Good afternoon gents,just the usual sunday paperwork stop in for me.Even though saturday was a tad slow you guys did put forth a fair bit of stuff to make it all worth while.Thanks for the continued support
Eric-Great photo's sir, always nice to see the Amtrak shots in the various locations that you visisted with it. I'm sure Tom will like the shot from Pen station.
Pete-Do I detect yet another attempt to have your tab paid off. Hmmm we will have to get the inspector involved methinks. Hopefully we can't trace the production prices back to your pay packet, if so the damage repairs may come out of your next one <uh oh > I he thinks it's good that the managers back
Actually thanks for the posts yesterday you kept us afloat Perhaps Alan will find someone who knows what that mystery picture is.
Yes the train rides were completely uneventfull , my return trip was very rainy though no oportunity for good photo ops oddly enough the return train for me had assigned seating,I had a window seat but it was right by the eadge of the frame so it was a half window seat and my neighbour for the return trip had more computer equipment than IBM was a good conversationalist though so it wasn't all bad.
Nick-A lots of great pictures, from you yesterday.I'm glad that you enjoyed your prize The dinner and dancing sounds interesting,we'll hope to see you Nice to know that we have another cat person in the bar I was feeling outnumbered.
The new Go units are interesting , however I'm hearing that they are having lots of teething problems with them. Apparently they don't do well in the rain,the composite body pannels apparently leak live sieves
I did see the Northlander on my return home from Union VIA Go train it was parked outside the trainshed in VIA's Mimico storage yards. Too dark for shots at that point unfortunatly,two GP38-2's and six coaches though
Rob
Right,back again-just had to take a time out to hand feed one of our cats ,who is rapidly failing (bless her little heart ) and upload some pix-is one more than the rule of six,but am prepared to risk a tweeting on grounds of continuity........
ERIC-looks like we posted together-a fine random mix-the contrast between the huge engine,the little narrow gauge and the modern image is delightful -full marks mate
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Here we have one of the last `specials` before B.R closed the line-the coaches having long been scrapped,the passengers are on bench seats in open wagons...
Here we have an early `preservation era` shot from Cyrfronydd with coaches aquired from the Royal Navy Chattenden & Upnor line
Here we are loading timber at Llanfair-I bet that ould fella with the beard could tell a tale or two
Shunting at Welshpool-note the bridge over the std gauge line on the left-there were some mixed gauge tracks here,apparently a few yards survive...
A nice side on view of The Countess in G.W.R guise...
A market day working (pic is cropped but train is loaded to max 14 wagons ) from Castle Caereinion-somewhere I have a similar view from when we visited,but on glowing technicolour and without train.........
A very early view showing `The Earl` with a couple of the original coaches (built by Pickering of York ) at Llanfair Caereinion..
Right then chaps-I fear the 15" will have to wait for another day-the rum & beer has worked it`s ancient magic and as Missisnick is away I will be on dawn patrol with small Hannah (whoopee bloody doo ....)
Take care one and all,speak soon
Well good evening one & all-Have just come from claiming the first part of my prize,which has left me sorely (and I use the word advisedly) in need of the second............
Since it is on the tab,I will have several bottles of Staropramen please Leon-also a bottle of the special rum and the tube of antiseptic ointment from the first aid box in the galley-You really dont want to know,trust me....
Sadly,didn`t make it to Fishguard today-between small one`s commitments and helping my increasingly frail father do some yard work it just didn`t happen-ah well...got to be family first..
So-who has been about the place:-
ERIC-First proper trainset,-Dad bought me a 3-rail tinplate Hornby-Dublo layout when I was 3 which I rapidly destroyed,not knowing any better and I had various Brio type push-along sets after but this was the first one that I appreciated for what it was-by this time I was old enough (10) to be trusted with what was,given the family income,a fairly substantial gift
Now the W.H.R-a complex one this,The original line was the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railway which ran From Dinas Jn to Rhyd Ddu,opening in stages from 1877 to 1881. It lost it`s passenger service in 1916 and ran freight `as reqd` after that. `Snowdon Ranger` & sister `Moel Tryfan` with later addition `Gowrie` (all 0-6-4t`s) worked the traffic.
The W.H.R was the extended version which ran down to Portmadoc,where it connected with the Festiniog. This opened to traffic in 1922/3 with `Moel Tryfan` & `Russell`as the only power-they were joined by a war dept surplus Baldwin 4-6-0t #590.
This company never made a penny and was leased by the Festiniog who ran the whole enterprise as one line until it became obvious that nothing could save it
In answer to your question,As far as I know,Russell is the only survivor-although some odds & ends of coaching stock may still be around on the F.R.
The rebuilt line is also under F.R auspices-they are using repatriated South African equipment-some wonderful Beyer-Garrett artics
By a fine piece of synchronicity,silent MIKE`s map shows the area to the immediate north of the route-the rebuilt line follows the route south out from Caernavon before turning east just below the map & then south again.
I cant resist adding to the history lesson-the isle of Angelsea ( Ynys Mon ) was the home of the Druidic order in Roman times-until 2 legions (11th & 16th if memory serves) marched across from England and butchered them to a man before returning to do much the same to Queen Boudicca and the Iceni tribe (who had just wiped out half of the 9th legion ,burned London & Colchester to the ground and were fair set to kick the whole Roman army out of the country--been downhill since then in my considered opinion )
Nice shot of the Amtrak inspection car BTW ....
ROB- home dear boy-glad you had a good ride despite what I would guess was the traditional `Nutter on the bus` -forgot to mention-fine GT pix etc the other day -also thanks for offer of hospitality-nice one mate !!-am a cat person too,so no problem there-will definately be across some time and will insist on taking yourself and Heather out for some wine & dine (on my tab)--Like PETE,I am looking forward to seeing the new GO plant (any sign of the Northlander -just asking you understand.....)
O.K-what happened to all the rum....whoa THATs what happened to all the rum (spot the quote ) Leon-another bottle please -and a round of beers to keep it company-anybody else getting peckish ?--ERIC`s had his steak but I am sure he can fit in a few nibbles-Leon a snack platter as well please,plus the cheese board for ROB-right-onwards and upwards..
PETE-Wouldn`t have spotted that as a `Toad` -they have done a good job there-as Eric Morcombe used to say" You cant see the Join"-although there were some fully enclosed Toads for the Severn tunnel line as I recall...The transcontinental range was aimed at the former Commonwealth ( as I am sure you know) and was in the catalogue for many years-various bits & bobs show up on Evilbay fairly often so must assume they sold.........
I must say ,I found Boris`s performance as Finnegan (apologies for the lecture BTW ) both compelling and moving-it compelled me to move to a different bar for the balance of the evening..................
A fine set from the W&LLR -refresh my memory-the track on the extreme left in pic 2 leads up to a loading bank for off-loading stock from flat bed road wagons-was only there for about 10 mins and cant find any of my pix so am relying on the old grey matter (always risky...)
Doesn`t `Joan` look a treat -as do the Countess & Sir Drefaldwyn (one of the lesser known Arthurian tales )--was there a pilot engine at Llanfair Caereinion ?-looks like Dougal & the Countess were sitting on the run-round track .....enquiring minds and all that....
