Hi Tom and all.
A pint of the usual RUTH and some of the Fish 'N' Chips cooked by H &H's fair hands later please..
Good Encore by ROB to end the NYC day and great details from CM3 on MIKE's links around Boston.
MIKE in the 2nd photo of yesterdays links of the NYC diesels by the lake, is that structure in the background by the signal box a footbridge do you know.Pedestrian bridges are very common features on the railways of Britain, even in rural areas, but seem to be very rare in the US or of course I may be wrong. Great photo of the O.N. loco and model and thanks for the Lake Nipissing sunset photo, which no doubt ROB will like.
LARS Glad you enjoyed the Baseball game, I thought the Cards would win that one until Carlos Beltron got the homer, A former Royal as the bride keeps telling me.
TOM Many thanks for the Advanced Search info and the pics of the NYC model cars. Have you noticed that the pics on the forum do not enlarge as much as they used to when clicked on, or is it just me.
I see in the paper the St Louis Metro was in trouble the other night when a piece of equipment came off the roof of a unit and some passengers were hurt.
On a brighter note I read in a steam magazine they are hoping to open a standard gauge steam railway in the east end of London UK. They are hoping to use about 2 miles of the North London Line near North Woolich, which will be abandoned after the service is taken over by the Docklands Light Railway( another light rail success story), the NLL services will terminate at Stratford.
The North London Line runs from Richmond, in south London, round the north of the city center to North Woolich, on the north bank of the River Thames opposite Woolich Aresnal with the Woolich free ferry runing between the two.The line was electrified on the 3rd rail 750 Volt system in 1985. When I first travelled the eastern end of the line it was useing fairly old slam door 2- Car Southern Region suburban units. the line nowadays uses the dual-voltage class 313 3-car units. It is hoped that the third rail electric can be kept so that presrved electric units can be run on the preserved section, although with the Health and Safety regulations I can see a problem.
There is already a museum at the old, former Great Eastern Railway station at North Woolich and if they can get to run steam locos it should be very successful.
Another Bathams RUTH and a round . Pete.
Good evening Leon and friends. I’ll have the usual bottomless draught, and buy the next round. Got some Michigan quarters for some tunes too, and as Tom remembered, I’ve been extra busy between leaving the house before 5AM to get my wife to work, then going to work myself, then pulling much paint duty at the condo. We went from blue, to eggshell in just three coats! I’ll probably be needing to do the ceilings as well, but that can wait! Newsflash! Here’s our new home as it looked at the end of yesterday
Here’s the view from inside the loft
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c330/Barndad/Picture597.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c330/Barndad/Picture590.jpg
We got a nice rain storm this AM, so there was no construction today. I did get to see lightning take out a telephone pole transformer though. It shot sparks for 50 feet!
Anyhow, on to the subject of trains and the excellent material that has become a standard of this thread. Most impressive posts from Tom, Lars, CM3, Rob, Mike, BK and Pete. Just goes to show that missing one guy (me) does not make a lot of difference. Hats off to you gentlemen for an outstanding theme day! Loved the NYC toy train pix, Tom. Sure wish they were mine. Mike, I believe you got all the pix of the doodlebugs I put in my photobucket. I’m sure you noticed that there only of 2 of the 3 cars that ran on the Woodstock and Sycamore. Pity that none were saved. Now, here’s more info from the Information Booth (May 1955 Railroad Magazine)
Q- What is the world’s highest point reached by a railroad?
A – The meter-gage Antofagasta & Bolivia line at Mont, Chile, 15,817 feet above sea level.
Q - Describe the new type of flatcar built to carry such large and heavy loads as turbine generators.
A – These cars were designed jointly by General Electric and the Pennsylvania Railroad. More than 92 feet long, each has a capacity of 500,000 pounds. The loading platform is 30 feet long. The steam-turbine generators shipped on these cars are part of a series of 200,000kilowatt equipment scheduled for delivery to a new powerhouse for the Atomic Energy Commission.
Q – How many gas-turbine locomotives are in service?
A – General Electric announced the manufacture of its 100th combustion gasoline turbine unit last December, but only 27 of these are used for locomotives. Because of the adaptability of the gas-turbine to meet power demands of rapidly expanding industry, GE feels that more and more of them will be used not only for motive power but for other purposes as well, many of them to complement steam-turbines.
One of the world’s oldest locomotives is service was No. 1 of the Tangier-Fez Railway in North Africa. Built in France around 1860 and retired in 1953, the switcher is shown here at Fez, Morocco.
Hope you enjoyed my humble offering. Hope to be back again early AM!
A farmer who's been involved in a terrible road accident with a large truck ended up in court fighting for a big compensation claim. "I understand you're claiming damages for the injuries you're supposed to have suffered?" Stated the counsel for the insurance company. "Yes, that's right," replied the farmer, nodding his head. "You claim you were injured in the accident, yet I have a signed police statement that says that when the attending police officer asked you how you were feeling, you replied, 'I've never felt better in my life.' Is that the case?" "Yeah, but…" stammered the farmer. "A simple yes or not will suffice," counsel interrupted quickly. "Yes," Replied the farmer. Then it was the turn of the farmer's counsel to ask him questions. "Please tell the court the exact circumstance of events following the accident when you made your statement of health," his lawyer said. "Certainly," replied the farmer. "After the accident my horse was thrashing around with a broken leg and my poor old dog was howling in pain. This cop comes along, takes one look at my horse and shoots him dead. "Then he goes over to my dog, looks at him and shoots him dead too. Then he come straight over to me and asked me how I was feeling. "Now, mate, what would you have said to him?"
