The Wooten firebox tells me that the model has a Reading RR locomotive for a prototype. It was part of a 5 loco lot on Ebay that I got for $40. I simply matched up the tenders to their respective engines and turned around and resold this one and two others, doubling my money while giving me two additional engines to my fleet.
An interesting thread started in another forum, centering around the current global financial situation and its impact on the hobby on a personal level. Some time back, I found myself sitting down, taking a long, hard look at what I've accumulated in light of the recent events. Did I have too much? Did I spend monies that could have better served elsewhere? Because I'm at the bottom of the food chain work wise, will there be any regrets if my job goes away?
I've since discussed it with my beloved and we both agree that this hobby has paid for itself several times over, both financially and mentally. I've made wise purchases, bought low, sold high, enjoyed myself and never denied my family anything to get another model. In short, I have no regrets, regardless of the coming storm.
A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth.
O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy. God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah.
His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power. Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet. He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting. I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction: and the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble. Was the LORD displeased against the rivers? was thine anger against the rivers? was thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation? Thy bow was made quite naked, according to the oaths of the tribes, even thy word. Selah.
Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers. The mountains saw thee, and they trembled: the overflowing of the water passed by: the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up his hands on high. The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear. Thou didst march through the land in indignation, thou didst thresh the heathen in anger. Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, even for salvation with thine anointed; thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked, by discovering the foundation unto the neck. Selah.
Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages: they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me: their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly. Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses, through the heap of great waters.
When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops. Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.
Of all the ads in Model Railroader I've read over the years, these two from the October 1973 issue stand out as the most influential for spurring my creative imagination at the time in my life that the hobby was going from "playing with trains" to model railraoding.
This PFM ad just screams wall art...
I was surprised to see how little scenery was in this Cox ad, I thought there was much more but then again, ours is a hobby that relies on perception and illusion.
(16) And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
(17) And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
(18) And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
(19) And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
(20) But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
(21) So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
(22) And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.
(23) The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.
(24) Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
(25) And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
(26) If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?
(27) Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
(28) If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
(29) And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
(30) For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
(31) But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
(32) Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
(33) Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
(34) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
(35) Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;
(36) And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
(37) Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
(38) And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
(39) And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.
(40) Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
...if you can't share it with your kids. I do my level best to replace "Don't touch." to "Hold it carefully now." It may cost me a stray part here and again, but I'll never have children with bitter feelings towards my models should the time come to part out my estate when God calls me home...
...the one that started it all. I was 8 years old and it was spring 1968 when I found this on the magazine rack at the Baltimore County Public Library. Guess I should be glad it wasn't R/C Modeler or...shudder...Golf magazine.
...Model Railroader magazine, September 1962. Anybody got one o' them 4-2-2 Baldwin 1880 "Bicycle types" or that 0-4-4 Mason Bogie lyin' around? I assure you, there are few that can afford two of those today without some financial pause.
Horn/hook a.k.a. X2f or NMRA type, neither of which is correct. Comes standard equipment with most toy and low end trains. Without it, HO might not have gotten to where it is today so speak of it in hushed, reverential tones...
Knuckle type, magnetic or otherwise. Generally compatible with each other---if it has a plastic "whisker" on the side, toss it far, far away. Brought out in the early '60s by Kadee, then duped in a myriad of ways when the patent ran out, it has been the standard of HO for many advanced modelers for a very long time. However, operations oriented modelers like to spend money on them, then clip the trip pin for a more realistic look and enhanced ops...go figure...
Since neither of the above shall meet, behold the Magic Mate coupler. It is designed to couple both knuckle and horn/hooks together, making for an effective transitional coupler. Some HO cars need serious modifications to change over from horn/hooks---an undesirable idea on a rare collectible---and so this makes a great way to put a train of both types together as well.
The European hook/loop types I'll tackle another time as they are not too common stateside...
