Running Bear's October 2021 Coffee Shop


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Greetings all!

Saturday, noonish, here. Got a definite freeze last night here in the cities. Golf turned out to quite a nice day. Got up to about 49F, but the sun came out on the third hole and stayed out the rest of the round. I think I was a bit too bundled with a turtleneck shirt, heavy sweater and windbreaker. My swing was not very consistent and I had too many awry shots. Did score one birdie, though! That was fun. The kilt was a good choice, but I did wear my heaviest wool kilt hose for leg warmth.

Did the shopping and made her a 'white lady' cocktail. I had a single-malt. Made her another while I fixed dinner. Boiled new potatoes, steamed broccoli, salad with homemade mustard vinaigrette, and the main course: Dill poached salmon with a lemon and wine pan sauce. Turned out very nice and after cleaning up the kitchen, I was rewarded for my efforts! 'Nuff said 'bout that.

Made waffles and bacon for breakfast and checking in here before getting busy on the kitchen and chores. I bought a rooftop carrier for the Subaru Outback when we went north for Memorial Day weekend. The things are damn useful, but where do you store it? Can't keep it on the vehicle as it won't go under the raised garage door. So I bought a hoist system to raise it to the rafters - today looks a good day to do that.

Maybe train work tomorrow. - - - - Steve J
 
Good Morning!

Today, I'm organizing all my photos and getting them put onto a flash drive. That don't sound like much, except that I take a vast number of photos. I have photos of planes, trains and automobiles, buildings, wildlife, and scenery. It's not uncommon for me to take over 100 photos when I go out.
One thing I don't take a lot of photos of, is people. As a matter of fact, I always try to snap a photo when the people have moved on. People have a great tendency to get in the way of what's important, like a smart looking locomotive.

One of the main things that makes a good railroad photo, is if there's an actual train come along. The following photo could have been a great railroad scenic. Except, there was no train. - So, here's a boring photo of a rail bridge on a foggy morning:
AthabascaRailBrdg_10-07-2021.jpg

The thing about me, is that I'll keep trying until it's done. In this case, I'll have to wait until next summer.


Wow!!! I sure would like one of Eric's locomotives.
Greg - Sadly, liking something enough to want it is directly proportional to having lots and lots of disposable income.

Well, I took a coffee break, but, time to get back to the photo cataloging. Have a great day, everyone.
 
Afternoon All,

Spent the morning at a friends house with 5 MRR friends talking, BS'ing, running trains and talking about modeling. One friend made 3 light boards for my Cabin Creek Mine which I hope to hook up next week. Tomorrow we are heading to Dad's to finish the garage to be completely done. It shouldn't take longer than a couple of hours. Monday is the cleaners and Friday Dad turns in the keys.

Garry- I hope you're doing OK. Please let us know how you're doing.

Joe- I pray that everything finally falls into place for you and MIL. Great photos.

IB Ken- I'm glad everything went well. Congrats on your son's PA completion and job.

IL Ken- Happy Birthday.

Greg- Good luck with the PR4. Years ago I tried using a PR3 but couldn't figure it out. The flashing light displays were ridiculous in my opinion.

Guy- Great photo.

I hope everyone has a good night.
 
GUY -- I meant to make a few musings about your CP venture. 3, maybe 4 years back, the middle daughter and G-sons spent several months with us while her hubby was in Afghanistan playing soldier boy with his Marine buddies. My birthday happened along during this time and she gave me a book titled 'Mountain Railroading' which has, along with 10-12 chapters, a chapter on the CP going into great detail of how the RR was constructed - particularly the area of the "Twin Tunnels" and kicking Horse Pass. Referencing your photos ... is that steam loco one you showed a Texas 2-10-4 (called a Selkirk) or a Hudson 4-6-4 (called a Royal Hudson) ?? Both types were used, double-heading to get passenger cars over the pass! From your photo - I cannot make out the wheel arrangement?

On your empty bridge photo -- Beautiful composure with the tree on the side.
That would make a great wall mural or a personal painting.
 
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GUY -- I meant to make a few musings about your CP venture. 3, maybe 4 years back, the middle daughter and G-sons spent several months with us while her hubby was in Afghanistan playing soldier boy with his Marine buddies. My birthday happened along during this time and she gave me a book titled 'Mountain Railroading' which has, along with 10-12 chapters, a chapter on the CP going into great detail of how the RR was constructed - particularly the area of the "Twin Tunnels" and kicking Horse Pass. Referencing your photos ... is that steam loco one you showed a Texas 2-10-4 (called a Selkirk) or a Hudson 4-6-4 (called a Royal Hudson) ?? Both types were used, double-heading to get passenger cars over the pass! From your photo - I cannot make out the wheel arrangement?

