Running Bear's March 2023 Coffee Shop

[JeffH]

Furnace update:

A few weeks ago, I posted about teh furnace in our guest house. It was 50 years old (I'm sure some of the guts werte newer) and died.

It's an old house, hand built in 1970, and originally only had a wood burning stove. in 1973, he added on, and installed an oil fueled furnace. It finally gave up the ghost 50 years later. The timing was terrible, because all this happened about 4 weeks ago, and we have a friend moving in this Friday.

Got a quote for a new furnace from the local HVAC/Plumbing folks who advertise heavily on the radio... These are the same folks who had to ask where the water shutoff was when they came to repair a leaky pipe... I said: "It's right there on the wall next to pressure tank... where you would expect it."

Anyway, the quote was for a little over $8,000, and included a new chimney liner, which they said was about $1,000 of the $8,000.

A couple years prior, I asked a service tech what it would cost tpo replace teh furnace, and his guess was around $6,000, so I thought perhaps the quote wasn't too high...

Then I startted talking to friends who had friends who knew people, and I end up with a slightly used furnace, installed for $2,350. Actually, I was quoted $2,000, but I was so happy, I gave them an extra $350.

The furnace I got was about 10 years old, but was only installed in a house for a few months. The homeowner decided he wanted all electric... So this thing sat in a warehouse for about 8 years, having only been used a few months. They replaced the pump, just in case, and tested it, and it works perfectly. They finished the install last night. Awesome! I put new CO detectors in the house, just to be sure we have no leaky fumes... No alarms, no exhaust smell... warm air coming out of the registers...

Oh, forgot to mention that the new pump they put in increases the efficiency of the furnace to the same specs as the ones being sold today.

I'm so grateful to have friends who have friends who know people!

 

[Boris]

Those spots on the windows would drive me crazy!

Curt: I'm not exactly thrilled with them either...I have used the Woodland Window film on two other buildings with mixed results. Canopy glue doesn't hold and neither does ACC or MEK. I don't like the sticky tabs for obvious reasons. I'm going to do another building, (to use the parts up), and I'm almost out of the film so I will try something else. The windows will be less noticeable once the building across the street is finished.

 

[migalyto]

Good afternoon, everyone!

Kind of a late check in for me. Wife had me busting my hump today. It only got to 43 degrees today, but the sun felt a lot warmer than that. can sure tell the sun has more intensity this time of year that say a month ago.

Anxious for opening day to start tomorrow. Looks like my Cubbies take on the Brewers.

Couple more months and it will be time to shock the pool and get that ready for the summer!

Good times ahead!

 

[bnsf971]

Curt: I'm not exactly thrilled with them either...I have used the Woodland Window film on two other buildings with mixed results. Canopy glue doesn't hold and neither does ACC or MEK. I don't like the sticky tabs for obvious reasons. I'm going to do another building, (to use the parts up), and I'm almost out of the film so I will try something else. The windows will be less noticeable once the building across the street is finished.

If you have any rolling stock boxes with the clear plastic insets in the covers, I've used those as windows.

 

[PRR Modeler]

I go to a stationary box store and buy a folder(s) that have the clear plastic covers. One folder can last a long time.

 

[CambriaArea51]

The day started sunny and about 45. By 4:30 snow and gusty winds. By 7pm sunset.

 

[HO Scale MILW]

Hi all, I hope you all have had a good day, a few days ago, I went to WSOR territory yesterday looking for trains, ended up seeing two Jordan Spreaders, one in Arlington and the other in Horicon. While I was in Horicon I also saw a WSOR Baggage Car, Northern Pass. Today I worked on the railroad, doing some static grass work. Months ago, when I first got static grass, I got 12mm. It ended up not working well, but to fix that today I put Woodland Scenics fine turf grass on top, and now only the standing grass shows. I also painted some Life Like signs to make them more realistic. I hope everyone has a good evening!

 

[kbkchooch]

A few from the archive, for steam fans

 

[Boris]

If you have any rolling stock boxes with the clear plastic insets in the covers, I've used those as windows.

Terry: I have numerous clear styrene windows and sheets, as well as presentation transparency sheets to use as window glazing. That wasn't the problem, the problem was a light diffuser product sold by Woodland Scenics, that was designed to overlay the stock windows and walls to diffuse installed lighting. They stick on with the same gunk they use to attach credit cards to cardstock mailers. That's what sucks. It would be better to spray a tinting paint on to the clear window glass. Not really a big deal, I find interior lighting to be a luxury.

