bcrn
Full Member
Posts: 133
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Post by bcrn on May 5, 2012 18:28:46 GMT -8
kodiakmodeler, i'd like to pick your brain on that part of the rock islands ops, i used to live in the d.m., area when i was growing up, so i got to scout the rocks area as far as pella. by then, the shutdown was already done. used to live in indianola, for a number of years, so i'm quite familiar with the rocks ops there. i try to model 1969 to shutdown.
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Post by KIM on May 5, 2012 21:02:08 GMT -8
That's not a problem. My home was in Oskaloosa, so the run from there to DesMoines was quite familiar to me. I also was familiar with it, to a lesser extent, as far east as Washington.
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bcrn
Full Member
Posts: 133
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Post by bcrn on May 6, 2012 17:30:23 GMT -8
kodiakmodleler, was the line farther south of pella very well maintained at all? i know according to the 79 timetable, it was o/s at bonaparte.
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Post by keystonecrossings on May 6, 2012 17:55:23 GMT -8
Longtime member of the A-board...
After an 8-year stint in N scale, I returned to HO scale in 2010. I am modeling the Pennsylvania Railroad's Middle Division in the 1950s. My two-level layout occupies a 24' by 32' basement and is under construction. Digitrax DCC with JMRI.
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lee
New Member
Posts: 9
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Post by lee on May 6, 2012 18:16:34 GMT -8
I have lived in the pacific northwest for 61 years. I got into model railroading about 1989 with buying, selling and collecting. I told my wife, who is my biggest supporter of the hobby, that it was time to start focusing on one scale and start building. I kept just a few other scales of trains, but decided to focus on N scale. With retirement one year away, I'am looking forward to spending more time on my layout.
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Post by KIM on May 6, 2012 19:01:26 GMT -8
Bcrn, that line was maintained about as well as any of the Rock's lines. It was an important line to them, as it was part of the main that ran on down to Keokuk. DesMoines was a sort of "hub" for the Rock. A line went west towards Council Bluffs, another went North towards Mason City, another went east towards Davenport,another went south towards Chariton, and the one in question, went southeast to Keokuk. Keokuk had river traffic as well as a connection with at least the CB&Q railroad. The trip from DesMoines included Prairie City, which had a few industries, but just out of town was a large grain elevator. After that was Monroe which had several industries. Still proceeding east was Otley, which was a small town with a substantial grain elevator. After Otley, came Pella. It had several large industries that were served by the railroad. Among them was Pella Window, Vermeer Mfg (agricultural implements), the electric plant, 2 grain elevators, and three or four others that I can't remember right now.
After Pella, it proceeded through the small towns of Leighton, which had a meat locker a small grain elevator, and a coal mine or two, and Evans, which was a very small town, but had a good size coal mine. It was also where the line split, with one section proceeding to the south (the one you're referring to) and one going east into Oskaloosa, then to Rose Hill, Sigourney, Washington, and on east.
The Southern line leaves Evans, then to Beacon, a very small town, but with several coal mines around it, but the most important being on the north side of the town, and a few miles southeast of town. This line actually follows a southeast direction, with the next city being Eddyville, which had the usual grain elevator, but several mines, including one very substantial one on the north side of the city. It was on the east side of the road that went to Oskaloosa, and if it was served by rail, it would have had to have had a spur to it. The line proceeded south to Ottumwa, and connections with the CB&Q, Wabash, and I think that the U.P. also connected there. Below Ottumwa, I know very little about the Rock. I do know that there was a grain elevator in Eldon, and I think it also had a mine or two. After leaving Eldon, it continued it's southeast direction to Keokuk.
