Running Bear's February 2023 Coffee Shop

[bnsf971]

Good morning. It's cloudy and 72.

 

[CGW121]

Well the grand kids(and me) spent a several hours in the basement. Was a fun time. The youngest spent a lot of time playing with a brush. Today will be sunny and mild, hope they are right.
Mike.

 

[kbkchooch]

Thanks for your info. Does the name Harry the hat ring a bell for the 1950's ?

Wasn't he was a thug working for the syndicate ? or am I thinking about an episode of the Sopranos??

 

[troyphoto]

Episode of Cheers

Harry "The Hat" Gittes

Harry Gittes is a recurring character on Cheers. He is played by the late Harry Anderson. At 6'4", thin, and lanky during the first two seasons, Harry was well dressed in a suit and suspenders, glasses, and known for his trademark fedora hat. Harry should not be confused with any of Cheers's...

cheers.fandom.com

 

[santafewillie]

Joe - I don't do as much railfanning as I used to, but my favorite place has always been under a large tree at an intersection in the country that parallels the ATSF, now BNSF main line out of Alliance Yard heading north to Gainesville TX and ultimately to Oklahoma City and north. There is a three mile passing siding/staging track and an additional interchange track with KCS, with one leg of the wye directly across from where I park. Lots of action. The north part of the passing siding is truly a staging track. ATSF and now BNSF do what I was told was "fleeting". That is yard personnel pull north bound trains out of Alliance and stage them on this and several other locations south towards the yard. The yard crew catches a ride back with either a southbound train or the transport van bringing the road crew out. They wait for 3-4 southbound trains to go by and then the northbound ones leave in sequence to presumably OKC. Around noonish, they all wait for the southbound Amtrack Heartland Flyer to go by. I presume that the same happens in the evening when it returns, but I am usually not there at that time. During ATSF days, it was known as Dalton Junction and connected with Zacha Junction in NE Dallas where I watched trains as a teenager. The line to Dallas was sold to KCS just before the merger and BNSF renamed this wye as Krum Junction after the small town about five miles south. There's no controlled grade crossings for a distance of ~10 miles, so trains are traveling rather quickly through here. They also don't slow down when passing through the small towns at either end. I've paced them at slightly better than 60 mph on the parallel highway.

 

[PRR Modeler]

Afternoon All,

Started out with a walk at 61F and it's supposed to get to 89F today. After breakfast I did some chores then headed to the train room to finish the build which I did (pre painting). After that I straightened up around my worktable. Thursday I'll drop it off with my buddy Jon for painting. Not sure what's on the agenda for tomorrow.

Thank you for the photo likes yesterday.

Joe- Very nice layout and 1:1 photos.

Willie- I forgot to mention that I liked your mill roof detailing. The market interior is superb.

I hope everyone has a good night.

 

[Jaz avalley]

Are you sure. You change things more than my wife changes the furniture. You need to glue and nail it down and be done with it. Then rig it so you can raise it to the ceiling to give you room when your not using it or hing it to the wall so it folds out of the way.

To be fair to Christian,we tried loads of different stuff before we settled down,and then still had a major change later,plus we had a lot of room,he has to live with his for a long time so getting the layout you can live with is important,I do sympathise with the comment …just be grateful you missed our initial set up

3rd attempt,this is a real station,so have every change of staying

deciding how to negotiate the corner,accepting thE curves could not be realistic,later deciding to hide the lot because of this fact
he’ll I did three different platforms before being happy

wanting to reach all track in case of derailment or repair, meant we gave up o n a full single flat board, more ripping up

stuffed got moved from one to the next, p Kia we were still buying and identifying

then we made a classic mistake this storage yard was too shallow, you could not reach your arm in if anything derailed,and we often lost stuff rolling stick in and out hunting for it,.grrr

then we wanted to maximise the track and make it look interesting, this was solved by working from a real station

we trialled a home made tall helix,there are pictures, but long trains struggled, so this shallower option at the back took less room was easy to hide,

ooh sone A4s oh actually just 2

we were buying so fast and building at speed but the legs were too flimsy and we dismantled and redid the lot

stronger with cross bars for strengthening, chunkier legs, yep be so very grateful lol, we even had to add a 3in spacer so we could use plugs and open the eaves doors ooops.
still the chunkier build meant I could climb on to wallpaper and paint and means we can clim out of the velux windows tho why the hell yo u would want to expect obe is an escape to a flat roof if a fire downstairs….yowsers….

