Running Bear's November 2020 Coffee Shop


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Afternoon All,

Started out with some chores then after lunch started back on the track work. Today I got the mainline completed (other than another set of track feeders) and I got one interchange track in. Both have the rail joiners soldered. I figure I'll finish the second interchange track on Sunday since I'm tied up all day Saturday (not literally Sherrel! :) )

It was more difficult to get the track geometry correct with the T/O's in place on the right side (lesson learned). I had planned to use 2 RH T/O's for the right side ladder but I ended up using a RH and a LH T/O so the geometry would work.

Thank you all for the likes on my photos yesterday.

Sherrel- Nice looking loco.

Joe- Nice pictures.

Willie- It's 40 cents more a gallon here. Great modeling and details.

Guy- Nice pictures. The train room is in our loft or bonus room. Years ago I started with half for trains and slowly took over the room.

Garry- Thank you. I hope you are improving.

I hope everyone has a good night.
 
Good Afternoon to each and everyone of you. Well the Chamber of Commerce weather is still in play, but getting toward the warm side.
How about a BLT and a malted.
So with the weather being what it is, I decided to get up in attic above the garage a clean out some old and unused stuff. Let me state here that I haven't clean up there in more than 25 yrs. The cardboard boxes fell apart in my hands as I struggled to get the stuff down into the garage. Model Railroader, 1986,87,88,89,90,91 and 92. Pages dry and brittle. Keep in mind they have been up there for who knows how long, summer temps up in the attic probably north of 140 degrees. Old fishing gear, camping gear from when I was teen and old Christmas lights and decorations.
Today I brought down the last 2 boxes. I knew I had some HO stuff up there. I just didn't remember what. I thought I kept most all of it in boxes in a spare closet. (Gets set up to run around the Christmas Tree). I was surprised to find unopened building kits, freight cars and a few locos. (They don't run) Below my HO finds:
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HO Find 11-6-20 B.jpg
HO Find 11-6-20 C.jpg
HO Find 11-6-20 D.jpg
 
Been out with a pulled muscle so couldn't get out to the shack to get on the 'puter' last week and been working on the helix the last couple days . Might have some pics in day or two.

RANT - Do Not Buy LG appliances. Our LG gas range is kaput again with the oven not maintaining the proper temperature. We have already put well over $300 into it (4 years old) and instead of fixing it again, it will be heading to the dump. Bought a Frigidaire gas range at Lowes yesterday. Has good customer reviews and caught it on sale.

If memory serves LG bought out GE appliance a few years back? I've all ways had Maytag or Whirlpool / Kenmoore. I've had some LG window air units , about 2 - 3 years was all I got out of the first ones .

Whirlpool has been reasonably good no real complaints , The Maytags so so.
 
WARNING: Trivia coming up.
Let's compare to Texas which likes less government and has no state income tax. Area-wise, our state is 268,597 sq miles compared to New Jersey at 8729 sq miles, over 30 times larger. A lot of this is sparsely populated West Texas except the city of El Paso. Population-wise we are at about 29 million compared to Jersey at not quite 9 million. That is over four times larger. Because of its size, we have 254 counties, but only 1200 municipal governments, 1200 fire departments and 1247 school districts. The metropolitan area of Houston is larger than the entire state of New Jersey, but with just 6.5 million residents, it is less populated.
That's just a few of the reasons that our taxes are low, less government. And a lot of oil revenue from state owned lands.

Taxes this year in Texas on 5 acres roughly $2000 -$3000 , Taxes on 60 acres in Mississippi about $250 .

My taxes in Texas are astronomically higher than my Mississippi taxes. Texas has school taxes , Mississippi doesn't they have section 16 land endowment. k-12 is by far our biggest tax burden (5K a year ).

Most of the "state " oil revenue I think is PUF land ( its like 1/32 or 1/64 royalty) so we don't get a "direct" benefit from it like Alaska .
 
Taxes this year in Texas on 5 acres roughly $2000 -$3000 , Taxes on 60 acres in Mississippi about $250 .

GT: Taxes on a 2 story, 3 bedroom home in a Jersey sub-division with slightly less than a ¼ acre lot average $8500 to $10,500. Sales Tax is 6.625%, We have Lottery revenue, Casino revenue, Gas tax is 50.7¢ per gallon. Income Tax ranges from 1.5% to 10.750% depending on income and status. That Texas tax rate looks good to me.

