Running Bear's Coffee Shop LX

[new guy]

It swiftly became the champ, pulled 42 up the grade like it was nothing, some of em are real draggers but they have couplers! Sounds great, looks better, well worth the wait. Thanks a million more Terry!
Up and down a #4 ladder no problem. Takes 22"'s ok and it will go around an 18" but it does not like it, that's ok, plenty of track with nothing tighter than 22". NOW the serious scenery planning can commence! I was kinda hung up on this loco, I could not get into building the model buildings, though I tried, this loco was driving me loco!

 

[PRR Modeler]

Afternoon All,

Did a couple of chores around the house then worked on the Tichy flat car kit for about 90 minutes and have about 2 hours left on it before I can start turning it into a crane tender. Tonight is my ex co-workers retirement party. Another friend from work called me and said he wouldn't be there. His wife is a county deputy and they both knew the deputy that died yesterday very well and are not up for a party (I totally understand).

Sherrel- You heard right about the killer.

Eric- I'm glad you're doing well and in good spirits.

CA Dave- Great troubleshooting and repair. It sounds like time for a new insurance carrier.

Louis- Great cartoon.

Terry- I hope everything settles down for you.

Johnny- I like a clean work space and I usually pick up after I am done for the day.

NG- Humorous, but I'm glad it worked out OK for you.

I hope everyone has a good night.

 

[rhoward]

Afternoon......

Hi David! I've been hiding in the back by the wood stove trying to get warm......

Winter appears to have finally arrived for a few days here in the Finger Lakes Region of NYS and I have been busier than a cat trying to cover poop on a marble floor!

Have ducked out of my being responsible for a few minutes the last few days (Martin Luther King Day is coming up and I am treasurer of the local committee) and spent some time in the train rooms (I have two) making a bridge abutment for the bridge that will be my main project for the winter. Got it glued to the Base:

And now is waiting some scenery around the hillside:

Hoping those of you with health problems will continue to improve and the rest of you stay healthy!

 

[Sirfoldalot]

Say, RAY -- That is some very nice stone work there on the bridge abutment. Would you share with me (and the rest of us) how/what material that is? Does not look like individual blocks, but I do not know for sure. Anyway, it looks very nice!

 

[rhoward]

Say, RAY -- That is some very nice stone work there on the bridge abutment. Would you share with me (and the rest of us) how/what material that is? Does not look like individual blocks, but I do not know for sure. Anyway, it looks very nice!

Thank You Sherrel! I would be happy to share how it was made. I used plaster cast stone strips from New England Brownstone. Here is a photo showing one of the strips as they come from the company and the freshly stained abutment.

I simply glue them together, making sure that no seams from the stones are directly above each other and them stain them with diluted Woodland Scenics Scenery Paint. On these I used "Stone Grey" I use a series of washes to get the shade I want rather than taking the chance of getting it too dark.

Here is a link to the New England Brownstone site. I have bought several times from the guy (one of those hobbyist that does this type of stuff on the side, I think). Nice gent and very good to work with. He may not have everything listed in stock, but will let you know how soon he will make more. Excellent products and I can use them and still consider the end product to be scratch built by NMRA Standards.

http://www.nebrownstone.com/blog/

Here is a couple photos showing the finished items:

 

[Sirfoldalot]

Shucks! That is sure pretty close to individual stones. Very well done. Color is "spot on". Thanks, Ray.
I remember the octagon shop now from one of your other posts.

 

[bnsf971]

Okay, things are slowly doing something here.
I came home to a USPS box filled with a week's worth of mail and packages sitting on my front porch.
The fuel oil was delivered earlier today.
Bruce's Blue Ridge showed up.

 

[IronBeltKen]

Good evening.

Terry, I'm glad that something's finally going right in your household for a change (hope I didn't just jinx it..!)

Ray - awesome stonework!

Johnny, your benchwork is still 10x neater than my layout surface!

* * *
I did actually do some model railroading stuff this past Saturday, I just never got around to snapping any pics until now. I upgraded two Proto2000 E8's that have been languishing in their boxes, mainly because my layout is centered on industrial switching. But after seeing Curt making changes to his layout to accommodate passenger service, I figured maybe I could do the same. I do have enough passenger cars to simulate an abbreviated type of train that was common in the final years before Amtrak. So during each op session, I'll have one just "gliding thru" the area with no station stops, right about the time the Local is supposed to switch out some lineside industries. [Gotta keep the operators on their toes!]

