Running Bear's March 2022 Coffee Shop


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Alcomotive said:
Can't pull a camper or boat so no good for me......
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We had a 10ft aluminum jon boat we gave away last year. We no longer used it so I wanted to give it away to someone who fishes. The first person I tried to give it too never came to pick it up. So after that anyone that came here to see my layout I would always ask them do you fish? We were also giving away a commercial freezer we no longer used. When he showed up for the freezer finally someone who fished. James if you came to see my layout last year the boat would have been yours.
George
 
NYC_George said:
I just seen an ad for Chevy's new electric powered truck. It has a 400 mile range before needing a charge. So what happens when I go on my golf vacation to myrtle beach which is 721 miles away? I notice they didn't mention the price in the ad. I paid $26.000.00 for my Nissan Fronter in 2016 which has just about everything. I bet it's more than double the price?
George
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You could try flying to Myrtle Beach? 🤣
Probably cost less than the gas
(sorry couldn't resist)🤣🤣
 
D&J RailRoad said:
It's 89 degrees somewhere with a chance of rain somewhere else. Ya'all can guess where I'm referring to.
EVs are coming. At some point it will become obvious that EVs are where the government wants us to go. By that time the price and demand will be much higher than they are now, and your internal combustion vehicle will have no trade in value because there will be no fuel. Ohhhh, I'll install solar panels then. Yeah, and wait for 6 months to a year because of the demand because ya waited too long? In the meantime, home heating costs have gone through the roof too.
(In my dumb skeptic voice) Welllll, how is the grid going to support charger stations for all those EVs? I don't know, but when ya can't find a gas station that doesn't have a 1/2-mile line for very expensive fuel, what are ya going to do? vote for someone else?
I guess I could post a dozen or so pictures of where I'll mount my wall charger that nobody really cares about, but I won't.
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Ken, there are lots of ways around the grid if you go solar at home.

The last 3 houses over the last 7 years were off grid and used wind and solar to charge the batteries (Telsa power walls) that stored the power. This current house now owned by the daughter does have natural gas but only for the kitchen stoves and cooktops. Girls won that one, I admit I lost.

They have 2 chargers in the garage and no issues with charging the vehicles. From what we were told from Telsa the newer models and chargers will charge the vehicle at a station in about 40 minutes. Have not had a chance to test that. We are heading to Austin taking one of those Teslas on 3/26 or 4/1 and it looks like a 3 recharge stops. The first in KC during the day and the other charge on day 1 will be overnight at the hotel normally around Tulsa. The last recharge will be at Buc-ee at Temple, Tx. I have a Telsa charger locator and if they charge in under an hour fine, we will have a sit down meal. We have not eaten anything in a car since the son moved out in 2005. I have seen Telsa chargers at a few truck stops along I35 but really didn’t pay that much attention. Those were the normal gas station stops to fill up when we drove my VW’s down. Terry’s more expensive German hot Rod felt like every 3 hours we had to fill up.

Son found out on the return trip from north of Scottsdale, Cave Creek, Arizona to Austin, Texas, that the new f150 averaged 18.8 mpg, a 40 gallon tank and gas at $4.09 was a bit of a shock he said when it went over $100.00. Said even at almost empty his Tundra never did that. Told him but you have only been paying your own gas since the 1st of the year, now you are paying attention

The Endocrinologist was very happy with the lab results and glucose monitoring this morning. Do it again in May. She reduced some of my meds today and in April could be stopping a couple completely after the lab results come in from the 4/3/2022 testing.

TomO
 
Good Afternoon Everyone....sunny and bit unseasonable temps for today. Wet weather forecasted for the weekend, but a high Saturday near 60 degrees.

My two Scale Trains' locomotives arrived in the mail yesterday. Both are EMD SDL 39 locomotives and one is a Milwaukee Road and the other is a Milwaukee Road "SOO Bandit". They arrived nicely packed for shipment and the shipping box included some hard candy. The locomotives are in presentations boxes and enclosed in plastic cases that are similar to other manufactures. They like nice and I have yet to run the critters.

I second TomO's endorsement of Hiawatha Hobbies. I've known the owners by name (they likely know me by face only) since they had the smaller hobby shop in Waukesha, Wisconsin. I been using Hiawatha for mail order and the orders arrive within three or four days and are packed very well. Their prices are low and competitive.

Another LHS that offers great mail order service and prices is Southside Trains in Bay View, Wisconsin. (SouthsideTrains.com.) A small store with good selection of HO and N scale hobby items. I also use Southside's mail order for locomotives and other supplies. Competitive prices.

Bay View is a community within the City of Milwaukee and is located along the shore of Lake Michigan. My grandparents built a home in Bay View and I had the chance to purchase the house in 1970 for $37.5k and is now valued at near $300k. The rent from the duplex would of more than paid the mortgage payments.

My grandfather loved trains and often would take to the Milwaukee yards to watch the diesels do switching operations. There was still some steam loco's as well!

That's about all to write about....

Greg

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F&SM Photo 1(1).jpeg

Whenever I need a lift or inspiration to work on my C&MN Railroad, I look at this photograph of the Franklin and South Manchester railroad. What a layout!!!-Greg
 
chadbag said:
I have friends and acquaintances with Teslas who have driven them cross country. They've drunk the Kool-Aid so will tell you that it works and is no problem. (including into and through the Rockies)

With proper planning you probably can do it. Make sure you know where the charging stations are, and plan where you want to "fill up". Make it coincide with your bathroom/snack/lunch stops. Even though it takes 5 minutes to fill a gas tank, most of us on longer trips make longer stops to stretch, eat, pee, etc.