You're right about education expense eating up the largest chunk of the tax revenue. Mississippi is reputed to have the lowest level of literacy in the country. Possibly that reflects in the lower tax rate there. Then again, the "special needs" school districts in Jersey, receive funding at approximately double the rate that "affluent" school districts receive, yet still produce the least literate of all public school students, statewide. Go figure.
 
Taxes this year in Texas on 5 acres roughly $2000 -$3000 , Taxes on 60 acres in Mississippi about $250 .

My taxes in Texas are astronomically higher than my Mississippi taxes. Texas has school taxes , Mississippi doesn't they have section 16 land endowment. k-12 is by far our biggest tax burden (5K a year ).

Most of the "state " oil revenue I think is PUF land ( its like 1/32 or 1/64 royalty) so we don't get a "direct" benefit from it like Alaska .
My comparison was in relation to what Joe posted about New Jersey. I am not attempting to make this into a one state is better than another argument, but for what it's worth, here are some facts.
I don't know where you live in Texas, but I have 15 acres and a 1500 sq ft home and my property taxes (including school taxes) are ~$775 per year. My train shed made it go up by $150 a couple of years ago. I do have a homestead exemption on the house and an agricultural exemption on 14 acres, I am sure that Mississippi may have both available as well. As a senior citizen here, school taxes are frozen unless you make improvements. As I pointed out there is no state income tax in Texas, but there is in Mississippi. Oil royalties go into the school fund as does the lottery proceeds. Gasoline tax in Texas is 20¢/gallon, Mississippi is 18¢/gallon.

Check this out: Ten worst states to retire in.
 
Yo, Shop Dwellers! 56*F, calm, clear and dark where I'm at.

Thank you to everyone who "liked" my Thursday evening drive-by post: Phil, James, Guy, Karl, Patrick, Tom-C, Jerry, SHerrell, Chad, Joe, and Tom-O

I just noticed that I forgot to click the "like" button on a few posts yesterday...oooops! 😦

Haven't done any mrr-related activity in the past coupla days, so nothing to report on that front. Still trying to determine what my next project should be...maybe painting and assembling a Walthers Dairy Queen [early style] kit which is destined to replace the old LifeLike KFC that I've had for close to 30 years (and it looks it!). Hafta think about this a little more...

On the topic of appliances, I've had a Whirlpool-built Kenmore washing machine for over 12 years. It's had a few minor (as in cheap to fix) failures - some of those with hugely annoying impacts like a water level sensor that allowed the basin to overflow and flood the entire laundry room. But our repairman says the major components are still in excellent shape and that we should hang on to this machine for as long as possible, because everything new on the market nowadays is built to only last ~3 years. The online customer reviews I've read seem to bear this out.

... Then again, the "special needs" school districts in Jersey, receive funding at approximately double the rate that "affluent" school districts receive, yet still produce the least literate of all public school students, statewide. Go figure.
Joe - better not complain too loudly, else they're going to beg the state for even MORE money to "fix" the problem. That's what happened recently in Maryland and I'm afraid to see how that is going to impact my state income tax rate...

Sherrell - that upgraded and fresh-painted SLSF E7A sure looks like it just got taken out of a box! Can't see the rear truck, wonder if it's still awaiting the silver paint treatment? I also notice that even the coupler has been painted, I thought RR's were supposed to leave couplers un-painted so that any newly-forming cracks would be easier to spot[?]
 
My comparison was in relation to what Joe posted about New Jersey. I am not attempting to make this into a one state is better than another argument, but for what it's worth, here are some facts.
Check this out: Ten worst states to retire in.
I must say even though NYS has the worst when it comes to taxes, but the weather is very nice compared to other parts of the country.
 
I must say even though NYS has the worst when it comes to taxes, but the weather is very nice compared to other parts of the country.
According to this article, we(WI) are #12 overall(#20 in affordability). Just ignore the weather factor(43) & we crack the Top 10. NYS only ranks 5 spots ahead of us @ 12th from the bottom for weather.
 
According to this article, we(WI) are #12 overall(#20 in affordability). Just ignore the weather factor(43) & we crack the Top 10. NYS only ranks 5 spots ahead of us @ 12th from the bottom for weather.
As for weather I'm referring to severe weather like hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes. Although a stretch of temps in the teens and below might be severe for some but so are temps that are 90 plus.
 
Morning all,
I have updated my layout thread this morning, with the results of yesterday's work, should any one being interested in the cutting of wood and preparation of baseboards! Link in my signature below ... I promise once track laying starts in a couple of weeks, things will get more interesting!!

