Running Bear's March 2019 Coffee Shop

[Greg@mnrr]

Good Morning Everyone....off o a overcast sky before rain and then a mix. Can't wait for March 15th, the date the migrating black birds arrive enmass at the feeders. A sure sign of Spring, not crazy about black birds, but they feed at our feeders before moving to a marsh near us.

Off to Walthers' in a bit. Just a minor list of supplies that's hard to find in the LHS. I always like to look at the bargain area at Walthers and sometimes find great deals. Once they had circuit testers for $1.00.

Did some air brushing yesterday after two years of inactivity. I did have a problem of the paint spitting out tiny gobs of paint. No moisture in the air line, but I did use some older acrylic paint that maybe should had some thinner added to the acrylic Dullkote that I used. I'll strip off the paint and start anew and do a custom paint job. The locomotive was a Mainline that was given to me since it was supposed to be DCC, but was DC. Going to try soaking in GOO GONE and then 409 and see what happens to the paint, both old and new.

I'm going to paint the locomotive a solid CP yellow with a bit of Grimy Black added to the mix. Lettering will be Roman Black.

Maybe I'll check back later.

Greg

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A Milw loco heading to the yards passing the Omro Junk Yard.

 

[logandsawman]

Good morning all, +30 and cloudy. We are forecasted to get a foot of snow today-tomorrow. Snow removal duty for the next 3 days...

Willie-- I really like your buildings, and the momma bear and cubs

Chet-- thinkin Louis may be feeling his bones today. For a hard working guy like he is, it is double tough when the body does not cooperate

Here are my layout photos for today. This is my scratch built potato warehouse. Looks like I need to do some more work on the tarpaper roof. I scaled the dimensions from the photograph:

Don't know how the top photo got sideways, however it looked fine on my desktop. Anyway, rather than mess with it you get the idea.

This is a really simple building, however I couldn't get the cupolas exactly like I wanted.

Take it easy today...Dave

 

[kbkchooch]

Good morning gang.

31° right now, going to the lower 40s before rain (sigh) sets in tonight. Sunday they are guessing for a high temp of 64°? Insanity!! Better get the pooch some galoshes today!

Wow Willie, Has it been a year already since we lost Eric?

but I know most service people won’t pass up a chance to bash on the sales force...

Of course we do Terry, for they are a major source of discomfort for us. Generally they are a lazy bunch of glory seeking whiney beaches that only care about their commission checks and what's for lunch. Once the customer signs the papers, the become my departments problem.....some wont even speak to a customer again until they want them to buy a new car again.....scum.......your mileage may vary.

Nice structure there Dave!

Hopefully Louis is just being pinned down by a cuddly beagle.

Firewood and decals are on the agenda today, L8ter gang!

 

[Greg@mnrr]

Dave: That photograph reminds me of a street in Wautoma, Wisconsin that's called Potato Row because of all the old potato warehouses in a row and the abandoned railroad line that ran next to the buildings. This area in the state has huge potato fields because of the sandy soil the potatoes like growing in that environment. The sandy soils require a lot of irrigation.

Pickles are another favorite of the area farmers and they usually get two crops a season if the spring is warm. The sandy soil holds in the daytime warmth and a late Spring frost isn't not a major problem for early planted crops. We have purchased 100# bags of cucumbers from the fields for $5.00.

Greg

 

[Sirfoldalot]

Morning everyone ... We are stuck in the 50's again for the next week they say! Wasn't there a song about that way back when?
Made the medical scene for another CT Scan yesterday and stopped to see a friend in Corona who was in the bed next to me when I had my colon surgery. Just so happens that he was a mechanic for United Airlines and is also a car nut. He is three years older than me and I was very shocked to see him yesterday - he has some leg problems and is having a hard time getting around now. They operated on one of his legs for cancer and not only does he have an open sore - to the bone that won't heal - the cancer has spread to other parts of his body. After visiting with him for a while it was very depressing to me for what he is going through. I do not expect him to live more than a few more months. I will have to make it a point to visit him much more frequent.

Bad news on my truck - my mechanic cannot get it to pass smog check - so, either I park it or shell out about $1000 to try and make it run longer. With all the license tags coming due - another $900 - I am burning through cash faster than I can accumulate it! Selling the Pacific may net $500-1000 if I can peddle it needing a CAT Converter its self in another year. I don't think I can get much more than that - even though it runs perfect.

