Running Bear’s August 2019 Coffee Shop


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Patrick: I would strongly recommend not to mix brass with NS track. Brass is more or less a thing of the pass in my opinion. The brass does need cleaning more often than NS.

Also, the older brass turnouts may have a different diverting route configuration than newer Custom Line or other turnouts. Best to stick with what you want to use for the final product with the track plan even if wait longer to purchase the correct product.

The reasons not to use brass track could fill another thread, while there are some who have used some brass track, but mainly are DC operators and not as concerned about conductively as with DCC users.

Greg
 
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Patrick: I would strongly recommend not to mix brass with NS track. Brass is more or less a thing of the pass in my opinion. The brass does need cleaning more often than NS.

Also, the older brass turnouts may have a different diverting route configuration than newer Custom Line or other turnouts. Best to stick with what you want to use for the final product with the track plan even if wait longer to purchase the correct product.

The reasons not to use brass track could fill another thread, while there are some who have used some brass track, but mainly are DC operators and not as concerned about conductively as with DCC users.

Greg
At this time, I'm strictly DC only, the downside of being on a budget. After watching the video by KB01, I'm strongly tempted to build my own. I'll heed your warning on the brass. I just have picked up a ton of it, some of which I was going to use to build my own re-railer into my track as I didn't have any until the last stuff I got at auction.

I strongly believe in cheap railroading (he says as he's spent several hundred in auction stuff the past month or so).
 
Howdy .

Chad ... Thanks for your recent post of photos of Japan.

Dave LASM .... Nice rail-fanning photos.

WIllie .... Your Pike Stuff industrial building looks great.

Johnny .... Your recent photos of the lake scene are outstanding. You are welcome about my asking about Dena. I am pleased to hear she is doing great.

Mike ... You and your wife did very good work with the drywall.

Patrick .... I would not use brass rail. Everybody ..... have a nice afternoon.
 
Boy playing catch up sucks! Some great modeling pics being shared by y'all. My days have been a blur! I don't think I even had a weekend it went so fast! Didn't even run any trains this weekend. I have discovered a truth though about buying cars. It may be newer used by it's still used and most likely comes with its own set of problems. For me...right now it's exhaust work. For some odd reason my truck just will not accept an exhaust repair. Even with me performing tried and true exhaust repair methods! Nothing like being a grease monkey and getting messed up by an exhaust pipe! Anyways moving on. No trains as of late. Maybe 5 laps around my layout? If even that. But the GP7 is running good so I can't complain about it now. Going through another hot dry spell here. It's actually hot enough it's cooking the leaves on the trees!!! With not much in the way of rain expected. Hopefully my days don't mesh together again and I can find some time to stop by again soon.
 
Patrick - I am going against the grain (a bit) here regarding the use of brass track. It is well known that brass track requires more cleaning than NS. It more easily oxidizes than the NS which is it's main problem. Layouts in drier conditions have less of an issue, but still have an issue. It's not really harder to clean, it just has to be done more often. Brass is actually a better conductor of electricity than NS. Yes, DC operators have less of an issue than DCC users, but dirty track is the bane of all DCC users whether brass or NS.
As far as the geometry of the switches, it is no more of an issue than if you use NS switches from different manufacturers. If you are following a track plan published by Atlas for example, Peco switches might not work. If you're free-lancing the trackwork, it doesn't matter, you use what you have and make things fit. As long as the code, or rail height, is the same, brass will work with NS. Differences in the color can be masked by painting the track, then only the rail tops will show it. Using #4's instead of #6's will work if you can deal with the visual overhang on longer cars. Some (but not all) longer engines might also have some difficulty negotiating the diverging routes. I cannot speak for longer passenger equipment as I don't own any.

I strongly believe in cheap railroading
While I also believe in this idea, if I am going on the cheap, I make sure that what I am doing isn't going to require fixing anytime.

I have some brass track on my layout. I do not use it on any main lines or passing sidings. I only use it on very lightly used industry spurs where there is very little chance of an engine needing to use it, so if it gets a little dirtier than the rest, it makes very little difference. My freight cars with metal wheels don't seem to have an issue; it still gets a bit of a cleaning every two years when I perform layout cleaning in general. I have a shoe-box full of brass switches mainly because when I started my current (and last) layout I decided to standardize all switches for ease of use, ie less cleaning of the more difficult components in the trackwork. My old brass flex is used on a storage shelf for freight cars that are out of the current rotation.
What it really comes down to is what you are willing to accept. Each person has had different experiences, but from a strictly technical point of view, mixing them doesn't matter.
 