The Rock Island really let maintenance slide in the sixties. In the seventies, they were starting to make progress on improvements, but they had also not kept up with employee wages and benefits, and as is well documented it all came to a close in 1980. Most of their track was serviceable, but little if any that I saw would allow high speed hot shots.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2012 4:34:51 GMT -8
Golly we are mainly an OLD bunch. I just turned 52. I live in northeast Wisconsin(Go Pack!) with my two little Australian Terriers (Tommy & Trudy). Before coming to the land of cheese in 2006, I had lived in Illinois my entire life. I was born in Belleville, Illinois which is across the river and up the hill from St. Louis. My parents moved back to the Chicago area when I was eight and I lived in the southern and southwestern suburbs until 2006. I spent over 20 years working in the insurance industry in downtown Chicago, mostly as an underwriter. Lets just say that the last ten years has been a trying time. I cared for both of my parents(I'm an only child) in the last years of each of their lives, keeping them out of nursing homes. Each, had developed demenia, my mom was the worse, and can only say that dementia is one of the cruelest diseases. It is a disease that rots the mind, while leaving the body strong, until the end when it finally takes the body. On to happier thoughts......I have a MASSIVE 5'x9' layout which I built at our former home as a test layout, while I worked on the permanent layout. What I had built of the permanent layout ended up in a dumpster before the house was sold and the 5x9 moved to Wisconsin. Currently I've started building modules so if and when I move again, I don't end up pitching years of work into a dumpster! My modeling interests lie in Chicago. I seem to have a thing for Chicago commuter service. Saw enough of it when I lived in the area and worked and went to college in Chicago. I attended the University of Illinois at Chicago on the near west side. My favorite roads are the "Hill Lines" CB&Q, GN, NP and SP&S with a solid serving of BN, Milwaukee Road and C&NW. Era? ?? As of right now, I'm seriously moving towards the early to mid-1970's. I love the bicentennial and the special paint schemes of all the railroads. Plus, my research indicates that during the 70's a lot still remained from the 60's and 50's. Many depots, interlocking and trackage was still in service or at least still in place. Jim
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Post by KIM on May 8, 2012 9:24:05 GMT -8
Welcome Jim. I loved the Bicentennial era also. I know what you mean about disposing of a layout. I went through that too. I now build mine in small modular sections.
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Post by nw611 on May 8, 2012 14:46:51 GMT -8
I think I am the first non North American member of this forum. I was born and live in Rome, Italy. I am 64 and a retired bank executive. My username nw611 is originated by a steam excursion I did in the spring of 1985 from Atlanta to Chattanooga and back, during my stint in the United States (1983-1989). In my childhood I used to play with Marklin trains but I sold everything when I was a teenager because I wanted to buy a scooter. I resumed the hobby during my stay in the US an became a member of a club inside the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami, Florida. I went there a couple of years ago and the club is not there anymore. Back in Italy I started modeling European HO (Italian, German, Austrian and Swiss trains) but I am still very interested in North American subjects and wrote an article on post-war American rairoads for the FIMF (the Italian NMRA) bulletin. All forum members are invited to visit Club La Rotaia (The Rail) if they are in Rome. Raffaele Galiano
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Post by KIM on May 8, 2012 15:26:38 GMT -8
Welcome Raffaele. I wish more people from other countries would join and share their work. I've watched some of the youtube layouts from Europe, and they are cool. I like the architecture and scenery in general. Please be sure to share yours with us.
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Post by nw611 on May 8, 2012 16:34:12 GMT -8
Thanks Douglas. I do not have my own layout but have an extensive collection of locomotives and rolling stock that I run on my club's layout. I'm retired and go there almost every other day. If I'll be able to use the modern technologies, I'll try to post some photos of our layout and from trips we (me and other club members) make to several European train shows. We go every Spring to Dortmund (Germany), probably the best in Europe, and we alternate other shows in Autumn. Last year we went to Utrecht (Holland) and next November we are planning to go to Paris (Rail Expo). Of course we always go to the two major shows in Italy (Verona in March and Milano-Novegro in September). Lots of layouts from every European country. In 2010 or 2011 even a Boston club took its modular layout to the Dortmund show. Ciao. Raffaele Galiano
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Post by rhpd42002 on May 8, 2012 17:38:15 GMT -8
Glad to see you have signed up with us Raffaele. I'm with Douglas, as far as seeing non-US railroading. Trains are trains and we'd like to see pics of your modleing and anything you care to share from the various clubs and shows.