Personally I am not convinced yet that BEV are ready for prime time as a main / only vehicle and not just a vehicle for your local area use.
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On the same note, what happens when you run out of "gas" with your electric car?

No walking to the gas station, sounds like you will be paying for a tow truck.

Seriously, I have read this is not the time to buy an all electric. I think the hybrids are as smart as you can be right now. The real experts advise to wait it out a few years so more of the bugs can be worked out. Also, what about when the batteries ware out? One Tesla owner said it would cost him $26,000 for a new one. I think they last 5 or 6 years.

Not like my 1988 Chevy Suburban, which runs like a lynx. I drive it to work (126 mile round trip) a couple times a week just to keep it in shape. Average summer mileage is 16 MPG, down to 15 in the winter. Not all that much different from the new trucks, and it looks cool with a Reagan bumper sticker on the back. A real one that somehow survived all these years.

Dave LASM
 
Good afternoon from my side of Wisconsin. The last 4 days have been in the high 40’s and low 50’s. High today is 32 but feels much nicer then the last 4 days. Less wind and not as damp is my theory.

In the train room the last few days and enjoying it and no news being broadcast in there. Spent a few hours at the Clinic this morning, all is good.

Greg, I came close to ordering those but the Turbine museum pieces I purchased from ST turned into shelf queens. I won’t do that again. Enjoy them!

Hobby stores. Hiawathahobbies.com, Lombardhobby.com and Midwestmodelrr.com are my top 3. There are other good shops but I felt these 3 are great.

Enjoy your day
TomO
 
Smudge617 said:
You could try flying to Myrtle Beach? 🤣
Probably cost less than the gas
(sorry couldn't resist)🤣🤣
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To many things to bring. Then I would have to rent a car. Flying does cost less than gas and tolls. I love the way everyone there drives their golfcarts all around town. If my wife would only say OK lets go I've be gone. I said, this in another post my best friend's son who had around 12 years as a conductor on the railroad gave up his job and moved to SC with his wife and 3 kids.
George
 
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As for running out of electricity in an EV, the screen shows the charging stations within range. If ya ignore that, I don't know what else to tell ya. Kinda the same principle of the gas gauge in your ICE car now.
Wrecker services are starting to carry battery systems for quick charging EVs on the side of the road to get em to the closest charging station.
 
I always wanted to go somewhere expensive...I finally did when I went to the gas station.

Gas up $0.50 in the past 4 days ($0.20 on Monday and another $0.30 today). What I don't understand about the whole pricing thing is that if a barrel of oil goes up $5 they are raising the price of gasoline the next day. If it falls $5, it takes them a month to lower the price.
 
Cell phones,
I use a Samsung A52 5G cost-$500
My wife has a Samsung A71 5G cost-$604
As a backup we have a T-Mobile exclusive Revvl 5G $399

All are excellent smartphones and great cameras.

If you are curious about your phone open the settings and scroll down and tap about phone. For an Android that is. I would not know about apple. I would never buy one.
 
logandsawman said:
One Tesla owner said it would cost him $26,000 for a new one. I think they last 5 or 6 years.
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I don't now about Tesla but most cars the replacement batteries are not that expensive from what I gather. Still expensive. (I think you are referring to the guy in Estonia that blew his tesla up instead of paying $22k for a new battery system?)

Most companies warrant their batteries for 8 years or 100k miles or thereabouts that they will be good for at least 80% capacity (or maybe 85% capacity) by the end of the warranty. I know after 5.5 years on my PHEV the battery is good for about 85% at least. Maybe a bit more.

I am not saying the time is right for everyone to get into an EV. I think they are great for second cars but that is about it right now. Personally speaking.

Just wanting to clarify the details.
 
D&J RailRoad said:
Really? I have one on order, due in June 2024. Am all I going to get is software that dissipates?
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I hope you do get it. That is over 2+ years from now and Tesla is not exactly known for shipping on time. Cyber Truck is not shipping now or even any time soon and is therefore a poster boy for the definition of vapor ware. Vapor ware doesn't mean it will never ship. It just means it doesn't exist now (and it is not like there are firm plans to release it on April 1 or something) and so comparing it or using its specs to compare to real shipping products is useless. Since it doesn't exist.
 
TLOC said:
In the train room the last few days and enjoying it and no news being broadcast in there
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A man after my own heart....spending time in the train room is a goal of mine for the weekend!

No broadcast news in my train room. My background music when I work on projects is either the sound of a train running the mainline or a tape have of early diesel locomotives that I play. I have to do a massive job of putting away so much of the supplies, kits and locos I've purchased (usually via the web) over the last two years while the enduring the plague. Wife's orders! A friend of mine from high school spends time in his garage as his escape.

I want to run the new Scale Trains EMD SDL 39's since they have built-in "Stay Alive" capacitors, my first locomotives to have that feature. It seems like DCC or the hobby in general has new improvements every time I open a model railroad magazine. I believe "Stay Alive" technology may do away with powered frogs in the future.

Tom, those ST Turbines must of been huge. What was the recommended radius for the locomotive? Those are beautiful locomotives.

Looking at the photograph of the F&SM, I can't image the inventory and size of George's kits, scenery and accent parts. Just the amount of his paints in his inventory.

Greg
 
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