Silent MIKE-A delightful spread and,as mentioned above, a fine piece of synchronicity-not only are we right into the heart of Gwynedd,we also have a train in London & North Western Livery (both of which tie into recent posts) but also the Lion statues ,which were featured on a Welsh news article on thursday,in connection with a road-widening scheme-to quote Sir Alec (Obi-Wan) Guinness-your powers are great young Skywalker-you must use them wisely...........
Right-lets have a few pix to diffuse the rambling data -dump--since PETE has kicked for touch with the W&L,lets take the line out on the 22 and drive in with some more of the same.....
Sorry-got distracted-here is the W.H.R Baldwin.....
Here is `Gowrie`-note differences between her and `Snowdon Ranger`
And here are `Moel Tryfan` & `Russell` (with cut down cab for working on the Festiniog`s reduced loading gauge)
Here we have `Sir Drefaldwyn` at Castle Caereinion-easing across the level crossing
And heading on towards Llanfair
img
{}/img And here is a selection from Llanfair Caereinion.........
Right-gonna post these then back with some old b&w pix of the line
Good evening Captain Tom and all present!!
Leon, just a cold Tui, please. Not hungry today.
Kind of slow afternoon here at the bar this Saturday. Here is some $, play the music! Crank it up to the max!
Rob – Glad to learn that you and Tom had a great day!! Despite rain. No, the Swedish State Railways did not lease any RBDe 4/4. I don’t remember why right now. But they bought more EMU’s of the kind they already had, class X10, in slightly different versions, class X12 and class X14. Pete – No, as I mentioned to Rob, SJ never leased any RBDe 4/4. They bought different versions of what they already had. I found out this morning that I have the wrong class on that Swiss electric locomotive. It is a class Re 4/4, nothing else. I am sorry. Ae 4/4 has a different body. To answer your question, Re 4/4 has 4,348 hp. Thanks for the info on the Welsh Highland Line! And thanks for the link about the electric little locomotive, Spondon 2! Vey nice photos of those small tank locomotives! ‘Sir Drefaldwyn’ caught my eye right away. Didn’t look British and it shouldn’t. It is a German locomotive! The last two pictures are showing an interesting locomotive. Does it have 4 water tanks or (as I believe) just 2? Mike – Thanks for the round! Interesting bridge, the Britannia Tubular Bridge! I have to look it up to learn more about it! Comparing the photos with the map it seems like the main land is to the right (or far end of the bridge) since you can see the other bridge in the background.
Some randomly picked photos for this Saturday.
Penn Station, NYC.
Pittsburgh, PA.
Mariefred, Sweden.
Train arriving, same place.
Southern Pacific #5021, SP-2 class 4-10-2 steam locomotive, built in 1926 by ALCO at their Schenectady, New York, shops. One of only four preserved 3-cyl. locomotives in the US. Pomona, CA.
Eric
Hi Tom and everyone, a round for the house
The lion's share of this post is abridged and charted
Mike
Hi Tom and all.
I'll have the pint Rob has offered and let me get Rob one as well please CINDY..
ROB Glad you andTOM had a good trip to Montreal and your trip back was problem free as well.. I will indeed look forward to the report and the photos, it will be good to see the new Go Transit locomotives .
Yes H&H were included for the fight scene, just as well, as they used real whiskey in the scene where it splashed over Finnegan(BORIS). As you can guess it went down hill rapidly from there as the track gang got involved.Still the cost of the damages is nothing a bill the size of the roll of paper they used in newspaper production won't cover..
Glad you enjoyed the photos and it is good to have our manager back.
Well the sun is out, which means yard work, so a quick round before I go CINDY.
Pete.
A cup of coffee and a bacon sarnie please RUTH.. I guess TOM is well on the way to Gaspe Bay as I write this.
ERIC Many thanks for the photos from Switzerland. Did the Swedish State Railways lease RBDe 4/4 units and do you know the horsepower of the AE4/4 electric locomotives.
Thanks for the kind words on the photos.
I read yesterday that there was the first passenger train in April through the Aberglaslyn Pass on the re built Welsh Highland Line since 1937. They think the last train in 1937 was most likely hauled by 'Russell' as in Nick's photo.
I have a link to that electric locomotive.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/foxfield/spondon_no2.htm
Many thanks for the photo of the Amtrak Inspection Car.
NICK There is an article about Brunel and Neyland in a recent Backtrack magazine, I will have to get round to reading it soon.
Great description of North Wales for Eric.
Very good spot on the ‘Cambrian' Railways brake van. The livery is not authentic it is a GWR ‘Toad' van, who says the camera doesn't lie.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/foxfield/gwrbrake.htm
I have found a bit more info on the small electric loco; it was built by English Electric at Preston in 1939 and worked at Spondon Power station near Derby. It does indeed resemble the locomotive in the Tri- Ang -Hornby catalogue. I wonder if the ‘Transcontinental' range had good sales, I see a non-powered RDC was available as well.
Many thanks for the Welsh Highland photos past and present, although the Snowdon Ranger is no longer around it is great that Russell is still around to work on the re-built line.
The mystery pic has got Alan baffled as well, I wonder if it could have been at the Amberley Chalk Pits Museum, but I am only saying that as I have visited there.
Looking forward to the 15 in gauge photos. Oh yes I recall a John Entwistle bass solo during a Who concert at the NEC Birmingham November 2000.
Finnegans Wake it was the spell checker M'Lud, I'm afraid the Our Place production owed far more to the ‘Dubliners' than to Joyce.
Some photos from the Welshpool & Llanfair Railway.
0-6-2T Kerr Stuart 'JOAN takes water at Welshpool. The locomotive came to the W&L from Antigua in 1973.
Joan has backed onto the train at Welshpool.
On the journey to Llanfair. It is a good line to travel with some steep grades and sharp curves.
The next photos were taken at the other end of the line at Llanfair Caereinion. The engine that featured in one of Nick's photos a couple of days ago. German Army Franco-Belge built 0-8-0T 'Sir Drefaldwyn'.
One of the original locomotives that worked the line 1903 Bayer Peacock built 0-6-0T 'The Countess'. The other original loco to survive is named 'The Earl'.
.
An interesting loco there is this 1946 Andrew Barclay 0-4-0T Dougal which worked at the Proven Gasworks, Glasgow.
Well CINDY nearly time for a Bathams, and a round for those that come in please.
Just saw you post ROB I will post this and have a read.
