Running Bear's Coffee Shop LXX

[Trussrod]

Good evening fellow rail workers, As usual, I'm a day late and dollar short.

Evening Francine, Flo, Jeffrey Running Bear s' Dinner is fairly busy. How about an Apple Fritter and some coffee, Thanks.

Lets see what WU has to say?
46°F Wells Rd. Station Report
7:57 PM PST on December 10, 2017 (GMT -0800) | Updated a few seconds ago
--°F | 39°F
Currently at 42°F - Feels like 42°F Partly Cloudy;
Winds from the 'N' at 0.0 with Gusts 3 mph;
Humidity is at 79%;
Tomorrow is forecast to be nearly the same temperature as today.

Wow, Ken D&J, Your trip sounds worthwhile today. I just returned from Wally World where I had to pick up a few things for both the doggies and wifeies - lol. The 2 Marines' standing at the entrance in full dress were having to hold on to their hats because of the wind ... I stopped- squared up- and gave them a salute and they snapped too, returning the gesture, and I caught one of their hats in mid flight. Giving it back I offered a hearty "Carry On" and they both responded with a boisterous " Simper Fi" - and we all had a chuckle together. They said that one day during this week they collected over 1000 toys. I told them that I had already given at the office - which happens to be two different animal rescues which hold a "Toys for Tots" drive during December. One of the rescues is run by an (now) Army Reserve who lives in Missouri and spent several tours in Iraq with a Golden Lab named GABE. His Facebook Page is named Gabe to the rescue . After his return he and his dog were in the Rose Parade out here and the dog won top honors - 1st Place - at a show out here with Betty White which got him in the Rose Parade. (I screwed up and put the cart in front of the horse) Long story short - The dog died from cancer 4-5 months after all the hoopla and Chuck loved that dog so much that he started a rescue in the dogs honor and has several hundred thousand followers on Facebook. AND I don't know why I am telling you all this?

Still trying to round up all the parts I need for my F-3 project and still have NOT pulled down all the decorations NOR put up a single strand of lights outside.... I am a pittiful excuse for a human being. Too many people throwing stuff at me from allsides.
Youngest daughter had surgery Thursday because of "insulin pockets" and the fear of one or more breaking open, so MOH has been staying with her when her hubby has to work and at night so he can get some sleep. She has to have medication every 4 hours and MOH says that it is very painful - right now she cannot get up or go to potty without help.

Right now it is 78* with humidity at 9 % and winds from the East 15-25 MPH. The two fires near here are about 50% contained, (I have never understood what that means) but they are still active. They still have really big problems up North.

SIL is on Cloud 9 - Georgia will be in the Rose Bowl this year and some of his college buddies are flying out from Atlanta. He asked me if he could drive the RV to the game so that they could all Tailgate Party - I said "Where's My Ticket"!
In reality , I have no desire to go - rather watch the game on TV.

OK Off on another quest for the Annual Christmas Bunco Party which is tonight!

Sherrel: Good reactions catching the Marines Dress Cap eliciting their, 'Semper Fi' reply!

Good luck on whatever decision you make about letting him drive your RV going back Georgia.
Very Sorry to hear about your daughters surgery, I said a prayer for her and you.

I hope the fires in your area are fairly well contained. I just checked and they are fortunately 90% contained and hopefully no danger to anyone?

Good morning everybody .

Willie ... My might packing plant is from the Walthers kit..... It was the first industry on my current layout. That means it is now about 15 years old. I don't take many photos of it. This is an older picture.

Say Garry: Your Meat Packing Plant is nice looking and the Ice House loading dock for the Reefers is in the perfect spot too. I had something similiar planned too but may need to revamp my arrangement as the Ice house and Meat packing or even a dairy should be be close at hand and on the same trackage I would think?


Say Willie: Do you have a similar situation on your layout with a meat packer or dairy shipping products using reefers needing icing.

Good morning fellers. I hope everyone is well. Getting my self in gear here to repair my track. For right now I figured I'd share a photo. My dog apparently is a railfan too.

Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk

Justin: It looks to me as though your guard dog is making sure Santa doesn't run off with the train under the tree!

