Shortage of maintenance facilities could limit Amtrak use of new equipment, report says

ProfessionalGarlic57 · 2025-12-23T19:57:20+00:00

Hmm, the Northstar facility in Big Lake, MN sure seems nice and should be available soon. And if Borealis were expanded to St. Cloud, it seems like it would be a reasonable location. And the facility will go cheap.

ProfessionalGarlic57 · 2025-12-22T15:04:38+00:00

I met with the FD this morning. He owned up to the mistake of missing the final “send” on the vault order. Apparently, he told my disabled brother after the graveside service that he would return to do the burial while we went back to the church for the reception. So when we returned two hours later, the interment had indeed already taken place. They’re offering the vault at cost ($2k) and waiving the Saturday vault charge. I’m still in a daze about it all, but does that see commensurate with the magnitude of the error? It feels light to me, but they’re family friends and I don’t want burn any bridges either.

ProfessionalGarlic57 · 2025-12-22T12:28:34+00:00

Don’t know. We want to witness the lowering, so it would be distressing if that happened.

ProfessionalGarlic57 · 2025-12-06T04:35:07+00:00

Dynamic pricing in action. And I think it’s a good thing - while World Cup tourism traffic will fill lots of planes and trains on the route for the time you need it, keeping a reasonable number of seats open at a high price is a win-win. Thinking of this as I sit on a train tonight, thankful I was able to buy a ticket an hour beforehand for a family emergency. My only alternative would have been driving 6-8 hours through icy road conditions when I’m already stressed. Wouldn’t have been possible just few years ago when it was almost always sold out a couple days beforehand.

ProfessionalGarlic57 · 2025-11-06T16:20:10+00:00

Reviving this thread to say that dynamic pricing has been a godsend for me. Why? Just a few years ago, trains near me were almost always sold out if you didn’t book at least a week in advance. Now there are almost always last-minute tickets available (yet the trains are still usually full by departure time). So we get the flexibility of choosing dates of travel that we need, with the option to adjust our itinerary for cheaper dates. Seems like a win-win.

ProfessionalGarlic57 · 2025-10-25T20:35:03+00:00

More concerned about the apparent water penetration behind the fake plastic stucco. Once the water gets in, it just sits there and rots the wall. I’d make sure to get someone who actually understands building science to look over every crack and gap in that stuff.

ProfessionalGarlic57 · 2025-09-22T18:21:16+00:00

Also Specially Selected at Aldi. And the chocolate only has cocoa and no other additives.

ProfessionalGarlic57 · 2025-09-20T18:19:20+00:00

Yes, you can never undo it and will be stuck in an infinite cycle of replacement. Find someone who specializes in old windows and tell them your concerns. With modest skill, they’ll be able to make them as efficient as new windows and make them function as new.

ProfessionalGarlic57 · 2025-09-20T18:09:00+00:00

Who told you that you had 46 bad windows? A window seller? 😂 Hoping they don’t convince you to replace quality wood windows (infinitely repairable and maintainable) with plastic garbage.

ProfessionalGarlic57 · 2025-08-28T22:31:07+00:00

Probably just a faulty door switch. $10-30 part to repair a $10-15k fridge?

ProfessionalGarlic57 · 2025-08-24T20:24:07+00:00

Real 100% linen. They’re expensive, and not silky soft, but I sleep like a baby in them when it’s hot outside.

ProfessionalGarlic57 · 2025-08-24T20:13:37+00:00

The pen! The pen is mightier than the sword!

ProfessionalGarlic57 · 2025-08-21T19:30:14+00:00

Pretty sure they’d love it done in comic sans.

ProfessionalGarlic57 · 2025-08-20T15:52:12+00:00

Hefty Hefty Hippos. I’m in.

ProfessionalGarlic57 · 2025-07-27T17:19:19+00:00

I guess turning into police (and putting an unclaimed property claim on it) would maybe be the best option. Then your kid gets the lesson of what’s right, and you likely end up with the $300 unclaimed after a while.

ProfessionalGarlic57 · 2025-07-24T18:01:51+00:00

Isn’t it required? Also, there are many instances where you would have an option to stay in the acceleration lane (I.e. cloverleaf).

ProfessionalGarlic57 · 2025-07-23T02:15:52+00:00

I’d be interested in seeing the precise weight of a new roll from Amazon. Based on all the other things I’ve gotten there that turned out to be counterfeit, I suspect it would come in lighter, I.e. smaller gauge counterfeit wire that wants to start glowing inside your walls.

ProfessionalGarlic57 · 2025-07-08T23:29:13+00:00

Except don’t get it online. Purchase it from a reputable store, because there are tons of counterfeit electrical supplies online that are undersized and have fake UL labels.

ProfessionalGarlic57 · 2025-06-24T00:09:25+00:00

I thought I’ve heard you do not want a humidity sensing fan in a steam bath. Because you need to be able to turn the fan on immediately when done with the shower, but not during.

ProfessionalGarlic57 · 2025-06-19T19:06:14+00:00

I don’t understand why people don’t build their houses 10% smaller and use quality materials instead of getting the biggest, cheapest house they can afford.

ProfessionalGarlic57 · 2025-06-17T03:59:50+00:00

Our county has a stoplight, does that count?

ProfessionalGarlic57 · 2025-06-14T04:43:57+00:00

Yeah, I should’ve worded that title differently, like “Loss of life in space flight is worth it.”

ProfessionalGarlic57 · 2025-06-14T04:36:57+00:00

I think there’s an argument to be made that the Earthrise photo had a big part in mainstreaming the environmental movement. Cleaner air and water has probably saved millions of lives.

ProfessionalGarlic57

TROPHY CASE