Well good evening gentlemen all and happy hump day (?)....
Right then Leon-as its a cold and generally horrid night out there (gales,driving rain and a 7.8 metre tide doing a mini New Orleons to the cottages along the river bank ) how about a round of winter warmers,just to get us all in shape-Newcastle Brown for the first shout,Marstons Pedigree after that then the rich dark tones of Belhaven 90 shilling ale ( a pint of heavy ) to see us through the evening.......
So then,lots to do-but first,a small wager.......I will stake a weeks drink for the house ( oh yes) against a small bag of unsalted nuts that the new Can-Am steam fleet will NOT make it from the boxes to the display case without a wee scamper round the line-I defy our generous host not to be entranced by the whirling con rods & valve gear,and,once tried I would further wager that room might be found in the confines of Union Station for a fantrip special working of one of those beauties with a set of green C.N cars.........................................
In fact,I am gonna post this now so that the man himself has a chance to respond.....
<personal foto - Pete's "friend" aboard the Chaleur>
G'day Gents!
Just happened to be looking "in" and caught Nick's challenge . . . Save your wages! But of COURSE each of those steamers will get a fair "test" run of the mainlines - both directions!
Something special about a rainy night at the Pub, eh Aw what the "H" - have another - A drink for our man from Wales 'n serve the house one on me as well! Ring the bell Boris!
Tom
Right-all still here-jolly good,now where was I-oh yes beer-Leon-same again please old thing-plus a tray of snacks if you would be so good,top man
O.K-post time-
ROB-How goes it mate ?-glad you enjoyed the trip pix-was a grand day out ,generally,I am excused singing duties -opinion is divided on my vocal skills,I think I sound like Keef,everybody else thinks I sound like an accident in an abbatoir...........(a fine distinction I feel) Was a good train shed moment-H. has her own Thomas ,Annie & Claribel but much prefers Daddy`s and Grandads trains (smart kid) nice C.N pix-the R.D.C seems to have an unusual orange colour on the ends-is this just fading ?
TOM-Old Mother London-well mate ,to be honest ,I didnt recognise most of it-hugely changed since I was last there-all shiny new and completely without character-my dear old gran (rest her soul) would be completely lost (she was a true Cockney)-I think (but am not sure) that the pub in one of the pix is the old Marquis of Granby,-a true east end villains boozer (the bodies could be dumped straight into the river,to go out on the tide)-now its full of thousands of `Tobys` with pink shirts,B.M.W`s and important deals to be done............
Speaking of `Tobys`-small Hannah was completely unprompted in her destruction of his ego-which made it all the better and yes-she is growing like a weed in summer-she gets her looks and charm from her mother and her height from my side ( at 6` dead,I am the shortest male on mums side-the average is about 6`3" topping out at my cousin John at 6`7")
PETE-Fine pix of the U.S 2-8-0 and the B1
TOM-a fine piece on the Columbian -another gap filled in my mental library-also a splendid R.D.C piece-full marks there mate -well then-still not locked out-we must be on probation again right-nobody say anything critical of Kalmbach please-we wouldnt want to damage their delicate sensibilities would we............
SHANE-Good to see you as well my dear chap-trust me,living here alchemists are no problem-we have several major ports (plus an international airport ) in this part of the world where customs consists of a big sign saying " If you have anything to declare,please phone this number"........Honest -Its ridiculous but true-I could drive into this country in a Sherman tank and the worst I might expect would be advice to pull over to let traffic pass...........
Good luck with the tarbabies-remember to stay upwind-but hey-these guys WORK with this stuff.......
Quotes:-" Are you two poLICEmen ? " "No Ma`am,we are musicians"........
" 4 whole roast chickens & two slices of dry toast.............." Over to you mate
PETE-Wotcher mate-One of the great sadnesses in my life is not seeing the great Rory G. -a true blues genius and one of the great sons of Erin..
Now back to business-no further info on the Pen-Y-Darren engine-but still looking,produce:-yes,delighted to get that much from a 10`x 30` plot on a damp summer......I can forsee at least one weekend digging in a load of well rotted organic #2 just to fatten up the soil for next year...no pain,no gain as they say....
London chimneys-no idea at the moment ,but will have a scoop through the A-Z in the morning,see what I can find-mobile phones are the devils work-the thin end of the wedge-can`t be doing with them.........
Now then,I know the real world isn`t allowed here ,but what about that Sarah Palin chick-Wow-a real nutters nutter-be very careful how you vote guys-remember-McCain could drop dead anytime..................................nuff said
Right-gonna post again,then model pix
O.K-first up forTOM-here is the train at Blackheath:-
img{}/img
Apologies for not showing it earlier.......
Right-now to model time:- some pix of Alans Swiss trains running on the layout
No-sorry-looks like I havn`t loaded them in yet and as its 3 A.M I don`t think its gonna happen tonight-gotta do the whole parent thing in the morning `cos herself is off to North Wales for a meeting...
Right-be with you when I can tomorrow,sleep well
all the best ,
Nick
<VIA Rail LRC-2 at ExpoRail - personal foto>
Thursday has arrived - that day before the work-week's ending! Fill up those mugs with our freshly ground ‘n brewed special blend coffee - grab a pastry or three from The Mentor Village Bakery case ‘n of course order a <light> or <traditional> breakfast from our Menu Board!
The rains from the remnants of Gustav have arrived - skipped us on Wednesday, but making up for it today. Another "test" for the basement wall . . ."They" say it will be out of here by night fall . . . nothing to worry about 'n in fact the low temps (70s) are MOST enjoyable! <grin>
Petrol is below $3.40, but only by a tenth of a cent. <barf>
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Comments from the Proprietor
Next B'day: Rob on the 8th!
PLANNED ABSENCES:
(1) Eric is in Sweden ‘n returns home on the 7th . . .
(2) Allan is in Aussie-land ‘n will be gone another week or more . . .
(3) Rob will be gone for the last week of September . . .
(4) Pete will be gone for the month of October . . .
. . . and we have Shane with interruptions in the work place - Fergie at sea in perhaps poor to no sat-comm conditions - Dan "lost" in Sherwood Forest . . . Calling upon ALL who CAN to do so during daylite!
It's "You Post, I Post" at the Bar by the Ballast!
Customer Acknowledgments (since my last narrative):
Wednesday - September 3rd <all times Central daylite>:
Page 15 - CM3 Shane <coalminer3> at 9:31 AM <10:31 AM EDT>: Had hoped you'd be able to pick us up sometime this week ‘n Wednesday ‘worked' well!
Email received ‘n responded to - thanx!
To add to the discussion of "first" regarding the Granite Railway ‘n the Baltimore & Ohio - guess it depends on how one interprets CHARTERED and COMMON CARRIER . . . it's all "out there" in the Ether . . . but I'll stick with the B&O as this nation's first passenger railroad . . .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granite_Railway
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore_and_Ohio_Railroad
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_carrier
We watched the DVD of The Longest Yard <original> over the weekend ‘n it's a <hoot> fer sure, fer sure! Much better-er than the newer version - on that we agree!
I'll draw a pass on your "quiz" question - as we've had it before ‘n I think you "awarded" me the win!
All kinds of details in those fotos ‘n it doesn't surprise me to note that you've picked up on them <again> - hard not to, eh
I haven't sent you the OH-FISH-UL Email notice of the RR BOOK RELAY 2008! being mailed to you - but Nick did say it was to be sent. Soooooooo . . . . .
Appreciate the visit, chat, ROUND ‘n quarters . . .
Page 15 - Pete <pwolfe> at 11:24 AM: "In" with that lost ‘n found Post! Anyway, you always amaze us with the amount of things you find worthy of comment - especially given the very, very sparse activity ‘round here.
Figured you'd enjoy the Brit posters - especially if you saw some of them in real life!
Yeah, no doubt that KCity's renovated Union Station kept with the theme of the place - trains! St. Louis on the other hand made it clear at the get-go that trains were hardly what they wanted to feature. Now they're stuck with a far les than upscale Mecca for tourism - with perhaps the Fudge Factory being the only "cultural" attraction there. <grin> But one must recall that when KCity began the drive to win public support, the idea was to feature a Science Center for kids - which they still do. Everything else falls in elsewhere - but at least there's an "elsewhere"! Not so in St. Louis.
I enjoyed picking out the first 10 locos for display in my Can-Am Trainroom - there will be plenty of room for others. Check out this site for acrylic train cases . . . I've dealt with them in the past and they are very attentive to the needs of the customer <before ‘n after the sale>. Perhaps you'll find something satisfactory for your needs . . .
http://www.customdisplaycases.com/train_cases.htm
While I think it would be great if VIA Rail were to use one of the lounge areas for movies and the other for socializing - they won't. There's no way they are going to alienate anyone - especially kids. Doesn't matter who is spending the money ‘n paying for the tickets. They are about as weak-in-the-knees <organizationally speaking> as I've encountered. Good idea, though . . . Those lounge areas weren't designed for much more than buy a drink - drink a drink ‘n move on . . .
The UN-OH-FISH-UL divide between east ‘n west for the continguous 48 states is the Mississippi River. So, your observation is RIGHT ON - the Wabash ran domes to Chicago from St. Louis - on the eastern side of the river! Good observation, Mate! BUT, having said that - perhaps the issue date of that ad might have something to do with the statement. Perhaps the ad was before Wabash introduced the domes . . . don't know.
