Thorndon Quay, Wellington, New Zealand.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Bear,
Thanks for the sausage rolls! They look great.
Your post reminded me of something. Years ago, we went to Alaska. The last days there, we rode the train from Fairbanks to Denali National Park. We sat by a couple and talked to them.
They were on their fourth trip around the world, place to place, tour to tour. They were from Switzerland, but were originally from New Zealand. During the conversation, the man told us that in New Zealand as a young man, he had started a sausage business, and it had grown into a large business. When he retired he sold the business (for what I assume was a large amount) and moved to Switzerland. He and his wife were spending their retirement years traveling the world.
They were very interesting people. Your sausage rolls just reminded me of them. I have no idea what their names were or what the name of the company was, but it sounded like it was a major sausage-making factory in NZ.
Oh, well. One of those moments in life that are just recalled by the smallest suggestion.
York1 John
I asked my doctor if I gave up delicious food and all alcohol, would I live longer? He said, "No, but it will seem longer."
NorthBritPaul. Glad you like the Madder Valley Railway video. Stronalacher brought back memories. Buckingham G.C. by Peter Denny has a new owner and is preserved.
Hi, David, PD's BGC was another great inspiration for so many modellers. A difinitive example of, "it aint what you, but..."
Here's something from last month, but it's still a winter, almost Christmas scene. Shap is a notorious summit on the West Coast Mainline.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUrF6lox_1M&ab_channel=nige757
The exhaust effects are quite good. I like the lights of the traffic on the M6 Motorway, leading to Scotland.
The diesel electric (BR Cl.47) is there for emergency, electric & heating supply and manouvering operations. Not many Turntables or Triangular Jc's left in the UK, these days. Paul
"It's the South Shore Line, Jim - but not as we know it".
Neat video, Paul!
Hi Everyone,
Pearl Harbor rememberence day. If I remember correctly, the attack, or should I say the shooting started around 7:05 - 7:15 am Hawaii time. That would have put it say 9:15 west coast, 11:15 am Chicago, 12:15 pm New York, and for our brothers in the Maritimes, 1:15 pm in Halifax. So when people were waking up to bombs in Pearl Harbor, other folks were having lunch elsewhere. Ironic. For all, some tough times were ahead.
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
MisterBeasleyI'm not sure if it's an option, but is bird seed available online?
We buy our bird seed from the local Co-op farm store in 50 lb. bags. It is much cheaper than anything I have seen elsewhere. Shipping a 50 lb. bag would not be cheap so I can't see how an online supplier could give a better price.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Good morning Diners. Tea and toast please, Janie.
A cold, wet day with snow later.
Christmas decorations going up today.
Just posted on Youtube. Trains on CN Railroad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZjykzf8W6g
Thoughts & Peace to All who Require.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Good Morning All,
Just a regular to go please Zoe. Trip to Sebring went well at least for the Lotus 23 I looked after. The R-8 ended up hitting a barrier and was out as there was no spare tail and unlike aluminum or steel field repairs on carbon fibre parts is not practical.
Catching up the backlog in the shop now that the season is finished. Hope you all are doing well or at least on the mend. Ciao, J.R.
The Empire State Building under construction.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdDECW5FLAM
Not much to do with railroads OR Christmas but I thought it was neat to see. These guys earned their day's pay!
Speaking of birds — most years we have a constant stream of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. Probably two or three dozen taking turns at the feeders all day.
This year, not a single one... none. I still kept fresh nectar in the feeders. The Orioles were here in the spring but did not return in the fall as usual. I put out grape jelly and oranges for them to no avail.
Cheers, Ed
Good morning everyone. Chloe, I'll take the special with a grape juice please.
