CNCharlie I offered but apparently I don't do it correctly.
I tried that tact with washing dishes. Didn't pass muster
Speaking of dishes — Top O' the Page!
Flint, Michigan-style Coney Dogs, a bag of Better Made chips (crisps) and a Vernor's on me
Detroit pharmacist James Vernor originally created this ginger ale in 1862, but was called off to serve in the Civil War. So he took the concoction and stored it in an oak cask until he finished the fight four years later. What he discovered inside that cask was nothing short of magic and Michiganders have been loving Vernors ever since. Also known as the cure for literally everything.
Cheers, Ed
Ed, a Coney Dog sounds good right now. I love them.
My wife has been to this place several times before we were married, but I've never gotten there.
It's on my bucket list.
The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.
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."
Good evening .
Here is link to an article about the Port Huron - Sarnia railroad tunnels (CN/GTW) . The first built in the 1890's and the second one in the 1990's. The locomotives in the 1890's were huge 0-10-0T's ... They were replaced with electric locomotives. Eventually, diesels were used.
http://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/2019/02/cngtw-st-clair-tunnels.html
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Thanks for the hot dog Ed!
The two-hour Big Brother tonight was just as boring as the rest of this season has been. Fortunately we are down to the final six now, so the gloves have to come off. Maybe the last three weeks can be salvaged.
CNCharlieExpecting frost tonight so my wife is out covering the flower pots.
We are expecting a cold front tomorrow night. It is supposed to get down into the 60s! Brrrrrrrrrrrr!
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Hi Kevin,
You and your daughter did a great job of opening the Diner. Very creative!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
hon30critterYou and your daughter did a great job of opening the Diner. Very creative!
Thank you. We collaborated from a distance of 3,273 miles to get it done.
She is awesome to help her silly old dad on a workday.
I love her so much.
DoughlessWow, there is a well put together video on the LSRC website.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Mever been to Mitchygin... I hear they make Korn Flakes There...
Some people out in Boston tried to put one over on the RED STATES, and they dumped a train load of corn into the bay.
That is why we now have corn flukes.
: )
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Good morning .... Coffee and a bowl of Kellogg's corn flakes please.
I have spent a lot of time in Battle Creek, MI. The Kellogg's plant is huge. When I was with GTW, it was served by GTW and PC. They had inbound grain and other ingredients, and, of course, outbound cereal in boxcars.
GTW has a large locomotive shop in Battle Creek located very close to the Kellogg's plant. All of GTW's major locomotive work was performed in the BC shops. GTW has a large classification yard in BC, also.
Below is a picture of part of the locomotive shops.
Below is a picture with the GTW passenger station in Battle Creek behind a freight train.
I interviewed with Kellogs back when I graduated from college, did not get the job.
Spent a bit of time in Michigan when I was with Harley-Davidson doing training at dealerships in Gaylord, Port Huron, Pontiac and Detroit.
One of the PC X79 Boxcars I built out of a Railyard Models kit, these were financed by Kelloggs and reverted to Kelloggs after the PC/Conrail lease expired.
Rick Jesionowski
Rule 1: This is my railroad.
Rule 2: I make the rules.
Rule 3: Illuminating discussion of prototype history, equipment and operating practices is always welcome, but in the event of visitor-perceived anacronisms, detail descrepancies or operating errors, consult RULE 1!
Flo, like Garry, I will also have a bowl of Corn Flakes and a cup of black coffee.
I hurt my toe yesterday, and I had a hard time sleeping because of it. I did not go to sleep until about 6:00 AM, and only had about five hours sleep. Hoping to feel better tonight.
We are finally visiting what I consider to be my home state. I went to high school there and was stationed there three separate times while serving in the U.S. Coast Guard.
Something with a railroad flavor:
The Chief Wawatam. The Chief was a railroad ferry operating between Mackinaw City and St. Ignace, Michigatn across the straits of Mackinaw. The ship was buildt in 1911 and served as a railroad car ferry until 1984.
I spent several winters assisting the Chief and fuel barges through the ice that builds up in the straits nearly every winter whiile I was the Chief Engineer on the CG Cutter Katmai Bay.
The photo is from the Roger LeLierre Collection.
Remember its your railroad
Allan
Track to the BRVRR Website: http://www.brvrr.com/
Good afternoon gents! Cold, rainy day here today. Good day to run a bunch of errands I had on my to do list. As promised, I'll provide more info on Michigan as I'm able and I might as well start with something that is both railroad related and here in my hometown. Here is a bit more info on the S.S. Badger:
Built and launched in 1952 with her sister ship the S.S. Spartan at a combined cost of $10,000,000. They are the last and largest coal fired ferries built in the U.S. She is 410'6" long, 59'6" wide and weighs 6650 tons. Her dual 4 cylinder steam engines generate 7000 hp. The Badger is unique as one of the only (or possibly only?) moving National Historic Landmark and is registered as a NHL in two states. Her route across Lake Michigan from Ludington MI to Manitowac WI is officially a segment of US Highway 10.
