feeling better soon.
Mike hope the car service is painless and doesn't make your wallet scream too much. Have fun making the details.
What's the rest of you doing.
It's 10 going to 30 later. First time we've been out of the 20's in a couple of weeks. Dentist apt. this am for x-rays and a cleaning then stopping at Wegmans for a Rx and a few groceries; it's less than 5 minutes from the Dentist. Maybe some bench time later. Been spending some time this last week going down the AI "rabbit hole" designing some Trek stuff; interesting concept.
Have a great day!! Be well, stay warm, and be on the mend.
Good morning everyone.
Currently it's 23 in Grants, NM, sunny and 56 later.
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
Hope the barn wall bracing goes well.
Larry, AI certainly is a very deep rabbit hole.
Mike, hope the car dealer service isn't too expensive.
ACLTom, hope the blood draw results is all good news.
Jerry, hope your room warmed up enough.
Karl, that's an ambitious project on your layout.
Have fun with it and cool photo of the birds.
Ron, how's the roof coming along?
Philip, hope it warms up soon.
They finally released me after being there for 12 hours. :P
It took forever to get from one step of the process to the next.
Right now I am pain free.
The urologist gave me a prescription that gives me a 70% chance of me passing the stone.
I'll be consulting with a urologist in Arizona when I get there.
Getting permission to go outside and walk/feed Star was another huge problem.
After some tense back and forth it was finally decided that they would remove my IV before I could go out.
Then put in a new IV when I got back in. ::) ???
Todays plan is to push west and maybe cross the border into Arizona.
On Sunday Star and I did a hike.
This hike was a tough one for me because the trailhead was at 10,000' and I haven't been hiking at those elevations for at least 4 months.
I had to stop often to catch my breath.
Also, the entire trail was covered in s@#% but wearing my micro-spikes made that a non issue.
I was impressed with how many others were out there doing the same hike.
A picture from Sunday's hike.
02012026NambeLakeTrail02Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Glad to hear the ER helped, Rick. Drive safely!
Heat wave in SE NH, it got above freezing yesterday, and might do so again today. There are bare spots on the driveway where I can see the paving. Still not enough grass spots to make the dogs happy, though.
Today I have a couple of 'events', including PT and a viewing for a friend who passed away. I hope to get a bit of modeling in between those events.
dave
Mid 20s and light snow with grey sky the de jour... :(
I managed to splice new track into the cut places on each end of the curve. Most of the meat of the day, and my ambition was occupied by a sudden gotta get it done yesterday ::) plunge into throwing together the taxes that wore me out.
Back to the layout(?) is the rough idea for the day, but... :-\ time will tell.
KSinMI
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast
Nothing worse than an unhappy skunk!! ;D
Tom what a combo blood & haircut!!
Mike don't spend all you money on car service.
Larry good luck at the dentist.
Rick glad your feeling better.
Great picture Star looks happy!
Morning Dave.
Karl looking forward to an update.
Weather in South Jersey is cloudy/31. Later on 35.
Feels like Spring out there.
I managed to get the wood stained and cut for the wall.
Hopefully today I will place them in the frame.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Good morning Curt, ACLTom, Mike, Larry, Rick, Dave, Karl, Jerry and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt.
Have to be quick today as I have a busy day. Current temperature is currently -7c (19f) and overcast. Mo modeling last night as I have decided that Monday nights will be spent on other interests. Tonight will be back to modeling with more work to be done on the roof.
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, OJ, and soda.
Starting out the day at 39F and getting into the 60's and maybe even higher. I can't remember. ??? Yesterday I did a later walk then completed the wall bracing and then colored more strip wood.
Today after chores and floors I'll start "planking" the walls of the barn. I also need to give Bill a call later.
Rick I'm glad you're feeling better.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good morning everyone.
47 right now in Payson, AZ, sunny and 73 later.
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast and keep having fun with the kit.
Ron, how's the roof coming along?
Jerry, glad you're making progress on the bench.
Star loves running in the s!@# and eating it.
Krl, layout>taxes.
Dave, my condolences on the loss of your friend.
How's the rest of the crew today?
Drove most of the day yesterday.
I'm really tired of it and very glad I'm getting close to the end.
The spot I stopped at yesterday just happens to have a trail nearby.
Star and I will hike it later this morning.
Then off to Tempe for a quick stop at Costco for just a few things.
One more picture from Sunday's hike.
02012026NambeLakeTrail01Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Morning Gents,
Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Have fun working on your new kit.
Rick hope you're feeling better today and the meds are doing their job.
What's your plans.
It's 18 with a high of 24; made it to almost 30 yesterday. Never made it to the bench yesterday but plan to today since it'll be a "stay at home" day. Other than that not a whole lot going on here.
Have a great day!! Be well and stay warm.
Good Morning from contral Florida.
We are starting to warm up here as it did not freeze last night. Love the photo and hope and thanks for the coffee. Today I see the skin doctor but other than that the day is mine. I did some CAD design work on bride project yesterday, suspect more will get done today. Hope all is well and see you later.
Jim
Good morning folks,
Curt, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast. Good luck planking.
Rick, glad you are feeling better. Safe travels!
Larry, wishing you a fun day at the bench.
Ron, good luck with roofing.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's a cloudy morning at 52°F, headed to 52°F. No plans today other than heading upstairs. Yesterday I added a lamp and papers to the sheriff's desk, 3D printed some figures and other details, and completed about 50% of a trumpet vine for the sheriff's office.
Have fun,
mike
Morning crew!
Glad your out Rick!
TY Curt!
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Looking forward to the update.
Rick glad your feeling better today.
Have a nice hike with Star.
Larry hope you make the bench today.
Morning Jim. Have fun with the CAD project.
Mike I guess the Sherriff office is just about done.
Morning Philip.
Weather in South Jersey is P. sunny/29. Later on 33.
The snow & ice pack is slowly melting!!
Izzy to the groomer this morning.
Then a couple of errands while she is there.
Bench time later in the day I hope.
Everyone have a wonderful day!! :)
Jerry
Good morning from Wisconsin. It's 0f degrees and feels like 0. The sun is pretty bright this morning.
Rick sorry to read about the kidney stones. Been there twice, absolutely no fun.
Karl. That is quite the track adjustment, have fun with it.
We are on a warming trend and may reach the mid 20's this afternoon.
Working some at the bench. I moved on from a project that I just fundamentally screwed up from the beginning. Now I'm re-thinking it. It will get done but not for awhile
It is amazing the time I must have spent online the last few years. Yesterday it was less than an hour and other than my train bench time I need stuff to do. Terry is handling that with the honey do lists. But I have time to do them. Mostly now I wake up and log in. Maybe 30 minutes on a couple forums and then not until late evening do I go back online. I'm off line enough my Facebook page has less postings. Removing the game I played daily for years without missing a day sure helped and the withdrawal pain was gone in a week!
Be well
TomO
Glad to hear Rick is doing better (although I do worry about a hike into the boonies in case he has a relapse...)
Nothing on the plate today, so I should get back to the train shop in a bit.
dave
Dull grey with a flake or two falling, my watch said it was 9o outside. It will go to the 20s later, maybe. Headed to 30 sometime this week but briefly.
I managed to move the track and then patched the open areas I had cut. I also added 1 foot to the layout base before I started the track change. Now, I have to figure out the land mass under the trestle. :( I prefer plaster cloth over a webbing of strips of cardboard, made from cut up priority mail boxes. Then cover that with Sculptamold. 2-3 weeks of that if I get at it.
The Doll went for an eye exam to get new glasses yesterday and ended up with a referral for cataract surgery. That ought to ball up 6 weeks of time. She's been spending a lot of time researching genealogical mysteries on the computer and complaining of head aches. :'( I hope it helps. My eyes are much better after I had that done last year around this time. Not perfect but much less use of glasses. Reading especially is better for me. Not needing them all the time, leads to me 'losing' them frequently because they are not on my face. The close up lower bifocal area was poorly placed on my current pair so I rarely use that feature, just the optivisor.
Rick, glad you are able to continue the trek Westward. I hope it warms up...for all of us.
TomO there sure are lots of ways to lose track of online time. Facebook seems totally without merit from what I hear from the Doll. She marvels at the total amount of self discipline of comments folks put out there. She does stay out of the fray after suffering anguish over political stuff in recent years. That stuff breads viral hatred I can not believe.
Looking forward to making some progress on the layout. I do have an Rx to retrieve later. Just to get the reminder text and phone messages to stop. :o
That' all I've got for now. Everyone enjoy the day.
KS
Good afternoon everyone,
It's getting late so I put on a fresh pot of coffee.
Current temperature is -7c (19f) and cloudy. Found out last night that my Aunt died as she lost her fight with cancer, she was 96 so she lived a great life. No modeling happened last night but I did spent time cataloguing my railroad supplies. To do this I made a database in Microsoft Access. The reason for this it threefold, 1 - seeing what I have, 2 - Insurance purposes, and 3 - to help with disposing my collection. I'm beginning to see I have more than I thought.
Have a great day everyone.
Good afternoon, all. I've spent much of the morning researching; I updated my thread about online resources for scratchbuilding structures that still stand. Now it's time to shut off the confuser and do some actual modeling.
Ron condolences on your Aunts passing.
Ron sorry to hear of your Aunt passing. Prayers for the family.
Jerry
Afternoon all.
Ron, very sorry to hear of your Aunt's passing. Time will heal the sorrow but time will never take the memories.
I was hear just after breakfast was served and then ran errands with Pam. Forgot to check back in.
Hope all are having a happy day.
Tom
Morning all. I have a lengthy commute in a couple of minutes.
Sorry for your loss Ron. Prayers for your family.
Good morning everyone.
Currently 52 in Phoenix, sun then clouds with a high of 78 later.
I see Mike is here and hope he's preparing one of his delicious breakfasts for us.
Mike, any more work on the sheriff's office and what's next once it's done?
Philip, safe travels.
ACLTom, I guess more work on the tower today?
James, I've been enjoying your thread.
Ron, my condolences on the passing of your aunt.
Karl, all the best to Vicki on her upcoming procedure.
Dave, I appreciate your concern but I'm fine and pain free.
TomO, being on line can have benefits.
It all depends on what you're looking at.
But it does steal time from getting things done in the 1:1.
Jerry, did you sit at the bench?
Jim, hope it was all good news at the skin doctor.
Larry, hope you got to enjoy your stay at home day.
Curt, any kit progress?
Ended up not hiking yesterday.
The van heater, not the Mercedes heater in the dash, started acting up.
Just by luck the only authorized repair shop for the heater is here in Mesa.
The part is still under warranty and I just have to pay for shipping and labor.
Part according to UPS is due to arrive at 10:30.
After that is done continuing west will happen.
Yesterday morning at my campsite outside of Payson, AZ.
020426CampsouthofPaysonAZ01Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
I see Mike didn't make breakfast.
No problem.
Coffee, sodas, OJ and hot chocolate are ready.
Since I'm in Arizona a Mexican based breakfast today.
Breakfast burritos filled with scrambled eggs, chorizo, cheddar cheese and salsa are waiting on the counter for you.
Morning all,
Rick, the breakfast burrito is perfect along with the hot chocolate. Nice sunrise photo.
Yes, I'll be working on the tower today and updating the thread.
Philip, have a safe commute.
Not much else going on from here.
Have a safe and healthy day everyone.
Tom
"Breakfast Burritos with chorizo" reminds me of Louis/Desert Drover, who didn't make the transition from Railroad-Line. I hope he's doing well.
Today's task is the roof for the barn. I need to decide between the kit shingles, which look like traditional asphalt or slates, or Bar Mills wood shingles. I like the Bar Mills product for wood shingles, although I know others have gotten spectacular results with different products. That's pretty much the last step before the new foundation arrives. I could start on the house, or do some scenery work on location.
dave
Buenos Dias with the breakfast.
Heat wave here this morning, 20+ outside but snow is expected.
Watched a bunch of the NASCAR race from Winston-Salem last evening until FOX decided to switch the race over to FS2 >:( what a bunch of -DELETE- will certainly 'color' my NASCAR viewing back to near zero this year.
Layout efforts dragging along, today I'll get some done. Hopefully.
Little left here, we do miss Luis in the mornings.
KS.
Good morning Philip, Rick, ACLTom, Dave, Karl and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Rick, hope the heater repair goes well.
Philip, hope the commute is uneventful.
ACLTom, have fun working on the tower build.
Dave, your barn build is looking great.
Karl, hope a lot of progress is made on the layout modifications today.
First of I would like to thank everyone for the condolences regarding my aunt, it is very much appreciated.
Current temperature is -16c (3f) with blue skies, it's a great day. No modeling last night as I got home from work later than usual and I didn't feel like it. We shall see what tomorrow brings.
Have a great day everyone.
Good morning folks,
I just peeked in earlier before I had to do a quick task for the lodge. It's finished, so...
Philip, thanks for opening. Safe traveling.
Rick, thanks for the coffee and breakfast. It's perfect.
TomACL, good luck on the towers.
Dave, wood shingles might be best for your period.
Karl, congrats on the layout modification. Are those trestles completed?
Ron, good luck getting to the bench.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's another overcast day and cold. Warmer weather is headed our way I think.
Rick asked what's next. I am thinking about building the post office. I have it cut out on the laser, and need to paint and assemble it. I'll add a few details like a post office box and signage. Haven't decided on shingle type.
Hope to finish the sheriff's office today. I plan to finish the vines and paint the sheriff print.
Have fun,
mike
Good Morning,
Philip safe travels.
Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast. That photo looks to be a lot warmer than it's here. Hope the heater repair goes well and travel safely.
Tom have fun with the tower.
Dave I was actually surprised Louis never made it over to here; although neither did Roland/Hopeless both are great modelers and miss their work. Speaking of wood shingles I make my own using either 1x10's or 2x10's then I can color them exactly how I want them. The only drawback is it's a very tedious process.
Karl you're a little warmer than we are here. This weekend is going to be brutal w/ the Arctic air returning.
Ron my sincere condolences concerning the loss of your Aunt. Hope you get some modeling in soon.
Mike have a great modeling day.
What's the rest of you doing.
It's a sunny 18 with a high of 23. This weekend the Arctic air returns and the temps drop right into the basement. Saturday they're saying -25 with windchills and sn*w; doubt I'll be going to my Daughters...too darn cold. The Challenge diorama is done so I'll post an update after here.
Have a great day!! Be well, stay warm, and safe travels.
Good Morning All,
Thanks for opening Philip and Breakfast Rick. I hope your heater gets repaired today Rick.
Just got back home from my walk at a damp 57F from the early morning rain. The sky is still gray and overcast.
Yesterday I "planked" all of the colored wood and I'm not even half way done with the barn. I don't know if not enough strip wood was included (unusual) or what the
issue is. The pouch it came in was sealed when I got it. The planks are 2x10 size so I will color what I have but I see a trip to the LHS in my future. :(
So much for my day.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Morning everyone
Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Did you cook the breakfast over that fire pit??
Glad your feeling better.
Tom looking forward to the update.
Dave go with the wood shingles.
Karl don't you hate when they do that?
Ron I've been seeing a lot of F1 testing runs.
Mike the mail must go through.
Larry I'll look at the update in a minute.
Curt I hope you have enough wood. Not very often that Brett makes a mistake.
Weather in South Jersey sunny/31. RF/35.
A few errand to run this am.
Then back to the wall just need to put in the firestops.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Quote from: KentuckySouthern on February 04, 2026, 10:27:27 AM
TomO there sure are lots of ways to lose track of online time. Facebook seems totally without merit from what I hear from the Doll. She marvels at the total amount of self discipline of comments folks put out there. She does stay out of the fray after suffering anguish over political stuff in recent years. That stuff breads viral hatred I can not believe.
KS
I think Facebook is a great wealth of sell/buy sites, modeling, tips, techniques and ideas for model railroaders. Make what you want of it.
That said, I don't look at ads, reels or tolerate anything political, religious or financial. It's been years since I looked at the reels or the ads. I certainly don't need a bankrupt financial expert giving me advice.
My Facebook page says it is a political, religious and financial free zone. I delete and block the few that try
TomO
Good morning from an Olympic hockey break in Wisconsin.
Yep, watching TV of the Czechia and USA Women hockey. US is winning 1-0
Not sure what today will bring. Normally on Thursday we head out for breakfast but hockey was the morning priority.
Ron sorry to read about your aunt
TomO
Mike said,"Karl, congrats on the layout modification. Are those trestles completed...?" >:( Don't push me...'completed' well the bents are built but placing and proper support are going agonizingly slow, as I'm making it all up as I go... :P glad no one is looking over my shoulders for sure. ::)
Did make some micro steps today...
Good Morning,
I see Rick's here but I'll get us breakfast anyways. Coffee and the usual morning beverages are ready and waiting. Breakfast will be cheesy scrambled eggs, toast w/ butter, pan sausages and/or crispy bacon, and hash browns.
What's everyone up to today.
It's a whomping 8 with a high of still too damn cold. Have the usual morning errands to run then a few more tweaks to the Challenge build. Not sure about the rest of the day.
Have a great day!! Be well, keep warm, and be careful out there.
Good morning folks,
Larry, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast. Congrats on the challenge diorama completion.
Curt, hope you have enough wood.
Jerry, firestops installed?
Karl, sounds like progress.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's a cold morning, but warming to 63°F. Yesterday I reprinted a figure since it looked too small. Not much else was accomplished. I see figure painting in my future.
Have fun,
mike
Good Morning All,
Thanks for opening and breakfast Larry. It's a little chilly your way. I'm not sure there is much more you can do to improve your current project.
Starting out here with a feel like of 33F and headed to 63F. Yesterday I colored my remaining correctly sized strips. I don't think it will be enough but after animal chores I'll glue down what I have. If I go MOH wants to come with me and go to the Oriental food store. It's on the same road as the LHS about 3 min away but there is always a very heavy traffic intersection between the two.
Tomorrow MOH and daughter have a rescue event about 90 minutes away and the 2 recent rescues are going to their new home.
That's it for me.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good morning everyone.
57. now in Mohave Valley, sunny and 79 later.
Larry, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
I peeked in earlier and saw you were so I left and came back later.
I like what you did with your diorama, but I'm not sold on the tarp.
Mike, I figured you'd be painting. ;)
Karl, micro steps is fine.
Start a thread and we can all look over your shoulder.
TomO, did the US win the game?
Jerry, firestops?
Curt, very unusual that there wouldn't be enough wood in Brett's kit.
Ron, hope you got home earlier last night.
Dave, did you pick something for the roof?
ACLTom, I'll have to see if there's a thread update.
How's the rest of the crew.
Heater part showed up earlier than expected and work was completed earlier than expected.
Since the heater fix finished early I decided to tough it out and make it all the way to Mohave Valley.
I got here around 4:30.
Mostly taking it easy today and definitely not driving anywhere.
My daughter and grandkids will be here later.
This is an older picture from 2023 at Medicine Bow Peak in Wyoming.
080623MedicineBowPeakTrailWY21Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Good morning Larry, Mike, Curt, Rick and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Larry, will have to check out your latest progress on your diorama build.
Mike, have fun with the figure painting.
Curt, have fun working on the kit, hope you stained enough wood.
Rick, enjoy the visit with your daughter and grandkids.
Jerry, 3 days of testing at Barcelona just happened, was interesting, Mercedes and Ferrari did well, Williams couldn't put a car together in time, but it is just testing, which means the season is around the corner (March 7, 2026)
Current weather is -17c (1f) and cloudy with light s%$w showers in the forecast. Later this morning is my Aunt's funeral and then after that I should get in some bench time. The trip home last night was uneventful which allowed me some time at the bench last night. Besides, I don't work Fridays so I can stay up later. At the bench I made the doors and added some roof bracing as the plan is to make the roof removable.
Have a great day everyone.
Nothing to add this morning. Still cold but 'warmer' but feels damp. ::)
3d project might get some attention. The Doll is giving up coffee, again, cold turkey as well as Diet Coke, etc. :-X
Micro progress on the layout.
KS
Condolences re: your Aunt, Ron
Good morning from here! We hit the high for the day, 36. 1st time in 22 days we offically are over the freezing line.
