Running Bear's April 2020 Coffee Shop


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Just to clarify some of what I posted earlier.

My wife will be "clean" and cannot touch anything that we have brought home. The only time she can touch something is after she has wiped it down. While I'm holding something to be wiped down by my wife, she only touches it with the paper towel soaked in bleach water with only one hand. AFTER she wipes it, I set it down and she can handle it with her other hand while she cleans the area I was touching. I CANNOT touch the item now, because I'm contaminated and it's clean. She places it in the tote. After the items are in the tote, I have to wash my hands for at least 20 seconds, then I'm considered clean and will not recontaminate anything. Then I'm free to help put them away.

I don't want anyone to skip a step and recontaminate something if you try this method. If you have any questions or suggestions, I'll answer them! Be safe!
Sounds good,but how do you handle the dirtiest germ fill thing on earth. Money. I've used my debit card more so than ever cutting back on handling cash but it can't be avoided. I either sanitize or wash my hands as soon as I can.
 
Happy Lunch Time! Another rainy day in Jersey. They finally released yesterdays local Corona figures for the Township. 491, +13 from the previous report. Wonder what the numbers show, after the parks and golf courses open...

Hi David, welcome back.

Willie: The street scenes only get better. Not for nothing, your layout is better than some featured in the magazines.

Bob, Patrick and Sherrel: They are all the same. Goes back to that "Sugar and Spice"

Louis: Easy to lose a day when quarantined. Sherrel does it frequently💥

According to the Episcopal Church calendar, today is Sarah Josepha Buell Hale, ( 10/24/1788 - 4/30/1879 ), Day. Sarah was an author and poet, best known for the Nursery Rhyme "Mary Had a Little lamb" She was also an advocate of a National Celebration of Thanksgiving, and a co-founder of Vassar. Just thought I would share that. This is what happens when one is sequestered for seven weeks and counting...🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️:eek::eek::eek::eek:.

Shark in Billboard Scheme South Amboy 0-28-1963.jpg


Shark on Pit Track at South Amboy 1963. The Sharks replaced the k4s in 1957, and were replaced by a variety of diesels in 1964. By 1966, the power on the PRR trains on the NY&LB were powered by EMD E7s and E8s., the run through to Exchange Place in jersey City was eliminated, and the engine changes formerly divided between South Amboy and Rahway, were consolidated at South Amboy. In 1969, the Aldine Plan mover CNJ passenger trains destined for the Shore to PRR trackage between Hudson (Harrison) and Woodbridge, which remained unchanged until NJT took over in 1983.
 
Sounds good,but how do you handle the dirtiest germ fill thing on earth. Money. I've used my debit card more so than ever cutting back on handling cash but it can't be avoided. I either sanitize or wash my hands as soon as I can.

This article in Wired Magazine is from 2016, but it's still relevant and interesting. Sweden is working hard on getting rid of cash and going to an all digital economy. The article delves into how it works, and the many challenges it brings with it.

 
The biggest thing holding back European locomotives from the US market (especially in passenger service -- not really going to compete in non-electrified freight) are the US safety standards which require big heavy adjustments to be made to the locomotive. As the European safety standards have progressed, you are seeing efforts to accept locomotives in the US based on European ones.

Amtrak would have been running ICE trains in the corridor had it not been for the safety standards, but after Chase MD, and the more recent Frankford Jct. wreck, there is no hope that these standards will be relaxed.

The reason that European manufacturers even got their foot in the door, was the inception of Amtrak, and the lobbying that took place both before Amtrak with the Metroliner, and after Amtrak with the E-60-CP and MA models, resulted in unreliable or unstable locomotives / trainsets, which performed well as designed, but not up to promises and expectations. An off the shelf, 60 MPH freight motor, will not work as a successful 150MPH passenger locomotive. A 75mph off the shelf EMU will not perform well at 160 MPH. Political pressure resulted in something not quite ready for prime time. Then dividing the propulsion between two competitors, rather than using the best possible system available sealed the fate of the US passenger equipment industry.

The other factor is private sector demands, vs. public sector development in Europe.
 
Louis - As long as unemployment insurance is as generous as it is right now, very few folks are going to take those jobs that your wife has open. Let's see; $11/hour times 40 hrs/week = $440. Feds are kicking in $600/week on top of state unemployment insurance. Duh! Tax-free no less! A definite roadblock to economic recovery!
...

Willie, you make a valid point as is often the case.

There are things unemployment does not provide. The opportunity for advancement, on the job training and more.

