Graphics by SeeYou 190
Welcome to Sunny California, U.S.A.
This month the Diner will explore the vast and diverse geography and railroad history of the great state of California.
The Diner has already been tied down and connected to stand-by power along Sunset Boulevard:
UP_Diner by Edmund, on Flickr
Sit back and enjoy the warm Pacific breezes while we discuss railroading and the modeling thereof plus other day-to-day topics of general interest.
Did someone say Scenery? You'd be hard pressed to beat the variety and splendor offered in the 31st state to join the Union.
California Zephyr at Coal Creek by Mike Danneman, on Flickr
No. 6 at a snowy Pinecliffe by Mike Danneman, on Flickr
Zephyr at Tunnel 29 by Mike Danneman, on Flickr
One for the bridge guy:
SP, Redding, California, 1984 by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
Thanks for opening the diner, Ed. Them yellow UP diners sure are distinctive! Flo should dye her hair that color; might increase her tips!
Thanks for moving the Diner Ed.
I'll start researching some material to post.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Attuvian1Them yellow UP diners sure are distinctive!
Thanks, Attuvian. They sure look better when they're not stuffed & mounted:
UP directors train 1980 by Edmund, on Flickr
UP E9A 960 Directors Special, Feather River Canyon, March 1980 by Marty Bernard, on Flickr
Cheers, ed
“In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this.” -Terry Pratchett
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Good Morning Diners! Chloe, coffee and cinnamon toast please.
Seems the snow we got hampered the trick or treaters coming out. Our numbers were on the low end of whats normal for us and my in-laws.
Decided I would post something about the origins of the Central Pacific Railroad. This was their first locomotive, the Governor Stanford. It sits in a museum today.
The colors of the locomotive seem muted compared to others I've seen from that era.
Happy November guys!
Mike
Thanks for that photo of the Sacramento Museum, Mike. I was there (can it be!?) twenty years ago!
We have our first snow in NE Ohio, maybe 2" here but closer to lake Erie some areas got a robust eight inches.
Good evening, diners.
California's Surfliner between San Diego and Los Angeles passes through some great scenery:
US - Del Mar - F59PHI 453 by Jan-Geert Lukner, on Flickr
Have a good evening, everyone.
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."
Water Level RouteThe colors of the locomotive seem muted compared to others I've seen from that era.
“Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it.”-Terry Pratchett
Good Morning Diners. Chloe, I'll have, um, surprise me. And add a cup of coffee.
Bear, that's an interesting story about the NZ Rail engines. Wonder why the last 6 were plain black. And look at the colors on the ones you posted! That's what I think of for engines of that era.
Here is the Collis P. Huntington. Same era as the Governor Stanford above. It was actually the Central Pacific's locomotive #4. It was later sold to the Southern Pacific where they renumbered it as their locomotive #1.
I've always wondered, back in those days how did they get locomotives on and off a ship that could carry them half way around the world?! Just doesn't seem like dock cranes of the era would be likely able to lift more than a couple thousand pounds?
Something to try to coax Track Fiddler out of hiding. Somewhere in Mendocino County, California.
The New Zealand Government Railways bought 8 of their 2-4-2 locomotives in 1877-78, hence the NZ interest.
Coincidental that you should mention a 2-4-2, Bear. I just scanned a Kodak that I believe was taken by my dad's brother-in-law, Stanley Mackenzie, of the East Branch & Lincoln four spot:
East Branch & Lincoln No. 4 by Edmund, on Flickr
Both my dad and Stanley made quite a few photographs of the aftermath of the 1936 floods of New England.
Back to California...
Three colorful noses:
rr6336 by George Hamlin, on Flickr
Temps dropped below freezing last night and Wilson, in his infinite wisdom asked, "What are you saving all that firewood for?" He was right, of course, and we now have the stove fired up. It will probably remain hot through early April...
Wilson guards the Wood Stove by Edmund, on Flickr
This was Wilson's first winter here, back in 2008. He has mastered the operation of the airtight stove without compromise.
gmpullman
Wilson rules!!
(Looks like a rather benign dictatorship)
Good evening Diners. A late afternoon tea and cream scone please, Janie.
Had results on my ankle etc.. Not as bad as feared. A slight damage to a ligament.. The vampire nurse still wants more blood from me.
Ed. The black and white cat is a double of one we had. Dawn could not believe it when I showed her.
Now to try and catch up on old posts.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Wilsons Fireplace by Bear, on Flickr
Good afternoon. It's 61° out! It feels like summer again. One week ago we had snow on the ground.
We used to have cats at our house. Our last cat died about 15 years ago, and we've had only dogs since then. I can't say I miss the cats -- it was my job to clean the litter boxes (and surrounding floors) each week. I hated that. Of course, I didn't have to walk a cat or take the cat outside when it's 30° below zero and snowy, either.
Another view of the Surfliner along the California coast:
I have had trouble signing onto the forum today. Very frustrating. I can sign onto other sites with no issues.
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Good morning Diners. A coffee and blueberry muffin please, Zoe.
'Blinded by the sun' this morning. a rare occassion indeed.
Delivering birthday presents today. Older granddaughter is 8 years old tomorrow. Where does the time go? Seems only 'five minutes' since she was born.