There were NO railroads in north America to rival the numbers of RDCs in use compared to the B&M ‘n NH. They had fleets to be envied fer sure, fer sure.
That GG1 in the foto is <neat> - we've discussed it before, but you ‘n Shane are the Eagle Eyes ‘round here!
The bus portion of the new downtown transportation center is open for business - Greyhound is operating there. Amtrak is behind schedule with their end of things - which we observed during Rendezvous III.
Am looking forward to our get together in a couple of weeks ‘n hoping we have a decent afternoon <weather wise> for our visit to the StL MoT in Kirkwood! Doesn't matter what the weather is once we're entrenched at the TrainWreck Saloon, eh
Much appreciation for your "found" Post, chat ‘n ROUND!
Page 16 - Nick <nickinwestwales> at 6:32 PM <1:32 AM Thursday GMT>: Challenge rendered - challenge responded! Cheers, Mate! <clink>
Page 16 - Nick <nickinwestwales at 8:03 PM ‘n 8:28 PM <2:03 AM 2:28 AM Thursday GMT>: Back with a fine < I3 > offering along with appreciated wit, insights ‘n humor! Appreciate the foto of the train <'n strolling gals> at the station -a treat!
Wondering if you are using the REFRESH feature on your browser Mentioned because I surely thought you'd pick up on Pete's "friend" ‘n my response <6:58 PM> to your "challenge."
Nothing or no one remains the same - you can take that to the bank. It's a reality of life that at times can be rather disconcerting. I recall when visiting my old haunts in NY City - after having been gone for 25 years - it was most devastating to the heart witnessing the CHANGES that had taken place. Tree lined streets with frame houses gave way to sterile brick ‘n mortar buildings. The "woods" we used to play in were gone-zo along with many ponds ‘n lakes on our island - Staten Island to be precise. It was a bummer, big time. Even "the city" <aka: Manhattan> had its CHANGES, but moreso with people than features. Skyscrapers seemingly right below the cloud level pretty much remained as remembered, but the people - now that's another story. Charm was gone-zo. All of that from 1981 - I can just imagine "it" today . . . <barf> And the East River too had its share of bodies moving with the tides . . . <uh oh>
Toby-revisited was enjoyable - shared it with the bride as we both have strong OH-PIN-YUNs regarding rude ‘n ignorant.
Remember our House Rules, Mate <yours!> politics have no place ‘round here. Anyone who votes for looks over brains ‘n talk over accomplishments, deserves what they get . . . but I'll take Sarah ‘n her values over the narrow ‘n shallow minded any day. A pity that the anecdotal know-it-alls are able to permeate one's ability to think things through for themselves . . . Oooooops - see what YOU started! <uh oh>
Appreciate the visits - all three!
Do have a request though - PLEASE consider stopping by the bar FIRST when you log in. The reason is apparent - we are hurting for activity, really hurting. So the longer we go between Posts the worse it gets . . . just look at the times between Posts <including mine> ‘n you'll see what I mean. Even a word or three with perhaps ONE foto, really helps . . . until you're able to return with inclusive commentary . . . thanx!
Thanx for the ROUND, etc. . . .
Reminder: Ruth has the bar from 9 AM until Leon the Night Man comes in at 5 PM ‘til closing.
TODAY is Fish ‘ Chips Nite!
Friday is Pizza ‘n Beer Nite! - and - Steak ‘n Fries Nite!
Saturday is Steak ‘n All The Trimmings Nite!
Dinner begins at 5 PM so come early ‘n often!
Cindy is our Saturday bartender!
Boris, serve ‘em all of the "spiked" OJ they can handle!
Hi Tom and all.
A round please RUTH
TOM It has slowed to just gentle rain just now after many hours of quite heavy rain. Really hope your basement stays dry we have had a bit of water in ours but not bad and not from the place it was before, still having seen the flooding in Arkansas on the news, where they had 12 inches we have got off light I feel.
Great selection of classic steam locomotives for your display case. Clicking on the model photos shows the great detail on them. It will be a great sight to see them on test on the Can-Am.
Yes I had found the link to the Granite Railway it is very interesting and it is good and deserved that the incline and railway have been included on the National Register of Historic Places. I was a bit by the term ‘frost line' though.
Yes I guess St Louis Union Station lost a lot of its culture when Hooters closed, but seriously I am glad that I was able to see the classic locomotives and cars that was a great and pleasant surprise when I was first there in 2001.
Many thanks for the link to the train display cases it is good to deal with people who have a good recommendation. A display case is something I am certainly giving some thought too after my trip to England, perhaps I may be able to pick up a couple of models while I am there.
I agree about the kids it seems no one in working for a rail company etc nowadays dare say anything to them no matter how badly behaved they are.
Thanks for the info on the US divide I thought there must be a river or something that determined the divide but did know what it was.
I too am looking forward to my visit to see you in a couple of weeks, have booked my Amtrak tickets.
NICK Glad you liked the photos it was good seeing the USATC S160 working on the preserved line.
Just been talking to my mate in England, he says he is getting real fed up with all the rain it sounds even worse where you are. We are getting the effects of Gustav just now with heavy rain they are saying it could give us about 8 inches before its done but nowhere near what they have had to put with in Louisiana.
When you are working on the soil just think how good the produce will be next year. I too am still trying to think about that very early locomotive with the toothed flywheel and it would be great if you can find something out about that building in the photo.
Many thanks for the 465 at Blackheath photo looking forward to the Swiss trains on the layout.
Folks,perhaps you thought, or hoped. I'd forgotten but no here it is: Time for the next 20 of the BR ‘Western' names.
1011 WESTERN THUNDERER
1012 WESTERN FIREBRAND
1013 WESTERN RANGER
1014 WESTERN LEVIATHAN
1015 WESTERN CHAMPION
1016 WESTERN GLADIATOR
1017 WESTERN WARRIOR
1018 WESTERN BUCCANEER
1019 WESTERN CHALLENGER
1020 WESTERN HERO
After that I had better make amends with some photos of a Big (by British standards) Red Engine.
Ex LMS 4-6-2 No.46229 'Duchess of Hamilton. At Chester (above) and Blackburn (below) working the Red Rose steam tour.
46229 passing the ex Midland Railway station at Hellifield before travelling over the Settle & Carlisle line.
Well RUTH another round pleaseand the Fish 'N' Chipslater.
Pete.
Good Afternoon Barkeep and All Present
Just a quick note to let you know that we are back online in our regular quarters. There's still a lot to be done but the roof is completed and the electrical work in my area is done. There is still some furniture to be installed but it's not enough to slow things down. So, tomorrow we go to the end of the building and begin to retrieve boxes, move and unpack them. Gonna be like Christmas at Boris's lift the lid and watch out for what might appear.
Will post more tomorrow. In honor of Lars, Go, Giants!
work safe
After a most unremarkable morning, we have Pete 'n Shane aboard for the afternoon! Hope springs eternal . . . or something like that!
Been manning the towel-brigade in the basement as the water has been cascading down in the areas thought to have been corrected. Arrrrrgggggghhh. Here we go again - have another "specialist" on the way . . . This MUST be corrected sooner rather than later. Gone too far with it, so it's time to belly-up 'n part with that stash beneath the mattress . . . they are sooooooo insistent on destroying the basement rather than attacking the problem from the outside. <arrrrrggggghhhhh>
Now Arriving on Track Number Two
Classic Locomotives
Number Two - NYC Hudson
Hudson was the name given to the 4-6-4 steam locomotive wheel arrangement by the New York Central Railroad (NYC) who were the first to use locomotives of this type in North America.Although the Milwaukee Road was the first to design such locomotives, naming them Baltics, they didn't get built until after the NYC's Hudsons. The name Baltic for this type was also sometimes used in Europe. Alvin F. Staufer interviewed the Hudson's designer and the NYC's superintendent of motive power, Paul Kiefer, in 1961, and asked about the naming of the type. Kiefer's answer is recounted in Staufer's book, Thoroughbreds:"I asked Pat (Patrick E. Crowley, NYC President, All Lines) if we should name the engine or if he cared about that at all. We were already calling the L class 4-8-2s Mohawks, after the Mohawk Valley and Indians. And then, I'll never forget that moment, he just looked at me; the sun was shining in from the West, it was late in the day. He swung around in his huge brown leather chair, away from me. He stared out the window for the longest time. He swung back and stared at me, his chin in his hand. Finally he spoke, ‘Let's call her the Hudson, after the Hudson River.' I agreed immediately (not that it mattered) and that's how it was. The name stuck. It was a natural."The Hudson came into being because the existing 4-6-2 "Pacific" power was not able to keep up with the demands of longer, heavier trains and faster speeds. Given the New York Central's axle load limits, the Pacific type could not be made any larger; a new locomotive type would be required to carry the larger boiler that Kiefer's research indicated was needed.
Although the Milwaukee Road was the first to design such locomotives, naming them Baltics, they didn't get built until after the NYC's Hudsons. The name Baltic for this type was also sometimes used in Europe. Alvin F. Staufer interviewed the Hudson's designer and the NYC's superintendent of motive power, Paul Kiefer, in 1961, and asked about the naming of the type. Kiefer's answer is recounted in Staufer's book, Thoroughbreds:
"I asked Pat (Patrick E. Crowley, NYC President, All Lines) if we should name the engine or if he cared about that at all. We were already calling the L class 4-8-2s Mohawks, after the Mohawk Valley and Indians. And then, I'll never forget that moment, he just looked at me; the sun was shining in from the West, it was late in the day. He swung around in his huge brown leather chair, away from me. He stared out the window for the longest time. He swung back and stared at me, his chin in his hand. Finally he spoke, ‘Let's call her the Hudson, after the Hudson River.' I agreed immediately (not that it mattered) and that's how it was. The name stuck. It was a natural."
