Running Bear's August 2025 Coffee Shop

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kbkchooch said:
I don't know why, But some dang fool has decided to rehabilitate a Tyco Chattanooga Choo Choo. See it came in an auction lot I received. It wasn't the piece that I purchased the lot for, it was just there included in the pile. Actually there were 2 of them, but 1 had stripped gears I could not repair. Some idiot decided to take it apart, clean the motor, lube and reassemble it, replace the traction tires, add a drop of smoke fluid and send it down the pike. The damn thing ran, the headlight lit and it puffs a little smoke! For the life of me I can't understand why I did this (and spent 8 bucks on traction tires). Worse yet I am getting a real kick watching it run around!

Must be some kind of mental deficiency.
Or a psychological imbalance,
Or I need a stiff drink,
Or maybe I have had too many.

I need therapy? 🤔

I hope this doesn't get me kicked out of the serious modelers club! 😔
Click to expand...
Fun huh! Neat to watch them old hunks of junk work better than before.
 


Good morning Everybody!

To quote Doug Tracht, aka Nino Greasemanelli, aka The Greasman, "I'm perking and working and having a ball!"

I’ve been grappling with the decision about scraping my excess PCs. As many noted there is nothing wrong with them other than Windows 11 does not support the CPUs and Motherboards. I don't want to reopen the Windows 10-11 debate. Windows 10 was great, but time marches on. For some the work arounds are great ideas, but not for me. I like Windows 11, I won't settle for anything less.

With the help of my trusted advisor, Microsoft's artificial intelligence, Copilot I have all the information I need to move forward with upgrading my PCs. A quick search of Amazon shows me for as little as $200 I can get a CPU and Motherboard. If I spend a bit more, $500 I can have an even better PC. Once I do some price shopping, I may find the parts even cheaper.

I have five quality PCs that don't meet the requirement of Windows 11. In those PCs are some very valuable parts. I don't want to scrap them all. I'll be happy to salvage three of them.

Now that I have identified the parts needed, the final hurdle was my decrepit hands. Talking to my wife we produced a brilliant idea; let my grandson Ayden do the work. Instead of spoiling him with cash. let him earn it!

My grandson has earned an exclusive spot in a special program in his school, studying Cyber Security. Through this program combined with online summer classes he will earn an AA degree along with his high school diploma when he graduates. The young man is working hard in school and getting good grades. Which is all I ever required of my kids and why I spoiled them.

I did manage to secure good educations for my kids. Which helped them secure good jobs. But as TomO and Willie pointed out to me I failed to teach them the value of a dollar. They have no idea how hard I worked to earn that money or the physical toll it took on my body. And they wonder why I am a grumpy old man, sometimes, most of the time.

Back to something more positive. Doing these rebuilds will give my grandson some real-world, hands-on experience and show him excellent work is rewarded with excellent pay. After he completes these upgrades we will work on building him a new high-end gaming system. I'll let him design it. Rather than just buying him another one, this time he will have done more than work hard in school to earn it. And maybe save me a few dollars in the process.

Now it is time for me to get to work.

Like many I have a tendency to spend money faster than I earn it. When I was young and healthy I didn't care. Need more money, work more hours. I'm not capable of that anymore. But life is good, thank God!

Have an enjoyable day Everybody!
 
Good Tuesday morning! It's 73°F and clear. 🌖
FAMILY GUY_DOG_2.jpg
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Have a great day!;)
 
It is 5 am and 77 F with rain due in another hour or so.
I do not think our Toolbox Team will get much outside work done at church this morning. The youngest of the 6 guys who regularly show up is 71.

I have one more picture to post to the AG&W thread going in the layout construction of the forum.
That picture will bring the work up to the present progress and future pictures will depend on the weekly accomplishments.
Also, how soon I post will depend on how badly I am dragging after working at the church.
Y'all have a pleasant day.
 


Well howdy there internet peeps and those who can chatta the noogas out of their choo choos.

It's Troy again.

today was supposed to be rainy. Looks like the lack of timely weather balloons moved that forecast to tomorrow.

I may go to Costco today or tomorrow and pick up a brisket. Wife wants to make cornbread and needs something off the grill to pair it with.

Screenshot 2025-08-12 at 6.32.59 AM.png


Thursday looks like a good grilling day.

If the weather would ever break and Texas/Florida take their hot and humid weather back, I might be inclined to build the grill table I want for my Kamado. Right now it's on a thin cart. I don't like to move it often, but need to twice a year whenever I winterize the patio furniture or springify (or is that un-winterize the patio?)

The grill table will look something like this:

jenwoodhouse.com

DIY Kamado Grill Table

DIY Kamado Grill Table - How to build a grill table for your Kamado Joe or Big Green Egg (BGE) - free plans / tutorial by Jen Woodhouse.
jenwoodhouse.com jenwoodhouse.com

I want a prep area next to the grill, and storage for my rubbermaid tubs of accessories underneath. But I don't want to work in the hot and muggy. So it's looking like a fall project. IF we actually get a fall season, and don't give it a miss, heading right into Winter.

That's it for now. If I head to Costco, I might stop at the craft store for some poster board to start making track templates.
 
kbkchooch said:
I don't know why, But some dang fool has decided to rehabilitate a Tyco Chattanooga Choo Choo. See it came in an auction lot I received. It wasn't the piece that I purchased the lot for, it was just there included in the pile. Actually there were 2 of them, but 1 had stripped gears I could not repair. Some idiot decided to take it apart, clean the motor, lube and reassemble it, replace the traction tires, add a drop of smoke fluid and send it down the pike. The damn thing ran, the headlight lit and it puffs a little smoke! For the life of me I can't understand why I did this (and spent 8 bucks on traction tires). Worse yet I am getting a real kick watching it run around!

Must be some kind of mental deficiency.
Or a psychological imbalance,
Or I need a stiff drink,
Or maybe I have had too many.

I need therapy? 🤔

I hope this doesn't get me kicked out of the serious modelers club! 😔
Click to expand...


Serious modelers club? I think to qualify you need to check off all 5 things you listed. I think your club qualifications are there!
 
I’m ready sort of for the Crew Van. Time changed to 7:05 pick up. Doesn’t matter as since 3am I’ve been listening to the thunder, the close crack of quite a few lightning hits, the light then torrential rain to just a calming silence presently.

It looks like most of the storms have passed us to the Northeast

I need to eat something and it’s like 2.5 hours earlier than I normally eat.

Enjoy the day
 
kbkchooch said:
I don't know why, But some dang fool has decided to rehabilitate a Tyco Chattanooga Choo Choo. See it came in an auction lot I received. It wasn't the piece that I purchased the lot for, it was just there included in the pile. Actually there were 2 of them, but 1 had stripped gears I could not repair. Some idiot decided to take it apart, clean the motor, lube and reassemble it, replace the traction tires, add a drop of smoke fluid and send it down the pike. The damn thing ran, the headlight lit and it puffs a little smoke! For the life of me I can't understand why I did this (and spent 8 bucks on traction tires). Worse yet I am getting a real kick watching it run around!

Must be some kind of mental deficiency.
Or a psychological imbalance,
Or I need a stiff drink,
Or maybe I have had too many.

I need therapy? 🤔

I hope this doesn't get me kicked out of the serious modelers club! 😔
Click to expand...

Ha! Do I sense a bit of defiance directed towards the Rivet Counters of the world?
 


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