Running Bear's April 2020 Coffee Shop

[Beady]

Willie, this made me think of you.

I don't know how to figure the local infection/death rate. I know we're in one of the state's hot spots (although nothing at all as bad as Detroit), but Lansing spills over into two other counties. As of yesterday, though, the state had 31k cases and 2,500 dead (those numbers will be updated in another couple of hours) and almost all are in the southern 1/3 of the lower peninsula. Folks north of that line don't want us southerners to flee north to seasonal homes, bringing the plague with us. I've noticed the daily increase in deaths can range between 65 and 125, mainly because a lot of jurisdictions don't report over the weekend.

I've tried wearing a bandanna, but found it too hard to breath (I'm the one with COPD), so I've got some masks coming in the mail (although I don't see what the difference would be). In the meantime, the wife (with the compromised immune system) is the one who has to go inside places if it's going to be an extended visit. Luckily, the pharmacy has a drive-thru and the local grocery is small with comparatively few people at a time. The temp is 55 and it's sunny so maybe I can get out for a walk.

 

[kjd]

It's another sunny day in the Covid Capitol of Oregon, day 38. Maybe let the doves out the day after tomorrow?

I'm glad to hear you are all staying safe and avoiding the flooding and weather. McLoed, here's a video of a Canadian recreational camping in the highway median, just a little south of you, halfway between Leaman and Wildwood just off the eastbound 16. Pretty isolated actually.

You can occasionally hear trains going by in the background. The crossing they whistle for is just under a kilometer away.

Here's the SDP40 update, I finished the steps on the other side and added grab irons and sandfiller to hood end and lift bar and MU hose holders to the pilot.

I'm off to do some painting. Not trains, the stairwell banisters.

 

[Bruette]

Cannon Street railway bridge, about 1923. Railway lines crossing the River Thames, London. Constructed between 1863 and 1866, Cannon Street Railway Bridge was built to transport trains over the river to Cannon Street station on the north bank.

 

[PRR Modeler]

Afternoon All,

Started out with some chores then got about 1/2 off the windows installed on the walls. I have 14 more to install on 2 walls. MOH made caramel pecan rolls which are yummy. I received my MB Klein order today with the last of the risers, new bridge bents and stone bridge piers. I needed new ones because the height is changing from 2" to 4". I should finish installing the windows tomorrow.

Sherrel- Thanks for the offer, but I'll get a sample from the ebay site.

Willie- Good looking buildings. Glad the hot water was a simple fix.

Karl- That blows!

James- Nice job on the laundry room.

Garry- Great layout shots.

Joe- Nice photo. You're right it's tempting to get ahead of yourself while doing a project.

Guy- It looks like you're making progress on the flat car. Are you going to do brake components and piping? I look forward to seeing your depot build.

Louis- Nice photos.

Paul- Very nice modeling on the diesel.





I hope everyone has a good night.

 

[McLeod]

McLoed, here's a video of a Canadian recreational camping in the highway median, just a little south of you, halfway between Leaman and Wildwood just off the eastbound 16. Pretty isolated actually.

An interesting video, Paul. I am very well familiar with that area in Yellowhead County. Filled up many times at Nojack Service before it closed, and mowed 1180kms of their road right-of-ways when I was in the business. That camping spot would be about 70km due south of my front door.
I have to say, that you have done a masterful job on those steps. Hats off to your modeling skills.

Today,the wife took me shopping. Due to restrictions, I let her go into the store alone, while I did some rail-fanning in our small CN yard. Took lots of photos, which I will eventually post, but, with moderation. The first photo to post shows our small yard with the main and three spurs, and a town transit bus crossing the tracks to the west. In the distance, you can see the rail bridge crossing the McLeod River.

I will post more photos later. Got to go now, to see a women about some contract work. Even though I'm retired, people are wanting to hire me all the time.

All Have a Great Day
Guy

Curt - I just saw you're message. No, I'm not adding brakes. The Tichy instructions say they cannot be seen on this car, which is why the components are not included in the kit.

 

[Sirfoldalot]

Got to go now, to see a women about some contract work. Even though I'm retired, people are wanting to hire me all the time.

Nice photo - cool that you got the bus in the photo.
Sure wish I had women wanting to hire me all the time (sigh) -- there was a time, LOL.

That depot is going to be a great model!