Good evening Leon , I'll have a Keith's oh and one of H&H's side orders of calamari to go along with it.Been a tad slow today, but it's still heartening to see most of the gang plugging along, we seem to be an evening thread today.
Mike-Nice shots of lake Nippissing , the sunsets are beautifull up there , I'd move there in an instant , unfortunatly my work is not there quite yet . The sunsets from the City's cruise ship Chief Commanda II is something to behold as well.
Doug -The house looks like it's comming along nicley, I think you guys will be happy once your moved in. today's joke I'd have to say is one of the better ones, It made Heather laugh anyway Interesting shots of that old French steamer , amazing the longevity , they don't build them like that anymore fer sure fer sure.
Lar's-I have to say that I never get tired of looking at photo's of first generation deisels, espeacilly ones dressed up in an nice classic paint scheme like the NYC's lightening stripes.The fact that you had an Alco to boot is nirvana for an Alcophile like myself. The E unit was okay too ( sorry Tom )
Pete-Great to hear about those proposed steam and electric preservation attempts outside of London, always nice to hear about things like that. Surley there would be clauses in the health and saftey regulations that would allow the operation of histroic equipment. i know thta here in Ontario we have very strict workplace health and saftey laws, but museum's are given different rules of engagement ( ie the equipment at least so far is grandfathered to allow it to still be used )
Tom-Hey nice to see you again this morning as well. walther's has indeed done a nice job on those trains,the prise tags a bit much, but like you said if a CPR one comes down the pike it would be hard for me to say no to. My Bluebirds I think are just about done as well, they keep taking three steps forward and five backward, makes it a bit tough.Bring on hockey season ! ( likley I will be saying bring on baseball season in january LOL )
Well I have to run for now, i'm taking Heather and her mom and ada out to a new Fish and Chip joint in Burlington, believe it or not it's called "Holy Cod "everyone says the foods great so we shall see.See everyone later.
Rob
Hi guys, Ruth can I have a cup of coffee and two advils please. Went out the bar last night with a friend of mine and drank about 10 beers too many and my head is killing me.
Anyway good work on the N.Y.C. guys the pictures are great. I just wish you wouldnt type so loud.
P
Good evening Leon , I see that the lights are still on and a few more regulars have stumbled in. Good deal Just a round of Keith's if you would be so kind sir. let me first say that "Holy Cod" certainly lived upto it's expectations , the fish was at least as good as The St George Arm's ( certainly better than H & H's ) whoops he ducks a bottle flung from the kitchen
Dave - Good to see you tonight ( afternoon for you ) sorry to hear that the left coast is still having computational difficulties . good luck on tracking down the info your seeking on that electric railine and junction. If it's like some of the abandonned electric rr's around me , time and urban sprawl all but obliterate what once was and makes the tracing that much more different. definatly keep us posted.Oh you scored at least a 3 out of 6 on the groanameter for that joke Boris liked it though !
P-Sorry about your head , I'll try to type softer this evening still glad you were able to pop by and enjoy the NYC stuff, who knows PC may get it's chance in the upcomming weeks as well, stay posted.
Leon everyone's glasses are empty again "nuther" round on me if you would be so kind
CLASSIC JUICE # 31 THE LOST ELECTRICS OF SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO PT # 1
THE BACKGROUND
They came by the thousands during those late summer days in 1884. What they waited to see was North America's first electric streetcar.here in Toronto at the Toronto Agricultrual Fair , the precursor to today's Canadain National Exhibition ( The CNE or the Ex as it's generally refered to ) they gasped as an electrically powered engine rattled along a set of tracks with three open passenger cars in tow, each jammed with awestruck adventurers. Following an age of stage coaches and steam locomotives , the electric street railway was the newest thing to revolutionize travel.
For the first summer's exhibition power was carried to the locomotive via a copper strip emebedded in the track. The following year the more familiar overhead wires made their appearance.Beacause railways could not provide local neighbourhood service and the slow jolting horsedrawn coaches were slow , the electric streetcar craze spread quickly. By 1900 Ontario had 205KM ( 128 miles ) of line , by 1910, 553KM.
Those emeinating from out of Toronto could claim 219KM (137miles) of track, Hamilton had the most lines with 4 separate one's although the combined trackage totaled only 125KM (78 miles ). The Grand River area could claim 142KM ( 89 miles ), The Niagara Area 118KM (74 miles ),while Southwestern Ontario bosted the second most extensive electric network with 150KM (94 miles).