Good late morning gents, I think Cindy I'll have just the BK blast in the extra "spiced format "I'm glad to see that som many mad it in yesterday while Tom and I were out and about A round for all of you on me ( of your still able to stand ) No Boris Molly cannot use her big glass that is reserved for rounds from Pete alone Besides I wouldn't want to seem to be moving in on his "bird"
Nick- You win the prize for most liquids consumed,and most infromation posted simultaniously here yesterday Thanks for all the help. Now for the prize it's two fold, #1 you get to help H&H and the critters in the wardrobe trailer afer their performance.and #2 you get a one day bar tab expences paid for $500. I'll cover it so Tom needn't worry about the bottom line.Least I can do to get the sight of H&H and all their flab out of your retinas
Great photo's and catalogues
Pete-Hey mate not to worry,Tom and I had a great day dispite the rain and gloom for a good portion of the run out to Montreal,no snags as least as far as Montreal,and my trip back to Toronto was uneventfull as well. Here's hopping that Tom's run on the Chaleur was just as restfull.We did meet an interesting passenger on the run out from Brantford though, I;m sure that Tom will embelish it on his return.I have to say the 7:26, from Brantford to Toronto though leaving at an uncivilized hour was in fact the morning commutor express no stops between Brantford and Toronto so it got us to Union in record time ,we got to see many of the new Go transit locmotives along the way as well I know that Tom got a couple good shots so we all wait with interest the final product.
I think being in thh basement for the performance was the safest place you could have been,imagine if you got the prize Nick got,Molly would have been jeleous which could have been hazardous not only to your health but to the size of your bar tab as I'm sure she woud have changed from a twice a week patron to a seven times a week patron.I don't know or want to know how you managed to get the Ladies of perpetual motions manager agree to the use of H&H in a performance with them
Some great photo's from you as well sir can't help you with your mystery much either.But if I was a betting man I would side with Nick and say that it was a tower car or inspection vehicle of some description.
Shane-More great Pullman info thanks for sharing
DL-Hope you had a pleasant holiday and were able to aquire some photo's along the way.
Eric-Thanks for the daylight support the last couple days (daze ) it helps out alot Neat shots thanks for the cab shot again as well. So did the Swedish State lease those units after your inspection
Leon, it's time for my juicy Filet Mignon with Mushrooms and all extras! A cold Keith's please!
I hope Tom and Rob had an interesting day today so we can look forward to photos and detailed reports!
CM3 – So Albany has a new station?! I liked the old one, but times are changing and so are many stations. More night trains from Boston! It seems to me that Penn gave the passengers even less time in the sleepers when arriving in Boston and Washington. Jut 20 minutes in Providence. Or was it Pullman who decided about how long time they could have? Pete – Nice collection of pictures! I guess that little electric in the second picture came from an other railway. It looks like the steam loco in the first (top) picture without the boiler is (ws) a saddle tank locomotive. Oh, they are going to rebuild the Welsh Highland narrow gauge line!?! Missed that! I agree, it will be a very scenic ride! Thanks for the photos of the token exchanges! It seems to be pretty small sized things. DL – No holiday here this time, but you have a nice one! See you next time!Nick – I am kind of used to my bad hearing after 18 years so I don’t think much about it. Even my wife knows she better be om my right side if she wants to say something.I can imagine that you have “ringing” ears after your sessions! Thanks for the info on Wales. You are right, the Swiss Ae 4/4 is like a baby brother to the big Ae 6/6. I used to have a model of a 6/6 but gave it away many years ago. I have seen them working heavy freight trains in the Alps. Impressive locomotives. Tri-ang models. There is something for Tom! A Budd RDC! I guess by first proper trainset you mean your first trainset? So they have already re-built the Welsh Highland Line!!?! Very nice! Do they have (and use) any of the original equipment/rolling stock? Amtrak’s Inspection car #10001, Beech Grove at Union Station, Washington D.C.
Ah yes-before I forget-have spent a useful hour loading up pix of the English 15" gauge (RHDR,R&ER & Sand Hutton) whilst picking out Entwhistle bass lines on my beloved 1975 Maple-glow blond Rickenbacker 4003 stereo bass ( a brute of an instrument )
Right-just had a huge post with added pix swallowed by the ghosts in the machine-thank you SOOOO much
PETE-Fine shots of token exchange
ERIC-Lovely Swiss pix-that 4/4 is the baby brother of my beloved Ae 6/6-lovely job mate
Right-lets try again with pix
Steeple cab electric (and R.D.C )from `62 catalogue
img{}/img-
First proper trainset(bottom one) all vehicles still in service-(`1970 catalogue)
One for ERIC here-the newly re-laid Welsh Highland line-the top pic is at Dinas Jn-the original terminus,although the new line uses the old std gauge trackbed up into Caernavon down on the coastal plain -the lower pic is of the temporary upper terminus (the name of which I have forgotten -looking up towards the lower edge of the Snowdon range-the engine is a Funkey Diesel formerly used in South Africa
Here is Snowdon Ranger-one of the two single Fairlie engines that worked the original line
Here is `Russell` -a Hunslet 2-6-2t which worked the line in it`s later days (1923-36) this engine is still around and will hopefully be available for the grand re-opening of the line
Right-that looks like the rule of 6-plus have just had the hard word from Missisnick R.E bedtime-see you tomorrow chaps,sleep well
Multiple overlapping posts again -a quick (and totally pedantic ) point-PETE-one of CM3`s misplaced modifiers there old thing-Finnegans Wake doesn`t take the (grammatically accurate) apostrophe-apparently this underlines the essential ambiguity of the novel-is it a wake for Finnegan or a call for the Finnegan clan to awake and rise up-who knows-or cares more importantly....I know-shut up and go sit in the other bar -Nobody with anything better to do ever reads Joyce anyway................
Evening all-Been a glorious day here,sun sun sun !!!
Leon-I`ll take a Starop or 3 tonight please to soak up some of the accumulated rounds ( cheers guys-nice one
Took advantage of the weather to follow my own advice from last night and took the aged parents & the girls out for a fish supper on the prom at Neyland-V. pleasant-fresh cooked in front of us ,more than we could eat and change from 9 quid.............Neyland was Brunels port of choice for his transatlantic liner service and the town has adopted him as one of their own-one of the many information boards along said prom identifies the railings along the edge as being genuine Barlow & bridge rail sections from the original South Wales Railway back in the 18 somethings-all stamped G.W.R (who must have supplied them)-took some pix, will be uploaded with the rest of the weekends haul .
So ,looks like we have been ticking over nicely-lets see who has been in...
ROB-No doubt you will miss reading this,but apologies for not responding to your posts yesterday-for some reason I had it in mind that you were already away-despite realising you were at the St G`s.... Beware the twilight zone -its closer than you think -remember-we chefs are a close knit and clannish bunch...................
ALLAN-back old thing -splendid news of your brother in law-hope you have a safe ride back and will speak soon
ERIC-Sorry to hear about your hearing impairment-although I am not suprised-150 dB`s is a huge volume-the air displacement alone would be enough to knock you over---not good !!
Our rehearsals aren`t too painful-the room is large enough for us all to get apart from each other-gigs are the problem,where we are all crowded around the drum kit-the high pitch noise from the cymbals causes most of the `ringing`-and I get to stand right next to the two most frequently used ones.
I will have to check the specifics of closure dates on those Irish pix-bear with me on that one please...
