SouthPenn It's too bad I live so far away from Pennsylvania. The Thresherman's Reunion sure looks like a lot of fun.
One can only go so many places in a year. Next year is going to be Trainfest for sure.
Maybe I will be able to check out the Thresherman's Rally one of these years.
Track Fiddler
I could never figure out what was the big deal when my grandmother got a clothes dryer. Now I get it. Thanks for filling in the blanks with the clothes washing posts.
Track fiddlerI do remember the gist of it though. It started with $7 dollars. The money was allotted out in a certain way one dollar at a time and it all made sense until the end. It was mind-boggling. We could not make sense of it. The last line of the riddle was,......What happened to the extra dollar......
I've heard that one before but I don't remember all of the details. It's a math trick.
My dad used to take the Jersey Central from Plainfield NJ to Jersey City dailey on his way to work in Brooklyn in the 1940's. We used to walk the 5 or so blocks to the station often to meet him on his return. Recall watching the steamers going to and fro as we waited for him. Also recall standing next to the locos as they were stopped and the wheels being as big or bigger than me. didn't know what type of locos, just knew they were huge and steam was coming from everywhere. Taking the train into Macy's to see Santa Clause was also a big deal. Those experiences were the beginning of a lifelong interest railroading.
Bing & Kathy
I'm not much of a man that dips into feelings too deeply. My wife does and I'm starting to learn from her as we grow older together.
I have to say your story really touched my heart, I wiped a tear away. I am very familiar with the Duluth Mesabi area and the Iron Rage.
I spent several months living in Duluth with my Auntie Mary after my parents were seriously hurt in a snowmobile accident in McGregor Minnesota. That surely was many years ago. I have a great memory of the time spent with my Auntie Mary. I also remember watching the Duluth Mesabi Railroad operations while I was there. I love to watch trains, always have.
I toured the Glensheen Mansion in Duluth once. Wealthy tycoons named there mansions back in the day. Chester Congdon went from a school teacher to somehow the owner of the Iron Range and the richest man in Minnesota of the day.
I enjoyed reading your memory. I did not live the steam era but I got a big smile on my face when you talked about your Mom's laundry line and your dad's work and how you wandered around The Roundhouse.
My parents long after their snowmobile accident bought a resort on the Canadian border where I grew up after starting in our house in St Louis Park. We all did a lot of grouse hunting in the wilderness at the resort. Besides fishing it was my favorite thing to do.
I just want to end by telling you. Your daddy isn't rolling over in his grave. He has a big smile on his face You admired what he did. Now you're doing it because you want to and now he admires that.
Yup your Dad has a Great Big smile on his face.
SouthPenn If you like all things that are steam powered and the smell of burning coal, then try to visit Rough and Tumble in Lancaster County Pa. Try to get there during the Threshermen's Reunion.
If you like all things that are steam powered and the smell of burning coal, then try to visit
Rough and Tumble in Lancaster County Pa. Try to get there during the
How in the world did I not know about this place? Already planning PTO to take a few days there next year.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
My recollection of the steam days goes back to when my parents lived about 1-1/2 blocks from the DM&IR tracks in Two Harbors. I remember my mother washing clothes only on days of an east wind. The tracks were to the west and the soot would blow away from the clothes lines. She always cleaned the lines before hanging out the laundry because of the soot.
My father was a locomotive engineer on the DM&IR and almost every one in town worked for them somewhere. The town was always under a hazy cloud with the steam trains, coal burning tug boat and all the ore carriers also burning coal.
When my father and I would go partridge or rabbit hunting we would take the passenger train north out of town and get off somewhere along the line. The engineer would know we would want a ride back to town later on in the day and expect us to be waiting. Usually when they stopped for us we would ride in the locomotive cab back to town. They would stop the train in town and all we had to do was walk the block and a half to home.
I would go with my father when he would go down to the roundhouse to check the call board. If he got into a longwinded B.S. session I would go wander around the roundhouse. Never was told to get out by anyone. Just enjoyed myself snooping about.
Rode many times on steam and diesel engines. I look back now and remember it was no big deal to be around trains and train tracks. The tracks andwoods along side were our playground growing up. We all knew to pay attention to the trains and no one ever came close to getting hurt. It was drilled into us by our parents about the dangers, something we never forgot.
