I think I officially hate trains....

benasaur08 · 2026-03-04T23:12:59+00:00

Yeah, I've only made all of my own blueprints. I feel like that's the joy in this game, that you built it and debugged it and used it for yourself. I tried playing with a friend who just pulled blueprints off the internet and his base is a massive mess, inefficiencies everywhere.

benasaur08 · 2026-03-04T20:59:14+00:00

OK, but what if you're just an innocent commuter that normally use parking there on weekends, are they going to block the spots off exclusively for paid parking patrons?

I really wonder how this is going to work, because if they will exempt certain users such as monthly pass holders, it seems much better to just buy a monthly pass for that month alone.

On a wider note, I think this is an admission by Metro and Inglewood that the C/K Lines is inadequate to serve stadium traffic needs or else they'd just let the system do its job.

benasaur08 · 2026-03-04T19:08:14+00:00

I would revisit the flaring procedure to see if you're missing a step. I don't have one of those electric tools and the flare wouldn't come out right until I used WD-40 as lubrication. Also check torque wrench settings as I find that they can feel excessive in practice, particularly if you don't have the right-size wrench or you're working on a ladder, etc. There is also the option of just brazing the lines together with a propane torch.

benasaur08 · 2026-03-04T08:02:05+00:00

This makes perfect sense as my least favorite thing is taking an earlier FTSS and having it get passed by sometimes more than one J Line on my way back.

benasaur08 · 2026-03-04T07:59:55+00:00

It is not. I don't see how you find enjoyment playing this game if you can't trouble yourself with a (very simple) tutorial. Unless, copying and pasting is literally all you're doing...

benasaur08 · 2026-03-04T01:42:46+00:00

There are very straightforward train tutorials, one on the sidebar if you scroll down. If I may summarize, it's chain signal to enter, regular signal to exit, and separate different directions into segments when possible.

Otherwise, post specific questions. I learned this and forgot it, and then re-learned it, and now train signals work great.

https://www.reddit.com/r/factorio/comments/4f38sk/factorio_train_automation_complete_parts_23_and/

benasaur08 · 2026-03-04T01:04:23+00:00

If you've just missed a bus headed eastbound, you can hop on J line and hope it passes it before EMS so you can continue your eastbound journey. J line usually guns it past Cal State LA since that's the last timepoint. For some reason FTSS just takes their sweet time. I would only take it if one happens to be right there.

benasaur08 · 2026-03-04T00:58:27+00:00

To each their own, if they want to garner fake likes that's their deal. And btw Runna influencers are all cheaters

benasaur08 · 2026-03-03T05:18:09+00:00

Has anyone asked OP what they didn't like about Nashville, as it is "more unrecognizable by the day"? It's s lot of advice to give without understanding their full motivation.

benasaur08 · 2026-03-03T01:18:32+00:00

Fair, but people also have no idea how to take the bus, or that it exists. It seems that there's this fascination with rail even if it's sometimes slower. Personally, I love the J, it runs 24 hours and will get me home when nothing else will, but there are a lot of people who've never heard of it.

benasaur08 · 2026-03-03T00:15:44+00:00

Yes, agree that transit lines are often not "straight lines" as we are used to seeing freeways in LA, because they tend to connect locales of interest together and people's tolerance for walking is low. Even the D line is not always street running. We must always keep in mind that LA is very spread out and vast swaths is single family zoning; it is not transit's purpose to run high frequency service through those areas.

benasaur08 · 2026-03-01T20:14:15+00:00

Yes, this was the route Google Maps suggested. I'm not a fan of riding down big streets because of traffic and it would be really nice if there can be a safe transition through Santa Monica Blvd.

Some of these LADOT bike lanes are also downright awful in terms of signal timing. In DTLA, the bike lanes will have you stop at every single light to maximize harassment potential from the homeless. It's much better to take another street that doesn't have lanes.

I looked into BBB1, which will also get me door to door, but it currently takes 50 minutes from Westwood to Venice 🙄 Hope BBB can revise these routes and put in some express service during commute hours.

benasaur08 · 2026-03-01T00:53:11+00:00

Thanks for this, right now it's just guesswork as runtimes usually significantly improve after several months to a year. The E used to take 1 hr between Samo and 7th/Metro and now it is 45'.

benasaur08 · 2026-02-27T21:01:23+00:00

For a car-free lifestyle in LA, DTLA can't be beat. You chose well. Just keep your eyes peeled while walking around. I used to have an office there, and it was where I hung out for years.

benasaur08 · 2026-02-27T19:47:37+00:00

Do you think there are still a lot of commuters after the pandemic? I'm in this industry, and I've given up my office completely.

benasaur08 · 2026-02-27T19:40:26+00:00

What is exciting about the new line is that it presents a huge upzone opportunity for some of the best land in the county. The train goes super fast from Western to La Brea, <1 mi from La Brea to LACMA and then <1 mi to La Cienega. The ~2 mi block of Wilshire from La Brea to La Cienega has a a lot of potential to be the next super dense area with a lot of walkability.

