"Our" Place reborn! 3rd Year of adults 'n REAL Classic Trains in a special environment!

[trolleyboy]

Morning Ruth ,the suns out today so after the day we had yesterday I'll count my luckey stars.No Boris I doidn't really count them it's just a figure of speach <sheesh> Anyhow go grab your absorbant towels and rubber hip wadders and give dabossman a had with his basement,I'll feed the critters and will leave a large PPF jar out for you once your done. There's a good cyclops.So Ruth while Boris is off leaving you alone I think I'll have a number three and a large thermos of the BK splash, as always keep the changes ,we gotta build up your tipjar so you can make another flight south

Tom-Sorry to hear about your mess, at least you noticed it before it got worse,not sure what you could have done other than put the house on pontoons. Ain't winter fun Hey if the guys wnat to come play I'll make some phonecalls,too bad theer isn't a bigger domestic challenger to Scare Canada up here,at least when Canadian and Canada 3000 were around there were the odd fare war.I'm sure that the three of us could do some unforgettable damage to mentalstability of the small town of St George,I never did get you to the "Moose" the other local watering hole of some repute.

Eric-Wow GM needed to take some lessons in early bus design from Mack and Scania then as Tom's bus is a butt breaker inetersting shot of that little whitcomb as well

Mike-Loved the tourist shots,espeacially the elevated tramway into the station Yup spent one wondefull week in Cuba about ten years ago. Different for us I suppose as there never was the strain between our two countries,Canadian's are always treated well . I'm not  asun person though so it was the one and only trip,went with a big group of friends from work,oh to be young single and foolish again.

Herer's a couple shots from over at Tom's other thread for you folks to enjoy.

A CN RS18 in it's last year working the classification yard in Toronto's mac yard /

VIA FPA4 at bayview JCT in Burlington Ontario,mid 80's

A couple VIA RDC's cruising through Burlington West again early 80's shot

rob

[DL - UK]

Hello Tom

I'll have something from the breakfast menu, and of course, leave a round for the house for later...(you'll see the penny dropped!)

I'd forgotten you were planning an Empire Builder trip - that will be superb and of course I look forward to the trip report. There's other years for a trip to the UK - never fear! I've fancied taking the Builder to the place in Glacier National Park where there is an old GNR hotel - I think it is famous.

Here we are:

http://www.izaakwaltoninn.com/via%20Amtrak.htm

Of course, as you say , the dome is for the whole view!

Lars - good to see you in - even when away from home the regular visits are made - impressive eh!

Pete, I was not able to find the link Allan mentioned but I did find some other very interesting stuff.

Allan - if you have not seen this it will take you back I think. CM3 - you'll enjoy these too I think!

Intersting pic of one of the electric locos passing underneath a 1970s vintage BR Diesel railcar set

http://railways-of-britain.com/Harton.html

Scroll down for more good pics (a sparkie like Ron will enjoy these). The third pic dwn has a great view of some allotment gardens - with sheds of superb vintage! (you think you have water leak problems Tom!!)

Looks like the equipment had a German background:

"...purchased its electric equipment and locomotives from Germany where several colliery systems had already been electrified....The HCC adopted the German standard 550v dc overhead system. 

"The Harton Electric Railway ran from 1908 to 1989, the last Electrically-hauled train on the Harton Railway ran on the 19th July 1989 the Engine was British Coal no13 (English Electric. 1957) driven by Driver Jimmy Holman with a load of empty stone waste wagons which were handed over to BC 0-6-0DH 659 for the final part of the journey to Westoe Colliery. (A sign on the front of the Electric loco read the end of 81 years of Electric Operation"

"A lot of what remains can be sought out as there is still a lot of remains tucked away and a lot of references to the railway, the whole area reeks of railway history."

Good phrase I thought!

This link tells the very interesting story of the passenger service run by the colliery company along the line:

 

http://www.mining-memorabilia.co.uk/The_Harton_Coal_Company_And_Marsden_Railway.htm

Pete - must have been handy to have troughs to see so close to home.

Strangely the Silver Princess article does not state eventual outcome for the carriage - it says that it was scrapped in the early 1960s - but that ignores the pictures I found of it taken in 1963. I will send a version of the note I sent to Backtrack to the NRM magazine in the hope it stimulates more comment or explanation. I expect due to its non standard nature it probably became a liability - even though the stainless construction would have ensured it lasted quite a while.

Nick - it was me who thought the APT (gas turbine) had been on the official Shildon film of the event, but now you mention it I was probably confusing it with the HST proptoype (now at the NRM of course). Rob's correct about the Northlander calling you - get a cheap flight to Toronto and it's all there ready and waiting. A good holiday plan to aim for some day!

Rob - ACR seating pretty much like ONR allocation then (ie no official allocation) - although the conductor was keen for us to sit where he allocated us - even though the train was not too full on the way north. Nice shots this morning.

Eric - a few slides are indeed glass mounted - not many though, but I will bear that comment in mind - a useful tip - Thanks.

Mike - nice pics and links.

Right - I'll leave that round for the house and be back in due course!

DL

[coalminer3]

Good Morning Barkeep and all Present; coffee, please; round for the house and $ for the jukebox.  Cloudy here this a.m. and snowing a little (we have had about a 30 degree temperature drop since yesterday).  K9 Korps prefers the cold. 

Here we go - in no particular order.

Eric was by with comments.  I'm on the trail of more Whitcomb-related information.  IIRC, about the last one I saw running was more than a few years ago at the McGraw Edison plant in Canonsburg, PA.

Mike - Enjoyed the GCT links, "current events" from yrs past, and the Frank Luke item. I remember well when Fidel traveled to NY to give a speech at the UN.  He decided to stay at a hotel in Harlem and, IIRC, barbequed chicken outside on the balcony to his room - "Solidarity with the masses," I guess.

Pete - 0-6-0ST pictures are good ones.  Don't feel so bad about preservation of anything rr-related.  They never saved an NYC J class of any description or an NYC S class, either.  Ironically, PRR wound up with more preserved steam than probably any other eastern road.  They squirreled stuff away in the roundhouse at ‘Nory.  BTW, I can feel the cold in the Rothley picture.  We have lots of that stuff around in the winter, it's called "fnog." 

Nick - Enjoyed your post - lots of good literary material to check into.  I don't have an SUV, believe me.  Last time I looked I have well over 94K on a vehicle that will celebrate its 10^th anniversary in April - I'll keep driving it ‘til it won't drive no more.  That being said, it does get regular maintenance, etc.  Makes all the difference in the world.  Glad to see you mention Paul Brickhill - good stuff.

Lars - I never lost hope either.  Amazes me how the Gints still get no respect from the pundits.  Last time I looked they won four games in a row -all high pressure - and all on the road.  Look at that WP book - I spent some time around the WP in Nevada, but never got a chance to see some of the more interesting parts of the railroad. 

OSP - Sound as though you had the "special sea detail" this a.m.  We had ice dams one year on the old homestead in MA, and the kitchen ceiling fell in 30 minutes B4 a New Year's Eve Party that the folks were hosting - now that was something - learned a lot of sentence enhancers that evening, believe me.  Cleanup and repair fell to me.  Solved the problem by putting heating coils on the dormer over the kitchen.

Yankee fan by proxy?  Many folks in the area, IIRC, sort of lost interest untilt eh NL came back in the form of the Mets.  I remember people saying, "Yankees - sentence enhancer - I ain't rooting for no - sentence enhancer - Yankees."  Incidentally, Dick Groat had several good years with the Cardinals after he left Pittsburgh.  As Casey used to say, "Look it up."

Well, better get out of here - Good night Moose Grimshaw wherever you are.

work safe

[trolleyboy]

Afternoon Ruth , nice to see that you've had a bit of company which is good for the tip jar and the registers ,I think a nice clubhouse from the sandwich board ,with two of the big pickles and a Keith's to drown it all in., as always keep the change.

Dan-Some nice photo's and info in those url's thank-you !that is I think the best descriptor of the railway scene , indeed this bar reeks with railroad history as well , a credit to the contributors to be sure

 I don't remember even seeing the conductor the last time I was on the ACR they check your tickets before you board in the Sault,you are given the car number in which your ticket was run for other than that, the car attendant's do make sure that families etc are sat together however.

