QUOTE: trolleyboy Posted: 04 Jun 2005, 22:45:24 Good evening folks. Ruthie situation has been solved.I found a new girl to work at the CS abd the gang have taken to her,soooo sheeee's back. Tom try .ca for that url or just a search for Niagara Central Hobbies. I know they have both books still. I've been shopping there for years. Ray the owner is a good guy. I await your e-mail plan. Talk to you all later. Rob
QUOTE: Ted D. Kramer Posted: 05 Jun 2005, 06:21:56 Ah, a peaceful, quiet Sunday basking in the balmy breezes of a sub-tropical early morning. This is the sort of morning Carol (my late wife) and I detrained in Sanford, Fl. (Dec. 1973) to visit my in-laws in North Port, Fl. We rode the Auto Train (no kin to the U.K. variety) from Largo, Md. which departed early the previous day. Lunch and dinner on the train were served buffet style with steam tables and micro-wave ovens instead of the usual full menue on a typical dining car (more is the pity). There were movies available in several cars on the train. We opted to relax in our full length vista dome car and enjoy the sunset. Stereo headphones offered a variety of musical choices and I chose Classical just as Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings" began. With the twilight setting, Barber's music, a J & B Scotch in hand and the "mystique" of the rhythmic motion of the train; I was transfixed to another deminsion. That rare moment lingers in my mind as something totally unique about train travel. It is still possible today but much more "rare." The coastal views the next morning had a calming, almost sedating effect until our arrival at Sanford. Then, of course the "spell" was shattered with waiting for my car to be unloaded and the subsequent drive to my Inlaw's home. I was impressed with the West Coast of Florida as oppossed to the Atlantic side which smacks of "high dollar" tourism at its' most obnoxious pitch (my opinion only). We had a nice visit with her folks but all I could think about was our return journey. The "return," as you can imagine, was Summer giving way to Winter and maybe not quite as pleasant but we escaped motoring through one of the worst blizzards to hit the Carolinas in decades. The dark, gloomy, heavy clouds over Virginia reminded us that we were, indeed, back home again. That, and the "white knuckle" sprint through D.C. traffic toward Baltimore plus shoveling out the drive way before opening the "Castle" door; brought on the decision to retire in warmer climes. Well, I hear snoring emanating from one or two easy chairs, so my tale has "hit the mark" this day. I'll be seeing you tomorrow, hopfully with something for a proper toast...I mean, Post! Ted
QUOTE: siberianmo Posted: 05 Jun 2005, 08:56:25 Good Sunday Morning! Yes, we are CLOSED on Sundays, however, there are always "things" to take care of 'round here, without the welcomed interruptions of a business day. As always, you can drop off your messages by using the mail slots on either set of doors .... I'll find 'em. No need for a "formal" SUMMARY today, but I can catch up on the comments ....... FOR ROB Bureaucracies being what they are, the Tribunal has set up a "procedure" whereby one Inspector Clueless of the Local Constabulary MUST be the intermediary between parties of the first part and the Tribunal, adjunct of the Executive Committee [aka: Kangaroo Court]. Once in receipt of your resoultion plan, and a review - certified by Inspector Clueless of the Local Constabulary along with concurrence from Nick, party of the first and second parts, closure (I HATE that word .......) may be obtained. The URL, www.niagracentralhobbies.ca only gets me an error message, as did .com - but that's okay. I think you'll like my plan ...... Enjoy this fine Sunday! [tup] [;)] FOR TED Really appreciate the description of your experiences aboard the Auto Train. That's a trip we've thought about, but always seem to put off. My Carol and I are NOT "into" trps of any kind where lots of children may be involved. Now before I get catogorized as the Grinch let me continue .... simply put, Been there, done that (in a previous life). I fully understand that the majority of southbound riders are heading off to Orlando and the wonders of amusement parks - Been there, done that many time over (in a previous life) don't need to do it again. Nevertheless, riding trains - taking in the sights from a comfortable setting - and those Superliner lounge cars aren't bad - are things that memories are made of. (Sorry, Dean Martin - Memories Are Made of This - circa: mid-50's). My preference for sightseeing is also the Gulf Coast, up on the panhandle as well as the western shore. Been awhile since we've been to the Sunshine State and never aboard a train. Perhaps one day ........ Also enjoyed the descriptions of "reality" once off the the train, in Florida and back home. Oh, how I can relate to THAT ........ Enjoy your Sunday! Tom (Siberianmo)