Nice shot of the RTL-from that angle the nose profile looks like the Metro-Cammell diesel pullman trains that ran over here for a while-will dig out my model for a comparison pic-as built they had the same type of `Lone Ranger` stripe across the windows,although mine is in the later all-yellow end scheme...If I may cut in on your response to PETE-Wales is indeed a very hilly place !-the Festiniog Rly is in the North-West corner-by far the most mountainous bit-it is under the shadow of Mt Snowdon-(I think the 3rd highest in Britain ??)-this area is the traditional impregnable fortress of Wales, from the bronze age Picts against the invading Celts,through the Roman Invasion right up to about the 12th C. when it was the last stronghold of Owain Glyndwr-the last true prince of Wales-to this day a different dialect is spoken in this region and it has the highest percentage of non-English speakers in the country
CM3-Another quality post from you good Sir,although I fear it will take another read or two before I get the complete shape of it-ideally with a map & notebook-but hey-learning should be a challenge or where is the sense of achievement (P.S-thanx for the gentle spelling correction of `squirrel` the other day-tactfully done )
PETE-A nice set from the Foxfield -is that Cam Rys brake a goods or passenger vehicle ?-I have it in mind that the goods brakes were short w/base single verandah affairs-much like the old M.R vans,but would happily stand corrected...The steeple cab electric looks a lot like the old Tri-Ang Transcontinental model from the early `60`s (although that was based on a Swiss prototype,as I understand it)
A fine Scottish excursion also-those `37`s are always easy on the eye (and ear ) -the viaduct is a lovely piece of work-looks wide enough for double track,although I cant imagine the traffic density would ever have supported it-and what a classic `Scots sky`
As to your `mystery pic`-can offer no hard info,but holding my faithful old E.R.G scale rule up to the screen I would suggest (in best barroom speculation manner) that the dual gauge tracks are 15 & 18 " (if they are any wider,they have been laid with very heavy rail ) and looking at the proportions of the loco I would suggest either a tunnel or overhead line inspection vehicle-do you have any info at all about the pic ?-the yellow livery on the loco at the back strikes a chord but can`t place it-will scour the library,accost strangers in the street etc..we love a puzzle
DAN--Good to see you again-enjoy your weekend (as I will) look forward to hearing what you have been up to
Right then Leon-same again all round-and send a couple of pitchers out to the track gang in the pool room....gonna go sort out some pix and start on the `Mystery train` investigation
Back in a bit
Good afternoon Captain Tom and all present!!
Leon, good to see you! Just a Tuborg Gold, that's all right now.
Just stopped by for a moment to get something to drink. I'll be back later for the "heavy" stuff. I hope Tom and Rob are having a good day.
I was in touch with a guy in Switzerland earlier today so I thought I should p[ost a few photos from the Swiss Railways. Most railways in Switzerland are electrified and the first photo shows a Class AE 4/4, a small (but powerful) electric locomotive. I had the pleasure to ride in the cab of this locomotive many years ago.
The same year I was sent to Switzerland to inspect one of their EMU's, class RBDe 4/4. The Swedish State railways was interested in leasing one of them for some tests.
The cab looked like this.
I'll be back later. A round for the house!
A pint of Brain's SA please RUTH.
TOM and ROB hope you are having a great time
NICK What wonderful photos of the LNWR ‘Crewe' Saddle Tank and the 6-Wheelers in LNWR colours. Many Thanks. I will have to have a look in my Railway Magazines from the early 1950s to see if there is an article on the line in its last years.
There is a great view of a Ffestiniog train in the distance if one happens to be running, when arriving at the BR Portmadoc station on a BR train from the Barmouth direction.
Sounds like a good weekend going to see the ‘Duke' at Fishguard and Milford as well as passing through your home station of H'West, looking forward to the photos and hope the weather co-operates. I suppose the BR Standard Britannia class Pacifics, that were allocated to Cardiff Canton shed for a while, worked to Fishguard.
Afraid I don't have the phone No for the St. Georges Arms. Do you think it is wise for us to show our faces at the Second Class Saloon, but fish and chips in newspaper sounds grand, I can almost smell the vinegar on the paper.
ALLAN Glad you were able to get on a computer and join us at the bar. Can you wish your brother in law a speedy recovery from the back surgery from me.
Have a safe journey back to home base and I will look forward to your posts.
ERIC Yes the Ffestiniog is in North Wales, which is hilly and quite beautiful. When the Welsh Highland narrow gauge line is rebuilt, which should be quite soon it will be a very scenic ride.
It is interesting that the X2000 could be controlled by the RTLs and the F40s.I think the RTL looks good in that version of Amtrak livery in your photo.
I still cannot find the photo of the singal line token exchange on the SVR, but I have come across a couple of photos of it being exchanged on other lines.
In Ireland Beyer Peacock 2-6-0 No 461 is coming off a single line section on to double track and the driver is handing the token to the signalman.
On the Bluebell Railway ex SR Merchant Navy class 4-6-2 No 35027 'Port Line' arrives at Horsted Keynes station.If you can really enlarge the photo you can see the signalman holding up the token or 'staff' for the next section while the fireman is ready to hand the signalman the staff for the section 35027 is just leaving.
CM3 Glad you enjoyed the Ffestiniog.
That sounds an interesting book on the ‘pit ponies'. I seem to remember reading a while ago there are places that look after the retired pit ponies in the UK.
Many thanks for the details on ‘The Federal' Washington to Boston overnight trains.It is good the Pine Tree State car is still in use, I guess a good breakfast was available in the car.
DL Congrats on posting reply No.400 as well as turning page 21 at the bar and thanks for the round.
No public holiday Monday here I'm afraid, but I hope you have a good time. It will be good to get a report on the preserved line or museum you visit.
Any ideas on the mystery photo I posted on the bottom of page 20.
ROB Yes it was not my best move to tell Molly the first drink was on me when she comes in the bar. I did not know they made glasses that big, even LEON has to use two hands to get it down from the shelf.
I am looking forward to the report and the Photos of your trip with Tom and Tom's trip to Gaspe, I guess you are in Montreal as I write this.
Due to the Zeppelins stopping pattern on the latest trip, we are having a Welsh and Canadian beer with Irish whiskey and of course Guinness weekend at the bar, which should keep the tills ringing with the track gang in. The Ladies of Perpetual Motion, with H&H guest starring, are going to do a production of Finnegan's Wake, with BORIS playing Finnegan and the mascots having parts. I think I shall be in the cellar while it goes on.
Well RUTH I'll get a round and the Steak and Fries before you go off duty and the track gang arrives..
Hi all in
Round for the house
Thanks for comments on my prev post - will try and respond soon.
So Tom and Rob are on the VIA rails - we can look forward to a good report. Just wanted to wish everyone all the best for the public holiday (well - we've got one). Will try and call in - but with luck I'll have achance to get to a preserved railway, streetcar museum, or on the 'real' rail network - which may preclude time to call in here - but will report back!
All the best
DL
I guess TOM and ROB will be on their train travel today, hope you have a great trip gents.
After a hearty breakfast and and few cups of coffe from RUTH I will post a few photos now and be back later with my post.
A North Staffordshire Railway coach body and other stock at Caverstall Road on the Foxfield Railway a few years back. I am grateful to Alan who provided the details of the pic.
Steam, diesel, electric and a Cambrian Railways brake van at the same location.
Now to Scotland. Class 37/4, 37428 'David Lloyd George' waits departure from Inverness with a Glasgow train.37428 is one of the 31 ETH(HEP) fitted 37s and was one of 6, 37/4s originally allocated to South Wales.