CM3-Doncha just love this winter wild drops in temps and wild se saw's in weather oh well tis the new age I suppose.I don't do the big giant SUV's either to nice little four bangers that get far better traction and miliage in the snow,I tend to drive em till they drop as well.Soon very soon teh abseball shall start in earnest , can't wait. I'll likley be dissapointed by my team again but what the heck.

 A couple more shots for this afternoon.

a shot of the last stand of Go transits F7 APU's

More classic MLW's CP ones at the old TH&B Aberdeen roundhouse  in Hamilton Ontario now gone in favour of a steel train transloading facility

Some classic power on the old C&O / Pere Marquette trackage in Chatham Ontario.

Rob

[siberianmo]

G'day Gents!

Another attempt to keep ahead of the curve . . .

Customer Acknowledgments (since my last narrative):

Thursday - Feb 7^th: <all times Central standard>

Page 181 - Rob (trolleyboy) at 9:37 AM: Congrats on making the 3,600^th reply at the bar! Next one is on me . . .

There WILL BE A WHOPPER of a CONTEST coming up for the calling of our 4,000^th Post at the bar. Watch for it!!

Regarding the ever sickening topic of air fares: It isn't that Air Canada is the only air line from here that charges outrageous fares - they are ALL pretty much within twenty bucks of one another and all high. We've used AC mainly because they are the only carrier with non-stop flights between StL ‘n Pierson Int'l. The drawback is having to fly in the Regional Jet for 2 hours on seats made of concrete. Never have appreciated that . . . Tried Northwest a few times, and aside from a bit more comfort, there's a plane change in Detroit which just makes the trip even more of a pain in the patoot. No fun - simply no fun.

Someone with a far better understanding of how the airlines decide upon fares would most probably shed some light into the mystery of why StL is perhaps the highest fare tier 3^rd rate airport to fly out of since Moby Dick was a minnow. Once upon a time when TWA graced the airways, our hub was a bustling place with non-stops pretty much all over the globe. Fares were always higher than from other cities back then and still are now that TWA has long folded their wings into the "up" ‘n "gone" position. Just a mystery to me.

In the "if" department: Wouldn't it be absolutely great IF we could have hi-speed rail between major metro locations. St. Louis to Chicago - to Detroit  - to Toronto. Yeah, that would be something else. Would beat the socks off the "old" International that took a scheduled 12 hours between Chicago ‘n TO - but hardly ever was on time in later years. A topic beaten to death on these ‘n other Pages . . . Yeah, IF only . . . <groan>

Appreciate the spate of fotos - especially the string of RDC1s . . . LOVE-R-LY! And as mentioned a couple of times over on "my other Thread," great looking FPA4!

Thanx for the visit, chat ‘n ROUND!

Page 181 - Dan (DL-UK) at 10:09 AM: Hardly ever a visit passes without something ED-U-KAY-SHUN-UL being passed on to the crew at "Our" Place. Good insights within those links for the Harton Electric Railway ‘n coal company. Your continuing efforts to "participate ‘n provide" surely are right up there with the best of ‘em!

Really enjoyed the article on the Harton Electric Railway - foto of the passenger train crossing over the freight-laden tracks is a <keeper>.

Also a very fine spate of info on the Empire Builder ‘n Essex Montana. We spoke of disembarking for a day or two at Glacier National Park, but decided to go straight thru - as we really enjoy Oregon. With our limited "window" for play time - Oregon it shall be. Perhaps another time . . .

Well given the enormous difference in worth of currency, my guess is your penny will purchase a fair amount of brew for the crew!

One just never knows about what the 'morrow will bring - I believe that adage, fer sure, fer sure. But when it comes to long distance travels, I'm a plan ahead kinda guy. Absolutely will not 'n cannot allow myself to "do" the last minute bookings - exceptions of course do arise <death of a loved one or friend, etc.>. However, I most times like to get everything squared away at least 4 to 6 months ahead of the travel dates . . . just the way I am; works for me.

Another fine inclusive Post - and thanx for the visit ‘n ROUND!

Page 181 - CM3 Shane (coalminer3) at 10:17 AM: Moose Grimshaw! Why EVERYONE knows that name! <geesh> A link:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/players/48350/

A new meaning to the term "dropped ceiling," eh All of this shall pass - just wish the arthritic hands ‘n lower back would cooperate in order to help expedite matters . . . <groan> Well at least the "flow" has stopped . . . wonder when the next "blue moon" is to be

[siberianmo]

G'day Gents!

Time again for a special feature - this one has particular relevance to an upcoming trip we'll be taking in the spring . . . .

 

 

Now Arriving on Track Number One

Back in the Day

Number Twelve - The Great Northern's Empire Builder

 

 

 

Caveat: All narrative, fotos & graphics from wikipedia.com with their authority. Material NOT corroborated.

 

 

The Great Northern operated various passenger trains but the Empire Builder was the GN's premier passenger train. The Empire Builder was named in honor of Great Northern's founder James J. Hill, who was known as the "Empire Builder."

The Great Northern Railway (AAR reporting marks GN), running from St. Paul, Minnesota to Seattle, Washington - more than 1,700 miles (2,736 km) - was the creation of the 19th century railroad tycoon James J. Hill and was developed from the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. The Great Northern's route was the most northern transcontinental railroad route in the United States and was north of the Northern Pacific Railway route. The Great Northern was a privately funded transcontinental railroad, though some of its predecessor roads received land grants. The Great Northern was one of the few transcontinental railroads to avoid receivership following the Panic of 1893.

GN EMD F7A <GNU Free Documentation/Wikipedia.com>

The original Empire Builder was inaugurated by the Great Northern on June 11, 1929. The service was altered to carry additional passengers during World War II. After the war, new streamlined, diesel-powered trains were placed into service. This postwar service began on February 23, 1947. The train was fully re-equipped again in 1951.

Second #2, Empire Builder; 10 cars, 30 MPH. Photographed: Summit, Mont., August 5, 1938. <Otto Perry foto - Fair Use: Denver Public Library/Wikipedia.com>

The schedule of the route was optimized to allow riders views of the passing Cascade Mountains and the Rocky Mountain landscapes of Glacier National Park, a park that was established through the decisive lobbying efforts of the Great Northern. After it was re-equipped in the 1950's passengers viewed the route through its three dome coaches and one full-length "Great Dome" car for first class passengers. The train was named in honor of railroad tycoon James J. Hill, who reorganized several failing railroads into the Great Northern Railway and extended the line to the Pacific Northwest in the late 19th century.

Since its inception service has run from Chicago to Spokane, and split into Seattle and Portland sections (except during the Amtrak era between 1971 and 1981, when there was no Portland section). Prior to 1971, the Chicago to St. Paul leg of the train's route was operated by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad via its mainline along the Mississippi River through Wisconsin. The Spokane-Portland section of the train was historically operated by the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway.

[pwolfe]

Hi Tom and all.

A pint of the Brain's SA please RUTH.

NICK Thanks for looking to see about the APT, I have a slide of the 252-001 at Shildon, which I will show at the bar. I was right at the far end of the stands by the beer tent, while I was there I met the legendary railway photographer Bishop Eric Treacy, a nice gentleman, I took a photo of him but it was at the start of the film and did not come out too well.

Any idea who built those Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway 4-8-0Ts.

It was very lucky that two of those S&D 2-8-0s made it to Barry Scrapyard and were saved, I believe one of them as been painted in the S&D Prussian Blue, although I don't believe the class carried in S&D service, I would love to see it in the flesh and in action. I think it is on the West Somerset Railway a good 20-mile railway so the 2-8-0 can stretch her legs.

Glad you enjoyed the photos, yes that black smoke coming out of 5224 is not in the best tradition of the Great Western.

Yes the first few notes of Thin Lizzy's Whiskey in the Jar is an unforgettable rock anthem, like the first cord of Tommy. Very much enjoyed watching and listening to the Big River Band on U-Tube. With the railroad songs it will be a breeze at the bar, any problem with the track gang a blast of the loco whistle from the lead guitar will calm them down again. Vito the Hit has already got his hands on some tickets and they are going for 4 times face value.

