Update:  We finally got the phone line working.  Talking to the local Breezeline business support guy, turns out he's a model railroader!

dave

Well, it wasn't a shocking experience to start the day, but it was unpleasant.  I got up early because I had a dr appt (preliminary measurements for cataract surgery).  The iPhone said "Internet is out."  So I checked the router, then went down and rebooted the fiber modem.  Well, that didn't fix the internet, but it did break the connected phone line.  After a couple of calls with the internet support ("They hung an update last night, and that seems to knock fixed IP addresses off-line") that got fixed, but the phone is still down. 

But anyway, I'm back from the eye dr office, and since the internet is working, I can live without the phone.  (Mostly we get spam calls, but that's the number registered for dr offices, etc, so occasionally there are real people on the phone to talk to.)  Back down to the train room in a bit, I'm working on a 3D printed coal hopper.

dave

Sorry to hear about people looking for new jobs.  I know when I got laid off (for the first and only time), I decided "bleep it, I quit!"  Fortunately, I was in a position to retire. 

Software development is particularly nasty for the implicit belief by managers that experience does not count, it's only whether you know the latest buzzword fad.  Part of that, of course, is our collective failure to have any good way to measure individual or team productivity, particularly with respect to quality.  (On one job, I wrote a particularly complex piece of code and when I left that project, I told my successor "This comes with a warranty.  If you have a problem, call and I'll work to fix it."  She never called, and I did contact her a couple years later, "Any problems?"  "No."  )

And a trend I saw on government contracts was when the award basis was "lowest cost technically acceptable", the new low bidder would go back to the existing workforce and offer them their current jobs at a lower pay rate.  A technical service contract awarded on that basis would generally get bottom-feeders, unmotivated experienced staff, and new people with no relevant experience who would leave after a year or two to get better paying jobs elsewhere. 

dave

Another sunny and warm day today.  Yesterday was -21 degrees- above normal, and only a couple degrees cooler today.  Weather should start to cool down Thursday, but still running a couple degrees above normal.  No rain in sight, and the local reservoir is looking pretty dry.  We could use some rain, but please not a full month's worth in a single day!  

Anyway, more pick-up/put-away.  I'm dropping the truck off for oil change and tire rotation, I wonder what else they'll find.  (It's 8 years old with 55k miles, so starting to get into the 'stuff wearing out' range.)

dave

Bridge is done (well, a few minor details to add, some NBWs and the bridge guard rails)...




dave

Quote from: GPdemayo on October 20, 2024, 01:09:19 PMYou might want to try The Classic Laddie by Bruichladdich from Islay island.....

That was on last night's Scotch Club tasting.  The Laird of the Malts brought another bottle, Raasay, that is somewhat similar, but had a lot of different flavors. https://raasaydistillery.com/product/oak-species-maturation-series-quercus-humboldtii/  Some info on the distillery:  https://thewhiskeywash.com/whiskey-styles/scotch-whiskey/new-scottish-distillery-isle-raasay-opens-tiny-scottish-island/  Each sip of that had a different set of flavors.  The conclusion of the group was "Interesting now, but give them 5 years, and they'll be producing top-rank products."

dave

Cool start (36) but should get up to 72.  Sunny, bright, and leaves here are near their peak.  The oaks this year look particularly good, the last years they've gone from green to brown.  Of course, the leaves will stay on the trees until January...

More work on the truss and trestle project, goal is to get the stringers installed on the truss, which should tie the whole structure together.  But I ran out of the stringer stripwood, so I'll have to rip some thicker stock down to size.  

dave

Glazing all the windows in large factory buildings is the one step I don't enjoy...   Stick with it!

dave

Quote from: GPdemayo on October 18, 2024, 07:36:31 AMExcellent job Bob, amazing interior. Did you have to go to the doc and get thicker glasses after you finished this one?.....

He had to go to drug rehab 

dave

Our new stove arrives today, and wife might make cookies to check it out :-) 

This afternoon, after the cleaners and stove installer are done, I'll get back to the trestle project, installing the bents.  Looks like I'll have to adjust the height on some of the bents, no big deal....


dave

Well, wife was supposed to have a procedure this morning.  When she got to the hospital, they said, "You're not scheduled for an appointment, rather an office visit."  So she went to the Dr office.  The Dr admitted there was a screw-up (that's refreshing!) and scheduled her for the procedure this afternoon.  So most of my day was spent as the Duty Driver.  

dave

Marty, good progress on an interesting project!  Are you going to use air-dry clay, or just conventional clay and not worry about it "curing"?

dave

While waiting for parts and tools (coming tomorrow), I set the bents into position and took this motivational work-in-progress photo:


dave

A step back in my bridge project, too. I knocked the deck to the floor, and the wood stringers all popped off from the plastic ties.  Sigh...  My plan going forward is to assemble the bents (waiting on a set of locking tweezers to use as clamps for the bent-to-bent bracing), and then I'll cut the new stringers and glue them to the bents.  The bridge will then 'float' on the stringers (not be glued down, but I'm expecting a tight fit.)

Other than that, bright and chilly today.  It's time for our monthly lunch group, so not much work in the train room this morning.  

dave

Chilly here, too, down to 38 last night.  But sunny and dry, after 2 days of drizzle.  

Today I'll check the scenery I did yesterday, and if I'm OK with it, I'll remove the plugs, clean out and test fit the bents.  I'll cut and stain the sway bracing, and when that's dry, I'll start assembling the bents, using the sway bracing to keep the bents plumb.

dave