QUOTE: nickinwestwales Posted: 05 Jun 2005, 19:33:37 Hey Tom, Just popped in to tidy round the kitchen & do the orders`n`stuff. Cindy, Hi-a pleasure to meet you, You will find us a company of gentlemen, although keep an eye on the one in the filthy "whites" with the impenetrable accent..... A quick heads-up for the boys, over on MR w/end photo fun, pge 2 , there`s a guy over in Germany who`se done some nice work on a set of Bombardier double deckers and an F-unit ( plus a pretty impressive setting.)-thoughts anyone ? Apologies To Juneau, both for mis-spelling her name and compromising her digestion. Tom, Rob seems to have acted with the skills of a born diplomat, I feel he has presented us with a perfect solution to a potentially thorny issue, Rob-our thanks for a job well done !!!. Ted - All manner of dolmado`s and other stuffed leaves are available on request, I would advise the minced lamb & peppers with wild rice and the feta, monkfish & bulgar wheat as fillings with Our Place`s mediterranean platter as an accompaniment................ So, to business,-British express train performances, all statistics are taken from "Speed records on Britains railways" by O.S.Nock, a leading authority for many years. One or two brief notes first, unlike `your` side we dont run East/West or North/South. We have Up & Down-Up always being towards London. Thus the Up Brighton Belle is northbound whilst the up Flying Scotsman southbound.........go figure!... Also, in the period under scrutiny, the twenties & thirties, the myriad small companies that made up the network had recently been merged into the "big four" (LMS,LNER,GWR & Southern) and the new bosses were eager to restore and improve upon, pre-war timings. So,one from each region over the next week-an old fashioned serial.! For tonight, the 2.30pm up from Cheltenham to Paddington-the celebrated "Cheltenham Flyer"-in honour of *** ,who will be travelling the route soon. The first data to hand are from 1923,and give a 75 min. start to stop over 77.3 miles-61.8 mph. The road in question ( Brunel`s billiard table ) is either flat or falling slightly away and was without speed restrictions. the load was 8 or 9 cars( about 270+ tons) hauled by a "saint" class 2 cyl. 4-6-0. schedules accelerated in 1929 bringing max speeds up to 86-87 mph behind "castle" class 4-cyl 4-6-0`s 1931,Blue Riband for worlds fastest passes to Canadian Pacific Toronto-Montreal service,Sept 1931-welcome home !--sample timing,15 sept `31-engine 5000 "Launceston Castle",train weight 230 tons,run time 58 mins,average speed 80.25 mph,hit 90 max the following day. 5 june`32,5006 "Tregenna Castle" hit 92 mph for 14.5 miles Didcot/Tilehurst running up,whilst at the same time, 5005 "Manorbier Castle" ,210 tons,running down set a British record start-to-stop for steam which still stands at 81.68 mph 30 june `37 5039 "Rhuddlan Castle",235 tons,avge.88.9 mph max. 95 mph testing speed indicator equipment but shut back before reaching Southall,thus missing record..... O.K -thats the Great Western in a thumb-nail print, more to follow. Well I have to say this is a pleasantly tranquil environment after the rigours of last night. As previously noted, gig in club next door,--good points, I work there so get unlimited credit plus extreme tolerence when I get a bit wobbly, we always get the music night slots there, bad points, on music nights the whole place goes completely crazy, the closest analogy I can think of is the scene in the first Star Wars film where Obi-Wan takes Luke into the spaceport bar-last night we were performing in competition with a two hour long rolling brawl in the car park amongst some of the `start early with vodka in the bus shelter` crowd which had the neighbours bringing out picnic tables & pot-luck suppers and awarding points for style & content,oh to be young & dull again... better go, seem to have written small novel, be well guys, nick
QUOTE: trolleyboy Posted: 05 Jun 2005, 23:39:25 Good evening gentlemen. Nick I'm glad you approve of my solution , and there's been nary a mention of Ruthie at the CS today or yesterday. Jane her replacement has won them over. My thoughts are that it is likly her former occupation as an ummm DANCER has worked it's magic. Boris give me her picture back, wow I thought he was going to bite me. Has he had his shots? Tom I'm sure that I will love your plan likley eligant and well thought out, BTW have you sent it yet? If you have I did not yet reveive it if you haven't then I'm awaiting it with baited breath. They are a "dot com" I was able to go to the site this afternoon, they are on a small cheap local service so that could be why you keep getting an error message. Speaking of classics Heather and I and likely her folks are looking at an early summer steam excursion on the South somcoe Railway at Tottenham(near orangeville ontario) They have CPR136 back working this year(100+year old 4-4-0) If any of you saw CBC's the national dream 136 was the steamer used for the mini series. I'm happy to report that our museum numbers have been up for the year so far and that L&PS 8 is close to returning to