Her internal storage originally intended for railroad cars is now used for cars, trucks, buses, etc.
Visible in the far right of this photo, you can see the old vehicle ramp that led to a platform at the top level of the stern. This space is now enclosed and no longer used for vehicles. I'll close with a short video about the Badger they show onboard. One minor issue I have to point out is they state in the video that the sister ship S.S. Spartan never sailed after 1979. I know for a fact I saw her sail as a kid in the early 1980's. However for every time I saw the Spartan sailing, I saw the Badger sail 5 times. There was a third, slightly smaller vessel also periodically sailing then (S.S. City of Midland). I think the Spartan and City of Midland must have only been used sporadically. I've seen the insignia on the smokestack of the vessels show C&O, the Chessie System sleeping cat, and now LMC (Lake Michigan Carferry).
Have a great day guys!
Mike
Hi Flo', could I have a bottle of 'Ale Absurd', from the Jolly Pumpkin Brewery in Ann Arbor, please and one for anyone who'd like to try it.
Evening Guys, I'm pleased we are in Michigan, since I've always been interested in The Ann Arbor Railroad, famous for it's Ferries. The diagonal mainline route from SE to NW stands-out well on a map. If the CSS had not grabbed my attention so much, I would just have modelled the AA instead.
Thing is, I'm not too sure which parts remain in use today. I'm also a bit puzzled as to why the RR was abandoned not too far short of the Ferry Terminals at Frankfort. I would have thought that some Freight remained, even if transhipped from Rail to Sail. I suppose the CSX route from Ludington does all the work, as Water Level Route shows in his post.
I have got SPV's Great Lakes East and West Atlases, but I lose the track of the AA between them, satelite maps and old railroad maps. Also, I suspect my 1997 Atlas is out of date? I know there are sadly, abandoned RR's all over, but Michigan seems to have lost more than it's share. Have a nice evening, regards, Paul.
"It's the South Shore Line, Jim - but not as we know it".
WELCOME to Michigan?
Escanaba_MI-88 by Edmund, on Flickr
Escanaba & Lake Superior, Escanaba, Michigan.
Good Evening,
Another night with frost. We only got up to 50F today but it is supposed to warm up by Monday.
I've been working on the J4e trying to stop the front truck from derailing. I think I have it solved. There wasn't enough downward tension and the pivot/slide needed smoothing out. It made it around without derailing so will have to see if it is a permanent fix. It is derailing still on a turnout frog that is in a curve. I have had trouble with other locos there and so I think I will move the turnout. It goes to my wharf. I still might expand the radius of the outer loop but that means adding benchwork as the table isn't wide enough. Also a fair bit of scenery will have to be changed. Still not an expensive change especially considering how much I have invested in those 3 brass locos. Not that I have a lot of other things to do. Certainly a good winter project. I'll just have to get the wood cut before it gets too cold as that has to be done in the garage. I would just add about 4" to the table on one side and one end.
My wife is out covering plants again. I did offer to help.
We sure seem to be spending a lot more on groceries than we did before covid but then again we didn't have our own store in the basement.
Enjoying the info on Michigan.
CN Charlie
S
Not much else
gmpullman WELCOME to Michigan? Escanaba_MI-88 by Edmund, on Flickr Escanaba & Lake Superior, Escanaba, Michigan. Cheers, Ed
Sadly, the warehouse behind that sign has been broken into repeatedly, so the owner is understandably testy about anyone coming onto the property. Especially after people have stolen parts (including, IIRC, the builders plates) off the last pair of Baldwin Sharks in existance.
-Fritz Milhaupt, Publications Editor, Pere Marquette Historical Society, Inc.http://www.pmhistsoc.org
Paul-
The remaining bits of the Ann Arbor are being operated by two companies right now. Wabco now owns the southern section, from Toledo up to Osmer siding, just north of Ann Arbor, between Warren and Joy roads. Wabco also has a branch from PIttsfield Junction (south of Ann Arbor) to Saline, which is former NYC trackage that used to serve a Ford auto parts plant (now Faurecia) there. They operate this under the Ann Arbor Railroad name.
The Great Lakes Central operates the former Ann Arbor tracks from Osmer siding north, all the way to the end of track at the sand pit at Yuma. Yuma is between Cadillac and Mesick, about 25 miles northwest of Cadillac. The sand pit at Yuma hasn't had any traffic for a number of years, so west of Cadillac, the line is effectively dead.
