Running Bear's August 2020 Coffee Shop


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Knock on wood ... Since I started using the "GEEKS" - I have had just about ZERO malfunctions with both of my laptops (the ASUS is just painfully slow) Other than an annual ck up -the only time I have had to take it to them is when I, ME, and Myself screw it up - and I don't know what to undo?
Got the two MS laptops plus wife's MAC under the plan for $99a year and that comes with their virus program - I have been pleased!

Good Morning - been up two hours already - couldn't sleep for some reason?
Coffee and a bear claw for now, FLO, I will have more later on.

All the relatives were visited by LAURA yesterday and friends in Southern Arkansas.
Those in the Lake Charles, Beaumont area scrambled out of town - their properties were not so lucky - they are trying to find out the extent of the damage. The ones in Northern LA and AR had a few missing shingles and lots of downed tree limbs-fortunately NOT on their homes.

Supposed to be 99 today under sunny skies - was 100 even yesterday. The Spousal Unit has Mom duty until Monday - so I'll get to watch a few movies and a few "honey do" projects while entertaining the pups!

I'll be back - don't lock me out! Nice photos, LOUIS and TOOT
 
Morning gents

Big mug of dark roast with a splash of cream, please.

Muggy and 73 in NE Indiana. Hear Texas and Louisiana are sending us rain today and this weekend. Thanks. We need it. Sorry y'all had to deal with knocking those storms down to size for the rest of us. Hope you're all safe.

Benchwork is 95% now. Finished all but the peninsula, but I also need to drill feeder holes through the grid for wiring bus. How big of a bus hole will I need? Is this like the Magic School Bus, with Mrs Frizzle, that can shrink to fit anywhere? If so, I wish she'd drill her own holes ;) Hopefully 3/4 inch will be enough.

I did have one SNAFU. I cut two of the legs (one section) 1/2 an inch shorter due to a rise in the floor near the left side. Yep, I put those legs over the lowest part of the floor. The twist in leveling feet are barely threaded in. I'll decide after I start leveling the benches if I need to actually switch the legs. Probably. But that involves removing scews from two tight locations with a short screwdriver.

Out of curiosity: Anyone else on this board from NE Indiana?

Here's a shot of the benchwork. Apologies for the messy staging of supplies and tools. The yard foreman was on break and the grunt worker didn't worry about putting stuff away neatly.

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On a humorous note concerning the spouse, yesterday we were talking while she was eating her 2 oz volume lunch - I told her how proud I was for her perseverance and determination.
I asked her what her goal was and she replied, "To weigh less than you!"
I said, "Just for the record - How much did you weigh when we married?"
She replied, "125, but I don't think I will see that again ... I will just be happy to NOT have to shop in the TENT department!"
Today she gets to add a real peach to her menu - it's like one/two new items each week for the next two months.
 
Good morning All Flo. English Muffin and Honey please.

Troy. I agree with Sherrel that my friend is some good bench work! I built a Dog house once I thunderstorm blew it to the ground and the wife said it look like we had a F4 Tornado carpenter I am not please keep us posted enjoy the ride.

Sherrel you are a brave man to talk about weight with any women

Willie. Thanks for posting more Museum pics very nice

Guy. Happy Anniversary

Well last night I dug these old Custom Painted and decals Stewart F Units that Acquired. They have been re-powered with Bachmann Spectrum Fs Units one is Powered one is a Dummy. I might try to put some Details on them. I like the Katy Railroad one reason is my Boss bought the old Baden yard in North St. Louis Mo. Some of the Buildings are still there as well as the old Piggyback ramp I’ll get some pics for you guys. Enjoy your weekend

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TrucTrain55 said:
Sherrel you are a brave man to talk about weight with any women
Click to expand...

LEE - Love those KATY units. Been reading the book: Katy Southwest (I think that is it?) The M-K-T at one time was a pretty neat RR :cool:and they kept their early steam very polished! The Texas Special is one of my favorite trains which was operated jointly with the FRISCO. I have a set of the Stewart F-3's with the "chicken wire" grills - been debating to make them either Frisco or Katy - still haven't decided - may have to buy another set! :eek:

On the weight issue -- In 30 years I have NEVER mentioned her weight in front of her and maybe only in passing to her sisters saying that I wish she could. 🤬 Medication is what started the add-ons after about 2003 or so; I have watched her fight with every type of weight loss program and 3-4 years back she actually lost 94 lbs, then went on a couple cruises with her sister and put it right back on over a few months. She just could not stay away from the "snacks" and she, like me, actually enjoys eating and the fact that she is such a good cook makes it doubly hard. She met a couple ladies who had the bariatric surgery - made up her mind to do it - and here we are. I am so very pleased with her and intend to only offer encouragement!
 