My dad said "Don't ever go to work for the railroad." I didn't, went to work for a mining company instead. After I retired I became a RR conductor on the North Shore Scenic Railroad. (Sorry Dad) Just this year, after 5 years and $750,000 we hve steam back on the rails. Love the smell in down town Duluth now. A 2-8-0 #28. A former DM&IE and D&NE loco.
My father is probably turning over in his grave.
The steam era was a grand time to be alive, just wish I had paid more attention to it, but thankful I got to be there.
God's Best & Happy Rails to You!
Bing (RIPRR The Route of the Buzzards)
The future: Dead Rail Society
I have another story from a childhood memory along the Burlington Northern Railway. The story ends with no answer to it and I hope someone has it for me because I have not known the answer for about 45 years.
We used to walk or ride our bikes down the trail on the south side of the BN Tracks towards Cedar Lake Minneapolis. There was a Lindy Rig manufacturing company about 1/3 of the way down.
You know how kids are, we dug through the garbage and picked out all the molded fishing worms Mr. Twisters you know stuff like that. When you're a kid that kind of stuff is neat.
One day one of the workers came out and yelled hey you kids what are you doing digging through the trash. Well we told him, we're looking for worms. He said " You don't need to dig through the garbage for worms those are the junk ones with air bubbles, we throw those away, come down at 5:30 in the morning when we're getting off a double shift and I'll give you some good ones". So We said OK! ......and we did..... enough of that part of the story though.
The next morning us kids were getting down to Lindy Rig a little too early. There was a Burlington Northern Caboose parked on the siding. The old railroad guy was leaning up against the back of the cabooze smoking a cigarette. He said hey what are you kids doing? One of us explained and he said hey I have a riddle for you.
He told us the riddle and told us he would be down there tomorrow night and he would give the answer to us if we hadn't figured it out by then. We went back tomorrow night and he was not there. I don't think it was his choice he probably got called out on the road or stationed somewhere else.
I don't remember the exactly how the riddle went. After all that was 45 years ago. I do remember the gist of it though. It started with $7 dollars. The money was allotted out in a certain way one dollar at a time and it all made sense until the end. It was mind-boggling. We could not make sense of it. The last line of the riddle was,......What happened to the extra dollar......Edit It may have been (other dollar or missing dollar?) There were three of us. None of us figured out the answer.
Maybe someone on the forum is familiar with this riddle and has the answer for me.
I don't feel that I am This did take place on the side of the Burlington Northern Railway. Just hopeful for an answer after all these years
Thanks Track Fiddler
First of all I haven't been able to log into the forums for two days. Customer service says it has something to do with the format of my new phone from my old one, but they still don't know what to tell me New gadgets go figure.
Garry thanks for sharing your memory, I have enjoyed this thread too. I really like reading everyone's similar but different memories and links to steam machinery.
Bear and Penn thanks for the links and information on traction tractors.
I read through everything over coffee this morning and found it interesting stuff. Tried to login before work to comment, but nope. It would be cool to ride in one of those steel wheel Steam machines.
Regards Track Fiddler
PS A little frustrated here, my login doesn't stay logged in. It takes me a dozen times to login sometimes and sometimes Nope. Then I give up.
Customer service said they would get back to me tonight. They are so kind and courteous people. Maybe it will take some time down there for someone to figure out what's going on.
It is what it is so don't sweat the small stuff right Track Fiddler
Track Fiddler ... Thanks for the interesting thread.
We moved from TN to IL before I was 5 years old, and I have vague memories of seeing steam locomootives hauling freight trains in TN. Our house in Illinois was in Clarendon Hills in the western suburbs of Chicago. I could see the train from our house. I rememebr some big steam locomotives which litterly shook the ground with heavy freight trains. The doors of our house would sometimes shake on their hinges . Our first trip to see Santa Claus in Marshall Fields in downtown chicago was on an old steam powered suburban train. At time smoke would block the view from the coach window.
In only a few years, diesels replaced steam. Suburban trains were e-units pulling Budd built double decker coaches. Freight trains had mostly F-units, but some GP's or SD's were included. There was a parade of pasenger trains (commuters, Zephyrs, Empire Builder, North Coast Limited, etc.) .. The local lumber yard received boxcars delivered with a team switcher ar first, and a diesel switcher in later years.