 

[Smudge617]

Chris - One of the keys to successfully painting white metal castings that I have learned, is to prime everything with a cheap primer after cleaning up the flash. Here I use Krylon white primer that I get at Walmart. Painting is a lot easier after that. There is still intricate painting to be done at times that requires patience. Gorilla Super Glue works real well for assembly if you can get it across the pond

Yes we can fleaBay of course. I use Loctite super Glue Gel, that works well, need to order more as they only come in 3g bottles.

 

[Jaz avalley]

Oh bugger! I can see this being a real PIA to paint and build.

View attachment 162944

You’ll need to tidy it tonnes first too

 

[Smudge617]

You’ll need to tidy it tonnes first too

Fiddly I know, but I've had far worse than these.

 

[Smudge617]

Someone was asking about a re-railer for their long loco's, and I can't find the thread it was in, but I found this for Z, N, HO and O scale, thought someone would find it useful.

 

[chadbag]

I'm with you on Lima Beans and Eggplant, but I love all kinds of Squash, both Summer and Winter types. However being originally a Yankee, I still haven't ever gotten into Okra.

i resemble this remark. I’ll eat Lima beans and egg plant but never willingly agree or choose them on a menu. (Though Asian style egg plants are much better).

same with Okra.

my wife wants me to eat Natto. Supposed to be good for you. It is fermented soy beans. It probably even tastes good* but the thought of it is enough to kill any interest.

*I did try a bite once and it kind of tasted like dirt, but I don’t know if I had prepared it right. Some people really like it and naturally fermented foods are good for you.

 

[bnsf971]

 

[CambriaArea51]

To be fair to Christian,we tried loads of different stuff before we settled down,and then still had a major change later,plus we had a lot of room,he has to live with his for a long time so getting the layout you can live with is important,I do sympathise with the comment …just be grateful you missed our initial set up
View attachment 1631083rd attempt,this is a real station,so have every change of staying
View attachment 163109
deciding how to negotiate the corner,accepting thE curves could not be realistic,later deciding to hide the lot because of this fact
he’ll I did three different platforms before being happy
View attachment 163110
wanting to reach all track in case of derailment or repair, meant we gave up o n a full single flat board, more ripping up
View attachment 163111
stuffed got moved from one to the next, p Kia we were still buying and identifying
View attachment 163112
then we made a classic mistake this storage yard was too shallow, you could not reach your arm in if anything derailed,and we often lost stuff rolling stick in and out hunting for it,.grrr
View attachment 163113
then we wanted to maximise the track and make it look interesting, this was solved by working from a real stationView attachment 163114
we trialled a home made tall helix,there are pictures, but long trains struggled, so this shallower option at the back took less room was easy to hide,
View attachment 163115
ooh sone A4s oh actually just 2
View attachment 163116
we were buying so fast and building at speed but the legs were too flimsy and we dismantled and redid the lot
View attachment 163117
stronger with cross bars for strengthening, chunkier legs, yep be so very grateful lol, we even had to add a 3in spacer so we could use plugs and open the eaves doors ooops.
still the chunkier build meant I could climb on to wallpaper and paint and means we can clim out of the velux windows tho why the hell yo u would want to expect obe is an escape to a flat roof if a fire downstairs….yowsers….

I think Christian would love to have your dilemma of a full room layout. Unfortunately he has limited space and limited track plans. I would like to see him move to the next step and add buildings and landscape.

 

[chadbag]

Yes we can fleaBay of course. I use Loctite super Glue Gel, that works well, need to order more as they only come in 3g bottles.

find where the RC airplane guys get their super glue. Usually cheaper and in bigger sized vessels than the hardware store stuff. It same stuff. They also make a medium and a thick which should be similar to your gel. See if you can find Zap brand. Their bottles are nicer and easier to work with than most.