The Great Lakes Central also operates a former GTW branch from Ashley to a grain elevator at Middleton, and a segment of the former Grand Rapids & Indians/Pennsy from Cadillac north to Traverse City and Petsokey. In Traverse City the GLC uses several miles of former Pere Marquette/C&O trackage.
As a related aside, Arnt Gerritsen's layout based on the stretch of the Ann Arbor from Shepard to Elberta, with the ferry slips and yard, shown in the 2005 issue of Model Railroad Planning still exists. After Arnt passed in 2011, there have been efforts to find a new home for it, or at least the yard and ferry slips, but these haven't been successful.
Hi gang!
Dianne and I just got back from our trip to the Canadian Polar Bear Habitat (CPBH) in Cochrane, Ontario. The bears gave us a really good show. This is my own video:
CPBH is a major center for polar bear research. Their diets are carefully controlled. They get 25,000 calories per day, and their health is constantly monitored. Regular blood samples are taken, and the bears have been taught to cooperate with the process. They willingly lie down and present a hind foot through a space in the bars knowing that they will get a treat after the sample has been taken. Training them may sound a bit strange, but it saves the bears from having to be tranquilized which is very hard on them and risky.
https://canadianpolarbearhabitat.com/
For the birders among us, on the way back from Cochrane we came across literally hundreds of sandhill cranes feeding in several fields. They were a bit too far away to get decent pictures unfortunately, but seeing them fly in and out was thrilling.
Thanks again Kevin for opening the Diner. You have raised the mark!
We did a little bit of rail fanning on the trip. We didn't see any trains, but we did come across these two gems:
This is the station in Cochrane. Actually this is only about 2/3rds of the whole structure. The structure continues to the right of the picture, but it has had a restaurant built into it so there isn't much left to see of the original building:
This is the station in Temagami. What a beautiful structure:
Sorry, the day was kind of dreary so the photo doesn't do the station justice.
hon30critterSorry, the day was kind of dreary so the photo doesn't do the station justice.
Hey Dave.... Is this any better? Hope you don't mind!
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
A few years back, my wife and I rented a car in Chicago to circumnavigate Lake Michigan. The only planned stops were Naubinway, a small town on the Upper Peninsula where my French Canadian great-grandmother had lived and Mackinac Island. On a whim, we headed north to take a look at Lake Superior while in the neighborhood and wound up spending the night in the picturesque college town of Marquette where we encountered the remains of an abandoned ore dock. This enormous engineering marvel is a must-see stop for any railfan in the area! As we headed east, I was surprised to see huge chunks of ice on the lake. In June!
Tim
Late to the model railroad party but playing catch-up.....
Happy Saturday Morning! Flo, can I just get a quick cup of coffee today?
I went wargaming last night with two of my buddies. Rob set up the Battle of Lake Trasimene on a 4 by 8 in his garage in 15mm scale (1/100).
I played Flaminius and commanded the Romans. Rob and Eric were commanding the forces of Hannibal.
The battle ended historically accurate, and I lost a devstating defeat.
fmilhauptThe remaining bits of the Ann Arbor are being operated by two companies right now. Wabco now owns the southern section, from Toledo up to Osmer siding, just north of Ann Arbor, between Warren and Joy roads. Wabco also has a branch from PIttsfield Junction (south of Ann Arbor) to Saline, which is former NYC trackage that used to serve a Ford auto parts plant (now Faurecia) there. They operate this under the Ann Arbor Railroad name.
Good evening everyone. Flo, could I have a bottle of 'Bam di Castagna' from the Jolly Pumpkin Brewery please and for anyone, of course.
Hi fmilhaupt, Thanks for your reply. I've about 3 hours tracing R/R lines you mention, on Google Earth. It must seem a bit sad, but it's something I enjoy doing, for the UK as well as.
The Sand Quarry at Yuma seems to be in full swing - so the R/R Hoppers must just be stored there.
It looks like the Faurecia Plant Tracks are out of use. I suppose with Michigan being a bit of a peninsula, a lot of internal freight goes by Truck these days? Pere Marquette is another place of interest and I'm going to check-out Grand Rapids. These names are always intriguing.
Also, I noticed Saginaw and from 'age of 1968', Simon & Garfunkel singing 'America' has always been with me. I had a Matchbox model of a Greyhound bus, with the elevated rear-section and windscreen. I set-up a scene in a corner of my OO scale Model Railway for it, with a backscene, "and the moon rose, over an open field". Seems so dumb now.
I've always enjoyed MR Planning and as well as edition 2121, I will buy the first 25 years CDR and so will get to see Arnt's layout. I look forward to reading it. Paul
"Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreamsThe islands and bays are for sportsmen"
Lots of good stuff on the state of Michigan being posted this month.
