Running Bear's March 2024 Coffee Shop


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G'day Gents & Ladies (of course!),

A hot mugga Joe, black, with some of that crumb cake, please.

Another chilly start to the morning here in near-mid-continent USA; 25 degrees (F) - same as yesterday; expected to get into the 60s later on. Got up to 47 yesterday with mostly clear skies.

Been etxtremely dry in these parts with the threat of fire ever-present in the wooded and grassland areas. If it ain't one thing - it is always another!

Spring has oh-fish-ully arrived for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere with the Vernal Equinox occurring at the Equator. Down-under, well y'all will have to wait 'til September for your Spring to arrive; we are opposites dontchano?

Sitting here with my thoughts along with the background chatter and the tunes from the juke-box provides a comfortable setting for some reflection. Nothing profound, just drifting into this 'n that.

Yesterday I began posting some fotos from my former HO Can-Am Railway; they are on the Layout forums for anyone interested.

Before dismantling and selling off and/or discarding everything in my model railroad collections, I ensured that my foto library (liberry for those a bit challenged with the spoken word!). Anyway, my plans are to continue posting and will expand into the other gauges as I put together the images.

Progress with my newly constructed Lionel O-gauge layout continues with ensuring all the Fastrack is secure without "dead spots." One thing I really miss is the flexibility of track - this stuff ain't. Anyway, I am getting there and all three (03) of my sets have been tested and run well 'round and 'round my oval-in-oval "unexciting" routes. Pleases me though as I sit in an old "executive chair" with a slip cover, listening to CD's on my 5-disc player - life is good (or I should have said, "Mo-bettah than it had been."

I never did receive a response to my Email to the Forums requesting some advice regarding this 'n that for posting fotos. Nevertheless, I figured it out and hopefully have not "violated" any "house-rules" and so forth. There ought to be a MRR Forums for Dummies guidebook! I know, I know - there is a bunch of info available - just a matter of finding it!

Okay - 'nuf of this as I will get going on whatever this day has in store for me.

Enjoy, folks!

Tom in Missouri

P.S. Forgot to mention that I have managed to get thru all of the postings for this month and left my "likes" along the way!
 
A continuation of my trip to coal country on Sunday brought me into Tamaqua. I'm very fortunate to live close to one of the most interesting regionals in the country: Reading and Northern. That with a railfan for a CEO and many railfan employees makes for a proud company that takes care of the railroad and its equipment.
IMG_20240317_160250983.jpg

The shape of the hump of GP30 is evident:
IMG_20240317_160520579_HDR.jpg

Apparently rebuilt and designated GP39RN.
N5 caboose, ex. Pennsy i assume:
IMG_20240317_160621776_HDR.jpg
IMG_20240317_160647205_HDR.jpg

Reading RR style speed lettering on the freshly painted gondola. Next a WW II built N5c caboose, my favorite "cabin car" as Pennsy employees reffered to cabooses:
IMG_20240317_160746531_HDR.jpg
IMG_20240317_160844318_HDR.jpg

Another gondola and pretty beat up:
IMG_20240317_160811030_HDR.jpg

Gondolas are probably the most abused railcars of all, usually loaded with steel sheets, scrap metal which is then stomped on by some heavy machine to prevent it from falling out when rolling down a track, or some loose grain usually heavy. Trip wouldn't be complete without a steam locomotive:
IMG_20240317_184436436_HDR.jpg

Central Railroad of New Jersey 0-6-0 swithcher.
IMG_20240317_184453812_HDR.jpg
IMG_20240317_184747483_HDR.jpg

One of the few steamers with real Wooten firebox in existence, and there used to be hundreds of them.
 
G'day KriegslokBR52,

Your foto-spread is priceless in terms of enjoyment and as one who appreciates "that sort thing," thanx!

There was a time when I devoted time (and money) in visiting rail museum complexes in the U.S. and Canada along with visits to operating yards - with permission of course. Your fotos truly bring to life an aspect of real railroading perhaps lost on many generations.

