Running Bear's Coffee Shop July 2024

ModelRailroadForums.com is a free Model Railroad Discussion Forum and photo gallery. We cover all scales and sizes of model railroads. Online since 2002, it's one of the oldest and largest model railroad forums on the web. Whether you're a master model railroader or just getting started, you'll find something of interest here.


Status
Not open for further replies.
D&J RailRoad said:
I highly doubt that story. Despite hearing this occasionally over the decades, think about how many people would be involved and then be tried for war crimes. The chopper crew, the ground support, the air traffic control, etc. They would all know what the flight was about if it actually happened. Way too many careers would have been on the line to keep it secret.
Click to expand...
I can only relate what I was told by a reliable person. As I recall more of the story, as far as air traffic control, there was none, but they reported that they were flying reconnaissance to whomever they had to tell. Soldiers on the ground were told that they were loading POW's to be taken somewhere. While my acquaintance the pilot wasn't always sure, he didn't think the bean-spiller returned either. The crew was just him, the copilot and the two interrogators. A totally different acquaintance told me that loading POW's on choppers was a common occurrence. Overall, there was a general reluctance of Vietnam vets discussing what went on over there.
 
Cooking dinner.

Wife is gonna make a Kraft Dinner (boxed mac-n-cheese).

I'll freeze the leftover sausages, and cut them up for the next time I want to make a pot of sausage and peppers pasta.
grilling.jpg
 
 Troy: I had a bunch of bratwurst left over fron the reunion we did for the wife's side before i had surgery. I packaged up the remaining ones in lots we'd eat. Nice to be able to nuke them on demand. Already grilled to near perfection.

We were going to make enchiladas for supper, but did something slightly different and made a casserole instead. A little sauce in the bottom, 3 shells in the bottom, meat with sauce, cheese, a few chopped chilies, then added some black beans and olives (because we can), a few more shells a bit more sauce and cheese. Baked it for 30 minutes, all the taste with less mess.
 
Last edited:


montanan said:
Back again. The computer part wasn't what I was told. Gonna send it back and try again. Getting a lot easier tearing the computer apart. Lot of practice.

I do like the car talk. As many might know, I am a car nut and have restored many cars as well as bought and sold a lot of them.
There is no way I would buy a new car today as the electronics seem to be the problem trying to get the infotainment screen to operate everything instead of having buttons, knobs and switches.
My last duty station was on the USS Little Rock home ported in Gaeta, Italy. Another guy was being transferred back states side and I bought a Fiat 1100 from him as a way to travel around the area. It really wasn't a bad little car once I found out that it was a 4 speed on the column and not 3.

I was going to be discharged in a number of months so I ordered and picked up a 1970 BMW Bavaria. Went to the factory in Munich and picked it up in person. I loved that car. BVMW's weren't a yuppimobile back then. In fact many people didn't have any idea what they were. I loved that car. Had to use a crank to raise and lower the windows. Had a third pedal on the floor. It was great. it did hurt that I had to sell it when I moved from Florida to Montana. There was no internet like there is now and the closest BMW dealer was (and still is) hundreds of miles away. If you needed an part of advice, you were SOL.

View attachment 193736View attachment 193737View attachment 193738
This is not my car, but photos of a 1972. They didn't change much. These cars were top quality and extremely built, as were the Mercedes of that era. Had a great trip back to Gaeta and many weeks of traveling around Italy enjoying the FOOD.
Today, as far as I am concerned, they are garbage compared to the one I had. Too much electronics. Thay are also over engineered. The new BMW's look like a pig on steroids with the over sized grills. I have been trying to locate one over the years but what I have seen were overpriced or not in the best condition.
I saw statements that were great about how cars built by American companies in Europe were so much better than they were here. I totally agree.
Here's my favorite photo of my baby which now resides in a Chevy dealership which they keep in a temperature controlled area, be it in the shop or on display. Just for fun, I would like to find a Citroen 2CV.
View attachment 193743

Willie - I see a few familiar items that you have posted. Thanks. I have some more for Todd and a number of freight cars also.

