You're probably right Mod-man, still, it would be nice if we were kept informed here as to the ultimate use of the correspondence, i.e. a "Classic Trains" article. I'm a subscriber myself (Money well spent!) so I'm not likely to miss it, "If and when."
Still, I was darn near getting to the point Ingrid Bergman's character in "Casablanca" was when she confronted Rick in his office, pulled a pistol, and said...
"Give me those letters!"
Well, here it is Tuesday, the wanswheel flow has dried up too, and I have come to the conclusion that, upon editorial review, the Kalmbach higher-ups have decided to use the correspondence as a Classic Trains published story, quite possibly a series of published stories if there's enough of it.
That's not unreasonable. It's too good an asset to 'waste' without some framing and discussion for moderns. who have little idea what made DPM special and, to the extent they understand Beebe at all, would conduct an increasingly annoying (especially to him!) expansion of discussion of just what 'partner' meant.
But it's still sad for us, we who have to wait, especially we who are not subscribers and will probably now have to peruse each new issue at the bookstore to see whether the column or whatever has started. And equally unfortunately, since Kalmbach has essentially thrown the Mike MacDonald resource relationship away, we won't get a hundredth of the color, ring and stamp of the things that surrounded and flavored the correspondence.
One case in point: Classic Trains in 2002 pointed out that Beebe famously jumped from the Century to the Broadway after NYC 'downgraded' the former (including with *shudder!* plebeian coaches, but did not report on his subsequent 'career' when PRR subsequently discovered -- no good deed goes unpunished -- that running the perfect train with attentive people still wasn't enough to have a profitable train net of all the Beebes left in the world. Surely that was good for an exchange..
Beebe mistaken for Nazi Spy!
No, but I read about the straight A student who wanted a sports car as a college graduation present. When he did graduate, his father gave him a bible. Bitterly disappointed, the young man never opened the bible. When he opened the bible years later, he found his father had written him a check specifically for the sports car.
Millennial? No sir, I'm a baby boomer who hasn't yet made it to the 21st century, just as my dad(who was old enough to be my grandfather) barely made it into the 20th.
Incidently, when I ask for information about the Copper Country Limited, etc, it's not so much to write a dissertation. I'm interested in the human element, peoples personnel experiences. I'd be a poor man of the cloth(and I may be, at that) if I wasn't interested in people and their experiences.
For crying out loud give the man a chance! Likely has to clear this with some folks, have a meeting or two, put things from a vanilla folder into a suitable format and so on.
You guys are acting like a bunch of triggered millenials .. go to your safe rooms and be quiet!
Hey did you read about the young man that was given a brand new BMW for his birthday and drive it into a lake deliberately because he wanted a Jaguar. Seems all his 'friends' could not fit in the car together as another reason.
Can you imagine that! I was lucky to get a cake.
One wonders. I believe a few years back some lady spread the word on line the Dickens and Dostoyevsky met(BTW, my two favorite authors). I don't believe any evidence has ever confirmed this. I won't say for sure it never happened, but file it under highly unlikely.
Hmmm, you may be onto something Mod-man, we haven't heard from Mr. Steve since last Friday.
As they say in the movies, "It's quiet." "Yeah, it's TOO quiet..."
Regretfully, I'm beginning to suspect we're being trolled. (Perhaps it is that there's a Beebe-DPM folder, all right, but it's full of advertising contracts and not the sort of juicy correspondence promised...)
Wow. Mike's outdoing himself today! Thanks Vince for being the messenger!
If you folks like that, you should read Beebe's description of the morning "Parade O' Trains" down the east shore of the Hudson River, before THE train, the "20th Century" shows up. Truly magical. It's in the book "20th Century."
In "Overland Limited" I love Beebe's description of the route, what some just dismissively refer to as "Flyover Country" today.
Mr. Steve, look, just grab the folder of letters, scan 'em and post 'em. Just do it, as the Nike ad says. Easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission.
Probably just as well Lucius died in 1966, the rest of the Sixties and what the world turned into would have killed him anyway.
Check this out, guess who's drinking champagne with Madeleine Carrol?
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031129/mediaviewer/rm2973435904
The Ritz Lucius Beebe
The Overland Limited. Lucius Beebe
Oh yeah. Oh yeah. That's Beebe the storyteller at his best!
And he loved the Virginia and Truckee! Broke his heart when it died.
And Mr. Steve, just where are those letters? We're getting antsy here!
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
I found a very amusing lecture, or retrospective, or stand-up routine, or something, about Lucius Beebe on YouTube, presented by a young man who I'm surprised even heard of him. Maybe I shouldn't be? Maybe he's "one of us?"
Anyway, it's 15 minutes long and fun to watch, a bit of "language" toward the end. I'm not sure if it's a Beebe quote, or Beebe quoting a railroad president, the presenter's not specific, but I suspect it's the latter. *
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlLqHqPD39M
A personal note: Lady Firestorm and I used to call him "Lucius Beebe, of whom we are not sure."
