Running Bear's October 2022 Coffee Shop


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Good morning from Winona, Minnesota. Both the dinners the wife and sister greatly enjoyed last night caused them issues overnight. We went local in Winona after the stop in Bayport was a dud. Terry had grilled octopus, my sister had steamed PEI mussels but they shared seared Sea Scallops. I was unsure what I wanted so I had the house Hanger steak au Poirve which basically is a filet! The scenery here has barely started the color change and I’d be guessing maybe 20-30%. Yesterday was pretty bright so the colors really stood out if there was a change, otherwise they would have been missed. Basically the tree tops are yellowing, except for the bright orange change overs

I think it’s about a 3 hour drive home from here if the ladies want to end the trip here. Next stop was 3 hours drive time from here to Dubuque, Iowa. Probably though a 6-8 hour trip with stops along the Mississippi River. If we get to Dubuque it’s 90 minutes to home depending on traffic on US 151 an easy drive we have done countless times.

Gas here for premium last night was $4.69 per gallon. I texted with the son yesterday and regular in Austin was still under $3.00 but premium was $3.59 up from $3.29 last week.

The plan was to get to Davenport, Iowa on Monday and decide there if we continued to St. Louis for Tuesday and head home via I55/I39 on Wednesday. Or we could skip St. Louis and from Davenport go to visit the Covid stricken friends we skipped a couple weeks ago in Morris, Illinois and head home on Wednesday. Morris to home is a drive under 3 hours even with stopping in Rochelle, Il. to check out the RR Park at the diamonds.

Good to see the missing names returning to the Diner.
 
JeffH said:
Gotta go pick up a buss fuse for our microwave. It blows fuses ever since my wife exploded a bowl of water & vinegar, which blew open the door. I had to replace a few parts, but apparently something is still loose in the door pick-up. I think it's arcing when we open the door & trip the auto-turn-off.
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If it were me, I would cut my loss and replace that microwave.
 
Smudge617 said:
Think your getting me mixed up with logandsawman Dave, only in certain occupations, like pilots, have to do that. We, as a whole don't do regular drug testing, if I'm involved in a accident I would have to do a roadside alcohol test but as a non drinker, not something I worry about.
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A misdirect from Todd

Yes, defeats the whole purpose of the random testing. However, at Halliburton it was the same game. The crew I worked on our at Williston was pretty much all drug users, however the buddy system was so entrenched there that, I think, they wouldn't have had very many workers left if they had a true drug testing program.

There were serious problems at both work sites, however other than quitting there was no alternative. That is what I did finally, people wonder "why did you quit that job" thinking all work places are somehow holy.

Well, I am up so here is today's news:

Rained some yesterday, today looks to be a nice day, will be grilling steak on the open fire after church today, then taking it easy all afternoon, probably go for a walk.

I worked on my water feature yesterday, nothing to brag about a long way from that, will have to get the vegetation on the shoreline before it looks decent, may end up more whimsical than realistic

Found this scene of the old wagon with a nice looking horse, clipping some grass by the Groningen depot:

IMG_2725r.JPG


I will have to read some more posts,

Dave LASM
 
logandsawman said:
There were serious problems at both work sites, however other than quitting there was no alternative. That is what I did finally, people wonder "why did you quit that job" thinking all work places are somehow holy.
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LASM, it is the same in many places. Seems they have "designated drug testers". A trend I'm seeing increasingly is to hire workers as contractors. Companies have far fewer drug testing requirements for contractors, if any at all.
I know of many contractors who are addicts. It's why they must work for themselves. No addict would be willing to drug test themselves.
When I see independent contractors on the road, I pay extra attention to them. No way of knowing for sure who is tweaking, using Mr. Brownstone or God knows what else.

The drug problem in this country is the most underestimated problem of all. It is the root cause of many other problems, theft, homelessness and much more.
 