KreigslokBR52 - You seem to have had some experience with European cars. Volkswagen is in a heap of trouble today. Not what they used to be either.

AemJaY1 - Malta ! been there a number of times having been in the Navy. Here's my old ship in Valletta. Had a run in with a Greek (ex US) destroyer. It cut across our bow during NATO operations in the dawn hours. Almost cut it in half. You can see the damage to the bow. Spent a little over a week there this time getting repairs.

View attachment 193752

Todd did drop off a few pieces of flex track so I can make a display above my TV but I haven't gotten muck done with the warmer weather. Now that it's hot, I may have to scrounge up a scrap of plywood and get my butt in gear. I still have boxes of structures and other model railroad goodies that I still haven't unpacked yet.

From the archives.

View attachment 193753View attachment 193754View attachment 193757View attachment 193758View attachment 193760

Just got a phone call, gotta run.

LATER
Click to expand...
The Bavaria is beautiful. I have heard personally from another soldier (officer in the Army) who was stationed in Germany back in the day. He was comparing Mercedes to BMW from that era and chose BMW for the handling (he also bought the Bavaria). I've never owned a BMW, but had the pleasure driving several models, from 1983 320i, 1994 325i (spectacular handling and no wonder BMW at the time called their cars "The Ultimate Driving Machine"). Also few others like 1998 540i stick shift of course. One of my personal favorites: 1973/74- 3.0CS/CSi but they are getting super expensive and i'll probably never own one.
As to Volkswagens, i also preffer older models. But i do have 2019 Golf Alltrack and having over 80K miles on it, it turned out to be a good car. I was able to get a six speed which was the last year that it was offered with a manual. Smooth shifting and plenty of torque when need it. From what i know it was the Passat for the American market that the quality was disappointing, the Euro Passats are different and in my country (Poland) highly regarded.
 
santafewillie said:
I can only relate what I was told by a reliable person. As I recall more of the story, as far as air traffic control, there was none, but they reported that they were flying reconnaissance to whomever they had to tell. Soldiers on the ground were told that they were loading POW's to be taken somewhere. While my acquaintance the pilot wasn't always sure, he didn't think the bean-spiller returned either. The crew was just him, the copilot and the two interrogators. A totally different acquaintance told me that loading POW's on choppers was a common occurrence. Overall, there was a general reluctance of Vietnam vets discussing what went on over there.
Click to expand...
I can believe it, no one is a saint. Far away from home with those in charge way at the rear quarters, human mind will think what is natural, especially under stress.
 
montanan said:
Back again. The computer part wasn't what I was told. Gonna send it back and try again. Getting a lot easier tearing the computer apart. Lot of practice.

I do like the car talk. As many might know, I am a car nut and have restored many cars as well as bought and sold a lot of them.
There is no way I would buy a new car today as the electronics seem to be the problem trying to get the infotainment screen to operate everything instead of having buttons, knobs and switches.
My last duty station was on the USS Little Rock home ported in Gaeta, Italy. Another guy was being transferred back states side and I bought a Fiat 1100 from him as a way to travel around the area. It really wasn't a bad little car once I found out that it was a 4 speed on the column and not 3.

I was going to be discharged in a number of months so I ordered and picked up a 1970 BMW Bavaria. Went to the factory in Munich and picked it up in person. I loved that car. BVMW's weren't a yuppimobile back then. In fact many people didn't have any idea what they were. I loved that car. Had to use a crank to raise and lower the windows. Had a third pedal on the floor. It was great. it did hurt that I had to sell it when I moved from Florida to Montana. There was no internet like there is now and the closest BMW dealer was (and still is) hundreds of miles away. If you needed an part of advice, you were SOL.