I spent a lot of time with friends watching trains like this one in downtown Clarendon Hills . I walked there or rode my bicyle to there. The side track to the lumber yard connects to the mainline in the photo. The train is westbound.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Track fiddlerPS. That steel wheel tractor stuff behind the cornplanter tanker car I must admit I do not have a clue. Please do elaborate if you will.
Gidday TF, my apologies if I’m taking you too literally but those are “traction engines” or more precisely, (and I had to put on my spectacles) Buffalo Pitts traction engines. Here’s a link to traction engines in general…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traction_engine
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
I've been told, that they didn't make tires that big. There for the steel wheels. On occasion you might see a steel wheeled tractor with rubber bolted on the wheels. This was usually done so they could run the tractors on the streets in parades and such.
That's a good one Bear ! I do thank you for that one
You clinched it. A railroad Steam barge in rough icy waters. Icicles dripping off the sides. And then Detroit readable between the spaces of ice.
NICE.........THANKS Track Fiddler
PS. That steel wheel tractor stuff behind the cornplanter tanker car I must admit I do not have a clue. Please do elaborate if you will. Thanks. TF
Track fiddlerIf there's any more feel free to send some more or anything else ya got.........I Like It
Ok, my favourite (?) Shorpy photo.
http://www.shorpy.com/node/10514?size=_original#caption
Cheers, the Bear.
Penn & Bear I went and bought a big boy phone on my day off yesterday. An old dinosaur with a new modern day gadget, not a good combination. "I'm confused I'm confused". I'm just learning how this thing works. It took me an hour to log back into the forum because it didn't recognize my new phone. No auto log-in and I forgot my password. Yup yup I know.
I really enjoyed the pics. They were really clear with my new phone and I could zoom in on stuff and darn near count rivets.
These pictures were somewhat Erie. Perfect I would have to say I enjoyed that part........Soot
If there's any more feel free to send some more or anything else ya got.........I Like It
While looking at your Scranton picture, I noticed a brakeman standing on top of a car. The thought popped it to my head...'if your a brakeman, you better hope the engineer likes you'
Track fiddler I never thought about soot being in the air next to a steam yard.
I couldn't imagine living in Altoona during the age of steam.
SouthPenn. I never thought about soot being in the air next to a steam yard. Let alone the Windows sills and the carpet, it must not have been too good for your lungs either.
George V. What a great opportunity and experience to be able to tend to an old steamer. I would volunteer to do that in a minute. I'm hopeful you can share some pictures sometime.
Thanks Track fiddler
cedarwoodron Speaking of creosote, when I was in high school at St Louis Park HS 69-72, the old Reilly creosote plant was still in business nearby. You could smell the "railroadiness" in the air when outside for PE classes. Cedarwoodron
Speaking of creosote, when I was in high school at St Louis Park HS 69-72, the old Reilly creosote plant was still in business nearby. You could smell the "railroadiness" in the air when outside for PE classes.
Cedarwoodron
"Railroadness" Yes
The smell of creosote was not only in the air but it was soaking into the ground.
I remember exactly where the outdoor creosote treatment facility was. It was on Louisiana Avenue and Highway 7 on the northwest corner. The grounds were not that big. I think that's what led to the concentration problems of the fact they put no liners down. The creosote soaked into the ground into St Louis Parks groundwater and contaminated the whole City's water supply.
That was not determined until years later. It was then all the class action lawsuits were started from people living in St Louis Park getting ill and dying of cancer.
I grew up there and drank that water for twelve years. I guess I am one of the lucky ones. I feel bad for the people that were not.
I was doing a remodeling job in a basement in an old house in St Louis Park about ten years ago. A customer's had a problem with their toilet so I went upstairs to fix it and I did. The whole Reservoir of the toilet was stained dark chocolate black.
Anyway on a more positive note. I just wanted to let you know the bike path going down to Cedar Lake used to be just a wavy dirt path between the edge the woods and the brush through the weeds made by us kids traveling it everyday.
The primadonna six foot wide bike paths there now are just another funny smile you put on your face of taxpayers wasted money. They have a lane for bikes going west and they have a lane for bikes going east. They even felt they needed a six foot wide lane for people walking too. Three paths and barely any one using them. One path would have been plenty.
I just thought to myself are you kidding me. I liked the old wavy dirt path we made for free.
