Hello Tom
I'll take a selection of those pastries and some fruit juice pleased to start off the day.
I certainly enjoyed your trip report and of course it was nice to get the run down to the consist for the Chaleur etc.
I found the Ren Service car pretty poor and who wants a movie screening in the corner at the same time - you need a movie car and a service car! I think the Ren stock is good for the short distance services (The Corridor) but I can see the objections for the routes you mention.
I bet your exchange of views with the senior guy of VIA was frank. Mind you the fact of the matter is, I would guess, that under the current financial strictures there would be no way that Canada would sanction the build of new cars to replace the Budd Cars would they? So the Euro stock looked like a gift - re-equipping the fleet with new stock at a bargain price.
That stock should have stayed here - instead they fudged the issue this side of the pond and instead gave away the market to the low cost airlines with serious environmental consequences (not just from the pollutants, but also for their demand for land for runways that we just don't have space for - now to meet that demand communities are in conflict with the pans to expand the airports needed to satisfy the demand - juts when an overnight train to Europe would have done the job!!)
Of course my journey on The Ocean had a dome car as it was Dome season -so that is where we spent our leisure time.
How full of passengers was your trip?
I noticed when at Montréal that a few times a year a special train was run to the museum at Delson from Montréal Gare Centrale by AMT - shame that is not a regular run.
Given your limited time in Halifax I can see why you chose to see the sights - not get inside a museum with the clock ticking, that would have been my choice too.
Pete - as it happens I've got a 1946 OS map of Helston area and it shows the station to the north east of the town - which back then was a very small community. So the town has grown since the railroad was cut back - typical! I wonder how the other Cornish branches survived but this one did not? It even would have served the RNAS base which did not exist in 1946.
If you look on http://www.streetmap.co.uk/ and type in Helston then you get the town - you can see the disused line running in - west of the B3297 road - I think the station was just near the building marked ‘college' - if you then zoom in on the map you can see ‘Station Road' I guess that was where it was.
It is not yet featured on this superb site of closed stations:
http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/sites.shtml
I enjoyed your comments on the Ren Vs Budd cars - I'd like to take a trip on the Chaleur - what was the scenery like on that part of the trip?
I think the Bass Museum has been the Coors Visitor centre for about 5 years - does not have the same ring to it I'm afraid - but they still have the brewery there which now has the contract to Brew Worthington White Shield in Bottle - which is an excellent beer.
By the way Pete - did you see any of the old London Routemaster buses when you were in Halifax - I was surprised to see them - not quite painted the correct shade of red !
Eric - nice to see those pics of the guys - also of Juneau (he does not look like you'd want to get on the wrong side of him) and some nice pics of the Can Am layout - that is impressive Tom!
As to others in (Doug, Fergie, James, CM3) good to see you - hope I've got everyone.
Anyway - I'll leave these bottles of White Shield as a sample for anyone who cares to try one, on me.
Regards
DL
Good Morning everybody present!
Ruth, Ill have a pint of that Holden's Pete is talking about, and a round for everybody present.
It's been a stormy weekend here in Dallas. Not much of a weather for outdoors activities, so I was catching up on posting pictures to my new Flickr account instead.
Tom, thank you again for the kind words. I have noticed in my old days that I kind of like writing and it is hard to stop once I get started (and have something to write about [wink]). If you assign a Texas/Cowboy style nickname, I'm afraid you will have to change it soon since I will be moving back to California in January. That date is approaching faster than what I thought it would.
Thank you for explaining the observation car assignments. "Park" cars; what an appropriate name! You'll see the landscape as it disappears in front of you. Riding in the last car of the train and be able to look out back is the most enjoyable place to be in a train, I think. It is really good to see that they are still in official, regular service. I have never ridden in one but I hope I will be able to do so before it is too late. I will try to remember the bedroom "D"!
You put together a very good travel report. Thank you! I enjoyed reading it and I must say that your experiences with the diner and the sleeper are pretty much the same as mine, even though we were on such different trains! Too bad you missed the brewery tour. A tour with some accompanying free beer is always welcome, isn't it? I tried to get a tourof the Absolut distillery in Sweden, but they didn't offer any. I saw you rented a car in Montreal. That's something I have never had the guts to do. With all signs in French I would be lost immediately and get tickets left and right! I hope at least one of you speak French enough to get by.
I hope you didn't take offence at my interpretation of TWA. Yes, in its glory days it was, together with PANAM, the symbol of classy, international air travel. My Father-In-Law came up with both expressions, and I'm not sure what awful experiences he had had with them. I was a PANAM flier myself and did log quite a few miles with them before they went under. It was not an overall pleasant experience towards the end.
I had missed your original trip report from the Canadian trip that you posted as an encore. I'm glad you did! That's a great report. It makes me want to take a trip up there and hopefully it will be a reality one day!
And as for the movies: A great selection as always! I will try to see the first two; I have never built up an appreciation for the Three Stooges, but I guess that's because they were not part of the movie when I grew up.
It was some Interesting links you provided, DL. Although I hate it when a site has background sound, it does make an interesting, and many times embarrassing, surprise when you open the page at work!
There was a BBC (I think) program over here about the Marconi experiments and his efforts to get the first message across the Atlantic. It was really interesting and I am glad they can preserve the huts he was using. Do you know if the program was filmed on site?
The tin mine site is interesting. I have been in a couple of "museum mines" but none with such narrow, low tunnels as this seems to have. You better not be claustrophobic when visiting that one! There is a picture of children panning for gold. Is gold commonly found as a by-product in tin mines?
Yes, it is quite a feeling isn't it, to wake up in a sleeper in the station whilst others are running around getting to their jobs! We had (probably still have) that in Sweden too, and many times have I opened my eyes at the Central Station in Stockholm and seen people running back and forth to their trains. It's just too bad they don't let you roll over and go back to sleep, but as far as I remembered it, you had to be out by a certain time.
Pete, I wish I had a chance to try some of those brews you are talking about. I will take a tour to the local BevMo in Irvine next time I get home to California. They have a few beers from all over the world so hopefully I'll find something that sounds familiar. The thought of Bass going Coors is horrific! I better change to something else!
That turtle in Chicago is fantastic! The reflections when you are "inside" (or underneath) are mind boggling. It's hard to see where you are in those, and how many times you appear. It is a popular sight and as Doug suggested, it didn't take a long time to take a picture with the correct foreground
James, yes that is a subtle difference between the two Little Joes. I guess it is for maintenance sake they give them different class designations. Something like the Rc class in Sweden, right Eric? There are Rc classes from Rc1 to, at least, Rc6 and many of them are identical on the outside but apparently very different on the inside.
Your explanation of the Milwaukee Road dilemma made perfect sense. I hadn't thought of it from a freight perspective, but now it's clear that that's where the profit lies and without it you will have a hard time keeping the road going.
Not only was the catenary still up, but in place the rails looked shiny as if it was in use still. It could of course be diesels using the track, but I'm not so sure.
Well, Eric, I still maintain that on average, there is less snow down south in Sweden that up north! And I also think the memory is the second to go, I just can't remember what the first was
You mentioned "flying pictures" and I just saw a CBS program yesterday morning about the Stanley Cup. Everywhere they went with the cup there were people with cell phones taking pictures. I saw an ad in the T in Stockholm about this device; it had an MP3 player, 6 Mpixel camera, a few other things, and, oh by the way, you could use it as a phone as well! The technology is really going forward with huge leaps.
The Genesis looks longer in your picture but that must be because of the proportions compared to the E8. The interesting part with the picture of the Springfield station is that I didn't see the bad roof until I looked at the picture. It disappeared a little bit too quickly when I took the picture.
Two cameras, eh! There's only one word for that: eBay!
Thank you for the C3c picture. With "fish hook" and all! I knew I could trust you to dig up an old picture. This is great! There are so many fond childhood memories connected with those cars and one not so fond: I got my hand stuck in the door when the conductor closed it! There was no damage done, except to the ears of the fellow passengers.
Doug, I already mentioned the turtle (or bean), but yes, isn't it awful that such a nice sculpture gets blocked by such a foreground?
G'day Gents!
Customer ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (since my last narrative):
CM3 Shane at 8:20 AM Monday - June 4th: Although the Yanks-BoSox game was on the tube last night, we opted to watch one of our DVDs . . .I'm burned out on baseball and it's only the beginning of JUNE!! Did catch a few of the hi-lites though and it appeared to be one of those "typical" games at Fenway between the arch rivals. Boston has a huge lead and my guess is unless there's some sort of collapse, they should remain on top. Can't say what's wrong with George's team, other than money doesn't always get you where you want to be.
Can't get overly excited about the Red Birds as things at Busch aren't at all encouraging this season. Pitching has gone south and while the hitting appears to be on the rebound, they've dug themselves a hole fer sure, fer sure. Only saving grace is that the division is equally puzzling - and that's a "kind" description. <grin>
Consider yourself "on" the Email list for the 3rd Annual "Our" Place Classic Trains Rendezvous in Chicago 2008. Anyone else out there who is interested in joining us, let me know. Best to do so by Email as things have a way of getting "missed" in the Ether from time to time. <uh oh>
While I'd dearly love to own an F40PH of my own - the Spiderman II livery doesn't "do it" at all! <ugh> Perhaps I could trade it in for my own Park Car (obs dome)!