He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.---John 14:21
Intensity of prayer is no criterion of its effectiveness. A man may throw himself on his face and sob out his troubles to the Lord and yet have no intention to obey the commandments of Christ. Strong emotion and tears may be no more than the outcropping of a vexed spirit, evidence of stubborn resistance to God's known will....
No matter what I write here, thousands of pastors will continue to call their people to prayer in the forlorn hope that God will finally relent and send revival if only His people wear themselves out in intercession. To such people God must indeed appear to be a hard taskmaster, for the years pass and the young get old and the aged die and still no help comes. The prayer meeting room becomes a wailing wall and the lights burn long, and still the rains tarry.
Has God forgotten to be gracious? Let any reader begin to obey and he will have the answer. "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him"---(John 14:21).
Isn't that what we want after all?---The Size of the Soul, 20-21.
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The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.---(Ezekiel 37:1-14)
When I was growing up, reading Model Railroader magazine took the place of comics. Early on I found I had an eye for things askew in the photographs. To this day, it never ceases to amaze me what can get past an editor...
How many gaffs can you find?
Note the U-boat in the rear with its rear truck "in the cinders". How about the front driver on that Southern 2-8-2? Not going far like that, is it? Note the tender---which should be following the engine---isn't a Southern unit, but rather is lettered for the Pennsylvania Railroad. Its truck is off the rails also.
That CSX unit is busted...not a good prop to push your product with. And that Southern 0-4-0...its on the cinders, too.
I'm not knocking MRC, I've long ago been a loyal customer, since the days when they offered N scale motive power. I just wonder who was at the wheel the day the final proof was pushed across the desk to go to the printers.
...with a little weathering, replacement ladders and grab irons, Kadee couplers and Proto 2000 wheelsets. I only do this if the car is damaged, don't want any hate mail from the Tyco collectors.
These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said,
Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee.
Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
...that it's time to oil up the trains for Christmas. Mine get 50-70 hours of running during the holidays so now's the time they get their yearly clean and lubes. About half of my fleet will get run at one point or another during Christmas.
Can you believe that Bachmann N&W Class "J" negotiates 17" radius curves?
One of the interesting benefits of my work is the relationships I develop over the years with long term residents. When the older women find out I like model trains, well, let's just say I get some pretty intriguing items as thank you gifts. This one came to me today. I don't know much about it except that it's Soviet era, "Made in U.S.S.R." being printed on the face. The locomotive has surprising detail for its age and usage. I know they manufactured one HO scale train set in the Soviet Union (I will find one someday). Any further information would be greatly appreciated. It will be a treasured prayer reminder for my brethren in Russia.
UPDATE: From a reader;
This watch was made for export to Turkey.
"Demiryolu" means "railroad"/"railway" in Turkish.
The capital "i" in Serkisof and Demiryolu is dotted, because this is a letter in the Turkish alphabet.
Thank you very much, now I have a treasured prayer reminder for Russia AND Turkey.
---DPDT switch ---length of KS tubing (the smallest they make) ---length of .020" and .015" KS brass rod ---scrap pieces of 1/8" aircraft plywood ---.010" shim brass ---2 match sticks or Campbell's bridge ties
Wiring any signal work and power routing will be a snap with these. I drilled holes through the nubbins for the throwbars then I made bases out of 1/8" aircraft plywood, cutting out where the switches set. This was necessary because of the foam base material I use on my layout, which doesn't hold up to regular pressure in a small area too well.
I then glued the switches in place. I corn fangled into center then angle down throwbar thingies from .020" brass rod and sleeves from .030" brass tubing. After throwing the switch towards the sleeve side, I placed the throwbars in their brass sleeves then glued them down. I put a drop of oil in each end of the sleeve to ensure that they don't get glued shut.
Dummy targets were made with a paper punch, .015" brass wire and shim brass...and several very crispy fingertips...sigh. They are only there for photographic use and pull out for operating the layout. The throwrods are bent upwards 90 degrees and will be then mounted under the switch through a hole in the points.