Shake my head sometimes
PS. While I chose and walked the middle path being there was three of them and the center one provided a better profile view around me. This bike rider snuck up behind me and said on your right you are in the bike path. I just thought to myself excuse me I would have much rather been on my old dirt path.
PS again.....I never did get to back to that more positive note..... Sounds nice you have Fairweather and you are working on your 5x7 switching layout in the garage again.
I lived about 120 yards from the B&O railroad tracks during the 1950's. I don't remember seeing steam engines pulling trains, I remember seeing them being towed by diesels. The steam engines made a lot of clanging and banging noises as they were being towed. I remember the clickity-clack sounds that the trains made as they went by our house. I remember the loud noises the trains made when they started from a stop as the couplers got tight.
No one stopped to look at the trains. They were always there, like the grass.
I saw someone (brakeman?) get off the caboose and attach a device to the tracks with a hammer. When the next train came by, the device made a loud BANG. A warning that there was a train ahead??
I was absolutely forbidden to play on the tracks. But, I would sneak up the embankment and put my ear on the rails to listen for a train comming. Then I would put a penny on the track to get it smashed. But I never found the penny after the train went by.
My Grandparents house was about a half mile from an industrial area north of town. I used to help her clean her window sills of the black soot from the steam engines that worked the industries nearby. She would do this twice a day. She would also vacuum twice a day. When my brother and I played on the floor, our hands and knees would become black from the soot that was permanatly embedded in the carpet.
My Dad worked for the Hamilton Machine company that was in this industrial area. It became the 'Hamilton' in the Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton locomotive company. There were only a few times I was in this industrial area, but I remember seeing steam engines moving boxcars in the middle of the streets.
I have visited some railroad sites and museums over the last few years and I find something odd. The 'F' units at these places don't sound the same as they did when I was a kid. Maybe because they aren't pulling a load????
When we moved to the country, it took a while to sleep at night without the rhythm of the clickity-clack of the trains.
Our house was the seventh one from the tracks. (there was a lot less vegitation in the 1950's)
My first memories are of the Newark Penn Station trainshed when I was about 5 or 6 years old. My grandmother was returning from visiting relatives in another state. Standing on the platform and seeing trains come and go, pulled by what I know now were GG1s sure made an impression.
Fast forward to early teen years, we lived south of San Francisco near the Southern Pacific branch line that is now used only for commuter trains. If I heard the horn I'd hop on the old Schwinn 3-speed and head for the tracks. A lot of work to catch what was invariably a Gp7 or 9 and maybe a dozen freight cars. But hey, it was a train!
But I always thought steam engines were the best, probably because of all the movement in the family's old Lionel train at Christmas. In late high school I rode behind one of the Reading T1 4-8-4's when it ran trips near my current home in Michigan. And today (in retirement) I'm a volunteer at the Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso, Michigan, the operators of the Pere Marquette 1225 Berkshire. At this time of year I'm one of the volunteers spending nights servicing the engine and keeping the fire going and the boiler full for the weekend North Pole Express excursions.
If someone had told me when I was a youngster that when I retired I'd be working on 400 tons of 2-8-4 I don't think I'd have believe them!
George V.
I don't know for sure but someone must have had either an eye for preserving history or a yen for trains in getting that text up on the Cedar Lake abutment- I'm glad it was done and will revisit it on my next trip to Mpls.
One thought- having traveled on the light rail system in downtown and suburban Mpls, it must be similar to the old streetcar days when my mom took them to attend U of Minnesota in the late 1930s or kids used to ride the streetcar in the summer to swim at Cedar Lake or Lake Calhoun.
I know the focus of MR is on the technical aspects of our hobby but it would be nice if contributors to MR from around the country could be encouraged to write brief reminiscences about their local railroad-related experiences. It would add to the quality of the magazine- even if only offered online (am well aware of the cost and revenue issues with publication these days).
Anyway, this "cool weather" we have in Florida right now means it's a good time to work on my switching layout (5x7) in my garage. Tis the season....
Don't want to be a thread hog but might as well post the rest of the pictures I took today.
These are the pictures where we hung out when we were kids 45 years ago. The Trestle had a strong smell of creosote mixed with chocolate from the Chocolate Factory behind it that is no longer there. The smell always welcomed us when we arrived. The smell of creosote is still there.
