Hi Everyone,
Brunhilde, coffee with cream, please.
well, this month has been interesting. Rather than bore you all, I've had a few health issues that came on suddenly. It's been a bit of a trial, but we believe it not to be cancerous. Whew!
Ed: I've not heard Emily Linge before. Pleasant. The song is definitely McCartney. Few people in modern music can write melody. McCartney is a strong exception.
I've known a few Newfies in my time. Pleasant folk. No, I'm not kissing a cod!
Its June 28th. Any thoughts as to where the diner's going next month?
Nothing MRR to report.
Edit: Top o' the page. Sorry, no tantalizing pics to offer, but the Keith's Pale Ale is on me.
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
NorthBritJames with his 'Footballer of the Year' trophy
SeeYou190I loved all the State Parks I visited in the Upper Penninsula, but I did not see that one. I think I should go back at some point.
Our other favorite in the U.P. is Tahquamenon Falls State Park. Both are wonderful to visit. I agree you need to make a return trip. In the lower peninsula, Hartwick Pines State Park & Ludington State Park are the two to see (in our opinion anyway). Hartwick Pines has some of the last old growth forest in the State and a logging museum on site. Ludington State Park is just a gem, with two beaches, tons of hiking and biking trails, a lighthouse, and more.
Mike
Ihave not been to the UP , but have stayed in Fort Custer Recreation area for about 5 years , when there was a radio show at Kalamazoo
Good afternoon diners.
Flo - Floats of any kind for all. (Make mine a cola float.) Thanks.
Just wanted to update everyone that I'm still around, just extremely busy!
Trains - The rebuilt Mantua 4-6-2 is now back together, and runs very smoothly.
Layout news - I had to go to our local big-box hardware store recently, as we needed to get a new pressure tank for our water well, so I picked up a sheet of plywood, a sheet of 1" foam board, and some 1X4's (really 3&1/2") to rebuild the area that needs rebuilt. I asked the guy I found in lumber if he could assist with grabbing the sheet down, (higher shelf than my 5'7" frame could reach without monkey-style climbing the rack) and trimming it to fit in my CR-V. He noticed my rail t-shirt and casually asked what the plywood was for. My answer of a train layout made him ask a follow-up question - "Lionel, or HO?"
Turns out, his Dad has a huge Lionel layout set up in the basement. So, as he was trimming the ply down, we talked trains and hobbies. As the plywood was being trimmed down, it fractured on one small area on the final cut. He immediately offered a replacement sheet, and I turned that offer down, as it was small enough to not matter to me. (I can very easily hide that small area under the foam anyway.) He then insisted on giving me a discount, and took almost half of the price off!
Who was I to argue?
So, I will be able to start getting to work on the new layout soon!
Hopefully all are well, best wishes to those not, and all enjoy the day!
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
The World Is A Beautiful Place
-Photograph by Kevin Parson
The above photograph is a view of the Lake Superior shore along the Upper Penninsula in Michigan.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
A wonderful, color negative from the camera of Jack Delano.
C&NW's Proviso yard. So much to see! So much to learn about the era. I uploaded a cleaned-up (and brightened) large file so those of you still using old fashioned, large monitors can appreciate the details.
Proviso Yard C&NW Delano_1943 by Edmund, on Flickr
I just noticed the narrow gauge service track which we have previously discussed in these forums. I'm setting up a similar 2' gauge track around my backshop and roundhouse.
The Muncie & Western box car. I've got one of those — as I'm sure lots of you folks do. "The Ball Line"! Far in the distance, a lone, bright red caboose with another darker one to the right of it. How many pilings were driven for that foot bridge?
Muncie_MWR-1264 by Edmund, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
Good Morning Diners. Chloe, I'll have the whole pot of coffee and some toast with crunchy peanut butter and fresh strawberry jam please.
Ed, thank you for posting the neat old photos. They are so neat to look at.
Ricky, neat experience at HD! My boss has known for a couple years that I'm into model trains, but just found out one of his daughter's boyfriend (husband?) has some G gauge stuff in their yard. I told him although I don't know the boyfriend, I like the guy already.
MLC, I sheepishly admit, I've not been to Fort Custer yet. My grandparents on my mothers side are buried in the military cemetery there (grandpa was in the army in WWII). My grandpa was buried days after his funeral as the cemetery wasn't open for some reason on the day of. I was back home by then and it was a small affair with my grandma, mom, and her siblings the only ones in attendance. Grandma passed in the winter, so burial was similarly delayed, and again a small ceremony with just her kids in attendance.
A photo looking down the main section of the ghost town at Fayette State Park. The fenced in area in the foreground outlines the engine house that was on site. The stone lined inspection pit is partially visible (in person, not in the photo).