That foto Eric took of Juneau does make him look a bit fierce. Had to look twice just to be sure it was him!
DL at 11:35 AM Monday - June 4th: Spot on commentary regarding the "Chunnel Chugger" Euro cars! It never ceases to amaze me how the OBVIOUS somehow escapes those who are in the business to garner as much EFFICIENCY from a PLAN - especially when it comes to transportation. Yeah, I know - my "vote" doesn't count! Found that out with light-rail in these parts and from what you've opined, same thing with the use of short haul airliners in lieu of in-place rail links. Go figure!
We learned that VIA Rail has poured approximately one million additional dollars (CDN) into EACH Renaissance car brought to North America in order to bring them up to standards and to make them compatible with other equipment. The original cost was $125m for 137 cars . . . do the math. I was told some years back that Bombardier had been queried with regard to replicating the Budd stainless steel cars and they came back with a $5m per car price tag!
One of the comments I've made to VIA Rail is that with two service cars in the Renaissance consist - why not use one for the movies and the other for simply socializing? Ah, but something that sensible hardly gets the attention deserved, or so it seems.
Regarding our trip over to ExpoRail (Saint-Constant/Delson) and the Canadian Railway Museum - there was NO public transportation available on the Sunday for our visit. However, all turned out well and in spite of the costs associated with the rental car, when split 50/50, it wasn't all that bad. We would've enjoyed traveling aboard the AMT commuter train, something I've yet to do in Montreal. Noticed that some still use pantographs whereas others are powered by an F40PH.
A bit more on our Canada 2007 Rail Adventure:
The Ocean was powered by two F40PH locos and the consist was made up of a baggage car - three coaches - two service cars - a diner in between the service cars - and six sleepers. From what I could determine, it appeared the train was rather full, especially in coach. In speaking with the Service Manager, I was told that many people in the bedrooms have been avoiding the dining car due to the manner in which the food is being prepared these days <daze>, opting for the sandwiches they brought aboard or those purchased in the service cars. The biggest "meal" is the Continental breakfast, which is rather hard to screw up! With no Chef, they're not getting the customers . . . .
It was a treat to meet up with an old "friend" at the VIA Rail sleeper class check-in kiosk at Montreal's Central Station. "Claude" is a guy who used to work the Park Car when the Budd stainless steel equipment was on that route and always an entertaining, accommodating and friendly person. Unfortunately, we didn't have that much time to take in the sights ‘n sounds of Central Station prior to our departure - but did manage to quaff down a few brews . . . we did have our PRIORITIES! <grin>
For those who've never experienced this fine rail station, the train platforms are located on a level below the main concourse. An escalator takes the passengers down to the waiting train and that's where the real odyssey begins - in my opinion! The trains somehow ALWAYS look bright ‘n shiny - the consist long and the daylight appearing at the far, far end where the loco's are, appears as an invitation to climb aboard in order to commence the travel.
There's an attendant at each open door to the train, and as Pete mentioned earlier, a "bridge" has to be used to cross from the platform to the waiting Renaissance cars. When the Budd stainless steel cars are in use, they are "snug" to the platform. Quite a difference in width - height too.
With only the slightest feeling of movement, the Ocean began the journey out of Central Station at 1830 to the Victoria Jubilee bridge across the St. Lawrence Seaway. Unfortunately, one doesn't get the views offered in a dome and there's just no way to describe the passing scenes with a rather one-dimensional perspective. <barf> Weather conditions were cooperative for Pix taking . . .
Years ago, the train used to stop at a place called Levis, located on the south bank of the St. Lawrence in Quebec - directly across from Quebec City. The eastbound arrival was around 2230 and the stop lasted between 20 ‘n 30 minutes, thereby giving everyone a chance to view Quebec City's illuminated ramparts in all of its glory. A fantastic stop in the dome, fer sure, fer sure. But as I said - that was "years ago." The right-of-way was sold off by CN and my understanding is the land was used to construct condominiums. The train now passes far south of that great vantage point and only the experienced traveler knows when and where to look to catch a distance glimpse of what used to be . . . <arrggghhhh>
Seating in the diner was arranged with tables for 4 on the port side and for 2 on the starboard. For some strange reason, they sat us at a table for 4, even though there were plenty of "2s" available and the diner was hardly crowded. When asked about this, the response
Hi Tom and all.
A pint of Holden's and a round please RUTH.
DOUG To see those cars from the IRM is another reason to see Flags of my Fathers.
Many thanks for the next set of photos from the Fox Valley; they have some interesting stock at the museum. I liked the L202 switching locomotive and car 20 from 1902 is worth seeing and having a ride in.
ERIC The electric locos on the West Coast route of BR are on 25kv AC supply. The locos have just one pantograph. I can remember traveling in a darkened compartment coach at night and the arcing was very bad. I think this was caused by ‘pantograph bounce' that happens at higher speeds, it seemed to occur when the pantograph came under the insulators of the masts holding the cantenery wire. Thinking about it this was in the 1970s and I don't recall seeing this on units or noticing it much nowadays, except as you say in frosty weather. Probably the pantograph design was changed or the cantenary wire was altered to stop this arcing, perhaps DL has some info on this.
Thanks for the info on DVD players I will have look round to see if I can find one that will play British DVDs.
Enjoyed the photos and thanks for the beer.
Great to see you in the bar again FERGIE before you head out to sea.
CM3 It would be great to see you at the next Rendezvous.
DL Many thanks for the link to map of Helston, by looking at it we may well have been in the wrong area, as I cannot see the supermarket on the street map. I'm afraid our search was curtailed by opening time at the Blue Anchor. Yes it does seem odd that the Helston Branch was not kept although North Cornwall and Devon were badly hit in the Beeching line closures of the 1960s especially the Ex Southern Railway lines, with places like Padstow Wadebridge and Ilfracombe, all busy tourist places in the summer no longer on the railway map. At least with the area there is a good bus service, when we were there in February a few years ago at least there was a bus service from Penzance to Helston on a Sunday morning, if only running 2-hourly, it is much better than the service in my part of Rugby where they stopped about 6PM Saturday and that was it until Monday morning.
I found the scenery on the Challeur reminiscent of the Scottish Highlands and very scenic. I think I will let Tom describe the line as he is doing such a great job.
I have read though that the line could be closed as the company owning a portion of the middle piece of the line intends to file for abandonment. Tom and I did comment at the time on the lack of any freight traffic to be seen on the Gaspe line. Luckily the Halifax line still appeared to have container traffic heading to the port.
I seem to recall a couple of years back they brewed a limited amount of the Worthington White Shield on draught, my mate who was a connoisseur of the old White Shield in bottles said it was quite like the old brew. Unfortunately Worthingtons always used to give me a rotten hangover especially the Worthington E.
I did see one of the Routemasters in Halifax although I didn't get a photo.
PER Thanks for the round. We have a friend and his wife who have just moved to Poway California and he has sent me some details of the local breweries in that area there looks some interesting ales I would like to try.
Enjoyed the second part of your trip and the great photos. I was hoping to go to Dodge City from Kansas City by train with the bride but the times of arrival and departure put a stop to that, being brought up on Westerns as a kid in the UK I would still like to visit the city.
A British lady running the dining car, I would have liked to have been there.
Thanks for the link to the Dining car in Mendota. Tom has a great knack of taking photos through girder bridges.
Looking forward to the next installment of your trip.
TOM Not only can I not speak French properly I can't spell it ether.
There will be some more of my pics from the trip although some of mine are out of focus as well; it appears the camera struggled in the museum and the shed where no 60010 was. Glad the photo I took with your camera of Fergie and you came out well. Thanks for the link to Pier 21, there is certainly a lot to see and do in Halifax. I have visited a museum in Cobh, near to Cork in Ireland, which tells the story of the Irish p
Good morning Captain Tom and Gentlemen!!
Leon, tonight it is time for my Rumpsteak Café de Paris! Yes, medium! Coors light, please!
Another Monday is gone (outlaw Mondays!) and I survived. A lot to read and see here tonight!
