Okay some more "lite" reading form the archieves,this one came from back bfeore rendezvous #1 april of ,05 page 309 if anyone is counting
CLASSIC STEAM # 22 THE OTTAWA ARNPRIOR AND PARRY SOUND RY The Ottawa Arnprior and Parry Sound railway was the shortest grain route to the Atlantic at the time it was completed. It's line took it through the wilds of Central Ontario, with trains arriving and departing every twenty minutes. it was also the longest railway ever built and operated by one man in the history of Canadian railway building. The line that John R Booth built. Despit humble beginings on a Waterloo Quebec farm,John R Booth was destined to become one of the richest men in Canada. Shortly after establishing a saw mill of his own in Hull Quebec,the new commer to the lumber business stunned the Ottawa Lumber Barons by contesting and bidding on the prized contract to build the new Dominion's Parliament buildings, and winning ! He simply underbid his established rivals and got the job done using unemployed longshoremen from Montreal to build the house's of parliament. The first of his uncanny business doings. With the money in his pocket from this coup, and the realization that at the time the only way to ship lumber to the vast markets of the US and Europe Booth purchased two floundering railways in 1872 that allowed him to cross the St Lawrence River and enter the markets via the Vermont Railway.In 1879 his Canada Atlantic Railway was born, a line that extended from Ottawa to the Atlantic.
His next step was to expand his timber holdings. The rich limits in Algonquin Park came up for auction in 1879-80 so Booth sent his cousin to investigate them. He was amazed to learn of the vastness ( thousands of Hectares of land-all still today a provincial park ). He again outmanovered his rivals, by purcahsing the rights for the unheard of for the time sum of $40,000.Five years later he would be offered a million for the rights ( which he refused ). His eyes turned to Georgian Bay.As a rail route to that body of water would provide acess to these new timber stands, and would also enable him to capture some or all of the burgeoning prarie grain traffic from the CPR and GT. He first purchased the rights to the charter for the Parry Sound Colinization Railroad- this was an effort by Parry Sounders to link their town with the Northern and Pacific Western Railway ( later purcahsed by the CnoR )at Burk's falls. So he began building westward from Ottawa to meet this newly aquired line. The route took him north-westward into the mountains of Renfrew County ( CDN Shield ) and along the coarse of the Madawaska River through Algonquin Park ( The line runs roughly parallel to the HWY 60 Corridor through the Park ) then over the divide and into the struggling settlements in the Parry Sound District. The biggest problem occured for him in Parry Sound itself. The charter he bought stipulated that Parry Sound be the port terminus of the line,however the local landowners knowing this tried to hold out for gigantic land prices. Booth simply refused to pay and found an Island six miles north that had a better harbour so he built the line there and established the Town of Depot Harbour, now Ontario's largest ghost town. For several decades depot Harbour rivalled Ports like Collingwood and Midland, Booth gained a huge share of the grain prairie grain traffic as well.The great fire of 1888 destroyed the Parliament buildings and much of downtown and Booths biggest mill devestated his companies. He did rebuild but new CPR lines to Collingwood and GTR lines through Midland and Owen Sound sucked away his piece of the grain business. Eventually laws were passed banning all but managed logging in Algonquin Park as well. Timber is still cut there but it's completly managed and there are even several thousand acres of old first growth forest in the Park that are not logged as they are protected. Grand trunk Purchased the raillines from Booth in the late teens, CNR continued to use the line through Algonquin Park till the late 50's when it was finally abandoned and turned over to Parks. MNR ( ministery of natural resources ) pulled up all the trackage and removed the stations,policy in Algonquin Park is to keep things natural, the only buildings are along the HWY 60 corridor campgrounds which straddle both side of HWY 60 for 80km's.The MNR maintains the roadbed of the line thrugh the Park as a hikeing and winter snowmobile trail so many of the plate girder bridges are still in place, just lacking their trackage. There is a great book on Booth and his empire available primarily from the gift shop of the logging museum in Algonquin Park. It's a worthwhile read
Rob
Morning Ruth a very large BK high octane and a number three please,as always keep the change. Boris your eye looks bloodshot today oh I see Copperkettle splashed you with his hot sauce at the part last night,perhaps you should wear a swim mask at parties.At any rate the small PPF is there for you once you've seen to your charges.
Tom-Thanks for relocating that post,I made another comment on it over on the other thead for you this morning as well. What can I say Boris keep switching the signs on the doors around
Loved the latest batch of S-capade pictures,and the CNR passenger nostalgia piece. Mind you I don't think you could buy a piece of toast in the Jasper Park Lodge for $7 now.
Interesting music selections from both yourself and Shane,even Boris is bopping to the beat of some of them ( not to self call the hardwood floor guy for hoof damage repairs )Great talking to you this morning as well We are now just waiting for the next blast of snow due later today and into tomorrow.
I don't concider the CSX to be a true Classic by any stretch as well, however the Uboats are and most of the ones on the CSX were from the various Classic's they absorbed,THe L&N , SCL etc.
Pete-A crib I do love a good game of it,I can't say though as I've ever encountered it being played in bars or pubs around here either,darts and pool definatly but not card games.Your photo's showed up not too badley once they were enlarged couple nice steamers there. there aer quiet a few image clean-up softwares out there,did a version of photoshop or something similar come with your scanner if so that would be a good place to start.
There was two different CSX paint schemes in those pictures, the original or Stealth scheme as some railfans called it ( all grey with blue trim ) tended to be a poor paint job for motorists to pick up on at grade crossings so they added th splash of yellow to lesson their grade crossing incidents. By the mid -ninties when I took those shots the old stealth scheme was less and less common.
CM3-Ah yes the Peace bridge the bane of both Fort Erie and Buffalo , a state government and a provincial government. Everyone pointing fingers at everyone else , gotta love these sort of projects.
Lets see to take a stab at your quizz I'm gouing to say it was the N&W that ran that way.Yes I do remeber the old C&O / B&O and power at St Thoams Chatham etc though everything I witnessed had for the miost part been painted in Conrail or Chessie system colours. Dad remebers the Wabash and others moving through southern Ontario,I just remeber seeing the new "super railroads " Interesting list of locomotive names
Ron-Interesting info on the ole right vs left hand drive,lots of historical data there.
Eric-Nice picture of the bus and an interesting electric critter as well,as Shane said it does look like a beast.I'm not entirly sure what that hanging chain was for,it's either a part of the brake rigging or more likely it's a homemade re-railing frog hanger.
Good Morning Barkeep and all Present; coffee, please; round for the house and $ for the jukebox. My, my, there area lot of folks asleep on and under the tables and just look at the pool tables; I can see that Nick's celebration went off in fine style.
Pete was by with comments and a picture of the Evening Star and a couple of other items. NYNH&H, NYC, and PRR (cars) were all at South station. The other side of town (North Station) had its share of interesting equipment as well; B&M, MEC, and CP. CV (CN) was not that far west. See below.
Nick - Interesting combination of styles you mentioned in your post. Oscar Peterson is one of my favorites. BTW, CBS "Sunday Morning" last Sunday ran a profile on Herbie Hancock. That was interesting, but the highlight was some vintage footage of when he was playing with Miles Davis - wonderful stuff but all too short.
Eric was by with comments. 1224 is a beast. I am guessing that it is all one locomotive, even though it is divided into parts?
DD1 visited with history and left-right information. Quiz for the day. Which American railroad operated on the left side?
OSP forwarded more S Capades material - The IC train looks fine. Also appreciated the CN material. I know I have not mentioned it before but I also like the cut of the CNJ Alco. I'm glad Juneau and the K9 Korps share the same "taste" in music.
Here's a rerun of some Boston and Maine steam locomotive information. I thought it might be a good choice today since we have been seeing a lot of named locomotives lately in various posts.
Starting in late 1937, R-1a and R-1b Mountains and P-4a and P-4b Pacifics received names suggested by schoolchildren in a contest. They were applied in white (silver in the Speed Lettering scheme) to a plate mounted below the running board, with the names of the child and school below in smaller letters. New naming contests took place when classes R-1c and R-1d arrived. Some engines lost their nameplates before they were retired, but they were maintained through 1950, at least.
Before you ask, here's some background on some of the more obscure names.
Allagash is a wilderness area in Maine.
Greylock is the tallest mountain in Massachusetts
Kwasind is an Algonquin word for "strong and powerful."
Camel's Hump is another mountain; this one is in Vermont
Hannah Dustin aka Duston was captured by Native Americans during King William's War (1689-1697) - Cotton Mather wrote a narrative of her captivity. The B&M had another locomotive named Hannah Duston; this was a GP38-2, part of an order delivered to the B&M in 1973.
