This is the place for you to go to relax and talk off topic about most anything - as long as you stay within the forum rules, which means certain hot button topics are excluded. Please refer to Steven Otte´s post on Forum Policies.
Everybody is welcome to participate in the DIner !
The staff - that´s Zoe, Chloe, Flo, Janie, and Brunhilda - is very friendly and will serve up plenty of virtual food with a smile. Just don´t forget to leave a generous tip!
At the beginning of each month, it is the time to pay our respect to friends no longer with us.
Barry Arnold aka BlownoutCylinderJerry Cox aka Cox47Wolfgang Dudler aka Westport TerminalBob Hartle aka cmrproductsEd MurphyBill NorthStein Rypern, Jr. aka SteinjrAndy SperandeoJeffrey "Running Bear" WimberleyAlan BTom MillsJames W. Rohde aka CapeJimMichael L. Myles aka Inch
"Gone, but never forgotten!"
This evening, the Diners are aboard the California Zephyr from Chicago to Salt Lake City. ... We chartered an Illinois Central sleeping car coupled just ahead of the dome observation car.....
We had a relaxing dinner in the diner as we stopped in Burlington, Ia. Next, we had an enjoyable evening in the lounge with friendly conversations. We wondered why Ed opted to travel in that funny looking yellow train that goes to Denver and not farther. .
Tomorrow, our journey will take us across the Colorado Rockies on D&RGW rails. We will arrive in Salt Lake CIty at 10:00 PM.
Below is our train a few hours ago as we arrived in Burlington, IA.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Garry,
Nice transition, thank you.
herrinchoker
I’ll be in the dome celebrating 100 posts on the MR forums! In just two weeks! I think I deserve a party! This is my 100th post!
Okay, it’s not a birthday. Yes, the emoji selection is limited.
I though I was on a certain Lowey Green streamliner up north. Burlington has too many long distance trains leaving Chicago Union Station. I’ll have to catch an SP train in Oakland, if only the Oregon Trunk mixed ran all the way to Keddie! It’s fine as long as we don’t ride a certain yellow train headed to Portland, that would put us on he wrong side of the Columbia River!
Still looking forward to the Feather River Canyon, WP lives!
Regards, Isaac
I model my railroad and you model yours! I model my way and you model yours!
Heartland Division CB&QWe wondered why Ed opted to travel in that funny looking yellow train that goes to Denver and not farther. .
Hey! I hear there's a pretty good hobby shop in Denver. Don't worry, I'll grab the C-Z and be in Salt Lake City by morning
Thanks for opening the Diner, Garry! Great job —
and...
Happy 48th Birthday to Amtrak
Amtrak_early-E8 by Edmund, on Flickr
Anybody remember this? I only saw it once. (Amtrak skipped Cleveland in the beginning
Regards, Ed
We can also remember the 48th anniversary of the death of many a great train.
R.I.P North Coast Limited, R.I.P Mainstreeter
Regrettably I was born at a time when Genesises where already king of Amtrak rails. I do recall that the black Amtrak paint was put on that engine and one car for the start of Amtrak, but was never widely implemented.
Glad Ed has gotten off that weird yellow thing. You’d never see me on one of those, those yellow things need a wash and the weird yellow thing management doesn’t seem to maintain them well enough. I’ll stay on that well maintained green stuff!
Happy to be in Utah. My wife saw the ENT surgeon yesterday after her hearing test. She lost 40 DB worth of hearing in a month in one ear. He started her on high dose steroids but there is only a 15% chance she will recover.
Her sister is scheduled for a bilateral mastectomy next week. She will be staying with us after surgery because she and her husband are too squeemish to deal with her drains.
Her friend, the smoker who won't quit, was scratched by her nieces cat. Her hand got infected, she had tendon damage, which was repaired, and now her wound fell apart and is growing staph.
I got an email from a woman I worked with 20 years ago. We never were romantically involved but were really close friends. She was almost my twin sister, we had so many common interests and beliefs. She met someone and left town and I never heard from her again.
