Running Bear's June 2023 Coffee Shop

[CambriaArea51]

Should I have posted this in Structures?

Could go in both threads, I would think the Coffee Shop has a restroom.

 

[Bruette]

Speaking of baseball!

MLB Gameday: Royals 2, Orioles 3 Final Score (06/09/2023)

Follow MLB results with FREE box scores, pitch-by-pitch strikezone info, and Statcast data for Royals vs. Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards

www.mlb.com

My youngest grandson is going to tomorrow's game.

MLB Gameday: Royals 1, Orioles 6 Final Score (06/10/2023)

Follow MLB results with FREE box scores, pitch-by-pitch strikezone info, and Statcast data for Royals vs. Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards

www.mlb.com

 

[migalyto]

Speaking of baseball!

MLB Gameday: Royals 2, Orioles 3 Final Score (06/09/2023)

Follow MLB results with FREE box scores, pitch-by-pitch strikezone info, and Statcast data for Royals vs. Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards

www.mlb.com

My youngest grandson is going to tomorrow's game.

MLB Gameday: Royals 1, Orioles 6 Final Score (06/10/2023)

Follow MLB results with FREE box scores, pitch-by-pitch strikezone info, and Statcast data for Royals vs. Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards

www.mlb.com

Louis, your on late, never see you on at this hour.

 

[Bruette]

Louis, your on late, never see you on at this hour.

That is true my observant friend! How thoughtful of you to notice.

I went to bed at 6:30 and slept only a few of hours. I took too long of a nap today.

 

[Bruette]

Family room Christmas tree 2018

I had a layout, tracks, trains, and a few accessories. But I can't find those photos! Too many computers, too many file folders in my one drive. Unorganized sums it up! I know I still have those photos. Now would be a good time to post them! I've seen some of them come up on my one drive memories.

 

[Snowman]

I have only a vague idea what this kerfluffle is all about, and I'm rarely here anymore, but let me suggest a compromise. Toss up just one (maybe two) pics to "advertise" whatever new modeling or idea you want to discuss (or just show off, if it's model building), and then maybe toss up a link to that other thread or sub-forum. To where you can do just that. Start a new thread in the main forum or just "over there" if need be. Otherwise, if it's something like "Front End Friday"...well, just let that one go and keep it over there. Everyone knows where to look for head end pics. The title of that thread is pretty well self-explanatory.

As an aside, I do appreciate, once again, the chance to let me brag about "my" graduates* a couple of nights back. This is a nice place just to jabber now and then...or to listen to someone else jabber.

[*post #152 in this thread, and a couple more too]

["We now return you to your regularly scheduled program."]

 

[chadbag]

Went to Culver’s tonight. Wife and I had a church night and on the way home stopped and got concrete mixers. That killed my low carbs for the day. But it was so good that I didn’t get any pics. Sorry. I had vanilla with brownie and cheesecake chunks.

 

[Snowman]

Aside, @Bruette: You seem to have a library of B&O pics, so maybe you can help me out. I have only one single B&O yard pic of what is the base of (presumably) a yard light tower...and it looks like a twin of the light towers put in on the D&RGW either just before or during WWII. Would you happen to have even one pic which might show a full tower, if only to confirm this? If you do, it might help me narrow my search.

Or, better yet, would you happen to have actual info--or even drawings--on or from the manufacturer/builder? I'm at a loss on my search for anything other than the towers in yard photos of many I have of the D&RGW towers...which show the design well enough to make a guess about overall appearance. But I'm still just guessing about even one dimension. Give me just one and I can probably extrapolate or measure the rest well enough...but I just can't find even the first one.

Thx.

 

[Bruette]

 

[Bruette]

 

[Snowman]

Thx, but I realize I need to describe it further.

What I'm looking for are pics of the tall light towers. These are built of extruded metal shapes--L angles for example, like a high tension tower. The ones I'm looking for stand a hundred feet...maybe a hundred and twenty or so above a yard.