Fergie – Looking forward to see you here again next month!Tom – Good news about Lars!! Lets hope for the best about BK and the trolleyMAN! Aha, Pier 21 was something like Ellis Island! Then I understand why it means a lot to many people. The Class C3 car was 46’ 9” long (total length). Thanks for the pictures from Canada! The nature reminds me in a way about the northern part of the old country, close to the coast line. Nice!And thanks for the report!! I read somewhere that the Keith’s brewery is working night shift now. I wonder why?CM3 – Good news! You are on the mailing list for the Chicago Rendezvous!! I hope it will work out okay! I had a feeling that those double numbers were related to “combined” trains. Thanks for the info! DL – Juneau was a very friendly dog. But I am sure he will let you know if something is wrong. The CanAm layout is very impressive! A lot of details. You will discover new things all the time. Per – Moving back to California?! Your memory is correct, you have to be out of the sleeper at a certain time in Sweden too! As an engineer you always try to operate the train very smoothly if you are running a night train. The Rc class in Sweden started with Rc1 and for a short period of time there was a couple of Rc7. Rc1 was the very first one, introduced 1967. Rc2 had different electronics. Rc3 was the same as Rc2 except they were geared for 100 mph (Rc1-2, 84 mph). Rc4 was more sophisticated, geared for 84 mph. AEM-7 is/was basically the same as Rc4 but with more power and geared for 125 mph. Rc5 was last development of the Rc class. Geared for 85 mph. Rc6 same as Rc5 but geared for 100 mph. Rc7 same as Rc5 but geared for 112 mph. Today there are no Rc5 or Rc7, they have been regeared for 100 mph. ALP-44 is basically the same as Rc6 but more power and geared for 125 mph.eBay? No, I want more money for the second camera than I can get there. Most likely my employer will buy it. The smart thing to do is to avoid having your hand stuck in a door when it is getting closed. I also learned that the hard way in a Class Rc2 locomotive. Thanks a lot for your travel report!!! That was a looooong lake wasn’t it? The Mississippi? Snow is okay on a post card. That is about it, not closer. Didn’t the train stop at Trinidad, CO? Raton looks bigger from the Interstate than from the train station. Looking forward to the rest of your report!!Pete – Thanks for the info about those electrics! You are probably right about arcing when the pantograph passed under the insulators, bouncing.
Some pictures from Atchison, KS.
On the train to Springfield, IL.
Eric
<w/permission: www.scenic-railroads.com>
Hope all's well with you ‘n yours as we begin a new day here at the Saloon by the Siding! Gonna be a busy day for Moi as there's things to do, people to see ‘n places to go. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS later on or tomorrow fer sure, fer sure!
Good to see Pete ‘n Eric "in" though . . .
Here's something that shudda been Posted last month - busy, busy month for Moi! <phew>
Significant events in Canadian RR History during the month of May. Initially Posted on Page 331 of the original Thread . . . .
Caveat: Much of the information appearing was gathered from internet sources, with credit to "Colin Churcher's Railway Pages" at http://www.railways.incanada.net/ * May 16th, 1853: The first train in Ontario runs between Toronto and Aurora on the Ontario Simcoe and Huron Railroad Union Company. The name was changed to Northern Railway of Canada on August 16, 1858 and it became part of the Northern and Northwestern Railway on June 6, 1879, now part of Canadian National. The first train was driven by W.T. Hackett who also took the first locomotive into Kansas City. * May 20th, 1879: The Department of Railways and Canals comes into effect with a Minister having jurisdiction over all railways pertaining to the Dominion Government. Previously this function had been covered by the Department of Public Works. * May 23rd, 1887: The CP main line is extended 12.2 miles along Burrard Inlet to Vancouver. The first train is pulled by Port Moody based locomotive No. 374, now preserved at the Vancouver Drake Street roundhouse. * May 17th, 1908: Electric operation begins through the St. Clair Tunnel between Sarnia and Port Huron. This ended steam operation which had asphyxiated several crew members. A formal inspection and opening ceremony took place on November 12. * May 6th, 1912: The body of C.M. Hays, President of the Grand Trunk and Grand Trunk Pacific Railways, who was lost in the Titanic disaster, was landed at Halifax by the Mackay-Bennett cable steamship Minia. It was immediately placed on a special GTR train which had been waiting at Halifax for several days and which reached Bonaventure station in Montreal May 7. The funeral took place the next day at Mount Royal Cemetery and the GTR offices were closed for a portion of the afternoon so that staff could attend. * May 1st, 1915: Canadian Government Railways are formed to operate the Intercolonial and the National Transcontinental Railways. * May 2nd, 1917: The Drayton-Acworth report is produced being the findings of two out of three members of a Royal Commission which was set up in 1916. Sir Henry L. Drayton was Chairman of the Board of Railway Commissioners for Canada while William Ackworth came from London. The third member, who produced a minority report, was Alfred H. Smith, President of the New York Central Railway. The report recommends that the Government take over the Grand Trunk, the Grand Trunk Pacific and the Canadian Northern companies and operate them as one system together with the Intercolonial and the National Transcontinental Railway. The recommendations are accepted by the Government. * May 1st thru 4th, 1933: London, Midland and Scottish Railway (UK) 4-6-0 steam locomotive Royal Scot with eight passenger cars en route to the Century of Progress Exhibition in Chicago is exhibited at: (numbers in brackets show numbers of visitors) May 1 - Montreal Windsor Station (16,979); May 2 - Ottawa (11,870), May 3-4 - Toronto Exhibition Grounds (20,687); May 4 - Hamilton (3,631). * May 17th, 1939: Royal Tour of Canada commences with the arrival of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth at Wolfe's Cove, Quebec on the Empress of Canada. The 12 car train, (five from CP, five from CN and the two vice-regal cars), in royal blue and aluminum, left Quebec City on May 18. A pilot train, carrying officials and the press, preceded the royal train by one hour and no other trains were permitted to travel within this period. The travel arrangements were shared by the two railways with CP being responsible for the westward journey to Victoria. CP used 4-6-4 locomotives 2850 and 2851 for the royal and pilot trains respectively, except for the Ottawa to Brighton, Ont, section, which was over CN track. 2850 hauled the royal train without change right through to Vancouver, a total distance of 3224 miles. Royal crowns were affixed to the running boards of both locomotives and these were eventually fitted to the entire class (2820-2864) which, following approval from their majesties, came to be known as Royal Hudsons. * May 22nd, 1941: As part of the war effort, the first tank (Mark III) is produced at the Canadian Pacific Angus Shops, Montreal. On June 30 Montreal Locomotive Works produced the first M-3 (Modified) Cruiser tank. * May 14th, 1955: A causeway is completed across the Strait of Canso between Cape Porcupine and Balache Point, Nova Scotia. This involved a 14 mile main line diversion for the rerouting of railway traffic linking directly Cape Breton Island with the mainland. Previous movements were by car ferry across the Strait of Canso. The line was officially opened on August 13. * May 17th, 1957: Canadian National opens a 40 mile diversion of its Montréal to Toronto main line required in the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway. * May 2nd, 1960: For the first time, a Canadian National passenger train conveys piggyback flatcars conveying highway trailers. This was on train 44 from Saint John, NB to Moncton, NB. * May 11th, 1961: Canadian National installs Canada's first hot axle box detector near Coteau, QC. * May 24th, 1964: Canadian National commences operation of a new transcontinental passenger train called Panorama. * May 23rd, 1967: "GO Transit" is inaugurated by the Province of Ontario between Pickering, Toronto, Oakville and Hamilton under an operating agreement with Canadian National. * May 31st, 1972
Hi Tom and everyone, a round for the house
Just some pics, some classic oldies.
5 locomotives
http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3b00000/3b05000/3b05500/3b05560r.jpg
East Dubuque, IL 1940
http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/fsa/8a05000/8a05500/8a05519v.jpg
http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3d00000/3d02000/3d02300/3d02371v.jpg
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=655142
http://img.nytstore.com/IMAGES/NSAP535_EXTR.JPG
The Titanic
http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3c10000/3c16000/3c16000/3c16091v.jpg
http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3c10000/3c16000/3c16000/3c16095v.jpg
http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3c10000/3c16000/3c16000/3c16096v.jpg
http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3c10000/3c16000/3c16000/3c16092v.jpg
Pier 21
http://beacon.chebucto.info/Photo_Album/Webcam_Dec_2004/img/13.jpg
Rene Gagnon, John H. Bradley, and Ira H. Hayes
http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/13300/13342v.jpg
June 6, 1944
http://www.archives.gov/research/ww2/photos/images/ww2-99.jpg
http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3c10000/3c11000/3c11200/3c11201v.jpg
President Eisenhower
http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3c30000/3c34000/3c34200/3c34220v.jpg
http://img.nytstore.com/IMAGES/NSAPSP12_EXTR.JPG
Somewhere in Sweden about 1910
Mike
Good Morning Barkeep and all Present; coffee, please; round for the house, and $ for the jukebox. Cloudy and cool here today. It started to rain just as I finished doing the yard work last night. I wanted to get it taken care of early as it is supposed to be pushing 90 degrees here a little later this week. Gas is $3.09 this a.m.
Per - Thanks for the pictures I enjoyed the one of the sunrise in KS. Some of my wife's people live out there and Garden City is the nearest ATK stop to where they are. I also appreciated the shots around Raton. It's one of the spots I would like to visit if I had a time machine that could take me back to the 1946-48 period.
Albany is a bewildering mess of trackage. The line you saw at Schenectady would be the old D&H. "Adirondack" service operates on that trackage north. Used to photograph all up and down that road.
Pete was by with far ranging commentary.
Eric stopped by with pictures. ATSF 811 has a lot of interesting details to look at; especially the tender (oil type, monstrous backup light, etc.) The ATSF cab - every train set in the world comes with one.
OSP - I just thought of you wining the locomotive because of the "I won the Maserati" Spiderman scratch off ad that is saturating TV down here. The Park car would probably be the better deal, although it would be high maintenance.
Incidentally, the idea of the two of you being "linguistically challenged" (how about that one, Leon!), AND on the loose in Montreal; I can't decide if it's a plot for a sitcom or a Stephen King short story. Anyway, you made it and that's all that matters.