The first thing I did was strip off the old lettering and replace it with home-printed decals, which I didn't know existed back in the early 1990's. Then I upgraded the headlights to twin-beamers like I did with my F units, and covered the trucks and underside with some leftover Polly Scale Grimy Black - so at least now they don't have the toylike fresh-from-the-paint-shop look. Can't bring myself to weather them though; in my world at least, the rr cared enough to keep their passenger locos looking somewhat presentable.

Here are a few cell phone pics. I discovered that even though the twin headlight beams can be seen clearly by the human eye, they emit too much glare when viewed by a digital camera.

#1438:

#1460 (this is the one with the "redneck-repaired" worm gear):

The barely photographable twin beam headlight. I painted-on some dummy lenses for the top enclosure, the B&O never used them once they acquired these units from the C&O:

(Dang it, I forgot to put their horns back on!)

 

[GarryCBQ]

Good evening ...

I finally had a little tome for the layout and worked on one of the bridge spans.

Eric ... I'm glad the treatments were not as bad as you feared. Keep on fighting the enemy. You are winning a battle.

Ken in MD .... I like the E8's.

Ray ... Your stonework looks great.

Johnny ... You are making a lot of progress.

New Guy... You also are getting a lot done.

Curt ... It was sad to hear in the news about the officer who was murdered there. ... I have not watch NFL all season.

 

[Trussrod]

Late evening, oops very early morning Track Gang,

Hi Flo & Francine, it never ceases to amaze how you two are always here no matter what time I stop in! Actually, now that I think about it, it's a little uncanny! Just some coffee if you would. So I guess I get to visit with you ladies alone this morning. Did you ever hear what happened to Bill Tiddler?


It's been wet and fairly rainy here and unfortunately a couple of small leaks turned up in my family room area so as soon as it's decent out I need to get back up on my roof to do more roof repair. I'm not sure how much rain I got this afternoon, evening and night? But imagine it's about at least another 1.5"

Afternoon All,

Did a couple of chores around the house then worked on the Tichy flat car kit for about 90 minutes and have about 2 hours left on it before I can start turning it into a crane tender. Tonight is my ex co-workers retirement party. Another friend from work called me and said he wouldn't be there. His wife is a county deputy and they both knew the deputy that died yesterday very well and are not up for a party (I totally understand).

Sherrel- You heard right about the killer.

Eric- I'm glad you're doing well and in good spirits.

CA Dave- Great troubleshooting and repair. It sounds like time for a new insurance carrier.

Louis- Great cartoon.

Terry- I hope everything settles down for you.

Johnny- I like a clean work space and I usually pick up after I am done for the day.

NG- Humorous, but I'm glad it worked out OK for you.

I hope everyone has a good night.

Curt: Thanks for the compliment, it was so simple I almost feel foolish saying I forgot to ensure the new loosely laid rails weren't touching each other which is what was causing the main shorting out problem. That's why I placed the small block of wood between the two rails recently so that wouldn't happen again. LoL Red in the faced.

Afternoon......

Hi David! I've been hiding in the back by the wood stove trying to get warm......

Winter appears to have finally arrived for a few days here in the Finger Lakes Region of NYS and I have been busier than a cat trying to cover poop on a marble floor!

Have ducked out of my being responsible for a few minutes the last few days (Martin Luther King Day is coming up and I am treasurer of the local committee) and spent some time in the train rooms (I have two) making a bridge abutment for the bridge that will be my main project for the winter. Got it glued to the Base:

And now is waiting some scenery around the hillside:

Hoping those of you with health problems will continue to improve and the rest of you stay healthy!

Say Ray: So that's where you've been, which is understandable under the circumstance. It been getting quite cold here too and rainy!

Your stone work look very interesting!

Good evening.

Terry, I'm glad that something's finally going right in your household for a change (hope I didn't just jinx it..!)

Ray - awesome stonework!

Johnny, your benchwork is still 10x neater than my layout surface!

* * *
I did actually do some model railroading stuff this past Saturday, I just never got around to snapping any pics until now. I upgraded two Proto2000 E8's that have been languishing in their boxes, mainly because my layout is centered on industrial switching. But after seeing Curt making changes to his layout to accommodate passenger service, I figured maybe I could do the same. I do have enough passenger cars to simulate an abbreviated type of train that was common in the final years before Amtrak. So during each op session, I'll have one just "gliding thru" the area with no station stops, right about the time the Local is supposed to switch out some lineside industries. [Gotta keep the operators on their toes!]