More than 87 electric railways were propsed across Ontario. Most were never built.One of the most enthusiastic propnents was not a commercial operator, but rather the first Chairman of the Ontario Hydro Electric Commission Adam Beck ( later knighted for his work in government and railway development ).With a massive source of electric power at his dissposal ( Niagara Falls power generating stations now known as the Sir Adam Beck Plants 1 and 2 )he proposed electric railway networks which would link Toronto with Sarnia, Port Perry and Fort Erie. Indeed , were it not for two small gaps in Ontario's radial network, one of 17 and a half KM ( 11 miles ) west of Port Credit, and another of 11KM (7 miles ) between Vineland and St Catharines this province would have had a radial railway network which would have extended from Toronto to Guelph into New York State and from there links to the Midwestern Interurban systems to Chicago !
By the 1920's the auto age was starting and the gasoline and tire manufacturers were agressivly lobbying for te end to public funding of the electric railway industry.In 1923 the government of E.C. Drury was elected and refused the loan guarrantee's iof the early government which eneded Beck's radial system dreams. Electric railways, dwindled from nearly 1280KM ( 800 miles ) of trackage at their peak in 1920 to less than half of that two decades later.When the last radila car pulled into st Catharines downtown terminal in 1959 , 387KM ( 242 miles) of electric radial trackage still operated, but all was devoted to freight service only.
THE WINDSOR ESSEX & LAKESHORE RAPID RAILWAY
Known as the "Sunshine County Route ", the purpose of this line accorss Essex County was to tap into the booming rural growth in Southwestern Ontario's most populous county.Although incorporated as early as 1879, it's charter was not acted on until 1901. It's provisions envisioned extentions as far as Wheatly and Tilbury.
During construction, the WELR came up against the Michigan Central which stubbornly refused the electric line permission to cross it's own mainline in Essex, a stand off eventually resolved by the Board Of Railway Commissioners, the federal gov railway watchdog.Finnally in sept of 1907 the electric cars began operating between Windsor and Essex.Shortly afterward Kingsville and by april of 1908 into Leamington.This was as far as they got. The extensions to Wheatly and Tilbury remained paper dreams only. In 1919 the Hydro Electric Commission became involved in the operations of electric railways accorss Ontario ( Adam Beck was now the President as well as a Liberal MPP )
The WELR did carry a small amount of frieght traffic as well, mainly from the canneries in Leamington, connecting with the CPR,The Michigan Central, the Essex Terminal,and the Pere Marquette.After operating quite profittably for a number of years, the WELR reached it's peak with 1 million passengers in 1921. But the inevitable bus competition appeared in the 1920's, and to compete the WELR began operating buses of it's own.Still by 1928 passenger traffic had dropped by two thirds.
In 1928 the HEPC did the unthinkable. Flaunting the looming auto age, and falling profits,HEPC began to upgrade the electric infrastructure, and placed orders for new cars.In 1930 they began to make plans for a new Windsor terminal aquiring the lands.The new terminal would serve both the electric lines and the fledgling bus company.It was never built.
The new cars were indeed the latest in luxury. With the words "Sunshine County Route"boldly painted on the carsides, they containes smoking compartments with leather settees, a main compartment with 28 uplostered seats and a 15 foot solarium at each end of the car,as well as being heated electrically ( the old cars had coal stoves )
All the new equipment in the world could not compete with the auto age, espeacially once the depression hit. By 1930 the WELR was loosing $150,000 a year, an amount unacceptable to the many little municipaliteis along the line that paid for the privalige. In sept 1932 the line was shut down, and within three yeasr all the tracks had been lifted.
Hey guys , just back with a thought. I had mentioned earlier about next weeks Tuesday theme railway might be something out Doug's way. So I figured that a good one ( definatly a classic that's now been devoured by UP ) Would be the Chicago and Northwestern. I figure that it's a railroad with a bit for everybody. Coal , passenger trains interesting steam and diesel locomotives, oh and it was really really frugal railway as well, some would say downright tight to the point of squeeking.I think it should make good reading. some over the weekend homework. Remember Boris will be marking the submissions ,which should make it an easy pass for everyone that participates. So a C&NW Tuesday.
See everyone tomorrow
Good morning Tom and gents. I’ll have a light breakfast while I wait for a bit of sunlight to show itself. The sun is definitely coming up later these days, and retiring earlier. Local merchants have been putting out the Halloween decorations for weeks now. Glad you liked the French loco Rob. I had not seen it before. Thanks for another great Classic Juice. God to see Dave here again too. I almost had a Pacific Electric story for you Dave, but it turned out to be fiction, and I don’t mess with those. That joke of yours … well … who am I to comment on such things? GREAT TO SEE P !!!!!!!!!!!!! How’s the headache? Hello again to Eric. Wouldn’t mind seeing your Chicago and Northwestern narrow gage pic. And now, I must run .. but not before ….
Mrs. Johnson decided to have her portrait painted by a famous artist. She told the artist, "Paint me with diamond earrings, a diamond necklace, emerald bracelets and a ruby pendant.""But you are not wearing any of those things.""I know," said Mrs. Johnson. "My health is not good and my husband is having an affair with his secretary. When I die I'm sure he will marry her, and I want her to go nuts looking for the jewelry."
Morning Ruthy,I think one light breafast a number 3 and the usual thermos of coffee please.Nice to see a couple new posts first thing this morning seems as though things are starting to flow normally again ( as normal as we get anyway )
Eric -Thanks for the good by stop by , hope that you have a wunnerfull trip , I'm sure that a speak for everyone when I say we are looking forward to the photo's of your trip.Hopefully you have your answer from Kalmbach waiting for you when you arrive back home.
