Running Bear's July 2022 Coffee Shop

[TLOC]

Good evening. It’s been an interesting day. I found out that I can pipe music into the train room speakers from the home theater stereo using my iPod for the time being. The son says I need to transfer them or lose them someday. Using the theater system I can program a bunch of music and I started by going with Jeffro Tull, then Prince, LED Zepplin and back again. So, I play a full album, it goes to the next artist‘s full album and so forth. I already knew how to program individual songs but not an album worth. It’s playing loud as I am home alone, but now listening on the south deck.

Shipped off the 3 cars out to the post office.

I came home and put up 2 WC 2bay covered hopper cars for sale and within 10 minutes they were purchased. James aka Alcomotive was Mr. Quick! Even though he mentioned who he was from the forum, I missed it. I was concentrating on filling out the address on the package but the New York address had me wondering. Then I carefully reread his message. A few minutes later I have a receipt from PayPal and a few minutes after that I am back at the post office. Just a great transaction experience.

I never thought to put up the sold sign on the FB sites but knew I had 2 more offers to buy before I got to the USPS. Now the sold sign is up and let #2 and 3 know they were too late. The 2nd and 3rd guys responding to the sale but missed out both text me asking if I have anymore. The sob stories got to me! I then sold 4 of the six remaining cars I had. I have 2 other buyers who asked but I am keeping at least 1 for myself. Payment has been received for 2 of the cars and they are packed for the post office tomorrow. When the second guy does the PayPal I will hit buy 2 more WC cars from a online store so I can have a total of 3/4 2 bay covered hoppers on the layout. 8 was too many but 2 is not enough. 3 is fine and the layout can handle 4.

I fixed the wheels and tires on the forklift. After I weathered the lift I installed the wheels incorrectly and a gentleman on Facebook let me know. The duals go on the front.

They are correct again!

 

[chadbag]

I think they are trying to fool people into thinking it is real meat.

We had some kind of veggie bean burger patties last night that actually tasted pretty good, however they did not masquerade as meat. They were a little spicy hot, which I like.

Yeah. I've had some pretty good black bean vegetable burgers that were a bit spicy, before. They were pretty good. No replacement for a good burger but if you want something different then not bad.

To answer Willie's question. It is a communist plot by the vegans to get acceptance for their fakery. (And I am only half-joking)

 

[chadbag]

It’s the slow boat of education, if you hear about it enough or see it enough, it becomes true! Or in this case real enough you can’t tell the difference

I think you mean propaganda and indoctrination...

(And yes, I think you are right -- tell the "lie" enough and it becomes reality)

 

[chadbag]

I fixed the wheels and tires on the forklift. After I weathered the lift I installed the wheels incorrectly and a gentleman on Facebook let me know. The duals go on the front. View attachment 149064They are correct again!

That is really nice looking.

 

[TLOC]

For Sale in the Sales forum

 

[ctclibby]

Good Morning All!
53F in Libby
79F in Shepardsville, KY

The following was Yesterday before noon.

So, mo proof of NOT staying next to a big truck. Couple hours ago was between Nashville and Knoxville on the 40. Decided that I had 2P and was following a slower truck at about 60Mph. Was gonna pass him and realized my exit was only a few miles away, so I just hung back. Minutes later there was a BIG bang and off comes one of his drive tires. We are talking tire and rim which is what .. 120 to 150 pounds depending. Bounced up in the air and whacks the side of trailer on the big truck passing him. And I mean whack as in it was loud. Tire then spun under the trailer and I am not exactly sure, but think at least the outside trlr tires rolled over it as there was a lot of stuff to watch just then. Now tire is bouncing down the road. All the little cars were going everywhere getting out of the tires, other trucks and each others way. Tire finally took a left and headed for the median. Just as everything settled down, off comes the 2nd tire and rim and is happily bouncing down the road. It also finally took a left into the median to find its mate, but not before all the little cars went wishy-washy again; not quite as bad as they had practice 15 seconds ago. Share this with others please and make sure they know to NEVER hang next to a big truck.

And I forgot. Truck that tire whacked did not slow down one bit. Pretty sure there was a huge dent in the trailer which probably had rubber marks. He is gonna have to do some xplainn to somebody. Also when I went by the broken truck, I could see the studs still sticking outa the hub, which was on the ground. I did not rain lugnuts so no clue what had happened.

later

 

[BigGRacing]

Good morning everyone,
A beautiful day in the Maritimes again this morning. Start of vacation today and love it. Heading to Tatamagouche today to stay at the Train station inn overnight with lunch at Jost Vineyard. It will be a beautiful day for sure. We are staying in caboose #5.

Hope you all have a great day and will check the forum again this evening.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

Lug nuts prolly came off not long before the tire and rim came off. People might have thought it was gravel hitting their windshield.