service. She is the "queen" of our fleet (a 1915 Jewet car company interurban car) We missed her badly last year, she had an entaglement with the yard wire early last summer and snapped a couple of ears off her working pan. While she was haveing the pan rebuilt we noticed that the one controller and a couple of resistor banks needed some attention, so since she was down we decided to fix all her ills. Her return will give MS&C 107 a bit of a break. We like to have two or three of each type of car available for service as this cuts down on down time do too maintenance and repair.it also gives us more selection for the general public. Last year was a thin year car wise with 8 out and both our operating whitt's were in Toronto being movie stars. Everyone go see Cinderellaman the streetcars in the movie are our two whitts 2424.and 2894 and the TTC's whit 2766. Well I'm off for now will check in tomorrow. Rob BTW here's a shot of L&PS car #8 at barn two
QUOTE: trolleyboy Posted: 05 Jun 2005, 23:45:56 Hey Tom I'm back i noticed that i misspelled the hobby shop name. This is why nothing came up for you.should be www.niagaracentralhobbies.com I gave you one to few "a's". Rob
QUOTE: Ted D. Kramer Posted: 05 June 2005, 06:21:42 First, may I "catch" Nick, Rob and yourslef Tom a flagon of your choice? Uh, no Boris, not an ensign, just a glass will do, thanks. Incredible time tables on the Great Western (U.K.) Nick. The speeds, tonage and distance indices "billboard" a staggering standard of efficiency. To "...restore and improve upon, pre-war timings" by the "Big Four" bosses would seem ambitious to say the least. I can only guess the terrane (hill and dale) along most of the Route (G.W.) is relatively flat, not only "Brunel's Billiard Table?" The "Ten Wheelers" must have had 60" plus drivers, and "long haul" tenders? It is astounding what is possible when the incentive, finances and logistics are favorable. I'm afraid those qualifications (except logisitcs) had evaporated in the post war years. Great input and I (for one) am interested in receiving more, more, MORE! Nick, your suggestion for mediterranean fare is, no doubt, preferable. Until Tom mentioned the unmistakable odor of boiling cabbage, it hadn't occurred to me how offensive it could be. I'm afraid there would be only you, me, Matah and Boris left in attendance. Once again, I leave the selections to your good taste. Rob, the LP & S, #8 is really a handsome car. It has some genetic lines similar to a Sacramento Northern (#302) prototype that comes to mind. The monitor roof being a notable difference but the pantograph system being the same. Darn it, just getting started and its already time to get ready for an appointment! I echo Nick's congratulations on the skillful manner with which you handled the "Ruthy Crisis." Between Rob and Tom, I believe "Our" Place can endure nearly any calamity; from within or without! Happy rails, Ted
QUOTE: trolleyboy Posted: 05 June 2005, 09:22:10 Good morning everyone. Nick I concur with Ted on his praise of your, timetables that was an interesting list. One wonders if the "test" of the Flying scotsman on the CPR gave them the idea for the 4-4-4 jubilee's with their massive drivers and 80+ mph capabilities. I thought them to be an attractive engine though some would argue, at least they shared the "moon" fronted smoke box of the royal Hudson's and the same passenger maroon and grey paint of the passenger Hudson's and Pacific's. The Morant's curve biik has many nice shot's of the Jubilee's doing their thing through Quebec and Ontario, they seemed to love the fast high speed stop'n'start of the commuter trains. Ted i'm glad you liked the L&PS shot, this is an older shot before we completely fifnished her exterior / interior restoration. I'll try to get some new shoys in and out this year as her insides are as opulant and attractive as the outsides(why we refer to her as the queen)The L&PS didn't do anything cheaply even thought it was only a 50 mile run from Port stanley to London these cars routinly did that in 45 minutes 60-70 mph average speeds( with all station stops)Quite often they would run as two or three car trains two jewett power cars and an unpowered but control stand equiped MU trailer which were built by preston Car and Coach, the trailers were wood but had the same roof profile. The museum has trailer #3 on property but it may not be restorable unfortunatly.An interesting side note is that the L&PS ran unit trains of coal from Port stanley to London for home and locomotive use. They used three box cab loco's and occationally 8 or one of her sisters to pull the freight trains as well. 8 may not look like it but she's an all steel car and weighs in at around 50 tons. Our heaviest operating piece next to the set of gloster subway cars we have from the TTC. So Nick your photo of the TTC red devil subway cars still have an existing set of "masters" still existing. Here's a shot of the "G" cars arriving at the museum in the late 1980's i think it was 88 or 1989 .
