Running Bear's June 2020 Coffee Shop


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Good Morning -- from out here!
Supposed to reach 85 today - partly cloudy with breezy is called for.
Just coffee for me this morning, FLO, I am not awake yet!

Louis - I am happy that you have started an album thresd for your history. I think it will be nice to have all the photos in one place. I wish I had started a file here for many of the layout photos that I have seen - rather than "searching" for them in the back shops!
Glad to see you are back safe and sound, I missed you!
 
Welcome back Sherrell, good to see you!

Well, it's looking less and less likely that I'll ever receive the Atlas sound-equipped GP-38 that I ordered last Saturday (May 24). I was supposed to get it on Friday, but according to the USPS tracking info , instead of going to my post office from the nearby Regional Distribution Facility (RDF), it got sent over to the Eastern Shore where it sat a few hours, then at 5:30 it was marked as in-transit to the next regional facility. And that's is what the status has been for the past three days. I think they lost the package.

And there are no more ESU-Loksound-equipped GP-38's available on eBay from sellers in the U.S. :mad: :(😒 This has pretty much torpedoed my enthusiasm level for mrr...
 
Afternoon All,

Did a couple of chores this morning then got after the coaling tower and 4-5 hours later it's done :). Out of the 7 kits I just did this one was the worst for directions and pictures to help understand what needed to be done. I built this kit just after I got back into MRR years ago and now I remember why I did such a crappy job on it. One thing I did change from the kit was wherever I was supposed to use thread I used Tichy Phosphor 0.10 ga wire. Tomorrow I need to do some weathering then it's on to making a shopping list for wood and screws at Lowes for the new layout:):):):):):).

Justin- I'm glad that it runs great.

Joe- You're welcome. Nice looking IM cars. Interesting looking loco. Anything related to the Pennsy in the books?

Louis- Nice looking older buildings.

Willie- You're making great progress on the ballasting and planting structures.

Ken- Hopefully it will reappear from the mail black hole.

Sherrel- Welcome back. How was the sub deployment...er, I mean vacation?:D

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I hope everyone has a good night.
 
I think they lost the package.


It will show up. In all my experience with USPS they rarely actually lose something permanently. Things sometimes, more often than we'd like, take really round about and long trips to other locales before getting to their intended destination.

I used to run an online store and sent 1000s and 1000s of USPS packages over the years and never had one get lost. I thought I'd lost some on occasion but they would always show up, eventually. (Some that should have taken 3-5 days took 3 -4 weeks but they did show up).
 
Chad,

Unfortunately my experience hasn't been as lucky as yours. USPS has lost items that I ordered not once, but twice. First time was a last-in-stock covered hopper from Trainworld, the second was a custom built speaker to replace a cheap factory one in an Atlas GP40. In both instances, the tracking information reached a certain point and from then on, there were no more updates to the status. This one is following the same pattern...
 
Chad,

Unfortunately my experience hasn't been as lucky as yours. USPS has lost items that I ordered not once, but twice. First time was a last-in-stock covered hopper from Trainworld, the second was a custom built speaker to replace a cheap factory one in an Atlas GP40. In both instances, the tracking information reached a certain point and from then on, there were no more updates to the status. This one is following the same pattern...

Fingers (and toes) crossed for you. The pattern was the same for me, updates would stop, but it would eventually show up. Sometimes new updates would start much later and sometimes not.

🤞🤞🤞
 
Welcome back Sherrell, good to see you!

Well, it's looking less and less likely that I'll ever receive the Atlas sound-equipped GP-38 that I ordered last Saturday (May 24). I was supposed to get it on Friday, but according to the USPS tracking info , instead of going to my post office from the nearby Regional Distribution Facility (RDF), it got sent over to the Eastern Shore where it sat a few hours, then at 5:30 it was marked as in-transit to the next regional facility. And that's is what the status has been for the past three days. I think they lost the package.

And there are no more ESU-Loksound-equipped GP-38's available on eBay from sellers in the U.S. :mad: :(😒 This has pretty much torpedoed my enthusiasm level for mrr...
Ken, I had a package marked as “in transit to the next facility” for a full week, until it finally showed up at my door, without any further updates.

Some USPS facilities have been crippled by Covid-19. Too many workers are using leave time all at once.
 