My wife and I were married on December 7th. We wanted a Christmas wedding and the date worked out for us. As a WWII buff, I rather liked the idea as it was a good way to help me remember the date. Keeps one from having to sleep on the couch that way! I still think of Pearl Harbor first when I see the date on the calendar. Don't tell my wife that though! As a bonus, she has a sensible streak that comes out every once in a while, so we usually don't do anything more than dinner for our anniversary since it falls in all the chaos and expense of the holidays.
My in-laws live right around the block from us, and have four different bird feeders hanging in their yard. Some years ago they were having a large number of humming birds start showing up, so my wife bought a hummingbird feeder in the hopes of drawing some over to our house. She maintained it for a number of years, but all we saw at it were bees. Finally she gave up on it, and what do you know-we see hummingbirds in the yard now visiting her flower garden and the butterfly bushes. Go figure.
Mike
Just seen Kevin was online, but hasn't posted anything. I think he is still having challenges. Maybe Steve can help?
Good morning. Bacon, eggs, and black coffee, please.
My Tichy windows for a layout house finally arrived in the mail yesterday. I'm not sure what happened, but they sat in Greensboro, NC, for a long time. I can now continue work on the house that has been sitting on my desk for a long time.
Let It Snow — Let it Snow — Let It Snow
BnM_Snow-Train by Edmund, on Flickr
John Winston Lenon: 9 October, 1940 — 8 december 1980
Regards, Ed
Good late afternoon from the what was sunny West Coast. I had a long post ready to go and it went, poof! So here is the short remake.
We got a brand new $1200.00(retail) desk at the auction today for $10.00. The same place where in the past we got a new in the box $4000.00 electric Lazyboy for $300.00 and a $3600.00 king size mattress for $280.00. Our University student guest needed a desk. I will put it in my train room office as a secondary building surface when he goes back to Victoria. I didn't know getting ready for this guy would involve so much work!....Woman.
Ed, that video on the MOW crew quarters was good, I have been seeing it on some of the FB sites as the crews show us around. CN has the line up and running as of today after three weeks.
Had a bit of the white stuff and for our two youngest it was the first time they had seen snow.
0700hrs at the Batcave.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNtHqUAwXD8&ab_channel=BATTRAIN1
Well, it is past rum and Pepsi time, I had better get the two-finger pour going.
A little snowplow action in our recent snow
Today's rail cam at Revelstoke.
The Captain is calling and the Canucks are on, I ran a train and played my guitars. Another perfect day.
All the best to all.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Pics from Canadas most expensive natural disaster. Lots of the rail line pics are included. It will be a long time before we can leave by driving.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tranbc/51734378008/in/album-72157720143417483/?fbclid=IwAR29wTm4JaPA3dpzr7AnRyDBcIl9mPRx0ZuhzsopRnAffwHkNTOQPoMObqU
Brunhilda, coffee with cream, please.
Nothing special to report, just stopping in to say hello.
Ed: thanks for posting all those neat posters. There's a lot more skiing done in Vermont than most of us westerners are aware of.
Meaninglessmovie clips: on YouTube, I came across a scene from the 2011 edition of The Three Musketeers of four against 40. The choreography and the swordplay in the scene are phenomenal. The actors said that they used real rapiers for authenticity. Real is defined as real swords but not actual relics from the 16th century. Obviously, the producers took considerable liberty with the book, but for what it is, it's a hoot. "En guarde!"
up831The Three Musketeers
Five or six hundred years ago, we real men, would know how to use a sword and ride a horse.
When we had our orientation meeting, the first day of college, a student, with a high pitched very nasal voice asked: "Does this school have a fencing team" The auditorium broke up. He turned out to be a nice guy with a pocket protector and a slide rule straped to his belt.
St Johns and the Naval Academy have fencing teams, but I never made it to a match.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Good Evening,
Brent, I enjoyed the video of your dogs romping in the snow. We had one Westie that loved the snow. She would run around the yard after the first snow fall doing little stag leaps and loved rolling in it, digging in it especially for frozen crabapples. She would eat them but only if frozen. She also liked barking on a cold, crisp day. The depth of snow didn't matter as she could then play snow submarine.