QUOTE: nickinwestwales Posted: 06 Jun 2005, 18:27:02 Good evening {b]Tom,hail fellow tipplers, a Newcastle Brown Ale for me please and try one yourself-somewhat rounder and nuttier in flavour than Alexander`s and with a sting in the tail,but ideal for a long slow evening. Well, a fair few matters arising tonight, Tom-I now realise why Juneau has been regarding me with disdain -talk about adding insult to injury......... A pleasure to meet Cindy- I`m sure a mutually satisfactory position can be found for her-always happy to find staff who are prepared to be flexible & accommodating in their work........................ Agree the Bombardiers were a little "vivid"-perhaps stripes instead of block colour would work better, although I can see where he’s going with it. As to Boris` shots, a crack team of vetinarians are mixing potions as we speak-The problem lay in tracing his genotype,as he is clearly not entirely human. Careful study of " the history of the Magyar & Rom peoples," “Travels in the forests of Romania & Transylvania" and an obscure footnote to the Book of Revelations seem to have solved the puzzle however. So, proceeding along the counter we come to Rob- Hi big fella, have one on me when you get here -The trolley shots I mentioned are on postcards purchased from a kiosk at Toronto Union Stn -The Gloucester cars shot is credited to Ted Wicksen and is by Dexter/JBCVisuals,the shot of #4000 (with a very brief glimpse of car #327 behind) is credited to William N Carr and is from McDonald transport collectibles -By chance the same series has South Simcoe ten-wheeler 1057 in both s.s.r & Credit valley lettering-wonder if she`ll be about when you visit ? Glad you mentioned the "Scotsman"-a run by 4472 will feature later this week. Both the loco and the express that shares the name are Iconic examples of the great days, now long past, of the railways of Britain at their apex. Have always been rather fond of the C.P.R "Royal Hudsons" although for sheer class the silver & blue Royal train livery on #2850 takes some beating... so, on to Ted-How are you dear boy, all well in the sunshine state ? Have a little something to wa***hose meds down, how about a cigar- we’ve some nice fresh Cuban stock, just in from our Canadian supplier- I’d value your opinion. Have rooted round the bookshelves and dug out my venerable Ian Allen B.R. loco’s from 1962,which gives the following data for the G.W.R. "castle" class( the "Stars" & "Saints" from which they were derived, were all withdrawn by then ) 4-6-0 with six wheel tender, power classification 7P,introduced 1923,designed by C.B.Collett, weight-loco 79 tons 17 cwt, tender 46 tons14 cwt, boiler pressure 225lb psi, cyls. 4x 16"x26," driving wheels 6`8.5",tractive effort 31,625 lbs, valve gear walschaerts (rocking shafts & piston valves). No data yet on tender capacity but data for " B.R.Standard" types BR1, BR1H & BR2 ,which are all in the same weight range, suggest coal cap. 6-7 tons & water 3500-4250 gallons. Phew , all a bit dry,same again please Tom, ah lovely, thank you,-by the way Tom, thanks for the summeries (?) Your heroic efforts at hacking through the tangled prose I post here and rendering it into legible form are much appreciated. So, enough from me for now, what shall we have tomorrow-the 1895 race to the north or the Ocean mails across the south Devon switchback, I’m saving the record setters for last !,quick P.S. for ***-if you want to see a "castle" in steam, go on to Didcot. The Great Western Society have their headquarters in the old wye junction and have 5051 "Earl Bathurst" in regular use shuttling up and down the yard. I have also seen it being towed out of Old Oak Common depot, in steam, at the end of a ten car set with a 2-tone original green class 37 as pilot, prior to a down special to Bristol which we later overtook "in the hole" just before Swindon. enough already! be good, nick
QUOTE: earlydiesels Posted: 06 Jun 2005, 19:09:23 Hello everyone. I will take an Alexander's, please. Lot of catching up to do. Seems like the last week I've lived more in motels than when I drove long distance. Part of that time was enjoyable behind a throttle and yesterday I was "conducting". Memorial Day the freight rr called and had me set up for engineer recertification the next day 229 miles away. A quick packing and a kiss from the love of my life and I was gone. Got back 2 days later without ever having been inside one of their locos but passed all the tests. Now waiting on them for instructions for what's next. We are trying to find a house to rent over the phone and net and also look for the wife a job. I believe that if something is meant to happen, it will. So far, everything is going well. The rr seems very interested in me and has spent some funds on me so far. They have even discussed some relocation assistance. Considering that initially we had went over to this rr to ride some different rails and was not even looking for work. I firmly believe someone had told them of my 8 years of experience on the historical demonstration rr. BWT, I will be 43 on 24 June. I believe I'll take another Alexanders. I drink much slower than in my misspent youth but the ale hits the spot. I can't really tell who is working tonight because of all the smoke and haze (purple?) in here so I'll wait to see who emerges from the fog. Sounds like somebody is playing Hank Snow's Canadian Pacific on the jukebox. Now if we could get Tom to hang one of Morant's classic photos on the wall, we'd be set.