Good morning y'all. 32° and snowing. So far, it's just starting to coat roofs. Not up to what was hyped on TV. Willie, you would be amused to learn it's never snowed in NYC before... or so said some perky Millennial cub TV reporter... Also listening to the "Sound of freedom" coming from the artillery range at Joint Base McGuire/Dix/Lakehurst. The ranges are almost 40 miles away, but the cloudy sky carries the sound, while the ground transmits the impact. Sleep well tonight, your National Guard is awake!

Garry: My Meat packing plant is also about 15 years old, or older...just hasn't been built yet. Yours looks good. The ice plant is a nice touch also. My inspirations both (Medford and Cross Bros.), received livestock directly into the building, and shipped product via truck. Armor, received dressed beef from the Midwest in refrigerator cars, then processed and distributed to markets via truck.

MIL got a "surprise" tax bill from Pennsylvania, for a transaction back in April 2016. Appears the lawyer screwed this up and the bill is good. Now I have to research this to verify my guess. More tedious work, I don't need...That Elder Care law firm, was really a waste of money...good thing we didn't renew the retainer. Wonder what's next?

Say Joe & Garry: I'm not sure if I've been around a slaughter house or not but think I was once and it was very odifferous to say the least. So I think I know what you both mean by the way you describe the smell. I was just thinking, it's a good thing that model railroading hasn't attempted to reproduce the oddors of stock pens and slaughter houses as well as tanneries.

Then they would have to charge twice as much just to break even. I called a lawyer a few months ago to see what it would cost to review a 12 page separation agreement, his answer, $750.00. I went online to do research, made some addendums and sent it to her lawyer. Changes accepted, no questions asked.

Karl: Glad you took matters into your own hands and made the necessary changes and saved a bundle! I'm also glad to hear things are beginning to smooth out for you. I hope you have good luck with the ladies also, just remember your freedom and independence mean a lot for a while, enjoy it.

Karl and Terry: Yeah, so true. From what I can tell, although Pennsylvania billed twice, the worst we can do is pay once, and that is questionable, as there is an exception we can invoke, that would nullify the tax completely...hope springs eternal. Got to call them on Monday, and see where they are coming from. Also, there is a bill for the transfer fee. The fee was supposedly paid in April 16...second call to PA for Monday. The lawyer? well this should not have happened.


Borris: If the attorney screwed up, he should make good for his error, it shouldn't come out of your pocket, you paid him for his expertise and the knowledge he had or should have had directly or indirectly.

ERIC/WILLIE -- who won? I got lost in the translation!

Good Day All ... 60* headed towards 80* they say. Winds are very light at this time, but yesterday I think I could feel the roof bouncing up and down as it attempted to leave the premises. Fires to the North, Fires to the South of town. Fortunately the one closer to me I think is about under control if the wind will stay down today. I am 4 miles East of the I-15 and the fires have been West of the Freeway with the winds blowing from East to West! Beautiful shot on TV Live of a 747 in a steep banked turn 500 feet AGL laying down a 3 mile swath of retardant on the North fire - WOW, what a sight! I did not know that they had a 747 fire bomber - I bet that the seat cushions had wrinkles in them after that turn! It was like an air show with 4 different fire bombers plus a spotter plan flying around here. Feel for the folks to the South near Bonsal: Many race horses killed in the fire there - the fire just moved too fast for them to get all the animals to safety.
Here's my track photo today ...

View attachment 64068

Sherrel: Yah, you got to watch the transulation alright!

I've quit buying games and toys for the g'kids. They bust up the toys so fast and don't ever play the games. Sweaters and p'jamas.
The last train stuff I got for my g'sons, they use em like race cars, on the carpet. Tore the couplers off when they snagged.

{By Gary I'll have to agree} Chet ... At times, your layout looks like a 1/87 automobile museum! .. Indeed alright.

 

[tootnkumin]

Chet, your remark about the pre-war cars still being around in the 50's, reminds me of NZ and they lasted much later than that. It seemed quite odd that NZ got a lot more American cars as direct imports than Aussie, but that was because Aus manufactured their own cars, beginning with the Holden 48/215 in 1948, followed quickly by Ford and Chrysler, so imports of US cars were restricted. NZ assembled cars from semi built up parts, British and Aus makes only up to about 1990. I worked in the body dept of one for 6 years, late '50's and early '60's. It was sad to see all those old Fords and Chevs etc, end their days in the Demolition Derbys at the local speedways. They went from common on the roads to virtually extinct in a couple of years.

