Running Bear's November 2025 Coffee Shop
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Like being "Certified Gluten Free" Of course they are gluten free morons, they are real potato chips!
I need to put this in the for sale bin.
After I decided to go Conrail and Burlington era, I don't need old DC only GN power.
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TLOC
Well-Known Member
Good morning from the snow globe called So. Central Wisconsin. We have a dusting at 6:25am and we had a lighter dusty of white at midnight’s bedtime. Under 1” total accumulation in the next 2 hours per the weather app but it says 7” by 6pm as the snow will continue. I’ll stay in unless the grandson’s hockey game, a mile down the hill at 4pm has not been cancelled. The team from Milwaukee supposedly doesn’t like to drive in the snow even though it’s 4 lane Interstate and 4 lane State Hwy well maintained roads all the way but the last mile. We shall see.
I got some parts of the walls cut out for the paper mill project done yesterday, my new work space
I needed a bigger space than the crowded 36”x24” of my train room work bench under the programming track on the layout.
In the cave I have a gaming storage unit with 76”x 28” of space. So far, so good!
The final 6 diesels for the year are weathered. I will double check them today and go get my compressor from the daughter who has finished making changes to her less than 5 months old kitchen (August move in). Told her yesterday, her next house there should not be a finished kitchen. She can do it herself. I will double check the final clear matte finish tomorrow on the diesels and bill them out.
Enjoy your day
I got some parts of the walls cut out for the paper mill project done yesterday, my new work space
I needed a bigger space than the crowded 36”x24” of my train room work bench under the programming track on the layout.
In the cave I have a gaming storage unit with 76”x 28” of space. So far, so good!
The final 6 diesels for the year are weathered. I will double check them today and go get my compressor from the daughter who has finished making changes to her less than 5 months old kitchen (August move in). Told her yesterday, her next house there should not be a finished kitchen. She can do it herself. I will double check the final clear matte finish tomorrow on the diesels and bill them out.
Enjoy your day
I'm currently in the process of planning my layout's future for when I retire, and am limited to Social Security income. I've taken a good, hard look at what I'll be able to do and maintain financially, once I'm living like a pauper, especially with what looks like exponentially increasing prices of nearly everything hobby (not just model trains) related. With that in mind, I've begun accumulating some older, good quality analog motive power, and a spare power pack to operate the layout if the DCC system fails. I've stockpiled spare turnouts and track, and scenery materials, as well as a total of four track cleaning cars. When one of the cars wears out, I can simply place the next one in service.
My layout originally was analog, set up with blocks and two separate power packs for operating two trains at once. I've picked up spare LED lights and fixtures, and am accumulating analog diesels. The ones I'm focused on acquiring are Atlas/Kato and Kato units from about 1988-2000 or so, the ones with no electronics other than the directional lighting modules. I have a pair of SD9s and a lone SD7, along with a single GP35. I have a LifeLike GP20 that I Frankendieseled together out of my scrap box. Other than the GP20, they are all low-mileage units, and I'm trying to decide how many will be enough for the future. Do I say what I now have is enough for if/when the DCC system goes kaput, especially since it's nearly new and working without a problem? Do I gather up more? The ones I have now will cover the assignments on the layout, but with nothing extra.
Am I overplanning?
My layout originally was analog, set up with blocks and two separate power packs for operating two trains at once. I've picked up spare LED lights and fixtures, and am accumulating analog diesels. The ones I'm focused on acquiring are Atlas/Kato and Kato units from about 1988-2000 or so, the ones with no electronics other than the directional lighting modules. I have a pair of SD9s and a lone SD7, along with a single GP35. I have a LifeLike GP20 that I Frankendieseled together out of my scrap box. Other than the GP20, they are all low-mileage units, and I'm trying to decide how many will be enough for the future. Do I say what I now have is enough for if/when the DCC system goes kaput, especially since it's nearly new and working without a problem? Do I gather up more? The ones I have now will cover the assignments on the layout, but with nothing extra.
Am I overplanning?
RhB Michael
RhB Lokführer
Good morning popsicles!
33°F with light snow/rain here. I didn't expect to see anything on the ground this morning, and I wasn't disappointed.
I cleaned up the rest of the turkey yesterday but still have some dressing to go with the kielbasa for dinner tonight. I hope my Senf shows up today to go with it.