QUOTE: siberianmo Posted: 06 Jun 2005, 20:20:23 Evening Nick and earlydiesels ....... Have one on me! [tup] [:D] I'll get to more specific comments in my SUMMARY tomorrow - just had a very long response to your comments LOST in cyber space (again)! Oh, will I ever learn to do these things on my word processor then transfer them over ..... [:(!] Hey! earlydiesels - we're happy for you and hope things work out ..... HOWEVER, since we are an INTERACTIVE cyber bar 'n grill, how about letting us in on where you are - who you will be working for - and what will you be doing? We've missed you during your absence - and are glad to see you back. [tup] [;)] I'll see what I can do regarding a Morant work of art ....... Nick Thanx for the kind words - I really want this to be an INTERACTIVE cyber bar 'n grill. The SUMMARIES appear to be doing that - repetitive I admit - but they do seem to keep the conversations flowing. Among the missing: passengerfan Al and dickwatkins - haven't seen 'em for awhile, especially Al. Last we heard, he was off railfanning ....... Gotta bring a tray of pitchers to the back room AND put in some replacement 45 rpm records in the Juke. I like to refre***he old gal (Juke, that is! [}:)]] from time to time ....... Just found a bunch of WWII stuff - this being June 6th and D-Day, figured some Glen Miller would be nice. Gotta go ........ [tup] [;)] Tom (Siberianmo)
QUOTE: trolleyboy Posted: 06 Jun 2005, 22:59:03 Good evening gentlemen. Nick I'll have a Guiness tonight I think. Nick Those are nice postcards we sell Ted Wickson's fare at the museum as well. Bill Carr and his wife are two very early members of the museum. Not founders but their membership number is in the low teens. TTC 4000 is an air electric PCC meaning it's controller is of course electric but the brakes and doors are air powered. It's one of the original 1938 PCC's indeed it's PCC car number 1 on the TTC roster, eventually there was over 700 PCC's all tolled on the system. The later cars of course became all electric, Most of the air electrics were scrapped or sold to Alexandria Egypt and are likely still there. 4000 is the only one left we saved it from the scrap line. In fact it had been purchased by a scrapper so we traded him an all electric that the museum had purchased at the same auction.4000 being much more historically significant. We run 4000 infrequently but she is in excellent shape. Our three 4600 series all electrics get more regular use. 327 is an interesting story as well. It's an 1896 Toronto railway company car, hand brake open wood body type streetcar. These cars were banned in 1915 for there side running boards, people got on and off this type of car without the car stopping which before the turn of the century was not a problem but by 1915 too many people were getting hurt as vehicle traffic other than horse and buggies and street cars were becoming more common. Therefore these cars were stored and were lost in a barn fire in 1917.All but the cars metal bits (truck, seat frames) were lost . Flash forward to 1933. The city of Toronto was celebrating it's 100th birthday that year so the TTC rebuilt from original plans car 327 using the salvaged metal pieces and all new wood. The car was put on display for the 100th birthday celebrations and was then regulated to historical collection storage at TTC's Hillcrest shops. This car never ran in revenue service on Toronto's streets as it's still by law banned. Our museum received it in 1968 and it was the first car to run under our wires in 1971.Two summers ago 2003 TTC celebrated their 80th birthday and we shipped 327 back to Toronto to take part in the parade of streetcars. Toronto City council had to repeal for a Day the old 1915 bylaw to allow it to run it's one and only revenue trip on the queen street line.Here;s the shot from that day. Well I'm off for tonight talk to you all tomorrow. Rob
QUOTE: trolleyboy Posted: 07 Jun 2005, 10:40:29 Morning all Kinda quiet so I'll take the light lunch special as long as Boris hasn't pawed it over. Tom your SUMMARIES are a God send anyone new popping in can get right into the meat of the conversations. Besides you usually fix our poor grammar and spelling as well Light Rail in St Lou you say. Same type as Edmonton and Calgary I'd imagine euro cars from Germany? I seem to remember several of the "used" PCC's that Toronto picked up were from your fair city, most fell into the 4400 series numbers along with refugee's from Birmingham, Cleveland, & other parts south. Every possible sub type of PCC save the double polled double ended variety eventually ended up on the TTC. Well gentlemen I'm taking my lunch and I'm off. BTW Tom those are some nice dill pickles that you brought in. Photo of the day lets see. Two I think before and during restoration shots of TTC sweeper S-37.This car came to TTC VIA NYC and Boston Talk to you all tonight Rob
