Running Bear’s November 2021 Coffee Shop

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Good evening y'all. Figured I'd stop by the coffee shop this evening to see what's going on. I have a little time to kill, and I'm hungry so why not?

Flo- What's good this evening? And I'll have a coffee while I wait.

My current current status can be best described as waiting. Waiting for the glue to dry and cure on the plastic strips that will allow me to split the floors in my Merchant's Row 3 kit. Waiting to hear that my family made it home safe after our mini family vacation in the middle of my 2 week work road trip. Waiting for week number 2 to pass by so I can get back home. Since starting the new job, I've been on the road almost as much as I've been home, but that was what I signed up for. I'm kind of a floating route driver at the moment, covering vacations as they come up. It's not a bad gig, except for adapting to traveling a lot. The money is good and I get to see a lot of scenery I would otherwise never be around. Found a lot of modeling ideas, a couple of interesting train shops, and a few places I'd like to return to on my own time.

Willie- the railcar looks fantastic. I don't know that I would have the patience for that. However, I am talking about super detailing the inside of 3 tiny shops and apartments, so I guess we'll see how my patience is. I'm looking forward to the train shed, but it's a ways off on the horizon right now. Home takes priority. We're moving into nearly double the space we're in now, so that means room to finally make our house home and hopefully find a place for everything that has been cluttered up.

I'll try to catch up on everything else in a bit. There is plenty more waiting ahead. Gotta do this week's laundry so I have clothes for work this week. But that'll be after dinner.

Later y'all.
 

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Hello Shop Dwellers!

Thanks everybody for all the affirmations on my Friday posts.

Garry - glad to see you're getting some train-running time - even if only for brief periods.

Steve_J - I wonder if the previous owner of that S-2 cannibalized it for the decoder? If it was a Loksound Select, they can be reprogrammed for any desired sound [with a LokProgrammer of course]. But like Joe said, $50 is not a bad price for a loco that runs in analog.

Curt - 7 inches of rain? Geez, that's a pretty deep soaking, hope you don't get any flooding issues with it.

* * *
Saturday was not much of a mrr day for me. I slept in until 9am, which got my day off to a late start; then I remembered that I was supposed to put my riding mower into hibernation for the winter, and pull out the snow blower from the back of the shed. Since I only use ethanol-free gasoline in the 'blower, I had to make a two-hour round trip to Hagerstown to reach the nearest gas station that sells this so-called "pure" gas. Then, off to the supermarket to do my semi-weekly shopping. After finishing lunch ~1:30, I did the season's final mowing of the lawn [which was really more of a leaf-shredding/blowing exercise] and then waited for the motor to run itself dry. Saturday evenings are reserved for SWMBO's and my date nite.

So today, after morning Mass and brunch, I finally got back to fiddling with the LokProgrammer. I had to do some re-reading of the LP manual and the Loksound5 manual before I finally connected the dots about what "SoundCV9" meant in Terry's instruction from Friday (I was looking at CV9 on the Lok'grammer and saw it had nothing to do with sound, so that got me confused). When I first entered the CV163 value to change the horn to a Nathan M-3-R1 and tested it in the Drivers Cab, it sounded exactly the same as before...WTF!? A few empty rabbit-holes later, I decided to try the value for a K-5LA - and that one DID sound different. Good, at least this confirmed that the decoder was accepting changes after all! So I tried a few more, then set it back on the Nathan M-3-R1 and - THAT turned out to be the "sick" horn that I've been wanting to get rid of - wow, who'da thunk it🙃? I wound up setting the horn as a Nathan M-3-HR2, which has a much more melodic sound like the B&O horns I used to hear "back in the day."

I don't really have anything else useful to share, it's too late in the day for me to go set up my DSLR and tripod.

Good Night - and have a Pleasant Tomorrow!
 


Further on my Alco S-2.