Patrick: Willie made some comments based on his personal experience and I respect his comments.

I just want to add that if you install brass turnouts in the future the NS replacements that you may use in the future may have different diverting routs, the turnouts could be longer or shorter than the ones you installed or fit as perfect replacements. If there is a difference you may have to make adjustments to the roadbed, the main line and the perhaps the diverting route. As an example Atlas turnouts, the Custom Line would fit differently than if you used the Snap Track turnouts.

Greg
 
73F at 20:30PM. Got up to around 92F this late afternoon, but the temperature goes down quickly after the sun goes down.

Here are a few more photos of the trains we took this past Tuesday and Wednesday in Tokyo. The last two full days we were there before the day we left.

View attachment 38750View attachment 38751View attachment 38752View attachment 38753View attachment 38754View attachment 38755View attachment 38756

Yes, a monorail, and yes, that is the Tokyo Disney Resort Line. It is actually a public transportation line, and has tickets you have to buy. It goes counterclockwise around the Tokyo Disney Resort and has 4 stations. One station is the main gateway station, which is also where the JR Keiyo line station is (to get there by normal train). At this station is a welcome center, a ticketing center, a big multi level shopping "mall" or indoor "street" called Ikspiari (run by Disney) similar to the "Downtown Disney" type shopping and dining stuff outside the Disney parks in the US. You can walk about 10 min to the entrance to Tokyo Disneyland, or you can take the monorail (Disney Resort Line) to the Disneyland station. At this station is the main entrance to the parks, as well as the Disneyland Hotel (one of the Disney run hotels). The next monorail station is back around the backside and is called "Bayside Station". This is the main monorail station for the official Disney Hotels (the ones not run by Disney but official resort hotels -- Hilton, Sheraton, and 3 or 4 or 5 Japanese brand hotels). Disney runs retro looking busses from the monorail station to each official hotel. In the Sheraton case, it leaves the station, takes a left, goes about 25 feet, and turns right into the Sheraton driveway. It is pretty funny. For the Hilton, it takes a right, goes maybe 100-150 feet, and turns into the Hilton driveway -- the Japanese Official hotels are a bit further but not by much.

View attachment 38757View attachment 38758

The next monorail station is the one at the Disney Sea park. Similar to Disney in California, the "Disney Resort" has two parks. In Tokyo, it is Disneyland (very similar to the one in California) and Disney Sea -- much different than any Disney park, though it does have some rides found in various forms elsewhere. They also have a way cool and very nice hotel at Disney Sea called the Hotel Mira Costa, which is a Mediterranean themed one (Venice, etc) that forms the border of the park at the entrance.

The next monorail stop after Disney Sea is once again the gateway one.

The reason the DIsney Resort Line monorail has tickets you have to pay for is due to Japanese transportation law. Since it runs outside the park (is not an attraction) and carries people in public (between parks, hotels, etc) it is considered public transportation and falls under the publics transportation laws, so Disney (or the legal entity running Tokyo Disney Resort) set up a transportation subsidiary to run it under the Japanese Public Transportation laws. The price is not unreasonable -- for adults we paid 800 ¥ for a 2 day all-you-can-ride pass for adults (800¥ is a little less than $8 at the current rate). Children are usually half the adult rate, rounded up if the number does not make sense.
For a while, wife and I thought of Disneyworld as home; I think we visited four times in seven years. I've always been awed by their people-moving skills: you see people enter the rides but never see them leave (although it's always thru the gift shop); you can get a ride from any part of Disneyworld directly to any other part; what might at first glance appear to be an uncontrolled mob is actually a constantly-moving orderly line; the waiting lines are routed so that you always appear to be closer to the front than you actually are... The masterstroke, of course, is the FastPass(?) system, whereby you go to a machine to essentially reserve a time for getting on a particular ride; in other words, you line up to get a ticket that allows you to stand in a shorter line some hours in the future. You then occupy the interim by standing in one or more lines for other rides or FastPass tickets. Genius! And then you go back for more.
 