The Hudson came into being because the existing 4-6-2 "Pacific" power was not able to keep up with the demands of longer, heavier trains and faster speeds. Given the New York Central's axle load limits, the Pacific type could not be made any larger; a new locomotive type would be required to carry the larger boiler that Kiefer's research indicated was needed.
<from: Wikipedia.com>
For remainder of article, click: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NYC_Hudson
NYC Hudson 4-6-4 Empire State Express near Syracuse, NY - 1933 <Otto Perry collection/Wikipedia.com>
B&A - NYC subsidiary - Hudson 4-6-4 at Springfield, MA - 1933 <Otto Perry collection/Wikipedia.com>
NYC Streamlined Hudson 4-6-4 at NY World's Fair 1939 <Public Domain>
Click for more info on the Hudson:
http://www.steamlocomotive.com/hudson/nyc.shtml
Enjoy!
Good evening Leon , just a quick Keith's tonight and I'll leave a twenty for the morning or afternoon crew.
Tom-To bad to hear about the leakage again, I was hoping that you had it licked.A fine looking stable of steam, there's a little there for just about everyone's fancy I should think.Not a bad RR among them should add
Nice read again on the NYC Hudson's,that size and wheel arangement have long been a personal fave , espeacially with the beautifull Hudson's that once ran up here the Royal and regulars on the CP and the five green Hudson's of the CNR.Even a pair of J1E's graced the rails of the TH&B as well.
Pete-Good to see that you found your lost post You must pay Vito his removal of computer gremlin fee's and you should not be bothered. ( he'll make you pay anyway )Another fine round of steamers as well.Thanks for the info on that war built steam switcher as well
I'm glad that you have also ben enjoying Jeff's site. He's one I've tried to lure here to hang and caht with us but he's declined,between work his family and maintaining that site he's a bit tapped for time.
Shane-Good to hear that you are out of the toxic waste zone ( unless of coarse you go digging around Boris's shed.Many things he does and posesses also creates green looking smoke )
Nick-Seems you've had an active couple days.The RDC was probably faded mind you the photo's old too so it could be a bit of both.
Rob
WIERD TALES FROM THE BARN # 4 MISSHAPS ON THE MTC Good evening again there Leon, lets see another Keith's a round for the hearty individuals still at the bar.Here's something from the basement archieves.
As we all know streetcar companies by their nature have often had derailment or other problems that would effect their day to day operations. Here's a few examples of some of the miscues that slowed down services on the MTC ( Montreal Tramways Co )These are all old excerpts from the Montreal Gazette. Enjoy Rob Automobile didn't get the blame this time Westbound tramway traffic on St James street near the intersection of Inspector was delayed 20 minutes yesterday morning when a horse, drawing snow for the city,partially slipped down a large manhole. Traffic and work was delayed while a Montreal Tramways Company towing car equipped with a hoist was pressed into service and the horse lifted out. Montreal Gazette Wed , January 12, 1944. Someone is attaching stickers to posters advertising woman's wear so that part of the models body is covered. Attached mostly to the sweater- girl type of advertisement, the stickers are in French. Their message translated ; "Respect Womanhood" , " She is your wife " , "She is your sister" , " She is your mother " , " she is your fiancee ". A spokesman for the Canadian Advertising Co, said last night; " Yes we know about it.There haven't been many stickers. Some crackpot I guess. There is nothing offensive about the cards. We promptly replace any that are defaced. " Officials of the Sacred Heart League here could not be reached for comment. The stickers bear no identification as to their sponser or printer. It is believed that the person applying the stickers has placed his own interpretation on Quebec regulations that frown on nudity or semi nudity pictured or otherwise. Montreal Gazette Fri January 14,1949 and one more for this installment. I figure that Tom and Lars will apprecaite this one. Rene Richard of 6708 Cartier ST and Charles M Tremblay of 3604 Rouen St, both Montreal Tamways employees were admitted to St Luke hospital early yeasterday morning. They were suffering from cuts and other injuries alleged sustained during a streetcar fracus. Police said that at the intersection of St Catharine St West and Atwater two unknown sailors refused to pay their fare and became abusive.No arrests were made. Constables Coupal and Poitras investigated and Pichard and Tremblay were able to return home after treatment. Montreal Gazette Monday Nov 13, 1944 Rob
Friday's Grin
Lines To Make You Smile
I used to have a handle on life, but it broke.
"They" say our rains have departed - leaving over 3 inches as Gustav's remains headed elsewhere . . .
Friday has arrived ‘n y'all know the drill! Coffee - pastries ‘n breakfasts are ready for ya!
I've been in Email contact with Fergie lately ‘n he's above 70 degrees north - which has put him out of sat comm reach. So, he sends his regards . . . they were heading to Thule, Greenland - not sure if they were putting in, or just doing their "thing" in the vicinity. Anyway - thought some would like to know!
I'll be away from the bar 'til mid-late afternoon . . .
Thursday - September 4th <all times Central daylite>:
Page 16 - Pete <pwolfe> at 1:58 PM: Was wondering whether the weather was keeping you away ‘n since our fone chat, it seems we've both been in the basement! <arrrrgggghhhh>
Good to see ya, Mate ‘n as always, appreciate the time ‘n effort you put into helping to keep things "up" at the bar. We're down to such a precious few that at times I'm wondering whether to pack it in. But, then along comes a guy or two to restore my faith . . .
As mentioned, the new display case is en route <2x3 ft> with plenty of room for additional loco's n tenders. By this time next week I'm hoping all 10 of the locos will have arrived. Next is to find cabooses for each of the locos . . . easier said than done these days <daze>. Some of those vans go for big bucks, whereas the ones I'm looking for sell below $15 - certainly more than adequate for display purposes. I'm thinking that by the time you arrive for our get together, you'll have something new to gaze at in the Can-Am Train Room . . . hopefully NOT water! <grrrrrrrrrrr>
Had me worried with your announcement of the "next 20" <phew> - fortunately was just 10! <grin>
Big Red Engine ‘n Big Rose look fine to me - bet it was a treat to travel behind those beasts, eh
Did you know that you are the ONLY customer who orders any of our featured meals on Thursday - Friday or Saturday Appreciate that as well!
Thanx for the visit, comments, fotos ‘n ROUND!
Page 16- CM3 Shane <coalminer3> at 3:25 <4:25 PM EDT>: Didn't expect to see our Resident WVA Connection make it "in" - but we'll take the quarters ‘n ROUND! <grin>
Disruptions in the work place are most unsettling ‘n it surely seems yours have been double-ended ‘n rather prolonged. Would've probably been a good time to take some well earned vacation time . . .
Do appreciate your continued Mon-Fri support here ‘n today's visit to "my other Thread"!
Page 16 - Rob <trolleyboy> at 9:19 PM ‘n 9:34 PM <10:10 PM ‘n 10:34 PM EDT>: Our Manager made it back after a brief hiatus from the bar - work schedule caused that is my guess. Good to see ya!
Enjoyed those snippets from the Montréal Gazette <I used to read it every day on-line until they discontinued the service . . .> Anyway, for whatever the reason, I didn't recall either one! Sailors being rowdy Now that's hard to believe! And my guess is that the character covering up those revealing body parts on the ad posters was probably NICK, disguised of course as a local!
That piece on the Hudson was a "new one" for the bar . . . just recently put it together. But, some of it may have been included in other offerings. Anyway, glad you enjoyed it!
Yeah, I'm absolutely sickened by the return of the basement water situation - sickened.
I'm looking forward to getting going with my latest venture in the Can-Am Train Room - but to say that the leak has put the damper on things <drum roll> hardly humorous! <barf>
Surely hope you'll be returning to a situation where we'll see you during daylite . . . things are getting rather critical ‘round here ‘n who knows where all of this will take us
Do appreciate your support ‘n the twenty helps too! <KaChing> <KaChing>
TODAY is Pizza ‘n Beer Nite! - and - Steak ‘n Fries Nite!
A coffee and a bacon sarnie please RUTH.
A lot less busy basement wise this AM so I thought I would drop off a couple of photos from the Narrow Gauge railways in North Wales.
A locomotive shown at the bar before by Nick, Welsh Highland Railway 'Russell'.
A half-size replica of a Darjeeling & Himalayan Class B 0-4-0 'SHERPA'. The locomotive runs on the Fairbourne Railway near Barmouth.
.
Back later..
Good Afternoon Barkeep and all Present; coffee, please; round for the house and $ for the jukebox. Just another quick stop today as they are running emergency power test here this afternoon and our connections are tenuous at best. All of the boxes have been moved and unpacked. The next next step is to organize everything but it will be here Monday with better electrical backup, I hope.
Twas a good night for the Giants last night and also for the SEC as Vanderbilt took it to SC.
Rob - I enjoyed your stories from Montreal.
Pete was by with comments and narrow gauge pictures.
Nick was by with comments and insight as well.