Rick USA won 5-1, easy game, no real contest
Karl, cold turkey? Wow it going to be a tough 5 days to clear out the caffeine dependency. I remember when I stopped caffeine and the headaches were miserable. I can tell you water is no substitute for a caffeine loaded drink. My medical team says the 1 diet Dr Pepper I drink at wake up is ok but I consciously try to avoid caffeine. Best to the Doll on this adventure, oh and buckle in for the ride. I guess I drove Terry nuts that 1st week
No real plans for today. I have sheet styrene and Black Sintra being delivered today. 5 of us got together to order from the local plastics distributor and we got a super deal. I have .040. .060 and .080 plain sheet styrene coming cut to 2'x 4' sheets and 3mm and 8mm Black Sintra cut to 2'x 5' sheets. 2 of the guys are driving over to pick it up and all I know was they said they will be here before 5pm.
Be well
TomO
Morning everyone
Larry thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Mike good luck with the LP painting.
Curt hope you get the missing wood today.
Rick glad you got the heater fixed and made it home.
Don't forget to have those that stone problem looked out before you have another attack.
Ron looking forward to the update.
Karl I's be careful around the Doll the next few days while she gives up all the caffeine!! ;D
TomO there some good size sheets. You won't run out any time soon.
Weather in South Jersey M. sunny/27. Later on 31.
The weekend is supposed to ne really cold here with high winds.
Had dinner last night with the neighbors went to Olive Garden.
We have a few errands to run this morning.
No the firestops did not get done!!!! Maybe this afternoon.
Everyone have a great day! :)
Jerry
Afternoon all,
I slept late today and loved it. Slept until almost 8AM and it was great.
I decided to take it easy this morning and read. I finished two books I started last week.
I went to Chic-fil-a and got Pam and I a Chic meal. That was great as well.
I've been in the train shed the past hour and plan to update the tower build.
Hope all are having a great day, staying safe and healthy.
Tom
I forgot to mention the other day that I talked to Bill. He sounded very upbeat and said he's making slow progress.
Good Morning from the frozen tundra,
The morning beverages are ready and waiting. Breakfast is eggs any way you like'em, home-fries, English muffins, along with your choice of meats.
What's on your agenda.
It's -4 with a high of 4 with a NWN wind of 5-15 mph giving us a windchill of -25 at times. We received about 4-5 inches of grainy sn*w which will sit until Monday or Tuesday when this arctic air goes back to where it belongs. Maybe some bench time later to work on Hank's.
Have a great day!!! Be well, keep warm, and limit your time outside if you're in the "Arctic Air Zone".
Good morning, Larry and later arrivals. My local orchards still have native apples, "keeper" varieties like Cortland, so I'll put out a basket. Alas, they don't grow Baldwins (my favorite) like they did 60 years ago.
Today snow removal is at the top of the list, but not yet. We have 3-4 inches of light, fluffy snow with more falling. The youngster wants to have lunch with a friend, so he gets the best shovel. Nid and I don't need to go anywhere, so the barn cellar driveway can wait till it ends this afternoon. Our modeling projects will get some attention in between.
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Larry, eggs and home fires, perfect.
Bill is making progress but it is slow. He is only 6 weeks out of hip surgery. He has a case of cabin fever. I told him no trains have been running on the A&S RR.
We have another Memorial Service to attend today at noon.
I hope to get a little more done on the tower build and an update as well.
Have a safe and happy day everyone.
Tom
Good Morning All,
Thanks for opening and breakfast Larry. Try to stay warm today.
Started out the day capturing animals for MOH and loading them up in the van before I did my morning walk. Currently it's around 55F getting to 69F later.
Yesterday I used all the colored planking and needed more so off to the LHS and oriental market. I also picked up a box of dried worms (20#). The skunks eat them like popcorn! After getting home I colored 1 pack of the strip wood and set aside to dry.
Today I'm taking Dad to the ER to remove the sutures. I was going to do it but they convinced me it would be better if they did it because of how fragile his leg skin is (you look at it and it tears). After that I'll finish planking the barn.
James my favorite is Gala and I try to eat one everyday.
Tom I hope you can make it to the workbench today.
Rick I hope you are enjoying the family time.
I hope everyone has a good day.
North of James, we got a dusting, less than an inch of powder. Neighbor cleaned his driveway with a leaf blower. But it's turning sharply colder this afternoon, then maybe a warm spell next week. Scotch Club today is cancelled, in part because the winds will pick up significantly this afternoon as the serious cold front pushes through.
I'll look at the laminated sides from the farmhouse kit (laser-cut clapboard over laser-cut basswood for each wall), and if there are no mistakes (!!), I'll paint the walls (airbrush). It'll be easy to do lighting, so I'll spray the interior black and the exterior white.
dave
Good morning everyone.
Currently 48 in Mohave Valley, 82 and sunny later.
Larry, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
Box up the s@#$ and send it to me and I'll melt it for you.
Curt, hope the suture removal goes well and have fun with the kit.
ACLTom, thanks to you and Curt for letting us know Bill is doing better.
Sorry you have to attend another Memorial Service.
James, thanks for the apple and take it easy shoveling.
Jerry, staying warm?
TomO, have fun with your new modeling supplies.
Karl, hope The Doll is doing well with her withdrawal and any progress is good progress on the layout.
Ron, enjoy your 3 day weekend and have fun modeling.
How's everyone else today.
Nice restful day yesterday.
Star and I did a two mile walk around the neighborhood.
After lunch I finally got to enjoy a tasty cigar with my coffee.
Jacklynn and the kids showed up around 6:30.
Had a good time interacting with them.
Going to unload the two boxes of stuff I drug back from NJ and do a load of laundry today.
Nothing else planned except family time.
I don't think I posted this picture from last Sunday's hike yet.
02012026NambeLakeTrail01Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Quote from: Jerry on February 06, 2026, 10:28:59 AMMorning everyone
Larry thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Mike good luck with the LP painting.
Curt hope you get the missing wood today.
Rick glad you got the heater fixed and made it home.
Don't forget to have those that stone problem looked out before you have another attack.
Ron looking forward to the update.
Karl I's be careful around the Doll the next few days while she gives up all the caffeine!! ;D
TomO there some good size sheets. You won't run out any time soon.
Weather in South Jersey M. sunny/27. Later on 31.
The weekend is supposed to ne really cold here with high winds.
Had dinner last night with the neighbors went to Olive Garden.
We have a few errands to run this morning.
No the firestops did not get done!!!! Maybe this afternoon.
Everyone have a great day! :)
Jerry
The styrene and Sintra in the large sheets is a real time and money saver for me. I have 3 projects in the works that it's needed for plus a couple more bid on. A piece of 12" x 6" x .060 plain styrene is $7.39 after my LHS 20% discount. The 4' x 8' x .060 sheet cut to 2'x 4' was under $60. So a vey nice saving. Because we had to get to a certain dollar amount to order 5 of us joined up.
Tom
Good morning from +5f degrees that also feels like +5. Our 2 days barely in the 30's is over for the next 7 days per the weather app. Back to below seasonal.
It's a hockey day. The grandson has 2 games, the Badgers play at home this afternoon and the Olympic Women are today. So no train time for me
Enjoy the day
TomO
Curt...are you going to 'write me off' as a source of kits? I think this is the second kit you got from me that you had stripwood problems with
terry
It just climbed up to 10o here in the mitten state. Currently it's sunny but the area weather report said clouds all day. Yesterday was in the 20s but so was the wind. The roads drifted quite a bit, at one time the County Central dispatch reported a blocked road with several folks stuck awaiting a snow plow.
The Doll was quite sad yesterday, one of the last of what once were 12-20 older gents that stopped daily in the auto repair shop she managed for her family sent a message saying goodbye. Tom was one she enjoyed like a father, lost hers as a teen, at 92(ish) had a good run.
The tax folks had our return done yesterday and gave me an excuse to leave for a bit. btw...withdrawal seems to be going 'ok' ::)
I spent time working on the layout yesterday. I fired up the airbrush and painted a couple dozen feet of track. Used to use Krylon or Rustoleum camo spray cans, but it became an serious point of olfactory contention >:( . Much of the reason for considerable lack of progress on the layout. Today, cleaning rail heads. :-[ We had Olympics on last night but was just ceremonial stuff no kids competing.
That's all I got. Be well all.
KS
Good morning Larry, Jam,es, ACLTom, Curt, Dave, Rick, TomO, Terry, Karl and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Larry.
ACLTom / Curt, thanks for the update on Bill, hopefully he will be able to get out soon.
Current temperature is -20c (-4f) and overcast with more of the white stuff on the way. The funeral for my Aunt yesterday was a nice affair this a lot of stories and laughs. I also worked on the challenge and made the doors and finished up the roof supports and posted an update. Today's plan is to finish the roof so that I can complete the first building so I can move on to the second building.
Have a great day everyone.
Morning everyone
Larry thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
James the snow removal can wait.
Tom thanks for the report on Bill.
Curt it sounds like there better equip taking those sutures out of your Dad.
Dave be looking for the update.
Rick glad your feeling better.
Have fun with the family.
TomO good luck to the grandson playing hockey today.
Morning Terry.
Ron I'll check out the update in a minute.
Weather in South Jersey is sunny/13. RF/-4.
The wind is howling and only going to get worse.
I never did get to the bench yesterday.
But I'll try today.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Howdy folks,
Larry, thanks for opening, the coffee, and breakfast. Hope you make it to the bench.
James, good luck with the sneaux.
TomACL, looking forward to the next tower update.
Curt, blue birds love the dried worms, too, as do crows, blackbirds... I haven't seen any skunks climbing the pole yet.
Dave, good luck with painting the farmhouse.
Rick, wishing you the best of family time.
TomO, good luck to your grandson.
Terry, how are you?
Karl, congrats on painting track.
Ron, good luck with the roof.
Jerry, good luck getting to the bench.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's a bright morning at 48°F, headed to 54F°. The wind is howling, so I'm hoping it's the cold air going away.
This morning I finished printing another batch of details. I assembled the post office, and it is drying in the clamps.
Have fun,
mike
Quote from: friscomike on February 07, 2026, 12:34:13 PMDave, good luck with painting the farmhouse.
Well.... That didn't go as well as I wanted. I taped the walls to a piece of cardboard with the insides showing. What I wanted to prevent was any bleed of the black paint onto the front of the walls. The problem came with the paint. I'm using the Badger black primer. They say that's 'airbrush ready' out of the bottle, and usually that's been true. But the black primer was way too thick, and I ended up having to take apart and thoroughly clean the airbrush, then dilute the primer by 50% or more, to get it to work. And the up-flushing system in the basement for the workshop sink is kaput (plumber coming next week) so I have to run upstairs to clean anything.
Anyway, I did get those segments painted black (although not a heavy black coat). They're now "resting" underneath bricks to prevent warping. This afternoon, I'll take a look at them, and maybe flip them and do the white outside walls. I'm not worried about white bleed-through into the black interior walls...)
dave
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, glazed donuts (not KK), bagels, yogurt, OJ, and soda.
Starting out here at 47F and possibly getting to 70F later. Yesterday I finally finished the planking on the barn and set it aside to dry overnight. I read ahead in the instructions also. MOH made it home about 1830.
Today after chores I'll separate the walls from the chipboard background. I have to be careful. Some sides were not completely glued to allow close joining with other walls instead of using separate pieces of strip wood to do it. This afternoon another rescue goes to his permanent home, and thankfully the new owner lives very close to us. ;D
Mike I have not seen a skunk climb a pole either but I have seen them climb furniture and pet fences.
That's enough gabbing for me.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Curt. The OJ is nice and fresh.
I haven't seen a skunk climb anything but I have seen a gator climb a chain link fence.
Pam and I are visiting Bill and Cindy later this afternoon.
I hope to get another update posted for the tower build.
Have a safe, happy and warm day everyone.
Tom
Allie Gator -
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-080226073340-57034446.jpeg)
Good Morning,
Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast. I'm jealous of your temps down there. Have fun with your build.
Tom enjoy your visit and looking forward to your update.
There's currently clear sunny skies with temps to "freeze the nads off a brass monkey" with the highs about the same. Other than keeping warm not sure about the rest of the day.
Have a great day!! Be well, stay safe, and keep warm.
Good morning everyone.
Currently 51 here, sunny and 82 later.
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
Hope separating the walls goes well.
ACLTom, that's not something you see everyday.
Star used to be able to climb over the fence in my yard.
Larry, stay in and stay warm.
Dave, hope painting the walls goes well today.
Mike, I guess we'll see a post office update soon.
Jerry, I know it's crazy cold at your place.
Ron, is the roof done?
Karl, I haven't watched a lick of the Olympics.
TomO, hope the grandson and his team did well yesterday.
How's everyone else doing?
The young'ens wore me out yesterday.
Today, Star and I will head north about 35 miles and do a hike.
After that I'll stop at Buffalo Wild Wings for one of their bacon cheeseburgers.
Then I'll drive back to the house.
I might of posted this before.
This was taken at White Water Draw here in AZ.
122223WhitewaterDrawAM03TopazSmall.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Good morning,
Curt, thank you for the coffee and breakfast. Good luck with the transfer.
TomACL, whoa, a gator climbing a fence! Please tell Bill we miss his posts and wish him well.
Larry, I feel sorry for the monkey. Wishing you warm weather.
Rick, hope you enjoy the hike. That bacon cheeseburger sounds delicious.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's a bright morning at 28F, but warming to 60F this afternoon. I added roof trusses to the post office and primed the building. I think I'll use fish-scale-type shingles painted green. Super Bowl party tonight at our daughter's. Go Cowboys!
Have fun,
mike
9o going to around 20o under overcast, at the moment, some warmer temps in a day of two.
I did nothing worth mentioning yesterday until the evening when we watched my SPARTANS outlast the Illini in overtime.An entertaining game most all evening. SPARTAN girls won their game as did the hockey team. No interest in that football money grab tonight. IF I watch it will not mean much, just fill time.
Enjoy the day all.
Larry tell me you're jealous about our temps come July thru October. ;D
Tom I have never seen it in person but I have seen videos of gators climbing. Enjoy your visit with Bill. Please tell him hi from me.
Good morning Curt, ACLTom, Larry, Rick, Mike, Karl and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt, sounds like you are making great progress on the kit.
ACLTom, Have a great visit with Bill and Cindy, hopefully Bill is doing much better. Tell Bill I say Hi.
Larry, stay warm today.
Rick, yes the roof is finished. ;D Enjoy your hike with Star.
Mike, enjoy the football game tonight at your daughter's.
Karl, have a great day.
Dave, sorry the painting didn't go as planned, hopefully there is an easy solution.
Current temperature is -22c (-8f) and overcast. Like Larry, it's a good day to stay inside. Finished the first building of the challenge build yesterday and posted it on my build thread. Today I start the second building with distressing and staining wood, should be fun.
Have a great day everyone.
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
How many more skunks do you have there??
Tom nice picture of a gator! Hope it wasn't your backyard.
Larry ask the monkey if he wants to come in and sit by the fire!! ;D
Rick nice picture. I'll have a burger with you sounds good.
Mike I hate to bust your bubble but the "COWBOYS" didn't make it this year!! :D
Ron I'll check the update later.
Weather in South Jersey is sunny/12. RF/6.
Today should be the last of the single digits hopefully.
I hope to get my wall finished today I brought a table in side to work on it.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, OJ, and soda.
Started out the day with a walk at 45F that although there was no breeze, felt colder. Yesterday I cut the walls off the chipboard (that was a pain) and read ahead. Next up looks like doors,windows and stenciled signage.
After chores I'll head up to the workbench. Nothing else much planned. Tomorrow I have to take Dad back to the ER.
Dave I forwarded the drawing to MOH who shared it with the rescue.
Jerry we currently have 9. The number fluctuates depending on need. Four are ours, and 2 are "senior retirees" living out the rest of their lives comfortably. The only time they all come out in mass is mealtimes. They have the same clock in their heads that dogs do when it comes to food.
Well that's enough for today.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good morning folks,
Curt, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast.
Sadly, the Cowboys did not win the Super Bowl again. Man, it's been 30 years since the last one.
Lodge tonight, may work on the PO today.
Have fun,
mike
Good morning, Curt, Mike and the rest of the gang. Bright sun on the lower Merrimack valley will melt off more of my driveway, low was 5F, high might be 27. But my driveway will continue to melt. Most of today will be model work, I'll show some progress on my Challenge overpass.
Good Morning,
Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Have fun with the kit.
Mike sorry to hear about the Cowboys and enjoy the time at then bench.
James hope your temps make it to 27 today.
It's minus 9 with a high of 20 so we'll see. After it warms up some I have to deal with the sn*w in the driveway and cars; NOT looking forward to that. Did spend some time working on Hank's yesterday.
Have a great day!! Be well and keep warm.
Mike as a kid we lived in El Paso and Dad was a die hard Cowboys fan. We would watch them play on Sunday. My suck up brother always rooted with Dad but I always rooted for any other team. Now I refuse to watch any of them. ::)
Good morning everyone.
Currently 47 here, mostly sunny and 81 later.
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
Have fun working on the kit.
Larry, take your time with the s$#@ and stay safe.
James, have fun at the bench.
Mike, what's really frustrating is watching a QB that the Jet's drafted win a SB, and they couldn't win with him.
Jerry, glad you were able to bring a table inside to work on.
Ron, hope you had fun staining and distressing.
Karl, how are you liking Starlink?
How's the rest of the crew today?
Star and I hiked 10.4 miles and 1,175 of EG gain on the Secret Pass Loop in Bullhead City, AZ.
Saw about a dozen burros who got a lot of attention from Star.
No, she didn't get close enough to them where she might get hurt.
Afterward I had a delicious burger at BWW.
Stocked up with DEF, water and fuel at Walmart.
Then headed to Jacklynn's boyfriend's house to watch most of the game.
I showered during the half time show.
I need to call a urologist to make an appointment.
Might head into the desert for some me time.
Three burros from yesterday.
Burrosin BullheadCityAZHike01Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Good morning Curt, Mike, James, Larry, Rick and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt.
Current weather here is -24c (-11f) with blue skies, it should get warmer tomorrow. Started on the rigging shed by distressing and staining wood. Posted an update on my build thread while watching the Superbowl. There will be no modeling tonight as Monday nights are "other interest" night.
Have a great day everyone.
Rick great photo. It looks like the burro's are keeping an eye on Star also.
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Curt.
I didn't watch the SB yesterday out of protest. I have a problem with half-time entertainers that say they hate America and that I needed to learn Spanish to hear the half-time program.
The fence climbing gator wasn't in my back yard. The photo was sent to me by a friend. He said it was taken during the mating season for gators, so, Mr. Gator was after some gator stuff!
I had two skin biopsies taken this morning so I need to get my leg elevated for a few hours and then I can get back to the train shed. Being a Fl. Cracker, I've had these things taken off multiple times. Can't count all the skin cancer I've had removed from my arms and legs over the past 30 years. Part of growing up in the Fl. Sun as a teenager and young adult and not using sun screen.
Hope all have a safe and healthy day.
Tom
Still cold and grey today in Michigan, half a dozen deer overnighted under our pines last night, weather chick said there have only been 4 hours in the last 20 something days with temp above freezing...might have some this week but not today, 20s will be it with some wind. This has been a real winter like we remember from childhood, except all the wheeny school systems have used up all their snow days, rare for any of that for my time, of course the mile walk uphill both ways made us strong winter warriors! ::)
Saw the game, muted the half time abomination and checked email and looked in here. Watched an hour or so of skiing and skating after the game. Don't fret, Mike, the LIONS haven't been even close to being in the last 60 games...
I'm going to make a couple more bridge bents today, then maybe some layout time, not sure. The fence around the Doll's coffee will power is really weak, whine is high pitched... ::)
Rick, Skylink has worked terrific, seems not to be quite as fast as it was to begin with but sooo much better than the hardwire dsl I was stuck with. Also no weather issues like our TV used to have, the antenna has a low level heater that removes a lot of the snow or ice. Only once have I brushed anything off of it. Elon has a winner with that project.
All I have for today. Later, gators et al..
KS
I'm not interested in popular culture, independent of the language. When I hear "Bad Bunny", all I can think is "someone let the dogs out" ;D (That's NOT a political statement, I'm just sick of hearing about him.)
I did a quick door casting hack for the farmhouse, see the latest post on my build thread. After German (Zoom), I'll head back down, prime the castings, and then maybe assemble the kit doors. This is the detail work that will make the kit pop.
dave
orning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Mike sorry to hear the Cowboys didn't win but the 49er's didn't either!! :(
James looking forward to the update.
Larry don't overdo that shoveling.
