Merry Christmas To All!

[Firelock76]

Just a little "Christmas card" from me to all of you, the classiest crew of railfans on the planet!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYaNmC1ZiN8

I'm looking forward to another year of discussion and learning!

I love you all!

[Miningman]

Thanks Firelock.

Here is this for all my American friends, although this could easily be Saskatchewan or Alberta. First recording of this song ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi5r_tIwxEk

Annnnd... not to be outdone, a later recording, although a bit stuttery. Not sure if that's a word.  Poor fella gets booed.

https://youtu.be/S8YQqK5e5es

Merry Christmas to all. Health, Happiness and Prosperity

 

[Firelock76]

Amazing!  I've never heard of Doye O'Dell, but it's a cinch Elvis did!

And the great Mel Blanc (as Porky Pig) doing "Blue Christmas" is downright hysterical!  What a comic genius the man was!  I remember seeing a documentary about the Warner Brothers cartoon studio years ago, veteran animator Chuck Jones was featured, and he said as long as the finished products came out on schedule Warner Brothers didn't care what went on in there.  They had some wild times, according to Chuck.  I could just see them putting together a gag recording like this, complete with people losing it in the background!

Thanks, Miningman!

[Miningman]

Doye O'Dell was a second-tier singing cowboy who, upon America's entry into the Second World War, found himself being groomed to step into Roy Rogers' chaps, on the assumption by Hollywood that Roy would be drafted. When word came that Roy wouldn't be, Doye went off to join the Marines and the big break never happened. He had small acting roles in the sort of films you expect to find singing cowboys in - The Gay Ranchero, Along the Navajo Trail - but also a few films you don't: Auntie Mame, Days of Wine and Roses, Irma La Douce. Nevertheless, he puts a real twang in your twig of mistletoe, and decks your hall with boughs of tumbleweed and sagebrush. So you'd be for forgiven for thinking that "Blue Christmas" started out as a country-&-western song.

--from an article Dec. 16/18 by Jay Johnson and Billy Hayes 

So Wayne, he was a Marine, how about that.

..later in article about Elvis

The Presley version isn't in fact that slow (approx 96 beats per minute, which is faster than many earlier recordings) but it feels ballad-esque because of the way he slurs and slides his words across the rhythm. And, ever since, almost everybody's pretty much done it that way.

[Firelock76]

Doye was a Marine!  Amazing, Vince!

Yeah, we're all over the place, we just might take over one of these days...

[Jones1945]

Merry Christmas to everyone! 

 

[Miningman]

So that's what happened to ABBA. 

Just having some fun Jonesy .. Thanks and Merry Christmas to you and your family. 

[Jones1945]

Thank you, Vince! Wishing you and your family a joyous Holiday Season and a most prosperous and healthy New Year! 

[Miningman]

Forum contributor Emeritus Mike is in attendance there somewhere. Cropped to the last few minutes the gathered men and women sing Silent Night

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uqN5mXWHZM&t=1h20m4s

 

Bob Hope Christmas Show at Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam

[Trinity River Bottoms Boomer]

Thank you Firelock and all the rest of you guys.  Wow, talk about memories.  As I prepare to pass Milepost 73 on July 4, 2019, I've asked myself more than once lately just what has happened to mankind?

Not to get political this time of year but it appears that insanity is replacing humanity at a fast rate.  I would like to invite y'all to watch the wonderful late Kate Smith on YouTube as she sings God Bless America.  I don't have a magic machine so you'll have to go there yourself, but please, do it when you find the time during this holiday season.

Firelock, you got it right.  The most beautiful word in the English language is indeed, LOVE!  No Old Time Religion, but it remains a fact that Jesus attempted to teach man to love and respect each other, regardless of color, creed, or belief.    

I see this best among railroaders and railfans alike. Worldwide too!  Gandy Dancers, Locomotive Engineers, Little Johnny playing with his electric train under the Christmas tree or John Allen adding a snow scene on his fantastic Gorre & Daphetid, or any of you when you've received the annual holiday issue of your favorite railroad related magazine!

Each and every one of us share this unique love for trains, together in our own special way, regardless if it's standard or narrow gauge prototype railroading, Z to G gauge model or toy trains, they all bind us together, family, friends, strangers, men, women, little boys and girls, at home or far far away in some remote town too small to be found on any map.

Today, many of you enjoy what has emerged as The World's Greatest Hobby.  Though related to modeling in general, the onetime slogan that used to grace the cover of Model Railroader perhaps says it best:  Model Railroading is Fun!  You bet, even in Century 21, it still is!