Fayette 1 by Michael, on Flickr
Fayette 2 by Michael, on Flickr
Good morning, everyone. I'll have bacon, eggs, and black coffee.
I'm still finishing a tunnel on the layout, and I have to lay track for a siding. Then ... I don't know what I will work on next. This is fun!
I have never been to Michigan, but it is on the bucket list. My retirement quest has been to visit every national park, so Isle Royale in Michigan is on my list. Another bucket list Michigan item is to attend a game at the Big House. I don't care about the Wolverines, but I would like to see the stadium. I once drove Interstate 80 across the country, so I think I came within a mile or two of Michigan's southern border.
I'm already planning to drive around the area to take pictures of some shortline sites for the July diner.
I hope everyone has a great Wednesday. Many call Wednesday Hump Day, but when I worked I always called Friday Noon the hump.
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."
gmpullman I uploaded a cleaned-up (and brightened) large file so those of you still using old fashioned, large monitors can appreciate the details.
I love these lumber loads. I have never seen modeled loads in such disarray. Look at all the randomness.
Thanks Ed!
York1 My retirement quest has been to visit every national park.
That was mine too, but it is a big goal to be sure.
I have only seen one of the three in Florida, and I live here. However, to be fair, I don't have a boat.
There are ten in California I still need to see, and I doubt I will ever get to Hawaii or Alaska.
I think I have visited only 25% of the National Parks, and that is with a serious effort so far.
Also, some of the National Recreation Areas and National Monuments are more enjoyable than some of the National Parks.
SeeYou190I love these lumber loads. I have never seen modeled loads in such disarray. Look at all the randomness.
Glad you like it, Kevin. We owe a debt of gratitude to old man Delano. These foreground tracks are part of the RIP tracks so those lumber loads may have been sent there for repositioning or re-strapping. Often loose loads have to be adjusted enroute. You're correct, though that random lengths were the norm for most unfinished timber back then.
Regards, Ed
York1Another bucket list Michigan item is to attend a game at the Big House. I don't care about the Wolverines, but I would like to see the stadium.
My favorite National Park is still Acadia in Maine. I've biked all over most of it on the old Carriage Trains built by Rockefeller before he donated the whole huge park to the National Park Service.
I was riding with the ex-wife when she took off and got lost. I searched for hours, and finally headed back to the car when I got a call from a park ranger. She was at a ranger station which was road accessible, so I got to the car and went to pick her up. There's very little cell service there.
I used to live very close to the Minutemen Historical Park, and frequently biked and walked through there, too.
Is the 9/11 Memorial a National Park? It's extremely moving for those who remember that day and even recognized names on the walls. Already, though, I realized that half the people I saw there were children who were either unborn on that day or were too young to remember. I was there with the GF. We both knew people on the planes..
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Arrived in Norf Carolina on monday spent toosday on the river in my brothers boat. Today we will visit an inlaw who lives on the river for a gook out and perhaps a dip in the river.
Tigers are beautiful beasts.
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Have been to 27 out of 52 National Parks in the lower 48.
Most dissapointing: Glacier NP in 2018. Lots of people and hardly any glaciers. Judging from old photographs, it must have looked awesome 100 years ago. If you want to see glaciers in the lower 48, Mt Rainier NP is the much better choice. The highlight of our visit: a moose with calf crossing the road ahead of us.
Among the best: Everglades NP (twice in the late 1990's). Canoeing through the sawgrass prairie was a unique experience. On one trip, the hammocks were full of migrating birds. On a guided tour, we saw a crocodile (very rare compared to the ubiquitous alligators).
A hidden gem: Guadalupe Mountains NP. Less than an hour away from the much more visited Carlsbad Caverns NP, Guadalupe offers dramatic rock formations, some history and unique wildlife. On one of our visits the ranger took us to an extended tour of the Frijole ranch (probably impressed by the presence of a nearly 90-year old lady - my mom). Not too far away from the ranch, my son and I saw a group of about 20 javelinas.
DrWOn a guided tour, we saw a crocodile (very rare compared to the ubiquitous alligators).
I would have messed my pants!
Good morning everybody. Brunhilda, I'll take a raspberry danish and black coffee in a New York Central mug please. Thanks.
Put a new set of headlight assemblies on my daughter's car last night. Not only was it needed for the fact that the old ones were hazy beyond repair (I tried, inside and out), but the new ones have all new bulbs in them. I don't know what Ford was thinking when they designed this thing as you have to remove the grill and the entire headlight assembly to change any of the bulbs in them. This will probably save her from eventually running around with burned out bulbs while she is at college and I'm at home as changing a bulb would not be a two minute deal like most cars. Good luck finding someone to do it for free.