I git the decoder installed but the command system does not see it. Possibly a bad decoder? I bought it new from LHS - I'll go by Tuesday and get a new one. I wonder if he has a decoder tester? There is such a thing, yes?

The loco runs fine on address 00, just no lights.

IB Ken - - I am now suspecting that very thing - that it had an ESU decoder but removed. The DCC 8 pin socket had no plug/dummy/blank-board like I think most do if only "DCC Ready." While I had the shell off, I verified that it does have a speaker onboard.

ANy suggestions welcome - - - - Steve J
 
Photo credit to Ted Curphey on another MRL FB site.
1636337093099.png

"Spent a few hours today chasing the H-LAUPAS with three MRL SD70ACES on BNSF's Lakeside Sub. Shown here snaking down the Hatton Coulee between Hatton and Connell, WA."

The three MRL units are 'ACE's #4316 (ex BHP Western Australia lease) and #'s 4404, 4407 in their special Veterans and First Responders wraps. BNSF #4114 in the lead, apparently required because the MRL units are not CTC equipped as yet. The hoppers are all MRL as well and are quite new. They have been hauling ore out of the Butte area. The white covers were added after their initial arrival.
 
MilwRoader_Steve said:
Further on my Alco S-2.

I git the decoder installed but the command system does not see it. Possibly a bad decoder? I bought it new from LHS - I'll go by Tuesday and get a new one. I wonder if he has a decoder tester? There is such a thing, yes?

The loco runs fine on address 00, just no lights.

IB Ken - - I am now suspecting that very thing - that it had an ESU decoder but removed. The DCC 8 pin socket had no plug/dummy/blank-board like I think most do if only "DCC Ready." While I had the shell off, I verified that it does have a speaker onboard.

ANy suggestions welcome - - - - Steve J
Click to expand...
Decoder testers are simple devices. Tony's trains sells one that you can either plug in an 8 pin decoder or slip the individual wires into clips then the box just clips to a track with aligator clips.
 
MD Ken, usually the Leslie horns are the ones that sound like an asthmatic goat...
FYI, the horn values change depending on the sound project. I gave you the one for an EMD 16V567C--and there were several versions of it, all with different CV settings for horn selections...
 
McLeod said:
Good Morning!
I haven't been in for a couple of days, which put me 5 pages behind. - It's been very busy for me lately with family matters. Apologies, I don't have time to read back, as I have to travel to Ft. Assiniboine this morning. I'll be gone all day.

It's 22F this morning under cloud and with no snow on the ground, yet.
I'll try to come in for a coffee in a couple of days.

Until then, here's a photo of some more of those Lego blocks, with a loaded flat car hiding behind them. I can't explain why some lumber loads would be shipped unwrapped. Perhaps it's the lower grade lumber:
View attachment 135023

Have a great day, and I'll see you in a few days. Hopefully, there are tracks to photograph somewhere along the line to Ft Assiniboine.
Click to expand...
Looking at the uncovered lumber, it does look to be rough cut, probably for pallet making or some such seeing crates are usually plywood or that compressed chipboard. The covered ones would be dimensional lumber, dressed, as we call it here, to nominal sizes
 
MilwRoader_Steve said:
Further on my Alco S-2.

I git the decoder installed but the command system does not see it. Possibly a bad decoder? I bought it new from LHS - I'll go by Tuesday and get a new one. I wonder if he has a decoder tester? There is such a thing, yes?

The loco runs fine on address 00, just no lights.

IB Ken - - I am now suspecting that very thing - that it had an ESU decoder but removed. The DCC 8 pin socket had no plug/dummy/blank-board like I think most do if only "DCC Ready." While I had the shell off, I verified that it does have a speaker onboard.