Cardigan - Another mountain - in New Hampshire
The rest are pretty straightforward. I always liked the name "Black Arrow" myself.
You can find out more in the following books:
Minuteman Steam
The Encyclopedia of New England
The most excellent B&M book, High Green and the Bark Peelers, has an account of a cab ride on Kwasind. B&M 1713 is supposedly undergoing restoration at Steamtown.
Work safe
<personal foto>
G'day Gents!
Thursday has rolled ‘round once again - best thing we can come up with for this day is that Friday follows it!
Coffee's brewed - pastries baked - breakfasts waitin' to be ordered!
Comments from the Proprietor:
CONTEST UNDERWAY!
WHO will make the 4,000th reply at the bar AND when
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Participants thus far:
(1) Pete sez Rob on Mar 22nd
(2) Rob sez Pete on Mar 16th
(3) Eric sez Allan on Mar 21st
(4) CM3 Shane sez Rob on Mar 13th
(5) Ron sez Rob on Mar 10th
CONTEST CLOSES on Friday, March 7th. So let's get those cabooses in gear!
Customer Acknowledgments (since my last narrative):
Wednesday - March 5th <all times Central standard>
Page 192 - Rob <trolleyboy> at 9:07 AM: Many thanx for picking up the slack ‘round here during the morning hours . . . without Lars, things really took a dive for that "slot." Doesn't appear that any of the other guys are willing to depart from their particular habits . . . so your appearances are even more helpful!
Anyway, because I have such a "heart," I've held back a <tweeting> directed your way for that Post you dropped off over on "my other Thread"!! <geesh> Gotta look before you leap . . . <uh oh>
While I'm no fan of CSX, nor do I see ‘em in the light as being Classic <but once day, perhaps> - the fotos are appreciated!
Thanx for the support here AND over on "my other Thread" . . .
Page 193 - CM3 Shane <coalminer3> at 10:13 PM: Song selections hit the spot - try these on for size:
<H13 - B31 - F6 - J27 - D19>
At the Gas Station of Love, I Got the Self-Service Pump
How Come Your Dog Don't Bite Nobody But Me? <on YOUR list too - a Juneau FAY-VOR-ITE!>
I Wish I Were a Woman (So I Could Go Out With a Guy Like Me)
It Don't Feel Like Sinnin' To Me
I'm Gettin' Gray From Being Blue
First I had heard of the "snow rate" being that high . . . although there were several periods where it appeared that we were in a "burst" of snow . . . just a tremendous amount in a short period of time. Luv it! Of course when the lights go out . . . well then the generator goes on the line ‘n we just keep on keeping on!
You betcha I recall those VW commercials - best on the air then ‘n perhaps still would be. Always got a kick out of ‘em, ‘specially since I was driving a Beetle.
Thanx for the visit, chat, quarters ‘n ROUND!
Page 193 - Ron (DD1) at 1:19 PM: All sorts of info regarding driving on the left side or right side of the road . . . Beheading for speeding ‘n firing squad for drunken driving! <oooops> Guess I'd have been long gone by now . . . thankfully those days are long, long gone. Stupidy ran well in my earlier days <daze> - at least I'm honest about it. Thought the very last bit of info was the best.
Good morning Captain Tom and Gentlemen!!
Leon, I am back. I am not sure what I want to eat, but since it is (was) Nick's birthday I think I would like Rumpsteak Café de Paris! And a cold Keith's!
There must be a big party going on back in Boris' shed. A lot of music and noise. I wonder if Nick is there?
Tom – Me tweeted? I just repeated what Fergie wrote! Mumble, mumble, mumble. Where are those stupid trays? Inside ‘n outside, mumble, mumble, mumble. Wilmington, old Swedish territory. The king wanted a piece of land on this side of the Atlantic and he got it. Thanks for reposting Rob’s post, Weird Tales From The Barn #3 Street Railway Rules! I think all the rules still apply. Especially here at the bar. More photos of the S-gauge layout! I wonder about that car in the second photo from the top. The train that just passed the grade crossing must be traveling at a very low speed or the driver of the car pushed the pedal to the metal as soon as the last car of the train cleared the crossing. Hmm. Thanks for the photos!$7 (Canadian) for room and meals! That is cheap! But not that cheap in 1933! Rob – I didn’t think there was any steam heated trains in Canada today, but I wasn’t sure. Thanks for the answer! Interesting photos of those CSX locos! I wonder what the chain hanging along the fuel tank on #5815 is for? CM3 – Thanks for the good songs you played today! You are right, they are all good ones!I think it is possible to retrofit the roof racks for the sedan chair. That is a very good idea! But I don’t know if it will be strong enough for Boris. Thanks for the Hell Gate Express info. I thought Penn Station made most sense for that train. Ron – Thanks for the article on right hand and left hand traffic! Most interesting. Sweden actually had right hand traffic 1718 - 1734, that was the law. In 1734 it was changed to left hand traffic. The photo below shows the rear end of a trolley bus in Stockholm with an ad asking people to “Keep the left hand traffic, vote No 10/16” (1955). The funny thing about this trolley bus is that I worked as a conductor on that particular bus a number of times in the early 1960’s.
A History of the Car and Strange Laws and Customs are also most interesting!! Pete – Thanks for the info on the electrics! 40 years is no age for an electric locomotive! Several electrics in service today in Sweden are more than 50 years old and still going strong. This locomotive (below) was built 1963 and is still in daily service hauling heave iron ore trains north of the Arctic circle.
Thanks for the photos of the SJ steam locomotive. Something is not correct though. The locomotive has a 2-digit number on the side of the cab. As far as I know SJ did not have any steam locomotives with only 2 digits number in the 1900’s. That number indicates it is a locomotive from a private railroad, i.e. TGOJ or BJ. Doesn’t matter, it just caught my eye. I’ll try to find out what it is. Nick – Thanks for the drinks! Hope you had a great day! You better take today off and get some rest.
Eric
Good evening Captain Tom and Gentlemen!!
Leon, just a cup of coffee, I'll be back a little bit later.
Just want to wish Nick a Very Happy Birthday!!!
Have a lot of fun!!!
I'll be back later!
Gentlemen all !!! Many thanks to you all for the birthday greetings -I am much touched.....
Am just back from practice with the country band now seemingly the country & western&Irish&bluegrass band (bloody managers..) and full of birthday beans-the highspot of the evening was an improvised 12-bar workout in the style of the Oscar Peterson Trio which bubbled nicely for 3 or 4 minutes then Tony took us into `Gypsy Woman`in the style of the Stax house band and at the end of that,back into the mad jazz..............
Well-the drinks are on me so lets not be shy here-Leon,Boris,Copperkettle,ladies:----
lets get these tables out of harms way,same goes for the chairs,table lamps-basically anything that isn`t nailed down
No -Boris-not those ones-they are for the buffet-
O.K-so heres the plan-the boys and girls turn up in about 4 hours (assuming the Can-Am borderer arrives on time...) and we will all meet up at union station -back to the house to get spruced up and then party time
Right then-before I get to much into the thing,here`s the buffet-it`s a small plate number=
O.K then-looks like tonights entertainment is RIPTIDE-my favourite band--drinks are on me for the night by the way-the track gang and the back bar crew as well
But its all right now,in fact its a gas-yeah its all right,I`m jumping jack flash its a gas gas gas
Hi Tom and all.
To NICK so a round to celebrate please RUTH.
For Nick a photo of Evening Star wearing an appropiate headboard.
ROB Glad you are enjoying the photos, I have loaded some more last night. The only problem I am getting is the that the slides are coming out dark, they were not too good to start with, I have been able to lighten some of them on the puter.
When we start playing Crib at Pat's quite a lot of people are interested in what we are playing and a lot say they used to enjoy playing but I think we are the only ones who play in the pub.
Many thanks for the info on the MPI diesel and the next two photos from the discovered roll of film, it seems there was a look of different liveries on the locomotives.
ERIC Thanks for the answer to your quiz and the link to Fort Christina explaining the Swedish link.
Great photo taken by your grandpa of the Michelin railcar, I believe the railcar also toured the UK as well.
In 1925 the London Transport electrification reached Rickmansworth and LT electrics of the same class as Sarah Siddons worked the trains of hauled cars to there.the electric came off and a steam locomotive took the train onward. It says in Wikipedia that the electrification was extended to Amersham and down a branch line to Chesham in 1960. In 1961 steam was finally withdrawn and new units took over the line to Amersham where the London Transport trains stopped and passengers changed to BR to carry on to stations to Aylesbury. The LT electric locomotives were by 1961 nearly 40 years old and the LT hauled cars were old as well. There is another of the Metropolitan Vickers electric locomotives preserved that is No 5 John Hampton at the LT museum at Covent Garden London.
