Running Bear's August 2025 Coffee Shop

[Kusojiji]

Well, instead of starting something new, I finished something more comfortable heh heh.

All passenger cars now have a function decoder installed. They all have the same address and lights come on with F1. The tail car has tail lights that come on with F0. Set F1 to be on in DC mode so I can run them there also.

 

[Patrick]

Morning all,

69° and clear, high later of 92°. Had rain east of Wichita that amounted to an inch in my rain gauge, so sprinkler system is back off after 3 cycles. Weather guessers predicting highs in the low 70's\upper 60's by early next week. A bit cool for August.

PT last night wrote up my specs as I see the Orthopedist tomorrow for a 5 week post surgery visit. We'll see how much longer I need PT, but will probably finish out the month. The therapists figure I'm at least 3 weeks ahead of where I should be and so far so good. Swelling is way down and relatively little pain. I will say it is nice to do stairs without feeling like someone is digging a knife in your knee.

 

[bnsf971]

Well, instead of starting something new, I finished something more comfortable heh heh.

All passenger cars now have a function decoder installed. They all have the same address and lights come on with F1. The tail car has tail lights that come on with F0. Set F1 to be on in DC mode so I can run them there also.
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You can consist the tail light decoder to the engine address, and have it controlled by the locomotive’s headlight controls.

 

[ctclibby]

Good Morning All!
58F @ 61%

Welp, the gremlins hit here about 45 minutes ago. 1st we waited about 15 minutes for some sort of google ad checker, then about 30 mins on whatever was to come next. Finally timed out with 'unknown database error'. There must have been some sort of data coming and going as Firefox did not time out. It usually times out on lack of connection in 30ish seconds or so.

L8r

 

[RhB Michael]

The heat wave is finally over for now. It seems that we may have actually seen the last of 90°F+ temperatures for the year. I'm not holding my breath on that. I'm certain it will be 90°F or greater sometime between now and the end of September...even if for only a day.

Meanwhile, it is a comfortable 74°F but with a still-soupy 71°F dewpoint. It is going to be lower this weekend.

Getting a haircut later this morning and waiting on my grocery delivery.

 

[TLOC]

We r on the train heading to Seattle. Pulled out of the station 12 minutes early. It’s 58 and cloudy. Amtrak 517 from Vancouver. I walked the train b4 take off and the coaches and especially the seats are well worn

 

[santafewillie]

Good Morning All. Cloudy and 75°, headed up to only 94° today. Today is the day that the weather geeks have scheduled for rain. It does seem to be all around and some may even materialize here. It's headed in the right direction.

I can hear thunder right now. Sure could use some as the pool is low enough to require a topping off and the ground is cracked everywhere.

Mixed day yesterday; the cardiologist visit wasn't exactly pleasant. The nurse practitioner didn't want to eliminate any of the medications that I think are affecting my stamina and she lectured me because my A1C was still too high! At 5.7, it's as low as it has been in the last 20 years and it was 5.8 just 2 months ago in the hospital. I usually like her. Later on, the PT worked my ass off; not enough to require a Tylenol, but enough to lay down for 30 minutes after I got home. Didn't feel like cooking supper so we went to a new Mexican place in town. Questionable whether we will return or not since there are better and more affordable places in town. Wife sent her Margarita back as it tasted like water.

Out in the train shed yesterday, I ran trains as I expected to after missing them on Monday. I had decided to fix an engineer who had come loose inside the cab of a Kato SD45. Turned out to be a more difficult job than expected. Since I added him and a conductor more than 15 years ago, I didn't remember how I disassembled the cab to access them??? Took a frustrating hour to get to them, and I broke the horn on the cab roof in the process. Reassembly went rather quickly though.

Tom O - I was also told that my wife didn't snore, so I recorded her one night. However the next day, sensibility returned and I chose to delete it rather than replay it!

Still experiencing some flaky performance on the forum. Pictures are not always loading, or just partially load. Seems to take much longer to log-in or out. I am having to refresh some pages completely that don't load at all.

From the rock world, singer Robert Plant is 77 today.
Everyone have a wonderful Wednesday.

 

[Marlin39]

I'm up... working on returning coffee levels to normal. They're a bit depleted.

I ordered another of the Lance Mindheim books on designing layouts:

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Note: I do NOT want a small switching layout.

But I was impressed with his book through Firecrown (formerly Kalmbach) that I thought this would be a chance to see the principles in the first book in action. The upper deck of the Conrail zombie apocalypse line needs to have some switching to make it challenging in avoiding the zombies.