QUOTE: siberianmo Posted: 07 Jun 2005, 13:44:40 Rob Thanx for the kind words regarding the SUMMARIES and also the grammar/spelling check. I really am not "into" trying to insult anyone with this - but as I go through the narratives and come across typo's - I try to fix 'em. Heck, who's perfect Here's some photos of what the St. Louis MetroLink cars look like today: These pix are from http://world.nycsubway.org/us/stlouis/ if you want to view more ... The cars were built by Siemens and the line opened in July 1993, a 17 mile stretch over mostly existing right-of-way between St. Louis' International Airport (Lambert Field) and East St. Louis, Illinois. Additional cars for the system were built at Siemens' Sacramento, CA plant as a result of a 1998 contract. Today the routes have expanded and the system plans more growth. Unfortunately a segment of less than 8 miles through an urban setting with lots of infrastructure hurdles has reached over $650 million in projected costs and growing. That's a lot of bucks per mile - an ill advised route for sure. But that's a story for another day. I was very much involved with civic input regarding the expansion of MetroLink - both with a State Representative/Senator with whom I worked, and my own 400 member Coalition. We wanted to stop this foolish expansion - but lost out. Today, because of the ill advised planning - there are no projected dollars to run the new leg should this thing ever get built! Try to justify that .... There's lotsa stuff on the web regarding light rail - as undoubtedly you already know. The St. Louis system uses MetroLink whereas LA uses Metrolink - catch the difference? See ya! [tup] [;)] Tom (Siberianmo)
QUOTE: siberianmo Posted: 07 Jun 2005, 13:55:08 earlydiesels You asked ........ here's the best I could find on the web - two book covers. I'm sure some browsing, you could probably find some others. However, Nicolas Morant's works are for sale - so perhaps the "freebies" may be a bit difficult to locate. Enjoy! [tup] [;)] SCROLL BACK to find the pix ........ (Siberianmo)
QUOTE: siberianmo Posted: 07 Jun 2005, 17:53:34 JUNEAU, Mascot of "Our" Place Nice surroundings inside of Boris' Shed, wouldn't you agree[?] (Siberianmo)
QUOTE: nickinwestwales Posted: 07 Jun 2005, 18:44:10 Hey Tom evenin’ gents -what`ll you all have-it`s been a perfect summers day here-very much against the general run of play, perfect cider drinking weather and since this is a cyber bar, I can enjoy my favourite tipple without the possibly fatal consequences attendant on a real life indulgence !!!!!- Tom-love the big band grooves on the juke-now there`s a rhythm section that can swing. Approve the sentiment behind the selections, for some reason it hasn`t been picked up on over here. Some delicate Euro Political stuff going on just now so most likely "pretend it never happened" type diplomacy at work-ugly stuff. Sounds like your local Metro (airport to city) might just be more for the benefit of tourists than the good people who actually fund the thing-just hope & pray St Louis never enters an Olympic bid-the local economy may never recover........ r.e. SUMMARIES (thanks!!) I am increasingly finding memory to be a start point rather than a specific location-repetition good for me. You mentioned, a day or so ago the somewhat `high spirited` environments in which I ply my trade, I guess after living down here for 15 years I tend not to notice it so much. In fact, The Welsh seem to maintain the old Celtic tradition whereby the Bards (traveling musicians & storytellers) were granted safe passage throughout the land at all times-playing the bars in south London, where I grew up was a lot different. Have only ever felt intimidated a handful of times in 30 years of playing and in fear of my life only once ( a tale for a winters evening) For the record Pembrokeshire has contributed many fine citizens to the world......Frank & Jesse James, the Dalton gang, Captain Henry Morgan, Capt `Black Bart`Bartholemew...............ah...... moving swiftly on, Earlydiesels-GO FOR IT..! It would be a terrible thing to reach the autumn of your years and think "I had the chance & didn`t take it" With your Lady obviously right behind you it looks like green lights all the way. Good luck with the next stage, we await with interest. Rob-Nice one man!-I can now see those cards in a whole new light, love the idea of the 1-day repeal . Nice shots of the sweeper car-I find something fascinating about the whole range of non-revenue cars, rarely 2 alike, all seemingly assembled out of left over bits`n`bobs from other vehicles-wonderful! By the way, dont worry about Boris mauling the food, he uses his old socks as mittens. Anybody know why our genial host is in the backyard hitting a computer with a tree branch and screaming "Give it back you ***" ? I sense some inner tension there. Please excuse formless ramble, still hyper from band practice, tonight we were overrun with Polish sailors on 8 hour furlough from the bar upstairs, friendly but deranged and all 240+ pounds & DRUNK............honest, I couldn`t make this stuff up !! Be happy, lucky & as well as possible, moonlight mile for me now, speak soon, nick
QUOTE: nickinwestwales Posted: 07 Jun 2005, 19:03:46 Tom-just seen the shot of Juneau -He looks remarkably similar to a family of dogs around the village, the owner of the Dam says they are called Northern Inuits and are apparently the closest domesticated breed to a wolf, right down to the yellow eyes-ring any bells ? Coat is almost identical colour as is the "I`m here because I choose to be" demeanour. Both Dam & pups are some of the best natured animals I`ve met. Any info would be of great interest, nick P.S.-looks like you`ve hit the big 600 !!!