Doug -Yes narrow guage C&NW pix would be an interesting treat, oh and the joke was a two groaner.A false PE story you say, well that will never do. Do you want us to get the good inspector to look into it for you LOL
Well shortly I'm off to meet up with Heaher's dad. We're going down to London ( Port Stanley actually ) to ride on the Port Stanley Terminal RR, the musuem excursion train that rides on what's left of the London and Port Stanley radial line.
See everyone this evening again.
Good Morning Barkeep and All Present; coffee, please; round for the house and $ for the jukebox.
Lot's of interesting posts and many thanks to all.
One comment on the set of NYC E7s along the Hudson River. The stripes on the locomotives are an interesting variant of NYC diesel paint. IIRC, they are the as-delivered scheme for the E7s. Anyway, thanks for the post.
Here's some more 1942-era PRR passenger material. This is a summary of morning eastbounds to New York from Chicago. This is a little less complicated than some NYC operations we have talked about, but there is some interline Pullman service which may be new to some of you.
Chicago – East Service – Morning Departures (Summary)
No.
Train
Depart
Arrive
52
“New Yorker”
9:30 a.m.
6:35 a.m.
Chicago-New York sleeping cars: 12 section/drawing room (more than one);
diner lounge (Chicago-Pittsburgh)
22
“Manhattan Limited”
11:30 a.m.
7:20 a.m.
Chicago-New York sleeping cars: Compartment/ drawing room buffet; 12 section/ drawing room; 10 section/3 double bedroom
Chicago-Washington sleeping car: 12 section/ drawing room ( to train 50 at Pittsburgh)
Pittsburgh-Scranton sleeping car: 12 section/ drawing room – to DL&W at Sunbury
Diner: Chicago-Pittsburgh;
Coach: Chicago-New York
22-50
“Manhattan Limited/ Statesman”
7:40 a.m. (Washington)
Pittsburgh-Washington sleeping cars: 6 double bedroom/buffet lounge;
8 section/5 double bedrooms; 12 section/drawing room
Coaches: Pittsburgh- Washington
Trains 22 and 50 ran together until reaching Pittsburgh at 9:30 p.m. Train 50 departed Pittsburgh at 10:55 p.m. arriving in Washington at 7:40 the next morning.
22-36
“Manhattan Limited/ Philadelphia Express
7:10 a.m. (Phila.)
Pittsburgh-Philadelphia sleeping cars: 10 section/buffet;
12 duplex rooms/5 double bedrooms; 10 roomette/ 5 double bedrooms
Pittsburgh-Atlantic City sleeping car: 10 sections/2 compartments/drawing room
Coaches: Pittsburgh- Philadelphia
Trains 22 and 36 ran together until arriving at Pittsburgh at 9:30 p.m. Train 22 departed Pittsburgh for New York at 10:00 p.m. and train 36 departed Pittsburgh for Philadelphia at 11:35 p.m.
work safe
Good moring all,
Trollyboy,barndad- I feel much better this morning ,Thanks
Tom- I kinda expected that about PC, but what about Early Amtrk?
Until the next time!
Lars
A coffee and a bacon butty this morning please RUTH.
What a great and interesting evening and morning at Our Place.
Much welcome rain at the minute but accompanied by a thunder storm which knocked out power for a sizeable area around Jeff City this morning. it was a major outage but after hearing it could be a fair while before it could be fixed it was back on after about a hour or so, a to the Utility guys.
DOUG Great to see the house coming along well.. Another great set of Information Booth pics, especially the steam turbine alternator being loaded on the Pennsy wagon, simular to the stuff I worked on in the UK. With the larger loading gauge in N. America large components could be transported by rail where as in the UK it had to go by road
ROB Very interesting on the Lost Electrics . It really is sad to see a intensive system done away with, surely electric power must be the best way for city transit as the new light rail systems are showing. there has even been talk of de-electrifying the line from London to Edinburgh the east Coast Main line in Britain, to me it would be madness.I read recently that the electric companies are going to raise the price of suppling the railway by 60%,that is not right surely.GRRRRR.
Glad the Holy Cod lived up to its name although saying it was better than H&H's was taking a risk.
I really miss the Fish Chips and Mushy Peas. There is a Captain Cod opposite the Severn Valley Railway station in Kidderminster which goes very well with the Bathams. It seems tha fish and chip shops and hair salons come up with the best names for their businesses, some in the UK are The Plaice to Be and The Plaice by the Tracks it is a vital piece of information to know where the best Chippy, as well as the best pubs, are when visting various towns on railfan trips.
Lucky ERIC going to the Swedish 150th event, looking forward to some great photos and hoping you have a great time.
DAVE So Doug has a rival with the jokes. Let us know if you have any luck finding the Wye. It is Alan's and mine interest in the UK looking for traces of old railway trackbeds and remains. It is getting more difficult and even with old Ordinance Survey Maps and photos in many places it is impossible to know a line existed. Now and then in the UK railway mags they do a then and now photo taken from the same spot when the railway was there and today, often it is only a tree or a building to show it is the same place.
