The war is won. Steam reigns supreme here. J's sticking their snouts out from the lubritoriums. Articulates at the ready. Massive lineups of massive locomotives. Many stored (near the top right). Not a Diesel in sight. Not required. These guys knew what they were doing.
Yeah baby! Hostlers paradise!
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
Heck I'd sweep the floors and make coffee just be a part of it.
Very little in that photo remains standing today!The Call Office/Engineer's Register Room, Turntable, Pump House, Hump tower.
.
Miningman The war is won. Steam reigns supreme here. J's sticking their snouts out from the lubritoriums. Articulates at the ready. Massive lineups of massive locomotives. Many stored (near the top right). Not a Diesel in sight. Not required. These guys knew what they were doing.
Miningman Heck I'd sweep the floors and make coffee just be a part of it.
That's the most important job on the railroad, no one moves without coffee!
I first saw this photo when I was gifted Bill Withuhn's "The Spirit of Steam" as a child, I thought it impressive then and recognized it instantly here.
Amazing what has been lost.
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
What's the location, Roanoke?
BackshopWhat's the location, Roanoke?
Schaeffer's Crossing, I think, to be more specific.
That's Schaeffer's Crossing gang, and N&W steam at the height of it's power!
Gorgeous, glorious, "...railroading for all eternity..." as the late Don Ball Jr. might have said.
And then those "Internal Confusion" stinkeroos came along and ruined everything.
Yeah, I'll watch diesel trains trackside for a little excitement, you take what you can get, but it's just not the same.
Seeing Mighty 611 in full cry and then imagining a yard full of the same is the thing that dreams are made of, kind of like seeing a B-17 or a Lancaster and imagining the skies black with them.
Steam locomotives and big reciprocating engined aircraft, it's the sound of victory!
It is "Shaffer's Crossing" fellows.
BigJim It is "Shaffer's Crossing" fellows.
You're right Big Jim, it is Shaffer's Crossing.
I should have realized, if it was Schaeffer's Crossing there'd be beer cans and bottles laying around instead of steam locomotives.
Don't know when that photo was taken, but I have the HO model of the last main-line steam locomotive, #2200, erected in America. It was a venerable Y6b. The year? 1952, my own YOB.
Flintlock76I should have realized, if it was Schaeffer's Crossing there'd be beer cans and bottles laying around instead of steam locomotives.
No, that would be 'Schaefer's Crossing' (if you're having more than one).
I learned it the wrong way way back in the Karl Zimmermann days, and made the mistake of "checking" via a quick -- too quick -- consensus of Googled pages. 'Shaffer' still looks wrong; I can't help it...
OK, SHAEFER'S "...if you're having more than one." One "f". I forgot, it's been years.
Usually if I feel like a beer nowadays it's Molson Golden or Shiner Bock.
Anyone remember "Rheingold?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVvKJq_RmH0 There's even a little railroad content!
Flintlock76Anyone remember "Rheingold?"
I officially knew it was the end of my childhood when they announced that brewery was closing. One of those things like Dorman's Endeco Cheese with the paper between the slices that the world is poorer without.
I remember the flap with Shaefer over 'the most rewarding flavor in this man's world'. Up to then I actually didn't think women drank beer! Sure learned different since!
Much of Shaffer's Crossing is still full of locomotives, some of them interesting (to fans of diesels).
I remember Rheingold. I also remember Piels from upstate New York. That was a favorite until I left for Texas in '77.
In Texas, I drank Shiner Bock long before it went national.
What bugs me is that Ballantine Ale is so hard to get. Here in Western PA, you can't get it. I'll have to remember to ask my niece in Reading if she can get it. I believe it's available around Philly.
Overmod Much of Shaffer's Crossing is still full of locomotives, some of them interesting (to fans of diesels).