The picture of a path of overgrowth tunnel of trees was once an easement of tracks comming down from the upper tracks that went over the Trestle easing down to the under main lines. We used to call it the Bermuda Triangle.
It's pretty much gone now sometimes the old saying you can never go back is true.
Thanks for looking.
Sir Madog Track fiddler I found it admirable you could find modern diesels Keen after dereliction of the steam era you lived. In those days, steam engines were the mundane, a Diesel and an electric locomotive the rare exception. That changed rapidly from the mid-60s onwards and all of a sudden, steam engines were no longer - not even fan trips, as Deutsche Bundesbahn would not allow steam engines being operated on their tracks. Fortunately, that has changed since and we can now enjoy plenty of steam again! Talking of steam - the iron horse was and always will be a steam engine for me, not a Diesel or electric engine.
Track fiddler I found it admirable you could find modern diesels Keen after dereliction of the steam era you lived.
In those days, steam engines were the mundane, a Diesel and an electric locomotive the rare exception. That changed rapidly from the mid-60s onwards and all of a sudden, steam engines were no longer - not even fan trips, as Deutsche Bundesbahn would not allow steam engines being operated on their tracks. Fortunately, that has changed since and we can now enjoy plenty of steam again!
Talking of steam - the iron horse was and always will be a steam engine for me, not a Diesel or electric engine.
You wouldn't have to do a hard sell on me on the last statement you made Alrich. I completely agree Iron Horse relates to a steam engine.
I think the name was given back in the old west days when the only other means of transportation was a horse.
I probably titled it that way because I really do like to hear old stories of steam engines and the history thereof.
Respectfully
Woodron I took the liberty to take a little field trip today and go find that abutment you spoke of that you visited on the walk with your daughter in 2010 revisiting St Louis Park. I never seen this before and the area is only 15 minutes from where I live, than a 20 minute walk once I got there. I found it right under the Cedar Lake Road Bridge. I read all the railroad and Bridge history and found it very interesting just like the stories and history the Forum Members have shared in this thread.
Fiddler:
That bike trail along the TCW mainline tracks by Cedar Lake is familiar. On a trip to Mpls in 2010 my daughter and I walked along there from France Ave. Where the newer concrete abutment wall is by the bike path there is some info pressed into the concrete wall about the old Mpls & St Louis RR- the Tootin' Louie. That main line is all that's left of an enormous freight yard which existed just west of downtown Mpls until the mid 1960s, when it was reduced to main line tracks and the rest of the property was redeveloped for expansion of old Wayzata Blvd/ Hwy 12 corridor.
I do have a distinct memory (late 1950s) of going by the old freight yard in my grandpa's car (I know the approximate time frame because he drove a 57 Buick) and seeing a whole bunch of steam engines in the yard collected there from upstate and points west which were on their way to being scrapped. This was in late fall of 1959 or 1960. I saw this easily as we drove west on old Wayzata Blvd at that time, but never saw a photo of it anywhere- despite looking thru the Mpls Star photo archives and MN Historical Assn photo collection.
Now I'm afraid that the old timers who might have also seen this have already passed and I'm an old timer myself at 63.
But it was a seminal impression on a young boy already fascinated by trains and led directly to my first Lionel train set at 8 yrs old, followed by an Athearn HO set in 1965, after discovering HO at Gager's Hobby store on Nicollet Ave (before the first Nicollet Mall was developed).
Alas, the past is now far gone....
Happy Holidays and memories.
While I am to young to remember steam in regular service. The NW had a branch line from Kokomo to Tipton, IN.(NKP IMC district) They used to pull unit grain trains and freight south on a daily basis. Myself and a friend had a fort in the trees along the tracks and would hang out there all the time during the summer time. Remember the trains very well, would shake the whole place. First exposure to steam was at the Whitewater Valley RR in Connersville, riding behind thier 2-6-2 and the Iron Horse Festival in Logansport. Needless to say, I fell in love with steam after that with an affair with F units. When a shortline took over the local operation. I got to help in the shop as a "gopher" and in the process learned to work on GP9's and 2 F7's we leased for a couple years. Got to run the F units a few times when I rode along on weekend grain train. Got to run them home light engines all by myself.(I already knew how to run them from being in the shop). The effect of the figure 8 Mars light in the evening twilight is amazing!
Silly NT's, I have Asperger's Syndrome