QUOTE: Originally posted by West Coast S Morning Chris and the crew, coffee with some biscuits and gravy with a side of ham please..Had the oppertunity to study that photo, here's my analysis: Without a doubt taken in the Feather River Canyon. This portion of the WP was unique for its geological features. Location wise, between Berry Creek and Intake on the old line now sumerged under the waters of the Oroville dam. . It helps that this location was well photographed by company photgraphers. Time frame is prior to 1936, WP aquired ex FEC 4-8-2s and they became the principle power for the Flyer. I'll relate a story about the hazzards of standing too close to trackside..Back when the world was young and dinosaurs and SP SD9s roamed the planet. A aquaintance and I skipped our afternoon classes, out the back fence and behind the bull pen one could gain unauthorized access to the right of way. After a short wait headlights appeared to the east, soon after the sounds of EMD 567s could be discerned. A SP beet train! Three SD9s and two SD40s on the point. My euphoria was short lived, as the lead SD9 passed by me, my father stuck his head out the cab window and gave me a stare that sent chills down my spine! Suffice to say I got a talking to that night about the importance of attending my classes!
QUOTE: earlydiesels Posted: 21 Apr 2005, 10:48:00 Well, good morning. Since the menu is "light" I will take an order on biscuits and gravy and a steaming cup of coffee, black please. Tom, you are doing a wonderful job at starting and encouraging great conversations. Stormy down here in this corner of the show-me state, too. Been going thru my old Trains mags and looking for things I've missed or something that might be of interest again. The current issue is, in my opinion, the best they have put out in ages. I like all facets of rring, but especially enjoy anything preservation related and first person reports of life on the rail. The photo looking out the door of the NYC RS3 makes me want the operating season to begin so I can resume the right hand seat of a identical loco. Kinda slow on BNSF this morning. Usually about 10 trains have passed my vantage point by now but only about 4 since sunup. No coal trains either. These usually have 2 road engines on the point, about 130 cars, and 3 pushers that stay on for all 126 miles of the Thayer North sub. Sometimes 3 of these trains are stacked up waiting to get out. But I digress from the classic trains topic. this weekend I will see how the local rail museum fared over the winter. We repainted the steamer's cab interior last fall and are touching up the tender. The speeder and handcar were tarped and with the new paint on the double decker coach and the baggage car and caboose, everything should look great. The caboose interior is being repainted, also. I may try to hook up the hose and wa***he loco in preparation for opening in May. For the earlier customer contemplating purchasing a rail car, my suggestion would be a late model, steel caboose. They can be found easy, and are light enough to be moved by truck fairly cheap, and are easy to restore and maintain. Wooden equipment is a never ending maintenance headache.{Just like trackage}. Enough for now.
QUOTE: siberianmo Posted: 21 Apr 2005, 11:58:13 Good Morning, Earlydiesels! Thanx for stopping by and sharing your thougths with us. Appreciate the kind words - everyone like's to hear 'em now and then! Just wondering - where are you located in the Show-Me-State? You gotta hook up with a friend of mine - trolleyboy (Rob) up in Ontario. He's into museum work - big time - although traction is "where it's at" for him. He really is a 'font' of info when it comes to rail and preservation ....... So, I gather that you not only are involved in rail preservation but also into real railroad ops as well. Why not share a bit of that with us too? Hey - no problem - I'm the "bar keep" around here, and if someone doesn't like it - I hope the door doesn't hit 'em in the caboose (so to speak)! Hope your day ends with lots of sunshine ..... it's been peeking out at us for the last hour, so the storms must have skipped 'round to the south (again). See ya!
QUOTE: earlydiesels Posted: 21 Apr 2005, 14:33:35 Down here in SW Mo the sun is shining for a while. That's the only good thing about today. Doctors. Storms are brewing off to the west but sitting here with the tall,cold glass of water (with lemon) that Tom brought I'm saying bring it on! Coal train crossing and he's slowing. That means he has a red and the train is too long to clear the crossing so I'll be hearing bells for a while. Well, dispatcher must have knocked down the red cause now he's gaining speed and I hear the pushers now. 3 of them. Would like to share more about rr preservation. Most every town of consequence on a railroad has a caboose or a depot or at least a mention of the rr history there. I like to seek these out to kinda sew together a fabric in my head of the way things used to be when this country was growing and the railroad was what made it all possible. Being from SW Mo my favorite rr is the Frisco but have memories of Katy and Rock Island too. Now I am involved in 3 rr groups ranging from a static museum to a group that sponsors occasional excursions on a freight rr to a 11 mile, scheduled tourist railroad. Well, my thought processes are going in about 8 different directions and I seem to be rambling so I will fade into a corner over here by the jukebox and hope someone will play something good and perhaps another would like the glow of the amber light.
