Running Bear's August 2020 Coffee Shop


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Afternoon all. Well it's August in H-town. Humidity just makes miserable to be outdoors.
Willie - I love the Bar Mills brand of buildings and their detail packages. Already put a few items on my Christmas list (never too early). I have a spot picked out for the Shipyard Brewery, and Majestic Hardware if I can find it in N.

Got to run a few trains yesterday. A chemical extra heading for the refinery passed a coal drag just outside of Apple Ridge.
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Good Morning All. Mostly clear and 69°. Another pleasant morning here. Wind is still out of the north, holding yesterday's high to just 90°, looking at the same today and tomorrow before summer returns Thursday with an expected high of 99° through the middle of the month at least.
Finished mowing the east side of the yard as well as the entire backyard around the pool and over to the train shed yesterday. That was another 3/4 acre out of the way. Had to stop halfway through and replace a wheel bearing on the tractor. I am still not sure why they keep disintegrating on me, the grease has been applied profusely. That's the third one in 2 1/2 years. I am out of spares and have ordered more, and I have ordered a new axle end for replacement the next time I have to take it apart. I already replaced the tie rod on that side about two months ago. I am going to make a trip to Home Depot today. I need to purchase a 2"x12"x8' treated board. The only step to the back porch has split lengthwise and I'll need to replace it before my wife's knee replacement later this month; which has now been moved forward to the 20th. Nothing like a deadline.

Western omelet with a high stack of sausage patties for me this morning Flo. Heavy on the Tabasco! No toast today.

Thanks to all who liked or commented on my progress post yesterday; Patrick, Sherrel, Chad, Guy, Jerome, James, Chet, Tom O, Hughie, Phil, Mikeknuckey, Curt, Bunker, Justin, Karl, Tom.

Not a lot of activity modelingwise yesterday in the train shed. I did overhaul all of the TOFC equipment, before I need to. Six total cars. All of them already had metal wheels and I only had to trade out one set of McHenry couplers. I re-glued two bridge plates that I had added a few days ago, using CA this time. I did not get to either of the infrastructure projects that I wanted to start, but that will come soon enough. Back porch step is first.
So I reviewed a couple of projects that I did earlier this year and took some new pictures. Some of you more recent visitors may not have seen these and others might enjoy seeing them again.
First is Majestic Hardware, a laser-cut structure from Bar Mills.
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Next door is Ma & Pa Kettle enjoying grilled burgers and a beer or two in front of their trailer.
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Guy - I like what you have done to the walls. I should do that more often than I do. Good luck fishing today.
Sherrel -

I like the idea of a driver climbing into the truck. It would be an interesting project. Do you still have my address?
Continued prayers for Kate from me and Arlene.
Chet - Before those MR's go into a box, (I have several already), I will review them and make notes of articles, issues, pages etc., of articles that I want to reference in the future. Intermixed with them are several issues of Trains as well. I have actually dug out some past issues before, based on my notes.
Mowing here in the heat isn't too bad if I have a decent breeze. Otherwise I have to stop too often for a visit in the pool. I do like that mower that Karl posted though.
Greg - When I run my Centerline car, I use 91% alcohol. I follow it with a car that is outfitted with a felt pad to remove any residue. Thankfully I don't have to do track cleaning very often, I just do it occasionally as a precautionary measure. Ahead of the engine in the cleaning train is a Masonite car.
Your winter tales make me so glad that I don't have to deal with that s**t here.

Thankfully I have never had my credit card, only one now, AMEX, compromised. Whether it be luck or the watchful eye of AMEX, I don't know. While I am extremely careful, it will happen some day. None of us are immune to the scum that perpetrate these kinds of crime.

Today is the U.S. Coast Guard Birthday, that perennially forgotten service branch. Happy Birthday and thanks to all past and present members.
Everyone have a great day.
Happy Birthday to all us Puddle Pirates.
 
Good Evening. Was an interesting day, Tropical Storm winds, nearby Tornado, missed most of the forecast rain..it went inland. SE PA and South Jersey got clobbered...but lost power for about nine hours. Got to change the batteries in all of our flashlights, and other emergency lights. Definitely going to consider a generator, as this happens too often, and JCP&L is in no hurry to restore power. Tomorrow, I get to take a lot of storm debris over to the Public Works Dump. It could have been worse, as some neighbors didn't fare so well.
Tomorrow is another day.
 