This type. These are my drawings, from years back, and I'm just guessing as to actual size, but without any real, solid, dimensions.

One addendum. On the Rio Grande towers there is a barrel shaped transformer (standing vertically on end) on the single side shelf just below the top walking platform. The lights themselves are usually attached on or above the topmost horizontal rail. At least I think so.

 

[Snowman]

Could go in both threads, I would think the Coffee Shop has a restroom.

Well if it didn't before I'm sure it does now.

 

[Snowman]

View attachment 169675

Ok, so this is another aside. Maybe humorous. Or maybe not. But the joke/story DOES actually pertain to the question.

====

When I look at this pic I'm pretty sure the mainline is on the right, while the siding is on the left--the lefthand track seems to be about six inches lower, which is typical practice. So I see the crossover and then the diverging switch leaving off the left edge of the picture...

...and then just a bit closer than that, and on the left rail, there is a smallish dip/drop. Then, with the next rail section there is a BIG dip/drop, and then the rail raises back up again.

This was US standard practice until welded rail came into use: The rails are each 39 foot long sections, and the dips are because the rails are gradually pushed down at each end over time. Then they meet up with the next rail and they go up again (they are attached to one to the next with bolt-through-the-rail-web fishplates).

So...can anyone--anyone who DOESN'T already know--why thirty nine feet? If you know, keep quiet. Let's see if anyone else can guess....

--------------

Now on to the humor (I hope).

Picture a holiday gathering. The lady of the home and kitchen prepares and offers a fine meal--a roast--and everyone is very appreciative after.

Q: "But why do you cut the ends off the roast like that?"

A: "Well...I don't know. I guess it's because my mother did it that way."

Fast forward. At this next gathering mom comes too.

Same sequence. Fine meal, appreciation, and then the same question: "But why do you cut off the ends like that?"

"Well, I...I guess I don't know (again). But I do it because mom did it that way. So...mom. Why did YOU do it that way? Why did you cut the ends off the roast?"

"Well...I guess I do it that way because...because your grandmother did it that way."

Fast forward again, and this time grandma visits too.

I won't go through the sequence. You can guess. But after mom asks the question, "So...Mom (aka Grandma)...why did YOU cut off the ends of the roast like that? I did it because you did it. So why?"

"Well...I cut the ends off because I had to fit it into my roasting pan...and I couldn't fit a longer pan into my oven. I was just too small...".

-----

Which...hopefully...leads back to the original question. Why are the rail sections thirty-nine feet long?

 

[troyphoto]

I have only a vague idea what this kerfluffle is all about, and I'm rarely here anymore, but let me suggest a compromise. Toss up just one (maybe two) pics to "advertise" whatever new modeling or idea you want to discuss (or just show off, if it's model building), and then maybe toss up a link to that other thread or sub-forum. To where you can do just that. Start a new thread in the main forum or just "over there" if need be. Otherwise, if it's something like "Front End Friday"...well, just let that one go and keep it over there. Everyone knows where to look for head end pics. The title of that thread is pretty well self-explanatory.

Catching the sporadic readers up:

Full disclosure: I'm made 90% of Snark and Sarcasm, but will attempt to deliver this as straight as I can.

the plot so far. Evidently, hobby photos being posted here, as has been the Running Bear tradition for 10 years, has offended one or two members. Rather than broaching the concerns to the group and asking for users to use moderation in such, they headed to the mod team to get their knickers untwisted.

I suspect that with Terry (BNSF) on the great porcelain loo for the last week, it fell to Tony to be a solo act. Just a guesstimate on my part, but these types of decisions usually occur in times like this.

Member or Members with knickers twisted about too many hobby photos here in Running Bears Coffee Shop needed to have hobby photos sorted nicely into column A, Column B, etc on their forum spreadsheets.

Tony listened, and issued the edict with nary a warning to the forum members:

This was the screech of a needle sliding all the way across an original pressing of Dark Side of The Moon, or Sgt. Peppers.