You were talking about TWA. Our family had a friend who flew Connies for TWA between New York and Rome; talk about a long haul. The Connie, IMHO, was a beautiful airplane, but especially in TWA livery; the same as a DC7 looked great in the old Eastern colors. Yes, Boris, I did fly on an Eastern DC7; never got a Connie trip, but rode on plenty of TWA "three-holers" (727). Who else out here remembers the "Fifth Dimension's" TWA ads, and "Ambassador Service?"
Thanks for today's installment of Canadian RR History.
Re the Red Sox - that's why they play. They don't see NY again until the end of August, and Boston has yet to even play a single game against Tampa Bay, who is in the AL East - gotta love it!
Mike sent pictures whic arrived just as I was abt. to post this.
ATSF train is probably the "Super." At any rate it is arriving at Dearborn Station - that was a lovely shot.
Gagnon, Bradley, and Hayes. Wow! Bradley's son wrote Flags of Our Fathers.
Last - I'll bet OSP knows where the shots of Ike were made. Last is a good one with Casey and Smokey. Many thanks!
Work safe
A pint of Clancy's please RUTH.
ERIC Thanks for the info on the Swedish electrics.
The AT&SF steam locomotive #811 looks about from the turn of the century, do you know when she was built. I had forgotten about that bike on the train to Springfield Ill, I gave the guy a hand to get it up into the rack, I wonder who gave him a hand to get it down again, but it does show how much you can get in an Amtrak luggage rack.
Ask TOM about his ‘secret' supply of Keith's on our trip.
MIKE Many thanks for the interesting links. I wonder if the conductor told John Lennon to get his feet down.
Great photo, of Halifax with the Budd cars in the station. I wonder what that structure on the ship across the harbor is for.
There can't be many photos of the Titanic out at sea.
Good tribute for the anniversary of D-Day tomorrow.
CM3 Yes if a camera crew had followed Tom and I in Montreal they probably could have made a series out of it.
Enjoyed reading about the golden age of air travel.
TOM Thanks for the Canadian RR History for May. I see it was that month that the LMS locomotive No 6100 Royal Scot toured Canada and the Hudson locomotive we saw in the Museum at Delson worked the Royal Train from Quebec to Vancouver quite a feat for the same loco to work the 3224 miles.
Very much enjoyed the link to Marconi and his work on the early days of wireless in Nova Scotia. To think he was only 22 years of age when he first was successful in 1899.
I see the first message was exchanging pleasantries between the British And French scientists (I will refrain from comment)
Well Ruth I will have another please and let me get a round and some treats for the mascots, while I load a few more pics. .
Pete.
Hi Tom and all Another Clancey's please RUTH while I load these Pics from our Canada trip.
From the window of the Ocean , could that be a New Brunswick "NESSIE" in the lake.
VIA locomotives 6425 and 6408 after arrival at Halifax NS.
In the waiting area of Halifax Station.
In the waiting area there was a display, in a glass case, showing items featuring the Veterans Rememberance Train of 2005,a very good feature I thought..
These should enlarge.
Customer ACKNOWLEDGMENTS in the 'morrow . . .
Continuing on with MORE Pix from Day Two: Friday - May 25th, 2007 - VIA Rail to Halifax, NS from Montreal, QC . . .
Nova Scotia scenery from the eastbound Ocean
(between Truro & Halifax)
Approaching Truro - check out the mural!
Truro, NS train station - a mere shadow of what once was
The Ocean at Truro
Interesting building at Truro - Enlarge this one!
Scenes
To be continued . . .
Tom
Hello Leon! How about a Cheese Danish and a cup of coffee. That would be perfect!
More pictures form the traveling duo's trip to Halifax! It certainly doesn't look the way I thought it would. I expected more forests, but instead it is wide open landscape.
Tom – Secret supply of Keith’s during your recent trip to and from Halifax??? What do you know about it? I like those “Significant events in Canadian RR History” posts! Very informative! Interesting that Canadian Pacific Angus Shops, Montreal, produced tanks during WW II. You think they should be busy keeping the trains rolling. Some very nice (and sharp!) pictures from your trip! The train station in Truro, NS, obviously lost a track. Was there only a single track through the station? Your favorite cars look kind of unusual in my eyes too. Mike – A bunch of interesting pictures! You certainly know how to find them! Including a picture from the D-Day 1944, 63 years ago.
The picture of the steam locomotive somewhere in Sweden is confusing me (doesn't take much to do that). I am not sure it is from Sweden, can’t identify the locomotive class or the cars in the background. It looks a little bit like Finland to me. I will do some research to see if I can find out. Thanks!!CM3 – ATSF 811 is a Class 789, 2-8-0 built 1902 by Baldwin. The last one of the 35 in its class was retired in 1954. I don’t know what that thing on top of the tender is, but I don’t recall it was a backup light. I might be wrong. For whatever reason that picture is the only one I took of that locomotive. Pete – ATSF 811 was built 1902. Good to see your pictures from Canada! No soda pop on them!? It’s also good to see some F40’s still in service. But I think they should skip the advertising on them, like the Spider Man. I know... money! Nice pictures!
I'll add some more pix from the Rendezvous.
Pete is trying to get rid of the soda pop that drowned his camera.
I liked this view car.
The front of the Brulington #9908 "silver Charger".
The front truck.
<w/permission: http://www.scenic-railroads.com/>
Wednesday's Witticism
The saloon keeper loves a drunk, but not as his son-in-law.
Wednesday and mid-week in mid-continent USA! A bit boggling realization that this time last week Pete ‘n I were back from our Canadian rail adventure! Time flies, eh
Coffee's fresh - pastries fresh and breakfast selections ready - so what's stoppin' ya??? <grin>
Pete at 6:11 PM Monday - June 4th: Well I know this much - between the two of us, there ain't a photographer in the group!!! <arrrrggghhh> Sorry to learn of your Pix not turning out as hoped . . . I do think those that are within tolerance of mine will suffice.
One thing about Titanic that seemingly hasn't gotten the "play" deserved was the rather small rudder she had. Surprising to me - but that's more hindsight than anything else. Nevertheless, she just couldn't make those maneuvers expected in times of extremis.
A pay RAISE?? Be REAL, Mate - be REAL!! <grin>
Thanx for the round, chat ‘n inclusiveness of your Post!
Eric at 1:25 AM Tuesday - June 5th: That class 3 car is nearly half the length of what we consider "normal" here in North America! But of course, the era had a lot to do with it, eh
Enjoyed the 4 Pix - last one of the guy stashing his bike in the luggage rack on our trip up to Springfield, IL!!
Surely you KNOW there are weeks where FIVE MONDAYs are included! Been there, done that - far too many times! <groan> <grin>
Mike at 8:24 AM Tuesday - June 5th: Two Pix and a host of URLs and a round from Silent Mike!
CM3 Shane at 8:59 AM Tuesday - June 5th: WHO could possibly forget the 5th Dimension and their great hit "Up-up and Away!" either as a "straight" version or in the TWA commercial form?? Also, "Connies" were great to look at and I had two experience flying in one - a Pacific Northern Airlines (PNA) flight from Seattle to Anchorage in 1959 then the return 18 months later . . .
Ambassador class?!?! I still have my FF card(s) and recall many, many trips aboard L1011s and 747s between St. Louis and LAX during the latter part of my career (1986-88). I used to pay for the upgrade on government flights and use my mileage for others. Well worth it, but in today's bucks - simply outrageous would be my guess.
Walter Alston and Casey Stengel at the opening game of the 1956 World Series in Ebbets Field as the Brooklyn Dodgers defended their World Champion title from the year before. They won that particular game, but lost the series in 7 games - a series known more for Don Larsen's perfect game than anything else. I missed all of that series as my military career had begun earlier. Ike was my first Commander-in-Chief!
Wonder what the tax bite will be for the Maserati?? <grin> I'll take the Park Car AND the maintenance fee, thanx! <grin>
Pete ‘n I fared quite well in Montreal, albeit much of the time inside Central Station. It's really not that hard ordering coffee, brew or a bite of this ‘n that . . . it's the more meaningful stuff that "gets ya". . . perhaps for another day. <groan>
Hard ball schedule is simply "daffy"! Methinks it's past due to scrap the inter-league play and get back to a more balanced sked within the division and league.
We viewed "Fear Strikes Out" last night and for a 1956 flick, not bad - not bad at all. I do recall seeing it decades ago and now that I'm aware of the great career Jimmy Piersall wound up having, I'd say the movie may have been a bit premature in making. Too bad there's no "Post Script" . . . . A link worth viewing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Piersall
Thanx for the quarters, round ‘n continuing dialogue!