QUOTE: CFournier Posted: 21 Apr 2005, 15:09:49 Hello ereryone, Great stories from you guys, this is entertaining. I would have a suggestion for you Tom. I think you should backdate the picture of "OUR PLACE" with cars and engine from the 40's or 50's since it's a forum about classic trains. Then post it again and use it as a signature at the end of your posts. Got to go but would stay if you have pastrami and cheese curds with a Carrabasset ale. Chris
QUOTE: siberianmo Posted: 21 Apr 2005, 16:49:53 Chris, Great idea! Watch for it ....... borrowing the vehicles from a friend and the diesels are here ..... sorry steam engine fans, but it's my layout! No cheese curds (why oh why would a bar like mine have THOSE?!) Pigs feet or hard boiled eggs? Anyway, will that be Carrabasset Pale Ale - Summer Ale - Winter Ale or Harvest Ale? Geez, a little specificity would help 'round here! See ya! Tom (Siberianmo)
QUOTE: West Coast S Posted: 21 Apr 2005, 19:02:47 Good afternoon all, Dave from the left Coast checking in... Tom, I wi***hat was the only time I faced dad over my antics..Too much good RR action in the 70s I guess. This one almost got me exiled. I just got my DL, but dad said no way to a car, gotta get a job and earn one, blah,blah,blah. It so happens that he also had just purchased a new truck the same week. The SP sent him to Tucson for couple of weeks to help out with some crew shortages.. He didn't want to rack up the miles on his new toy, so out came the 64 Falcon for the trip. Things went wrong when he left me the keys, you know summer vacation, new DL,new girlfriend, gotta show off. Myself and some indvidules who shall remain nameless borrowed the truck and had a fantastic week along the SP,WP and BN. Now I'm thinking i'm smarter then dad, heck I'll just make sure its washed and gassed. I was pretty proud of myself, thinking I out smarted the Old Man , when upon his return he retired to the garage where at first he noticed nothing unusual. Parked where it should be, gas ok, but....."ok explain this odometer reading!" he demanded. My excuse was evasive, his response is unrepeatable. Somehow I survived that day. Dad passed away later that year, He gave me the truck, when he was diagnoised with inoperable cancer. I still drive it occasionly and when I do I can't help reflect back on my failure to consider the odometer in my great escape. You know I never did succeed in out smarting him. I was reflecting while working on my current project, scanning over 400 photos which includes the ones related to the above trip onto disc. It puts in perspective how times have changed in the past 20-30 years and how the common then is the sought after now and furthermore to think that some subjects were so numerous that we failed to pay attention to them until it was too late. Well, all this activity has given me a appetite , what do you recommend?
QUOTE: CFournier Posted: 21 Apr 2005, 21:24:37 Tom, Pale ale, of course my friend!! ...And pigs nuckles ? You must have some french canadian ancestry! With gravy please... Chris
QUOTE: trolleyboy Posted: 21 Apr 2005, 23:00:05 For West Coast S: Oops don't you just hate that when your dad catches you like that. I remember when I was in grade 7 a similar incident. CN ran an old NS&T spur through my hometown of St Catharines. This line ran through my schools backfield( there was a fence but it had some strategic opennings)This line was run twice a week steel slabs and rolls down to the Port Weller dry docks on the welland Canal. I remember high hood GP-9's or MLW RS-10's that always smoked up the back feild. anyway we were watching the train go by waving to the crew etc unfortunatly an old lady that lived behind the school saw us and thought we were about to be killed or something so she called the police. Yep dear old dad was on duty.In my case at least this was after school but he was none too pleased that he was called out to talk to me and my two best friends.Oh well we laugh about it now. I have some really fond memories of the street running in the old home town nothing to me is quite as railroady as that. Well I'm off for now Tom I'll take a to go coffee and talk to you later. Rob
QUOTE: earlydiesels Posted: 22 Apr 2005, 10:54:52 Morning, all. Tom, a b&g with coffee please. Re memories. Growing up, my uncle was a Frisco switchman. One day, the parents took me to the yard and we saw him at work. He stood and talked for a while, then without a word, he grabbed me in one hand and caught the handrail with the other and we rode the engine for a while. Mom told me later in life that she was'nt expecting that and it kinda scared her. This would have been the late 60s or early 70s. I agree with the earlier statement about what used to be common is now the sought out. The older railfans talked about steam, the middle aged fans about 1st gen diesels and now that I'm middle aged, I remember Frisco SD45s, etc, in orange and white. After the BN merger, I lost interest in rrs until about 1990. Now, I miss BN SD40-2s and standard cab diesels. What goes around, comes around.