OSP - They forecast the end of the world over here for tomorrow but now it's been changed. West Virginia is set to play at East Carolina tomorrow; not only a good ball game but also it may be subject to some interesting weather.
I am truly sorry to hear about your basement situation. Hope you don't have to do a teardown as that dust gets into everyhting and everywhere (yuck!)
Excellent piece of the Hudson; I will have more comments later. Staufer's Thoroughbreds is a good one - the covers are about off of mine.
That's about it from here for now as I want to post this b4 we are darkened again.
Have a good weekend all.
A pint of Bathams please RUTH.
TOM It was great to talk with you yesterday but real sorry to hear about the basement. It was great deal of rain yesterday and the day before here, the weatherman said it set a record for the amount of rain in one day at Columbia Airport. It seems that some parts of Britain is having heavy rain which is causing flooding
Many thanks for the Classic Locomotives #2 on the NYC Hudsons. I think the name ‘Thoroughbreds' would have suited them well. Reading the Wikipedia link, I was a bit surprised to see they had trouble starting a train until a booster was fitted.
As far as I'm aware, the only tender standard gauge Hudson/ Baltic in Britain was an LNER experimental high-pressure compound with a water tube boiler, introduced in 1929. It was rebuilt and a conventional loco in 1937.
Great photos in the other link, one of the sites has photos from railways from Britain as well as America.
Thanks for the regards from Fergie.
What a great idea to have a company's caboose with those models in the display case, looking forward to seeing them on my visit.
Yes I will try to keep the Western names to just ten at a time.
The week it is just me in England Alan has booked me for a run behind another Duchess, No 6233 Duchess of Sutherland, on a mid week trip from Crewe to Carlisle the old stamping ground for the class.
H&H get real upset if no one orders their culinary delights, especially the Fish ‘N' Chips
ROB Thanks for the ‘twenty'. Glad you enjoyed the photos. I had not thought VITO was involved with the puter problem but it makes sense thinking about it, yes I will have to pay up.
It would be good to have Jeff at the bar, but I can see that great site he has must take a lot of time keeping up.
I really enjoy the Weird Tales from the Barn, many thanks. It must have been a large manhole that the poor horse fell in. Luckily we don't have those Sacred Heart League ladies in Mentor Village.
CM3 Hopefully by next week all this moving at the office will be a bad memory.
Glad you liked the photos and looking forward to your post next week. Hope the weather behaves for the West Virginia v East Carolina game .
Well RUTH a round pleaseand the Steak and Fries a bit later.
Good to see Pete ‘n Shane make it "in" to help keep the bar afloat during these slack tides . . . Without either, we'd be hurting fer sure, fer sure.
Been a logn 'n hectic day - best I can say is my display case for the steam locomotives arrived in good shape! All that's needed are the locomotives!!
Okay - here's mine for this day . . . It's getting rather ridiculous trying to figure out who is going to come in ‘n when . . . so I'm gone-zo ‘til the ‘morrow . . . . <humbug>
From the sub-basement archives room . . .
PASSENGER TRAIN NOSTALGIA #19
<Initially Posted on 04 Nov 2005, Page 155 at "Our" Place I>
http://cs.trains.com/forums/129/991587/ShowPost.aspx
Here's something to enjoy regarding the RDC's from Budd from a 1954 advertisement found in my personal collection.
RDC - Car with a Future for Canada's Future
The Canadian Pacific - world's greatest travel system - has just bought four Budd stainless steel RDCs. (The letters RDC stand for Rail Diesel Car.) The cars were bought because of their proved ability to reduce costs, improve service and attract traffic. But also with an eye to Canada's growth, which presages an increase in the need for transportation as Canada's vast mineral, oil and natural resources are developed. Operating experiences with RDC usually reveals potentialities not originally envisioned. Nobody has yet found their limit, though RDC is now operating in a searching range of services in Australia, Cuba and Saudi Arabia, as well as on our own country's leading railroads.
The Budd Company, Philadelphia, Detroit, Gary.
Automobile and Truck Bodies and Wheels. Railway Passenger Cars and Plows.
Budd
PIONEERS IN BETTER TRANSPORTATION
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Enjoy! Tom
Good evening Leon , I think just a Keith's tonight.I'll leave another twenty for the morning again as there seems to be some life then.
Tom-Well it's a bad thing that your basement dampness came back.I'm wondering if it ws just teh volume that was dumped on you that caused it The ground is still probably heavily saturated after how wet a summer we have a had. Gustov arrived over Ontario today we've had about an inch inch and a half, but it's come in bands,not all at once.
Nice to know that Fergie got that email off as I imagine being that far up even email contact would be spotty.
I wasn't sure if that Hudson piece was new or old, I think that you must have put some of it up before on one of our many theme days from back in the day.At any rate it was top notch stuff
Hopefully the occupants for the new display case arrive as safely and as intact as the case itself.That was pretty quick turn around time on that getting to you.I'm glad that the Montreal Gazette stuff was to your liking.It has been a long time since I put that up, the original posting of it was page 3 hundred something of the first bar ( would be nice to even hit a hundred on the bar before the next plug pulling )
Pete-That was a couple neat pictures today thanks for sharing.Too abd about yoru basement wetness as well. Perhaps the same people built both of your houses.
I'm thinking that you are a wise and brave man for always supporting H&H's culinary escipades.I'm not sure what the quicker death would be their food or not ordering it.I know which way would be more painfull
Shane -Nice to see you sneak in again this afternoon. I look forward to your thoughts on the Hudsons
Good morning Captain Tom and Gentlemen!!
Sorry, Leon, I didn't mean to wake you up. I just would like a cup of coffee and a cheese danish, please.
Sorry for being away for so long, but I have been out of an ineternet connection for a long time now. I am still in the old country but is flying home tomorrow morning, Sunday. It is a rainy day here today. I am renting an Volvo S60 and it runs nice.
I'll be back here at Our Place on Monday, when I will start catching up on everything.
A rainy day in Boston.
Have a nice weekend!
Round for the house.
Saturday at the Saloon by the Siding! A glorious day here in mid-continent USA with blue skies ‘n temps expected to get no higher than lo-70s (F) today . . . yesterday's high was 64!! That's amazing for this time of year . . . but we'll take it!
Coffee ‘n pastries are fresh! And our breakfasts are ready for ordering! So, what's the delay <grin>
(1) Eric returns to the bar on Monday!
(2) Allan is in Aussie-land ‘n should be back with us in a week or so.
. . . and we have Fergie at sea in perhaps poor to no sat-comm conditions - Dan "lost" in Sherwood Forest . . . Calling upon ALL who CAN to do so during daylite!
Friday - September 5th <all times Central daylite>:
Page 16 - Pete <pwolfe> at 11:05 AM: Was hoping someone would keep the daylite visits going during my absence ‘n you did!
Fine spate o' fotos . . . just too bad we haven't the clientele to enjoy ‘em! Those narrow gauge trains are hard to get used to . . . so "toy like" in appearance. Then again, that's what the toys were modeled after, eh Hmmmmmm.
Thanx for the visit ‘n business! <KaChing> <KaChing>
Page 16 - CM3 Shane <coalminer3> at 2:53 PM <3:53 PM EDT>: Most pleased to see that our Resident WVA Connection didn't bail out on us ‘n dropped off some quarters along with a ROUND before departing for the weekend!
Honestly must admit that I'm a bit discombobulated over this <censored> basement problem. Back to square one - have had three "experts" arrive with their "remedies" and all have "decided" that jack hammering the basement for a drainage system ‘n pump is the way to go. BS, say I! My former-friend <the contractor> had it right - just a shame he bagged out ‘n hasn't been seen or heard from since late winter. <barf> Oh well . . . this is one of those times where I regret my physical limitations - for in another life, I'd have had all of the excavation work done myself. Just ain't up to it any longer - that's a 22 foot long trench down to the foundation level - far too much for me to do. <groan>
Funny, as much as I've been looking forward to football, I totally missed the Giants game! Did watch Mizzou on the tube last week against the Illini - was quite an offensive match-up. Now that Mizzou is nationally ranked - they've decided to go with a "pay package" for many of their games. <barf> That has really turned off lots of folks in these parts - where there are thousands of die hard college foo-ball fans. Pay Nah . . . . we already pay for the <censored> cable TV service! <geesh>
Appreciate the visit ‘n chat!
Page 16 - Pete <pwolfe> at 4:02 PM: You being the steam loco aficionado surely would know more than I - but somewhere in reading about steam locomotives <in general> there were comments to the effect that they were hard to maintain, hard to start ‘n required huge expenditures in terms of manpower ‘n facilities to keep ‘em running. Probably hastened their exit from the scene once diesels ‘n electrics came to be, eh
Glad you enjoyed the Hudson ‘n associated links!
Haven't set out in earnest to order any cabooses for the steamers - but that WILL happen. Really difficult trying to make the match in road names though . . . I do have PRR - NYC - NH in another display case, along with CP ‘n CN on the Can-Am Railway, but they are "assigned" to assembled freights. So, now it's off to the browser to find different ones. Something to look forward to!
When it came to tenders, I'd have to say the Brits really made the mold - the design along with those great paint schemes are simply grand.
Au contraire, mon ami - there IS a chapter of those Sacred Heart Ladies right here in Mentor Village! Recall this one
Many thanx for your continuing support, good cheer ‘n ROUND!
