Hi gang!!
The Diner hasn't gone to far from where is was in August, but I think this month will be interesting none the less. New Mexico has both modern and historic railroading. Let's take a look.
To start off, I thought we would introduce New Mexico by going back in time to one of the most iconic historical railroads in the world, the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad. This short documentary says as much about the history of New Mexico as it does about the railway itself:
Now that we have set the scene, let's complete the more formal interoduction to the Diner.
For those new to this place, Jeffrey´s Trackside Diner 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 diner fare with a smile. Just don´t forget to leave a generous tip! Now and then, our host Steven Otte chips in and brings along some goodies for us to try - which is always heartily welcomed!
Come in and sit for a while, ALL are welcome.
As always, in rememberance of our fallen but not forgotten comrades, here is the RIP Track:
At the beginning of each month, it is the time to pay our respect to friends no longer with us.
Barry Arnold aka BlownoutCylinder
Alan B
Neil Besougloff
Jerry Cox aka Cox47
Wolfgang Dudler aka Westport Terminal
Bob Hartle aka cmrproducts
Tom Mills
Harold Minkwitz aka hminky
Ed Murphy
Michael L. Myles aka Inch
Bill North
James W. Rohde aka CapeJim
Stein Rypern, Jr. aka Steinjr
Andy Sperandeo
Jeffrey "Running Bear" Wimberley
Gone BUT Not Forgotten
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
"The advent of the railroads in New Mexico was the beginning of an era of permanent prosperity for the people of the territory. The wonderful rapidity with which the great trans-continental transportation lines were constructed was not less marvelous than the astonishing awakening of the people to the fact that at last New Mexico was really in touch with the enlightened progress and modern methods of the people of the eastern states." - Leading Facts of New Mexico History, Vol. II, pg. 480
Here is a list of New Mexico railroads, both present and past. The sheer number of defunct railways tells us that railroading wasn't necessarily always profitable:
The following railroads operate in the US state of New Mexico.
Dave
USA Today’s Ten Best “Readers’ Choice” Awards just acknowledged New Mexico’s Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad as the best train ride in the nation.
Those readers are right and here’s why.
Things to know: The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad operates from the end of May through the end of October every year. For schedules and fares, click here. Ticket prices are admittedly a splurge at $49 for children and $99 for adults for the full-day excursion. Half-day trips cost $29 for children and $79 for adults. However, this is truly a once in a lifetime experience. (Also, you need to pay the folks shoveling all that coal.)
This railroad, which began as a functional way to access mines, has transformed into the best train ride in the country. New Mexicans are inventive and skilled at repurposing. For another example of a place that was once tied to mining but that has since been reimagined, check out the Catwalk National Scenic Trail.
One of New Mexico's less than pleasant railroading incidents. This was caused by extreme wind.
Looks like the New Mexico Diner opened a little early!
I mentioned Black Widows in Dave's thread about his new layout, and I must have jinxed myself. I opened my irrigation water supply today, and saw this monster in there:
Just to make sure I knew who she was, she rolled over to show me the red badge on her abdomen.
The only spray I had handy was wasp an hornet killer.
I saturated the spider, but it barely even phased her. She crawled out of the foam poison with barely even a bother.
So, I reached in there with the trusty Snap-On spider crushers, and gave her a proper squishing.
I need to pose this question again, I hope someone can help.
Is there a spray that will kill a Black Widow? They seem to be immune to everything except CRC Brake & Parts Cleaner, and that just stuns them.
Thanks.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
The two fellows that showed up to plant all by trees today really worked their tails off.
42 Areca palms were planted in the back yard. When these grow in, I will not need to look at my neighbor's dillapidated chain link fence any longer.
The Coconut Palm will be a nice addition to the food providers I have in the lawn already.
And I got a Southern Magnolia. I love magnolia blossoms, and I am looking forward to this tree maturing.
While they were doing that, I finished prepping the floor for level mortar.
I tipped the guys $50.00 each. Well worth it. That was a lot of work I did not want to do.
New Mexico cool.
My wife and I looked at Albuquerque as a possible retirement location. We asked the realtor for recommendations for Mexican food and his suggestions were based on the exact entre you wanted to eat.
Albuquerque has a high crime rate. It also doesn't have what we in the east would recognize as storm drains. Instead they have arroyos which are located at the very bottom of the hill. On a big hill, the right lane turns into a river as there is no place for the water to go, until it gets to the arroyo.