I found these two photos of the SJ 2-8-0 at work on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway in the mid 1970s, although I am afraid the quality of the photo is terrible, I though you might like to see them.
CM3 Great song titles. It sounds you are having some very rough weather there, they were saying this morning we were lucky to miss the heavy snow Tom had yesterday.
It must have been a great time having the NYC, NH and the PENN running in the area
RON Enjoyed reading how the different countries came by left/right hand running, I learnt a lot. I see Napoleon was a major factor. It seems the referendum was a waste of time with over 82% saying no but it still went ahead.
There certainly are some strange laws and customs to do with roads. Many thanks.
TOM Thanks for the kind words, it is far better than the ‘Tweeting' poor Eric got, as Spring cleaning gets near we will have to watch out for the ‘Tweeting'
Yes it was a bit strange with the snow yesterday here, even at 7AM they were saying we could get up to 2 inches but by 8AM it the radar was showing it breaking up here. We had none on the ground yet there was some the other side of town the bride said. Hope your snow does not melt too quickly.
On our great Canadian Adventure I don't think we had the time for a game of Crib, the Trains magazine I took, did not get a look at until the airport and on the plane on the way home.
Many thanks for re-posting Rob's post on the unusual rules for Motormen and Conductors from Brooklyn and the ASRA. I guess being a Conductor and being teamed up with that bad tempered Motorman was nothing to look forward too.
I see the S-Capades is getting well on the way to completion in this week's photos
A finale for this mid-week day . . . somthing from the archives that was initially Posted on 24 Feb 2006 on Page 256 of the Original Thread . . .
PASSENGER TRAIN NOSTALGIA #70
Here's something to enjoy regarding the Canadian National Railways (CNR) from a 1933 advertisement in my personal collection. THE VACATION YOU'VE DREAMED OF COSTS LESS THAN EVER THIS YEAR IF YOU SPEND IT IN CANADA
JASPER PARK in the
CANADIAN ROCKIES
Here's a vacation of a thousand thrills: Maligne lake whose waters offer the finest brook trout fishing on this continent and mirror mountain scenes of almost incredible beauty! The famous drive to Mt. Edith Cavell with its dazzling Angel Glacier . . . The Pocahontas Highway where mountain sheep and goats, deer and black bears often pose for camera hunters . . . Golf on a championship course with breath-taking views from every fairway. Swimming in a warmed outdoor pool . . . tennis . . . trail riding . . . mountain-climbing with Swiss guides. The friendly hospitality of Jasper Park Lodge is as much a part of this perfect vacation as the mountains themselves. Luxurious accommodations. Perfect food. Rates from $7.00 a day, Canadian funds, for room and meals (10% discounts for two weeks or more). Season June 1- September 23. Booklets, travel films and all information from any office below. 1933 SPORTING EVENTS Riding, swimming, hiking, mountain climbing with Swiss guides and every vacation sport. July 1 - the Rodeo. September 2-9 - Totem Pole Golf Tournament.
CANADIAN NATIONAL To Everywhere in Canada
BOSTON . . . . . . . . . . . . KANSAS CITY . . . . . PORTLAND, Me. 186 Tremont St. . . . . . . . 705 Walnut St. . . . . . Grand Trunk Ry Sta. BUFFALO . . . . . . . . . . . LOS ANGELES . . . . . St. LOUIS 420 Main St. . . . . . . . . . .607 So Grand Ave. . . .314 No Broadway CHICAGO. . . . . . . . . . . . MINNEAPOLIS . . . . . St. PAUL 4 So.Michigan Blvd.. . . . . 654 Marquette Ave. . . 83 East Fifth St. CINCINNATI . . . . . . . . . . NEW YORK . . . . . . . .SAN FRANCISCO 49 E. Fourth St.. . . . . . . . 673 Fifth Ave.. . . . . . . 648 Market St. DETROIT. . . . . . . . . . . . . PHILADELPHIA. . . . . SEATTLE 1524 Washington Blvd.. . . 1422 Chestnut St... . . 1329 Fourth St. DULUTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PITTSBURGH . . . . . .Washington, D.C. 428 W Superior St. . . . . . . 355 Fifth Ave. . . . . . .15th & H Sts. NW
. . . . . . . . . . LONDON, Eng. . . . . . . . . . PARIS, France . . . . . . . . . . 17-19 Cockspur St. . . . . . . 1 rue Scribe
Enjoy <again> Tom
Here's Part VI of the Building of the S-Capades for this Wednesday's OPTIONAL Toy ‘n Model Trains Day!
<Check out Page 176 for Part I; "must" reading if you wanna understand all of this!>
Motive Power of the S-Capades!
Ground level on the S-Capades!
S-Capades nearly done!
More next week <maybe>!
Tom
Missed any
Part II is on Page 180
Part III is on Page 184
Part IV is on Page 186
Part V is on Page 190
Good day Tom and the rest of you blokes. Have a round on me and why aren't you out working instead of spending your time on the computer. I just stopped by today to wish our birthday boy, Nick a happy birthday.
Allan: Your memory looks to be better than mine. The next thing I can remember is taking a bottle of scotch to my 1st grade teacher as a Christmas present. I was six and went to Cathedral primary school in New York, It was run by nuns, but my teacher was a lay teacher by the name of Mrs Wittsen. She always enjoyed my gift over the usual desk blotters and pen and pencil sets received from the other kids.
Rob: I'll bet the corned beef in Montreal is as good as it is in New York. I spent several months working in Quebec and was very impressed with the quality of the food there. I found their pizzas were great and the prime rib out of this world.
CM3: I certainly remember the VW commercials well. Sometimes I think this EPA thing and bumper heights was concocted to aid Detroit. It certainly killed the Jaguar sports cars and rear engine bugs.
Since many have inquired about left/right hand drive vehicles, here is a little history about it:
BTW, I think the 2000th post will be on March 10 by Rob.
History and origin
About a quarter of the world drives on the left, and the countries that do are mostly old British colonies. This strange quirk perplexes the rest of the world; but there is a perfectly good reason.
In the past, almost everybody travelled on the left side of the road because that was the most sensible option for feudal, violent societies. Since most people are right-handed, swordsmen preferred to keep to the left in order to have their right arm nearer to an opponent and their scabbard further from him. Moreover, it reduced the chance of the scabbard (worn on the left) hitting other people.
Furthermore, a right-handed person finds it easier to mount a horse from the left side of the horse, and it would be very difficult to do otherwise if wearing a sword (which would be worn on the left). It is safer to mount and dismount towards the side of the road, rather than in the middle of traffic, so if one mounts on the left, then the horse should be ridden on the left side of the road.
In the late 1700s, however, teamsters in France and the United States began hauling farm products in big wagons pulled by several pairs of horses. These wagons had no driver's seat; instead the driver sat on the left rear horse, so he could keep his right arm free to lash the team. Since he was sitting on the left, he naturally wanted everybody to pass on the left so he could look down and make sure he kept clear of the oncoming wagon's wheels. Therefore he kept to the right side of the road.
In addition, the French Revolution of 1789 gave a huge impetus to right-hand travel in Europe. The fact is, before the Revolution, the aristocracy travelled on the left of the road, forcing the peasantry over to the right, but after the storming of the Bastille and the subsequent events, aristocrats preferred to keep a low profile and joined the peasants on the right. An official keep-right rule was introduced in Paris in 1794, more or less parallel to Denmark , where driving on the right had been made compulsory in 1793.
Later, Napoleon's conquests spread the new rightism to the Low Countries ( Belgium , the Netherlands and Luxembourg ), Switzerland , Germany , Poland , Russia and many parts of Spain and Italy . The states that had resisted Napoleon kept left - Britain, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Portugal. This European division, between the left- and right-hand nations would remain fixed for more than 100 years, until after the First World War.
Although left-driving Sweden ceded Finland to right-driving Russia after the Russo-Swedish War (1808-1809), Swedish law - including traffic regulations - remained valid in Finland for another 50 years. It wasn't until 1858 that an Imperial Russian decree made Finland swap sides.
The trend among nations over the years has been toward driving on the right, but Britain has done its best to stave off global homogenisation. With the expansion of travel and road building in the 1800s, traffic regulations were made in every country. Left-hand driving was made mandatory in Britain in 1835. Countries which were part of the British Empire followed suit. This is why to this very day, India, Australasia and the former British colonies in Africa go left. An exception to the rule, however, is Egypt, which had been conquered by Napoleon before becoming a British dependency.
