Running Bear's Coffee Shop LXVIII


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Good morning. We're starting out at a smokey 57 degrees this morning with an expected high in the mid 80's. The extended forecast has the temps dropping an on Friday a high in the 40's with rain and snow ?

Justin - Nice to see you back. Was wondering what had happened to you. Sounds like a real busy time for you.

Saw a few news reports about the Florida Keys and the mid part really looked it got slammed. My friends are going to give it a few days before heading back with so many areas without power and a reported shortage of gasoline. We'll just have to wait to until they get their homes sorted out and finally have a chance to get down there. As on now access to the Keys are limited to the upper islands.

Curt - I am really happy that you made it through the storm with what appears to be minimal damage. I really feel bad that so many people are without power and some reports have said that for some folks it could be longer than a week before power is restored. I can understand why your daughter's family will be over. Family and friends are so important in situations like this. I know I would have a real problem going without A/C down there. The high humidity was one of the contributing factors that we considered when we moved back to Montana. Do keep us posted about Phil. I have been constantly trying to contact our friends in Interlachen still without results also. Best of luck to you guys.

The RS-1 finally returned yesterday. I think Atlas has had it in their possession longer than I have. Willie had a point about having too many cars on the main line. With the full 97 cars still on the tracks it took about an hour to get everything sorted out. Guess I could have used the 0-5-0 but did use the locomotives. Some cars were sorted to the various industries and yards and the rest put onto the hidden staging tracks. The RS-1 did run as it originally came from the factory. Guess I'll take it to the club on Saturday and see what happens there.

Here's my rail picture for the day.

Train-tracks-HDR-5760-s1.jpg

Later
 
Good morning, 64° and overcast.

A moment of silence, in memory of Irma, which is now a "Post Tropical Depression"...Good Riddance. Let's see how long TV keeps hyping this. The focus should be on assisting all the folks who's lives have been disrupted by the storm, in restoring basic needs.

Rhetorical Question: Considering that Mandatory Evacuations were ordered in advance of the storm, ostensibly to protect lives, why did the authorities permit the news and entertainment personalities, along with their generators and cameras to enter the evacuation zone???? These people serve absolutely no useful function, and get in the way of rescue or recovery operation.
 
Good Morning All. 60° and clear today. Not much planned for today on the home front. No dew on the ground this morning, so I can start chainsawing earlier than usual. I would be putting the cover on the pool right now, but it has developed a small leak and it's too cold for me to get into and search for it. The pool leak detector guy cannot make it out until Monday the 18th. I have used him before...he wears a wetsuit and snorkels about looking for and repairing leaks. I guesstimate that I am losing about 20 gallons a day right now. That's less than a typical day in summer when 30 or so gallons a day evaporate! Small too when you consider that there are 14,000 gallons in the pool to begin with, but having the metal side sitting in standing water is not desirable. A trivial note - 14,000 gallons of water weighs 56 tons and it's all in a 24' diameter above ground pool.
Thanks for the comments on the scenes that I posted yesterday, Joe, Chet,Garry, and anyone that I may have missed.
Out in the train shed, I ballasted the next few feet of main and passing siding that were installed last year. Otherwise I pretty much took it easy and just ran trains and contemplated my next moves. From where I'm at right now, I can do more scenery either on the other side of the track where I have been working, or go right and work on the small town there. I know that is not as easy to work from front to back on scenery, but that's just the way it always works out for me.

Johnny - You barely missed me, as I am about ten miles west of IH35. I assume that you went through Oklahoma City on the way back. (You mentioned 485 mi to Addison). It has always been interesting that Discount does not even have a static web page on the Internet. I have asked the owner Jim about this and he says that they have more than enough business without adding the extra expense. I have seen two expansions in the years that I have been going there. Jim bought the business from the original owners back years ago and both he and Wayne have been there 25+ years. The original owner, Bob Wilson, still owns that entire block of buildings. I knew him and his late wife Barb as well.
Curt - Glad to hear that you came through the storm with as little damage as you reported. Look forward to hearing either from or about Phil as soon as he can let us know.
Justin - Welcome back. We have been wondering where you were.

Everybody have a great day.

