Running Bear's December 2025 Coffee Shop

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So I've been sitting here trying to get my head around the switch power routing or non-power routing thing. My brain ain't working too good today so it is taking way too much to comprehend. If the write up is beyond a few sentences, I am getting confused.

I don't remember what I did before, so that doesn't help. I run my tracks on DC and DCC.

I did find the thread on it in this forum and someone explained it perfectly, so I think I will go non-power routing.

What I also found out is that my new switches have a plastic frog, which is not good since I run a lot of 0-4-0s. This sucks.
 
CambriaArea51 said:
I guess you've never heard of TCS
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Actually have. I have a few of their KA-N1 micro stayalives. Fit perfectly in my 0-4-0 locos, right under the decoder.
Andrew Barclay Efficient.jpeg

AB ESU TCS BODY.jpg
 


Kusojiji said:
OK, ran some tests on these switches and my 0-4-0s ran fine over them, so I am glad it wasn't a waste of money. Some of my cabooses (cabeese?) may have issues with their lights, so am still trying to figure out a solution for DC stay alive.
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Soundtraxx offers a small capacitor for their sound decoders. It should be small enough to put in a caboose for flicker-free lighting.
 
Well, howdy there internet peeps and those with switches

It's Troy again.

Got up for the 3:45 pee run and couldn't fall back asleep, so here I am.

Last night, wife and I went to the favorite Italian place II for supper (Yes, wife has 2 favorite Italian places). They still had cloth napkins, so no kitchen fire at that location.

Wife finally asked me to get the ceramic tree out of storage. We're now officially "festive".

festive.jpg


Getting that out of storage involves playing contortionist under the stairs. Our stairs are u-shaped with a landing halfway up. It's under the bottom landing were we store the holiday decor. Not too bad to get into except for two issues.

first, the natural gas line to the furnace runs under that landing. And, since it was built in the 1970s, it isn't nicely secured against the back wall. We just have to dodge under it. And it involves moving the cat's rotating pooping palace out of the way. there is just barely enough room to tilt the box on it's side, ever so gently (we have lots of packing around the ceramic, but still). Slide the box under the gas line. Then lift it upright and thread the needle between the stairs and the pooping palace.

I decided that I'm going to move the storage location to under the model railroad. No gas line to disturb there.

Speaking of the layout, I started gluing foam sheets to the upper deck last night. Got to the fourth panel (each is 2 ft wide) and discovered another brace was needed. I suspect I'll need a few more braces cut and installed on this level. That's something I can work on this afternoon when it's warm enough to venture into the unheated garage and use the table saw.
 


IMG_5582.jpeg

Not to be outdone...
This is my ceramic tree, a family project my parents and I completed in 1977. Over the decades, some of the animals and people were damaged or lost, the base was broken, and some of the plastic doves lost their mounting pins. I did upgrade it to LED lighting, which consisted of removing the old incandescent banana bulb and screwing in a 3 watt LED in its place. The people and angel on the right belonged to my wife's family from long before I met her.
 
Good morning. It’s 27f degrees in So. Central Wisconsin heading to a high of 28 in about an hour. Then it heads downward. Winter snow advisory at 6pm tonight. Somewhere between 3” to 8” is possible, meaning they have no clue. I should be home by start up.

It’s an OPS session today. Meeting up with guys from the Milwaukee area in Southeast Wi, and guys from North Central Wi at a place outside the Wisconsin Dells or West Central (barely) Wisconsin. We will have a great time on a great layout.

Watched #1 Badgers beat #2 Buckeyes in Women’s hockey on streaming TV yesterday from Colombus. Then after the game from our living room and not our seats at the UW Fieldhouse we watch the Badger VB team beat the TarHeels from NC. The Badgers are heading to Austin for the next round of the NCAA’s. The son can get us a suite at no cost but tipping the staff at the games. Terry said we will think about it. That means we are not going to Austin.

Buy your Powerball tickets!
 
32°F this morning and mostly cloudy. Still waiting to see if it's going to snow, snain, freezing rain, or just plain 'ol rain tomorrow. The Talking HEads are still out to lunch on the question.

Placed my grocery order this morning and I'm waiting on that now. It'll be a few hours yet. Nothing planned for today. Might run trains, might not. I've been neglecting my guitar practise lately, so I might work on that instead.

Servus!
 
Kusojiji said:
cabeese?
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Cabin Cars 😁
troyphoto said:
Wife finally asked me to get the ceramic tree out of storage. We're now officially "festive".
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Perfect timing!
bnsf971 said:
Not to be outdone...
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Certainly not and with family history no less!
TLOC said:
Buy your Powerball tickets!
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I already have the winning ticket, but you never know if you buy a random ticket, you could get the same numbers. I'd be more than happy to split with you.

I often wonder "what would I do with more than $1 million dollars?" Save it for the tax man!
 


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