P Glad you are feeling better, good to see you in at the bar
CM3 It must have been a grand trip to leave Chicago mid-morning and arrive at New York next morning after travelling by Pullman.
TOM We are going to the brides mom this weekend and are due to see theSpringfield Cards on Saturday evening lets hope they can get a win, the local team the Columbia Mavericks are not playing this season. I must admit I used to enjoy watching them.
In the the link to the NYC museum there is a photo of a GG1 in PennCentral black livery , although they say it being painted back into Pennsey colors soon.
Luckily logging in to the forum is not a problem at the moment for me I only hope I have not spoken too soon.
Hope to be back to post some pics Sunday
Pete.
LARS Just caught your post the pics enlarged ok this time.
Good evening Leon , I think a Keith's and perhaps a round for those others still sitting or leaning Oh and a nice sirloin medium with the skillet of mushrooms. Someone's got to order some of the fine fare that we have around here.So C&NW it is on tuesday , I'm guessing that it should be an interesting disscussion Hopefully our newfound C&NW conductor will make it back with some fresh insights.
Dave -Glad that you liked the Pt 1 of the lost electrics. i figured they might flick your switch as it were seeing as how most of them were radial lines. Good luck with the decision making process on that new potential job , changing one's carreer is never an easy choice. I'm glad to see that you were able to make it by a couple days ( daze ) in a row. If Boris is lurking again it must be timeto change his meds , back to the red tranquilizers again I think.
Tom-No PC awe shucks in everyones life and discussions of trains some squirming must set in LOL. It did turn out to be a not to bad of a day afterall yesterday.Nice to see some NYC stuff still floating in.I suppose that we could almost spend a month of tuesday's on it and the PRR.My Blue Birds are I think done ( too much in figthing between the manager and his players ) My Maple Leafs look to be fielding another slow as mollassis in january team and should finish out of the playoffs again, and my football team the Hamilton Tigercats are sitting at 2 and 8 with 8 more excruciating games to go. Oh well at least I still ahve model trains and the museum !
Pete -Glad you liked part one as well.It is amazing how wide spread electrifiacation used to be up here and in the states.Hard to believe that seeing whats happened over here that London would even concider what tey are doing. At least even if diesilized the trains will still run, at least that's still going for them.That price hike seems a bit outrageous, the local utilities there must be taking their cues from utility companies on this side of the pond.I'm supprised that the railways there don't have their own generating facilities some of the larger one's over here did.I'm glad to hear that ,that musuem is repainting that GG1 into a proper paint scheme PC black or Amtrak or Conrail Blue just didn;'t suit them
Lars -Nice photo's sir. Hope da boss didn't see that PC SD35 lurking in the weeds I can't say as I ever cared for the Cigar band paint job on the NYC. The only locomotives that sort of looked okay in it were the GP20's and 30's.
Well Leon I think another round's in order. Yah Boris hit it !
.
CLASSIC JUICE # 32 LOST ELECTRICS OF SW ONTARIO PT 2
THE SANDWICH WINDSOR & AMHERSTBURG RAILWAY
The first section was built between Windsor and Walkerville ( Hiram Walker's model town for his distillery ) in 1886, and became Canada's first regular electric streetcar line.In 1891 it was reorganized as the Sandwich Windsor and Amherstburg RY and in 1901 passed into the control of Detroit United, then operating the electric systems across the boarder.
From downtown Windsor the route followed city streets to the Detroit River near Sunnyside where it swung inland to avoid a marshy area along the river.It then returned to it;'s river route which it followed into the town of Amherstburg.
The Tecumseh portion of the line paralleled the river through Walkerville to the towm of Tecumseh ( then a suburb of Windsor ). The Franchise expired in 1919 and was purchased by the municiplatities that it served,they in turn contracted out the operations and maintenance of the line to the HEPC. Hydro upgraded the line in 1924-25 to allow it to carry fireght as well as passengers, this was a common practise of the radials in Ontario.By the 1930's buses began to carry more passengers than the rail line, and in 1934 HEPC cancelled it's contract with the municipalities.Unable to operate the line on their own, the local politicians closed it down in 1937.Today one lone Birney body from the line awaits restoration at our musuem, having survived as a storage shed in Sandwich until we purchased it in 1975.
THE WOODSTOCK,THAMES VALLEY & INGERSOLL RAILWAY
Perhaps one of Ontario's shortest radial railways was the Woodstock Thames Valley & Ingersoll.It's main promoters were a pair of out of towners named J Armstrong and S Ritter Ickes who dreamed of a much wider network of radial lines which would link Woodstock with Niagara Falls and Toronto.They also purchased the Brantford Street Railway at the time and ran the whole lot into bankruptsey.
In 1901 it began operating between Woodstock and Ingersoll using a tiny "Toonerville Trolley" style 24 seaternicknamed Estelle. ( The real Estelle was later revealled to be Ickes's daughter )Along from the city of Woodstock, Estelle operated from the waiting room in the McCleod Building at Dundas and Broadway, before following Mill, Huron, and Park Row to now preasant day County road 9. Like many ohter interurban's it creaated a park to attract more customers.Fairmont Park on the Thames River just east of Beachville.Here campers and excursionists filled the little coach to capacity.Winters were not pleasant, as the heater in the car failed to properly heat the car,bieng either too hot, too cold or too smokey. The lines Western terminus was the Ingersoll Inn. The 18KM (11 mile) line operated rom 1902 to 1925 before giving way to buses.