Good Morning All, finally back in Era TX, where it is clear and 51°, just beginning to see light here at 0700. Expecting highs in the mid-80's with slightly warmer lows in the upper 50's for the next ten days. No rain in the forecast whatsoever. Last rain was September 1, and the landscape really shows it.
Thanks to all for the well wishes on my return trip home. They were not in vain. And fortunately for us but not others, Ian veered east and left us alone.
Gas prices were all over the place on our trip. Regular is still $2.85/gal in Texas where we filled up both ways, but it was $3.19 when we had to stop in Louisiana. Alabama had it at $3.09, and Mississippi was $3.05 where we made another fill up. Saw it as high as $3.35 in both LA and AL.
Great sleeping in my own bed last night, on the ground floor.
I don't do coffee, so all of that discussion is on my already deaf ears. ;);)

I finally was able to download all of the vacation pictures to this computer (and the back-up). Haven't sorted them yet but that's coming up soon. Some of you might be interested in the pictures from the medical museum in Foley AL that I thought was very interesting. All coming up in due time, but first this morning is to pick tomatoes.

Patrick - That mix of mulch et al, was good, but it does need some replenishment yearly. Not always as much mostly, but probably this year as it seems to have been a while. Add any combination of what you added before and the stuff that Jeff posted about. You're in a zone where adding it in the fall works best, but any time of year will do. I get sheep manure and spoiled hay from my neighbor as well.
James - Nice score from the hobby shop. When my guy went out of business in 2015, I did well also, but I already had more freight cars than I needed, and others got all of his engines before I had a chance. He later told me that he didn't have any ATSF ones left anyway. After he closed, I went back and got a load of 2"x2" and 2"x1" lumber when he dismantled the shelving.
I am going to start the Taco Trailer today after doing the BBQ one before I left.
I liked the turkey pictures.
Todd - Looks like a great haul for you as well. Enjoy retirement.
Alan - Seems like a lot of good stringent rules for your open house, all guaranteed to ensure success. Beautiful trains, especially to me who doesn't do any passenger stuff.
Ken (D&J) - Sure am glad that the open house worked out as well as it did. Looking forward to some excellent video from you.
Jaz - How's the leg?
Troy - Pretty stiff menu prices. $5 for Worcestershire??? And "Market Price" for veggies??? Last Sunday night in Gulf Shores, I got an 18 oz (looked bigger) Ribeye for $29 with salad and onion rings. It was damn good. The next night, the 10 oz Filet was $38 at a different place. But it was good as well. We ate in a Texas Roadhouse in West Monroe LA on Friday night, a normal meal there but it was the quietest TR that I have ever been in. Most of my meals on this trip (5/7) were steak of one sort or another. Lots of seafood appetizers. Surprisingly I only gained three pounds! I have 8 days to lose it (and more) before my quarterly primary care visit a week from Monday.

Everybody have a great day. I'll be back in a bit.
 
That Wagnu meat is some very tasty stuff.
Fuddruckers offers a Kobi burger which isn't quite as succulent as the Wagnu but it's still something worth 50 miles each way to enjoy.

The Washington Commanders or whatever name they are this week are teeing up to get beat by Dallas. Only deserving for a team who lets their name be taken away.
 
IronBeltKen said:
Good evening Shop Dwellers!

Thanks for all the button-clicks and/or comments on my Friday post - George, Jaz, Hughie, Louis, Chet, Patrick, Guy, Smudge, Chad, James, TomO, Curt

I see that Terry hasn't posted here since opened the thread - hope he wasn't too seriously affected by the remnants of Ian.

Curt - That tree never really was a threat to the house, we knew from the way it was leaning, exactly where it would land when it fell. However, we did have the arborists remove a large protruding branch from another pine tree which I did consider potentially dangerous, because it was causing the tree to lean in the direction of the house.


Joe - actually that crane, whether self-propelled or not, was part of a work train being led by this GP7:

View attachment 152718

While we're on the subject of cranes, here's yet another shot of an American crane:

View attachment 152719

(Hard to get decent depth-of-field with a 2016-vintage cell phone camera...)

* * *
I didn't get as much done today as I had planned, since I slept until 10am (very late for me!) - musta been quite sleep-deprived! Anywho, because of my usual Saturday morning chores, I didn't get out to the trainroom until ~1pm. Apparently my area did get some rain last night, and even though there wasn't any rain falling when I looked out, I didn't think it was would be a safe time to do any spray painting since the air was still quite humid.