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Post by Paul Cutler III on May 8, 2012 20:30:12 GMT -8
I'm 37, and was a 10-year member of the Atlas Forum, but I lurked for a year before then. I also have been a member of the NHRHTA New Haven Forum, Railroad.net, Railroad-Line, and the MR Forum. Heck, I was posting on the MR website before there was even a forum...just a Guestbook feature where Andy S. would write a monthly idea and people would talk about it. Even before all that, I was a regular on the old newsgroup, rec.models.railroad in the 1990's (where I first met Andy, Curt and a few other familiar names). R.M.R. was unmoderated and uncensored, and it's where I cut my teeth on internet discussion. Ever since, that's colored my expectation of how bad the internet can be on something as benign as a model railroading forum. So for all those folks who complained about how "bad" the ol' Atlas Forum was, they really had no idea what "bad" really can be. My father's also a model railroader, which is why I use my "III" when I sign my name online. He's been a modeler since the 1950's, and had an HO layout before I was born. Don't all kids had model trains in their basement? Even my mom, as an only child, had Marx trains as a kid as her parents gave her trains & tools as well as dolls & jewelry. I work in my parent's used bookstore and have been since 1989...even while working other full time jobs or going to school. I also worked a summer for the State Forest, co-op'd for The Foxboro Company in college, and worked for the Cape Cod Central Railroad as a laborer for about a month (I quit after they moved the job 70 miles away and then they dropped the pay 30%). Because of the friends I've made, I've gotten to operate an S-4, an S-6, an SW9 and a B23-7. I've also gotten a cab ride in an F40PH, a GP28, and an FL9, and been along for the ride in an ex-PRR N5 caboose. I've been a member of the South Shore Model Railway Club since 1993, and my father has been a member since 1990. I'm currently the Operations Committee Chairman and the Chairman of the Layout Design Committee, and was the 2nd Chair for the Electrical Committee and the Chairman for the Mechanical Department. We're in the middle of a large layout expansion, on our way to fill our 6300 sq. ft. layout room. www.ssmrc.orgMy home layout is 3/4's of 25' x 50' basement. It's HO, and is large but simple. It can take 3 people 2 hours to operate it with my car card system (or much, much longer if they don't know what they're doing). I have around 250 freight cars on the layout, plus 30 engines and around 50 passenger cars. The mainline is around 200' long, double tracked and point to point. It's modeled on Boston to Providence on the New Haven Railroad, and I don't tend to model much past 1968. If it's NH, I want to model it. If it isn't, then I don't tend to have much interest in it. It certainly keeps the wallet happier!
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Post by umtrrauthor on May 12, 2012 14:55:17 GMT -8
I guess I'll reintroduce myself as well... I am George aka "umtrrauthor" (no hyphen this time, not allowed in a screen name) best known (or perhaps that should be "notorious") as the author of the Unofficial Micro-Trains Release Report, a monthly review and commentary on the Micro-Trains releases in N, Z and HOn3, which is now in Year 15 of "publication." I am a nearly life-long N Scaler though I have occasionally dabbled in HO Scale. I received my first train set in 1969, which was an Atlas First Generation set, given that heritage I have also documented all 150+ rolling stock releases in that series on my "A1G" website. My friend Doug Gosha has the A1G motive power covered on my site as well. My model railroad is the Wilmington and New York, the current iteration of which has been abuilding since early 1997. It's set in the High Peaks region of the Adirondack Mountains of Northern New York. The "original" layout is done, roughly a backwards "C" shape that is shelf based, 19 feet long on the long side and 4 feet long for each leg of the "C". A 4x8 extension has been added on, which is the focus of construction now. The "Wilmington" connects with the New York Central and the Delaware & Hudson and is influenced by them and the New York, Ontario & Western (whose logo rights we acquired after O&W was abandoned, according to our "history"). My other interests include writing (other than the UMTRR), travel and music. All of this madness-- the UMTRR, A1G and the W&NY, plus the writing and family photos, can be more or less found on my website www.irwinsjournal.com . Cheers, George in Ellison Park, NY
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Post by rhpd42002 on May 12, 2012 18:11:23 GMT -8
Paul & George, Good to read about your interests and modeling philosophies.
I'm familiar with many of the old Atlas guard, but didn't know of yours or their backgrounds till many of you started posting here. I lurked far more than posted there as I seemed to learn more than "contribute".
I read most topics, but passed on commenting as I didn't have anything to contribute. I'm still learning a lot, though I've been a model railroader since before my teen years and I'm 56, now. Never been a prototypical purist and most likely never will be, but like you guys, I still have a lot of fun.
Glad to have all of you on board and looking forward to even more knowledgeable posts and exchanges of useful information and great modeling pics.
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Post by boctrr8418 on May 12, 2012 19:55:58 GMT -8
I am a retired engineer from the B&OCT. My father was a Stationmaster at Grand Central Station In Chicago.
I am new to HO modeling. I am going with a freelanced Chicago Terminal operation. I appreciated all the information and a lot of the opinions expressed on the Atlas Forum.
I sure hope this forum "takes off".
Rich
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Post by carl160 on May 14, 2012 16:00:46 GMT -8
Hi, I'm 56. (Hi 56). No, I mean, I have been an n scale railroader since 1970. I like the idea of freelancing, so that my railroad goes and serves where I want. I currently am working on a U shaped switching layout (with continous running capability.) I like The blue and yellow of Santa Fe, but have decided my road will be named the Achin Toe & Sore Fynger RR. After all, during construction, who HASN'T had those? I love blasphemy, such as my ancient Atlas 0-8-0, pulling Conatiner well cars. That's how I roll.