Well, EVERYONE, Don't forget that this is National Meatball Day!

 

[montanan]

Good morning. 22 degrees and cloudy. We had a winter weather advisory issued for our area and as usual, it never happened.

I do want to thank everyone who commented on the photos posted yesterday. I think there are enough figures on the streets now.

Willie - Enjoy your photos as usual.

Dave - Like the potato warehouse. In this part of the country, potatoes are a major crop. We ship tons and tons of see potatoes all over the country plus eating potatoes. Potatoes are an interesting crop. Farmers DO NOT want to plant their own seed potatoes because of the chance of disease. We ship as far as the northern part of Maine right across the river from Canada plus into Wisconsin, Minnesota Washington State and even down to Nevada. I cheated on my warehouse by using a Walther Cannery kit.

It is above the gas station to the right of the 2nd photo.

Sherrel - Ouch. That's a bit pricey to get that truck to comply with the smog laws. Thankfully we have nothing like that up here. Not even vehicle inspections.

Mark - Looking at the radar, you may need your snow shovel again. I use USPS tracking a lot. We do buy a lot from Amazon and they have tracking for their goods. I also try to get the tracking number forwarded to anyone that I am sending a package to. Had the window regulator for the passenger side power window crap out last week. Always has to happen during the coldest weather don't you know. Found one on Amazon and it's sitting in the post office right now. The wife will pick it up during her shopping trip to town.

Here's a rail photo for today.

As soon as I get the laundry finished, I'll be heading down to the train room. Later.

 

[Sirfoldalot]

Yeah - I agree with you, CHET!
The CAT for the smog is about 500 plus the Speed Sensor on the ABS/Brake is 250 - then add in labor and hopefully not any O2 sensors. Getting rather tired of things breaking.
California is twice as high on replacement CATS as anywhere else. If you look on the internet - the cheaper ones all say "Not for use in California"!

 

[GarryCBQ]

Willie .... Thanks for the reminder about Eric ....

 

[PRR Modeler]

Afternoon All,

Posting early today since I'm going to the club in a bit.

Chet- Nice layout scene.

Sherrel- I'm sorry to hear about your friend and the truck problems. No inspection here.

Beady- Come to Florida, we have red ants all year long.

Terry- Good to know customer service is alive and well at Walthers..SMH.

Willie- There are a lot of nice details in your photos..

Tom- I use Elmers glue (gallon jug). I use this formula for ballast or ground cover. I do 1 part Elmer's, I part RA, and I part water. I mix it up with either each part being a cup (3 total) or 2 cups each part (6 total). I keep it in a air tight container and stir it up before each use. For ground cover I initially lay a thin coat of straight elmer's, place the ground cover, spray with RA, Drip glue mix with eye dropper. For ballast I first paint the rails , apply ballast with a ballast spreader, smooth out the center (uncover ties) and smooth the sides, spray RA, apply glue mixture with eye dropper. After dry I clean off stray bits of ballast of the rails, and finally paint in between the rails a blackish color to simulate oil and grease. Since I use a WS mixed gray color I have started applying A&I (2.5%) to darken the outside ballast slopes.

Greg- Nice looking scene.

Dave- Great scratch build.

I hope everyone has a good night.

 

[bnsf971]

Karl, when a customer comes to me, and tells me the salesman said I would do this or that for no charge, I go get the salesman, and dragmhim kicking and screaming, to the customer, and explain why we don't do that. If the salesman insists, I ask him to write a check for the amount of the free repair, in front of the customer. Because I have to pay for my groceries.
That usually only has to happen a couple of times, and the salesmen generally learn to at least be a little more vague with their promises.
I think the general manager privately enjoys me keeping the sales department to heel, it causes him a lot less grief to tell a salesman to suck it up, than to have a dozen angry customers at his door, wanting their promised "stuff".

 

[bnsf971]

I see Elmers has a clear glue,anyone try it on ballast or scenery.

I use the regular white Elmers for ballast, thinned with water, and a little liquid soap. There honestly should be no reason to use the clear stuff, unless it is significantly cheaper, and water-diluteable, like the white glue.

 

[Sirfoldalot]

Interesting seeing all the different business and factories on the layouts in pictures.
I have yet to see a cotton industry - pretty big around where I grew up. Cotton fields, loaded trucks, ginning mills, and bales and seeds being loaded in boxcars, gondolas, and flats!