Although Japan was never part of the British Empire, its traffic also goes to the left. Although the origin of this habit goes back to the Edo period (1603-1867) when Samurai ruled the country, it wasn't until 1872 that this unwritten rule became more or less official. That was the year when Japan's first railway was introduced, built with technical aid from the British. Gradually, a massive network of railways and tram tracks was built, and of course all trains and trams drove on the left-hand side. Still, it took another half century till in 1924 left-side driving was clearly written in a law.
When the Dutch arrived in Indonesia in 1596, they brought along their habit of driving on the left. It wasn't until Napoleon conquered the Netherlands that the Dutch started driving on the right. Most of their colonies, however, remained on the left as did Indonesia and Suriname.
In the early years of English colonisation of North America, English driving customs were followed and the colonies drove on the left. After gaining independence from England, however, they were anxious to cast off all remaining links with their British colonial past and gradually changed to right-hand driving. (Incidentally, the influence of other European countries' nationals should not be underestimated.) The first law requiring drivers to keep right was passed in Pennsylvania in 1792, and similar laws were passed in New York in 1804 and New Jersey in 1813.
Despite the developments in the US, some parts of Canada continued to drive on the left until shortly after the Second World War. The territory controlled by the French (from Quebec to Louisiana) drove on the right, but the territory occupied by the English (British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland) kept left. British Columbia and the Atlantic provinces switched to the right in the 1920s in order to conform with the rest of Canada and the USA. Newfoundland drove on the left until 1947, and joined Canada in 1949.
In Europe, the remaining left-driving countries switched one by one to driving on the right. Portug
Mid-day greetings from the land of white . . . been outside most of this day 'n it's really envigorating to say the least. Sun has put a <crimp> in things as the "compression" has begun. What had been nearly a foot of snow, now looks like less than half that amount. Melting everywhere is evident . . .
Good to see Rob 'n CM3 Shane drop by to keep Ruth busy this morning.
Oh yeah, here's something that our Manager Rob inadvertently Posted over on "my other Thread" . . . gotta LOOK before you LEAP, Mate . . . impetuousness can be excused for the young 'n young at heart, I suppose.
Hi again Ruth I think I need a re-fill on the BK thermos oh and since your in from shovellig theer Boris set up teh critters with their usual treats ( gotta have some work for teh most recently tweeted ) Small jar of PPF is there for you as well Boris.Why is your one doll sitting on Tom's barstool oh it's a replacemnet for the one with the hole in it.Weird Tales From The Barn # 3 Street Railway Rules Here's some of the more unusual rules for street railway employees First set from Brooklyn Rapid Transit c1900 1) Employees are prohibited from entering saloons when in uniform,and from frequenting such places. Preference in employment and advancement will be given to total abstainers. 2) Lying down or lounging in the cars is prohibited.Conductors and motormen will never sit down while their car is in motion. 3) While engaged in operating a car, whistling, talking,or shouting to teamsters is forbidden,unless necessary to avoid an accident. 4) Should car become electrically charged, pole should be immediatly pulled down Ouch that would cause some grief to the crew ! ASRA RULES After 1903 most street railway companies adopted the ASRA rule book. ( American Street Railway Association ) here's some examples.... Rule 3 Conductors and Motormen must be clean and neat Rule 4 Conductors and Motormen must treat passengers with politness and must not make threatening gestures nor use loud,uncivil,or profane language,even under the greatest provacation. There were 89 general rules in the ASRA rulebook ! Covering everything from language to the proper tying of one's tie !One of the leading creators of this rulebook Rodger Burns also put out a small paper back titled How to Become a Motorman heres an excerpt. Do not lose control of your temper ! Many man of whom I have personal knowledge has lost his position because of a quick temper. I remember a motorman who was always ill tempered. The minute he stepped into the vestibule and got his hand on the controller handle, he was angry at everyone and everything. There was never anything right;the conductor was too slow, or the passengers were too slow,or too many people were riding.He had an idea that everyone wanted to ride with him, and they brought all the old women,little children, and cripples on his car so he could not make his time. The next paragraph is my personal favourite. Do not forget your personal appearance.nothing gives a motorman a better stand in the public eye than to be clean and neatly dressed. If there is anything that disgusts me in a fellow worker,it is to sit behind him and gaze on a neck so dirty that you could raise a crop of potatoes on it without any fertilizer. Enjoy Rob
Hi again Ruth I think I need a re-fill on the BK thermos oh and since your in from shovellig theer Boris set up teh critters with their usual treats ( gotta have some work for teh most recently tweeted ) Small jar of PPF is there for you as well Boris.Why is your one doll sitting on Tom's barstool oh it's a replacemnet for the one with the hole in it.
Weird Tales From The Barn # 3 Street Railway Rules Here's some of the more unusual rules for street railway employees First set from Brooklyn Rapid Transit c1900 1) Employees are prohibited from entering saloons when in uniform,and from frequenting such places. Preference in employment and advancement will be given to total abstainers. 2) Lying down or lounging in the cars is prohibited.Conductors and motormen will never sit down while their car is in motion. 3) While engaged in operating a car, whistling, talking,or shouting to teamsters is forbidden,unless necessary to avoid an accident. 4) Should car become electrically charged, pole should be immediatly pulled down Ouch that would cause some grief to the crew ! ASRA RULES After 1903 most street railway companies adopted the ASRA rule book. ( American Street Railway Association ) here's some examples.... Rule 3 Conductors and Motormen must be clean and neat Rule 4 Conductors and Motormen must treat passengers with politness and must not make threatening gestures nor use loud,uncivil,or profane language,even under the greatest provacation. There were 89 general rules in the ASRA rulebook ! Covering everything from language to the proper tying of one's tie !One of the leading creators of this rulebook Rodger Burns also put out a small paper back titled How to Become a Motorman heres an excerpt. Do not lose control of your temper ! Many man of whom I have personal knowledge has lost his position because of a quick temper. I remember a motorman who was always ill tempered. The minute he stepped into the vestibule and got his hand on the controller handle, he was angry at everyone and everything. There was never anything right;the conductor was too slow, or the passengers were too slow,or too many people were riding.He had an idea that everyone wanted to ride with him, and they brought all the old women,little children, and cripples on his car so he could not make his time. The next paragraph is my personal favourite. Do not forget your personal appearance.nothing gives a motorman a better stand in the public eye than to be clean and neatly dressed. If there is anything that disgusts me in a fellow worker,it is to sit behind him and gaze on a neck so dirty that you could raise a crop of potatoes on it without any fertilizer. Enjoy Rob
Back with some Toy 'n Model Train Day! material . . .
Good Morning Barkeep and all Present; coffee, please; round for the house and $ for the jukebox.
What shall we play today? Oh, here are a few; "Billy Broke My Heart at Walgreens and I Cried all the Way to Sears," "Don't Roll Those Bloodshot Eyes at Me," and "Don't Strike a Match to the Book of Love." Ah, here's one for Juneau, "How Come Your Dog Don't Bite Nobody But Me," and the last for Nick's (it is his day); "Four on the Floor and a Fifth Under the Seat ." There all good ‘uns.
No snow but we got a ton of rain and some big-time wind; trees down, roads blocked, rock slides etc., etc. Gotta love life where the terrain is mostly vertical.
Rob - Peace Bridge is always in the news in Buffalo. I can see, it now, a great plot for a movie when the train goes in the river. Let's borrow a phrase from the D&H and title it "Bridge Line Blues." As for your casino comments; progress? HAH! Back off, Boris, that's all I'm gonna say.
There were lots of geeps in Michigan back then. C&O had some that were way different that the ones that ran down here as I am sure you saw those around St. Thomas. U-boats at Blue Island - gone, gone, gone for the most part. They were quite rare in the coalfields.
Eric - Glad I passed the quiz. Ft. Christina I remember from many history courses yrs ago. No, Frostbite, I wasn't there. I interviewed for a job at Elutherian Mills yrs back. Wilmington was the nearest stop and the station back then was in pretty rough shape. IMHO, Amtrak has done some good things with NEC stations. Didn't get the position (I know I would today), but back then did not have the "practical experience" they wanted.
A Michelin Motor Car? Sweet Mercy! Our intrepid reporter informed me that we must add one to the roster b4 the next dart's tournament. He wonders if we can retrofit roof racks on it to carry the sedan chair.
"Hell Gate Express" did all kinds of Pullman work en route. My uncle used to go to Philadelphia every so often and rode that train from Providence. NH trains that ran between Boston and Washington were nicknamed "Penn Jobs." They ran via the New Haven, New York Connecting RR (Hell Gate Bridge), and then P Company from Penn Station to DC. Most know of my interest in NYC but I galvanize (at a moment's notice) into a certified SPF. I got interested in PRR when very young by seeing lots of their cars at South Station.