Instead of informing us that some members were having knicker issues about tooooo many hobby photos getting passed around the pub/coffee shop tables, we're now verboten from doing so. This could have easily been a friendly suggestion or a private message from the Knickers contingent to the people posting too many pics. Instead, they complained behind the scenes, and... Squeaky Wheel.

While Karl and his quest for Spline for his layout was mentioned by topic in Tony's edict as being offensive to the Knickers contingent, the top daily purveyor of layout pics in the years since I've been a part of the forum was Willie. Intermingled with his garden photos, pool photos, or neighbor's lone cow photos, were his inspirational layout photos.

Willie, rightly, read the writing that the Knickers contingent wanted him to stop. Tony's edict gave him little choice. Willie is taking a hiatus from the forum. And from the coffee shop. Which is very unfortunate. Karl announced his departure as well. Gone for good? Who knows.

Several other long-time, and helpful members - true assets to the hobby and to the forum - could read the handwriting from the Knickers contingent. Keep your hobby to yourself. There's a place over there for it. Don't sully Running Bears Coffee Shop with your hobby photos.

And thus, the Knickers crowd fundamentally changed not only 10 years of tradition in Running Bears Coffee Shop, but also the nature of this extremely friendly and helpful forum.

Here endeth the lesson!

 

[troyphoto]

And, With Tom O gone from the coffee shop, I urge you all to hop over to his Continuous Rolling Stock thread and read his response to this debacle:

For those who won't, here are a couple of pull quotes:

... As I went over things of the past few days I remembered why I came here and stayed, the comradeship.

I can’t take my Continous threads to other forums nor do I want to, for many of the reasons so many of us ended up here. There is no nastiness, no I’m better then you attitudes, here. Moderation was here but much of it private. I thought people here were actually helping fellow modelers by showing in the diner. Maintaining and keeping going a thread is very hard. So many of us don’t want to do it.

... We have had discussions in the diner that you should look at the number of views, not the replies. I always chuckled at a few “famous” sites that the same experts reply to everything. Then derail the original comments or questions to their way is best…

I was shocked and still am by the way Willie was treated and is being treated. That was the final straw for me there. If there ever was an ambassador for this forum, he was it. Even if he comes back along with some other self exiled members (including me) much of what the diner had is gone. IMO all because a moderator handled a private matter in public

 

[Snowman]

Ah, ok.

Catching the sporadic readers up:

Full disclosure: I'm made 90% of Snark and Sarcasm, but will attempt to deliver this as straight as I can.

the plot so far. Evidently, hobby photos being posted here, as has been the Running Bear tradition for 10 years, has offended one or two members. Rather than broaching the concerns to the group and asking for users to use moderation in such, they headed to the mod team to get their knickers untwisted.

I suspect that with Terry (BNSF) on the great porcelain loo for the last week, it fell to Tony to be a solo act. Just a guesstimate on my part, but these types of decisions usually occur in times like this.

Member or Members with knickers twisted about too many hobby photos here in Running Bears Coffee Shop needed to have hobby photos sorted nicely into column A, Column B, etc on their forum spreadsheets.

Tony listened, and issued the edict with nary a warning to the forum members:
View attachment 169678

This was the screech of a needle sliding all the way across an original pressing of Dark Side of The Moon, or St. Peppers.

Instead of informing us that some members were having knicker issues about tooooo many hobby photos getting passed around the pub/coffee shop tables, we're now verboten from doing so. This could have easily been a friendly suggestion or a private message from the Knickers contingent to the people posting too many pics. Instead, they complained behind the scenes, and... Squeaky Wheel.

While Karl and his quest for Spline for his layout was mentioned by topic in Tony's edict as being offensive to the Knickers contingent, the top daily purveyor of layout pics in the years since I've been a part of the forum was Willie. Intermingled with his garden photos, pool photos, or neighbor's lone cow photos, were his inspirational layout photos.

