Running Bear's June 2020 Coffee Shop


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Good Morning from the LEFT!
FLO - Throw me an omelet this morning with bacon and biscuits & gravy on the side, thanks!

After we had a few days in the 60 and 70 temp range - I actually had to turn on the electric heater in the main room one day with an inside temp of 60. Today will shoot up to 87 and into the 90's tomorrow.
Hmm .. The RV is still at the stealership .. It has been there from Wednesday for a recall that was supposed to be a couple of hours job?

Still haven't resolved the water softener as I was distracted by a burned-out light bulb on the side of the garage. Of course, it's one of those little 4 prong fluorescent type energy-saving crap-ass bulbs which I managed to break the transformer/fixture that fits between the bulb and the base? My neighbor happened to have a light fixture with the part that I need ed for repair, however, the wiring on the doner is too short - so, I have a table full of parts now trying to rewire the entire thing. I would just purchase another light, but I would have purchase two unless I happened to find the same likeness?

Garry - Nice photos - again,

CURT - careful of the steps - that could be disastrous!

ALAN - Excellent work, as usual. I'm going to watch for how you handle the coupler problem?

Willie - That's a nice fix on the spire - would a toothpick not look better, or too small?

Well - Going to go and see what I can break this morning?
 
Good Morning, everyone.
Sadly, it's cold enough that the furnace keeps kicking in, trying to keep the place warmed to 68. I don't much like high June gas bills. Right now, it's only 44 outside. We can look forward to a whopping mid-50's warm up, come the afternoon. And it rained most of the day yesterday. So the ground is wet enough to keep my boots clean, and the truck was washed.
Suppose I'll have a bowl of Corn Flakes and yogurt, along with the usual coffee.

Today is gazebo bench delivery day, and collect some moola day. After paying the cost of all the material and finishes used, I figure I worked for somewhere in the area of 10 cents per hour, considering the quote. Oh well! So long as the lady is happy!

Thank you for the likes on my previous, time-a-wasting post.

Sherrel - If I were there, I would help you along with that light. I was an electrician in my working life; a crappy, non-interested electrician, but, I was an electrician. I always kept it industrial, so I didn't have to wear running shoes.

Willie - Once again, a nice layout post to read in the morning. I really like that liquor store; well done.

Curt - We sent you the rain from the north. We decided to keep the cold, though. One good thing, is no forest fires this year.

Today's trivial, should-be-filed-south photo. The results of a highly scientific railway ballast study:
IMG_8852.JPG

That's what CN is using here. Kind of a grey-green rundle rock they stripped from some mountain in the rockies. Now you know!

Have a great day!
 
chadbag said:
Did you get out at the bottom or before it dropped? I rode it out with my wife's self directed 401 and am back where we started before the drop. I am not in the market otherwise, except an options program I subscribe too and follow the best I can.
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I got out before it dropped too far. Just wish that I had gotten back in sooner. I am however almost exactly where I was on January 1. I have only reinvested 8% of the total IRA's, traditional and Roth. I was previously around 20%. With wife's blessing, I may reinvest her Roth IRA later today. Fingers crossed.
 
Howdy ....

Everybody .... Thank you for the comments and "likes" for my photos.

Willie ..... I see you have some "in-spiring" pictures for us today. :) Seriously, nice job repairing the spire.

Alan .... I bet you solve the coupling distance problem with the E6 units.

santafewillie said:
I got out before it dropped too far. Just wish that I had gotten back in sooner. I am however almost exactly where I was on January 1. I have only reinvested 8% of the total IRA's, traditional and Roth. I was previously around 20%. With wife's blessing, I may reinvest her Roth IRA later today. Fingers crossed.
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We did not bother to try to liquidate before the sharp downturn. We are simply riding it out. We did that with the dot com bubble burst and also with the financial crisis. Over the long term, we don't lose anything. If we decided to sell with the intention of buying back, we would have to consider broker fees for both selling and buying. Also, we would be on the hook for capital gains taxes. We would not receive dividends if we don't own stock. It is hard to get the timing right, too. ... So, it is not worth the bother. Markets go up and down. Always have. Always will. In the long run, we prefer the buy and hold strategy.

We got the boat in the water a few days ago, and we have been enjoying boat rides in the lake. .... We saw a mink on our shore while we were on our dock. It was running along next to the lake. Maybe, it had a fish to eat later.