QUOTE: West Coast S Posted: 07 Jun 2005, 20:18:15 Evening Tom and the gang...Dave from the left cost, reporting for something cold on tap, your recommendation. I've had evil thoughts of late. Seeing that attractive female Seargent assigned to my unit in dress uniform got me thinking, must remember I have a wife of 22 years whom I dearly love... Hey, trolley fans, the Pacific Electric lives! A 1.25 mile segment in San Pedro has been restored to operation and a long sought, though not realistic, desire among many is that perhaps someday the connection to the Dominguez line (now the Torrance Industrial Spur), portions abandoned in 1953 & 1984 could be restored, provided Union Pacific is agreeable and ROW property can be obtained. UP has made significient improvements to what it refers to as its Torrance industrial Spur with re-lay rail and ballast replacement. SP operated this line using. Geeps, SD7/9s, MP15s after the wires came down but its Interurban heritage betrays itself by extensive street trackage and two car sidings. The unique PE Wig-Wag crossing signals are no more, replaced within the last couple of years by standard grade crossing protection. I'll miss these unique reminders. Tom, I'll get you the word on that big adventure, meantime, I think my wife has a honey do list waiting for me, thought I'd chime in on my local Interurban scene, but first a couple of rounds for the boys. My pleasure. Dave
QUOTE: siberianmo Posted: 07 Jun 2005, 20:48:23 Evening Guys! Whatillyahave I see some rounds have been bought, so drink up - smores on the way! [tup] [;)] Nick Check out this URL: http://www.gotpetsonline.com/pictures/gallery/dogs/alphabetically/northern-inuit-dogs/ West Coast S Meant to tell you awhile back, I'm getting into S-gauge (not scale) with some American Models and S-Helper loco's and rolling stock. My current project is a ceiling suspended layout - 7x8ft in my basement storage room (only place left in the house for more trains!). I decided to go with S for several reasons (1) Always like the size (2) A friend of mine had a "lead" on some vintage Gilbert American Flyer sets at apparently a near give away price - but this has fizzled - which goes to show that IF IT'S TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT ISN'T! (3) My main layout is HO - our Christmas tree trains are LGB (2 sets) and my shelf system is Lionel's Polar Express O-gauge; time for something new. I'll be purchasing S-Trax (for simplicity, not price!) along with an MRC dual power transformer (AC) for the two trains that will run in opposite directions on the layout I'm planning. Of course pictures will be provided as I get going on this - most of 'em on my Photo Album site: http://www.railimages.com/albums/thomasweber Thought you'd be interested. Will respond to both in more detail in tomorrow's SUMMARY. See ya both and enjoy the evening/night. Tom (Siberianmo)
QUOTE: trolleyboy Posted: 07 Jun 2005, 23:26:11 Good evening everyone. His old socks you say Nick [:O] maybe the pickle flavour I was complimenting Tom on was incorrect. As for railway work equipment you are right so many of them are one offs built (Frankenstein style) in the railways own shops. In the case of S-37 she and her sisters were off the self units ordered from the Russell car company. I've found while researching street railways that snow sweepers tended to be purpose built not home cobbled be it single or double trucked. One nice thing about our museum is that we have preserved allot of the unique work equipment, gives the general public something different to see and ride on. west coast that's good news it's nice to see more rail history not only being preserved but actually reused Here's a couple more pic's of some work equipment for everyone. The first one is one of our oldest functional cars W-4 this was built in the Toronto Railway companies shops one of ten work flatcars. This little baby is 101 this year. due to cast iron wheels we don't give it much running time. The museum decided that due to the fragile nature of cast wheels those cars so equipped won't get regular use until they are replaced with steel wheels. The steel wheels are less chip prone in the treads, as the cast iron ages it becomes brittle and running over a small rock lets say can crack and fracture the wheels. The next is a picture if snowplow TP-11 one of two built to combat heavy drifts in 1946 by national steel car in Hamilton Ontario. We lovingly refer to this car as the beast!!!. Good night all Rob