 

[kjd]

Cannon Street railway bridge, about 1923. Railway lines crossing the River Thames, London. Constructed between 1863 and 1866, Cannon Street Railway Bridge was built to transport trains over the river to Cannon Street station on the north bank.
View attachment 46866

Have you seen Tim Warris (Fast Tracks guy) and his Bronx Terminal? He could do it. I like how they made the most of their space by including the one dead end spur right in the middle.

 

[NYC_George]

Blood tests tomorrow and the hospital is almost empty since there's no elective surgeries or visitors. Next week I have to go to the larger hospital in a Milwaukee suburb which will have few people as well.

Received an email from our doctor's group yesterday saying we are open if anyone needs to make an appointment. I guess no one going?
George

 

[chadbag]

In the distance, you can see the rail bridge crossing the McLeod River.

Cool -- you have your own river!






[yes, I realize your/his screen name is probably taken from his geographical location]

 

[Espeefan]

Good Morning. Same shit, different day. My son brought his Dodge Durango over yesterday afternoon because his wife, who drives it noticed a small puddle of coolant under the car. I have the pump to pressure test the cooling system and it ended up just being a loose hose clamp.

Alan - If you're getting a lot of brake dust on your wheels, you're using the brakes too much. View attachment 46856 My Buick still has it's original brake pads on after almost 70.000 miles although I will be replacing them when I change over from winter to summer tires.

BZZZZZZZT!!! (Game show host voice) Sorry, wrong answer! Oh dear! Isn't that a shame ladies and gentlemen? And he was doing so well too. Thanks for playing! Let's give him a hand for being a good sport, and send him home with a consolation prize: The home version of our game!!! (applause)

But seriously...I changed them out at 97,000 miles, more because of the dust, than because of wear. Since it's a northern car it got all new calipers as well. I did the 100,000 mile service a little early. Even though it's a sportscar, I drive it pretty gently. It's just whatever compound they use. Very long service life, very good stopping power, tons of filth, but only on the fronts. At 115,000 miles, the ceramics still look brand new, and no dust. If you should happen to hit the brakes hard, it's like the hand of God reaching down and grabbing the car. They're awesome.

 

[Alcomotive]

Good Morning gang!
49° and cloudy, but heading to 60° later?

Beginning week 5 of of our isolation, our counties Corona score is 313 cases, 12 recovered and 27 deaths. Most of the deaths occurred at a single nursing home. The shop is still open, but business is awful slow and the senior techs and I have all taken leave until this thing blows over (we're all in the 58-62 age range).

Garry, Willie, great layout shots, keep em coming.

Toot, I sometimes wonder if MRL realizes that they have such a fan on the other side of the world!

Patrick, it sounds like you got quite the workout yesterday!

Alan, sorry to hear about the decal woes. Years ago I started keeping mine in plastic sheet protector sleeve, in a 3 ring binder, in a desk drawer below my workbench.. I've got decals that are 15-20 years old now, and still useable. If I suspect cracking, Testors make a clear decal bonder spray that may save the day for you.

Boris, keep the pics coming. I used to railfan the NEC when I was married to the 1st wife. her grandparents lived along the Bush river so after a very filling Sunday dinner, me and my FIL would take a walk down to the foot of the Bush river bridge and railfan. Grandpa also had a speedboat and we would waterski on the river. Once waterskiing, the ex drove the boat through the bridge piers with me on skis. (instead of through the draw span, where you're supposed to go!) Yes, I made it, and I told her if she EVER did that to me again, we were done! In hindsight, I should have been done then.
View attachment 46858

Anyhoo, back to the projects for today, brass GP15 paint, Whitcomb 65 tonner paint, rewire and decoder install, and Snowman's rig needs some detailing and decals on the truck.
So far....
View attachment 46860

Thats it for now, catch ya on the flip side !

Sheriff Buford T. Justice don't forget his squad car!

 

[Burlington Bob]

I used to be able to get my wife to laugh real hard by imitating his way of saying sumbi@$#&!

 

[Bruette]

Have you seen Tim Warris (Fast Tracks guy) and his Bronx Terminal? He could do it. I like how they made the most of their space by including the one dead end spur right in the middle.

I had not seen the Bronx Terminal, but I have now thank you!

 

[bnsf971]

Good morning. It's 45 and clear.