Have a safe weekend everyone!
Servus!
33°F with light snow/rain here. I didn't expect to see anything on the ground this morning, and I wasn't disappointed.
I cleaned up the rest of the turkey yesterday but still have some dressing to go with the kielbasa for dinner tonight. I hope my Senf shows up today to go with it.
Have a safe weekend everyone!
Servus!
Last edited:
santafewillie
Same Ol' Buzzard
Good Morning All. Cloudy and 51° here, it's almost raining, slightly misting but it shouldn't last much longer. High today in the mid-60's then a cold front arrives tonight with a high tomorrow in the mid-40's. Might get a freeze overnight Sun-Tues. Won't matter as all of the trees lost their leaves with that very early freeze a few weeks ago.
Today we're going for the second Thanksgiving celebration at my daughter's home with just the 9 of us, me, wife, 2 daughters, 2 SIL's and 3 grandkids. Son and family are unable to come up from San Antonio because they're still caring for the MIL who broke her hip in their home last week. I believe that they're putting her and the FIL with early dementia on a plane back to Philadelphia today or tomorrow. Wasn't how he planned to spend Thanksgiving week. FIL has been living in the "casita" (Spanish for cottage) in their back yard for the past few months, while MIL has been living in the brownstone back in Philly.
I spent part of the day chopping veggies; celery, green onions and onions, for my wife's homemade cornbread dressing, and assisted with making the homemade whole cranberry sauce. She's making the pie this morning. I don't even know what kind but there's no apples in the house so it's not that. Probably Pecan since she's a Southern girl! Otherwise nothing special about yesterday, burned some trash and made a trip to the dumpster and compost bin.
So speaking of my wife, she's into fantasy football in a major way. One of her many leagues (I think that's what you call them) is known as a "guillotine" league. Started with 16 players (all unknown to her), and some are eliminated each week or something like that. This is the last week for that particular one and there's just her and one other player left. She's currently way ahead of him and has "money" left to recruit players; and he doesn't have any. He can bid on a player for $0 and she can swipe him out from under him for $1. So she'll probably win. I have told her to be sure to post (gloat) that he and all of the other 14 players were beaten by a 75 year old grandma, but she's reluctant to do so. In one of the two family leagues though, my 11 year old granddaughter is in 2nd place while my wife is in 5th.
I did get to spend a good amount of time out in the train shed yesterday, part of which was running more trains. I did some yard switching to get some different freight line-ups for the manifest freights that I run, and rearranged a couple of unit trains for variety. Mikey's picture in yesterday's post of all of those Preiser figure sprues inspired me to pull out the figure painting stuff. I finished off a few in process people and started a few more. My normal mode of operation is to have as many as 2 dozen on the palette and open one color of paint. I will then paint several figures with that color and then switch to another. That's why I have so many at one time. I rarely paint a figure by itself from start to finish. Yesterday was black, light gray, red, brown and flesh. Did hair, shoes, belts and shirts/jackets. Many had their blue jeans already painted from the last session. Seven went into the "finished" container for dull-coating when I get enough.
Michael - You're between a rock and a hard place with that neighbor. Turning him in could lead to bad neighborly relations. Unless the authorities are discreet about handling it.
Tom O - Regarding the NFL and the NFC: I don't follow football (or any other sports) any more, but I did notice that the Dallas Cowboys beat both the Eagles and the Chiefs in a five day span.
Terry - I can't even count the number of propaganda films that I had to watch in my career. Not just when the company changed ownership, but as refreshers quite regularly.
The weather radar shows that the purported showers here earlier when I started this post, have moved away, but I have been hearing some low rumbling in the distance. The radar shows them to be in the Dallas area right now, but I don't think that I should be able to hear thunder from 65 miles away! I doubt that we'll see any precipitation today, but one never knows.
Everybody have a super Saturday.
Today we're going for the second Thanksgiving celebration at my daughter's home with just the 9 of us, me, wife, 2 daughters, 2 SIL's and 3 grandkids. Son and family are unable to come up from San Antonio because they're still caring for the MIL who broke her hip in their home last week. I believe that they're putting her and the FIL with early dementia on a plane back to Philadelphia today or tomorrow. Wasn't how he planned to spend Thanksgiving week. FIL has been living in the "casita" (Spanish for cottage) in their back yard for the past few months, while MIL has been living in the brownstone back in Philly.