So I decided to clear the trainroom of all the leftover empty boxes where I had stored my rolling stock over the past 10 years, before I acquired this tool cabinet back in July with drawers perfectly sized to store trains. I stacked all the boxes in the attic.

I honestly can't remember if I already shared a picture of the cabinet here or not, but here's a photo of when I finally got it positioned under the benchwork:

View attachment 152720

I had to place a dolly under one end because the casters didn't swivel, and I need to be able to pull this cabinet straight out whenever I need to do any work under that part of the layout.

Having this cabinet will make it much simpler to store-away and pull out freight cars that I plan to use in op sessions, without having to find places to set 10 different 4ft x 1ft boxes that were stacked upon each other but had to be opened from the top.

Good Night - and have a Pleasant Tomorrow!
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Ken I like that tool box idea. Was the wood top.... part of the tool box or did you add it? Looks like Husky? that would be from Lowes right?
 
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TLOC said:
Good morning from Winona, Minnesota. Both the dinners the wife and sister greatly enjoyed last night caused them issues overnight. We went local in Winona after the stop in Bayport was a dud. Terry had grilled octopus, my sister had steamed PEI mussels but they shared seared Sea Scallops. I was unsure what I wanted so I had the house Hanger steak au Poirve which basically is a filet! The scenery here has barely started the color change and I’d be guessing maybe 20-30%. Yesterday was pretty bright so the colors really stood out if there was a change, otherwise they would have been missed. Basically the tree tops are yellowing, except for the bright orange change overs

I think it’s about a 3 hour drive home from here if the ladies want to end the trip here. Next stop was 3 hours drive time from here to Dubuque, Iowa. Probably though a 6-8 hour trip with stops along the Mississippi River. If we get to Dubuque it’s 90 minutes to home depending on traffic on US 151 an easy drive we have done countless times.

Gas here for premium last night was $4.69 per gallon. I texted with the son yesterday and regular in Austin was still under $3.00 but premium was $3.59 up from $3.29 last week.

The plan was to get to Davenport, Iowa on Monday and decide there if we continued to St. Louis for Tuesday and head home via I55/I39 on Wednesday. Or we could skip St. Louis and from Davenport go to visit the Covid stricken friends we skipped a couple weeks ago in Morris, Illinois and head home on Wednesday. Morris to home is a drive under 3 hours even with stopping in Rochelle, Il. to check out the RR Park at the diamonds.

Good to see the missing names returning to the Diner.
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TomO safe travels....by the way have you ever stopped in Fort Madison, Iowa? If not I recomend it nice town and lots of RR activity there! Especially near the river!

1664732185752.png
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I have been there a few times always loved the historical buildings and the depots yup more than one depot there. Very cool town to see if you skip St. Louis!
 
D&J RailRoad said:
That Wagnu meat is some very tasty stuff.
Fuddruckers offers a Kobi burger which isn't quite as succulent as the Wagnu but it's still something worth 50 miles each way to enjoy.

The Washington Commanders or whatever name they are this week are teeing up to get beat by Dallas. Only deserving for a team who lets their name be taken away.
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In Dallas they have been known as the Washington Foreskins ever since the George Allen days.
 
Afternoon All,

Started out with a walk then some chores then spent about 3 hours messing with signal light hookup with mixed results. The East bound signal head works as it should in both directions. The West bound signal head only displays 3 vertical lights and will not change aspect reguardless of a box car movement. I went through the alignment procedure but with no joy. I sent a long email to LRT to get his take and recommendations.

Joe- Interesting diesel. What are the cylinders on top for?

Dave- Nice looking scene.

George- The flooring looks good and from experience it stands up to wear and tear well.

IB Ken- Great looking crane. I have 2 that brand although they are singles in the train room.

Louis- They sure look comfortable!

James- Nice photos.

I hope everyone has a good night.
 
Bruette said:
Chad, what is that?
Forgive my uncultured a$$
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en.wikipedia.org

Wagyu - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

It is the cattle that "Kobe Beef" comes from and many other Japanese beefs. The really expensive ones that are marbled fat and a little meat.

For a long time it was highly restricted, from what I understand, and so things like "semen smuggling" was a thing. Don't know if that is actually true but Wagyu is a lot easier to get now than it was 20 years ago, outside of Japan.