OSP - Glad you finally got your weather wish. There was quite a bit of coverage from the Gateway City on TV yesterday - they said snow was falling at 5" per hour. Not bad! We have not had a truly good snowstorm here in approx. 3 yrs - lots of small ones and more ice than we need, and plenty of real cold, but nothing that stops things for a day or so - I like those as long as the lights stay on. Thank you for the refresher on France and its railroads. Excellent posters with some fine colors, layouts, lettering.
As a VW person and in honor of the sniw, I'll bet you remember the old VW ad (it ran as print and on TV), "What Does the Man Who Drives the Snowplow Drive to Get to the Snowplow?"
Last but not least - Happy Birthday, Nick. Remember, if you see three sets of wires under the layout, solder the one that is not moving.
Morning Ruth,I see that the and Juneau have tracked all sorts of snow into the abrroom oh well frostbite likes it, he's licking the floor.We ended up getting about half a foot possibly a bit more,the snowbanks are back up and white again after the last two or three days of melting.Well Ruth I think a number 3 and a lagrge thermos of the BK high octane blend the hour of shovelling has kinda done me in,good thing I don't have to be into work till one,
felicitations to our good friend Nick from over'ome I imagine he is already well into teh party mood at this point ( gotta be noon somewhere )
Eric-Nice picture sir I love the old depot with it's tower It has a European look to it Interesting info on Ft Christina,I aggree with Tom only one in the know would know.I can't think of any steam gen ops in Canada now other than on museum's, Even the Algoma Central and the Ontario Northland passenger trains are HEP equiped now,VIA certainly is unled the Churchill run is still steam heated.Yes that was afriend of mine that got himself in the picture, he's one of those oblivious to anything but himself types.( He works in IT )
here's a couple more photo's fom the "roll" for this morning.
A CSX train powered by a set of U23's at Blue Island
More CSX Uboats
Tom-Nice to see that you got your winterb wonderland for however long it lasts.That's the thing about march snowstorms they hit hard and fast but retreat justa s quickly.
Wednesday's Witticism
Don't leave a traveled road to follow a trail.
It's a winter wonderland here in Juneauville as we finally got a decent snowfall - nearly a foot <30 cm for those using that "funny" measurement>, but more importantly it's the heavy stuff - great for snow balls ‘n the like! <grin> Anyway, this morning is a bright, blue sky day - temps around 15 (F) but expected to rise above freezing as the day progresses. Undoubtedly Juneau will determine just how much time we spend outdoors! Luv it!
Apparently the storm system carved a narrow swarth through east central Missouri with perhaps a 40 mile radius on either side of the center - FINALLY "hit" us!
Coffee, pastries ‘n breakfasts are all ready - are you
March 5th (Nick - 48) To Nick
MOON PIE (March 21 - April 20) You're the type that spends a lot of time on the front porch. A cinch to recognize the physical appearance of Moon Pies. Big and round are the key words here. You should marry anybody who you can get remotely interested in the idea. A Chitlin would be a good mate but it's not going to be easy. You always have a big smile and are happy. This might be the year to think about aerobics. Maybe not.
CHEERS to Nick <clink>!!
Tuesday - March 4th <all times Central standard>
Page 192 - Pete <pwolfe> at 5:20 PM: Must cite you for something GOOD - another outstanding effort in showing us all what an interactive Post ought to be like! Five Salute to the Wolfman <and Bar Chandler Supreme>!
Gotta correct you on a small matter - that New Haven offering was NOT the work of BK <BudKarr> - ONLY the posters ‘n fotos were "lifted" from one of his offerings over on the Original Thread . . . glad you enjoyed it all though!
Looking at the progress of that winter storm we had, it didn't appear that your area was even in the "mix." Perhaps whatever "gotcha" was either residual or a totally different weather system. At any rate, WE LUV IT!
Leon, my friend, a number 2 with curly fries and an ice cold Tui would be great! Thank you! Oh, don't forget a round for the house!
Tuesday and snow in some parts, but not here. Instead we had a sunny, kind of warm day.
Fergie – Thanks for the answer on the paint scheme for the red “Cabeese”. Hope everything went well at the doctor’s office!Rob – Thanks for the answer to my question about the City of Niagara Falls! Four mile electric system is indeed a waste. Well, it doesn’t matter now anyway, it's all gone.Thanks for the explanation of the position of the air tanks. I never thought about the steam generator. Do they still use steam generators on any railroad in Canada? Nice photos from Battlecreek! Is that a friend of yours taking a picture? CM3 – Congratulations, Wilmington it is! I knew you would recognize it! Rocks Tunnel is also a well known place. Harpers Ferry and Point of Rocks. I am glad I got a chance to travel along those tracks.
Point of Rocks.Thanks for the “Hell Gate Express” info! So I was wrong, New York was not the end of the line, Boston - Washington. Not a bad trip. A good night’s sleep! Which way did it run through New York City? Grand Central Terminal or Penn Station? I guess PRR operated the train from New York to Washington. Tom – Are you snowed in now?The station is Wilmington, DE. Very close to present downtown was the first Swedish settlement in North America. See link below. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_ChristinaI certainly would see that movie, God and Generals, just to learn about the Civil War. I must admit I don’t know much about French railroads. TGV and the Chunnel trains, that is about it! And this Michelin motorcar on rubber tires! My grandpa took the picture of it when it was on a tour in Sweden in the 1930’s. Nice posters! London Overnight Express must have included a ferry ride across the channel. Pete – Thanks for the info on the towed electric! Why did London Transport skip them? Were they worn out? There was a few cars in Sweden with right hand drive but 99% were left hand drive even before the switch to right hand traffic.
Good evening Leon, I see that you've restacked all the beer bottles and kegs in the storeroom,I know gotta keep yourself busy ( I love to see a self starter ) I think a Keith's sir and a splashed coffee to wash it down with.
CM3-Figured that you would pick up on the sad state of affairs with those Buffalo bridges. I'm guessing ( don't know for sure ) but that the old GT now CN bridge has had alot of necessary maintenance done.You hear them still arguing about twinning the Peace Bridge adn adding the rail line to it as well. Time will tell. I haven't lived in St Catharines for seven years , and they hadn't decided what they were doing then,and they were kicking ideas around the twenty yeasr before I moved,hope3fully teh figure it out before a freight train falls off the bridge and gets washed down the Niagara river and over the falls.
Do you remember the old CP line when it ran accross the top of Clifton Hill and then down Victoria avenue infront of what was maple Leaf Viliage and it's midway to the CP international bridge at bridge street You wouldn't recognize it now. maple Leaf Village and it's midway are gone ( it became the first casino )They removed the raised fill the line ran along on Victoria Ave and have left the old Int bridge high and dry,what a waste.
I was supprised at how many old Geeps weer still around on tehat trip through Michigan and Ill. We found high hood GP's on the C&NW the Soo and the GT,we even got to see SP and D&RGW equipment even a few old Uboats that nowaday's all long gone to the locomotive yard in the sky.
Tom-Loved the railways of Farnce piece again,I'm glad that you aer enjoying your weather. We are getting the ahrd sleet snow today gonna get pounded all night apparently,this after an almost 60 degree day yesterdayI'll keep an ear out for you on thursday
My guess is that vancouver had those plans in the works for years and yes there is alot of money in the "Van"The BC Provincial,govt has put up alot of cash for projects since the Olympics were anounsed. The airport link , clean up of Stanley park,the widening of the Sea to Sky Highway from Vancouver upto Whistler you name it.The Olympics are a big big business the sports are lost in the feeding frenzy of cash.
I'm glad that you're enjoying the pictures , helps us dawdle along here at the bar by the ballast eh
Pete-The pictures are good sir as Tom said keep em comming,your retired uploading and scanning them should be no problem My dad an I have long bout's of crib quite often,I actually win now once in a while,
Your probably right,about the airline. If they had followed through with that perfect trackwork plan they envisioned that I'm sure they would have been upto a TGV type standard today.
Thye MPI unit was part of a lease fleet( Motive Power Industries ),at the time I took teh shots they were quite common,I don't see them often anymore coarse it's twelve years on so god knows if the company stills around.
Hi Tom and all
A pint of Winter Ale on this return to the colder weather please RUTH.
TOM Many thanks for BK's New York, New Haven and Hartford encore. I see the NH had as many as 15 named trains between New York and Boston, I guess the only unnamed trains between the two cities would be the stopping trains. Great photos of the NH RDCs.