I spent part of the day chopping veggies; celery, green onions and onions, for my wife's homemade cornbread dressing, and assisted with making the homemade whole cranberry sauce. She's making the pie this morning. I don't even know what kind but there's no apples in the house so it's not that. Probably Pecan since she's a Southern girl! Otherwise nothing special about yesterday, burned some trash and made a trip to the dumpster and compost bin.
So speaking of my wife, she's into fantasy football in a major way. One of her many leagues (I think that's what you call them) is known as a "guillotine" league. Started with 16 players (all unknown to her), and some are eliminated each week or something like that. This is the last week for that particular one and there's just her and one other player left. She's currently way ahead of him and has "money" left to recruit players; and he doesn't have any. He can bid on a player for $0 and she can swipe him out from under him for $1. So she'll probably win. I have told her to be sure to post (gloat) that he and all of the other 14 players were beaten by a 75 year old grandma, but she's reluctant to do so. In one of the two family leagues though, my 11 year old granddaughter is in 2nd place while my wife is in 5th.
I did get to spend a good amount of time out in the train shed yesterday, part of which was running more trains. I did some yard switching to get some different freight line-ups for the manifest freights that I run, and rearranged a couple of unit trains for variety. Mikey's picture in yesterday's post of all of those Preiser figure sprues inspired me to pull out the figure painting stuff. I finished off a few in process people and started a few more. My normal mode of operation is to have as many as 2 dozen on the palette and open one color of paint. I will then paint several figures with that color and then switch to another. That's why I have so many at one time. I rarely paint a figure by itself from start to finish. Yesterday was black, light gray, red, brown and flesh. Did hair, shoes, belts and shirts/jackets. Many had their blue jeans already painted from the last session. Seven went into the "finished" container for dull-coating when I get enough.
Michael - You're between a rock and a hard place with that neighbor. Turning him in could lead to bad neighborly relations. Unless the authorities are discreet about handling it.
Tom O - Regarding the NFL and the NFC: I don't follow football (or any other sports) any more, but I did notice that the Dallas Cowboys beat both the Eagles and the Chiefs in a five day span.
Terry - I can't even count the number of propaganda films that I had to watch in my career. Not just when the company changed ownership, but as refreshers quite regularly.
The weather radar shows that the purported showers here earlier when I started this post, have moved away, but I have been hearing some low rumbling in the distance. The radar shows them to be in the Dallas area right now, but I don't think that I should be able to hear thunder from 65 miles away! I doubt that we'll see any precipitation today, but one never knows.
Everybody have a super Saturday.
RhB Michael
RhB Lokführer
Yep Willie. That's why I'm still sitting on this. I'm probably going to end up moving my bedroom across the hall which is on the other side of the house just to keep my sanity.
I sure miss my neighbor who passed away a few years back that lived in this house next to me. His son also lived across the street until he moved last year and sold his place to his son. Both were K9 officers with this department and both helped me a lot training Lisl von Schlaf.
I sure miss my neighbor who passed away a few years back that lived in this house next to me. His son also lived across the street until he moved last year and sold his place to his son. Both were K9 officers with this department and both helped me a lot training Lisl von Schlaf.
kbkchooch
Verified Human
Good morning gang!
31°and sunny, looking for a high of 40° later. Plummer coming over later to install a new hot water heater. Son #3 replaced the leaking element yesterday, but alas the tank was also leaking. I picked up the new heater last night, just need to manhandle it to the basement.
Terry, I think you may be overthinking things. Other than a lightning strike, I don't believe I have ever heard of an entire DCC system failure, usually it's just a decoder. But then again, IIRC you do use that Digitrash system.
BBL
31°and sunny, looking for a high of 40° later. Plummer coming over later to install a new hot water heater. Son #3 replaced the leaking element yesterday, but alas the tank was also leaking. I picked up the new heater last night, just need to manhandle it to the basement.
Terry, I think you may be overthinking things. Other than a lightning strike, I don't believe I have ever heard of an entire DCC system failure, usually it's just a decoder. But then again, IIRC you do use that Digitrash system.
BBL
migalyto
Well-Known Member
Good morning all!
The first significant snowfall of the season has begun. We arte in the bull's-eye so we will be getting close to a foot (as of late last nights forecast).