Louis, I guess I've just been spoiled up to this time, with packages usually getting here within 4 days of being shipped. **sigh** I just wish this had been an item that can easily be re-ordered, not something that's rare and generally unavailable [without a huge amount of extra work and/or $$$].

I'll have to count this as a "watched pot that never boils" and butcher one of my existing GP38's to squeeze a sound decoder and speaker into it.
 
Hey Toot! Is that a SD90 MAC on the lead? on your last post from May coffee shop?
No, so far MRL has, only the SD70ACe types. #4401 is part of the second 4400-4408 group, built in Mexico. The first group, 4300-4315 were US built and then that group was recently joined by 4316-4319, which were rebuilt from ex lease units from BHP in Australia. There was a rumor they were looking at some of the rebuilt SD90MAC units. The first SD90MAC and SD80MAC locos have long hoods that are basically the same as the SD70ACe. They were built to have a bigger 5500 horsepower "H"engine, but problems with it caused them to have the lower 4300hp 'ACe engine refitted to them, and became known as SD90/43MAC. Kato has made models of them. The spotting difference is the '90 has extra capacity sand boxes at the top of the rear sides, behind the radiator fan shrouds, but the '80 does not. Part of the rebuilding process has been to replace the original cab with the squarer 'ACe type. Note in this picture of a '90 demonstrator, how the front windows slope back and have the dropdown corner. The 'ACe's windows are vertical without the dropdown.
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It is getting more confused, because the Tier 4 Ace has returned to that drop corner and slope back. Note too the raised center section to house the larger 1010 4 stroke"H" motor, now sorted out.
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Norfolk Southern have had there own rebuild program going for some time also, converting their old '80MAC and ex UP '90/43MAC to 70 specs with the designation SD70ACU. Click the pic to enlarge.
 
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Anything related to the Pennsy in the books?

Curt: The one book "Trackside Around Philadelphia 1946 -1969" Has a considerable section on the PRR including the Delmarva which really isn't around Philadelphia. More steam than Diesel era, and some of the photos did not scan well. but some were never before seen by yours truly. Also, there was a section on the PRSL. My disapointment was the small section devoted to the B&O, although there was a great photo of the B&O Station, in Philly taken from the PRR Station across the Schuyl Kill. The Reading books, were good. They have a nice selection of E-Book reprints of their out of print offerings, including some devoted to the Pennsylvania.

I really like the coal tower. It really does resemble the PRR coaling tower at South Amboy very closely.

Ray: Very interesting info concerning the MACs.

Ken: I had a order for two tank cars from the latest Tangent Release, and have been tracking them all weekend. This mornig's update was that they were "out for delivery" ay 7:54 AM This morning, and that I could expect them by 6;45 PM. All day, no mail...Our delivery showed up at 6:36 PM, including the parcel and other business mail. That was cutting it real close. Before Covid 19, our delivery averaged 10:30 AM.

It was a nice day, we had all the windows opened, and we shut off the heat for the season. I took some leaves and branches over to the dump, then after lunch. I finished trimming the lawn, and picked up all the remaining leaves, including the basement window wells. Tomorrow, I have to get up and water the lawn again, as there is no real rain in sight.

Have a good evening.
 
Good evening .

WIllie ... Thanks for starting the June Coffee Shop. Good to see your CUP progress.

Terry .... I like the commuter train.

Toot .... Interesting info and photos of EMD MAC's ...... But I wanted a MAC and Cheese,. :) ... (Oh, never mind ) ..... I like the bridge clearance sign in the last picture.

Curt .... That is a nice coal tower.

:Louis .... I like the historic photos. Your builders photos are interesting too. I have another.

Here is a builders photo of an EMD F7ABB. Note: later, Santa Fe added a second headlight to its passenger F7's.

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EVENING FELLOWS ... Thanks for the warm welcome back! It was a warm one here, or my body just doesn't want to take the heat like I used to love it?
Wasn't but 86 today, but actually I sweated veing that the humidity was high also - very unsual . The sky darkened, but no rain fell.

Thought you guys would like this video - if it will show ??

Oh, DANG .. It 's a FB one .. for those who do not do FB.
TERRY - Is it possible that you can smag it away from the FB formatting????
Appreciate a try!
 
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