Good Morning, Everyone!
Thankyou to those who offered comment on my anniversary. It really wasn't a big deal.
santafewillie said:
Guy - Happy anniversary to you and your wife. I hope that you kept your hands off all of your wife's lady friends so you can celebrate another one.
Click to expand...
Willie - It's not usually my hands that get me into trouble; and I had five kids to prove it. - This women is away to good to me, though, so I remain absolutely loyal. Besides, who needs that crap again. I'd rather play with trains.

It's going to be a beautiful day today, so the wife is dragging me into the forest for a berry picking day. She's afraid of the bears; don't quite get it that the bears are afraid of her. So we are going out for Blue and Cranberries again:
Blue_Cran2019.jpg

Troy - Great looking benchwork. Well done! - That's a fine looking space.

The wife wants to get going, so I'm typing in a hurry. No time for coffee. Great bunch of photos showing up here with wonderful modeling happening.
See you all later, if the bears don't get us!
 
Good Morning Everyone.....partly sunny and perhaps major storms later this afternoon and evening???

I am a member of the National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) and I subscribe to their magazine NMRA. The September 2020 issue has a photo of John Allen's Gorre & Daphetid model railroad reproduced by Kenichi Matsumoto on his Green River layout in Tokyo. I read and re-read or watch many times over any media about John Allen and his famous railroad. I know several of the Forum members have been fortunate enough to visit or even operate on this railroad.

The photo on the cover has a faithful reproduction by Kenichi of John's locomotive #37 crossing a metal tressel over some rough looking terrain. Even after looking at this photo many times I missed completely a small detail that is part of the scene. Tucked under a rocky overhang is the remains of an old Native American settlement created in abode appearing material.

Kenichi rebuild three of Allen's fire damaged locomotives and two of them are on display at the NMRA Exhibit in California. Model Railroader recently did an article on Kenichi's reconstruction of one of John's fire damaged locomotives.

This issue has the details of the upcoming silent auction for items found in John's basement after the fire. Two neighbor boys were given premission by John's brother to take what ever they found in the fire charred basement. They kept the items hidden for over 47 years. One of the items they found was a section of the main control panel and that has been donated to the NMRA.

McLeod: Do you know what the name of the plant is in your photo on the bottom with the red berries? Any bears?

Troy: Nice looking bench work. I always look for the even the spacing of the screws holding the lumber together and joints where the pieces of lumber meet to judge the quality of the work and craftsmanship of the builder. Too bad all your precision work will be hidden by scenery.

That's all for now.

Greg
 
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McLeod said:
...It's going to be a beautiful day today, so the wife is dragging me into the forest for a berry picking day. She's afraid of the bears; don't quite get it that the bears are afraid of her. So we are going out for Blue and Cranberries again:
See you all later, if the bears don't get us!
Click to expand...
Always take buddy in bear country. They may not be able to run as fast as you. Smart woman, your wife.

My wife loves to hike and follow trials just to climb and see what's to be seen. I keep telling her there are slithery things, and other things with claws and sharp, pointy teeth looking for lunch.

"I'll stay at the cabin and keep the fire going. Try not to get eaten by a bear..."
 
Afternoon All,

Today I started with some chores then connected the track feeders with the main buss, then cleaned the track. It's amazing how dirty it was for being brand new. I tested my largest steamer (2-8-8-2) at 15, 30 and 60 throttle speed in forward and reverse then turned the loco around and did it again without issue. I did find a strange issue. The toggle to isolate the RH/TT area was shutting off the main track power when turned off and power returned to the main when turned on, then it was constantly on (switch position made no difference). It had worked perfectly before. It is wired on the PSX-AR output side. Maybe too much voltage? After that I figured out the track configuration for the Walthers New River Mine (was on previous layout).

Thank you all for the likes yesterday.

Joe- Thank you for your thoughts. Nice photo.

Toot- That's funny.

Willie- Nice museum photos.

Sherrel- I'm glad your family is all safe from the storm. Thank you for the compliment.

Guy- Happy Belated Anniversary.

Lee- Nice job on the F units.

Troy- The last bear I saw in person was at Boy Scout camp in Cloudcroft NM as a boy.

I hope everyone has a good night.
 
Sherrel. Yes the Katy is a very interesting railroad don’t know why I haven’t modeled it sooner since I worked out of their old rail terminal in north St. Louis lotta history there thanks for the compliment

PRR Modeler. Thanks for the complement

Thanks for All the likes today and have a great evening I might drop in tomorrow morning take care
 
Good afternoon. Been busy again. Wednesday my buddy's John Deere garden tractor crapped out and went over to see if we could get it going. It kept running the battery down and wouldn't charge the battery when running. Ended up being a voltage regulator. Got it going by mid afternoon and ended up playing pool and having a couple of beers. Yesterday was mow day for me. The temps are finally cooling down and got everything mowed and all the trimming and other work done in the yard. Sunday we are having out entire Friday night bowling league out to have a team meeting. Our old president left the league and we have to elect new officers and go over some new rules to deal with the Covid-19 bullshit that the lanes have to put up with to be able to run leagues.