37428 heads south from Inverness and is crossing Culloden Viaduct near the site of the famous battle. Looks like I am enjoying the 'snarl' of the 'Tractor' from an open window, as she heads to the 1,315ft Slochd Summit from near sea leval at Inverness.
HELP WANTED. Does anyone know the location of the mixed gauge track or the use and where that strange looking vehicle came from.
For a younger listeners as they used to say on the radio.. At Shakerstone on the Battlefield Line in Leicestershire I believe.
Back Later.
Good Morning Barkeep and all Present; coffee, please; round for the house, and $ for the jukebox.
Nice weather here today and we are pleased to see the sun for a change.
Pete was in with comments. Good info. on the Ffestiniog. Horses worked in the mines here as well. Last horse operation was probably close to 50 yrs ago in Iowa. Yes, Boris, they had coal mines in Iowa. Here's a title for you to look at if you can find it: Pit Pony Heroes. All about horses in mines in the UK.
Rob was in with comments.
Eric - I guess that was the ultimate jump start, except maybe for aircraft. I always liked Albany as there was a lot to look at. It's all different now with a new station and no real access to trackside unless you are a paying customer.
Nick - I spent a lot of time looking at your pictures; many details.
Allan - Look forward to hearing from you.
Continuing from yesterday, let's examine overnight Penn jobs to and from Boston. NOTE: we covered the "Hell Gate Express" awhile back, so we won't go through that again, although it is mentioned below.
Train 172, the "Federal" carried eight Pullmans between Washington and Boston. These cars provided berths/drawing rooms/compartments/roomettes/single bedrooms/double bedrooms. It also carried a roomette/double bedroom car which was set out at Providence every day but Saturday when it did not run. A single Pullman (double bedrooms and roomettes) operated from Washington to Springfield. This car was handed of to NH train 412 at New Haven on weekdays. Sundays, it traveled from New Haven to Springfield on NH train 62. Train 172 picked up a berth/drawing room car at New York for Boston. Washington-Boston coaches filled out the consist. Cars opened at Washington at 10:00 p.m. and at Penn Station at 10:30 p.m. (11:00 p.m. on Sundays.
The eastbound "Federal" departed Washington at 11:00 p.m., New York (Pennsylvania Station) at 3:10 a.m., New Haven at 4:40 a.m., Providence at 7:05 a.m., and arrived in Boston at 8:10 a.m. Passengers could remain aboard the sleeper in Providence until 8:30 a.m., but had to vacate the sleepers upon arrival at South Station.
Train 173 was the westbound "Federal." It handled eight Pullmans between Boston and Washington. The Providence-Washington car originated on train 179, the "Hell Gate Express," which ran with 173 west of New Haven. The Springfield sleepers were a bit more complicated. A single Springfield-Washington car originated on New Haven train 97; it was handed off to train 173 at New Haven (every night except Sunday). On Sunday, a pair of cars originated on New Haven train 49. They were handed off to train 179 at New Haven and then to PRR train 119 at New York.
Cars opened at Boston at 10:00 p.m. and were to be vacated upon arrival in Washington. The "Federal" departed Boston at 11:00 p.m., Providence at 12:05 a.m., New Haven at 2:20 a.m., New York at 4:02 a.m., with an 8:20 a.m. arrival in Washington.
Since we are talking about 1950, a note about cars - and this will not be a data dump, I promise. Sometimes folks figure that certain cars ran on these trains, the dates can be confusing.
New Haven rec'd 26 "Point" cars (14 roomette/4 double bedroom cars) in 1949-50.
Their 6 section/6 roomette/4 double bedroom "Beach" series cars came in 1954-1955.
NYNH&H acquired a quartet of 6 double bedroom/café lounge cars in 1955. Two of them, "Bay State" and "Keystone State" were assigned to the Federal, and the other two "Nutmeg State" and "Pine Tree State" ran on the Boot (Montrealer/ Washingtonian). Pine Tree State is very much with us and we see it on the New River train every fall. I always have said that if I were to have a private car, I would want something like this as it would be self-contained; place to eat, sleep, and ride.
Work safe
Good evening Captain Tom and Gentlemen!!
Leon, I think it is time for my Steak & Bisquits! Remember to add a lot of extra marinade! Tuborg Gold, please!
Not much to say about this day, except it was a quiet day here at the bar. Captain Tom in the air and now, at this moment, somewhere abroad. Maybe Canada or...?!?!
Rob – I know about the higher percentage of roadkill in the late evening (early morning) food, but it just gives it a little extra flavor! I won’t order any fish of the day, in my opinion fish is for cats. But it happens once in a while I am having Friday Fried Fish. Nice collection of photos! Also a nice collection of railroads, CN, GT, CP, Amtrak, GO and VIA!!! Hope you and Tom will a nice day tomorrow and the upcoming weekend! CM3 – ABB designed a special piece of equipment in order to control the RTLs and (later) the F40s from the X2000. But it worked just fine. Thanks for the info on sleepers out of Boston! I am kind of surprised that, after arriving at Grand Central 6:20, you had to be out of the Pullmans already at 7:30! That is kind of early in my opinion. Better going to South Station where you arrived at 6:15 and could stay until 8:30. Pete – Nice photos! Looking at the first one I wonder if Portmadoc is in the northern part of England or maybe in Scotland. I can see some mountains in the background. But other names, like Ffestiniog and Pwllheli sounds more like Wales. Wales is also kind of hilly, right?It wasn’t too hot when we had to stop for 72 minutes while the RTL turbine was being fixed. But without HEP we couldn’t use the X2000 to control the RTLs that were pushing it at that time.Nick – You better be careful so you don’t lose your hearing! I got a long blast in my left ear 5 feet away from the X2000 tyfons (well over 150 dB). Can’t hear much on my left ear any more. Some old fashioned photos! It looks like broad gauge, and it should be when it is in Ireland. So that was close to the end of that line? Or the entire railway? Allan – Good to see you even if it is just for a brief visit! Hope your brother–in–law will recover completely from his back surgery.
I'm adding another picture of the RTLs. This one is from Rochester, NY. Waiting for departure time heading for Buffalo.
A quick good evening everyone. Leon just a small pint of guiness if you don't mind someone has to order a proper brew on fisn n chips night afterall.
Eric-So glad that you amde it in this afternoon, and with a couple of great pictures to boot Those helper engines are indeed an interesting looking lot.Tom's safly tiucked in bed ready for the trip tomorrow 7am my time were off to Montreal should be a hoot
Pete-Another afternoon vist thank-you sir you guys have really kept the joint hopping today a round for all of you on my tab as Pete's is just waaay to big It's all in the moderation Pete,that's why the tabs so big, that or you let Molly use it once to often <uh oh > must be why she likes you so much I can't think of anyway to make it disapear with out openning the purse strings a tad,I don't think even putting the tab in the black bag will help even it's not big enough to contain it You a Nick are always welcome , much easier to enjoy rounds of cheer when everyone's preasant.
Tom's taken a few good shots already so I'm sure that there will be some good stuff upcomming.