Unfortunately, I chose "deliver on Amazon day for your neighborhood"

Supposed to be in the 4-6pm hours... then 6-8pm hours... then 8:15 to 10:15p

I gave up and went to bed at 9:15. Turned off the light, got settled in. Just starting to doze when my smartwatch buzzed with a Ring Camera alert. Squinting without my glasses, it looked like an Amazon dude.

Donned said glasses, and headed downstairs. A quick peep out the back window to check for zombies. Didn't see any, but there was a white amazon package. Lance had arrived.

I'll dig into that today. Maybe. I've also received the three issues of Model Railroad Craftsman that I missed when arguing with their website about renewing the subscription.

Lots of reading....

Today is also the day to get my ears lowered again. then off to get the hearing aid check up.

The hearing aid place always has fresh baked cookies out, so that's a plus

I had a consulting session with Lance. I knew what I wanted, but couldn't put it down on paper. I only had to modify his industry suggestions, but otherwise he nailed it. It was very reasonable for what I got out of it.

 

[Bruette]

Louis-Sometimes I wonder when you do sleep, looking at the times of some of your postings!

I have always had an unusual sleep schedule. As an independent industrial mechanic, I was often on the job at 3am or earlier. In that line of work "the early bird gets the worm" After all these years of getting up early, I could never again sleep until dawn.

Recently my low blood pressure has been dictating when I sleep. They tell me I have a rare condition where fatigue causes my blood pressure to drop. The problem is, in my diminished physical condition I get fatigued easily. The solution is easy enough, sleep.

If I take a nap early, it won't impact "my night's" sleep. I usually fall asleep no later than 3-4pm. If all goes well, I will sleep until midnight. Sometimes as much as an hour or two later. If I take a nap later in the day it will interfere with my sleep.

Sunday my blood pressure dropped to 56/44, critically low. I had no choice other than to take a late nap. Immediately after the nap, my blood pressure was 98/62 back in the safe range. Before going to bed, my blood pressure was 107/66, well into the safe range and good for me. The problem was I was up a few hours later.

You will never know when I might be online. I couldn't tell you, I will never know either.

By the Grace of God, I have survived numerous critical health problems. I will survive this too. The challenge is, as it has been with other problems, how do I remain as productive as possible? I'm sorting through that.

I'm not complaining, I'm a happy man! I'm blessed to have an Angel for a wife who is always there for me.

Life is like baseball; it is a game of adjustments.

Speaking of baseball "How bout dem O's Hon!

 

[logandsawman]

Good morning,

It is breezy, sunny, and a comfortable 65, headed for about 75. East central Minnesota.

I finished splitting the trees I was working on and not sure what projects I want to work on today.

On a whim I painted my lift out bridge, it was mostly bare wood and I wanted to blend it in better without doing actual landscaping, it is made from a 1x6, I think it turned out.

My computer performance with the forum website seems normal. I reduce my pics below 400 to facilitate the process. A lot of my performance issues originate with my carrier i believe, and not really a problem.

Will be running trains today, fiddle with my cow fence as well.

Later, Dave LASM

 

[DeaconKC]

Good morning all, coffee's on and may God bless. 77 here right now, heading to only 90! After the long spell of pushing mid90s to 100s, it will feel like a break! Doctor's appointment in a bit, nothing serious, just a check up.
@Patrick I had the left knee replaced in '18, I do understand how much better it feels.
@migalyto I have a similar set of the Kato passenger cars to run behind one of their c62s and it is a really nice combination.
Gonna unload and prep my Carnival for my Denton trip next week, the game convention is much easier using my "red wagon" a collapsible cart to haul my stuff around.
You all have a good day

 

[chadbag]

Well, instead of starting something new, I finished something more comfortable heh heh.

All passenger cars now have a function decoder installed. They all have the same address and lights come on with F1. The tail car has tail lights that come on with F0. Set F1 to be on in DC mode so I can run them there also.
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You’re a better man than me. Even though I designed a light board (see the other forum) I’ve not really done more than install one or two in Shinkansen. I’ve not gotten function decoders and lights out in (yet). It’s one of those lost items that never makes it to the top.

 

[ctclibby]

Good Morning Again!

Ok, so nobody else complained the site was down for ~45mins; so either the path from here to Provo had issues or Firefox was taking a dump. Either way we are booming in now.