Rick great picture.
Glad your going to see a Dr..
Ron looking forward to the second build.
Tom hope the biopsies are a negative.
Karl your right about a winter like when we were kids.
Dave looking forward to the update.
Weather in South Jersey is sunny/20. Maybe just maybe we will make 30!!
Well I did mange to get half the breaks done and will do the rest today.
I think were home today but you never know!!
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, OJ, and soda.
Currently 49F and getting to 79F today. :o The main thing today is Dad needs to go back to the ER. Joy. It's a good thing he has great medical insurance. Yesterday wasn't the greatest at the workbench. I applied the large rub off sign and to me it looks like crap. I may be able to make it look weathered. I'm not sure yet. After that I applied a whitewash on the walls.
This beauty came in the mail for me.
20260209_153510.jpg
That's all I have today.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good Morning,
Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Hope your Dad's apt. goes well. Yup that's a real beauty; should be a fun project.
It's 14 with a high of 36; finally back to double digits AND above freezing. Maybe it'll help melt/settle the white crap. Errands to run shortly then maybe some bench time later; maybe.
Have a great day!! Be well and stay warm.
Good morning Curt and Larry.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt, that is a nice mail delivery you got yesterday. I've been thinking of getting me a couple of those but shipping to Canada is expensive. I still might bite the bullet though.
Larry, hope the errands don't take too long and you make it to the bench.
Current weather here is -16c (3f), overcast with 4-6" of the white stuff in the forecast, it's a work from home day today.
No modeling last night but construction is ready to start on the second building of the challenge build and seeing as I don't have to commute today, I just might start construction tonight.
Have a great day everyone.
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Curt. Hope the ER visit doesn't take all day. Nice little kit Curt.
We have bowling at noon and late lunch with friends.
Not much is happening from here.
Have a great day everyone.
Tom
Good morning folks,
Curt, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast. Hope your Dad's visit to the ER goes well. Good luck with the sign.
Larry, good luck with your errands and making it to the bench.
Ron, hope you can start construction tonight. Working from home can result in a long workday.
Jerry, enjoy the breaks.
TomACL, good luck with the biopsies.
Dave, looking forward to your update.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's a hazy morning at 50°F, but warming to 74°F. Finally, back to normal.
Yesterday I did not venture upstairs, but read all day.
Lodge is on tap for tonight.
Have fun,
mike
Quote from: friscomike on February 10, 2026, 08:18:32 AMRon, hope you can start construction tonight. Working from home can result in a long workday.
Mike,
you are right about that, I do tend to work longer when I work from home.
G'moanin' y'all! SUN and bright in Michigan this morning. 8) It has already reached 30o for the first time in a fair bit. The lil brunette on the tv said clouds today, a fair bit of wind, also in the 30s, but so far it's not materialized. Warm up ever so slight this week. Back roads will be treacherous as the ice glazes over.
I smell coffee this morning... ::) but I guess Will Power is only a race driver, lol, only going to have one cup... ;) OK.
I made 4 more trestle bents and still not sure how I am going to accomplish the project. AI doesn't do it for me. Actually leaving that Geenie in the bottle for the time being. My problem is the track is already in place, I need to build and support the scenery and structure beneath it. It too shall happen.
Curt, open the box, love to see what cha got to look forward 'playing' with. Those old Macks are cool!
IMG_5483.jpeg
IMG_5486.jpeg
From Upper Peninsula State Fairgrounds tractor show.
Good day all!
KarlS ;)
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Nice little truck.
Larry hope you make the bench.
Ron try to sneak in a hour or two during the work day!!
Tom good luck with bowling have a nice lunch with your friends.
Mike what are you reading??
Karl how big is the trestle your building??
Weather in South Jersey is cloudy/30. Later on 42.
Hell it's a heat wave here today.
I finished the firebreaks yesterday.
Today is graining wood for the outside of the building.
And painting some strips for the windows.
That's after errands & chores!
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Good afternoon everyone.
I called a couple of urologists but they were booked weeks and months ahead.
Found a hospital not far away that had a urologist on their staff.
Went to the ER and after doing a CT they decided to keep me overnight and have a stent put in in the morning.
At 9AM I went down to the ER and had the stent put in.
While doing that they saw my creatinine level was high, so they giving me fluids and keeping me here another night.
Star is with Jacklynn's boyfriend and doing ok.
Gee, Rick! "keeping me here another night" must have been an unpleasant surprise. Hope you escape tomorrow!
I did get the two main doors glued to the farmhouse walls. There was a a bunch of touch-up paint I needed to do. Plus I primed and painted the window castings.
Tomorrow I can either spend time doing window glazing (UGH!) or glue the walls together.
dave
Rick I hope you feel better very soon.
Rick glad you found someone to treat the problem. Keep us up to date.
I'm sure Star is in good hands.
Take care my friend.
Diane & Jerry
Hope they get a handle on your issue, Rick. Must be a good feeling to have family around. It sounds like Star is having a sleepover, how fun is that!
KS
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, OJ, soda and whatever you want to make. There's a full pantry and fridge to get what you want. Breads and fruit on the counters.
Started out the day with a walk at 54F and heading towards 80F. Yesterday Dad got his sutures removed. After getting home I stained trim wood and glued into the door frames and sprayed the 4 barn doors initially light gray, but did it again in a sand color.
Today is floors before heading to the workbench.
Rick I hope you are doing better and pain free.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good Morning,
Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Have fun with your kit.
Rick glad to hear you've found a Dr. who knows what they're doing. Get back to normal soon and if the Doc says get more fluids into your body make sure you drink tons of water.
What's the rest of you doing.
For those of you following my blog I added another Chapter which is something a little different this time.
It's 32 with a high of 38 so hopefully that'll start clearing the roofs of snow and ice besides settling what's on the ground. Chiropractor @ 9am followed by getting my hairs cut @ 11; that's the easiest and quickest $20 anyone can make. Not sure about the bench though.
Have a great day!! Be well and stay safe.
Good morning folks,
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Glad you got to the bench.
Larry, good luck with the bone doc.
Rick, hope the stent does the trick. Glad Star is in good hands.
Jerry, I'm reading SciFi for a change. Vaughn Heppner's Lost Star Ship series.
How is the rest of the crew?
Hope to make it upstairs today.
Have fun,
mike
Larry the images are cool. I'm amazed by all the tech designations you came up with. Outstanding job.
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Curt.
Rick, you sure have been trough the medical maze of trying to find a doctor and one whom can fix you up. Hope you get it resolved to your benefit.
Got the blood results back and all is well. PSA is .01.
I'll try to get some bench time in today.
Have a safe and healthy day everyone.
Tom
Good morning Curt, Larry, Mike, ACLTom and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt,
Current weather is -2c (28f) and overcast, but no white stuff in the forecast. Ended up working too late last night, :o the peril of working from home. I hate leaving things unfinished when it comes to work. Not sure what tonight will bring.
Have a great day everyone.
After a sunny day in the 40s we're back in the 20s today with wind in the teens... Yesterday was nice, we ventured over to the GrdRapids area. LHS, 'estate sale' shop and a stop at a Hobby Lobby. Apparently they are getting even farther out of the hobby stuff. This store had even less strip wood in their big display than the one I go to regularly on the W side of Lansing. Almost zero bass wood and little, mostly broken pieces of balsa. I try not to use balsa. I think I have enough stuff close enough to build what comes along.
On the way out of town we stopped at Mister Burger, our favorite greasy spoon over in GR. Back home I tinkered with the layout, not that you'd notice.
Larry mentioned haircuts, getting closer to $30 here for both hairs I have, I could see a barber making $150 per hour with a shop full of guys like us...of course she'd have to STHU, she puts a Whip-poor-well's xxx to shame. :-X
Today, hmm...haven't given it much thought yet. No snow to clear, so all is well.
Be well all, enjoy the day.
KSinMI
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Looking forward to an update.
Larry sounds like highway robbery!
Mike hope you make it upstairs.
Tom good news on the bloodwork.
Ron there sure going to miss you when you retire!!!
Karl enjoy the day whatever you decide to do.
Weather in South Jersey sunny/43.
I finished the second wall.
I'll post a picture later but its no big deal.
Now to grain wood for the siding and make a jig for the windows.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
I got released from the hospital just after lunch.
Now I need to schedule an appointment with another urologist that can break up the stone so I can pass it.
Closest place is in Henderson,NV about an hour away.
I'll call them tomorrow.
Then I need to follow up with a GP here.
I feel fine and not in any pain.
I'll be here in the AM.
Thanks for all the well wishes.
Quote from: PRR Modeler on February 11, 2026, 08:09:17 AMLarry the images are cool. I'm amazed by all the tech designations you came up with. Outstanding job.
Thanks Curt. After writing Trek for the last 8 years the Tech stuff is second nature now.
Rick so glad you're feeling better. Take care of yourself.
Good news from Rick!
dave
Rick glad your feeling better.
Jerry
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, OJ, and soda.
Starting out here at 59F and foggy up to 74F later. Yesterday I mainly worked on 4 doors getting the colors I wanted and made door handles out of flattened painted solder.
I found out last night That I need to drive Dad to the VA, pick up a signed document from his doc then go to DMV to renew his handicap parking placard. :-* His current one expires on Tuesday. We have been reminding him for a month. Nothing like waiting until the last minute.
Rick I'm glad you are better and out of the hospital. Those places will kill you! Good luck with the appointment.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good morning everyone.
53 now, cloudy and 74 later here in AZ.
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
I agree, sometimes being in a hospital can make you sicker.
Jerry, I'm glad you're doing some modeling.
Karl, glad all is well in MI. which should provide time to work on the layout.
Ron, good news on the no white stuff forecast.
ACLTom, you can't do any better than .01.
Congratulations.
Mike, I hope you made it upstairs.
I hope everyone else is well and I'm behind on checking ion on build threads.
I'll try and get caught up on that today.
Thanks for all the well wishes, but I assure you, I haven't been in any pain or discomfort.
Star was very happy to see me yesterday.
I have phone calls to make today.
My daughters house is finished and she got her keys on Tuesday.
I think we might start moving her in today or tomorrow.
This is from the hike I did on Sunday in Bullhead City.
020826SecretPassLoop04Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Curt. We had the same issue with Pam's mom, waiting for the last week to renew what needed to be done.
Rick, congrats on feeling no pain and congrats for Star getting daddy back. Moving into a new house is always a great feeling.
Its misty and wet here this morning, 35% chance of rain which means 65% chance I won't get any at all.
Pam wants to practice bowling this morning. I should be back in the train shed some time this afternoon.
Have a safe day everyone.
Tom
Good Morning,
Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Hope all works out well with your Dad.
Rick nothing quite like moving into a new home. Hopefully she can get settled quickly. I can only imagine Star seeing Dad and wiggling all over.
Tom good luck with the practicing and hope the Shed's in your future.
What's on your plate today.
It's 21 with more Sn*w and a high of 25. Haven't seen the bench in a few days having to deal with the sn*w and ice and doubt today will be much different. Received about 4 more inches last night so I have to clean out the drive once again and Ellie has a hair apt. this afternoon. Starting tomorrow I have a 1:1 paint job so that'll be good for the next few days.
Have a great day!!! Be well.
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Good luck with Dad and remember you a good man for doing it.
Rick glad to hear your daughters house is ready to move into.
I bet Star was really happy to see you!! ;D
Tom good luck at bowling.
Larry I bet you'll be glad when this winter is over with!!
Weather in South Jersey is cloudy/31. Later M. cloudy/34.
I have an eye appointment this am.
Then some errands to do with the little lady.
Then some bench time.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Morning folks. ~mike
Well, Heisenberg strikes again! The plumber came first thing this morning to look at the up-flushing system. The pump kept on tripping the ground fault. Of course, when he reset it, it worked just fine! But we agreed, symptoms are of a failing pump. He noted the model, and if it happens again, they'll know what part to order and we'll just replace the pump.
Yesterday afternoon was a mess. Wife got a flat, and she ended up being towed to the tire place. (There's some sort of lug nut lock on her car, I think I'll get rid of those!) Plus I talked to the vet and picked up some medicine for my one dog. She's had no accidents the last couple of days, but the vet said "That's not uncommon for incontinence due to muscle weakness." So now my dog is on hormone replacement therapy ;D (An estrogen treatment to help strengthen those muscles.)
Today will be another day of interruptions. I'll have to take my wife to get her car when it's ready, plus PT around noon. And if her car isn't ready in time, I have to take wife to an appointment this afternoon.
dave
Good morning Curt, Rick, ACLTom, Larry, Jerry, Mike, Dave and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt, hope the DMV visit goes well.
Rick, glad you are feeling better and are reunited with Star. Big day for your daughter, she must be excited.
ACLTom, good luck at bowling practice.
Larry, hope you can make it to the bench soon.
Jerry, good luck with your eye appointment.
Mike, have a great day.
Dave, looks like you have a busy day ahead of you.
Current temperature is -9c (16f) and mostly blue skies. No white stuff in the foreseeable future. Another night with no modeling but should make it to the bench this evening. Because Monday is a holiday here, I have a 4-day weekend, kind like a mini holiday. ;D
Have a great day everyone.
Sun and mid teens in the weather report, warming ever so slightly the next few days.
Good to see things going well around the place. Enjoy the days moving Rick, memories for the kids are being planted.
Curt, I concur, you're a good man for helping Dad like you do. I had 20+ years with my folks as their odometers wore on. Some days.... :-X
No big plans today, I did some layout work yesterday and also have a partially started Campbell bridge kit to try and adapt into my project. I keep tossing bs into the thing, excuses to overcome doubt on my ideas.
That's all I got, be well all.
(Hi Mike...persist... :D )
Afternoon
Eye exam was perfect. So I don't have to go from 1:48 O-scale to 1/16 Scale!! ;D
Jerry
Jerry or 1:1 ;)
Quote from: PRR Modeler on February 12, 2026, 02:42:33 PMJerry or 1:1 ;)
Who else here besides James Van Bokkelen does 1-1 scale?
dave
Dave I just meant about having to do full size due to poor eyesight.
Quote from: PRR Modeler on February 12, 2026, 03:07:49 PMDave I just meant about having to do full size due to poor eyesight.
I do know some other modelers, including one or two in the early rail community, who "model 1-1 scale" by working at museums.
dave
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, OJ, and soda.
Started out the day with a walk at 51F heading into the 70's. I think we're supposed to get rain this weekend.
I slept horribly last night due to neuropathy so I'm pretty tired and I still have the pain but less often. MOH suggested soaking my feet in Epsom salts with Arnica in it. After I get cleaned up I hope to get a nap in.
On a more interesting note while walking I was able to see the rocket launch and the booster returning for landing.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Morning Y'all,
Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Enjoy the nap and hope your feet feel better.
It's 13 going to 26. Starting tomorrow we'll be in the high 30's and low 40's for the week; melt sn*w melt.
A few errands this am then it's onto the laundry room refresh for the next few days so no bench time of me.
Have a great day!! Be well.
Good morning,
Curt, thanks for opening and coffee.
Yesterday I finished applying sawtooth shingles to the post office, but not much else.
Have fun,
mike
Good morning everyone.
It's 59 now, cloudy and 74 later here in AZ.
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
I hope you sleep better tonight and do get a nap in later.
Larry, the melting sounds good.
Mike, congrats on the shingling.
Jerry, great news about your eyes.
Karl, keep plugging along on the layout.
Ron, hope you get some bench time during your 4 day weekend.
Dave, sorry about the flat tire and hope the dog does well on the new meds.
ACLTom, hope you get more shed time today.
Hope the rest of the crew is doing well.
Moving will continue today.
One more picture from Sunday's hike.
020826SecretPassLoop02Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Rick, your photos reminded me how much I miss trips to Arizona. I was traveling to Ft Huachuca for work a lot in the early '90s, and loved looking at the terrain. "So this is what the world looks like without vegetation covering up the rocks...."
Down to the exercise machine and train room in a bit. Hope I find some energy there, I've been dragging the last couple of days, along with both scheduled and unscheduled appointments, etc. Wife asked, "Will you move your brush cleaning stuff from the powder room?" "Yeah, as soon as I get down to the train room."
dave
Temp in the teens but sunny 8) and will climb to 40oish with light wind today. Lucky #13 with a positive attitude.
While the Doll went over to W. Lansing to see her(our) daughter I stuck around the 'crib' yesterday and got into the partially assembled bridge kit, worked 3+ hours on it and was making an assembly with two truss structures when the >:( >:( >:( thing "rekitted" itself, prior owner's glue reached it end of life and I now have more parts than I started with. The paper the instructions and diagrams are on is brittle and almost orange, making multiple trips to the copy function on my Epson.
My SPARTANS will be playing TomO's Badgers on primetime Fox, should be a good game,
The Doll's son in AZ hooked us up with YoutubeTV via his family plan last night and I was able to watch the twin qualification racing from Daytona on FS-1 we've not had and some of our hoops have been on there. The 500 is Sunday. Picture quality was quite good. Love/hate going on with the new LG TV. The Doll managed to lose the preselect for the local news station she prefers. Geek time. :-\ I've not even tried to learn how to run the darn thing....SmartTV...right... :'( My work at getting the Starlink up and running is about all the tech stuff I want to do. Well, a couple projects on the RR but mostly not hi-tech.
Anyone in the Michigan area the once mighty Ann Arbor RR Club train show is this week in Saline at the same school. Looking at the vendor list it looks to be about 65% of what it once was, no nat'l dealers as they used to have. They quit coming when the club went to a 1 day show, now back to 2 days and it's still not recovered vendor wise $7/head entry but I think parking, if you can find some, is free.
Well, that's all I've got. Be well all. Enjoy the day. Triskaidekaphobia* not allowed :o
KS
*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triskaidekaphobia
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Curt. Sorry you didn't get good sleep last night. It happens to me as well, but not often.
The day is mine so I'll be in the train shed most if not all of it.
Time to move to the bench.
Have a safe and healthy day everyone.
Tom
Good Morning Folks;
Sounds like a pretty good start to the day across the country. Our weather is like Curts as we are perhaps 40 miles away. Speaking of, sorry Curt, unfortunately I share your pain, at least one day a week, no fun at all. I usually just get up and try to read a book. Today I am invited to see a layout in our area with a group of other modelers. Hopefully I will have photos to share. In the meantime I hope everyone enjoys the day.
Jim
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Must be nice to see the landing!
Larry I go along with you had enough of the white stuff laying around.
Mike looking forward to the update.
Dave you better or there won't be any Valentine card for you!!
Karl I hope you can salvage the trestle.
Tom have fun in the train shed.
Jim I hope you get some photos to share with us.
Weather in South Jersey is sunny/33. Later on 37.
We are tired of looking at frozen sn*w here.
We have to finish our grocery shopping this morning then the afternoon should be mine.
Everyone have a wonderful day!! :)
Jerry
Jerry I live too far away to see the actual landing, I saw the first stage with it's steering jets as it was coming down.
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, OJ, and soda.
Currently in the 50's and heading to the high 70's today. I slept like a log last night. ;D Yesterday I didn't make it to the workbench bur I will today. In a bit I have the last minute loading of the van for MOH. Today daughter is going with her.
Nothing much else planned for the day.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good morning everyone.
It's 51 now, sunny and 75 later.
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast and very glad you slept well.
Jerry, hope the afternoon was yours.
Jim, hope you enjoyed the layout visit and I hope to see some photos.
ACLTom, glad you got a me day yesterday.
Karl, good news about being able to watch the race.
Dave, hope the brush cleaner got moved. ;D
Mike, that's an interesting color on your shingles.
How's everyone else?
I've got an appointment for Wednesday morning with the urologist in Las Vegas.
This is for a consultation and maybe an exam.
All of my daughter's stuff got moved except for a bunk bed that's at her mom's house.
Surprised I'm not more sore.
I'll go to her house later and help her get stuff where it belongs.
This is from '24 when I visited T Roosevelt NP in ND.
Can't remember if I ever posted this before.
092524WildHorsesTRNPND01Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning Sunshine!
IMG_3185.jpeg
Chilly but not frigid in MI. Temp in the mid 20s is nothing to gripe about, might get to 40o with some sun 8) part of the time.
TomO's Madison beavers were not friendly last night. Embarrassed is the word of the day in Spartan Country. :-*
I managed to recycle the bridge parts and am moving along. Less than perfect as it progresses I'll know a couple compromises that won't distract much if any. ;)
Happy Valentines Day everyone!