Nick-Sounds like you had quite the practice are any of the speakers or amps still functioning Great photo's, lots of interesting scenery.Hopefully you can getout for those photo's sounds like from what Pete has said that that locomotive is a real and rare treasure.By odd coincidence I had a wonderfull platter of beer battered haddock at the arms tonight probably right about the time you made the post as well how odd is that. ( Somewhere in the background I hear the twighlight zone music )
Allan-Hello thanks for the quick pop in good to hear that you are on your way home and that the brother in law is doing well.Be nice to be back in your own bed and home I'm sure,I know that is the thing I most look forward to after I've been out for a while.
night all
Hi Tom and all,
Leon, the usual round of Tui`s for all the guys` please!
To Tom, Rob, Pete, Eric, CM3, Nick, Mike, Dan. and Fergie. Just managed to get on the nephews PC for a quick scan through all the info in the bar, from what i`ve had time to take a look at it`s all GREAT, many thanks! We will be traveling home from Auckland at the weekend, the brother-in-law is now out of the wheelchair and walking with the aid of a walking stick, he had back surgery early last week and needed some assistance. Will catch up on all your fine posts when we get to home base, and will acknowledge everyone then. Hope Tom and Rob are enjoying their rail trip together, Tom will be hoping for some snow! Looking forward to getting back to normal once more at the bar.
See ya, Allan
Well good evening one and all,as ever on a thursday night I am swaying gently,smiling vacantly and deaf in both ears after practice/therapy night (we pushed the system tonight-have just listened to the playback on the last two tracks-all the meters were in the red zone all night but by the end it was take no prisoners time-20 flight rock by Eddie Cochran -in the style of Little Feat and Shadows in the rain by Sting- in mad jazz mode -Man,that feels better !!!!!! )
Right Leon-a round of gold label Tuborgs for the company and lets have a tray of snacks to sharpen the appetites...We have something of a coup here-possibly the only authentic colour pix of L.N.W.R stock around....As we are a mostly Brit company tonight I thought it might work-anyway here they are:-
On the left we have the unmistakeable shape of a Crewe saddle tank-right down to the red numberplate on the cabside-on the right ,a rake of chocolate & white 6-wheel coaches -with Premier line signals to complete the scene
The same stock from a different angle...
Rather better colour resolution on this one-again 6-wheelers -this time out on the road
These pix date from 1950/51 and are of the Dundalk,Greenore & Newry line in the north of Ireland,not long before it closed it`s doors
Leon-what happened to that beer-what do you mean I drank it ??-well dont just stand there man-it needs a friend to keep it company-come along now-get a grip..........
Right -whats new around here:-
ERIC-Thanks for the detail on the RTL-I knew it was a stupid question but ...hey Yes that is a nice shot from the Clonakilty-much hard work has gone into that little line-is a great day out if you are ever in south west Cork-the viaduct in the `real` pic is where the river debouches into the gloriously named Roaring Water bay-the Schull & Skibereen ( a mostly roadside line) ran out of steam by 1947 ( I have some wonderful old pix of it which I will add to the list ) and with road improvements,redevelopments et al I think the viaduct is just about the last remnant..........The B.W.R engines are infernal confusion powered-the principal function of the site is an Arboretum,public gardens and an agricultural college-the railway is just an added money spinner and a way for fat lazy people to tour the grounds.......
CM3-A nice job on the N.H -interesting reading-as ever -and yes that gon is heavily overloaded-hence the discussion-I would imagine one coil over each truck would be a more likely disposition-with the same on the flat parked behind and the loads of bricks filling in the gaps-This is what happens when the trainee is left to man the fork-lift whilst everybody else goes to lunch......
PETE-1st pic is almost certainly crossing the cob,looking inland up the Glaslyn estuary roughly level with the point where the old W.H.R dropped out of the Aberglaslyn pass and swung round to enter Portmadoc from the north......And yes-I have to admit,that 101 looks rather well in that livery
ERIC-Nice job on those close-up shots-the devil is in the detail-good call
PETE-Gonna be a tricky one to cover all the bases with 71000-Missisnick is away with the car all weekend and I have small Hannah -who has a full social calender of her own-hoping to get a repeat of the `castle` shot on the F/G approaches,some yard shots at Milford and a couple of the run-thru at H/west-the aged parents are up for helping so should be a fun day or two out for all the family (No this way(*&^&*%) no -that way )((*$£%%£"$^&) Dennis-dont just sit there ......___)((*&"£$%-Hey granny,,,... etc)..........----may have to retire to the maple leaf tavern for a small libation afterwards........
Does anyone have the phone number for the St Georges tavern-if so put in a message that Mr Weber & Mr Austin`s fish suppers are ready.................-gwan-PLEASE-it would make their day ,I`m sure-blame it on me,as head chef
Right -Its menu time-as I find myself somewhat fatigued ,how about we all take a ride on the R.D.C up to the mountain village,show our faces in the 2nd class for a quick liver livener,then grab a traditional fish supper,wrapped in newspaper,and take a stroll along the lakeshore,find a couple of benches and enjoy the spring evening,listen to the loons,count stars-that sort of thing...what say you ?????
Right -thats me done and dusted,school run tomorrow should be a learning curve-(old red eyes is back) glad I have made excuses for work in advance-back to bed before the blankets get cold up and about in time for the lunchtime news-hopefully.......
Nice one guys-take care now-speak soon
A pint of Bathams please RUTH.
TOM must be meeting up with ROB just now and no doubt will be in the St George's Arms soon, have one for me gents. I am sure we will get some great photos of the trip to enjoy at the bar soon.
One question I must ask though, if draught beer at Our Place is only a buck how come my bar tab is so high.
DL A chap I knew worked in the railway stables in Rugby in his early years on the railway. I believe a few years back there was a book published called something like ‘The Railway Horse', which featured horses that worked on the railway. I think I recall reading the last horse BR used for shunting wagons retired from the yard at Newmarket in the 1960s, an interesting subject.
I did not know the Caledonian Railway was the only one of the LMS constituents to operate Pullman cars, I thought the Midland Railway had some in the 1870s, But perhaps they were a Pullman design but not operated by the Pullman Company.
Yes a gentle ramble with a pannier tank around parts of the Midlands is a great way to spend a day between Christmas and New Year. Hope to be over to the homeland around Mid-September.
Many Thanks for the travel report from Grantham to London and return on the new National Express franchise. GNER is a hard act to follow if my experiences with them are anything to go by. As you say the dining is on the dear side but the quality was there which is the main thing. I'm glad they have made a great restoration of St Pancras; I will be sure to have a visit when I get to London next. The Bride and I visited and enjoyed the LT Museum probably just before it closed for renovation, I would like to see what it is like after the renovation. A sign of my age I guess I can remember seeing the Railway Roundabout films when they were shown on TV, it was in black and white, but I believe that some of the films were made in colour. Talking of DVDs the BTF one available in the USA was not in their latest catalog, so I was lucky to get it when I did.
ROB Many thanks for the kind offer of lodgings at your place, it would be great if one day if Nick, Tom and I could join up with you at the St George's Arms. I guarantee there will be times in the next few days I was I was riding the rails in Canada in good company than the yard work which I shall be doing here.