Again - thanx!

Tom in Missouri
 
siberianmo said:
G'day Gents & Ladies (of course!),

A hot mugga Joe, black, with some of that crumb cake, please.

Another chilly start to the morning here in near-mid-continent USA; 25 degrees (F) - same as yesterday; expected to get into the 60s later on. Got up to 47 yesterday with mostly clear skies.

Been etxtremely dry in these parts with the threat of fire ever-present in the wooded and grassland areas. If it ain't one thing - it is always another!

Spring has oh-fish-ully arrived for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere with the Vernal Equinox occurring at the Equator. Down-under, well y'all will have to wait 'til September for your Spring to arrive; we are opposites dontchano?

Sitting here with my thoughts along with the background chatter and the tunes from the juke-box provides a comfortable setting for some reflection. Nothing profound, just drifting into this 'n that.

Yesterday I began posting some fotos from my former HO Can-Am Railway; they are on the Layout forums for anyone interested.

Before dismantling and selling off and/or discarding everything in my model railroad collections, I ensured that my foto library (liberry for those a bit challenged with the spoken word!). Anyway, my plans are to continue posting and will expand into the other gauges as I put together the images.

Progress with my newly constructed Lionel O-gauge layout continues with ensuring all the Fastrack is secure without "dead spots." One thing I really miss is the flexibility of track - this stuff ain't. Anyway, I am getting there and all three (03) of my sets have been tested and run well 'round and 'round my oval-in-oval "unexciting" routes. Pleases me though as I sit in an old "executive chair" with a slip cover, listening to CD's on my 5-disc player - life is good (or I should have said, "Mo-bettah than it had been."

I never did receive a response to my Email to the Forums requesting some advice regarding this 'n that for posting fotos. Nevertheless, I figured it out and hopefully have not "violated" any "house-rules" and so forth. There ought to be a MRR Forums for Dummies guidebook! I know, I know - there is a bunch of info available - just a matter of finding it!

Okay - 'nuf of this as I will get going on whatever this day has in store for me.

Enjoy, folks!

Tom in Missouri

P.S. Forgot to mention that I have managed to get thru all of the postings for this month and left my "likes" along the way!
Click to expand...
If you'd like the biggest and best rabbit hole on the forum, find Jim's (HOExplorer) epic thread on his railroads. It spans about 10 years, has numerous missing pics early on thanks to the photosite he used going under. But it is full of wisdom about MRRs and lots of layout photos. Great stuff in that thread.
 
Thanx Troy - Definitely will take you up on the recommendation.

Update: I seriously doubt that my remaining time above ground will be sufficient to take in all of Jim's outstanding efforts. To call him a "master modeler" is an understatement - in my not-so-humble-oh-pin-yun! Really enjoying my visits - thanx for the referral.

Tom in Missouri
 
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Morning from the WEST!
Temp of 47 degrees going up to 73 tocay with sunny skies.
Small TS passed by yesterday and literally "dumped" a ton of water for 5 min. - none expected today.
No good news yesterday - will just say that "my" strain of the big C is incurable, but maybe can be slowed - bummer!

FLO - I will take my coffee in the corner window and watch the trains?
 
siberianmo said:
G'day KriegslokBR52,

Your foto-spread is priceless in terms of enjoyment and as one who appreciates "that sort thing," thanx!

There was a time when I devoted time (and money) in visiting rail museum complexes in the U.S. and Canada along with visits to operating yards - with permission of course. Your fotos truly bring to life an aspect of real railroading perhaps lost on many generations.

Again - thanx!

Tom in Missouri
Click to expand...
You're welcome. I like to go out and just enjoy the real railroads, hike, explore and find new sidings and abandoned grades. Nothing more soothing then warm day and creosote smell of railroad ties as they heat under the sun. There are folks from all over on here and i'm just another sharing my take on hobby we all share.
 