Enjoy the day. ;D
KSinMI
FWIW: My Fed tax refund hit my checking account Thursday. WhooHoo...Poof!
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Curt. I sure love the fresh squeezed Fl. OJ.
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY EVERYONE.
Yesterday, I had a me day as Rick said. Today is an our day. I'm taking Pam to a very large flea market in Mt. Dora. I promise you she will look at every single item in the entire complex. I told her this is her chance to see it all. We'll get lunch out somewhere.
I have no idea what time we'll get home but I know I'll be to tired to come back out to the train shed and work.
The #4 Lady Gator Softball team is off to a 9-0 start. We'll see how that goes.
Have a safe and happy day everyone.
Tom
God Morning,
Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast . Nice to hear you slept well and have fun at the bench.
Rick you should be in good shape with all the hiking so that's probably why you're not sore. Nice horse photo.
Karl great to hear the layout is progressing.
Tom enjoy the time out with Pam and yes women just HAVE to look at everything in a store; it's in their genes.
What's your plans today.
It's 26 with a high in the 30's so maybe some melting will prevail. Work continues on the 1: 1 project and Ellie's quite pleased with the way it's turned out so far. Bench time will just be a memory for today at least.
Have a great day!! Be well.
Good morning folks,
Curt, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast. Wishing you a great day at the bench.
Rick, good luck at the urologist. As much as you exercise and walk, I'm not surprised you aren't sore today.
Karl, congrats on the bridge work. I was surprised at the game outcome.
TomACL, wishing you a good day at the flea market.
Larry, good luck with the 1:1 project.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's a bright morning at 46°F, headed to 64°F. I'll spend some time today working on the PO. I selected a freight car to build next and am designing a hotel for a future structure build.
Since I do all our cooking, Sharon volunteered to cook our Valentines Day meal. It will be delicious, she is a marvelous coook.
Have fun,
mike
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Nice that you got that extra sleep.
Rick I don't remember that photo and that looks like a painting beautiful photo!!
Karl glad your moving along on the trestle.
And a beautiful picture.
Tom have fun a the Flea market.
Larry great to hear Ellie is pleased with your work.
Mike have a really nice dinner with Sharon.
Weather in South Jersey is sunny/37. Later 47.
Maybe some of the ice pack will melt.
Yesterday starting working on the wood for the sides of building.
Not sure of the color yet.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Good morning Curt, Rick, Karl, ACLTom, Larry, Mike, Jerry and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt. While I like OJ, I prefer grapefruit juice, always have. Have fun at the bench today.
Rick, You hike a lot, you're in better shape than you realize, good luck at the urologist next week.
Karl, we need pictures of the trestle build. Great sunrise pic BTW.
ACLTom, have fun at the flea market, one never knows what one will find there.
Larry, glad to hear the 1:1 is going well and that Ellie is pleased with it.
Mike, have fun working on the car project.
Jerry, enjoy your day and I hope you make it to the bench today and figure out the wood colour you want to use.
Current temperature is -2c (28f) and cloudy, definitely short and t-shirt weather here. Worked on the challenge build yesterday and got the 4 walls planked. I already went to the vet to get Gracie's medicine and made a coffee run. Later I need to walk Gracie and do a grocery run as Monday is a holiday here. After all that is done it will be more bench time and hopefully I'll post an update to my challenge build thread.
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, OJ, and soda.
Started out the day with a walk at 64F and headed to 82F and thunderstorms later. We need the rain.
Yesterday I finished coloring the walls, did another rub off sign which worked much better and sprayed a light brown on the doors and windows. Coloring of them will continue after chores. I'll do an update after I get them installed.
That's all I got.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good morning everyone.
Just letting everyone here know I'm taking an extended break from posting anything on the internet.
I'm fine, I'm not ill, I just need a mental break from the world.
I'll see you all again at some point.
Take care Rick.
Good Morning,
Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Have fun with the kit.
Rick I think we all need a break from the internet every now and then. See you when you get back.
What's the rest of you up to.
It's 27 with a high of 40, melt baby melt. Haven't been at the bench for a week but hope to remedy that today. Taking a rest day for my lower back then I'll get back at the 1:1 project Monday.
Have a great day!! Be well.
Good morning Curt, Rick, Larry and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt, looking forward to the update.
Rick, Take all the time you need, we will be here when you post again.
Larry, a break from 1:1 stuff is good, have fun at the bench.
Current temperate is -13c (9f) with sunny skies, supposed to hit -6 (21f) later today. I didn't get as much done on the build as I had hoped as 1:1 stuff got in the way, but the walls are glued together, after this I'll post an update. After the update the Mrs wants me to installing new lighting in her craft room but should get to the bench after that.
Have a great day everyone.
Good morning folks,
Curt, thank you for the coffee and breakfast. Your project is going well, and I'm looking forward to the update.
Rick, enjoy your break. Peace to you.
Larry, wishing you a fun time at the bench.
Ron, good luck with the lighting project.
How is the rest of the crew?
It was a rainy night in Georgia, and it continues today. It's 48F headed to 62F. Yesterday's Valentine's meal was fantastic and we have leftovers for future meals. Hope to get upstairs today.
Have fun,
mike
Mid 20s and SUN! in Michigan this morning. Little if anything to shout about, really. Hopefully a nice day all day. Melting snow.
Missed a deer by about one layer of dust on the truck last evening coming home from a day out and about with the Doll. With a fair bit of open ground showing they were out in the fields by the dozens and dozens it looked like the fall's corn fields were getting a lot of their attention. Some areas looked like livestock feed lots. The state needs to open up the hunting season for a couple years to thin them out. My last "minor" deer hit cost over $3,000, I can't imagine the cost for repairs around the state.
WE have maybe 4-5 inches of snow left on level areas, the snowblower discharge area still is deeper. With the weather rerports, much will be a memory by the end of this week.
NASCAR starts in earnest today, they've moved the start time up to 1:30, I understand, saying there is a weather chance. They've suffered from weather delays in recent times. IMG_3176.jpeg
Ron, here's the rebuilt part I did on the trestle project. I need to get at scenery to place it all.
Close to home the plans for today. Everyone enjoy. Be well.
KSinMI
I'll miss Rick and his photos. Hopefully he'll be doing more photography and we'll get a new set of great photos when he returns.
Yesterday's dinner tasted good, I made Scallops Tostadas. But something in there was off, and I had an unpleasant night. So I'll toss the leftover onions, lettuce, guacamole, etc. Sigh...
Today's goal is to get the windows installed and then glue the walls together. I've noticed on BEST kits the windows are always cut slightly undersized, so they need some significant sanding to get the window castings to fit. I cut a sanding stick slightly smaller than the window opening, so sanding is as efficient as it can be to enlarge the window opening.
dave
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Rick will be missing you and the photo's every morning.
Larry a week off I hope you didn't forgot how to model? ;)
Ron good to keep the little lady happy.
Mike hope you make it upstairs.
Wasn't that a song?
Karl glad you missed the deer.
And very nice work on the trestle.
Dave good luck with the windows.
Weather in South Jersey cloudy/40. Later 42.
There talking rain so maybe this ice pack will melt some.
It should be a good day to sit at the bench I hope. Will see.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Good morning, all. Bright sun in the lower Merrimack Valley, on the way from the teens to the mid-30s. Karl, I also had a deer scare fetching the kid last night - standing in my lane, back to me, didn't move till I hit the brakes and horn. There are probably a lot of them in my woods; they yard up in a hemlock grove that so far has survived the adelgid. The kid and some classmates are going to try snowshoes this afternoon., I'll try to keep them on a route which won't panic the deer too badly.
Not much modeling for me today, between tax paperwork, company and snowshoes.
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, homemade cherry pie, OJ, and soda.
Currently it's 62F but only heading to 70F today. Last night around 2030 we had bands of thunderstorms and high winds come through.
Yesterday I got the windows and doors put together but still need to add the "glass". MOH decided we had to go to Costco yesterday afternoon. We spent our kid's inheritance there and I think everyone that lives in Western Orange county and Eastern Lake County was there. :o
Dropped Dad's car off at the shop. He tried installing a wind deflector on the drivers window and after removing it the window won't close completely. Driving at hwy speed the air sounds like a hurricane but of course he can't hear it. SMH. Tomorrow is Dad's 93rd birthday and Thursday is daughter's 47th, although she says she is 21. ;)
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good Morning,
Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Sunday's are notorious for grocery stores to be very busy; usually they do the highest volume of any day of the week. At 93 your Dad's still driving is a feat in itself. Your daughter sounds like mine when it comes to her age.
What's on your plate today.
It's 27 with a high of 40 so more snow should go away. I had ice hanging off the back roof about 2 ft wide and 1 foot thick that I managed to remove yesterday afternoon. Good thing I was standing off to the side since the whole thing came crashing down in 1 piece. Grocery shopping shortly then back to my 1:1 project.
Have a great day!! Be well.
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Curt.
I started trimming the dead (winter damage) branches and raking leaves yesterday morning and didn't check in. When I was finished, I cleaned the work bench off for the next build. When I got to the computer yesterday is was around 5PM.
Taking Emee to the vet this morning for regular stuff - nails trimmed and hair cut. After that I'll clean the train room.
Not much else on my agenda today.
Have a happy day everyone and stay safe.
Tom
Since Rick is on vacation, I thought I'd provide some of my travel photos to add some color to this thread. Machu Picchu:
image.jpeg
Weather here is low clouds and 21, heading to 36 and sunny once the clouds burn off. No German class today, but I have a PT appointment mid-day. Otherwise, I'll be working on the farm house.
dave
Dave I've always have wanted to go there.
Good morning Curt, Larry, ACLTom, Dave and the rest of the crew that drops in early.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt, I went to Costco last Friday so I feel your pain.
Larry, hope the 1:1 stuff goes well for you today.
ACLTom, sounds like you had a bust day yesterday,
Dave, Great Picture, hope the PT is not too painful.
Karl, the trestle is coming along great.
Current temperature is -10c (14f) and cloudy with a high of -1c (30f), supposed to be above freezing tomorrow. After doing some chores and hanging some lights yesterday, I did make it to the bench and made more progress. The Mrs likes the lights so much she wants mew to install a couple more. :o Guess what I'm doing today. ;D I should get back to the bench later this afternoon. Next up is posting an update on my challenge build thread.
Have a great day everyone.
Good morning folks,
Curt, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast. Happy Birthday to your Dad.
Larry, wow, glad you didn't get iced. Good luck with your 1:1 tasks.
TomACL, congrats on next build prep.
Dave, thanks for the photo. Cool place.
James, good luck with the tax paperwork.
Jerry, hope the bench was fun. BTW, Brook Benton sang that song.
Karl, nice little bridge. Good luck with the melting sneaux.
Ron, good luck lighting the Mrs. domain.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's a bright morning at 48°F, headed to 68°F. Probably raining the rest of the week. Yesterday I continued work on the PO. It was lots of fiddly work like painting windows, adding trim pieces, etc. Hope to continue today.
Have fun,
mike
Good morning Curt, Larry C*., Tom, Dave, Mike, Karl and Ron; ....
Thanx for the coffee and breakfast Curt, and I hope ya'll are having a great morning and will have a wonderful day...
I've got a break from 1:1 stuff for a bit ;D ...and needed to check in and see what's goin' on... ;D ;D, I haven't been by in a while and thought this morning'd be a good time.....I need to grab a look-in at all the projects ya'll have been workin'n on and I'll get to that today, and maybe do some work on the G&D also... ;D ;D ....ya'll stay warm if it's cold- dry if it's wet, and always safe and happy ;D ;D ;D ;) .......see ya... 8) 8) 8) 8)
KYLE CREEL
G&D Ry. Co.
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Larry be careful of those icebergs falling off the roof!! ;)
Tom how does Emee like going to have her hair done?
Morning Dave nice picture.
Ron then there was light!! Looking forward to the next update your doing a great job so far.
Mike thanks for the who sang the song.
Looking forward to your next update.
Morning Kyle have a nice day!
Weather in South Jersey cloudy/31. Later on 33.
The rain we were suppose to get dried up I guess we didn't get a drop!
We have take a package over to UPS to send back to Amazon.
Then maybe some siding is in my future.
Everyone have a wonderful day!! :)
Jerry
Quote from: PRR Modeler on February 16, 2026, 08:51:49 AMDave I've always have wanted to go there.
That was at the top of our bucket list, when the ISO standards committee I was on announced a meeting in Lima. So my ticket was paid for by my company... ;D When visiting Cuzco, we looked at a group of people around a tour guide and realized it was group from my committee. "Fancy meeting you here!"
dave
Sort of frosty this morning but going to head into the above freezing range as the snow melts and sublimates away. The sap buckets are out in town and it's sugaring time in Michigan.
I'm at Ops at Keeney's awaiting train time for a local I'm called for shortly. We have a crew of over a dozen today.
Watched the race yesterday and tinkered with layout stuff.
Noted an old beater GP at the Archer Daniel elevator I passed this morning. Looks like a whipped dog.
IMG_3190.jpeg
Train time, gotta run.
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, OJ, and soda.
Started out the day with a walk at 53F going into the 70's today. Saturday we're actually supposed to make it to the mid 80's. :o It's way to early for that nonsense.
Yesterday Dad's window was fixed but he needs to replace his tires that are cracking (6 years old) so they are on order. Dad is on one of his senior field trips today. MOH hates making his birthday cake because he always has seafoam frosting. It's made from dark brown sugar on the stove top.
After animal chores I hope to finish up the individual Blue Sky walls. If so I'll do an update.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Curt. Dark brown sugar icing, sounds like it tastes terrible.
We have bowling at noon and then lunch with friends.
Hopefully a little bench time later this afternoon.
Karl, nice catch on the old GP. Looks perfectly weathered.
Have a happy day and stay safe everyone.
Tom
Good morning, Curt, Tom and late risers (or people out West). The lower Merrimack Valley is under thick overcast and about freezing now, rising to mid 30s later with a chance of precipitation. Feeling a little peeved just now by internet vendors who think they can sell me "half round brass wire" without giving length. If all else fails, there's always Ali Express.
Proofreading and writing to do this morning, more work on the layout after lunch.
When we checked Machu Picchu off our bucket list, next was Angkor Wat:
image.jpeg
One problem was getting these iconic shots without all the other tourists (and their blankety-blank selfie sticks) in the way. We really enjoyed Cambodia, I think Cambodians are the most friendly people in the world.
Today in SE NH, it's cloudy, chance of snow showers or even rain showers mid-day. At noon we're going to a talk by a back surgeon, wife is considering surgery to see if it helps her pain. There are definitely trade-offs with that! Then I'll get back to the farmhouse. Yesterday I painted the (1/16 square) corner pieces, so today I'll glue them into position.
dave
Good morning Curt, ACLTom, James, Dave and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt, hope you get enough done to post an update.
ACLTom, have fun bowling today and good luck.
James, hope the proof reading goes well and you get to the layout sooner rather than later.
Dave, another great photograph.
Karl, great shop of the GP unit, hope you had fun at the operating session.
Current temperature is 1c (33f), overcast with a high of 5c (41f) later today. No modeling yesterday as I ended up doing 1:1 stuff for the Mrs and worked on other interests last night. We shall see what tomorrow brings.
Have a great day everyone.
37o already this morning after going to 53o yesterday. We've lost lots of snow. Lots. Currently it is grey and there is talk of rain later in the day or overnight.
OPS went well, we had a full crew and ran plenty of trains. I ran a couple of switching locals that I enjoy the best, using the Baldwin VO-1000 I've showed here before. I opened it up on return home yesterday as it has a light sound like a gear train related rattle. I found a power wire from one of the trucks that could have been touching the flywheel. I relocated it a slight bit and called it good. We'll see how it goes from here the next session. The only other thing I found was a bit of fuzz, dog hair, around one of the axles that was a bit greasy.
That's it from here. Little good news around, the daughter's father in law is quite ill with "C" in the throat, diagnosed late as they kept checking a lower irritation and ignoring difficulty he was having swallowing. Such a nice fellow, hoping the best.
Today I will try to get some layout or bench time in. We'll see how that goes.
All I have, hoops later if the mood strikes, Sparty has not played well lately.
KS
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Looking forward to the update.
Tom hope you have a great bowling!
James have a nice day.
Dave a great picture.
Ron I hope you make the bench today.
Karl hope you make it to the bench today.
Sorry to hear about your daughters father-in-law. Hope for the best.
Weather in South Jersey cloudy/38. Later on 48.
We will finish our grocery shopping today.
Then maybe some time at the bench later in the day!!
Everyone have a wonderful day!! :)
Jerry
Good Morning,
Sounds like everyone is having a productive day so enjoy.
It's official folks, the Laundry room is FINISHED. It was sorta like trying to paint a big closet only around vents and faucets but it's done.
It's a cloudy 40 with misty rain and really foggy; I guess it's the warm air and the cold snow. High is going to be 42 so They say. Not sure about the rest of the day so we'll just have to wait and see.
Have a great day!! Be well.
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, OJ, and soda.
Currently 64F heading to 82F today. Yesterday I finished the individual walls for the Blue Sky building. Next up is gluing the 4 barn walls together. Probably no modeling stuff today since I have a lot of 1:1 things to do. :-\
Tomorrow we have a carpenter coming to the house to give an estimate on a new cabinet in the kitchen, then we're going out to eat for Dad's and daughter's birthday.
That's all I got.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good morning folks,
Curt, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast. Happy Birthday to your daughter and dad.
How is the rest of the gang?
It's a cloudy morning at 48°F, headed to 68°F this afternoon. Nothing special is on the agenda. I hope to continue work on the PO.
Have fun,
mike
Good Morning,
Curt thanks for coffee and breakfast. enjoy your dinner and take it easy on the 1:1 stuff.
Mike have fun working on the PO.
It's 34 with a high of 36 and they're calling for a wintery mix bag over the next 24 hours; oh joy. Nothing special going on here today.
Have a great day!! Be well.
Good morning, Curt, Mike, Larry and late risers. We're still getting good local apples, so I put a bowl of Cortlands on the counter. Complicated weather in the lower Merrimack Valley: About freezing, headed higher later. I can tell where the sun is and see patches of "mackerel sky", but rain/snow forecast after lunch.
The kid is off to school and I need to work on two more 1:1 track design projects using XTrackCad. Plus ordering materials for my wife's next house and my HO bridge project.
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Curt.
Well, bowling sucked yesterday. We beat the other team scratch but lost to the handicap.
Both the biopsies came back positive for Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Today at 10Am I'll have the one on my left tri-cep removed with probably 6-8 sutures. March 3rd. the one on the leg will be removed. Seems like every four months I get the "Slice and Dice" treatment for these. I guess I should have used sun screen 70 years ago.
Anyway, probably no bench time today.
Have a safe and healthy day everyone.
Tom
Tom very sorry to hear about the skin issues again. I'm thinking of you.
Egypt was at the top of my wife's and my bucket list since we got married. We've been twice. This is from our first trip in 2005 (we did a round-the-world tour, when I scored a ticket from a United Airlines promotion. Wife's ticket was paid for by UAL miles, back when miles were worth something, and most hotel stays were via hotel night points.):
image.jpeg
I'll have to see if I can find photos from the second trip, when I was a better photographer. But this one is still pretty good. We really enjoyed Egypt, and our tour company (https://www.museum-tours.com) was great. We had the same 2 guides on both trips.
Meanwhile, back at the home front: It's 35 heading to 43, with a chance of showers turning to snow showers as it cools off down to 21 overnight. Good maple sugar weather. Today is our monthly lunch group meeting, when I'm back, I might cut the hole for the farmhouse into the plaster.
dave
45owith rain. The SNOW is GONE :o but it's stormy with rain and hazy visibility. 8) Sun and 60othis afternoon.
I had toyed with the thought of trekking up to Northern Command. But I just looked at the radar then the Bridge Cam...IMG_0908.jpeg
Hi Wind and NO Visibility...farther West there are Blizzard Warnings... ::) Not good conditions even for the natives.... Michigan started putting GREEN alights with the yellow on Road Crew trucks 4-5 years ago, seems they work well. People still ignore them like before, but still they do light up well.
Overall here, the warmer weather today is just a nasty tease as hi wind and cold returns by the weekend. Spring instability has hit.
