Running Bear's March 2022 Coffee Shop


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Well, went back 4 pages and read everything. From cold Wisconsin, I say hi.

Electricity bills. We are 95% off grid so no bill. Except for a natural gas line run into the kitchen everything is solar, wind or thermal powered. I know, we paid up front all our monthly costs for the next 25 or more years.

Gas. Drove by the local 3 stations. $4.09 for regular, $4.79 for premium.

Trip to Texas. I am mapping the route and we are thinking of taking one of the daughter’s SUV, one is total electric the other is a hybrid. I don’t have a car and Terry’s roadster is too uncomfortable for cross country. Taking the daughters cars was a thought prior to the crazy price increases. Now the route needs EV charging stations. Telsa though has a nice locator tool.

Trains, none today but I did post my new goodies in the RPO section. All paint supplies and new toys.

Enjoy your day
TomO
 
Took the wife out to Pizza King tonight.

Now she's upstairs making Chicken and Dumplings, and Potatoe Soup.

I've been 3D Printing a Sassanid Army for the Dark Ages game.

And editing an audiobook. The narrator uploaded the "completed files" - I listen and check word by word to all of the chapters.

Decided to rewrite the big fight scene in the middle of the book. Written, it was decent, but hearing it spoken I saw a lot of missed opportunities to drive the emotion of the event. She'll re-record it this weekend.
 
NYC_George said:
That plus keep the steam generator going to heat the train. Even in the summer the 20th Centry Limited used steam to run the air conditioners.
Make sure the engineer stays mentally awake.
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Yes, i thought about the steam generators. Before the days of HEP.

Interestingly just got out of a "town hal"l meeting that included a session about regulatory matters. It seems the same regulation people who are fighting against fewer crew members on trains (despite having already forced the railroads to install PTC) are the same ones pushing hard for self driving trucks on the highway. Go and figure that one out. !?!!
 
Iron Horseman said:
What did a fireman do at that time as there was nothing to "fire"? Just watch signals, and engine vitals?
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For the most part, it was on the job training, for an engineer's position. we split the running, and learned the job / territory. Passenger assignments included additional duties like maintaining steam pressure, and taking water for the boiler. Hostler positions varied by railroad, on the PRR / PC we moved engines around the engine house or shop. Some roads not only brought power out to the train, but also brought the train to the crew base.
If employed on lite engine and helper service, the fireman also had to throw switches etc. There was work to be done. Just not enough according to the arbitrators.
 
Iron Horseman said:
Go and figure that one out. !?!!
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That's easy, they are lobbyist for the trucking industry...no driver = cheaper cost = higher profit margins.

It's been established that PTC is not a guarantee there will be no wrecks, and the t ank train wreck in Canada a few years ago, established that only one man on the crew, is insufficient to secure a heavy train on a descending grade. There are limits to cost cutting and limits to automation.

Railroads are paranoid that driverless tractors will put them out of business. But with a two person crew, the economics of scale favor a long train with distributed power over a whole bunch of driverless tractors piling in to one another on an icy interstate. I would be equally scared of sharing the road with an autonomous truck, or riding a train sharing the railroad with crew less trains. I also have the same reservations about autonomous vehicles, currently being lobbied for by Mr Musk, and the Insurance Industry.
 
Boris said:
That's easy, they are lobbyist for the trucking industry...no driver = cheaper cost = higher profit margins.

It's been established that PTC is not a guarantee there will be no wrecks, and the t ank train wreck in Canada a few years ago, established that only one man on the crew, is insufficient to secure a heavy train on a descending grade. There are limits to cost cutting and limits to automation.

Railroads are paranoid that driverless tractors will put them out of business. But with a two person crew, the economics of scale favor a long train with distributed power over a whole bunch of driverless tractors piling in to one another on an icy interstate. I would be equally scared of sharing the road with an autonomous truck, or riding a train sharing the railroad with crew less trains. I also have the same reservations about autonomous vehicles, currently being lobbied for by Mr Musk, and the Insurance Industry.
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So, question for the guru's. Yesterday I happened to be down at Libby Station killing some time. Loaded grainer came by. 2 head end power with about a mile train ... usually. This time however, there were 3 power in the middle and another mile-ish train coupled to it. Had 2 rear power also. All power was running and not idling. Makes that train about 2 miles in length. I think that Troy and Crossport are the only 2 sidings that are long enough to hold it for oncoming meets of another 2 miler or crew change before Long Bridge in Sandpoint. After Long Bridge we have double track until after Spokane. This another way to reduce crew size or is/was there crew on one ( or more ) of the power not up front?
 
Boris said:
For the most part, it was on the job training, for an engineer's position. we split the running, and learned the job / territory. Passenger assignments included additional duties like maintaining steam pressure, and taking water for the boiler. Hostler positions varied by railroad, on the PRR / PC we moved engines around the engine house or shop. Some roads not only brought power out to the train, but also brought the train to the crew base.
If employed on lite engine and helper service, the fireman also had to throw switches etc. There was work to be done. Just not enough according to the arbitrators.
Click to expand...
I told this story before. It was my 3rd day on the railroad. They called me for the North White Plaine yard switcher. I never even ran an engine yet. I got there and they told me the fireman and engineer would split their duties. Engineer does all the switching in yard A, fireman does all the switching in yard B. They instructed me to get on a P electric engine pick up 3 cars that were going to be added to a train stopped at North White Plains station. I was terrified. I was working in the construction trade just a few days before. I was going about 2 mph. The conductor said, why are you going so slow. I seen the engineer stop the train in the 2 days I was there but that's it. I got it done at 2 mph. Thank God.
George
 
Boris said:
That's easy, they are lobbyist for the trucking industry...no driver = cheaper cost = higher profit margins.