Another quiet day here but I have a few errands tomorrow. I might have to drive 25 km!
Time for sleep,
CN Charlie
Good morning Diners. Overnight Jack Frost has been busy, so a bowl of porridge and full English please, Flo.
Brent. Enjoyed the video of your dogs. When we had cats they did not like the snow. Too wet!.
East Troy Electric Railroad Christmas Train 2021.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiH4J6cEQns
Good Morning Gents. Brunhilda, a coffee and a cheese danish please.
CNCharlieBrent, I enjoyed the video of your dogs romping in the snow.
Ed, I don't know where you've come up with all of those posters, but keep them coming. I love looking at them.
Had a late meeting at work last night, with a couple more late nights next week where I have to provide training to folks, but then a well deserved break through the holidays. I can't wait.
An inch or so of the white stuff last night. Drive in was fine until I got to Newtown proper and then it was a lot of black ice patches. Odd the way a small distance changes things. A little further north where we are there was no ice at all.
After two years, the plague is hitting a little closer to home. The person I roomed with in Florida has tested positive so the rest of us (8 in all) got tested and we'll see. I feel fine so I'm hopeful. The doc said with no symptoms I can avoid quarantining so I,m in the shop but wearing a mask just in case.... We will see what shows up from the test.
Brett the amount of destruction from the rain was incredible. South of you the Pacific Coast Highway south of Monterey is still rebuilding from the last set of storms. What a mess.
Hope the rest of you are doing well. Ciao, J.R.
Good morning, diners! We're supposed to get some snow tomorrow.
JR, I hope your tests continue to be negative.
Another day to work on the layout. Winter is good for model railroading.
The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad in northern New Mexico:
Have a good day, everyone.
Thanks for the video link David. Their station and car barn is about 2 blocks from our house.
That train gets more interesting each year.
We missed it this year, as we are currently 300 miles north, at our place in the woods.
Had 7" of the white stuff last Saturday, another big dump headed this way for late Friday.
We'll be gone, and back to our place in East Troy, where about 1/2" of rain is expected.
Hip recovery moves forward, a couple rounds of PT coming up this coming week.
Later folks!
Mike.
My You Tube
Glad you're enjoying the ads and posters, Mike
PRR_xmas by Edmund, on Flickr
Pullman_ad-1943 by Edmund, on Flickr
2018 Santa Train to the North Pole by Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum, on Flickr
A heat wave today in the Great White North. It was 32F and sunny! Roads sure were messy.
Today we recieved an order placed Monday that came from Paris. Talk about quick delivery. It was some Christmas treats from Mariage Freres, a specialty tea company.
I too am enjoying the Christmas ads Ed is posting.
Santa traded in the old sleigh for a train of Amfleets!
gew649 by gary, on Flickr
Good morning Diners. A large coffee please, Zoe.
A sunny start to the day. I hope it stays that way.
[quote user="mbinsewi"]
Good morning, diners. It's a cold stormy day outside. It's a great day inside with a fireplace and breakfast of bacon and eggs.
Thanks for all the photos and videos of Christmas on the railroad. It's nice to have things to look at that I'm actually interested in.
How about the Royal Gorge Christmas train? It seem Colorado has a nice bunch of tourist railroads:
Mornin' all.
Guessing Kevin is still having posting issues since he's been AWOL from here, but opened the WPF thread. Weird.
Made a run to a local meat packing plant to grab a few things for home and the holidays. They make the best summer sausage I've had and we always serve it as part of the appetizers on Christmas Eve, so stocked up on that, ham for Christmas (amazing), some beef jerky for me, bacon, Canadian bacon, and 10 pounds of ground beef I need to divide up and freeze.
Have Christmas tomorrow with my family. We only get together about twice a year since we're all spread out, so I'm really looking forward to it.
Wishing everyone the best!