QUOTE: Ted D. Kramer Posted: 08 June 2005, 05:05:36 "Godfry Daniel!" (W. C. Fields), I nearly fell into an anxiety "attack" upon entering "Our" Place this morning. I believe such a volume of quality postings containing substance and fantasy might very well make "M.R. Forum" history. I'm sure, if it weren't for the dedicated editing of the Summaries, I would have lapsed into a state of apoplexy long before Rob's last entry (superb pix of W-4 and TP-11, Rob). Where to begin? Early Diesels, I join all of the brotherhood in wishing only the best for you in a trying but very promising period. Please know that, to a man, we are all of us "in your corner." May we all raise a chalice in a toast to health, prosperity, and longevity for our esteemed comrade. Nick, your erudition on a plethora of fields and avocations is beyond my imagining. My humble, novice request for "More" on U.K. rails was met with an avalanche of esoteric data befitting a Masters thesis, thank you. Tom, I am flattered to embarrassment for the number two pub stool. But would you please be kind enough to allow me to withdraw my under serving self in favor of another choice far more worthy? Thank you so much. [Almost sounds like a Charlie Chan movie, doesn't it?] Dave, wonderful news from from your beautiful State. P.E. was still a viable, efficient "people mover" at the time of its covertly contrived demise (my opinion). Sooner than anyone thinks, the revival of such light rail operations will be a necessity, certainly not a curiosity. Hopefully, S.P. will see the wisdom of incorporating interurban (radial) service before "grid lock" and fuel prices combine to bring CA's "freeways" to "parking lot" status. Also, let us hope the political "straw bosses" stand clear of "mystery" routes through condemned property sites which they have invested in for their own future personal profit. Right Tom? Same thing happened in Baltimore-Washington area! There is far too much "catching-up" for one posting. I'll try to "keep the wind to me back," and out tack the flow in this melange of information "over-load." In parting, Boris, drinks all 'round if you please and I meant to say earlier, the fresh apron is a step in the right direction. No offence but you must know by now that it ties in the back Boris, not the front. G'Day all.
QUOTE: passengerfan Posted: 08 June 2005, 08:32:37 How about a round for the house and I'll have the usual. I don’t care if it is only 6:30 AM on the right coast. My short railfanning weekend was cancelled at the last minute. Have a publisher who had other plans for me so had to give it up for that filthy (green stuff) money. I will keep this short as have not finished the project i am working on. Our ACE trains may be on the verge of a major cash infusion will let everyone know the outcome. Soon as I finish my project will rejoin the forum. Only have a chance for a quick glance the last few days. Sorry!
QUOTE: wrwatkins Posted: 08 June 2005, 09:00:30 Good morning y'all. This is Stool # 6. I will have a cup of java and make it strong and black. It is a little early to hit the good stuff. I have a policy to never drink before noon, however, paraphrasing the C&W song it is noon somewhere. Last night I went to the ***lyer Library at Southern Methodist University in Dallas (really University Park) to view their collection of Southern Pacific memorabilia they had on exhibition. It is well worth the visit, however, the show is only running through Friday June 17. The ***lyer Library has a fond place in my black heart. I am a vice president of ***lyer and MacNaughton, an international oil and gas consulting company that was started by Everett Lee ***lyer, who endowed the ***lyer Library. Last night was especially interesting as they had a guest appearance by the legendary photographer Richard Steinheimer. Stein is 75 and in failing health mentally. He was signing books, however the show was put on by his wife, Shirley Burman as Stein no longer can do public speaking. The show was in three parts. The first was a "Roast and Toast" of Stein with cute pictures and a history of his life from birth to the present day that was narrated by Shirley. The next two parts were slide (really power point) show of his black and white and color photos that was coregraphed (sp?) to music. He is quite a photographic artist and I felt honored to have the once in my life opportunity to meet him. Even got a book signed by him. Glad that Tom placed pictures of Morant's two great books on this thread. They are great books, but a little pricy. I think I paid about $80 each (Ouch!). That is US dollars, not Canadian. All I have for now. I am still a little down after seeing Stein is such poor condition. ***
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