Cut, fit and glue, making sure that they will work before scenery and the rest of the track go in.
When I mount my turnouts, I first prepaint the roadbed with a dark grey as I don't care for ballasting my points. I can do it but it's tedious work and can make for additional headaches I don't want if not done carefully.
I extended the ties for the switch stands using Campbell's ties stained with a black Magic Marker.
Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you.---Hosea 10:12
It will require a determined heart and more than a little courage to wrench ourselves loose from the grip of our times and return to biblical ways. But it can be done. Every now and then in the past Christians have had to do it. History has recorded several large-scale returns led by such men as St. Francis, Martin Luther and George Fox. Unfortunately, there seems to be no Luther or Fox on the horizon at present. Whether or not another such return may be expected before the coming of Christ is a question upon which Christians are not fully agreed, but that is not of too great importance to us now.
What God in His sovereignty may yet do on a world-scale I do not claim to know. But what He will do for the plain man or woman who seeks His face I believe I do know and can tell others. Let any man turn to God in earnest, let him begin to exercise himself unto godliness, let him seek to develop his powers of spiritual receptivity by trust and obedience and humility, and the results will exceed anything he may have hoped in his leaner and weaker days.---The Pursuit of God, 70-71.
As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.---Psalm 42:1-2a
In this hour of all-but-universal darkness one cheering gleam appears: within the fold of conservative Christianity there are to be found increasing numbers of persons whose religious lives are marked by a growing hunger after God Himself. They are eager for spiritual realities and will not be put off with words, nor will they be content with correct "interpretations" of truth. They are athirst for God, and they will not be satisfied till they have drunk deep at the Fountain of Living Water.
This is the only real harbinger of revival which I have been able to detect anywhere on the religious horizon. It may be the cloud the size of a man's hand for which a few saints here and there have been looking. It can result in a resurrection of life for many souls and a recapture of that radiant wonder which should accompany faith in Christ, that wonder which has all but fled the Church of God in our day.---The Pursuit of God, 7.
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Psalms 42:1-11
(1) As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
(2) My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
(3) My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?
(4) When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday.
(5) Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.
(6) O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar.
(7) Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.
(8) Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.
(9) I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
(10) As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?
(11) Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
...one of my favorite pieces of MOW equipment, now serving another road faithfully. A nice kit, if carefully assembled. I regularly spread the wings on it for an impressive show sitting in a siding.
Dude, after an already eventful hurricane season, I am so ready for winter...
September 11, 2001 for me was the fourth day of a long overdue vacation after starting to get back on my feet again. Not long before I lost my pastorate and my home. What was left was being paid off monthly at 13.9% interest to the IRS. I woke up late that morning and stumbled into the living room, turning on the TV just about the time the second plane was hitting the towers.
I've never forgotten how it felt that day, especially being the son and brother of firemen and the nephew of a police officer. On the fifth anniversary, I took the artwork that they came up with and placed it on the side of a GG1 painted as though Amtrak was still running them on the Northeast Corridor. I've often wondered what it would look like fleshed out and look forward to the day when I could have it done to one of mine.
It features the faces of two bald eagles facing fore and aft as a picture of vigilance as well as the three patches, one for the fireman, one for the police and Port Authority and one for the the event itself. The running gear would be black.
One of the most annoying trends in the hobby, to me anyway, is sound equipped locomotives. My first introduction to this marvel of technology was in a club house setting. The owner of said marvel felt it necessary to step out for a smoke---no problem to me, I chuffed many a cig in my day. The problem was that he left his little engineering masterpiece, an A-B-B-A set of E8s, idling in the yard...for a half hour...with the bell going. I was desperately in search of a brick, sporting a nervous tick that I still carry to this day, when he came back lost in his nicotine high, oblivious to the carnage he had wrought on my auditory faculties.
My counter to this has been inexpensive yet priceless. Every time one of these high dollar marvels starts to pillage my audio sensibilities and grate my nerves, I whip out this old school throw back, a steam sound car made by IHC some time ago. I find it most effective lashed up to my Athearn C44-9Ws for a fantastic "You Are There" type audio experience.