ACLTom good luck with the slice and dice. It is good you keep on top of it. I dealt with a bull headed 90 yr old RN that knew more than the doctors, too young and horribly female, and put off dealing with that stuff until it was a major issue with a dozen trips to the UofM in A2and their rock star plastic surgeon to fix it all.
I'm going to work on the layout I guess today if I can get the old bones working. ;)
Everyone have a fine day. Safe and sane.
KSinMI
Good morning Curt, Mike, Larry, James, ACLTom, Dave, Karl and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt, wishing your daughter and dad a very happy birthday, enjoy dinner.
Mike, Hope you make great progress on the post office today.
Larry, enjoy your day.
James, sounds like you have a busy day planned.
ACLTom, sorry to hear that the skin issues has come back.
Dave, I'm really enjoying the travelogue.
Karl, have fun working on the layout.
Current temperate is -4c (25f) with blue skies. No modeling last night as I spent time doing some research for a future project. Not sure what tonight will bring.
Have a great day everyone.
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Happy birthday to the daughter and your Dad.
Mike I hope you get some time in on the PO.
Larry have a nice day.
James thanks for the Apples this morning.
Tom I hope your slice & dice goes well.
Dave that a great picture.
Karl good thing you checked the weather before going to the Northern command.
Ron your still working on one project and now thinking of what to do next?
Weather in South Jersey is once again cloudy/39. Later 47.
The ice pack is getting smaller we can see the grass now.
Well I think we did all the running around yesterday which mean I might get to sit at the bench today.
Everyone have a wonderful day!! :)
Jerry
Ouch Tom;
I had that form of skin cancer years ago on my nose, it was no fun but I was able to tell everyone I was an abused husband, problem was no one corrected me!
I hit a milestone on my resin printed bridge project and wanted to share. The screen shot shows all the parts that make up the bridge, and all have been printed. I am now assembling and soon painting. There is a walkway that is part of the bridge still needing designing as well as the lift bridge operators building but today was a good day. I have decided not to motorize the bridge, just not sure I could pull it off and don't want to ruin what I've made.
Jim
All Parts In Place Lift Bridge.jpg
Afternoon all,
Thanks for the well wishes.
Slice and dice went well. In an out in less than an hour. 12 sutures in all and I'm at the "puter" and bench.
Tom
Jim that looks great.
Jerry
Tom glad everything went well.
Jerry
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, OJ, and soda.
Started out the day with a walk at 66F and heading to 83F later. No modeling yesterday and maybe more of the same today with errands, chores and a carpenter coming to the house for a quote on a kitchen project.
Nothing much else happening this way.
Tom I'm glad things went well yesterday.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good Morning,
Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast this morning and enjoy your day.
Tom glad to hear things went well.
It's 32 with a high of 38 here. The sn*w is slowly settling and melting even the 5 foot tall pile behind the house. Not sure what today will bring but taking a break from modeling for a few days.
Have a great day!! Be well.
From our first trip to Italy:
image.jpeg
Bright sunny and 27, heading to 40 today. Chance of snow tomorrow afternoon.
I have a bunch of errands to run today, but I should get down to the Train Room. Yesterday I cut
the plaster wrap and built the stand for the farmhouse. I'll talk more about that when I post an update to that thread.
dave
38o and damp, grey sky and threat, or promise, of storms by mid day. Yesterday's rain was gone by noon and by mid/late afternoon it was clear. There was a bit of t-booming yesterday. Our snow is totally gone. :o For now. It is still mid-February. ::)
Plan is to stick close to home.
Enjoy the day everyone.
KarlS in MI... ;)
Good morning,
Curt, thank you for opening, coffee, and breakfast. Good luck with the carpenter.
Larry, enjoy your modeling break.
Dave, looking forward to your update.
Tom, glad the procedures went well.
Jim, nice work on the bridge and all in Tinkercad.
Jerry, hope you got to the bench.
Ron, good luck on your next project.
Karl, that weather looks nasty. Good decision to stay south.
James, looking forward to your next projects.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's a cloudy morning at 62°F, headed to 76°F. I didn't do a lot upstairs yesterday, but I did get the base for the PO completed. Today, I hope to apply a coat of AI to the PO and start detail painting.
Have fun,
mike
Good morning, all, my weather is Dave's. Glad everything went well, Tom. Really like that bridge, Jim.
My wife has been working away on 115 State, and with the arrival of our shingle order, has also started the roof on 114 High. I'll bring the camera down to her workbench after chores. I'll work on 1:1 track design till an early afternoon meeting, then my layout.
IMG_3203.jpeg
After the rain moved to the East we had a sky akin to Mashed Potatoes ;D
I love sky photography, expect more in time.
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Larry a break away form the bench is always nice enjoy the day.
Morning Dave.
Great picture Karl.
Mike looking forward tp the update.
James looking forward to the wife's update.
Weather in South Jersey same cloudy/38. Later 44.
I started to tarpaper the the walls.
So siding should be along shortly.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Good morning Curt, Larry, Dave, Karl, Mike, James, Jerry and the rest of crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt, looks like another busy day for you.
Larry, enjoy your day.
Dave, looking forward to your next update.
Karl, that is one dramatic picture of the clouds.
Mike, hope you get to work on the PO today.
James, have fun working on the layout and looking forward to an update on your wife's build.
Jim, congrats on the milestone on the drawbridge project.
Jerry, I'm always planing my next project. ;D
Current temperature is -5c (23f) and sunny. No modeling last night as I worked on drawings for my next planned project. No work tomorrow so I get to stay up later than usual so I'll probably work on the challenge build tonight.
Logging-Alligator-Tugger.jpg
Next Project: an Alligator Tugger
Morning all,
Thanks for opening the breakfast bar Curt.
This morning I had a Cardiologist app. All is well, he said the PSA was good, which I already had the results.
I got to change the bandage on my arm this morning after the first 24 hours. I thought I had 12 sutures but I counted 15 this morning. My arm is fine but it stings like H**L!
Pam's cousin from Indy is coming today around noon and will stay with us for the night and leave tomorrow.
Probably won't get any bench or update time in today.
Have a safe and happy day everyone.
Tom
Quote from: elwoodblues on February 19, 2026, 09:55:37 AMGood morning Curt, Larry, Dave, Karl, Mike, James, Jerry and the rest of crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt, looks like another busy day for you.
Larry, enjoy your day.
Dave, looking forward to your next update.
Karl, that is one dramatic picture of the clouds.
Mike, hope you get to work on the PO today.
James, have fun working on the layout and looking forward to an update on your wife's build.
Jim, congrats on the milestone on the drawbridge project.
Jerry, I'm always planing my next project. ;D
Current temperature is -5c (23f) and sunny. No modeling last night as I worked on drawings for my next planned project. No work tomorrow so I get to stay up later than usual so I'll probably work on the challenge build tonight.
Logging-Alligator-Tugger.jpg
Next Project: an Alligator Tugger
What are we going to model a swamp!!!!! ;D
Jerry
Good Morning,
I see Curt's here but I'll get us started anyway. The usual morning beverages are set to go. Breakfast is assorted muffins with your choice of toppings.
Tom hope the arm heals quickly and enjoy your visit.
Ron that'll be quite the project and certainly something different.
It's a rainy 34 with a high of 39; at least the sn*w is going away slowly which is a good thing. The usual Friday morning errands but beyond that not sure.
Have a great day!! Be well.
Good Morning All,
Larry thanks for opening and first breakfast
Today for second breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, OJ, and soda.
I think today temp wise will be similar to yesterday. Tomorrow it's supposed to get to almost 90F. I did make it to the workbench for about 45 minutes. Last night's birthday supper for Dad and daughter was nice.
Today MOH and daughter leave late afternoon after school ends for 2 different rescue events Saturday and Sunday. MOH is not thrilled because there will be minimal help and animals participating. If I was her I would of cancelled the events.
Ron interesting river boat photo.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Larry and Curt. I'll have a little of both.
Company is still here and all are still sleeping. I've escaped tot he train shed.
When they leave I'll get back to the Horwood build.
Have a safe and happy day everyone.
Tom
Good morning everyone.
31 in Kingman, AZ now, 44 later with sun in the AM and clouds in the PM.
Larry and Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfasts.
Larry, good news about the s$#@ melting.
Curt, happy birthday to your dad and daughter.
ACLTom, glad the slice and dice went well and hope the pain is less today.
Ron, that's an interesting oat you're planning on building.
Jerry, how's the tarpapering going?
Karl, thanks for the beautiful photo.
James, track plan finished?
Mike, I'll have to go see if you posted an update on the PO.
Dave, you've been posting some very good photos.
I especially liked the sphinx and pyramid one.
No reason you can't continue to post photos every day even when I'm p[osting photos.
The more the merrier.
How's everyone else doing?
My world is starting to get back to my normal routine of traveling, hiking and photography.
Moving is done, but I'm still dealing with the kidney stone.
The urologist at the hospital I was at can't preform the procedure to break up the stone because he recently transferred here from MI. and doesn't have the certification he needs from AZ. yet.
That will take a few more weeks or months.
He suggested going to a urology group in Las Vegas who could maybe do it quicker.
I went there Wednesday but the earliest they could do it was June 23.
I said no thanks and left.
I called the AZ. doctor and told him I'll wait for him to do it.
So I hit the road but not going too far so I can get back to Mohave Valley and get this stone dealt with.
I'm slowly making my way to Petrified Forest NP in AZ.
I'm just east of Kingman now and was going to do a hike this morning.
But it rained last night and the trail will be muddy so I probably won't do it.
Instead I'll push anther 100 miles east to another trail I'll hike.
My current view here in Kingman.
021926KingmanAZCamp01Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Good morning, Larry, Curt, Tom, Rick and anyone else awake. Rick, I presume you've visited the Meteor Crater you'll pass on your way to Winslow? I also liked the park Flagstaff has north of town, though I didn't climb the mountain.
I see a little sun through the overcast and the lower Merrimack Valley is about 25F. Snow forecast this afternoon to tomorrow morning, but only 3-6". Bills to pay, then up to the Museum to load 1:1 some brake parts someone scrounged a box truck full of last century. I'm bringing snowshoes to break a path and a toboggan to lug boxes. Spare time will go to polishing my other 1:1 track plan and maybe photographing my wife's HO scale progress.
Good morning folks,
Larry, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast. Wishing you a speedy recovery from 1:1 tasks and a return to the bench.
Curt, glad the birthday supper went well. Safe travels to your other half...
Tom, looking forward to a Horwood update.
Rick, thanks for the photo. Wishing you good luck with the stone.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's cloudy this morning with rain at 68F, warming to 76F. Yesterday was completely consumed by 1:1 tasks: I washed both cars and got gas, took boxes to recycle, returned an Amazon order, picked up a prescription, filled the bird feeders, cooked supper, etc. Today, however, I plan to go upstairs.
Have fun,
mike
Early sun has already been covered with grey, the wind is dragging cold weather into the picture and winter is make it's return after teasing us with a couple really nice days.
Little to add today, worked a couple of hours on the layout, stumbling along trying to create the trestle scene... :-\ I think Homer Simpson is helping..make that assisting...more of that today. Here's my other helperIMG_2893.jpeg
Not sure what you can tell from this. I had to crap the photo to get it to load
IMG_3210.jpeg
Rick, good luck with the Doc. Dealing here with a bad tooth and upcoming cataract procedures for the Doll.
Little else. Winter is back. Not expecting much in the way of snow for now. BUT we do have a clear slate for its return.
IMG_2901.jpeg
KS
Looks like the software ate my previous post.
This is even more spectacular in person than you expect:
IMG_0980 11-11-07 0057.jpeg
My favorite photo, from the grounds
IMG_0964 11-11-07 0047.jpeg
Snow starting late afternoon, could get up to 8" they say. Cleaners have come and gone. I'll head down to the train room and start shingling the farmhouse roof.
dave
Quote from: deemery on February 20, 2026, 09:27:54 AMLooks like the software ate my previous post.
Your original post is in Ron's build thread.
Quote from: Rick on February 20, 2026, 09:35:53 AMQuote from: deemery on February 20, 2026, 09:27:54 AMLooks like the software ate my previous post.
Your original post is in Ron's build thread.
Fixed that! A senior moment....
dave
Good morning, Larry, Curt, Tom, Rick, James, Mike, Karl, Dave and the rest of the crew that shows up later.
Thanks for the coffees and breakfasts Larry and Curt.
Larry, I hope a lot of the snow has melted.
Curt, Glad you enjoyed the birthday dinner.
ACLTom, hope th3e arm is feeling better.
Rick, glad your daughters move went well.
James, be careful with the 1:1 hauling.
Mike, Have fun upstairs.
Karl, hope you make progress on the layout today.
Dave, I think your post ended up on my challenge thread, thought you were giving me a hint as to what to build next. ;D
Current temperature is -5c (23f) cloudy with 5-10 cm (2-4") of the white stuff expected this afternoon. At least I'm not working today.
A future project I plan to build is the alligator warping tug (no Jerry, I'm not modeling a swamp scene ;D ) to go in the log pond that I have on my layout. They were used to haul log booms across lakes. The reason they were called alligator warping tugs is because they could use the winch at the front to pull themselves across land to the next lake.
Seeing as it's supposed to snow later today I see myself at the workbench later today.
Have a great day everyone.
Morning everyone
Larry thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Be careful with the not sure!!
Curt glad the birthday's turned out nice.
Tom glad your feeling better.
Nice picture Rick. To bad you can't get that stone blasted sooner.
James sounds like you have a busy day.
Hope you make it upstairs Mike.
Karl nice picture. Hope you get some more done on the trestle today.
Dave really nice photos.
Ron have fun at the workbench. Looking forward to the tug build. When you get to it.
Weather in south Jersey rain/43. Later the same.
I did the tarpaper and stained the wood for one wall, picture later today I hope.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Good evening, Have been attending to some personal affairs the last 3 weeks or so. Everything is back to a somewhat normal. I'm keeping an eye on your forum projects. Lots of progress!! Grit! 8)
Philip
Morning all,
Breakfast this morning is country fried ham or steak. All drinks hot and cold are on the end table. Help your selves.
The SBG Gang is coming over this morning, should be a fun time getting caught up on all events since our last time. Of course we will have our normal BSing here and at the local watering hole during lunch.
Have a safe and happy day everyone.
Tom
Good morning everyone.
It's 36 now in Wikieup, AZ, sunny and 63 later.
ACLTom, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
Have fun with the SBG crew.
Philip, glad things are back to normal.
Jerry, I hope there's a picture today.
Ron, Drive to Survive is back on the 27'th.
Dave, nice photos and I'm sure it is even more impressive in person.
Karl, looks like some layout progress is being made and pretty sunrise photo.
Mike, you must of slept well after doing all that yesterday.
James, I probably will stop and see Meteor Crater.
How's everyone else doing?
I started heading east on Rt 40 towards my next planned hike but didn't get far.
They closed the road because of s$%# and a couple of truck accidents.
Got diverted onto 93 south.
Pulled over and found another hike to do in Wikieup.
Star and I did a short 4 mile hike on the Kaiser Hot Springs Trail.
Star managed to make a mess rolling in the warm spring water.
Today I'll head about 60 miles further south to Wickenburg to do a hike on Monday.
A scene from yesterday.
022026KaiserHotSpringsTrail08Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning,
Tom thanks for thee coffee and breakfast. Have fun with the gang and of course the BS'ing.
Rick nice photo. Safe travels and I'm sure Star had fun.
What's the rest of you doing.
It's 33 with a high of 35; of course we got some white crap overnight being just enough to have to clean the car off. Heading over to Daughters late morning to finally get her couch finished; would have been done before now if it wasn't for the weather. Actually made it to the bench yesterday for a little while but nothing today.
Have a great day!! Be well.
Good Morning All,
Thanks for opening and breakfast Tom. I'll see you in a bit.
Started out with a walk at 64F and headed to 87F today. Monday will be in the 30's again. Yesterday I glued the roof card on the barn. It was supposed to go on in one piece but I had to cut it into 3 pieces to make it fit correctly.
Here's a picture of Ti the skunk making herself comfortable on my chair.
20260217_163623.jpg
Rick nice photo.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Howdy all,
Just lost my morning post. Don't know why. Anyway, have a great weekend.
~mike
Quote from: friscomike on February 21, 2026, 07:39:51 AMHowdy all,
Just lost my morning post. Don't know why. Anyway, have a great weekend.
~mike
I've discovered that if you're posting at the same time someone else your could disappear.
Don't know if that's what happened to you.
Now, I'll copy my entire post before submitting so I can repost it if need be.
Good morning, Tom, Rick, Larry and first shift crew. Rick, I've read about US 93 but never driven any of it. But I do recommend Jerome AZ for fans of odd old mining towns perched on the steep slope where the vein reached the surface. Probably not the right season to drive it, but the road uphill and NW out of town is an old narrow gauge roadbed.
I went to bed tired from slogging around my orchard knocking snow off the branches. Now I'm looking at maybe 6" of new snow out the window, and I've already started the barn cellar driveway I need to get to an op session this afternoon. Not complaining because we're close to making up last year's rain deficit.
Yesterday's sun and pleasant deteriorated into falling temps, light snow and moderate wind. The forecast I just watched shows a high of 32o today but little in the way of any snow. We can still see the grass, with less than a fraction of an inch of new stuff.
I ended up making a grocery run and stopped at Menards, actual intended destination when I left, picking up some stain for trestle bents, and some foam adhesive in a caulk gun tube. I stained all my bents after making dinner, baked salmon and rice pilaf ::) Ate well anyhoo..will look at the bents later to judge the results, not too sure, but am stuck with the color, a dark grey. HOPEFULLY it has soaked in better than it looked at the time, looked to me like too much pigment in the slurry. Oh well, stuck with it. :-\
Today, MAYbe I'll go to the Division 5 meeting across the Lansing Metro, E of Michigan State. FWIW SPARTY's hockey team is #1 after just beating Notre Damne ;) twice this week. Coach's name is Nightingale, went to State and think played pro a couple years. I've not paid a lick of attention to hockey in several years.
Sounds like plans abound. Wish I was in the area to drop in on the ACL crowd. It sounds like they know how to have fun. ;D
Be well all. Hike safe, Rick. Ever see any rattle snakes in the AZ walks?
All I've got.
KS
The trams in Porto, Portugal, go around some really sharp curves and take up the entire street:
img_3895.jpeg
And, of course, Portugal is known for tiles:
img_3899.jpeg
We got about 4" of snow last night. It's pretty sticky, so the branches, etc, are all snow covered. More snow due Monday. Frankly, I'm enjoying this return to old-fashioned New England winter.
Yesterday I ran out of glue stick for the farmhouse shingles, more due today. So I'll start on the stone foundation.
dave
Good morning ACLTom, Rick, Larry, Curt, Mike, James, Karl and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
ACLTom, thanks for the coffee and breakfast and have fun with the Gang BS'ing.
Rick, Should be an interesting season on Drive to Survive considering all that happened last season.
Larry, hope you get the couch finished today.
Curt, looks like you're not getting your chair back anytime soon, have fun at Tom's.
Mike, I now write my posts in Word, so that when My posts go into the either, I have a backup. Enjoy your day.
James, Hope the snow removal goes well and have fun at the operating session.
Karl, I have had the honour to attend one of Tom's sessions when I was working in Florida last year, and I can tell you, they were very welcoming and they do know how to have fun.
Dave, thanks for the great pictures.
Current temperature is -6c (22f) and cloudy. We got about 4-5" of the white stuff last night. Moved the cars off the driveway so the white stuff removal service can do there thing. I managed some bench time last night and was able to finish the second door and prime some detail parts that will go inside the building. Might spend part of today painting detail parts after I pick up Gracie from the groomer, (it's spa day for her) and relocated a wall mounted TV for the Mrs.
Have a great day everyone.
Morning everyone
Tom thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Have fun with the guys!
Nice picture have fun hiking with Star.
Glad your feeling better and you can do what you want.
Larry any update on what your doing next??
Curt Ti looks comfortable.
Weather in South Jersey sunny/42.
Looks to be a nice day.
A few errands this am then some time doing siding.
A picture later.
Tomorrow they are calling for 20" of white stuff more known as SN*W!!
Blizzard conditions the "WEATHER WEENIES" are calling for.
Will see how close they are to calling this one.
Everyone have a wonderful day!! :)
Jerry
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, OJ, and soda.
Starting out at 64F and only getting to 73F with some rain and wind today. The next 3 days are supposed to be cooler. Had a great time at the SBG yesterday. Everyone was there from the area except Jim and my dad (decided not to go).