Patrick - Nice to get a win once in a while. Thumb up.gif

Alan - That dome car really came out great. Nice work.

Willie - Nice museum photos.

Joe - Excellent photo of Drew's module.

TLOC - Good photo. The details are excellent.

Curt - You sure are plugging right along. Nice to have a plan in place. It helps. Good thing you found the wiring mistake before you got much further.

Louis - Like the photo. I am also over BMW's. Loved my 2002 and the Bavaria but besides not having a dealership in my area, I have seen way too many horror stories about BMW's, Audi's and Mercedes with the main problems being in the electronics. My old Beemers didn't have that garbage. I'll stick with my classic cars and the 2005 Buick. I just can't handle all of the crap that manufacturers are putting into new cars that I don't want or need but am expected to pay for.

Ray - Like the photos from Belgrade. A great place to rail fan if you don';t want to go to Livingston or the top of the pass. Worked in Belgrade for a dozen years.

Lee - Nice looking F units. The fun begins when you start drilling holes for the handrails. I did an A and B unit for the Northern Pacific and the handrails were the worst part for me. They were also Stewart.

Troy - Good looking bench work. Most of mine is around the wall and I mounted the layout to the wall. No problems with the legs. When are tracks going down?

Greg - The rebuilt John Allen locomotives sound interesting. Running trains on his layout is something I'll never forget.

Photos from the Archive again. Here are the F units I custom painted for the Northern Pacific. All Stewart units.

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The lead unit is an Athearn Genisis factory painted A unit The B and A unit behind were the custom painted Stewart units. A good paint match to the Walthers passenger cars.
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This F-9A is also a Stewart unit that I custom painted. I chose the number 7012A because I manages to see it when it first came out of the BN shop, now the Montana Rail Link shop in Livingston, MT the day it was leaving for the Mount Rainier Scenic Railway where it is still in service today.
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05) NP 7012A 46th Ave 5-14-11.jpg
 
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Greg@mnrr said:
McLeod: Do you know what the name of the plant is in your photo on the bottom with the red berries? Any bears?
Click to expand...
Hi there, Greg! The plant you refer too is a wild variety of lowbush cranberry. They arn't quite ready for picking yet; perhaps in the first week of September.
We did manage 2 gallons of blueberries today, with no bears coming by to share it with. I was sad, as I wanted more photos.
I did manage another trestle, though. Photos forthcoming.

troyphoto said:
Always take buddy in bear country. They may not be able to run as fast as you. Smart woman, your wife.
Click to expand...
Troy - I agree with the buddy system in bear country. However, since I can't run very fast, I always carry a 4" long hardwood jaw spreader that I convince my friend is the best way to protect yourself from bear attack. I tell my friend to simply shove it vertically into the bears jaws on the initial attack, because a bear will always try to bite rather than claw. Then by the time he's done messing around with that stick, I'm already 3 blocks up the road.

Just because I have to leave a photo; here's one from last year:
GrizzlySept19 (9).JPG

He was a little bit closer than I wanted, but, we didn't hear him coming. No telephoto on that one.

Have a good one!
 
Greetings all!

Feels like a donut day. Chocolate frosted with my dark roast, please.
NE Indiana is dry, 70° with highs at 80°

Lots of comments above to sort:

Montanan: love the NP shots... since I'm working on GN, I may eventually get a NP loco and run a through train for some variety. To answer your question: Tracks may be laid sometime in Oct? Maybe? I'm still working on track planning. Mainline is a loop so I can railfan. I know where some of the features/towns will be, but there's a lot I don't know.

McCleod: Good to see the bear wasn't in the mood for Model Railroader that day. I've heard tales that we are squishy and taste good with mustard...

All in but the shouting! Still need to add a leg or leg brace here and there. Like the peninsula to the front right. I've got two more legs cut (shouldn't need more) BUT only one t-nut for the three screw feet I have left. wonderful how the packages never line up quantities. I'll use the cheap plastic anchor that came with the feet if need be to avoid buying another pack of t-nuts.

i-8v5x3HP-L.jpg

Up til now, I've told myself I wasn't going to screw the benchwork to the wall... buuuuuuuuut...