Good afternoon from the sunny West Coast where it is still supposed to be sunny until further notice. We are getting a bit of smoke up from California still but for only short periods of time and it blows out.
Kevin, top marks on the opening and thanks to your daughter for the sign, it would be cool if it could be the masthead for the thread.
Charlie, I have a Walthers 28" outside radius T/O on a siding that gets used a lot and it is not liked by a lot of things, so I may be making the first track change since I built the layout.
I had to just walk away from the layout on Wednesday as so many little things made for a frustrating session. It is rare for me to have issues but it was one thing after another that day. All will get ironed out so it will be fine.
Had a very large branch fall on the roof so got out the ladder and went up to get it down. After I put the ladder away an Bald Eagle flew over and dropped somebody's tighty whities from on high. I could tell they were underwear by the way they helicoptered down. I will wait for the wind to blow them down because of where they landed it will likely happen.
You can see them up near the ridge caps.
That also happened Wednesday, I should have stayed in bed.
Dave, hope you had a good trip, I could use a few days away but there is too much going on around here. Nine days till the puppies arrive so I will help the wife set up for that today. These are the ones from the 30-year-old semen that the wife had on ice. Ultrasound showed seven or eight on board.
I cut all the shiny metal bits up for the shower enclosure this morning, it was measure 10 times cut once. It was pretty pricey unit so I did not want to screw that up.
I am down five pounds this morning, I forgot to adjust my diet back from watching hockey and drinking rum. I will put on a pound a week if I drink booze without cutting out something else or burning more on the bike. It will likely be Christmas before I have a drink again. Having one drink a day makes my BP go up 10 pts as well and I keep it below 110/70 even with all the coffee I drink. If I cut out coffee it is a steady 100/60. I love coffee too much for that though.
With all this endless sunshine and warm weather, the grass is growing like crazy so I need to cut it every 4 or 5 days so time to hop on the Deere again already. I usually turn on the heat Oct 1st but this year it is still plenty warm enough so we will be saving on the gas bill this year. With the kids not at University, this year out electricity was up $7.00 for Sept over last year and with puppies the roof will be blown off as the washer and dryer never stop.
I am being hailed so 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."
BATMAN "Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreamsThe islands and bays are for sportsmen"
Yep! You got that straight Brent!
After reading that, I didn't read any further. My Post Hog within got the best of me and it was time to post. I will read the rest of your post soon.
They used to have a commercial way back in the day. "Say yes to Michigan" I'll go along with that one!
Nothing much going on with me but spending all my time the last four days busting a left nut on my layout like I never have before. I got a little scarce lately doing nothing but that but I'm making a lot of progress unlike I have ever done for about 3 years.
I even purchased eight old school ore cars on eBay so I can measure them and put an upper deck in between my mountains for a back-and-forth ore car mining thing.
Oh Oh! "Here Comes a Flock of Wah Wahs". There goes another year
I have a good supply of modeling supplies in the house and lots of foam in the trailer. I'm off to a heck of a start for this winter
Well as it looks I'm getting so enthralled I may be a bit scarce for a little while longer. But I will catch up with you guys
Kevin
A very nice job starting the Diner! Especially your first time doing Give a special thanks from me to your Daughter who obviously has a lot of talent. Must run in the family!
TF
Among songs pertaining to Michigan is "The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" .
Not been a good week. My new riding lawn mower made it halfway down the driveway on it's inaugural trip, the RPM's radidly slowed and then it stalled. I could restart it and at a very slow RPM, followed by sudden death.
A neighbor thinned some of her plantings and gave me some. The builder said all the construction gravel would be cleaned up. I ran into a solid layer of fine gray gravel next to the driveway.The next place I tried to plant was the thickest, gooeyist clay I have ever seen. Squirting the shovel with a nozzle on the garden hose would not wash it off the shovel.
I don't know if it's what is going on in my life, what is going on in the world or a change in the forum, but I am finding the forum less and less interesting.
Lately threads go on and on beyond belief. I first noticed it with the thread about running clockwise or counter clockwise. It might have been worth 4 replies but it on went on for 4 pages. Another current thread is a knock off Chinese soldering station that doesn't solder is another 4 pages. Spacemouse go ripped off. Fileing the tip didn't help, but as it didn't work before, it probably made no difference.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
howmusHey Dave.... Is this any better? Hope you don't mind!
Hi Ray,
I don't mind at all. It is a better shot for sure. My problem was partially due to the sun being right behind the station. Even though it wasn't a clear day, the sun still managed to affect the photo.
I love the use of the local rock for the walls!
hon30critterI don't mind at all.
Have photoshop and like to play!!! (grin)