I see you have posted the rules of the bar and congratulations on turning page 20 at Our Place III.
Thanks for the photos of the old club layout. I do like the Toronto Hamilton & Buffalo colors on the SW9 #56.Great variety of trains at Bayview Junction
I guess the idea of using TEX to make my bar tab disappear is a non-starter. Oh well I will have to think of something else.
NICK Really looking forward to seeing the Duke Of Gloucester photos from this weekend, she should make a fine sight climbing out of Fishguard and I bet it will be 71000s first time in Milford Haven. Although if she had not made it to certain South Wales scrapyard she would not longer be with us.
Confession time. I must admit on first glance I thought 10000 on the forth bridge was a new P2 2-8-2 on trials
Many thanks for the photos; I hope the exchange of views on loading the ‘Gon' did not get out of hand. Loved the Hornby Dublo poster and It was good to see photos and description of the Bickton Woodland Railway a line I have not visited but would like to. I guess the blue cars are part of a works train.
ERIC Was it a hot day when the turbine on the RTL providing the HEP broke down. If it was I guess over an hour without air conditioning would not be too pleasant.
That is an interesting fact about how Nils only had one ‘s' in his surname.
Many thanks for the photo of the Land between the Lakes on the Can-Am and the ones of the X200 and the RTL. I guess having to have another locomotive to get the power to start the RTL did not make it very popular with the operating staff.
CM3 The single wheelers were on the way out I believe but the coming of steam sanding saw a bit of a revival on some lines like the Great Northern and the Midland, although it has always puzzled me why they were produced as late as the 1890s
Thanks for the info on the freights on the NEC. Although we were only in the Providence area for a short while I only saw two freights on the NEC. One was on the approaches to Boston and the other was an Amtrak works train.
Thanks for the details on the overnight OWL from New York to Providence/Boston and return. They were civilized times the passengers were allowed to board or stay in the sleeping cars before departure and after arrival of the trains.
Well LEON a round please. After Manager Rob told of how BORIS catches the fishI had better let H&H prepare my Fish 'N' Chip Tonite.
Hello again Ruth my dear , just another quick cuppa and a sandwich while I check in before I think of heading out to meet Tom at the train station. According to the website he's on time and shouild be landing in about an hour and a half ( my time )Nice to see some traffic throught the doors this morning 5x for all of us woh give a patoot as Tom would say.
SHANE-Thanks for stopping in the usual well rounded all encompassing post that we know and love It was an interestuing get up that WSC had on wasn't it. Yes Bayview is a train watchers paradise though if theer is a snag somewhere you can sit for hours with nothing but birds and chipmunks to keep you company. On average upwards of 60-70 train movement occur through there on a daily basis. Go transit Amtrak and VIA provide passenegr fare with CN and CP providing the frieght . It is a three way junction CN's Grimsby,Oakville and Dundas subs all cross through theer as well as the CPR Hamilton Sub ( old TH&B Toronto route )Nice thing about is the pedestrian walkway over the top of the now tripple tracked DUNdas/Oakville subs,put in to allow pedsetrian access to the Royal Botanical gardens which are on both sides of the railway cut. One can always people watch or go see plant life if the trains dry up
Thanks for the insights on the Owl sounded like an intriging service,I'd love to see electrified freight ops again too but I know it's likley not to happen.Nice to know that the Boston and Maine is still handling some traffic still,one wonders how long that Northern New England traffic will continue running,it seems to be an area of constant ups and downs in traffic.
Pete-Thanks for popping in this morning before you head out.Remember if you're out the limiter goes on the dipper can't pay off your tab that way Oh and know leaving alot of ants around will not entice Tex to eat and ther by cover you're bar tab,anteaters don't need fibre if they eat it they get sick,if they get sick someone has to clean it up and it won't be myself or Boris.He who causes the mess cleans the mess <uh oh> oh and any cleaning supplies used get added to the bar tabBy the way it still resembles a rather l;arge roll of toilet paper
A full breakfast please RUTH with plenty of the famous coffee.
I will catch up on the the posts a bit later if I may, as I am off out in a bit. I thought I would post a couple of photos on a Ffestiniog Railway theme in the meantine.
From one of the older carriages soon after leaving Portmadoc.
At Minffordd, with a station on both lines, The Ffestiniog crossed over the standard guage Cambrian Railways, later GWR, line to Pwllheli.A spur ran from the FR alongside the CR.
At Blaenau Ffestiniog the FR station is alongside the ex London & North Western Railway branch line station to Llandudno Junction. A 3-car class 101 Diesel Multiple Unit, looking quite attractive in Regional Railways livery waits in the BR platform.
Well I see Manager ROB has taken care of the mascots and their treats,I wonder if I covered my bar tab in ants TEX would eat it..
Good Morning Barkeep and all Present (which doesn't appear to be anybody right now); coffee, please; round for the house and $ for the jukebox. We'll kick back for a little while and check out yesterday's box scores. Nice weather here this a.m with temps supposed to be in the upper 70s. Traffic has been pretty decent; two CSX coal train by the house last night.
Pete - 93" drivers - geez! I'll bet that locomotive could really fly once it got started - slippery as anything, I imagine. You had a comment of freight pulled by electrics in the NEC. It would be nice to see again, but I don't think it will happen. Most traffic to New England travels via the Boston and Albany from Selkirk. Some goes via Boston and Maine as well. North-south (what there is) is interchanged with P&W who does the needful. New Haven, years ago, handled a lot of freight, but the industrial base of southern New England has, to a great extent, vanished.
Mike - Good pictures. I enjoyed the one of WSC alighting from the business car - he always had a uniform for every occasion, although in the picture he looks like a cross between a streetcar motorman, a Pullman conductor, and possibly a "naval person." Always nice to see CV 700s in their native habitat - maps were a good touch as well.
Nick was in with comments and pictures. Lots of reels in that CN gon.
Eric - Did not realize that your train had the capability of "cab car" operation - no reason why not, however, when you stop and think of it.
DL - Appreciated the comments and the insightful trip report. Man, those are expensive meals!
OSP - 66 and 67 still run on their old schedule. Let's ride to DC overnight in a coach. Benn there, done that, never again if I have a choice. 448/449 used to carry a Boston-Chicago sleeper that was handed off at Albany. Now it's a plug and you transfer at Albany - not bad, but it's still not the same.
Rob sent pictures and comments; nice shot of CP5019 by the lumber yard. Also just saw the collection of the real thing - wait long enough at Bayview and you'll see everyhting. Kind of like some my favorite spots in western NY.
In line with what we have been discussing about sleepers out of Boston, let's look at Boston-Grand Central overnight travel in 1950.
This service was provided by New Haven trains 2 and 3, the "Owl."
Travelers had their choice of the following sleeper accommodations on train 2 (New York - Boston): berths/drawing rooms/compartments/roomettes/single bedrooms/double bedrooms. A total of 11 cars originated at New York each night. Train 2 also had a pair of setouts which had double bedrooms and roomettes for Providence . Therefore you had 13 Pullmans in all. It also handled coaches between New York and Boston on Saturday nights.
