Running Bear's August 2022 Coffee Shop


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Simple thing is to cut a1/2 inch piece from a steel tin can about 2 inches long; double it over with pliers.
Use the old draw bar as a pattern to cut out another bar, drill your holes and screw in the new bar into place.
Takes less time than ordering from the internet.
No no no, all you will achieve is the creation of a short circuit! Engine frame right rail, tender frame is left rail.
 
I have a couple more trains worked into the op session. Worked last evening on it till I got tired of standing.
I think I'll start cleaning the basement today. Lots of equipment laying around that isn't needed for the ops.
I'll typically start installing scenery if it doesn't require a lot of equipment, i.e. trees, touch up surface work, put furniture back where it belongs.
Gonna be raining today, so no reason to go outa the house.
I have to wire my final payment for my Tesla today so I can pick it up from the dealer a week Thursday. I have yet to talk to a single Tesla person over the past year about this car. Everything is either automated, (can answer) or ya have to wait half an hour or so on the phone to talk to someone. I've sent them emails, left voice mails sent online questions but no responses at all. Prolly a great car but customer interface is absolutely the worst ever.
I'm starting to wonder how service support will be. Write a letter to Tesla, wait for a response? Bring the car and drop it off then wait for a response? In the meantime, walk wherever I need to go?
 
Good morning fellow modelers, gardeners, computer non wizards, eaters of food and short circuit creators (I am a member of that club). It is 60f/15.5c degrees in the wonderful area of So. Central Wisconsin. Heading to 77f/25c. The humidity now is at 95% with a dew point of 59 degrees meaning the windows are very wet on the outside. The weather guessers said that it should be a nice dry day. I have not been able to sit on either of the decks since Thursday night when we got home. Hopefully this morning in 6 more degrees!

Not sure what the wife has planned today. She is sleeping in again today which for her is rare. Normally by now she has been in the stable over an hour. She was making those grumbling sounds that the house is too big, we spend too much, we weigh too much, we don’t see the grandkids enough, all this mainly since Friday. She is waiting for her biopsy results and is very antsy, which is understandable.

This is supposed to be the week we don’t do a day trip or overnighter. We try to go somewhere every other week even though we have gone the last 3 weeks with no break. When I asked the question yesterday she
says we don’t need to go anywhere. Yes, I am anxiously awaiting her results as much as she is.

Depending on the weather, I may cut grass for like the 3rd time since the July 4 weekend preparations. I know I cut just the east side of the driveway a few weeks ago and some trimming around the house. The maintenance log in the garage will tell me when I last mowed. The shaded areas have nice green stuff, the balance of the grass is out of dormancy and trying to green up but is scruffy looking.

Trains, some additional maintenance yesterday but it is not completed. I still have to add weight to some pieces but all couplers are the correct Kadee whisker type and all wheelsets are steel. The wife came into the room yesterday and pointed out many of the car wheels are shining, was I going to fix that? Yes, eventually! Weathering wheelsets intrigued her when I 1st started and she had mixing color suggestions. It is one of the few things not pointed out on the layout that she recognizes herself or tells me about!

enjoy the day
 
The price is O.K. but the shipping is horrendous! Should not cost any more than a first class stamp?
I would make one from a piece of plastic - any number of things could be used.
There are a lot of other drawbars listed on eBay for sale. That was just the first listing I came across. Just do a search for Mantua or Tyco drawbar and a list of listings will appear.
 
I have a couple more trains worked into the op session. Worked last evening on it till I got tired of standing.
I think I'll start cleaning the basement today. Lots of equipment laying around that isn't needed for the ops.
I'll typically start installing scenery if it doesn't require a lot of equipment, i.e. trees, touch up surface work, put furniture back where it belongs.
Gonna be raining today, so no reason to go outa the house.
I have to wire my final payment for my Tesla today so I can pick it up from the dealer a week Thursday. I have yet to talk to a single Tesla person over the past year about this car. Everything is either automated, (can answer) or ya have to wait half an hour or so on the phone to talk to someone. I've sent them emails, left voice mails sent online questions but no responses at all. Prolly a great car but customer interface is absolutely the worst ever.
I'm starting to wonder how service support will be. Write a letter to Tesla, wait for a response? Bring the car and drop it off then wait for a response? In the meantime, walk wherever I need to go?
I know when Terry put the down payment on the Roadster from Tesla she got emails back saying when production of the model starts, you will be notified. That’s it and a receipt! From what I read the Roadster is a ways off. Just a strange Company that Mr. Huckster has created.
 