Sirfoldalot said:
Morning from the WEST!
Temp of 47 degrees going up to 73 tocay with sunny skies.
Small TS passed by yesterday and literally "dumped" a ton of water for 5 min. - none expected today.
No good news yesterday - will just say that "my" strain of the big C is incurable, but maybe can be slowed - bummer!

FLO - I will take my coffee in the corner window and watch the trains?
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear that. There was a story shared on one of the christian stations where i live of a man having cancer. He just said screw it and decided to live it out. One thing he did was rent all the commedies he could find and quite litterary cured himself by laughing. We all face the same fate. Everytime i'm in an airliner and on the runway, i just say to God: "In your hands i commend my soul". Landed normal so far.
 
Good Morning All. Clear, chilly and currently 37°, with a frost on the cars but not the ground. Should warm up rapidly to 70° with the sunshine and the warm south wind. After all, Spring starts today.

Yesterday was a mowing day. I spent 45 minutes on the east side yard in the late morning, and then spent another 30 minutes on the west "back 40" where the yard meets my hayfield. Today I will get the area on the north between the train shed and the pond along with surrounding areas. Tomorrow it's the south and southwest parts that I did last week. Tonight looks to be a perfect night for grilling burgers for supper. Sometime today, I need to mix up some sugar water and fill the hummingbird feeders; it's that time of year again. I may even plant my wife's bedding plants that she bought last Thursday. I hope to remember to take a few garden pictures today for all of you fellow gardeners to view. My season has begun and I should begin some harvesting today.

Yesterday out in the train shed, I did very little in the way of photogenic stuff. I consolidated a few boxes of stuff, mainly from the old layout that was dismantled 15 years ago! I got about two dozen more headstones glued down in the cemetery scene, and I sprayed almost three dozen recently painted figures with dull coat. It really helps them from fading under the lights.
A few random pictures from the archives:
IMG_1470.JPG

IMG_1524.JPG

IMG_3300.JPG

IMG_8266.JPG


Mike (Old97) - All 5 of my CF7's are powered. I primarily use them in pairs to make local switching runs and for shuffling cars in the staging yard. They are all Athearn RTR cars that I have had to add weight to for tractive effort.
Tom in Missouri - Glad that you like it here in the Coffee Shop. I saw 1 of your 3 photo threads yesterday and I will get to the other 2 today if I have time. That was an impressive spread.
Santa Fe is what I model. During my teenage years in the 60's we lived a few miles from what became their TOFC and later COFC yard in NE Dallas at Zacha Junction. I used to ride my bicycle over to there to watch the action as well as the yard switching along Garland Road. In 1981, we wife & I) bought a house where we still live, a few miles from the other end of that Zacha Junction line to the Ft Worth to OKC main where I still watch trains, although not as often as when I was younger. Of course it has been a BNSF line since 1996. That old line from Dallas was sold to the KCS just before the merger.
David - Nice scenes as usual. Glad to read that Dawn is doing better - hope that it lasts.
Curt - Yes the CF7's were ugly, employees of the railroad referred to them as "Ugly Ducklings". But I still use them as ATSF had 233 of them and they were all over the system.
Terry - I had previously read somewhere, that many short lines swapped rails from one side to the other to reduce maintenance costs.
It must just be your credit union was filled with incompetents. We have never had any issues with ours in the 26 years that we have used them, although we never financed a car.
Names - C vs K is an easy mistake to make. Now I had to deal with numerous name changes myself over the years. I was born as William, but I was called Billy for 8-9 years. Then suddenly my Dad decided that I would be called Bill. Meanwhile at the Catholic schools that I attended, the nuns and priests insisted on using William, through to the 12th grade. Once I got to college, my friends from high school started using Willie as it was less formal. So here I am today as Willie. My Dad hated Willie; Mom didn't hate it, but called me Bill until her parting.
Royals - Never gave them much thought or attention. It is what it is and my only thought towards them is that they remain in good health. I think that they have been unfairly scandal-plagued by the press since the beginning of history.

Everybody have a wonderful day.
 