It's done wonders for my nervous tick... Oh, the sticker? That's my boy's work...you see, there's a kindred spirit in the club. He's got one just like mine so my boy thought the sticker would help us figure out whose is who's at the end of a run.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Revival: Blessing on Our Terms
A.W. Tozer
Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."---Matthew 16:24
Here is what grieves me, and I believe this also grieves the Holy Spirit: My hearers rise to this call emotionally, but they will not confirm it by a corresponding change in their way of life. Their goodness is like the morning clouds-by 9:00 o'clock the sun has burnt off the fog. This is what happens to many people's good intentions. They rise emotionally to an urgent message that we become a New Testament church, that we become a model church, that we have the order of the New Testament and the power of the Holy Spirit in order that we might worship, work and witness. Emotionally they rise to it, but they will not confirm their emotions by corresponding changes in their way of life.
They want to be blessed by God, but they want God to bless them on their terms. They look pensively to God for victory, but they will not bring their giving into line. They will not practice family prayer, rushing off without it. They will not take time for secret prayer and will not forgive those who have wronged them. They will not seek to be reconciled to those with whom they have quarreled. They will not pick up their crosses and say, "Jesus, I my cross have taken, all to leave and follow Thee."---Rut, Rot or Revival: The Condition of the Church, 146-147.
Matthew 5
(1) And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
(2) And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
(3) Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(4) Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
(5) Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
(6) Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
(7) Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
(8) Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
(9) Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
(10) Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(11) Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
(12) Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
(13) Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
(14) Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
(15) Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
(16) Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
(17) Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
(18) For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
(19) Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
(20) For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
(21) Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
(22) But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
(23) Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
(24) Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
(25) Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
(26) Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
(27) Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
(28) But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
(29) And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
(30) And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
(31) It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
(32) But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
(33) Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
(34) But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:
(35) Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
(36) Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
(37) But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
(38) Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
(39) But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
(40) And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
(41) And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
(42) Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
(43) Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
(44) But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
(45) That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
(46) For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
(47) And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
(48) Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
...picked up from a box of castoffs at a local train museum.
Restaurant Car
Salon Pullman
First Class Pullman, one of two
Express Baggage
I am ever mindful of my mortality and endeavor to 1. Keep my hobby simple and inexpensive and 2. Keep my beloved informed of the value and how to properly dispose of what models I have.
How these (and many others from that box) went from one modeler's collection to mine is simple really. No doubt, the original owner fell ill or died several years earlier. Family members then tore down the layout and boxed it up, probably intending to sell them once they knew what they had. Days turned into weeks, then months, then years, all the while the boxes gather dust and other flora and fauna out in the drafty old shed out back. Mom then passes away and the family is left to clear out the house, garage and shed so that they can settle the estate among them. The boxes are found, now not worth much to them so they pass them on to the local museum for a tax write-off. Local museum has no idea what to do with them so they set the boxes out for any and all passersby to pick and choose what they'd like. Few pieces actually go anywhere because they are mostly "old toy junk" and "European stuff" until I came along.
It is a sad story I see too many times. Please, please let your family in the loop. Make sure they know what you have and how much it's worth. Do not depend on local train clubs and other modelers to help you through. At best, too often they are well meaning and ill informed, at worst you will generate a flock of buzzards looking to pick you clean at any estate auction. Even better, pare down to the essentials (if such a word could rightly be used of a hobby) and enjoy it on a smaller scale. Contrary to the popular bumper sticker, the truth is---He who dies with the most toys is still dead.
...a nice swap meet find to go with my dad's shay. An intriguing piece of railroading, these cars were designed to tote logs of just about any length. One only had to chain one or more logs to one then roll another onto the other end, using the load as a frame element. At the end of the day, you coupled them together in a single train back up to camp. The brakes were probably there as a placebo, I could not imagine running from one to another to stop these things under full load.
Original ad, Model Railroader magazine, December 1969.