 

[Smudge617]

find where the RC airplane guys get their super glue. Usually cheaper and in bigger sized vessels than the hardware store stuff. It same stuff. They also make a medium and a thick which should be similar to your gel. See if you can find Zap brand. Their bottles are nicer and easier to work with than most.

Thank's I'll see if I can find them, never heard of Zap brand, I'll take a look at that too.

 

[Jaz avalley]

That is usually when damage occurs and sometimes the embarassment is worse than the damage!
How do I know......

When I dislocated my knee and broke my ankle I did not go up higher than 4ft as I hit the top half of the stable door, but hitting the concrete floor is something I do not remember painful or otherwise, I do remember that the ambulance crew thought I was ott until a doctor told me my knee displacement was really bad I felt bad about the fuss,and he said they do not normally recommend a general anaesthetic but he was not expecting to place it back and it could take 30 minutes of excruciating pain until they would get me to theatre, having heard some bloke screaming for ages I said yeah anaesthetic and after I came round and he had rep,aced it - he said he was really chuffed he had got it back in place, so height is not the issue how hard you come down and on what, the doctor thought the damage was done going up and smacking the door, he was worried about my head but I felt no pain, although the next day a lump appeared, and only as they were ready for me to ‘walk’ on the kneee and I couldn’t did they even realise the ankle was gone as well, I had to wait for a consultant to look and agree that yes it needed a pin BUT it was in such a bad place I w ould be in permanent pain, and they would see if I could follow theiy instructions and try a cast only, luckily that worked out I rarely notice that ankle, but the knee continues to be a pain.
So Smudge be damn grateful you tail bone took the fall.

 

[Jaz avalley]

I'm at my wits end. Some may remember my old friend Willy had a catastrophic health problem in February 2022. He is now wasting away in a nursing home. He is doing well physically. He no longer has type II diabetes or any other chronic problem. He has lost an enormous amount of weight. What worries me is he is doing nothing!

I can't find out if he is refusing physical therapy or not getting any. Nobody will speak to me, and he tells me they aren't doing anything. His wife is all but useless, she knows nothing. I gave them each cell phones and I am footing the bill. But they don't speak to each other for weeks at a time. I know his wife is overwhelmed and they are both depressed. His wife was the stereotypical "dumb blond" She was a real beauty, now she is just dumb. She has a heart of gold, but that won't get the job done.

I know he needs to have a second cut on his leg where they amputated his foot. I'm told the first was called an emergency "guillotine cut" and is not suitable for a prosthetic foot. They had no choice as his body had become septic, he is lucky to be alive. He has to go back to the original hospital for the second cut he tells me. I wonder if he is doing nothing until they get him out of the nursing home.

I gave him a tablet, and this is the second smart phone. He broke both of those. I wonder how long the second phone will last. I guess it is good he turned down the laptop i wanted to give him. I want to get him another tablet or a laptop, but he said, "this is fine". He did manage to set up a twitter account, which is something. I've been trying to encourage him to start a pod cast, a blog or better yet both! I told him I will cover the expense. I'm not worried about how much I have spent and will keep spending. Please Willy, do something, anything!

As far as I know he has not even filed for social security disability.

He is still over one hundred miles away from us. I go to see him as much as I can. The problem is we are overbooked and have truly little time. We do keep him stocked with diet mountain dew and anything he asks for. It takes a minimum of three hours for us to see him. He goes through a case of soda every 10 days or less. If he were close, I would go see him every day.

His wife is less than 15 minutes from him and has only seen him once. That was to pick up his severance check from his former employer. She could not even manage to cash that. We had to pick it up and cash it for her. I told my friend I would hold the money for him until he gets out, he says "no that's ok, send it to her".

How do you help people that won't help themselves? I'm trying to stay positive and encourage him.

My wife is taking a well-deserved nap. I'm waiting for the sun to get higher so I can replace the front brakes on our Sonic. My beagles are with me on the couch.