 

[santafewillie]

Truck that tire whacked did not slow down one bit. Pretty sure there was a huge dent in the trailer which probably had rubber marks. He is gonna have to do some xplainn to somebody.

Probably didn't even know that it hit the trailer.

 

[ctclibby]

Lug nuts prolly came off not long before the tire and rim came off. People might have thought it was gravel hitting their windshield.

Those lugnuts are about 2 1/2 inches in diameter, an inch tall and hefty. Would have left a divot or ding in the body, cracked the windshield if that was hit. I followed him for 10 or 20 miles before the crap started and didn't see anything - so who knows.

 

[ctclibby]

Probably didn't even know that it hit the trailer.

If it was a new driver which probably was the case, they would not have 'trailer feel' yet. If the trailer tandem rolled over that tire there is no way the driver would NOT have known. I have done this so long I know pretty much every sound the things make and when you hear a new or different one, you start looking around. I even wake up if something happens when Maria is driving saying something like 'what was that', then she fills me in.

 

[santafewillie]

Good Morning All. Clear but hazy and 77° this morning. Onward with the triple digits after 101° yesterday. At least it's a few degrees cooler than last week. Maybe rain and cooling off next Saturday.

Third granddog showed up yesterday evening for a week or so while daughter #2's family heads to Jersey at the in-laws. I think that daughter #1 will be here tomorrow to get her two doggies. One of them will not be invited back. She gets on the furniture, gets into the trashcans, crapped on the floor three times and barks at me! All unacceptable in our home.
No food processing yesterday, but I am still picking plenty of tomatoes, maybe 20# yesterday. As I have posted before, this is real unusual to be picking them this late in July. The plants always survive until fall and start bearing again in late September. I have picked tomatoes as late as Thanksgiving if there are no freezes. One year I still had some on December 15. I have about 25# ready to process today. I am continuing to pick Yellow Squash, the only other thing left. Pepper plants are in the "survive but not bearing" mode for another two months.

Thanks for the reactions and especially the comments regarding yesterday's scenes; Dave B, Guy, James, Patrick, Karl, Tom O, Hughie, Gary, Louis, Smudge, Curt, Sherrel, Steve J, Rick, OB Ken.

Out in the train shed yesterday, I continued on with the project area. I did some road striping and painting.

Road weathering coming up.
Cleaned up the gas station and adjoining coffee distributor.

I'm going to have to do some repairs on the awning of the coffee distributor.

I didn't see the broken parts anywhere, nor do I know exactly how long that they have been broken/missing? There is also a cut wire inside on the interior lights that has to be repaired. I don't know how that happened either as I didn't find any rodent droppings here.
I do have to make a decision next. Both the coffee distributor and the adjoining industrial supply are currently on the same spur. I had originally planned to add a short spur to this one for the industrial supply company; thus none of that track is fastened down or ballasted yet.

But I am now thinking that I should only have one shared spur. Logistically it could work, as the industrial supply only gets a single boxcar about once every two weeks, and they unload it quickly; while there are at least two loads a week to the coffee supply. I'll decide today, maybe. Meanwhile I hope to paint the backdrop here tomorrow. Haven't thought about or fiddled with the last remaining foot or so to the right.

Troy - That's one way to make a walk-in tub! It does seem like a jury-rig to me though.
Dave B -

nice pics!!... Looks like a golfer in the second one?

Not a golfer, but a fellow with a scythe clipping weeds.
James - Enjoy your lake weekend. That's quite a group.
Tom O - I think that many medical professionals are overly cautious. My primary care guy certainly is. I have been through a lot of unnecessary testing (generally with negative results) in the last few years. Once they know that Medicare is paying, they add loads of extra tests because they get paid more. Medicare doesn't seem to scrutinize as much as private insurers.
Curt - Nice series of photos yesterday.

Everyone have a great day and an awesome weekend.

 

[CambriaArea51]

Last Saturday I had the NMRA picnic and my wife notice a former teacher that I had in school and that she worked with early in her career subbing at the school. We had a chance to meet with him and talk. I knew about his O scale layout but have never seen it in person. At the end of our conversation he invited us over to see it. His whole basement is layout. I forgot to ask but had to be 2,000 sq ft. Pictures and video don't do it justice, it was just absolutely incredible.

 

[McLeod]

Good Morning!

Thank you, for the kind comments and likes on my photographs, even if they're not always about trains and modelling.

DaveB - I know Hummingbirds are quite common further south than us, but, up here they are far more rare. It's actually quite a joy to spot one hovering around in the garden. - My wife has planted all kinds of flowers specifically thought to attract Hummingbirds, and it seems to be working. She calls the birds little jewels.

TomO - The forklift looks super nice. - Good luck with the sale of weathered railcars.

Curt - The CMC mine scene looks fantastic. There's no eaves on that freight house, though. I suspect that will lead to issues come the wet weather.