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Post by KIM on May 14, 2012 20:28:28 GMT -8
Carl, your layout sounds like mine. Mine is based in my own world, and I run what I want My main agricultural product is Nitts. Anybody gives me a rough time, I'll make them go pick Nitts.
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Post by Rockin' Rick on May 15, 2012 16:38:40 GMT -8
Hey gents...I'm 58 and live in North Jersey but grew up in the Philly area steeped in the PRR and the Red Arrow Lines. My grandmother's house was in Narberth PA 3 blocks from the PRR station there so I naturally gravitated there at a very early age. I like a lot of different roads but confess to being one of those SPFs you've heard about...Got started in HO scale when I was 5 years old with a Gilbert B6 and some Mantua Tyco and Varney rolling stock. Never stopped loving trains but left modeling when I was in high school only to return for the first time in the early 80s, did a stint modeling CR of that era while dabbling in some PRR. Life events caused me to drop out again for a while but about 8 or 9 years ago I stumbled across the PRRT&HS which lit a fire under me again. No room for a layout at the present time but looking to incorporate one in my retirement home in 5 years or so. In the meantime I'm acquiring kits & RTR stuff for when that day comes. Doing some building and just got an airbrush again after 30 years so looking to get back into painting & decaling.
My other passions are music (play guitar), photography, history and architecture. Model railroading also got me seriously into industrial archaeology which I plan to pursue with a vengance.
I second the emotion of keeping politics off this board. I consider myself a pragmatic centrist, whatever that entails, and I hate all the mudslinging and vitriol that pass for discourse these days. This place is an ESCAPE from all that BS.
Rick Schoch PRRT&HS member #8245
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Post by rhpd42002 on May 15, 2012 17:40:01 GMT -8
Rich, Carl & Rick, Glad to see you guys are here. We look forward to all your contributions to what we believe will be a really good place to exchange knowledge and information, plus get to look at some excellent modeling, too! Carl, your RR sounds a lot like mine!! Rich, you can be one to help this forum "take off". Rick, that's one of the purposes of my RR, to take me away from the daily grind and everyday BS! ;D Hope you have fun planning for the day you can start building your own layout.
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Post by rhpd42002 on May 17, 2012 3:29:15 GMT -8
Welcome to the Forum, Jim. I saw your write up, yesterday, but I can't seem to find it, either. Quite an ambitious bit of railroading you've got going on. Looking forward to your posts and pics. If you have some interesting stories to share of your time with the railroad, feel free to share them, too. Jim, I found your post, It's in the Railroading In My Life topic, here in the Crew Lounge section.
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cnw
New Member
Posts: 45
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Post by cnw on May 17, 2012 13:18:48 GMT -8
Well some of you already know my background. I was with Atlas for a long time, how long, I don't remember. I do know I was in the top 10 posters there so it has been a while. I'm a technologist by profession and I consult with the largest companies in the world. I have been doing that all my adult life after a 6 year stint in the Navy flying mostly helicopters, the SH-3D and SH-3H. I was on the acceptance team for the SH-60b but never got to fly in one, bummer. I have had a life-long interest in trains and railroading. I got it because my dad rode the LIRR into work everyday and I got to meet him on the platform sometimes when he came home. Once in a while I got to see some of the LIRR freight and other oddball stuff and it really made me interested in railroading. My dad encouraged me and when I was 8 he bought me my first train set. It was one of the first toys I had I really tried to take care of but with 4 other brothers it was quickly destroyed. I didn't get another train until I was 12. I also got room for it too which made a difference. I have been off and on again with the hobby mostly due to time constraints, military, college, marriage, illness of a loved one, new marriage, now on my 4th child. So right now I am doing zero modeling. I'm also between jobs right now and I'm looking for work full-time. Looking for work is harder than working at a job I'm finding. I have been lucky I guess. I have not had to be out of work for longer than a week my entire life. It's been 2 months now and I should be back to work soon thank goodness. I'm the kind of guy that has to work. I haven't done any modeling because I feel guilty if I do it. I can tell you as soon as things settle down I'll pick things back up. On the modeling side, I decided to narrow my focus to something I can complete in my lifetime. I will still freelance a belt line around Chicago but it will be mostly based on C&NW practices and have C&NW equipment. I'll have transfers from the EJ&E, BRC, N&W, and Chessie only because I have what I need for those from an equipment perspective already. I have a large cache of C&NW stuff too but most of it needs to be detailed and painted. I also do military modeling and since my railroad stuff is on hold for now I'm doing more of that, but not since I left my last job. I have a Sherman M4A3 waiting to get built once I get back to work. :>
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Post by espeenut on May 17, 2012 14:16:46 GMT -8
...hey Ray, good to see you over here...welcome to our new 'home'...!!