In my particular case, the brass are all Atlas custom line or snap. While I have received some Tyco\Bachmann and other track in the auctions, I am sticking to to the Atlas code 100 in either. I think a #6 custom or snap would be identical in either case. Thanks for the input in either case.
 
It's been a few days; had le cafard and just didn't feel like doing anything but sleep. I started coming out of it yesterday.

I've got two brand-new locomotives plus my repaired Big Boy, but I just can't force myself down to the basement in this weather: 75-85F and no worse than partly cloudy. The grass is a little brown, but there's no rain in the forecast. What makes me really reluctant is that some of the leaves are showing hints of changing color, and I want to cram in all the porch time I can get, while I can get it.

Speaking of which, why am I wasting my time typing this from the bathroom when I could be outside, under my tree?
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Beady: I was lucky that in around 1990 my company sent me to Disney World to attend one of the Disney's week long Disney University courses. I attended the Magic of Landscaping, but it covered a lot of the Disney philosophy and the logic behind what Disney does at their parks and not just landscaping which I think was approximately a third of the course. The use of Landscaping in the cousre name is a bit misleading.

Disney opened some of the attractions after-hours for us to enjoy a wine or two and the have some fun on riding on the attractions without waiting in a line. Our name tags allowed access to the behind the scenes of the park limited only to park employees.

I was lucky at a formal dinner one night to sit next to one of Walt Disney's best friends and this gentleman was active in the planning of Disney World from the planning stages sharing ideas with Walt. He shared a wealth of knowledge with me that many people will never heard from the source.

One theory I learned was that the traffic pattern for EPCOT Center was designed that when people entered the EPCOT they would walk counterclockwise. Walking in one direction avoided people walking into each other and kept an orderly traffic pattern. If I still remember correctly
restrooms would be entered only one way and exited a different exit for guests to resume the existing traffic flow.

From what I learned in a week, I could talk for forever about the Disney reasoning behind what you experience in the parks and why I believe Walt and Roy's infuence continues on today in the new approaches that the Disney creative staff uses.

Greg
 
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Beady: I was lucky that in around 1990 my company sent me to Disney World to attend one of the Disney's week long Disney University courses. I attended the Magic of Landscaping, but it covered a lot of the Disney philosophy and the logic behind what Disney does at their parks and not just landscaping which I think was approximately a third of the course. The use of Landscaping in the cousre name is a bit misleading.

Disney opened some of the attractions after-hours for us to enjoy a wine or two and the have some fun on riding on the attractions without waiting in a line. Our name tags allowed access to the behind the scenes of the park limited only to park employees.

I was lucky at a formal dinner one night to sit next to one of Walt Disney's best friends and this gentleman was active in the planning of Disney World from the planning stages sharing ideas with Walt. He shared a wealth of knowledge with me that many people will never heard from the source.

One theory I learned was that the traffic pattern for EPCOT Center was designed that when people entered the EPCOT they would walk counterclockwise. Walking in one direction avoided people walking into each other and kept an orderly traffic pattern. If I still remember correctly
restrooms would be entered only one way and exited a different exit for guests to resume the existing traffic flow.

From what I learned in a week, I could talk for forever about the Disney reasoning behind what you experience in the parks and why I believe Walt and Roy's infuence continues on today in the new approaches that the Disney creative staff uses.

Greg
Greg, Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA, tried to achieve a similar traffic control via a simpler and cruder design (this was 30 years ago, don't know what it's like now). You simply entered the park at one end, walked in a single direction, and exited at the other end. No circling or backtracking. While this more-or-less guaranteed that you wouldn't miss anything, it also discouraged you from having a second go at something you might have particularly enjoyed. I've been back to Williamsburg several times, but never had the urge to repeat Busch Gardens.

OTOH, I wouldn't mind going back to Busch Gardens Tampa.
 
Good morning. It's cloudy (foggy) and 72.
Ray. if they don't want to ship to you, you can have them ship to me, and I can ship to you. Our shipping station at work ships internationally.
Thanks mate. The current conversion rate for that one @ USD260 is AUD383.00, so a bit much. I've put a watch on this local one, the seller seems not to be interested in a quick sale, it ends next Saturday @4:30 pm, so I'll just wait. A tossup as to whether to enter an early bid (none on it yet), might scare up any other potential ones, to see if there are competitors, or do my usual Ninja, that makes it exciting.
 