Good afternoon all. A cheese toastie and a coffee please, Flo.

Dawn has a loving smile. A good day indeed.

Some days I like to draw or paint pictures. Not good ones, although the family seem to like and take some home with them. The odd one has been sold, which surprises me.

Some days I like to write stories. Some stories have to be written before they are lost in time. A few years ago I was to write a certain story. It is a story about a group of people caught in a difficult, tragic time in their history. As it will be their story I need more information about them and the time in history. The joy of zoom calls now means we can talk to people elsewhere without visiting. A few more calls and I can put the story together. As it will be a long story, too long for here, a small section will be on a train journey. If it is not too long I'll add it to my stories thread.

Meanwhile, daily tasks to attend to.

Back later
 
santafewillie said:
Good Morning All. Clear, chilly and currently 37°, with a frost on the cars but not the ground. Should warm up rapidly to 70° with the sunshine and the warm south wind. After all, Spring starts today.

Yesterday was a mowing day. I spent 45 minutes on the east side yard in the late morning, and then spent another 30 minutes on the west "back 40" where the yard meets my hayfield. Today I will get the area on the north between the train shed and the pond along with surrounding areas. Tomorrow it's the south and southwest parts that I did last week. Tonight looks to be a perfect night for grilling burgers for supper. Sometime today, I need to mix up some sugar water and fill the hummingbird feeders; it's that time of year again. I may even plant my wife's bedding plants that she bought last Thursday. I hope to remember to take a few garden pictures today for all of you fellow gardeners to view. My season has begun and I should begin some harvesting today.

Yesterday out in the train shed, I did very little in the way of photogenic stuff. I consolidated a few boxes of stuff, mainly from the old layout that was dismantled 15 years ago! I got about two dozen more headstones glued down in the cemetery scene, and I sprayed almost three dozen recently painted figures with dull coat. It really helps them from fading under the lights.
A few random pictures from the archives:
View attachment 184479
View attachment 184481
View attachment 184482
View attachment 184483

Mike (Old
santafewillie said:
Good Morning All. Clear, chilly and currently 37°, with a frost on the cars but not the ground. Should warm up rapidly to 70° with the sunshine and the warm south wind. After all, Spring starts today.

Yesterday was a mowing day. I spent 45 minutes on the east side yard in the late morning, and then spent another 30 minutes on the west "back 40" where the yard meets my hayfield. Today I will get the area on the north between the train shed and the pond along with surrounding areas. Tomorrow it's the south and southwest parts that I did last week. Tonight looks to be a perfect night for grilling burgers for supper. Sometime today, I need to mix up some sugar water and fill the hummingbird feeders; it's that time of year again. I may even plant my wife's bedding plants that she bought last Thursday. I hope to remember to take a few garden pictures today for all of you fellow gardeners to view. My season has begun and I should begin some harvesting today.

Yesterday out in the train shed, I did very little in the way of photogenic stuff. I consolidated a few boxes of stuff, mainly from the old layout that was dismantled 15 years ago! I got about two dozen more headstones glued down in the cemetery scene, and I sprayed almost three dozen recently painted figures with dull coat. It really helps them from fading under the lights.
A few random pictures from the archives:
View attachment 184479
View attachment 184481
View attachment 184482
View attachment 184483

