Running Bear's January 2026 Coffee Shop

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Good morning from Wisconsin. This is getting old! -3f but feels like -13. Dry for the next 10 days which means snow of 2-3” in the next day or so! The weather guessers have been decent on the temperatures but they are big time failures on snowfall.

The roofers were out yesterday afternoon. It’s not a roof issue. It’s called the sun warming and melting the snow on the roof. Because it is still so cold out it’s freezing again right when it slides off. They will come out this Spring though to fix the gutter. The icicles are forming between the roof edging and the cutter.

Taking a few days away from the structure build projects as I hope to complete the re-build of my lead into the paper mill. I still only have mild interest in my layout but I’d like to be able to access my only 2 staging tracks. The layout as a whole runs pretty good. If I get this track work redone I will rip out issue #2 and hope to get it re-done in less than the year this one is taking me. I also will be tuning up my Dremel band saw.

Tomorrow is a layout work session 45 minutes north of me. 1st session of the year at this layout for me. A little bit of everything as the track laying and soldering guys will be there. Sounds like I will be hot gluing cardboard strips and carving some foam for landscape forms. He has some paper mill kits he wants me to bring home and kit bash. He’s already cut the bases for the dimension of each structure so I just to to cut to fit. He also has a new band saw blade for my Dremel saw that I have not used in forever. Cutting Walthers paper mill kit walls needs a touch more cutting power than a Zona saw, a jeweler saw and the ever faithful #11 blade. He has 2 Superior paper mill kits and at least 1 Recovery boiler building for me. I also will out together his pulp storage tanks as he has a few besides the 2 in each Superior kit. Those are selling for gold type pricing online. He wants to use 3 and sell off the rest. It takes longer to clean them up than anything else with them. For this kit bashing I’ll get paid off in Black Sintra pvc board. For scratch building I use it as support for the structures I build. I laminate styrene to it. Works great for me

Be well, stay warm
 
Good Morning All. Partly cloudy and 33°. Made it up to 51° yesterday, but the ice hasn't melted yet. Supposed to be the same today and tomorrow before the next cold front Friday night.

I scraped the ice off the car yesterday and ventured down to the mailbox, 1.25 miles down the road. While uneventful, it was not easy. There's still 5" of ice with two packed down ruts. The only mail was Saturday's delivery, so they haven't been back since! So much for the rain, snow, darkness BS that we always heard. If I had used my Honda Civic, I would not have made it due to the clearance. Schools are still closed today in the entire Dallas/Ft Worth area, as most residential and secondary roads are not safe to drive on. Our joint doctor visit today will not happen, we'll be calling to see if it can be switched to a tele-doc visit. Can't do the labs over the phone though!

Spent some time out in the train shed again yesterday, once again running trains. I did sit at the workbench for a bit and applied paint to those 5 Farmall tractors. Not much, just painted all of the exhausts silver, I also painted the seats of two of them black per Lonnie's suggestion. All of the pictures that I have found on the net show red seats, but I swear that I saw some in the early 70's with black seats.
1769694376278.png

The rear wheel rims on some of the internet pictures have a silver band on them as well, I might try that on a couple later.
I don't seem to have any seated figures that fit on these, so all will be used as static models on the layout. Gotta weather a couple too. Problem is that all of the pictures are restored tractors, so they are spotless. I'll keep looking.

Hughie - Lucky me! I happen to live just a mile north of the Denton County line and I am not required to have the emissions testing on our vehicles.
Taxes - My wife was a 20 year Blockhead (H&R Block preparer), so she knows all of the ins and outs of tax filing. Makes it easy, just hand her all of the forms and sign later. All of my working career, I had just the right amount of withholding, so I rarely got any refund. I didn't want any government entity using my money interest-free all year. It does help that there is no state income tax in Texas, so there was less to juggle. It will be interesting this season because of RMD's which I took without withholding's. We haven't had any tax liability since 2015.

Everyone have a great Thursday.
 


20°F out there this morning. It's not getting much warmer than that and there is a chance for light snow later this afternoon. No accumulations expected. I've heard that before though and ended up with 4" when it was over.

Nothing going on today. Up at my usual 0230 to hear the song of PowerStroke Diesel this morning. That's why I'm not here today until 0800 instead of 0630. Well, it's closer to lunch time anyway.

Have a safe Donnerstag! Servus!
 
Good morning all!

The sun is out, but its still cold! Currently 7F with an expected high of only 16F. Hopefully just a few more single digit nights till
we get a break towards the weekend. I don't see any snow in our forecast, but we all know how that goes. Cant wait for a warm
day to run these cars thru the car wash, they are both white with the salt dust.

Been a busy morning already. Have laundry almost done. Dishwasher is empty.

Basketball game is away tonight so dinner will probably be the customary culvers stop since there is one in the town we will
be playing in.

Not much else going on. Life is quiet at the moment and that's a good thing!

Have a safe day everyone!
 
TLOC said:
Great pictures. David how long are you guys gone for?

Taxi and a McDonalds in the station! Wow…

Keep enjoying
Click to expand...

Glad that you like them, Tom.

Our time in Italy is coming to a close. (A favourite country of ours.)

When I got the okay to travel from the hospital doctor, Dawn said we should travel the world as we planned some time back. We have cruised the world, now there are places on land we have to visit.

We leave Italy by ship beginning of February and sail back to the U.K.
Sail to the U.S.A to meet my family.
Travel across Canada.
Sail to Australia where we have family to visit
Dawn wants to visit South Africa. It is on her 'bucket List'.
Return to the U.K.

That is the plan.