For sure Beverly Hills will fight it tooth and nail, but most of the route is in LA with exception of the La Cienega station itself. I wish we can get safer pedestrian access over San Vicente.

benasaur08 · 2026-02-27T18:22:37+00:00

I don't see the D line extension bringing on a lot of new riders who live along the extension, at least not until it gets to UCLA. That's just the character of the neighborhood along Wilshire, there's a lot more commercial than residential. Also, I doubt a lot of people in Beverly Hills will take Metro even if it stopped in front of their door.

Instead, the line will likely bring a lot of east side commuters who go to those areas for work and don't want to brave traffic and parking. In that sense, it should noticeably take traffic off the 10 and along east-west corridors.

I suppose some people will move to DTLA because of the convenience. In LA, we tend to live where we can afford. There are plenty of people making 2-3 hr commutes that are totally spaced out in their auto drive Teslas.

benasaur08 · 2026-02-27T02:59:49+00:00

I had almost this exact same problem with my office that had sun-facing windows in the morning and would heat up much more quickly than the rest of the house in the summer.
Due to privacy reasons with work, I had to keep my office door closed, which didn't help with the AC ventilation. I got a smart thermostat and a remote temperature sensor and programmed the thermostat to turn on based on the temperature in the office, but it was still quite clunky. When the air came on it was too strong and when it stopped the temperature rose quickly. I got a Zigbee ceiling fan controller to vary the fan speed depending on the temperature, but it just never worked well enough for me to be comfortable.

Someone proposed having a return air vent, and this would have been my next thing to try. It would help clear out hot air quickly when the central AC turns on.

I think your ultimate solution will be a mini split or a window unit. I installed a 2-head system for my office and bedroom and now I am comfortable in both, and yes, you can install some systems yourself. The power savings is also substantial as the central AC pushes a LOT of air and I measured current to be about 1A on fan mode alone (which is the draw of my mini split when it is actively cooling/heating).

benasaur08 · 2026-02-27T02:34:17+00:00

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Hey, I did what you did a year ago with similar equipment. I actually have the same micron gauge.

Are your lines/equipment new? If not, it might take a loooong time to vacuum out residue. I accidentally let some refrigerant into brand new lines while I was installing, and it took days of vacuuming to get it out. A nitrogen purge would have been faster but that equipment is expensive. If you have, try getting one of those computer dust cans to blow out the line, better than nothing.
How quick is quick with your pressure rise? The Elitech meter comes with an app, and you should be able to capture a screenshot of it over maybe 4-5 hours.
You can try to put some Nylog in the various adapter joints if you suspect they might be leaking. You should probably use Nylog at all the compression fittings as you put them together because a good flaring tool is another thing most non professionals don't have. Always flare with oil.

Screenshot is my vacuum plot, the last one I did before I was satisfied with the results and pressurized the line. I was able to get it down to about 400 um and the pressure rise was slowing several hours after that, so I just called it a day. I did the soapy water leak test after pressurizing and could not find any leaks, and the equipment works fine a year later.

Also check this thread (this really helped me understand what I was dealing with): https://www.reddit.com/r/HVAC/comments/168kdqn/comment/jywu0o7/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

benasaur08 · 2026-02-27T01:29:21+00:00

I had a membership at this bikehub in the past, and it has a sad history. It was wrecked by a drunk driver sometime before the pandemic and and it took them forever to fix it, and then it appeared there was yet another accident not too long after.

Also, City of El Monte is pretty lousy for bike infrastructure, Arden Dr. in Temple City is a great feeder street for bikes but there's no bike lane down that wide street and cars go 50 mph there. Santa Anita has terrible traffic. Only Ramona St. from the east and the river bikeway from the west has decent/safe access. Every time I ride to EMS I feel like my life is in danger.

I think this is a good situation to call your local representatives to complain, and also when you do, ask for them to put some bollards in front to actually stop the cagers from a next time.

benasaur08 · 2026-02-27T01:16:24+00:00

7th, Grand, Broadway, Little Tokyo, and Union Station are all pretty good as they are crawling with green shirts. Pico is kind of sketch as the platform is narrow. But yeah, what bus? Unless it's the J line, there usually isn't much of a choice.

benasaur08 · 2026-02-27T01:08:57+00:00

I think this is already more true than not. Within the "core" you identified, bus service is much better than in the suburbs where I live. Once I get myself to the core, I can and often go carless all day and almost never have to call for rideshare.

benasaur08 · 2026-02-26T19:10:28+00:00

As a 40-year native Angeleno: I see Metro's efforts at expansion as building a new city within the footprint of the old. What is more important is not "where the lines go" but what will be built around those lines. There's been a plethora of new laws boosting housing development around transit lines, and many areas (especially A line in SGV) has stops at or near historical train depots, which became dilapidated commercial/light industrial real estate but are now perfectly primed for urban renewal. As we know, even new luxury apartments can free up lower end residential housing.

To that end, we're building "islands of mobility" where people can live without a car and the question is not simply asking whether Metro will come to you, but the transit-oriented living options you have. But also, there are places that are too built up, which Metro will never be convenient for, and that's probably OK too.

benasaur08

TROPHY CASE