Mike (Old97) - All 5 of my CF7's are powered. I primarily use them in pairs to make local switching runs and for shuffling cars in the staging yard. They are all Athearn RTR cars that I have had to add weight to for tractive effort.
Tom in Missouri - Glad that you like it here in the Coffee Shop. I saw 1 of your 3 photo threads yesterday and I will get to the other 2 today if I have time. That was an impressive spread.
Santa Fe is what I model. During my teenage years in the 60's we lived a few miles from what became their TOFC and later COFC yard in NE Dallas at Zacha Junction. I used to ride my bicycle over to there to watch the action as well as the yard switching along Garland Road. In 1981, we wife & I) bought a house where we still live, a few miles from the other end of that Zacha Junction line to the Ft Worth to OKC main where I still watch trains, although not as often as when I was younger. Of course it has been a BNSF line since 1996. That old line from Dallas was sold to the KCS just before the merger.
David - Nice scenes as usual. Glad to read that Dawn is doing better - hope that it lasts.
Curt - Yes the CF7's were ugly, employees of the railroad referred to them as "Ugly Ducklings". But I still use them as ATSF had 233 of them and they were all over the system.
Terry - I had previously read somewhere, that many short lines swapped rails from one side to the other to reduce maintenance costs.
It must just be your credit union was filled with incompetents. We have never had any issues with ours in the 26 years that we have used them, although we never financed a car.
Names - C vs K is an easy mistake to make. Now I had to deal with numerous name changes myself over the years. I was born as William, but I was called Billy for 8-9 years. Then suddenly my Dad decided that I would be called Bill. Meanwhile at the Catholic schools that I attended, the nuns and priests insisted on using William, through to the 12th grade. Once I got to college, my friends from high school started using Willie as it was less formal. So here I am today as Willie. My Dad hated Willie; Mom didn't hate it, but called me Bill until her parting.
Royals - Never gave them much thought or attention. It is what it is and my only thought towards them is that they remain in good health. I think that they have been unfairly scandal-plagued by the press since the beginning of history.

Everybody have a wonderful day.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Appreciate the mention, Willie. This is definitely the kinda place I thrive in - relaxing, without pretentious nonsense - yeah, I like it!

Santa Fe livery (Warbonnets in Red (passenger) Blue (freight) was absolutely the best from "back in the day." I know there is more to that story and one day will research it . . . but by far the most impressive when the diesel era arrived.

I began modeling - loosely defined - the roads I was familiar with having been born 'n bred in the northeast; PRR was my favorite with NH a close second. NYCentral with the "Lightning Stripe" was a heckuva eye-catcher.

Anyway, as the decades passed and I wound up living far from the salt air (still dearly missed) my modeling efforts changed to reflect the rail travels primarily aboard Amtrak and VIA Rail of Canada.

Later . . .

Tom in Missouri
 
siberianmo said:
Appreciate the mention, Willie. This is definitely the kinda place I thrive in - relaxing, without pretentious nonsense - yeah, I like it!

Santa Fe livery (Warbonnets in Red (passenger) Blue (freight) was absolutely the best from "back in the day." I know there is more to that story and one day will research it . . . but by far the most impressive when the diesel era arrived.

I began modeling - loosely defined - the roads I was familiar with having been born 'n bred in the northeast; PRR was my favorite with NH a close second. NYCentral with the "Lightning Stripe" was a heckuva eye-catcher.

Anyway, as the decades passed and I wound up living far from the salt air (still dearly missed) my modeling efforts changed to reflect the rail travels primarily aboard Amtrak and VIA Rail of Canada.

Later . . .

Tom in Missouri
Click to expand...
I love the Pennsy, overall my favorite of the fallen flags
20210124_093611.jpg

My favorite machines of all the steamers they had.
 
KriegslokBR52 said:
A continuation of my trip to coal country on Sunday brought me into Tamaqua. I'm very fortunate to live close to one of the most interesting regionals in the country: Reading and Northern. That with a railfan for a CEO and many railfan employees makes for a proud company that takes care of the railroad and its equipment.
Click to expand...
Looks like on some of that track they need to get out a bag of ballast and a 50/50 glue mix. :D

Some great photos you captured thanks for sharing!
 
KriegslokBR52 said:
I love the Pennsy, overall my favorite of the fallen flagsView attachment 184484
My favorite machines of all the steamers they had.
Click to expand...
What's not to like about the "Keystone"?

I developed an appreciation and "like" for steam locomotives once I began visiting rail museums in the U.S. and Canada.
Those "beasts" on the rails were without a doubt a marvel from man's ingenuity; long live 'n love 'em.

Tom in Missouri
 
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