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.---Philippians 3:13-14
Self-righteousness is terrible among God's people. If we feel that we are what we ought to be, then we will remain what we are. We will not look for any change or improvement in our lives. This will quite naturally lead us to judge everyone by what we are. This is the judgment of which we must be careful. To judge others by ourselves is to create havoc in the local assembly.
Self-righteousness also leads to complacency. Complacency is a great sin.... Some have the attitude, "Lord, I'm satisfied with my spiritual condition. I hope one of these days You will come, I will be taken up to meet You in the air and I will rule over five cities." These people cannot rule over their own houses and families, but they expect to rule over five cities. They pray spottily and sparsely, rarely attending prayer meeting, but they read their Bibles and expect to go zooming off into the blue yonder and join the Lord in the triumph of the victorious saints.---Rut, Rot or Revival: The Condition of the Church, 10-11.
My father and I would go on railfan excursions together in the 80s. Our dream was to eventually hit Cass Scenic Railroad in the fall sometime as the Autumn Leaf Specials were running. Sadly, it was never to be as I lost him to a stroke some years back. This shay was one of the few times I bought a locomotive at retail prices, a move I don't regret. Though far from perfect, he will be honored in my house before his grandchildren, and this is a tangible piece of that honor in my collection.
Just a Believer who happens to model trains on a very tight budget, providing a place to showcase my own model work as well as the work of others, regardless of type. Considerations for posting are always welcome. Please check out the modeling links I've put together as well...
Less than God could not have borne your sin so as to put it away; but the infinitely glorious Son of God did actually stoop to become a sin-bearer. I wonder how I can talk of it as I do.
It is a truth scarcely to be declared in words. It wants flame and blood and tears with which to tell this story of an offended God, the Heaven-Maker and the Earth-Creator, stooping from his glory that he might save the reptiles which had dared to insult his honor and to rebel against his glory; and, becoming one of them, to suffer for them, that without violation of his law he might have pity upon the offending things — things so inconsiderable that if he had stamped them all out, as men burn a nest of wasps, there had been no loss to the universe. But he had pity on them, and became one of them, and bare their sins. Oh, love ye him; adore ye him; let your souls climb up to the right hand of the majesty above, this morning, and there bow down in lowliest reverence and adoring affection, that he, the God over all, whom you had offended, should his own self bear our sins.
Though thus God over all, he became a man like unto ourselves; a body was prepared for him, and that body, mark you, not prepared alone, and made like to man but not of man. No, he was not otherwise fashioned than ourselves, he came into the world as we also come, born of a woman, a child of a mother, to hang upon a woman’s breast; not merely like to man, but man, born in the pedigree of manhood, and so bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh, yet without a taint of sin. And he, in that double nature but united person, was Jesus, Son of God and Son of the Virgin; he it was who “bare our sins in his own body on the tree.”
From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "Death For Sin, And Death To Sin," delivered November 16, 1873.
Men, protect your daughters....
“Picture this: Some 17 year old snot nosed punk comes over to take out your daughter, and you say, 'No you aren't worthy of her.' (Immediately everyone is up in arms over your 'judgmental' and 'harsh' position, and for 'breaking your daughter’s heart.') Ok, so let's put it another way now: You have a beautiful, brand new $200,000 Ferrari Testarossa in front of your house, and a snot nosed 17 year old punk comes over to take it for a spin. Would you hand him the keys? See, what your problem is, is that you value a car more than your daughter. Men, protect your daughters!”
My sole purpose for this blog is to lift up the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified on a no nonsense, no ad platform showcasing my work and the work of other modelers, and to practice my hobby with the world behind me, the Cross before me and Kingdom of God in sight. All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible as I have found on my own that there is none more faithful to the original languages. Unless otherwise noted, all text and photographs are mine. Old ads and product reviews are respectfully posted in good faith that any copyright privileges are not being infringed upon, with no intent to profit or disparage in any way and will be removed upon request of their respective holders.
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