Many years ago I was in the United Paper Workers Union. The job was so close to where I lived I could have walked to work. It was good pay, excellent benefits and a gravy job. A bell would ring every hour on the hour for a 5 minute break. Eleven days after my first daughter was born I got laid off. I did as they recommended and went straight to the unemployment office.

Before I received my first unemployment check I had already found another job. Not the best job and it was more than 20 miles each way. It was part-time, no benefits, but all the hours I wanted to work. Ten hours a day, seven days a week if I wanted and I did, often more! The pay sucked compared to what I was making, but all the overtime got me close. The job was washing trucks on third shift for Ryder Truck Rental.

When the Litho. Co., called me back I turned them down. Ryder guaranteed I could keep working over time and after 6 months I would have a raise and benefits. That first 6 months was hard. Washing trucks in an open bay through the dead of winter was less than fun. The antique steamer pump kept me warm when I was washing, but I was soaking wet from all the overspray and leaks in the thing. I would leave work with frozen clothes. I thawed out on the way home and then I was really cold, even with the heat on! Many days I stayed over to cover for people who had called out. I worked so many extra shifts Ryder gave me extra uniforms. I think they felt sorry for me working the fuel Island in soaking wet clothes.

Turned out to be the best decision I ever made. I advanced quickly, in less than 1 year I was the district tire maintenance manager. I made contacts with people who would help me as advisors and technical experts for many years to come. Ryder had only five T-5 mechanics in their entire nationwide system and I had one on speed dial as my advisor, Tom Fick. He never once asked for or willingly excepted any pay for his consultation. God Bless you Tom, I miss you buddy.

Free training provided for me from Michelin, Goodyear, Bandag, Ford, GM, International, Cummings, Dryden and later working for General Tire and Firestone was also a big help. I can't leave out Microsoft and Intel, they were a tremendous help in a later venture. I never turned down a chance for free or low cost training. Even if I had to pay my own expenses. MacDonald's, 7-11 and Motel 6 are everywhere, you can always eat and sleep cheap.

That, what many said "crappy job" later enabled me to make well over 6 figures as an independent industrial mechanic. I would have never come close as Union Paper Worker. I reinvested in all the money I made, in myself and diversified. A plethora of all sorts of sales and services. My own brand of private label computers, I produced and published my own website. NFLfan.com. You name it I probably made a profit in it, as long as it was legal and ethical.

All because I decided not to take unemployment.

Crisis presents problems, but it also can provide opportunity if you are willing to work hard, that's the American way!
 
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Good morning gang!

Cool, windy and raining outside, I see lots of sticks in the yard for picking up this weekend. I stick is about 12 ft long with leaves on it, off of our big Maple tree.

Today is a basement day, the wife is in the spare bedroom/office/craft area making face masks. I hear the hum of the sewing machine, and occasional grumbling, kinda like me!

BBob, Wife has been using a grocery service called Instacart, since this all started. You do your grocery list online, and someone else shops it. If the store is out of an item, they will text you with possible replacements to approve. It has worked out really well. We have them instructed to leave it outside the garage door, of if its raining like today, just inside the garage bay door. SWMBO then goes out and decontaminates the items, then places them in a "clean" laundry basket, and brings them inside.

Tom, Money is easy, EVERYTHING goes on the bank card, gas, food, etc. I've got money in my wallets that hasn't seen daylight since before the virus!

Working on the last engine for another party today, hopefully it will be done by tomorrow. I've already crossed them off my list of 21 projects. 10 years ago there we maybe 6 project locomotives to do, now 21,, that's not progress is it!!🤷‍♂️
 
You are preaching to the choir brother! LOLOL!!

Yep! My wife is an Angel, she never bats an eye or says a discouraging word about my purchases, but any train outside of my playpen has to have special approval. I have the ok for my front porch layout, as long as it's not too noisy. I have been granted special temporary permission to leave my tracks in place after Christmas in the family room, but I know better than to even ask about the living room or dinning room.

I do get to have a Polar Express set under the Christmas tree in the living room! :)
 
Cash money, oh yeah I remember that. I've all but replaced cash with plastic. I can't remember the last item I used cash. I love cash back rewards, but I never actually see the cash. :)

My little Angel, my wife works with cash everyday in her retail store. I worry and pray for her, any prayers would be appreciated.

The good news is, she wears an N95 mask, all day, never taking it off. She is amazingly diligent about not touching her face and she is in perfect health.

I don't know how she does it. I work a couple hours for Amazon, we have to wear a mask at the station and while making deliveries. No sooner than I put on the mask, my nose is running, eyes are itching and my reading glasses steam up! As soon as I get back into my van off comes the mask.