On your empty bridge photo -- Beautiful composure with the tree on the side.
That would make a great wall mural or a personal painting.
Sherrel - The steam engine CN 6015 is a 4-8-2 Mountain type built by the Canadian Locomotive Company in 1923.

Here are a couple more photos of her. The first one is a contribution to RR.net by Denis Chartrand, photo taken 1972 in Montreal.
CN 6015_1972 Montreal.jpg


This 2nd photo is mine, showing the engine fenced-in and on display in Jasper, Alberta.
JasperSteam_10-18-2021 (1).jpg


Thanks so much for the comments and questions regarding my photos, Sherrel.
Have a great day!
 
Good Afternoon all! Sun is playing peek-a-boo and the humidity is up. The saving grace is there is a 10 to 15 mph wind cooling you down a little.
Flo, how's about a cheeseburger, hold the pickle and a vanilla malt.

I just finished washing and waxing the wife's car. I like to wax our vehicles 3 to 4 times a years.

I rolled the die again yesterday. I had added 4 more cars to the operation. I put a column on the car cards that states "Push" or "Pull". The idea was to give one a hint as to which way the car needed to be coupled to the loco, based on coming out of the yard going west. It also helps when relocating a car from one industry to another. So a "Push" going to a "Push" is pretty straight forward. However a "Push" going to a "Pull" needs to go to a runaround track to swap ends before being relocated. I suppose one could memorize push and pulls, but I have enough trouble remembering why I went into the kitchen.

Go Astros

STAY SAFE
LATER

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Several of you mentioned GARRY in your comments lately and after thinking about it for a while -
I decided to try and contact him via phone.

I did not talk to him as there was no answer - I did leave him a message stating that "we" all were wishing him the best and that are hoping that he is recovering and doing fine.

I will try another call tomorrow!
 
Good evening Shop Dwellers! This has to be a quick post since I'm exhausted.

Hey, thanks for all the "welcome-backs" etc. that you all have been posting!

I've been on the move pretty much all day since 9:30am, when I started my lawn mowing task. That took 2 hours, which left me just enough time to shower, "inhale" a quick lunch, and drive over to a local mrr friend's house to help him run his layout for an MER 2021 Open House exhibit. That kept me on my feet for 31/2 hours. Then off to run a supermarket errand and get supper for tonight (I have meal duty on Saturdays). So, I'm living the lyrics of that early Beatles hit A Hard Day's Night. I was planning to do more recreational train running tonight, but now I'm just gonna go to bed early and try to catch up on my sleep.

I really hope we'll get a definitive word on Garry pretty soon. Hopefully somebody who has visited him at home will have additional contact info.

Good Night - and have a Pleasant Tomorrow!
 
Some more layout shots,,, like my foreground trees??

20170225_185623_001.jpg


20150411_224116.jpg

The loco is Oriental brass. the Water tower a plastic kit, the coaling tower (which this oil burner doesn't need) came from Howard Zane's Piermont division layout. (I have a few more of his packed away)

Midlandintown.JPG


Midland units cruising though downtown with an aggregate train.

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Same place as before, just a lower angle and a WM J1 Potomac.
 
Greetings and Howdy Internet Shop Dewellers

It's Troy again...

I feel the need for some French Toast and real Canadian Maple syrup this morning, Flo. And don't let Mel try to cut it with that generic synthetic syrup!

In case you can't tell, I'm a bit fired up this morning. I've donned my ranting trousers, so feel free to skip over this one.

Why rant?

Cause some folks don't know how to scroll past...

Seems on Social Media, in one of our author groups specifically for a conference in Vegan in two weeks, one of the convention volunteers who is also a retired RN (Registered Nurse), copied the CDC guidelines for receiving a booster vax. Suggested everyone thinking of said booster see if they meet the criteria, and check with their own physicians if they have any questions.

There was a firm disclaimer that the convention wasn't requiring vax, and they would be following all state and local guidelines about protocols (eg masking inside as appropriate).

Enough people decided to "report" that post as misleading... which puts the group on FB in jeopardy of being turned off by FB's autobots right when we need the group for coordination and dissemination of last minute info.

Just like you do here... if you don't like what a post says... scroll on past. Click ignore or block on the person making the post.