The other projects keeping me away from model railroading for the moment are I had to do some work for the new driveway to be installed properly. That is filling in some potholes that formed over the pass 25 years. I also had to raise up the paver stone walkway 2 inches. That was a 3-day job in it's self. The new driveway cost $6,800.00. Good thing I'm not broke.
George

Driveway_01.JPG
Walkway_01.JPG
 
Morning Coffee Shop Peeps...
FLO, Like a couple eggs up with grits and wheat toast today, please.
A Diet DP will work fine with it. WHAT! Mel doesn't knoe how to make grits!
The world has really gone to heck!

WILLIE - thats quite a tale of the sewer backup! Lotta work - what caused it?
So many questions? Had a similar problem at the MIL's ranch last fall; finally resulted in having to call a plumber and had to dig out part of the line where a tree root must have found a leak to follow? That root was over 50 feet away from the nearest "pepper tree".

TomO - Sure hope that
Terry will be OK. Sounds as if she is worried about it?

My coffw cup must have a leak in it - dry as a bone!
I have to find my mouse - I hate tryong to do this with the whachamy callet pad!
BBL
 
I haven't posted in a while. Too busy with projects around the house. The chimney needed 8 courses of bricks removed and replaced. An extremely difficult job. I had to buy a chipping gun to remove the old bricks and fill. Get that off the roof and bring 120 new bricks & mortar up the ladder 6 bricks at a time. I knew a mason from the golf course to lay the bricks. That was $300.00 I did all the rest That included forming out a new concrete cap. I added a drip edge with some 1/4 X 1/4 inch molding glued to the form. I had to go up and down that ladder 50 times or more. On another project I bought one of those 7 X 7 Rubbermaid sheds. Not that easy to put together but got it done. I thought the plastic walls were kind of flimsy so I decided to frame the thing out with 2 X 4's.
George

View attachment 150175View attachment 150176
Daughter got something like this a week ago. She started the assembly and found that Ace was your friend and has ( so far ) made multiple trips for this or that. Masonery bit, some other fasteners and such. Wait till she finds out that she will need a hammer drill to bore the hole AND put the fastener(s) in! Hers is 10x12 and she has a pad to set it on. Idea is to get her stuff outa storage at $60 month. Wife split the cost with her. She is in Missoula and checked with the city. Should be good to go although she wanted to 'do it right' with a building permit, site inspection and all that sort of crap. Kinda gave up on that after finding out the $$$ involved. Since it is in the backyard and more or less out of sight, she is going to prod on and raise it. Only power provision is an extension cord for a single light in the thing. Don't know how well it will hold up to the extreme temp swings and wind they get there. It is somewhat protected from the elements, we will see.
 
Sound... I wish locomotive manufacturers would stop trying to make their sound recordings play every little sound you MIGHT hear a loco make.

I feel like I'm watching a movie where they overdo the sound. I can't hear the actors speak, but I can hear every little clink of a glass in the busy restaurant scene.

Is it just me? I don't want to hear the conductor burp, for crying out loud... But I would like the horn to be louder than the diesel idling. And I don't need to hear an air pump that's louder than the brake squeal.

I know, I know... I can set the volumes. But setting each CV one at a time is a very clunky interface. And what the hell is up with "automatic bell"???!!!????? I don't want my decoder to automatically start ringing the damn bell whenever I want to toot the horn. Just... stop... trying.. to... make... it... more... than.... it.... needs.... to... be.....

I just want to blow the horn.... it doesn't need to make me coffee at the same time.
 
Coffee cup is filled and mouse is found - all is right in the world, HA!
Today's weather says: Sunny and hot! 73 as we speak and looking for 97 on the upside.

George -- You have been a busy boy! It's nice to see progress being made.
I like the asphalt drive. 🙂
The chimney repair does not seem like fun. I cannot forget carrying 28 bundles of asphalt shingles up a ladder and re roofing a house 50+ years ago!
 
Good Morning All. Clear and 78°, going up to 100° today if Mother Nature cooperates with the weatherman. Right now the NWS is calling for rain, a week from today!!!

Yesterday, I did do some more mowing with the push mower while waiting for the plumbers to show up. He doesn't start real early on Sundays. And since his wife is his helper, I didn't want to offend by going into the pool. Otherwise the day was quite a waste as I was on standby to assist him with things like flushing, providing electrical service and general supervising.

Thanks for the many likes and comments about the fence post photos from yesterday; Guy, Gary, OB Ken, Hughie, Louis, Rick, Tom O, Patrick, Sherrel, Curt, Tom, Karl, Smudge, Mikey.