Look at the photo I saw on facebook ...... I always liked ATSF 90 (FM Erie Builts)

ATSF 90.jpg



Here is my HO ATSF 90 pulling my Super Chief.

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Good morning. Taking a step back from the warm weather for a couple of days. We have winter weather advisories for the next couple of days. We should be good at the house, but there is snow expected at the higher elevations.

Been busy mingling with friends over the weekend. Spent Saturday at our bowling partners place Saturday where we had some excellent steaks. On Sunday had my daughter and the grand kids along with my son and his wife over. Nothing fancy on the grill with just burgers and hot dogs. The little ones prefer this.

Alan - Good luck relocating the couplers. That's one thing that really bugged me with F units. Walthers finally got their poop on a group with the Mainline Northern Pacific F units I picked up last year.

Terry - Interesting video. Can't believe how far N scale has come over the years compared to the crap that I had in the 70's.

Garry - Sure like seeing your city photos. Excellent. Like the Erie Built photos also.

Joe - I will have to agree with you when it comes to essential businesses. There is no standard from state to state. Eye care is quite important. We are for the most part completely open being that we don't have the density of people out here. Still need e a mask for Costco per corporate and need a mask to see my orthopedic surgeon. As I mentioned I have no mask and refuse to wear one. There has been a lot of talk about masks and many sources say that they don't do a thing for the virus. That WT RS-1 looks like it's seen better days.

Guess I'll post a few old photos. The first is the Northern Pacific depot in Livingston, MT. The tracks are at my back in this photo. The second is the entrance to the model railroad club which is in the basement of the old baggage building to the right, or west of the main depot.
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The last are the Walthers mainline F units. I really like the spacing between the units. They are just the way they came out of the box.

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With the weather being the way it is now, in the upper 40's with scattered showers, I may head to the basement and see if I can find the train room.

Later
 
Good Afternoon all. Well the rain just started, so it will really get muggy in a bit. The new computer showed up and it has taken 2 days to get close to where I was with the old computer.
Thanks for the likes on the switcher picture.
Not a lot of train time lately.
LATER
 
GarryCBQ said:
We did not bother to try to liquidate before the sharp downturn. We are simply riding it out. We did that with the dot com bubble burst and also with the financial crisis. Over the long term, we don't lose anything. If we decided to sell with the intention of buying back, we would have to consider broker fees for both selling and buying. Also, we would be on the hook for capital gains taxes. We would not receive dividends if we don't own stock. It is hard to get the timing right, too. ... So, it is not worth the bother. Markets go up and down. Always have. Always will. In the long run, we prefer the buy and hold strategy.
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Agreed that it is hard to time. I don't usually try and time as I invariably get it wrong. I went IN to the market, moving from a 401k of a previous employer into an IRA, at the height of the .com bull market, right before the crash.

I got lucky at the beginning of the year when I cashed out of APPL from the wife's self directed 401k portion, in order to facilitate a 401k loan for our house project -- needed some cash to pay some engineering etc. before bank financing. I basically hit the then-high for APPL before it crashed and am now paying ourselves back to this higher level. Other timings of the market have not been so lucky for me...

We rode this out and if my quick calculations are correct, not only are we back to where we were near the end of Feb when the account hit its highest value before the downturn, but we are a head a couple percentage points overall (including factoring in new money put in since, ie, that money does not count towards the percentage increase).

We just ride it all out. If I could tell a large downturn will happen, I might try and get out and try and get back in at a lower cost but it is hard to time and I probably would screw it up.
 
Afternoon All,

Started out with the ever present chores. As I posted earlier it has been constant off and on rain today...mainly on. I figure we have received more than 6 inches since Sunday. When it isn't raining the humidity is sweltering. I was going to skip trying to work on the layout today but decided I was going to start. I ended up cutting the boards in the garage and then carrying them upstairs to the train room where I assembled the first module. I still need to add the legs but I was tired of going up and down the stairs repeatedly and the humidity in the garage was sucking the energy out of me.

Joe- Neat water tank. One of my favorite diesels is the RS1.

Alan- It will be interesting to see your fix.

Patrick- That sounds painful.

Willie- Nice job on the spire and signage. Those are really heavy duty platforms.

Garry- Great layout pic.

Chet- Great looking 1:1 building picture and club layout picture.

This is as good as it gets with me and woodworking.

20200608_144211.jpg

I hope everyone has a good night.
 