The last couple years, I tried to find her with those people finder sites, but found no addresses that actually worked. I had messaged her on Linkedin, when I first started looking and never got a response. In the last year I felt something bad was going on with her. No reason to think that, but I did. I don't actually use Linkedin and they send you an annoying amount of spam, but I looked at her profile again, couldn't figure out where she worked, but sent her a message. A month later she emailed me.
The email didn't say much other than she is not working. Her Linkedin profile says she follows a couple Multiple Sclerosis organizations and a cannabis org. Reading between the lines, I think I know what she is going to tell me. I will call her tomorrow.
On the train front, I need to return a call from one of the founders of the Severna Park MR Club. I was never a member, but he is still modeling and is around 90. He keeps asking me what he can build for me. He has a building addiction. So far he built a bridge and a farmhouse, but I feel guilty because he won't even let me pay for parts.
Curiously, I've asked to see how he builds, and he has agreed, but has never once called me until the structure is done.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Ogden RR museum
SPSOT fanGlad Ed has gotten off that weird yellow thing. You’d never see me on one of those, those yellow things need a wash and the weird yellow thing management doesn’t seem to maintain them well enough.
Oh, the indignity I suffered! It was awful, the linens so bright, the silver sparkled, Pullman sheets so soft and inviting.
UP_960_dir-1980 by Edmund, on Flickr
Yes, couldn't wait to get off that blasted machine
UP_960_dir-1980a by Edmund, on Flickr
The Dome Diners were the most disagreeable. Imagine trying to enjoy a meal while all that dizzying scenery is flashing by! How did I ever survive!!??
Union Pacific sure could use a lesson in equipment upkeep and passenger satisfaction!
Cheers, Ed
I will agree, I prefer Lowey Green and SP&S Yellow over stainless steel!
I can proudly say the Hill lines maintained their passenger stuff till the end, much of it continued to be used on Amtrak for years! Unlike rival weird yellow stuff of which we do not speak
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Good Morning All,
I'll have a regular and an English muffin please Zoe.
Great job on the transition Gary.
Ken - down to three a day - I'm really impressed. Keep up the good work.
I don't think I'd have much trouble with any of the historic passenger runs to the west coast. The M1000 was innovative but did it stop in Denver because it lacked enough grunt to make it through the mountains beyond?
The New Haven also had a lot if innovative consists starting with the Comet and including a Fairbanks Morse lightweight high speed train setand finally the Turbo though it didn't debut until after the final death knell and bankruptcy. The New Haven was also known for electrics for both freight and passenger service and supplied the prototype for what ultimately became the GG-1. I have always thought the New Havens EP-5 Jet double ended electric was iconic though the new Acela is swoopier. New Haven never had any dome cars though. Not enough overhead clearance on the catenary.
Now on to Utah while I get back into the shop. Cheers, J.R.
Coffee, cream and sugar for me, Zoe.
Anyone else see the video of 4014 blowing her whistle for the first time back under steam? Breathtaking. I hope I get to see her in person some day. Meanwhile, I plan on keeping an eye on the livestream that Trains magazine is going to be hosting on their FB page. Hope that doesn't get me in hot water saying that. It is another Kalmbach entity, after all...
- Adam
When all else fails, wing it!
Good morning from the land of Buckeyes.
I met another moder railfan here at the old folks home and that makes three of us.
One fella enjoys refurbishing old locomotives from the 50/60s like Varney,Revell,Hobbytown,Mantua and Penn-Line.He's currently working on a Varney Lil' Joe and will letter it for John Allen's G&D. He has a Varney "Old Lady" that looks brand new and he lettered it for Frank Ellison's Delta Lines.
I shall have a cup and look over the forum.
Have a good'n!
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Good morning, Diners! Utah, huh? Yeah, makes sense. I don't know much about Utah food, other than it's the Beehive State.
Flo says, "Come 'n get your biscuits, honey!"
Oh, wait. She wasn't referring to me.
And to go with them, how about a Trans-Continental Link?
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
LonehawkAnyone else see the video of 4014 blowing her whistle for the first time back under steam? Breathtaking.
I don't know about you steam guys.
Mike.
