Running Bear's January 2025 Coffee Shop

[Alcomotive]

Good morning gang!

15° as I head out this morning under cloudy skies only expecting a high of 30° today.

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My early birthday present has arrived and wifey allowed me to unboxed it for inspection and test run. It’s an Atlas silver series B 32–8. Decorated for the western Maryland scenic railway in Cumberland. I have seen the real thing now I have it in HO scale . It runs very smooth and is almost a perfect speed match to the Bowser F units behind it.

BBL

Yes! That is a sharp looking unit! The new run of the Atlas is really nice! They are stepping up their game a little more each time. I have several Atlas units.... over 3 dozen. The majority with sound but I have a lot of the Silver series as well. All are great runners. Their details are great too. The motors in them are quiet and smooth runners. Love them. I have bought a lot of them off Ebay and repaired some by replacing the speakers with ST speakers too. Sometimes I get new old stock a really great price. People do not know how to properly reset the decoders is half the problem with some of them. (using the magnetic wand) Once you do, these things they run fantastic. Congrats on a great unit! Looks fantastic!

 

[troyphoto]

Well, howdy there internet peeps, and those obeying the laws of physics

It's Troy again.

As we discuss friction and non-lossless systems, I'm reminded that a good example of losing energy through friction is:

Go start an argument with your wife. She'll give you a lot of energy back, but it's all lost in the friction of the argument. You probably won't feel recharged at the end.

Another day of Sciatica issues. What's weird about this bout, it's different than the last major flare up. This one, I can sit OK, where the last bout I had a week or two of standing or laying down. And, this time my lower leg is still all tingly. But I had definite pain above that. Today the pain has progressed down into the calve. It was behind the knee yesterday.

Teeter table and "Nerve Flossing" are my two must do morning activities. Nerve flossing: Sit on the edge of a sturdy table or counter or bench high enough to swing your feet. Hunch forward and tuck your affected leg back under you. Then swing the leg forward and extend to straight, while leaning back and arching your back. If you can tilt your toes toward your head. Repeat about 10-20 times if able. That causes the sciatic nerve to slide back and forth a cm or two and loosen up the scar tissue around where it's being pinched.

Man, is my nerve tight. My range of motion raising my leg is half what it was a week ago.

Not sure what today holds. Probably more stretching.

 

[traiNscale]

When it arrives, we need a full report (with pictures)

will do a full unboxing video from second 1, no spoilers! like i did with my rapido mystery box in december

 

[TLOC]

Good morning from the weather confused State of Wisconsin. The actual temperature is 27f degrees and is heading into the high 30’s. We have no wind so the “real feel” is the same. The cold weather returns Saturday when it’s back to single digits at wake up! If the sun is out, this could become a “shorts” day.

No decision on a vehicle as there has been nothing that trips the trigger. I cannot see buying a vehicle that needs charging without me getting to a destination and back for day tripping. It only takes a few minutes to add gasoline to a vehicle but a couple hours to partially charge, that’s not in the cards on a day trip. The gas powered units that we both liked are crazy priced IMO and a few seemed to have cheap interiors. The compact SUV line has a great many available models. But when we started deducting manufacturers because of pre-conceived opinions (USA cars suck) the choices started dropping. Everyone has an opinion on the models and what can you trust on the internet? We will keep looking though. The dealer does believe even if the Executive orders on tariffs are signed next week it won’t effect the units already on his lots. The sales manager did say it’s still an unknown until the orders are signed! The choice of a smaller pickup truck is still residing in the back of the brain but then I can’t haul both grandkids. I have spent some time every day since NY’s day looking at info on vehicles, not today though. It’s break time

Enjoy your day

 

[ctclibby]

Good Morning All!
26F @ 80% overcast

CostCo, USFoods and VA went alright yesterday. Dropped about $650 with the 1st 2, Errant hearing aid at the VA to get repaired. VA said I should have it in the mail in a couple of days. 1st 2, ya we get sticker shock after those. Got to thinking about it...$650/month is not that bad. ~$22/day ( if 30 days ) which is ~$7/Day for 3 people. Maria and I eat 2 meals and snack, Angela one meal and snack most of the time, There is stuff that we don't consume ( soap, bleach, shirts, pants .. etc ) and stuff we won't consume in a month, so that is a gimme! We do add some stuff during the month ( eggs, veggies ... etc ) so we still are under $9/Day for meals for 3 people.

kgstakes: might as well have fun with this one. Get 2 identical generators and directly connect the shafts together ( no belt or chain ) with suitable power wire between the two. Crank up the 1st with [pick ur fav] bike, motor ..etc. Perpetual Motion states they should run forever if nothing breaks and you only loose the original energy for start up. Got 3 of those running in the basement...Ya, right - that is why I am retired and only living on Soc and Retirement! They will run for awhile then finally die. The only problem is that there is not enough extra current to do anything with and not impact the system; not even a .5W Christmas tree light. Ok, so the light will shine, but the system dies faster.