A while ago we talked about Ireland and the line from Dublin to Rosslaire, a couple of photos of my first steam trip in Ireland 'The Sea Breeze'

 

If the Irish lads you are playing for at Fishguard go by train to Dublin after the ferry trip they will go over this piece of line by Wexford Harbour.

ROB Congratulations on the 3,600^th post.

Bad weather where you are as well, this has been a very bad and widespread system of extreme weather lately.

It would be interesting to know what they thought the walk through doors on the diesels would ever be used for, unless they had ideas of running long non-stop services where a crew change would be necessary with the replacement crew resting in the second unit until the time for the crew change.

Many thanks for those great Canadian and Chessie diesel photos. I guess the F7 was re-engined in the days of the photo.

What a time it would be with crew from Our Place at the Arms.

ERIC Thanks for the kind words on the saddle tanks.

Many thanks for the info on the way the buses were adapted for driving on the right. I guess it took a long while before the majority of vehicles on the road were left hand drive. I wonder if any of the buses were sold to the UK, instead of being adapted.

Great photo of the Whitcomb diesel. 

MIKE Many thanks for the links and those great old photos That is great artwork in the Final Flight of Lt. Frank Luke.

DL Great links to the Harton Electric Railway with, as you say, some really great reading and photos, like the one where the saddle tank is hauling those old coaches. The map is very useful as well in the second link. Thanks for sharing.

Yes it was good having the water troughs so close to home. My dad was fond of telling about when I must have been very young of going there and how hard it was to get me away with me saying  "One more just one more" to see the locos picking up water.

I read that the Silver Princess was withdrawn from service in 1966. That was when the West Coast line went electric from London Euston. I guess Silver Princess was steam heat only, lets hope your note to the NRM magazine helps to find some answers

CM3 Glad you liked the saddletank photos

[nickinwestwales]

PETE-you are absolutely right mate-a lesser man would have reached for the bottle and retired to sulk-not so our man-TOM is on top of the situation-must be hugely galling,given what a neat & tidy place the Can-Am room is-however(and this is important)-nobody got hurt or was left homeless,I know whererof I speak b.t.w-last year my workshop got flooded to a depth of about 8 inches-by a quirk of fate it happened a day or so after I had finished a job and had left a whole bunch of quality power tools sitting on the floor ready to go back into their various drawers-was months before I dared plug any of them in........ Glad you enjoyed the Big River Band-appearing at a trackside tavern near you sometime soon !!!! O.K guys-I know its thurs night and I should be putting up a fish menu but have had one of those rare nights with the band where everything works and to be quite honest I`m totally sloshed-we are talking one finger typing here. will get back to you all as soon as possible----take care now you all-love to all,Nick

[trolleyboy]

Good evening Leon , been a fairly steady night for you, nothing that you can't handle mind you.I thinka large portion of the fish n chips and a Keith's if you would be so kind.No no mushy peas save them for Nick and Pete.

 Tom- As Nick has said a lessor man would have folded his tent and curled into a fetal position,but you slopped up the water and didn't miss a beat.5x for that alone sir and an additional 5x for the fine great Northern Post.

 I'm humbled for the accolades of the 3600th post,honestly I hadn't even noticed.Just was trying to keep it on the rails as you would say.What to say about airfares,with all the subsidies one would think that they would be the cheapest game in town,I try to do as little flying as I need to.When I do I jump on the regional West Jet don't want nor need the pampering,and they have good Canada to Canada type pricing.

 Loved the pictures and info on the Empire Builder. I have to say that I was never one for the Big Sky Blue , I've always preferd the traditional orange and green,I was happy when the BNSF brought out the herritage paint scheme , shows some class to bring back the historical paint scheme. 

Pete-Some interesting shots again tonight.I enjoy the ongoing banter between you and Dan and Nick always some good info and stories.5x VIA actually never re-motored their F units they continued regular maintenance and held them together with baling wire for at least the first fifteen years of their existance.The Go units weer converted to basically cab control cars and only possesed an HEP gen set,once the Bombardier cab cars came into service adn they purchased the new F59 locomotives which had a HEP set as well as their prime mover teh F7APU's were retired off, several were sold to various US city commuter systems. I can remeber a string of about ten of them pulled through Niagara Falls on their way to the US.

 I think if this crew does meet up at the Arms, we need to give them fair warning of our impending arrival, that way they can find a nice quiet corner for us to expand into.

Nick-Good to see you even if it was just a flying visit,once you're back on an even keel we will look forward to the chat.

Rob

[EricX2000]

Good morning Captain Tom and Gentlemen!!

Leon, I'll have some Steak & Bisquits, please. Yepp, lots of exta marinade! Fries and a cold Keith's. And a round for the house!

Some interesting reading tonight! As usual.

Mike –  Some classy photos of New York Grand Central Terminal!

Imagine Castro riding Amtrak today!

“The Stand” looks like a pretty interesting book! Thanks for the url!

Tom –  Sorry to hear about the water in the Can-Am room! Sounds like that will cause a lot of work to get back in order.

Read your thread on SIRT! You got a number of good responses!

I know this is a cyber bar ‘n grill, but when I am as tired as I was last night that doesn’t work. Anything but coffee was out of the question even in the Ether. Thanks for the coffee!
Every time I start typing on my post I plan to buy a round for the house, but when I have finished it my memory is also finished and gone. So tonight I have it in the beginning of the post.

Nice photo of that F40PH and cars. Maybe it is the same loco as in this photo?



No, it is #560 in my picture and I think you caught #522.


Most interesting article on Great Northern’s Empire Builder! Great name on a train! Below is another photo from Havre, MT, with a train on track 1.

Havre, MT, 1993.


Rob –  Congrats to the 3600th post!!!

Nice photos! Especially the second and third from the top!

Also nice shot of Go Transits F7! Are they still in service?

DL –  Good luck with your slides!

CM3 –  Looking forward to info on Whitcomb! Whenever you have time, no rush!

Pete –  I think your scanner is working 24/7 now!! Which is good, more new photos for us! So keep it running!

Seems like Ireland had the same philosophy as UK about headlights on the locomotives. In other words, no headlights. Do you know if they have changed today?

Nick –  Get some rest young man! See you later!




Eric

[DL - UK]

Hi Tom and all in

I'll have a breakfast please - no pancakes today, bacon, eggs, hash browns please, coffee and juice too.

Hope the clean up operation was not too grim, and no lasting damage done. Trust the cause can be resolved. One of the things I always find impressive in North America is the generally well designed, dry and spacious basements properties have. I don't think I can think of a basement in the UK (where they exist) that does not seem to suffer a damp air problem of one degree or another - certainly in most cases they would not be the place to store ones model RR gear.

I thought you would like that Railcar in the shot over the coal trains.

Enjoy this brochure with some nice interior engineering shots:

http://www.railcar.co.uk/his100-109/101refurbbroch.htm

And then for a contrast have a look at this machine from the early 50s - The Flying Brick!)

Click on pics for enlargements

http://www.railcar.co.uk/hisOthers/ACVintro.htm

http://www.railcar.co.uk/hisOthers/ACVops.htm

I like the Empire Builder pics - the Winona Jct shot looks to me like a classic American scene!

Rob - Go transit trains look good with the F7

CM3 - good to see you in.

Pete - glad you liked the Harton stuff - I found it all very interesting - I guess we have to thank Allan for setting us off down that track.

Your thoughts about the Silver Princess withdrawal date certainly make sense (although I would class 1966 as Mid sixties, not early 60s). A non standard vehicle would not have fitted in - do you recall at that time, did they clear out all the old LMS stock ready for the electrification then, and go over to all MK1 plus soon MK 2 carriages? I would have thought that they would easily have had enough MK1's by then to do that. I know some LNER wooden buffet cars lasted into the 1970s ‘blue and grey' era - but that would probably have been on the east coast and maybe cross country routes. I recall the WCML having Mk1 buffet cars in rakes of otherwise air-conditioned Mk2 and possibly even Mk3 carriage trains in the early 1980s.

The NRM article commented that it was surprising that Silver Princess was mounted on LMS bogies not the then newly designed Commonwealth bogies which had been designed in the USA and would have been available then (I didn't know they were a US design). They also made the point that it was hard to get the paint to stick on it after they made the slightly foolish decision to paint over the stainless finish.