I didn't make it to the train shed yesterday, a sad day indeed. I won't be able to make it up today although I will get some time out there.
From the archives. Last week I showed a cardstock model of Abe Lincoln's boyhood home. I mentioned that there was a whole series of HO scale cardstock models from the Illinois Historical Association that related to Abe Lincoln, although some are a bit of a stretch. Here's two others that I have built from that series. Both are banks that are somehow connected to him.
IMG_1471.JPG

IMG_1473.JPG

I think that they are both in his hometown of Springfield.
They both need a bit of upgrading before they will be completed, but they are in their eventual homes in uncompleted layout areas. I built many structures while the train shed and layout were under construction and I am now going back through and completing many of them (areas and structures) one at a time.

Tom O - No need to feel silly about the steel coil inquiry. I learned a lot from all of the varied answers, and while I may not make any, at least I know how. Right now all of the steel coil on my layout travels in covered coil cars, but like everything else, that is subject to change.
My freight car spreadsheet has been really helpful at times. I find the maintenance records especially helpful in remembering what I have done to a car before. My records go back to 1997 and I am easily able to see when I put Kadee couplers on a car or when I added weight, etc. I also like to compare running characteristics of similar cars to see what differences I may have caused.
I had the opportunity to re-inspect every car in case I had missed any, when I moved into the train shed between 2012-2013. I upgraded the entire spreadsheet system then as well. It can now be used as a switching program that tracks cars (for ease of finding them), although I don't use that feature yet. I have about 800 freight cars logged into it.
Terry - I am just not real sure that many surge protectors do anything more than provide extra outlets.
Curt -
Willie- I feel for you. I've done one and it was enough.
I'm not sure what you are referring to, the sewer line, the fence on the model, or the icemaker replacement???
Snowbirds are not a seasonal thing here as we are too far from the coast, but they and left-coasters are moving into parts of Texas and bringing that phrase and their politics with them.
Karl - Yes indeed it was a crappy day!;) But it least it wasn't my hands in it this time.
George - That chimney job seems like quite an ordeal. Driveway looks good as does the walk. Great idea about adding the bracing to the Rubbermaid shed. I'll have to remember that. How did you make the attachments?
Louis - This plumber is close by as distances in Texas go. He's just six miles away and we pass his house every time we go anywhere. He has to drive a minimum of 30 miles to get to most of his jobs.
Ken (D&J) - I know that you posted before, but how long was the wait from the time that you ordered the Tesla? Was the payment yesterday the payment "in full"?

Today is the feast of the Feast of the Assumption for all of us Catholics, and a few other religions.
Everybody have a great Monday if that is possible for the working class. If you're the President, you're still on vacation.
 
Sound... I wish locomotive manufacturers would stop trying to make their sound recordings play every little sound you MIGHT hear a loco make.

I feel like I'm watching a movie where they overdo the sound. I can't hear the actors speak, but I can hear every little clink of a glass in the busy restaurant scene.

Is it just me? I don't want to hear the conductor burp, for crying out loud... But I would like the horn to be louder than the diesel idling. And I don't need to hear an air pump that's louder than the brake squeal.

I know, I know... I can set the volumes. But setting each CV one at a time is a very clunky interface. And what the hell is up with "automatic bell"???!!!????? I don't want my decoder to automatically start ringing the damn bell whenever I want to toot the horn. Just... stop... trying.. to... make... it... more... than.... it.... needs.... to... be.....

I just want to blow the horn.... it doesn't need to make me coffee at the same time.
Are you using JMRI?
 
Hi. It’s too wet to mow the grass yet and it’s just a tad chilly to be on either deck in shorts this morning.

Terry is up finally and was pacing. Now she is adding the University of Wisconsin Womens hockey schedule to her online calendar. She did add already this morning the Overture schedule of Broadway plays and Musicals we go see as part of subscription. Those are always for us on Thursdays and generally does not conflict with the Women’s Hockey but there is one game that is on Thursday different then the normal Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Finally she said she will add the Women’s Volleyball schedule that gee we qualified for the 1st time. There maybe be conflicts there with the Hockey and we want to know early enough. Also, this lets us schedule out travel times.

The grandson told his parents he wants to play with his regular season ice hockey age group as did 2 other teammates tell their parents last week. All 3 were moved up together in age and levels before Christmas 2021. The little guy said he wants to have fun and enjoy the game. Ok, an 8 year old going on 20?! Good for him and no I had nothing to do with it. But, I tremendously approve. Seems the 3 got together at the daily Park and Rec program and made a group decision. The daughter told me yesterday when they registered this week the league said they can’t move back. But, reason prevailed as the 2 coaches from his teams last regular season told the league that yes that was part of the agreement to move them up last year, the choice to go back. From what the daughter says parents from both teams and levels are already ticked and texted her so! She said she could give a crap ( I cleaned her language up) what the others say.

Funny though, the same 3, gd/son and 2 friends one male on female and all 8 going to be 9 play on a soccer team and are playing in the next age bracket and level. But they say they are having fun.