Pete at 3:17 PM ‘n 3:58 PM Tuesday - June 5th: In the world of sailors, some things are best left aboard ship! Hmmmmm, methinks that applies to trains as well AND "secret stashes" of beer! This is NOT the way to a raise in pay . . . <uh-oh>
That question you posed regarding the rigging on the ship tied up in Dartmouth in 2004 may be answered thusly: It has to do with the "jack up drilling" natural gas exploration in the Sable Island field off of Nova Scotia. Check out this link for a bit of detail:
http://www.soep.com/cgi-bin/getpage?pageid=1/5/0&dpa=2/4/2/1
Also in that particular URL, the view of VIA Rail's Ocean brings to mind that it was most probably a 12 car consist of Budd stainless steel beauties waiting for departure on that December day. Note the two domes - the rear Park Car obs dome and the Skyline dome (similar to the one we traveled in aboard in the Chaleur. At that time in 2004, VIA was supposed to have replaced all Budd consists with Renaissance, but found that those cars weren't insulated for North American winters - so off they went to Moncton for refitting! <gasp>
Additionally, "our hotel windows" are in clear view as well!
Good to see your Pix from our trip aboard the Ocean . . . . hmmmmm, methinks that shot of "Nessie" may have been in Nova Scotia, at least according the scenery it appears that way.
Round appreciated - and many, many THANX for the treats for the critters
Good Morning Barkeep and all Present; coffee, please; round for the house and $ for the jukebox. It's a nice day here; gas is at $3.04 although the cyclone in the Persian Gulf will probably cause another price spike.
Barkeep - a round of the good stuff for all and a toast to what happened 63 yrs. ago today.
Eric sent commentsd and pictures. Thanks for the additional information on the ATSF 2-8-0.
The picture of the "Silver Charger's" truck has all sorts of interesting detail re brake systems, bearings, IIRC, speed recorder on the middle axle (I could be wrong about this as I don't have book with me), etc. BTW, you want to see a truly beastial locomotive truck, check out the late Alco units. IIRC, it was called an Adirondack truck.
OSP sent more pictures. Many of my wife's people come from Nova Scotia (Antagonish area).
Tough folks from that part of the world. One of our neighbors at home was from the Truro area. She's put on a thin sweater when the rest of us were layered up and complain abt. how warm it was. "Nan" kept an immaculate house, shoveled snow, cooked, etc. and passed on at the age of 102. She was "with it" right up to the end. As she said the very last time I talked to her, "I'm just wearing out."
I knew that you'd remember all of that World Series stuff. Wher are you now, Dale Mitchell?
For those who are interested, X2200 South , as Lucius used to say, "Devotional reading for the faithful," has been running a multi-issue ATSF diesel roster. The most recent magazine showed up Saturday, and it is devoted to ATSF passenger diesels. Much truly rare color photography, EMDs, Alcos, and FMs, oh, my! and an excellent article about "the twins." I recommend this one.
Today's Matinee at the
Mentor Village EMPORIUM Theatre
The Longest Day (1962) Featuring 42 international stars!
The Longest Day is a vivid, hour-by-hour recreation of this historic event. Featuring a stellar international cast, and told from the perspectives of both sides, it is a fascinating look at the massive preparations, mistakes, and random events that determined the outcome of one of the biggest battles in history. Winner of two 1962 Oscars® (Special Effects and Cinematography), The Longest Day ranks as one of Hollywood's truly great war films.
This special collector's commemorative edition has been issued in honor of the June 6, 1944 Allied invasion of France, which marked the beginning of the end of Nazi domination over Europe. The attack involved 3,000,000 men, 11,000 planes and 4,000 ships, comprising the largest armada the world has ever seen.
from: amazon.com
Get your Tix NOW!
MORE Pix from Day Two: Friday - May 25th, 2007 - VIA Rail to Halifax, NS from Montreal, QC . . .
Bedford Basin & Halifax, Nova Scotia
Homes at water's edge - Bedford Basin, Halifax, NS
A view of Bedford Basin looking toward Halifax & Dartmouth
A lobster ‘n fish "collection" barge in Bedford Basin
Freight in Halifax CN yards
June 6
I'll post this inclusive report today since it is such an important day in Sweden.
Today is the "4th of July" of Sweden, the National Holiday. It is in memory of the King Gustav Wasa (the same guy who has his name of that old warship in Stockholm), who had liberated Sweden and been elected king on this day in 1523. It's also the day King Gustav IV Adolf signed the new government reform in 1809. Double celebration! But the day is a very recent holiday, only last year was it declared a holiday so there isn't much tradition around the celebrations yet.
And with that, back to our regular programming: (a new installment of the travel report will follow in the next posting)
Tom: How does the first train in Ontario on May 16th, 1853 compare to the first trains in the U.S.? Was it the line through Endicott that was the first here?
So VIA bought cars for $125M and upgraded them for another $135M? It sounds a lot but compared to the $5M a piece from the Bomb I can see why they went that route. It's like when the bus operator in Stockholm bought new buses for the switch-over to right-hand side traffic in 196<something> (Eric - HELP! Was it 69?). They decided to go for some cheap import instead of the Volvo or Scania buses. A reporter asked a representative for one of the Swedish bus makers if he was disappointed. "Not at all" he said, "in the long run this is the best commercial we can get", and sure enough, it didn't take many years before all of those buses were replaced!
Who knows, maybe the Ren cars will go the same way? If the Ren cars are that much narrower than the Budd cars, how are the sleeping accommodations? Cramped, I would guess! I noticed a significant difference between the CIWL cars and the Swedish cars in length of the beds, the CIWL were (or seemed) longer, which doesn't go well with Eric's statement that the Swedish profile in wider than the European.
Thank you for the Marconi link. It will take me a while to go through all of them, but so far it has been some very interesting reading. Thanks again! I can very well believe a sailor would do some sightseeing. Especially to something that has had such an importance to the sea faring population as the Marconi invention.
That sunrise photo came out pretty well. I wonder how much the tinted window had to do with it. It wasn't until I posted it here that I realized what it was. I had previously called in "Missouri Sunrise" but the date and time of the picture didn't fit in the sequence. Aha, another senior moment was explained when I realized my mistake.
I have finally seen one of the movies! I saw The Longest Day when it came out. Great move, I thought!
Pete, yes there are small, local breweries popping up all over the place and many of them have some really good brews. I went to Fort Collins, CO, for a skating competition of my daughter's. I found the New Belgium Brewery there. It isn't directly small but it has some interesting brews. I came to like the "Fat Tire" best. It's a strange name, but every employee is given a bicycle when they start so they don't have to use a car; it's a very "green" company.
I have a feeling we will go back to Dodge one of these years. Now that my daughter has been so close, she's not going to give up until she gets there. Hopefully she will invite her old dad to join her. [wink]
Yes, I think you would have had fun with the Diner "boss" (what ARE they called: Stewarts?). She was a riot. The last evening she announced that the diner would open already at 5:30AM the next morning so everybody could have breakfast before Los Angeles. When one of the regular groups were ready to leave, she said she'll see them at 6 the next morning. "I thought you said you open at 5:50?" "Yes, but I don't expect you to be up that early!" was her immediate come-back.
Eric, yeah rub it in! The "Lake Mississippi" wasn't that long, at least not the part we saw, only some 10-15 miles, or so. It does remind me of an old FinnAir joke, though. The DC-10 came in for landing at an airport the pilots hadn't used before. After they sat the plane down and stopped it, the pilot said to the 2nd pilot: "That was the shortest runway I've seen!" "Yes, but did you see how wide it is?"
Aren't you glad Leon keeps the kitchen open for you at those ungodly hours? How do you do it? Around 10:30 or 11 I'm out!
Imagine that the C3 was just a bit longer than a contemporary box car over here! I have a picture of a similar car from Madrid for those who want to see what it was like:
Interior of wooden car from RENFE
Yes, I will be moving back out west when I pretire in January. Enough of this hot, humid weather and being 1,600 miles away from the family. After a too long a time I will finally have a chance to go back home.
I must say most engineers were very good at driving smoothly with a sleeping car in tow. The switching crews, however, did a really good job at waking everybody up when they moved the sleeper from one train to another. It didn't matter where I was going, I always had to be on two trains, wether it was Stockholm - Krisitanstad (home) or Stockholm - Karlskrona (military service), they had to switch my sleeper, and I always woke up. I'm glad they have the safety net in the upper beds, otherwise I would have been on the floor!
Yes, the Southwest Chief stopped in Trinidad as well. I may have omitted that stop but it wasn't a very long stop. I think the reason Raton looks bigger from the highway is just that the railroad is closer to the edge of town than the highway; and I didn't take a picture towards the other direction with more population.
It was an interesting picture of the bike in the luggage rack! When I checked about carry-on luggage I was told that Amtrak is very strict on enforcing the dimensions of the carry-on luggage. Yeah right!
I didn't know there are no more Rc5 and Rc7 in Sweden. Did the expansion of the X2 service minimize the need for faster regular trains? Or were there problems with the higher gears that made them change back to lower speeds? I still remember the predecessors: the Rb classes. I never did get a picture of any of them, although I saw all 6 locomotives over their life span. It was such a unique locomotive, considering the boxy, brown locos we had before. Here was this bright orange loco with rounded corners; it just looked "modern" all over!
That ATSF 811 steamer looks like a classic! Thanks for that picture.
Mike, thank you for the picture of the old Swedish steamer. I don't recognize it, more than it is probably one of the private roads, judging from the color of the coach in the background. Until I get my hands on my book (which is in California right now) I can just hope that Eric has some more information. And as always, a wealth of information in all the links you provided!