Eric - "Imagine Castro riding Amtrak today!" - that made me laugh - mind you, that's the kind of thing he might well do - he's probably running up and down the east coast Silver Service trains even as we speak - would anyone notice?!!!

Cheerio all

DL

 

 

[siberianmo]

<personal foto>

Friday's Grin

Reason "things" happen!

Law of Dirty Rugs/Carpets:

The chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich landing face down on a floor covering are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet/rug.

G'day Gents!

A blessed end to the week, as it's been a nightmarish few days - weatherwise ‘n otherwise. RIP! <groan> <grin>

The smell of our freshly ground ‘n brewed coffee serves as a terrific reminder that it's breakfast time! The Mentor Village Bakery case is chock full o' fine goodies from Mama ‘ Papa Grundledink - ‘n our Menu Board features our famous <light> ‘n <traditional> breakfasts. So, why the delay

Customer Acknowledgments (since my last narrative):

Thursday - Feb 7^th: <all times Central standard>

Page 181 - Pete (pwolfe) at 6:29 PM: Accolades aside, the Proprietor simply keeps up his end of the "deal" ‘round here. That Great Northern Empire Builder piece was prepared in advance - all I had to do was format it for the Forum <colors, font sizes, etc.>.

Your call came at a great time - as I surely needed a break. Thanx in large measure to Juneau ‘n his "several' walks per day, I've been able to get away for bits of time - which of course is good for the both of us. <grin>

Enjoyed our chat - as usual - ‘n appreciate your thinking of me.

Interesting thought you posit with that #6 . . . <grin>

Thanx for the fotos from your 1^st steam trip in Ireland. When was that

Looking forward to that foto of yours - standing by a beer tent <of all places!>

Appreciate the visit, chat ‘n ROUND!

Page 181 - Nick (nickinwestwales) at 7:11 PM: Seven-Eleven - quite a combo, eh Appreciate the late, late visit <for you> but most reasonable hour <for us!>. Our man Nick always has possession of his adjectives - sloshed or not. <grin> The situation in the trainroom most certainly could've been far worse - the water level could've reached the layout! <arrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhh> It didn't. <phew> Someone could've gotten hurt. <uh oh> No one did. <phew> So, yes - it's simply a matter of aggravation. And this too shall pass - along with yesterday's supper.

Not to worry ‘bout menu preparation - those H&H beasts gals are handling things quite well in the galley! We look forward to a resumption of your Chief Chef's   activities - but ONLY when you're not pressed for time, Mate - not pressed for time.

Thanx for keeping us in mind . . . means a lot!

Page 181 - Rob (trolleyboy) at 8:52 PM: Back with an evening visit 'n chat!

When long distance travel is required 'n time is a factor, one simply has to "gut it out" 'n use the airlines. <barf>

I preferred the traditional GN livery too - that blue just doesn't do it for me either. However, "back in the day," it surely was nice to see so many passenger trains with many color schemes that just captivated the eye as they passed by . . . . ahhhhhhhh.

Much appreciation for the visit 'n chat!

Fri - Feb  8th:

Page 181 - Eric (EricX2000) at 1:52 AM: Hmmmmm - something to be said about being unable to separate cyber-frolic from reality, but I won't!

A bunch of comments for the guys - which 'round here we brand as "inclusive." As usual, nicely done!

Noticed that the foto of Amtrak's Empire Builder appears to be without SuperLiners - nes pa

[LoveDomes]

Ahoy Cap'n Tom ‘n fellow travelers at the bar!!

Ruth my deAH, ‘tis the Larsman with a thirst for more than coffee! <grin> But, given the circumstances, a mugga Joe with a splash will have to do. <grimace> A round for the house, treats for the crittAHs ‘n a small jar of PPF for Boris the ever-present-cyclops of "Our" Place!

Was great talkin' to Da Bossman last night ‘n thought I'd swing by this mornin' to help out as he (Tom) is gonna be away for most of the day. Gotta do what we gotta do ‘round here IF that is we expect to keep the ship on course.

Very sorry to learn of the basement situation at Da Bossman's house - glad it's under control and like what we experienced a couple of years back. But of course once you get the "estimates" for what it will take to ensure there won't be a repeat performance - then dispositions are bound to change. <arrrrggggghhhhh> Home insurance cover any of this From what you described, I doubt it. Hydrostatic pressure against the walls or under the basement pad hardly evAH comes undAh any kind of coverage. Doesn't that just . . . . nevAH mind. <arrrrrggggghhhhh>

Pretty nice write up on that Empire Builder ‘n the pix were mighty fine too! I think there's a post over on the old site mentioning a trip my father took us all on when the GN still operated that train. Memory is fading fast, but in those times we had the blue cars - I believe. My sister ‘n I had a blast as we ‘tormented' the passengers up in the dome with our antics. Nothing bad, mind you, just kids being kids aboard a train. <grin>

Noticing all kinds of Brit-stuff filling the pages with links ‘n pix too. What is this, a conspiracy to take us all ovAH <or back> Good material, but very, very time consuming for sure.

Let me just offer my continuing thanks to the guys for keeping things going here at "Our" Place - ROB - PETE - ERIC - SHANE as the "core group," ‘n the guys on the "outer ring" being helpful too, such as DAN, NICK ‘n MIKE.

Sure wish I could put up a "typical Larsman" post - but time being what it is, fleeting, this will just have to do.

Molly Throttlebottom as Pete's "boss" I bettAH reconsidAH my withdrawal . . . <grin>

Oh by the way Cap'n Tom - I LIKE that little train you've added to the daily summary . . .

Can't believe it's nearly time for spring training 'n baseball. Honestly haven't even thought about it 'til I heard the Mets acquired another "mercenary." Makes me sick - sick - sick. Really nevAH thought I'd lose interest - but it's gettin' close.

Heard about the shooting in Kirkwood. Must have been a terrifying experience for the people in that city council meeting. Six dead, including the shooter. That's the best part of it all - at least the citizens won't have to put up with the trial nonsense for a guy who killed 5 and wounded others because of whatever "snit" he was in with the mayor. Terrible, but a symptom of the sickness in our society.

 

Well on to more pleasant thoughts . . . . How about some book covAHs I hear the Larsman Mobile pulling up right now . . . .

 

Union Pacific 1998-1999 Motive Power Annual

Suburban Philadelphia Trolleys

The Locomotive Cyclopedia - Vol I

Southern Railway Steam Trains, Vol 2 - Freights

Southern Pacific - The Sunset Limited

Soo Line Steam Power

 

[coalminer3]

Good Morning Barkeep and all Present; coffee, please; round for the house and $ for the jukebox.  We had snog this a.m., but it is clearing up a little and supposed to get into the 30s.  K9 Korps enjoyed morning activities.  Gas is at $3.09, Boston sportswriters have themselves in a knot over Schilling's shoulder, WV lost by one to Pitt last night, etc., etc.

Pichers and catchers report in 6 days.

Rob was in with comments and notes - Look at it this way, the Jays will take your mind off the Leafs - talk about an implosion!  I liked the shot of the beasts in Hamilton - thanks for sharing.  I remember seeing and photographing prewar SCL (nee SAL) units on Amtrak trains during the rainbow era.  Nasty, dirty, but still running.  Incidentally side panels on those units were sheets of plywood - had to contain costs somehow.  I did some math back then and figured that those old E's each had well over a million miles on them.

Eric was in with comments and a picture at Havre - eastbound or westbound enquiring minds want to know.  Cr order was a bit confusing as there was a baggage car, a 10/6 and then your train.  Was the 10/6 a crew car for you folks or just being deadheaded? 

Nick was here (I think) - Boris, did you help him?  He was face down in the chowder pot again.

Pete - Good stuff - ghost engine, indeed.  Fog really muffles sound and there it is! 

OSP is keeping on keeping on!  We have to, right?  That godawful mess in Kirkwood was all over the news here this a.m.  ‘Nuff said! 

