Running Bear's September 2022 Coffee Shop


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Another awesome Virginia fall day, even though it's still summer.
Morning walk was great. Sipping a Bang drink while checking the forums.
Finished a few of the touch pad to button jobs last night. I'll get a few more done today.
Still no word from the MRR club on viewing this layout the weekend after this one.
 
montanan said:
God afternoon. Checking in quickly. My daughter and grand daughter just took off to the grocery store to get something that they forgot to get the other day. Nice to see them again. We did some sightseeing but now are getting ready to head to Whitefish, just north of Kalispell for the surgery on Wednesday. Hate to board my dogs, but they'll get over it.

Hughie - Like the photos. Nice work

Jaz - I had been watching a lot of train videos and have watched a lot from GB. A lot of railroad history there.

Curt - Ran across one of your videos from your old layout. My grand daughter loved it.

Willie - Keep those photos coming. Look forward to them.

Dave - Like your photo. Always liked seeing your layout.

McLeod - After seeing your post with the line of charging stations I did a little searching and found that there are no charging stations near me. There was one at a tourist ranch, but the government stopped paying him so it is no longer in service. The closest is in Kalispell, 90 miles away. A trip to visit my son or daughter is well beyone the range of almost all EV's on the market. I wouldn't want one any way. Too expensive, no place to charge them locally and I miss the sound of a V-8 with a nice dual exhaust system.

Here are a few photos from the archives again.

View attachment 152015View attachment 152016View attachment 152017View attachment 152018View attachment 152019View attachment 152020View attachment 152021View attachment 152023View attachment 152024

They're back, Later
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Chet, you must miss this. It looks so great
 
Goof morning, sitting here watching the water flow into shore, called waves. Lake Michigan is rough today. It’s 54f degrees but I am on an enclosed deck with one of those overhead heaters that look like it should be a light post.

Believe it or not the wife is out riding with my sister’s Sister in Law. Didn’t know she had horses but was a pleasant surprise for my wife. Later this morning they along with the sister will head out to an area horse farm selling some horses, Terry claims she is just looking…

Typing this on the phone is tough but Terry has a stylus she uses and it’s not too bad. Enjoy your day
 
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Good morning all, 55° and sunny! Several dead racoons on the road this morning, must have been that big racoon party last night turned deadly

Did get some honey do projects done after work yesterday, so no time to work on the layout. Kind of waiting on the water I ordered to move forward with that project, also need a new fuse cause I shorted out my railroad Sunday can't run trains anyway. Thought about putting some wire in the fuse holder, then changed my mind, I will get the new fuses.

Hughie - the Keystone mill turned out NICE

Chet - Cattle pens, Loco service area pics my favorites in that group

Boris - I lived in Mpls-St. Paul area 5 years ending 2021, so pretty recent. Their property taxes are nearly as expensive as our entire mortgage payment, however they are somehow paying for the Riots we had here on Lake Street a couple years ago, burning down of government buildings and businesses. We witnessed all that first hand. Their electricity comes from power lines, just like their milk comes from the grocer. No solution, just observations. I am SO grateful and thankful that we were able to escape the maelstrom.

A pic from the layout under construction, getting the water done is next on the list, as well as installing the rest of the overhead lights;

I have many of these Roundhouse kits truss rod box cars, purchased them while we lived in the apartment and finally getting to put them into service:

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Here is a pic of a couple of my new lights:

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more later, Dave LASM
 
ctclibby said:
What are they gonna do with the small town dealers? The one in Libby does not have EV ... yet ( as far as I know ), but does gas/diesel and the pro series. I would think that the financial burden would be too much for them - something gotta give. This place is always busy, try and get your vehicle in and done within a week!
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In the near term, I would imagine it won't matter if they are not EV certified. As others have related, there is little demand for EVs outside of Urban areas. Over time, this policy will evolve and so will the dealerships. I really don't care about the alleged financial burdens they smaller operators whine about.Either you are in business or your not.
 
Good morning. Jersey is also enjoying a beautiful late summer morning. 73°, going to 81°. Beyond that it will cool down considerably later this week.