Lorne Miller
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Post by rhpd42002 on May 17, 2012 14:49:15 GMT -8
Hello Ray,
Glad you're here.
Pretty interesting story. Too bad you feel you shouldn't work on trains or models right now. It could be rather relaxing.
No matter, looking forward to your participation here.
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Post by calzephyr on May 17, 2012 15:43:15 GMT -8
My interest in HO model trains goes a long way back, but in 1969, I purchased my first PFM brass NKP Berkshire and it goes on from that time to now. My dream layout never happened but I used to operate at a club that is now gone at Lockheed in Burbank. That was a fun time even if the club was small by today's standards. I still have my American Flyer UP 4-8-4, which was my Dad's model train scale. My interest is in the Union Pacific, Southern Pacific, Santa Fe and about ten other railroads that I have models for. It was always too hard to decide on a single railroad and I watched steam running in the Midwest when I was growing up. That is the reason for the NKP, IC and PRR and I got to watch the N&W while they were still a 100% steam railroad. The Northern Pacific always fascinated me with the great Z7 and Z8 class Challengers and the A4 and A5 Northern locomotives, so I added those to my list . My era is the late 1946 to the mid to late 1958 era. That includes most of the great steam and early diesels and the Turbines both large and small. I was privileged to see the Jawn Henry in pusher service in August of 1956 and I took the following picture from the highway bridge of it near the shops returning back to town after helping a train up the grade east of town. If you want to see pictures in black and white of my Midwest steam, I will post some of those. It was a great time to watch trains. Larry
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Post by spookyac47 on May 27, 2012 7:52:00 GMT -8
Doing a quick perusal of the messages posted and using the information provided, the following is derived (some didn't state their age and several stated they were retired but did not state age)
Youngest – 30 Oldest – 76
30-39 – 4 40-49 – 3 50-59 – 12 60-65 – 6 66-69 – 1 70 – above – 4
Average age – 54.9 yrs
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Post by rhpd42002 on May 27, 2012 8:44:19 GMT -8
Larry, I'm sure several of us would like to see more of your B&W pics.
The Jawn Henry sure was an interesting loco.
Don, That's an interesting set of stats you compiled. I'm slightly above average. ;D
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Post by riggelweg on May 27, 2012 9:28:22 GMT -8
I'm 34. I've been into model railroading since I was about 13 or 14. I've been out of it for a long while and am just now getting back into it.
Patent attorney by profession, but engineering (of all kinds) is my real interest and enjoyment.
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Post by Christian on May 27, 2012 9:51:07 GMT -8
Here goes the average age upward. 66 and recently retired. 43 years college professor in the arts. Dance, specifically. Technology in particular. (Lighting, scenery, computers and that stuff.) Marx and Sears trains until mid fifties when I discovered HO through Boy's Life. I was very rational for a 10 year old: narrow gauge from the get go! I've never not had a work area and never not had a project under way. Otherwise I'm the world's slowest model builder. (Hobby, that is; I also build large scale models as part of my professional design work - but that's work and on a drop-dead schedule, not "fun!")
Grew up in western Illinois along the path of the Wabash branch between Pearl and Keokuk. Illinois Terminal, C&IM quite familiar. CB&Q plus Santa Fe were/are my faves from their runs through Illinois. I have never been able to wrap my head around the concept of the Santa Fe as a Western railroad!
Got thoroughly bored with narrow gauge and switched to contemporary railroading. Well, 1984 was contemporary when I switched. Now it's just as remote as the narrow gauge I was modeling. [SIGH]
Prototype modeler except when it gets in the way of a good model. Newly located in Northern Virginia. Not living conditions I would have chosen if I had the big bucks. But, nice space for a series of doorminos. On the narrow side, but that's what I really want. An Illinois river town modeled on a composite of Havana, Beardstown and Meridosia. Soy beans and coal. Burlington Northern. Switching and run throughs.
Atlas Forum since last century. RMR before that. Hosted Atlas Alternative back when Atlas would close everything for a months vacation. Currently trimming my on line life, but still active in a variety of on line places.
Lest I get smacked up the side of the head for being self indulgent, wife is a choreographer, have the usual kids and grands. Plus two elderly cats and two young whippets.
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Post by rhpd42002 on May 27, 2012 10:58:48 GMT -8
Thanks for the intros, riggelweg and Christian. We hope that both of you make this place one of your regular, on-line stops.
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