Gravity don't work either - Without trying it in a complete vacuum, get 2 pool balls; make a teeter-totter and put one ball on the down edge, then drop the other ball on the up edge. Down ball accelerates at the speed of gravity ( 32ft/sec/sec ) wacks the teeter then the Up ball decelerates at the speed of gravity. You are lucky if the Up ball goes 50% of the original Down ball height. All that is energy loss in the system.

Later

 

[santafewillie]

Good Morning All. Clear and 34°, heading into the 60's today. The NWS has now added snow to next Tuesday's forecast, in the midst of the cold system arriving Friday night. CYA if you ask me.

All of this talk about burgers convinced me to grill them out on the grill last night. No picture though. Wife successfully renewed her DL yesterday. New rules in Texas require significant documentation. She was able to use her old DL, her passport and voter registration card. Five years ago, I just used the old DL and a copy of my birth certificate. Didn't need the voter ID, maybe because they already knew?
Today starts with a visit to the dental hygienist, then home to pick up wife and make the weekly grocery trek. Or she may change her mind and we'll do the groceries tomorrow.

Out in the train shed yesterday, I finished cleaning a row of structures.

I added 5 more figures to this scene. Next I'll move on to vehicles.

Swal - Does that bridge still exist on your revised layout?
Agree with you totally on the salt thing. We organically grow and can our own veggies and spices, and have always prepared food at home, with little to no salt. It's rare that we buy any prepared foods. If so, I always look at the ingredients/nutrition information before I stick it in my cart. Fritos are the exception.
Todd - Regarding hearing aids. I have always had extra ear buds in case I lost one. I have extra speakers as well. Once I lost an earbud. Couldn't find it anywhere, so I replaced it and went on. I found it three days later still in my ear! There was double-buds in that ear the whole time. Wife was a bit apprehensive about removing it. The old issue with sticking stuff in one's ears; in this case tweezers.
Karl - I called it quits at 63.5, but waited until 66 to claim SS. Wife who is 2 years older than me worked until she was 72, although she claimed SS at 66.
Troy - Get well soon. That Sciatica really seems to have a mind of it's own.
Joe -

But once in a while a canned soup won't hurt.

At what point in life do we give it up, healthy eating, vitamin and supplement consumption and medications?

Everyone have a great Thursday.

 

[ctclibby]

I only know this Boris my doctor before he moved to FL told me start preparing your own food. There's way too much salt in everything you buy. I have friends who now have kidney problems because of this. It doesn't look good for them some have already died. I don't want to be in the same boat. I know it's a pain to prepare everything from scratch but it's either that or not being on this forum in the future.
Swal

You guys are on the right track. No processed foods ( includes most Restaurants, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives ). We have been doing that for almost 24 years now, Maria went with it kicking and screaming but now she understands. Well, when we were OTR that went out the window for the most part. Fix'n your own is not that bad. Buy what you like fresh. Get them fruits and veggies to. Mix things up so meals don't get old and only buy enough of the fresh stuff that you will use between grocery runs. When it comes to meats/seafood, if it is cheaper than hamburger - get it. Freeze meats when you get a deal. If you don't know, completely thaw and let meats get to room temperature before cooking. Never cook frozen as they will be real crappy. Cut your carbs - instead of 2 pieces of bread for a sandwich, use one and have a 'folder', else wrap the good stuff in lettuce and skip the bread carbs altogether. Note we still buy some canned stuff: tomato sauce, olives, ketchup ... stuff like that.

Heck, once you get used to that, you can go every once in awhile to those RDDD's. You will be amazed of the difference in taste and the amount of salt is present. A few times a month won't be bad in the grand scheme of things.

Later

 

[troyphoto]

Good morning from the weather confused State of Wisconsin. The actual temperature is 27f degrees and is heading into the high 30’s. We have no wind so the “real feel” is the same. The cold weather returns Saturday when it’s back to single digits at wake up! If the sun is out, this could become a “shorts” day.

No decision on a vehicle as there has been nothing that trips the trigger. I cannot see buying a vehicle that needs charging without me getting to a destination and back for day tripping. It only takes a few minutes to add gasoline to a vehicle but a couple hours to partially charge, that’s not in the cards on a day trip. The gas powered units that we both liked are crazy priced IMO and a few seemed to have cheap interiors. The compact SUV line has a great many available models. But when we started deducting manufacturers because of pre-conceived opinions (USA cars suck) the choices started dropping. Everyone has an opinion on the models and what can you trust on the internet? We will keep looking though. The dealer does believe even if the Executive orders on tariffs are signed next week it won’t effect the units already on his lots. The sales manager did say it’s still an unknown until the orders are signed! The choice of a smaller pickup truck is still residing in the back of the brain but then I can’t haul both grandkids. I have spent some time every day since NY’s day looking at info on vehicles, not today though. It’s break time

Enjoy your day

Sounds like you need Railroad Therapy. Perhaps you should purchase a new locomotive instead?