OK, rant over. ;)

Heading down to Indianapolis today. Got some out of state friends gathering for the grand nationals competition of a WWII wargame I don't play (Flames of War, for you gamers). But, I want to see/meet some of these friends, so I'll go hang out with them. One gent is along because his teen son qualified for the nationals. He and I have a game of a medieval skirmish game (Saga: Age of Vikings) planned while he waits on his son to finish.

Taking the wife, but going to drop her off at daughter's condo about two miles from the game store. They can have some mommy/daughter time.
 
Good morning all - - -

Troy: I'm reminded of a line from an old, fav movie, "Her Alibi." The wizened old dame says to her friends about the young Romanian charged with murder, "In her country, half the people inform on the other half." Social media has gotten us to this point, I fear in some ways. Self-declared autocrats and self-commissioned policemen all out to do what's good for other people. There's another good line from R. Heinlein's novel about a moon-city, but it's early and I can't remember. Hope your FB group survives the scrutiny.

Got the cross beam up for the hoist, but that's all. I fell pretty hard on the hardwood floor Thursday night and banged my left knee. Not serious, but it complained a bit about going up and down the ladder. I'll finish the install today, and do the yard policing. Leaves coming down pretty good now, though my maples have only turned a sickly yellow-green colour.

The last two SUnday nights, wife and I have not slept hardly at all - which makes a poor start to the week. Will be intentional to forestall that same this evening. Maybe some train room time tonight? But probably not.

I'm kind of at a dilemma layout-wise. I can't spend the dineiro for the turnout motors and controls for the completed yard as there are 11 TOs and will probably run $300 - $500 for the equipment. Have not settled on a track plan for the main table loops, spurs and sidings. So no 'big' projects to do. Maybe I'll get started on the COaling station (Walthers kit) I purchased.

Everyone have a great day! - - - - Steve J
 
Good Morning All. Partly cloudy and unseasonably warm 68° this morning. Expected to be in the upper 80's again today. I'm going to cook a corned beef in the crock pot today, they were on sale at Kroger last week. No way I was passing up a four pound hunk of meat for $9.50!!!
No change in wife's condition, that won't happen until the knee replacement surgery of 12-3 if all goes as planned. But she has been making progress in adaptation to the limited use of the left leg. She no longer requires assistance taking a shower, darn; and she is making her own breakfast and lunch mostly. She is still just as ornery as before.

Thanks for the likes and comments regarding the progress on Ramone's everybody; Troy, Sherrel, Hughie, IB Ken, Greg, Joe, Guy, Karl, Rick, Tom O, James.

Sunday Special for me this morning Flo. I don't care what it is, just add an extra handful of bacon on the side.

My time out in the train shed yesterday was quite productive, although not too photogenic. I painted and installed some of the light fixtures over the dock doors on the front of Ramone's. I decided to carve out the window sills in order to install the fire escapes and got them super-glued to the wall.
IMG_7978.JPG

Then I painted and assembled the rooftop water tank.
IMG_7979.JPG

No weathering yet. There's no included water pipe in the kit, so I will fashion my own from something in the styrene bin.
I also painted a bunch of other details, barrels, pallets, vent pipes and compressed gas cylinders.
IMG_7980.JPG

Hard to tell from the picture, but the barrels on the left are black while the ones on the right are dark green.

Sherrel - You got me on TP, 96 vs 38, but I got you on PT's with 27 vs 23! Not that I am hoarding, but I purchase large packages.
Greg -
What is (or are) your secrets to apply water slide and paper signs to a hydrocal building like Ramone's? They look great!!!
The water-slide decals go on very much like applying them to a plastic structure. An initial coat of paint so the decals will stick and go from there. I find that it also helps in any case to brush the area with some water prior to applying, regardless of the surface. After applying, I brush with Solvaset, but I don't always think that it has any further effect on Hydrocal. For the paper signs, I generally use Aleene's Tacky Glue thinned with a very small amount of water, 90:10. Let stand for a minute for the paper to soften up and press in place. Then I cover it with some plastic wrap like a square cut from a sandwich baggy and run my fingernail along the horizontal brick lines to make it appear to be painted on. I also use the Solvaset on them as well, but again I don't know if it makes a huge difference. Finally in all cases, I brush on some Testor's dull cote which prevents the colors from fading.
Karl - Thanks for the additional pictures. I have got to figure out how to make trees that well, or at least acquire the patience to do so.

Looks like today is National Bologna Day, I still call it baloney. While I don't know what's really in it, I still enjoy it occasionally.
Everyone have a great day. Stay safe.
 
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