Texas Hobo said:
I did manage an hour yesterday to run some trains. QUESTION, do you guys to try and run your locos from time to time or let them just sit.
Odd CouplingView attachment 114115
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Texas Hobo, having close to 100 locomotive with many still DC, NIB, I try to run select DCC locomotives from time to time to keep the gears lubricated and the movements working like the factory intended. Running a locomotive from time to time is a great idea.

Just returned from four nights at the cabin and the weather was perfect, but the ticks terrible. Worked on repairing a shed door that I hit with the rear tire of the tractor and damaged a lower hinge and surrounding door, so instead of replacing the door I'm adding a 1x4 to re-enforce the area I hit. I just need to take several lag bolts with me next weekend and finish the job. The repairs should blend in with lower section of the door once the bare wood is stained.

Received a letter from the ADA from our county where the cabin is located that the neighbors who struck our cabin with five .22 rounds will not be charged. I send the "Real" DA a letter citing two Wisconsin State Statues that cover offenses such as this one and what the charges should be applied. Two of our friends are law enforcement Officers and can't believe my wife when she said that the ADA or DA would not press charges.

My circle temple arrive while I was gone and now I can do my track plan of the CM&N Railroad. Now just to find my tracing and graph paper.

Did a lot riding in my wife Mitsubishi Spyder convertible over the weekend. On one day trip we went to a local meal processing company in Waupaca in the shadow of the restored Waupaca SOO station now on the CN mainline. The vehicle sits less than a foot off the ground so an old fart like me has trouble exiting the vehicle. But, its fun to ride in and maybe the wife will let me drive it someday? The car is 18 years old and in showroom condition with 30k miles, time is coming for a set of new tires and engine belts.

Chet: Great photos of the Livingston Club House entrance and of the layout itself. Sound like you enjoyed your steaks, our meat in Wisconsin seems to lack all taste and I been disappointed with most cuts of beef.

santafewillie said:
I got out before it dropped too far. Just wish that I had gotten back in sooner. I am however almost exactly where I was on January 1. I have only reinvested 8% of the total IRA's, traditional and Roth. I was previously around 20%. With wife's blessing, I may reinvest her Roth IRA later today. Fingers crossed.
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Willie: I'm watching my investments climb back to pre - February levels. I'm invested in an annuity that pays a nice monthly sum and I select the investment choices and after seven years I can withdraw the total or a portion of the $$$ and better the funds do, the more $$$ I'll have to spend. If I died, my wife inherits the original sum we invested or the current value which ever is higher, besides the monthly sums are guarantee for our lives. My other investments are coming back as well, but slowly. I watch the market daily since I worked for over 39 years straight for a company without a pension plan just a 401k Plan that the original pension was joined.

Tomorrow, shower and then trains most of the day. I want to take some measurements of the layout and track so I can draw an accurate plan.

That's all for now.

Greg

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Log Cars.JPG
I have a fleet of log cars and my plans are to spend a day cutting real wood to replace the plastic fake logs in the cars The barn red structure peeking out at the lower right is the first wooden structure that I ever finished building and now a Woodland Scenics building replaced the wooden building.-Greg

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A frieght nearing Rocky Junction on the CM&N. The trackage to the left leads to the future expansion area and a junk yard and the track on the near right leads to Pine River Yard. -Greg
 
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Investments: Interestingly, our retirement accounts have increased by 5% in the last month. That, and both our inheritances are trickling in (it'll take a year or so), so we're doing pretty well, all told. Our next two cruises are paid for, so as long as we don't have a 2nd wave in the autumn or winter, so things are looking up.

Even I can show a little restraint, and to prove it I'm calling for a vote on whether I should post a photo of two trees behaving unnaturally. If you decide to vote no, I'd be interested in hearing your reasoning. By definition, it wouldn't be off-topic in the Diner, and what could possibly be wrong with a photo of two trees (actually, I think one is/was a bush, but that's not really relevant). The deadline for voting will be noon, Wednesday, EDT.
 
Beady said:
Investments: Interestingly, our retirement accounts have increased by 5% in the last month. That, and both our inheritances are trickling in (it'll take a year or so), so we're doing pretty well, all told. Our next two cruises are paid for, so as long as we don't have a 2nd wave in the autumn or winter, so things are looking up.