 

[CambriaArea51]

Good morning....44 and rain. Looks to be a cold rainy week ahead.

 

[Bruette]

BZZZZZZZT!!! (Game show host voice) Sorry, wrong answer! Oh dear! Isn't that a shame ladies and gentlemen? And he was doing so well too. Thanks for playing! Let's give him a hand for being a good sport, and send him home with a consolation prize: The home version of our game!!! (applause)

But seriously...I changed them out at 97,000 miles, more because of the dust, than because of wear. Since it's a northern car it got all new calipers as well. I did the 100,000 mile service a little early. Even though it's a sportscar, I drive it pretty gently. It's just whatever compound they use. Very long service life, very good stopping power, tons of filth, but only on the fronts. At 115,000 miles, the ceramics still look brand new, and no dust. If you should happen to hit the brakes hard, it's like the hand of God reaching down and grabbing the car. They're awesome.

Alan, I can say with all certainty; if you get 100,000 (97,000 is close enough) miles out of a set of brakes, it's the driver not the brakes. You sir are an excellent driver!

In your case Alan, the excessive dust was probably caused by the pads, they were never meant to go 100,000 miles and probably began to slowly deteriorate due to age and exposer.

Sports cars by nature need to have the highest quality brake parts, but exposer to time, the unavoidable heat in any and all brakes systems, combined with exposer to the elements can diminish anything.

Replacing the calipers was a great idea, but even metal rotors can brake down over time, exposer to heat and the elements. Especially all these composite metals we use today.

Road salt, ozone, air temperature and many other factors are all apart of that exposer. Extreme low air temperatures, rain/snow/ice, road salt and hot brakes create a hostile environment for metals and other materials.

I'm going to guess your car is about 10 years old? I'd keep an eye open for more brake dust. If you are driving the car the same as you always have and you see excessive brake dust accumulate you probably should have replaced the rotors as well. If you do have to replace the rotors, replace the pads again or sand the surface of each pad very carefully with a fine grit sand paper. If it were me I would just pull the wheels, check and clean the brakes and do so every 10 to 20 thousand miles or until the brakes feel strange or wear out.

Brake dust in general terms, It's unavoidable in some cases. It can mean a lot of things, like Chet said and the most common cause can be overuse/misuse. It can be the pad themselves, wrong application, cheap pads... or a poor surface on the rotors, even sticky calipers. As I just covered, age can also be a factor.

The only thing brake dust tells me with any certainty; pull the wheels and check the brakes.

Tip for the day; Always keep an eye on the brake fluid reservoir. It can be an indicator of brake pad/shoe wear. Brake fluid should not evaporate and leaks are always bad! The level should only drop as the pads/shoes wear. Checking the fluid level is not a substitute for pulling the wheels.

 

[Bruette]

Good morning Everybody!

All I managed to do yesterday was go to the store for my Mom and I. I did enjoy my day because my wife was home with me. I enjoy everyday, but it's always better with my Angel.

We watched Steven King's new movie "It" it was ok. My wife loves Steven King's books, but she said the movies are never as good.

I tried to read a Steven King Book once. I was in the hospital recovering from viral pneumonia. My Ex-wife gave Steven King's book "The Stand" I did not make it through the first chapter before I donated it to the hospital library cart lady. Luckily my sister had given me a huge world history book that kept me occupied. I read it several times.

Yesterday morning my wife asked me "what do you want for breakfast" I told her I plan on eating my sliced ham for breakfast, lunch and dinner! I loved it! I'm waiting to see how my gout reacts, so far so good. Time for more ham for breakfast!

Have a great day Everybody!

PS thin sliced ham and French's yellow mustard are a gift from God, thank you God! Mayonnaise isn't bad either, got to have some variety. Throw in a dill pickle and life can't get any better!

 

[bnsf971]

Tip for the day; Always keep an eye on the brake fluid reservoir. It can be an indicator of brake pad/shoe wear. Brake fluid should not evaporate and leaks are always bad! The level should only drop as the pads/shoes wear. Checking the fluid level is not a substitute for pulling the wheels.

A fun little tidbit is, most modern vehicles contain enough fluid in the brake reservoir to provide fluid for the full travel of the calipers before it runs out. As a general rule, if the brake fluid level warning light comes on, it is probably time to replace the pads. When you replace the pads, open the bleeders so the old, used fluid doesn't get pushed back up into all the delicate ABS stuff. That will damage it, and replacements are expensive. Fill the reservoir with fresh fluid after you've replaced the pads, and continue on.