Page 16 - Rob <trolleyboy> at 11:35 PM <12:35 AM Saturday EDT>: I'd agree with you regarding the water situation in the basement IF we had a wet summer - but ours was comparatively dry - especially August. We had a most wet spring ‘n early summer, however, ‘n who knows how much ground water remains from that At any rate, the problem is still with us ‘n after a nearly 4 inch downpour from Gustav, my guess is the water just found the beneath the ground route to the foundation. The idea is to have the area excavated, which will disrupt the path(s) - repair the wall from the outside, install a drainage system beneath the ground <French drain> and be done with it. Problem is finding someone to DO IT! <grumble> <mumble>
Fergie had indicated that they were experiencing comms difficulties aside from getting access to the internet. Said their TV reception was screwed up along with some Email traffic. A far, far cry from when I was sea going! TV - my Gawd! How awful for them. <tsk> <tsk> The ONLY reliable communications we had was by means of radio telegraph <CW - continuous wave> - still the MOST reliable in terms of punching through a signal regardless of atmospherics ‘n location on the planet. No such thing as Email - no such thing as internet - no such thing as "instant" comms with home for fone calls. Anyway, he's been thinking of us - which means a lot . . .
Yes, the turn around on the display case was remarkable ‘n of course appreciated. That company has always been good to deal with. One gets what they pay for - in terms of quality merchandise ‘n service. Mounted the case yesterday - late afternoon. Looks "lonely" - but not for long! <grin>
Thanx for the visit ‘n chat! Your twenty has been put aside for the next bunch of regulars who stroll in . . .
Saturday - September 6th:
Page 16 - Eric <EricX2000> at 3:47 AM <10:47 AM Swedish time>: A most pleasant surprise in the form of a visit from our Sandman, calling in from the old country! That's his FOURTH communiqué since departing for his homeland . . . many thanx!
Great shot from the cab of the media coverage with X2000 in Boston!
We're looking forward to reading about your exploits in Sweden ‘n of course, the brunette will be waiting for you at the Can-Am International Aerodrome . . .
Reminder: Cindy has the bar until Leon the Night Man comes in at 5 PM ‘til closing.
A full breakfast this Saturday please CINDY.
TOM The arrival of the display case in good condition is good news after the problems with the basement.
Many thanks for the Budd advert from 1954.It seems they were very successful for the Canadian Pacific as well. I wonder if many photos exist of the RDCs in service in Australia and Saudi Arabia. I dare say they are still use in Cuba.
Yes the steam engines were very labor intensive in their maintenance and infrastructure like water towers etc. To think back in the day a great majority of workers in some towns earned their living on the railways, certainly in the UK.
That does sound a lot of fun looking for cabooses to match the steamers. I guess they do them in the same era as the steamers but may be more difficult to find. With the BR models it would have to be different wagons and passenger cars as the brake vans would be the same.
I think the Southern Railway of the U.S. really got the tender design right behind their green painted Pacifics like the one in the Smithsonian whose photo as appeared a the bar a while back.
I had forgotten those Sacred Heart Ladies in the photo; I recall they even turned BORIS to drink.
I must agree with you in your comment to CM3 about Pay Per View, they used to do this with certain soccer games in the UK not sure if they still do. If they are not careful they will kill the Golden Goose, people won't pay to see it then when it is on without PPV they have found something else to do or watch, serve 'em right says I
ROB Glad you enjoyed the photos. I think round here keeping a really dry basement is a real problem, luckily I was able to keep the water under control this time with towels and a mop, I feel another go with the shovel and sealant is in my near future.
I have found it is a good tactic to please H&H, after all the time I have been having their Fish & Chips I think I have built up some form of immunity.
ERIC Great to see you in, hope you have had a great holiday despite the rain.
It looks a mighty cold day the day of your photo in Boston.
Looking forward to seeing you in the bar Monday, thanks for the round.
Some photos from England from Alan.
The first two feature an ex LMS C.E. Fairburn 2-6-4 Tank Engine No 42085. In 1955 there were 645 examples of LMS 2-6-4 tanks of slightly different designs, first intoduced by Henry Fowler in 1927 further examples were built by Stanier and Fairburn.The photos are taken on the Great Central Railway. The engine is wearing a 5iA shedplate which was for Darlington Shed. Some ofthese locos worked away from LMS lines in BR days, like in the South and North East,
There are just 2 locomotives of the 2-cylinder LMS type preserved although there is 3-cylinder No. 2500 in the National Railway Museum.In preservation the two tanks are on The Lakeside & Hathernwaite Railway and this is the first visit away from the line for one of them. In the photo below 42085 is arriving at Rothley station.
The next 2 photos were taken at Birmingham Railway Museum at Tyseley. The first shows GWR 0-6-0 pannier tank no.9600, she is wearing an 84E shedplate that was for Tyseley in BR days
9600 and ex LMS Jubilee 4-6-0 No 45593 'Kolhapur' .
Another pannier tank No 9466 at Stratford on Avon on a steam tour. In 1958 No.9466 worked off Worcester shed.
From Allan's old part of the country, the station at ALNWICK in Northumberland.
Well CINDY a round for who comes in. I have a Crib challange later at Pat's and I think resting is the best way to prepare for it but the bride thinks Honey Dos is better, guess what I will be doing.
It's just the Wolfman ‘n Moi keeping things together during daylite at the Bar by the Ballast . . . Some fine fotos from our Interim Governor General in mid-Missouri!
(1) "Our" TTC streetcar <Rendezvous I>
(2) CNR FPA-4 #6765 at ExpoRail railway museum <2007 Canada Rail Adventure w/Pete>
(3) Northbound ARR Denali Star w/cruise ship cars at the rear <2006 Alaska Rail Adventure>
(4) Eastbound VIA Rail F40PHs #6418 & 6427 at Halifax, NS <Nova Scotia trip 2002>
(5) Locos for sale or rent from the northbound Texas Eagle <Rendezvous II>
(6) Interior of Amtrak's northbound Lincoln Service to Chicago - Business Class seating <2007 trip w/Pete>
Enjoy the weekend!
Well good evening gentlemen all-back after a couple of days of fairly impressive weather-if it keeps up like this I think the locals might have the annual `wicker man` ceremony early-assuming anybody can find any dry kindling........
Right Leon-Not sure how the previous donation is holding up,but heres a century to cover beer for the company ( to include a quick round of shorts as an apology for political observations.....,some hot snacks for anybody who has been out in it and an endless stream of all the best that Herr Wurlitzer has to offer for the house as a whole
O.K:-Gonna do it backwards tonight,pictures first,`cos it`s easier to re-type a word than find a lost picture.......
So-finally ,some new pix from the partially rejuvenated layout......
French & Swiss Expresses await the green light-note,-both church lane and station rd. have aquired new `British` buildings
Down in the yards
"Sh`el be coming round the mountain....."
The night train glides up the hill...
-O.K-shut her down now.....
French express snakes through the yard whilst Austrian local set waits for the next call
Still much progress to be made before it looks like anything........-camera flash doesn`t help.....
Now then-it occurs to me that as I have hi-jacked the evening with model pix some form of expiation might be due,so how about I go and do a turn in the galley and for once we enjoy the great British tradition of a few beers on a saturday night ,after the first rugby matches of the new season,followed by an Indian meal and-yes-more beer...any takers ??
Lovely job-right since we are not yet at full strength,lets just cook for one table,--how about trying a beef Madras,a lamb Bhuna,chicken Tikka,king prawn Jalfrezi,4 portions of vegetable Biriyani,garlic & herb nan breads,mango chutney,lime pickle & tomato & onion salad........plus,of course,LOADS MORE BEER................................
Right-where were we-ah yes,crawling around the floor,smelling of garlic & onions & beer-no sorry,that bit comes later..............
Well-as I was pursuing a modelling groove earlier,have had a bit of a `hit` this week-remembered that I had bought mum a book of rather good watercolours of the Norward/Crystal Palace area where she grew up-only a 50c bus ride from Greenwich,from where I spoke last week....Suddenly occured that these would make great backscene material if I can get them into scale-scanned a load in-lets see what might be done......early impressions are good on many levels-
Now this looks like a perfect road to disappear behind a building on the right.......
Now this book proved to provide an unexpected bond between mum & me `cos we both have strong memories of the area-she grew up there and many of my earliest memories are there,for one reason or another-all good,-both of us found we had favourite pictures and the same response-we can both smell the smoke and fumes,hear the noises-actually place ourselves in the pictures.
Mum`s choice of picture is the public library,mine is this otherwise completely forgettable corner house -but I can recall with total clarity standing in exactly the spot where the artists point of view is ,with one hand held by gran and the other by mum,waiting for the lights to change so we could go back to grans house for lunch -I was about 4 at the time...........
All the best
<CP Rail M-630 at ExpoRail - personal foto>
Reminder: "Our" Place is CLOSED on SUNDAYs
<but go ahead ‘n slip your messages thru the mail slots on the doors!>
It's that day o' rest here in mid-continent USA ‘n at the bar - yes, we're CLOSED on Sundays!
Next B'day: Rob TOMORROW !
Saturday - September 6th <all times Central daylite>:
Page 16 - Pete <pwolfe> at 11:24 AM: Most pleased to have our Bar Chandler aboard on a Saturday morning - BUT mention of Pat's Place surely was an indicator of nothing more for the day! <grin> My guess is you were "at the ready" upon opening hour! Not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon . . . ‘n evening . . . ‘n night!