Your rant about airlines is on target;  you probably heard that UAL wants to charge $25 a for a second bag (no Boris, luggage, not passenger).  I gave up flying (unless absolutely necessary) yrs. ago as I did so much of it for so long.  Back in the day, I'd often fly from Nashville to Washington and then train from there northward - AA had a flight that got to DC in midmorning and then there was a lot to choose from for rail service.  Frequently rode the Metroliner to New York (yed, Awk, if you looked friendly you could soemtimes wrangle some time in the operators compartment - I well remember meeting GG1 powered trains that way - would truly curl your hair)  and then the Merchants from there to Boston; yes, Forstbite it had a full diner and parlor cars back then.  Was it really that long ago?

You will enjoy the Builder.  BTW, the book you posted, All Aboard for Glacier is outstanding! 

Can't help it - I enjoy ancient baseball history.

Hope you have the submarine pen (your basement) cleaned up, that the leaks have stopped, and that there was a minimum amount of damage.  Your remark on carpeting was true as well.

All for now - whoops wait a minute, hit the refresh button and Lars appears!  Good to hear from you.  Mets have snatna and the rest of their pitching is at beset, suspect - you have an awful fall-off between your 1st and 2nd starters.  Gret bookcovers - the one about the Sunset is a good one. 

Work safe

[pwolfe]

Hi Tom and all.

Another pint of Brains SA please RUTH.

NICK It always seems the way, when something like flooding happens, that something, that is normally out of the way safe, gets caught in it.

Looking forward to the Big River Band's appearance, I will have to not stay in Pat's place too long on St Patrick's Day it generally opens at some very early hour and by evening it is nearly impossible to get in there

ROB Glad you are enjoying the British train banter, sometimes I worry that I use British terms for railway stuff that may not be used over here, if I do let me know and I will try to explain it.

It must have been a good sight those ten F7APUs running together but sad that they were leaving to work elsewhere.

One of the Class 20s heard about your remark about their looks and has had a Makeover. See the photo at the end of the post.

ERIC Thanks for the round.

Glad you are enjoying the photos from the scanner; yes it as had a fair bit of work since I got it.

Many thanks for the GO #560 and the X2000 at Havre MY photos.

The new Irish locomotives have two small headlights when I took this Photo at Limerick Junction.

At the time of that visit these DMUs had just been introduced and all the passenger trains were locomotive hauled nowadays I think most services are in the hands of the DMUS.

I just happened to see your posts have reached 444 surely that deserves at night with the Brunette.

DL Many thanks for the link to the DMUs, they certainly gave very good service to BR, I dare say if they had been a failure we would have lost a lot more branch lines in the 1950s and 1960s. Very interesting about the ACV units, I had not heard of the Harrow to Belmont line. It was a shame though they could not have done more about the unit's appearance, Flying Brick is about right.

Yes I very much enjoyed the Harton links.

I must admit I do not really know that much about the coaching stock I really wish now I had taken more notice, as the old LMS stock seem to drift away. I guess the old coaches could not be used for 100MPH running that was coming in with the electrics and with most branch lines in the hands of the DMUs, I guess there was not a lot of use for the old coaches. Come to think of it I don't think I have ever read anything about the scrapping of old carriages, I wonder if was done at the BR carriage works. I think it would make a very interesting article.

If I recall right the wooden LNER buffet cars were used on the Cross-Country services I have a recollection of traveling on one but can't recall where. I think the last service to use one was the Manchester to Harwich service when it was loco hauled.

LARS Great to see you in the bar.

Yes I don't think Molly Throttlebottom would be a good choice as manager of the bar BORIS has a terrible crush on her and he would be forever giving her gifts from his shed.

Another great selection from the Larsman Mobile. Great photos showing the large Southern Railway steam on the freight trains and the night photo of the Sunset Limited makes one wish they were boarding the train.

CM3 It is one thing I noticed in England over the years is we did not get the fogs we used to get years ago. In some of the ‘pea soupers' we used to get the locomotive drivers must have great skill to see those signals just lit by oil lamps and have great route knowledge to know where to look for them in the days before the Automatic Warning System.

One class of BR locomotive that seemed to have fog clinging around the boiler in foggy conditions was the Caprotti valve gear Standard class 5 4-6-0s, I have no idea why this was. 

TOM That was very bad news from Kirkwood last night.

I have found the notes on the Sea Breeze trip. A travel company organized the trip. It started on Friday night June 23^rd 1989 with a liquid supper at the Rokeby Club before joining the night Irish Mail with a loco change at Crewe from electric to diesel traction then arrival in Holyhead for the night sailing. It was the

[siberianmo]

G'day Gents!

Pleased to see Lars - CM3 Shane 'n Pete during the daylite hours on this end of the work week <for many>! Comments in the morning Summary . . . .

* * * * *     * * * * *     * * * * * 

Here's a Blast from the Past from the archives that fits well into today's date - Feb 8th:

On this day, February 8th, in Canadian Railroading history:

Hinton train collision

 

<Initially Posted on Page 241, Feb 8th, 2006 on the Original Thread>

 

 

Used with permission from: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Formatting differences made necessary due to Forums requirements.

 

 

The Hinton train collision was a railway accident that occurred on February 8, 1986. Twenty-three people were killed in a collision between a Canadian National Railway freight train and a VIA Rail passenger train. It was the most lethal Canadian rail disaster since the Dugald accident of 1947.

The vicinity of the accident

The accident took place on a stretch of Canadian National Railway's transcontinental main line, near the town of Hinton, Alberta, west of Edmonton. Nearby towns are Jasper to the west and Edson to the east. Passenger service on the line was provided by VIA Rail Canada. Slightly over half of the 100 mile (160 kilometre) stretch of track between Jasper and Edson was double-tracked, including 11.2 miles (18 kilometres) of trackage from Hargwen siding west to Dalehurst siding. Traffic on this line was controlled with Centralized Traffic Control (CTC)

Prelude to the accident

On the morning of February 8, 1986, VIA Rail's No. 4 train, the Super Continental, was travelling from Jasper east to Edmonton on its transcontinental journey. It consisted of 14 units in the following order:
1. Diesel locomotive
2. Diesel locomotive
3. Baggage car
4. Coach
5. Dome car
6. Sleeping car
7. Sleeping car
8. Diesel locomotive (inoperative)
9. Steam generator car
10. Baggage car
11. Coach
12. Lounge car
13. Sleeping car
14. Steam generator car

The unusual make up of the train was the result of two separate trains being joined together in Jasper. The first seven units had originated in Vancouver, and the next six units had originated in Prince Rupert. The last unit, the steam generator car, was added in Jasper on its way to Edmonton for maintenance. One hundred fifteen people were on the train; 94 passengers, 14 stewards and seven crew.

Canadian National Railway's westbound train No. 413 consisted of three locomotives, followed by a high-speed spreader, 35 cylindrical hoppers loaded with grain, seven bulkhead flat cars loaded with large pipes, 45 hoppers loaded with sulphur, 20 loaded tank cars, six more grain cars, and a caboose; a total of 118 units. It was 6,124 feet (1,866 metres) long and weighed 12,804 tons. In the front locomotive were engineer John Edward (Jack) Hudson, aged 48, and brakeman Mark Edwards, aged 25. In the caboose was conductor Wayne Smith, aged 33.

The freight train left Edson at 6:40 am, and took the siding at Medicine Lodge to allow two eastbound trains to pass. It departed Medicine Lodge at 8:02 am and reached Hargwen at 8:20 am, where a section of double track started. The remote dispatcher at Edmonton had set the switch so that the train was routed onto the north track. At the same time, the Super Continental stopped at Hinton. It left on time, five minutes later, at 8:25 am.

At 8:29 am, the dispatcher set the switch at Dalehurst, where the section of double track ended, to allow the Super Continental to take the south track. This switch setting would have caused the freight train to see signals indicating a stop. A two-light signal 13,600 feet (4.15 kilometres) east of Dalehurst showed yellow over red (meaning slow down and prepare to stop). As the train approached this signal, it was already going full throttle at 59 miles per hour (96 kilometres per hour), faster than the 50 mile per hour limit on this stretch of track. It did not slow down after passing the signal.

Further west, there was a three-light signal, 490 feet (150 metres) east of the switch at Dalehurst that showed three red lamps, indicating a stop. The freight still did not slow down, instead jumping the switch and entering the section of single track occupied by the Super Continental. Had the Super Continental been even a minute early, it would have been past the switch at this point, but unfortunately it was not. Seconds after the freight jumped the switch, at 8:40:52 am, the two trains collided, 1,270 feet (387 metres) west of the switch. As the freight train's momentum was greater than that of the passenger train, it ploughed through the first few cars of the passenger train.