QUOTE: coalminer3 Posted: Today, 11:41:07 Quick lunch stop today. Warm and muggy here - we're waiting for thunderstorms, etc. to arrive later on. Interesting comments on diesel paint schemes - There were a few other eastern roads "in the day" that had colorful paint schemes: New Haven, Boston and Maine, Maine Central, Atlantic Coast Line, Seaboard Air Line, and Chesapeake and Ohio. An earlier post mentioned the CNJ; IIRC, did they not have blue and orange diesels at one time? Some other coal roads qualified for colorful paint such as NYO&W, LNE, some later stuff on the RDG, and, of course, the Lehigh Valley - particularly toward the end. I remember being in the LV shops at Sayre; the snowbirds looked big outside, but they appeared even larger when they were inside the shop bldg. BTW, midwest lines that had handsome paint schemes, IMHO were the Missouri Pacific, Monon, C&EI, and the Wabash. In reply to earlydiesels comments on preservation activities - there is a fair amount of preservation work occurring here in southern WV. There is a preserved VGN station in Oak Hill, and an ongoing project on the old VGN in Princeton which is going to be something when it is finished. On the C&O there is the station at Thurmond which has been beautifully restored. Unfortunately a lot of the other structures (railroad and non railroad that give it a lot of it's flavor are gone. The C&O station at Alderson has been restored and repainted into its old C&O paint scheme. The station at Prince, WV was built in the day when the ill-starred Chessie train was on the drawing board; it's still staffed and well worth a visit. The station in Hinton is being worked on (there's a rail museum in town), and there is also the John Henry statue and a rail park being constructed near Talcott. Other structures that are in good condition include the station at White Sulphur Springs - they have some cars preserved and on display in the old "car park" there. The station at Ronceverte still stands, but it could use some work. There's a steam era coal dock there. The place that I wish had been preserved is the structures at Waynesboro, VA. C&O was on the top, and the N&W was down below. You probably recall it from the O. Winston Link pictures. It's just a wide place in the road now. Almost forgot, the station at Staunton, VA has been restored as well. Have a good weekend...... work safe
QUOTE: CFournier Posted: 22 Apr 2005, 13:58:23 Tom, Now that's more like it. I mean the backdated locos and cars around "Our" place. Long weekend ahead for me and my 6 years old son Thomas: swimming lessons saturday morning, baseball in the afternoon (I'm his coach!), and karate competition on sunday morning...Probably won't come to "Our" place till monday. Have a nice one everybody. Chris
QUOTE: ]trolleyboy Posted: 22 Apr 2005, 14:59:58 Afternoon Tom and everyone else. Think I'll have a big ham & cheese on rye for early dinner. Tom I like the new sign and improvements Though I hope that given the 1884 established date that you are not the original owner. If you are we need your longevity tips. I agree with earlydeisels I miss the old high hood geeps that used to prowl the line. CN still has them but the tweeked noses don't do much for me.I did see a pair (brace if you will)of 1400 series GMD1's switching the station today, of coarse I was cameraless but they looked and sounded good. Nothing like the non- turboed 567's banging away with a big long cut of cars. I likely won't stop in till monday either so everyone have a good weekend. Rob
QUOTE: passengerfan Posted: 24 Apr 2005, 20:03:44 Probably one of the most scenic four hour train trips in the US today is the trip between Seattle and Vancouver Canada. I can think of no other trip of such brevity that offers more scenic wonder than this. Having ridden trains from one end of the country to the other over the last nearly sixty years this trip stands out in my mind more than any other. I made the trip many times on the old GN Internationals and have had the pleasure after Amtrak took over in the early years. This was the only time the early Amtrak years that domes were operated along this line. The trip is slow for the distance traveled but the scenery is worth the time. Probably a close second would be VIA Rails Malahat on Vancouver Island. Another short trip with outstanding scenery. The Caribou Prospector of BC Rail was another outstanding scenic trip but Alas it is now a thing of the past. For a long distance trip it is difficult to beat the Coast Starlight for scenery although it is probably a toss up with the California Zephyr. The Empire Builder would come in a close third for thr Western U S long distance trains. Have ridden the other transcontinental lines and found them pleasant but lacking in scenery. The Eastern lines I have travelled are shorter in distance and much of the scenery is traversed at night.