Dave: For the last 36 years, we have lived in a distant NYC suburb. A two hour bus ride to Port Authority, or Wall Street. It's diverse, and more urban than suburban. The adjacent community is not only very urban, but very ethnic. Most people living here, came from Brooklyn or Staten Island. Coming from Baltimore, we were and still are considered "hicks". Property taxes are ridiculously high, almost to the point of stifling. Divided by 12, they exceed the monthly mortgage payment. The problem is that even if the governmental bodies consolidated and became super efficient, it would still cost significant taxes to provide "needed" services. The other major issue, is that all of the young families that came here are now aging, and the adjacent community are starting to spill over into our community, which will cause more friction, more demands and higher taxes.

The bigger question, is why do we continue to remain here, and put up with it? That answer is elusive. It's more complicated than just putting the house on the market. I really don't think we would be a fit in the deep South, or some planned activity Senior community. Perhaps, South Jersey or Slower lower Delaware. But then we still have to deal with the wicked witch (MIL), for the foreseeable future. And she has a track record of pulling off episodes where she feigns extreme pain, and can mimic being comatose. (That's how she got her self committed to a Nursing Home, until she tired of the game, and had a sudden "miraculous" recovery).

Believe me, I would be much happier elsewhere, I have had enough of Metro New York. Time will tell, If we can move on. I'm becoming sort of pessimistic.
 
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Good Morning, from a place where it is 34F and there is frost on the ground. The birds will be packing up and moving south soon.
For me, it's hunting season up next, and then I'll move right into modelling season.

Joe - Thank you, for the information on the switch colours. I'll be putting red on the diverging mainline switches today.

DaveB - That's a great photo of the layout light show. It looks wonderful, and inspires me to get on with it.

Chet - You're old layout photos are beautiful. They are wonderful inspiration for beginners like me to carry on.

Patrick - Glad to hear you and the wife are having a better day. You should come up this way for awhile. You could freeze that bug out with a sudden change in temperature.

I took some photos of railcars on a slowly moving train yesterday. Couldn't catch the locomotives, as they were too far up past the trees.
They arn't much to look at, but, here is one of them:
CovrdHop_NMX 28377_09-19-2022.JPG


Plus, this is just for the sake of posting a photo. These are the main types of engines that will be employed on my layout, when it finally gets a full set of tracks.
Locomotives_09-19-2022.JPG

Those locomotives are for me to play with. The G-kids will only be allowed to play with a Bachmann Alaskan GP40, and a Tyco F, hook-n-horn unit.

Well, there's today's post. Going to get on with it. Have a great day!
 
Good Morning All. Clear and 70° here in beautiful North Central Texas. Going up to 97° today after 98° yesterday; not quite fall yet! Winds turn north next Monday according to the NWS, and we'll cool off by about 10°. But I won't be here for that.

Getting ready for the out of town trip this weekend. We go to Gulf Shores AL every year for a week with wife's sister and a few other friends. This year we're going about three weeks earlier than we usually go. Don't ask why, I don't set the dates, I just drive! I no longer make the drive in one 11 hour day, we now split it up. Staying Saturday night in Gulfport MS and visiting the Mississippi Coast Model Railroad Museum on Sunday before leaving for Gulf Shores, which is two hours further. We're going by the southern route, veering south from Shreveport LA on IH49 down to Lafayette LA for lunch, and then east on IH10 through Baton Rouge and using the IH12 bypass instead of traveling through New Orleans. That part of the trip would actually be better if we stayed in Baton Rouge, but LSU has a home game Saturday night and hotel rooms are non-existent and surge pricing is ridiculous. Game starts at 6:30 so we'll miss that traffic mostly. Baton Rouge traffic on IH10 across the Horace Wilkinson Bridge over the Mississippi is usually a bitch to deal with anyway until the IH12 split. Kinda have to use that bridge as there is only one other one available.
On the return trip, we'll change scenery and veer north from Mobile AL to Jackson MS and use IH20, overnighting in Monroe LA before heading to Shreveport and retracing that route home. There are model railroad layout museums in both Jackson MS and Vicksburg MS that we have visited before.

Thanks for the likes and comments regarding the layout progress yesterday; Patrick, Dave B, Guy, Smudge, Hughie, Curt, Joe, Troy, Tom, Chet.