Todd - Up here, there are a-lot of tractor/trailer units on the highways. I try to keep away from them all, as I don't trust them. Especially the many log-trucks with their long, high, and unsafe looking loads. - It's hard for me to accept that some of those truckers are professional drivers, because they sure don't act like they are.

I need to install more lighting in my basement layout area. The lighting seems ok when I'm in the room, but, I suspect my brain is adjusting for the low light level and making it look normal. The camera don't lie and notices the less than acceptable light levels. The resolution on photographs is poor.
Here's the latest photo of the oil dealership. It's a poor photograph, even though the camera was mounted on a tripod. There's just not enough light on that side of the layout to give acceptable resolution:

I plan to purchase 4 more 4" puck LED's and install them in the bulkhead above the table. Hopefully, that will fix the issue.

Today, I'm going to try and scratch-build a loading dock for that warehouse. That is, in-between chores.
I also need to make a containment berm around those storage tanks. I'm thinking about putting down a bead of caulk, and then covering it up with sand when I do the ground-cover. - Those table-top corners need to be caulked, as well.

Coffee cups empty, so I suppose I'll get on with it. Have a great day everyone!

 

[troyphoto]

Well, howdy there internet peeples

It's Troy again.

Actually slept the night away. Had a glass of wine after our Pizza King supper, and I fell asleep in the recliner while I had a gamer how-to video going on youtube.

Stumbled up and went to bed about 9:30. got up at 2:30 for a pee break. Decided 2nd floor was too muggy, and headed to the basement. didn't get up until another pee break at 5:30. I clock that at about 9 hours of sleep. Wow! that's a rarity for me.

We're currently in between storms:

I got up and designed out a book cover, and started writing my Erie Tomes short intro story.

I'll give you a sneak peek... at the cover, sans title.

Heading to the game store after lunch. Need to see how well my Sassanid Elephants do.

 

[MilwRoader_Steve]

2 to 3 miles out from shore and she said she can throw a life jacket but she is not coming in. Says since before they got married that was the hubby’s rule and she kept it. When we were a couple miles out by Port Washington it was showing 226’ depth.

It’s not swimming and I can swim but…

WHen I was about 11 or 12, I went to visit old friends of my parents in Chicago and they cajoled another friend to take "The Kid" fishing out on Lake Michigan. Fairly decent size lake boat, no cabin, don't remember much more. But do remember this: He had a fishnet in a gun'l well, meaning that when stowed, the fishnet which had maybe a six-foot pole handle, stuck straight up vertical in the air. It floated. I know this because at one point on that 'lake' the swells were such that the fishnet went over the side and he had to go back to retrieve it!
Lake . . . . . I recall that I was required to don a life vest the whole trip. Don't remember if the two men did also or not.

I also remember from that trip, I hooked a fish. Don't know what it was, but this Texas-boy could not keep the rod tip up, and before the men could get to me the rod went horizontal and snapped the line. They were not happy!

We did land a few Coho, and 'Aunt" Dagny made us a nice baked salmon dinner. I was pretty chuff.

 

[TLOC]

Happy Saturday fellow modelers of the world! High 90’s and super severe T-storms with hurricane type winds are the prediction for dinner time.

Terry is on her way home, her cars are out in the driveway to show off to the baby brother. He asked her last night if her old body is ok to sit in his Corvette. I put my SRS out there too, but not my Jetta! She tells me she told him she would rather drive it! He is 16 years younger and 6’4” about 220#’s which is about 14” taller then she is.

Think the NWS can screw the prediction up based on this radar picture?

I think this storm will get us

Enjoy the day

 

[OBTC 1909]

Good morning all! 81 degrees out heading for mostly cloudy and 93 with a heat index of 103. Seems like a good day to stay indoors and work on my final weeks worth of work in the summer semester class I'm taking. Still maintaining an A in the class up to this week and hoping to finish things off with it still an A. Got signed up for my Fall courses a couple days ago and hoping I can handle two classes while working full time. One class is online and the other in person. I'll have to use my lunch hour to attend the in person class but that's ok. I may have already posted all this. Short term memory sucks.

Glad it's the weekend. Had another very busy week at work and it'll be nice to have some relaxation time. I've got plenty to do at home too and I'll get done what I can.

Hope you all have a great day!

 

[Smudge617]

Good Morning All!
53F in Libby
79F in Shepardsville, KY

The following was Yesterday before noon.