We can't but acknowledge that Roswell and Area 51 is in NM. I hunted with a guide that claimed he knew someone who had pieces of the "space craft" buried beneath his back yard deck.
In 1995 there was a film of the Alien Autopsy which was produced in London, but.....supposedly it was based on a real autopsy done at the time.
Independence Day:
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
SeeYou190I tipped the guys $50.00 each. Well worth it. That was a lot of work I did not want to do.
Good for you Kevin!
I am a firm believer in rewarding people for quality work so I give generous tips where deserved. I also try to set the tone for contractors by providing cold drinks (non-alcoholic) and by putting an ashtray on the deck. That despite the fact that we generally don't allow smoking on the property.
These people work hard. If they do a good job they deserve to be rewarded for their efforts.
Hi again Kevin,
I just learned something! I always thought that the Black Widow spider's red mark was on their backs! Now I know better.
How about using a propane plumbing torch? That's what I use for tent caterpiller infestations. Just try not to burn the house down!
Dave ... Thanks for moving the Diner.
The namesake city for the Santa Fe Railway is in New Mexico. So it would be good to see some Santa Fe trains in September.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
New Mexico No
I had my taste of that place
Nope
TF
Track fiddlerNew Mexico No I had my taste of that place Nope
Sorry if my choice has offended you TF. I don't know what to say. There didn't seem to be any objections, at least not up until now.
Heartland Division CB&QThe namesake city for the Santa Fe Railway is in New Mexico. So it would be good to see some Santa Fe trains in September.
Okay, here are a few:
Ooops!
Okay, what's this guy?
Somebody save me!!! Please!!
More to come later.
SeeYou190Is there a spray that will kill a Black Widow?
I've mostly relied on Sevin dust for much of my insect control. For ground hornets (NASTY things) I give them a puff of Tempo dust (Bayer) after dark.
Black widows, knock on (rotted) wood. We haven't had them as far as I know. Brown recluse, yes!
https://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/black_widow_spider.htm
Thanks for the Diner move, Dave! Great Job!
I've only occupied about one square foot of New Mexico back in '68 when I visited "Four Corners" and planted my foot in four US States at once.
Cheers, Ed
We spent over 20 years in Alamogordo and I chased the ghosts of the Alamogordo and Sacramento Mountain Railway a lot during that 20 years. Found and salvaged a chunk of narrow gauge rail. The track used narrow gauge rail at standard width.The most famous portion of the mountain railroad was and still is the Mexican Canyon Trestle.Before restoralAfter restoralI climbed all over the trestle in the late 1960s, I was a bit younger back then. When I built my final layout I just had to have a trestle. This is it.We would have liked to retire back in Alamogordo but the housing crash in 2008 did us in and now we’re too old to move. We do miss the New Mexico Mountains and Cloudcroft inparticular.Looking west from Cloudcroft to Alamogordo and the White Sands National Monument. Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
Long List.
Now mane the only railroad in the USA still operating under its original charter and its original name!
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Good morning ...
Lion .... My guess.... Union Pacific
Dave ..... That is a great group of ATSF photos.
Mel ...... I like your photos of the trestle in beautiful scenery. A like your HO version and the SP locomotive.
TF .... ? .... I like NM.
Here is a Santa Fe E6 on my layout.
LION has been to New Mexico once. Him rode thriough it on a ATSF train to Chicago. Him had just gotten out of the Navy.
Heartland Division CB&QLion .... My guess.... Union Pacific
Oh My... LION wasn't thinking of that.
OK... THE OLDEST RAIL ROAD continually operating under its original charter and name.
And are you sere Union Pacific is their original name and charter?
ROAR
Ride on Road....
The A/C would not be covered under home owners insurance, but the Dammage caused by it should be.
I'd rattle your insurer's cage over this... but it is most likely that the repairs would cost way less than the deductable.
Once upon a time, when we were still little cubs, we were sitting in the living room and mon's leg came through the ceiling. She must of been in the attic and stepped inbetween the rafters.
Lion ...I am not certain, but UP is my guess.
I recall a family ride on the Santa Fe from Chicago to Los Angeles in 1957. It went through NM. I remember the train slowly ascended grades over Raton Pass.
BroadwayLion. . .The A/C would not be covered under home owners insurance, but the Dammage caused by it should be. I'd rattle your insurer's cage over this... but it is most likely that the repairs would cost way less than the deductable. . .