The first thing I did was strip off the old lettering and replace it with home-printed decals, which I didn't know existed back in the early 1990's. Then I upgraded the headlights to twin-beamers like I did with my F units, and covered the trucks and underside with some leftover Polly Scale Grimy Black - so at least now they don't have the toylike fresh-from-the-paint-shop look. Can't bring myself to weather them though; in my world at least, the rr cared enough to keep their passenger locos looking somewhat presentable.

Here are a few cell phone pics. I discovered that even though the twin headlight beams can be seen clearly by the human eye, they emit too much glare when viewed by a digital camera.

#1438:

#1460 (this is the one with the "redneck-repaired" worm gear):

The barely photographable twin beam headlight. I painted-on some dummy lenses for the top enclosure, the B&O never used them once they acquired these units from the C&O:

(Dang it, I forgot to put their horns back on!)

Say Ken: Your F units look very good, as does your photography. I think part of my problem in my most recent images was that I didn't have the cell phone camera set for florescent light.

I almost forgot to ask how that, 'Red Neck Worm gear was repaired?

Good morning, 23° and sunny at the Jersey Shore. Was 0° at 0420, and it's going to 40° later in the day. Quite a warm-up, but typical of a Jersey winter.

Eric: Good to hear the radiation went well. Keep your spirits up.

Johnny: That's more like it. BTW, Happy Birthday

Louis: Take care, buddy. Hope you're feeling better.

This thread moves so fast, It's hard to keep up..

Joe Good to see you posting again, I've been busy too.

Good morning, all. 59 and cloudy here in SW MO. Still predicting a freezing rain event for Thursday night and all day Friday. Got firewood ready!

Not much to report - last night my wife and I ate at a restaurant that gives me a free dinner on my birthday. Son and his family joined us - got a train calendar, couple of rolling stock, and some candy as presents. Funny how most of my gifts have to do with trains ever since I got into the hobby last July

David - nice job of troubleshooting and repair. Not that I know exactly what you're doing - too new to the hobby - but I am learning
See ya later.
Johnny

Say Johnny: As stated to Curt it was a minor oversight on my part that caused all the problems. To help you understand what is different about hand laying track compared to laying flex track, my rails are actually individual rails that I have to spike down to the ties to hold them in position and I had all of the two lengths of 3' rails streached out but not held in place and yet connected to the prior section which was electrified and the loose rails wound up touching each other which I didn't even consider could happen. LoL Well it did, so much for being too confident.


Your bench work is coming along nicely, you probably realize that in the 90* corner it would probably be to your benefit to put a 45 degree section there so you can create a broader curve there easier.


I'm beat and left a couple of post out.

Have a good day tomorrow.

 

[Bruette]

Good morning Everybody!

40 with 75% humidity here in southeast Baltimore, jeez it feels warm!

Curt and Garry why don't you follow the NFL?

I've lost all interest in college sports, other than the Army Navy game. Maryland leaving the ACC was the final straw for me. Nothing is more important to the NCAA than money. Those young men should get a cut of the big money the NCAA is making. The money is certainly not going to make college cheaper.

Players put their bodies and lives on the line week after week. If you have ever played football above high school level you know what I mean. Even high school can be brutal. I had 2 knee injuries, 2 shoulder injuries, and several other minor injuries and still played in every high school game. My coach only cared about winning and I was too stupid to know better. I still went on to play semi-pro ball for $50-$100 a game plus expenses, most guys had to pay their own way. At least in the NFL the guys can make enough to set themselves up for life.

I don't blame the pro players for getting all they can. Why should the owners make all the money? On the other hand the price of taking kids to a pro ball game is outrageous, but again it's the owners who are to blame. Their greed, ego and desire to win fuels the costs. Owners write the contracts, players only take the money, can you blame them?

That's my editorial for today

Have a great day Everybody, God bless us Everyone!

 

[D&J RailRoad]

Hump day guys. 37 degrees in King George, VA.
Looks like rain in the forecast but tomorrow should be a good day to ride the Harley to work.
Did some more work on the bridge plans last night. Discovered a head slapper and made corrections.

 

[bnsf971]

Good morning. It's cloudy and 39.