So, mo proof of NOT staying next to a big truck. Couple hours ago was between Nashville and Knoxville on the 40. Decided that I had 2P and was following a slower truck at about 60Mph. Was gonna pass him and realized my exit was only a few miles away, so I just hung back. Minutes later there was a BIG bang and off comes one of his drive tires. We are talking tire and rim which is what .. 120 to 150 pounds depending. Bounced up in the air and whacks the side of trailer on the big truck passing him. And I mean whack as in it was loud. Tire then spun under the trailer and I am not exactly sure, but think at least the outside trlr tires rolled over it as there was a lot of stuff to watch just then. Now tire is bouncing down the road. All the little cars were going everywhere getting out of the tires, other trucks and each others way. Tire finally took a left and headed for the median. Just as everything settled down, off comes the 2nd tire and rim and is happily bouncing down the road. It also finally took a left into the median to find its mate, but not before all the little cars went wishy-washy again; not quite as bad as they had practice 15 seconds ago. Share this with others please and make sure they know to NEVER hang next to a big truck.

And I forgot. Truck that tire whacked did not slow down one bit. Pretty sure there was a huge dent in the trailer which probably had rubber marks. He is gonna have to do some xplainn to somebody. Also when I went by the broken truck, I could see the studs still sticking outa the hub, which was on the ground. I did not rain lugnuts so no clue what had happened.

later

Ouch! that gonna take some explaining. It can be caused by having loose wheel studs, as the wheel rotates the stud holes become increasingly larger, even if the wheel studs had been tightened at a later date, the rim has to be replaced or at some point it will decide to take a walk.

I have been behind a rig when something similar has happened, wheel came of and then proceeded to overtake the rig it came off of, must have gone at least a mile with me driving down the middle of the road to prevent anyone overtaking, before it took a right turn, bounced over the curb and safety barrier to land on the train tracks below, luckily another driver and myself scrambled down and managed to get it off the tracks before anything came along, but there was no way we could get it back up to the road, not sure how the original driver explained that away.

 

[ctclibby]

Good Morning!

Thank you, for the kind comments and likes on my photographs, even if they're not always about trains and modelling.

DaveB - I know Hummingbirds are quite common further south than us, but, up here they are far more rare. It's actually quite a joy to spot one hovering around in the garden. - My wife has planted all kinds of flowers specifically thought to attract Hummingbirds, and it seems to be working. She calls the birds little jewels.

TomO - The forklift looks super nice. - Good luck with the sale of weathered railcars.

Curt - The CMC mine scene looks fantastic. There's no eaves on that freight house, though. I suspect that will lead to issues come the wet weather.

Todd - Up here, there are a-lot of tractor/trailer units on the highways. I try to keep away from them all, as I don't trust them. Especially the many log-trucks with their long, high, and unsafe looking loads. - It's hard for me to accept that some of those truckers are professional drivers, because they sure don't act like they are.

McLeod: not sure about some of drivers down here ... some? How about 60%?

Log and cattle haulers are different. Log truck gets weighed somewhere close to where the logs are picked. I don't think that I have ever seen one out on the US Interstates getting weighed. If it is raining those logs pick up weight, so who knows what the weight is. Most of the time logs are chained on and with the bunk that they are in, so stuff doesn't move much. There equipment also looks like it is about to break and the tires look iffy at best. Have a lot of log truck drivers in Libby, usually there is not a youngster in the mix; all old farts that look to have been hauling for years. That part of the equation makes me feel a little better although when they go by and you see those back tires just a-wobbleing, you always wonder. They are usually shorter than 40Ft so bridge laws do not come into play.

Cattle haulers are a different breed. They have a certain amount of time from picking up critters to getting them to the destination. Talked with one a few years back and he said that the federal government dictates how long cattle can be without water and exercise. Geesh, most are gonna be dinner on your table the next day or so. Have never seen one pulled over and they blast by doing more than the speed limit almost all of the time.

The real interesting part is load securement. Flatbeds always have strapped loads as you can see. Box and/or Refer vans have pallets sitting on the deck with nothing holding them. There are no straps, or chocks .. nothing. If the loader did the job right, all of those pallets will be forced against the previous one and supposidly the whole thing should not move. There are a couple of load-locks holding the last pallet(s) in. That in itself makes no sense as you are not gonna accelerate fast enough to tip them off the back. Side wall of a box van is pretty thin steel or aluminum with vertical bracing every 16" or so to hold the roof up. You can see these type of sides moving in the breeze when they go by. The refer has a somewhat more sturdy box side as it is insulated with metal, insulator, metal and bracing to hold the roof up, so those don't move as much when they go by.

All in all it has been an interesting ride for the last bunch of years. I do have lots of thanks to say to those drivers out there that still do stuff as it is supposed to be done. Quite the brotherhood. The new bunch of drivers think that they are piloting some sort of sports car that can change lanes on a whim, get to 65Mph in 3 to 5 seconds and run down the road all by itself. These types do not have a clue of what can happen to them ( and others too ). Maybe it will get better, maybe not. I will just be glad I will be able to go and hide in my house and train cave in a few months and not worry about any of it anymore.