Elliott's Trackside Diner XII - Model Railroader Magazine

Evening, Chloe - I'll have a cup of coffee in a D&RGW mug, with an oatmeal raisin cookie please. Thanks!

Galaxy, how many more loads to the curb (and weeks) before you get most all of your 'stuff' cleared away, wouldja guess? (Just trying to figure how many loads I might need at my place, allowing that we have 6 or 7 other apartments 'sharing' the smaller dumpster at the back of our parking lot...) And your comments on 'instruction' manuals (now THERE'S and oxymoron!) - Hilarious! But true!

Thanks, Morgan, PC, Ray and Jeff - you reminded me that I need to get a package of my single-purpose generic OTC antihistamine. For me, it doesn't leave me groggy like that all-purpose/shotgun approach ones do.  I do think that this year's season isn't toooooo bad around here (so far).

Jeff, good job on the latest loco rebuild from Sundown Loco Rebuilders. Well, those yellow shades kinda make a statement, but what the heck...

Ray, sorry to hear about your having to give up the music recording/editing, but being able to hear the grandkids' things (at school or otherwise) would take priority for me, too.

On the whole rivet-counter subject, I do know that if I have a question about "how" (not "is or isn't it?") the prototype in my era would look like or do something, I'll ask the r-c's. But then I'll apply my ol' "windage" factor to their answer, in terms of "How much trouble would it be to make it that way, vs. what's MY acceptable level of effort/pickiness?"  I only figure I have so much time to put into the layout (and have a real life away from MRR'ing... GASP! - HERESY!!). So there are my limits, y'know. I do not want to turn into a perfectionist (again) about my model railroading, for sure!

Barry -

Eric - LOVE your 'disclaimer' about the S-7 deal! 

Oh, Chris - it arrived (Monday, I believe it was). Thanks! How'd the school board meeting (or is that beating?) go?

Mark - politics? What politics?

Careful, Robby, or the wife'll have you sleeping out there in the MIL bed and her in the house.

JR, good to hear that some actual w**k and progress is being made on your house. Hopefully, you'll be able to move in a few years before you retire, right?

Corey, that sounds like a wise choice to delay on the car decision, until you know some more about how finances might be.

Packer, nice GP35 (and a nice price).

Galad - better make those persuasive arguments (if you want to avoid chaning to Z scale, anyway...) Congrats on the house, though!

Rob - great to hear about your wife's new job (and hope it pays a good enough wage, and doesn't require so many hours that she's tuckered out by the time she gets home, too).

Trainman Sam - I think (as Galaxy pointed out...) there's probably a 300+ page manual for those brakes... And welcome back!

Attaboy - good planning ahead on the heat pump installation(s). And congrats on being that close to retirement; now, don't start listening to our (already-retired) ORF's in the Diner, or they'll talk you out of that retirement thing.

Now Dick and Jeff, you do realize Fergie's gonna be after you for using 'his' word.

Not much going on for me today - except about four of my clients didn't show up. Luckily, 2 (or 3?) of them were follow-up appointments, so I didn't even have to write any documentation for those.

'Bout time for me to head for home. Take care of yourselves, Diners.

Blessings and prayers,

Jim in Cape Girardeau