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Morning folks -- Supposed to be 88* today - only topped out at 86* yesterday - and the record for this date is 98* in 2000.
Will be on the road for Laughlin in about an hour. I think I have all the necessary paperwork for my "highfalutin" CIA, NSA, TSA, and whatever else xxA ID drivers license. What a PITA this all is.
I looked at the wait times locally to get in the door at the local DMV - they are saying 150-180 minutes ... I can almost be to Needles in that time. Just hope that I have retained enough smarts to pass the written again? I took some f the "practice" exams on the computer yesterday and averaged 80% without looking at the handbook. Tonight, I will try and at least glance at the written word ... there may be some "new things" in it from years ago?

Willie - nice building, but too modern for my taste. I really like that tractor/trailer rig though.
CHAD - When I looked at the first pic you posted - I thought that it looked just like Disneyland monorail. HA, I was right! Nice photos all and great narrative!
Johnny - Nice additions to the pond - neat scene.
RAY - You are pathetic! LOL ... Be caution - His rating is only 97% on not very much traffic.

I may not post for a couple days - I'm sure you all will miss me - RIGHT?
You need to take the written test just to renew our DL? Wow. I didn’t have to take the written test when I transferred my DL from NJ to WI when I moved here 7 years ago.
 
I think that it has something to do with age. Coming into CA from NV - I had to take the written and my license was good for 5 years.
I am curious as well, but I "think" that it has to do with being 75 or over when your expiration comes due.
 
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Hiya Shop Dwellers, 85*F and stagnant here near the Patapsco Valley.

Ray, best of luck with that MRL 702. Must be nerve wracking, seeing something you really want and having to wait for the auction to end. I generally skip past the non-BIN auctions because they're a hazard to my blood pressure.

Greg - I really enjoyed reading your encapsulated history of Disney's crowd management approaches.

I'm too tired [lazy?] to read back thru all the pages, so the rest of you will have to settle for "likes" :D

* * *

My recovery soap opera continues. Last week I mentioned that I noticed some unexpected bleeding, and was told it probably was due to the ibuprofen I'd been taking ever since coming home from the hospital (it interferes with clotting). I downgraded to Tylenol and, though I can still function, it doesn't totally mask pain the way ibuprofen does. Early last week I felt like I was 98% cured; now I'm not quite as productive at work due to the occasional "stabbing" pains I get on the healing tissue, which I rarely felt on the 'profen. Oh well, I'm willing to endure some discomfort in exchange for a quicker healing process.

Have a good night everyone!
 
For a while, wife and I thought of Disneyworld as home; I think we visited four times in seven years. I've always been awed by their people-moving skills: you see people enter the rides but never see them leave (although it's always thru the gift shop); you can get a ride from any part of Disneyworld directly to any other part; what might at first glance appear to be an uncontrolled mob is actually a constantly-moving orderly line; the waiting lines are routed so that you always appear to be closer to the front than you actually are... The masterstroke, of course, is the FastPass(?) system, whereby you go to a machine to essentially reserve a time for getting on a particular ride; in other words, you line up to get a ticket that allows you to stand in a shorter line some hours in the future. You then occupy the interim by standing in one or more lines for other rides or FastPass tickets. Genius! And then you go back for more.

Of course, Disney World has perfected the FastPass system [and general ticket system] with the electronic/NFC and online FastPass. No more paper FastPasses at Disney World. AFAIK , Disney Land in California still uses the paper system and the one in Japan does also. (And in Japan, fast passes "sell out" very fast -- the Toy Story Mania one was completely "sold out" before we could even get into the park -- for various dumb reasons we did not get to the entrance until about 8:20am [park opened at 8am] and Toy Story Mania (the only ride I really wanted to go on and one we did not get to) had closed their fast passes in the 25 minutes we waited to actually get into the park. We did get some passes for "Journey to the Center of the Earth" [Tokyo exclusive ride] and "Tower of Terror" and maybe one more. But you have to be quick in Tokyo.

Yes, Disney is very good at moving people and organizing lines. Even though we did not have a car in Tokyo, we've had cars in Cali and Florida and even their parking system is well choreographed and smooth, and it appears to be in use in Tokyo as well from what I could see. I know that when we went to Universal Studios Japan in Osaka in around 2007, the car parking was identical to what I had experienced at Disney in Florida, so the system has been copied [I assume Disney started it].
 
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