Very little out in the train shed yesterday. I applied ground cover and added a stop sign to the current project scene.
IMG_1749.JPG

I mostly ran trains yesterday. No real plans for today until I see what time remains after the vacation prep, both the yard and packing. I do intend to run more trains for a bit before we leave.

Dave - Living in the country is not for everyone. It has it's drawbacks, but I consider the advantages outweigh the disadvantages by a wide margin. My yearly property taxes are less than many folks in Dallas pay per month for a similar sized home, and they don't have 15 acres to go with it. But I don't have city services like sewer, garbage pickup or have law enforcement nearby. Not that they respond in the city according to some of my relatives and friends. It does take the VFD seven to ten minutes to get here, a reasonable response time; and they come from two different communities. Everything is at least 15 minutes away and they closed the grocery store in that town so that's 25 miles. There are two different convenience stores with gas pumps within 7 miles in opposite directions, both with beer for any emergencies necessary. Advantages besides low taxes, no irksome neighbors nearby, no HOA's or unneeded permitting or regulation, peace and quiet (except during hunting season), beautiful views, and privacy. I'll take this country life any day.
Love the feed store.
Guy - Maybe it's too late, but Blair Line makes grade crossings in 30" radius.
Chet - Good luck with the surgery. I hope that it is as successful as the first.

It is National IT Professionals Day today, too bad Patrick isn't at work!
Everyone have a wonderful day, only two days left in summer...
 
After a couple of recent run-ins on social media, especially Fecesbook, I'm taking a vacation until after the election is over. Yes, Fecesbook shoved crap into my feed, telling me who to vote for... "Official post from Meta".
Behave.
 
santafewillie said:
Good Morning All. Clear and 70° here in beautiful North Central Texas. Going up to 97° today after 98° yesterday; not quite fall yet! Winds turn north next Monday according to the NWS, and we'll cool off by about 10°. But I won't be here for that.

Getting ready for the out of town trip this weekend. We go to Gulf Shores AL every year for a week with wife's sister and a few other friends. This year we're going about three weeks earlier than we usually go. Don't ask why, I don't set the dates, I just drive! I no longer make the drive in one 11 hour day, we now split it up. Staying Saturday night in Gulfport MS and visiting the Mississippi Coast Model Railroad Museum on Sunday before leaving for Gulf Shores, which is two hours further. We're going by the southern route, veering south from Shreveport LA on IH49 down to Lafayette LA for lunch, and then east on IH10 through Baton Rouge and using the IH12 bypass instead of traveling through New Orleans. That part of the trip would actually be better if we stayed in Baton Rouge, but LSU has a home game Saturday night and hotel rooms are non-existent and surge pricing is ridiculous. Game starts at 6:30 so we'll miss that traffic mostly. Baton Rouge traffic on IH10 across the Horace Wilkinson Bridge over the Mississippi is usually a bitch to deal with anyway until the IH12 split. Kinda have to use that bridge as there is only one other one available.
On the return trip, we'll change scenery and veer north from Mobile AL to Jackson MS and use IH20, overnighting in Monroe LA before heading to Shreveport and retracing that route home. There are model railroad layout museums in both Jackson MS and Vicksburg MS that we have visited before.

Thanks for the likes and comments regarding the layout progress yesterday; Patrick, Dave B, Guy, Smudge, Hughie, Curt, Joe, Troy, Tom, Chet.

Very little out in the train shed yesterday. I applied ground cover and added a stop sign to the current project scene.
View attachment 152045
I mostly ran trains yesterday. No real plans for today until I see what time remains after the vacation prep, both the yard and packing. I do intend to run more trains for a bit before we leave.

Dave - Living in the country is not for everyone. It has it's drawbacks, but I consider the advantages outweigh the disadvantages by a wide margin. My yearly property taxes are less than many folks in Dallas pay per month for a similar sized home, and they don't have 15 acres to go with it. But I don't have city services like sewer, garbage pickup or have law enforcement nearby. Not that they respond in the city according to some of my relatives and friends. It does take the VFD seven to ten minutes to get here, a reasonable response time; and they come from two different communities. Everything is at least 15 minutes away and they closed the grocery store in that town so that's 25 miles. There are two different convenience stores with gas pumps within 7 miles in opposite directions, both with beer for any emergencies necessary. Advantages besides low taxes, no irksome neighbors nearby, no HOA's or unneeded permitting or regulation, peace and quiet (except during hunting season), beautiful views, and privacy. I'll take this country life any day.
Love the feed store.
Guy - Maybe it's too late, but Blair Line makes grade crossings in 30" radius.
Chet - Good luck with the surgery. I hope that it is as successful as the first.