I had a '37 Ford Business Man's Coupe for a short time when I was 20 (it was a year older than me) but put it on it's lid after hitting a notorious (to the local tow truck driver) slippery corner. The scar on my scalp is still detectable where I headbutted the cross bow of the head lining. The 2nd was another Ford, a '42 4 door sedan "House", that I thought I could rescue. It was full of rust. Probably had been a staff car for the US Navy and seen service near (or in) the sea.

 

[bnsf971]

Good morning. It's clear and 26.

 

[BigE]

26 and clear here. Heading to 57 today. yay... maybe some of this snow and ice will melt.

 

[Boris]

Good morning, 31° and sunny. We did get the promised overnight snow dusting. Winter is here, for now...

 

[Raincoat2]

Good morning everyone. 38 and partly cloudy here in SW MO. Will hit 60 today so the temperature roller-coaster continues. Plus we're in a real drought in these parts. Time for a nice cup of coffee and a chocolate croissant!!

I've been off the forum since last Thursday, so taking a while to catch up on all the posts. Had to do some Christmas shopping over the weekend with and w/o MOH. But got some serious time in the train room. A few photos:

Here's my new loco, a 2-8-2 Heavy Mikado with NY Central markings:



I also decided to redo the freight yard, make it more realistic. On the left is how it looked last Friday; on the right is how it looks today:



Also making progress on the road in the town, track ballasting, a farm, and the MR-V.

More comments later, after I finish reading everyone's posts from the last three days!

Have a good day everyone.

 

[santafewillie]

Good Morning All. 42° and partly cloudy today. Went up to 72° yesterday and we're in for a repeat today. Did lots of household chores yesterday including some prep work in the garden. I actually watered the garden Friday with nothing but garlic growing in it, in order to be able to do the prep which consisted of working shredded leaves and compost into the soil. Still no rain in the ten day forecast. I'll do some more today.
Out in the train shed, I placed structures where I think that I want them in the next area of my small town. I'll look at them for a few days in order to determine whether or not I like them. I added more people to the already completed area, and did more detailing behind the BBQ joint, added a woodpile (took over 90 minutes to assemble), beer kegs, vegetable oil barrel and other restaurant type stuff. Running trains got in the way of any more layout progress.

Garry - Shoe & boot factory is a good idea, thanks. I already have a tannery with empty space currently around it that receives the hides. I also have a fertilizer factory that receives the bones (for bone meal) and blood (for blood meal).
Terry - So "Dead Man's Curve" almost claims another one.
Chet - Cutting back on the Christmas decorations here as well. Wife doesn't want the regular tree, just the 2' pre-decorated "tree-in-a-box" one. We never did the outside of the house anyway, due to our isolation and setback from the road. Regarding the new vehicle, I didn't think that you had room for any more. I just wish that they were less expensive, as I have over 450 already on the layout and need 100's more.
Justin - Good luck on troubleshooting. I do occasionally have a bit of trouble with older Athearn power that takes a little bit of running before things smooth out, especially in colder conditions.
David - Due to my era, I do not use ice reefers and have no need for an ice house. For the same reason (era), there are no dairy products shipping except evaporated milk.
Johnny - Yard looks much better and will function more like it is intended.

Everybody have a great day.

Willie

 

[chessie_system3]

Good morning fellers. I hope everyone is well. I attempted to run my GP35 again last night. She ran a little better but the motor seems to be binding up. Usually it works well with my Tech 4 with momentum on. She jerked to life instead slowly starting out. Seems to be what is keeping her down right now. I'll at some point take a look under the shell and see what's going on. I may have under lubricated it when I did my service. She just seems dry....I won't be able to work on it until later this week. In the mean time I'll run what I have available to me. Y'all have a good day.

Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk

 

[montanan]

Good morning all. We're starting the day off at 21 degrees and may get up into the low 40's by afternoon. Still quite a bit stiff from all of the work putting down flooring. Thought I was going to have to have the wife bring food and beer down to the train room yesterday, but did manage to get back upstairs.

Ken in MD - I'll be looking for your photos. You do some really nice work.

Justin - Sorry to hear that you're having so many problems with the Athearn locomotives. Hope you can get things sorted out with them.