My You Tube
Well, I'm finally back from Detroit. I am still very tired. Here are some photos from Delray Junction in Detroit.
And don't forget the Detroit People mover !
I also railfaned in Buffalo, but that will have to wait.
Harrison
Homeschooler living In upstate NY a.k.a Northern NY.
Modeling the D&H in 1978.
Route of the famous "Montreal Limited"
My YouTube
Harrison Well, I'm finally back from Detroit. I am still very tired. Here are some photos from Delray Junction in Detroit. And don't forget the Detroit People mover ! I also railfaned in Buffalo, but that will have to wait.
Nice photos, Harrison. Looking forward to seeing what you got from Buffalo. :)
Nice pictures, Harrison.
Along with Steve, I'm not sure of any food that is distinctly associated with Utah. Does anyone here know?
Ed, I'm with you. I hated the time I spent on the UP City of Portland as a boy. Imagine my parents subjecting me to the horrible experience of riding in the dome car, eating the delicious meals on white tablecloths, learning what a finger bowl was, and the worst -- walking on the moving floors between cars!
It's May, and that marks three years since my last days in the school and my retirement. Time has picked up speed -- it seems like I began retirement three weeks ago instead of three years ago.
Hope everyone has a great day.
York1 John
Howdy, everybody
A big thanks to everybody for participating . I’m glad some of you are sharing your train travel memories especially pre-Amtrak. I rode on several name trains of that era myself.
[quote user="Steven Otte"]
Good morning, Diners!
[/quot
Steve O ....I never sausage humor ! Those are not Montana Rail Links are they ?
Henry ... I’m sorry to hear about people in your life going through rough times.
Harrison .. Thanks for photos. I worked in Detroit for about 20 years.
Ed ... I hope your overnight ride to Denver on the yellow thing was okay .
Have a nice day everybody .
Garry, I’m just curious, have you taken to not saying the name of a certain yellow thing that competed with the hill lines? And saying yellow thing instead.
I think that would be a great idea, as a fellow hill line fan! I may adopt it!
Of cource all in good fun, no offense directed at fans of a certain weird yellow thing!
Speaking of weird yellow things, what’s all this hype about a large articulated steam engine with 16 drivers? The only 16 drivered engine I know is the massive 2-8-8-4 Yellowstone! Now that’s an engine! Biggest and most powerful engine of the time!
Again no offense aimed at fans of yellow things or big steam!
York1. . .Along with Steve, I'm not sure of any food that is distinctly associated with Utah. Does anyone here know?. . .
Yup, green Jello. It was on one of the pins for the 2002 Olympics. It can be served with carrot shavings and/or pineapple mixed in.
I am back from spending three weeks in Boston (Cambridge) training for a new j@b. It was chilly and rainy almost the entire time. Didn't matter too much, as I was in class, doing "homework," or studying for a certification exam the entire time (including weekends). It is good to be back in sunny Arizona and to be able to get back out on the bike.
I was very careful to watch what I ate in Boston, thought I had done pretty good until I came home, stood on the scale and found I was up nearly three pounds. I never used to have to worry about watching my weight until I was in my 40's. Now, as I near 60, is seems to be a constant vigil. Growing older can be a bit of a bummer.
Ken: Excellent progress. Know that you have a whole group of guys watching and rooting for you. (I had to visit Google to see if it was "rooting" or "routing.")
Richard
SPSOT fan Speaking of weird yellow things, what’s all this hype about a large articulated steam engine with 16 drivers? The only 16 drivered engine I know is the massive 2-8-8-4 Yellowstone! Now that’s an engine! Biggest and most powerful engine of the time! Again no offense aimed at fans of yellow things or big steam!
Yellowstones are awesome beasts, but my personal fave has gotta be the N&W Y6b. That was a real monster.
SPSOT fanEd, I’m just curious, have you taken to not saying the name of a certain yellow thing that competed with the hill lines? And saying yellow thing instead.
Actually it was Garry that first mentioned the "Funny-looking, yellow thing". Which, true, it was kind of funny looking back in its day.