RDCs were ‘n are a most durable creation, so it wouldn't surprise me to learn of use in places mentioned. Then again, refurbishing them might be quite a challenge since the company is long gone ‘n the "know how" resides here, in diminishing numbers. Why not do a search ‘n let us know
The pay-per-view college football game that Mizzou played on Saturday should've been an indicator of just how disingenuous this is. The game was a total rout ‘n for shame on the schedule-makers for pitting a top ranked team against a far lesser competitive bunch . . . glad I didn't pay to watch it. <barf>
What's to say other than "good job" on Alan's part for those fotos of his exploits on the rails! Appreciate your bringing them to the bar, Mate! Really like the looks of that Kolhapur ‘n tender! Insights regarding the shed IDs ‘n so forth makes the fotos even more interesting.
I found a "source" for most of the cabooses wanted for my steam locomotive display case! Kinda like an oasis in the vast wasteland of jacked-up prices in model railroad-land. Figured I "saved" a bunch compared to ordering them from more established sources . . . Anyway, I expect there's a better than fair chance that the cabooses will be here before you arrive.
My guess is you'd be able to locate similar sources for Brit steamers ‘n vans. Just a matter of doing advanced searches ‘n of course being persistent - "it's" out there . . .
Always a pleasure having you amongst us, Mate ‘n we're NOT looking forward to your month away!
Enjoy your weekend . . .
Page 17 - Nick <nickinwestwales> at 9:12 PM <3:12 AM Sunday GMT>: I saw you logged in ‘n Posting over on "my other Thread" around 7 PM <1 AM Sunday GMT> - so, I waited - waited - waited for you to call in at the bar . . .
You surely do maintain some rather odd hours! <grin> Here it is 2:05 AM Sunday, as I type this - another insomnia experience! What is wrong with us, eh <geesh>
Your Post provided us with more insights into the things that Nick enjoys - most revealing fer sure, fer sure.
Fotos of your layout progress tells quite a story. Aside from the trackwork ‘n consists in the spread, I found your backdrops of scenery to be of interest. Nice blend ‘n well done! Something I seriously doubt that my talents would allow - most creative fer sure, fer sure.
Also the artist's renditions of scenes from your youth along with your thoughts adds to the whole of it when it comes to "understanding" our man in west Wales! Without knowing how one goes about reducing those book Pages down <or up> to scale - I'm guessing there'd have to be an awfully lot of "piecing together" in order to create a backdrop. Curious mind is waiting to know! <grin>
Very poignant thoughts come to mind when viewing those two sketches of street scenes from back in the day . . . those two could just as easily been from where I grew up. Staten Island, although one of the 5 boroughs comprising New York City, had the benefit of removal from the helter-skelter 'n wall to wall asphalt, concrete 'n masonry. It was a relaxing way of life with small town atmosphere dotting the landscape of the 15 mile long - 7.5 mile wide island located 5 miles south from Manhattan. In "my day" there was NO bridge connecting us with the rest of the city . . . it was ferry rides or the long way 'round through New Jersey . . . 3 bridges connected us to the "mainland." Yeah, brings back some good thoughts!
Appreciate the cuisine from India - although I'm here to tell ya, I've never sampled food from the sub-continent. Further, the continuous flow of beer didn't hurt a thing <I've sampled that a time or three!> ‘n the good cheer ‘n company helped to keep things alive at this rather quiet gin mill of ours. Hoping to see a resurgence - sooner rather than later.
By the by, there's been more than a few comments directed your way - hope you'll be able to catch up from your weeks away . . . otherwise all of the "good stuff" gets lost in space! <no connection to the long-gone TV series!> . . .
Given there was nothing to the contrary sent by Email - the RR BOOK RELAY 2008! should be well on the way to Shane in WVA . . .
Here's to ya, Mate - ‘n that century note you provided was thoroughly checked by our onboard scanner - Boris, our Cloven Foot Cyclops as an "eye" for things like that! <grin>
<personal foto at StL Mot, Kirkwood, MO>
"Our" Place is CLOSED on SUNDAYs
Starting TODAY at the Mentor Village Emporium Theatre!
. . . September 7th thru 13th: Get Shorty <1995> Starring: John Travolta, Gene Hackman Renee Russo & Danny DeVito - and - ENCORE Presentation of Hoosiers <1986> starring: Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey & Dennis Hopper. SHORT: The Three Stooges - Hokus Pokus <1949>.
Get Shorty <1995>
PLOT SUMMARY John Travolta leads an all-star cast in the hysterical comedy that Time calls "smart, shrewdly crafted [and] hilarious!" Loan shark Chili Palmer (Travolta) is bored with the business. So when he arrives in LA to collect a debt from down-and-out filmmaker Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman), Chili talks tough...and then pitches Harry a script idea. Immediately, Chili is swept into the Hollywood scene: He schmoozes film star Martin Weir (Danny DeVito), romances B-movie queen Karen Flores (Rene Russo) and even gets reservations at the hottest restaurants in town. In fact, all would be smooth for this cool new producer, if it weren't for the drug smugglers and the angry mobster who won't leave him alone!
John Travolta leads an all-star cast in the hysterical comedy that Time calls "smart, shrewdly crafted [and] hilarious!" Loan shark Chili Palmer (Travolta) is bored with the business. So when he arrives in LA to collect a debt from down-and-out filmmaker Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman), Chili talks tough...and then pitches Harry a script idea. Immediately, Chili is swept into the Hollywood scene: He schmoozes film star Martin Weir (Danny DeVito), romances B-movie queen Karen Flores (Rene Russo) and even gets reservations at the hottest restaurants in town. In fact, all would be smooth for this cool new producer, if it weren't for the drug smugglers and the angry mobster who won't leave him alone!
Hoosiers <1986>
PLOT SUMMARY: One of the most rousingly enjoyable sports movies ever made, this small-town drama tells the story of the Hickory Huskers, an underdog basketball team from a tiny Indiana high school that makes it all the way to the state championship tournament. It's a familiar story, but sensitive direction and a splendid screenplay helped make this one of the best films of 1986, highlighted by the superb performances of Gene Hackman as the Huskers' coach, and Oscar nominee Dennis Hopper as the alcoholic father of one of the team's key players. As the drama unfolds we come to realize that many of the characters (including Barbara Hershey as a schoolteacher with whom Hackman falls in love) are recovering from disappointing setbacks, and this depth of character is what makes the otherwise conventional basketball story so richly rewarding. Like Rocky, Rudy, and Breaking Away, this is a quintessentially American movie about beating the odds and rising above one's own limitations. Just try to watch it without cheering! --Jeff Shannon
One of the most rousingly enjoyable sports movies ever made, this small-town drama tells the story of the Hickory Huskers, an underdog basketball team from a tiny Indiana high school that makes it all the way to the state championship tournament. It's a familiar story, but sensitive direction and a splendid screenplay helped make this one of the best films of 1986, highlighted by the superb performances of Gene Hackman as the Huskers' coach, and Oscar nominee Dennis Hopper as the alcoholic father of one of the team's key players. As the drama unfolds we come to realize that many of the characters (including Barbara Hershey as a schoolteacher with whom Hackman falls in love) are recovering from disappointing setbacks, and this depth of character is what makes the otherwise conventional basketball story so richly rewarding. Like Rocky, Rudy, and Breaking Away, this is a quintessentially American movie about beating the odds and rising above one's own limitations. Just try to watch it without cheering! --Jeff Shannon
SHORT: Hokus Pokus <1949>
PLOT SUMMARY: The Stooges have been taking care of Mary, their invalid downstairs neighbor who is confined to a wheelchair after an accident. What they don't know is that Mary is faking her injuries for the insurance money. The boys have jobs hanging posters at the theatre, where they run into The Great Svengarlic. They try to talk him into curing Mary, but instead they are hypnotized by him, and he instructs them to go out on a flagpole and dance, many stories above the street. They come to when Svengarlic is knocked out by a bicyclist, and find themselves clinging to the flagpole for dear life. When the flagpole breaks they crash through the window of the insurance adjustor, causing Mary jump to her feet and revealing her fraud.
The Stooges have been taking care of Mary, their invalid downstairs neighbor who is confined to a wheelchair after an accident. What they don't know is that Mary is faking her injuries for the insurance money. The boys have jobs hanging posters at the theatre, where they run into The Great Svengarlic. They try to talk him into curing Mary, but instead they are hypnotized by him, and he instructs them to go out on a flagpole and dance, many stories above the street. They come to when Svengarlic is knocked out by a bicyclist, and find themselves clinging to the flagpole for dear life. When the flagpole breaks they crash through the window of the insurance adjustor, causing Mary jump to her feet and revealing her fraud.
<from: threestooges.net>
Good evening folks.Just in to finish of the weeks paperwork and make sure that Boris and his critters haven't destroyed anything.I was going to leave some cash for the pot in the morning but Nick's century note should keep us going for a while .
Tom-Too bad that the basement is still an ongoing problem,hopefully you will find that one guy who will do the repair your way.
Loved the mix of shots from your various rail adventures , always a wonderfull exposee to look at.Nice to know that you have found a good and relitivly inexpensive place to get your equipment from.( not that any of it is really cheap )
Pete-Sounds like you need to find the same basement repair guy as Tom ( once he finds one that will do it his way )
Great photo's again from Alan and yourself,some nice looking country and some even nicer looking trains.