 

[Espeefan]

Alan, I can say with all certainty; if you get 100,000 (97,000 is close enough) miles out of a set of brakes, it's the driver not the brakes. You sir are an excellent driver!

In your case Alan, the excessive dust was probably caused by the pads, they were never meant to go 100,000 miles and probably began to slowly deteriorate due to age and exposer.

Sports cars by nature need to have the highest quality brake parts, but exposer to time, the unavoidable heat in any and all brakes systems, combined with exposer to the elements can diminish anything.

Replacing the calipers was a great idea, but even metal rotors can brake down over time, exposer to heat and the elements. Especially all these composite metals we use today.

Road salt, ozone, air temperature and many other factors are all apart of that exposer. Extreme low air temperatures, rain/snow/ice, road salt and hot brakes create a hostile environment for metals and other materials.

I'm going to guess your car is about 10 years old? I'd keep an eye open for more brake dust. If you are driving the car the same as you always have and you see excessive brake dust accumulate you probably should have replaced the rotors as well. If you do have to replace the rotors, replace the pads again or sand the surface of each pad very carefully with a fine grit sand paper. If it were me I would just pull the wheels, check and clean the brakes and do so every 10 to 20 thousand miles or until the brakes feel strange or wear out.

Brake dust in general terms, It's unavoidable in some cases. It can mean a lot of things, like Chet said and the most common cause can be overuse/misuse. It can be the pad themselves, wrong application, cheap pads... or a poor surface on the rotors, even sticky calipers. As I just covered, age can also be a factor.

The only thing brake dust tells me with any certainty; pull the wheels and check the brakes.

Tip for the day; Always keep an eye on the brake fluid reservoir. It can be an indicator of brake pad/shoe wear. Brake fluid should not evaporate and leaks are always bad! The level should only drop as the pads/shoes wear. Checking the fluid level is not a substitute for pulling the wheels.

Thanks Louis. A couple things you should know: Though currently a white collar professional, I spent many years as a mechanic, starting as a shade tree, and moving on to paid work on everything from cars to jet aircraft. I ain't no spring chicken!

The Crossfire is basically a Mercedes 320 SLK platform, with a different body. It's a 2006. I bought it in 2009 with 14,000 miles on it. It was actually still under warranty. August will be our 11th anniversary. It's a 6 speed, powerful enough, and fun to drive. It'll cruise at 80 mph all day and not break a sweat, and the walk to 100 mph is a short one, though I've only done that once or twice. I kind of had to you understand. It tops out at 155 mph. I've never done that, I just happen to know that's where Mercedes set the computer and governor. With just a couple of exceptions I've always taken care of the car myself. Crossfires are tough. Chrysler doesn't really know what to do with them, and Mercedes will only work on the engine. The clutch is also original equipment. I fit winter tires on it or it wouldn't be drivable here in the Wisconsin winter, so the brakes get inspected twice a year.

Brake dust has always been an issue with these cars, as I confirmed through several owners forums. We are a smallish group and share a lot of information, as parts are starting to become scarce and it's getting to be more of a challenge to keep them running. I didn't attempt to turn the rotors, as I was replacing them anyway, but I believe they are one shot. In the never ceasing quest to reduce weight lots of newer cars have these one shot rotors. There's nothing to turn. They're just too thin. Being it's a Mercedes under the skin I have lots of electronic "nannies" to pester me about service and critical systems, but I've never needed them. It's been a good car, and I intend to keep on truckin' with it.

 

[Bruette]

Here is a copy of something I posted on Facebook.

"A week or so ago a Facebook friend asked me to post 10 albums that have influenced my musical taste, or something like that. I was supposed to post 1 album a day, I think. Truth is I didn’t pay much attention.
I did start to think about those albums sometimes when a song would come up on my music player that reminded me.
Being the committed nonconformist, I am (I've been told I don't play well with others) and the fact that I don’t think I have ever been on Facebook for 10 straight days I decided to post all 10 albums at once. In no particular order.
Also, I’m not challenging anyone to do anything. Rock hard and live free!
PS I probably could have picked any of another 20 or more albums for this list, but I picked these. I've already wasted enough time with this.

"