It's been established that PTC is not a guarantee there will be no wrecks, and the t ank train wreck in Canada a few years ago, established that only one man on the crew, is insufficient to secure a heavy train on a descending grade. There are limits to cost cutting and limits to automation.

Railroads are paranoid that driverless tractors will put them out of business. But with a two person crew, the economics of scale favor a long train with distributed power over a whole bunch of driverless tractors piling in to one another on an icy interstate. I would be equally scared of sharing the road with an autonomous truck, or riding a train sharing the railroad with crew less trains. I also have the same reservations about autonomous vehicles, currently being lobbied for by Mr Musk, and the Insurance Industry.
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As a Tesla owner I can certainly say in the uk a self drive model is very unlikely to work
1 when passing a parked car on the side of the road you are driver it west itself
2 sometimes if a car at a side ride is not straight on it west itself
3 when on self drive and it hits a sharp curve it has a girlie attack and throws the control back to the driver,you need to pay attention or end up in a ditch
4 only this year it managed to get traffic lights
5 it can finally tell the difference between traffic cones and people, wearing yellow can still phase it though
6 british roundabouts send it into a tail spin, it goes left it goes right it has a fit and basically says eeeeeeeeek you drive
although I can say in the last year I have been amazed at its progress
7 would I trust it on a British back road with tight curves, not in a bloody heartbeat, it’s like a computer game, you turn it on you watch it like a hawk knowing it will f a i l …
but I love it, far far superior to anything else, and on a motorway, it is relatively relaxing, but I would not trust it, and luckily the car pulls over if you fail to pay attention as it has a keep your hands on the wheel issue or else the screen slowly flashes blue and the steering wheel shakes then it pulls you over, apparently this has saved at least two heart attack people from crashing, it should call the emergency services also.
but yeah can’t see it replacing a driver any time soon,anything tricky and it sets itself. As for the call it in the car park, it could not even leave my home parking spot to come to me 10 feet, mmm no no it felt safe where it was, and the nee dance 💃 scheme may be fun but not practical and in the uk we don’t get the ice cream van music, still better than my series 4 bmw or my vogue Range Rover both of which were great drives in their day, actually the bmw series 4 coupe was a lovely drive if that had been available in a Tesla style vehicle I would have had it in a heart beat. The porche ev is a lot more and frankly holds no appeal the cab is too small I like a roomy space, and the Tesla 3 is not large but feels comfortable. It is white or should I say extremely dirty white 😝 lol, my car my choice, with faux white leather. We were going to get a pkastic skin but have not got around to it, plus I think on reflection drawing attention to it targets it for damage. Still some of those skins are crazy fun.so far cross fingers we have not experienced any issues with the paint job that non Tesla drivers cite, which I did have on the black bmw with red leather interior, I only ever wore red or black when driving it lol, I don’t do white Clothing,well not much.I personally think railroad and normal lorries are safe for the moment, or for the investment, although fuel costs are gonna hurt,thank god I have solar.
 
ctclibby said:
So, question for the guru's. Yesterday I happened to be down at Libby Station killing some time. Loaded grainer came by. 2 head end power with about a mile train ... usually. This time however, there were 3 power in the middle and another mile-ish train coupled to it. Had 2 rear power also. All power was running and not idling. Makes that train about 2 miles in length. I think that Troy and Crossport are the only 2 sidings that are long enough to hold it for oncoming meets of another 2 miler or crew change before Long Bridge in Sandpoint. After Long Bridge we have double track until after Spokane. This another way to reduce crew size or is/was there crew on one ( or more ) of the power not up front?
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Interesting question as a Brit I have no idea about the answer, but would be interested in the answer
 
Patrick said:
I hate you! Actually sounds pretty good. I'm probably going to have a fish sandwich.

Dave: Thanks for the tip!

Jaz: We hadn't changed any passwords in the 7 years I've been there. We have now, especially since we're scheduled for a DHS evaluation in the next few weeks.
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You definitely work public sector, in private practise they have concerns over exes, technically a good company insists company employees update each year, and it is well known that far too many use the word password as their password, any sensible company bans such options, which occasionaly leads to an employing say they can’t reset their password lol. My ex boss used to use a common desk item on his desk to remind him of his latest password, as his pa I caught on as the director of IT he looked me in the eye and told me to best not point it out to anyone lol, it was a clever trick if I’m honest. As people often forget, I use a long password with non numbers or alphabet, the other half assumes me it is not an easy one to break, he often tells people who struggle to take the first letters from a nursery rhyme or song that has a number in it and use the first letter of each word and the number as the number,ensuring you go 14 characters long, this then being reasonably strong.and no mine is more complicated.
 
Jaz avalley said:
I can guess it’s a cheeky one, but my innocent mind has failed to guess it. And it’s ok if you don’t explain it lol.
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the porn industry needs to have the gents... um... ready for action at a second's notice.

There are individuals who stand (or kneel) by the actor off-camera, and apply fluffing to certain parts. So the actor is Upstanding in his role, or for the roll in the hay.
 
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