Then we saw a photograph of the interior of his private railcar "Virginia City."
Since then it's been "Yeah, we're sure!"
When we rode the Durango & Silverton in 2002 we spent the extra money and rode the parlor car. (Worth It! Trust me!) We were thrilled to find out a year or so ago the D&S parlor cars were used in Lucius' chartered narrow-gauge tour and he certainly rode in the car we did.
Not quite like being in a place where George Washington stayed, but pretty close!
* OK, I did some checking and the quote is from Beebe's "Mixed Train Daily," and it's not a Beebe quote. The quote is from D.W. Thomas, the owner of the Chesapeake Western, a short line that ran in Virginia from Elkton to Harrisonburg, and eventually to Staunton.
Where the presenter got the quote with the "F-Bombs" I have no idea, it's certainly NOT in "Mixed Train Daily," although the language is strong.
Flintlock76That's a good question, and it would be very interesting to find out!
Here we are, 21 posts in, and not a shred of the vaunted correspondence. Post some letters already!
That's a good question, and it would be very interesting to find out!
I've only seen snippets of Beebe letters, and the style does seem less florid, but as I said, they're only snippets.
I wonder if Beebe's letter writing style differs from his published style.
While Lucius' writing style, not quite out of the 19th Century and not quite in to the 20th, takes some getting used to I've never really found it a problem.
Certainly, DPM was the better writer, I'll give you that. So was Rogers Whittaker, "E.M. Frimbo," who should be much better known among railfans than I think he is.
What Lucius really deserves credit for is making railfanning respectable, if that's the right term. If a New York sophisticate and bon-vivant like Lucius could admit to being absolutely ga-ga about trains there was no reason anyone else couldn't.
And Lucius does deserve the credit for originating the railbook as we know it today. Rail publishers like Four Ways West, Heimburger House, Monte Vista Publishing, Morning Sun and others all owe Lucius Beebe a debt of gratitude. He started it all.
CSSHEGEWISCHIf Beebe's prose was less florid and more readable, I might have actually given it serious consideration. I got the impression that he snoozed through freshman English in high school.
You probably don't like much by Faulkner, or Finnegans Wake either. That's fine, but there's no need to add a comment about perceived lack of study habits because you don't like the style.
I don't care for much of Beebe's style, or some of his personal lifestyle either. Doesn't change the joy he brought with much of 'the rest of the story' (which we might well not have in any form, for all the Frimbos or DPMs we otherwise have) or more specifically the benefit (and delight!) some of us will have from seeing the letter correspondence between these two people for whom life certainly contained style.
If Beebe's prose was less florid and more readable, I might have actually given it serious consideration. I got the impression that he snoozed through freshman English in high school.
Agree
As far as I'm concerned the only people who wouldn't be interested are those who'd look at the names and say "David P. Morgan? Lucius Beebe? Who are they?"
Those people are to be pitied and educated as soon as possible!
Sounds interesting, but I would have to see it to know. Perhaps publish some of the first letters, and see how it goes.
Steve SweeneyThere's at least one manila folder and that one is interesting, IIRC. If we started publishing bits and pieces online, would any of you care to read it?
I for one would read it avidly... and start working on the article and probably book it would merit.
Flintlock76 SD70Dude Flintlock76 I mean, if you go to the National Archives and see the original Declaration of Independence the NA doesn't say "Here it is! Dig it! Ain't it cool?" I'd be more interested in the hidden treasure map on its back! GROAN! Don't get me started on that dopey film! Fun, but dopey! Although it was worthwhile seeing it for old Captain Sharpe himself, Sean Bean! I just loved the "Sharpe" series!
SD70Dude Flintlock76 I mean, if you go to the National Archives and see the original Declaration of Independence the NA doesn't say "Here it is! Dig it! Ain't it cool?" I'd be more interested in the hidden treasure map on its back!
Flintlock76 I mean, if you go to the National Archives and see the original Declaration of Independence the NA doesn't say "Here it is! Dig it! Ain't it cool?"
I mean, if you go to the National Archives and see the original Declaration of Independence the NA doesn't say "Here it is! Dig it! Ain't it cool?"
I'd be more interested in the hidden treasure map on its back!
GROAN! Don't get me started on that dopey film! Fun, but dopey!
Although it was worthwhile seeing it for old Captain Sharpe himself, Sean Bean!
I just loved the "Sharpe" series!
I liked it, but it didn't deserve a sequel.
There is an urban legend that Nick Cage got himself deep into debt somehow, and to pay it off he had to take pretty much every role he was offered.
I bet some of the treasure ended up getting moved on a railroad at some point (to keep this on-topic ).
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
Penny Trains Flintlock76 that's the "Classic Toy Trains" Lionel collection! And that's Roger Carp pushing the crate! Can't be! He's not making a run for his car!
Flintlock76 that's the "Classic Toy Trains" Lionel collection! And that's Roger Carp pushing the crate!
Can't be! He's not making a run for his car!
Don't worry, Bob Keller's keeping an eye on him...
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