Willie, rightly, read the writing that the Knickers contingent wanted him to stop. Tony's edict gave him little choice. Willie is taking a hiatus from the forum. And from the coffee shop. Which is very unfortunate. Karl announced his departure as well. Gone for good? Who knows.

Several other long-time, and helpful members - true assets to the hobby and to the forum - could read the handwriting from the Knickers contingent. Keep your hobby to yourself. There's a place over there for it. Don't sully Running Bears Coffee Shop with your hobby photos.

And thus, the Knickers crowd fundamentally changed not only 10 years of tradition in Running Bears Coffee Shop, but also the nature of this extremely friendly and helpful forum.

Here endeth the lesson!

Ok, I think I have a better picture now. So, if I may, a couple of observations:

First and foremost (and I've said this once before) "PLEASE please don't go." Yours is a pretty small core group--I live out on the fringe--but I would really hate to see it break apart. So...lick your wounds. I've been through it myself. But come back.

When you do (not if, but when) try not to hold a grudge. It's just too small a group to hang together if there is much of that.

======

Re: PM's. I still have only the one, but I only know if I look for it.

I used to sim-race, and it's still a BIG group. When there was a PM, IIRC you would get a prompt to let you know...and we PM'ed a lot. Just because there were a lot of technical exchanges, if nothing else, and if they went on too long they would just take over the general conversation.

But when we did prompt, we would also often send a prompt like this...a simple short message: [So-and-so, aka insert-your-name-here]..."Heya...John Jones. You have a PM."

It worked for us, and even in our fast moving forums, it wasn't all that obvious unless you looked for it that you had even one PM in the first place.

As to whether the PM route might have been better? I would say this: Sometimes someone says something to someone else...in public. It'll be a criticism.

In my experience, it's almost always better to initiate things in private. It's just too easy to call someone out for something publicly. It can be shocking if you are on the receiving end, and I've had it happen to me, so I know. Not just speculating. I know.

If this were politics, and if we were all looking to make headlines, then there might be some value to shock. But hopefully we aren't.

Whatever else might be said, we are here because we like wheels between rails. So let's keep the wheels between the rails...and have no real derailments we can't put back on the rails. No "Humpty Dumpty" stuff. It can all be put back together. That's what super-glue is for.

 

[Snowman]

As to moderators: It isn't an easy job and no one ever thinks (or rarely thinks anyway) to offer thanks or even simple recognition when you got something right.

I've been offered, and even had directly requested of me to take on the task myself. I've said "thanks but no thanks" every time. Mostly because I simply wasn't there often enough to hold up my end (and even in our sim racing forum we had a dozen or more moderators). It's an unpaid, and usually thankless and unappreciated job. And then, as now too, I can only get in sporadically, which is not what makes for a good moderator. A moderator has to be there pretty often, or at least check his/her email regularly.

=====

I threw up a thread a while back "What are you listening too right NOW?" It was aimed mostly at music, but sometimes went to video too, as YouTube is a common and easily accessible reference. In our sim racing forum we had three versions of that thread, each of which ended round about a thousand posts in just a four month period. So...THREE thousand posts, and it didn't take us all that long.

And we had a moderator who devoted himself to that task alone. Tannat. A great guy. He's the source (and I'm still grateful) for more than a few musical items I've glommed onto. Not only did he moderate, be he contributed.

=========

There is the question too: Does the...do these...those...forums need moderators at all? Maybe all they need are fixers. Not that fixing is an easy job either.

Just sayin'

 

[CambriaArea51]

Funny thing, who ever was complaining I don't see any new names popping up engaging in conversation, I see less instead.

 

[NorthBrit]

Today, for the first time ever, I bought a lawnmower. I bought a 40v electric one. I might regret doing that but we’ll see. Going to break it in tomorrow.

I had to re-read it. At first I quickly read 'Going to break it tomorrow.'

David

 

[CambriaArea51]

I hear that Mel laid off Flo do to the lack of costumer's. I hope she just took the day off.