The la
SPECIAL RECOGNITION!
A Happy National Day of Sweden and the Swedish Flag Day (Swedish: Sveriges nationaldag och svenska flaggans dag) to our Resident Desert Swede ‘n our Resident Cowboy Swede!
Tom and the Gang from "Our" Place!
Continuing on with some Pix from the 2nd Annual "Our" Place Classic Trains Rendezvous in St. Louis:
Saturday - May 19, 2007 - continued from Page 62:
The St. Louis Museum of Transportation (Kirkwood, MO)
(descriptions previously provided by Eric ‘n Doug)
Riverboat (tow boat) H. T. Pott
Laclede Christy #2 S9T 0-4-0T 30" gauge tramway loco. Built in Davenport, IA (1907)
Military DC-47A Transport (DC3 for commercial air)
This aircraft is believed to have been used in the Normandy invasion on June 6th, 1944 (D-Day)
More later . . .
Hi Tom and all
A pint of Holden's Golden Glow for PER and I, please RUTH, and a round to celebrate Sweden's National Day today.
ERIC Thanks for the build date of # 811. The locos of that class seem to have had a good long life.
This time I kept the brides digital camera well away from any soda pop. I am lucky that there are the great photos from Tom Doug and yourself of the rendezvous. I'm still hoping to save at least a few of my film. The guy who does cameras in town is away at the moment.
We were lucky we were able to travel in the Sightseer Lounge..
I agree locomotives and units look far better without adverts on them.
PER Thanks for the round. It is good Sweden is recognizing the National day with a Holiday it is a pity England does not have a national day holiday.
You are so right about buying quality products first time. I wonder who built those cheap busses for Sweden.
The New Belgian Brewery's Fat Tire is available in certain bars in this and the Kansas City area. The nearest brewpub is Flat Branch in Columbia about thirty miles away; they have a good range of beers. We are supposed to be getting a brewpub here in town opening in the fall.
It seems the switchers take delight in waking up the sleeping car passengers, although in Canada it seem quite smooth when they were switching at Matapedia. I remember on a sleeper going from London to Inverness on BR at one point there was a change of locomotive and for some reason the new loco was not ready and with no train heat it was getting cold in the sleeper.
I had not seen that photo of the Titanic at sea before but I knew is must have been a unique photo.
TOM Good choice of film for this day certainly put me down for a ticket.
Liked the Special for PER.
Yes it was a week ago today I arrived back home from Canada. I heard the Amtrak train hooting this morning (about 20 mins late) while out with the dog and thought of it.
Some of my pix are not too bad but what is puzzling is that two shots taken from roughly the same place one is Ok and the other blurred.
I wonder why they had a small rudder on the Titanic, perhaps it was to make the ship faster do you think.Enjoying the talk of the days of the old airliners between CM3 and yourself.
That is a great photo of Halifax and thanks for the interesting link to the gas exploration it is something not often thought about when we turn on the gas fire.
That is interesting if sad story of Jimmy Piersall thanks for sharing.
I guess if there is another ‘Nessie' Nova Scotia' is the place it should be. I guess ‘Nova Scotia is Latin for New Scotland.
Your photos from the Ocean have turned out great, many thanks for sharing. I see the pic of the murals and that building at Truro could not have come out better. The ones of Halifax harbor are great too.
Thanks for the photos from the Museum Of Transportation in St Louis, didn't we have some glorious weather for the Rendezvous. The photo of the DC-47A is particularly apt, as the aircraft is believed to have taken part in D-Day.
It always pays to keep the Mascots happy; it is no fun getting nipped on the ankle by TEX when re stocking the bar late at night.
Well RUTH another round please.
Pete
Good evening Tom and friends! I'll have a bottomless draught and buy a round for the loyal patrons of Our Place, and to celebrate Sweden's birthday of course! Sorry for being so scarce these days, and didn't want to let another day go without checking in. I extended my horsemanship training another few days rather than return to work. Work is easier on me though, I can tell you.
Great war film at the Emporium guys, as Tom has said. Ironically, My Fast Mail publication this month has a related book review on The Horseshoe Curve: Sabotage and Subversion in the Railroad City by Dennis McIlnay; 456 pages; Seven Oaks Press; $36.99 (includes shipping and sales tax).
In this riveting book, Dennis McIlnay brings hostory alive with the stunning tale of three interconnected - but little-known - events in American history:
The NAzi plot during World War II to destroy the Horseshoe Curve, the Mecca of American railroading near Altoona, Pa.
The FBI's search of the homes of 225 Altoonians on July 1942, as "alien enemies" - suspected Nazi sympathizers - and the internment by the United States of 15,000 Germain and Italian Americans during World War II.
The personal and organizational drama of founding the Pennsylvania Railroad and building the Horseshoe Curve.
The Nazi plot to destroy the Horshoe Curve - a mission that Hitler himself conceived - was one of the world's deadliest terrorist acts. Had the Nazi's succeeded in demolishing the Horseshoe Curve, they could have crippled the American war machine and changed the course of history.
Founding of the Pennsylvania Railroad nd building the Horseshoe Curve are two the America's greatest transportation acheivements. But before the Pennsy was completed, bitter persoanl, political and organizational battles threatened to destroy the railroad and halt the westward march of the U.S.
Part spy story and part historical epic, this book seamlessly blends information from 300 sources, including diaries, biographys, military records, histories, engineering studies, court briefs and FBI files acquired through the Freedom of Information Act to tell the thrilling story of these three interconnected but little-known events.
"Captures the reader's attention in the best tradition of spy novels ... A must-read for history enthusiasts ..." David Seidel, Horseshoe Curve Ch./NRHS
SO that's my little contribution for tonight! Keep the Rendezvous and Halifax pix coming, and great to see Per is still with us!
Just a cup of coffee, Leon! No, no Danish, thank you! I know, five bucks. That's fine.
Found some nice pictures and interesting information here tonight!
Tom – The Class C3 cars were built in the very beginning of the 1900’s and one can say the era had a lot to do with it. But many of them remained in service until the end of the 40’s or early 50’s. Per remember them and so do I since I was a kid. They were used in local trains.I am an expert on the five Mondays week! I have lived through way too many of them.Somewhere I have a picture of a TWA Constellation. I’ll see if I can find it and scan it.
You better tell me about those "secret stashes of beer" at the next Rendezvous if you want to keep it out of the Ether. I had the feeling that Truro might be a single track station when I saw the missing track. Maintenance costs!The Longest Day is a great war movie. I have it on tape. Some time in the early 90’s I got a letter from I don’t remember what organisation, where they offered to add my name to a memorial in Normandie. This because they had the information I participated in the invasion!! I was only a year and a half at that time so I didn’t qualify. Thanks for the pictures from your trip! I have seen the name Bedford Basin on the maps and now I have a pretty good idea about what it looks like!! Is it Halifax that is barely visible on the other side in one of the pictures?Thank you for Happy National Day wishes! I will celebrate my 10th Anniversary as an American 4th of July this year! Very nice pictures from the St. Louis Museum of Transportation!! It was a very interesting morning we spent there. I was a little bit disappointed about the Museum store. Most of what they had for sale was for small kids, not kids my age. I just wish they have had some more books to choose from for myself. But that is just a very minor thing. CM3 – I’ll check those Alco IIRC trucks as soon as I get a chance. I am always looking at details. Per – I forgot all about this day in the old country! Thanks for reminding me! I don’t know if and how they celebrate it nowadays? The switch-over to right hand traffic in Sweden took place in early September 1967. I don’t remember if it was September 3. I worked as a bus driver then and it was kind of strange to start driving the usual route on “the wrong side” all of a sudden. But it worked out very well.The buses you mentioned were built by Büssing in Germany and Leyland in UK. You are right, those buses were something else. I never had to drive them. The Swedish profile is wider than the European. Very few Swedish passenger cars are allowed to go down to Germany and other countries. The Swedish State Railways bought German made cars for their night train from Stockholm to Berlin. I don’t know if there is any direct cars today from Sweden to the European continent. Rub it in?? Mississippi? You more or less asked for it! Leon is a very nice man. He keeps the door unlocked until I get to “Our” Place every evening/morning. I have always been a night owl, since I was a kid. Like to do things in the middle of the night and hate early mornings. Early morning is every morning before 10 AM. You are retiring in January? I’ll do the same thing by the end of this year, 197 days from today! The conductor did not mind the bicycle in the luggage rack. The guy locked it to the rack so it could not fall down. I would say the main reason there are no real fast regular trains in Sweden is that all cars have to be equipped with magnetic track brakes at speeds above 100 mph. That is very costly to install after the cars have been built. So the two Rc7, that were geared for 112 mph had no cars to run at that speed. X2 was equipped with magnetic track brakes from the very beginning. Rc 5 became Rc 6 when they were regeared for 100 mph. Nothing else was changed. I remember Class Rb1, Rb2 and Rb3. Two locomotives of each class. They were kind of experimental. They were still in service when I started as an engineer, but I never operated one. ASEA built many locomotives for other Europena countries based on Class Rb. You can still find them in service in southeast Europe.Pete – I have the discs with my Rendezvous pictures ready to be shipped on Saturday! I will send three discs to all three of you. I hope you will be able to save some of your pictures from the Rendezvous. Doug – One day you have to tell me more about that horseman training! I have a few pictures of myself on the back of a horse, but I was never big on that. I like horses but have never been interested in horseback riding. That book looks very interesting. I am going to the book store this weekend and I will check to see if they have it.