QUOTE: talbanese Posted: 24 Apr 2005, 20:28:53 Classis Trains Question? What was the time difference (if any) between Pennsy & BO from NY to Wash? I know that BO had to use Reading and NJC rails north of Philly. Did this slow them down? Was there a price difference between the two?
QUOTE: timothyheady Posted: 25 Apr 2005, 05:01:20 i vote for 1st place
QUOTE: earlydiesels Posted: 25 Apr 2005, 13:46:32 Greetings,all from Springburg, Misery. There has been a lot of activity since my last visit. Tom, can I get an order of nachos and a tall,cold glass of water with a lemon, please? Like the backdated photo. CP only had 3 E8s so to catch 2 together was quite a feat-could'nt read the numbers{they were 1800-02}. Any and all cab units are great!! There appears to be quite a bit of preservation going in the VA/WV area. Glad to hear about it. For some reason here lately I've been on an B&O kick. Can't explain it unless it might have something to do with the visitor from Baltimore that rode our demonstration railroad last May before we opened the other 5 1/2 miles. Or that a friend who works for a shortline group just came back from helping to start a new railroad in WV that was B&O. Had a preseason meeting Saturday at the local museum. The caboose interior has been repainted and probably looks as good as built. Since we are trying to find guages to replace the stolen ones and rehab the few we have, we are going to build a door across the back of the steamer's cab so it can be locked. I am not fond about this but being as how so much work has been done to the interior in the last 3 years, I am all for keeping it that way. Tom, I'd like to hear some old Hank Snow rail songs, please. Maybe Johnny Cash singing the Rock Island Line. That song means more to me now than ever, having had the privilege of operating ex Rock Eunits. Great looking, but slow to load and slippery!Friends of the local library had a book sale to raise funds. Went Sunday and got 7 VHS tapes for $16. Old NKP steam, MILW electrics, ATSF earlydiesels, B&O{there it is again} UP across Mo, and etc. Trolleyboy, Tom says you're into preservation with empathis on street rrs. All I know about that is that this town had trolleys until 1937 and the wife and I rode a PCC at St Louis's Museum of Transport. Neat ride. Are you involved in operations, maintenance or what? It sounds like most of Tom's customers were able to ride the great passenger trains when they were still great. I have plenty of books on pass. trains and a few videos but only one memory. My mom and I rode the last Frisco pass. train but being only about 5, I can't remember much. I did save the newspaper article, however.
QUOTE: The "Legendary Canadian" features three programs spanning over 45 years of the train's history. First, "The New Budd Train" is a newsreel program with trackside, onboard and aerial footage showing the "Canadian" being tested behind the Reading F units in the Philadelphia area. Next, CPR's 1955 publicity film introducing "The Canadian" takes us aboard the train and trackside for some spectacular scenes of the train as it travels west to Vancouver. Finally, "Working No. 1" gives us a behind the scenes look at the people and efforts necessary to keep the "Canadian" famous under VIA Rail ownership. You'll be at the shops, in the station, trackside and aboard the train, prior to and during much of No. 1's first leg from Toronto to Capreol. DVD, NTSC format only. 62 minutes $29.95 [CDN] Purchase this item [http://www.cprstore.com/store/books.htm#videos] Since its inaugural run on April 24, 1955, the classic stainless steel "Canadian" has not only earned a world wide reputation for First Class rail travel but is also a train that legends are made of.
