Running Bear's November 2025 Coffee Shop

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Marlin39 said:
So I've made some bank recently, with my commissions, off the gun auctions. My wife said to buy something, I earned it.

Here's an out-of-the-box idea I want to get some feedback on.

I have a 2'x 3' diorama base in storage. I've tried N scale, but it was a pain working with the small stuff. I haven't had a continuous run anything in decades. This Unitrack set should be a piece of cake to lay down and I just need to figure out what small train to run on it.

I have a MRC power pack so I guess I could buy a BLI DC/DCC NW2 and get the sound or just buy a DC Kato, Atlas, BLI etc. I was thinking just a small string of covered hoppers and a caboose. Tight curves so I will be limited to small 4 axle engines and cars no larger thans 40'.

Throw some train ideas for this therapy track plan.
Click to expand...
May I suggest Dave at Thunder Mesa Studio on Youtube for some On3 fun. I know it's not quite what looks right on the unitrack, but I really like Dave's small layouts. A lot of character in small spaces.

Here's one of his latest building in progress. Bigger floor plan than you're looking at, but he's got other smaller ones.

 
troyphoto said:
May I suggest Dave at Thunder Mesa Studio on Youtube for some On3 fun. I know it's not quite what looks right on the unitrack, but I really like Dave's small layouts. A lot of character in small spaces.

Here's one of his latest building in progress. Bigger floor plan than you're looking at, but he's got other smaller ones.

Click to expand...
I've done On30. If I ever get tired of a small N investment it is much easier to sell off and not have to give it away like On30. On30 is pretty much dead.
 


Marlin39 said:
So I've made some bank recently, with my commissions, off the gun auctions. My wife said to buy something, I earned it.

Here's an out-of-the-box idea I want to get some feedback on.

I have a 2'x 3' diorama base in storage. I've tried N scale, but it was a pain working with the small stuff. I haven't had a continuous run anything in decades. This Unitrack set should be a piece of cake to lay down and I just need to figure out what small train to run on it.
www.ebay.com

N Kato Track Set 2' X 3' , 15' of Track / Trams, Trolleys, 4 Axle Locos QDTS-1 | eBay

Compact Layout with 216MM Minimum Radius used for 4 Axle Diesels, Trams and Trolleys.
www.ebay.com

I have a MRC power pack so I guess I could buy a BLI DC/DCC NW2 and get the sound or just buy a DC Kato, Atlas, BLI etc. I was thinking just a small string of covered hoppers and a caboose. Tight curves so I will be limited to small 4 axle engines and cars no larger thans 40'.

Throw some train ideas for this therapy track plan. N scale only ideas.
Click to expand...
Do something foreign :).

KATO has their pocket line of trains (DC) that are generic and their Rhätische Bahn (Swiss) is made for tight curves.
 


Kind of in a slump right now, my get up and go and got up and left. I have to get under the table and re-do all the track wiring. I hate getting under the table, my knees and back don't like it; but it has to be done. I've been throwing away a lot of junk structures that were either too big or not built right for my liking. Throwing away a lot of empty cardboard boxes that were littering our storage area. I think I am just making excuses to get out of going under the table. It has to be done though, especially under Joanstown
 
santafewillie said:
They need to do something as they have been losing fans for a while now, although not as rapidly lately as they did a few years ago.
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No worries, Willie.

During the opening week of the 2025 season, the NFL drew an impressive 22.3 million viewers across TV and digital platforms, setting a record as the most-watched Week 1 in NFL history!

Amazon Prime Video reported an 11% increase in viewership for “Thursday Night Football”.

Through Week 5 of the 2025 season, the NFL averaged 18.58 million viewers per game, marking the highest mid-season average since 2010 and the second highest on record, trailing only 2010's 19 million.

Last year's Netflix’s Christmas Day live-streamed games drew over 24 million viewers!
 
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John from Indiana said:
Kind of in a slump right now, my get up and go and got up and left. I have to get under the table and re-do all the track wiring. I hate getting under the table, my knees and back don't like it; but it has to be done. I've been throwing away a lot of junk structures that were either too big or not built right for my liking. Throwing away a lot of empty cardboard boxes that were littering our storage area. I think I am just making excuses to get out of going under the table. It has to be done though, especially under Joanstown
Click to expand...

Just start, John. That is the hardest part. Do not treat it as a bad job that has to be done. Think of the 'reward' when you finish.
 
It got down to the mid to upper 30s I think. Around 11:30pm last night it was somewhere around 39-41F I think. My watch showed 39F though where we are is often cooler during the day but tends to even out the same or even be a bit warmer at night (a bit = 1-3F). At least this time of year.

I checked the sensor at 9am and it was 49F and at 10am was 53-54F. I can only think of 1 night we had upper 20s all night and some frost on the porch roof the next morning.
 
Building is all buttoned up and now the real work begins of installing all of the photo-realistic paper panels for the walls. Part of the second level is half-timbered, and the real wood timber is applied directly to the surface you see. Then, there is a heavy cardstock brick panels and each are inserted into the framework of the half-timbers. This is going to be very tedious work. There's a lot of openings in that timber framework.

But, hey! I'm retired, it's not like I have anything else to do...except maybe run trains.

20251110_110915.jpg
20251110_111033.jpg


This small sheet has the wooden corners that are supposed to emulate stone. You can see a couple of corners installed in the above photo. ^

20251110_110951.jpg
 


Marlin39 said:
So I've made some bank recently, with my commissions, off the gun auctions. My wife said to buy something, I earned it.

Here's an out-of-the-box idea I want to get some feedback on.

I have a 2'x 3' diorama base in storage. I've tried N scale, but it was a pain working with the small stuff. I haven't had a continuous run anything in decades. This Unitrack set should be a piece of cake to lay down and I just need to figure out what small train to run on it.
www.ebay.com

N Kato Track Set 2' X 3' , 15' of Track / Trams, Trolleys, 4 Axle Locos QDTS-1 | eBay

Compact Layout with 216MM Minimum Radius used for 4 Axle Diesels, Trams and Trolleys.
www.ebay.com

I have a MRC power pack so I guess I could buy a BLI DC/DCC NW2 and get the sound or just buy a DC Kato, Atlas, BLI etc. I was thinking just a small string of covered hoppers and a caboose. Tight curves so I will be limited to small 4 axle engines and cars no larger thans 40'.

Throw some train ideas for this therapy track plan. N scale only ideas.
Click to expand...
Well...i can't really throw some some N gauge ideas. But, real railroads had to punch through walls, oops, mountains, and lace bridges across the walkways, oopsie again, across cañyons to get places. I did that in my last apartment, had to build two swing bridges because there were two ways into the living room, definitely continuous running. The only thing i would do different is to have a single level without loops.
 
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