I guess I will have to wait a long time before seeing KCI connected to Downtown by light rail, what you say makes a lot of sense. I read recently that the sewer system there needs a lot of money spending on it so I guess there won't be any tax dollars for a rail system.
Enjoyed reading the Railways of France ad from 1933. I see they advertised the overnight train from Paris to London with the Wagons-Lits sleeping cars. It must have been when the service was re-introduced after the war that that train got its Night Ferry name.
They were forecasting some measurable snow for us today its seems here was the dividing point as all we got a very light snow shower but it was heavier on the east side of town, it is sunny here now.
RON If we could see in the future, some of the things we have had in the past and did not keep are now worth a fair bit of money.
Many thanks for the events of 1940 and that great link to the Aerotrain and the Jet train.
ALLAN Glad you enjoyed the Shildon slides, I will have a look through some of my other slides and see what is there. Those ones were Agfa slides I have some which are Kodak and I will have to see what they are like, all the other photos I have posted lately have been from my prints.
Oh Dear, when a football board say they have ‘complete faith' in a manager, usually the end is not far off. Still a couple of good wins will change that.
NICK I have not had a game of 5 and 3s since I came here, I played in the league for many years back in England. The bride and I often play Crib for the tab when we go to Pat's Place, the local Irish Pub. I have not had a chance to play Tom at Crib yet, perhaps at the Rendezvous.
BORIS is getting very good at making sure the Mascots get their daily treats and the effects are not too bad if we keep him on the ‘small' jar of the Pickled Pig's Feet.
ROB I have got to load up some more photos using the scanner as I am running out. Yes the puter is a lot easier now it does not take a lot of goes to get the wireless connected, it was strange how it connected sometimes quickly and other times took many restarts. I would have thought when I contacted the ‘help line' and told them the symptoms they could have told me the link part was faulty.
To think if the New York to Chicago Airline high-speed link had been built there would have been some very impressive North American high speed electric trains, like a 200 MPH electric Aerotrain perhaps.
I must admit I had not thought about the two service cars showing a different language film at the same time.
Many thanks for the CN's Electric Lines Classic Juice encore. It is sad to see all those lines dieselized or even worse abandoned that were once electric. It is good, though, to see that the Mount Royal line is still electric and part of the TSR electric line lives on in your museum.
Thanks for the photos from Battlecreek. I have not seen a MPI locomotive before, it looks a very smart livery on # 9006.
ERIC I did not know the Swedish cars were left hand drive before the roads changed, perhaps one day the extra cost of right hand drive cars will make all countries drive on the right.
It was the Longmoor Military Railway 2-10-0 ‘Gordon' that towed the Metropolitan electric. After the electrics ended their service on London Transport there was a number of them in a siding at Rugby. I guess on their way to a West Midlands scrapyard, although I cannot recall reading about them or seeing photos.
I see there is a photo of the Aerotrain t
And it is a GOOD day with the snow falling in heavy amounts. All began in earnest around 10 AM 'n before noon we had at least 4 inches - at this writing we're approaching 7 with a bit more to come before it ends. Juneau has been in Husky Heaven - just luvs it, as do we.
Fired up the snow blower 'n made the first pass at clearing the parking lot <aka: driveway> and sidewalks . . . most definitely will have to do it again. Sure beats shoveling - plus I'm told that someone my age shouldn't be shoveling. <grin> That's what MoSheens are for.
So, not much daytime activity since the early AM flurry of activity. Strange day at the bar, but most pleased to see so many faces since yesterday at this time . . . just hard to figure the Feast or Famine bar 'n grill, eh
A little something for this day . . . kinda staying away from "heavy" reading, for what's the point Methinks the guys would much rather have some fotos with descriptions, or "light" stuff . . .
Try this one from the archives:
PASSENGER TRAIN NOSTALGIA #69
<A form of this was initially Posted on Page 254, Feb 22nd, 2006 on the Original Thread>
Here's something to enjoy regarding the RAILWAYS OF FRANCE from a 1933 advertisement in my personal collection.
France
for new scenes and new interests . . . not the usual faces and amusements of your favorite resort . . . but PARIS Your aperitif at a tiny sidewalk table, a book mart along the Seine, Versailles and its glamorous past . . . Le Touquet and La Braule for week-ends. Rouen with its blue roofs massing under pointed Gothic towers and silver-toned bells . . . the fashionable seaside resorts of Deauville, Dinard and Biarritz . . . curious Carnae of the Druid stones Down the Loire to Chambord, an architectural marvel of the renaissance . . . Orleans, of the time of Caesar, the capital of the Carnute people where centuries later Jeanne d'arc met her King. Renew your strength and youth at the Spas of Vichy, Aix les Bains and Vittel . . . the majestic forests of Voeges . . . Alsace, land of storks Cannes, Monte Carlo flaunt a luxurious sub-tropical beauty along that Azure Sea with Corsica situating under a cloudless sky . . . and far above, rugged mountains tower into sparkling Alpine glaciers The finest and fastest trains with tariffs of less than two cents a mile through roads our ancestors traveled when the middle ages were young . . . hotels and pensions cheaper than ever before . . . villas, garlanded with roses and honeysuckle Your travel agency has brochures that are little journeys in themselves,
RAILWAYS of FRANCE1 EAST 57TH STREET NEW YORK
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Enjoy! Tom
Went to bed after listening to the forecast - 6 to 10 inches expected thru Tuesday <today> late afternoon. Awoke to nothing but wet ‘n chilly. Supposedly the storm system is still on the way, but downgraded . . . <figures>! There are places not that far from us where the snow ‘n ice has forced zillions of cancellations - in this immediate area, same-ole, same-ole. <arrrrrggggghhhhhh>
Coffee ‘n pastries are ready! Breakfasts to order are as well - so belly up, gents!
March 5th (Nick - 48) Next Up!
It's a two-parter - so be sure to include the name of the person you think will make the Post along with the date!
Duplicate prizes WILL be awarded! Prizes also awarded for correctly naming only one of the parts . . . <whattaguy>
Some help in determining your guesstimates:
3,800th reply <Tom> on Feb 29th, Page 191
3,700th reply <Dan> on Feb 18th, Page 186
3,600th reply <Rob> on Feb 7th, Page 181
3,500th reply <Jan> on Jan 29th, Page 176
3,400th reply <Tom> on Jan 19th, Page 171
3,300th reply <Rob> on Jan 9th, Page 166
Monday - Mar 3rd: <all times Central standard>
Page 191 - Rob <trolleyboy> at 9:06 AM ‘n 9:24 AM: A two-fer once again from our Resident Ontario Connection ‘n Manager!
That's a good read regarding the ill-conceived link between New York City ‘n Chicago . . . Perhaps a bit of U.S. railroading history long lost to the dusty shelves of libraries . . . <You first Posted it on Page 388, Sep 5th, 2006, over on the Original Thread . . . >
Figured you'd appreciate the news story regarding the SkyTrain link-up between downtown ‘n the airport in Vancouver, BC. Amazing work, fer sure, fer sure.
Have read some horror stories about businesses in downtown that have been pretty much ruined because of it . . . always some losers when projects like this overtake the landscape <or sub terrain in this case!>.
Wonder if the Olympics really was the driving force behind the project Surely didn't hurt it any though . . . Gotta hand it to those who had the foresight - a great
Good Morning Barkeep and all Present; coffee, please ; round for the house and $ for the jukebox.
We are waiting for wind, rain, thunder and then maybe some snow; none of which has happened yet. Gas is at $3.29 (for now) .
Computer situation has seemed to improve although I could not log onto our LAN yesterday - this, of course, happened because I had a class to present. I use a lot of visuals, etc. to do stuff as people "'lern better with ‘pichers." Tech Support arrived after awhile and said, "Maybe we should do a restart and see what happens." A little more consideration and he said, "If that doesn't work, then you've got a problem." Like that kinds of shift. Anyway, it worked.
4000th post contest - My guess in March 13, posted by Rob.
Let's see there ‘s all kinds of things to talk about.
Eric - Enjoyed the pictures and comments - Rocks Tunnel - know it well. I can't believe that nobody answered your quiz. The station is Wilmington, DE. IIRC, the renovation was done before you took the picture. It was a real mess when I used to ride in and out of there.
Here's some information on the "Hell Gate Express" from 1950 Official Guide.
This train picked up short sleepers at Providence and handed off cars en route as described below.
Train 179 "Hell Gate Express"
Lv. Boston 9:15 p.m.
Lv. NY 4:02 a.m.
Arr. Washington 8:20 a.m.