Fr.Al I remember Rheingold. I also remember Piels from upstate New York. That was a favorite until I left for Texas in '77. In Texas, I drank Shiner Bock long before it went national. What bugs me is that Ballantine Ale is so hard to get. Here in Western PA, you can't get it. I'll have to remember to ask my niece in Reading if she can get it. I believe it's available around Philly.
I'll tell you Father, we're lucky to have Ballantine Ale around at all. Making a VERY long story short, Pabst bought Ballantine in the early '60s and then the brand began along, slow decline.
Ballantine Ale is produced by a new outfit now (who's name escapes me) but they cared enough to "reverse-engineer" the brew, the original formulas being lost along the way.
It may be available around Philly, I know it's generally available in northern New Jersey where the Ballantine name is fondly remembered.
Speaking of memories, anyone remember this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCm3UEfRQv0
Yes, Ballantine's used to be quite widespread. Growing up 50 miles south of Charlotte, N.C., I was familiar with it from the newspaper ads. In the early sixites, I was talking with a young lady from North Georgia, and idly placed three wet rings on a counter--and she knew their significance.
Johnny
Johnny, according to "urban legend" the Ballantine "three rings" logo WAS inspired by wet rings on a bar-top. The then-owner of the company just happened to notice three interlocking wet rings there strictly by accident and took it from there.
Is it true? Who knows? It's as good an explaination as any!
Wayne
Flintlock76 ...the Ballantine name is fondly remembered. Speaking of memories, anyone remember this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCm3UEfRQv0
I thought I recognized the voice on the video, then I saw it was Mel Allen's, the Yankees announcer. He was a neighbor when I was growing up in suburban New York.
Ballentine Ale was one of the first 'empirical observations' I made with an interest in marketing. Ballentine was one of the significant advertisers in heavy rotation for sports in the 1960s, including heavy participation in stock-car racing on TV. When Ballentine stopped their heavy advertising (probably as airtime and rights costs and issues ballooned after the 1970s) their market correspondingly collapsed, to the point I was astounded to actually find Ballentine on a store shelf (but delighted!)
As a fan of Old India Pale Ale with those 'chick-chick' rings, I look forward to seeing it available again, and hopefully they've done as good a job with reverse engineering as was done for Natty Boh.
Thank You.
Wow! What a train (of thought) wreck! Remove two lower case letters and this thread gets completely derailed!
No, it was adding lower-case letters that led to the problem. Then taking only one superfluous one away.
BigJim Wow! What a train (of thought) wreck! Remove two lower case letters and this thread gets completely derailed!
Yeah, ain't it fun?
NDGReception was by Rabbit Ears
Mine still is!
Hey, whatever works Becky!
Picking up on NDG's TV antenna tale I remember when our chimney-mounted antenna was damage in a windstorm. Dad went up a ladder to fix it and swore he'd never do it again. Dad hates ladders. Me too!
Anyway, he bought a bigger antenna and set it up in the attic, he also used a compass to point it at the Empire State Building where most (if not all) of the TV signals in the New York area came from. It worked out just fine.
When we had a summer house in Ocean Gate NJ Dad set up two antennas, one pointed towards New York, one pointed towards Philadelphia, since we were at the limit of the TV signals from both cities. Dad rigged up a knife switch to switch from one antenna to another, depending on who had the stronger signals that particular day.
It was a single-story house, Dad didn't mind going up to the roof on this one!
By the way, when was the last time any of you saw a TV antenna on a roof? Looks like they're all gone! Amazing!
They still exist. I have one on my roof. My attitude toward cable television is similar to that of Bruce Springsteen (57 channels and there's nothing on).
I see a few remaining here in Southwestern PA. I thought nowadays you have to have cable with the way modern sets are made. I have one small tv .,but no cable. I only use it to watch movies; most of my train films are from a certain Vermont company.
Flintlock, I think you're about my age(66). Did you by any chance listen to Jean Shepherd as a kid? We used to get WOR in Vermont at night. I discovered him in the 8th grade and was hooked. He used to talk about trains, too; mostly in conjunction with his Army service.
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