The aftermath

After the crash, diesel fuel spilled from the locomotives and ignited, and the locomotives, the baggage car, and the day coach were engulfed in flames. The two crew members in each of the locomotives were killed.

Eighteen of the 36 occupants of the day coach were killed. The death toll might have been higher except that the contents of a grain car were propelled on top of the car, helping to smother the fire somewhat. Had the sulphur cars, for instance, been at the front of the train, the death toll might have been higher.

The observation dome car behind the day coach suffered serious damage, and was also hit by a freight car. One of its occupants was killed. The others were able to escape either through a broken window in the dome or through the hole left by the freight car. The two sleepers following the dome car derailed and were thrown on their sides. There were no deaths in these cars, but there were several injuries. The three passenger cars at the rear of the train did not derail, but there were some injuries.

As the accident unfolded, the cars on the freight train piled up on each other, resulting in a large pile of rolling stock. The three freight locomotives and the first 76 cars of the train were either destroyed or damaged.

The cause

It was clear that the freight train should hav

[Gunneral]

Hi Tom and all,

Leon, the usual round of the amber brew of Tui`s for all the crew please.

Tom. It was sad to hear about the water problem in your basement train room, did you have to man the pumps` or just mop it all up? Anyway, i`m glad to read it did`nt do any damage to your layout and equipment. I totally support all the praises from the guys on all your hard work and efforts at keeping "Our place" up and running, and also for Lars`s role too, both your efforts make this a really neat and most interesting place to visit without doubt! I would just love to be with all you guys  at the Rendezvous III meet, it would be great to meet you all and talk face to face instead of in print! Enjoyed all the pics of your S-Capades RR and equipment, a very interesting item on the Empire Builder with pics, that was a sad story on the Hinton collision. I agree with you totally about how lucky we are when you mentioned visiting the Vet hospitals, their but for the grace of God!

Rob. Congratulations on making the 3,600 post. Thanks for all the info on Tom`s bus, it fitted in with Eric`s bus info to a "T" That`s what`s so great about this place, everyone joins in and give`s that bit of extra knowledge to all the info and pics. Enjoyed all the great pics you posted and all your write up`s.

Eric. Great to hear you are recuperating well, after getting my appetite back after surgery I could have "Ate a scabbie horse and chased the jockey" [an old country saying for extreme hunger] Nice pics of the Scania bus with the info and the pic of the Whitcomb diesel electric loco and all the other pics.

Dan. Many thanks for the links to the Harton and Westoe railway sites, they were really great and  took me right back to my young days, used to visit some of our family who lived at Marsden and used to go and watch the electric locos` at work at Harton and Westoe. Some of the Harton one`s hauled their batteries in a goods wagon behind the loco! Enjoyed all your links to the DMU sites and your continuing story of the Silver Princess car and the link to the RE8 site and the story about your grandfather`s walking stick. Found the correct address for that Westoe electric loco site, they are in the 21st set of photo`s down the list, Pete will be interested in this too,

                      http://erniesphotos.fotopic.net/

The site has a very comprehensive collection of photo`s of the North eastern rail scene.

Fergie. Good to see you back in again.

Lars. Very nice writing about your service life memories, my biggest memory is of being YOUNG and FIT in those days. Enjoyed the double helping of coVAHS from the Larsman Mobile down on the Key`s, and all of your very interesting writing. You "Sir" are doing a great job at the Bar, long may it continue!

Pete. Thanks for that Westoe link, see that loco pic you posted was Westoe #9, hope you enjoy that link I put in Dans part of this post. Nice lot of North Tyneside pics and those Irish trip pics, all "keepers". Apparently Kevin Keagan says that he and Dennis Wise will get along OK but insists that he must have the final say on the 1st team. Only thing is WHEN are they going to WIN again?

CM3. Hope you were`nt affected by those Tornadoes

[nickinwestwales]

Well good evening my dears-welcome to the weekend-First up-apologies to all for shameful behaviour last night-fans of natural justice will be satisfied to hear that this mornings hangover was of epic proportions-sick as a fat cowboys horse,to coin a phrase -also missisnick has spent the evening pointing out various handsome chaps on the tv with remarks like " I bet HE doesn`t snore " and similar.....hmmmmm Well then Leon -had best try a bottle or two-purely for medicinal purposes you understandand I feel sure these good people will join me in a small refreshment.........n`est pas ? Right-to the business of the night:- LARS-May I join the rest of the company in noting the fine work you have done in our little refuge from reality and thanking you for it ...I am sure some here will recall that there was a time when the shutters came down round here and without your enthusiasm and commitment would have stayed down-all power to your arm my friend and I hope the future holds only the most pleasant of suprises for you--Good job done mate DL-highly enjoyable stuff on the colliery railway-have always had a fondness for obscure industrial lines-excellent-as regards the Northlander-plans are afoot,although some ongoing family health problems mean that nothing is set in stone just yet........If it`s meant to happen it will-if not ....... CM3-apologies for the gas-guzzler rant-my particular `beef` is that every morning and afternoon my little daughter is forced to breathe exhaust fumes all the way to and from school (as well as dodge into gateways all the way up and down our narrow lanes ) cos of people who are just too lazy to walk their precious little darlings a quarter mile each way-dont get me started...... Good stuff (as ever) from you this fine day ROB-I understand the white stuff is kicking in big time with you guys -could be a bonus day off work there -loved the pix btw-am liking that `weathered to death` look on the zebra livery the more I see it-might be a project in there.....in nit-picking mode-those VIA units-they look more like FP9a`s to me- the number on the lead unit seems to fit that as do the multiple grills and winterisation hatches on the roof-but I`ve been wrong before more than once.....nice shot of the GO FP7a-of course ,some of them were ex-O.N.R units-presumably a `paper-shuffle`sale since they are both govt. lines.... TOM-Hope today is looking better than yesterday mate-I feel for you,truly......mother nature is the harshest of mistress`s-nice pic of the GO train-especially liked the carved stonework in the top left corner-the cherub appears to be gazing worshipfully at the train-my kind of architecture !!!!!!!  Nice stuff on the Empire Builder-especially topical with the Walthers production run of the train-jury is still out on the livery-the green/orange is definately the `classic train` but conversely the big sky blue has a certain eye-catching charm and was no doubt `of it`s time` ...That accident report made strangely compulsive reading-`tis a fragile thread we all hang by-one mistake by somebody else and we are with the ancestors...sobering stuff PETE-glad you are enjoying the Brains-try a jar of the double dragon,just for a comparison-not sure who built the `Swilly` engines ,but will get on the case-the Irish Narrow gauge patronised many of the independant British builders,as you know,but shouldn`t be to hard to track down..Havn`t had the pleasure of travelling behind one of the S&D 2-8-0`s yet but have some snaps of the one on the W.S.R which I suspect I have posted before-she was sitting  outside the shed with a number of bits missing-also saw one (possibly the same one ) at Butterley back in `91 when we stopped off on the way home from a cancer relief show in a miners welfare hall up near Newark somewhere (have some pix of the show as well-full leathers,Rickenbacker bass and attitude-at least I still had teeth then..)--Nice pix from Wexford-a lovely friendly town-have shots of the line running through the town-one of the few street runs in the British isles-we were sitting in a cafe facing onto the quay when the odd multi-toned horn noise,which I had assumed to be traffic noise ,suddenly turned into a huge black & orange GM loco with 7 on-the Dublin-Rosslare boat train-by the time I had struggled past various prams,buggies and brollies she was gone before I could `snap` her-c`est la vie....btw-the sea cat is known in these parts as the vomit comet...moving on to music-Simon`s guitar will stun even the most rowdy of the track gang-Forget Marshall amps-he uses either a WEM Dominator or a VOX A.C 30-both hot-wired with valves the size of milk bottles-occaisionally both together-with his Fender guitars the sound is awesome-when he digs out his `59 Gibson Les Paul or his `61 Les Paul junior (both with custom pick ups)-it becomes a physical presence-between that and Steve`s 30 year old Ludwig drums and Zildjan cymbals I`m suprised I can hear anything at all -R.E-`Tommy`if you are a fan of the `orrible `oo their classic `Live at Leeds `show is available as a 2-disc set-1 disc is the show as originally released ,but with loads more tracks and the other is the whole of Tommy,live-and its a blinder-this was just after they had played at Woodstock and toured the states and the whole band are at the top of their form-highly recommended  ERIC-nice pix there mate--always a sucker for anything from maple leaf territory... General nit picking question-are those GO loco`s FP40`s or FP59`s -not that it matters,but the received wisdom I have is that GO transit only bought a few `40`s and traded them up for `59`s ASAP-apparently the `59`s have more hotel power as well as general horse power-I had assumed that they were all `40`s purely `cos of the Walthers model-which,irritatingly,is a different shade of green to the Atlas Bi-Levels....go figure......(although it runs like a Swiss watch) Right-apparently we are going to spend a few days with the mother in law between sunday and wednesday,so if I dont make it in tomorrow,have a good week-be happy,lucky or better still both !!...take care folks--Leon-a bottle of the rum,bar snacks and set up the projector for a private screening of `Oh Mr Porter`-one of the true `classic train` movies-sleep well guys Nick Take care chaps