 

[Boris]

Now, if you go back and read your 60s and 70s SciFi, you'll find the idea of nuclear powered vehicles for the consumer as something the futurists of the SciFi world saw coming. And that may be on the horizon as well. Small nuclear reactors are feasible, but pricy right now. Another 10 years, and they may be small enough to power busses or locomotives.

Go back to the 1980s, when an entry level PC with two floppy disks cost two to three thousand dollars, plus monitor, keyboard, modem and printer extra....now? The same thing will apply, timeline may be different but ultimately things will be cheaper as the product line matures.

 

[Bruette]

There's way too much salt in everything you buy.

Swal, you are spot on!

My mom had to closely monitor her salt intake. Otherwise, her blood pressure would rise, and her feet would swell. My wife and I did her shopping and checked labels. We were shocked how quickly the salt would add up.

Depending on what you eat you can easily exceed the daily recommended amount of sodium at breakfast.

One of my mom's favorite snacks was A Tastykake Coconut Krimpet. Which contains 230 milligrams of sodium. Salt is in almost everything we buy.

My wife made most of my mom's meals. My mom loved salty foods. Sausages and pork cooked in sauerkraut were two of her favorites. It took some doing but my wife managed to come up with low salt meals my mom liked. My mom lived to be 90.

 

[bnsf971]

Tom, I haven't done tons of research, but I've heard good things about the Maverick hybrid. I don't know if something like that would work for you.
I do know if you search any vehicle at all on YT, there will be many horror stories about every one.

 

[Boris]

I only know this Boris my doctor before he moved to FL told me start preparing your own food. There's way too much salt in everything you buy.

George: Over all, your doctor is right. Problem is sometimes it isn't practical. I was over zealous, and went too far, hurting myself in other ways, which is what I was trying to convey.
We do concentrate on buying low sodium products, and avoiding items with high sodium content. it does help.

 

[troyphoto]

Welp... been selling off some games from my collection (turns out I wasn't much of a gamer, but more of a painter/collector).

So I have some cash burning a hole in my paypal.

I'm about to pull the trigger on this. When ConRail started in 1976, I lived on the other side of the neighborhood from a two track main WB into the Elkhart IN yard. My best friend at the time lived on the side of the neighborhood that butted up against the lines. We were always watching for trains when I was at his place.

So, I found this nice Dash 7 - but it looks like new Conrail locos are only in N are Atlas brand. Anyone have good or bad luck with them?

 

[bnsf971]

Something to add to dietary considerations, there needs to be a balance between quantity of life and quality of life. Living to be 100 and being miserable and concentrating only on extending our lives versus living to be 75 and being happy, or at least content.

 

[Bruette]

@Boris you nailed it, as usual. Balance is the key.

As my mom approached 90 her doctor told me "Let her eat what she wants" Because her appetite was diminishing and we all need nutrition, bad foods are better than no food.

Too much salt, fat and sugar are the things we need to watch out for. But in moderation they are not so bad.

And as you said before Boris, we are all different.

We should all be seeing a doctor at least once a year for blood work, Basic Metabolic Panel (BMP) and other tests.

 

[bnsf971]

Welp... been selling off some games from my collection (turns out I wasn't much of a gamer, but more of a painter/collector).

So I have some cash burning a hole in my paypal.

I'm about to pull the trigger on this. When ConRail started in 1976, I lived on the other side of the neighborhood from a two track main WB into the Elkhart IN yard. My best friend at the time lived on the side of the neighborhood that butted up against the lines. We were always watching for trains when I was at his place.

So, I found this nice Dash 7 - but it looks like new Conrail locos are only in N are Atlas brand. Anyone have good or bad luck with them?
View attachment 209236

I have several of their newer engines, and like them.

 

[kbkchooch]

Sounds like you need Railroad Therapy. Perhaps you should purchase a new locomotive instead?

It worked for me!!!

 

[chadbag]

It only takes a few minutes to add gasoline to a vehicle but a couple hours to partially charge

I'm not a big fan of the EV charging for longer trips but at fast DC chargers you can charge the better cars in about 30 min to 80% full. Its not hours any longer.

One thing you can do is look at PHEV or an Extended Range EV. Both have a gasoline motor plus an EV section. The EV section is a smaller batteryt (typically 40-60 miles now for PHEV, more like 125-150 or more for EREV) but has a full gas engine in the PHEV to drive as a "normal" car and on the EREV side to charge as you drive using the gas generator motor. This allows longer trips with quick fill ups but still the benefits of an EV in daily around town driving

PHEV have become popular and most manufacturers I've seen make one or more versions. EREV is not something you see a lot of now but is coming in the future.

 

[Bruette]

When ConRail started in 1976

Keep in mind not all locomotives were repainted right away. Many were just renumbered. It was a colorful period for Conrail.

 

[troyphoto]

Keep in mind not all locomotives were repainted right away. Many were just renumbered. It was a colorful period for Conrail.

Since I'm not modelling Conrail specific, it's a fanboy purchase. I want to remember seeing Conrail blue livery running around sometimes.