Train 179 ran with Train 173 "Federal" between New Haven and Washington
Sleeping Cars
Providence-Washington (roomettes/double bedrooms) to train 173 @ New Haven on weekday nights except Saturday); to PRR train 119 at New York on Sunday nights
Providence-Philadelphia (Berths, drawing rooms) Sunday nights only to Train 187 "Quaker" @ New Haven.
Springfield-Washington (Berths, drawing rooms, double bedroom, roomette Sunday nights only from Train 49 @ New Haven to PRR 119 @ New York. NOTE: Handled in NYNH&H Train 173 on week nights
Coaches" Boston-Washington
Fergie was by with comments - I remember riding CP cabs like that, in Ontario, as Rob suggests. As somebody said, "Look hard enough and you can find a prototype for about anything."
Rob - Great pictures, sir. That's sort of like finding money inside a book. Clean out the desk? Clean out the desk? I can't even see the desk. Your comments about bridges in Buffalo were on target - scary, in eed. IMHO, it's only going to get more interesting when they tighten up crossing rules which I guess is going to happen. Track is all gone as you said. The GT power, not all that long ago, was certainly nice to see, even though I am not overly fond of the blue and orange, a torpedo tube geep is still a pleasant surprise. L&N had a few of those running when I lived in Nashville. I have saved the steelcar site and will look at it as soon as I can.
Nick - At least you have trains running which is better than I am doing although I am still working on structures. You played with Second Class's dominoes - you, of all people, should know better - their dominoes are almost as famous as their dice and cards. Our Intrepid Reporter is the only one I know of who has been able to outsmart them. Of course, the loaded .45 on the table might have had something to do with it, although he told me, ‘Weapons, I don't need weapons, I just have a keen eye for the cards." Then he returned my wallet - I never even knew it was gone. He's that good, really!
Pete - Nice 2-10-0 pictures.
DD1 - Good to hear from you. Carnegie Deli? When do we leave? I have not been there in a loooong time.
OSP provided a nice rerun on the NP with some books I have note seen. Also enjoyed the bridge material as well. Then we had some New Haven material from the vault. Both the B&M and the NYNH&H ran ski trains back then. Former from Boston and the latter from New York up to the Berkshires. Yes, Boris, the ski trains had diners, too.
Good movies this week. I have not seen Heist. Gods and Generals is not bad as Lang's portrayal of "Old Blue Light," IMHO, stole the show. Duvall is also a better Lee than Martin Sheen who played him in "Gettysburg."
work safe
Morning again Ruth another top up of teh thermos before I wander out,oh what the heck the apple turnovers look good so I'll grab one of them out of the case as well.
Eric- Missed your second question during my first post. EMD put tanks up on the roof of many GP9's as they had extended range fuel tanks with large water resivoirs for the steam generator equipment that was mounted in the short hood,so no room for the tanks underneath so they stuck them up on the roof.This practice earmned them the unofficial railfan name of torpedo boats as the roof airtanks looked like the torpedo tubes on old destroyerescorts.After the steam gen equiment was removed most railroads didn't bother putting on smaller fuel tanks or relocating the airtanks as it cost more to do than what was really required, as having the tanks theer didn't hamper the operation of the locomotive.
Couple more shots from Battlecreek from '95
ex DT&I unit resting between runs
A mix of power on the ready tracks by the Battlecreeks shops
More later work calls.
Morning folks , interestingnlooks like I beat the in this morning. That's fine he needs the sleep in time more likely is that Juneau has taken him on an extended run,it's good cardio I hear. Well Ruth a big thermos of the high octane BK splash coffee and a number three,hold the hash browns today though,I saw Hilda at the potato chopper
Eric-Yes the city of Niagara Falls was more interested in listening to the casino management,and trafic snarls are not good for business that and alot of the usual we want our city clean free of big old noisy trains groups actually were listened to. <barf>A four mile electric system was a bit of a waste , but hey it's what they did.
Fergie-I figured the Halifax story would catch your eye,and yes that book is part of my refernce collection amoung others.My understanding is that the yellow ended CPR cabooses, were an Ontario district thing,once crews ddin't keep their caboose as the crews personal home away from home they would spread all over the eastern part of the couintry at any rate,from what I agther the yellow ends were originally from the "electric lines" GRR LE&N districts in southwestern Ontario. The Grand River railway operated three or four of those caboose's lettered for them. As an aside I was a bit miffed,trueline was supposed to release the GRR lettered one's with the CPR ones,but they did not come out ( I'm guessing lack of intereest during the pre-order stages )
I didn't notice the track poking up when I was out there this summer ( mind you that would ahve been the last thing I was looking for )Not all that unusual for cities to bury streetcar trackage ,as it's not as heavy and large as traditional railway track,eventually it does have to be removed though, as in areas with any sort of winter will get quite bad fraost heaves because of the "burried treasure"I know that my home town of St Catharines is still lifting long burried NS&T trackage.
Goood Morning Captain Tom and Company
I'll have a bowl of Chicken Soup and a Dram of Scotch with Honey and Lemon please, Oh and pass the Tylenol and a body bag... Ya I is nailed so keep you distance, maybe a 50' exclusion zone would be in order.
Rob! Excellent article regarding the Halifax Trolley system. I take it you have a copy of
Canadian Trolleys, Volume 1-Eastern Canada by R. Halperin (Morning Sun Books)
&
Halifax-City of Trolleycoaches, by P. Leger and L Lawrence
On a side note come spring you can see old track peaking through the asphalt on the older roads in the core of the city.
Tom: Thankyou for the expose on the Lethbridge Viaduct. Looking at these Bridge pictures it amazes me how so little steel work can support such a weight! Engineering at it's finest.
Allan: Your assumption regarding me in front of the 0-6-0 is correct.
Peter: thank you for the Kudo's once again. I now regret not taking the time in Conway to vist the Museum and see the engines. Unfortunately February is a bad time of year to take in the sites as they are all closed.
Well I have three projects on the go today... 1. Incorporate Dad's Nautical library into mine (lots and lots of books on Paddle Wheelers and Passenger ships)
2. Go to Doctor for check up
3. Go to LHS and pick up 3rd CPR caboose in original colours.
Coalminer: As to the question about the red "Cabeese". Well I hauled out one or two books on CPR and by the looks of it Standardization of Colours is iffy. I know some railways were making several changes during the late 50's into the 60's just to "modernize". Haven't seen anyphotos of the yellow ends though... I will make an inquiry rgarding this at the LHS later today.
Anyway must run
Later All
Fergie
http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=5959
If one could roll back the hands of time... They would be waiting for the next train into the future. A. H. Francey 1921-2007
Leon, give me a ham sandwich and a Keith's, please!
More activities here today than the last few days!
Tom – The station in my photo is located along the NEC, in a city with some Swedish ties. Nice looking locomotives in the photos from Australia and Brazil! Two interesting movies this week at the Emporium! Gods and Generals is a long one! More than 3 1/2 hours! Heist must be a good movie! Gene Hackman is one of my favorite actors. Hew Haven! Hell Gate Express, from where to where did it run? I can imagine New York City (Penn Station) was one end of the run. Nice photos of those RDC’s! Rob – Sounds strange to me that the city of Niagara Falls could buy the land and remove the tracks! Just like that? It doesn’t make sense at all. I guess the city forgot that a lot of people like railroads. Why does the GT GP9 has air tanks on the roof? No room underneath? Thanks for the photos!Thanks for the link to National Steel Car! It is a very interesting site with nice presentations of their different freight cars!Interesting story on the Chicago & New York Airline! It certainly would have been interesting to see what had happened if they had been able to build that line the way they planned. Kind of sad story about CN’s Electric lines. At least one of them is still running under wire! The four miles of electric track through the St. Clair Tunnel certainly didn’t make much sense. They should have extended the electric zone much longer. CM3 – Hope your truck didn’t burn at all!Pete – Trucks and cars sold in Sweden have always had the driver sitting to the left, even when it was left hand traffic. So the change to right hand traffic just made it better for all drivers. Buses were a different story. The driver was always on the right hand side when it was left hand traffic. It changed to the left side when the right hand traffic started. The station is in the USA!!! As a matter of fact, it is in state #1, in a city along the NEC. Thanks for the photos (and info) of the locomotives and the HST! I guess the electric locmotive was pulled by a steam locomotive when you took the picture. Ron – There is an Aerotrain at St. Louis Museum of Transportation. It is not complete though, just a locomotive and a couple of cars. See picture below.I guess all the events listed happened in 1940. Chicago Bears defeated Washington Redskins 73-0!!! Wow. Allan – It seems like you have the same kind of feelings about snow as I do. Nice to look at from a warm place! 15 miles is a good distance when it comes to snow watching. Nick – Thank you for the info on Pete’s skills! I noticed last May that he tried to behave and look innocent all the time. Hmmm.