I mentioned earlier in the week about some steam pictures with an American twist that I had got ready for you guys ... well when British Railways finished with steam back in 1968 (earlier in some parts of the country), two of the famous LNER A4 Pacifics, designed by Sir Nigel Gresley (of which No. 4468 Mallard in the museum at York holds the world speed record for steam traction) were shipped overseas, with No. 60008 Dwight D. Eisenhower going to America, and No. 60010 Dominion of Canada going, not surprisingly to Canada. There is a long desire among a lot of enthusiasts to bring both back to the UK, although I would this will ever happen on a permanent basis.

However, back in 2011 I played a little part in getting them back temporarily. Having made an introduction between the then Director of the National Railway Museum (NRM) in York and a senior director of a shipping company, the latter sponsored the shipping costs of moving both locos from the USA to Liverpool Docks in the UK. The two visitors, along with No. 60009 Union of South Africa which at the time was still in full working order and working on the National Network regularly on special trains, were put on show at the NRM outpost at Shildon (North East England) before undergoing restoration. As part of this display, a one-off night photo shoot was arranged.

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One of the guests on the evening the former shed master from King's Cross Shed who was in charge of keeping these beasts running the in 1960s. Talking to him was a wonderful experience, and his stories were superb.

After this, the two locos vanished for a few months while restoration work and repainting took place, before they went on display at York for a period - I'll post some subsequent pictures of that - and both locomotives have now returned to their respective homes in America and Canada. Great to see all six survivors back together for the first time in over 50 years tho!

Hope you enjoy :)
Rich
 
Good morning gang!

Sitting here with a cup o joe at work today, waiting for the crazies to arrive. I've turned on the TV in the lounge to cartoon network and have hidden the remote. So tired of the news that is not news that I'm revolting! Missed out on a few posts, yesterday my phone was my only link to the outside world, so forgive me while I play catch up.

Flo my dear, can I get a short stack with some sausage on the side??
 
Good Morning All. Clear and 53° in North Central Texas this morning. Still expecting temperatures in the upper 70's for a few more days. Looks like a small chance of rain on Monday. Still putting in about 90 minutes each morning getting the spring garden site ready. It's a good workout and I can still do it without the help of Mr. Advil.
Observation about my wife. When we go on vacation, I just live out of my suitcase, getting clothes out when I put them on and putting the used ones in a plastic bag. My wife unpacks everything and puts them in drawers or closets, whether at a hotel for one night or a condo for multiple days. Then she has to repack everything when we leave. However after arriving home last Friday, it took her a week to fully unpack her suitcase! I was done unpacking the next morning. Go figure!

I'm hungry this morning Flo. Let me have a chicken fried steak with biscuits and cream gravy. And an order of french fries to give my cholesterol a boost.

So thanks once again to all who liked or commented on the feed store; Guy, Tom O, Karl, Sherrel, Patrick, James, Garry, Curt, Hughie, Phil, Ken, Joe, Tom, Jerry.

Out in the train shed yesterday, I checked out the figure stash and didn't find any appropriate folks for the feed store. Looked also at the unpainted Preiser figures and came up blank. They just don't make American redneck ones, everybody has on suits and hats. Looks like I'll have to get out the Exacto and alter a few. I did find a suitable doggie for the porch. Once again yesterday, I spent a whole lot of time running trains around. Sure missed that while out of town and dealing with the return stuff. Instead of doing any industry switching, I did sorting and made up some new line-ups to run as through trains.
So back to some of the museum pictures that I took while on vacation. Let's visit the Lego layout. None of the Lego trains were running yet, as they didn't have but one member in the whole museum at the time.
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Jerry - The feed store is to be located in a planned town that is not yet built, along with several other laser-cut structures that I have already built. It will not be rail-served as it is too small at 900 scale square feet. That project won't come up until mid to late 2021 at the earliest, as my current goal is completing scenery in other places first.
Garry - Glad to read that you're feeling a little better.
Hughie - Hang on to that HO stuff. You never know when the eyes will revolt against N scale. I shudder to think what I might find in my attic, as I haven't been up there in over 25 years either.
Tom - Temperature extremes are what they are. I know that some folks like you and Guy like the colder weather, but I personally dislike bundling up. Right now on November 7, I am still in shorts and tee shirts when I go outside. And, I never have to shovel hot air!;) The pool takes care of those triple-digit days. We do have to live with the fear of tornadoes where I am at, but I would rather that than blizzards, although we have been snowed in a few times.

Everybody have a great day and an awesome weekend.
 
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