[trolleyboy]

 Good evening Leon , I see that you saved me a nice peperoni pizza so i shall enjoy it with a couple bottles of Carlings Black label here's some extra for a round for the boys,I can hear quite a match going on in the pool room,sounds likea grudge match of sorts between the track gangs.

Tom-Good to hear that you survived the dampening of your basement , hopefully it's one time deal.Good read again on the Hinton disater,seems like it wasn't all that long ago.But for the grace of God indeed.There is a  good piece on it on the disasters of the centruy series that reruns on the History Network once in a while,I've caught it a couple of times.

  Sounds like you've got a pretty good pick of accomadations on your upcomming rail trip , here's hopping it's all it's billed to be for you guys.

Lars-  Ah yes , some good good book picks today,I see that you tried to sneak something in for all of us good show I'm glad that we are all in aggreement that Molly throttlebottom will not make a good manageress here.I can't imagine the love sick cyclops mopping around this place giving preasants from his shed , shudder to think

Dan-more good stuff from you today as well thank-you the flying Bricks do seem to be aptly named

Pete-Not to worry my friend I'll let you know if teh Brit rail terms confuse so far i've been able to follow along,hey it's earning curve for all of us that's what makes the place work as Allan has pointed out I'm not sure that livery on the class 20 was better or not,I'm kind of left feeling that it's sort of like hanging a brand new tiffany chandelier in a haunted house certainly in the case of that beak that was added to that other loco, movie or not

 By the way I don't want to know what kind of "gifts" Boris is cooking up for Molly in his shed<uh oh >

 It  was sad to see those F7APU's "shuffled off to Buffalo" ( litterally that's where they crossed the boarder ) but I'm sure they put in a few more years of service on some of the brand new at the time services then comming online in the various US cities.Go transit was used as a template for quite a few of those systems.

CM3-I see that you aer a driver like myself, I don't know travelling seems better when I'm either at the controls or sitting in a rail car, I've just never enjoyed flying,it's a necesary evil once in a while but I try to avoid it. I ahdn't realized that there were wooden compnoents to E unit carbodies i guess I always assumed that they were metal,kind of proves the "ASSUME: addage.

Eric-Nice shots of the empire Builder Sadly all of Go's F7's are now gone the last F's in comuter servcie are two that Montreals system retains,although I understand that they  are used as reserve units now only as new F59PHi's have replaced them in theh day to day service.

Allan-Well said,It is amazing how we all manage to build of and augment each others bits of knowledge,truly what makes us an Island in the forum

Nick-I see that you've recovered well mostly anyway,I hope that Boris didn't hurt you when he rescued you from the chowder bowl ,he wanted to perform CPR I'm just glad that Helga stepped in when she did <uh oh >

 You have a keen eye those are Fp9's by my roster. I must admit that I've had a heck of a time distinguishing F units they all look the same.You are correct on your F40 / F59 assertions on the Go transit,the F40's didn't cut the mustard for them,the F59's were a bit more powerfull and had better more modern HEP units,best ditinguisher between them as they are similar in looks, is to look for the front porch the F59's have the little crew walkway in front of the nose where as the F40's are your typical flush fronted cowel locomotive.

 If you do make it over again let me know we'll ahve to come down and put out the welcome mat,that and maybe we can ride shotgun with you,espeacially if you come over and ride the ONR during peak mosquito season ( official bird of Ontario you know ! ) 

Rob

[EricX2000]

Good morning Captain Tom and Gentlemen!!

Leon, glad you are still awake! I'll have a number 5 with a full set of side orders! You know, the usual including raw onions! Keith's, please!

Time to sit down and go through whatever was discussed here today, sorry, yesterday.

DL –  You are right! No one would notice if Castro took the train from Washington to New York today.

Tom –  Amtrak’s Empire Builder was not even close when I took that photo. It would have been nice if it had been present though! The big problem would have been to get both trains in the same picture.

Very interesting reading, the Hinton train collision. A bad disaster that probably caould have been avoided with a little bit more sophisticated equipment, which existed. Did CN make any changes after this accident?

Lars –  So you are staying as the Manager!?! Good news indeed! You never know what kind of damage could have happened had Molly Throttlebottom taken over your responsibilities.

Interesting books! I’ll take The Locomotive Cyclopedia! Or, maybe, The Sunset Limited!

CM3 –  I, the photographer, was facing east when I took the picture in Havre and we were heading west with the train. The 10/6 was our crew car. The baggage car was used for spare parts and a lot of marketing stuff, including some nice souvenirs.

Pete –  Thanks for the answer about headlights on the Irish locomotives! I would say it is a trend all over Europe that locomotive hauled trains are being replaced by EMUs and DMUs, especially on shorter runs.

444 posts? Yeah, I’ll have to tell her!

Nice photos of the Irish locomotive and DMU! Your quiz qestion? Must be a James Bond movie, but I don’t have a clue which one.

Allan –  I feel great and my appetite is back to normal, thank you! But the best part now is that I can eat what I really like again.

Nick –  You are right! The locomotives in my and Tom’s photos are F59PH, nothing else. Glad you brought it up. More info on Go Transit F59PH on this link:

http://transit.toronto.on.ca/gotransit/2505.shtml

Rob –  Sorry to disappoint you, but it is not the Empire Builder in my picture. It is F40+F40+baggage car+sleeper+X2000 on the way to the west coast in 1993.

I saw you’ve already given Nick’s the correct info on Go Transit’s F59PHs!

Also in Havre! A bad (sorry about the smoke stack) photo of a great locomotive, Great Northern’s Class S-2, 4-8-4, #2584.

 

Eric

[siberianmo]

<personal foto>

This is ENCORE! Saturday - and - Photo Posting Day!

Remember: "Our" Place is CLOSED on Sundays.

  

G'day Gents!

Saturday at the Watering Hole by the Wayside ‘n time to lay back a bit - start off on a slow bell today with a mugga Joe, a few pastries ‘n a <light> or <traditional> breakfast from our Menu Board. <urp> That should do it!

Customer Acknowledgments (since my last narrative):

Friday - Feb 8^th: <all times Central standard>

Page 181 - Lars (LoveDomes) at 9:13 AM: What's to add to the Kirkwood shootings other than to say it's a terrible tragedy for any town to experience. Especially tragic for Kirkwood as they've had their "share" of woeful events the past couple of years <kidnappings of children ‘n murder of a police officer> - not good. I concur, the best to come out of it is that the guy who did the killings was taken out . . .

Some nifty shots on those book covers - I'm impressed with that Loco Cyclopedia ‘n the Sunset Limited. <keepers> fer sure, fer sure!

Yes, it was nice speaking with you last evening. Between you ‘n the Wolfman, I'm beginning to wonder whether I should get a "phone implant" in my "port" ear. <grin> Seriously, thanx for the call - I know your plate is full enough. It' s nice to be thought of . . .

We are looking forward to our rail adventure this spring - just have "this thing" about Amtrak . . . but I'm hoping for the best. Oregon should be lots of fun, always have had a good time there - a place I could have wound up in had it not been for . . . <uh oh>

Many thanx for the visit, covers, chat ‘n ROUND!