We have about an inch so far. It will really crank up later thos morning.
The dog out and about in her element.
Not sure what's on the agenda for today.
Have a safe day everyone!
The first significant snowfall of the season has begun. We arte in the bull's-eye so we will be getting close to a foot (as of late last nights forecast).
We have about an inch so far. It will really crank up later thos morning.
The dog out and about in her element.
Not sure what's on the agenda for today.
Have a safe day everyone!
Bruette
Well-Known Member
It is possible, but better than being unprepared.
RhB Michael
RhB Lokführer
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Bruette
Well-Known Member
I suspected something like that. The flavor of the month.
Like being "Certified Gluten Free" Of course they are gluten free morons, they are real potato chips!
chadbag
Well-Known Member
Got a bunch more gachapon (capsule toys). My son wanted to go to Osaka Castle.
en.wikipedia.org
We‘d been there before a few times. I have a pic of him when he was 4 and a few months standing on a rock by a tree. Today we found the same tee and rock and got a pic of him as an almost 23 year old at the same place.
We toured the castle, where the main keep is a concrete reproduction first made in 1931 and repaired after the war. The original had deteriorated and been destroyed and was rebuilt when they wanted to restore stuff.
The original castle and main keep was made by a guy named Toyotomi who was the main warlord in the west. Tokugawa was the shogun after the battle of Sekigehara in 1600 but he feared the Toyotomi clan and they went to war. They had a seige of Osaka Castle in the winter of 1614 which ended in a peace agreement but again fought in the summer of 1615 and the army of the East under Tokugawa won and his family ruled as shoguns up until Perry sailed in and demanded Japan open early in the second have of the 19th sentry.
After the 1615 battle Tokugawa razed what was left of the castle and rebuilt it his way. The one there now is a reproduction of the Tokugawa castle.
I got a gachapon there. It’s a suit of armor and is Tokugawa’s.
We then went to the Joshin Denki Super Kids Land, a special store belonging to Joshin Denki (an electronics and appliances super department store). In the way there we saw. “Military” store filled its fancy expensive and cool look airsoft guns and camo and equipment. Some of the guns were pretty cool. They don’t have a requirement to make the tip orange.
Just brown the street was the Super Kids Land and we visited the floor dedicated to model railroads. I got a few container flat cars (empty) and one that had two Yamato Transport new color and style containers. Just enough to trigger the tax free status plus they have an extra 5% off for tourists — I think it’s for using visa. Anyway. There is a low min limit of stuff you have to buy before you can qualify for tax free. So I went just a little over that.
We then took the subway to Yodobashi Camera. A very large electronics and department store. My son wanted to use up his Gold Points and he got some Nintendo Switch games and a puzzle for his sister. Not a table top puzzle but one of those ones with pieces of metal intertwined and you have to take it apart.
He wanted a ride cooker but after much deliberation the one he wanted was out of stock. It was late so we came home
We did find the ride cooker on amazon with Monday delivery so he’s getting it that way. It’s cheaper but he can’t get it tax free so in the end it’s slightly more expensive. But it’s in stock.
I got some ore gachapon at Yodobashi. That had a huge section with a few hundred capsule machines.
This is a bird with binoculars that hangs off a glass. There were two basic birds with multiple different colors. One bird is shown with the binoculars. He’s the spotter. The other has a rifle. He’s the sniper. Alas I got the binoculars version so I tried again and got another. I gave up for now.
The next was a beach loving Beco that is a relative of the “Dim Sum Beco” I got the other day.
Then o got a colorful gecko type animal. With articulated neck and tail and legs.
Lastly when we were at Joshin Denki Super Kids Land they had capsules machines with 1/150 scale N scale figures. each machine had different classes of figures. I ended up with 6 school girls.
Osaka Castle - Wikipedia
We‘d been there before a few times. I have a pic of him when he was 4 and a few months standing on a rock by a tree. Today we found the same tee and rock and got a pic of him as an almost 23 year old at the same place.
We toured the castle, where the main keep is a concrete reproduction first made in 1931 and repaired after the war. The original had deteriorated and been destroyed and was rebuilt when they wanted to restore stuff.