View attachment 193736View attachment 193737View attachment 193738
This is not my car, but photos of a 1972. They didn't change much. These cars were top quality and extremely built, as were the Mercedes of that era. Had a great trip back to Gaeta and many weeks of traveling around Italy enjoying the FOOD.
Today, as far as I am concerned, they are garbage compared to the one I had. Too much electronics. Thay are also over engineered. The new BMW's look like a pig on steroids with the over sized grills. I have been trying to locate one over the years but what I have seen were overpriced or not in the best condition.
I saw statements that were great about how cars built by American companies in Europe were so much better than they were here. I totally agree.
Here's my favorite photo of my baby which now resides in a Chevy dealership which they keep in a temperature controlled area, be it in the shop or on display. Just for fun, I would like to find a Citroen 2CV.
View attachment 193743

Willie - I see a few familiar items that you have posted. Thanks. I have some more for Todd and a number of freight cars also.

KreigslokBR52 - You seem to have had some experience with European cars. Volkswagen is in a heap of trouble today. Not what they used to be either.

AemJaY1 - Malta ! been there a number of times having been in the Navy. Here's my old ship in Valletta. Had a run in with a Greek (ex US) destroyer. It cut across our bow during NATO operations in the dawn hours. Almost cut it in half. You can see the damage to the bow. Spent a little over a week there this time getting repairs.

View attachment 193752

Todd did drop off a few pieces of flex track so I can make a display above my TV but I haven't gotten muck done with the warmer weather. Now that it's hot, I may have to scrounge up a scrap of plywood and get my butt in gear. I still have boxes of structures and other model railroad goodies that I still haven't unpacked yet.

From the archives.

View attachment 193753View attachment 193754View attachment 193757View attachment 193758View attachment 193760

Just got a phone call, gotta run.

LATER
Click to expand...
Chet
That Impala is truly a piece of automotive art. If you ever get tired of owning it......
 
montanan said:
Back again. The computer part wasn't what I was told. Gonna send it back and try again. Getting a lot easier tearing the computer apart. Lot of practice.

I do like the car talk. As many might know, I am a car nut and have restored many cars as well as bought and sold a lot of them.
There is no way I would buy a new car today as the electronics seem to be the problem trying to get the infotainment screen to operate everything instead of having buttons, knobs and switches.
My last duty station was on the USS Little Rock home ported in Gaeta, Italy. Another guy was being transferred back states side and I bought a Fiat 1100 from him as a way to travel around the area. It really wasn't a bad little car once I found out that it was a 4 speed on the column and not 3.

I was going to be discharged in a number of months so I ordered and picked up a 1970 BMW Bavaria. Went to the factory in Munich and picked it up in person. I loved that car. BVMW's weren't a yuppimobile back then. In fact many people didn't have any idea what they were. I loved that car. Had to use a crank to raise and lower the windows. Had a third pedal on the floor. It was great. it did hurt that I had to sell it when I moved from Florida to Montana. There was no internet like there is now and the closest BMW dealer was (and still is) hundreds of miles away. If you needed an part of advice, you were SOL.

View attachment 193736View attachment 193737View attachment 193738
This is not my car, but photos of a 1972. They didn't change much. These cars were top quality and extremely built, as were the Mercedes of that era. Had a great trip back to Gaeta and many weeks of traveling around Italy enjoying the FOOD.
Today, as far as I am concerned, they are garbage compared to the one I had. Too much electronics. Thay are also over engineered. The new BMW's look like a pig on steroids with the over sized grills. I have been trying to locate one over the years but what I have seen were overpriced or not in the best condition.
I saw statements that were great about how cars built by American companies in Europe were so much better than they were here. I totally agree.
Here's my favorite photo of my baby which now resides in a Chevy dealership which they keep in a temperature controlled area, be it in the shop or on display. Just for fun, I would like to find a Citroen 2CV.
View attachment 193743

Willie - I see a few familiar items that you have posted. Thanks. I have some more for Todd and a number of freight cars also.

KreigslokBR52 - You seem to have had some experience with European cars. Volkswagen is in a heap of trouble today. Not what they used to be either.

AemJaY1 - Malta ! been there a number of times having been in the Navy. Here's my old ship in Valletta. Had a run in with a Greek (ex US) destroyer. It cut across our bow during NATO operations in the dawn hours. Almost cut it in half. You can see the damage to the bow. Spent a little over a week there this time getting repairs.