Page 181 - CM3 Shane (coalminer) at 9:15 AM: Don't know why our petrol prices are so far below yours - perhaps it's the state taxes. Anyway, "Collusion Corner" has ‘em at $2.78 (rounded) . . . Saw it as low as $2.75 (rounded) on my "rounds" this day . . . Always higher over in Illinois, so when you travel out this way for Rendezvous III, you may want to keep that in mind. Fill up in Missouri - will save you some "coin."

Yeah, I'm "hip" to the proposed baggage fee that UAL wants to implement. Hey, nothing surprises me with those people - when Air Canada charges $5 for a pillow ‘n American Airlines has discontinued use of ‘em <even in 1^st class> - and, and, and . . . <ugh>

The last time I saw a GG1 in operation it had Conrail livery. Almost made me cry . . . was traveling the MetroLiner from WashDC to Newark . . . By the by, what do you know about Conrail ‘n passenger service I saw passenger cars behind that GG1 ‘n was surprised to see ‘em in Conrail colors. Just curious . . .

Visit, chat, quarters ‘n round most appreciated!

Page 181 - Pete (pwolfe) at 2:40 PM: A rather early visit from the Wolfman, but one that is chock full o' good stuff for the crew!

As much as we've enjoyed Kirkwood, it does seem really extra-tragic to learn of such an event, eh The place where the 1^st police officer was gunned down was in the parking lot behind a café where a friend of mine ‘n I have breakfast about once a month. It's across from the Kirkwood Station hobby store . . . Next time we park there I'm sure it will be ‘different' for us knowing what took place. <grim>

Liked the fotos of the Irish loco ‘n DMUs . . .

Thanx for the additional info on your "Sea breeze" adventure! Now I KNOW you don't throw away all of those ‘scraps' of paper that you jot things down on ‘n stuff into that "black bag" of yours!

Oh yeah - that's the "Armor Train" featured in a James Bond flick called "Goldeneye (1995)." <grin>

Many thanx for the visit, < I³ > Post, fotos &lsquo

[trolleyboy]

Morning Captain Tom and all the ships at sea I'm glad to hear that teh basement woes were more of an inconvenience,here's hoping that it's not an expensive fix,we wouldn't want you to have to become a walmart greeter because of it <barf>probably a great plan that you had used the rubber flooring,one for the good guys

As to those Go units at a quick glance the 59's and 40's are awfully similar,save for the length and that little front porch , but then don't most modern diesels look the same anyway <barf> gone is the charactor of the good old diesels.

 A phone implant hmm could be good could be bad so long as the numbers unlisted at least the  telemarketers couldn't bother you. You would  become Tom of Borg on second thought maybe you should devolve and just have a telegraph set installed,less bothers from teh rest of the world that way and you could practice your morse and teach those you deem worthy so they can keep in touch with you

eric-My understanding is that only some of the proposed changes were made. Certainly the crew and time on the job regulations were made more strict and stringent. All of the aera is now CTC controlled with no dark areas but that would have been changed anyway had the accident not happened,I believe longer passing sidings were installed as well.

Great shot of the GN steamer a keeper for sure

A couple random shots before I head into work.

A work "thing" from the Chicago surface lines

Cornwall locomotive #8 on the belt line. Shot's from march of 1971 ( only a bit older than me )the last year of operations on the CSR which had been strictly freight since the 1960's.

Work equipment in the St Catharines yard of the NS&T

enjoy

Rob

[LoveDomes]

Ahoy Cap'n Tom ‘n fellow travelers at the bar!

Cindy my sweet, here we are at another Saturday ‘n not very busy is it I'll have a mugga Joe with a "BK splash" if you please ‘n a couple of crullAHs from the bakery case. Boris has fed the crittAHs, so let him have that small jar of PPF, wudja Put aside this twenty for a round on me once business picks up. Oh yes, the change is for you!

Just to set the record straight: I really think Da Bossman needs to select someone else to be the Manager. I'm not seeing very many bright days ahead. Meaning, my visits to "Our" Place most likely are going to be rather restricted. Thanks to all who have given me such a fine "vote of confidence," but why not step up to the plate yourselves All this takes is someone with a commitment to keep the bar on the course Cap'n Tom has chosen. Not at all difficult for any of our regulAHs to handle . . .

Really have been enjoying Nick's return to the bAH. This place is so much more fun with our "wandering minstrel" on board! So the Mrs. is giving you some flack by comparisons with TV "pretty boys," huh Snoring Beats the flatulence problem anytime! Lay that one on her! <grin>

I've been to places where there's been "assortments" of two-legged crittAHs in attendance, all under the same roof for a "party." One time, a long, long time ago I should add, this creep decided that I needed a "joint," he left as a "believer" in his right to free speech ended when he got into my face! Felt good to lay him flat . . . Not being judgmental, lad, just a mattAH of fact with me. My tolerance for AH's, JO's ‘n assorted others is about as long as . . . well perhaps not that long!

As with Cap'n Tom ‘n Pete, add me to the growing list of guys who would like to make a trip to Wales if for no other reason than to spend a few nights enjoying you ‘n the bad's performances. Then, whatever follows would be the icing on the cake. Of course now that I'm "up there," perhaps my appetite is far more willing than my capacity. But for a couple of nights "over there," I'd give it a go . . . So what are the lock-ups like in your county <uh oh>

Want to extend a weekend "hello" to Pete - Eric - Rob -  Allan ‘n Shane (who nevAH peeks in on weekends!) - anyway, I read through your posts. I think we all agree that this cyber watering hole is by far the best in the ethAH . . . harkening back to the "gloom ‘n doom daze" of that summer of 2006, I can't take all the credit for getting the place back up. It has to go to Cap'n Tom - after all, had he NOT taken the bait, we'd be long gone from the Forums . . . and you can take that to the bank. Without the guy who has been here day aftAH day aftAH day, who in the world could we have survived Don't get me wrong, the supporting cast has been top drawAH - but that's what we are, supporting membAHs.

Just caught Rob's visit 'n pix! All nice 'n good to see ya, mate!

Let me drop off an Encore for this Saturday- after all, that's what we're supposed to do on Saturdays!

This from barndad Doug back on 26 Jan 2006, page 231 over at the old bar:

Good evening Tom and gents! Long time no see, and sorry about that. My working hours are bordering on insane these days. Please set me up with a bottlemless draught, and here's a whole stack of coins for the coal scuttle. There is no way I have had time to read all that's been written since Sunday to make a truely inclusive post. Even when the thread seems to slow down, there is an awful lot of material that is posted here! I must admit I need to go back and read this weeks postings from everyone, but one thing stands out .... I can't help but think that Al must have twenty or more fingers! I'm going to need an hour of real concentration-time to get through all this great material! Good job to all of you, and Tom did his usually great job running the place and keepping the help in line.

Getting back to the Sunday pix....Tom posted Domes, and Nick's Royal Navy Armory pix, and Ted's layout. Lars posted dome pix, and then my personal favorite ... pix with the information attached to them! Then there was Rus' Milwaukee pix ... then I ran out of time to read the thread. I'll get back to it later to acknowlege the rest of the contributors later.

Glad you liked some of my old stuff Pete. We're both in catch-up mode these days, and you are right ... this is a very special thread frequented by a good crowd!

Nick ... WOW! You made my prawns? I'll have 2 dozen .. please.

At the risk of this being classified a "hit and run" post .. I must share the 3rd part of the smoke deflector series ... and boogie off to bed. 4am comes early ...for me. Take care gentlemen, and here it is:

Smoke Deflectors by Herbert G. Monroe from Railroad Magazine Feb. 1941

The Sata Fe has long used stack extensions on its locomotives. Hinged at the rear, they must be manually raised and lowered; a disadvantage overcome in the instance of the Milwaukee design.

Dusty Rhodes, assigned to Big Liz, a Mallet compound on the Oakdale-Oneida turn, about that time devised a sort of gas mask, which was later manufactured under the name of Rhodes, Guffey & Sheehan Tunnel Mask. This device, which is still in use today, consists of closely woven canvas hood, provided with goggles. The lower portion of the hood or mask is dou