It is indeed prudent to keep H&H happy, though I'm not sure that anyone can really build up an imunity to their cooking.Of coarse deep fried fish is hard to mess up,and Nick did teach them well.
Nick-looks like you are making some wonderfull headway on the layout reconstruction
Eric-Nice to see a pop in from our travelling desert dweller.It's ahrd to believe that your two weeks away is already comming to an end,I'm sure you notice that even more so.Still it's nice to know that you are enjoying yourself. Boris misses you and says he's making a supprise for you. I have noticed that he's been spending a lot of time in his shed's workshop. <uh oh >And he's playing alot of ABBA music while he's been working out there as well.
A smile to begin the week!
"Cluster bombing from B-52s are very, very accurate. The bombs areguaranteed to always hit the ground."- USAF
Best thing to say about today is it's ROB's B'day!
Coffee is ready, pastries too - ‘n of course our <light> ‘n <traditional> breakfasts are ready for serving . . .
B'day Rob
September 8th (Rob - 37)
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.
Let's provide trolley stuff for Rob on HIS DAY! C'mon - even though we're small in number, we surely should be able to come up with some fotos ‘n narrative for the man who has been with the bar since the beginning!
<MP&IR #1046 at ExpoRail - personal foto>
Eric returns to the bar TODAY!
Sunday - September 7th <all times Central daylite>:
Page 17 - Rob <trolleyboy> at 10:54 PM <11:54 PM EDT>: Most Happy Birthday to you, my friend ‘n friend of the bar up in Ontario!
Our Manager made it "in" to square away the paperwork . . . what dedication!
With the 10 steamers on the way for my new display case, I figured 10 cabooses to match ‘em in road names would be a nice touch. So, I found ‘em on the net - all new ‘n all for about $75 including shipping <no tax, of course!>. I think that's a good deal, especially when the leading sources were priced way, way higher than that. Just gotta keep looking ‘n who knows what will turn up . . . what in the world did we do before the internet
I called a foundation repair place on Thursday morning - no call back from the "estimator" <yet> - so this looks like another round of exasperation coming up. I'm going to begin excavating myself - just a bit at a time, but first have to ensure all's healed to permit such a thing. Will be leaving messages for the doc this AM . . .
Appreciate the visit ‘n chat - hope you have a Grrrrrrrrrrrrreat Day!
Thursday is Fish ‘ Chips Nite!
Good Morning Barkeep and all Present. Coffee, -please round for the house, and $ for the jukebox.
Nice day here today with temps in the 50s and cloudless skies. Gas is still at $3.79 although I can't wait to see what it does later this week. I can see over the stack of boxes in the office so maybe we'll get things unpacked today - organization will come a bit later.
First full weekend of football is in the books. WV played as bad as I have seen them in probably 5+ yrs. How about those Rams! Tough situation in New England.
OSP had some on-the-mark reflections on pay-per-view. I had MLB package for yrs. on the cable, so they took it away and put it on satellite. Mom said, "I'm not having the house look like a !@#$ spaceship," so that was that (plus the expense). However, I can get 15 shopping channels, etc., etc. Boris, unhand me, I'm done talking about this for now!
Pete was in with comments and some excellent pictures - tank engines remind me of the ones that handled suburban trains on the Boston and Albany years ago.
BTW, the weather was good at East Carolina because the storm blew through there quickly. As mentioned above, it didn't help WV any. Old People's MTV yesterday said that there was a lot of flooding in Northumberland.
Eric - Guess you're home by now - hope you had a good trip.
Nick - Thanks for the layout pictures. Your remarks about locations were well taken - much of my childhood is either under Interstates or has "gone condo."
OSP - Nice choice of movies, especially "Hoosiers." Glad to hear your showcases arrived in good shape and that your cab hunt was successful. Good luck with the basement. Remember, resist all urges to blast - it's too close to the house.
Today is Rob's birthday so herewith a rerun of an item from the first iteration of Our Place. This features, buses, trackless operations, subways and PCCs.
Subway
Riding the subway was always an adventure. The Boston subway was old when I was growing up. There were not as many stations then (sit and read the stations marked on the glass map in the holder beside the car door; Harvard, Central, Kendall, Charles, Park St., Washington, South Station, Broadway, Andrew Columbia, Fields Corner, Shawmut, and Ashmont - that was it), and the trains only ran as far as Harvard Square, although the streetcars ran out to Arlington, but that's another story for another time.
Most of the time we rode the bus to get to Harvard Square. This involved a walk to the corner, crossing there and waiting at the bus stop. There was not much of a sidewalk to stand on as the concrete, or what had been concrete was pretty well broken up. There was a lot of dirt and sand and a few tree roots sticking up, but that was about all. The traffic was much more interesting than trying to write my name in the dirt with the toe of my shoe and getting yelled at by my mother for "scuffing up your good shoes." Trucks were, of course, smaller and noisier. I always looked for Macks, especially the ones with chain drive since they made a glorious racket as they rolled past. The bus would come in time and we'd get on, pay the fare and sit down. There was a fare box at the front of the bus which automatically counted the money as the passengers dropped it into the slot on the top of the box. It made a neat "chinka-chinka-chinka" money-counting sound.
After awhile, we'd cross the bridge at Fresh Pond that went over the Boston and Maine's four-track main line. There was always something to see there, even if it was just a cut of freight cars, but usually I'd get lucky and see at least a switch engine pushing cars around, mostly for Bethlehem Steel which had a fabricating operation to the north and west of the bridge. Past the bridge was a rotary, and the bus slewed around there, thumped across a railroad siding that served a coal and lumber yard, and headed into Cambridge.
A little closer to the end of the ride, we'd see the wires for the electric buses or "trackless trolleys" which ran through the center of Cambridge. The trackless trolleys were noiseless, but every so often a blue cracking arc of electricity between the overhead wire and the poles on the bus would remind me of what they ran on. Traffic was always heavy through here, but even a metropolitan Boston driver respected a Twin Coach product. Squeezing through a narrow space between a dark blue Plymouth station wagon, two bright yellow Checker taxis, and a coal truck, the bus braked to a stop, the driver opened the door and we were at Harvard Square.
The subway station was in the middle of Harvard Square. It was a low gray stone structure with a metal roof and some ornamental iron work. In red letters above the doors was a sign which said "Rapid Transit to All Points - Eight Minutes to Park Street." People were always in a hurry there and it was hard to get a chance to take in all of the activity. You had a choice of walking down the stairs or riding a narrow wooden escalator to get to the station's "lobby." Here was a change booth and turnstiles. The process was quite simple - shove a dollar bill through the slot in the glass window and get some subway tokens and some change pushed back to you by the bored looking man sitting inside. Then take a token, put it in the slot in the turnstile and push your way through. Little kids rode for a nickel and had to reach up to drop their nickels into a change counter which was pretty similar to the one on the bus. That done, we went down the stairs to the platform and waited for the train.
Harvard Square Station was on two levels. The upper level, which allowed passengers quick access to buses and trackless trolleys without going outside, was for trains coming from Boston. Inbound (to Boston) passengers boarded their trains on the lower level. There was a single track on each level. The upper level went to the car barn (actually an open area for car storage) which was occupied a space near the Charles River between the Harvard University campus and Memorial Drive.
I could hear trains approaching the station from Boston as they pulled in above me and the entire station rumbled and shook with a deep, menacing, growl which was almost deafening because of the confined space in the station. Just about all of the old Harvard Square station was ripped out in the late 60s and early 70s when the subway was extended from Harvard Square to Alewife, so what I'm about to describe no longer exists.
As I mentioned, the subway line was single track with a high level platform to let people board and leave the trains quickly. The track resembled that of a regular railroad, except that a third rail was mounted outside the right rail. The third rail carried the electricity which powered the subway car's traction motors. Every so often on the third rail was some white lettering which said "DANGER - THIRD RAIL DO NOT TOUCH!" I was concerned most of the time that I might fall off the platform, touch the third rail and be instantly fried, so I never got too close to the edge of the platform. Everyone knew of somebody that had been fried because they weren't paying attention - never mind that there was no hard evidence of anyone ever being fried, except for a drunk in South Boston or some despondent person who threw themselves onto the tracks as the train pulled into the station, the thought of being electrocuted frying, swelling up and bursting into a million fragments was enough.
The track was not really ballasted but sat in what appeared to be deep layers of grime, oily dirt, dust, candy wrappers and old newspapers; I suppose there were ties underneath that mess somewhere. The walls were dingy white porcelain tile and there were brightly colored advertising signs attached to them at intervals. Most of the signs I remember advertised Wrigley's gum. Behind me was a brightly lighted newsstand which sold Boston papers, candy bars, cigarettes and cigars (in those more innocent days), and magazines. The station itself was not well lighted. Rather there were a few bulbs that tried ineffectually to pierce the darkness. I found that I could see pretty well once I got used to it. I tried to get close enough to the edge of the platform so I could see up the track to where the tunnel coming from the car barn curved away, but not close enough so that I might fall off, wind up against the dreaded third rail and be fried - INSTANTLY!!!