 

[Beady]

I've hit the point where stuff is going back onto the shelves. Got all the rolling stock roughly sorted (where the hell did all that steam come from? I found some more just today). I'm putting everything else into very rough categories: natural and man-made scenery, roads, buildings, and so on. Oh, and all my tools have reappeared. There are plenty of kits that I can either sell or have some kid put together.

Uh oh. I just noticed the Chicago Zephyr set is missing. Not that it's gone, it's just not where it should be. The last time I saw it, was just before packing everything up before dewatering and waterproofing the basement. I just spent the last several minutes rooting through all the boxes and stuff I've been getting out of the way. That means, wherever it is, it somehow got separated from the railroad stuff. Well, I've still got the California Zephyr at hand.

The wife wants to go out now, just as I was making progress. Sigh.

 

[Beady]

The wife is right, it's time to quit. The Chicago Zephyr (aka Silver Streak) was/is right where it's supposed to be. In my memory, it was in a grey bookcase; actually, the face of the package is grey but the spine is green, just like all the other sets. Sigh.

 

[Flip]

BEADY- It's hell getting old, isn't it. Memory is first to go and then the hands start shaking. Whats worse is not being artistic like so many of the guys on this forum. Oh well. I enjoy seeing what they post.
FLA. PHIL

 

[Greg@mnrr]

Good Afternoon...the promised rain is here and a mix for later today.

When to Walthers for supplies and I purchased six sets PECO Hayes rail bumper kits for 2 bumpers per kit for under $2.00. The rest of the stuff is boring supplies except a Central Valley - 2 set flat car set for under $11.00. I have to paint and install the grab irons and all the other goodies, it's not a BB!

Spend the majority of the afternoon cleaning my two Badger air brushes. They operate and look like new. I don't like an brush's interior or exterior, to be dirty, right Espree? I keep a stock of spare parts that normally get lost during when cleaning the brushes and I'll have to order a few more the next trip to Walthers.

Not sure what to use to mask the windows and light lenses of a locomotive that I want to decal. Also do you guys think I should remove the handrails when I spray the gross and dull coats? Its been awhile. My Easy-Mask is older than a GP-9.

Tomorrow some meaningful work.

I did run some trains again using an older Digitrax DT300 throttle. The technology of the Digitrax throttles sure has advanced over the years and the ease of using a new 400 series verses the older 300 series is remarkable.

Tomorrow I'll return.

Greg

 

[santafewillie]

BEADY- It's hell getting old, isn't it. Memory is first to go and then the hands start shaking. Whats worse is not being artistic like so many of the guys on this forum. Oh well. I enjoy seeing what they post.
FLA. PHIL

Memory isn't really the first to go! It's the second.

 

[Beady]

BEADY- It's hell getting old, isn't it. Memory is first to go and then the hands start shaking. Whats worse is not being artistic like so many of the guys on this forum. Oh well. I enjoy seeing what they post.
FLA. PHIL

In my case, the shaking came first. That's why I'm considering hiring a teenager.

 

[Beady]

Memory isn't really the first to go! It's the second.

Yeah, but none of us remember the first.

 

[Beady]

Good Afternoon...the promised rain is here and a mix for later today.

When to Walthers for supplies and I purchased six sets PECO Hayes rail bumper kits for 2 bumpers per kit for under $2.00. The rest of the stuff is boring supplies except a Central Valley - 2 set flat car set for under $11.00. I have to paint and install the grab irons and all the other goodies, it's not a BB!

Spend the majority of the afternoon cleaning my two Badger air brushes. They operate and look like new. I don't like an brush's interior or exterior, to be dirty, right Espree? I keep a stock of spare parts that normally get lost during when cleaning the brushes and I'll have to order a few more the next trip to Walthers.

Not sure what to use to mask the windows and light lenses of a locomotive that I want to decal. Also do you guys think I should remove the handrails when I spray the gross and dull coats? Its been awhile. My Easy-Mask is older than a GP-9.

Tomorrow some meaningful work.

I did run some trains again using an older Digitrax DT300 throttle. The technology of the Digitrax throttles sure has advanced over the years and the ease of using a new 400 series verses the older 300 series is remarkable.

Tomorrow I'll return.

Greg

I always found that cellophane tape, as we used to call it, worked best. It seals perfectly at the edges and pulls right off.