True Japanese sourced Wagyu is very expensive outside of Japan (in Japan too but much more outside). Wagyu have been exported to other countries that raise them and have also crossed them with their local beef cattle. The restaurant in San Francisco I was at had about 12 different types imported from all over in Japan. Each variation had its own regional differences. We didn't taste them as they were $$$$$. My host did get the American Wagyu (Wagyu crossed with Angus or something) and it was very very tasty. He shared small bites with us all.
 
PRR Modeler said:
Joe- Interesting diesel. What are the cylinders on top for?
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santafewillie said:
Washington Foreskins ever since the George Allen days.
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NYC_George said:
The sun coming in makes the floor look lighter than it really is.
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Curt: They are the "Main Air Reservoirs". They go on the roof instead of under the floor behind the fuel tank, so that larger water tanks for train heat can be accommodated under the floor. The PRR had a similar GP7, based at Trenton which worked local freight during the week, then covered the Trenton - Atlantic City portion of the NYC - Atlantic City "Nelly Bly", and later found use on the North Jersey Coast Line from South Amboy to Bay Head.

Willie: Personally I think PC name changes are stupid, and they would have been better off just calling themselves the Washington Football Team. OTOH, I don't blame any Native Americans who objected to being linked to such a perennially terrible football team. Same applies to the Cleveland Baseball Team...their new name really sucks. That is what happens when the sports leagues sell their soul to the TV Networks.

George: The floor looks real nice. Yes, a 10' x 10' rug will go well. Your floor is similar to what I put in my kitchen, probably a couple shades darker.

Terry: Good answer. ;) FWIW, Passenger GP7s on the CNJ and Reading and some PRR Passenger GP7s did not have the rooftop reservoirs, but had smaller fuel and water tanks so everything fit.

prr 489504 North Rahway 2-66 thd.jpg

PRR 489504, ET, (Electric Traction), Department self propelled Tower Car, for Catenary Maintenance. Photographed Westward on #4 track at North Rahway, with Merck Pharmaceutical plant in right background. Photo not credited by source.
 
House news: Friday the framers showed up. They brought their crane to unload the wood delivery right into the house. The wood delivery folks forgot a load of studs and have to come back Monday so the crane is still there. The framers did measure and mark and chalk everything to get ready for when the studs come and they can start the bearing walls.

The first phase is just the bearing walls and the joists and subfloor for the main floor. That will stabilize the walls and make it so we can backfill.

Yesterday my Brother in law came down and he and my son and I took all the joists we had been using on the exterior to straighten the walls, as well as some of the home made straighteners and remaining bracing that is on the outside. We got all the joists off and almost everything else. There are a few piece of the bracing (corner or seam) and I think 2 small home made straighteners we didn't get to before it was too dark. It looks kind of strange to see the outside walls without anything attached.

There are still a few joists on internal walls that need to come off and a small amount of wood bracing on seams or for door bucks on some internal spots. We'll get rid of that this week.

Besides finishing removing all the wood from the interior walls, the last few on the exterior, etc. we will be cleaning all the exterior walls of any concrete platters, dirt, etc., repairing any gashes or holes or splits, and preparing to apply the waterproofing membrane this coming weekend. My brother in law, his son in law, and maybe a few others from the builder advisors will be finishing all that this coming Friday and Saturday. The framers think they'll be done with their parts about midweek the following week (around 12th or 13th) at which time we'll start backfilling those parts that are supported by the wood joists. We still need to lay the garage floor slabs down but we have to remove the dirt pile in the way of the crane...

Lots of stuff to do.

IMG_6163.jpegIMG_6156.jpegIMG_6162.jpeg
 
The insanity of this hopper continues.....

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Utah Belt Proto 2000 PS-2 HO 3 Bay Covered Hopper | eBay

This Utah Belt Proto 2000 PS-2 HO 3 Bay Covered Hopper was constructed from a kit. Remember those kits? They were not just "shake-a-box" kits, but took several hours to complete. This car is equipped with "made in America" Kadee metal couplers and is heavily weathered. I do not have the...
www.ebay.com
 
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