Been a few days since my last post. My dad still hasn't recovered. Doctors think he may have a blood clot in his neck. So he is due for an MRI this week. I'll be taking off work a day or two to help him out around the house. Nothing new to report in the train world at the moment. I'll catch with yall later. Everyone have a good night.
 
Good evening everyone! Got a surprise donation to my growing collection of N-Scale models tonight from my neighbor clearing out his garage. He and I talk model trains every now and again.

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Lots of neat models, and more or less in the era I want to build! Exciting times!

Justin: I'm sorry to hear about your father. Hope they can find whats troubling him and fix him up right.

Boris: Glad to hear you fared better than some. That was quite a storm. I wish everyone in your community, and all affected by the storm as a whole my condolences.

Hughie: Looking good! That church model brings back memories. Had one of those on my old layout before I had to tear it down

Sherrel: Happy to hear your wife is back home and resting. I wish her a swift recovery!

Willie: I absolutely love those slice of life shots in layouts. You have captured each individual scene very nicely!

Patrick: Who's to say that giant Mario cars and Lego people don't exist in his layout's universe? :p

Lastly, I want to give a shout out to one of my other hobbies... I don't just train watch, but I also rocket watch, and those goofballs over at SpaceX just flew a grain silo around in South Texas. What silly times we live in!

Still no more work on the GP9. Working from home tomorrow without the wifey about, so I may get some good modeling time in!

Gnight all!
 
Good Morning Everyone. Partly cloudy and 72° right now. Last cool day today, with a high of only 91° after just 88° yesterday. Then 77°-99° for the next ten days, and probably many more. No rain in sight so maybe I'll get a break from mowing. Wind out of the east right now, it will shift to the south by this time tomorrow.
Did some outdoor work in the garden yesterday morning, cleaning up debris from the spring garden, removing some of the tomato cages from plants that will not make it until fall, and pouring boiling water on several "piss ant" mounds. No chemicals, effective and safe for humans and pets. After lunch, I went to Home Depot to get the materials for the porch step repair. I was a little shocked at the price for a 2"x12"x8' treated board, it was less than what I paid a few years ago at under $15. Saw horses are set up and I am ready to go.

Nothing special today Flo, just two eggs over easy and a couple of sausage links.

Thanks to all who reacted or commented on the "slice of life" photos yesterday; Mopac, Rick, Alan, Karl, Tom O, Patrick, Jerome, James, Sherrel, Phil, Curt, Hughie, Tom, Joe, Bunker, Guy.

I managed to do some of the infrastructure work out in the train shed yesterday. I painted the newest piece of backdrop that I installed recently.
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Note that it is my trademark blue. While I had the paint and brush out, I also did the backdrop on the upper level just above this scene.
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As you can see, it's just another one of those "yet to come" areas to be completed. But it's now one step closer!
Only one mishap involved that I have to fix.
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I'll scrape the spot out and reapply ballast unless I can easily just cover it up. Of course the light brown will be easy and I will have to get that paint out when I do the near side of the tracks anyway.
I also weathered the concrete loading ramps, perhaps a little too much!
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We had a "yard mule" at work, and the parking lot was filled with places like that, especially where there was an incline involved. Since environmental compliance was part of my duties, I had to hassle with the city water quality (stormwater) inspectors regarding this all of the time. Once your company gets into their crosshairs, you don't get out.
OK, another scene shot for you guys. Next to the Majestic Hardware is a small seed/grain dealer.
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Here's the crew on their perennial break.
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Sherrel - Good to read the update on Kate. The doggies must hate you right now.
Hughie -
I got my eye out for the Shipyard Brewery in N scale.
That is a really neat kit. I cannot fathom the difficulty of assembling a Bar Mills kit in N scale. I understand that the brewery is a backdrop structure, no back to the model.
Nice photo of that area. You really do a lot with N scale.
Joe - Glad that you came through the storm relatively unscathed. My daughter reported that they had 80 mph winds and a lot of rain for about five hours around dawn. On Sea Isle City (somewhere between Cape May and Atlantic City) where they are staying, power was off for over 12 hours. Some damage from the winds, but not too extensive. She said that other than the wind, it wasn't even as bad as many thunderstorms that we have here in North Central Texas.
Alan -
The blue & white pickup looks like an Oxford. The other two are Classic Metal Works.
You are probably correct. I did purchase a number of CMW vehicles sometime last year.
Justin - Prayers continue for your father.
Bunker - Nice stash and the price was right. Wish that I had a neighbor like that.
Willie: I absolutely love those slice of life shots in layouts. You have captured each individual scene very nicely!
Thanks for that comment. I like to stash these types of mini-scenes all over the layout. I'll try to include some more shots in the future for you and other recent patrons to the Coffee Shop.
Those SpaceX folks really nailed that landing didn't they?