 

[santafewillie]

Good Morning All. 58° and partly cloudy today. Supposed to be warmer today than yesterday when the temperature reached 75°, if this year is like last year, then winter is over now.
Spent over an hour yesterday on the phone signing up for a prescription drug program to go along with the Medicare that I now have. What an ordeal! I had to go through the same exercise about three weeks ago for supplemental insurance. In my case it is less expensive to use two separate programs instead of combining them together. I now realize how fortunate I was to have everything packaged together with my company provided insurance/COBRA over the years. Still have to deal with dental this month.
Only spent a little time in the train shed yesterday, as it was a beautiful day to catch up with and get ahead of some outdoor chores. I did do some more assembly on several DPM low-relief structures to go along a wall on the layout.

Johnny - Sorry, still too neat compared to mine! By the way, is that the only picture we get of the Merchant's Row II?
Louis -

but only sleeping 45 minutes at a clip caught up to me.

Damn, that's just a good nap! C'mon Louis, you posted that you were going to take better care of yourself.
Bruce - Lucky you. Out here in the boonies, I have to deal with the UPS and FedEx drivers that cannot find me. After they finally locate me, they hire a new one and I have to go through the exercise again. FedEx just goes to the post office and leaves packages there that I later have to go and pick up, a 20 mile round trip. They do at least leave a message on the phone.
Ray - Very nice brickwork. I had seen those other pictures before, but never asked about it.
Terry - Well, at least some things worked out.
Ken in Md - Nice looking E8 units, even without the horn.

I no longer watch very much NFL any more either. I will watch parts of the Cowboy play-off games, but not a complete game. Never watched college sports or any other pro sports except some hockey every now and then. I'd rather be modeling. I actually gave up on TV 25 years ago as a pretty much waste of time.
Everybody have a great Wednesday.

Willie

 

[Bruette]

Damn, that's just a good nap! C'mon Louis, you posted that you were going to take better care of yourself.

Willie honest to God I was trying to take better care of myself, but one move and my shoulder would wake me up. It took the best part of 2-3 weeks before I could sleep all night. my usual 4-5 hours that is.

Now I'm sleeping good every night, I even slept over 6 hours one night!

 

[new guy]

37 and all the snow that fell yesterday went bye, bye!

Santafe- that is the scenario I would prefer, this may have been a false alarm but I'm taking it as a warning shot and I'm not going to wait for it to happen. It's the last straw! I should NOT be seeing random footprints "cruising" porches in my area! If my wife wants to stay married to me she better get on board with "EXIT, stage NORTH!" I've had it with this town, I'm outie!

 

[Raincoat2]

Morning, everyone. time for some coffee!! 50* and partly cloudy - heading for upper 60's today. the freezing rain event scheduled for Friday is on-again/off-again - I'll just have the portable generator fueled up and ready and logs ready for the fireplace. Just watching the weather now.

Say, Ray - that's some really nice-looking stonework on that abutment. Hope I can do as well when we get to points like that on our layout.
David - yes, a 45* in the corner is what is planned, and a curving scenery background on the wall there to remove the look of a corner.
Willie - I'm not going to get into a messiness competition with you - you guys will all have me beat! That Merchant's Row structure was just sitting at the edge of the benchwork drying after I glued some pieces in place. I'm out of room on my little modeling area, working on three structures at the same time. When the MR is done, I'll post another photo.

Okay, time for another cuppa joe. More later.
Johnny

 

[Sirfoldalot]

Checking In ... 52 with very light scattered rain showers expected today, then a little heavier rain expected tomorrow.
I guess the LA area is getting the most of the moisture today; it usually does most of the time.

BIL gets a dose of radiation daily (five days a week) for either the next 5 or 9 weeks - I forget which. He just turned 65 a few months ago. Nice, huh? You work till retirement - then get cancer! What a joy.
I'm off to my second doctor appointment this year with two more to go in January. Fortunately 3 of these are just followups.
I am ready to get off the carousel - had enough.

 

[BigE]

Morning all,
39 and heading to 52 they say! That's unbelievable for these parts this time of year.
I don't mind really.
Beats compared to below zero like the other day when they discharged me in my pajamas and it was near zero and blowing like all hell broke loose.

This will be day #3 on radiation. So far no problems.
Woke up around 0230 with a hellish nose bleed but I don't fret that none..
Probably just came from doing too much after feeling good.
I busted out another one of famous lengthy to-do lists yesterday.
Catch you all later.
E.

 

[new guy]

Sounds like you are on the bounce E and it is very good to hear!