No need for cage rattling. The insurance company had no problem with the claim. The restoration company is already here working on drying out the attic. The claim will be more than my deductible in large part because of all of the painting that will be required post repair. I have been with this insurance company for many years, have submitted a few claims, and have never had an issue. (I don't want to violate any diner rules so I am not naming the company, but they are a major insurer with bag hands.)
As for the A/C repair, it was completed yesterday. All that was required was to flush out the drain lines. The emergency catch pan is rusted but we are looking to replace the unit before next summer so we passed on replacing the pan. Both units are over 23 years old with 23 Arizona summers under their belts. The average age to failure for our units is about 17 years so we are living on borrowed time.
Richard
During World War II, my mother-in-law was in the armed forces. As she was traveling to her assignment by train, the train stopped at the Harvey House in Belen, NM. She had very fond memories of the visit. Today the Belen Harvey House is the Belen Harvey House Museum. Worth the time if you ever find yourself in Belen. (Plus it is right next to a major switching yard so there is always something to watch.)
Hi Everyone,
New Mexico is an interesting place. The continental divide goes through New Mexico although it's not as spectacular as in Colorado. The capital Albuquerque is on the Rio Grande River in a valley between two mountain ranges. Once, my wife and I were flying from LAX to Wichita with a stop in Albuquerque. The approach was very turbulent. The flight attendants were walking the aisle by wedging their feet against the seat mounts so they wouldn't bounce their heads off the ceiling. Once we landed, my wife got off the plane and went to the bathroom. It took some coaxing to get her back on the plane.
Oddly enough the Santa Fe main line doesn't go through Santa Fe and to my knowledge never has. It goes through 20 or so miles south. Go figure.
Black Widows: dangerous pests! They are present all through the Southwest. Aside from manually swatting them, I've also used WD-40. They are almost always upside down thus exposing the famous orangish red hour glass, not to be confused with the Australian Red Back, which does have red triangles on its back and is a cousin to the Black Widow. Anyway, its my understanding that spiders breathe through their abdomens, so just spray a generous amount of WD-40 on their abdomens and they'll suffocate because the oil is fine, clogs up their air tubes and they can't clean them out. Sounds kinda grizzly, but it works! Also, the Black Widows you generally see are the females. The males are much smaller and the females kill them and eat them, hence the name. Ugh!
Roswell is the home of UFOs due to an alleged encounter between a B25 and a flying saucer. Roswell did have an Air Force base there before it was shut down in the 60s. Anyway, whether true or not, makes for a great story. However, Area 51 is in Groom Lake, Nevada. Whatever is there, a person can get into rather serious trouble trying to cross the fence.
New Mexico is also the home of the Manhattan Project, and White Sands apart from being a national monument is also a missle proving ground.
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
Here's a good example of a "Pike-Sized" passenger train. Clovis, New Mexico:
ATSF_26_Clovis by Edmund, on Flickr
Santa Fe is the capitol city in NM, and the reason why the ATSF never built its mainline through there is because of the mountain ranges surrounding the city to the North and East
RideOnRoad All that was required was to flush out the drain lines. The emergency catch pan is rusted but we are looking to replace the unit before next summer so we passed on replacing the pan. B
My emergency catch pan is fiberglass with a built in water sensor to shut the unit off if it fails. Per code, it needs to be replaced when the air handler is replaced, which I think is stupid, but it is what it is.
Wow! I check in on day one and find you guys have been posting like crazy since yesterday.
I have an understanding with most "dangerous wildlife" rattlers, scorpions, spiders, skunks, etc. I don't mess with them and they don't mess with me. It's worked for the better part of a century for me.
Kevin--I wouldn't want to look at that fence either.
Nice NMRR info and photos. You guys put in a lot of work. Heck it was a lot of work to read it.
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
Hi guys
wow it's been awhile since I was last in the diner. Things for me haven't been good this year with what has been going on and on may 20 at the age of 63 I lost my dad to cancer. He just turned 63 on may 5. We thought we would have had until next year with him so it was a shock. He was suppose to start chemo again on the Thursday but passed on the Wednesday morning in his sleep. I think he didn't want to go back there and wanted to go to sleep and not be in pain anymore. He passed at home which was good in a way because if it was in the hospital I don't know if we could have gone up. It's been a rough summer for the family . I hope to get in here more often.
those are some stunning pictures of that black widow, they say we have them here in these parts of onatrio but have never seen one.
take care
jeremy