Running Bear's May 2026 Coffee Shop
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Good morning Coffee Shop, it's Friday! The temperature is 48°F (9°C) and light rain 
Weather:
Mostly cloudy with showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms toward daybreak then partly cloudy. Highs in the lower 50s. West winds 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80 percent.
Have a great May day!
Yes, the Union Pacific Steam Team keeps the fire lit or "banked" in the Big Boy No. 4014 overnight when it is on tour. [1, 2]
Here's a shot of the "Howard Fogg" boiler car that is referenced, that I took. Just a partial since I was standing too close to the track.
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KriegslokBR52
Well-Known Member
On the way to Brooklyn today, and we have an auto carrier...Teslas?
A sharp eye will detect a small burning piece right in my lane where i've had to drive over. Even though it was only about 50 degrees and i was all the way in left lane, i could feel the heat going by that truck.
A sharp eye will detect a small burning piece right in my lane where i've had to drive over. Even though it was only about 50 degrees and i was all the way in left lane, i could feel the heat going by that truck.
Bill Tidler Jr.
Retired NS Signal Construction Gang Signalman
Weather:
Mostly cloudy with showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms toward daybreak then partly cloudy. Highs in the lower 50s. West winds 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80 percent.
Have a great May day!
Last edited:
Kusojiji
RANK AMATEURS OF THE MODEL RAILROAD FORM MEMBER
Well, another 10 hour day to talk to the eye doc for 10 minutes. It wouldn't be so bad, but Japan insists on everybody using that dang mask, which is doing more harm to me than that fake news freak out ever did, which is nothing.
So, I am on-line to get the jelly sucked out of my right eye and replaced with sprite, or some other type liquid. I also opted for the cataract surgery at the same time so that I wouldn't have to do this twice. Waiting for the hospital to give me a schedule.
So what I have is asteroid hyalosis or floaters. Doc said I have a lot. This pic only shows half. The last few days have been bad, where I am concentrating on the floaters more than what's in front. Makes working on stuff difficult since I am not seeing what I need to be looking at, especially small stuff. I see the black dots and what looks like dust, so doing anything takes time to refocus. It also makes me see things that aren't there, which is scary while driving. Wife doesn't want me to drive until this is sorted out. The picture looks pretty neat, though...
So, I am on-line to get the jelly sucked out of my right eye and replaced with sprite, or some other type liquid. I also opted for the cataract surgery at the same time so that I wouldn't have to do this twice. Waiting for the hospital to give me a schedule.
So what I have is asteroid hyalosis or floaters. Doc said I have a lot. This pic only shows half. The last few days have been bad, where I am concentrating on the floaters more than what's in front. Makes working on stuff difficult since I am not seeing what I need to be looking at, especially small stuff. I see the black dots and what looks like dust, so doing anything takes time to refocus. It also makes me see things that aren't there, which is scary while driving. Wife doesn't want me to drive until this is sorted out. The picture looks pretty neat, though...
RhB Michael
RhB Lokführer
Good May Morning folks. My favorite month besides October is finally here.
47°F out there and had a few passing thundershowers a few hours ago. Today it's supposed to be 62°F, tops. Even cooler tomorrow and Sunday before returning to the 70°Fs next week.
Nothing happening today. I'm waiting for a parcel sent from my ex-wife a couple of towns over. We still speak and get along very well. She will, on a whim, send me gifts for my birthday or Christmas. I also occasionally send her gifts on Valentine's Day and her birthday.
She and her husband still visit her dad's small farm in the UP just north of Houghton, Michigan, and she has never forgotten how much I loved going up there every summer. She likes to send me stuff from up there she brings back from her trips. Ususally a t-shirt or a sweatshirt with a UP related graphic or saying. Sometimes food, sometimes a coffee cup.
Supposed to be here today, but you are all familiar with the USPS...so.
Have a great Freitag! Servus!
47°F out there and had a few passing thundershowers a few hours ago. Today it's supposed to be 62°F, tops. Even cooler tomorrow and Sunday before returning to the 70°Fs next week.
Nothing happening today. I'm waiting for a parcel sent from my ex-wife a couple of towns over. We still speak and get along very well. She will, on a whim, send me gifts for my birthday or Christmas. I also occasionally send her gifts on Valentine's Day and her birthday.
She and her husband still visit her dad's small farm in the UP just north of Houghton, Michigan, and she has never forgotten how much I loved going up there every summer. She likes to send me stuff from up there she brings back from her trips. Ususally a t-shirt or a sweatshirt with a UP related graphic or saying. Sometimes food, sometimes a coffee cup.
Supposed to be here today, but you are all familiar with the USPS...so.
Have a great Freitag! Servus!
Flying home from Flint MI today via O'Hare. Sitting in the Admirals' Club right now for about another half hour. Was at Bishop Airport before the TSA even got opened for the day, got there a little after 4am for a 5am boarding. Should be home around noon.
Some of my son's friends are in from SoCal, we're having them and my son and his girlfriend over to do dinner tonight. I think I've been told I'm loaning them a vehicle for the week they're here.
Dallas area next week, Grapevine and Southlake specifically.