That's it for tonight a final Pt 3 will happen on Monday.
Good Morning Tom, et.al., good to see that "Our" Place is back in business. I'll take a shot of Bailey's to start the day, and a serving of whatever's hot on the grill. (Do I smell formaldehyde coming from the shed out back?)
Well, sorry (again) for the extended absence. Don't relegate me to the "League of the Lost", "League of the Beleaguered" is more appropriate, in my case. This satellite connection doesn't accommodate browsing back through previous pages very well. Depending on the ship's location, it can take ten or more minutes for a page to load. I was going to look back through June and acknowledge some of the posts I remember seeing back then, but after an hour of trying I give up. I'll just say to all the guys who extended birthday wishes to me; Thank you. I was traveling on June 3rd, from Honolulu to Singapore via Narita. The ship was in dry-dock at Sembawang, so I was living in a hotel for a couple weeks in June. The ship's at the Sasebo Naval Base right now, Sasebo, Japan.
I remember a few of the posts that were of particular interest to me back in June, I think they were by Al and Dave, but don't remember for sure, regarding the Southern Pacific. Also there was one about railroading ops in Oakland. Having spent some time there in the past before they closed down the Oakland Naval Supply Center and Alameda Naval Air Station, I found the post pretty interesting.
I see that the thread I started about a year ago (Who Built The Highest Quality 4-8-4's?) is still alive, in spite of the fact that I rarely post there. Glad somebody finds it interesting.
Well, just wanted to stop in and say hi.
John
Morning Ruth ,lets see a number 3 and the large thermos of coffee to get the ole motor running again this morning.I see thatyou and Boris have had a visiter all ready nice to see.
John-Hey good to hear from you again, yep the ole "Saloon on The Siding" is back up and running, which is good news because Boris is no longer loose in the countryside looking for things to keep himself busy.You likley do smell fromaldihide comming from the shed,seems that Boris and Leon have taken to "finding" things on their Sunday hikes in the woods and they have taken up a self taught coarse of taxidermyYou should see the "decorations" inside the shed. I'm thinking of charging a fee to go see their house of horrors/curiosities. We've ordered a large Circuss type neon sign, and I'm seeing if one of those sideshow rail cars is available, should make for some good family fun LOLI wouldn't sweat the small stuff of not being able to scroll all the way back, we're just glad to know that you are well and that you pop in from time to timeThere is some good stuff to catch up on once you get back home.Amazing how the threads we start can tend to pick up a life of their own.4-8-4's I guess just flick alot of guy's switches out on the main forum I guess.
ENCORE ! ENCORE ! ENCORE ! ENCORE ! ENCORE ! ENCORE ! ENCORE !
Figured that while I was here I would start off our usual saturday encore and chat with this little piece from page 289.As always a light day of encores and general chat. Not forgetting the steak and trimmings night starting at approx 5:30 in all time zones ( yup we're still speacial that way ) Quality aged black angus beef and all the traditional sides please partake early and often.
trolleyboy wrote:Okay a quick new piece before I'm gone until this evening. CLASSIC JUICE # 26 THE GREAT GORGE ROUTE Niagara Falls Parks & River Railway As with many municipalities in Canada and the United States Niagara Falls On & Ny owe their herritage to railways, few will actually admit this or celebrate it now however.An irony for sure is that one of Canda'a shortest lived Railways has had the most written about ( books , videos ) and thanks to the Niagara Parks Commission plaques for every scenic bit of it's line.This line is of coarse the Niagara falls great Gorge Route. Like most things about Niagara Falls, there is an American and a Canadian side of it.The Great Gorge Route was no different in this.The Candain side was built first,incorporated in 1891 by E.B. Oesler of Toronto and R.B. Angus( CPR Angus Shops Fame ) of Montreal. Operations started up in 1893 and it was electrified right from the get go ( no supprise there given the location ). Within the first twp years it had carried half a million passengers in a single car ! Ferries from Buffalo landed at the Slater dock just south of Chippewa Ontario,from there the trolley cars met the passengers and bounced along the brink of the gorge to Queenston, where a spur carried them into town or up the escarpment to the Brock Monument and the Battle of Queenston Heights National Park.At queenston passengers could board a steamer for a trip out the Niagara River and on into Toronto.This route gave the passengers an amazing view of the Horseshoe falls, the American Falls and the Rapids. The Americans didn't want to be left out of this tourism tour da force so in 1899 they built a mirror line on the American side of the Gorge,running from Lewiston NY to Niagara Falls Ny.Around the same time the Queenston-Lewiston Brige was being completed and quickly both side completed the belt line accross the bridge linking the two Gorge routes. In 1915, the worst accident on a Candain radial line ocured at Queenston.As a badley overcrowded car of Sunday Picnickers,began down the steeply inclined line from Brocks monument Park, the motorman tried to sand the rails infront of the car to help with the braking.To his shock and horror someone had forgotten to fill the cars sander. With no traction the car went out of control and jumped the tracks into the Niagara River, Fifteen passengers were killed about 100 injured ( car was built for 80 passengers ),luckily the companies steamer Chippawa was at the dock and it moved out into the river to recue the drenched passengers, otherwise many more may have been killed. Once the auto age hit, it devistated the Gorge route business ( Niagara Parkway was built above the ROW ). Between 1928-1932 the ridership plunged and the 1932 season was the Canadian sides last.The US side ran until 1935 when a massive landslide occurred and took out 200 feet of track and overhead.The repair cost out weighed the possible returns of pasengers so this line too was shut down. Thus ended the era of being able to ride along the Niagara Gorge and enjoy the view from open air streetcars. Rob