I tried leveling last light, and the wavy floor, along with the sections and their joins make it difficult. I may have to screw it in on the left and back sides just to give me one side on each run that is level. From there I can work on the other plane.

did I mention how wavy the laminate "hardwood" is? Previous owners installed it without leveling the concrete basement floor underneath.

Gregg (and the rest of you loving my quality benchwork): Sometimes you just gotta say "Close enough for government work" and move on. This joint (in the background) was one where I cut the brace twice (once too long, and once too short). Nothing that a couple of 3-inch screws won't fix! It'll be covered up with 3/4 waferboard eventually (and foam on top of that). That'll hold it together. and the joint in the front... ugh... but Facia will hide that... if I shim it up. ;)

i-XvvVS99-L.jpg

A few more images. I even swept up the sawdust and dropped screws for you gents.

BTW: over 300 screws in this layout so far. Mostly 1.5 in, a few 2 in, and two 3 #!%*!* inch problem solvers.

That's a four foot level in the pics to show how wide the aisles are.

i-dLH5vxL-L.jpg


i-2smqGFB-L.jpg

BTW: wife's rocking/TV watching chair sits right above this section. So cursing in the railyard need to be at a minimum. Sorry gents. If you (eventually) come for a visit, you'll have to behave while playing with the trains.

i-TXJM5r7-L.jpg
 
troyphoto said:
Greetings all!

Feels like a donut day. Chocolate frosted with my dark roast, please.
NE Indiana is dry, 70° with highs at 80°

Lots of comments above to sort:

Montanan: love the NP shots... since I'm working on GN, I may eventually get a NP loco and run a through train for some variety. To answer your question: Tracks may be laid sometime in Oct? Maybe? I'm still working on track planning. Mainline is a loop so I can railfan. I know where some of the features/towns will be, but there's a lot I don't know.

McCleod: Good to see the bear wasn't in the mood for Model Railroader that day. I've heard tales that we are squishy and taste good with mustard...

All in but the shouting! Still need to add a leg or leg brace here and there. Like the peninsula to the front right. I've got two more legs cut (shouldn't need more) BUT only one t-nut for the three screw feet I have left. wonderful how the packages never line up quantities. I'll use the cheap plastic anchor that came with the feet if need be to avoid buying another pack of t-nuts.

i-8v5x3HP-L.jpg

Up til now, I've told myself I wasn't going to screw the benchwork to the wall... buuuuuuuuut...

I tried leveling last light, and the wavy floor, along with the sections and their joins make it difficult. I may have to screw it in on the left and back sides just to give me one side on each run that is level. From there I can work on the other plane.

did I mention how wavy the laminate "hardwood" is? Previous owners installed it without leveling the concrete basement floor underneath.

Gregg (and the rest of you loving my quality benchwork): Sometimes you just gotta say "Close enough for government work" and move on. This joint (in the background) was one where I cut the brace twice (once too long, and once too short). Nothing that a couple of 3-inch screws won't fix! It'll be covered up with 3/4 waferboard eventually (and foam on top of that). That'll hold it together. and the joint in the front... ugh... but Facia will hide that... if I shim it up. ;)

i-XvvVS99-L.jpg

A few more images. I even swept up the sawdust and dropped screws for you gents.

BTW: over 300 screws in this layout so far. Mostly 1.5 in, a few 2 in, and two 3 #!%*!* inch problem solvers.

That's a four foot level in the pics to show how wide the aisles are.

i-dLH5vxL-L.jpg


i-2smqGFB-L.jpg

BTW: wife's rocking/TV watching chair sits right above this section. So cursing in the railyard need to be at a minimum. Sorry gents. If you (eventually) come for a visit, you'll have to behave while playing with the trains.

i-TXJM5r7-L.jpg
Click to expand...
My train room is in an addition to the house that was added back in the mid 1970s. The entire room slopes toward the house. A lot. If I put a marble at the far end of the room, it will roll all the way across the room, through the mud room, and to the far end of the kitchen. A pretty substantial grade. It's bad enough that the large layout looked weird when I leveled it, so I decided to make the grade part of the layout. If a car gets away at the far end of the room, it is rolling at a pretty good clip by the time it gets to the other end.
 
Flo. Coffee and Oatmeal with Raisin Toast

Troy. Bench work is looking very nice thanks to you yesterday I started figuring out how I can expand my now I wasn’t because I’ve been focused on my O scale layout but now you’ve got me thinking.

Sherrel. This pics for you I ran this Bachmann Custom Katy Baby Trainmaster yesterday after work with some of my Custom painted and decaled Reefer cars. Well I guess today I’ll pull up the Cucumber vines there pretty well done but my tomatoes and peppers are still good take care and enjoy your weekend everyone

Tom. I know the feeling it would rain a little here just enough to make it steamy

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