ANy suggestions welcome - - - - Steve J
Click to expand...
Steve: Is it possible that the engine requires a 21 pin decoder? That thought just occurred to me, especially considering the OEM decoder was ESU. Most of the DC I have picked up in recent years require a 21 pin decoder, if the sound version is from ESU. (ESU does make a silent 8 pin decoder, also, but since it has a speaker already installed then most likely a sound decoder is appropriate. Is there an instruction booklet or a schematic with the engine? I have also read of (but not encountered) DCC engines with what looks like an 8 pin plug, but isn't. Just that I cannot remember where I saw it. The Atlas web site may or may not help, look for a link to their technical support.
 
Texas Hobo said:
Good Afternoon all! No a bad day weather wise 69 and sunny. I am currently in quarantine. I got tested this morning and now need to wait 48 to 72 hours for the results. I think it's a false alarm but better safe than sorry.

Troy - I drove up waved through the fence and drove the 6 hours home. That was you in the plum color suit? You waved back.
Click to expand...
Actually, I was in a floral print on white aloha shirt.

You must have seen the rogue waver.
 


Good morning y'all. Checking in before heading to the warehouse. Not as cold this morning, but still chilly at 46.

Flo - Coffee please, and I think I'll go light on breakfast this morning so just a plate of bacon please.

Didn't make any further progress on the shops last night. After eating dinner and folding my laundry it was time to pack as much as I could so I didn't have to do it all this morning. I'll spend today running the last day of route coverage in Greensboro, NC and then drive back to Raleigh to finish out the week before returning home in SC on Friday. This is my fourth trip to Raleigh since August, and the fourth time staying in the same room in the same hotel. It's beginning to feel like home away from home. Been thinking about redecorating the room, it's nice but not really my style. And I think at some point after a certain number of nights in a place you can claim ownership, right?

Y'all have a blessed day. Hopefully I'll get some time to hit a couple of the other train shops I discovered in Raleigh this week and can update with another score of goodies. If not, I'll try to get some work done on the current project and share.
 
Good morning. This weekend was kind of a mixed bag at my house. My wife is still suffering from her misadventure Friday, the dog’s condition continues to deteriorate—we don’t know how much longer we can deal with it—or how long the dog can deal with it, either.
On a positive note, I was offered a job making more money than I do now. The downside is, I’d have to commute daily to Charlotte, which is neaarly 90 miles each way, plus I’d be a couple of hours from home in case of a problem.
 
bnsf971 said:
Good morning. This weekend was kind of a mixed bag at my house. My wife is still suffering from her misadventure Friday, the dog’s condition continues to deteriorate—we don’t know how much longer we can deal with it—or how long the dog can deal with it, either.
On a positive note, I was offered a job making more money than I do now. The downside is, I’d have to commute daily to Charlotte, which is neaarly 90 miles each way, plus I’d be a couple of hours from home in case of a problem.
Click to expand...
If you factored in the extra fuel and wear on your vehicle, let alone the wasted time travelling, is it enough of a difference?
 


Morning all,

Well, I was mistaken. It wasn't a train show but an NMRA modelers show. 1 vendor, but due to their posting on their website, I gained some info on how to detail stuff a bit easier. Grandkids asked a bunch of questions and the guys didn't seem to mind. Of course the granddaughter wants a train set so she can run trains too. She tries to run her brother's and he always stops her. Grandma said we'd actually need 2 more if I did something as we'd need one for the other 3rd grade granddaughter as well. Too many trains!!! 🤣

Supposed to be sunny with a high in the 70's before the bottom falls out through the week. I'm off on Thursday for Veteran's day, but so are all the parents, so no grandkid watching for a change. Although they are at an age where they kind of watch themselves, except for the 2-year old.

I'm thinking about selling some of my still in the box rail cars. I have most of the 1950's GN Empire Builder railcars that I'm thinking won't really fit my layout. I'll have to keep the E7's as I've broken them when the fell off the first iteration of my layout. Also what to do with a ton of old brass track I have. Much of it sectional Atlas code 100.

Oh well, looks like I'll have some train time later this week, at least I intend to have some.
 
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