I too want to thank all of you for a wonderful year of fellowship here on the Classic Trains fourm and look forward to more in 2019.  A very Blessed & Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and a Safe and Happy New Year everyone.

Visit www.railroadevangelist.com   It's non-denominational and comes with no price or obligation whatsoever.  Never has; never will!

Godspeed 

Joseph Toth Jr.

Trinity River Bottoms Boomer

 

 

[gmpullman]

Firelock76

Just a little "Christmas card" from me to all of you, the classiest crew of railfans on the planet!

Happy Holidays to all... 

NYC_Century_xmas_lo by Edmund, on Flickr

A little Christmas Cheer enjoyed aboard the Century in the Sandy or Hickory Creek would surely make for a joyous occasion.

Regards, Ed

[SD70Dude]

Ok so I know this isn't railroad-related, but it does crack me up every year:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1DTwLqR071M

Merry Christmas and happy Festivus!

[Jones1945]

All Aboard! 

[Firelock76]

Man, that's railroadin'!!!

Thanks Mr. Jones!

[Penny Trains]

The paper one in my living room that is! 

[Firelock76]

Wonderful stuff!

Over on the "Classic Toy Trains" Forum we know Christmas isn't too far off when Becky starts working her magic! 

Tell the truth, I like her film a lot better than "The Polar Express!"  Ever see Santa Claus in that film?  He looks more like an irritated Odin than a childhood icon!  Scary!

[M636C]

It is the evening of Christmas Day here:

A perfect summer day, brilliant blue sky without a cloud in sight, not too hot...  I'm in Sydney, so I caught an afternoon ferry to Manly and straight back to take my photos of the Navy ships at the fleet base. I later walked down to the wharves to get shots of the shoreward ships. I do this once each year around Christmas on a really clear day. I'll have to go back for shots of the two new Destroyers in the middle of the line.

I spoke to a US tourist on the ferry who asked about the bigger Navy ships. He had just arrived and asked when the warm weather had started. The answer was "two days ago" owing to unseasonal weather due to tropical cyclones.

Peter

[Firelock76]

And a Merry Christmas to you and yours Peter!

By way of contrast, it's a bright clear day here in Virginia with a projected high of 45 degrees, Fahrenheit that is.

No problem for me, I like a little chill in the air, it complements a cup of coffee and a good smoke perfectly.

[Miningman]

-25C (-13F) here and flurries. Going to a high of -19C. Everything still plastered with heavy white frost ...looks amazing.

Peters hot, I'm in the deep freeze, Wayne's in the middle.  

[MidlandMike]

Becky/Penny Trains, how are the monorails powered, or is it magic?

[Penny Trains]

MidlandMike

Becky/Penny Trains, how are the monorails powered, or is it magic?

 

They run on 2 AA batteries.  very       very       very      slowly    

But if I'm doing stop motion with say, tiny plastic people getting off the tram, then I move the people, the tram, the Monorail and the steam train by hand about a half centimeter at a time.

Then it's off to Windows Movie Maker.  I upload all the stills, 185 for that whole opening tram sequence, and in the first pass, I have the Movie Maker show each photo for one second at a time.  Then I save the clip(s) as an mp4 which I can run in the final movie at an accelerated speed, usually 8x, which here ran for 22 seconds.

I can also speed up the simple Monorail clips if I feel they slow down the video! 

[MidlandMike]

Penny Trains

But if I'm doing stop motion with say, tiny plastic people getting off the tram, then I move the people, the tram, the Monorail and the steam train by hand about a half centimeter at a time.

I figured the steam trains were powered, and the people were stop motion.  You answered my other question of how you moved both at once in that particular scene.

[BaltACD]

Penny Trains

 

MidlandMike

Becky/Penny Trains, how are the monorails powered, or is it magic? 

They run on 2 AA batteries.  very       very       very      slowly    

But if I'm doing stop motion with say, tiny plastic people getting off the tram, then I move the people, the tram, the Monorail and the steam train by hand about a half centimeter at a time.

Then it's off to Windows Movie Maker.  I upload all the stills, 185 for that whole opening tram sequence, and in the first pass, I have the Movie Maker show each photo for one second at a time.  Then I save the clip(s) as an mp4 which I can run in the final movie at an accelerated speed, usually 8x, which here ran for 22 seconds.

I can also speed up the simple Monorail clips if I feel they slow down the video! 

Movie Magic!

[Penny Trains]

BaltACD

Movie Magic!

Thanks! 

Here's 2 more, one from spring 2018 and the other from Christmas 2017: