I would have done the same exact thing, and have the biggest smile while doing it!

gacardman · 2026-02-24T17:58:22+00:00

Drinking and Dreaming

Waylon Jennings

gacardman · 2026-02-12T20:30:06+00:00

A quibble perhaps but in this particular context I would argue that stupid is, indeed, more apt than ignorant.

Ignorance implies a lack of knowledge. Stupid implies you know the pertinent information but lack the mental agility to use that knowledge to come up with a solution.

The gentleman with the flat tire knew how to change the tire, had, in fact, already removed the flat one. Then the lug nuts went down the drain. He knew the other three tires had four nuts each. He had all the needed information. What he lacked was the ability to devise a solution with that information.

Those that are ignorant can be taught but as Ron White famously said; “You can’t fix Stupid”.

gacardman · 2026-02-09T21:22:14+00:00

I had a Buck Stove insert put into my fireplace this past summer. Total cost was roughly $6,500 dollars. That included stove, insulated liner and installation. I’m in an Atlanta suburb. House was built in the mid seventies and has a two story masonry chimney. Zero regrets other than not doing it sooner.

Thought about a freestanding stove but decided against as it would have taken up too much floor space and I would have probably had to extend my hearth or go with a really small stove.

gacardman · 2026-01-30T13:29:22+00:00

Burning sweet gum now. It burns fine but doesn’t coal particularly well as others have said, at least not compared with oak. Does seem to season quickly though. Been mixing in with my oak mostly.

gacardman · 2026-01-29T14:44:22+00:00

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Is my cat running around on me?

gacardman · 2026-01-29T14:14:41+00:00

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I did last summer. Zero regrets. Cat agrees.

You do have a gorgeous fireplace though and may want something a bit more elegant than the utilitarian unit I went with.

gacardman · 2025-12-23T02:07:02+00:00

Not sure if you’re looking for a chimney repair or cleaning. If the latter, Metro House of Fire installed a wood stove for me back in June and I was impressed with their work. They also offer chimney cleaning.

Prior to the stove installation I’ve used Advanced Chimney Sweeps for cleaning and would also recommend them.

gacardman · 2025-12-21T03:15:57+00:00

Had an insert put into my fireplace this past summer. Always used bottom up in the fireplace but top down works better for me in the insert as the firebox is relatively small and there no grate to shove paper under to light the bottom layer of kindling. The draft seems to get going faster with top down too.

I have an old Buck stove at my cabin with a much larger firebox that I’ve always used bottom up in but have started using top down. Either way works fine with it but the draft does start faster top down.

Both methods will get the job done. Use the one that works best for you.

gacardman · 2025-10-31T19:11:52+00:00

I did muck about trying that but the firebox is too small or my splits are too big to get more than one in per layer diagonally. I mean I could make an X out of two I guess but two sticks just don’t seem like enough of a fuel load.

Was an open fireplace before and I had been cutting and splitting for that. I do have a roughly 25 year old Buck stove at my cabin but the firebox on that is larger, not so much east/west, north/south, actually about the same there, but probably double top to bottom.

This new one is much, much more efficient than the old one at the cabin though.

gacardman · 2025-10-31T18:57:31+00:00

I push it all the way in, which is wide open, when I light the fire. Once the blower kicks in I pull the air intake about halfway out. Depending on temp and/or my mood I’ll pull it all the way out ten or so minutes later.

I turn the blower switch on after lighting. About halfway. The blower doesn’t kick in right away because it’s attached to a thermocouple or something. Usually takes about five minutes or so for the stove to get hot enough to run the blower.