Willie
 
Joe, the rhetorical answer is, they probably don't want to be crucified by the media if they don't allow them to do whatever the hell they want.
 
bnsf971 said:
Joe, the rhetorical answer is, they probably don't want to be crucified by the media if they don't allow them to do whatever the hell they want.
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Terry: Rhetorically correct. On the other hand, if they weren't allowed in to set up, the relief agencies wouldn't know where to go to be seen :rolleyes:, in which case, they might be forced to help someone.:rolleyes:
 
Good Noontime/lunchtime to many of you. Thank goodness that Irma has departed and with as little death as there was. I really got tired of the news people leaning in the wind and rain. Stupid and unnecessary! Feel for all the folks property damage!

Nice partly sunny day here with projected high of 88 - then maybe 83 tomorrow? Fall just maybe coming closer although temps can be quite high even into November!

Willie - Guilty of not commenting on your scene -- You have done an excellent job. Fence is great looking, hope your eyes have un-crossed?

Garry - Think I missed commenting on your new Geep. Great looking model!

Curt -- I found a tin roof about two miles up the road. It's really great looking. I'll try and get a couple photos for you in a few days.

Justin: Glad to see you back! Wondered about the sudden/silent departure?

Love General Kelly's comment to a critic today. He said, "Empty barrels make the most noise".
 
WJLI26 said:

Terry: Rhetorically correct. On the other hand, if they weren't allowed in to set up, the relief agencies wouldn't know where to go to be seen :rolleyes:, in which case, they might be forced to help someone.:rolleyes:
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Brilliant, TERRY, just freaking brilliant!

JOE - You are spot on!
 
Somethings in life make no sense, for example; the right to be stupid! Freedom of the press provides the press the right to be stupid! Our democratic republic and the freedom we all enjoy is not always pretty, but it beats the alternatives.

Now for something that does make sense;

Hey Chessie!!! Good to see you!

Terry had A pair of Genesis GP9s in Chessie/B&O-C&O for $200 for the pair. One has a Tsunami, the other a Soundtraxx silent decoder...

When I saw that I thought of you, maybe he would split them up but I can't speak for him. I don't even know if he still has them.

I can tell you anything you buy from Terry is worth more than he sells them for. I know first hand from experience.

Any way, I'm glad you are back, safe and sound.
 
Afternoon All,

Phil has gotten hold of me. Debbie and him are fine. They have no power and the only communication they have now are text messages.
 
PRR Modeler said:
Afternoon All,

Phil has gotten hold of me. Debbie and him are fine. They have no power and the only communication they have now are text messages.
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Hey Curt, thanks for the update. Hoping that the recovery goes swiftly for you, Phil and all those affected.

Willie
 
Good morning everyone. 57 and sunny here in SW MO. A string of upper 80's coming our way - we need rain: "Hey, Irma . . ."

Willie - we didn't go up 35 to OK City - we took 75/69 up through McAlester, then got on I40 at Checotah over to Fort Smith and then 49 north through Fayetteville, Bentonville, etc., and on into MO. We had never gone that way before, and man that drive up 49 from Ft Smith is gorgeous - some of the prettiest scenery anywhere! But next time we head to the Metroplex we'll try to build in some time to look you up.

In the trainroom I decided to alter one section of track which meant prying up the track, removing two turnouts and their remote wiring, digging up a few feet of roadbed, and re-laying the track and one of the turnouts. Got it done in less than an hour. Works much better and adds a siding that I'll connect later this week to a section of track that serves several industries/businesses. I've got to take photos to post - I used to be good about it but haven't taken any pics in a couple of months now.

Have a good day everyone.
 
Good Morning Everyone. 60° and clear. Summer is returning today and temperatures will be in the mid-90's for the next eight days, is what they're guessing! Since I'm not mowing right now due to the lack of rain, I cut down another dead tree to use as firewood. This one is tree number thirteen of nineteen that died from drought in 2013-2014. So I'm slow with the removal. I don't like to get into a hurry when I work with the chainsaw...which explains why I still possess ten fingers. They're not rotting or anything; they're a bit remote from the house and new trees around them disguise the fact that they're dead. These are all part of 300 trees from Texas A & M Windbreak Program that I planted in 1982. 300 trees for $39.00. In the afternoon, I made four loaves of homemade whole wheat french bread to fill space in the freezer made available by eating some of last springs vegetable harvest.
Spent some time in the train shed doing some more minor scenery fill-in. Ran some trains while glue set up a bit, and also ballasted some more track. When I wanted to sit for a while, I did a bit of detailing on a structure that I assembled a few weeks ago that's been languishing on the workbench.