Great news, while typing this Terry got a call from the oncologist’s nurse. Everything negative. Blue pill time hopefully, bye
 
Good Morning All. Clear and 78°, going up to 100° today if Mother Nature cooperates with the weatherman. Right now the NWS is calling for rain, a week from today!!!

Yesterday, I did do some more mowing with the push mower while waiting for the plumbers to show up. He doesn't start real early on Sundays. And since his wife is his helper, I didn't want to offend by going into the pool. Otherwise the day was quite a waste as I was on standby to assist him with things like flushing, providing electrical service and general supervising.

Thanks for the many likes and comments about the fence post photos from yesterday; Guy, Gary, OB Ken, Hughie, Louis, Rick, Tom O, Patrick, Sherrel, Curt, Tom, Karl, Smudge, Mikey.

I didn't make it to the train shed yesterday, a sad day indeed. I won't be able to make it up today although I will get some time out there.
From the archives. Last week I showed a cardstock model of Abe Lincoln's boyhood home. I mentioned that there was a whole series of HO scale cardstock models from the Illinois Historical Association that related to Abe Lincoln, although some are a bit of a stretch. Here's two others that I have built from that series. Both are banks that are somehow connected to him.
View attachment 150204
View attachment 150205
I think that they are both in his hometown of Springfield.
They both need a bit of upgrading before they will be completed, but they are in their eventual homes in uncompleted layout areas. I built many structures while the train shed and layout were under construction and I am now going back through and completing many of them (areas and structures) one at a time.

Tom O - No need to feel silly about the steel coil inquiry. I learned a lot from all of the varied answers, and while I may not make any, at least I know how. Right now all of the steel coil on my layout travels in covered coil cars, but like everything else, that is subject to change.
My freight car spreadsheet has been really helpful at times. I find the maintenance records especially helpful in remembering what I have done to a car before. My records go back to 1997 and I am easily able to see when I put Kadee couplers on a car or when I added weight, etc. I also like to compare running characteristics of similar cars to see what differences I may have caused.
I had the opportunity to re-inspect every car in case I had missed any, when I moved into the train shed between 2012-2013. I upgraded the entire spreadsheet system then as well. It can now be used as a switching program that tracks cars (for ease of finding them), although I don't use that feature yet. I have about 800 freight cars logged into it.
Terry - I am just not real sure that many surge protectors do anything more than provide extra outlets.
Curt -

I'm not sure what you are referring to, the sewer line, the fence on the model, or the icemaker replacement???
Snowbirds are not a seasonal thing here as we are too far from the coast, but they and left-coasters are moving into parts of Texas and bringing that phrase and their politics with them.
Karl - Yes indeed it was a crappy day!;) But it least it wasn't my hands in it this time.
George - That chimney job seems like quite an ordeal. Driveway looks good as does the walk. Great idea about adding the bracing to the Rubbermaid shed. I'll have to remember that. How did you make the attachments?
Louis - This plumber is close by as distances in Texas go. He's just six miles away and we pass his house every time we go anywhere. He has to drive a minimum of 30 miles to get to most of his jobs.
Ken (D&J) - I know that you posted before, but how long was the wait from the time that you ordered the Tesla? Was the payment yesterday the payment "in full"?

Today is the feast of the Feast of the Assumption for all of us Catholics, and a few other religions.
Everybody have a great Monday if that is possible for the working class. If you're the President, you're still on vacation.
Willie, nice bank. I know I took pictures of a couple banks in Springfield that Lincoln supposedly banked at. I have quite a few washed out shots and I cant find it.

here is Abe’s last office cleaned up but the door on the left was the entrance. Reception on the ground floor partners on 2nd floor.
5E80056A-FD52-47B8-B3AC-0BEC265562CB.jpeg
 
I placed my order for the Tesla about a year ago. They want the remaining payment in full before the delivery date which is 25 Aug. I'm not clear on how they want me to link my bank account to them to transfer the money. Never have felt comfortable about doing that. I've been tryin to get ahold of them most of last week to see if a cashier's check would be OK if I hand delivered it to their store, but now, I'm running out of time for it to clear before the 25th.
 
Terry - I am just not real sure that many surge protectors do anything more than provide extra outlets.

You need something like this to get real protection:


I bought a couple back in the late 90s. Still soldiering on.
 
As an ex truck driver, coils like those mentioned were not covered, as they would be taken to the buyers factory for final processing, they would be offloaded into a open storage area till required, anything from 2/3 days to possibly months, depending on orders recieved and the manufacturing rate for whatever they produced.

I frequently took similar loads to East Germany, where the factory produced various types of automotive springs.
I always thought that stuff had to be protected to prevent rusting. Shows how much I know.....
 
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