The original castle and main keep was made by a guy named Toyotomi who was the main warlord in the west. Tokugawa was the shogun after the battle of Sekigehara in 1600 but he feared the Toyotomi clan and they went to war. They had a seige of Osaka Castle in the winter of 1614 which ended in a peace agreement but again fought in the summer of 1615 and the army of the East under Tokugawa won and his family ruled as shoguns up until Perry sailed in and demanded Japan open early in the second have of the 19th sentry.
After the 1615 battle Tokugawa razed what was left of the castle and rebuilt it his way. The one there now is a reproduction of the Tokugawa castle.
I got a gachapon there. It’s a suit of armor and is Tokugawa’s.
We then went to the Joshin Denki Super Kids Land, a special store belonging to Joshin Denki (an electronics and appliances super department store). In the way there we saw. “Military” store filled its fancy expensive and cool look airsoft guns and camo and equipment. Some of the guns were pretty cool. They don’t have a requirement to make the tip orange.
Just brown the street was the Super Kids Land and we visited the floor dedicated to model railroads. I got a few container flat cars (empty) and one that had two Yamato Transport new color and style containers. Just enough to trigger the tax free status plus they have an extra 5% off for tourists — I think it’s for using visa. Anyway. There is a low min limit of stuff you have to buy before you can qualify for tax free. So I went just a little over that.
We then took the subway to Yodobashi Camera. A very large electronics and department store. My son wanted to use up his Gold Points and he got some Nintendo Switch games and a puzzle for his sister. Not a table top puzzle but one of those ones with pieces of metal intertwined and you have to take it apart.
He wanted a ride cooker but after much deliberation the one he wanted was out of stock. It was late so we came home
We did find the ride cooker on amazon with Monday delivery so he’s getting it that way. It’s cheaper but he can’t get it tax free so in the end it’s slightly more expensive. But it’s in stock.
I got some ore gachapon at Yodobashi. That had a huge section with a few hundred capsule machines.
This is a bird with binoculars that hangs off a glass. There were two basic birds with multiple different colors. One bird is shown with the binoculars. He’s the spotter. The other has a rifle. He’s the sniper. Alas I got the binoculars version so I tried again and got another. I gave up for now.
The next was a beach loving Beco that is a relative of the “Dim Sum Beco” I got the other day.
Then o got a colorful gecko type animal. With articulated neck and tail and legs.
Lastly when we were at Joshin Denki Super Kids Land they had capsules machines with 1/150 scale N scale figures. each machine had different classes of figures. I ended up with 6 school girls.
It was a traumatic thing that I remember well, when the top-end NCE system I bought failed, and NCE refused to honor their warranty. I went back to Digitrax, and the only NCE equipment I have now is whatever happens to be in used engines when I purchase them. And when they fail, they are replaced by something better.Terry, I think you may be overthinking things. Other than a lightning strike, I don't believe I have ever heard of an entire DCC system failure, usually it's just a decoder. But then again, IIRC you do use that Digitrash system.
troyphoto
Snarky Old Fart (in training)
That reminds me, I'm going the opposite way. I've got one KATO DC engine I need to find a home for. I purchased it as my first stab at getting a loco, only to decide I wanted to go with DCC. And, I was going to go transition era, but changed my mind on that as well.
I need to put this in the for sale bin.
After I decided to go Conrail and Burlington era, I don't need old DC only GN power.
It’s out of the area I model, but in the era. If you want to get rid of it, you can shoot me a PM with a price.
TLOC
Well-Known Member
We had a dusting of snow at wake up. But the snow globe has been shaken. The snow guy I had last year quit the business in the Summer but never told last years clients until October. Found a guy! He texted this morning. Over indulgence on Thanksgivingband he broke a leg. His own not a turkey’s. So at 10am as the plow had passed about 30 minutes earlier outside I went! I hand shoveled about 2-3” of white stuff. The snow is coming down pretty good but after I relax a little I will go try my snowblower that has not been used since the 2023 season. I’ll need it after the next pass of the street plows as I will not try to hand shovel my apron after it comes through in deeper snow.
My app says up to 12” by Sunday morning when it ends. The NWS warnings says the same
The local media cutey who lives on the next block over with her parents says 8” tops. I pulling for Emma’s guess
My app says up to 12” by Sunday morning when it ends. The NWS warnings says the same
The local media cutey who lives on the next block over with her parents says 8” tops. I pulling for Emma’s guess
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