Running Bear's September 2025 Coffee Shop

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TLOC said:
I think the northern Midwest States started it. Canada like a good neighbor took it as their own!

Flannel around here (Wisconsin) in Late Fall/Winter is a shade more popular than blaze orange which I have never worn!

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Looked it up. Seems flannel has been around for centuries, European origin but closely tied to Wales! Lots of interesting reading (if ur bored) but I can’t get any links to work here! I typed in “who popularized flannel shirts”. No mention of the Red Green show, or the Upper Midwest
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Bob and Doug McKenzie had flannel shirts a decade before the Red Green show.

ETA: Heck I had flannel shirts a decade or two before the Red Green show
 
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westtexjohn said:
So I asked what caused the interest rate to increase so much ? She said the interest rate is variable and AmEx just arbitrarily raised it higher. I have an excellent pay record at AmEx for over 32 years, guess that just doesn't matter. On a similar note, I talked to a good friend of mine who has the same type of card and he told me his interest rate went to 21.9%. I'll be using the AmEx card less now and for sure it will be paid off at the end of each month.
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One thing to watch is that Amex, like every other credit card (vs charge card like the Amex you have to pay every month) have a variable rate, usually, that's tied to the prime rate. As the prime rate goes up, your rate goes up. I suspect your rate has been higher for a while now and you just didn't notice it. My Amex rate hasn't been around 14% since rates started going up a few years ago. As they went up, so did the Amex interest rate. I don't really care as I clear it monthly.
 


chadbag said:
up until 4am this morning helping my daughter with her math homework.
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Well done dad!
Iron Horseman said:
Ha! my mind went somewhere completely different when I incorrectly read that "my birds loose". I thought, "you have pigeons or chickens in Baltimore!"

I had a bunch of chickens escape the coop the other day, and was afraid I wasn't going to get them all rounded up before the coyote / fox / racoon got them.
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That is understandable, you had loose birds on your mind. No feathered friends for me. Although I would like to have a rooster, my wife said they don't make good house pets.
chadbag said:
Amex you have to pay every month
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Do they still have the thirty-day card with no limit? I'm simply curious. I had one many years ago, but when my ex-wife nearly bankrupted me with it when we split, I closed it. After that I never wanted another one.
 
@chadbag Hey, what program did you use to design the circuit board for your light project? I am in the process of making a very simple board for a head and tail light that separates the two lights from each other so that I can use it with DCC. The current board just reverses the leds so that one lights when going fwd, and the other lights in the other direction.

I have tried fusion 360 and kicad. I give up on fusion and am working kicad, but am running into a wall.
 
Haven’t done much on the railroad other than switching operations once in awhile. But wanted to share my next build.

San Franciscan trolley kit by Occre

What I’d like to do is build it per instructions but put G scale trucks under it (one powered) and then put track up near the ceiling in the hobby workshop and put it up there and run it around while I’m in the shop.

Ideas on where to get trucks in G scale and a powered one (motor in truck)??

1757044608074.png
 
Bruette said:
Do they still have the thirty-day card with no limit? I'm simply curious. I had one many years ago, but when my ex-wife nearly bankrupted me with it when we split, I closed it. After that I never wanted another one.
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I believe they still do have a charge card product, which is the one with no set limit that does have a dynamic limit based on circumstances and your history) and that you have to pay in full every month... It's called a charge card because it doesn't work like a credit card. It's a short term payment facilitator vs a credit line.

Most of the branded ones today are credit cards. Things like the Delta cards and the other third party branded ones, but also AMEX ones that are branded with AMEX programs...
 
Kusojiji said:
@chadbag Hey, what program did you use to design the circuit board for your light project? I am in the process of making a very simple board for a head and tail light that separates the two lights from each other so that I can use it with DCC. The current board just reverses the leds so that one lights when going fwd, and the other lights in the other direction.

I have tried fusion 360 and kicad. I give up on fusion and am working kicad, but am running into a wall.
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I used KiCAD.

Btw, just use a bi-polar function decoder and the the "reversing type" work without having to flip LEDs or anything. You don't get individually addressable lights but it works the way you expect it to like in DC but without having to change anything to facilitate the DCC. NG-DCC in Japan makes a few. They work great. I've used them in Shinkansen cab cars for lights.
 
chadbag said:
I believe they still do have a charge card product, which is the one with no set limit that does have a dynamic limit based on circumstances and your history) and that you have to pay in full every month... It's called a charge card because it doesn't work like a credit card. It's a short term payment facilitator vs a credit line.

Most of the branded ones today are credit cards. Things like the Delta cards and the other third party branded ones, but also AMEX ones that are branded with AMEX programs...
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Thank you
 


Good morning, Everybody!

Yesterday I fell asleep a bit after going to bed at 2pm. My blood pressure was 84/53 which means it was time to sleep.

I woke up just in time to see the Pirates score four runs in the bottom of the fifth off Dodgers' pitcher Blake Snell. He made some good pitches, but the young Bucs had good, controlled swings hitting the ball where it was pitched.

Then I got treated to watching Paul Skeens pitch his final inning of the game. Like the leading Cy Young candidate he is, he shut down the Dodgers quickly in the sixth inning. The Pirates bullpen faltered in the 9th inning but held on to save the game. Pirates 5 - Dodgers 3. Skeens now has 10W-9L. It is the first time this year he has a winning record!

The Pirates' win completed a three-game sweep of the Dodgers. Since the beginning of June, the Pirates have had one of the best records when playing at home. Unfortunately, they have one of the worst records when playing on the road.

I saw in spring training this Pirates' team is loaded with young talent. They have had their difficulties, more down than up, but they are a team to watch in 2026.

Then I settled down on the couch to watch the Phillies @ Milwaukee. Despite the exciting pitchers' duel I feel asleep.

Only six games in MLB yesterday. But lots of good baseball to watch.

My blood pressure is good again, time to get ready for work.

Have an enjoyable day Everybody, I wish you all the best.

Fair warning; I will be back. 🤪
 
Good morning all. I have been up since stupid o'clock. A large coffee please, Flo.

Thank you gentlemen for the kind thoughts and prayers for Dawn. She had a slightly better day than off late. She is spending the morning in bed.

The model of the station building arrived yesterday. It looks rather grand; so much so it looks more at home 'in a city'. Therefore I shall use it for Leeds Sovereign Street Station.
No photographs yet as the bathroom fitters are still here. Hopefully they finish today.

One from the archive.

IMG_0446.JPEG
 


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