Another Classic Juice encore to provide some morning reading this one from way back in the old thread page 163 over there
Mind the doors please, and move to the back of the car.
Good evening Leon , I see that Boris has the fire blazing. He what ? Oh yes I'll talk to him and H&H about that. ( note to self , show H&H and Boris how to properly dry out their knickers in front of a fire )I suppose the smell will disapate eventually Right Leon I think a Guiness and a round for the boys, two or three for Nick as he struggles with the ole cut n paste.
Tom-I must have just missed you this morning, by the time code on the message I'd just gone out the door to work,catch you later,I'm off thursday if it was important,chats are a good thing
Liked the pictures and the NYNH write up I hope the weather wasn't too awfull for you guys today,rained all day here still around 45 degrees, talk about slop as it's rained all day on top of the what was foot of snow,the water on teh road was over my boot top this morning, the nice thing was the city crews were out making sure no snow or ice was clogging the storm sewer inlets otherwise I'm sure that there could have been a lot of swamped basements.
Pete-Great pictures in your post today,I think you've gone mad with your new found scanner. keep them comming they've all been great shots.Good to hear that the 'ole puter is back up and firing on all cylinders.
I do remember the discussions we had on that interurban. I would imagine that had it survived to the modern day intact, it likely would have been a extreme high speed transit system similar o some of those in Continental Europe.
I actually don't recall if the movies in the service car were subtitled. If Heather and I went back there , we tended to grab a beverage and head back to our seats as it was quieter too many screaming yuppie spawn ( kids )I would think that they were not subtitled as they made announcements over the trains PA system on what movies were playing, and in which service car and in whick language.
You are right the memorial parts of NSC's website were very tastefully done
Ron-Another fine monday post sir Hope to see some photo's of your loco once you get the ole camera working Lots of good stuff in 1940's rail history.Another fine deli to visit is Swartz's in Montreal if you ever get there. Once you get a taste of authentic Montreal smoked meat you won't go back ( accept for seconds and thirds and ... oh my )
Allan-Yes we had several right hand drive spots here over the years. Nova Scotia New Brunswick and Newfoundland were all right handed at some points . The last to change over was Newfoundland as it only joined Canada in 1949.My wife and I don't even have kids and we need the two incomes to have enough scratch to live on it's sad, I can't imagine how people afford families anymore.
Nick-I wait with baited breath for the photo's,hopefully you didn't catch any of last nights fashion feux pas in which saw Helga triumphant
CM3-I'm glad you were able to pop in, even if only for a moment.Hopefully the puter issues will be resolved quickly
Well please excuse me gents-I shall be mostly lurking at the back this evening,trying out various ways of pasting pix,so they enlarge-but please-carry on as you were -TOM,ROB & ERIC-if you are all naive enough to play PETE at dominoes for `nominal ` sums whilst sitting around a warm fire with a bottle or two on a winters evening then I can only cherish your innocence-before the first darts tournament he beat me 5-0,using the 2nd class`s dominoes-I swear that man can see all the sixes with his eyes closed.............
Leon-Beer and winter warmers for the gents please-and a large drink or two for yourself for taking care of Boris & his friends and relations-apparently it wasn`t a family row per se....It seems that every 4 years his extended tribal and family network elect a new tribal leader to sit in the European parliament and plead the cause of the old country
Right-see you all in a bit......
Hi Tom and all,
Leon, the usual round of Tui`s for all the guys` please!
Tom. Congratulations on making the 3,800th post, what sort of prize did Boris come up with? Enjoyed your very interesting re-post of the Great RR Bridges #3 on the Lethbridge Viaduct with pics, the comprehensive write up on the Northern Pacific RR with the Drumheads and pics, and the very interesting info inThe Theme for the Day #3 on the New Haven RR with the posters and pics. Nice choice of flicks for the weekend, and the description of your tribulations during the wiring of your S_Capades RR was really humerous to read.
Nick. Wishing you a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY for tomorrow mate, have a good one! Your latest menu was very tempting indeed, and you are so right about drops of molten solder being so hazardous.
Rob. You were so right about both parents having to work these days to make a decent crust, we can thank all the "futures" and mortgage speculators for all that! Very interesting Classic Juice #37 on the Halifax streetcar system, did`nt realise that their were some areas of Canada with right hand drive road systems as well. Nice Classic Juice #34 on the C&NY Airline and a great set of diesel loco`s and train shots you posted, many thanks, and the link to the National Steel Car site as well.
CM3. That was a quick turn-around for the Blue Bird lash up seeing their was only the one set of equipment. Will let you know what my thoughts of Pete`s book are ASAP.
Pete. Am enjoying reading your book, boy were`nt their a lot of boiler blow up`s in the early days? Thanks for the great set of Shildon loco parade pics, you are doing a great job with that new scanner of yours! Just saw on Sky TV that the Toon management still have complete faith in Kevin Keagan, they`ve got to give him some leaway to get the team performing as a TEAM!
Eric. We very rarely get snow here but we can see all the snow on the Ruahine Ranges during the winter, it`s a great sight from home with the woodburner going flat stick inside, they are about 15 miles west of us, we get a few frosts in the winter usually followed by nice sunny days. Very interesting set of pics you posted of the electric loco`s and the narrow guage passenger cars.
Ron. Nice link to the Aero train and that list of the Events of 1940 was very interesting. You have a great memory of around 1939-40, my first train memory was about the same age in 1939 when I saw a military railway loco [a saddle tank] at Shoeburyness where my father was stationed at the Artillery Proof and Experimental Ranges there.
See ya, Allan
Appears we've been 'saved' by CM3 Shane 'n Wolfman Pete this afternoon - beginning to wonder whether I'd be doing a solo for the remainder of this wet, windy 'n cold day in east central MO . . . Thanx lads!
An interesting thing about the list of participants in the "when will we reach Page 200" contest is that if just a few of those guys would show up regularly - we'd be in good shape.
Do appreciate the extra efforts put forth by Rob along with the visits from the guys who are many time zones away - without you <Allan 'n Nick> things would be far worse than we've experienced. THANX!
Something to keep us "up" on the Page - an ENCORE! with a bit of rework
Theme for the Day #3
New York, New Haven & Hartford (NYNH&H) (NH)
Headquarters: New Haven, CT
Mileage in 1950: 1,800
Locomotives in 1963:
Diesel: 381 - Electric: 22
Rolling stock in 1963:
Freight cars: 6,925 - Passenger cars: 1,055 (including self-propelled)
Principal routes in 1950:
New York City (Grand Central)-New Haven-New London, CT-Providence, RI-Boston, MA
New York City (Pennsylvania Station)-New Rochelle, NY
New Haven-Hartford, CT-Springfield, MA
New Haven-Middletown-Putnam, CT-Boston (Readville)
New Haven-Northhampton & Holyoke, MA
Devon-Winsted, CT
Waterbury-Hartford-Plainfield, CT-Providence
Providence (Valley Falls)-Worcester, MA
Norwalk, CT-Pittsfield & Station Line, MA
Derby, CT-Campbell Hall & Beacon, NY
New London-Worcester
New Bedford & Fall River-Framingham-Lowell & Fitchburg, MA
Boston-Brocton-Provincetown & Hyannis & Woods Hole, MA
Attleboro-Taunton-Middleboro, MA
South Braintree-Plymouth, MA
Passenger trains of note:
NEW YORK-BOSTON
Hell Gate Express - Merchants Limited - Murray Hill - Narragansett -
New Yorker - Owl - Puritan - Roger Williams - Shoreliner - Yankee Clipper
BOSTON-PHILADELPHIA-WASHINGTON
(operated by PRR west of NYC (Penn Station)
Colonial - Federal - Patriot - Pilgrim - Quaker - Senator - William Penn
OTHER RUNS
Bankers (New York-Springfield)
Berkshires (New York-Pittsfield)
Connecticut Yankee (New York-Springfield)
Day Cape Codder (New York-Hyannis & Woods Hole
Day White Mountain (New York-Berlin, NH; operated by B&M north of Springfield)
Montrealer (New York-to-Montreal, operated by B&M, CV & CN north of Springfield)
Nathan Hale (New York-Springfield)
Naugatuck (New York-Winsted)
Night Cap (New York-Stamford, CT
State of Maine (New York-Portland, ME via Providence & Worcester; B&M beyond
Washingtonian (Montreal-to-Washington counterpart to Montrealer
Provided by BK <BudKarr> on Page 388 of the Original Thread . . .
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