Even I can show a little restraint, and to prove it I'm calling for a vote on whether I should post a photo of two trees behaving unnaturally. If you decide to vote no, I'd be interested in hearing your reasoning. By definition, it wouldn't be off-topic in the Diner, and what could possibly be wrong with a photo of two trees (actually, I think one is/was a bush, but that's not really relevant). The deadline for voting will be noon, Wednesday, EDT.
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I vote yes. If it doesn't pass the standards (pretty low in your case) set by a moderator, it'll disappear.
 
GarryCBQ said:
We did not bother to try to liquidate before the sharp downturn. We are simply riding it out. We did that with the dot com bubble burst and also with the financial crisis. Over the long term, we don't lose anything. If we decided to sell with the intention of buying back, we would have to consider broker fees for both selling and buying. Also, we would be on the hook for capital gains taxes. We would not receive dividends if we don't own stock. It is hard to get the timing right, too. ... So, it is not worth the bother. Markets go up and down. Always have. Always will. In the long run, we prefer the buy and hold strategy.
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Garry: The lesson learned from each market selloff is to hold your position, unless you have a sudden need for the money. All of the reasons you cite are valid arguments to hold rather than dump, especially when interest rates are low, and large cash positions are earning "Zilch" in money markets.
Of course, it's difficult to remain patient when the media locks in on a market downturn...like Corona Virus and the Current big story, it's always the end of the world. :rolleyes: I'm not necessarily a buy and hold investor, but more of a buy dirt cheap...when others are in a panic....and sell when I've made a nice profit and the security is still going up. Some times that works, sometimes it doesn't.

montanan said:
Joe - I will have to agree with you when it comes to essential businesses. There is no standard from state to state. Eye care is quite important. We are for the most part completely open being that we don't have the density of people out here. Still need e a mask for Costco per corporate and need a mask to see my orthopedic surgeon. As I mentioned I have no mask and refuse to wear one. There has been a lot of talk about masks and many sources say that they don't do a thing for the virus.
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Chet: At the risk of beating the dead horse, there is no way they can determine the effectiveness of wearing the mask. Some of it, is risk management and eye wash. Then there is the political theater factor. I wear it because i feel they work.....and they are mandated. I may continue wearing them for reason # 1, as summer moves on, I may not. We usually try to avoid crowds in general, because the wife has compromised immunity due to her RA treatments. I'm more pissed by the lines to access the store for the privelege of spending my money, on products they feel like stocking.
The WT engines were painted every couple of years. The Terminal made tons of money handing Tenant Lines trains, they didn't scrimp and still paid their co-owners, ( B&O and PRR ), a handsome dividend each quarter.

Willie: nice job on the restaurant spire. Good solution.

PRR Modeler said:
Joe- Neat water tank. One of my favorite diesels is the RS1.
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Curt: Thanks. I used to see that water tank from my bedroom window. My friends and I thought it was the coolest thing. Great marketing, placed so it could be seen, from the road, from the river, from the railroad or from the air. Shame they no longer use the same wrapping paper. The RS 1 is very cool. a very versatile engine.

WT 43 switching Metroliners.jpg

WT # 43 switching Metroliner equipment on the Upper Level of the Terminal
 
Evening fellers. Didnt get to do any railfanning over the weekend like I had hoped. The whole day was spent uphill and out of sight of any train action. Not that it mattered anyways. There were only two trains that came through the whole day I was there. Come to think of it. I didnt see a single train today for that matter. I work right across from the CSX mainline. There have been quite a few ballast trains going through these past couple of weeks. I figure that might have something to do with it. Anyways I hope everyone is doing well. I'll try stop by sometime tomorrow.
 
Good evening Shop Dwellers, only got time for a drive-by post since it is so late here on the East Coast.

The second Atlas GP38 that I ordered - i.e., the real one - showed up in my mailbox this afternoon after being shipped Friday morning. Guess the USPS got it right this time! Unwrapped it, put it on the test track to verify operational functionality, then set it on the WIP shelf to await stripping and repainting.

Spent the rest of the day editing and sorting the photos I've shot of my GP40-2 "retro" styling project, it begs for a separate thread. Will try to post more in days to come...
 
Morning all,

Surprised I'm first to post this morning.

Coffee this morning Flo, and can you leave the pot?

Alarm set for 4:15a and the weather service decides to send a warning bulletin at 3:30a to let us know were going to be in a High Wind warning starting at 7:00p tonight until 7:00a Wednesday. Couldn't wait to get it out, you know after people were awake? Weather forecasters reported that we'd have the high winds during the late news.

Nothing on the trains, seem I just can't get down to get the track stuff fixed.
 
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