QUOTE: CFournier Posted: 26 Apr 2005, 09:09:11 Good morning to you all. Looks like a slow start this week in our place. Not much conversation going on... I gotta think of some stories worth telling and I'll come back later. BTW I checked and can't find the schedule for the Chaudière-Appalaches tourist train. Tom, grilled cheese and strong coffee before I go, please. Chris
QUOTE: siberianmo Posted: 26 Apr 2005, 09:50:39 Good morning all, Hey Chris! Whadyamean, "slow" - there's all kinds of activity going on in "Our" Place, just not much train talk! Check that table out over there ...... and how about the nearly full bar? Then of course there is the SUMMARY from yesterday ... always have reading material 'round here. Geez! I just found out that a DVD exists that will go on my "must have" list ... it's the Legendary Canadian. Here's a quote of what I found: "The "Legendary Canadian" features three programs spanning over 45 years of the train's history. First, "The New Budd Train" is a newsreel program with trackside, onboard and aerial footage showing the "Canadian" being tested behind the Reading F units in the Philadelphia area. Next, CPR's 1955 publicity film introducing "The Canadian" takes us aboard the train and trackside for some spectacular scenes of the train as it travels west to Vancouver. Finally, "Working No. 1" gives us a behind the scenes look at the people and efforts necessary to keep the "Canadian" famous under VIA Rail ownership. You'll be at the shops, in the station, trackside and aboard the train, prior to and during much of No. 1's first leg from Toronto to Capreol. DVD, NTSC format only. 62 minutes $29.95 [CDN] Purchase this item [http://www.cprstore.com/store/books.htm#videos] Since its inaugural run on April 24, 1955, the classic stainless steel "Canadian" has not only earned a world wide reputation for First Class rail travel but is also a train that legends are made of." Now this surely is first class entertainment! Too bad it's ONLY 62 minutes ..... See y'all soon! Tom in Chesterfield, MO, USA (Siberianmo)
QUOTE: West Coast S Posted: 26 Apr 2005, 12:18:27 Dave from the left coast with a morning to you all..Been away of business in AZ, the I10 corridor to Yuma was jumping with action along the ole Sunset Route. UP was slamming three trains every 30 minutes in both directions north of Indio. A lot of foreign power, NS,CSX in the consits in additon to some SP patch jobs. Stopped for eats in Indio (Our Place is much better, we have forks and napkins and tom doesn't wear 30 pounds of drugstore makeup!) and watched DPUs and helper movements being added. Back on the road, avoided the Casino..oh, the temptation! Traffic was much reduced the farther east I went, encounterd five movements, three east, two west all with NS power on the point. Saturday I arrived at the Yuma Proving Grounds, produced my Credentials,Orders, Security Clearance verification got billeted attended a pre ops briefing and assisted the Marines and Air Force in blowing up a few things. Monday, attend a post ops briefing..Can't find a decent cup of coffee on base, so why linger? Back on the road to LA, no time for the scenery, orders to report you know. Upon my return to duty today I was informed that all the Senior Officials are away for the week at a "I don't need to know location", leaving me in command. Appreciate you keeping the coffee fresh and hot, I predict its going to be a long week.
QUOTE: siberianmo Posted: 26 Apr 2005, 13:12:34 G'day Dave ...... from the sounds of what you've had to say, you lead a very interesting life....... hmmmmm, better check those grenades at the door, wouldn't want anyone to confuse them with the "giveaways" at the bar .... Back in '86 (as in 1986, not 1886!), I was assigned to duty in Long Beach, CA. I drove out from my home here in the St. Louis area for an assortment of reasons. The main one being, I wanted my vehicle with me! Anyway, the route I selected (I-40) took me through some country that I hadn't seen before. The railroading that was going on was just awesome to watch. Of course, I had to pay a bit of attention to what I was supposed to be doing ... but those trains just seemed to go on forever. UP seems to be pretty much chock-blocked throughout their system. Here in Missouri it's been that way for as long as I can recall, and getting worse. Never have figured out the merit of tearing up or selling off rights-of-way that surely could lessen the load on the main lines ....... then again, if I could figure that one out, I'd pretty much be qualified for Rail Czar. Glad you appreciate my lack of make up ..... just what kinds of places do you frequent anyway? We don't allow those kinds in here .... well, maybe a dozen or so on Friday and Saturday nights - females of course! Ready for 'nother one? Tom (Siberianmo)