Chicago & Illinois Midland #551. A 2-84 built by Lima 1928. St. Louis Mus
Thursday! Time for a hot mugga freshly ground ‘n brewed coffee along with pastries from The Mentor Village Bakery??? Consider a selection from our Menu Board for a <light> or <traditional> breakfast while you're at it!
Hail to the Ducks of Anaheim! - the newly crowned Stanley Cup Champions of the NHL for the 2006-2007 season! I think they should change the name of their arena to the Aflack Pond <quack - quack>
Received an Email request from DL to put him on our "list" for information regarding the 3rd Annual "Our" Place Classic Trains Rendezvous in Chicago 2008! That makes 6 of us interested . . . .
Weather forecast holds for a stormy ride as the temps are to hit the high 90s (F) - winds strong and a front coming in with all kinds of dire predictions for tonight. Batten down the hatches, Boris - keep the critters inside. <uh oh>
I see there's been sufficient activity to justify one of these compilations - youse guyz just don't want me to take "off" on Tuesday ‘n Thursday,eh <grin>
CM3 Shane at 8:18 AM Wednesday - June 6th: Ah, Antigonish, Nova Scotia - a place I've not visited, but one whose name I have heard many times. ‘Tis indeed a challenge to pronounce it in "Nova Scotian" tongue! <grin> Towns along the Northumberland Shore are sights to see ‘n places to go. Maybe one day . . .
You are oh-so-correct when it comes to the hearty souls who reside in that part of the world - "they" don't make ‘em like that anymore, at least where I'm residing!
Another "Ah" in reference to the guy who took the 3rd strike LOOKING from the Yankees Don Larsen in his perfect game #5 of the 1956 World Series between the Yanks ‘n Dodgers. That at bat put Dale Mitchell into baseball history!
WHERE do you come up with these names?? <grin>
Much appreciation for the quarters, round ‘n discussion!
Per at 12:19 PM Wednesday - June 6th: I found a link that address pretty much everything one may want to know about the FIRST RRs in the U.S. - check out: http://mikes.railhistory.railfan.net/r013.html
For "stuff" found in the Ether, this IS a good "read" and well worth the time to learn something new or simply refresh one's memory . . .
I seriously doubt VIA Rail had any idea what the TRUE costs were to be regarding the purchase of those "Chunnel Chugger" Euro cars. Much of that $137m (CDN) was unanticipated expense - so I've been told - and there's more on the way. Keep in mind that the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled those Renaissance cars MUST fully accommodate the handicapped. So this saga will continue . . . I'd bet the "ranch" that those Renaissance cars will never attain the in-service years of the Budds . . .
For me, bunks are bunks whether aboard ships or trains. Tight accommodations are just that and I didn't notice any particular disturbing difference between Renaissance bedrooms and those doubles in the Budd stainless steel cars. However, the newness of Renaissance makes ‘em more pleasing to the eye and the separate toilet chamber with sink makes it a better arrangement than the Budds where the sink is located in the sleeping area. However, storage space for luggage is pretty much out of the picture - zilch, zip, zero. One case in the bathroom the other on the bedroom floor. At least in the Budd cars there's overhead storage for two average-size cases. Also found the temp control and lighting options far better in the Budds.
In the early times when I visited St. John's, Newfoundland, I was a radio operator (Morse code) so Marconi had special meaning for me. In later years, my career path took me out of the radio shack and up to the bridge. Still, being a radioman was indeed one of those skill levels most essential for ships and voyages of the times. We had a minimum number of operators required for each deployment - fall below that level and the ship had to remain in port. No more - it's all a different telecommunications world now - and I'd say the "fun" is long gone from it. <sad>
Many thanx for the fine inclusive, informative ‘n interesting Post!
Pete at 4:55 PM Wednesday - June 6th: Like a clock in good order, our Bar Chandler is keeping to the mid to late afternoon "time slot" in fine fashion! The way things are shaping up ‘round here, looks as if YOU will be the ONLY staff member still standing as we've pretty much lost Rob <May 12th was last visit> - and Lars still has a week or two left before coming back. <geesh>
Perhaps had you placed a cold beer into that carry-on "thing" of yours instead of soda pop, your camera wouldn't have taken such a "hit"! <grin>
Appears that you ‘n I have experienced the SAME situation regarding digital fotos - for I've had the identical anomaly occur as well. <arrrggghhh>
Should you ever have the opportunity to visit Nova Scotia again, you MUST travel up to Cape Breton. Check out a map and you'll see that the Cape is actually an island, but all part of Nova Scotia. If you want to view Scotland, North American version, this is a MUST trip. Outstanding scenery - far better than anything we saw from the train and so much of it. We took VIA Rail up to Sydney - rented a car - toured the area and drove back down to Bedford (Halifax). Only regret is that we didn't take the Cabot Trail - time was
Here's a pretty old picture of Stockholm for Swedish D-Day
http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/ppmsc/06200/06231v.jpg
Gustav too
http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3b40000/3b40000/3b40100/3b40127r.jpg
Redningsbaaden
http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3g10000/3g12000/3g12600/3g12634v.jpg
Jazzkongen
http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3g10000/3g12000/3g12600/3g12642v.jpg
3 Piger Paa Viften
http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3g10000/3g12000/3g12600/3g12639v.jpg
Lassie Vender Hjem
http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3g10000/3g12000/3g12600/3g12633v.jpg
Gustav Lilenthal also had a beard, won the Battle of Hell Gate
http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ggbain/20000/20015v.jpg
http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3b20000/3b24000/3b24200/3b24235v.jpg
Marlyn Rich loves to fly and it shows
http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3c30000/3c33000/3c33300/3c33383v.jpg
http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3c30000/3c33000/3c33300/3c33387v.jpg
2007 BIRTHDAY WATCH LIST
(rev. June 7th)
January 14th (Eric - 64)
OKRA (Dec 22 - Jan 20) Are tough on the outside but tender on the inside. Okras have tremendous influence. An older Okra can look back over his life and see the seeds of his influence everywhere. You can do something good each day if you try. You go well with most anyone.
March 13th (Doug - 51)
BOLL WEEVIL (Feb 20 - March 20) You have an overwhelming curiosity. You're unsatisfied with the surface of things, and you feel the need to bore deep into the interior of everything. Needless to say, you are very intense and driven as if you had some inner hunger. You love to stay busy and tend to work too much. Nobody in their right mind is going to marry you, so don't worry about it.
March 31st (Lars - 67)
MOON PIE (March 21 - April 20) You're the type that spends a lot of time on the front porch. A cinch to recognize the physical appearance of Moon Pies. Big and round are the key words here. You should marry anybody who you can get remotely interested in the idea. A Chitlin would be a good mate but it's not going to be easy. You always have a big smile and are happy. This might be the year to think about aerobics. Maybe not.
May 18th (Tom - 69)
POSSUM (April 21 - May 21) When confronted with life's difficulties, possums have a marked tendency to withdraw and develop a don't-bother-me-about- it attitude. Sometimes you become so withdrawn, people actually think you're dead. This strategy is probably not psychologically healthy but seems to work for you. You are a rare breed. Most folks love to watch you work and play. You are a night person and mind your own business. You should definitely marry an Armadillo.
May 27th (Dave - 48) <Leave of absence - Iraq>
CRAWFISH (May 22 - June 21) Crawfish is a water sign. If you work in an office, you're hanging around the water cooler. Crawfish prefer the beach to the mountains, the pool to the golf course, and the bathtub to the living room. You tend not to be particularly attractive physically but have a good heart.
August 11th (Pete - 56)
CATFISH (July 24 - Aug 23) Catfish are traditionalists in matters of the heart, although one's whiskers may cause problems for loved ones. You Catfish are never easy people to understand. You run fast. You work and play hard. Even though you prefer the muddy bottoms to the clear surface of life, you are liked by most. Above all else, Catfish should stay away from Moon Pies.
September 8th (Rob - 36)
September 11th (Per - 62)
GRITS (Aug 24 - Sept 23) Your highest aim is to be with others like yourself. You like to huddle together with a big crowd of other Grits. You love to travel though, so maybe you should think about joining a club. Where do you like to go? Anywhere they have cheese, gravy, bacon, butter, or eggs and a good time. If you can go somewhere where they have all these things, that serves you well. You are pure in heart.
September 29th (James - 19)
October 18th (BK - 67)
BOILED PEANUTS (Sept 24 - Oct 23) You have a passionate desire to help your fellow man. Unfortunately, those who know you best, your friends and loved ones, may find that your personality is much too salty, and their criticism will affect you deeply because you are really much softer than you appear. You should go right ahead and marry anybody you want to because in a certain way, yours is a charmed life. On the road of life, you can be sure that people will always pull over and stop for you.