Got the form in and tamped the gravel. That little tamper worked just fine; and you can even lift the thing without help! Today is getting the area around the graveled location back to somewhat flat again. Mostly rocks need to be massaged - we grow rocks you know? Blueboard sometime later if it stays cool. Then find the cattle panel we will use for a rebar replacement and get that ready. Towers should be in sometime tomorrow then we can attach them to the cattle panel and will be ready to pour. Well, need to cut a piece of Pex for under the concrete to the opposite side of the pour for an outside faucet. Think that Joe is gonna schedule the pour @ 0700ish Monday and has a couple of 20YO's to move the crete around. I b the water boy....

L8r

 

[kbkchooch]

From the rock world, singer Robert Plant is 77 today.

Amazing pipes still!

 

[Patrick]

@Patrick I had the left knee replaced in '18, I do understand how much better it feels.

I had the right one done over 16 years ago with a revision a year later (I didn't listen to my instructions). I will say that a lot of the stuff I was dreading about getting the left one done didn't happen. (e.g. no compression hose, no bulky bandage, no overnight stay, no blood thinner monitoring, etc.)

 

[JimKrol]

good morning all!

Happy Hump day to the working folks!

Another beautiful August day today/ Currently 64F heading yp to a high of 79F. Pretty much a carbon copy of yesterday.

Daughter never got her braces put on. Shortly after we called the school and made the early pick-up arrangements we received
a text saying the Dr. would not be in today due to an illness. Please re-schedule.

Nothing much else going on here, which is good!

Have a safe day everyone!

Have you looked into the Invisalign type braces. Metal braces can heap a lot of Trauma on a teenage girl. Being called "metal Mouth" or "Cyclone Fence" can do a lot of harm.

 

[migalyto]

Have you looked into the Invisalign type braces.

I don't know if that was an option with this Orthodontist. I didn't go to the initial consultation. I do know thy can pick different colors and what-not.

Most of the people in her core group already or are in the process of getting them. Plus its much more common to have braces now than it was back when I went to school, so it seems pretty norm now.

 

[chadbag]

Finally got the (temporary) roller shades installed in the office. There is no direct heating or cooling in the bonus space above the garage and mudroom/pantry and entry way, and the rooms that face east and get the morning sun directly in their windows get quite warm. The other two offices in the bonus space without east facing windows are pleasant. Once the sun passes and is in the south or west in the afternoon it's not an issue.

I bought these treated fabric blinds on sale at Home Depot for about $18 each (regularly $65) and decided to hang them until I can afford the cellular shades (one piece all the way across the window) I'd like to put in. We'll see what it feels like in here tomorrow.

The train room next door with huge east windows still has no window coverings so that will heat that up which will spread. For now I think I am going to hang a bed sheet across that window to try and block as much as possible. Ideally I'll find some inexpensive shades of some sort to put in there.

Last week we had. cool spell for a f ew days but yesterday my sensor on the N side of the house (so no direct sun) read 101F. Last night at 10:30pm when I went for my walk it was still 81F (and 78F when I came back). Almost 10F warmer than the evening before.

And this morning it was already 86F at 9am and 95F at 11:15am.

 

[chadbag]

I don't know if that was an option with this Orthodontist. I didn't go to the initial consultation. I do know thy can pick different colors and what-not.

Most of the people in her core group already or are in the process of getting them. Plus its much more common to have braces now than it was back when I went to school, so it seems pretty norm now.

When my son had them in his mid teenage years (he is 22 now) the big thing was the rubber band color. He got to choose new ones each visit and they had huge palette.

Luckily my daughter's teeth haven't gotten crooked...

 

[insomniville]

Afternoon, all you folks on "normal" sleep schedules. It's 92F and 56% out on the patio today. Supposed to get to 94; I'm expecting 104.

Got another tenth of an inch of rain yesterday, surprisingly. Sadly, there wasn't any more than that. Thursday's chances are increasing according to the app; we'll see.

The forum seems much snappier and happier today; no delays, no "click this button and wait five minutes". It's just working. Maybe the downtime I heard about last night was someone rebooting something? Either way, it's behaving much better, at least for the moment.

Since we've been talking about restaurants, I'll note that my parents invited me to have dinner with them on their anniversary yesterday, and we went to Saltgrass. Yum! Their steaks and shrimp are wonderful, but the real draw is their "cheese fries". You expect typical french fries, and instead you get what are basically potato chunks with lots of yummy toppings, cooked to perfection. They're great.

And I have leftovers to eat later, Yay!

As to plans for today, still feeling aimless and completely unmotivated, but might work on the track plan today. I should probably also do more of my overdue house cleaning, but... meh.