QUOTE: CFournier Posted: 27 Apr 2005, 08:35:04 Hi TOM, This morning, while I'm waiting for "Our place" to open and grab a quick breakfast, I am under the porch, leaning on the wall (behind the light green T-bird this guy looks like me!) and I'm wondering who is the lucky guy who lives upstairs from the café and enjoys all that mainline action behind "Our place". Chris
QUOTE: siberianmo Posted: 27 Apr 2005, 08:56:04 Morning Chris, Quick is right ...... that's our specialty. Hmmmm, so do you own the 'Vette or is your bike in the back? Both perhaps? Upstairs? Well of course that would be my residence ....... I'm going to be riding one of those hope-to-be "classics" late next week. Our annual trek to Halifax aboard the "Ocean." Got "booked" in the Park Car both ways ... that just is so cool. Love sitting up in the dome with my Alexander Keith's Pale Ale - and err, of course, my bride! I received quite a surprise the other day involving this hope-to-be "classic" train. While in Halifax visiting with friends and family, I will be taking a solo round trip to Montreal then on to Ottawa aboard those wonderful Budd cars - bedroom is in the adjacent car to the Park going and in the Park car for the return. This is to be my "surprise" birthday present ....... love it! Keeps me in my "train fix" state of mind while my wife spends some quality time with her family. I'll take the Corridor train to Ottawa, in the Renaissance equipment - spend a few hours then get back to Montreal in time to board the evening train. Hope the beer stays cold in my absence ....... For those who are interested: VIA Rail has decided to put another complete consist of Budd cars on the "Ocean" beginning in May. This will provide two complete sets of cars for two round trips weekly each way (Montreal and Halifax). Seems like the "powers that be" in the VIA Rail hierarchy have listened to the travelers who have complained about the Renaissance cars. Actually, the complaints are more in line with "We like the Budd cars better." Well, nothing or no one lasts forever, but as long as they run 'em, I'm willing to pay the price and ride 'em. Enjoy! Tom
QUOTE: trolleyboy Posted: 27 Apr 2005, 14:02:56 Hi Tom sorry I've had a cold and didn't want to "share it" with any of you. I'd like a black label though if you have it. Earlydiesel Yes Tom is right my wife and I are into electric railway preservation.I do both. I'm in the operations dept but I also lend a hand to the maintenance and restortion end of things as well. Have you guys checked with steamtown or any of the other 'steam museums' around they may have the guages that you need, also if your museum belongs to the ARM(assoitiation of railway museums) you may be able to hook uo with and trade with another group for your parts. I know that our museum has delved into the trade/purchase market with other similar museums. As for cars that I myself opertate I'm trained for Peter Whitt types and PCC's. I'll conduct on most of the other operational cars at the moment though as my training isn't completed yet. We use a graduated training system you start with the easy cars and work your way up. Also seeing as how the "newest" regularly operated car on the property is a 1951 PCC so training sometime is put on hold as maintenance and restorations need to be completed. Take a gander at the museum's site www.hcry .org. it will list our fleet and give you more info about us. take care all talk to you soon. Rob
QUOTE: siberianmo Posted: 27 Apr 2005, 15:00:34 Hey Rob! Good to see you again ... was wondering what happened. Black Label? You bet ...... bottled, nice 'n cold with a frosty mug comin' up! By the way, I've made a few posts on "Canadian Passenger Railroads - Let's Talk!" I received a few Emails wondering "what happened" to me ...... nevertheless, I'm not sure that I'll ever get back to the frequency of before, but now and then ....... Also, there is a post on there that really ticked me off ... just cannot seem to get the message across to some people that "chatting" on these forums shouldn't ever disintegrate into political BS ..... you'll know it when you see it. The "guys" should simply not respond to that kind of stuff - on any forum - then perhaps these ingoramuses would get the message. Really ticked me off (hmmmm, I said that already!). See ya! Tom (Siberianmo)
QUOTE: nickinwestwales Posted: 27 Apr 2005, 17:54:26 Well,good evening Tom,I had no idea you had a bar at this end of town-like the Canadian decor. Dont suppose you have a Molsons in that well stocked fridge of yours?...Oh,top man,well done!!... Ah yes,classic trains-how about the Ontario Northland three, The Northlander,The Polar Bear Express and the Little Bear( a real live mixed train!!) worth a look just for the variety of equipment used over the years, gotta run,speak again,nick