Taxis will be used some days. McDonalds are a 'No-No'. 😀
 
Good morning gentlemen. In Philly today and it is bitter cold, freezing and windy. Since my trailer is being unloaded at the moment, i took the opportunity to grab a chicken leg at a local deli...and the Northeast Corridor is only two blocks away. So i was able to grab a few pictures with the old row of factories along the railroad. First though is an abandoned part of the trolley system on Erie Avenue:
IMG_20260129_102432003_HDR.jpg
IMG_20260129_102439780_HDR.jpg

Wnen it comes to street rails, there's nothing prettier than rails in cobblestone. Next the Corridor and a surprise freight coming in from Frankford:
IMG_20260129_103701639_HDR.jpg
IMG_20260129_104212018.jpg
IMG_20260129_104447665.jpg
IMG_20260129_104451316.jpg

I was going to wait for Amtrak Keystone, but my finger tips were freezing up. Need to move in this weather.
 
NorthBrit said:
Glad that you like them, Tom.

Our time in Italy is coming to a close. (A favourite country of ours.)

When I got the okay to travel from the hospital doctor, Dawn said we should travel the world as we planned some time back. We have cruised the world, now there are places on land we have to visit.

We leave Italy by ship beginning of February and sail back to the U.K.
Sail to the U.S.A to meet my family.
Travel across Canada.
Sail to Australia where we have family to visit
Dawn wants to visit South Africa. It is on her 'bucket List'.
Return to the U.K.

That is the plan.

Taxis will be used some days. McDonalds are a 'No-No'. 😀
Click to expand...
migalyto said:
Where in the US are you going to visit?
Click to expand...
I second that question. If interested in some old American towns in Pennsylvania, then i highly recommend Lancaster County and Strasburg. There's also a very nice railroad museum and a steam tourist train here. Maybe we could meet up.
 


santafewillie said:
Good Morning All. Partly cloudy and 33°. Made it up to 51° yesterday, but the ice hasn't melted yet. Supposed to be the same today and tomorrow before the next cold front Friday night.

I scraped the ice off the car yesterday and ventured down to the mailbox, 1.25 miles down the road. While uneventful, it was not easy. There's still 5" of ice with two packed down ruts. The only mail was Saturday's delivery, so they haven't been back since! So much for the rain, snow, darkness BS that we always heard. If I had used my Honda Civic, I would not have made it due to the clearance. Schools are still closed today in the entire Dallas/Ft Worth area, as most residential and secondary roads are not safe to drive on. Our joint doctor visit today will not happen, we'll be calling to see if it can be switched to a tele-doc visit. Can't do the labs over the phone though!

Spent some time out in the train shed again yesterday, once again running trains. I did sit at the workbench for a bit and applied paint to those 5 Farmall tractors. Not much, just painted all of the exhausts silver, I also painted the seats of two of them black per Lonnie's suggestion. All of the pictures that I have found on the net show red seats, but I swear that I saw some in the early 70's with black seats.
View attachment 256247
The rear wheel rims on some of the internet pictures have a silver band on them as well, I might try that on a couple later.
I don't seem to have any seated figures that fit on these, so all will be used as static models on the layout. Gotta weather a couple too. Problem is that all of the pictures are restored tractors, so they are spotless. I'll keep looking.

Hughie - Lucky me! I happen to live just a mile north of the Denton County line and I am not required to have the emissions testing on our vehicles.
Taxes - My wife was a 20 year Blockhead (H&R Block preparer), so she knows all of the ins and outs of tax filing. Makes it easy, just hand her all of the forms and sign later. All of my working career, I had just the right amount of withholding, so I rarely got any refund. I didn't want any government entity using my money interest-free all year. It does help that there is no state income tax in Texas, so there was less to juggle. It will be interesting this season because of RMD's which I took without withholding's. We haven't had any tax liability since 2015.

Everyone have a great Thursday.
Click to expand...
Taxes - I see you do not take the "Worlds Worst Investment" I would rather pay in April and Have my money all year. Even a Christmas Club Account is better then a tax refund.
 
Hello all, 41 here and sunny! USPS was able to deliver a package to us today. Family heading over in a bit, so that will be nice. Got the 3D printer up and running yesterday and cleaned off a mini print for a TTgame, I am amazed how great detail can be accomplished now with FDM. The newer Anycubic Kobra turns out great stuff, it really shows the improvements over my first 3D printer an Ender3.
 
This is the year I’m required to do the mandatory withdrawals from my 401k. Our goal for tax returns is to be close to paying or receiving nothing. Usually we are pretty good about that for personal tax filings. I authorized a few % more on taxes for the 1st withdrawal and took it this month? Wanted 24% to be taken out to cover the state portion of the taxes. Got the withdrawal and Terry noted the deposit was higher. When she called the company handling the transaction was told they can only withhold a total of 20% in taxes. She pulled out the forms and there is no limit on withholding noted. The company’s reply was not to spend it all but save some for paying the taxes!!!

Back from a whirlwind trip looking for a floor lamp for the cave! Exhausting, terribly rude sales people, not much available in 5 stores, have over 10,000 steps and I have not yet done my daily 2 miles on the machine that goes no wear. We came home with no floor lamp.

The sun is bright, IHOP is still ordinary after at least a 15 year gap from the last visit. The wind chill is finally above zero at +1 with the real temperature at +13f.

Gave up on wanting to learn how to 3d print a couple years ago but still have that urge to tinker with it. I think it’d be great for making up modular wall panels. Have fun with yours DeaconKC

I’m in the cave and a nap is calling me. The alarm is set for 20 minutes

Maybe later
 


Marlin39 said:
Thought you guys might find this interesting about a derailment recovery a little south of me.


Click to expand...
There is someone on YouTube doing a day to day update on the loco recovery. I've been keeping up. Removing/recovery of the slug should be interesting.
The old wooden trestle looks like it is about time to be replaced. I noticed some bracing seems to be missing or rotted on the lower ends.

John
 
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