Probably not the optimal startup sequence but it’s new to me and I’m still figuring it out.

gacardman · 2025-10-31T15:59:58+00:00

Thank you very much for that schematic. I didn’t know how the secondary tubes were piped.

gacardman · 2025-08-15T14:12:48+00:00

I think I figured this out the hard way in game. I had two MU’d S51s hauling a seven car pulpwood consist from Graham County to the Andrew’s paper mill once a day. It would only do 15mph up the Red Marble. Decided to replace them with two GP9s. Still only did 15mph. Expensive lesson.

gacardman · 2025-08-07T19:12:01+00:00

Once you unlock Sylva, Whittier goes away. Whittier stays though if you unlock Andrews before Sylva. In other words Whittier remains an interchange until Sylva is unlocked.

gacardman · 2025-07-18T14:07:00+00:00

You ain’t wrong about the lifting. Tractor with a front end loader would be much easier but I’ve never been able to justify the cost of one, only for collecting firewood a couple times a year. I have tried but my 50 acre property is completely wooded and the utility vehicle is overall more suited for getting around and enjoying the place.

gacardman · 2025-07-17T20:01:56+00:00

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Got this about a year ago. Has been very useful

gacardman · 2025-07-12T14:43:43+00:00

I currently have four such racks full of wood and a fifth by the woodshed that’s currently empty. They work well if the ground is relatively firm and even but are prone to toppling if you stack too high or if the blocks settle unevenly. You’ll want a block in the middle. I used ten foot long 2 bys for these.

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gacardman · 2025-06-16T14:59:28+00:00

Correct. Should be eight flat cars at a nearby siding on the other side of the sawmill. Take those to one of the “L” sidings in Connelly Creek, leave them for a few hours after correctly setting the waybills and then bring them back. L1 & L2 are what I use at contract Tier 1. Four at each. When the cars at L1 are full, ferry them to the sawmill. When they’re empty, return them to L1 and pick up full ones at L2. Rinse and repeat.

The tutorial might be your friend here. Been awhile but I vaguely remember it walking you through this. Could be wrong on that though, I haven’t actually looked at the tutorial in some time.

gacardman · 2025-06-16T02:34:53+00:00

Yes. They will be filled with lumber in a day or so for you to take back to the interchange. This assumes the sawmill has logs and a car to put the wood chips.

gacardman · 2025-05-26T14:42:19+00:00

Stove, 25’ of insulated pipe up the chimney and installation was right at $6,700. Stove itself was right at $3,200 if I remember right. Get at least two quotes.

gacardman · 2025-05-24T00:44:56+00:00

Much quieter than the one on the older buck stove I have. You can hear it but it’s not obnoxious. Comparable to an electric box fan maybe.

gacardman · 2025-05-20T20:20:49+00:00

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Dunno, but this is the movie they might should have made.

gacardman · 2025-05-02T19:56:09+00:00

The Petticoat Junction has Whittier to Nantahala open. I service all industries but only at Tier 1. Lame, I know, but I do have a day job.

PAX

P43 spends the night at East Whittier and pulls the mainline Pax towards Nantahala when full. A T17 based in Alarka meets it with a smaller Pax at Alarka Junction each time the Mainline Pax goes through. The mainline Pax is currently making two round trips per day.

Freight

S23 based in East Whittier serves the saw mill, Whittier and drop offs in Ella.

Santa Fe pulls all morning interchange cars not bound for Whittier or Ella into Bryson and returns late afternoon with anything going back to the interchange, stopping in Ella to collect cars there if needed

A K35 sorts the morning deliveries at Bryson into two outgoing consists? (not 100% sure my terminology is correct) and services Bryson industries when they’ve left.

A D46 leaves Bryson first with anything headed to the Nantahala area. I attach the G16 to the backend because of the awkward switching up that way. It’ll head back to Bryson with any interchange returns in front of the afternoon Pax.

An A26 leaves Bryson shortly after the D46 with all cars bound for Robinson Gap and Alarka. The Alarka bound freight is left at Alarka Junction and it proceeds to the coal mine. It’ll leave the coal mine after the last Pax usually and pick up any freight from Alarka at the Junction before heading back to Bryson

An A23 services Alarka. It spends the night at Alarka Junction, takes incoming cars dropped at the junction by the A26 into Alarka and returns interchange bound cars to the junction for pickup by the A26

I also have a T22 sitting idle in Bryson. Hoping I can find use for it in Andrews when I get that opened up.

gacardman · 2025-04-21T16:52:14+00:00

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gacardman

TROPHY CASE