QUOTE: siberianmo Posted: 27 Apr 2005, 19:58:09 Nick! Appreciate your stopping in ..... oh yeah, the Molson's are cold and ready for the frosted mug. First one is on the house ....... Next time you come in, how about sharing some stories with us about those "classics" you mentioned? In "Our" Place WE determine what qualifies as a "classic" - sounds fair to me! We gotta get some more of the guys from the "Coffee Shop" to stop in - Friday and Saturday nights we have steaks (and fries) - also Pizza night every Friday - first 8 slices on me ..... BUT, each slice has to be accompanied by at least one purchased mug of brew! Of course, the idea is to have fun around here ........ See ya! Tom (Siberianmo)
QUOTE: earlydiesels Posted: 27 Apr 2005, 20:11:34 Hello Tom. A cold Busch draught, please. Our railroad issues a newspaper every season to be given out at the depot to our passengers. It is different each time. Since I have received a promotion, I was asked to submit some thoughts for publication in it. I got very short notice{it goes to setup next week} so I have been racking the old gray matter for something to say. The cold beer is my reward! Our season officially begins Memorial Day but we have charters, wedding specials, and Scout trips before then. The wife and I are preparing for another busy season. I was able to buy an authentic conductor's uniform last season and am getting a new hat to match. I occasionally like to be conductor but prefer engineering. Since we are all volunteers, sometimes we cannot find conductors so I help out. Thanks Tom. That was good and thanks for providing this interesting place for interchange of like minded individuals.
QUOTE: siberianmo Posted: 27 Apr 2005, 20:46:37 One cold Busch draught comin' right up in a frosty mug for earlydiesels Did you catch that post for you by trolleyboy? You appear to be very much involved with your volunteer work. Perhaps one day my wife and I will take a trip down your way for a rendezvous ...... The only volunteer work I ever did after I retired was with my local police force. Gave 'em two years (2,000 hours each year) and while most of it was rewarding ..... I'd not recommend it. Reserve police officers are not always appreciated by the "real" cops. Too bad, but such is life. The fact that I spent over 17 years as a "fed" apparently made it worse ...... oh well, a story for another time and place. I'm glad you enjoy "Our" Place ..... and are "into" it .... that's the idea! See ya! TomSiberianmo
QUOTE: nickinwestwales Posted: 28 Apr 2005, 04:44:25 Hey,Tom-another of those cold Molsons please and as it`s payday a round for the house,as and when they straggle in!! Well it`s a day off for me(the best sort-everyone else is working) and blowing a gale out there so time to sit a while. So,Ontario Northland,classic or not?...discuss....[takes me back to schooldays] Well ,first a disclaimer,I`ve never travelled on any of these lines,so all this is "received wisdom" picked up from the (un)official O.N. railfan site,but they caught my imagination. In part because of the manageable size of the outfit (in modelling terms) and partly the off the beaten track,frontier feel of the place. So,the trains, The Northlander runs daily from Toronto up to Cochrane via North Bay ( C.N. trackage to N.Bay ) Normal formation seems to be G.P.38-2,A.P.U (converted "B" unit for car heating ) 2 coaches and a food service car ( coverted G.O.cars ) until fairly recently,power was any one of the last 3 F.P.7a`s dating back to `51 or 2 but retro-fitted with 2000 hp Caterpiller prime movers. Also seen on this service although not sucessful and long withdrawn ,were a number of Dutch built Werkspoor T.E.E units. This service meets bus connections along the route serving the various `branches ` although It`s predecessor the Northland sleeper carried connecting portions and could include virtually anything. Heading north from Cochrane we have the Polar Bear Express,a summer-only tourist run up to Moosonee up in the arctic circle--this is usually a twin G.P38 lashup although Cochrane shed will happily use whats available,usually a dozen plus cars including domes,food service etc ( think these came from B.C.Rail and C.P.R . The Little Bear is the 3-times-weekly mixed to Moosonee--Beyond Cochrane you are in the tree line and the track is the only land route in or out so this is a community lifeline, The little bear runs about a dozen freight cars(lots of flats with big plant,containers etc,fuel tanks,general stores. According to season,a "canoe car" ( bulkhead flat with special racks fitted) and a "moose car" (50` box for dressed carcases) are available. so a thumbnail essay. Thats left me thirsty so same again and i`ll just perch over here at the end of the counter, take care now,nick
Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!
Get the Classic Trains twice-monthly newsletter