I was quoting you in my reply, SPSOT. I have nothing bad to say about the UP or any of the Pacific Northwest lines you mention. My nephew owns an Empire Builder Pullman so I have family ties to the G-N, too.
L&CP3 by Edmund, on Flickr
...and I spent several days in a Northern Pacific Budd dome while touring the mid-south:
IMG_0429 by Edmund, on Flickr
Somehow I was having trouble understanding your replies. I simply posted a vintage postcard of the old U-P M-10000.
https://www.american-rails.com/m-10000.html
It's all good.
Here are the photos from Buffalo Depew:
https://northcountrytrains.wordpress.com/2019/04/30/railfanning-buffalo-depew-station/On the way home from Detroit, we stopped in Buffalo. A westbound intermodal was stopped at the station.
Within a few minutes, a westbound Amtrak came in.
The last train of the day was an eastbound Amtrak, with PIII unit #715 on point.
Harrison -
If you ever come through Buffalo again, try the CSX hump yard near Harlem Road. It's about a mile down Broadway from where you were at the Amtrak station.
And then if you turn from Broadway onto Harlem, there's an intermodal transfer/auto rack unloading area just down Harlem, which is also pretty interesting.
RideOnRoadYup, green Jello. It was on one of the pins for the 2002 Olympics. It can be served with carrot shavings and/or pineapple mixed in.
You can even make one that looks back at you!
Jello_yum by Edmund, on Flickr
The Baltimore Orioles have returned to our feeders. The clouds and rain moved in before I could get a decent photo of them.
As a native Utahn, here is the rundown of local foods.Fry Sauce: definitely debatable as to its origin, but a Utah staple since an Artic Circle in Ogden mixed ketchup and mayonaise together. Heinz' recent release of "mayochup" caused no small controversy. Is more common than normal ketchup at any burger joint.BTW, the best fry sauces have cajun seasoning mixed in.Peach cobbler: always, and only, cooked in a cast iron dutch oven over an open fire.Funeral Potatoes: a cheesy potato casserol, sometimes with cornflakes sprinkled on top, named because the local Relief Society (an all-female auxilliary organization of the LDS church) whips up three or four dozen of them for the families of the recently deceased.Beet Sugar: once the largest industry in the state outside of mining. The local interurbans made their money moving beets, not people.The green jello is mostly a joke these days. I've only ever seen it at Chuck-a-Ramas (local buffet chain), but practicallly nobody eats it these days.Hope yall get to try some of these delicacies during the May 10th celebrations next week...
gmpullman SPSOT fan Ed, I’m just curious, have you taken to not saying the name of a certain yellow thing that competed with the hill lines? And saying yellow thing instead. Actually it was Garry that first mentioned the "Funny-looking, yellow thing". Which, true, it was kind of funny looking back in its day.
SPSOT fan Ed, I’m just curious, have you taken to not saying the name of a certain yellow thing that competed with the hill lines? And saying yellow thing instead.
Ed..... I hope you know I was just razzing you. I kid people if I like them.
Lonehawk Harrison - If you ever come through Buffalo again, try the CSX hump yard near Harlem Road. It's about a mile down Broadway from where you were at the Amtrak station. And then if you turn from Broadway onto Harlem, there's an intermodal transfer/auto rack unloading area just down Harlem, which is also pretty interesting.
Two years ago, I spent the summer working in Buffalo. I passed right over that line when I came into town. I was staying in Cheektowaga, over by the Walden Gallaria Mall. I also hit up the hobby shop with the Erie caboose in the parking lot, although the train selection was rather disappoointing, the shelves were quite bare. I got a couple of Bowser kits and the current issue of RMC, that was about it.
I'm not big on modern railroading so I didn;t explore the tracks I saw. Driving over I could see where the big yard is though. Something not to be missed is the Naval and Military Park, there are lots of nice displays plus 3 ships, Fletcher class destroyer USS The Sullivans (named for the brothers), guided missile cruise USS Little Rock, and submarine USS Croaker you can walk through. Neat stuff, even if not train-related (though the Croaker has 16-248 EMD diesels).
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.