Haven't been to many National Parks, but I have to say Acadia is beautiful. Was one of our best vacations. We took our girls there when they were little and stayed at this incredible bed and breakfast a couple towns over. We were there just before the start of their prime season which made it affordable for us (could not have paid their summer rates), and we were basically the only ones there. Really neat private beach to explore when we weren't in Acadia or Bar Harbor. Treated like royalty even though we could barely afford to stay there.
Water Level Route I don't know what Ford was thinking
There's two words I rarely see together. Ford — thinking.
When I met Dee Ann she had just purchased a new 2005 Ford 500. I married her anyway. Sometime later we happened to be at the feed store and we each had our vehicles there. I knew her brake light/tail light was burned out so I bought one and the plan was we would swap vehicles, she taking my GMC pickup back home loaded with goat feed and I would take the 500 in to work on second shift.
Not wanting to drive with the burned out bulb I figured I'd change it in the parking lot before leaving the store.
Not!
There was the lining to pull back inside the trunk where I expected to find some plastic sockets that could be unlatched to pop the new bulb in, snap the socket back in and away I go. Any of my GMs were set up this way. Even the headlights, there was a long retainer that could be pulled up and the whole headlight assembly comes away from the grille to access the bulb. Not so the Ford! Nothing but a solid sheet metal barrier.
Turns out there were eight or ten nuts that had to be removed using a long extension, and a deep well socket, 10 or 12 mm or so, in order to get at the tail light housing to access the bulb.
She knew I disliked that Ford very much. There were just so many "stupid" design flaws in it. I was sure glad to see that thing towed off to the recyclers.
DOME cars behind Pennsy E units on Horseshoe Curve!!?? Oh, the horrors!
rr14933 by George Hamlin, on Flickr
Pennsy Icons by Jerry Jordak, on Flickr
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
I’ve come to the somewhat heretical conclusion, for a railway enthusiast, that Newfoundland’s railway made no logical economic sense, what so ever.
Hi Bear,
Many, many people would totally agree with you. The Newfoundland Railway never did make money for precisely the reasons that you state. Lots of people got sucked into supporting the railway, not the least of which was the Canadian Government. One of the conditions for Newfoundland to join Canada was that the railway was to be maintained. After WWII the railway was in sad shape. Despite its importance to the war effort, very liitle was spent to maintain the infrastructure during the war years. The Canadian government inherited a mess when Newfoundland joined Confederation in 1949.
Nevertheless, like all things Newfie, it is fun to recollect.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
gmpullmanNot wanting to drive with the burned out bulb I figured I'd change it in the parking lot before leaving the store.
I think my 2008 Colorado might be the last vehicle I ever need to change a bulb in.
Since then, we have had the 2007 Lincoln, bought just before my Colorado, 2011 Mustang, 2015 Impala, and 2019 Mustang, and a 2020 Mazda MX5. I have never had to replace a bulb on any of those five cars. Maybe bulbs are just better now.
I had to replace a battery in my neighbor's Chrysler Something about ten years ago. That took over half a day. Had to remove a rear wheel and an internal and external access plate.
Right now I am looking very hard at the KIA EV6. When dealers need to try to sell cars again, I might be buying one of those.
Good morning, diners. Bacon, eggs, and black coffee, please.
Dave, thanks for having us as guests in Newfoundland. Before this month, I knew virtually nothing about the place except where it is on a map.
In the early 80s, with virtually no money and three kids to haul around, we bought a K Car. I always laughed that the engineers made a mistake designing the engine. The oil filter was right on the front of the engine where it could be reached without any effort at all. Car designers learned their lesson, and most filters are again put in places that are, at best, difficult to touch, let alone replace.
As disrespected as the K Cars were, that car lasted us with three girls driving it through their high school years, 200,000 miles, with virtually no repairs. Of course, the girls hated the car. By the late 90s, it just wasn't cool to park in the high school lot. I told them we would get a different car when it gave up the ghost.
The easiest car to work on I ever had was a 1978 Dodge pickup. The slant six had plenty of power, but everything was arranged so that it was easy replacing or fixing just about anything.
Since we are going to be visiting some shortlines tomorrow, can that include some small companies that have their own locomotive? For example, we have a grain elevator that has a locomotive painted for its own use. I don't believe they can be called a shortline, since I don't think they even have any of their own track.
Time to do the lawn. Have a good day, everyone.
York1As disrespected as the K Cars were, that car lasted us with three girls driving it through their high school years, 200,000 miles, with virtually no repairs. Of course, the girls hated the car.
Our first new car after getting married was a 1988 Aries-K.
Yes, the girls hated it, but it was a very reliable car.
Ours lasted about 150,000 miles. On a road trip the steering coupling failed in Tennessee. I traded it in on a Buick Park Avenue. If that failure would have happened at home, I would have repaired it myself and kept the car.