It is National IT Professionals Day today, too bad Patrick isn't at work!
Everyone have a wonderful day, only two days left in summer...
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Willie - we are lucky to live rural with a hospital and clinic only 5 miles away, only one stop sign between us and there. Also a nice grocery store in the same town, and closer yet the town of Finlayson is 3 miles away has a good cafe and gas station/convenience store, also like 6 churches for a town of 220 people. Also, we live only 4 miles for Interstate 35! It is a straight shot from here to Texas!!!

True, many would not know how to live out there (here).

We found we spent more time driving to groceries and services when we lived in the city, mainly due to congestion. We could walk to a convenience store and had numerous restaurants within walking distance. Foiled with the dining out as the Pandemic put an end to that.

In our case, we purchased land several years before moving and spent 2-3 years getting all our ducks in a row - driveway, sewer, site work, permits - to build. Not everyone can do that, but my background is in construction. For this final home we purchased a manufactured home and that really kept our costs down also we got a really nice house and our price was locked in from the beginning (before the pandemic) so we didn't get all the price hikes.

By the way, have fun on the trip!!
 
Quick note. Yesterday I bought an oilless air compressor (been wanting one anyway) and, after a few trips to Lowe's to get the right crimping tool and right size PEX crimp rings (the stainless kind, not copper), I installed the pressure test system to the basement radiant tubing we installed saturday and pushed it up to 100 psi. That was around 10pm last night at around 68F. I waited 30 min last night and the pressure stayed.

I went up this morning at around 79F (11am) and due to the increased temperature, the pressure in the system is above 100 psi. That tells me our test is successful. Just leaving it as is until the inspection tomorrow.

IMG_6068.jpeg
 
JeffH said:
Are you doing radiant floor heating throughout the house, or just in the basement? Geothermal?
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Parts of the basement and almost all the main floor will be radiant. The bonus space above the garage area will not be heated but will be open to the vaulted ceiling of the main floor. If we have problems we'll use portable electric heat while up there but I don't think it will be a problem given the air tightness and high R value of the structural insulation.

And yes, driven by geothermal for both heating and cooling (we'll see how that works out). 4 210 ft shafts will be drilled in the backyard supposedly. Geothermal heat pump by Geostar (Water Furnace -- same machines but different marketing outlets).
 
Afternoon All,

Did some chores then I did the resistor soldering. After several mistakes that I caught causing desoldering a couple of times :( before making the proper hookup. Waiting on the 860 ohm 0.5 w resistors to do the center light then the 2 signals will be ready for mounting. Tomorrow I'll be at the bookfair so no trainroom time.

Joe- I'm glad the PT is going well.

Hughie- The build came out very nice.

Chet- Thank you. Great layout shots. I'll probably do a video when all the signals are in place and another at night.

Troy- Have fun. The weather should be nice for you.

Dave- Great layout shots.

Patrick- Glad you and your wife and feeling better.

Guy- Nice 1:1 shot. Nice diesel lineup.

Willie- Have a great vacation. Your scene is looking better and better.

I hope everyone has a good night.
 
TLOC said:
Didn’t know she had horses but was a pleasant surprise for my wife. Later this morning they along with the sister will head out to an area horse farm selling some horses, Terry claims she is just looking…
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First wife, was a horse person. Her father kept horses on his property, and she rode in various shows including Devon. My introduction, was during what turned out to be the very last "Hunt", at the Rose Tree Hunt Club. Not long after the "club" sold out to developers. Her father was connected to the Riddles, and her favorite ride was a Gelding, "Night Command", which was a great grandson of "Man of War". She was a country club girl, while I was a city boy pursuing a railroad management career. We didn't work out. It was hysterical, to see me in Riding clothes, and on a horse, as docile as it was. I was not thrilled.
 
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