Everyone have a great day. Stay safe and keep your distance if you get out and about.
 
Seems like the past week or so it has been rainy enough to keep me from cutting my lawn. Finally got a nice weather day Tuesday so thats done. So I am keeping busy with the layout and other house related stuff. I enjoy the pleasant boredom.
Mike
 
Howdy ....

I hope everybody in East Coast states is surviving the storms.

Thanks everybody for well wishes regarding my eye surgery. .... This is a good year for eye surgery .... 2020.

First eye had surgery a week ago on Monday. It is now 2020.

Second eye had surgery two days ago (Monday). It tested 2030 only 20 hours after surgery. It is expected to improve to be 2020 also.

I'm very happy about it.

I'll catch up to your posts when I can. You guys seem busy. I can't look at compter for very long.
 
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Howdy ....

I hope everybody in East Coast states is surviving the storms.

Thanks everybody for well wishes regarding my eye surgery. .... This is a good year for eye surgery .... 2020.

First eye had surgery a week ago on Monday. It is now 2020.

Second eye had surgery two days ago (Monday). It tested 203 only 20 hours after surgery. It is expected to improve to be 2020 also.

I'm very happy about it.

I'll catch up to your posts when I can. You guys seem busy. I can't look at compter for very long.
Great news Garry.
 
Good Morning, everyone! I slept in a-bit. Now I'll have to run to catch up for the rest of the day; I hate when I do that.
60F this fine morning in the sun; it's going to be a wonderful day with mild wind. - I'm so happy, I'm going to have 3x coffee and a full plate of over-easy with bacon; whole-wheat toast, please.
There was fish in the kitchen sink yesterday, but, without a photo, it's just another oversized carrot story.

Sherrel - Glad to hear the wife is back home! I'm sure the dogs are fine with letting her heal up. - Is that 22lbs for both, or 22lbs per? A 22lb dog seems like a very big ankle-biter.
Garry - Great to hear of successful eye surgery! Hip, Hip, Hooray!
Willie - I'm far and away a more sloppy painter than you. I dropped the whole gallon once. It was brand new, too.
Justin - Sad to hear about you're dad being ill. Love him, hug him, stay close to him; I wish the best for you both.
Patrick - Very nice photo of a really nice layout in post #60. Then in you're last few posts, you've strayed off into no photo land again. - I'm just ribbing you; I like what you have to say in your posts.
Hughie - A wonderful layout photo! Thank you. I see there is a sad event taking place with the hearse parked out front of the church.

I went ahead and painted up the molded fruit baskets included in my Atlas kit, and started playing with a scene I 'might' place inside the largest window of my BlueTop Market. Not sure how much would be seen, if anything. The figure of Rebecca is also Atlas; the only standing female figure I own:
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And, last night I taped most of the parts onto some card-stock, in preparation for the 'Future' clear-coat. After that is applied today, I'll be able to get on with the mortar lines sludge wash, and pin washes for most everything else. Then a dull coat, and I can finally start putting it all together:
BlueTop_08-04-2020.JPG

That bottle of 'old concrete' color is what I intend to mix up for the mortar sludge. Was going to use Tamiya Desert Yellow, but, I'm worrying about it's alcohol base messing things up.

Anyway, everyone have a productive and wonderful day!
Guy
 
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