After awhile I could hear a train coming. It sounded differently than did the ones on the upper level as the noise was not as deep. I could hear the wheels squealing around the curve from the yard and hear the hollow whistling sound of the brakes being applied as the motorman brought it closer to the station. Then, there it was - four red lights marking the corners of the lead car, the blue-uniformed motorman sitting in the cab with one hand on the controller. The train of dirty, green painted, steel cars clomped into the station and screeched to a stop. The wooden doors banged open and the passengers began boarding the train.
These cars were utilitarian in the best sense of the word since they had been built to last through years and years of hard service. The windows would be open if the weather was warm and I could smell the pungent sweet scent of oil and warm traction motors. A compressor cut in under one of the cars with an urgent "lunga, lunga, lunga" sound, and then cut off with a harsh snap of air under pressure. It would be time to leave pretty soon and I made sure to try and get a seat near an open window so I could see everything. One feature of these cars I remember was a map of the MTA system in a glass panel by the door. I wonder now and then how much one of those would bring if offered at a memorabilia auction. Enough of that, though, it was time to go. The doors banged shut, "snuuffaaa," went the air brakes, the traction motors groaned into action and the train began to move forward; slowly at first, then much faster. I don't think we were really went all that fast, but the fact that the windows were open and we were in a tunnel gave the illusion of really moving rapidly. Central was the next stop, just a short distance from Harvard Square. The section of the line from Central to Kendall was about the longest stretch between stops and the train really moved along here. The noise was thrilling, palpable, and altogether wonderful. The racket was redoubled whenever we met a train. The other train roared past us in a blur of lights. This was what it was all about - going some place fast.
Years later I read a passage in a novel by Thomas Wolfe in which the hero, tormented by a desire to be everywhere, see everything, and absorb all of life's experience in the process, would ride the subway from Cambridge to Boston and see if he could hold his breath between stops - I did this when I was five years old and enthralled by Little Golden Books rather than the Sage of Asheville. The run from Central to Kendall was a long one, whether I held my breath or not.
Peering ahead I could see it was getting lighter as we got closer to the tunnel portal. A rush and a clank and we were out of the tunnel for a little while and back into the daylight. Up we went across the bridge to the Charles Street station. A brief stop there and then back into the tunnel underneath the storied streets of Beacon Hill. The train swung around a right hand curve before plunging back into the darkness. On the left was the frowning hulk of the infamous Charles Street jail; an ancient facility even when I was young. A roast beef sandwich stand was on the street right beside the prison walls. Legend had it that their sandwiches were so bad that the inmates would throw them back over the wall when kind hearted folks tossed a bag of them into the prison yard. A quick glance out the window allowed me to sort of see into the jail before the train plunged back into the tunnel. Park Street Under was the next station and we often got off there to transfer to another train, but sometimes we rode to Washington Street which is where the big department stores were. Still other times, we rode to South Station when we were going to ride the New Haven Railroad; always a great adventure. Beyond South Station lay unknown territory. I explored that later when I was older and started riding the subway by myself.
Park Street was about the biggest station on the MTA system. It had two levels. The subway was on the lower level and streetcars ran on the upper level. Historically, the oldest section of the entire MTA system was the one that ran into the upper level at Park Street. Some of the old Type 5 cars were still around when I was small, but mostly I remember riding on PCC's. The PCCs were painted traction orange with a stripe separating the orange-colored lower half of the car from the cream-colored upper part of the car. The PCC's ran from overhead wire so there was no danger of getting fried on the third rail. The PCC cars also did not run from a high level platform as did the subway cars. Park Street was a little better lighted than some of the other subway stops. The PCCs ran underground and on the surface and would take you virtually anywhere you wanted to go in the city.
Good to see a return to normalcy 'round here as Shane as begun the work week in fine fettle <whatever that means!> Do appreciate the info on the Boston transit - good beginning to "Stuff for Rob's Day"!
Now Arriving on Track #3
Classic Traction ‘n Transit #1
ExpoRail 2007
(1) MTC #1959 <blt 1928; CC&F - as a one-man car>
(2) MTC #997 <blt 1911; Ottawa - first all steel car in Canada>
(3) TSR #8 <blt c. 1895; P&C - open streetcar>
(5) M&SC #611 Interurban <blt 1917; Ottawa>
(6) MTC #3200 Tool car <blt 1928; MTC - as a fare box car; converted 1929>
Challenge for Rob - identify these <not in guide book>:
BONUS for Rob!
(9)
A coffee and the bacon sarnie and a round please RUTH.
Some great posts and photos today
Called in to say ROB and to drop off a couple of photos of a type of locomotive that worked on some tramways in Britain. Taken at a gala on the Middleton Railway in Leeds.
The loco is a Ex LNER class Y1 built by the Sentinal Wagon Works of Shrewsbury in 1927, a vertical boiler, chain driven locomotive. In 1950 No. 68153 was a railway works switcher at Darlington.
Enjoy and have a great day.
Back later.
Pete's been "in" ‘n provided a little something in the form of a foto spread for our B'day Boy, Rob! - but HE's not been "in" . . . . hmmmmmm. Anyway, good to see our Bar Chandler stepping up to the plate . . .
Classic Traction ‘n Transit #2
Halton County Streetcar & Electric Railway Museum
Rendezvous I 2006 - The Extra Day!
<Descriptions from Rob in May 2006 at "Our" Place I>
(1) The original TTC subway cars made in Glouchester England as delivered in the vibrant red scheme for the first TTC subway line on Yonge St, these cars were retired in 1974. Very heavy all steel cars this set of 2 weigh 40t <L-R: Ted - Rob - Heather>
(2) A set of TTC M cars. These subway cars were built by Bombardier in the MLW plant in 1964 and are all aluminum cars opened the University and Bloor lines in Toronto These were retired in 1984
(3) Subway flatcars MOW RT 28 and RT 29 these run on G car power trucks and control systems ( red subway cars ) these were built in the early 70's by Hawher Sidely in Thunder Bay. arrived at the museum in 1993 we are converting them to overhead power RT 28 already is RT 29 has had it's rear cab removed and we are going to convert it to a maintenance crane (once we find a suitable crane)
(4) Locomotives at the Front gate. Box cab is L&PS L2 ab English electric built unit BW power and controls built in 1915 retired in 1955 arrived at the Museum in 1976 currently non operational (still set for 1500v over head) The second (front locomotive) GRR 335 a BW class B clone. It was built by Preston car and Coach to Class B designs in 1917 ran on the GRR till it was dieselized in 1961 arrived at the museum in the late 1970's. Currently non operational due to being stripped of it's copper by CPR before it was donated. Will run again as all the spares have been found for it !
(5) Our crew sleeper VIA sleeper former NYC Dorcas Bay and CPR wide vision caboose our crews home away from home if they stay over.
(6) Line up of transit busses in our parking lot all but one are electric trolley busses from Brill and Flyer all the trolley busses are HSR or TTC units.
(7) My caption: Tom's bus
(8) Toms bus is a 1957 GMC first automatic transmission city bus. This one is from the city of Brampton, still runs as well.
A Bathams please RUTH to celebrate Rob's.
TOM Great selection of Random photos for Saturday Photo Day. It is great to see those dome cars on the Denali Star and that is a really clear photo of the stored locomotives near St Louis, as it was taken while the Texas Eagle was on the move.
Yes it was an early start at Pat's on Saturday good job he opens a late as 3PM, it was an early finish as well.
I will pass your comments on to Alan thanks; yes I think the LMS Jubilees were good-looking engines looking so much better when they are in clean condition.
I found a couple of sites on the RDCs, this one lists where they can be seen working
http://www.budd-rdc.org/rdcwhere-lines.html
I found this site with some great photos of Australian Railcars some of the Budd type.
http://www.freewebs.com/australianrailcar-railmotors/index.htm
Glad you found a source for your cabooses, it sounds a great deal, and I shall look forward to seeing them. I see there is a good selection of coaches to go behind the British models.
Good words for Nick about memories.
Two good films on at the Emporium this week, featuring Gene Hackman, a great actor. I have not seen Get Shorty and Hoosiers is one of the bride's all time favorite films, and the Stooges get hypnotized.
I sure Rob will enjoy those great trolley, subway cars and bus photos. From ExpoRail and the Halton Museum. In photo 6 from Halton 5 of the buses look very much like the Leyland National type that was a very common type in the UK.
NICK Thanks for the round and many thanks for the photos from your layout with the French and Swiss locomotives also the Austrian cars.
Really hope you can get those great watercolours as a backscene. I can see how those paintings can bring back the good memories what luck having an artist producing a book of paintings from the area your mum grew up in.
ROB Hope you are having a great.
We did have the basement fixed from the front wall that is underground and this wall is OK, I hate to think what it would have been like before with the amount of rain this year but a small amount of water is getting in from a different place.
Many thanks for the kind words on the photos.
Yes keeping H&H happy has it bonuses; they are the only ones who are prepared to make mushy peas to go with my fish n chips Can't wait to see what Eric's ‘surprise' is.
CM3 Thanks for the round and the kind words on the photos. I think it would be a great article in Classic Trains on those tank engines that used to work the suburban trains on the Boston & Albany.
Glad the weather behaved for the WV game pity the score was not more favorable for WV though. Yes I had a look at BBC news on the web and it said town of Morpath near Allan's old area was practically cut off.
Really enjoyed reading your trip in Boston in the old days although from Our Place I a lot came back to me as I read it. Many thanks indeed for re-running it for us..
Well RUTH another round please.
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