Today MOH is making a decision in about an hour as to whether the rescue event will happen today (weather). I have chores then hopefully I'll get started on building the water tank that sits on the barn roof.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Curt.
We had a great time yesterday but we all missed the Judge. In attendance was PRR Modeler, Cuse, Vietnam Seabee, Reading Bob, GPdemayo, and ACL1504. Greg brought a three truck Shay and we ran that around a few times. We discussed structures and of course we BS'd about everything else.
Reading Bob brought down his Shakey's Pool Hall build and it was a beauty.
Jerry, I hope you don't get that 20" of white stuff.
Dave, not only is the curve sharp but it looks like the tram is going down hill.
Rick, hope you are feeling better and at least you got a hike in even though not the one you wanted.
Karl, yes, wish you were closer also.
It is supposed to rain and turn cold again. So, I'll be in the train shed if anyone needs me.
Have a safe, warm and healthy day.
Tom
Good morning everyone.
Currently 47 in Wickenburg, some clouds but mostly sunny and 74 later.
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
Glad you and everyone else had a good time BS'ing.
I hope everyone in the path of the big storm on the east coast stays safe.
Keeping it brief today because I'm running a little late.
Got a hike planned and want to get started before sunrise.
Hiking to Vulture Peak.
This is the view from the van and Vulture Peak is on the left in this photo.
We'll be hiking to the saddle which is the low point between the two higher peaks.
The trail up is on the back side.
022126VulturePeakWickenburgAZ01Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning,
Curt tanks for the coffee and breakfast. Have fun with the H2O tank.
Tom glad to hear you guys had such a great time yesterday; did you guys solve any of the world's problems....there's enough to choose from.
Rick have a good and safe hike.
Jerry stay in and hunker down. That's what we did during the "Blizzard of 1966".
What's the rest of you doing.
It's 25 with a high of 35 with light sn*w. They have us in a weather advisory from 1pm today to 7pm Monday but the local weather doesn't seem to agree so we'll have to wait and see. Finished Daughter's couch yesterday and it's quite comfortable. Hopefully some bench time today.
Have a great day!! Be well, stay warm, and be careful out there.
Good morning, Curt, Tom, Rick, Larry and later risers. I've tended the barn animals and brought in one egg (we have an egg eater but it may be less her appetite or nutritional needs and more boredom after breakfast). Yesterday's op session got off to a slow start but I got my train to its destination. Then I finished another XTrackCAD 1:1 track plan after dinner, but it's too early to publish it.
Heavy overcast outside, but forecasters' current thinking is the snow won't start till midnight and won't stop till after dark Monday. My side of the Merrimack River might get 8", might get 18" depending on who's predicting. So my highest priority is a diesel fuel run, then prep the tractor. We'll see what I can get done on the layout later in the day.
Spain has a set of state owned hotels called Paradors (Portugal has a similar set), mostly set in historic castles and monasteries. We've stayed in several, and they've been great experiences, worth the price. This is the small Parador in Alarcon near Cuenca, 14 rooms and a very good restaurant.
image.jpeg
We also stayed at the Parador in Cuenca, it's converted from a monastery and is fancier than the Alarcon castle.
image.jpeg
There is an historic iron footbridge from the Parador across the valley to the city of Cuenca (this from the city side, looking back at the Parador.)
Right now it's sunny and seasonally cool. The snow starts about midnight, they're saying 8-10 here. But south of Boston they're predicting 18-24. It's a classic Nor'easter storm, and if it tracks further inland than predicted, we could get more snow. I'm sure both German class and PT tomorrow will be cancelled. That's OK, I have plenty to do on the farmhouse.
dave
Good morning Curt, ACLTom, Rick, Larry, James, Dave and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt, have fun building the water tower.
ACLTom, sounds like everyone had a great time yesterday, have fun in the train shed.
Rick, enjoy your hike today.
Larry, glad the couch is comfortable, hope you make it to the bench today.
James, your XTrackCAD 1:1 track plans are interesting.
Dave, hope the white stuff stays away.
Current temperature here is -6c (21f) and overcast. expecting 1-2cm (less than 1") of the white stuff with none in the forecast tomorrow or Tuesday, so it looks like we will miss the storm.
Spent some time at the bench and installed the two doors and prep some of the detail parts for painting. Today after a grocery run I plan to start the roof and if I feel like it start painting the detail parts.
Have a great day everyone.
Good morning!
Some of that white stuff coming down again. Come on Mother nature! :o
Have a good en!
I like the white stuff. It's ice I don't like.
dave
Hockey 1-1 at the end of regulation time...
Enjoyed seeing friends at Division meeting yesterday. The regular meeting place is quite a way from home. Traffic was more than I am used to.
Back to the ice. IMG_3213.jpeg
Afternoon everyone
I put on a fresh pot of coffee.
Or if you want something else help yourself.
The bar is open and there cold drinks in the fridge.
Great pictures by Rick and Dave this morning.
Had to run an errand before now were in for the day or two days.
It has started to sn*w here in South Jersey.
The "WEENIES" have the amount up to 25" North of us 18".
Be a good day to sit at the bench.
I'll post a picture later but it's not much.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Howdy folks,
Curt, thanks for opening. Good luck with the water tank build.
TomACL, SBG sounds like it was a lot of fun. Looking forward to Horwood...
Rick, that looks like a rugged climb and hike.
Larry, congrats on the couch completion. That's a big deal! Hope the nasty sneaux treats you well.
James, hope the diesel run was successful. Stay warm.
Dave, good luck dodging the cold.
Ron, sounds like work at the bench has been successful.
Philip, hope you stay warm up there. Brrrr...
Karl, glad the division meeting went well.
Jerry, glad you made it to the bench.
How is the rest of the crew?
Sharon's birthday celebration is tomorrow, and we braved the wind and journeyed to Biloxi, MS. It was a bright day but windy, windy, windy. Temps are in the high 50s.
I plan to work on a few AI projects and design the hotel project while we are here. Sharon's is a gamer, so she will be in the casino "gaming". I just as soon shave or brush my teeth as go to the casino. It is most boring to me.
Have fun,
mike
Evening
This was 20 minutes after it started to S*NOW!!!!!
Now they upped to 30" along the coast.
Jerry, are you hunkering down or going out periodically to keep up with shoveling?
Either way, stay warm and safe.
I saw a prediction for a place not far from you that is getting 40".
I've been out shoveling once! It's so windy here now you can't see worth a dam!
I'm playing it safe actually a neighbor helped shovel the driveway.
I'm going tp have a glass of bourbon and sit back and watch it snow so more!!
Jerry
Good morning everyone.
53 right now in Congress, AZ, sunny and a few clouds with a high of 74 later.
Coffee, OJ, sodas and hot chocolate are ready.
Fried egg, cheddar cheese, crispy bacon and avocado on your choice of toast for breakfast today.
Jerry, staying in and having a bourbon likes like a good choice.
Take it easy when you do go out.
How much did you get?
Mike, Happy Birthday to Sharon. Hope she did well at the casino.
Karl, congratulations to the women's and men's hockey teams.
Philip, how much white stuff did you get?
Ron, good news on missing the storm and keep making progress on your build.
Dave, I'm enjoying your pictures and did they get the s#$@ totals right?
James, I missed what the 1:1 track plan is for.
I'll have to look harder to see if you started a thread.
Larry, good news on the sofa fix.
But don't get too comfortable on it because there's more to do at the bench. ;)
ACLTom, keep having fun in the shed.
Curt, did you get your chair back? ;D
How's everyone else?
Star and I did 5.45 miles and 1,152' of climbing on the Vulture Peak Trail.
The person who told be the trail goes around the back was wrong.
It goes right up the front.
While I was still a fair distance from the mountain, I saw the chute that goes to the top and was concerned about climbing up on the rocks.
But, when I got to the base of the mountain I saw there was a series of switchbacks that went 3/4 of the way up.
The last bit was some rock scrambling but nothing too difficult.
Only issue with the trail was stopping a few times to get cactus spines out of Star's paws.
After the hike I drove to Congress for the night.
I'll go to Prescott today and hit a gym there.
Started the hike just before sunrise.
022226VulturePeakTrail03Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning All,
Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. Nice landscape. I hope Star's paws are ok.
Started out with a walk at 46F and a feel like temp of 41F and only getting to 54F today. The wind is like a knife.
MOH canceled Sunday's event so was home by 11 am and I did all the cleanup stuff that happens after an event getting home. No modeling was done yesterday.
Today after chores I hope to start on the water tank.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Morning all,
Thanks for opening the doors and the breakfast Rick. Sounds like you and Star had a great hike even with the spines in the paws. Nice photo as well.
Jerry, that photo makes me cold just looking at it. I don't drink but if it warms the me up, I may have one.
Have a nice, safe and warm day everyone.
Tom
Good Morning,
Jerry the bourbon and sn*w watching was definitely a good choice. Take it easy when you do shovel; that's a lot of stuff to try and shovel and that's from experience.
Rick thanks for coffee and breakfast. Hope Star's paws are ok; ice photo.
Curt I'd like to feel sorry for you abut the temps but...ah....no. Keep warm and enjoy the bench time.
Tom you're not alone I gave up drinking years ago.
What's the rest of you doing.
It's a cloudy 28 with a high of 32. You guys that are in the lizard area hunker down and stay warm. A couple of errands then a small 1:1 project then maybe some bench time.
Have a great day!! Be well, keep warm, and take it easy out there.
Mike Happy Birthday to Sharon.
Morning everyone
Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Nice picture wish I was there this morning!!
Curt your a good man doing those chores first.
Tom it will warm you up! :)
Larry have fun with the 1:1 projects.
Weather report from South Jersey we have 18" on the ground and it's still SN*WING!!!
It's going to be a long day of shoveling.
But I won't be overdoing it as far as I'm concerned I'd wait for it to melt!!
Everyone have a wonderful day!! :)
Jerry
Greetings from snowy SE NH. Looks like this storm is staying south of us.
Two photos from Japan. The first is from Kyoto:
image.jpeg
And the second from the Edo City Museum in Tokyo. They had a large model display of Tokyo from around 1900. (I suspect the scale here is something like 1:50)
image.jpeg
I cancelled my PT appointment today. German class will be via Zoom, and the rest of the day is mine...
dave
Good morning Rick, Curt, ACLTom, Larry. Jerry, Dave and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Rick, thanks for the coffee and breakfast and it sounds like you and Star had an interesting hike, hope Star's paws are OK.
Curt, hope you can get to the bench today.
ACLTom, have a great day.
Larry, hope the 1:1 stuff gets done quickly so you can get to the bench today.
Jerry, hope it stops snowing soon. I don't worry about the white stuff as we have a service that gets rid if it for us.
Dave, enjoy your day.
Mike, hope Sharon has a great birthday.
Current weather here is -4c (25f) with blue skies. Never made it to the bench yesterday, between laundry, a grocery run and hanging shelves in the Mrs craft room the day got away from me. Hopefully I'll have some time at the bench this evening.
Have a great day everyone.
I'll be in the area all day. Cold, windy, nowhere near the snow as in the NE, just wind and mid 20s for temps, drop feels like to low teens :-* .
Layout on the agenda for work today, we'll see, how that plays out.
Stay safe in the snow out there ;) .
KSinMI
Happy Birthday Sharon
A snowy and cold morning from Rochester,NY. Just got a dusting this far west from the east coast.
Went to my first RPM meet this past Saturday, "Rochester Railroad Prototype Modelers Meet". Was very interesting to see some outstanding modeling. Otto VanDrak, editor of RMC was there since he lives in Rochester. Also caught up with a couple of Rochester Model Railroad club members I had known when I was a member of the then called Kodak City Model Railroad club. Didn't stay for any of the clinks because I just wanted to see what it was all about. Looking forward to next years show and maybe even signing up to display something.
Bernd
Morning crew!
Happy Birthday to Ms. Sharon Mike!
Yesterday was mostly flurries but the temp tanked around 13 with the wind chill. Super breezy again today.
Have a great day!
Mike Happy Birthday to Sharon! ;D
Jerry
Afternoon, all. The wind still roars high above my house, and fine snow blows past my window. But lunch was fresh bread and a pineapple upside-down cake baked in the cookstove, so downstairs is warm. Can't say what the level fall is, but the shoveled path to my back door has 8-10". Plows appear to be waiting for the wind to die down. Supposed to be windy all night, but I have to go out before dark to free at least one car. The kid slept over at school, but didn't take clothes for tomorrow (to be fair, I didn't try hard to persuade him).
Rick, my screenshots are in Modeling Wizardry / Track Planning Software: XTrkCAD
Happy Birthday, Sharon!
Good morning everyone.
It's 45 now in Prescott and a mix of sun and clouds later with a high of 67.
Coffee, sodas, OJ and hot chocolate are ready.
Pork roll, egg and cheese on an everything bagel for breakfast this morning.
James, I'll have to look for that thread.
Philip, thanks for your hard work on the FB page.
Bernd, glad you enjoyed the meet.
Karl, making any layout progress?
Ron, hope there was bench time last night.
Dave, I like that first picture from Japan.
Jerry, so, how much did you end up getting and how's your back?
Larry, hope the 1:1's aren't interfering too much with 1:48 time.
ACLTom, what's new in the shed?
Curt, did you get to the water tank?
Mike, still out traveling?
Hope everyone else is doing well.
Star's paws are fine.
She's tough.
I pull the spines out and she runs off like nothing happened.
Ended up in Prescott yesterday.
Walked around downtown some with Star.
Another hike planned for today.
The view once you reach the top of the Vulture Peak Trail.
This is what's on the other side of the mountain.
022226VulturePeakTrail11Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning All,
Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. Beautiful photo. It reminds me of growing up in the southwest.
Started out here with a 36F feel like temp and getting up to 61F later. Tomorrow is supposed to be slightly cooler. Yesterday during my walk I somehow managed to bruise the bottom of the left foot so I now have a very tender foot.
In the train room yesterday I built the water tank platform which was fiddly. The tank is resin and has it's initial color applied.
I need to do some thinking about the barn roofing. The kit says use strip wood to cover it but I don't entirely like that idea. The barn is located in the backwoods so I guess that makes sense. Does anyone have any ideas? I don't want to do tar paper. Maybe wood shakes?
Anyhoo.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good morning, Rick and Curt. Beautiful picture, Rick, but that dry landscape is a reason I'll never live in our Southwestern deserts. Love to visit, love to get home where it's green. The sun is shining through a thin overcast well above the trees and it's 25F. Snow cover on open ground is up to about 2 feet in the lower Merrimack Valley. My 2nd wife an her husband had to rent a U-Haul to get out of DC today; no rental cars, no seats on planes or trains.
I have errands to run this morning, including new shear bolts for the 7 foot snowblower. My wife is sore from the shoveling she did too. Likely we'll do Taco Tuesday tonight while picking the kid up from two nights at his school. And I have HO scale shingles and windows to order, plus an insight about how to fix a scratchbuild problem.
Good Morning,
Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Gorgeous photo. Glad to hear Star is o worse for ware. Hike safely.
Curt hope the foot feels better. I've done wooden shakes for a roof using scale 1x10's. Grain and colored them first then I cut them 2 ft. long and lap them a foot. I also vary the exposed lengths to add some interest. Word of caution is does get tedious but the end result is well worth the effort; hope this helps.
James that's quite the snowblower; 2 passes and my driveway would be done. I can't imagine the mess some of the New England states are in right now.
What's your plans for the day.
It's a cloudy 13 with a high of only 18 but it's warming back up tomorrow. Probably spend some time at the bench this morning then work on the 1:1 project later in the day.
Have a great day!! Be well, keep warm, and stay safe.
Morning Fellow Forumites,
Happy belated Birthday to Sharon.
Thanks for breakfast Rick. Looks like the hike to Vultures Peak was well worth the effort. What a view.
I hope our northern forum friends didn't get hit to hard with storm the weather weenies have been talking about. As Curt said it cold here and if it never gets below 40 again, it sure is fine by me.
Pam and I have bowling today and then late lunch with friends.
I started prepping the location on the layout where Horwood's build will go. Update on that probably tomorrow.
Have a warm, healthy day everyone.
Tom
There was this short window of time when it looked like Russia would become 'part of the rest of the world.' They were sending representatives to participate in standards committees and hosted our committee. Before the meeting (which ended up in Moscow), we visited St. Petersburg in 2007. This is the "Church on Spilled Blood", built on the spot where a Tsar was assassinated in the 19th century.
IMG_6472-straighten.jpeg
St Petersburg is a beautiful city and the Hermitage is definitely a world class museum. But the best summary of that experience was "First world prices, third world service." Unfortunately, things have gone downhill since we visited.
It's sunny, and there's about 8" of fresh snow. Roads are plowed so things are back to normal here. Further south, particularly south of Boston into Rhode Island, is a whole 'nuther story.
I finished the roof panels for the farmhouse yesterday. Today will be more final assembly and detailing.
dave
Good morning Rick, Curt, James, Larry, ACLTom, Dave and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Risk, what a coincidence, I'm also in Prescott, OK, Prescott Ontario. ;D Thanks for the coffee and breakfast, the picture was worth the hike, enjoy today's hike.
Curt, you could try a "board and batten" roof, I did that on my tractor shed and was very happy with the results.
James, have a great day.
Larry, enjoy your time at the bench, hope the 1:1 project isn't to complicated.
ACLTom, good luck bowling today.
Dave, that is a beautiful building.
Cloudy skies here with the current temperature at -17c (1f), it's a good day to stay inside. No bench time yesterday as I spent time on the computer drafting the plans for the alligator warping tug I plan to build in the future.
Have a great day everyone.
Morning everyone
Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast but I'll have mine on a hard roll.
Jerry
Temp in teens, breezy and COLD it's still winter. Our mini snow is mostly gone from over the weekend. Just COLD or did I say that?
52-53 years ago I bought a brand new 1973 Ford F-250 with a Western plow and sub contracted a half dozen parking lots and a ~1/2 mile long access road to a gun range. Paid $25/hour. Rig had about $4,000 wrapped up in it. Ford couldn't sell me power steering at that time due to supply issues. Plowing with Mr. Armstrong is a good way to lose a thumb if you're not careful :o. I always envied the Highway Dept plow guys, still do. I'd have paid to do that job.
Rick, making progress then going back 2 steps...plugging away at increasing frustration.
Roofing project? I like Evergreen styrene standing ridge roof material, but it probably would be best for HO as I have used it. A bit small details for "0"
All I have...enjoy the day. Easterners, be safe. PATIENCE ::)
KSinMittens
Now that I've had breakfast I can finish my post.
Weather in South Jersey sunny/29.
We had around 24" of white stuff with wind.
Shoveling has been slow going but I'm in no hurry to finish it.
Hopefully they will be shortly to do the driveways.
Rick that is a nice picture wish it was here.
Curt hope your foot gets better quickly.
James don't overdo that shoveling.
Larry good choice bench first then the 1:1 project.
Tom looking forward to the update.
Dave great picture this morning.
Ron I can't wait to see the TUG
Everyone have a wonderful day!! :)
Jerry
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, OJ and soda.
Started out the day with a walk at a feel like 39F and heading to 67F later. It's supposed to warm up again now. Yesterday I finished the roof platform and tank but it still needs attached to the roof.
Yesterday I also tested the shake roofing that Larry recommended. Based on the size of the roof involved and my inability to maintain a straight line consistently it's a non starter for me on the current project.
Today is floor day then hopefully I'll make it to the bench.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Curt. I'll just have some OJ this morning.
I averaged 185 in bowling yesterday but we still only took 2 points. The other team bowled way over their averages.
Feel very run down this morning so I'll take the day to rest and not push it.
Have a safe, warm and happy day everyone.
Tom
Good morning everyone.
Currently 51 in Rimrock, which is just outside of Sedona.
Mostly sunny and 75 later.
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
Any thoughts on another roofing style?
ACLTom, It is very frustrating when the team you're bowling against is bowling above their averages.
Jerry, you can't go wrong with a Jersey hard roll.
Take it easy with the shoveling and I hear more is coming.
Karl, don't let the layout frustrate you.
Keep plugging along.
Ron, do they pronounce your town Pres-cot or Pres-cut?
Here they call it Pres-cut.
Dave, that's an amazing looking church.
Larry, hope you get more bench time today.
James, Arizona is very diverse.
It's not all desert and the largest Ponderosa forest in the US is in Arizona.