December 29th (CM3 - 61)
Not on the list Send me an Email with your birth date (month-day-year) Corrections too!
Tom (Siberianmo)
Proprietor of "Our" Place, an adult eating & drinking establishment!
A return to a bit of "normalcy" 'round here . . . something from the past to enjoy!
PASSENGER TRAIN NOSTALGIA #38
Initially Posted on Page 183 of the original Thread . . .
Here's something to enjoy regarding the New York Central (NYC) in a 1948 advertisement from my private collection:
World Premiere! the New 20th Century Limited
First of New York Central's new Dreamliner Fleet
NEW Lookout Lounge - Modern setting for the club-like availability that's long been a Century tradition. New - from its streamlined Diesel to its raised "Lookout Lounge" . . . New King-Size Diner - So spacious it needs a separate kitchen car! Smart designing gives each table privacy plus a perfect outlook. There's a festive feel about the Century's dinner lounge and a sense of being served with distinction. New 1948 Century Rooms - Whether you travel in a roomette, a bedroom or with a party in a suite, you can work, or relax in air-conditioned privacy by day - then sleep the miles away by night on Central's smooth Water Level Route. NEW NEW YORK CENTRAL BETWEEN THE HEART OF CHICAGO AND THE HEART OF NEW YORK Vacation overnight aboard the new Century. Arrive refreshed - with no business time lost. Enjoy! Tom
What else MORE Pix from Day Two: Friday - May 25th, 2007 - VIA Rail to Halifax, NS from Montreal, QC . . .
Approaching the Halifax VIA Rail station through the yards . . .
Container ship being unloaded in Halifax
CN GP-38s in need of a face lift in Halifax
Container ship & freight in Halifax
IC hoppers at CNs coal facility in Halifax
More CN Geeps in Halifax
CN GP38 in Halifax needs a new paint job
More CN freight & shore side facilities in Halifax
Good Morning Barkeep and all Present; coffee, please; round for the house and $ for the jukebox.
Today we touch on hockey, holidays, passenger operations, C&IM, Yogi Berra's father, diesel locomotive trucks, spies, naval history, and climatological aspects of locomotive paint. IOW. Something for everybody
Ducks win - they deserved it. I know, Frostbite's upset because he is, after all, a Penguins fan - well, we've got to put the Zamboni up on blocks and get it ready for next season.
Per stopped by with comments and information on a most interesting celebration - we'll do anything for a party.
Pete sent comments. 66 and 67 used to be "rock and roll" sometimes on trips between Boston and Washington. Locomotives were, of course, changed at New Haven. Then, there was a set out sleeper added or cut out at New York which involved all sorts of cuts and pulls. Sometimes it went really well, other times, it wasn't exactly smooth. The C&O used to split the "George Washington" at Charlottesville. I liked to get out and watch that - they were very careful handling the train, as was the N&W when they did their switching. Again, something that many folks don't remember.
Eric - The C&IM was a coal hauler for the most part. Thanks for the picture of their 551. They had, IIRC, several of these 2-8-2s purchased from different railroads. Boris, get the cap lights - we'll head to east wing and see what we can dig out of the files!
Geez, did I messed up on the trucks. So here goes.
ALCO had what they called Hi-Ad trucks which were available. The PRR, right before the end, ordered a bunch of C636s. They were delivered as PC units and were equipped with Hi-Ad trucks; this should help your quest for photos.
Adirondack trucks were used on GE engines. PRRs U30Cs are an example of this application.
Now, as Hemingway would say, the truck issue is "well and truly settled." My apologies!
Barndad stopped by - the Horseshoe Curve book looks interesting.
OSP sent a lot of stuff. Thanks for sharing the pictures. The little Sabine River and Northern switcher jumped right out at me.
The Laclede-Christy engine belonged, IIRC, to a brick company in St. Louis. Yogi Berra's father worked for them. How's that for useful knowledge?
The following was inspired by OSPs pictures around Halifax. The two best books on the Battle of the Atlantic are vols. 1 and 10 of S.E. Morison's History of Naval Operations in World War II. I have the entire Morison set, but those are the best books in the set, IMHO.
I just finished reading an excellent new book titled Combat Loaded. It covers the career of the U.S.S. Tate, an attack cargo ship which was heavily involved in operations around Okinawa.
An older book which is available on the o/p market is titled Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil. This deals with logistics, etc. Sorry if I added to the "gotta read" stack.
The DC47 was surely in Normandy colors. Also thanks for the NYC ad.
The last question before the house is how did you folks manage get that boat so far inland? I bet it's tied back to consumption of mass quantities and somebody thinking that they ‘knew the river." I know, the Ticonderoga is inland at the Shelburne Musemu in Vermont, but that was hauled into place by the Rutland RR.
There sure were some ratty looking CN engines along the waterfront. It's amazing what climate will do to paint. The engines that ran down in Florida in Bone Valley (phosphate service), if they stayed long enough faded to an near pink color - almost looked like the old Lionel Girl's train from days gone by.
P.S. Note to OSP - I'm old and have been able to remember names. As Groucho once said, "I never forget a face, but in your case I'll make an exception."
MORE Pix from the 2nd Annual "Our" Place Classic Trains Rendezvous in St. Louis:
Saturday - May 19, 2007
(more detailed descriptions <for many> previously provided by Eric ‘n Doug)
MoPac Alco RS-3 #4502
St. Louis Waterworks Railway Interurban Car #10. Built by St. Louis Car Co. (1914).
St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Baldwin Class Tn-61 4-6-0. Built by Baldwin (1889).
Erie-Lackawanna SD45. Built by EMD (1967).
Duluth, Missabe &U Iron Range 2-10-2. Built by Baldwin (1916).
Norfolk & Western2-8-8-2 Mallet Class Y6a #2156. Built by N&W (1942).
Rock Island AeroTrain #3. Built by EMD (1955).
A pint of Holden's please RUTH and of course it is Fish ‘N' Chip nite.
DOUG Great to see you in. I must admit that is the first I had heard of the plot to sabotage the Horseshoe Curve. That does indeed sound like an interesting Book.
Sounds like the Horsemanship training is going well.
ERIC Congratulations on your 10th year of American citizenship next month.
It must have seemed strange when Sweden changed from left-hand running to right-hand running over night. I wonder if the UK will ever change, to be the same as Europe, it is a wonder Brussels as not tried to force the Brits to do so.
When they build any new rail lines in Sweden are they set up for left or right hand running do you know.
That is a great photo of C&IM # 551.I wonder if it was just the railroads of North America that painted the coupling rods silver. I don't know if other countries painted the rods on main line locomotives or why British Railways did not paint theirs.
I shall very much look forward to the discs with your photos, many thanks.
MIKE Many thanks for the links. That is a very Young Roddy McDowell in ‘Lassie Vender Hjem' and rather Marlyn Rich than me.
That is a marvelous photo of LMS No 6204 Princess Louise with the horse and rider how both are moving and in such sharp focus is amazing. I wonder where the photo was taken it looks like the part of England I came from. There is an ex LMS Princess class in the LMS livery at work on the main line of BR today.
http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/page.cfm?objectid=12183999&method=full&siteid=50061
CM3 Many thanks for a great post. Thanks for the info on the cutting of those trains. I believe the Scotrail Sleeper in the UK still splits and joins into 3 portions at Edinburgh Scotland. 1 for Inverness 1 for Aberdeen and the other for Fort William.
I must to you for having that knowledge that Yogi Berra's father worked for the same company as the Leclade-Christy locomotive in the museum.
Talking of paint, on the tender of one ex Southern Railway locomotive that was in Barry Docks Scrapyard in South Wales the paint had worn off and it was possible to see several layers and the original ‘SOUTHERN' lettering on the tender from about 30 years before.
I had better let Tom answer the question on the boat.
TOM DL may be coming to the Chicago Rendezvous, could you cope with 2 Brits.
That is a really interesting link to the early railways in the U.S. That $20,000 must have been a great deal of money John Stevens lost in 1812 .I do like the idea of a tavern every mile on the early roads thoughThat was an ingenious idea to move the canal boats in sections over hilly terrain. I dare say the American Notes by Charles Dickens is a good read, I have read that Dickens did not like railways; this may have been a premonition, as he never recovered from a railway wreck in Southern England in later years.
That is a startling fact that the Pennsy rolling stock, if joined together, would stretch for 2,500 miles (I guess that this would have been in 1935). Thanks for sharing.
As you say a visit to Cape Breton is a must if visiting the area for a reasonable amount of time. There is a great link from the Wikipedia site to the Cabot trail and the Virtual tour on that site is well worth looking at it is indeed a beautiful place so different in winter as well. What a shame the Bras d'Or no longer runs.
I see we have a bit of a gap in the birthdays for a while, hopefully we should hear from DAVE soon.
Many thanks for the NYC Nostalgia and the photos from Halifax and the Museum of Transportation. Poor old GP38 #4774 does look as though she could do with some TLC on the bodywork, and it was sad to see so many empty sidings in Halifax. The photos of the museum show they have some really great locomotives there.
The only staff member and no pay rise, I know the feeling well, still as they say "donkeys go best loaded"
Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!
Get the Classic Trains twice-monthly newsletter