My saving grace is the hand sanitizer I keep in the truck.
 
<RIVETCOUNTING>Actually Karl, they look like GP38's without the "dash". The -2's had their radiator fans spaced closely together, while their predecessors had a ~12-15" gap between the two fans [like the ones in the photos do].</RIVETCOUNTING>
More rivets. Many people don't know this but EMD actually stood for Every Model Different. GP38s did have the fans spaced farther apart but so did early GP38-2s. Here are a couple examples, first is an ex SLSF GP38-2 built March 1972. Well, the prototype was but I changed the fan spacing and radiator grills to match. Here it is after we got snow and freezing rain.
DSC_0227x1000.jpg


Next is a newer GP38-2 built November 1974, again the prototype. You can see the fans are much closer together. Other differences include newer style trucks, an anticlimber and different exhaust manifold. You can see the 2344 third in the consist.
44SS850057.jpg


To confuse things slightly, early GP39-2s look very similar to the GP38-s except instead of 2 or 4 exhaust stacks it has one turbo exhaust stack where the air filter box bump is on the GP38-2.

MRL and BN are two roads that stencil the model on the locomotive.

Regarding Sweden going all electronic, I actually prefer cash and keeping my own records. It's not possible any more in our society but if I had a choice.....
 
According to the Episcopal Church calendar, today is Sarah Josepha Buell Hale, ( 10/24/1788 - 4/30/1879 ), Day. Sarah was an author and poet, best known for the Nursery Rhyme "Mary Had a Little lamb" She was also an advocate of a National Celebration of Thanksgiving, and a co-founder of Vassar. Just thought I would share that. This is what happens when one is sequestered for seven weeks and counting...🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️:eek::eek::eek::eek:.

I didn't know that - everyday, I learn something new - If I could make it to 10,000 then I might be pretty knowledgeable.

Louis: Easy to lose a day when quarantined. Sherrel does it frequently💥

JOE -- sometimes I can lose a whole week! :eek::p:p
Fortunately, I showed up a day early several times for work, but somehow I never was a day late!
What bothers me these days plagued my father during his latter years: Standing in front of the urinal at a McDonald's one day, he turned to me and said, " you know - I spend 1/2 of my day trying to remember a person's name -- and the other half looking for a place to P".
 
Amtrak would have been running ICE trains in the corridor had it not been for the safety standards, but after Chase MD, and the more recent Frankford Jct. wreck, there is no hope that these standards will be relaxed.

It is not about them being relaxed. The European safety standards have gotten a lot more strict since the 90s and ICE and are probably akin to ours in end effect, but often the way to get there is different. (Ie, bolting on a million tons of extra heavy duty steel may not be the only solution to reach a given standard [standards written as end results vs how-you-get-there standards])

There is effort underway to allow Euro standards (most recent/newest compatible standards) to be allowed in the US for some classes of locomotives/EMU/DMU (someone in another forum posted a link a while back that was interesting -- unfortunately I can't find it at the moment).

The reason that European manufacturers even got their foot in the door, was the inception of Amtrak, and the lobbying that took place both before Amtrak with the Metroliner, and after Amtrak with the E-60-CP and MA models, resulted in unreliable or unstable locomotives / trainsets, which performed well as designed, but not up to promises and expectations. An off the shelf, 60 MPH freight motor, will not work as a successful 150MPH passenger locomotive. A 75mph off the shelf EMU will not perform well at 160 MPH. Political pressure resulted in something not quite ready for prime time. Then dividing the propulsion between two competitors, rather than using the best possible system available sealed the fate of the US passenger equipment industry.

The other factor is private sector demands, vs. public sector development in Europe.

Yeah there are economic and political differences. Some of those are now lining up (use established technology vs do it ourselves leading to economic savings is a factor now-a-days). A lot of this I think is still underway and may not happen (based on the link I read a while back that I cannot find now).

If you look at the ALP-46 and ALP-46a, even though they are based on the Br101, they are significantly heavier. A lot of extra steel was added to support the relevant safety standards of the time. Also, the BR101 transformers etc are heavier and bulkier than what we need here since they run at a lot lower frequency (like 16.7 Hz) so the safety steel is probably more than the difference in weights between the two (discounting other changes made that may not make a lot of eight difference) since the heavier transformers make up some of the difference. That extra weight makes things more expansive to run (more mass to move) so I think the efforts to try and harmonize the safety standards has the bean counters in the political class behind it to lower costs.
 