I'm sorry to whine to all of you, this is the only place I blow off steam. Now you know why you have not seen much of me.

You are an exceptionly good friend, trying to keep them in touch, trying to help the wife, as you say he needs exercise my dad ended up in a wheel chair after 3 months in a bed in icu, wasted muscles and loss,and getting him back on his feet took a lot of effort, Willie may be waiting for the second op but until he gets that he likely won’t get any physio, he should be wiggling his toes on the good foot, lifting each leg on the bed like he is walking if he hopes to be mobile, he should do arm lifts, the la[top would have had him exercise his muscles , if you can get a print off of exercises with pictures for someone who is bedridden it might be a reminder for him,take one each time you do the can run.
You are a seriously good mate, hopefully the blond does not waste the severance check but there is little you can do on that front, But it is concerning she is not visiting, I know it asking a lot but can you wife give her a woman to Woman talk and say he need the supports and the more he does now the easier it will be.
He will need a good protein diet to rebuild muscle and even moving small weights will help. Nag him, tell him losing the leg does not have to be a dead end,he can push through (I dare say you have already) good luck.
‘That said on the history you have said I doubt it will make much difference, but you have my respect for all the effort you are making,especially putting your own hand in your pocket to try and help the,.

 

[PRR Modeler]

My forgotten photo:

 

[Jaz avalley]

I really appreciate everyone's comments.

I don't know what I can do about Willy's wife. Willy did everything for her. He took care of the bills, cooked, cleaned and worked 5, 6 even 7 days a week sometimes. She is recovering alcohol and is taking medication from doctors. She used to smoke weed for "anxiety" Willy even supplied that. She is like a zombie. I don't think she is cheating on him. The one outstanding quality she had faded with her youth, speed up by the alcohol. Seems to me she has the mental capacity of a child.

One thing I will do is keep trying. I refuse to give up on my buddy.

Willy and I come from the bottom. We were two young teenagers with no guidance or support. But we always worked hard every day. Willy has always despised conflict. I tended to stray from the straight and narrow. I also had a knack for finding trouble. Willy never once failed to watch my back. I remember him telling me one night when we went out to have fun. "Can we not get into any shit tonight, please?".

The stories I could tell you, you probably would not believe many of them. Sometimes I can't believe the things i got involved in. I was always looking for a short cut up. To give you an idea. I went to Dundalk leather co to buy a jacket. I picked the Brooks highway jacket because it was so thick a knife would not penetrate it. Willy bought one the next day.

I never robbed anybody or hurt an innocent person. But I was involved in the supply chain of the most violent trade in Baltimore for a brief time. Back then the nickname people used behind my back was "screwy Louie" because i was crazy mean if you fight with me. Nobody ever called me that to my face. Willy told me about it.

No matter how much it was against his nature, Willy always watched my back. He seldom had to fight because he was a big athletic scary-looking individual. Having his 300lbs behind me was reassuring in a street fight. Willy could have played nose guard in college football.

One night Willy and I went to the old Coast to Coast nightclub on the west side. I decided to try the nose candy most everyone was using, and I was distributing. The next day Willy told me "If you ever use that again don't come around me". That was the end of that. I knew I could trust Willy. He probably saved my life.

Soon after I got a woman who became my first wife pregnant. I quit drinking and partying all together. Daddies are not supposed to be stoned or have to run from blue lights. The marriage did not work, but I kept it clean ever since.

Bottom line, I owe Willy. I will always have his back.

Glad you managed to find an easier life, people often do not consider that many people fall into crime because they have little or no other choice, and managing to climb out of such a hole must have been really hard,and by the sounds of it Willy really did watch your back, I am glad you both (you said he got severance lay and worked so many days, so as you say together, everyone deserves a break.….on another note glad I did not come across you..in the day…..smiles.
I too tried stuff once,realised it was too easy,and never ever tried again. So good for you because you were so close to it it must have been harder. To resist.


ooooh edited, I really like you nowadays grins…..and I do not need to say it cos you cannot find me lol.