On another matter, have you heard from Sherrel lately?

 

[Boris]

Good evening. A pleasant day, followed bu a cool evening. The threat of snow showers overnight, that suddenly reared into the forecast this morning, disappeared from the forecast by dinner time. Tomorrow will be sunny and cold. Weather talking heads also talked about our dry weather so far this year. Dry? Who are they kidding... admittedly, some of the drenching rains failed to materialize, but...

Not much else going on.

Towerman Bill Strassner caught this photo, of a CNJ passenger train behind Trainmaster #2401 while working at Morgan Draw, along the Bay Shore.
CNJ ran about a third of the trains on the NY&LB before Conrail. The line is now called the "North Jersey Coast Line" operated by NJ transit.

 

[Smudge617]

Can I have one please

 

[Smudge617]

 

[Smudge617]

 

[NorthBrit]

Good morning all. Rain, rain and more rain today.

Seen at 'Locomotion', National Railway Museum, Shildon, U.K.

Sky. A myriad of colour

Have a good day everyone.

David

 

[troyphoto]

Well, howdy there internet peeps

It's Troy again.

Made sausage and peppers in the crockpot/slow cooker yesterday. I had previously smoked the sausages on the Kamado. Added pasta around 4:30. Ate at 5:30. Wife now has leftovers for about week. She'll spread it out over a month, though.

Today I get to build a web store to sell ebooks directly. But, first I have to create some logos etc to put some branding on it. Oh Joys...

Probably get pizza tonight. gonna have to see what the wife wants.

 

[Patrick]

Morning all,

Off tomorrow so I can work on Saturday...Oh joy! At least most of the servers will be quicker booting.

Wife thinks I need to visit with Mom near Kansas City, so tomorrow that's where we're headed. In all fairness, I usually try to get there once a month, but with the "network outage" in January, and me playing catchup ever since, it has been a while. Fortunately there's a Culver's a few miles from her lodging's we'll probably take her to. IIRC they have a great walleye sandwich.

Oh well back to the races....

 

[TLOC]

Good morning fellow train people. It looks nice out and the tree tops are not moving side to side like yesterday morning. My weather app says 23f degrees now moving up to 46 later.

Haircut, wow 6 weeks already, at 9. Terry has things she wants to do and I wasn’t invited along. Says she’ll be back in time for me to take her to dinner. I therefore will be spending time at the work bench. I stayed away from the train room yesterday other than a couple trips in to load my soda refrigerator and get my downstairs vacuum cleaner.

I have an unsolicited offer on 2 of my locomotives. Both my CN weathered Gp40-2l’s from Athearn Genesis. While I generally do not attach sentimental value to my toys I need to think and research these. One is my first purchased weathered diesel from Rob Arsenault who I consider the best of the best weathering artists around. The other is my first diesel I have ever weathered and that was just in February/March this year. Good problem to have and I actually shocked myself by initially saying not interested. Now maybe…

enjoy the day

 

[bnsf971]

 

[ctclibby]

Good morning fellow train people. It looks nice out and the tree tops are not moving side to side like yesterday morning. My weather app says 23f degrees now moving up to 46 later.

Haircut, wow 6 weeks already, at 9. Terry has things she wants to do and I wasn’t invited along. Says she’ll be back in time for me to take her to dinner. I therefore will be spending time at the work bench. I stayed away from the train room yesterday other than a couple trips in to load my soda refrigerator and get my downstairs vacuum cleaner.

I have an unsolicited offer on 2 of my locomotives. Both my CN weathered Gp40-2l’s from Athearn Genesis. While I generally do not attach sentimental value to my toys I need to think and research these. One is my first purchased weathered diesel from Rob Arsenault who I consider the best of the best weathering artists around. The other is my first diesel I have ever weathered and that was just in February/March this year. Good problem to have and I actually shocked myself by initially saying not interested. Now maybe…

enjoy the day

Tom: That; or close to it is the first thing I say when somebody wants something of mine that is NOT up for sale somewhere. I usually start with 'hmmmm, I don't know' and wait and see what shakes out.

Just think of the fun you can have getting a couple of new loco's and doing the process all over again. Material things are just that. Sure they have sentimental value, buy what the hay! You have pix ... right? Let someone else enjoy them as much as you have.

Later

 

[HO Scale MILW]

Can I have one please

Just hope you dont fall off that bridge!