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Afternoon All,

Spent most the day putting on 3 tab shingles until I ran out (laser art). I looked online in about 10 places for them and found 1 seller on eBay that had them (of course for a markup) but I need them to finish the job. My local hobby shop carries them but alas they are closed. I also sprayed the parts for the conveyor which is the next step.

Chad- Interesting photos.

Joe- Thank you. Nice shark photos. I wish I could get that patina on mine.

Willie- Nice scenes.

David- Good to see you posting again. I hope everything is OK your way.

Paul- Nice looking locos. Nice modeling.

Needs weathering obviously.

20200430_140146_copy_1612x1209.jpg

I hope everyone has a good night.
 
My Wife's retail store has been understaffed due to the availability of warm bodies to fill positions. We thought that would change with all the new unemployment applications, but no. There is still of shortage of people applying for jobs. It's not a bad job, flexible hours, full time, health care, vacation, sick days and starts at $11/hour and lots of available overtime, but still not enough applicants.

I made $13.75 an hour in 1983. That could be part of the problem.

Sounds good,but how do you handle the dirtiest germ fill thing on earth. Money. I've used my debit card more so than ever cutting back on handling cash but it can't be avoided. I either sanitize or wash my hands as soon as I can.

We have EVERYTHING set up to be paid by credit card. Never late and we get cash back on everything! I thought about getting a stash of cash to have on hand before Captain Trips went on the rampage, but never got it done. Just as well, we have used cash one time since the middle of March.

Willie, you make a valid point as is often the case.

There are things unemployment does not provide. The opportunity for advancement, on the job training and more.

Many years ago I was in the United Paper Workers Union. The job was so close to where I lived I could have walked to work. It was good pay, excellent benefits and a gravy job. A bell would ring every hour on the hour for a 5 minute break. Eleven days after my first daughter was born I got laid off. I did as they recommended and went straight to the unemployment office.

Before I received my first unemployment check I had already found another job. Not the best job and it was more than 20 miles each way. It was part-time, no benefits, but all the hours I wanted to work. Ten hours a day, seven days a week if I wanted and I did, often more! The pay sucked compared to what I was making, but all the overtime got me close. The job was washing trucks on third shift for Ryder Truck Rental.

When the Litho. Co., called me back I turned them down. Ryder guaranteed I could keep working over time and after 6 months I would have a raise and benefits. That first 6 months was hard. Washing trucks in an open bay through the dead of winter was less than fun. The antique steamer pump kept me warm when I was washing, but I was soaking wet from all the overspray and leaks in the thing. I would leave work with frozen clothes. I thawed out on the way home and then I was really cold, even with the heat on! Many days I stayed over to cover for people who had called out. I worked so many extra shifts Ryder gave me extra uniforms. I think they felt sorry for me working the fuel Island in soaking wet clothes.

Turned out to be the best decision I ever made. I advanced quickly, in less than 1 year I was the district tire maintenance manager. I made contacts with people who would help me as advisors and technical experts for many years to come. Ryder had only five T-5 mechanics in their entire nationwide system and I had one on speed dial as my advisor, Tom Fick. He never once asked for or willingly excepted any pay for his consultation. God Bless you Tom, I miss you buddy.

Free training provided for me from Michelin, Goodyear, Bandag, Ford, GM, International, Cummings, Dryden and later working for General Tire and Firestone was also a big help. I can't leave out Microsoft and Intel, they were a tremendous help in a later venture. I never turned down a chance for free or low cost training. Even if I had to pay my own expenses. MacDonald's, 7-11 and Motel 6 are everywhere, you can always eat and sleep cheap.

That, what many said "crappy job" later enabled me to make well over 6 figures as an independent industrial mechanic. I would have never come close as Union Paper Worker. I reinvested in all the money I made, in myself and diversified. A plethora of all sorts of sales and services. My own brand of private label computers, I produced and published my own website. NFLfan.com. You name it I probably made a profit in it, as long as it was legal and ethical.

All because I decided not to take unemployment.

Crisis presents problems, but it also can provide opportunity if you are willing to work hard, that's the American way!


I've lost really good jobs three times in my life. Twice, a move to another state was required to pull myself up. I have always managed to land on my feet and I've never looked back! When I was young and still crapping green, an older co-worker gave me some advice that I never forgot and that came in extremely useful many times in my life.

I was 21 yrs old and was working as a welder building a dragline for a local coal mine. We were sitting around at break time and were talking about jobs. Al Milan looked at me and said "Kid, let me give you a little advice". I looked at him and asked what that would be. He stared me straight in the eye and with all the sincerity that anyone could muster, he told me "Anytime someone wants to show you how to do something or take the time to teach you..........SHUT UP AND PAY ATTENTION! YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN IT WILL COME IN HANDY!"