Weekly Schedule of EventsSunday - Bar is CLOSED - Food service is available for breakfast, brunch 'n lunch.Pix Posting Day.Monday thru Saturday: Breakfast - brunch - lunch.Tuesday - Classic Trains "theme day" - next up: New York Central!!Wednesday - Toy 'n Model trains day (optional)Thursday - Fish 'n Chips nite - begins at 5 PMFriday - Pizza 'n Beer nite AND Steak 'n Fries nite - begins at 5 PMSaturday - Steak nite - begins at 5 PMEncore Saturday (optional)"Our" Place StaffBossman, Proprietor and Mentor: Siberianmo TomChief Cyclops - BorisChief Bartender (nites) - LeonChief Bartender (days) - CindyGals of "Our" Place - Ruth (redhead) - Ann (blonde) - Lucy (brunette) - Jemima (raven)Mascots of "Our" Place - Juneau the Siberian Husky - Awk the Parrot and Tex the ArmadilloSecurity Force - Inspector Cluess of the Local Constabulary and Mr. Doyle, Private EyeBar Chandler - Trolleyboy RobChief Chef - open (temporarily filled by H&H)Bar Manager - LoveDomes Lars (newly appointed)Birthday Watch List and special celebrationsMaintained by Tom and continuance to be determined.ProtocolGreet the barkeep upon visiting the bar - each time.Order a drink or food. (Coffee and soft drinks are free with food orders, otherwise 5 bucks per cup)Acknowledge the other guys and be inclusive with comments.Order of the Stools (reserved and permanent)Maintained by Tom and continuance to be determined.Most Valuable Patron - MVPMaintained by Tom and continuance to be determined.Daily SummarySuspended and resumption to be determined by Tom.=====================================================
Hi Tom and everyone, a round for the house.
It's good to see John and send him links to the 4460.
Pete, I don't know what that is, it could be a footbridge but I doubt it. Here's the picture again and for location, it looks like it must be Beacon,NY.
http://www.nycshs.org/nycshs2.jpg
Train #1 Beacon, NY 8/12/32
http://photoswest.org/cgi-bin/imager?00013579+OP-13579.html
This was a Michigan Central train, stopped for some reason at Porter, Indiana 8/20/46
http://purl.dlib.indiana.edu/iudl/archives/cushman/full/P03451.jpg
Who sang "Indiana Wants Me"? It wasn't the Commodores.
http://images4.indianahistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/dc012&CISOPTR=11354&REC=8
James Whitcomb Riley
http://images4.indianahistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/dc012&CISOPTR=6897&REC=7
Beeliner RDC
http://www.michiganrailroads.com/RRHX/Pictures/Photos/016-020/Photo016C.htm
Wolverine
http://www.michiganrailroads.com/RRHX/Stories/TheNewWolverinePassengerTrain.htm
Article from Genesee County website
In 1876 the fastest scheduled railroad service from New York City to San Francisco took seven days. This problem sparked the desire for improved transportation and greater speed which resulted in the creation of a steam locomotive named the Empire State Express No. 999. William Buchanan, a master mechanic and superintendent of motive power on the West Albany Shops, drew plans for what was to become the world's most beautiful locomotive ever built. The construction of this 37 feet long engine was by hand with chisels and hammers and was the first of its kind to have brakes applied to the front trucks. Everything about the No. 999 was designed for speed with no pains spared for beauty. The bands, pipes and trimming were highly polished; the brass shone like a mirror; the cap was beautifully painted and across the tender (coal storage car) was written in 2.5 foot high gold leaf lettering"Empire State Express". Hand polishing provided a black satin finish and the 86-inch drive wheels gave the No. 999 a powerful appearance.
As the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago approached every country was planning to exhibit the fastest engine. On May 9, 1893 Charlie Hogan, from Batavia, an experienced and dependable engine pilot took over the untested locomotive at Rochester and was 25 minutes late due to boiler trouble. While passing through Batavia, Hogan kept opening the throttle and when the No. 999 arrived in Buffalo, it had run the 69 miles from Rochester in 68 minutes. The estimated speed was 102 miles per hour. Word spread of this marvelous run and the next morning when Hogan took the No. 999 back to Syracuse crowds turned out to see the "Queen of Speed". In the afternoon the No. 999 again headed westward towards Buffalo but this time railroad officials were on board to record the speed. Between Batavia and Corfu, Engineer Hogan opened the throttle all the way and the No. 999 responded with 112.5 miles per hour by the time it sped through the Village of Crittenden, in Erie County. The speed was recorded by train officials and newspaper reporters who clocked off mile posts using hand-held stop watches. In the hands of a great engineer and a competent fireman, who fed coal to the furnace, the No. 999 marked its place in history as being the first thing on wheels to go over 100 miles per hour and had set a "world record".