Mike, hope you're traveling safely.
Philip, how's things?
Hope everyone else is doing well.
Star and I enjoyed our 4.77 mile hike yesterday on the Wolverton-Quartz Loop.
I did see a lot of quartz on the trail.
Afterward I drove to a town just outside of Sedona.
I'll stay here all day and take a break.
Tomorrow another hike is planned in Sedona.
One more picture from Vulture Peak.
022226VulturePeakTrail12Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Morning Gents,
Curt sorry to hear the shingled roof is a non starter and yes a large roof can be very tedious to do; maybe think about Ron's suggestion of a "board and batten" roof; it goes much quicker than shingles.
Tom get some rest and hope you feel better.
Rick enjoy the restfully and great photo.
What's your plans for the day.
It's 30 with a high of 39 with a couple inches of white crap overnight. Today I'll be working on the 1:1 project and may have to deal with the driveway first. Bench time probably won't happen.
Have a great day!! Be well and easy if you're digging out from the weekend.
Something domestic for today. This is from Gettysburg, at the corner of the Wheatfield across from the Peach Orchard. It's my favorite monument.
dscn0526.jpeg
Light snow, enough to cover the roads and make things slippery today. The dogs are off at the groomers, so the house is unnaturally quiet. After some time on the exercise machine, I'll finish attaching the roofs on the farmhouse. Yesterday I just did the annex roof, which still had some warp in it, and let that dry thoroughly.
add A cartoon for Curt:
Screenshot 2026-02-25 at 09.12.17.jpg
A friend lost one of his dogs yesterday. He didn't realize it had kidney problems when they adopted her. I told him, "You gave that dog The Best Life. Food, shelter, a loving pack of humans and canines, lots of time running and hunting. It wasn't as long as you wanted, but it was really high quality." (The dog was an American Pointer.)
dave
Some sun, pretty well gone now, wind and cold the forecast today for my part of Michigan, temps dropping a few degres, from current ~30o and winds in the 15-30 mph.
Plugging away with layout stuff. Made a couple more trestle bents yesterday, one to do. Yesterday 1:1 life intruded, visitation for a friend, father figure, of the Doll's. 91 years in the house he was born in on the river in the town. Grocery shopping in the mid afternoon.
Rick, they have their own way of talk out there, the main town N of you where the Super Chief used to run is referred to as "Flag" with the staff left in the dust. Not that I'm an expert on Arizonian by any means. Here just down the road our county seat is Charlotte, Shar-LOT unlike Shar'-lut in NoCar...but then it's also know locally by some as CharTucky, y'all. That Sadona area appears to be quite beautiful from photos I've seen. I can remember the slick color periodical Arizona Highways
from my childhood. I've not kept up on if it is still produced. Such beautiful photos they used to have.
Little new here. Hopefully the snow is relaxing the NE, while our local weather goon showed what he said was some weather passing our Northern portions that might bring more snow out there. Easy does it all, safety first.
KarlS in MI
Dave there's cartoon for me doesn't load. I'll try again later.
Larry the roofing is great and I really like the look. Doing tedious things when modeling is a fact of life at times. My no-go was my crooked rows that I think would look like **** over a large area.
Morning crew. Working on my third cup of coffee and the wife's raisin and molasses cookies.
Tonight is New Tracks Modeling night. I'll be presenting part two of my HOn30 diesel cabs that were a tribute to "Geezer". I'll be presenting adding some detail, two types of motor drive systems, and a paint job. These are the HOn30 engines I presented here in a thread. I will also be presenting some soldering tricks in making a TT scale antenna for an Erie caboose, plus custom built windows for a Syudam engine house using some soldering techniques and fixtures. This will be in the "My Build" segment of the Zoom meet.
If you are interested there are three ways you can watch the whole NTM featuring presenters with there modeling techniques, layout visits, plus guest speakers like Bob Banta who will be presenting a build-a-long on April first.
You can go to the NTM website and sign up to receive a link to join A Zoom meeting, watch it live on You Tube or watch it at your convenance on You-Tube at New Tracks Modeling.
Link for a subscription: New Tracks Modeling (https://newtracksmodeling.com/)
Link to You-Tube: https://www.youtube.com/@NewTracks (https://www.youtube.com/@NewTracks)
Bernd
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for breakfast & coffee.
Tom everyone once in awhile you just have to kick back, Feel better.
Rick where's the vultures? ;D
Nothing like a good hard roll.
Great picture.
Larry go easy on the driveway.
Great picture Dave. It is an interesting park to go to.
Cartoon is funny.
Sorry about your friends dog.
Karl we need an update on the trstle.
Weather in South Jersey after the 22" yesterday we got a dusting last night for good measure.
And there saying 1 to more on Thursday.
Which means the "RODENT" was right with his 6 more weeks of winter.
After shoveling and with the neighbors help the driveway is clean.
They still haven't come to do the driveways so everyone did there own.
Maybe some time at the bench today I hope.
Everyone have a wonderful day!! :)
Jerry
Good morning crew,
I usually listen to NTM every Wednesday while I'm doing resin casting in the shop. Kind of grows on ya.
Warmer here today in KY.
Feeding the birds is my highlight of the last few day. Plenty of Cardinals, Woodpeckers, Blue jays, Doves, and Starlings.
foamers.jpg
Good morning Curt, ACLTom, Rick, Larry, Dave, Karl, Bernd, Jerry and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt, hope you get the roof material sorted out.
Tom, enjoy your day relaxing.
Rick, here it is pronounced Pres-cot. Enjoy your day of rest.
Larry, hope the 1:1 project goes well.
Dave, sorry to hear about your friend's dog.
Karl, sounds like you made great progress on your trestle build.
Bernd, glad to see you stop in, sounds like an interesting clinic you will presenting tonight.
Jerry, good to here you had help with the driveway, hope you make it to the bench today.
Current temperature here is -7c (19f) with white stuff falling from the skies. I did manage a little bench time last night where I stained the material for the shingles required for the roof. I also glued the LED for the interior lighting to the middle roof truss and glued the truss in place. We shall see what tonight brings.
Have a great day everyone.
Bernd, thanks for the link to the New Tracks Modeling YouTube page. Watched one of the layout tours and will subscribe.
Jeff
Ron said:
QuoteBernd, glad to see you stop in, sounds like an interesting clinic you will presenting tonight.
Trying to help diversify with some subject content. When I first joined the NTM Zoom group it was pretty much wooden scratch built buildings, weathering, scenery, some 3D printing and so for. Now with the third regime change the guy running it is looking for more diversified material. Model railroading has a large tent with many different subjects.
Jeff said:
QuoteBernd, thanks for the link to the New Tracks Modeling YouTube page. Watched one of the layout tours and will subscribe.
When you do say Hi so I know you are on the Zoom.
Bernd
Good morning everyone.
Currently 51 in Sedona and mostly sunny and 76 later.
Keeping it extremely brief because I want to start my hike before sunrise.
Hope all are well and I'll see you all tomorrow.
Good Morning All,
Thanks for opening Rick and I hope you enjoy your hike with Star. Tell her to stay out of the cactus needles!
Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, OJ and soda.
Yesterday after chores at the workbench I started adding the middle roof floor made of strip wood. The barn roof has a cardboard bottom roof glued in between the walls followed by wood strips glued on that, followed by additional random planking (instructions). I have decided to go with Wild West wood shakes. It comes like 3 tab asphalt shingles. It's a heavy paper product that has texture. I've used this product 3-4 times in the past.
Dave the cartoon finally appeared. A lucky skunk indeed. ;)
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good Morning,
Rick thanks for opening and have a safe and enjoyable hike you and Star.
Curt thanks for thee coffee and breakfast. Glad you came to a decision on the roofing; have fun.
What are the rest of you up to this fine day.
It's 25 with a high of only 26 and light sn*w again; ugh. Going up into the 40's tomorrow. Busy day yesterday with errands and the 1:1 project. I did manage to squeeze some time at the bench and will post an update later. This afternoon Larry's Beauty Salon will be open for business.
Have a great day!! Be well, stay safe, and keep warm.
The Pont du Gard, Roman aqueduct in southern France:
img_8752.jpeg
This'll give you a better sense how big this is:
img_8740.jpeg
The museum is really good, too. We've been to this part of France twice. For someone interested in Roman history & architecture, I'd argue this is almost as good as Rome.
Today'll be another 'broken' day, with someone coming to the house in a couple minutes, then a PT appointment mid-afternoon. But that's OK, it's time for the usual post-project Pick-up/Put-away.
dave
Good morning, Rick, Curt, Larry, Dave and those just getting up. Sunny now on the NH seacoast, forecast for all day reaching the high 30s. After tending the barn critters, I extended the slot the kid made for the sliding barn door so the sun can shine inside for a few hours.
Catching up on yesterday, Karl mentioned the Arizona HIghways magazine, which I used to see via the grandparents who lived in what's now my house's subscription (AFAIK they never visited the state).. So I looked it up and now I'm reading about National Parks and Monuments people tried but failed to create in AZ at www.arizonahighways.com . Seems you can still subscribe for a paper copy also.
Today should be fairly pleasant in my attic with the layout, so I hope I make it up there.
Morning all,
Curt, thanks for breakfast. Hope the foot is better.
Rick, enjoy the sunrise hike. Yes, I agree, it is frustrating. It happens a lot on Tuesday.
Dave, I spent three days walking around Gettysburg and could have easily stayed a week and still not see it all.
I enjoyed my day off from the train shed. I think I was just tired. I read, took two naps, watched Perry Mason win two more court cases and then had a Diet Pepsi. Pam took me to dinner. We have enough left over for a meal this evening.
Today, I feel rested and am in the train shed.
Have a safe, warm and happy day everyone.
Tom
Tom, I've done 6 Licensed Battlefield Guide talks/tours of Gettysburg, and there's a lot I haven't covered. My favorite was an 'Artillery of Gettysburg' tour. There was me, a friend who was a Vietnam helicopter pilot but originally trained as an artillery officer, and another friend who had been the intelligence officer in an artillery brigade. We went to the first stop, the guide started talking about Civil War cannons in general terms. Forrest and I looked out. "Range about 4km?" "Yeah, well within range for the Whitworth Rifle here." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12-pounder_Whitworth_rifle - the Confederates had relatively few of these, they were the primary counter-battery weapon.) That's when the guide realized he had to seriously 'up' his talk, but he recovered well and we had a great discussion on siting, tactics, etc. He enjoyed the challenge, guides usually don't get to talk at that level of expertise. We went to several places including the Union artillery park and even Little Round Top, where he talked about how they got the guns up there. He was a retired infantry officer, and we ribbed him over lunch about that.
I've done Culp's Hill tours twice, and still don't have a full understanding of that part of the battle. The terrain is rough and more grown over than it was Back in the Day which doesn't help.
A Gettysburg LGB talk/tour is the best money you'll ever spend on history.
dave
Good morning folks,
Rick, thanks for opening. Wishing you a fantastic hike.
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Good luck hanging shingles.
Larry, good luck with your 1:1 activities today.
Dave, hope the cleanup goes well. What's next?
James, wishing you a fun day in the attic.
Tom, there's nothing like a good all-day rest.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's raining today with temperatures at 50°F and headed to 65°F. We arrived home last evening after picking up Sweetie from our daughter's place. Everything is back to normal. We enjoyed the Gulf Coast, and the weather was nice in the 70s.
Today I plan to clean up the workbench and paintbooth, a mess from the post office project. Perhaps I'll work on the layout a bit, too. I didn't complete a design for the hotel, but it is in the works.
Have fun,
mike
Good morning Rick, Curt, Larry, Dave, James, ACLTom, Mike and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt, wood shakes sounds like a great choice for the roof.
Rick, enjoy your hike with Star today.
Larry, looking forward to your update.
Dave, sounds like you have a busy day planned, another great travelogue photo.
James, hope you make it to the attic today.
ACLTom, have fun in the train shed.
Mike, have fun cleaning up the workbench.
Current temperature is -9c (15f) and cloudy. The trip home from work was longer than usual due to slushy conditions and by the time I got home, made dinner and ate it, it was late. I did manage a little time at the bench and now I have a dish full of wood shakes and purlins cut to size.
Have a great day everyone.
Morning everyone
Rick thanks for opening. Have a nice hike with Star be careful.
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Looking forward to the update.
Larry don't cut her hair to short!!
Dave great pictures this am.
Tom Perry Mason could put anyone to sleep! ;D
Mike have fun cleaning and I do hope you get to the hotel.
Ron you making you own shakes??
Weather in South Jersey a morning without a dusting thank God.
Today after a few things around the house I might get to the bench and start staining the siding.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Morning all,
I purchased some figures from Cumberland Shop. Hope they arrive soon.
Off to renew vehicle tags this am. Have a good en!
Cold, teens, but sunshine and less wind.
There was a member of the old RR-L crew that had a direct connection to Perry Mason. His step father played Hamilton Burger the DA. Steve had a beautiful take on modeling middle rural Georgia.
Little to add. Making trestle pieces/parts.
My SPARTANS play hoops tonight.
Be well all. KSinthe Mitten
Quote from: Jerry on February 26, 2026, 09:31:31 AMRon you making you own shakes??
Jerry,
Yes I'm making my own shakes as per Brett's kit instructions.
This just InConstruction continues on bridge works
Trestle bents and a small truss bridge on the table this morning.
IMG_3226.jpeg
-30-
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Karl thanks for the update. Nice and neat cutting on the wood.
Your doing a great job!
Jerry
Good morning everyone.
It's 40 right now in Flagstaff, sunny and 68 later.
Coffee, sodas, OJ and hot chocolate are ready.
Basic two eggs any way you'd like them, crispy bacon or sausage and home fries for breakfast today.
Karl, glad to see the bridge progress.
There's a wealthy town in north Jersey called Bernardsville.
Heaven forbid you pronounce like a mans first name.
They pronounce Barn-ards-ville.
Philip, hope getting the new tags was an easy process.
Jerry, any stain hit some boards?
Ron, hopefully you'll have time tonight to start laying those shakes.
Mike, glad you enjoyed your getaway.
ACLTom, hope you made good progress in the shed.
James, hope you made progress in the attic.
Dave, it's amazing how well the Romans built those aqueducts.
Larry, should be some melting with today's warmer temps.
Curt, your kit is looking very good.
Greg, haven't seen you stop in in a long while.
TomO, hope you are well.
Yesterdays hike went well.
We did 7.76 miles and 1,142' of EG.
There's a spur off the main trail that leads to an open ended cave that's called The Subway.
It's a steep, narrow climb into it.
Star started to go up but quickly turned around and went back down.
If I'm ever back there I'll try doing it by myself.
Visiting the gym here in Flagstaff.
Then after a quick stop at Walmart I'll drive east and find a place to stay near the Petrified Forest NP.
This is from Tuesday's hike in Prescott.
022426WolvertonQuartzLoopPrescottAZ01Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning All,
Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. Nice landscape. It sounds like Star is a smart dog.
Started out with a walk at 64F and heading to 80F later. This weekend it's supposed to get to almost 90F. :'( Yesterday I joined the store walls to the office, worked on a drain pipe for the roof tank, then did some thinking on the office and store roofing, deciding on shingles instead of tar paper.
After chores I have to drive son to get his motorcycle out of repair shop, afterwards I hope to start roofing.
Karl very nice job on the bents.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good Morning,
Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Sounds like Star's a smart dog and wonderful photo.
Looking good Karl.
Curt enjoy your build.
What's everyone else doing.
It's a clear 10 with a high of 43 so should see some melting going on. The usual Friday errands then taking Ellie out for the afternoon and a stop to Arby's for some roast beast sandwiches...yum. Not sure if I'll make it to the bench or not.
Have a great day!! Be well and stay safe.
Morning all, An uneventful day yesterday at the license branch. In and out in a jiffy.
Well here is something in the making from Gary. They look fantastic! He said this was the first run and a couple of mod's are needed on the geetar. Hobo's in Oh scale ;D
Cumberland hobo's.jpg
Have a great day!
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Rick.
Dave, thanks for the information. All Civil War Battlefields are fascinating to me. I've spent many summers at Point Lookout (Lookout Mtn.) in Chattanooga, TN and Chickamauga. Recently I've been reading up on the Battle at Jenkin's Ferry in AK. The muddy, bloody scene from the movie Lincoln was filmed at the Jenkins Ferry battle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fEb1Xjj47U&t=25s
I was at the work bench yesterday morning when everything went south. I won't go into a long pontification of what the day was like. Here is a short compendium of what happened.
I was at the bench when Pam told me her SC 430 Lexus wouldn't start. The battery was dead. I paid Lexus $350.00 for a new battery 4 months ago. I called Lexus and they said bring it in and they'll check it. I jumped it off and took it in. They checked it and said I needed a new battery. Another $350.00, not on my watch. I showed them the paper work from September and got the new battery for $0. Three hours gone from my bench time.
We got home and got a call from the bank. Fraud alert on both of our debit cards. Not our charges, one from NY for $450 and one from NJ $425, so off to the Credit Union to get new cards issued and old ones cancelled. The charges were denied, so no money lost. Another 3 hours plus gone from the day. Can't use the new cards until today.
The end of my day yesterday.
Today is tax day with the tax man. That will probably ruin the day as well.
Hope everyone has a better day than we did yesterday.
Tom
Tom yesterday sounds painful. Sorry to hear about the banking stuff, it seems to happen all the time anymore.
8) Sun and fun in Michigan, 20s going to approach 50 :o .
Speaking of taxes, we got notice of assessment from the township on our place in da Yoop and another from the home base. :-\ Nearly $30,000, between the two. That's a reflection of the housing market and real estate sales and some crazy algorithm they use. I've made no visible changes or improvements other than maintenance. ??? I sure wish the income would reflect that. Mine seems to just barely cover the increase in what they take out for Medicare. We did our taxes early in the month and the refunds were less than 10 days before they populated the bank account.
Similar credit card experience, Tom, about 6 weeks ago.
Spent much of the day with the bridge stuff. Today, not sure. A couple things liable to show up in the way. We'll see. Off to Keeney's tomorrow for ops. :D
Some snow coming back in tomorrow afternoon. The roller coaster continues. :o
Be well all.
KS
Good morning folks,
Rick, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast.
Curr, careful up on the roof with the shingle chore. ;)
Larry, wishing you a great Friday with Ellie.
Philip, nice set of figures. I recently purchased a bunch for the station. They are excellent.
Tom, what a crappy day. Good luck with the Tax man.
Karl, the bridge is looking good.
Ron, congrats on the shingles and purlins. Hope it was a relaxing exercise.
Jerry, did you make it to the bench?
How is the rest of the crew?
It's an overcast morning, raining all night. I mostly cleaned the workbench, did some organizing, and worked on the layout yesterday. I have misplaced my blade coffee grinder that I use to grind dirt and debris. I am about out of dirt and haven't decided what to do about it yet. As I began planting structures, I decided to add lighting. I'm out of lamps, so I ordered some clear resin to print lamps and lanterns. I'll light them with tiny tiny LEDs.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/586-270226084219.jpeg)
Have fun,
mike
Morning crew. Bench time today. Working on my HOn30 rotary dumper.
I've got a nitpick to pick on this forum. It says I'm 75 today. Not true. My birthday is March 5th. Says so in the profile section. Seems like the forum software wants to make you older than I really am. I don't need the software help getting older. I'm doing fine on my own. <LOL>
Thank you for the attention to this matter.
Bernd
We've been to a bunch of places that later showed up as sets for historical dramas or fantasies. I'm sure this is one of them, it's the originally Moorish palace (Aljafería) in Zaragoza, Spain:
image.jpeg
Zaragoza is a bit off the usual tourist track in Spain, and that's too bad. It's a city with a lot of history. (The name derives from the Roman "Colonia Caesar Augustus") The interior has some well preserved original Moorish architecture, along with Medieval and some Renaissance features.
image.jpeg
Another free day for me today. It's sunny and will be 'warm', heading to 37. Tomorrow it might even reach 50, Scotch Club has been scheduled for a neighbor's porch (the usual host is away on vacation, he offered us his patch of beach for the meeting, but we couldn't arrange travel.) More pick-up/put-away and pondering scenery and farm layout.
dave
Morning everyone
Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Star was probably thinking is this guy crazy I'm heading back!! ;D
Nice picture this am.
Curt looking forward to the update.
Larry have a nice day with Ellie.
Philip morning. And they do look outstanding were do you buy them??