I took that advice to heart and NEVER passed up the chance to learn all I could about my job or often times somebody else's job. And let me tell you..................It PAID OFF SEVERAL TIMES!!!! There have been several times where just knowing a little bit more gave me the edge that got me hired over the others applying for the same job.

I haven't always been the best at what I did. But when I wasn't, I worked my tail off to change that! Even then, I still may not have been the best, but I wasn't too shabby!

So, yes Louis, I agree! Hard work and perseverance do pay off. Oh, and a little...............OK, sometimes a lot, of luck helps!
 
More rivets. Many people don't know this but EMD actually stood for Every Model Different. GP38s did have the fans spaced farther apart but so did early GP38-2s. Here are a couple examples, first is an ex SLSF GP38-2 built March 1972. Well, the prototype was but I changed the fan spacing and radiator grills to match. Here it is after we got snow and freezing rain.
View attachment 47470

Next is a newer GP38-2 built November 1974, again the prototype. You can see the fans are much closer together. Other differences include newer style trucks, an anticlimber and different exhaust manifold. You can see the 2344 third in the consist.
View attachment 47471

To confuse things slightly, early GP39-2s look very similar to the GP38-s except instead of 2 or 4 exhaust stacks it has one turbo exhaust stack where the air filter box bump is on the GP38-2.

MRL and BN are two roads that stencil the model on the locomotive.

Regarding Sweden going all electronic, I actually prefer cash and keeping my own records. It's not possible any more in our society but if I had a choice.....


Those are some of the absolutely best looking models I've seen. Very good posing!!! Only way they could have been better was if they were Blackbirds or painted Chinese Red!😃
 
So, talking about the Euro locomotives in the US, I decided to take some pictures of my Euro versions. First up are the Siemens EuroSprinter. Aka "Taurus" locomotives (when speaking of the Universal version). (Technically only the Austrian version are "Taurus" as they registered the mark for their fleet when the introduced it but everyone calls any of the Universal version "Taurus").

These are the Siemens ES64 U versions, which stand for Universal I believe. They can run both passenger service and freight service. The US Siemens these are most related to are the ACS-64. The Siemens Charger locomotives in N America are also related / derived from this class.

These are a mix of Fleichmann, Minitrix (Trix), and HobbyTrain models. All are variations of the Siemens ES 64 U / U2 / U4. The major differences are the original U is Austria/Germany only with 16.7hz 15kVAC, while U2 also runs at 50Hz 25kVAC, and the U4 adds in DC capability at 3kVDC and 1.5kVDC (though railroads sometimes disable the ones they will never use in SW).

In Germany this is DB Class 182 (BR182) or Class 183 (The 183 is dual voltage but has the body work of the U4 and has significants structural changes for later safety standards). In Austria these are the Class 1016 / 1116 / 1216 . In Hungary Class 470. (And other classes elsewhere, but I think that covers what I have here).

Please ignore the messy table. I am in the middle of some re-wiring I started last Fall (and currently on hold due to new House project).

IMG_3676.jpgIMG_3677.jpgIMG_3678.jpgIMG_3680.jpgIMG_3682.jpgIMG_3679.jpgIMG_3681.jpgIMG_3683.jpg
 
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Next up are more Siemens EuroSprinter (and a Vectron). This time the ES 64 F and ES 64 F4. These are a freight version of the EuroSprinter (so have different, less streamlined body work, etc). All of these are ES 64F except the Porsche marked one which is an ES 64 F. The SBB one on the end, from Switzerland, is the Vectron, which is a newer locomotive derived from the EuroSprinter and one called EuroRunner. Meant to be more modular.

The ES 64 F is DB Class 152 in Germany. The ES 64 F4 is DB Class 189 in Germany. The Vectron is DB Class 193 in Germany, and a quick internet search labels Swiss SBB marked ones as Class 193 as well (don't know how reliable that is).

These are Minitrix (Trix), HobbyTrain, and Arnold models.

The first two, the van Gogh and the black zebra stripe are owned by two private leasing / railway services companies, the red one and the Porsche marked one are German DB railroad, and the Vectron is Swiss SBB Railroad.

(Tomorrow I'll get out the BR101 and related TRAXX models from Bombardier prototypes).


IMG_3684.jpgIMG_3686.jpgIMG_3691 (1).jpgIMG_3692.jpgIMG_3685.jpgIMG_3690.jpgIMG_3687.jpgIMG_3688.jpgIMG_3689.jpg
 
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