Good Morning Diners. Zoe, a large coffee and a stack of glazed doughnuts please.
Got the outdoor stuff put away last night. Went better than I thought. We have more I had to fit into the shed this year than previous years, but somehow I got it all in and still have a functional shed. Happy about that. Debating bugging out of work early today to get more outdoor stuff done before the rain that is coming this afternoon. We'll see.
David, good news on your ankle! Glad to hear it. Hopefully a full recovery comes quickly for you.
John, the cat litter box is something I don't miss either. We had a self cleaning one for a while. That was nice until it broke. The dogs didn't like that box as it kept their endless supply of treats cleaned up.
Happy Friday guys!
Good morning, everyone. Bacon, eggs, and black coffee, please.
We can't complain about the weather today. Cool this morning, and in the 60s this afternoon. Just about perfect.
We had excitement in our house. I've had my firewood ready since last spring. I brought some in and started a fire. I was in the train room when my wife called and said we have a problem. In the fire, about 15 wasps were crawling around one of the burning logs. I put the screen up very tight against the fireplace! I have found several wasps at a window, but I haven't seen any more since then. I didn't know wasps had nests in old firewood.
Demolition of part of the layout began yesterday, and I will work on carefully getting a bridge out today. I am going to change the bridge from single to double track. I should be able to save the sides of the bridge, and just have to replace the top and bottom if I am careful enough.
David, glad to hear you are on the mend. How is the elevator working out?
Mike, I admire you for the fact you can get into your shed. Mine is so full I can't navigate it.
Have a great Friday, diners.
In Truckee, the UP is ready for snow on Donner Pass in California:
UP Snow Removal Equipment (spreaders) at Truckee, Ca. by DJ shekky, on Flickr
John. The elevator is working fine. It is helping Dawn tremendously in not having to climb the stairs. It also helps in getting items up or down.
Should have installed one much earlier.
Yesterday I baked some cinnamon swirls. They went down well.
I bought some fish. Small roast potatoes and roasted vegetables. Doing a Hollandaise Sauce as well. (Never made that before)
Got to transfer some pictures to Flickr so as to post here. Rather a bind.
For a couple of weeks for me, hello from sunny Soth Carolina, North Myrtle Beach to be more exact. The GF has a rental condo here. She's getting furniture delivered, so it's officially "maintenance."
She's noticed so far that summer renters have stolen bed pillows and all the hair dryers. Really, who takes stuff like that?
Our cats are back home in Delaware and the dog is in a kennel, so we can relax without walking anyone or cleaning out any litter boxes. That's my job, too, every night but that way it's easier.
I'm having different issues with this site now. The internet connection is better, but the errors I'm getting are with timeout connections from the MR site itself and and complaints about security.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
MisterBeasley, I'm also having a hard time getting the forum site to open. It's very slow to connect and very slow when I post. I'm not having that issue with any other site.
I see more and more why quite a few forum members have switched to other forums. While I could do that, I like it here. I keep hoping things will get better.
York1 MisterBeasley, I'm also having a hard time getting the forum site to open. It's very slow to connect and very slow when I post. I'm not having that issue with any other site. I see more and more why quite a few forum members have switched to other forums. While I could do that, I like it here. I keep hoping things will get better.
I may be reluctantly reaching the same conclusion. If we've lost Kevin, that's a bad sign for the future.
Sunset Blvd?
OK, my uncle took me to dinner at Spago, Wolfgang Puck's restaurant. Originally it was just off Sunset. I don't remember anything about the food, but James Garner was eating dinner with Henry Fonda at the next table.
Years later we went to lunch at a restaurant in Brentwood. Simon Baker (The Mentalist) was at the next table.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Sunset Blvd! One of my favorite movies.
William Holden: "You're Norma Desmond! You used to be in silent pictures. You used to be big."
Gloria Swanson: "I am big. It's the pictures that got small."
York1William Holden: "You're Norma Desmond! You used to be in silent pictures. You used to be big."
Certainly among my favorite films. I think I'll pop it in the DVD player while w**king on trains tonight
Of course the real star of the film is the Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A. Gotta love a car that has a speaking tube to the chauffer.
1931 Isotta Fraschini by D70, on Flickr
— Meanwhile; California
Why we use flex track:
ATSF, Cable, California, 1975 by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr
Pardon me, just passing through:
Thomas Taylor by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr
One rarely gets a glimpse of the future. We had one this weekend and it is time to say goodbye to my friends while I still can.
There are many reasons each of us belong to this forum but none of us are here for the challenge of logging in and responding to posts. The next time the forum breaks, it may not be fixable.
So thank you all for the education, the photos and the insights into your lives. May we meet again in another forum or in that train station in the sky.
Thank you for your many contributions, Henry. You will be greatly missed.
Has the issue of the fragility of the platform become so sensitive that the most recent thread on the subject has been deleted? If so, it's a sad state of affairs indeed.
John (the Attuvian one)
Like Henry I too have come to the end of the line with this Forum.
I have enjoyed my time here, but the challenges of logging on, posting pictures etc. are not what I want.
Therefore I wish all the best to those who remain, thank you and goodbye.