Joe- I will agree with you about the Athearn Locomotives. It is probably something to do with their motors. With the exception of the Genisis F-7, most of my old Athearn oe locomotives had their motors replaced over 25 years ago with can motors and still run just fine today, but there are a couple that still have their original motors and have the same problem that Justin is having. These locomotives were put away years ago as they really didn't fit my locomotive roster.

Johnny - Looks like the Mike is from BLI. I picked one up and really like the chunky looks of it. It is the largest steamer that I run on my layout. It is DCC and I use it mainly on the club layout in Livingston. Haven't attempted to change out the front coupler yet so it could do some switching on my layout. Nice running locomotives. Enjoy it.

Willie - No reason to decorate the outside if you're so far off the road. We used to be at the end of out lane, but over the years, people did subdivide and a few houses around us, but I am still not interested in outdoor decorations. With all of the kids out on their own we don't bother putting up a Christmas tree either. Just the wife and I and a couple of dogd and I don't think the dogs care. When it comes to vehicles, I have been trying to get the most appropriate vehicles that would have been around in 1957. I have a few European vehicles that have been culled out and replaced with American cars. Some of them can get expensive, like the Neo cars, but their details are excellent. Most are not too pricey. I got a lot of the Classic Metal Works cars on Amazon at a good price.

Garry and Joe - I appreciate your comments on my Automobile Museum from the 50's. That is exactly what I have been attempting to accomplish. Vehicles are probably one of the best ways to set the era that you are modeling. I may have taken a bit too far, but also being a car nut, I do enjoy collecting them. I do try to get the most accurate vehicles that I can. My layout isn't too large, but I did try counting them a few times and lost count when I passed 200. I am guessing that the number is around 250. Getting a bit crowded.

Here's a rail picture for the day.



Later

 

[Raincoat2]

Chet - yes that steamer is from BLI - I like their stuff. I have two other BLI engines, both diesels, and one other (not BLI) that I may use as a switcher in the freight yard. Thing is, the steamer doesn't run at the same speed as the two BLI diesels, which run perfectly at the same speed. Don't know if there's a way to alter speed. i run DC.

 

[bnsf971]

Willie, this time it was a pile of extremely large rocks, one of which now has a coat of used red paint on it.
If nothing else, it's interesting to see where each ID10T ended up.

 

[montanan]

Chet - yes that steamer is from BLI - I like their stuff. I have two other BLI engines, both diesels, and one other (not BLI) that I may use as a switcher in the freight yard. Thing is, the steamer doesn't run at the same speed as the two BLI diesels, which run perfectly at the same speed. Don't know if there's a way to alter speed. i run DC.

Running DC there's not much you can do. I don't usually run more than one locomotive at a time as the layout is built for switching, and when I do, it is usually just as a second locomotive to pull longer trains up the grades I have on my layout. Running the Mike on the club layout, I am limited to how many cars I can pull due to the grades. 10 cars is about the limit for the Mike.

 

[Sirfoldalot]

Good Morning .... 53* heading to 83* for a high today. Quite windy yesterday - the several rather high-pressure areas don't seem to want to go away resulting in the really terrible Santa Ana winds which have been devastating with all the fires around.
Seems that the two fires here are mostly under control - I believe that the closest one has now been out.
The humidity from mid day to evening has been in the single digits for a week now.
Just found out that one of my nephew's and his family is under mandatory evacuation orders! He lives up in the Carpenteria (spelling)
ares near Santa Barbara.

Great posts EVERYONE! Won't try and comment on each one except to Johnny: Your layout is starting to look very nice!

David in CA -- not sure how you got so confused on the RV. SIL is taking it to the Rose Bowl Game here in CA NOT Georgia!

This day is shot already - Taking the RV up to Apple Valley for SAT TV to be put in - Christmas present for SWMBO! 2 hrs up and 2 hrs back + lunch stop.

 

[Raincoat2]

Everyone - okay, time for another newbie question - my small-medium size HO layout has about 25 turnouts installed. Most are Atlas, some are Peco. I've already had problems with two Atlas turnouts and had to replace them, and looks like I have another one that isn't reliable so may have to change that one out, too. I'm wiring all turnouts for remote control (almost half are already wired). I've been researching Tortoise machines as an alternative to the Atlas and Peco motors. I understand these are mounted underneath the layout. No problem there - i can do that.