Some of my son's friends are in from SoCal, we're having them and my son and his girlfriend over to do dinner tonight. I think I've been told I'm loaning them a vehicle for the week they're here.
Dallas area next week, Grapevine and Southlake specifically.
Morning All! An anemic 39 degrees here in the Brew City. Some spring! Freeze warnings again tonight. Now that the concrete pumped under the patio has had a couple of days to cure, I need to drag the patio furniture, grill, smoker, etc. back onto it. looks to be a quiet day.
troyphoto
Snarky Old Fart (in training)
Rabbit Rabbit
May is racing time In Indiana.
The bug never hit me, even when I lived two miles from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Already wrote the marketing newsletter, finished writing chapter 4, outlined chapter 5, and made a grocery list. Wife wants steak on the grill today. Rain that is in the area should be clear in an hour or so. that means steak on the grill, and smashed sweet taters via the instant pot. Supposedly halving the taters half way, then pressure cooking them makes it extremely easy to remove the skins.
Called the power company yesterday and got them set to call our electrician for the big breaker panel replacement. I&M power won't let the electrician pull the meter. BUT, they'll let him put it back so their tech doesn't have to come back out. I&M still wants to charge me $149 for the privilege of letting them pull my meter.
Fortunately, no permits or inspections need to happen, as long as my electrician is licensed. He is. We're good.
May is racing time In Indiana.
The bug never hit me, even when I lived two miles from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Already wrote the marketing newsletter, finished writing chapter 4, outlined chapter 5, and made a grocery list. Wife wants steak on the grill today. Rain that is in the area should be clear in an hour or so. that means steak on the grill, and smashed sweet taters via the instant pot. Supposedly halving the taters half way, then pressure cooking them makes it extremely easy to remove the skins.
Called the power company yesterday and got them set to call our electrician for the big breaker panel replacement. I&M power won't let the electrician pull the meter. BUT, they'll let him put it back so their tech doesn't have to come back out. I&M still wants to charge me $149 for the privilege of letting them pull my meter.
Fortunately, no permits or inspections need to happen, as long as my electrician is licensed. He is. We're good.
KriegslokBR52
Well-Known Member
I just had to:
migalyto
Well-Known Member
Good morning all!
Happy Friday!
Another chilly morning out there, Currently its 46F and the high is only going to reach 53F. Below average for this time of year. hope
we start getting some stretches of warmer weather. I usually open the pool up in 3-4 weeks from now about the week before Memorial
Day. Its always way too cold to go in till second week of June.
Lots of little things going on around the house this morning. Friday is the day the sheets and bedding get done. I already have ours
done and my daughters are in the dryer. Dishwasher is already empty, dinner is out thawing on the counter, and I have to decide if
I am going to mow or wait till tomorrow.
Not much else going on at the moment, lets hope it stays that way.
Have a safe day everyone!
Happy Friday!
Another chilly morning out there, Currently its 46F and the high is only going to reach 53F. Below average for this time of year. hope
we start getting some stretches of warmer weather. I usually open the pool up in 3-4 weeks from now about the week before Memorial
Day. Its always way too cold to go in till second week of June.
Lots of little things going on around the house this morning. Friday is the day the sheets and bedding get done. I already have ours
done and my daughters are in the dryer. Dishwasher is already empty, dinner is out thawing on the counter, and I have to decide if
I am going to mow or wait till tomorrow.
Not much else going on at the moment, lets hope it stays that way.
Have a safe day everyone!
santafewillie
Same Ol' Buzzard
Good Mayday Morning All. Cloudy again today and 56°. Sun is expected to return tomorrow and we'll get out of this cooler weather until Wednesday when the next norther comes in. High today just 64°. Never rained yesterday, even though the radar showed green over us most of the day. All evaporated before hitting the ground.
The grocery trek went OK yesterday, wife decided to stay home so it went a bit quicker.
Not sure what I ran over with the mower yesterday, but 2 of the 3 blades are locked up right now. I was mowing out near the county road ROW when it happened. I think that the LH one is wrapped in some kind of plastic rope, perhaps baling twine. The center blade seems to be some kind of wire screening. The mower deck is not easily removable; it may need a specialized tool to remove it. So I am having to lay on my side in the grass and work underneath without being able to actually see what I am doing. To be continued.
Today's plan obviously changed while I sort out the mess under the mower deck. There's no dew on the ground this morning, so I can start early.
I did get out in to the train shed before I started mowing yesterday, so I did get something accomplished. A little more ground cover and I installed a ground throw on the switch behind the last house on the right. Ironic that we were just posting about recycling plastic bags yesterday, as I used a ground throw that I had jury-rigged about 2-3 years ago. Some background: I use track nails and a hammer to install ground throws. Occasionally I miss the nail and whack the handle on the ground throw, resulting in a broken shaft as seen on the right in this picture.
Looking to repair one, I measured and found that the shaft is the same diameter as a household toothpick. Hmmmh! So I carefully shaved off the other side and drilled through. Then I inserted a trimmed toothpick and reinstalled.