View attachment 193752

Todd did drop off a few pieces of flex track so I can make a display above my TV but I haven't gotten muck done with the warmer weather. Now that it's hot, I may have to scrounge up a scrap of plywood and get my butt in gear. I still have boxes of structures and other model railroad goodies that I still haven't unpacked yet.

From the archives.

View attachment 193753View attachment 193754View attachment 193757View attachment 193758View attachment 193760

Just got a phone call, gotta run.

LATER
Click to expand...
Chet, do you recall who made the Willys wagon vehicle? I have a couple made by Mini Cars (Spanish) and those scale out more than a foot too long (oo scale?). Jordan Highway Miniatures apparently made models of those for a couple of years but I have failed to ever find one.

Archives or not, great photos.

Thanks
 
that BMW is looking really nice. i also like the BMW 2002 Turbo. Great old car!

And with that beeing sayd! Good morning!

- airport is up and running
- had some serious rain last night
- today it could get up to 29 celcius

this upcoming saturday i have to moderate a event. its our 20 year aniversary event. its a freestyle event with skies, bmx and free skiers runing down a water ramp. will be fun!

picture of today:

jumpin.jpg


thats the location :)
 


NorthBrit said:
Good morning all A cloudy day with showers forecast.
A coffee on the go please, Flo.
Taking Dawn to the Hospice. Could be in and out, or a couple of hours or more.
Click to expand...
Reminder to Americans, Brits use a more expansive definition for "Hospice" than Americans do.

We (USA) focus on End of Life care. Brits use the term in more of a pallative care sense - ongoing holistic treatment for those with long term ailments.

Technically it's that way in the US, but due to our insurance systems, most folk only experience Hospice at the end of life stage.
 
Good Morning All!

69F @ 49% dark and well ... dark.

Off to the VA for a 0645 eye appointment in a few.

Well, we did the Trego thing as I posted yesterday ... but ... went a tad further. Made it to Java West! Finally got into our Picnic basket at Nyack @ 1300ish.

Pix on CtcLibby Pix

Lighting was weird yesterday, full blue sky, and hot. We also went into Glacier as we needed our Veterans Pass renewed. Found out that they now do it lifetime instead of year by year. Ifn I remember, that pass gets you into any National Park sans 1 or 2 and is free for all Veterans. 'Going to the Sun' road is pre-scheduled now between 0630 and 1530. Boy what a zoo as cars were lined up for about 3/4 mile from the gate waiting to get in. Counted license plates from 23 states while sitting there. We did not go as that would have been a 4 hour bumper to bumper snails pace ride. Didn't like that in; pick your fav [ Seattle, LA, Chicago, Memphis, Atlanta ... etc ] so why would I do it in a National Park? Best time to see Glacier is early spring and late fall - before and after tourist season. Most stuff is closed so take what you need to eat and drink. Oh, and there was ZERO snow atop those high peaks. Didn't see the North Side of any so don't know about that.

Got back home about 1700 to a 90F+ inside house. I forgot to close one of the windows in the Mud Room. Geesh! Libby was at 103F when we got home and starting to cool down.

Later
 
troyphoto said:
Reminder to Americans, Brits use a more expansive definition for "Hospice" than Americans do.

We (USA) focus on End of Life care. Brits use the term in more of a pallative care sense - ongoing holistic treatment for those with long term ailments.

Technically it's that way in the US, but due to our insurance systems, most folk only experience Hospice at the end of life stage.
Click to expand...

Thanks Troy. Sometimes I forget the same English/American words mean different sometimes.
Dawn is not 'at the end of the road', I am in a 'worse state' than she is and I am going nowhere yet. :)
She has to go to the Hospice every three months or so for treatment.
 
NorthBrit said:
Thanks Troy. Sometimes I forget the same English/American words mean different sometimes.
Dawn is not 'at the end of the road', I am in a 'worse state' than she is and I am going nowhere yet. :)
She has to go to the Hospice every three months or so for treatment.
Click to expand...
We just discovered that Hospice was visiting my mother in her nursing home.