My question: Those of you who use Tortoise, or have used a variety of turnout motors - - what are your recommendations? Is tortoise worth it? Any problems with them? Are they more reliable than Peco or Atlas? Any opinions and recommendations are welcome. Thanks.

 

[Raincoat2]

Everyone - Thanks for your comments on my layout and the progress. Here are a couple of more photos of things I did over the weekend.

The left photo is a small farm/apple orchard. Not quite finished since I need to put in an access road and driveway. The right photo is the main town where I'm playing around with the street layout. Nothing glued down yet - just measuring.

 

[PRR Modeler]

Afternoon All,

The weekend was very busy. It started with a marathon karate program with youngest grandson (5 hours) then to daughter's house to help her and her husband install vinyl flooring and then all day Sunday. Needles to say I slept really well last night. I finished up the roofing on the tank build. The only thing I have on the schedule this week is my semiannual VA appointment.

Speaking of the Walther's Meat Packing plant, I have the livestock pens, meat packing plant and a ice house on one siding. I forgot to take a picture.

Justin- I hope you get your Athearn loco's running. I have a Genesis FP7 ABA set and 2 GP7's and they are pretty much bulletproof.

Sherrel- I missed your post about your daughter. I hope she will be OK. Also good luck to your family that had to evacuate.

Johnny- Very nice modeling. I have a beginners story about Tortoises. I installed about 30 of them to have them only throw the T/O's part of the time. After spending hours adjusting the tortoise there was no improvement. I finally removed all of them and sold them at a loss. I wasn't a member of any forums at that point (and I was computer illiterate). I found out later that the wire they provide to actually throw the T/O is too light and you need a heavier gauge wire which makes it necessary to gently drill the hole the wire sits in also. Fun times. I still do everything manually.



I hope everybody has a good night.

 

[santafewillie]

Johnny - You mentioned problems with the Atlas turnouts. Is it with the turnouts or the switch machines that you are replacing? I have found that Atlas switch machines, especially the under-table machines are less than reliable. They don't always complete the movement, thus leading to open points. On my current layout I use ground throws in 98% of the switches, but I have a walk-around throttle and all but a handful of the turnouts are within easy reach.
Regarding the Tortoise controls, while I do not use them, users that I know speak very well of them. Clearance under the layout is their only issue, but that can be remedied in most cases. Advance planning helps so you don't have a turnout directly over a layout support, but even that can usually be done with a little jury-rigging. Be prepared for some $$$$ as you probably already know.

Willie

 

[Boris]

Borris: If the attorney screwed up, he should make good for his error, it shouldn't come out of your pocket, you paid him for his expertise and the knowledge he had or should have had directly or indirectly.

David: Cannot find any receipts for any payments, so the Attorney might not have the Transfer fee. The Commonwealth may have a case for the transfer tax, as I read the ambiguous regulations concerning trusts. Pennsylvania, does not conform with Federal Handling of Trusts so the Federal Tax code, allows them to follow their own policy. Apparently, this is a new valuation of the property, backdated to the original day of transaction. The apparent requirement, is to pay what they ask, then appeal.

It was a lovely day, we spent a hour in the Post Office, mailing two packages. As usual, we had the wrong Customs Form, and had to re-enter the information on the appropriate (this week), form.
Warmed up to 43°, and now it's clouding over. Chance of rain early tomorrow.

 

[Raincoat2]

Curt - Thanks for the info on your experience with Tortoise. I watched one YouTube video where the presenter says he does not use the wires that come with the Tortoise kit, but buys piano wire that is thicker than that - I'd have to watch the video again and write down the gauge of the wire he buys. And yes he opens the hole a bit that the wire sits in on the tortoise mechanism.

 

[montanan]

Johnny - I am with Willie. I ue manual ground throws when ever possible. In an older part of the layout, I do have one town where I used twin coil switch machines. Yes, old school, but they have been working just fine for over 20 some years with no problems. I do usw manual ground throws also for some turnouts at the rear of one town from Humpyard Purveyance. http://humpyard.com/ I have used throttle/choke control cables, but these are less expensive and operate just as good if not a lot better.

I have seen many articles about the Tortoise controls and have seen excellent reviews, plus how they are used for other things.

By the way, nice photos. Looking good.