Tom sorry to hear about the banking problem. We've had it happen and it's just a PITA to get it fixed.
Have a much better day today.
Karl looking forward to an update.
Mike maybe Sharon used to grind coffee!!
Bernd I wish I was that young!!
Nice picture Dave.
Weather in South Jersey sunny/43. Later the same.
No I did not make it to the bench yesterday.
Seems 1:1 stuff got in the way.
But I will try again later today.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Good morning Rick, Curt, Larry, Philip, ACLTom, Karl, Mike Bernd, Dave, Jerry and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Rick, it sounds like the Petrified Forest NP is your next hiking spot.
Curt, Have fun with the roofing.
Larry, enjoy your day.
Philip, those are some great looking figures.
ACLTom, taxman day is never fun, but it can't be worse than yesterday.
Karl, those are some great looking trestle bents there, it never ceases to amaze me how much great modeling that happens here, it's inspirational and pushes one to do better.
Mike, did you print the lanterns, they look like something I could use.
Bernd, It least it's not telling you that your 85. ;D
Dave, enjoy the scotch club today.
Jerry, hope you make it to the bench today.
TomO, hope you are doing well.
Current temperature here today is -1c (30f) and cloudy with a predicted high of 1c (34f). Late checking in today as I had some errands to run and a haircut to get. That is all done now so the rest of the day is mine. Not much bench time last night but I did stress and stained the wood required for the side yard wall which I hope to build tonight.
Tomorrow is the monthly SLD meeting where we have clinics in the morning and a work session in the afternoon. I plan to use that time to start painting the detail parts I have already primed.
Have a great day everyone.
Afternoon all.....
Rick, I've been so busy with pre-construction work for clients over the last six months that I haven't had much time to interact on the forum. I'm hoping that I will have a bit slower pace in the the near future. Still love keeping track of your travels with Star!
Good morning folks,
I see others online, but I'll make breakfast anyway. Drinks are on the counter. Breakfast is salmon crepes with sour cream sauce, fresh fruit, and pastries. Enjoy.
Jerry, I don't think so, the coffee hasn't tasted like mud lately... ;D
Ron, the lanterns were cast in clear resin. I'm working on a 3D printed version now. I'll report the success.
Gregory, thanks for stopping by.
How is the rest of the crew?
I piddled a bit on the layout yesterday. Going to the movie with family this afternoon.
Have fun,
mike
Good Morning All,
Thanks for opening and breakfast Mike. Enjoy the movie. What are you going to see?
Starting out the day in the high 60's under a milky sky. Yesterday at the workbench I got the office and store roofs shingled but decided to wait on weathering until all 3 roofs are done. Speaking of, the barn roofing is supposed to be here Monday afternoon.
Today MOH wants me to go with her to the local farmer's market. After this is translated from MOH speak it means I need to carry the bags. ::) Nothing special planned for the weekend, other than Sunday we have to pickup a local pet skunk who will be vacationing with us for a month.
That's all I have.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Good Morning,
Mike thanks for the coffee this morning. Have fun at the bench if you make it there and enjoy the movie.
Curt thanks for the breakfast. Hope you ate your wheaties this morning to carry all the heavy bags.
How's the rest of the gang doing.
It's a cloudy 43 already with a high of 46 with rain. I'm sure the snowy driveway will be a sheet of ice by tomorrow; time to break out the rock salt. Painting some installed outside corner pieces today so that should, hopefully unless the Mrs has other ideas, finish up that project. Have a few St Patty's decorations to put up and if I get bored a new shade to be installed in the computer area. Bench time???
Have an enjoyable day!! Be well.
Today's travel photo is Cambridge University, UK:
image.jpeg
I attended a conference there and even stayed in one of the dorms. (I forget which college it was, but one of the newer ones.) Unfortunately, some of the university museums were closed, particularly the archeology museum.
It's a bright sunny day, lots of glare from the snowpack. Scotch Club this afternoon, and I'll have to go to the store before then. But I'm making progress in pick-up/put-away, and that usually gets me motivated to start a new project.
dave
Good morning everyone.
34 now in Holbrook, cloudy and 73 later.
Mike, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
Hope the movie is a good one.
Curt, have fun at the farmers market.
Dave, hope there are some good scotch's today.
Larry, hope things don't get too icy.
Greg, thanks for stopping in.
Glad business is good and thanks for following my adventure.
Ron, have fun at the SLD.
Jerry, any melting happening there?
Bernd, that's happened to all of us.
Karl, last time my house was re-assessed I disputed the higher price and got my tax bill lowered a few hundred.
ACLTom, sorry you had such a bad day yesterday.
I've had my CC co-opted a couple of times.
Although it didn't cost me anything, it was an inconvenience waiting for the new card.
Hope today is much better.
Philip, those are very good looking figures.
How's everyone else?
Drove towards Petrified Forest NP yesterday.
Stopped in Winslow for a little sightseeing.
That town has done a fantastic job of turning a song lyric into an economic boom.
I'm about 1/2 from the park and I'll head there shortly.
Park doesn't open till 8 and closes at 5 which is odd.
Got three short hikes planned and surprisingly dogs are allowed.
Yesterday
022726WinslowAZ01Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Good morning, all. Thin high haze over the Merrimack Valley but otherwise weather as Dave's. Tom, I don't know what it would do to the warranty, but at the Trolley Museum we put battery knife switches on all modern vehicles. Too many parasitic loads to sit idle for more than a few days. Rick, I don't recall that statue but it's been a decade since I passed through Winslow.
This weekend's plans don't leave much time for modeling: watching the kid and his SO wrestle at her school this afternoon, then dinner. Tomorrow prune the orchard and burn a few years' accumulated brush before taking her back to her school.
Morning all.
Its a girl my lord in a flatbed ford
named Star.
Those figs are from
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheCumberlandShops?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=4446836024&from_page=listing
Have a great day! 70's today. I'm kidnapped to the garden for a while.
Bernie, I'm 300! ;D
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Mike.
Curt, have fun with the totting!
Rick, good photo of you and Star. Looks like you are also watching the girls go by. ;D
I'm in the train shed and later Pam and I are going to the SBG watering hole to get a salad. Then I'll be back in the train shed.
The tax man cometh and I get to pay IRS 13 hundred, Yea!
Have a safe, happy and healthy day everyone.
Tom
Morning everyone
Mike thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
What movie are you seeing?
Larry have a nice day. At least you have choices! ;D
Nice picture Dave.
Rick that's a great picture of you and Star.
I like the Eagle in the window!
James seems you have a full weekend enjoy.
Philip thanks for the link.
Tom enjoy your salad with Pam.
1300 that's a lot of hobby money!!!!!!!!!!! :'(
Weather in South Jersey is sunny/46. Later 51.
At least the white stuff is melting slowly.
I started staining wood yesterday but didn't get very far as other things had to be done.
Hopefully some bench time later.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Sitting in the crew lounge waiting for my switch job in about one hour"fast" hour. OPS has a full crew this morning.
Sun at wake-up this morning, sub freezing headed to mid 30s. Some snow late in the day or overnight, nothing to fret about.
Was going to work on the bridge/trestle but ended up going with the Doll. Folks been bragging up Sparty's hockey team so watch them last night, not the team I expected. The Ohio crew kicked them badly. :o Did not finish it.
Have a good day all.
KS
Quote from: Jerry on February 28, 2026, 10:33:26 AMMorning everyone
Tom enjoy your salad with Pam.
1300 that's a lot of hobby money!!!!!!!!!!! :'(
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Jerry,
Pam inherited her mother's 401 account so that was the difference. We still made out, so to speak. We had IRS withhold 25% and still got stung.
Tom
Neat photo. I think it's mandatory if you are there. ;D
No problem Jerry. I ordered 3 sets, Hope they are as good as the hype!. Some of the other figure sellers have some really proud pricing. Actually all of them 2d printed or otherwise.
The afternoon activity was removing a dead apple tree with a 2 cycle chainsaw. I'm spent..........4 wheel barrels full. This golden year stuff ain't easy!
Good Morning All,
Breakfast today is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, OJ, and soda.
Started out the day with a walk at 58F and heading to 78F. Yesterday at the workbench I made and attached roof flashing and rafter tails. After that was the farmer's market that was beyond packed, and finally we bought 2 new couches which will be delivered Thursday.
Today I will finish the rafter tails and we have the vacationing skunk to pick up.
That's about all happening around here.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Curt.
I'm in the train shed but Pam wants to go practice bowling. I guess after that I'll get back out here.
Have a great day everyone and stay safe.
Tom
Good Morning,
Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Farmer's Markets are fun to go to but not when they're packed. Hope the skunk enjoys its vacation.
Tom gotta keep your better half happy.
What's your plans for the day.
It's a sunny 20 with a high of 29 and we received another inch of white crap. Yesterday it was 52 and the hopes of an early Spring were high. Have yet another 1:1 project installing a new window shade to replace a blind. Not sure about the bench though.
Have a great day!! Be well and stay warm.
Good morning folks,
Curt, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast. Good luck with the rafter tails.
Philip, congrats on the tree removal. Sounds exhausting.
Karl, the ops session sounds like fun. Better luck to your Sparty's next time.
Jerry, we saw Crime 101. It was pretty good. Good luck staining wood.
Tom, glad the tax prep is over.
James, good luck with the orchard haircut.
Rick, terrific photo of Star and you. You've made all of us hear the Eagles sing...
Dave, have fun selecting your next build.
Larry, congrats on the project completion.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's a sunny morning at 41°F, headed to 78°F later today. We enjoyed the movie yesterday. I didn't make it upstairs, but spent the day hanging out with Sharon. I hope to make it upstairs this afternoon to work on the layout scenery.
Have fun,
mike
Good morning everyone.
37 right now in Saint Johns, sunny and 76 later.
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
Was the new couches a surprise purchase to you?
Taking that picture is the only reason to go to Winslow.
Mike, glad you enjoyed the movie and spending time with Sharon.
Larry, hope the s#$% falling and the 1:1 projects end soon.
ACLTom, hope you bowl well.
Philip, hope you're not too sore today.
Karl, glad the ops was fun.
Jerry, maybe more wood was stained yesterday.
James, I'm not sure when they added the statue.
Dave, nice shot of the university.
How's everyone else?
I had an excellent day at the Petrified Forest NP.
Someone told me a couple of years ago it wasn't worth visiting, but I couldn't disagree more.
I did the three planned hikes which totaled just under 8 miles.
Beautiful scenery and I was very surprised by how much petrified wood there was everywhere.
It's very tempting to put a small piece in your pocket but that's against the law and also brings bad luck.
The park has received many letters containing wood because of all the bad luck that happened after taking it home.
I was able to get a night sky pass that allowed me to stay in the park after closing to take sunset pictures.
Not exactly sure what I'll do today but I'll talk more about that tomorrow.
A phone picture from one of the hikes yesterday.
022826PetrifiedForestNPAZ01Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
The Doll arose before I did this morning, as did the sun 8)
IMG_3812.jpeg
We have an inch of new snow and about 15
o with 8) sunglasses a necessary part of the wardrobe.
OPS was a good time as usual. I had a nice time with an industrial area switching job then a pair of over the road jobs from one of the big yards to the end of line staging areas. Wrapping up as the end of session hit. We had a full crew of over a dozen including a fellow from St. Charles, Illinois.
Plans today are still in flux. I hear we have a grand coming over soon.
Bench time and hoops?, we'll see. :D
Have a good day all.
Be well.
KarlS in the mitten. [/color][/font]
Not sure on the color and stuff here, this looked 'ok' on the iphone, but here on the Super Computer....not so much
Good morning crew!
8)
When we visited Athens, I paid extra for the 'penthouse' room, to get this view:
image.jpeg
And the same shot at night:
image.jpeg
That room was worth the surcharge!
More pick-up/put-away today, and then I'll decide what to start next. Lots of choices, of course, including farm scenery and a boxcar kit.
dave
Good morning Curt, ACLTom, Larry, Mike, Rick, Karl. Philip, Dave and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt, have fun with the rafter tails.
Tom, good luck with the bowling practice.
Larry, hope the 1:1 project goes well and you make it to the bench.
Mike, have fun working on the layout scenery.
Rick, that is a stunning photo.
Karl, it's still a stunning shot, glad you had fun at the Op's session.
Philip, have a great day.
Dave, have fun cleaning up.
Current temperature is -15c (5f) with crystal blue skies. Yesterday the temperature was above freezing but I think that was just a teaser. No modeling yesterday as there was a medical incident yesterday at the SLD meeting yesterday where the ambulance was called and the meeting was called after that. Fortunately, one of the members is a retired doctor and he was on the phone with 911 till the ambulance arrived giving updates. From the signs it looked like it might have been a (mild?) heart attack. The good news was that he was conscience when the ambulance arrived. Let's just say that after that incident I did not feel like doing any modeling. We shall see how today goes.
Have a great day everyone.
Good morning Curt, Tom, Larry, Mike, Rick, Karl. Philip, Dave, Ron and those who look in later. A thick overcast has been dusting snow on the Merrimack Valley all morning, but none has stuck on my driveway. I'm not feeling it for burning brush, but that may change if the kids bring enthusiasm home. So computer work, including posting prototype and model photos of my Rowley, MA HO NMRA standard modules.
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
So you bought two new couches for the skunks!! ;D
Tom have a nice day with Pam.
Larry it was just a tease of Spring here to.
Mike glad you liked the movie.
Rick great picture this morning.
The last thing you would need is bad luck good choice in not taking any of the wood.
Karl nice picture. Enjoy the hoops today.
Morning Philip.
Great picture Dave.
Ron sorry to hear about the indecent yesterday.
Morning James enjoy the day.
Weather in South Jersey P. sunny/39. Later on 39.
Did some staining yesterday and then started to build a jig.
More of that today.
Pictures during the week.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
Jerry
Jerry there's actually truth in your statement. We bought couches with enough floor clearance for the skunks. They sleep under the couches.
Good Morning All,
Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, muffins, bagels, yogurt, OJ, and soda.
Currently 59F and heading to 80F later. Last night's sleep was a mixed bag. I did get some solid sleep but the nerves in my feet were bothering me also.
Yesterday I had mixed results at the workbench. I was looking at pictures of the office roof and for some reason the cardboard sub roof didn't extend far enough for rafter tails on the rear of the office. I removed the existing roof and cut a new roof card that was longer in the rear out of a raisin bran box.
We also found out that the skunk yesterday was surrendered (not vacationing) to the rescue due to very valid acute family health care issues.
Today after chores I plan on re-shingling the office roof and redoing the flashing.
Tom good luck tomorrow with the leg skin surgery.
I hope everyone has a good day.
Morning all,
Thanks for breakfast Curt and the well wishes for tomorrow. These skin cancer removal are getting all to routine for me. However, the four days after surgery when I have to keep my leg elevated to reduce swelling is a pain in the A** as well as the leg.
We did go practice bowling yesterday. I bowled over my average as did Pam.
I got a little done on the Horwood build and will try to post an update later.
My plan is to edge and cut the grass today as the next two weeks will be a no go due to the leg.
Have a safe and healthy day everyone.
Tom
Good morning everyone.
43 right now in Flagstaff, windy, cloudy and 66 later.
Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
Hope sleep is much better tonight and a new home is found for the new skunk.
ACLTom, all the best for tomorrows procedure.
Jerry, hope there was a lot of staining.
James, it's $29 to visit meteor crater. I passed.
Ron, hope the SLD member is OK.
Dave, it's all greek to me.
Karl, beautiful photo.
How's everyone else.
I wanted to go to the north western corner of New Mexico to visit the Bisti Wilderness area and also go see the Alien Throne rock formation.
It's a bit over 300 miles from where I was at the Petrified Forest.
I didn't want to get too far from the urologist just in case he calls and says he's ready.
So I backtracked towards Flagstaff.
I'll do a hike outside of town later today.
This is the view at the end of the trail in Boynton Canyon at Sedona.
022626BoyntonCanyonTrailSedonaAZ05Small.jpg
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning,
Curt thanks for the coffee and muffin. Now that's what I call dedication...buying new couches for the critters. Hope the bench time goes well.
Tom best of luck with the procedure tomorrow; sounds like an inconvenience more than anything else.
Rick staying close by was probably a wise move. Enjoy your hike and thanks for another beautiful photo.
What's your plans for the day.
It's a sunny 11 with a high of 28; tomorrow it's going to start warming back up. Grocery shopping shortly then maybe, just maybe some bench time as well as an update. That's about it here.
Have a great day!! Be well and stay warm.
Good morning folks,
Curt, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast. Gotta love those cereal boxes. Good luck with the new roof.
Tom, good luck with the surgery. I hope you don't have to stay away from the bench
Rick, hope the urologist calls soon. Enjoy the hike.
Larry, looking forward to an update.
Jerry, good luck with the jig.
James, good luck with the brush.
Ron, hope the member is okay.
Karl, the ops session sounds like fun. I like switching the industrial areas, too.
Dave, thanks for the photos.
Philip, howdy.
How is the rest of the crew?
It's a hazy morning at 41F, but headed to 74F. This morning I have a dermatologist appointment and lodge tonight. I hope to work on the layout this afternoon.
Have fun,
mike
Good morning,
Good luck with the doc's Tom and Rick.
Looks like the last round of ole man winter has arrived. Cold and rain turning to s noo oh but above freezing.
Took it easy yesterday.
Have a great day!
Forum ate my post this morning... I'll try again later.
dave
8) A slight bit warmer and sunny today.
Taking the Doll to eye doc today, work up for cataract extraction..Paperwork sent home with her shows several options I didn't have last year, each extra $$ I'm sure, maybe $$$ or even $$$$... :o we'll see. Different provider than I use. Someone has found a new way to extract more $$, I guess. She has two dental trips later in the week, too. checking her eye teeth? ::)
SPARTY played very well yesterday. Defeating da HOOSIERS at their barn, second game in Indian we've won this week. Been quite awhile for both. Both difficult places with loud and sctive rooting sections.
I also watched some IndyCar racing and end of the NASCAR. After dinner we watched a movie. Early in the day I opened up an Atlas U-30-B and am prepping for a keep alive. After reading a side note in MRH online mag I saw mention of a new variety, to me at least, of portable battery/rechargeable mini solder irons, Amazon is bringing me one today to try out. Will report back. Been using a Weller solder station, the mint green ubiquitous unit. Still will for bigger stuff. It does well on trackwork, etc. Circuit board are seemingly much smaller these days....8)
Little else to add. Be well all.
KS
Good morning Curt, ACLTom, Rick, Larry, Mike, Philip, Dave, Karl and the rest of the crew that drops in later.
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt, hope the roof re-shingling goes well.
Tom, good luck tomorrow with the operation. Looking forward to your Horwood Build update.
Rick, enjoy your hike today.
Larry, hope you make it to the bench today.
Mike, hope you get to work on your layout today.
Philip, have a great day,
Dave, I heard the forum burp, now I know why. ;D
Karl, Interested in seeing your report on the new soldering pen.
Current temperature is -17c (1f) and blue skies (better than the -24c (-11f) that I woke up to.) Managed some time at the bench yesterday as I started painting the detail parts and built the free standing wall for the rigging shed. I also started watching the latest season of Drive to Survive (watch the first 3 episodes) preparing myself for the 2026 F1 season starting this weekend in Australia.
Have a great day everyone.
Morning everyone
Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Must be crowded under the couch at times!! ;D
Tom hope all goes well tomorrow.
Rick enjoy the hike today I assume with Star.
Great picture by the way.
Larry don't spend all your money on groceries.
Mike hope you make it to the layout later on.
Morning Philip.
Dave you never can tell about computers.
Karl looking forward to the report on the new iron.
Ron it will be an interesting year or I should say the first race will be as they try out the new stuff for real.
Weather in South Jersey cloudy/29. Later on 30.
Once again I never did get to the bench.
Well try later today.
Everyone have a great day!! :)
Jerry
(2nd try...)
The market (Souk) in Marrakesh:
image.jpeg
In general, people did not like having their picture taken, but this guy let me take a photo of his cat. (I showed him the photo afterwards, to verify that's all I captured. He appreciated that.)
image.jpeg
I'm back from German and finishing lunch. In the train room, I'll do some more work on the boxcar kit and the scenery around the farm.
dave
Yeah, that song played in my head the whole time we were in Marrakesh.
p.s. We did not travel by train to get there...
dave
I love this forum! ~mike