Decent day today. Decided to set up and run a train. Broke ALL the rules this time however! Yep, a standard gauge GP30, with a narrow gauge train in tow! Train consisted of: 3 drop bottom gons, Conoco tank, 3 DRGW reefers and a Standard Gasoline/RPM Motor Oil Decided to try a night time type shot. Ambient light and porch light is all. No flash. Had a few issues, mainly stock AMS couplers coming open! But on one car only. Still have several that need KD conversion yet! Actually ran pretty good, other than uncoupling trouble! I think pulling 1 spring out of a truck, creating the 3 point suspension helped!
Trying to recall something. What kind of cars did they use, in the early, ("1st generation"), diesel era on such as the Monarch branch?
I 5hink they were the GS gons, like those from Trainworx. There’s video showing a pair of GP30’s hauling an empty train up the hill. On the Rio Grande Odessy tape/DVD. Think the narrow gauge used the drop bottom gons, before the line was standard gauged.
The 4th of the 4 car AML Rio Grande PS-1 boxcars arrived 2-3 days ago! Finally got it opened earlier today. A perfect fit, to the rest of the DRGW stuff in the collection! Just unable to set up and run, without loads of help right now! Left leg is not good! Foot is swollen quite wicked, feels like I have something lodged at the base of my toes. Nothing found though. Knee messed up pretty good also! Can’t walk, without crutches now, cane IF I’m lucky! I think my plans for the year have just gone down the toilet!! Unless I can figure out WHY I’m hurting/swollen so bad.
Add to that, intense thirst and lack of appetite! I try to quench my thirst, and I get upset stomach! Same if I attempt to eat, even a little bit. Making a big mess of my train time! Although, cold and wet today, and maybe same for tomorrow, is NOT helping!
Hospital free for about 5 1/2 weeks now. Still have IV antibiotics to deal with. Removed on Weds, I’m hoping! If the Dr thinks things are good enough! Was out for a while on Fathers Day, railroad club sub meeting on Weds and railroad club meeting Thurs. Wasn’t too bad Friday, so I set up a GP30, a couple of cars and a caboose. Ran a train for maybe a good 4 hours! Fresh air and sun! Been stuck inside most of the last 5 1/2 weeks!! Hope to maybe at least try and get started on a project or two this summer yet! Gotta see how I’m doing first, before I dig in too much and overdo it!
See the Dr on Weds. Hoping I can ditch the IV then!! According to Home Health care, and Dad, open wound on foot is looking really good! Fingers crossed that all works out for the better come Weds. At least after that, I should be able to start doing at least SOMEof the projects I have!! May not get them all done, or started. But then, a few of my projects have been lined up for some time now! Not in any big hurry to get them all complete now!
Saw Dr this morning. Things are looking real good. A couple of markers they were watching have dropped way down! Still high, but falling! Tonight’s fluid change is the LAST one!! When it runs out tomorrow night, we cap the line and when Home Health comes Friday morning, the IV line can be removed!! I’ll still be on antibiotics for another 2weeks. But I’ll be taking a pill instead! Should be able to slowly start getting back to working on the railroad!! Mabye after it cools down a lot! Had 101* here today, and saying we’ll have 103* for tomorrow. No railroad work for a while!
Spent later part of the day today, running a train! Was hoping to yesterday, but rain killed that idea! Was pretty nice today, not unbearably hot! So, GP30, 5 boxcars and a caboose were set up today. Finding that I’m gonna have to start working on track in back soon! Was having issues with weeds, and slightly shifted track! Equipment that fit under fence before, don’t fit now. Gotta adjust track! Gotta get rid of plants/weeds coming up between rails! Can slowly start some of these projects, now that I’m IV free! Bandage covering where IV was, to be removed tomorrow. Then, gotta find out WHY the Dr never called in a 2 week supply of Amoxicillin pills yet! Need 2weeks of that yet, but they never bothered to call in a prescription!! Anyway, hope to start a few projects and keep things updated once again! I’m ready to get started!
All is almost good! Last blood test Monday. Everything looks good. A1C was at a decent 6.9. Still high, but a lot better than it has been! Eventually got my antibiotics. Finished those a while back. Don’t have anyone coming in now, to check my foot, after the Staph infection ordeal! However, got notice that I will NO longer have my Medicaid benefits, because my disability benefits exceed the allowable income limit for Medicaid!! But, I also got back benefits a week ago! Now then, I went out today, and purchased 24 more retaining wall blocks for the front. Finally getting around to starting the lift of more track, because of severe grade issues! Have track elevation difference of just under 5 IMCHES in about 4 1/2 feet!! One section of the wye causes me derailment problems, because of the severe grade change. Gonna try to get that smoothed out in the near future. May need to get a small load of dirt yet again. AFTER it dries out. More rain forecast, 4 of 7 days has rain. So the news states! May not get the tunnel or bridges done this year. But, I feel lucky to be able to,slowly start working on at least part of the projects I have in mind! Maybe photos tomorrow. IF I remember to grab my camera and take said photos! Which means track has to come up, granite shaved and saved, dirt added and track regarded and tested. Should be interesting!!
Keith, glad to hear you are able to concentrate on the trains instead of mainly pesky health issues. It seems some people almost thrive on having things "wrong" with them but I hate it and it sounds like you do too. Doug
It messes up what I had planned! Still have issues, but if I go slow, I should be OK. Just don’t need to overdo it. Especially since I have NO insurance now! Medicare next March, maybe! Depends on what date they go by. The date of back wages owed: March 2017, or the month I started getting actual benefits? Which was Feb/March 2018. Gotta check with SSA to find out when I qualify. Even with the issues, and the previously mentioned portable IV, I was still able to spend a bit of time outside, watching a train run a time or two! Just glad to be free! Just gotta be extra careful for a LONG while now!
Stir crazy might be pretty close. I’ve got other things to say, but I can’t use those kind of words here!
Attempted to run the GP40’s for the first time in many months! Oddly, one unit runs fine. The other I can NOT change back to 128 speed step. Runs briefly, shudders and stops. Resumes running, briefly when I adjust speed up or down. Will NOT MU with other unit. Want to try a decoder reset, if I can find the information! Set up the GP30’s and coal train today as well. Thought relatives were coming. Other issues came up. Still have about 6 hours of playtime! Got home, after dinner, and I finally unloaded the blocks from the back of my truck! Only been 3 days! Dropped them in place, temporarily, to see how they would fit. Almost perfect! Next is to pull up part of the track, salvage the ballast, adjust blocks and pick up another small load of dirt to lift track. Hoping for Tuesday maybe. Have a Medicaid/Medical related meeting to deal with now, that Dad set up that I wasn’t aware of right away. So, I’ll start the next step sometime this week! Photos of current progress Monday sometime, maybe!
Started disassembling my track. A necessary break, that was quickly followed by a sudden thunderstorm! Still have blocks to drop in and try to get level! Then, I gotta try to salvage as much ballast as I can. Then, I can get a load of dirt and start filling in! Gonna get things done, but I just gotta go a bit slowwer than usual. Don't want to overdo it. Doing that causes me more pain and problems than it's worth! A small section has to be lifted at least 3" to hopefully avoid current operational issues. Too steep a grade. Cars derail in one spot, locomotives come uncoupled in the same area! Have a 4 1/2" drop in about 4 1/2 feet!! And now, I'm looking to open things in Sept, for a layout tour for railroad club! Gives me the motivation I need, to get things done! I hope!