Those who witnessed this famous event in Batavia stated that the No. 999 roared through the community billowing black smoke and kicking up a cloud of dust. A gathering of 75 to 100 onlookers cheered as the locomotive whirled passed and they were aware that no human had ever witnessed such speed before. News of this virtually unbelievable accomplishment was telegraphed to all parts of the world. Charlie Hogan and the No. 999 were the star attractions at the Chicago World's Fair and brought prestige and honor to the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad.
The New York Central & Hudson River Railroad's exhibit was a resounding success. Toy manufacturers and amusement parks rushed to capitalize on the No. 999 fame. There were over 3,000 miniature versions of that engine created for amusement park railroad rides which were shipped as far away as Thailand and South Africa. Electric train sets began putting 999 on their engines. This famous locomotive was shown at other expositions that included the 1927 Baltimore Fair of Iron, 1933 and 1934 Chicago Century of Progress, 1938 Cleveland Exposition, 1939 and 1940 New York World's Fair, 1948 and 1949 Chicago's Railroad Fair and 1952 Genesee County Sesquicentennial. The great engine was retired from shows and reduced to hauling a lowly milk train in the Albany area. In 1962 it was rescued and restored to her glory days and given by the New York Central to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. The site of this museum is on the same grounds as the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and it is estimated that annually over two million visitors see the No. 999.
As for Charlie Hogan he never retired and was able to carry out his duties as manager of the New York Central Shop in Buffalo until the age of 89. His father had been a foreman for the New York Central and at the age of 14 Charlie began as a water boy. He soon became a switch tender, then a brakeman, then a fireman alternating working in the shops as a machinist's helper. The New York Central noted that the former Batavian had an unusual record for in his 25-years of piloting locomotives he never once hit a cow which was a common hazard for engineers. Two months after the famous run Charlie was promoted from an engineer to instructor for other pilots in the art of operating a locomotive. In 1900 he became master mechanic in Buffalo, promoted to superintendent of motive power in 1910. Charlie died on November 11, 1939 and at the time of his death, his 112.5 miles per hour speed record had been surpassed only three times over the rails.
Charles H. Hogan 1921
http://www.rochester.lib.ny.us/rochimag/rmsc/scm07/scm07680.jpg
Mike
G'day Gents!
Couldn’t-let-this-day-go-by-without-a-word-or-three-to-our-friend-from-the-left-coast,-Dave.-Nice-seeing-you-at-the-bar-and-hope-that-this-latest-frequency-of-visits-continues.-
You-are-not-the-only-one-experiencing-some-difficulties-with-the-technology-these-days,-as-you-can-see,-I-too-have-some-‘puter-problems.-Mine-is-the-keyboard-and-non-functioning-space-bar.-That’s-why-I’ve-elected-to-go-with-the-dashes-otherwise-all-the-words-wouldberuntogether-
Dell-tells-me-that-I-should-be-receiving-the-replacement-on-Monday.-I-could-prepare-this-on-our-PC,-but-then-I’d-give-up-the-convenience-of-being-able-to-type-this-wherever-I-please-like-watching-the-Cards-‘n-Cubs-on-our-large-screen-TV-rather-than-being-sequestered-in-the-back-room.-Anyway,-once-again-I-was-"treated"-to-a-conversation-with-a-person-most-obviously-not-here-in-the-states,-a-thick-Indian-accent-with-an-Americanized-first-name-(yeah-right!)-and-play-acting-as-if-he-really-gives-a-Rat's-Patoot-about-my-problem.-I-like-Dell-products-and-I-like-the-extended-warranty-and-replacement-program-but-getting-to-1st-base-much-less-all-around-them-is-really-challenging-and-frustrating.Very-much-like-figuring-out-these-Kalmbach-Forums!-
Don’t-quite-understand-this-stuff-with-the-search-feature-on-the-newly-redesigned-Forums.-Just-the-other-day-Pete-mentioned-a-similar-thing-the-other-day..-When-I’ve-used-the-search-feature-in-the-advanced-search-mode,-it-provides-all-kinds-of-material,-BUT-I-cannot-get-to-the-exact-page-where-the-stuff-is.-It-keeps-taking-me-back-to-the-most-current-page,-which-is-absolutely-no-help-when-trying-to-research-something.-Really-a-PPoor-revision-and-I’m-beginning-to-think-that-no-one-at-Kalmbach-gives-a-Rat’s-Patoot-regarding-the-problems-many-of-us-have-encountered-since-they-“improved”-things-for-us!
A-suggestion-for-anyone-having-problems-with-the-Forums-send-an-Email-to-Kalmbach.-That’s-really-the-only-recourse-we-have,-other-than-finding-another-place-to-set-up-shop-in-the-Ether.
Good-Post-on-the-Pacific-Electric,-something-I-surely-had-never-heard-of-and-one-of-the-pluses-about-this-bar-of-ours!-
Set ‘em up Ruth, drinks on da boss! Ring it, Boris!
Tom
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