Eastbound cars opened at Grand Central at 10:00 p.m. The train departed New York at 12:30 a.m., left New Haven at 2:25 p.m., Providence at 4:58 a.m., and arrived at South Station at 6:15 a.m. Passengers could remain aboard the Providence sleepers until 8:30 a.m. and could stay on the Boston cars until 8:00 a.m.; truly a civilized way to do things.
Train 3 was similar with 11 cars from Boston to New York and a pair of Pullmans from Providence to New York. Coaches ran every night of train 3.
westbound cars opened at Boston and Providence at 10:00 p.m. Train 3 departed Boston at 12:30 a.m., Providence at 1:45 a.m., New Haven at 4:15 a.m., and arrived at Grand Central at 6:20 a.m. Pullmans had to be vacated at GCT by 7:30 a.m.
Next time will look at overnight Penn jobs between washington and Boston.
Good morning everyone , and an extra speacial good morning to Ruth ( she thought she was going to be alone this morning ) no rest for the wicked however.Right, I think I'll have a number three with all the fixin's and the extra large BL blast thermos of coffee.Boris you know your duty sir,cages and litter boxes cleaned and get the mascots fresh water and treats,I've got a small jar of the carpathian spiced PPF for you cause you've been so good lately.Change as always for Ruth's travel jar
Remember folks the baked goods are freshed ( and have not gone through the donut machine )and Ruth has the coffee on regular decaf and the extra speacial BK blast ( well spiked )Boris has the spiked oj ready to go as well.
Eric-Better late than never mate , were just glad that you pop in once a day. esides Leon does not seem to mind he likes the company as he's cleaning the place up at night,and Copperkettles always in the kitchen ( he sleeps by the woodstove )so whipping up a late night snacks not a problem. It is however more likely to contain a certain percentage of road kill that time of night
I see that those turbine units were as tempermental as the ones that CN/VIA and Amtrak ran earlier,great when they worked but they were known for their quirks,fires in engine compartments fuel problems etc etc.
Glad that you liked the clubshots,so many yeasr and different techniques in the scenery there it just boggled the mind,mind you somehow we manged to get it to meld together.
Nice shot of Boris and Leon's favourite fishing hole coarse we all know that Boris likes diving in those lakes and catching fish with his mouth ( remember this when ordering the catch of the day on fish and chip night ) Leon at least uses lure's ,fresh homemade stink bait ( he uses Boris's socks ) and hooks made from spikes quills. I hear that the local game and wildlife folks have revoked Mountainman Mike and his crews fishing rights however because of their constant use of the Dupont flasher tackle ( stick of 70% forsite and a blasting cap )
Right then another round of spiked coffee and here's a few photo's from bayview for everyone to enjoy.
A GT SD40 still dressed in blue at Bayview
CP Autoparts train using running rights on the CN at Bayview
Amtrak's train from Niagara Falls passing CN freight at Bayview
GO transit at Bayview JCT
VIA train 94 at Bayview
enjoy
Leon, a number 3 special, please. Yes, yes, all of it! Let's try Tuborg green tonight!
Late again, I'll make it short!
Tom – As I mentioned yesterday, there was a lot of trouble with those RTL’s. I remember when we were in Boston in January, they replaced the fuel filters on both of them. We took off for a trip to New Haven. When we got there one of the turbines stopped. The fuel filter was clogged!! After a lot of trouble they managed to start the turbine again and we could return to Boston. Same kind of problem in May when we were going from Boston to Elmira Heights, NY. The turbine that provided HEP stopped and we were sitting for 72 minutes until they had fixed that problem. But, at the same time, they were different so I didn’t mind riding in the cab. More nice photos from the CanAm Railway!!! I must say the Mountain Village is a cold place. Always snow on the ground! But they have the Second Class Saloon! I like the Land between the Lakes!
Land between the Lakes!
Have a safe trip!!!CM3 – We could actually control the RTL’s from the X2000 and the X2000 from the RTL’s! Almost like multiple, no, more like using the X2000 or the RTL as a cab car. The photo last night was taken in the morning after spending a night in New Haven. Saw a lot of equipment there. Rob – Thank you, I’ll be happy to keep the heat here! 75 is the coldest I can accept without freezing to death! –20˚C is way too cold. Not for me. I have had enough of that cold weather in my life. Nice photos from the old club layout! I love the two top ones and the last one, the Nelson Heights fill! Very nice!
Have a safe trip!!Pete – Nils Ericson spelled his name with one s only because the King of Sweden thought he should!! The king thought that it looked better in writing. Nils Ericson built a number of canals in Sweden and Finland before he started to build railroads. 7’ 9” drivers!!?! Wow, that is a good size wheel! DL – I am afraid I haven’t listened to the steam recording yet. I keep forgetting about it. My memory is very good, but very short, about 0.2 seconds! Was the breakfast on the train 15 pounds for one person?? That is roughly $30! Wow! Thanks for the trip report! Do you think they have the international trains at St Pancras screened off because of safety reasons? I guess a bomb in the chunnel would be a disaster. Mike – Thanks for the maps and photos! I am a map freak and love all kinds of maps. It’s amazing how correctly they could map the world long before there were any airplanes or satellites! A very nice photo of Winston Churchill leaving the train somewhere in Canada! And two nice pictures of #700 & 709! Those are impressive locomotives, the first and the last of CV’s Class T-3-a. Built 1928.Nick – RTL was/is normally a 5-car set and took about 260 passengers.Thanks for the photos!! The Clonakilty-line is indeed a very nice layout! The viaduct looks like the real thing! Is there still a railroad on the real thing? Are the BWR locomotives real steam engines?
Hello Leon , some action again tonight which is always a good thing. No Boris Martha Stewart is not comming in tonight <sheesh> just go see to the critters I noticed something that resembled chew marks on my office door ( possible beaver teeth from the beaver Nick wouldn't stew ) I think I'll have a tuborg with the boys for something different.
Nick-Just a great batch 'o' photo's tonight loved the almost not model railroad shot,there is somebody with some deep pockets to be able to design and build that. I'm gald you liied those vid clips, I hope the little old lady one made it through. Your welcome on the pre-emptive price list for Missnick, remember those are Brantford prices could be higher in the big smoke.Looking at those bus prices in Tom's link that would be the way for them to get into the city from the airport. Should you change your mind about joining them, I could always find a spot for you to stay as long as you don't mind cats
Mike-Nice pictures , thanks for yours and Nick's well wishes for our trip.
Well Leon another bottle if you don't mind, here are some pics from the old club layout for everyone to enjoy again to wind out the day with.
Cp train winding up through the south gap and under the scratchbuilt a frame bridge ( my humble scratch building,really just an enlarged copy of accurails plastic kit done in northeastern lumber
head end of the same train passingn the south gap industrial park
Close up of DWP train taken through the woods just before the north bridge
The Grand trunk / DWP train crossing the north bridge look at the bungee jumper doing his thing. Both are custom painted Atlas loco's owned by a good friend.
My proto 2000 Sw9 on the Nelson Heights fill
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