I remember that it took about 20 minutes and it works just like new now. I still have another one to do when I get some idle time.
Big Boy tour - When 4014 came through Denton in 2021, the UP police and other officials were quite tolerant, even when preceding freights were passing through. Here are a few pictures that I took.
And 4014 itself.
The engineer even climbed up on the tender to take pictures of the crowd.
Rather impressive. The other crew members traded places while it was stopped. There were 5 others in the cab besides the engineer.
Everybody have a great Friday.
The grocery trek went OK yesterday, wife decided to stay home so it went a bit quicker.
Not sure what I ran over with the mower yesterday, but 2 of the 3 blades are locked up right now. I was mowing out near the county road ROW when it happened. I think that the LH one is wrapped in some kind of plastic rope, perhaps baling twine. The center blade seems to be some kind of wire screening. The mower deck is not easily removable; it may need a specialized tool to remove it. So I am having to lay on my side in the grass and work underneath without being able to actually see what I am doing. To be continued.
Today's plan obviously changed while I sort out the mess under the mower deck. There's no dew on the ground this morning, so I can start early.
I did get out in to the train shed before I started mowing yesterday, so I did get something accomplished. A little more ground cover and I installed a ground throw on the switch behind the last house on the right. Ironic that we were just posting about recycling plastic bags yesterday, as I used a ground throw that I had jury-rigged about 2-3 years ago. Some background: I use track nails and a hammer to install ground throws. Occasionally I miss the nail and whack the handle on the ground throw, resulting in a broken shaft as seen on the right in this picture.
Looking to repair one, I measured and found that the shaft is the same diameter as a household toothpick. Hmmmh! So I carefully shaved off the other side and drilled through. Then I inserted a trimmed toothpick and reinstalled.
I remember that it took about 20 minutes and it works just like new now. I still have another one to do when I get some idle time.
Big Boy tour - When 4014 came through Denton in 2021, the UP police and other officials were quite tolerant, even when preceding freights were passing through. Here are a few pictures that I took.
And 4014 itself.
The engineer even climbed up on the tender to take pictures of the crowd.
Rather impressive. The other crew members traded places while it was stopped. There were 5 others in the cab besides the engineer.
Everybody have a great Friday.
RhB Michael
RhB Lokführer
When they stop for rest overnight, do they still keep the fire lit so the water stays warm, or hot?
santafewillie
Same Ol' Buzzard
Here is the answer that I got from Google AI.
Yes, the Union Pacific Steam Team keeps the fire lit or "banked" in the Big Boy No. 4014 overnight when it is on tour. [1, 2]
- Banked Fire: The crew keeps a slow, low-intensity fire burning in the firebox overnight. This ensures the boiler stays warm, reducing the time needed to raise steam the next morning and preventing structural stress on the boiler caused by rapid heating/cooling cycles.
- Oil-Fired System: Since its restoration, the 4014 is an oil-burner, which makes managing the overnight fire easier than the original coal-firing method. The oil burner is tuned to a low setting to keep the engine "alive".
- Overnight Watch: The locomotive is not left unattended. A "watchman" or member of the Steam Team oversees the locomotive to ensure water levels are maintained in the boiler and the fire remains safe.
- Boiler Car "Howard Fogg": As part of the support crew, the boiler car Howard Fogg is often used during tours to provide steam and keep the 4014 hot when it is not operating. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
Here's a shot of the "Howard Fogg" boiler car that is referenced, that I took. Just a partial since I was standing too close to the track.
truckdad
Well-Known Member
The 4014 was supposed to come up from the Roseville yard several weeks ago EB over Donner Pass with a stop in Colfax. I was going to go see it but it had snowed on Donner, 18-24" so it turned tail and went back the way it came, up the Feather River Cyn. A couple years ago it was supposed to stop in Colfax and we went with 2 other couples. Somewhere near Auburn, it hit a tree that fell over the tracks and broke the ball cock off on the front right cylinder....They decided to make the repair right there and it ended up several hours late, and did not stop til it got to Sparks NV, IIRC. So I've missed it twice now. Oh well.....
santafewillie
Same Ol' Buzzard
An early welcome to Texas from me. Southlake is an interesting place to visit, although not historically significant. It was near the site of the Green Valley Raceway, a drag strip and road course there for many years. It is now a very ritzy city where the median income level is over $250K per household. Many former and current pro sports figures from the Cowboys, Rangers, Mavericks and Stars live there. Among other residents are Terry Bradshaw and the late Pat Summerall.
Thanks Willie. Work trip, I head there two or three times a year for tradeshow and sporting event prep for the DXA scanners. Getting some units ready for the MLB Combine in June, in Phoenix, at probably over 100F when they get delivered there.
DeaconKC
Well-Known Member
Good day folks, lifting my coffee cup to you all. 64 here and sunny. Had to run to the Post Office as the driver said he couldn't deliver a small package to us as our dogs were out. Interesting as we don't have any pets. However it was raining that day, so it's rather suspicious. Picked up some fried rice for lunch, it was really good, but a huge plate! I have enough another meal left over.
Anyway, you guys have a great day.
Anyway, you guys have a great day.
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