I took the rear bumper cover off when I had the trailer hitch attached to pull motorcycles.
Good Morning,
Kevin, my mother had a '88 Aries the same colour as yours. It was a very low miles car when she quit driving 10 years later. I had a '88 Lebaron coupe that I drove for 12 years. It was a very good car. Only fault was a poor heater. Nothing I did fixed that. The engine just wouldn't get warm in very cold conditions. Had the same problem with '76 Dodge pickup we had when we had the hardware store.
No big plans today. Have a grocery run shortly and later to get some prime rib burger patties for our Canada Day bbq.
Dave, thanks for hosting the Nfld adventure.
CN Charlie
CNCharlie '88 Aries the same colour as yours.
That color was called "Champaigne" IIRC. Trying to make a run-of-the-mill automobile sound all fancy.
SeeYou190That color was called "Champaigne" IIRC. Trying to make a run-of-the-mill automobile sound all fancy. -Kevin
Strangely enough, that was the color of our 1984 Plymouth Reliant. This is the only picture of that car I could find -- in front of the plantation Oak Alley just upriver from New Orleans:
York1This is the only picture of that car I could find
Yeah, it sure is not a very photogenic car. I never felt inspired to take pictures of mine.
However, I do have about 100 pictures of my "green bomb" Mercury Monarch SS..
We just had 5 inches of rain in 10 minutes. Even by Florida Summer time standards, that was a heavy downpour.
Water Level Route York1 Another bucket list Michigan item is to attend a game at the Big House. I don't care about the Wolverines, but I would like to see the stadium. Especially if you catch a good one. I am a Wolverine fan, and been there many times and aside from my personal fandom, it is absolutely incredible. A guy I know is the only one in his circle that is a Michigan fan, with the rest Michigan State fans. He got them all to one game at The Big House, and while the agreed they would rather spend their Saturday rooting for State, they also agreed that the experience was like no other and that everyone who likes college football should experience a game there. One of the coolest things about the stadium is when you are walking up to it, other than the big luxury boxes on each side, it really doesn't look like much (Should have seen it from ground level before those were built. Looked like a big high school stadium.). People don't realize the tunnels you walk through to enter are actually about 2/3-3/4 of the way up the stands. The field is actually built down into the earth. It's jaw dropping to walk in the first time.
York1 Another bucket list Michigan item is to attend a game at the Big House. I don't care about the Wolverines, but I would like to see the stadium.
Especially if you catch a good one. I am a Wolverine fan, and been there many times and aside from my personal fandom, it is absolutely incredible. A guy I know is the only one in his circle that is a Michigan fan, with the rest Michigan State fans. He got them all to one game at The Big House, and while the agreed they would rather spend their Saturday rooting for State, they also agreed that the experience was like no other and that everyone who likes college football should experience a game there. One of the coolest things about the stadium is when you are walking up to it, other than the big luxury boxes on each side, it really doesn't look like much (Should have seen it from ground level before those were built. Looked like a big high school stadium.). People don't realize the tunnels you walk through to enter are actually about 2/3-3/4 of the way up the stands. The field is actually built down into the earth. It's jaw dropping to walk in the first time.
We were excited when our son went to the Big 10 to play football at Purdue; one of the reasons he chose Purdue was for their engineering programs and because they played Norte Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, Nebraska, etc. Then the conference went to divisions his true freshman year and he never got to go Michigan. And the ND series was cancelled after his sophmore year. We did make a Michigan State home game; it was cold, windy and wet, the most miserable experience we have ever had in a football stadium. And we lost, 24-21.
Been real busy at work; our fiscal year ended today; had to close the books so we can reopen everything for tomorrow. I am actually still at work. Have to be back at 7:00 to finish some reporting. Fun, fun, fun.
No one has suggested where the diner should go for July.
Heres a suggestion, how about Rail activity around Kansas City and railroading and grain operations in Kansas?
Any thoughts?
Tin Can IIThen the conference went to divisions his true freshman year and he never got to go Michigan. And the ND series was cancelled after his sophmore year. We did make a Michigan State home game; it was cold, windy and wet, the most miserable experience we have ever had in a football stadium.
gmpullman The Muncie & Western box car. I've got one of those — as I'm sure lots of you folks do. "The Ball Line"! Far in the distance, a lone, bright red caboose with another darker one to the right of it. How many pilings were driven for that foot bridge? Muncie_MWR-1264 by Edmund, on Flickr Cheers, Ed
Yea I had to have one or actually two- I also have one that is wood from an unknown manufacturer. My wife's family is from New Castle about 15 miles south and we lived there a while too. I think I have a car from every area we have lived.
Jim