My sisters freaked out!

I tried to explain the broader meaning of Hospice, but they're stuck in the American meaning.
 
NorthBrit said:
Originally I thought 'Hospice' was a 'one way ticket' as well, but no.
Dawn has been going to our local one for the past seven years.
Click to expand...
Probably the biggest stick in the eye was my receiving a phone call from Hospice the day after my wife passed on, telling me they'd determined her condition wasn't severe enough to be considered for Hospice. I told them, "She's dead, how much more severe does she have to be before she's eligible?" There was a very long, very uncomfortable pause...
 
Good Morning All. Clear and 72°, maybe 98° this afternoon after 97° yesterday; a bit warmer than they were predicting. Relative humidity is supposed to be as low as 15% for most of the afternoon, so another day of dry heat! At least there might be a 7-10 mph breeze today...absent yesterday! Ten day forecast looks about the same.

Weekly grocery trek is today, I'll stop for an X-ray on the way. I tried to set an appointment, but all X-rays are on a walk in basis only. I've been there several times before but didn't remember that. I do remember having to make an appointment there for a CT Scan though. Doesn't generally take that long.
Later after getting home and putting groceries away, I need to empty the cart full of firewood that I cut yesterday. I am to the point of clearing out the fallen trees from the tornado back in May. First one is this one in the foreground.
IMG_0208.JPG

Worked out well, 1 tank of chain oil is 45 minutes of work, my limit, with two breaks; and it fills the cart with 1 week's worth of firewood. This wood will be dry by Fall of 2025, I already have next season's supply in stock although not all cut and stacked. You can see some waiting to be split on the left below.
IMG_0441.JPG


I finished up the rebuild of the derelict barn yesterday out in the train shed.
IMG_0435.JPG

IMG_0436.JPG

Here it is planted where it belongs.
IMG_0438.JPG

IMG_0440.JPG


Louis - I'm with you, twist ties work for me and they're free at my local grocery store produce department. I also use them to tie bundles of wire together under the layout.
Hughie - Sorry to read that the cleanup and power restoration isn't going well. But having lived in Texas for over 60 years, I am used to the stories of Houston's incompetence in getting anything done right. Be glad that you are not in the actual city itself. Of course the city is broke right now and probably can't pay any emergency responders or cleanup crews.
Chet - Yes indeed. Familiar structures abound here on my layout. I see the same ones in the pictures that you post. :cool: Thanks again for the opportunity to acquire them. You may have missed it, but I had to completely rebuild Garner's Market recently after rain soaked it when the tornado ripped the roof off the train shed.
Patrick - Your evening post made me hungry, first bratwurst and then enchiladas. Yummy! Got to smother the enchiladas with sour cream when served though.

Oh boy! It's 7-11 day, free Slurpees nationwide! Yuck!
Everyone have a terrific Thursday.
 


Morning folks

61, a few scattered clouds, and a 93 for the forecast high. Uggg. A definite tinge of "camp fire" smoke in the air, I assume from the Horse Gulch wildfire east of Helena.

I received the rest of the parts to put together the HEI distributor for Old Blue (1968 Jeep CJ5) yesterday. Couldn't find a complete odd fire version so it's a rebuilt Cardone unit with all new top end parts for a 1975 Buick Regal. Old Blue had a MSD 6A box and a Davis distributor in it when I purchased it last year. I don't think anyone would argue that the capacitor discharge system results in a better spark, especially at low RPMs but my experience with the MSD units has been less than stellar. Not something I want on a vehicle where it is a long hike to get help. The Davis distributor would have been a good addition but whoever installed it cut one of the cap hold down bosses off it to clear the block and I found sand on the inside of it. More junk at that point.

I also got my Amazon order containing some small can motors yesterday. I have not checked them for amp draw but all seem to run very smoothly. I'm going to try some of these in a couple of rail cars.

I have a date with the strawberry patch this morning. My back is complaining just thinking about it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.




Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a commision from some of the links and ads shown on this website (Learn More Here)

Back
Top