Chet - I'm sure that you are happy regarding the RS-1 and it's performance. Sounds like you put some miles on it already.
Joe - Regarding your rhetorical question about the news persons, it is sometimes funny to watch them try to stand in hurricanes. The Weather Channel is the worst. I hope that there are no accidents with these unfortunate souls doing what their directors are asking.

Slow day in the Coffee Shop yesterday. I miss Eric's posts and I am still wondering what happened to David (Trussrod). I do hope that all is well with both of them.
Everybody have a wonderful Wednesday.

Willie
 
santafewillie said:
Joe - Regarding your rhetorical question about the news persons, it is sometimes funny to watch them try to stand in hurricanes. The Weather Channel is the worst. I hope that there are no accidents with these unfortunate souls doing what their directors are asking.

Slow day in the Coffee Shop yesterday. I miss Eric's posts and I am still wondering what happened to David (Trussrod). I do hope that all is well with both of them.
Everybody have a wonderful Wednesday.

Willie
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Willie and Joe ... I know what you are talking about. However, I did see where the news crews actually did some good. During the recent Hurricane Irma, they filmed some looters which lead the police to arrest them. Also, I saw a news crew assist with the rescue of a truck driver from rapidly rising flood waters in Hurricane Harvey in Texas.

I believe it will be a long time before power outages in Florida will be repaired. ...... I am remembering when it took 9 days to restore power at our house following the KY ice storm in 2009. That was better than some people who did not have power restored until 3 or 4 weeks after the storm.
 
Good morning. 61 degrees to start the day with an expected high in the low 80's. Saw a Winter Weather Advisory for the end on the week on the Accuweather app on the phone for areas over 7,000 feet. Hope the moisture helps the fire fighters deal with all of the wild fires. Took the day off yesterday and went up flying for a while looking at some of the fires in the area. The smoke was less than it had been so figures we would take a look. We couldn't get into some areas because of the tankers dropping water and fire retardant in some areas.

Curt - Thanks for the update on Phil. Hope you got the clean up done at home from the storm. Looks like the Keys really got slammed from what little video was available. Go Navy. Nice to see the ships off shore and the crews trying to assist the people down there. My friends are going to leave from Alabama and Kentucky and head back to south Florida. From what they have heard, all three of their homes suffered either no damage or very minor damage. From the sound of things, it may be quite a while before they can get onto the keys and check out the house.

Johnny - I hate removing track, but in some cases operations can work better. Had to tear ot a bunch of hand laid track in one town because I didn't plan ahead, but now operations is more interesting.

I did get a little time to go down to the train room and run the Atlas RS-1. It seems to be running like new again. The real test will come when it is run on the club layout in Livingston. Hope the weather clears out by Saturday night. Don't want to go over the pass with snow with the summer tires on the car. Doubt snything will stick on the road surfaces with the temps having been up into the 80's for so long.

Here's a rails photo for the day.

Train_tracks_in_Bradford.jpg

Later
 
Good morning, y'all. 64° and clear.

The O's lost their sixth in a row, to Toronto, last night. Hard to believe they are still alive in the Wild Card race, 4.5 behind.

Good to hear that Phil and Curt are OK.

The AS616 is breaking in, I was able to run the loco, one car and cabin from end to end and back at a significantly lower power setting than before, without stalling.
 
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Been working with the JMRI Decoder pro the last couple nights, getting all my locos logged in and tweaked. Primarily setting them so the sound only comes on when they are operated instead of when the power to the track is applied. Some other features like head lights and ditch light operation.
I rounded up a few of the tools I need to work on the bridge. They are scattered all over the house. I'm trying to push myself to resume work on it.
 
I bought a ROKU stick last night. I would like to quit my cable TV service because the price is not justified anymore.
The ROKU advertising doesn't mention a registration fee of $59. that ya need a credit card to pay it with. The red flags went up on that when I tried to activate the device. The Indian guy was obviously reading from a script. Once ya pay the registration fee, I'm sure there will be the never ending suggestions to buy something else too, sorta like buying Omaha steaks. I told him go forget it. I'll take the device back to wallmart where I bought it.
In the meantime, I'm still looking for an alternative to cable TV where I can watch Fox NEWS, NCIS and some weekend sports. I don't need the all sports package that offers every game in the world, just the prime Sunday afternoon game and maybe Monday Night football. Beyond that, I'm not much of a TV viewer.
 
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